The Red Mansions

Chapter 1426: Oh no, we’ve fallen into a trap!

Chapter 1426: Oh no, this is... a trap!

Outside Shengjing City, the Central Army Tent——

After the welcoming banquet, everyone sat down around a table.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Generals, take a good rest in the next two days and prepare for war with all your strength."

The generals looked solemn and said yes one after another.

After the generals dispersed in groups of three or four and returned to the military tent to rest, Jia Heng and Chen Xiao came to the sleeping tent, took the map from the side, and looked at it intently.

At that time, Liaodong did not have the population of Northeast China in later generations. Of course, the population of Northeast China continued to decline later.

Chen Xiao walked quickly to the front and said in a clear and pleasant voice: "I have just arranged for people to shoot silk at the city to persuade the Han soldiers and generals to surrender."

Jia Heng nodded and ordered: "Send a secret letter to the Jinyifu guards in the city and ask them to persuade some Han officials to surrender. If we can open the gates of Shengjing City and cooperate with the enemy from inside and outside, it will save our army countless casualties."

Even the strongest fortress can be easily breached from within.

Chen Xiao nodded, his eyes sparkling like water, and asked: "Then when will you attack the city?"

"Rest for two days, and then attack the city immediately." Jia Heng said loudly.

Then, by evening, news about the setting up of camps in various military camps gradually came in and reached Jia Heng's desk.

The soldiers of the Beijing camp had already set up large camps and deployed troops near the four city gates, surrounding Shengjing City tightly.

In the evening, the sky is filled with sunset glow, and the fiery clouds in the west look like brocade and as bright as clouds.

Jia Heng took a short rest, and then, accompanied by Chen Xiao, he observed the defense situation of Shengjing City from above. While talking, he picked up the monocular telescope in his hand and observed the strength of Shengjing City's defense.

A veteran general like Jia Heng often possesses an inexplicable keen intuition. By knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the defenses on the city walls, he can roughly calculate how Shengjing City would respond when defending.

At this moment, on the top of the long and horizontal city wall, red cannons were mounted on the four corner tower turrets, and the arrow towers were fully equipped, but they were obviously dilapidated after several rounds of bombardment by the Han army.

Chen Xiao's face was as white as frost, flawless and white. He looked at Shengjing City in front of him and said, "This city is higher than Jinzhou City, and is not lower than Shenjing City."

Jia Heng nodded and said loudly: "After all, this is the capital of the Jurchens. There should be more than one million soldiers and civilians in the city."

As the Jurchens established their capital in Shengjing, the Jurchen tribes that originally lived in the mountains of the northeast also moved into Shengjing City openly. Together with some Mongolian nobles and high-ranking Jurchen nobles, as well as the servants who served them, the population number was quite large.

Chen Xiao reminded: "Explosives can't blow up such a thick wall, and the red cannon can only play a limited role in suppressing it. If you want to capture this city as soon as possible, you need to make plans in advance."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "The current black powder won't work. We need a bigger gunpowder."

If it's TNT, it's different.

Jia Heng turned his eyes to Chen Xiao and asked, "Has Lord Xie sent any letter by carrier pigeon?"

"Not today." Chen Xiao said in a low voice, staring at Jia Heng, and said, "Wait a little longer."

Jia Heng said with a certainty in his voice, "It won't be long before the food and fodder supplies along the Ningyuan and Jinzhou lines are likely to be hijacked by the Jurchens. It will be difficult to protect the food supply route along this route."

Chen Xiao said softly: "Cao Bianjiao should be able to use a trick. By the way, should the two vassal states of Wei and Chu take over Jinzhou and Ningyuan as well?"

Jia Heng paused for a moment and said, "If they want to come, just let them come. They have to follow the baggage and military supplies. If the Tartars attack us by surprise, it will be bad if something happens to them."

Chen Xiao nodded and said, "Then I'll give the order."

Jia Heng didn't say anything else. He turned his horse around and returned to the military tent accompanied by Chen Xiao.

Not long after Jia Heng left, Dorgon, accompanied by Shuo Sai, climbed up to the city gate tower and observed the strength of the Han army.

