The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 729 Attacking the Mountain

After separating from Xie Jing, the musketeers headed southeast.

Jia Yu rode his horse up to Jia Lian and whispered, "My Lord, are we really going to attack the mountain right away? Night battles are not our strong point!"

Since Jia Yu took charge of the musket army, he has been taught Jia Lian's theories and has truly felt the powerful power of the musket.

If the battle was fought on the plains during the day, according to the battle plans proposed by Professor Jia Lian, he was confident that he could defeat tens of thousands of ordinary Green Camp officers and soldiers with his three thousand well-equipped musketeers!

But at night, still in the mountains with many obstacles, he had no confidence.

Jia Lian glanced at him and said nothing, but just ordered the troops to speed up the march.

Soon the large army arrived at the real entrance of Tiewang Mountain, where there was a large open area.

While riding on a horse, you can even see the sparse tents and torches at the mountain pass.

"Set up camp, fortify, and be on guard!"

Although the Firearms Battalion had never seen actual combat, Jia Lian had taken the troops to the field for drills countless times, so he didn't have to worry about these basic things at all.

After setting up his tent, he summoned together main generals such as Jia Yu and Feng Ziying.

Young generals such as Feng Ziying were not as calm as Jia Yu. At this moment, they were somewhat emotional.

After training for so long, they will finally show their true strength. Moreover, this first battle is a battle to defend the king. It can be imagined that if they can show their true abilities, they will surely have glory and a bright future.

  However, some people hesitated: "My Lord, I heard that you made a bet with General Xie from the South Camp to see who will go up the mountain first?

Since the establishment of the Firearm Battalion, we have all been taught and cared for by the Marquis, so we will naturally try our best to help the Marquis win.

However, this time we are fighting not only at night, but also in the mountains and forests. This kind of combat environment is very disadvantageous to our firearms battalion!"

The commander's concerns were actually shared by many people, but out of trust in Jia Lian, most people did not ask.

  They believed that their wise and powerful lord, who seemed to have the ability to predict the future, would definitely have a way to defeat the enemy!

Jia Lian is certainly not as magical as his admirers, but he is rational and wise enough.

Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Your Lord Dusi also asked me this question just now. Now, I will answer you in front of everyone."

“Night battles are definitely not our strong point.

Therefore, in this battle, we will not launch night attacks, nor will we make tactical divisions.

We walked into the mountains from the main road in a grand manner, carrying torches!"

Jia Yu and others were confused at first, but then their eyes lit up.

Yes, the current combat environment is not favorable to them. In this situation, no matter what tactics they use, even if they gain an advantage for a while, after a long time, the enemy will react and can easily ambush them.

Don't forget that the enemy has the advantage of occupying high ground.

In this case, they would openly attack from the front according to the formation they were most familiar with.

In this way, perhaps it can achieve miraculous effects.

They all remembered what Jia Lian said: anyone who sees his comrades falling in large numbers to bullets would be terrified.

Perhaps, it is time to let those reckless people who once looked down on them feel what fear is.

"My Lord, this strategy is indeed the most advantageous tactic for us at the moment. But if we attack from the front and the main road, and the enemy defends in a dangerous place, how can we break through their defenses?"

Liu Xianglian raised a question.

Liu Xianglian is now a commander of the Musketeer Army.

He was a talent that Jia Lian admired very much, but because he was too young and had too much rebelliousness, Jia Lian kept him by his side as a bodyguard in the past few years to temper his character.

His career has been very successful in the past two years, especially with the establishment of the Firearms Battalion, which allowed many people around him to get good positions.

Even Feng Ziying, a descendant of the first-class general, took the initiative to work under Jia Lian.

At that time, Liu Xianglian clearly wanted to ask Jia Lian for help in his future and realize his ambitions.

But he never spoke. He still remembered that he was just Jia Lian's "captive" and he had promised to serve as Jia Lian's guard for three years to atone for his sins.

In fact, Jia Lian waited for him to speak several times, but after a whole year, Liu Xianglian still did not come to ask him for an official position.

It was precisely because of this that Jia Lian completely believed in Liu Xianglian's character and decided to cultivate him vigorously.

Facing Liu Xianglian's question, Jia Lian was not in a hurry to answer. Instead, he glanced at the sky outside the tent, and then said quietly: "We are marching slowly this time. Calculating the time, Xie Jun's 100 Zhenyuan cannons should be delivered soon."

