The Red Mansions

Jinan Fucheng
  The next day, the sky was bright and the season had entered the turn of spring and summer. The weather was warm and all kinds of flowers were blooming.

  On the vast expanse of sky in the east, golden-red morning glow shone on the earth. Looking around, you could see swords, guns and burning flags everywhere, a tragic, ruined and sad state.

  Jinan Fucheng was besieged for eight days in total. During these eight days, there was no telling when the disaster in Jinan Fucheng would end.

  Shandong Governor Zhao Qi, Chief Envoy Peng Bingyu, Deputy Chief Envoy Dong Heling and other Shandong officials looked excitedly at the distant wilderness, feeling the joy of rebirth after the disaster.

  Zhao Qi calmed down and asked Zhang Dai, who was wearing a helmet and shaking armor and looking haggard, "General Zhang, where have General Mu's reinforcements arrived?"

  Zhang Dai stretched out his hand, pointed at the official road in the distance, and said: "Look, sir, we have arrived."

  At this moment, following the southeast direction pointed by Zhang Dai, on the official road with luxuriant grass and yellow flowers on both sides, you can see billowing dust and a forest of flags.

  The flaming red brocade flag of the Han army was like a ball of burning flames, and the blades of the spears were shining brightly in the sunlight, which almost made Zhao Qi's nose sore and he couldn't help but shed tears. Come.

  Jinan Fucheng had been besieged for so many days, and reinforcements were finally seen.

  However, after all, he is a feudal official, and his character is extremely determined.

  Zhang Dai saw the soldiers and horses clearly and said: "Sir, these are the soldiers and horses of Denglai, the banner of the crown prince of Dongping County."

  At this moment, as the soldiers and horses approached Jinan Fucheng, Shandong Governor Zhao Qi also saw the five small characters "Denglai Governor Mu" next to the brocade red embroidered "Han" flag, burning in clusters.

  Zhao Qi's face showed joy and he said: "If anyone comes, open the city gate to welcome him."

  Zhang Dai said warmly: "Your Excellency, please be patient and send someone out of the city to talk to Mr. Mu about the situation in the city."

  Not long after, Mu Sheng led his troops and horses to Jinan Prefecture and said loudly: "Mu Sheng, the governor of Denglai, is leading Denglai troops and horses to rush to Jinan Prefecture. The Shandong governor Zhao is on the city in front of him."

  He clearly saw Zhao Qi, the tall governor of Shandong, who was wearing a second-grade official uniform. One was the governor of Shandong and the other was the governor of Denglai. The two of them had also met during their normal business dealings in Jinan Mansion.

  Zhao Qimu looked delighted and said loudly: "That's exactly me. Is this the young prince Mu below?"

  Mu Sheng asked: "Master Zhao, the rebels have evacuated. Master Zhao, how is the situation in the city?"

  Zhao Qi had a cheerful look on his face and said loudly: "Everything is fine, Mr. Mu, come into the city quickly."

  Zhang Dai looked at the general on the side with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice: "Open the city gate."

  Obviously, what he did just now was to confirm Mu Sheng's true identity to prevent it from being a money-making scheme by thieves.

  At this moment, not long after, some sergeants began to organize manpower to dig out the sand, stone and brick wall in front of the city gate, intending to welcome Denglai reinforcements to enter the city gate.

  When Mu Sheng heard that Zhao Qi mentioned that the defense of the city was thanks to a Dusi Qianshi, he seemed to be quite surprised. He looked at Zhang Dai who was following him step by step and praised: "General Zhang is really capable."

  Zhang Dai said: "The final general's responsibility is to do his best. He should not be praised by Little Prince Mu."

  After a while, when the city gate slowly opened, Shandong Governor Zhao Qi led a group of officials out of the city to greet him and shouted: "Little Prince Mu."

  Mu Sheng also dismounted and asked, "Master Zhao, how are the casualties in the city? How are the people?"

  Zhao Qixu said: "There are many casualties in the city. Whenever Mr. Mu comes in a few days at night, the city will run out of food."

  Mu Sheng answered: "We encountered rebels and enemy snipers in Zhangqiu earlier. Fortunately, they did not break the city. This General Zhang is really good at defending."

  "Thanks to General Zhang for facing the danger and leading the troops to resist the bandit attack. Otherwise, the city would be overwhelmed by the internal response alone." Zhao Qiqing said in a loud voice.

  As a large number of soldiers and horses entered the city, the sound of iron hooves was chaotic, and the armored cavalry was fierce. The soldiers and horses of the Denglai Navy entered the city in a mighty manner, rolling into the city with armor.