At this moment, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, and the white military tents in the distance are like white clouds floating in the blue sky.

However, this undoubtedly made it difficult for Dorgon to feel romantic, but instead he felt an indescribable pressure.

The Han army was in good order, especially the camp set up by the Beijing camp, which was in good order. A solemn and ferocious aura swept over silently, making Dorgon feel an indescribable pressure.

In front of all the officers, Dorgon didn't care at all and said in a deep voice: "The Han army is stationed in the camp. When the battle is defeated and the camp collapses, our army can attack them continuously. They will definitely be unable to resist."

Shuo Sai nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right. With so many soldiers and horses, the cost of food and fodder is bound to increase day by day. When the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, the roads will be inconvenient to travel on and the food and fodder will not be transported up."

It can be said that Lekedehun’s previous explanation not only gave Dorgon more confidence, but also excited some Jurchen high-ranking officials and civil and military officials such as Shuose.

Dorgon's eyes flickered under his thick eyebrows, and he said, "Now we just have to survive these two months. When winter comes and the weather gets cold and the mountains are covered with snow, we will have a chance to defeat the enemy."

Dorgon repeated this, as if to boost his confidence.

In fact, he felt a little uneasy in his heart, because he knew that the Duke of Weiguo of the Han court on the opposite side would not dare to give up.

Dorgon nodded and asked, "Is there any news from Shuose?"

When this matter was mentioned, Hu Sai showed joy on his face and said, "The pigeons sent a message saying that a lot of food and fodder have been hijacked. The results of the battle are brilliant. It won't be long before the food and fodder supply of the Han army will be greatly affected."

Hearing this, Dorgon felt relieved. Under his thick eyebrows, he asked with expectation in his eyes, "Where is Man Dahai? Where is the cavalry now?"

If Man Dahai can also make some progress, the food supply to the hundreds of thousands of Han troops on the front line will be intermittent, the pressure of siege will be greatly reduced, and the war will be much easier to fight.

"We have already set out from Fushun, but because we are investigating the Han army's food supply route, no news has been received in the past few days." Hu Sai said.

Dorgon nodded and said, "The Han army's food supply route is long, and there are many sections of the food supply route that can be attacked along the way. It is best for him to be careful and not fall into the trap of the Han army."

Dorgon was also an experienced military commander. He immediately identified the key points, or in other words, after putting himself in the enemy's shoes, he came up with a strategy that the Han army could think of to defeat the enemy.

Hu Sai said, "Uncle is right. The Han army is very cunning. They may have set an ambush on purpose. I will send a pigeon to deliver the letter."

However, as Dorgon said this, hundreds of miles away in Liaoyang City—

Liaoyang City

The dark red copper-nailed fir wood city gate opened, and horse-drawn carriages came out of the gate, loaded with bags of rice. The wheels of the carriages rolled over the official road, which was slightly muddy after the rain the day before, leaving a deep groove.

Looking from the sky, the long grain convoy was winding like a snake, twisting and turning, heading towards Shengjing City.

A pigeon was released from a corner of the city gate tower and flew towards the endless blue sky.

In this way, convoys carrying rice and grain drove towards the battlefield in Shengjing City in an endless stream, with red-flaming flags fluttering and covering the sky and the sun.

The next day, the sky was bright and the summer sunlight shone on the earth. The Hunhe River in the distance was like a emerald green jade belt, with gurgling water, sparkling water and shining light.

On the land west of the Hun River, the carriage convoy can see lush green grass, which is eye-catching and refreshing.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves could be heard. At this moment, the sound of "clack" came from far away and a large number of cavalry could be seen, covering the sky and the sun.

A large number of Han troops were carrying flags embroidered with dragons.

Shuosai's resolute and determined face seemed to be filled with endless joy.

Lü Sheng, the deputy commander of the Han army, said, "Your Majesty, the Han army has a lot of food and fodder this time. Looking at the length of the convoy, it must be about 600,000 dan."