When everyone heard this, they immediately realized what Jia Lian meant and said happily, "This way, there is no way to fail! With the power of our musket army, and the might of the Zhenyuan cannon, nothing can stop us and nothing can break through!"

Jia Lian also laughed.

Originally, the main camp of the Firearm Battalion was not too far from Tiewang Mountain. Previously, he was ordered to set up defenses 20 miles away from Tiewang Mountain, so he pulled out 20 or 30 cannons to keep the place under control.

Later, he learned the secret letter from the retired emperor and guessed that something had happened in Tiewang Mountain.

Although for the sake of interests, Jia Lian did not choose to send troops immediately.

  But he found an excuse to move the defense line back, that is, ten miles towards Tiewang Mountain!

Of course, he didn't know what he was thinking, so he asked Jie Jun to dispatch a hundred cannons to set up defenses on the third line of defense...

Then, not long after nightfall, he met the old eunuch and learned the exact information about Tiewang Mountain, and then it was natural for him to raise troops.

The Zhenyuan cannon is large, heavy, and difficult to transport.

But, it’s only ten miles!

Of course he couldn't just leave the weapon unused.

All the generals under his command were a little excited. They all knew that the strongest state of the Firearms Battalion was when the musket army and the artillery army cooperated with each other to form a complete military formation and face the enemy head-on, which was absolutely frightening and despairing.

Jia Yu was happy, but he said, "If we rely on the Zhenyuan Cannon, we can attack the mountain without any worries. But the bet between the Marquis and General Xie... Using the artillery to attack the mountain will inevitably be slow, and then..."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "As long as we can win, as long as we can help the soldiers of the Firearms Battalion to achieve the greatest victory with the least sacrifice, my personal honor and disgrace will not matter."

The generals stood in awe.

In this world where personal reputation is extremely important, especially for someone of Jia Lian's status, it is truly admirable that he can treat personal honor and disgrace so calmly.

Facing the admiring gazes of his younger brothers, Jia Lian looked calm.

He had decided early on on the strategy of taking the mountain step by step, in a steady and cautious manner.

But will he definitely lose?

Is Tiewang Mountain, or the alliance between the Crown Prince and the Emperor Retired, really as vulnerable as Xie Jing thought?

At least Jia Lian knew that the retired emperor still had thousands of cavalry soldiers under his command.

The Cavalry Battalion is the undisputed first-ranked unit of the Imperial Guards. Legend has it that the light and heavy cavalry account for more than half of the total force.

Possess absolutely powerful strength.

Simply put, Xie Jing's more than 10,000 small soldiers and generals in the South Camp would definitely not be able to withstand more than a few rounds in front of the entire Cavalry Battalion.

Fortunately, what the emperor brought to Tiewang Mountain this time was only part of the Cavalry Battalion.

……

The two armies approached Tiewang Mountain in a swaggering manner, and the officers and soldiers stationed in Tiewang Mountain certainly could not fail to see it.

On the mountain, the prince’s residence.

Since the Crown Prince was "appointed in a time of crisis" by Emperor Ningkang yesterday, he has been busy scheming and controlling military power until this afternoon, and has hardly had any rest.

Now the situation has finally been settled. Emperor Ningkang is trapped in his own palace by the retired emperor. He only needs to wait for a day, and when the retired emperor can recruit a large number of troops, he can easily defeat the more than 10,000 troops remaining in Emperor Ningkang's hands.

I have a lot more free time.

In addition, the retired emperor expressed that he would make him the emperor, and the lackeys around him came up one after another to flatter him, which made him not tired of it. So he simply asked the Crown Princess to prepare some wine as a reward for the heroes and staff who followed him to start this rebellion.

While he was being flattered by everyone, a general suddenly rushed in and shouted, "Your Highness, it's bad, a lot of soldiers are coming down the mountain..."

The prince and the others were stunned. One of them asked happily, "Are you here to serve the king under the order of the king?"

Here, "obeying the imperial order" naturally means obeying the secret order of the Supreme Emperor.

The prince also looked over.

It was no wonder that the Crown Prince and the Emperor Retired probably couldn't believe that Emperor Ningkang had actually raised a batch of carrier pigeons in advance, rendering their blockade of Emperor Ningkang's palace ineffective.