  At this moment, the people in Jinan Prefecture came after hearing the news, crowded both sides of the street and looked up, happily watching the large number of reinforcements entering the city.

  With the imperial reinforcements stationed, Jinan Fucheng should be as secure as a rock.

  Here, Mu Sheng, greeted by Zhao Qi and a group of Shandong officials, went to the governor's office.

  Zhao Qi asked: "Little Prince Mu just met the enemy bandits in Zhangqiu. What is the situation? Have you captured the bandit leader?"

  "We sent people to recapture Zhangqiu County. The bandits were cunning, but it's a pity that the bandit leader escaped." Mu Sheng's eyes moved slightly under his green bamboo eyebrows and he whispered.

  Zhao Qi nodded and said thoughtfully: "During this period, all the prefectures and counties were defeated by the soldiers and horses of the guards and fell into the hands of the enemy."

  In fact, these guards soldiers really didn't commit many crimes. After all, the White Lotus Sect's mission was to plead for the people and resist corrupt officials under the banner of justice. It was impossible for them to burn, kill, rape, and commit all kinds of evil after seizing the county city.

  Mu Sheng looked coldly and said: "When the former Shandong Admiral Lu Qi was in office, he failed to conduct an investigation. The court will hold him responsible afterwards."

  The former Shandong Admiral Lu Qi was a general of the Qi Party. With the fall of Yang Guochang, the former Shandong Admiral was also transferred to Shenjing, the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, where he was idle. But now that the Shandong Guards has made such a big mistake, once it is investigated, Obviously, the former Shandong admiral must also be traced.

  Zhao Qi nodded and said: "I will definitely impeach you later. The guard general turned into a demon from the White Lotus Sect. It is simply shocking."

  Mu Sheng did not continue this topic and asked: "Where did the rebel troops who previously besieged Jinan Fucheng retreat to?"

  Zhang Dai took over the conversation and said loudly: "The relevant troops should have withdrawn from Tai'an Prefecture and Yanzhou Prefecture, hoping to use the steep terrain of the two places to delay and hinder the advance of the army."

  Mu Sheng's eyes showed admiration and said: "What General Zhang said is true, but the two places are indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack. Now that the two places are shrinking, we can only wait for the army to gather and annihilate the rebels and Jurchens on the spot."

  Zhao Qidao: "The words of the young prince Mu are worthy of being an old man in seeking a country. Nowadays, it is still important to protect the safety of Jinan City and regain lost territory. For example, the rebels in Yanzhou and Tai'an can only be cured by gathering together all the troops of the imperial court to suppress them." Cleansing effect."

  Mu Sheng nodded and agreed: "What Mr. Zhao said is true."

  After that, Mu Sheng settled down in the city for the time being, but he was not idle. On the one hand, he sent a troop of troops to Tai'an Mansion to inquire about the news, and on the other hand, he sent people to report to Jia Heng with fast horses.

  The next day, at noon, Mu Sheng was talking to Zhao Qi, the governor of Shandong, in the official office, discussing the collection and supply of grain.

  Although the siege of Shandong has been solved, the problem of grain shortage has not been solved. Zhao Qi asked two vassal officials to "borrow grain" from large households throughout Jinan City. Although it caused dissatisfaction among the wealthy households in the city, Zhao Qi's The powerful ministers of the territory had no choice but to obey.

  At this moment, a small school came in from outside and said, "Sir, there is a group of troops coming from outside, claiming to be reinforcements sent by Baoding."

  Because Kang Hong led his troops to capture Wuding Prefecture and gradually regained the prefectures and counties, there was not much delay along the way. He finally arrived when the danger of the siege of Jinan Prefecture City was resolved.

  Zhao Qidao: "Little Prince Mu, please follow me out of the city to greet you."

  Mu Sheng nodded and said, "Let's go and greet him together."

  Not long after, Kang Hong, surrounded by a large number of soldiers, arrived at Jinan Fucheng. Looking at the city where the Chinese flag was still flying, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.

  While they were talking, Shandong Governor Zhao Qi and Mu Sheng came quickly. Their expressions paused, and they cupped their hands and said, "Admiral Kang."

  Kang Hong turned over and dismounted, raised his eyes to look at Zhao Qi and Mu Sheng, his majestic face was covered with smiles, and he said in a hearty voice: "Master Zhao, Mr. Mu."

  Zhao Qi's elegant and fair face had a broad smile, he cupped his hands and said, "Admiral Kang, it's been a hard journey."

  Kang Hong said: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, Wuding Mansion has returned to the hands of the imperial court. Now we are investigating the demons who colluded with the White Lotus Sect. Henan soldiers and horses attacked Caozhou Mansion. I think it should have returned to the hands of the imperial court by now."

