The Red Mansions

Chapter 952 Huang Taiji: In the land of Han, no one can touch a single hair of mine!
Juyongguan

In the back house of the yamen, the halls are brightly lit, and the music of silk and bamboo orchestras is accompanied by the melodious ditties of women.

The guard of Juyong Pass is a general, his name is Gu Yuanshao, he is about forty years old, and he leads [-] troops to sit in the Guancheng. At this moment, this General Gu is sitting on a grand master's chair. Her fingers kept tapping on the grand master's chair, and the concubine's slender white hands behind her were gently kneading.

Not far away is a young cardamom girl singing a tune, surrounded by a woman playing the piano, her voice is babbling.

"General, Mr. Li Ge has delivered official documents." At this time, a young clerk entered the hall from the outside and said to Gu Yuanshao.

Gu Yuanshao opened his eyes, stretched out a hand, and said, "Bring it here and show me."

The scribe bowed forward, handing over the official document with a respectful expression.

As soon as Gu Yuanshao took the official document, he didn't sit upright on the grand teacher's chair, but read it intently by the lamp, with a hint of impatience in his eyes.

The text on it is just to reprimand the guards of Juyong Pass to be vigilant, strictly guard the pass, and report in time if encountering the enemy.

And this is the third letter in half a month.

Gu Yuanshao put the official document in his hand on the small table at the side, and said coldly: "Tell the visitor, just say that the Juyongguan side is on the alert to prevent the Jurchens from entering the army."

The main forces of the Qing army besieged the cities in Xuanda and Dacheng with heavy troops, and the front line of Jizhen and Beiping was calm, even if the invaders would not attack Juyongguan.

When the messenger left, Gu Yuanshao leaned back on the grand teacher's chair, and the plump woman behind her with cloud bun and pink temples pursed her lips and said with a coquettish smile: "General, is this woman really going to call?"

"Don't worry about it, Juyongguan is as solid as gold, and the Jurchen is fighting that Yongninghou in Datong to avenge the humiliation of the defeated soldier, and I won't be here for a while." Gu Yuanshao smiled, turned around, and grabbed Looking at the concubine, she teased and said innocently.

The woman snorted slightly reproachfully, and said softly: "General, people in the city say that the Tartar has disheveled hair, a green face and long fangs, and a bloody mouth. He is tall enough to fight well."

Gu Yuanshao smiled and said: "It's not a big deal, it's the same two shoulders carrying a head, our Han army relies on the fortified city to defend, they can't go up, Juyongguan is the most powerful pass in the world, even if the Tartars are really Those who dare to come, they who are going to be killed will not be left behind!"

The woman didn't say much when she heard the words, she just smiled.

But Gu Yuanshao said: "It's getting late, let's go and rest first."

With that said, he got up, put his arms around the two girls and went into the inner room to sleep.

At the turn of Xu Hai, Gu Yuanshao was in the middle of a battle, and a guerrilla general outside was outside in a panic, and said anxiously: "General, it's not good, the Jurchens have hit the city."

Gu Yuanshao's complexion changed suddenly when he heard the words, he hurriedly came out with his trousers up, put on a piece of clothing and left the room, looked at the general who came to report the letter, and asked, "Why did the Jurchen come here?"

"General, killings have already started outside the city. There are many real girls, all of them are below. Guancheng is about to be overwhelmed."

Gu Yuanshao settled his mind and said anxiously: "Quick, quick, find my armor and weapons, gather the soldiers and horses in the city, and I'm going to go to the city to defend against the enemy!"

At this moment, Juyongguan is under the fierce attack of Juyongguan and Jurchen Banners. Soldiers of Xianghong Banner, Xianglan Banner, Horqin Mongolia and Inner Kalkha Mongolia, the sound of "rumbling" resounded throughout the city, and Guancheng seemed to be under artillery fire. Shake gently.

