The Red Mansions

Chapter 1410: Prince Beijing: Liaoyang is broken, Shengjing is just around the corner

Chapter 1410: Prince Beijing: Once Liaoyang is conquered, Shengjing is just around the corner...

Liaoyang City

A large number of Han troops in the Beijing camp launched another offensive, and within just a few days, they began to besiege Liaoyang City. At this moment, teams of soldiers carried ladders and climbed towards Liaoyang City.

The muskets and cannons all emitted thick smoke, which sprayed towards the city walls.

At this moment, Lekedehun was standing on the city wall of blue bricks and black tiles, wearing a maroon heavy armor and holding a sharp steel knife in his hand. Under his two thick eyebrows that looked like sleeping bags, his bright and fierce eyes flashed.

"Your Highness, the Han army seems to have intensified its offensive." The deputy general Orun frowned, his eyes full of gloom.

Under Lekedehun's thick eyebrows, his eyes flickered dimly, his face was slightly startled, and he said loudly: "Tell the brothers to hold on, and don't let the Han army climb up from the top of the city!"

Upon hearing this, the horsemen and personal guards beside him all responded loudly.

This siege continued for the next few days. The Han army left hundreds of corpses under the city wall, and the Eight Banners soldiers on the city wall gradually could not hold on.

In other words, under this high-intensity offensive, they gradually became slack, or the morale of the troops gradually declined.

……

……

On the fifth day of July, the nineteenth year of Chongping, it had been sunny for six consecutive days. The weather was so hot that people felt very hot.

On this day, accompanied by the rumbling sound of cannons, a large number of Han soldiers launched another offensive, continuously, almost like a tide, launching a fearless charge towards the top of the city.

On the city wall, a large number of Qing soldiers could be seen leaning their heads out from the battlements, holding crossbows and shooting at the Han army below.

At this moment, arrows whizzed and landed on the shields of the Han army below, making crisp and pleasant sounds.

The Han army, led by the officers of the Jiangnan Navy, climbed up to the top of the city wall and fought with the Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing Dynasty on the city wall.

At this moment, the Han soldiers under the wall took shovels and walked along the dirt road towards the city wall. Then, when they got close, they buried jars filled with black gunpowder.

Then, he lit the fuses one by one.

"boom!!!"

Accompanied by bursts of deafening artillery fire, the entire city wall seemed to shake three times, and then the south side of the Liaoyang city wall collapsed. In the endless smoke and dust, the Han army seemed to cheer.

The Manchu Eight Banners soldiers on the city wall were frightened.

Afterwards, a large number of Han soldiers poured into Liaoyang City like a tide and fought with the Jurchen Eight Banners soldiers who were coming out.

Lekedehun, who was commanding his soldiers on the street to rush to the city wall for support, was startled when he heard the earth-shaking boom.

Lekedehun's face was calm and he said in a cold voice: "Stop it! Everyone, drive the Han army out and don't let them gain a foothold in the city."

As he spoke, holding a ring-handled broadsword in his hand, he led a group of horsemen behind him and headed towards the city wall that was opened by the bombing.

At this moment, a large number of Han army's navy, led by officers, had entered the city and were fighting with the Zhenghong Bannermen under Lekedehun.

Lekedehun held a long knife in his hand, frowned, and looked stern. He led his personal guards and followers to fight against the Han army.

Thus, the two sides were like two balls of blazing flames, colliding with each other in an instant, as if to burn everything and annihilate nothingness.

The Han army's Jiangnan navy was naturally inferior to the elite Eight Banners soldiers of the Jurchens in terms of combat power, but thanks to the 20,000 to 30,000 border troops in Hebei, they were able to maintain a situation of neither winning nor losing.

However, because the Han army had a large number of troops, they were able to suppress the activities of the Jurchen Eight Banners soldiers.

Lekedehun was naturally aware of this scene, his expression suddenly changed, and his eyes flashed fiercely.

At this moment, Beijing Prince Shui Rong stared at the collapsed city wall, and a look of joy appeared on his fair and handsome face.

"The city has been breached." Kang Hong's voice was filled with excitement.

Once Liaoyang City is breached, Shengjing City will also be under the attack of the Han army. What does this mean?

This meant that their detachment had besieged Shengjing first, which was a great honor in the court.

Of course, with the military strength in Shengjing City, it was impossible to capture it relying solely on the Jiangnan Navy and Kang Hong's Hebei Border Army.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong also showed excitement, saying: "Once Liaoyang is conquered, Shengjing will be right before our eyes."

