The Red Mansions

Chapter 1425: The Qing Dynasty can still be saved! (At the end of the month, please give me a monthl

Chapter 1425: The Qing Dynasty can still be saved! (At the end of the month, please give me a monthly ticket!)

Shengjing City

Before I knew it, seven or eight days had passed.

During these few days, except for the first three days, the Han army continued to attack the city, and in the following days, the Han army completely entered a state of rest and recuperation.

Mainly because the Jurchen cavalry began to harass the Han army's food supply routes, Xie Zaiyi led the cavalry and began to fight against the Jurchen cavalry that harassed the food supply routes.

The food and fodder supply for the Jiangnan Navy and the Hebei Border Army naturally did not fall from the sky, but was transported from Liaoyang City. In addition, it was transferred from the sea, but the efficiency was actually relatively low.

Especially as the Jiangnan Navy and Hebei border troops moved farther away from the coastal guards of Gaizhou and Haizhou, the efficiency of transporting food and fodder became lower.

This is also the reason why Prince Beijing Shui Rong did not dare to use military force rashly.

In the central army tent——

Prince Beijing Shui Rong sat on a chair, wearing a beautifully embroidered county prince's robe and a hat inlaid with a piece of green jade. He looked around at the officers below and said, "These past few days, the soldiers in the Jurchen city seem to be strengthening the city's defenses while my army is not attacking the city."

In the past few days, the Han army's red cannons had caused considerable damage to the city walls, which were riddled with pits and dents from the bombing. The city gate tower with its flying eaves, hooked corners, vermilion beams and columns, as well as the corner towers and gun emplacements, collapsed in an instant.

Wei Che, the admiral of the Jiangnan Navy, said, "Why not send a small group of soldiers to harass the Qing army defending the city? Throwing bombs on the top of the city will also prevent the Jurchen bannermen on the top of the city from having time to rest."

Kang Hong praised: "This is a very good proposal. It is a strategy to tire out the soldiers and also prepare for our army's next siege."

Prince Beijing Shui Rong frowned and said, "I am worried that the Jurchens will be furious and send troops to raid the camp."

Because, since the Jurchens sent out cavalry to harass, it meant a change in combat strategy, from passive defense to active attack.

This is a bad sign.

This means that the advantages of the Han army's red cannon and gunpowder are being offset.

Wei Che said: "Your Highness is right. The Jurchens are very likely to send troops to counterattack our camp. We need to prepare in advance."

This is not without precedent in warfare. The Han army can attack a city, and the Jurchens can also go out of the city and counterattack.

In particular, the Han army's camp was not as majestic and solid as the Jurchen's Shengjing City.

Prince of Beijing Shui Rong said: "The camp has been on high alert these days. General Kang and General Jia Fang have led the cavalry of the Hebei border army to patrol and guard against the Jurchen troops and cavalry raiding our camp."

If the Jurchens went out of the city to raid the camp, the Han Dynasty would not be without a way to deal with it. The 30,000 border troops could mobilize and provide support at any time.

From the very beginning, when Dorgon had not yet retreated to Shengjing City, Lekedehun, Shuosai, Husai and others in the city knew it.

Kang Hong responded, and Jia Fang, who was not far below, also stood up and bowed in response, accepting the military order.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong seemed to have a trace of longing in his eyes, and said with emotion: "We still need Duke Weiguo to come and take charge of the situation. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to take Shengjing City alone."

Just as Prince Beijing had expected, in the next two days, a large number of elite Jurchen cavalry launched an attack to raid the camp.

On this day, in the early morning, cool summer breeze blew the leaves with a rustling sound, and the birds were startled and flew towards the endless blue sky.

Along with the "creaking" sound of teeth grinding coming from the Shengjing City suspension bridge, the city gate soon made a heavy "creaking" sound.

