The Red Mansions

Chapter 945 The Worried Emperor Chongping
And just as he was speaking, he heard the sound of iron hoofs stepping across the ground in a neat rhythm from a mighty distance, and at a glance, he could see a forest of flags and a wall of people and horses, like a torrent of red rushing toward his face , seems to tear everything apart.

It was an all-conquering sharp aura that came overwhelming.

Not to mention Wei Huo as far back as the Han Dynasty, but Chang Yuchun and Li Wenzhong when the country was founded in the early Ming Dynasty. Cavalry is more ornamental.

Moreover, after the previous experience of winning the battle with the Jurchen, the morale of the cavalry generals and schoolmen of the Jingying Army soared.

Well, although some bully the few with the more, the victory is invincible.

E Zhe saw the army approaching like a raging sea of ​​fire, his face was shocked and inexplicable.

At this moment, the cavalry stopped near Lixu. On the endless grassland, the cavalry could not see the boundless, but it was even more spectacular to be on the vast grassland curtain.

There is a spectacular scene where Qiao Feng and Yelu Hongji meet at Yanmen Pass, and tens of thousands of troops are in the Liaokuo Grassland.

Jia Heng is now riding on a maroon horse, holding the rein with one hand, and pressing the Tianzi Sword at his waist. The red cloak on his body is fluttering with the wind, and the horse sitting beside him is beautiful Chen Xiao.

Jia Heng took down the binoculars from his pouch, looked up at a sweat tent in the distance, and said, "Let's go see Ezhe."

Chen Xiao responded, and led the guards of the Jinyi Mansion and followed the boy in the python suit to approach the camp set up by Mongolia.

It's a camp, it's better to say it's a yurt.

Ezhe was also reminded by Uleji at this moment, and surrounded by the generals in the Mongolian Khan's tent, he came to the front, looked at the young man under the banner of the Chinese army, and shrank his eyes.

Seeing the flourishing and high-spirited Han army, Ezhe's eyes were excited under his thick brows, and he strode away, clasped his fists and said, "Yongninghou."

Jia Heng turned over and got off the horse, and the guards beside him also dismounted in unison. The tall horse, the flying fish suit, and the embroidered spring knife were bright and dazzling under the sunlight, forming a sassy and austere aura.

Beauty is fighting power, and things that conform to the aesthetic sense must coincide with the heavenly way that the most beautiful is the strongest.

Ezhe's eyes lit up, and he was slightly startled.

Ya Ruo and his elder brother Agula also looked at the young man who was leading the army. At this moment, in front of the endless cavalry, the Jinyi Fuwei was almost imprinted in his heart like a picture.

The eyes under Ya Ruo's beautiful eyebrows are like a pool of clear springs, and Gao Yuan's red cheeks on both sides are flushed, looking at Marquis Wu who has already greeted E Zhe, his eyes are slightly startled.

Jia Heng threw the reins to the guards, stepped forward, cupped his hands and said: "Ezhe Khan, I am the Marquis of Yongning, the great Han, and now the official residence is the Great General of the Great Han Zhenglu."

At this moment, Er Zhe looked at the young Marquis Wu at close range, with a handsome, fair face, demeanor as deep as an abyss, and slender and clear eyes.

For some reason, E Zhe suddenly thought of the wolf in the grassland.

E Zhe returned a salute and said, "Marquis Yongning, I just heard from the general of your country that the Han army encountered the Jurchens with the blue flag. The two sides fought, and your country won a big victory?"

Even seeing the majestic and mighty cavalry in front of him, E Zhe still couldn't believe it.

That is the Eight Banners of Jurchen's Eight Classics, even if it is the main force of one banner, if they charge up like wolves, tigers and leopards, how did the Han army defeat Jurchen's blue-banner cavalry?

Jia Heng said: "The general who led the army was Jierhalang, the king of the Qing Dynasty. He led the inlaid blue flag and the Zhenghuang flag of the Han army. More than [-] soldiers and horses met our army unexpectedly, and defeated our army. Our army has [-] troops. Yu Qi, use the many to defeat the few."

E Zhe heard the words, after dispelling his doubts, he secretly thought, no wonder, there are so many soldiers and horses in the Han army, Jurchen only came with two banners, and a Han army banner.