Kang Hong's eyes flickered under his thick eyebrows, and he said generously: "Your Majesty is here to supervise the troops, and I will send troops there right away."

This is undoubtedly an opportunity to make a contribution.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong nodded and said, "General Kang, please be careful on your way there."

As the commander-in-chief of a team, Prince Beijing Shui Rong naturally does not care about such a trivial contribution.

At this moment, Wei Che, the admiral of the Jiangnan Navy, had led a group of officers into Liaoyang City and began to seize the city, control the city gates, and welcome a large number of Han troops into the city.

The Han army and the flagmen of the two red flags started fighting each other at this moment. The shouts of killing echoed throughout the city, shaking the sky and the earth.

Lekedehun was leading his troops and driving the Han army into the city.

He was worthy of being one of the eight iron-hatted kings of the Qing Dynasty. He was skilled in martial arts, invincible in bravery, and chopped back and forth with the long sword in his hand with great force.

Under the sniping of the soldiers led by him, the offensive of the Han army was even frustrated.

Lekedehun called on the Eight Banners soldiers of the Jurchens to continuously repel the attacks of the Han army.

Inspired by him, the guards of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty launched a series of counterattacks at this moment.

The Han troops on the city walls fought with the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty. The two sides' troops were intertwined and the dispute continued.

At this time, Hebei Governor Kang Hong led his personal soldiers into the city. An anger appeared on his face, and he chopped back and forth with the sword in his hand. After a short while, Kang Hong had killed a bloody path.

It seemed that both of them had the aura of generals, and they could already attract each other from a distance. At this moment, Kang Hong looked over and met Lekedehun's gaze.

Kang Hong clenched the handle of the sword in his hand and thought to himself, this captive king has a very ferocious look in his eyes.

However, no matter how fierce they were, the Jurchens had already lost the battle, and even if Sun Wu was resurrected, he would be powerless to do anything.

At this moment, Kang Hong was wielding a long sword in his hand with great force, driving the horse under his crotch. With the sound of the horse's neighing, the long sword with a sharp blade in his hand was slashing towards Lekedehun.

"prick!"

The blade was sharp and the edge was flashing. There was a roaring sound in the air, as if it could destroy everything in its path.

"clang!"

The two long swords suddenly clashed with each other, making a sharp and piercing sound in the air, vibrating people's eardrums.

When the two men fought, they both had shock on their faces and looked at each other in inexplicable shock.

Then, a sharp knife light flashed by quickly, almost like a revolving lantern, and the two sides fought for more than ten rounds without knowing it, but there was no winner.

Lekedehun's expression was solemn, and a thoughtful look appeared on his majestic face.

Neither of them could defeat the other, but as time passed, a large number of Han soldiers poured into the city and fought with the flagmen of the two red flags.

"Dangdang..."

Accompanied by the sound of weapons colliding one after another, and then the sound of blades "smacking" into flesh, the Jurchen bannermen were defeated one after another.

After a while, the Han army completely poured into Liaoyang City, with about 60,000 to 70,000 people.

But the 20,000 to 30,000 Jurchen Eight Banners soldiers vowed to fight to the death and fought for every street and alley, because Liaoyang City was the last line of defense before Shengjing City.

In this way, the fighting lasted from morning to evening and had not yet completely ended.

There was no situation where the troops collapsed and fled in all directions after the city was captured.

This is actually a normal phenomenon, because the elite Eight Banners of the Jurchens were originally powerful and were among the best soldiers in the world.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong wore a black cloak and a mountain-shaped armor. He was accompanied by a group of officers from the central army. He held a monocular telescope in his hand and looked at the battlements of the city wall. He saw that the Han soldiers on the battlements had already gained the upper hand.

But there is still no overwhelming advantage.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong looked solemn, thought for a moment, and said, "Come here, mobilize the Central Guard Army to take over the city as soon as possible!"

The deputy general on the side said: "Your Majesty, we don't have many soldiers, so we need to be prepared for unexpected situations."

Prince Beijing Shui Rong frowned and was about to give another order.

At this moment, a rumbling sound of iron hooves suddenly came from the distant wilderness, which made King Beijing Shui Rong concentrate.

Following the sound, we saw a large number of elite Han cavalrymen holding red flags, covering the sky and the sun like a burning cloud.

The leading general was none other than Jia Fang.

Jia Fang had gone outside the city under the orders of Beijing Prince Shui Rong. Now that he saw that Liaoyang City had been breached, he couldn't help but feel secretly regretful.

At this moment, accompanied by a large number of personal guards, Jia Fang whipped his horse and came close to Beijing Prince Shui Rong, saying loudly: "My Lord, Liaoyang City has been captured."

