The Red Mansions

Chapter 1372 Jia Heng: Be patient, it will take more than one day to attack a city (please give me a

Chapter 1372 Jia Heng: Be patient, it takes time to conquer a city... (Please give me a monthly ticket!)

At this moment, in North Korea, the capital city——

Gui Sizhe was so anxious at this moment that he was almost like an ant on a hot pan. Accompanied by his son Gui Chengyuan and several old servants, he came to a palace with a plaque of "Gyeongbokgung Palace" hanging on it, waiting to be summoned by Oboi.

This pseudo-king of the Joseon Dynasty, who was nearly 70 years old, wore a dragon robe and crown. However, he was hunched and thin, and seemed unable to support the robe. Only a sturdy figure could bring out the majesty of a king.

"Your Excellency," a young eunuch ran down the corridor panting, almost falling down the stone steps, and said, "Ao Shaobao will let you pass."

Not long ago, perhaps in order to win people's hearts or to commend him for his merits, Dorgon issued an imperial decree in the name of the young emperor Fulin, conferring the title of Shao Bao on Oboi.

He also encouraged Oboi to defend the city of Wangjing and delay the Han court's troops from marching northward.

Gui Sizhe responded, then calmed himself, tidied his appearance, and, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, he walked up the stone steps, stepped over the threshold, and entered the hall.

At this moment, Oboi was sitting in the middle, and on the pear wood chairs below him sat his second brother Zhuomutai, fourth brother Baha, sixth brother Murima and others.

Apparently, they were discussing how to deal with the massive and aggressive Han army.

Gui Sizhe, supported by his son, entered the hall, bowed to Aobai, and said in a hoarse voice: "This old man greets Ao Shaobao."

"Mr. Gui, please stand up." Aobai smiled on his majestic and heroic face and said, "Mr. Gui, why are you so flustered?"

Gui Sizhe raised his white-bearded head and asked, "Does Shaobao Ao know that the Han army has arrived fifty miles outside the capital?"

Aobai said: "I know this, and I was just discussing with my brothers how to meet the enemy."

Gui Sizhe said in a hoarse voice: "Ao Shaobao, the Han soldiers are coming with great force this time, and the Duke of Wei is leading the troops himself. The people in my capital are in a state of panic all day long."

Aobai laughed loudly and said, "I have many soldiers and generals in the capital, and the food and fodder stored can be used for a year. What is there to be afraid of?"

During this period, Oboi coerced and bribed almost all the wealthy families in the city to store food and fodder in the city to support the army. He was ready for a long-term confrontation with the Han court's troops.

Seeing that Aobai didn't care at all, Gui Sizhe hurriedly asked, "Shaobao Ao, I wonder what chances are there for Wangjing to defend the city?"

Aobai smiled and said, "It is hard for me to explain this matter. In military affairs, victory or defeat is unpredictable. I just tried my best."

He also understood the domestic intention, which was to use him as a steel knife to resist the Han army and buy time for the Qing Dynasty to expel the Han army that landed in Liaodong.

Gui Sizhe's face was filled with worry, and he said in a deep voice, "Shaobao Ao, what are your plans for using the troops?"

As the ruler of a pseudo-dynasty, Gui Sizhe would be terrified as he would be liquidated by the new ruler of Korea if Wangjing was recovered by Korea.

Aobai raised his head, stared at the old man, and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, Mr. Gui, my Qing Dynasty will never let the Han army enter Wangjing City. Aobai and his brothers swear to live and die with the city!"

Upon hearing this, Gui Sizhe said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Young Master Ao."

Aobai said: "Mr. Gui, I will make arrangements next. Mr. Gui can sit in."

Gui Sizhe nodded and said, "Master Ao, the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Camp and the Five Military Camps can obey Master Ao at any time."

Aobai said: "Let them all come over to discuss the matter."

When Gui Sizhe went to "convey the order", Oboi said: "I have 10,000 elite soldiers from the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty and 100,000 soldiers and horses in the city. If we just defend the city, it will not be difficult to hold out for half a year. The Han army will attack across the sea and strive for a quick victory. Once the war drags on for a long time, not only the morale of the army, but also the logistics and supplies will collapse. That will be our chance."

Compared with the superficial words of comfort, Aobai's words were well-reasoned and greatly alleviated Gui Sizhe's inner anxiety.

Gui Sizhe's anxious expression eased a bit, and he said, "Shaobao Ao, I heard that the one leading the troops this time is the Duke of Wei from the Han court."

Aobai showed a proud look on his face and said, "The Duke of Wei is also a human being, not a god. He also does not have three heads and six arms. Now that he has led the army here, he will also return in defeat!"

Gui Sizhe nodded, with a look of relief on his face.