A large number of Jurchen cavalrymen in neat and mighty uniforms came out of the city gate. With the sound of galloping horses, the leading general Lekedehun, wearing a black armor and holding a long iron sword, charged towards the Han army camp a few miles away.

On the top of the city wall, Dorgon, wearing a python robe and holding a long iron sword at his waist, stood on the city gate tower, gazing at the well-organized Han army camp in the distance, with an indescribable expectation in his heart.

This is an opportunity to defeat the Han army!

As long as he could deal with this weak Han navy, he would be able to deal with it calmly even if Jia Heng led his troops to attack again.

Lekedehun brought about 30,000 elite Jurchen soldiers and horses with him this time. They were all carefully selected brave men, and they were leaving the city at this moment.

Swords and spears stood everywhere, reflecting the bright and cold light under the sunlight. At this moment, the vast army headed straight for the Han army's camp.

"Da da……"

But before they got close to the camp, they could hear all kinds of horse hoof sounds coming from the distance. The chaotic sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground could be heard, and a rumbling sound could be heard.

Kang Hong and Jia Fang led a large number of cavalry, armed with various weapons, to meet the enemy.

"Dangdang..."

Along with the sound of weapons clashing, one could see large numbers of cavalrymen rushing past each other, blades raised, slashing, and the sound of "puff, puff" continued.

Along with the sounds of people roaring and horses neighing, waves of groans of pain were heard.

Although the Hebei border troops were not as good at fighting as the elite troops of the Beijing camp, at this moment, the Han army and the Jurchen army were fighting against each other and there was no difference at all.

Kang Hong held a large iron knife in his hand and hacked at the Jurchen bannermen back and forth.

Both of them were fierce generals who could fight against a hundred people at the same time. At this moment, they led their followers and guards and completely suppressed the endless momentum of the Jurchens.

At this moment, Jia Fang saw Lekedehun, snorted angrily, rode his horse forward, and rushed towards Lekedehun.

"Death, you bastard!"

As Jia Fang shouted, Lekedehun's face became solemn. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and murderous intent filled his face. He also raised a big knife in his hand and went to kill Jia Fang.

"clang……"

The two men's weapons collided, sparks flew, and a sharp scream could be heard.

The horses of both sides fought like a revolving lantern for twenty or thirty rounds.

Jia Fang is brave and sharp, but he is not as experienced as Lekedehun.

The surrounding Jurchen cavalry had already started fighting with the Han cavalry.

The battle between the two sides lasted from morning to noon. The only thing they could smell above the battlefield was the strong smell of blood rising up, which was pungent and unbearable.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong was holding a monocular telescope in his hand, looking into the distance, with strange things in his eyes.

Jia Fang is truly worthy of being Ziyu's nephew. He is as brave and courageous as Ziyu.

However, the enemy continued to attack the city, and after an hour in the afternoon, the cavalry confrontation between the two sides still showed no winner.

"Dangdang..."

As the horn sounded, the Han army broke contact with the Eight Banners of the Jurchens and returned to their camps and cities like the ebbing tide.

Jia Fang and Kang Hong rode back on horseback.

Beijing Prince Shui Rong whispered, "General Kang, General Xiao Jia has worked hard. It's noon and the army should eat."

Kang Hong wiped the blood and sweat off his face with his sleeves and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I was just saying I was hungry."

Jia Fang's eyes were sparkling at the moment, but he didn't say anything. However, he was a little hungry at the moment.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong extended his hand and nodded, saying, "General Xiao Jia, General Kang, please come to the military tent for a chat."

Jia Fang and Kang Hong went to the military tent.

On the other side, Lekedehun led the cavalry all the way back to Shengjing City, and the Jurchen cavalry behind him suffered casualties.

At this moment, Dorgon came up from not far away and asked, "How is it?"

Lekedehun's face showed fatigue, and the blood on his robe and armor was still wet. He turned over and got off the horse, throwing the reins in his hand to the groom beside him.