Shuo Sai's brows were knitted into the shape of a "川" character, his eyes flashed fiercely, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited. He said, "This is good. If we rob this batch of food and fodder, the Han army will be out of food and fodder at the front line and will surely collapse."

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lü Sheng said, "Your Majesty, the Han army is taking a break to eat."

At this moment, it was noon and the weather was hot. The Han army escorting the grain and baggage convoy dismounted to rest, drink water and eat dry food.

The number of Han troops escorting the grain and fodder was actually not large, only about two thousand, but there were also about two thousand able-bodied civilians who helped transport the grain and fodder.

"Do it!" Shuosai said with a ferocious look on his face.

Following Shuosai's order, a large number of cavalrymen behind him rushed towards the Han army that was transporting grain and fodder.

"Da da……"

The iron hooves of a large number of cavalrymen rumbled non-stop, and they rushed towards the Han army that was transporting food and fodder like tigers and wolves.

"Enemy attack!"

A young lieutenant of the Han army spoke loudly, and the sound of iron hooves "clattering" was heard, and a whistle sounded, crisp and loud.

"Whoosh..."

A black arrow, as fast as a meteor, pierced the neck of the Han army lieutenant colonel. With a "puff" sound, a cloud of blood mist exploded and the young lieutenant colonel fell to the ground.

Shuo Sai on the horse put away the strong bow in his hand, with a murderous look on his face and a hint of cold sarcasm in his eyes under his thick eyebrows.

At this moment, a large number of Jurchen Eight Banners cavalry rushed towards the Han army like a whirlwind.

The officer who escorted the Han army's grain and fodder was none other than Jia Ling.

At this moment, Jia Ling turned over on his horse, waving a steel knife in his hand, and shouted: "All troops, be alert and meet the enemy!"

As he spoke, a large number of officers and generals around him mounted their horses, holding extremely sharp scimitars in their hands, and slashed at the Jurchen cavalry in the distance.

"Dangdang..."

Along with the sound of weapons clashing, the troops of both sides rushed past each other, and in an instant, the fight began.

"Pfft..."

Along with the sound of weapons chopping at the soldiers, large amounts of blood gushed out from their wounds, and then they fell to the ground.

As soon as Shuosai started fighting, he began to realize something was wrong, because unlike the Han troops that were easily killed before, they did not collapse instantly. Instead, they formed a shield circle around the grain carts and resisted the offensive of the Jurchen cavalry in an orderly manner.

The next scene undoubtedly made Shuosai even more shocked. He saw the soldier who was originally pushing the carriage took out a shining steel knife from the wheelbarrow that was escorting food and fodder, and rushed towards the Jurchen Eight Banners cavalry who were charging towards him.

"Oh no, this is... a trap!" Shuosai's face suddenly changed, he was shocked and felt a chill all over his body.

Just as Shuo Sai had this thought, not long after, he heard the rumbling sound of iron hooves coming from the vast grassland in the distance. A line of black and red cavalry appeared on the grassland and expanded rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, a large number of Han troops rushed over.

The sabers shone in the sunlight, dazzling people's eyes and spreading with murderous aura.

The leading general was wearing a black armor with a dark red cloak on the outside and holding a long iron sword in his hand. He had a resolute face and sharp eyes, like an eagle.

It is Xie Zaiyi, the first-class loyal and diligent marquis of the Han Dynasty’s capital camp!

Xie Zaiyi had already been lying in ambush thirty miles away, across the convoy transporting grain and fodder. As soon as something happened here, he immediately led his elite cavalry and rushed over in a mighty force.

"Rumble..."

The iron cavalry stamped on the ground, making a deafening sound.

At this moment, Xie Zaiyi led a group of cavalry and rushed into the two warring parties. The sabers were like sickles, unscrupulously harvesting the Jurchen soldiers and horses.

"Pfft..."

The sounds of weapons hitting flesh and screams rang out, and many Nuzhen cavalry soldiers were caught off guard and fell to the ground under the hacking and killing of the Han troops in the Beijing camp.

With the escort of his personal guards, Xie Zaiyi was like an unmatched sharp blade, ruthlessly tearing open the Jurchen bannermen's lines and cutting and surrounding them.