Then, the Korean general came quickly and saluted Gui Sizhe, saying, "Greetings to the Lord, and to Junior Guard Ao."

Gui Sizhe said, "Generals, please stand up."

Aobai smiled and said, "Generals, please stand up quickly."

"Thank you, Young Master Ao."

The generals below said in unison.

Some of them were children of prominent families in the city. Originally, with the establishment of the pseudo-dynasty, they were rewarding their loyal followers. These people were still immersed in the dream of promotion. However, as the news spread that Jia Heng, the Duke of Weiguo of the Han Dynasty, was personally leading the navy to aid Korea, it was like a huge stone pressing on the hearts of the young officers.

At this moment, Gui Sizhe looked at the officers and generals who also had expressions of fear on their faces, and his heart was also covered with a thick layer of haze.

General Aobai looked at the generals with a dignified and fierce gaze, and said in a deep voice: "The current situation outside the city, generals should have known that the Han army is now approaching and wants to attack Wangjing. Once the city is broken, the Han court will definitely settle accounts with the officers who rebelled before."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the Korean officers and generals present suddenly changed.

Aobai said: "Generals, don't worry. The city of Wangjing is high and deep, and a large amount of money and food are stored in the city, which can support the needs of the army and civilians for a year. And my Qing Dynasty has more than 10,000 elite Eight Banners, and they will work with you to resist the Han army's wolf soldiers."

The subtext of Aobai's words was that the Korean soldiers were defending the city for themselves, not for the Qing Dynasty, and that the Qing Dynasty was the one extending a helping hand.

Aobai said in a deep voice: "Let's assign the tasks of defending the city."

Upon hearing this, the Korean female generals who were sitting below all sat up straight with solemn expressions.

"Baha." Oboi said loudly.

Baha clasped his hands and said, "I am here."

Aobai ordered: "You lead 3,000 soldiers and 35,000 Korean soldiers to defend the south gate."

Because the South Gate directly faced the Han army, it was extremely vulnerable to the Han army's heavy firepower attack.

"Yes." Baha responded with a fist.

"Murima." Oboi called again in a deep voice.

Murima responded loudly and stood with his fists clasped.

Aobai ordered: "You lead 2,500 soldiers and 30,000 Korean soldiers to guard the east gate. There must be no mistakes."

Murima responded loudly.

Afterwards, Oboi dispatched the troops in an orderly manner, and finally had 2,000 soldiers and 10,000 Korean soldiers in his hands to deal with the dangerous situations in the four gates.

As the generals took orders one after another, the hall gradually became empty. Aobai turned to look at Gui Sizhe and said, "Mr. Gui, please gather the people and men in the city to help defend the city and fight against the Han army together."

Of course, the main purpose was to help the army defending the city deliver rolling logs, stones and other items for defending the city.

Gui Sizhe's wrinkled face was no longer worried. He said, "Don't worry, Young Master Ao. I will go and organize some men to handle this matter."

Having said that, he said goodbye and left.

Oboi watched Gui Sizhe leave, his handsome face filled with worry.

If an ordinary person were to guard the capital city with such an arrangement, he could guarantee that it would not be breached for three years. However, facing a famous general like the Duke of Weiguo who was feared throughout China, as well as the Han court's red cannons and other muskets, Oboi still had no chance of winning.

Aobai took a deep breath, raised his head and looked at the boundless blue sky with a distant gaze.

New Year's Eve is just two days away, but he is still leading his troops here to fight.

Because the Manchus captured many Han people, some of the Han customs were also present in the country, and the concept of New Year's Day was gradually accepted by the high-ranking Manchu nobles.

A solemn look gradually appeared on Aoba's majestic face.

I don't know when the Qing Dynasty had become so shaky and precarious.

I vaguely remember that at that time, the princes and nobles of the Qing Dynasty had ambitious visions of one day breaking into the interior and sailing in the south of the Yangtze River.

But somehow, the Han court, which was originally characterized by incompetent emperor, unjust officials and resentment among the people, suddenly began to work hard to govern.

The myth of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty being invincible also began to collapse.

And it all seemed to have started with the shot in Ping'an Prefecture.

Just when Abahai was feeling complicated and blaming the Jurchens' defeat on the Battle of Ping'angle, suddenly, another "boom" sound of cannon fire was heard.

It almost made Aobai's heart tremble. Under his two ink-black thick eyebrows, he raised his eyes and stared at the sky.

"Young Master, the Han army has launched an attack." At this time, Yabulan spoke.

Aobai had a majestic face, as solemn as iron, and said in a deep voice: "Follow me to the top of the city to see."

Afterwards, accompanied by Yabulan and his trusted followers, Oboi came to the south gate tower of Wangjing City.