But looking at it this way, it is extraordinary.

E Zhe's son, Agula, looked at the large number of Han cavalry soldiers intently, and said loudly, "Father Khan, this is not the place to talk, let's talk about it after entering the tent."

E Zhe came to his senses, stretched out his hand to invite and said, "Marquis Yongning, please come to the account."

Back then, he also fought side by side with King Zhou and King Zhao, and he was familiar with the Han people's hospitality etiquette.

After a while, Jia Heng followed E Zhe into the sweat tent. The sweat tent was spacious and covered with a layer of wool carpet on the grass.

E Zhe asked: "Marquis Yongning, how many soldiers and horses did you bring with you this time?"

Jia Heng said: "The [-] cavalry came this time to call Ezhe Khan to go to Datong. The Jining Haizi side is not suitable for fighting Jurchen regardless of the terrain or the incoordination between our two coalition forces. "

Although he led the Jingying Cavalry to defeat the Xianglan Banner, this victory was actually a certain accident, and the price was not small.

If they really encountered [-] to [-] elite Jurchen soldiers, with the immediate combat power of the Beijing Cavalry Army today, they would definitely not be able to defeat them. There would be no other ending except for the collapse of the entire army.

E Zhe heard the words, but did not agree, but asked: "Since the cavalry of the Han army can defeat the soldiers of the Eight Banners, why did they return to Datong?"

Jia Henglang said: "The cavalry contest is the leader of the Hulu in the grassland. Although our big Han cavalry has won one game, but in terms of combat power alone, there is still a gap in a short period of time. If we fight against Jurchen here, we will be defeated. The risk is too great, once it collapses, it will be a complete defeat, and the entire Chahar Mongolia will also sink under the butcher knife of the Jurchen cavalry."

They had won a game before, and the final result was that even the Jurchen Banner of Manchuria was not completely wiped out. There are still seven such elites of the Eight Banners!

From this, we can also see the hardships of winning the first battle.

Hearing this, Er Zhe exchanged a glance with Wuleji.

Jia Hengdao: "Now there are more than [-] cavalry in Datong Army Town. If the Jurchen whole country comes to attack, we can rely on the strong city to defend. When the Jurchen is full of vigor, the Han and Mongolian cavalry will wait for work and chase death. North, the Great Khan can also lead the people back to their hometown in Monan, where they can graze.”

In fact, even if the great Han was attached to Chahar Mongolia, it does not mean that he has since abandoned the vast and fertile pastures in Monan and the Xilamulun River Basin.

After the Jurchen army retreated, they could still fight back with the Mongolian tribes and serve as the support of the Pingfan Han.

Originally, Mongolia was a nomadic people who lived by grass. There were not so many bottles and cans. Now it is actually easy to move to Datong.

Hearing this, Er Zhe's complexion changed, and he was indecisive for a while.

The main thing is to worry about annexing the Mongolian tribe for the Han Dynasty.

Jia Heng didn't speak at the moment, but just quietly looked at E Zhe, waiting for E Zhe's answer.

At this moment, the three Otoks in Chahar Mongolia have been lost, and Sunit has also been wiped out by the Jurchen. There are only four Otoks, Haoqit, Ujumqin, Alakzot, and Zhu Xiti, and their power is already strong. to reduce.

At this time, Wuleji suggested: "Khan, what Yongninghou said is reasonable, first avoid Datong, and temporarily hide from the Jurchen's edge, which is only a hundred miles away from here. When the war subsides, it will be fine to fight back. .”

Seeing that Ezhe still had doubts on his face, Ya Ruo said, "Father Khan, Uncle Bateer was defeated earlier, now such old and weak women and children in the clan, where else can they go except Datong to avoid disaster?"

Hearing this, Jia Heng stared at the girl beside her, and immediately met a pair of bright and clear eyes, and immediately, the girl quickly moved away.

At this time, Ezhe's son Agula also said: "Father Khan, let's go to Hantu to avoid the edge first."

Er Zhe was silent for a moment, staring at the young man in the python suit, observed Jia Heng's expression, and said, "Marquis Yongning, do we still have a chance to return to our ancestral homeland?"