The elite bannermen of the Juyongguan Eight Banners took advantage of the cover of night and rushed towards the tide of Guancheng with their ladders on their backs. However, the Han army in Juyongguan was caught off guard and suddenly became a little dazed.

Because at this point in time, some of the soldiers in Juyongguan were dozing off against the city gate with their weapons in hand, but the Jurchen suddenly attacked, so they naturally couldn't react.

At this moment, Yue Tuo and Haoge looked at the Jurchen Banner Ding who was carrying a ladder to attack Juyongguan City in the distance, and had already established a firm foothold on the top of Guancheng City.

"Brother, Juyongguan is broken!" Hauge exclaimed with excitement.

Yue Tuo reminded him a bit, and said, "Don't be careless in the enemy's territory."

In the middle of the night, Jurchen flags were erected above the Guancheng, and the sound of killing spread towards the Guancheng.

At this moment, only nearly [-] Jurchen elites came to attack suddenly with several times the force. Juyong Pass City did not hold on for long, and it had already fallen into the hands of Jurchen. Soldiers entered Guancheng.

Because the combat power of the entire Jizhen defense line has not been substantially improved compared with the previous Han army.

Although Li Zan has been guarding Beiping for many years, Li Zan is not a military general. Although he strictly restrains and rectifies the army of Jizhen and Beiping, it has not effectively improved the combat power of the frontier army. In other words, the frontier army is still the frontier army , but not as lax as before, full of old and weak.

Until the early hours of the morning, the gate tower of Juyongguan had been replaced with the flag of the Qing Dynasty, and the guard Gu Yuanshao led a group of soldiers to fight the Jurchen on the long street outside the official office, and was hacked and killed by the rebellious army .

Juyongguan has now fallen!
Without waiting for dawn, the remaining soldiers had already lit the beacon fire on the beacon tower, warning the news of the enemy captives to warn Chen Han's important town of Beiping.

At dawn, Hauge and Yue Tuo, surrounded by a group of personal guards, had already entered the official office used by General Gu Yuanshao for his usual work.

Hauge was full of joy at the moment, sitting on the grand teacher's chair, he laughed and said: "It's really a bad breath."

In the past half a month, they have been stagnant under the city of Xuanfu, and it is difficult to enter the Han territory for half a step.

Yue Tuo reminded: "The Han court will definitely provide massive reinforcements, and even chase and intercept our army with soldiers and horses."

Hauge said coldly: "They want to chase and intercept them, but they want to defeat them one by one for our army."

Seeing Hauge's self-confidence, Yue Tuo didn't want to say anything else, and instead mentioned another matter: "Father Wang is still at Qiangzi Pass, sending a message to join our army in Beiping, there are not many people here. treat."

Hauge nodded, and said, "It's not too late. Let's take a rest tonight, and we'll attack Beiping Mansion tomorrow."

In fact, the nine sides of Chen Han, after the fall of Liaodong, became one side in fact, and now that Juyongguan is broken and Peiping is attacked, it can be said that it affects the whole body.

Beiping Dusi Yamen
In the early morning, the morning light was slightly dewed, and in the smoked cage with animal heads in the study room in the east side of the house, a few wisps of sandalwood incense could be seen rising.

Li Zan, the second assistant to the cabinet and a scholar of the Hall of Martial Arts, was sitting in the study at the moment. A candle was burning on the table. The candle was slightly lit, projecting a tall and firm figure on the bookcase.

Before dawn at four o'clock, the second assistant of the big man's cabinet was already up to deal with military affairs.

At this moment, there was a sound of hurried footsteps in the corridor, and immediately a young man wearing a flying fish suit and a wingless crown with a mountain character on his head paused and walked quickly into the study.

"Qiu Liang." Li Zan put down the book in his hand, raised his eyes to look at the Jinyi mansion guard, and said in a low voice.

The person who came was none other than Qiu Liang who was sent to the Beiping Camp by Jia Heng.