Lekedehun's face turned serious, and he shook his head and said, "The Han army has been prepared, and it will be difficult to raid the camp."

This was also the reason why the Jurchen troops in Shengjing City did not send troops to raid the camp before the Regent Dorgon returned.

Dorgon frowned and asked, "If the entire army in my city goes out to rob the camp, will it be possible?"

Lekedehun sighed and said, "It's hard to say, but this move is too risky. If it fails, Shengjing City will not be able to be defended."

Dorgon remained silent for a while.

As he spoke, Dorgon took Lekedehun's arm and walked towards the city, saying, "I have prepared wine and food, let's go and have some. We must not rush to defeat the Han army."

Lekedehun nodded, followed Dorgon into the hall, sat down and enjoyed the food and wine.

Just as an offensive and defensive battle was taking place outside Shengjing City, on the vast plain between the Taizi River and the Hunhe River, about 200 miles away from Shengjing City, the elite cavalry of the Han army was engaging in a crazy chase and fight with the elite cavalry of the Jurchens.

In the past few days, Shuo Sai led a cavalry of nearly 10,000 people and started fighting along the line from Liaoyang City to Shengjing City.

On the boundless grassland, Xie Zaiyi rode on a horse, holding the reins in his hands. His resolute face was shrouded in murderous intent, and his eyes were like an eagle, staring into the distance.

The deputy general at the side, Jia Ling, who was also a young general of the Jia family, said, "Lord Xie, these are just harassing squads of Jurchen soldiers. The main force of the Jurchens is still hiding everywhere. If we wipe them out one by one, our army will only be exhausted."

This is the situation where the enemy is in the open and we are in the dark. If we send a large number of troops to guard the grain route, no amount of troops will be enough. But if we simply spread out our forces, we will not be able to stop the sneak attack by the Jurchen soldiers.

"We have to find the main force of the Jurchens." Xie Zaiyi said with a firm expression, "Otherwise, the food and fodder supply on the front line will definitely be affected."

Jia Ling frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Perhaps we can use a strategy to lure the enemy in?"

Xie Zaiyi turned around after hearing this. His tiger eyes flashed fiercely under his thick eyebrows. He asked, "How do you think we can lure the enemy?"

Jia Ling said: "If a convoy carrying a large amount of food and fodder sets out from Liaoyang City to help Shengjing City, then the Jurchen soldiers will probably launch a surprise attack. Our army will ambush them and take advantage of the situation to kill them."

Xie Zaiyi thought about it, his eyes lit up, and he said, "This plan is feasible."

"Let's go back to Liaoyang City first and let me make careful arrangements." Xie Zaiyi did not delay and made a prompt decision, saying in a low voice.

Jia Ling nodded, then followed Xie Zaiyi and rushed towards Liaoyang City.

……

……

Shuosai was not far from Liaoyang City. At this moment, he almost wanted to laugh out loud. This was the way that the Jurchen people were familiar with.

In just the previous few days, they annihilated more than a thousand Han soldiers and burned hundreds of thousands of stones of grain and fodder, while their own casualties were almost negligible.

"We shouldn't have defended the city in the first place." Shuosai realized it belatedly and said to the Jurchen officers beside him, feeling quite regretful.

But having said that, not everyone can abandon the base camp and lead Hu Zongnan around in circles.

The Jurchens had already become a country, and the responsibility of defending the borders and the limited strategic depth to Shengjing meant that Dorgon did not have the courage to give up several cities at the beginning.

Then the internal situation will collapse first. The Qing Dynasty will surrender without a fight. Is it going to be destroyed?

But at this moment, only Shengjing was left, which liberated the Jurchens' thinking and sent out elite cavalry to harass the Han army's food supply. If the time went on for a long time and was not controlled, the Jiangnan Navy and Hebei Border Army that were besieging Shengjing City would have their food supply cut off and would not be able to hold on.

