The Red Mansions

Chapter 1371 Gu Ruoqing: We are not married in a formal way, but you are talking about husband and w

Chapter 1371 Gu Ruoqing: We are not married in a formal way, but you are talking about husband and wife?

In the Chungju government office in Korea——

King Yi Won of Joseon led civil and military ministers to welcome him outside the government office. The young king of Joseon seemed to rely on his in-laws and Geum Ik to balance the power of local clans in Jeolla, Chungcheong and Gyeongsang Provinces.

Jia Heng was holding the arm of Mu Sheng, the prince of Dongping, and introduced him, "Brother Mu, this is the prince of the Kingdom of Joseon."

"Greetings, Prince." Mu Sheng said.

Li Yuan also returned the salute respectfully, but some of the Korean civil officials around him had strange expressions.

It seems that what Kim Ui-jeong said is undoubtedly true.

This Duke of Weiguo indeed regarded the Han court's enthronement as proof of recognition of the great monarch.

Well, originally I was going to wait until I return to the capital, support the prince to ascend the throne, and then it would not be too late to ask for the enthronement.

Jin Yu also introduced to Mu Sheng a group of civil officials of Joseon, namely the Three Provincial Observers, the Left and Right Councillors, the Six Draft Panshus, the Great Censor and the Censor.

The two sides exchanged simple greetings, and Jia Heng and a group of Korean civil officials entered the meeting hall.

Jin Yu smiled and said, "Duke Weiguo, Young Prince Mu and the other soldiers have come from afar. Our country is preparing wine and meat to entertain the soldiers. I hope Duke Weiguo will not be disgusted."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "In the near future, Jin Yizheng should prepare more food and fodder. Our Han army is fully prepared and can send troops to Korea in the near future."

After these words came out, Jin Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Duke Weiguo, there are enough food and fodder for the army, and it will not affect the movement of the army."

He thought to himself that although the Han army came with fewer troops this time, this also had its advantages. At least the food and fodder needed for military supplies would be much less. Otherwise, with North Korea's current warehouse reserves, it might not be able to support it.

Jin Yu had previously been in charge of Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces and promoted the "Datong Law", so he was familiar with the specific matters of money and grain in the two provincial treasuries.

Li Yuan and other Korean kings and ministers all had expressions of uncontrollable joy on their faces.

I thought to myself that the time to send troops has finally come.

On this side, Jia Heng and Mu Sheng, the prince of Dongping, sat down.

The North Korean side entertained the two people.

Jin Yu introduced the generals of Korea to Jia Heng and said, "Duke Weiguo, these are our Jeolla Province Governor Tian Siquan, Chungcheong Province Governor Park Chongwei, and Gyeongsang Province Governor Yi Sang. The three governors are all famous generals of Korea, brave, resourceful, and good at fighting. Duke Weiguo can transfer a few of them to your account when you send troops to the capital this time."

At this time, several officers stood up, saluted to Jia Heng, and said in unison: "We three are at the disposal of the Duke of Weiguo."

Jia Heng took a look at the generals. From the looks of it, they were strong and mighty, so he extended his hand to support them. “Generals, please stand up. We will have to rely on your strength to face the Jurchens.”

None of them could be called famous generals, but three of them were indispensable in commanding the vassal army of Korea.

Several officers and generals said they dared not.

Jin Yu smiled and said, "Duke Wei, we have been collecting food and fodder these days. We have prepared 800,000 dan of rice and 350,000 dan of fodder. We will continue to collect food and fodder later. We will not delay Duke Wei's military operations."

Jia Heng nodded in approval and said, "Thank you, Mr. Jin, for taking care of the military supplies for the army and running around."

The Han Dynasty helped Korea with its military operations and affairs, so of course it would not provide its own food and fodder, and the logistical pressure was also great, so all these had to be obtained from Korea.

Jin Yu said in a deep voice: "Expelling the Tartars and resisting foreign aggression, these... are what we, Korea, should do."