Prince Beijing Shui Rong was overjoyed when he saw this, and hurriedly said, "General Jia Fang has arrived just in time. The battle situation in the city is tense. General Jia Fang should lead his troops to rush to the rescue and try to make the final decision!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Fang was shocked and said loudly, "Don't worry, Your Majesty! I will go and wipe out the Jurchen Tartars right away!"

Having said that, Jia Fang made a prompt decision without further delay and called upon his cavalry, who rushed towards the gate of Liaoyang City like a ball of red flame.

With the addition of Jia Fang, a new force, the originally stalemate situation of the Han army in Liaoyang City suddenly became clear.

In particular, the cavalry led by Jia Fang were among the Hebei border troops, which were undoubtedly the elite among the elite.

Prince Beijing Shui Rong raised his sharp eyebrows and watched Jia Fang's back as she walked away, feeling inexplicably happy.

In Liaoyang city, the sound of killing was deafening and shocking.

After finding that he could not take down Kang Hong, Lekedehun did not choose to fight to the end, but ordered his officers to go forward again, and he led a group of Jurchen soldiers to slowly retreat into the inner city, and launched an offensive and defensive confrontation with the Han army's Jiangnan Navy and Hebei Border Army.

On the contrary, it gradually gained a firm foothold.

On the inner city wall, Deputy General Orun looked anxious. He turned to look at Lekedehun and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Liaoyang City can no longer be defended."

Lekedehun's face was livid, and his eyes, like those of a tiger or a wolf, were firm and fierce. He shouted in a deep voice, "We have to defend it even if we can't!"

Upon hearing this, Deputy General Oron was shocked and did not try to persuade him any further.

Lekede's face was as dark as water, his eyes flashed with cold light, and he said loudly: "Behind us is Shengjing City. Once the city is broken, my family and I will be enslaved by the Han people. Even if we have to fight to the last soldier, we will tear off a piece of flesh from the Han people!"

Upon hearing this, most of the personal soldiers and horsemen around him showed excitement on their faces.

Just as Lekedehun was making his impassioned speech, suddenly the sound of iron hooves hitting the ground came from the city gate, deafening.

After a while, a large number of knights with majestic appearance came in a mighty force.

The leading general was a tall man with a fair and handsome face, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. He was riding a horse at full speed, holding the reins in his hands, and riding at lightning speed.

The sabers, shining coldly under the sunlight, seemed to gleam with a cold light, and every time they were swung down, waves of blood rained down.

The Han cavalry has arrived.

At this moment, Jia Fang was wearing a black cloak and soft armor. He was sitting on a saddle, holding a rein in his hand. In his hand was a sharp long sword. The sword flowers flashed brightly for a few times, and he swung it at the soldiers not far away.

But when the sound of "Puchi, Puchi" was heard, a bloody storm suddenly emerged, and the two red flag soldiers who were originally relying on guarding the inner city were suddenly suppressed by the iron cavalry.

Along the way, there were continuous screams and many soldiers fell to the ground.

At this moment, the Han army once again gained the upper hand, like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Lekedehun's brows were furrowed, his eyes were like condensed dew, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.

"Your Highness, we can't defend the city anymore. We might as well retreat to the Hun River and defend across the river. Even if the Han army approaches the city, our army still has a chance to stop them." Orun said.

Lekedehun shook his head, his eyes were firm, and he said in a deep voice: "Hold this place and make the Han army pay the price. This will also relieve some pressure on the defense of Shengjing City."

At this moment, the deputy general Orun said, "Your Highness, why don't you lead the troops to withdraw from Liaoyang City first? I will lead the troops to fight against the Han army. This will not only delay the Han army's offensive, but also take into account the overall situation of Shengjing."

"It's not time yet," Lekedehun said.

In this way, under Lekedehun's persistence, the two red flags and the Han army flag soldiers in the city fought to the death.

……

……

Ningyuan City

After the soldiers cleaned up the battlefield, Jia Heng, accompanied by Chen Xiao and the Jinyi Guards, strode into the city.

Ningyuan City, government office

After two days, Ningyuan City, which had been devastated by the war, was cleared out again and the corpses were carried away by the Han army. Only the bloody smell in the city indicated the brutality of the battle in the previous few days.

In the hall that was originally used for meetings by Prince Zheng Jirgalang, Jia Heng sat behind a lacquered wooden table, passing the battle report summary in his hand and gently flipping through the books.

After a while, Jia Heng looked at Chen Xiao who was standing beside him and said in a loud voice: "Have someone pickle Jirgalang's head, put it in a wooden box, and deliver it to Shenjing City together with the military report of victory."