"It doesn't look like that, Your Highness. It doesn't look like they are here to defend the king. They immediately deployed their troops, using strong bows and crossbows, and it's obvious that they are going to attack the mountain...

Maybe they have already come to kill us by now."

The prince was immediately startled, and strode down from his high seat, shouting, "Didn't you send anyone to inquire?"

"Uh, I was in a hurry to report the military situation to His Highness, and I didn't have time to..."

"Waste!" The prince slapped him in the face with an extremely ugly look on his face.

The prince's confidant beside him quickly scolded: "Idiot, why don't you go find out the military situation and report back!"

"Come back! How many people are here?"

"Uh, this, this, look at the dense fire, there are probably tens of thousands of people! They split into two groups, the main force is in the west, and another group went to the east."

Everyone in the hall gasped.

The prince looked even more sinister. Seeing this, the generals did not dare to stay any longer and quietly left the hall.

The prince and his companions naturally had no mood to drink and chat anymore, and everyone surrounded the prince and came to a steep rocky area at the outside.

Looking from the southwest direction of the mountain, one can indeed see a large amount of flames, and there are also faint sounds of shouting and killing.

The prince and his staff were terrified.

"Your Highness, what should we do?"

"What should I do? What should I do? How do I know what to do?"

  The prince was a little confused. He had realized that this was most likely Emperor Ning Kang's back-up plan!

His father, the Emperor, was extremely gloomy and never trusted him even when he was asked to take the blame.

"Your Highness, why don't you ask the Emperor for instructions?"

The prince took a deep breath, said nothing, turned around and went to the stable, then rode his horse to the palace of the retired emperor.

When he saw the Emperor, the Crown Prince immediately stepped forward and said anxiously, "Grandpa Emperor, it's bad, a lot of soldiers are coming down the mountain.

But they did not come to support the king under the emperor's order; they started attacking the mountain as soon as they arrived.

My grandson suspects that they are all my father's men!"

"Oh."

While the Crown Prince was speaking, the Emperor drank his tea leisurely. When the Crown Prince finished speaking, he looked up at him and asked, "Who is coming? How many people are there?"

"I don't know who is leading the troops yet. But I heard there are quite a lot of them, probably tens of thousands!"

The emperor frowned suddenly, then relaxed his brows and said leisurely, "It seems?"

"Well, this is just a hasty report from the subordinates. We need to inquire further to find out the exact amount."

The Emperor was silent for a moment, then said in a slightly displeased tone: "So, you came to see me in such a hurry without even figuring out the situation?"

"Grandson, I just want Grandpa Huang to know the situation as soon as possible. Grandpa Huang is wise and brave, and I cannot compare to him. I dare not presume to be so..."

The Emperor cast a sidelong glance at the Crown Prince, then he put away his displeasure and said, "Didn't your father give you full authority to arrange all matters related to this hunt in order to confuse me?

Is there something you don't know about the deployment of troops around Tiewang Mountain?"

After being reminded by the retired emperor, the prince finally reacted.

  Those who were able to rush down the mountain so quickly must have been the troops that had been stationed outside the mountain for a long time!

Therefore, the prince said carefully: "For this trip to Tiewang Mountain, in addition to the imperial guards, my grandson will only draw more than 10,000 soldiers from the Beijing Camp and the North Camp to garrison at the foot of the mountain.

The only ones responsible for blocking the surrounding roads were the North City Military Division and the Sima Camp... but the troops dispatched by these two parties were not many...

By the way, it seems that before leaving, my father specially arranged for Jia Lian's firearms battalion to set up a garrison in the south, but I don't know how many people the firearms battalion dispatched. "

"Jia Lian?"

The Emperor Retired read it out, and then said, "I heard that your father asked Jia Lian to set up a troop of soldiers specializing in firearms. What is the situation and how many soldiers are there?"

"Grandson knows. Jia Lian's firearms battalion has a total of 5,000 soldiers, including 3,000 musket soldiers and the remaining 2,000 artillery soldiers.

Although I don’t know their specific combat capabilities, from what I’ve seen from my father and Jia Lian’s attitude towards the Firearms Battalion, it seems that they both attach great importance to it.”

"Five thousand men and firearms?"