  When Zhao Qi heard this, he said with a hint of joy in his tone: "That's good, then only Yanzhou and Tai'an mansions are left."

  Although people from the White Lotus Sect had planned for a long time and infiltrated [-]% to [-]% of the Dusi Guards in the entire Shandong Province, he, the governor who comforted the army and calmed the people, also had to bear part of the responsibility.

  Afterwards, Zhao Qi welcomed Kang Hong and other generals into the city to greet Kang Hong and Mu Sheng.

  After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the atmosphere at the wine table was lively.

  "Duke Wei Guo should be arriving soon." Kang Hong pondered for a moment and said.

  Zhao Qi said with emotion: "The Duke of Wei is a famous general in the world. With him leading the troops to wipe out the White Lotus cult bandits, he should be absolutely foolproof."

  Kang Hong said in a clear voice: "I heard that there are still Jurchens this time?"

  Mu Sheng pondered for a moment and said: "According to the tortured captured thief general, Jurchen Prince Hauge was active in the chaos in Shandong. A certain family had previously fought against this Jurchen one-armed prince?"

  Kang Hong asked in surprise: "One-armed?"

  Mu Sheng explained: "It should be the arm that was lost during the naval battle in the Guangdong Sea."

  Kang Hong put down the wine cup in his hand and said with emotion: "Duke Wei is really the nemesis of the Jurchens."

  Zhao Qi smiled and said: "Brother Kang's words are interesting, but it is also true. Since Duduo, Yue Tuan, and now Hao Ge, the Jurchens have lost many princes and nobles under the hands of Duke Wei. It makes sense to say that the Jurchens are the nemesis. of."

  "This Hauge is afraid that he will leave my life behind," Kang Hong said with emotion.

  Everyone mingled with each other, chatting and laughing softly.

  At this moment, the soldiers outside said: "Sir, Duke Wei has sent a messenger."

  After a while, the general of the soldiers led a general of the Jinyi Mansion into the Yamen quickly.

  Zhao Qi pondered for a moment and then asked: "Little brother, what message did Duke Wei call you over to deliver?"

  "With the order of the General of the Rebellion and the Duke of Wei, the Governor of Denglai and the Admiral of Hebei dispatched elite infantry and cavalry to support Tai'an. They attacked the rebel army in Tai'an Prefecture. The Beijing cavalry has already suppressed Tai'an." The small schoolmaster of Jinyi Prefecture took out a volume in his hand. Official document, he said loudly.

  As soon as these words came out, Kang Hong and Mu Sheng also stood up one after another, looked at each other, then cupped their hands and said in unison: "The last general takes orders."

  Zhang Dai, who was not far away, also looked at the Jinyi Primary School with an inexplicable expression.

  It turned out that after Jia Heng entered the territory of Jinan Prefecture, he heard the news from the cavalry that the siege of Jinan Prefecture had been resolved, so he no longer used cavalry to support Jinan Prefecture, but instead diverted to Tai'an Prefecture and cut off with Xiao Lin and Du Feng. The rebels' retreat.    …

  ……

  At this time, Jia Heng also led a group of Beijing cavalry troops to arrive at the border of Tai'an Mansion in a mighty manner. Looking around, the mountains in the distance rolled up and down, like a blue dragon entrenched in the sky.

  Chen Xiao's frosty jade face also bore the fatigue and dust of many days of marching, and she said: "The scouts just came to report that the siege of Shandong has been lifted, and the bandits have fled to Tai'an Mansion."

  Jia Heng said worriedly: "Xiao Lin went to Tai'an Prefecture and sent someone to report that the attack on the city is not going well in the past few days. Chen Yuan's defeated troops in Jinan Prefecture will also follow up. Attacking from both inside and outside, there is almost a danger of defeat."

  Tai'an Mansion, as a storage place for Chen Yuan and Hauge's rebel army, also retained heavy troops. Two elders of the White Lotus Sect organized the defense of the White Lotus Sect bandits. Although Xiao Lin carried a lot of firearms, he was unable to actually attack. The city is very restricted.

  Chen Xiao said: "With nearly ten thousand cavalry, even if they are defeated, they will still be safe and sound. It would be better to divert the troops and intercept Chen Yuan's returning troops."

  Jia Heng said: "Let's see Xiao Lin's adaptability."

  In fact, there were not many generals in the Jingying camp, but after the Northern Xinjiang War and the Northwest War, the military capabilities of the Jingying generals also improved by leaps and bounds.