He is now in the Military Intelligence Department of the Beijing Metropolitan Government, and is responsible for spying on the Jurchen intelligence. Because of his courage and ability, he has gradually become the most reliable general under Li Zan.

"Old Man Ge, the direction of Juyongguan was attacked by Juyongguan. Juyongguan fell to the enemy, and Jurchen brought a large number of elite cavalry to attack Beiping." Qiu Liang said solemnly, cupping his hands.

Hearing this, Li Zan's complexion suddenly changed, he put down the book in his hand, and asked with a fixed gaze: "What's going on? Why was Juyongguan broken?"

Qiu Liang said: "Mr. Ge, there is no detailed military information from the direction of Juyongguan, but Jurchen is brave, it seems to be a sudden attack, and the guards in Guanzhong were not prepared."

At this moment, Juyongguan had just fallen, so naturally there was no detailed military report delivered.

Li Zan was silent for a moment, suppressed the anxiety in his heart, and said in a deep voice: "Where is Kang Hong, the governor of Hebei in Baoding? Immediately urge Kang Hong to lead the army to help, and in addition, urgently order Lu Qi from Shandong to lead the army to help Beiping immediately. mistaken."

Qiu Liangdao: "Master Ge, Admiral Kang may come over quickly, but Admiral Lu is gathering elite soldiers in Shandong. In two days, the soldiers may not be able to reach Beiping."

Li Zan said: "Let Lu Qi travel day and night, Beiping is the capital of the northern kingdom, and there is no room for loss."

When Qiu Liang heard the words, he should do it.

"The Jurchens invaded the customs and sent a letter to the Marquis of Yongning in Datong to convey the military information by flying pigeons, asking him to send the Jingying cavalry for reinforcements." Li Zan added after thinking about it.

If you rely solely on the local soldiers in Shandong and Baoding, you may not be able to expel the Jurchen elite cavalry, and you have to borrow the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp to conquer them.

Qiu Liang's expression turned serious, and he walked away with his fists clasped.

"Call the generals above the guerrillas in the capital of Beiping to the government office for discussion." Li Zan was silent for a moment, and ordered a scribe.

The servant responded, and then called someone to go.

Li Zan also came out of the study at this time, and looked up at the sky. A bright moon, as big as a jade plate, was as bright as silver. Stop, halo circles or red or yellow light and shadow.

Li Zan sighed softly, and said, "Beiping is under attack, what a troubled time."

Xuanda and Dacheng are as safe as rocks, while the front lines of Beiping and Jizhen he led were broken by the enemy.

There is also the guard of Juyong Pass, he has warned several times before to beware of Jurchen soldiers and horses intruding, he is still so negligent and slack, causing the pass to fall, misleading the country and the army, he deserves to be killed!

On the afternoon of the second day after Juyongguan was breached, Jia Heng, who was sitting in Datong, also received an urgent message from the military.

"Juyongguan is broken." Chen Xiaoqing said with a worried voice with a hint of coldness on her beautiful face.

Jia Heng frowned slightly, looked at the map hanging on the screen, and said coldly: "Sure enough, it's Juyongguan. Xie Jing has already led the troops to reinforce it. I'll send Pang Shili there later, and I need to take back Juyongguan in one fell swoop."

At this time, Huang Taiji was waiting for him to make a mistake in his busy schedule, it was impossible for him to personally lead the troops to help.

Chen Xiaoqing said: "Jurchen has been attacking for five days in a row, but yesterday's attack was a bit slower."

"They are waiting for the news from the front line of Beiping. Now that Juyongguan is broken, the Jurchen's morale will definitely be boosted, and there should be a new wave of offensive." Jia Heng's eyes were gloomy, and he was also a little worried.

Chen Xiao looked at the young man and reminded: "If the Jurchens besiege Beiping, the Shenjing side may urge you to march in, or divide the troops to help."