Shuo Sai was shocked and said immediately: "Retreat!"

At this time, it is obviously not a wise choice to fight and confront the Han army again.

It was obvious that the Han army had dug a trap and was waiting for them to fall into it. If they didn't escape now, when would they escape?

Xie Zaiyi snorted coldly, waving the big knife in his hand in a wind and rain-proof manner, and said, “Thieves, where are you going!”

As he spoke, he drove the warhorse under his crotch, and the long sword in his hand turned into a streak of moonlight, and chased after Shuosai.

Xie Zaiyi naturally realized at a glance that Shuo Sai was the main general of this trip.

At this moment, the soldiers of the Eight Banners of the Jurchens came in a rush and were suddenly attacked. They also fell into panic. Facing the Han army's attack from both sides, they were in chaos for a while.

As Shuo Sai shouted "withdraw", a large number of Jurchen bannermen followed Shuo Sai to break through, which undoubtedly put some Jurchen bannermen who were trapped in a tough battle into a more dangerous situation.

At this moment, many Jurchen soldiers were cut off their horses by the Han army's long swords.

In a short while, the torrent of iron cavalry from the Beijing camp overwhelmed the entire cavalry team of the Jurchen soldiers.

Shuosai turned his horse and left at this moment. Seeing the elite troops trapped in the enemy's formation, his heart was bleeding and he was filled with regret.

I regretted why I didn't pay attention before. I was too careless just now.

How could so much grain and fodder be transported out of Liaoyang City without heavy troops to protect it?

The horse under Xie Zaiyi's crotch was running very fast. At this moment, it was chasing towards Shuosai like lightning. Before long, the distance between them was gradually shortened.

Shuo Sai felt the murderous intent gradually approaching from behind him, and he was terrified, while the horseman beside him quickly turned over to resist.

"clang!"

When the weapons clashed, the two horsemen didn't even have time to delay Xie Zaiyi for a moment before they were killed on the spot by a flash of the long sword, like a streak of moonlight.

"Where can the thief escape!"

Shuo Sai did not answer this for the time being, but led his cavalry to flee far away, while his personal soldiers and attendants beside him tried to stop Xie Zaiyi who was chasing them.

This move finally stopped Xie Zaiyi's pursuit.

At this moment, when Xie Zaiyi swung the long sword in his hand, the fighting went on back and forth, and many Jurchen cavalrymen were stabbed and fell to the ground. Looking at the Jurchen general who was gradually fleeing away, he had to suppress his annoyance temporarily, and ordered his soldiers and horses to lead the cavalry to chase and kill them in the distance.

By sunset, the twilight was bleak and broken swords, guns and flags could be seen everywhere on the battlefield. This battle of ambush and counter-ambush was finally declared to have come to an end.

Xie Zaiyi pulled the reins of his horse forward and asked, "How many enemies were killed in this battle?"

Jia Ling's face turned serious, and he clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Lord. Our army has annihilated more than 4,000 enemies and captured 500. This battle has wiped out half of the Jurchens' forces!"

When Xie Zaiyi heard this, his sturdy face, which was covered in filth and blood, showed a look of endless joy, and he said, "The remaining several thousand people will be easy to deal with, but we can't be careless."

As the saying goes, if the Jurchens have less than 10,000 troops, they are invincible.

When the Jurchens had nearly 10,000 cavalrymen, they could attack the Han troops transporting food and fodder with impunity across the vast Liaodong Plain.

However, it would be difficult to guard against a convoy of about 5,000 to 8,000 people escorting grain and fodder.

It would obviously be impractical to send 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers to escort food and fodder.

But now the Jurchens only have a few thousand people, so it is naturally difficult to deal with them.

Jia Ling asked, "Lord Xie, what about these grains and fodders?"

"They have been escorted to Shengjing City, which is not far away now." Xie Zaiyi said in a low voice with a distant look in his eyes.

Jia Ling nodded, and while ordering his soldiers to clean up the battlefield, he escorted food and fodder and quickly rushed towards Shengjing City.

……

……

(End of this chapter)