The Red Mansions

Chapter 1373 Gu Ruoqing: Does this person have the ambition to be like Wei Wu? (3 more monthly ticke

Chapter 1373 Gu Ruoqing: Does this person have the ambition to be like Wei Wu? (Third update, asking for monthly tickets!)

The next day, in the early morning, the morning light shone on the earth, the bone-chilling winter wind blew on the earth, and the branches of the trees in the wilderness made rustling sounds.

"Dong dong..."

The sound of cowhide drums was as dense as raindrops, making people's blood boil.

The army began a new day of siege. The sound of artillery roared as the Han and Korean soldiers launched a massive attack on the Korean capital. Before long, the troops were densely packed and swarmed around.

A large number of Korean soldiers, holding ladders, climbed towards the city. Looking down from the sky, it looked like a raging sea of ​​fire.

At this moment, Aobai was standing on the top of the city wall, wearing a cloth armor with foam nails, and his firm eyes looked around, observing the changes on the battlefield.

Jia Heng was holding a monocular telescope, gazing at the siege scene on the top of the city wall, his face full of contemplation.

The main force in this siege was Korean soldiers, while the Han soldiers only provided support or served as the attacking force.

At this moment, the Jurchen soldiers and the Korean soldiers on the city wall were also fighting, and the two sides quickly engaged in combat.

The shouts and screams shook the entire city.

Along with the "swoosh" sound of weapons entering flesh, a large number of Korean soldiers wearing soft armor, holding knives in their hands, fell down from the ladders.

At this moment, some Korean soldiers also climbed onto the top of the city wall, holding three-foot long swords, trying to gain a foothold.

The offensive and defensive battle between the two sides lasted until the afternoon. Apart from a lot of corpses left under the city walls, there were not many soldiers lingering around.

The so-called experienced general can roughly judge the strength of the city’s defense based on the offensive and defensive situations of both sides.

Jia Heng put down the telescope in his hand and said, "Let's go back and have lunch."

Mu Sheng nodded, said nothing more, and returned to the military tent with Jia Heng.

After lunch, Jia Heng ordered his personal guards to gather the soldiers to discuss the next arrangements for the siege.

After a while, the officers of the Han army and the Korean army, led by Tian Siquan, Li Shang and other generals, entered the military tent and saluted to the young man in the python robe who was sitting behind the table.

"I have met the Duke of Wei."

Jia Heng said, "Generals, please stand up."

The Korean and Han officers all stood up and looked at the young man in the python robe.

Jia Heng looked at the others and said, "You should have noticed today's siege. Although the elite troops of the Eight Banners of the Jurchens are brave, they are under the suppression of our artillery and guns. It is time for the Korean officers and soldiers to fight and die."

A number of North Korean officers responded in unison.

Jia Heng said: "The Joseon capital is the capital of the Joseon Kingdom. You are all officers in the court. The pursuit and fighting of the Jurchen soldiers are the sole responsibility of our Han people. As for the fighting of the Joseon soldiers who surrendered to the enemy and the recovery of the capital, it still depends on you officers."

Li Shang said: "Don't worry, Duke Weiguo. The country is in crisis, and we warriors should fight bravely and take the lead."

Tian Sichun also expressed his opinion: "Don't worry, Duke Weiguo, we will definitely die for North Korea."

Jia Heng nodded and said in a deep voice: "Three generals, from now on, we will have to rely on the three generals and their officers and soldiers."

After giving these instructions to several Korean officers, Jia Heng and Mu Sheng discussed the subsequent deployment of troops.

In this way, the siege lasted from the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month of the eighteenth year of Chongping to the New Year's Eve of the eighteenth year of Chongping.

Jia Heng ordered his soldiers to rest for two days, and took out a lot of wine and meat from the military supply warehouse and distributed them to the officers as rewards.

This day was New Year’s Eve.

Inside the military tent, the kitchen also prepared steaming dumplings.

Jia Heng and Gu Ruoqing sat opposite each other across a table.

Gu Ruoqing stared at the young man in the python robe and whispered, "How many days will it take to break the city?"

"It will be soon. The offensive has been getting more intense these days, and the officers and soldiers in the city are wavering. On New Year's Eve, I will have the soldiers release sky lanterns to persuade the Korean officers and soldiers in the city to surrender." Jia Heng picked up the dumplings, put them in a vinegar bowl, and said softly.

Gu Ruoqing asked: "How do you say that?"

Jia Heng picked up a dumpling and put it in the beautiful woman's bowl. He looked at the beautiful woman with a worried look on her face and said softly, "Why, do you want to go back to the capital?"

Gu Ruoqing did not answer. Instead, he looked at the majestic capital city in the distance and said quietly, "This is my first New Year's Eve in a foreign country."