Jia Heng shook his head and said: "I will hand over to Beijing later, the main force of Jurchen is still in Xuanda, so it is not appropriate to mobilize the soldiers and horses of the two places for the time being, unless most of the main force of Jurchen is transferred, otherwise the Xuanfu will move. If Huang Taiji leads troops to destroy the Xuan Mansion again, the situation will be completely ruined."

Chen Xiao's eyes flickered, she nodded and said, "It's not a good time to get confused now."

Although it had been predicted that the Eastern Front might explode, but when it really happened, there was still a sense of urgency.

Jia Heng pondered for a moment, then said: "First call the generals to discuss the matter."

Although it has long been expected that the Jurchen will break through the barrier and enter, but just sit and watch the Jurchen raise their troops to attack the land of Yanzhao and harm the people, and they are not in the mood to say anything else.

At this moment, when Jia Heng came to the crowded hall, Marquis Weiqi of Runan and other generals in the Jingying also looked at the boy in python suit.

After Jia Heng briefly described the situation at Juyongguan, he said: "The Jurchens have fortified the city on the western front, so they will try to break through from the eastern front."

Marquis Weiqi of Runan said: "General, Beiping has encountered a strong enemy intrusion. Will our army send troops to help?"

Jia Heng said: "Before this Marquis has sent Xie Jing there, and the Jurchen troops in Xuanfu retreated, General Xie will also increase troops as appropriate, where is Pang Shili?"

"The last general is here." Pang Shili stood out from a group of generals, clasped his fists and said.

Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "General Pang led [-] cavalry troops to Beiping to assist Xie Jing."

Really couldn't let go of the strength of the soldiers in Beiping, Jia Heng finally sent a support soldier when the situation came to an end.

Pang Shili clapped his hands in response, and then went out of the hall to gather troops.

After Pang Shili left, Jia Heng pondered and said: "Huang Taiji must have made some moves recently, and he may attack the city aggressively. Recently, the battalions must guard against Jurchen heavy troops."

Everyone at the scene heard the words and said yes one after another.

On the other side, in the military tent, Huang Taiji also gathered high-level officials from the Qing Dynasty to discuss matters, and not far away was the Mongolian prince Baylor.

"Hao Ge and Yue Tuo adapt to the situation and break the Juyong Pass to solve the deadlock." Huang Taiji smiled, put down the military newspaper in his hand, and praised him.

The faces of the Jurchen generals below and the Mongolian Prince Baylor were mostly joyful.

Attacking Datong City in the past few days, it can be said that Mongolia has also realized how difficult it is to attack a heavily defended city. The trenches under Datong City are almost filled with the corpses of Jurchens and Mongols. In a word, there are heavy casualties.

Huang Taiji said: "Now that the Han court is exhausted for the danger of Beiping, our side should also take action. Tomorrow, the whole army will go to attack Datong City with all our strength."

At this moment, Azige walked out of the ranks of generals with his head held high, cupped his hands and said: "Brother Emperor, tomorrow my department is willing to be the first to go up and behead the little Jia Heng!"

Huang Taiji looked at Azig, nodded, and said: "Twelfth brother, this time it is still a feint attack, but the attack must be swift and fierce, echoing the advance of Dong Bian'er."

After these few days of offensive and defensive battles, Jurchen has calculated that the price to be paid to capture Datong City is huge.

Azige cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Brother Huang."

Afterwards, Huang Taiji gave a few more missions to attack the city, and when the generals left, Huang Taiji stared at the map hanging on the screen in a daze, then pointed to the direction of Ping'an Prefecture, and asked, "Which branch of the Han army is here?" Soldiers and horses guarding?"

Dorgon, who was standing by the side, was stunned for a moment, and quickly replied: "This place was originally Shuozhou, but the Han court changed its name to Pinganzhou, and set up a Jiedu envoy, whose name is Cui Ling, and has [-] soldiers and horses."

Huang Taiji frowned slightly, and said in a low voice: "This name is somewhat familiar."

