serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 309 Preemptive Strike
The sky is getting bright, and the temperature in Horqin Grassland has begun to cool down in August of the lunar calendar. The endless Horqin Grassland is shrouded in a white morning mist, as quiet and leisurely as a fairyland.

Suddenly, a cry broke through the quiet morning in Horqin Grassland.

On the grassland in the distance, tens of thousands of Horqin herdsmen were driven by the cavalry of the Xilin Gol League. They stumbled and cried loudly. Women hugged their children, and the old people either supported each other or led their horses. The property plundered by the Xilin Gol allies!

There was not a single young man in the mighty team. The Xilin Gol League was not yet capable of killing all the young men. These were the old, weak, women and children from the Horqin Left Wing Center Banner. The young men were all in Liaodong.

The eyes of these Horqin people were full of fear. They had all heard that the reason why the Xilingol League dared to cross the mountain pass to attack them was because they had the support of the Han people. The people of the Xilingol League planned to dedicate them to the Han people as gifts, and they His family is helping the Manchus fight against the Han army in Liaodong, so they are likely to be greeted by massacre.

King Temulun of Khan was riding on a big white horse, and Albugu led hundreds of personal guards around him. He looked at these Horqin herdsmen coldly, his eyes full of the pleasure of having a great revenge.

Looking at these herdsmen, a trace of pity flashed in Albugu's eyes. Then he looked around and said to Temulun: "King Khan, in just ten days, we have killed more than [-] warriors."

Temulun was startled, then pretended not to care: "Ning Guogong has promised to reward us the herdsmen of the two banners of Golluosi. With so many young women, tens of thousands of babies will be born in the Xilin Gol League next year. After more than ten years, our Xilin Gol League will be the largest and most powerful tribe in Monan!"

Albugu opened his mouth, and finally just sighed in his heart.

Ten days ago, because he did not obey Jia Hu's military orders, not only were two nobles and five heads killed, but he was also forced to recruit another [-] main cavalry from the rear.

Counting King Khan's cavalry escort, the Xilin Gol League dispatched a total of more than 3 people in this battle. After several battles, the Xilin Gol League as the vanguard suffered serious losses, with most of the casualties, and the strength of the Xilingol League was greatly weakened.

Albugu cast his eyes in the direction of Beijing City, praying secretly in his heart, hoping that the Han emperor would abide by the covenant.

At this moment, a sentry of the brave guard battalion galloped over and shouted loudly: "Marshal's military order, the Xilin Gol League must return to the army station before noon."

Temulun understood that the Rakshasa people in the north were moving, and immediately shouted loudly: "Speed ​​up the whole army and return to the camp before noon!"

As the military order spread, the Xilingol League cavalry began to use horse whips to drive the Horqin herdsmen towards the Zhou army camp.

The morning mist gradually dissipated under the sunshine, without a trace.

A brand new camp stands on the ruins of Horqin's right rear flag.

Tens of thousands of Horqin herdsmen spent three days and three nights repairing the city. Like Uliasutai, logs were arranged on both sides of the city wall to form wooden fences, and earth was rammed in the middle. Only the inner city was built, and it would be used later. The outer city was built with stone materials.

In the large tent of the Chinese army, Jia Hu sat cross-legged on the tiger skin mattress in front of him, eating roasted lamb leg and drinking mutton soup, stopping from time to time to look through official documents, obviously in a good mood.

Last night, Jia Huyi received two happy news. One was that [-] elite cavalry led by Zhongqin Bo Zhao Yi had arrived at the Xilingol League, [-] of which were stationed in Kulun, and Zhao Yi personally led [-] elite cavalry for support. Jia Hu's military operations against the Rakshasa and the Zhelimu League.

There is also news that the Mobei Mongolian cavalry led by Montemu ambushed a Rakshasa bandit army that crossed the Greater Khingan Mountains, beheading more than a thousand people, and obtained a piece of information about Qiqihar. The Rakshasa Governor Nicholas is ill, and now Presiding over affairs was his deputy Ivanov.In addition, after receiving the news of the defeat of the Cossack cavalry, Nicholas immediately sent people north to ask for help.

"Commander, Supervisor Zhao is here." Lin San's voice came from outside the tent.

Jia Hu swallowed the mutton in his mouth: "Please come in."