In fact, it was also a helpless choice. When Ezhe’s most trusted confidant, General Battelle, led the warriors of the Lord Xiti and Alakjot to meet the enemy, and was defeated by Hauge. He died in Guyuan, and the rest returned. , Ezhe has only

Jia Heng said: "Ezhe Khan, don't worry, Chahar Mongolia originally lived on the grasslands. If the Jurchen retreats, it is bound to come back again. The land will be lost, and everyone will be lost. It's all there."

E Zhe heard the words, his eyes moved slightly, as if he was touched by Jia Heng's words.

For a tribe as large as Mongolia, even if the Han court wanted to annex them, it would not happen overnight.

Seeing this, Jia Heng said: "Since this is the case, it should not be too late. Chahar Mongols began to migrate to Datong. My two soldiers and horses are in the southeast direction, alerting the movement of the Jurchen army. They may take the opportunity to attack."

Thinking about the fact that Jierhalang returned after the previous defeat, Huang Taiji should have hesitated, but maybe the whole army will come.

Er Zhe nodded, and then ordered a burly man serving in the military tent, saying: "Zhe Bu, order Qi Erlang immediately, and escort the women and children of the clan to retreat to Datong."

There are still four Otoks in Mongolia at this moment. If the old and young are included, there are about 20 people, and they are migrating to Datong at this moment. Obviously, the speed may not be too fast.

Seeing that E Zhe had made up his mind, Jia Heng said, "After a short rest, we will discuss matters to stop the Jurchen striker."

In fact, he didn't want to fight the Jurchen soldiers and horses now, causing heavy damage.

Erzhe nodded, agreeing.

……

……

Just as Jia Heng was discussing with Ezhe Khan of Chahar Mongolia, on the afternoon of the third day, Jierhalang also led the defeated soldiers of the Xianglan Banner to Guyuan. At this moment, Huang Taiji was already in Kaiping Wei Guyuan set up camp and was having a banquet with Mongolia and other princes and ministers.

Because in a battle just now, the Wanqi led by Ezhe's general Battelle was defeated by Azig.

At this moment, the Jurchen bannermen were chasing the remnants of Chahar Mongols on the vast grassland.

In the big tent, there was laughter and laughter, and the atmosphere was quite warm.

Huang Taiji hosted a banquet for the patriarchs of the Aohan, Naiman, and Heshiketeng clans, as well as Prince Baylor.

Just now, taking advantage of the great defeat of the Mongolian cavalry in Dachahar, Huang Taiji awarded the leaders of Naiman's three tribes who had defected to him as Duoluo County King, and his sons as Baylor, Beizi and other titles.Other Mongolian generals and schools also have titles such as Zhen Guogong and Fu Guogong.

Huang Taiji was sitting on a low couch covered with soft mattresses. The hero of the Jurchen generation was in his sixties, his hair was gray and his body was thin due to his long military service, he had not yet gained weight, he was energetic and his eyes were sharp. .

Huang Taiji smiled and said: "I, the Qing Dynasty, treat the Manchus, Mongols, and Han people kindly. You all went out with the army in the past, and you know it."

Below, Deng Changchun, who was behind Fan Xiandou, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, raised his wine cup and took a sip, his narrow eyes under his thin eyebrows seemed to be flickering.

The emperor first talked about the Manchus, then the Mongols, and finally the Han people. In this way, there is an order of precedence and importance.

Tara, the king of the Naiman tribe, said with a smile: "The Great Khan gave the destiny to be a Khan, and we are willing to drive away."

The other Hexigten and the two county kings of the Aohan nationality also echoed.

For a while, the words of Zhong Zhong came one after another, emerging in endlessly.

And when the atmosphere in the military tent was warm, suddenly a Jurchen soldier broke into the military tent, clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, Prince Zheng is back."

With a smile still on his face, Huang Taiji asked, "Prince Zheng is back so soon?"

Immediately, he felt something was wrong in his heart. He sent Prince Zheng to Datong to monitor and deter the Han army. Looking at the situation now, could it be... something happened on the way.