The capture of Ningyuan City marked a major victory for the Han army's first phase of combat mission. What remained was the decisive battle of the national war on the Songjin line.

Chen Xiao asked loudly: "Next, how do you plan to advance?"

Jia Heng's face was slightly tense, and he said loudly: "Next, we will reorganize the troops. Dorgon will definitely defend Jinzhou City to the death. The Liaodong Jurchens don't have much strategic depth."

Chen Xiaoxiu frowned, his eyes thoughtful, and said, "I don't know what the situation is in Liaoyang."

Jia Heng said: "Liaoyang City is not difficult to capture. It depends on the strategy of Beijing Prince Shui Rong and others."

Chen Xiao nodded and said nothing more.

Jia Heng said: "Let's not talk about this now."

While the two were discussing, a Jinyifu guard came in from outside, clasped his fists and said, "Commander-in-chief, the King of Chu and the King of Wei are here."

It turned out that the Wei and Chu vassal states were transporting grain and fodder to Shanhaiguan and were heading towards Shengjing. When they heard that Ningyuan City had been captured by the Han Dynasty, they were overjoyed.

Jia Heng turned his eyes to Chen Xiao and said, "They are coming over. Come with me to welcome them."

Chen Xiao's cold and beautiful face lit up into a smile, she said "hmm" softly, and followed Jia Heng to greet the two princes.

At this moment, the King of Chu and the King of Wei, accompanied by the palace guards, had come to the street in front of the Ningyuan city gate and were chatting.

The King of Chu said in a loud voice: "Zi Yu is really good at fighting. It has only been a short time, and Ningyuan City has been captured."

Wei Wang Chen Ran nodded and said in a clear voice: "Once Ningyuan is captured, it will be Jinzhou. Then there will be another major battle."

However, because the general leading the troops was Jia Heng, the King of Wei was obviously full of confidence.

The King of Chu was also excited, and he sighed and said, "Jinzhou is just a short distance away, and Shengjing is just a short distance away. The time for our Han Dynasty to recover Liaodong is not far away."

By then, the Han Dynasty will no longer be threatened by foreign threats.

While the two brothers were talking, they heard a hearty laugh coming from the gate, saying, "The two princes are here."

The King of Chu and the King of Wei looked in the direction of the voice and saw Jia Heng and Chen Xiao standing beside him.

The King of Chu smiled and said, "Zi Yu, how are you?"

Jia Heng smiled and said, "You two princes are really timely. I heard that we are attacking Jinzhou and are short of military equipment and food."

The King of Chu nodded and said loudly: "Zi Yu has taken Ningyuan City in one fell swoop. The Jurchens' capital Shengjing City is already in sight."

The handsome face of the King of Wei showed some joy, and he said in a clear voice: "When the emperor knows about Ziyu's victory, he will surely be very pleased."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "I have sent someone to deliver the military report and memorial to His Majesty."

As he spoke, he extended his hand and invited them, "This is not a place for conversation. Your Highnesses, please come to the government office for a chat."

Upon hearing this, the King of Chu and the King of Wei nodded, and then followed Jia Heng to the government office in Ningyuan City.

The three of them took their places as host and guest, and the Jinyifu guards served them fragrant tea before slowly retreating.

The King of Chu nodded and said in a clear voice, "This time we are mainly delivering the Red Barbarian cannons and ammunition delivered by the Military Equipment Supervisor, a total of 30,000 pieces. In addition, there are also weapons, military armor, winter clothing and other items. Please take a look, Zi Yu."

As he spoke, Liao Xian, the chief secretary of the palace behind him, straightened his face and handed the list in his hand to Jia Heng's personal guard.

Jia Heng took the list from the palace guard, lowered his eyes and read it, and said, "Your Highness the Prince of Chu has worked hard."

King Chen Ran of Wei seemed unwilling to be outdone and said, "I have also raised food and fodder, about one million dan, 100,000 sheep, and 600 carts of various wine and meat to meet the needs of the army."

Deng Wei, the chief secretary of the palace, also handed over the book in his hand.

Jia Heng also finished reading, put the list on a small table beside him, smiled, and encouraged: "My two princes, you have worked hard on this journey."

The King of Chu smiled and said, "I dare not complain about the hardship of serving the country and doing things for the country."

The King of Wei also said modestly: "It is just my duty."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Go tell the kitchen to prepare a welcoming banquet. I will welcome the two princes."

Afterwards, Jia Heng led the two of them to the side hall to have dinner.

(End of this chapter)