Jia Heng said: "In the next few days, we will have to coordinate the drills of various troops. This time, the Korean troops will cooperate with our Han army in the battle. The orders of the troops of both sides must be unified, and the generals must share what they have."

The Korean army was far inferior to the Han army in terms of the rationality of its organization and the combat effectiveness of its soldiers. At least in the subsequent reorganization, it must be able to cooperate well with the Han army and have some simple coordination in flag orders and marching formations.

Jin Yu said: "The three generals are all here. If the Duke of Wei has any military orders, he can give them instructions."

Jia Heng nodded and said nothing more.

Afterwards, the Korean side hosted a banquet to entertain Jia Heng, Mu Sheng and other naval officers, which lasted until after noon, and both the guests and hosts were very happy.

……

……

The deceased is like a husband who does not want to leave day or night.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month of the eighteenth year of Chongping. The sky was clear and the winter sunlight was warm. However, the snow had melted for two or three days, but the official road was still a bit muddy.

In the meeting hall of the official office prepared by North Korea for Jia Heng——

Several Korean officers and naval officers stationed in Japan sat here together.

Jia Heng stood in front of a screen with a map hanging on it and said in a deep voice, "According to the intelligence from the Jinyifu, the Jurchen soldiers are here to reinforce the city and build artillery batteries in order to resist the Han army."

"There are still 100,000 soldiers in the city, from Hamgyong Province, Pyeongan Province, and Gyeonggi Province. The officers and soldiers in charge may be old friends of the generals present here. If you know them, you can send a messenger to persuade them to surrender and not to resist our heavenly soldiers and generals." Jia Heng glanced at the generals present, his voice clear and bright, with an indescribable majesty.

Li Shang, the governor of the Joseon Province, stood up. He was about 40 years old, with a typical Korean face and small eyes. He cupped his hands and said, "Duke Weiguo, the commander of the Hamgyong Province, Yan Shao, who leads the troops in the capital, is an old friend of mine. I can send a messenger to persuade him to surrender to the court."

Jia Heng nodded and said approvingly, "Then I'll have to trouble General Li Shang to run around for you."

Then he looked at the other officers and asked, "Do other generals have similar old friends? They can send messengers to persuade them to surrender to the Han Dynasty."

This is actually quite feasible, because North Korea often acts like a fence-sitter in diplomatic relations, wavering between the two sides.

Then, more officers stood up and spoke.

This kind of thing, which does not involve much risk, is a great benefit without any cost.

Jia Heng's eyes were piercing and his voice was loud and clear: "For the Korean soldiers who were forced to follow the imperial court, we should try our best to persuade them to surrender and appeal to the righteous cause. If they can turn from evil to good, we will forgive them for their past deeds!"

This would at least cause the morale of the Korean soldiers in the royal capital to falter, and Oboi would also look upon the Korean vassal army with suspicion, thus distracting the attention from defending the city.

Jia Heng then continued, "The army is preparing weapons and food supplies to besiege the capital city. We will set out in three days!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals bowed their hands and clasped their fists in response.

Jia Heng ordered the combat missions of a group of soldiers and generals, with Jia Ling as the vanguard, leading 3,000 cavalrymen to attack Wangjing City first.

After all the officers and soldiers left, the courtyard became somewhat empty.

Mu Sheng said: "Zi Yu, I heard that the general in charge of the capital of the Joseon Dynasty is Oboi of the Qing Dynasty."

Jia Heng said coldly: "It is this man. We didn't keep him in Japan back then. This time we must kill him!"

Mu Sheng asked: "Zi Yu, Aobai is a brave and resourceful man. Will he abandon the city and flee when he sees our army approaching?"

Jia Heng said: "It is possible, but it means giving up the power of Korea to contain us. If our Han Dynasty advances from Gaizhou and Haizhou in Liaodong to Korea and Shanhaiguan, we can conquer Liaodong in one fell swoop. So if Oboi is planning for the Jurchens, he will not abandon the city and leave. At least he will use the Korean puppet army to delay and retard our Han Dynasty's advance into Korea."