  The so-called learning of war in war allows generals who already have some talents to grow rapidly.

  As he spoke, Jia Heng led his troops and swept towards Tai'an Fucheng.

  At this moment, as Chen Xiao said, Xiao Lin did not continue to fight against Tai'an Prefecture after discovering that the siege was frustrated. Instead, he continued to harass Tai'an Prefecture to supply grain to Jinan Prefecture.

  At the same time, a group of sentry riders were sent to inquire about the movements of Jinan Mansion.

  On the third day, he happened to encounter the defeated army led by Chen Yuan coming down from Jinan Fucheng. The two armies fought in Tai'an Prefecture. Chen Yuan suffered a small defeat, then detoured to the foothills, abandoned Tai'an Fucheng, and retreated to Yanzhou Fucheng. .

  Tai'an Fucheng was not far from Jinan Fucheng, but it was under the intimidation of the imperial soldiers and horses.

  Therefore, when Jia Heng led the cavalry to Tai'an Fucheng, there was only one Tai'an Fucheng that had stored the rebels' grain, trying to block the Han army's advance.

  There is a town called Yangji twenty miles outside Tai'an Fucheng.

  When he saw Jia Heng, Xiao Lin looked ashamed, clasped his fists and said, "Commander, I am ashamed of myself. I failed to capture Tai'an Fucheng in the first time and allowed the rebels to escape."

  Jia Heng said: "It's none of your business. You continue to contain the rebels in Tai'an and wait for the infantry from Jinan Prefecture. The army will besiege Yanzhou and annihilate the enemy in Qilu."

  It was originally a matter of whether there were jujubes but no jujubes. Now that we were worried that the casualties would be too great to capture the city of Tai'an, we had to wait for Kang Hong and Mu Sheng from Jinan Prefecture to come to the rescue.

  Xiao Lin said: "The capital city of Yanzhou is high and deep, with many soldiers and horses, so it is more difficult to attack."

  If Chen Yuan and the Bailian cultivators refused to defend Yanzhou, it would be difficult to capture it without more than [-] soldiers and horses laying siege for more than a month.

  Jia Heng said: "Let people urge the soldiers and horses of Jinan Prefecture to capture Tai'an Prefecture first and cut off the rebels."

  Although they rushed to rescue and suppress people along the way, in addition to recovering two and a few cities, they were still on the road. They did not encounter Hauge and Chen Yuan at all. Shandong Jinan Prefecture and Denglai had already repelled the chaos. military.

  In fact, this is the norm for an empire to mature.

  He has to settle everything by himself, and even this kind of civil strife requires his intervention, which is abnormal in itself.

  Of course, it would be safer and more reliable for the emperor and his courtiers to send him out.

  As Jia Heng led the army to Tai'an Fucheng, the defenders in the Fucheng seemed to feel the pressure, but they organized strong men to board the city, preparing to snipe the Han court soldiers and horses.

  By the afternoon of that day, Jia Heng had finished resting his troops and horses.

  At this moment, a scout shouted loudly: "Commander Jie, the troops of Governor Kang and Prince Mu have arrived from Jinan Mansion."

  Jia Heng said to Chen Xiao on the side: "We've come just in time, ready to attack the city."

  With that said, he led a group of soldiers and horses to greet Hebei Admiral Kang Hong and Mu Sheng and others.

  In addition to the two generals Kang Hong and Mu Sheng who arrived with their troops, Zhang Dai from Shandong led [-] infantry from Jinan Fucheng to help the army.

  As for the governor Zhao Qi, he did not come, and specifically asked Zhang Dai to lead his troops to see Duke Wei.

  "General Kang, Little Prince Mu." Jia Heng led a group of generals to greet the army.

  At this moment, Kang Hong and Mu Sheng, accompanied by the bodyguards, came closer and saw Jia Heng, their faces were quite excited.

  And Zhang Dai also looked at the world-famous Duke Wei. This was the first time Zhang Dai met Jia Heng.

  As expected, Duke Wei was extremely young, extraordinarily heroic, and had a heart-warming bearing.

  After Jia Heng and Mu Sheng finished reminiscing about old times, he said, "Who is General Zhang?"

  As Zhang Dai was speaking, he came quickly, cupped his fists and said, "General Zhang Dai has met Duke Wei."

  Jia Heng nodded and said: "General Zhang turned the tide. He is really a good general. Strange people say that Qi Lu is a hero."

  Zhang Dai was so excited that his face even flushed, and he said: "I don't dare to praise you as the Duke of Wei, but I am a weak general."

  It can be said that a compliment from a powerful figure like Jia Heng is undoubtedly more valuable than anyone else.