"Your Majesty, this Cui Ling opened up a lot of business routes to transport goods to our country, and the Ministry of Household Affairs mentioned this matter." Fan Xiandou said in a deep voice.

Huang Taiji's eyes brightened slightly, he pointed at the map, and said: "Suozhou is the most important defensive area in the Three Jin Dynasties, so from now on, we will go round and round and go straight to... here!"

As he spoke, he focused his fingers heavily on the word "Taiyuan".

In the past, Chahar Mongolia blocked it, so I didn't think of bypassing Datong and attacking in the next section.

Fan Xiandou's eyes lit up, and he asked, "The emperor wants to send an army to attack Shuozhou and reach Jin."

"Datong soldiers and horses gathered 10,000+ Han troops. With our troops, unless the casualties are huge, it is not easy to capture the city. If we attack Taiyuan with a large army behind us, threaten Taiyuan and cut off the Han army's food road. The hearts of the army are shocked, this is a brilliant victory!" The more Huang Taiji said, the brighter his eyes became, his heart was so excited, he seemed to see the scene where the Han court was completely defeated by the Jurchens.

Fan Xiandou's heart was also a little shaken, and he turned his eyes to the direction of Shuozhou, thought for a while, and said: "Your Majesty, although this method is the middle strategy discussed earlier, it is also a bit risky. For the response on the front line of Beiping, if the Han court center is responsible for the military situation in Beiping, it is not too late to make a fuss?"

Huang Taiji shook his head, and said: "This matter should not be delayed, once the Marquis of Yongning notices an omission, the opportunity to fight is fleeting, and we must dispatch troops as soon as possible!"

In fact, this is a trace of defensive loopholes left after the Chahar Mongolian line shrunk to Datong Town. From the direction of Ordos, Shuozhou was surrounded, and then straight into Taiyuan, cutting off the food road of Datong's Beijing camp. This battle can basically seal the victory. up.

Even, the Han army was trapped in chaos, and once it collapsed, it would be a glorious victory in Liaodong. How could Huang Taiji not be tempted?
At this moment, Dorgon's eyes also fell on Shuozhou, and he was excited, and said: "What the emperor said is true! The opportunity to fight is fleeting. Once the Han army reacts and sends reinforcements to Ping'an Prefecture, we will never have such a chance again." .”

Huang Taiji smiled and said: "The result of the battle at that time was nothing more than Yue Tuo and the others looting some people in Hanting Hebei and other places. As in the past, Hanting will not be hurt, but this time it is different. If we capture Taiyuan and cut off its grain roads, then the Han army led by the Marquis of Yongning will be completely defeated, and it will be difficult for the Han court to compete with us in the north of the Qing Dynasty!"

It can be said that Huang Taiji's words are no exaggeration, because the center of the entire transportation of grain and fodder is in Taiyuan.

Dorgon said: "Brother Emperor, when it comes to Taiyuan, I recently heard people say that after the Marquis of Yongning of the Han Kingdom arrived in Taiyuan, he used force to coerce Shanxi merchants to collect grain for the army. Tingluo weaves charges and goes to prison, if the soldiers come to Taiyuan, or can we cooperate with the inside and outside and take Taiyuan lightly?"

Kang Yisheng's son, Kang Zexing, was arrested in the Xuan Mansion. After confessing the Kang family's behavior, Jia Heng secretly ordered the Jinyi Mansion to arrest the Kang family and others. For several other Shanxi merchants, because the evidence was insufficient, and several more Shanxi merchants were needed. Raising food and fodder, so there is no action.

But several major Shanxi merchants have long held grudges and retaliated at any time, until Jia Heng achieved the great victory of annihilating the Xianglan Banner, deterred the Shanxi merchants, and then hibernated again.

Huang Taiji was overjoyed when he heard the words, thought to himself that God would help me, and asked, "Is there a communication channel for Shanxi merchants?"