Mu Sheng said thoughtfully: "Duke Weiguo's words make sense."

Jia Heng said: "In addition, our army should mainly use red cannons and other firearms to attack the city this time to minimize casualties."

Mu Sheng said: "It would be best to reduce casualties. If the Korean soldiers rebel, we can strike a blow against the Jurchens and take down the Korean capital without bloodshed."

Jia Heng shook his head and said, "You can't force it."

After Jia Heng finished talking with Mu Sheng, he returned to the back hall.

Gu Ruoqing walked closer, looked at the young man with a thoughtful look in his eyes, and asked, "Is everything settled?"

Jia Heng said: "Everything is ready, the army will set out tomorrow."

Gu Ruoqing said: "There are still a few days left, and the New Year is almost here."

Jia Heng looked at Gu Ruoqing and asked, "Why, are you missing home?"

Gu Ruoqing's face showed a look of disappointment, and she said in a deep voice: "These years, I have been wandering around the world and have no place to call home."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said softly, "You have been really alone and helpless these years."

Before, he had never asked about Gu Ruoqing's life experience, and he seemed to have never heard Gu Ruoqing mention her parents and brothers and sisters. He thought there must be a sad past.

Jia Heng came forward, held the beautiful lady's slender hand, and said, "Life is but the season of grass and trees. There must be some..."

In fact, what people resist most in the world is the sense of nothingness. After many years, you will find that the places you wanted to go in the past no longer have the same urge as before.

The toys I originally wanted to play with no longer have the same mood as before.

The ancients once said, if you want to buy osmanthus flowers and carry them with wine, it will never be like the travels of youth.

Each age group should do things that are appropriate for that age group.

Gu Ruoqing nestled her long black hair in Jia Heng's arms, her cheeks flushed. At this moment, she felt the young man's heartbeat and a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.

In the words of later generations, the older, high-quality single woman waited for a long time and finally met the Saudi prince.

Because young and beautiful girls come one after another, and appearance is an asset that constantly depreciates in value. The best way to hold beauty assets is to rent them.

But this warm feeling did not last long, as the young man's hands became restless again and reached into his clothes, like the hands picking plum blossoms in the Tianshan Mountains.

Gu Ruoqing turned her beautiful head, and a hint of shame and anger gradually appeared in her crystal clear eyes that seemed to be condensed with dew. Just as she was about to push the hand away, she saw that the young man moved closer to her lips and kissed them.

Gu Ruoqing stretched out her hands and gently hugged Jia Heng's shoulders. Her delicate body collapsed into a ball of mud, and two rosy red blushes gradually appeared on both sides of her jade cheeks.

Jia Heng gently embraced the beauty and brought her to the inner room, where they sat on the bed.

Gu Ruoqing was sitting in Jia Heng's arms at this moment, feeling the throbbing of the young man, her cheeks flushed with shame, and she said, "It's still daytime, don't make trouble..."

"Ruoqing, call me husband." At this moment, Jia Heng gently embraced the beautiful woman's graceful body, held the crystal clear earlobe next to Gu Ruoqing's ear, and whispered.

"You..." Upon hearing this, Gu Ruoqing's pretty cheeks flushed, and her crystal clear heart was filled with inexplicable shame and anger.

How can you say they are husband and wife when they haven't been married in a formal way?

Now that it's like this, I think it's nothing more than an unmediated affair.

When the beauty was daydreaming, she found that the young man had changed his way and was picking flowers and branches.

There was a sudden blush on both sides of the beautiful woman's fragrant and fair face, and her pearly teeth were biting her plump and moist pink lips, revealing a small patch of white.

Jia Heng did not continue teasing her, knowing that it would take time to completely open Gu Ruqing's heart.