At this moment, the Han army had already launched a preliminary offensive. Along the way, there were rumbling sounds of cannons and shells falling on the top of the city like raindrops. The wooden gate tower collapsed and bricks and stones fell on the soldiers guarding the city.

The soldiers' heads were bleeding and they were howling and groaning in pain.

Baha stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the Han cavalry patrolling vigilantly in the distance. A hint of annoyance appeared on his majestic face, and he said, "The Han dogs are bullying others with their muskets again! If you have the guts, let's fight with real swords and guns!"

But naturally no one responded to the words of this fourth brother of Oboi.

"The young guard is here."

At this time, the soldiers around shouted and formed a human-shaped passage from the horse path, surrounding the bearded Aobai.

Oboi walked closer, looked at Baha, and said loudly: "Fourth brother, how is the situation?"

Baha said: "The Han army first bombarded the city with red cannons, but did not send troops to attack the city. The Korean soldiers under his command were a little afraid."

Because these Korean soldiers in the capital of the Joseon Dynasty were originally bombarded by the Jurchens' red cannons and then the city was broken through with the tactics of digging tunnels and burying explosives.

Aobai said: "Our red cannon can also bombard the Han army."

Previously, Oboi urged his soldiers to build many artillery batteries, which are now on the city gate tower.

"It's out of reach." Baha frowned and said, "The Han army's cannons seem to be able to fire farther than ours."

Aobai was startled when he heard this, frowned, and said, "Let me see."

At this moment, Aobai, facing the rumbling artillery fire, stared at the cannons in the distance that were spewing thick smoke, as if

"This is two miles away." Aobai's pupils shrank and he was also puzzled.

Generally speaking, the farther away a cannon is from a city, the less accurate it is. However, the Han army’s cannons were extremely accurate, as if they had eyes, and every shot hit the city wall.

In fact, Jia Heng's instructions to the Military Equipment Bureau were about how to combine the telescope with the Red Cannon. After a period of demonstration, initial results have been achieved.

"Rumble..."

Along with the rumbling of cannons and guns, shells fell on the top of the city like raindrops. The groans of pain from the Han and Korean soldiers could be heard all around, but at this time, no Han soldiers were seen attacking the city.

Aobai's face turned pale and he said, "Hold on for this round. The cannons can't destroy the city! The Han army doesn't have many shells."

This was also the personal experience of the Jurchens after using the Red Cannon.

Although cannons and guns are powerful, they cannot actually destroy a city, they can just prevent casualties.

Then, as expected, this was only the first wave of artillery attack by the Han army, and it died down after about half an hour.

……

……

Outside the capital, within an arrow's reach——

At this moment, Generals Jia Ling and Jia Chang were gazing at the top of the city wall of the Joseon capital. The two former young generals of the Jia family were now nearly sixteen or seventeen years old, and were in the prime of their youth.

Jia Chang's handsome face showed a maturity that did not match his age. He observed the city and said, "Wangjing City is built on the mountain, so it is not easy to attack."

Jia Ling said, "Didn't the Tartars use explosives to break into the city before? We can use the same trick again."

Jia Chang was calmer, his determined eyes showing a thoughtful look, and said: "Aobai in the city must have taken precautions. You can see that a new moat has been dug around the city to prevent tunnels from being dug into the city."

"Should we take advantage of the situation to attack the city?" Jia Ling asked.

"Send someone to listen to the order of the Duke of Weiguo. We cannot act on our own." Jia Chang said.

Afterwards, Jia Heng received reports from Generals Jia Chang and Jia Ling in the military tent.

Mu Sheng said: "Zi Yu, should we take advantage of the situation and launch a massive attack on the city? Aobai and others in the city are caught off guard."

Jia Heng said: "The army has just set up camp, so it won't be too late to attack the city later."

In fact, the army had just arrived at the city, and the previous artillery bombardment was only to put pressure on the Korean capital and provide a prerequisite for subsequent persuasion to surrender.

Mu Sheng paused for a moment and asked, "How does Zi Yu plan to break into the city?"

Jia Heng said: "Let's take a look at the attack and defense situation in each place first."

In fact, he was not in a hurry, but was worried about the situation of the two guards. After leaving the military tent, he asked, "Li Shu, should someone pay attention to the situation in Gaizhou and Haizhou?"

Because it is winter, it is not easy for pigeons to fly long distances.

Li Shu cupped his hands and said yes.

Then, Jia Heng paused for a moment, stared at Mu Sheng, and whispered, "Young Prince Mu, follow me to inspect the camp and see how they are stationed."

Setting up camp is also a big deal. How to dispatch troops cheaply and how to protect and take care of each other? Jia Heng was mainly worried about the quality of the Korean soldiers.