The Jurchen troops in Shengjing City took the opportunity to attack. Once the troops of Prince Beijing Shui Rong were defeated, Jia Heng would also have to retreat. Then, this dead chess game might really be turned around.

But... unfortunately it's just if.

Because, on this day, Jia Heng led an army of more than 100,000 from the Beijing camp to the city of Shengjing and joined forces with Prince Beijing Shui Rong.

Jia Heng had been worried that the Jurchens would take advantage of his time and defeat him one by one, so he did not stop for a moment and quickly reunited.

Chen Xiao nodded and said loudly: "The Jinyifu guards reported that the Jurchen cavalry in the Liaoyang area has attacked the grain route. Our army has suffered heavy casualties and a lot of food and fodder has been lost."

Jia Heng said: "It is inevitable. If we want to avoid harassment, we have to use strategies."

The so-called strategy is mostly a trick of mixing truth and falsehood to lure soldiers and deceive people.

At this moment, Chen Xiao's clear eyes twinkled under his willow brows, and he said, "Look, Prince Beijing Shui Rong is here."

Jia Heng hummed, then looked at the middle-aged king who was wearing a shark-white embroidered python robe, a jade belt around his waist, and had a fair face.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong showed a look of delight on his face, and said with a slightly trembling voice: "Zi Yu."

At this moment, Kang Hong and Wei Che also walked forward quickly. Under their thick eyebrows, they looked at the young man in the python robe quietly and said, "This humble general greets you, Marshal."

At this moment, if there is background music playing, it would probably be: "Every time I see you, the wind is blowing hard."

At this moment, flags were fluttering all around, and soldiers in armor and holding weapons were emitting a majestic aura silently.

Jia Heng smiled and said, "Prince Beijing, General Kang, long time no see."

As he spoke, he dismounted from the saddle, then walked forward and supported the arms of several people.

Jia Fang was in the crowd, and at this moment he looked at the young man in the python robe with reverence.

It can be said that Jia Heng is the person that Jia Fang follows and imitates throughout his life.

Jia Heng said in a clear voice: "Generals, this is not a place to talk. Let's go to the military tent to talk."

Everyone said yes and then walked towards the military tent.

The more than 100,000 cavalrymen of the Beijing Camp behind him camped not far away, forming a pincer attack with the troops of Beijing King Shui Rong.

Jia Heng did not say much at this moment. He came to the commander's desk in the military tent and sat down, and asked, "Prince Beijing, how has the siege been going these days?"

Prince Beijing Shui Rong said: "The siege has stopped in the past few days. The Jurchens have tried to attack our camp several times in the past few days, but they were all repelled by Admiral Kang and General Xiao Jia. Our army can only temporarily stop the siege. In addition, the Jurchens sent out elite cavalry to harass our army's food supply. Marquis Xie has led the cavalry to escort them."

Jia Heng nodded and said loudly: "I know about this matter. With Lord Xie's ability, he should be able to handle it. Not only your food supply route, but also the follow-up food supply route of our Beijing camp army should be guarded by troops."

With as many as 200,000 to 300,000 soldiers stockpiled outside Shengjing City, the subsequent transportation of food and fodder became arduous, especially as the time to capture the city increased, the supply pressure became greater.

If the Jurchens really continued to send cavalry to harass, the battle to pacify Liaodong would really fail.

Beijing Prince Shui Rong said: "It's good that Zi Yu is on guard."

Jia Heng said: "The only troops that the Jurchens can send out now are those in the city, namely the troops of Man Dahai who previously resisted the Korean troops. I have asked Cao Bianjiao to lead the Beijing Camp Iron Cavalry."

Prince Beijing Shui Rong said: "General Cao is also a fierce general. With him guarding the grain route, we should be safe."

Jia Heng said: "The next step is to arrange the siege, and try to capture Shengjing before the winter month. Otherwise, when the snow comes, the roads will be cut off, and the food supply will be even more difficult. The Jurchens have lived in Liaodong for many years and have adapted to the climate. That will be the day for them to counterattack."