  Jia Heng smiled, pointed to Tai'an Fucheng not far away with the whip in his hand, and said: "There are still bandits entrenched in Tai'an Fucheng to resist the imperial army. General Zhang is here with his infantry. Is he willing to serve me?" Capture it?"

  The casualties suffered by the cavalry during the siege were clearly unbearable, so Zhang Dai's infantry was now the most suitable weapon to use to attack the city.

  Hearing this, Zhang Dai looked at the young Marquis Wu with a heroic face, and was stunned for a moment. Immediately, a heroic emotion came into his heart, and he clasped his fists and said: "The Duke of Wei will wait a moment, the general will accept the order and die."

  As Mu Sheng watched the young man talking and laughing, he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.

  Most likely, this is the behavior of the human master!
  If you have seen the old version of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you will know that the demeanor of "Wife Cao" at this time is not very similar, but there are seven or eight similarities.

  In fact, today's Jia Heng has also given birth to some personality, especially after merging with Song Tian. After absorbing the mysterious yin energy from this woman with the fate of "Phoenix", she is almost like a python with scales. , the first born with a single horn has already begun to show its majesty!

  Well, this is what the Qi Luck Immortal said.

  Chen Xiao, on the other hand, looked at the young man with a clear face and a deep demeanor with longing eyes. The two of them had been together for a long time, and he felt that his heart was swaying and he couldn't control himself. He just wanted to meet each other across the road.

  It's really hard to relate to that young man who was willing to be a coward and serve the old woman.

  Jia Heng nodded, turned to look at Xiao Lin aside, and said in a deep voice: "Now that we have all the troops and horses, prepare the siege equipment and capture the city of Tai'an!"

  "Yes." Xiao Lin said with a look on his face and cupped his hands.

  In this way, following Jia Heng's order, the Beijing camp army and the Shandong government guards began to

  From noon to evening, before the sun sets, Tai'an Prefecture is restored!

  On the second day of May in the seventeenth year of Chongping, after Jinan Prefecture experienced many days of siege, Duke Wei arrived at Tai'an Prefecture, met with the armies of Shandong prefectures, and attacked fiercely with infantry and cavalry. Since then, Tai'an City has returned to the rule of the Han Dynasty.

  ……

  ……

  Yanzhou Fucheng
  At this moment, [-] to [-] rebels gathered in Yanzhou Prefecture and began to build city fortifications. However, with successive defeats, the atmosphere in the city fell into a gloomy and gloomy atmosphere.

  However, the terrain of Yanzhou is dangerous, and among the Three Kingdoms, it was the place where some Yellow Turban thieves finally struggled to deal with the Han court.

  Chen Yuan was sitting behind a round table. He had no appetite at all for the dishes on the table. His expression was ugly and incomprehensible. He slowly sat down with a trace of worry on his face.

  A look of thought appeared on Ruan Yongde's resolute face. After thinking for a while, he advised: "Sir, Yanzhou Prefecture is not a place that can be defended for a long time. It is better to abandon Shandong, go straight to Jiangsu, and fight in Huguang."

  Now that soldiers and horses from all walks of life have gathered in Shandong, Yanzhou has become a death place besieged by all parties.

  "Where is Prince Su?" Chen Yuan asked in a low voice with a sad look on his face.

  The situation during this period has taken a turn for the worse, and now only Yanzhou Prefecture can still resist a little.

  Ruan Yongde said: "I haven't come back yet."

  Chen Yuan frowned and said, "It would be better if something happened."

  Ruan Yongde further advised: "What Prince Su said earlier is not unreasonable. Instead of being besieged by reinforcements from several provinces of the Han court in Shandong, it is better to leave Shandong and establish another foundation."

  Chen Yuan waved his hand and said in a clear voice: "How easy is it? Not to mention other things, with so many soldiers and horses fighting in the north and south, where will the food and military supplies come from? If they just plunder and coerce the people, they are bound to be unpopular. Over time, they will only be gradually weakened by the imperial court. die."

  Obviously, the son of the former King of Zhao still had the idea of ​​establishing a base to fight against the Han Dynasty.

  The overthrow of a mature century-old dynasty must come in waves. Bandits will fight across the country, shake the stability of the system, and then break the order.

  "Why hasn't there been any movement in Beijing recently?" Chen Yuan frowned, obviously troubled.

  Ruan Yongde said: "The Holy Mother's last letter said that it should be during this period."

  Chen Yuan took a deep breath and said, "If we delay it any longer, it will not happen."

  The original chaos in Shandong was to cooperate with Beijing's actions, but now it has been delayed.