It’s no wonder that Huang Taiji couldn’t think of the option of losing a battle. During the decades of Jurchen’s rise, especially after the Longzhi period when Liaodong was designated as the land of Longxing, Jurchen was almost invincible and invincible. How has she ever lost a battle?
The freshly baked Mongolian princes and ministers in the military tent were also a little surprised.

But it didn't take long to see Jierhalang leading a few generals, without helmets, with disheveled hair, messy clothes, blood stains still on their faces, and the look on their faces showed that they had suffered a defeat.

In an instant, the noisy and lively atmosphere in the big tent seemed to be poured with cold water. The princes Baylor of Naiman, Aohan, and Keshiketeng and the generals of the Mongolian army all put down their wine cups and looked at Zheng in surprise. Prince Jierhalang.

"Brother Huang." Just when Huang Taiji's eyes were staring straight and he was about to speak, Ji Erhalang suddenly knelt down with a "plop", walked a few steps on his knees, with a gloomy expression on his face, and muttered: "Defeated, defeated. "

Ji Erhalang is not young, he is in his 40s, and he can be described as a veteran who has fought for half his life. At this moment, his eyes are red, and he said: "Brother, the Xianglan Banner meets the main brigade of the Han army. They have 5 to [-] troops. , we only have [-] people, and the two armies clashed, outnumbered, and lost thousands of sons at once. Seeing that the Han army was unable to defeat Zhenghuangqi, they surrendered to the Han army, and nephew Wu Dahai also..."

At the end, the seven-foot-tall man's voice choked up.

This time only more than 2000 people came back from Xianglanqi, and they almost fled in a hurry. The bitterness of defeat and self-blame entangled Jierhalang's heart like weeds.

The wine cup in Huang Taiji's hand fell on the table with a "click", and he was stunned for a while, his complexion became gloomy, and he said, "What's going on?"

At this time, the general with the blue flag on the side hurriedly stepped forward to explain the reason for the fighting between the two sides.

When everyone in the military tent heard this, they were all startled and looked at each other in blank dismay.

"Bang!!!"

Azige slapped the table, and said angrily: "Liu Zhiyuan, this bastard slave, I've seen him unreliable for a long time. If Tzheng Huangqi fights to the death, will the loss be so heavy?"

Xu Shi drank too much and cursed angrily: "These Han people are half-hearted."

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the entire hall suddenly became deathly silent, and the expression of Han Jiang in the distance changed slightly.

Dorgon paused slightly, squeezed the cup in his hand, and stared at Azig.

Huang Taiji said in a deep voice: "Second Brother, shut up!"

As he spoke, the dozing tiger suddenly opened its ferocious eyes, stared at Jierhalang, and said, "The Han army has [-] to [-] cavalry, where did the Han army get [-] to [-] cavalry?"

At this time, Dorgon, who was sitting at the bottom, frowned, his face was as frosty, he got up from his seat, bowed his hands and said: "Brother Emperor, the 20th Regiment of the Beijing Camp of the Han Army has more than [-] soldiers and horses. There are also [-] cavalry, and this time it is clearly to prevent my Qing Dynasty from going out to conquer Harmony and conquering the country."

Hearing this, Huang Taiji's face was as gloomy as iron, and he said: "This Jia Heng, first in the south, and now in the grasslands, is indeed our enemy of the Qing Dynasty."

Duoduo first died at the hands of Jia Heng, and now Prince Zheng Jierhalang also suffered a big loss at Jia Heng's hands. It can be said that Huang Taiji's murderous intentions are like a waterfall, and he can't wait to get rid of Jia Heng and then hurry up!
Dorgon said: "Brother Emperor, the most urgent task now is to stop Chahar Mongolia from fleeing south and prevent it from joining the Han army."

At this time, Azige said angrily: "Brother Huang, elder brother, let me lead the troops there, and I will definitely cut off the head of this little Jia Heng!"

Following Azig's loud plea for orders, all the generals of the Qing army in the hall also stood up one after another to fight, including many generals with the Han army flag.

Because Liu Zhiyuan, who was in the Zhenghuang Banner, led the troops to surrender to the Han army, this somewhat hurt the sensitive nerves of the generals of the Han army.