Jia Heng gently pulled the beauty's slender hand, his cold and sharp face showing a trace of thoughtfulness, and said: "Ruoqing, where are your family members?"

Gu Ruoqing's beautiful face, which looked like rose petals, showed a stunned look. She said in a low voice, "My parents died when I was young, and I have been wandering in the world since then. Now, it has been more than ten years."

Jia Heng grasped the beauty's slender hands, and immediately embraced the plump beauty in his arms, and whispered, "How did the two elders go?"

Gu Ruoqing said: "I was harmed by a villain, and then I ended up living in a brothel. Later I met my master, and that's how I was saved from the disaster."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then looked at the beauty and said, "Was it your master who taught you kung fu later?"

This world may have martial arts heroes and martial arts sects, but it is obviously not a world of immortal heroes.

Obviously, Gu Ruoqing also went through a lot in the past, but judging from what happened before, he should not have gone through any major hardships.

"My master taught me kung fu, and then there were some other opportunities." Gu Ruoqing's face flushed as she said, "Later, I learned music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs. By the time I was sixteen, I was already famous in Jiangnan for my music and art."

Jia Heng continued, "And then you move between high-ranking officials and talented scholars?"

Gu Ruoqing: “…”

What nonsense is this man talking about?

Did he doubt her? But she had already given him her virginity.

Jia Heng held the beauty's delicate hand, soothed her doubts, nodded, and under his sword-like eyebrows, his cold eyes showed concern, and said: "It's just that it's difficult for you. It's been difficult these years."

Gu Ruoqing hummed and nestled her head in the young man's arms, feeling calm and contented for a moment.

Jia Heng asked: "By the way, who is your master?"

Gu Ruoqing said: "Go ask Xiaoxiao, she knows more than me."

Jia Heng didn't take it seriously when he heard this. He believed that the White Lotus Mother would eventually surface.

Gu Ruoqing saw that the young man frowned slightly, as if thinking, and whispered: "Master is in Shenjing City."

Jia Heng said, "I know."

This White Lotus Mother is hiding in the dark, her intentions are unclear, and it is hard to let go.

Gu Ruoqing held the warm hand with his backhand, feeling the warmth of the palm and fingertips, and feeling the worry of the young man in the python costume.

Just like that, Jia Heng and the beauty spent some time together, then he turned to look at Gu Ruoqing and said softly, "You should get some rest earlier. I'll go inspect the camps now."

Hearing this, Gu Ruoqing's bright eyes sparkled like stars under her beautiful black eyebrows, and she said, "I'll go with you."

She also wanted to be his right-hand man like her junior sister.

Jia Heng nodded and explained, "At times like this, we must be more cautious and guard against the elite troops of the Eight Banners who might attack the camp while the troops are celebrating the festival."

Gu Ruoqing blinked her beautiful eyes under her delicate eyebrows and said, "This is what your Three Kingdoms storybook says."

Jia Heng smiled and praised: "She is very smart and can learn it quickly."

I'll give Gu Ruoqing a copy of "Dong Xuan Zi..." someday and see how he understands.

Gu Ruoqing seemed to be annoyed and asked: "Do you need to tell me this?"

He has been very smart since he was young and can learn any martial arts moves quickly.

Hmm? Why does it feel like this person is teasing her again?

After all, this man had made her pose in various positions when he had tortured her before.

Jia Heng chuckled and said, "What are you thinking about? Your face is flushed."

Generally speaking, high-quality older single women will start to get aroused anytime and anywhere when they meet top-level men.

Gu Ruoqing didn't say anything else.

Jia Heng said no more and walked out of the military tent.

……

……

At this moment, on New Year's Eve, the moon is bright in the sky, and the cold moonlight shines on the earth. At this moment, the soldiers in the military tent are talking and laughing, eating dumplings.

The logistics quartermaster who was rewarding the army distributed wine and meat to everyone in the military tent.

At this moment, Jia Heng, accompanied by Gu Ruoqing and the Jinyi Guards, was riding on a horse, holding a team of torches and inspecting various barracks.

After walking for a while, Jia Heng ran into Jia Chang and Jia Ling. The two of them walked a few steps quickly, bowed to Jia Heng and said, "This humble general greets the Duke."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "How is it going in Wangjing City?"

"Reporting to the Duke, we have already set up an ambush outside the capital of Korea according to your wishes. If there is any unusual movement in the city, our army can easily break it." Jia Chang said.

Jia Heng praised: "Well done! You two should patrol carefully and be careful of the Jurchens' sneak attacks at night."

Upon hearing this, the two young generals bowed to Jia Heng, then turned around and left without saying anything else.

Gu Ruoqing blinked her eyes and asked, "Is this the young general from your Jia family?"