Dorgon said: "There are communication channels, and several Shanxi merchants have family members and veterans. Originally, the town soldiers in Taiyuan Town were dissatisfied with the Marquis of Yongning."

And just like that, the more Huang Taiji talked, the more he felt that the feasibility was extremely high, his eyes fell on the important town of Taiyuan on the map, and he said: "If you say this, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Fan Xiandou also nodded at this moment, and said: "At this moment, the Han army is gathering a large number of troops in Xuanda, and no matter how much they think about it, they will never think of my Qing Dynasty attacking Taiyuan."

Huang Taiji's eyes sparkled, he got up, pressed the sword on his waist, and said: "This time I want to go to the imperial court personally!"

As soon as this remark came out, Fan Xiandou and Dorgon's expressions changed suddenly, and they said together: "Your Majesty, no!"

"Your Majesty is a man of ten thousand gold, and he belongs to the country. He really shouldn't take risks like this. Once there is a mistake, where will we put the Qing Dynasty?" Fan Xiandou persuaded, and gave Dorgon another wink.

Dorgon looked serious, and quickly persuaded him: "Brother Huang's ambition to gallop on the battlefield, I know, but Brother Huang is old after all, and he is my Dinghai Shenzhu of the Qing Dynasty. If there is a mistake, my brother The Qing Dynasty will be in turmoil for this, so please think twice, Brother Huang."

Huang Taiji waved his hand and said: "If someone else leads the troops, I really don't feel at ease, and it's hard to adjust accordingly. I know you are worried, but even though I am over sixty years old, I can still open a stone bow. Besides, I didn't go alone this time. , Jierharang and Dege will follow."

Dorgon persuaded again: "Brother Huang, why don't I lead the troops over there? Brother Huang sits here. If the Han army's food road is cut off, Brother Huang will just command the troops to defeat the Han army in one fell swoop and capture Xuanda."

Huang Taiji asked: "If the Marquis of Yongning sent troops to rescue, are you going to fight or defend?"

Dorgon said: "Brother Emperor, of course we are going to attack Taiyuan fiercely."

Huang Taiji smiled slightly, shook his head, and said: "The siege of Taiyuan City is of course important, but if reinforcements come, there is nothing to be done, and we must withdraw to Shuozhou in time."

Speaking of attacking Taiyuan, if Taiyuan is eager to go south, then it will be necessary to surround the points to fight for reinforcements. Dorgon may not be able to grasp these measurements on the battlefield.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Huang Taiji, Dorgon turned to look at Fan Xiandou.

Fan Xiandou persuaded: "Your Majesty, the two armies are fighting against each other, and the battle is dangerous. Your Majesty is better off attacking with a good general."

Huang Taiji said: "There is no need to worry about this matter. I will command from the rear, and nothing will happen. Only I lead a large army to deal with the deployment and mobilization of the Han court. Otherwise, if you appoint a general to go deep into the enemy's territory, it will be difficult to do anything. "

In fact, there is another thing in my heart. This kind of battle that can ruin the vitality of the Han Dynasty should not be left to the hands of man. If it is handed over to the fourteenth brother, the fourteenth brother's credit and reputation will be greatly improved.

After a hundred years from now, who can control the masters?
When Fan Xiandou heard the words, he remained silent for a while, and vaguely guessed that there was a deeper reason, so it was hard to persuade him.

However, Huang Taiji himself is the emperor immediately, and there is no danger in raiding from Shuozhou.

"Mr. Fan, you don't have to worry. I fought with my father when I was young, and I never failed in my life. I spent half my life in a state of military obscurity. In the land of Han, no one can touch a single hair of my hair!" Huang Taiji said with a smile.

At this time, Prince Zheng Jierhalang said from the side: "Don't worry, my brother, even if my brother is smashed to pieces, I must protect my brother comprehensively."

Dorgon and Fan Xiandou saw that Huang Taiji was so persistent and Jierhalang was protecting him, so they stopped persuading him.

(End of this chapter)