Fan Xiandou got up suddenly, and said: "Your Majesty, our army has just lost its vigor, especially because we don't know the details of the Han army's Beijing camp, so we shouldn't act recklessly. The Lord can't be angry and activate the army, and the general can't be angry and attack."

Azige glared angrily, and said, "Forty to fifty thousand of their cavalry and more than [-] of them with the inlaid blue flag are worthy of a tie. As long as we join the army, we can take it in one go. At that time, the Han people have no cavalry, and they will no longer Can't beat the waves, Brother Huang, now, while they are in contact with E Zhe, they are going to crush the whole army and catch them all in one go."

Dorgon frowned and said, "Brother, don't be rude!"

Huang Taiji's old eyes were as sharp as a falcon, he stared at Jierhalang, and said, "Prince Zheng, get up first, and tell me about the strength of the Han army during the fight."

At this moment, Ji Erhalang knelt on the ground, did not get up, but kowtowed and said: "I also ask the emperor to forgive me."

Immediately narrated the previous battle process.

Huang Taiji frowned, listening quietly to his narration of the previous battle.

How Jierhalang will meet the enemy and how to meet it is said.

Huang Taiji said coldly: "The enemy has [-] to [-] cavalry, you don't know how many soldiers and horses there are at once, but you dare to attack rashly, why are you so reckless?"

In fact, Jia Heng relied on the binoculars as a sharp weapon to observe the military situation, and Pang Shili was far away on one wing.

Jierhalang sent scouts to scout out the cavalry, but found no movement of the officers and soldiers. In addition, he didn't take the cavalry of the big man too seriously, so he sent Wu Dahai to test it out. Once the "main force" of the Han army The front line wavered, and the whole army immediately pressed on, defeating the Han army at once, and reaped a victory.

It is true that the overall size of the Han army was not noticed.

Moreover, the hasty confrontation at such a critical moment, coupled with Liu Zhiyuan's advice, and his confidence in the invincibility of the Jurchen Eight Banners elite soldiers, who would have thought of a crushing defeat in the end?
However, this defeat obviously let Jurchen know the strength of the Han Jingying Cavalry Army.

After hearing what Jierhalang said, Huang Taiji's eyes flickered, and he scolded: "Where is your usual caution? On the battlefield, you have not found out the enemy's situation, how dare you put your whole army on it."

Jierhalang was scolded by Huang Taiji, his head was lowered tightly, not daring to reply.

Huang Taiji's face was ashen, and he said angrily: "Push out this faint king who ruined my Jurchen Erlang and ruined my vigor!"

As soon as these words came out, the faces of the people in the military tent changed slightly, and the personal guards were stunned for a short time, not daring to respond to orders.

It was Dorgon who reacted quickly, and before the guards of the Zhenghuang Banner escorted Jierhalang out of the tent and beheaded him, he knelt down and begged for mercy: "Brother Emperor, the whole Han army is going out of the fortress. I also ask the emperor to allow Prince Zheng to take the crime and make meritorious service in front of the army, so as to atone for the crime."

At this moment, Azig's eyes flashed, and he also knelt down to plead guilty.

Seeing this, Fan Xiandou felt that the old god was sitting on the sidelines, and he did not participate in such matters with Deng Changchun and other Han officials.

On the other hand, Tara of the Naiman clan rolled her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Zheng was defeated because he was attacked by shameless Han people. Judging from the description of the battle just now, the Han army has [-] to [-] cavalry troops, which cannot be left behind." I'm waiting for ten thousand people, if I lose this game, I'll just get back to the game, why bother to kill the general."

He looked at the emperor who didn't seem to want to execute Prince Zheng.

As Tara interceded, the khans of the Aohan tribe and the Keshiketeng tribe also reacted and began to intercede for Prince Zheng one after another.

At this time, many Han generals knelt down and begged for mercy.

Looking at this scene, Huang Taiji was silent for a while, then said coldly: "Jierhalang, did you hear that?"

Jierhalang said: "The humble minister is terrified."

"Prince Zheng, leave behind a useful body, it's a shame!" Dorgon called out.

Huang Taiji said indifferently: "Come here, I will demote Prince Zheng to a commoner and serve him before dispatching to the army. Xianglan Banner will replenish the soldiers and temporarily rest in Guyuan."