Jia Heng smiled and said, "Yes, they are both rising stars in the clan. Now they are leading troops in the army and can handle things on their own."

Gu Ruoqing nodded, and her beautiful eyes, like clear water, flashed.

She thought to herself, she seemed to have seen this chapter before in Romance of the Three Kingdoms?

The relatives of the Cao and Xiahou families were all wings of Cao Cao, the thief who usurped the Han Dynasty. Could this person have the ambition to be like Wei Wu?

Then the two of them continued to patrol the camp without saying much.

Not long after they walked, Jia Heng looked up and saw Mu Sheng, the prince of Dongping County. He was also leading his personal guards, riding on war horses and holding a team of torches, and was coming towards them.

"Zi Yu." Mu Sheng was also quite surprised to see Jia Heng and called out to him quickly.

Jia Heng asked with a smile, "Brother Mu, are you here to inspect the soldiers as well?"

Mu Sheng nodded, looked at the young man in the python robe, and said with a smile: "I was a little worried, so I came here with my personal soldiers to take a look. Zi Yu too?"

Jia Heng smiled and said, "On New Year's Eve, the soldiers are drinking and celebrating to relieve their homesickness, but you and I, the commander, must not be careless."

Mu Sheng said seriously, "That's the truth."

Then, he glanced at Gu Ruoqing who was following Jia Heng closely.

With Mu Sheng's keen eyesight, he could tell that the female Jinyi Guard beside Jia Heng was a woman in disguise. He thought to himself that Zi Yu was really lucky and had no shortage of confidantes wherever he went.

Mu Shengzi had heard some rumors about Jia Heng's reputation as a lecher in the country, but he didn't really take it seriously.

Because in this era, capable men would have three wives and four concubines.

It’s just that Jia Heng is a young hero, which makes him more eye-catching, and one of the heroines is actually a nun.

The two of them chatted briefly, and Jia Heng didn't say anything else. He continued to patrol the camp with Gu Ruoqing.

The camp of a hundred thousand troops was so huge that even though the two men rode on horses and carried torches along the way, it still took them more than two hours to patrol it.

……

……

On New Year's Eve, in the capital city of Wang Jing——

Accompanied by the crackling sound of firecrackers, the entire majestic and towering royal capital city seemed to be shrouded in a festive atmosphere.

The Han army spies who were lurking in secret were working closely to try to incite the former Korean officers and generals in the Korean city to defect.

Previously, letters from the three governors of Korea and a number of Korean military generals were also delivered to the Korean capital through various secret channels.

On this day, Lu Hong, the former governor of Hamgyong Province, who is now the chief of the Imperial Camp, led 20,000 troops and stationed them in Dongcheng, taking charge of defending the city.

On New Year's Eve, he had just finished defending the city and returned to the backyard. He took off his cloak and armor, sat down on a pear wood chair, closed his eyes, and calmed his frightened heart.

The maid behind him was massaging Lu Hong's shoulders to relieve his fatigue.

At this moment, an old servant came into the hall at a brisk pace and said, "Master, there is a man outside who claims to be your nephew and wants to see you."

Lu Hong opened his eyes, and his resolute face with high cheekbones was full of surprise. He said, "What nephew can I have?"

He has no brothers or sisters, so where did his nephew come from?

Which distant relative is trying to get close to me?

There were more in the past few months, but during this period, the Han army and the Southern army were approaching, and he was in a difficult situation, so what were these people doing here?

Lu Hong's expression paused, he looked at the old servant intently, and said in a deep voice: "Go and call that person over, I'll be waiting in the study."

Having said that, he stood up, grabbed a handful of the maid's breasts, and then, without saying anything more, went to the study.

After a while, the old servant came back, leading a young man not far behind him. They passed through the moon gate of the rockery and went to the study on the side of the hall.

"Greetings, Manager Lu." The young man entered the study and bowed to Lu Hong.

Lu Hong said: "Please stand up quickly."

After looking at him for a while, I couldn't figure out who he was.

"Who are you and how dare you pretend to be my nephew?" Lu Hong said in a deep voice.

The young man looked calm and unhurried. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket, handed it over, and said, "Master Lu, don't you recognize me?"

Lu Hong took a look at the young man, squinted his eyes, and said, "He looks familiar."

The young man smiled and said, "I am a personal guard under General Li Shang. Two years ago, General Lu came to the capital to pay homage to the king, and he and my master stayed in the same posthouse."

Hearing this, Lu Hong suddenly remembered the man's appearance and asked, "Are you Li Shang's man?"

The young officer saw Fan Sheng's smile and said, "I am a personal guard under General Li Shang."

Lu Hong frowned, then relaxed his brows, turned to look at the old servant who was serving tea, and said, "You go and guard the outer room."