The curtain was raised, and Eunuch Zhao came in with a stack of official documents and said: "The Superintendent of Ceremonies reported secretly that the Dulbert people have returned to their base, and they should have reached an agreement with the Rakshasa people."

Jia Hu cut another piece of mutton leg meat and put it into his mouth. He put down the cooking knife, picked up the towel on the side and wiped his hands. He said, "Send another letter. As long as Prince Dulbert is willing to surrender to the court, I will give it to you." You can make the decision to let them move to the grasslands outside the pass to graze, and ask the emperor to confer him the title of earl of the Zhou Dynasty!" After that, he drank another half of the bowl of mutton soup.

Eunuch Zhao: "Yes." He replied and unfolded another official document, "Reported by Ningyuan Marquis Li Chengyang, the remnants of the Manchu and Qing coalition forces broke through the Jizhou Guard's defense line and fled into the prairie."

"Oh?"

Jia Hu raised his head and his eyes flashed, "How many troops are there?"

Eunuch Zhao looked at the secret report: "I don't know the details, but I estimate it to be twenty to thirty thousand."

Jia Hu thought for a while, then asked, "What did Marquis Ning Yuan say?"

Eunuch Zhao: "Marquis Ningyuan said that the Jizhou Guard is not under his control and he has no authority to deal with the generals of the Jizhou Guard. He has already reported it to the study. In addition, the main force of the Liaodong Army is wiping out the remaining Manchus in Jilin and cannot spare the troops to enter." The prairie is chasing the remnants of the Manchu and Qing coalition forces. General Liu Kun's cavalry is also on the side of the Yalu River to guard against the surprise attack of the Korean Tatars." After saying that, he secretly looked sideways at Jia Hu to observe his reaction.

Jia Hu glanced at him, "Is there anything else?"

Eunuch Zhao replied: "No more."

At this moment, a sentinel rushed in: "Commander, the Rakshasa people burned down the camp and withdrew to the Dulbert Banner camp."

Hearing this, Jia Hu's eyes flashed: "Let's explore again."

The sentry replied, "Yes." He ran out again.

Just as Eunuch Zhao was about to speak, the sound of horse hoofbeats was heard outside, and then another sentry ran in and loudly reported: "Report! The Guoerluosi Rear Banner has entered the Dulbert Banner camp, with about 2 troops. At present, Du Erluosi has entered the camp. The total strength of the Albert Banner garrison is nearly 5."

After hearing this, Eunuch Zhao's expression changed: "That letter."

A cold light flashed in Jia Hu's eyes, he was planning to fight with himself.

Thinking of this, Jia Hu stood up and said loudly: "Lin San!"

Lin San strode in: "Commander."

Jia Hu: "Send my order and the army will break camp and set off!"

Instead of waiting for Temulun's army, leaving five thousand artillery soldiers and artillery battalions to guard the camp, Jia Hu led the army to attack the Duerbot Banner station.

There was no rush march, the army began to cross the river at the first watch, rested in the woods on the other side of the river for half an hour at the third watch, and then continued to move forward.

At the fifth watch, the army arrived less than fifty miles away from the Dulbert Banner station, without encountering any obstacles along the way.

After receiving the information sent back by Liu Xianglian, Jia Hu ordered the army to rest where they were and eat to replenish their strength.
The sky is bright.

At this time, the army was less than thirty miles away from the Duerbot Banner. Liu Xianglian brought back the latest information. As they were coming, the distance between the two sides was less than twenty miles. The enemy army had nearly 6 troops, including about 5000 Rakshasa people.

Jia Hu did not lead the troops forward to fight, but stopped. The cavalry used this moment to feed the horses water and fodder, and he also hurriedly took a few mouthfuls of dry food to replenish his strength.

Soon, the thunderous sound of horse hooves came from the other end of the grassland, and Liu Xianglian's sentry camp also withdrew.

On the endless prairie, tens of thousands of cavalry came to kill in an overwhelming manner. The dust raised by the horses' hooves covered the sky and the sun, so that the sky became dark again.

Jia Hu sneered: "The army will prepare for battle immediately!" "Woo~ woo~"

A low horn sounded over the Zhou army, and then the drum beat loudly. Twenty thousand soldiers from the cavalry camp and ten thousand Yike Zhaomen cavalry mounted their horses one after another. They tightened the reins with one hand and slowly drew out the sabers at their waists, waiting for the attack. Order.