The Xianglan Banner must be rebuilt, but now it can only stay behind for the time being, and wait until the leaders destroy the cavalry of the Han army before making any calculations.

At this moment, the Jurchen elite still has two white banners, two yellow banners and 7 elites. If you add the four banners of the Han Army's Eight Banners, the Mongolian Cavalry Army of Horqin Mongolia and the five divisions of Inner Khalkha, and the three divisions of Chahar Mongolia, there are still six. [-] soldiers and horses.

And Jia Heng's choice not to confront Huang Taiji's main force head-on was actually a wise choice. If a battle really started, the Han-Mongolian coalition forces would definitely be defeated.

"Is there any news from Hao Ge and Yue Tuo?" Huang Taiji asked in a low voice with a worried expression on his face.

In fact, this place is very close to Xuanhua, and even here was the Yongpingwei, the old defense area of ​​Xuanfu.

At this moment, Fei Yingdong clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, the eldest prince has only been to Xuanfu for ten days, and there is no news yet."

Huang Taiji pondered for a moment, as if thinking about something, said: "Gather the soldiers and horses, and gallop to Jining Haizi tomorrow morning, and fight to the death with the Han and Mongolian armies!"

If the two ministries are allowed to retreat to Datong, it will be more complicated to defeat the coalition forces. If the Jurchen forces want to attack the city, the casualties will be too great.

At this moment, the Jurchen hero made the wisest choice in an instant, and planned to take the opportunity to attack while the Han cavalry army and the Mongolian coalition forces had not yet been integrated.

However, because Datong was relatively close to Jining Haizi, the entire retreat process was orderly, but after all, there were too many old and weak women and children of the Mongolian tribe in Chahar, so the speed was somewhat slower.

Finally, on the evening of the third day, Jia Heng, who was escorting Jia Heng to Chahar Mongolia, found the trace of the Jurchen Jingqi [-] miles away from Datong.

And this is the last batch of women and children. At this moment, Jia Heng has joined the main force of E Zhe and others, ready to meet the enemy.

And Xuanhua City thousands of miles away, from Dushikou to Xuanfu City, was caught in the battle. The soldiers and horses in Xuanfu Town were struggling to support, but at this moment, the capital of Beiping also dispatched [-] soldiers and horses to support Xuanfu.

Just as the battle on the east and west lines of the Han Dynasty was in full swing——

Shenjing, Daming Palace, Inner Study Room
It was in the afternoon, the sky was full of sunset, and the golden and red rays came in through the window, shining on the jade steps and furniture.

The middle-aged emperor in the dragon robe put down the memorial in his hand, looked outside, with a look of worry on his thin face, and asked, "Dai Quan, what time is it?"

Dai Quan brewed a cup of Longjing tea and said: "Your Majesty, it's time to apply for the license plate. Your Majesty has sent a female officer to invite the Holy Majesty to Kunning Palace for dinner."

"Has there been any military report from the Military Aircraft Department?" Emperor Chongping got up and asked.

Dai Quan said: "The day before yesterday, there was an urgent delivery from the Xuanfu, and there were signs of the Jurchen brigade on the front line of the Xuanfu."

Emperor Chongping was silent for a moment, and asked, "Where is the Jinyi Mansion? They use Jinyi flying pigeons to pass on the letter, so the military situation can be more timely."

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Yongning hasn't sent a letter from the pigeon yet." Dai Quan said in a low voice.

Emperor Chongping was silent for a moment, feeling agitated, and murmured: "Since Ziyu went to Datong, there has been no urgent delivery of military information. Since the Xuanfu has already had a big war, what will happen to Datong? Has it united with Chahar Mongolia?" ?”

Can it win?As the past few days passed, his heart gradually became uncertain.

According to the intelligence summary of the Military Aircraft Department, Jurchen came here this time.

Dai Quan listened to Emperor Chongping's worried words, but could not answer.

In this kind of battle, even he can't say whether Yongninghou will continue his victory.

Fortunately, Emperor Chongping was emotional for a while, probably hungry, and said: "Show the Kunning Palace."

Dai Quan bowed to his orders.

(End of this chapter)