The emperor laughed and said nothing, then changed the subject: "In the capital area, the only troops that can arrive so quickly and have tens of thousands of troops are the North and South Camps.

The commander of Beidaying died in your hands along with Chen Zhao.

As for the Southern Camp...Xu Da..."

The emperor fell into deep thought.

He was also a little surprised. If Xu Da received his secret order and led his troops here, he would definitely send someone to pay his respects, and would never attack the mountain.

"Haha, it seems that I really underestimated your father!

No wonder, from this afternoon till now, he has not been in a hurry at all, and has not led his troops to break out. It turns out that he has already made a backup plan! "

The emperor said coldly.

The prince felt his scalp tingling and he suddenly felt a little scared.

From childhood to adulthood, his father put too much pressure on him.

The emperor saw the prince's expression and snorted, "Why, are you scared?

If you are so afraid of him, how dare you secretly send someone to see me last night without telling him? And even tell me all his plans?"

The prince looked embarrassed, and finally said: "My grandson is indeed quite afraid of my father, but I also know that my father's intention to use force against my grandfather is an act of treason.

"My grandson cannot bear to see my father making mistakes again and again, so I have chosen to tell the whole story to Grandpa Huang to prevent my father from making an irreparable mistake!"

That’s right, on the surface, even Emperor Ning Kang believed that the prince was instigated by the retired emperor.

But in fact, late last night, the Crown Prince followed Emperor Ningkang's instructions to gather troops at the foot of the mountain, while secretly sending people up the mountain to meet the Emperor...

He was originally unwilling to be forced by Emperor Ningkang to raise the banner of rebellion.

After coming down the mountain, I became even more worried about my future.

Emperor Ning Kang didn't like him very much, at least that's how he thought.

  If he was charged with "unfilial piety" and "treason", how could he be crown prince in the future? Not to mention succeeding Emperor Ningkang a hundred years later!

His thoughts were seen through by his confidant, who then made a suggestion:

It would be better to take this opportunity to completely surrender to the Emperor...

After his confidants listed the benefits of taking advantage of the opportunity to side with the retired emperor and compared it with the bleak future of following Emperor Ning Kang's orders, the prince gritted his teeth and chose the former.

Then, under the secret order of the retired emperor, he successfully eliminated Chen Zhao, who was not on guard against him, and took control of 20,000 troops in the Beijing Camp and the Infantry Camp.

And after meeting with the Emperor today, I received his formal commitment.

Originally, everything was just as he and his staff had predicted. Because of his counterattack, Emperor Ning Kang seemed to have lost the ability to resist in an instant and could only retreat into the palace.

As long as the reinforcements summoned by the retired emperor arrive and the minions around Emperor Ningkang are cleared out, everything will be settled.

However, now it seems that his father has indeed kept a backup plan...

Seeing that the prince was really afraid of Emperor Ningkang, the emperor not only did not blame him, but smiled instead.

In order to prevent the child from being completely frightened, he slowly said: "Don't worry. Even if there are people in the North and South camps who really betray my grace, there will definitely not be too many.

You go and convey my order and have the commander of the troops come to see me as soon as possible.

If there are those who refuse to repent, you will lead the soldiers of Beidaying to block them at the foot of the mountain.

As long as we can wait until tomorrow afternoon for the troops to arrive, all the traitors will be crushed."

The emperor asked him to convey the decree, and the prince didn't mind.

But when he heard that they could not reach an agreement and he was still asked to lead the troops to resist the enemy, he became reluctant.

He was not a coward, he just had no confidence in Beidaying.

The military power was originally forcibly taken from Chen Zhao, and was suppressed entirely under the title of "Emperor Emeritus".

Until now, he didn't know how many people actually listened to him.

If those tens of thousands of rebels were determined to attack the mountain, he really didn't think he could stop them.

Unless the infantry battalion is returned to him...

The retired emperor naturally understood what the prince meant, and it was even more impossible for him to hand over the infantry battalion to the prince again.

So he said, "Go ahead! If anything unexpected happens, I will send the Cavalry Battalion to help you."

When the prince heard that the emperor was willing to mobilize the Cavalry Battalion, his confidence was immediately boosted.

  You know, even when besieging Emperor Ningkang's palace, the emperor did not mobilize the Cavalry Battalion!

……