The Zhou army's military formation was very simple, with [-] fire-gun soldiers and [-] sword-and-shield soldiers in the center, and cavalry guarding the two wings.

Fifteen thousand firecrackers lined up in three rows, waiting for the enemy to charge and hit the opponent head-on with the firecrackers in their hands.

However, the Rakshasa and the grassland coalition stopped two miles away and did not launch an attack. Apparently they also knew the power of Yongwei Camp's firearms.

Although the sun was out, it was still very cold. Eunuch Zhao tightened his tight robe: "It seems they won't take the initiative to attack."

Jia Hu didn't say anything, and looked ahead with his clairvoyance. At this time, the military formation on the opposite side changed. The Rakshasa cavalry broke away from the formation and moved to a high ground two miles away on the left side of the formation. It was obvious that it was It is necessary to take advantage of the terrain to attack the flanks of the Zhou army's cavalry, or directly raid the flanks and rear flanks of the firearms camp.

Eunuch Zhao also saw it. In the past few years, he followed the Yongwei Battalion in the north and south. Naturally, he saw the other party's intentions, but he didn't take it to heart. A group of light cavalry without armor could not bring too much damage to the Firearms Battalion. harm.

Time is passing slowly, and the two sides are still facing each other. No one is willing to launch an attack first. The autumn wind on the grassland is very fierce, blowing like a knife and hurting people's faces, and the big flag is slapped straight.

Jia Hu saw that the Zhelimu coalition forces had no intention of attacking, so he immediately ordered: "The whole cavalry army of the Yongwei Battalion attack!"

The red general waved his flag forward, and the rumble of the war drums sounded again. Li Si, the deputy general of the cavalry camp, waved his sword and said, "Kill!" He took the lead in galloping over.

The main cavalry of the [-]-strong Guard Battalion also charged, forming a red wave on the prairie and heading towards the Zhelimu Alliance forces on the opposite side.

At the same time, the Mongolian cavalry on the opposite side also launched an attack. They did not choose to fight head-on, but separated to both sides and attacked the left and right wings of the Yongwei Battalion.

Eunuch Zhao laughed: "A bunch of self-righteous idiots!"

Before he finished speaking, the Zhou cavalry also made a change and directly attacked the Mongolian cavalry on the right wing. At this time, the Mongolian cavalry on the right wing just exposed the most vulnerable flank to the front of the Zhou cavalry.

Then there was a loud bang, and the Zhou cavalry crashed directly into the Mongolian cavalry formation. The vanguard battalion led by Niu Ben suddenly cut the Mongolian cavalry from the middle like a sharp boning knife, dividing them into two parts. , just for a moment, the more than [-] Mongolian cavalry who were intercepted behind did not even have a chance to escape. The Zhou army cavalry rushed into their army formation like a beast, dashed left and right in their army formation, and defeated them. The military formation was completely defeated. In an instant, heads were rolling, blood was flying, and there were wailing and screaming sounds.

At this time, the main Mongolian cavalry came back and rushed towards the left and right wings of the Yongwei Battalion overwhelmingly.

The well-trained training of the Yongwei Battalion cavalry was fully demonstrated at this time. They took advantage of their equipment to defeat a small group of Mongolian cavalry, narrowing the numerical gap between the two sides. Then they repeated their old tricks and brutally attacked them again. The vanguard battalion was responsible for disrupting the Mongolian army formation, and the main force led by Li Si used its absolute superior force to strangle the Mongolian cavalry in chaos.

Under the banner, Jia Hu watched all this with an expressionless face. After several years of constant fighting, he knew very well about the Mongols. They had no ability to confront the Yongwei battalion cavalry head-on. Without elite equipment, they could only rely on The flexible maneuverability of the cavalry shooter keeps kiting the opponent.

Perhaps because they had their homeland behind them, the Mongolian cavalry gradually stabilized their pace. Nearly [-] Mongolian cavalry and [-] brave guard cavalry fought bloody battles.

This battle lasted from three quarters to the end of noon. The battlefield had moved back five miles. The Mongolian cavalry paid a heavy price, with more than half of them killed or injured. Generally speaking, an army would be defeated after losing [-] to [-]%, but the Mongolian cavalry did not. Withstanding the fierce attack from the Yongwei camp, they refused to retreat even one step, and staged a bloody and cruel fight!