But the other doors are safe to enter and exit.

Revisiting the old place at this moment, Jia Heng's sword-like eyebrows suddenly raised, his eyes became a little gentle, and he thought to himself, she is also a girl from the water town of Jiangnan, Wu Wa is more beautiful, more tender and smooth.

Jia Heng looked into the distance and could not help but recall the summer of the sixteenth year of Chongping, when he was stationed on the dike of Hongze Lake during the river management. Between heaven and earth, there was a vast expanse of desolateness, and it was indeed rainy in the south of the Yangtze River.

Gu Ruo let out a sweet hum from her straight and pretty nose, her delicate body straightened up for a second, then immediately softened into a ball of mud. She huddled in Jia Heng's arms, letting the young man rub her ears against his.

This person didn't even say hello.

However, this feeling of resentment did not last long, as Gu Ruoqing was gradually lost in the torrent of romantic thoughts.

In winter, the afternoon sunlight is quiet and soft, shining silently in the room. The figures of the two are reflected on the diamond-shaped bronze mirror, and the pearl flowers sway from side to side, seeming far and near.

……

……

Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was the time to send troops as Jia Heng had mentioned.

This day was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year of the 18th year of Chongping. However, the people of Korea were not enveloped in the festive atmosphere of the Little New Year. Instead, they were full of confidence and prepared to recover their homeland.

Although the cold wind is biting and piercing like a knife, the weather is much better.

The ice on the Han River near Chungju City has not melted yet.

Outside the city, Jia Heng was wearing a black cloak with cotton armor underneath, riding on a horse with a maroon mane. He was surrounded by Jinyi Guards and his followers, and the large banner of the central army behind him was fluttering in the wind.

Under the shining winter sunlight, the armor on the bodies of a large number of soldiers gleamed brightly, dazzling people's eyes. As they advanced in an orderly manner, a solemn and cold atmosphere silently spread in all directions.

At this moment, the Han soldiers were holding various weapons, riding on black horses, holding reins as thick as a finger in their hands, in high spirits and ready to go.

Gu Ruoqing, who was standing beside Jia Heng, was wearing a well-tailored Feiyu suit. Her bright eyes flickered under her two beautiful eyebrows that slanted into her temples. She looked heroic and her eyes were full of spirit.

Then, accompanied by the desolate sound of horns, the army set out.

The 30,000 Han troops and the 80,000 Joseon soldiers gradually retreated into the distance under the watchful eyes of the Joseon Crown Prince Yi Won and Joseon civil officials.

Marching from Chungju to Gyeonggi-do, the flags covered the sky. Looking down from the sky, the army of more than 100,000 was like a red dragon, extremely spectacular.

Time flies, and two days passed unknowingly. The vanguard of the army gradually approached the capital of the Joseon Dynasty.

Da da da……

A Han scout rode up from the distant official road, the sound of iron hooves and the clashing of armor plates. The young lieutenant approached and said, "Duke Weiguo, General Jia Ling reports that the Tartar scouts within a hundred miles have been cleared, and the army can advance without worry."

Jia Ling, a young general of the Jia family, had already headed towards Wangjing City, mainly to clear out any ambushes of Oboi that might exist along the way.

Jia Heng's eyes flickered darkly under his sharp eyebrows, and he was calculating the details in his mind.

Mu Sheng's handsome, fair face was filled with excitement, and he shouted, "Zi Yu, the enemy is approaching."

To be honest, it was not only Mu Sheng who had no fear of the elite Eight Banners of the Jurchens. The Jiangnan Navy and Denglai Navy behind him were also not unfamiliar with the elite Eight Banners.

After all, they have fought many times over the years, and although they are still somewhat inferior in combat power, they have completely demystified the Jurchens.

Jia Heng's cold eyes were as bright as lightning under his sword-like eyebrows, and he said in a deep voice: "All troops are on alert and ready to meet the enemy!"