This is the key point. Now it is already late August, and the window period left for the Han army to pacify Liaodong is actually not long, only a little over two months.

Otherwise, the Han army would become the German army in World War II. One could not expect the Han army to attack the city while hungry and freezing in the cold wind.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong nodded and said, "Zi Yu is right. In war, victory is more important than duration. This is the naked conspiracy of the Jurchens. They want to take advantage of the winter month to launch a desperate counterattack."

Upon hearing this, all the officers and soldiers in the military tent were shocked.

I had previously felt that it could not be delayed until winter, but I had never imagined that there would be such a great deal of harm.

Jia Heng looked at everyone and said, "Generals, don't worry. We have a large army now, and we have the advantage... In short, as long as we are united, it will only take a few months to conquer Shengjing City."

In fact, no one can guarantee this.

In Liaodong, a parallel universe, the Qing Dynasty, which once dominated the world, could exert how much resistance force when the country was destroyed?

Kang Hong smiled and said, "Duke Weiguo, it's getting late. I have prepared a welcoming banquet for you. Please join us for some."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Let's use some together."

As he was talking, he followed Kang Hong and Prince Beijing Shui Rong towards the military tent nearby.

Jia Heng and the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp took their seats one after another.

Jia Heng nodded and said in a clear voice: "Regarding the Han people and soldiers who sided with the rebels in the city, they shot silk with inscriptions on it in the next few days. They are of the same origin. I think they were forced to follow the enemy, which is understandable. We can not punish them. Those who followed the enemy will not be questioned, those who surrender will be exempted, and those who have made contributions will be rewarded."

These were the words released by our army when millions of troops crossed the Yangtze River in later generations, which shook many senior officers of the artillery party.

After hearing this, Beijing Prince Shui Rong nodded and said, "Zi Yu is right."

Jia Heng smiled and said, "Let's not discuss this for now. Let's start eating together."

He thought to himself, when did Prince Beijing Shui Rong become like the two vassal states of Wei and Chu?

But he didn't take it to heart. He still knew Shui Rong's evil thoughts.

The scheming Zero.

When everyone saw Jia Heng starting to eat, they also picked up their bamboo chopsticks and started eating.

……

……

Shengjing City

Just as Jia Heng led more than 100,000 troops from the Beijing camp to reinforce the military camp, Dorgon in the city also received the news. He urgently summoned Lekedehun, Husai and other high-ranking Manchu officials and the six Manchu and Han ministers of the Qing Dynasty to gather in the Xiande Hall.

In the Xiande Hall, Dorgon sat on an embroidered cushion covered with a soft mattress under the imperial chair, his thin face looking haggard.

"Little Jia Heng is here." Dorgon whispered in a low and hoarse voice.

Some time ago, the Jurchen cavalry sent out to raid the camp in the city, but gained nothing, which made Dorgon disappointed again.

The Manchu civil and military officials below all had solemn looks on their faces.

Lekede said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, even if Jia Heng comes in person, the Han army will not be able to break through Shengjing City in two or three months, given its majesty and solidity. By then, the roads will be blocked by heavy snow, making it difficult for the Han army to transport food and fodder. I will then use my cavalry to harass them, and once the Han army's food supply is cut off, they will have to withdraw. Otherwise, they will be in danger of being defeated."

Hearing this, Dorgon was excited and said, "Then our army can also go out of the city to pursue them, and perhaps we can turn defeat into victory and inflict heavy damage on the Han army!"

Speaking of this, Dorgon looked up at Lekedehun and said, "The next step is how to hold on for three months, no, it should be two months. After late October, it will snow heavily."

At this moment, all the civil and military officials in the palace could not help but show excitement on their faces.

The Qing Dynasty has not yet reached the end of its rope!

The Qing Dynasty can still be saved!

(End of this chapter)