"Yes, sir." The old servant said in a low voice.

Lu Hong said, "Why did Li Shang ask you to look for me?"

The young lieutenant said, "Now the army is approaching, and the capital city will be destroyed at any moment. My general, thinking of his friendship with General Lu, specially asked me to deliver a letter to General Lu."

As he spoke, he took out a letter from his bosom, handed it over, and placed it on the desk.

Lu Hong reached out and took the letter, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and then he opened it and read it.

Undoubtedly, this was a letter of persuasion to surrender, mainly to persuade Lu Hong to surrender in time. Li Shang could also say a few good words for his old brother in front of the new emperor.

For a moment, Lu Hong felt that the two thin pieces of paper were as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Lu Hong pondered for a moment and said, "When you came here, did you see any suspicious people?"

The Jurchens are in the city. If they are discovered, their entire family will be wiped out.

When the lieutenant heard this, he knew that Li Shang was already tempted, and said, "General Lu, don't worry. The Jinyifu guards of the Han court have been watching me all the way here, so I won't be noticed by the Jurchens or the Yijinfu."

When Lu Hong heard this, his eyes flashed and he said, "What does your general say?"

The young lieutenant lowered his voice and began to tell his surrender plan.

Such scenes of rebellion have already occurred in the capital of North Korea, and on New Year's Eve, there are spies everywhere.

In the Royal Capital——

In the mansion located in the Tianyuan position, at this moment, a meeting hall south of the palace was brightly lit and crowded with people. Oboi was sitting behind a table with his horse and sword, eating hot dumplings.

This kind of northern food from the Han court also made Oboi fall in love with the aroma of the dumplings.

I asked the kitchen to make a whole pound of dumplings.

At this moment, Oboi was eating dumplings with big mouthfuls of vinegar, enjoying himself very much.

Not far away, Aobai's second brother Zhuobutai was still spreading defeatist rhetoric, saying: "The Han army has not yet made any effort. The casualties in the past few days have been quite heavy. Many brothers have complaints. It is also the New Year, and many of my Eight Banner warriors are homesick."

But Oboi turned a deaf ear to it.

Zhuobutai said: "I think the city won't be able to hold out for much longer."

Aobai put down a pair of bamboo chopsticks, took a handkerchief, wiped the water stains on his mouth, and said, "Second brother, there is enough food and fodder in the city, so there is no rush to hold out for another three months."

"But many of our brothers have suffered casualties in recent days." Zhuobutai said in a deep voice with a face as solemn as ice.

Aobai put down his chopsticks, stared at Zhuomutai with his tiger eyes, and said, "Now that the country has asked you and me to hold on here, is there any possibility of retreating?"

Zhuobutai's face was filled with anger, and he said indignantly: "This is the life of our brother. We are taking the knife for the Aisin-Gioro clan!"

"The Qing Dynasty is over. Are the wealth, property and lives of you and me still there?" Upon hearing this, Abahai's tiger eyes flashed with coldness under his thick eyebrows and he said in a deep voice.

Zhuobutai was speechless for a moment when he heard this.

It has to be said that Oboi's words were like a basin of cold water poured on Zhuobutai's head.

Aobai pondered for a moment and said, "We can only defend the capital city. If it is really impossible, we should cut off the city. However, we can only hold on until the New Year. Otherwise, when the spring of next year comes, the Han army will be fully deployed. Where will the Qing Dynasty go?"

Zhuobutai heard this and said, "But this is not a long-term solution."

Aobai said: "What is the long-term plan? Now is the time when the country is in crisis and its survival is at stake."

As he spoke, Aobai's face seemed to freeze into a layer of ice, and he said, "Second brother, we are all on the same side now. No one can escape, and neither can we."

Zhuobutai was at a loss for words when he heard this.

Aobai said: "After eating dumplings, come with me to patrol the city later."

Zhuobutai nodded, picked up the bowl of dumplings beside him and started eating the dumplings.

Then, Oboi and Zhuobutai began to patrol along the towering city wall. At this moment, torches on the wall illuminated the blue bricks stained with blood. Holes were vaguely visible, and cold wind kept blowing in, making a "humming" sound.

As they walked along, all the soldiers called out for "Ao Shao Bao".

Not long after, Aobai stood on the city gate tower, staring at the military tents emitting flames in the distance, and sneered, "The Korean military camp is well-built."

Aobai's second brother Zhuobutai said angrily: "This is all learned from the Han people."

After thinking for a while, he said, "Can we take advantage of the fact that today is New Year's Eve and the Han and Korean soldiers are unprepared to launch a night attack?"

Aobai looked solemn, waved his hand and said, "It's not that simple. The Duke of Wei is not an unwise man. We must not be careless."

At this time, it is better to pursue stability.

(End of this chapter)