Jia Hu did not expect that this battle would be so brutal. The Yongwei camp had suffered nearly 5000 casualties. Even the generals were killed. At this time, both sides were exhausted. As long as a new force joined, the battle would be over in an instant. You can tell the winner.

The thunderous sound of war drums sounded again in the Zhou army's formation.

Seeing that the Rakshasa people had no intention of joining the battle, Jia Hu gave Zhao Qiang an order to attack. Under his leadership, [-] Yike Zhaomeng cavalry headed for the distant battlefield.

At this moment, horns sounded from the Raksha people's army, and the deep sound of the horns spread throughout the battlefield with the autumn wind.

Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Rakshasa cavalry turned their horses and retreated northwest.

As the Rakshasa people fled without a fight, the Mongolian cavalry, which had been holding on for a while, collapsed. They fled in all directions and were defeated.

"kill!"

The morale of the Zhou army's cavalry was greatly boosted, and they began to hunt down the fleeing Mongolian cavalry. The prairie was filled with the corpses of the Zherimu Alliance troops.
After defeating the Zhelimu League coalition forces, Jia Hu ordered Xie Qiong to deal with the aftermath, and he himself led [-] Yikezhao League cavalry and [-] sword shield battalions to the Duerbot Banner station.

Looking at Tucheng in front of him, Jia Hu narrowed his eyes, and then nodded to Zhao Qiang.

Zhao Qiang waved his hand.

Ten thousand Ike Zhaomeng cavalry launched a charge towards the Dulbert Banner station ahead. Each horse had a bag filled with soil. They galloped past the Tucheng and threw the bags out. Soon A mountain of earth was piled outside the city wall, and people could easily climb to the top of the city.

At this moment, the Sword Shield Battalion erupted into a deafening shout, and Yang Dayong personally led the Sword Shield Battalion to kill them.

On the top of the city, King Duerbert's face was pale. He didn't expect that 6 or [-] troops were defeated so quickly, and the defeat was so miserable. Only thousands of remnants escaped back, and the earth city under his feet was only more than one foot high. , unable to resist the murderous Zhou army, suddenly remembered the letter of persuasion to surrender, and immediately shouted: "Kaicheng, open the city gate immediately!"

With a "click", the huge city gate slowly opened.

Yang Dayong shouted loudly: "Go into the city and kill all the resisters!"

"kill!"

The soldiers of the Ten Thousand Sword Shield Battalion burst out with a thunderous roar, brandishing their swords, and swept toward Tucheng with fierce murderous intent.

Soon, the terrified cries and cries of countless Duerbert herdsmen came from Tucheng!
Half an hour later, the Sword Shield Battalion drove all the herdsmen out of the Tucheng. Yang Dayong personally escorted more than a hundred Mongolians in luxurious clothes. The one who walked in the front was Prince Dulbert. His eyes were dull at that time. He thought that as long as he took the initiative to open the city and surrender, he would be spared the massacre. However, the first person to be killed was his eldest son. The younger son had his head chopped off just because he stepped forward to question Zhou Jun. , his heart is full of regret, he shouldn't believe the lies of the Rakshasa people!
"Your Majesty!"

There was a loud shout in his ears, and he kneeled down subconsciously.

The legs of the Dulbert nobles behind him softened and they all knelt down.

Jia Hu's eyes swept over the heads of the kneeling crowd, then fell on Prince Dulbert, and said coldly: "I will put you and your family in a cage, and send these nobles with you. Go to the capital and show all the Mongols along the way what will happen if you rebel against the imperial court!"

Prince Dulbert came back to his senses, slowly raised his head, looked at Jia Hu, and said in a trembling voice: "I was the one who resisted the court, and I committed all the crimes alone. They are all innocent."

"There are no innocent people here!"

Jia Hu interrupted him unceremoniously, "Listen well, your clansmen will be moved to Kulun, and they will be miners of the imperial court for generations, and they will never be changed!"

Without saying a word, Prince Dulbert rolled his eyes and fell to the ground.

With a cold snort, Jia Hu said: "Drag him down and wake him up, and tell him that if he dares to commit suicide on the road, he will kill all his people immediately." After saying that, he turned his eyes to the direction of Qiqihar, where a fierce battle was waiting for him.

(End of this chapter)