As Jia Heng spoke, he was inspecting the white military tents accompanied by the Jinyifu guards.

At this moment, the Korean soldiers set up camp, with tents scattered like clouds. Under the command of the Han army officers, they cleared the wood and debris on the wasteland.

Jia Heng met with a group of officers and soldiers from the Jiangnan Navy. It was not until the evening that the camp was completely set up, and soldiers were coming and going around.

Jia Heng returned to the military tent again. The orange candlelight illuminated the hall, illuminating clear faces.

Gu Ruoqing asked: "How are the troops in the Joseon royal capital?"

Jia Heng said: "Although the soldiers and horses on the city walls are strictly guarding, their fighting spirit has been dampened by the bombardment of artillery fire."

Gu Ruoqing whispered, "That's good."

As he spoke, he took the porridge and buns beside him and said softly, "You've been busy all day, let's have some food first."

Jia Heng nodded and sat down. Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he heard the beauty say in a tone that sounded a little annoyed, "You haven't washed your hands yet."

Jia Heng nodded slightly, smiled and looked at Gu Ruoqing who brought him a copper basin filled with water.

Gu Ruoqing asked, "I wonder how Junior Sister is doing?"

Jia Heng said, "I have already instructed the Jinyifu guards to pay attention to Xiaoxiao's military reports. They should have been delivered in the next few days."

There was a gleam in Gu Ruoqing's sharp pupils, and she sighed softly in her heart.

After all, she could not compare to her junior sister. After all, her junior sister had been with him through life and death for so many years.

On this side, wait for Jia Heng to finish his meal.

Li Shu, the deputy commander of the Jinyi Palace, quickly entered the military tent and said, "Commander-in-chief, the military report from Gaizhou Guard and Haizhou Guard."

Just as Jia Heng had expected, after such a long time, the Gaizhou Guard and the Haizhou Guard had indeed ended in war.

Ajige led the elite Eight Banners of the Jurchens to attack Haizhou City. During the past half month, their advance was unsuccessful and they were firmly blocked by the Han army, unable to advance an inch.

In the past few days, tens of thousands of troops led by Hebei Governor Kang Hong and Shui Rong of Gaizhou came to the rescue of each other, and fought with tens of thousands of elite soldiers of the Eight Banners under Ajige, and both sides suffered casualties.

Jia Heng took the military newspaper and read it attentively.

At this time, Gu Ruoqing came closer with a lamp in hand to help Jia Heng with lighting.

Seeing Gu Ruoqing being so considerate, Jia Heng found it interesting and read the words under the light of an orange lamp.

This is a detailed military report, which roughly reports the casualties on both sides.

The Han soldiers relied on the city to hold their ground and used red cannons as a support to repel Ajige's troops several times. However, the elite troops of the Eight Banners of the Jurchens harassed their food and fodder several times, and fought several times with Jia Fang, who came out of the city to protect them.

Gu Ruoqing's beautiful eyes showed curiosity under her willow-leaf brows, and she asked, "How is it?"

Jia Heng put down the paper, looked at Gu Ruoqing, and whispered: "The stalemate is actually a good thing. Now it depends on the North Korean side."

Once the Korean issue was resolved, he would entrust all Korean military and political affairs to Prince Mu, and then he would return to Beijing quickly to reorganize his troops and march north to Liaodong.

Gu Ruoqing nodded and said softly, "What are you going to do?"

Jia Heng said: "Be patient, it will take time to attack a city. Let's wait and see what happens in the city of Korea."

As he spoke, he glanced at the beauty and said, "Ruoqing, come here and help me massage my shoulders. They are a little sore from traveling these two days."

In fact, the true understanding of someone’s feelings is not found between the bed curtains, but in this kind of service.

Gu Ruoqing hummed, then pinched the boy's shoulder and said softly, "The New Year will be here in two days, and next year will be the 19th year of Chongping."

Jia Heng looked dazed, and said softly, "Yes, it has been nineteen years since Chongping."

Since I came to this world in the 14th year of Chongping, several years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "Bring some stationery. I'll write a few letters home and have them delivered along with the military reports and the New Year's greetings."

Gu Ruoqing responded softly, then helped Jia Heng get paper and pen.

Jia Heng then picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, spread out the paper in his hand, and began to write.

Gu Ruoqing was sitting not far away at this moment, looking at the young man's handsome and chic face, and a dazed look appeared on that delicate face.

Those were his family, and what was she?

It is inevitable that a beautiful woman has some inexplicable feelings in her heart, but it is not that she is sad about the passing of time or complaining without reason.

However, after Jia became pregnant, the promise was not fulfilled.

(End of this chapter)