As Jia Heng's orders were passed down, the officers and soldiers of the Han army became more vigilant. The imperial army behind them marched northward in a mighty manner.

By the evening, Jia Heng received military reports about Jia Ling's battle with the Korean puppet army and the elite Eight Banners troops, with casualties on both sides.

Of course, the Han army suffered more casualties.

These are the elite Eight Banners of the Jurchens, and their combat power is indeed much stronger.

When they reached the wilderness plain thirty miles south of Wangjing City, the army of more than 100,000 temporarily stopped advancing and divided into several routes to support each other.

Jia Heng ordered his soldiers to set up camp, while he, accompanied by the Jinyi Guards, found an unnamed hill with a monocular telescope and used it to observe the enemy.

At this moment, the entire Wangjing City was shrouded in an atmosphere of impending disaster, and Jia Ling's vanguard soldiers were surrounding Wangjing City not far from the city.

The Jurchens turned a blind eye and did not send out the elite troops of the Eight Banners to drive them out.

As for the Korean soldiers, they had been defeated by Jia Ling's troops before, and now they did not dare to leave the city to fight.

At this moment, the Joseon-Qing coalition forces took a stance of defending the city and were determined to confront the Han army for a long time.

Mu Sheng looked at them with a stern gaze under his sword-like brows, and said with emotion: "Zi Yu, Aobai and the others are ready for battle."

Jia Heng picked up a monocular telescope, looked at the city wall in the distance, and said coldly: "I expected it."

This goes without saying, but facing the muskets and bombs of the hot weapons era, this kind of persistence actually has very limited significance.

Mu Sheng asked, "How does Zi Yu plan to break into the city?"

Jia Heng's face turned cold, and he said in a deep voice: "Gather the soldiers, pull up the red cannon, and attack fiercely for three days to test the quality of the Korean and Jurchen coalition forces first."

Mu Sheng nodded, and then followed Jia Heng back to the camp.

At this moment, in the central army tent——

The generals from both the Han and Korean sides were already sitting on pear wood chairs, holding their breath, waiting for Jia Heng to give orders.

Jia Heng, accompanied by the Jinyifu guards, strode into the hall with his head held high.

He lifted the black cloak behind him and sat down on the armchair with a "swish". On the lacquered wooden table next to him, steam was bubbling out of the mouth of the teacup.

Jia Heng's face was stern, and he said in a clear voice: "The army will rest for a day, and will attack the city tomorrow. This time, we will use red cannons and thunder bombs for cover, and bows and crossbows will be used to fire arrows. Next, we will assign siege tasks."

"General Wu, you will be in charge of the South Gate."

Wu Siquan bowed in response.

"General Li, you are in charge of the east gate." Jia Heng said.

Li Shang clasped his fists in response.

It just so happened that the three allied forces were responsible for three gates, surrounding three and leaving one open, leaving the Jurchen troops with the opportunity to flee northward.

The officers and soldiers below all clasped their fists in response.

Jia Heng paused for a moment, then said in a loud voice: "Everyone, whether we can defeat North Korea in one fell swoop depends on your bravery and determination!"

"Yes."

In a word, the Korean officers were the main force in the siege.

After all, this is a Korean issue, and there is no reason to use the lives of Han soldiers to fill the siege grinder.

Moreover, if we use Korean generals to lead the troops back to the old capital, their will to fight will be stronger.

Of course, if the situation is really unbearable, it won’t be too late for the Han army to take action.

Then, Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "Next, let the soldiers form a mixed formation and use the red cannon to attack the south gate, north gate, and east gate of Wangjing City."

This time he led 10,000 Jiangnan navy soldiers, but he carried 40 red-haired cannons. Although it was quite inconvenient to transport them by mules and horses, the reduced weight of the red-haired cannons would not seriously slow down the army's marching speed.

At this moment, all the officers and soldiers below responded one after another. For a moment, their voices were loud and their morale was high.

(End of this chapter)