King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 481 Siege and Killing

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and Sun Shaozu got his wish and went to the front line, while Zhu Jinghong remained at the Governor's Office.

As a new round of battle began, Ning Huanxiang went to the front line to supervise the battle in person, so there were only a few people in the Governor's Office.

As the front advances, the location of the governor's office is also constantly changing. If the results of this battle are significant, the office will obviously continue to move to the northwest.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong didn't even stay in the administrative office for two days before he went to the North Fourth Guards and the Jingying Infantry Camp.

They were responsible for escorting grain, grass, ordnance, and were on the road most of the time, so Zhu Jinghong hadn't seen them for a long time.

Like the cavalry generals, the Northern Fourth Guards and the Beijing Infantry Army also complained about Ning Huanxiang because of the sluggish progress of the war.

As soon as Zhu Jinghong arrived, he listened to these people's complaints, and one by one suggested that he persuade Ning Huanxiang to change his mind.

All Zhu Jinghong can do is to appease everyone and warn them to be ready for battle to ensure that they can enter the battle as quickly as possible.

As for the northern front, as the war unfolded, all the armies were on the move.

There are about 15,000 cavalrymen on the northern front. The composition of the cavalry is extremely complex. They are basically troops drawn from various tribes, and their cooperation with each other is also very scattered.

This is what Sun Shaozu felt most deeply after observing it for several days.

Of course, these people were inferior compared with the Beijing camp. Fortunately, the Junggar army they faced was even more chaotic than their command system.

"It's been so long and everyone hasn't arrived yet. These idiots are simply holding us back!"

The person who said this was Zhou Quanhui, the commander of the Anxi capital, who was responsible for commanding the tribes on the northern front.

Logically speaking, the northern front should be commanded by Wang Ziteng, but the main force of Anxi Xingdusi was dragged to Zhasak and other countries, so he did not dare to come away at all.

At this time, Zhou Quanhui was scolding the generals of the various ministries and alliances on the northern front. He was now calling them together to welcome Ning Huanxiang and listen to his instructions.

The fighting in the south has been fierce. The armies of Jingying and Qinghai Xingdusi have fought against the Junggar army many times and have achieved fairly good results.

Obviously, the early "defeat" has made all the ministries on the southern front realize their shame and become more courageous, so they will pay more attention to annihilating the enemy.

However, this is still a victory in battle, and overall, both sides are still in an anxious situation.

Now that the battle on the southern front was going well, Ning Huanxiang chose to come to the northern front to personally supervise the battle, just to squeeze the maximum value out of these "miscellaneous troops".

"Sir, these people are used to being lax, and it will be difficult to change these problems in a short time!" Sun Shaozu replied calmly.

Previously, he served as the commander of Anxi Xingdu Division and was very familiar with Zhou Quanhui, so he told a few truths.

After spending so many years outside the Great Wall, Sun Shaozu knew very well the combat effectiveness of the troops deployed by the alliance.

In this regard, the imperial court itself has no intention of changing. If these armies become stronger, they will pose a greater threat to the imperial court.

When Ning Huanxiang arrived, not all the generals on the northern front arrived, so Zhou Quanhui was scolded in public.

Immediately afterwards, Ning Huanxiang began to analyze the enemy's situation, reiterated his proposition, and conveyed his battle plan to his subordinates.

He did not notice that Sun Shaozu quietly left the scene and went to chat with his guard Qianhu.

It is said that there are thousands of households, but in fact, Ning Huanxiang's accompanying guards are only more than a hundred people.

"Are you exhausted these days?" Sun Shaozu handed over a bottle of wine.

Wine is definitely a good thing, it can quickly bring people closer together, not to mention that Sun Shaozu is quite familiar with this person.

After taking the jug, Qianhu Guo Xing replied: "Don't mention it... I've been running everywhere these days, at least thousands of miles, and I'm exhausted!"

"Governor Ning didn't even say he was tired. Don't be ignorant!" Sun Shaozu replied with a smile.

Sun Shaozu and Guo Xing had known each other for several months since their departure from the capital, and they could barely be called friends, so the atmosphere between them was relaxed when they spoke.

"The situation on the southern front is good. I'm afraid Governor Ning will stay on the northern front to supervise the war!"

After nodding slightly, Guo Xing replied: "I guess it will be like this. I just hope that this battle will be over soon, and then I can leave this ghost place!"

Looking at the gray world in front of him, Guo Xing missed his wife and children very much.

Sun Shaozu laughed twice, and then said: "I think this battle is still going to be fought. You'd better cheer up and protect Governor Ning!"

"Come on, let's drink!" Guo Xing picked up the wine bottle.

The two of them sat on a big rock, looking at the tents below, and drank one glass at a time.

Sun Shaozu's purpose of establishing a good relationship with Guo Xing was very clear. He wanted to use this relationship to find out Ning Huanxiang's whereabouts.

In this way, he could kill someone with a borrowed knife and get rid of Ning Huanxiang directly.

Sun Shaozu had been planning this crazy plan for a long time, and now it was officially implemented.

After arriving at the Northern Front for training, Ning Huanxiang went to Namube Military Center that afternoon to inspect the armaments and understand what was going on.

He planned to spend two days visiting all the armies in each department to find out how much water these armies had.

Only by grasping the most real situation can he adjust his plan according to the situation, otherwise there will always be failures of one kind or another.

The two days when Ning Huanxiang rushed to various ministries were the "window period" for Sun Shaozu to implement his plan.

Because during this period, Ning Huanxiang's scope of activities was relatively fixed, and he only had a few hundred guards with him.

As long as his whereabouts are revealed and the Junggar people surround and kill him, his grandson Shaozu's plan will come true.

Among them, the most important thing is to find out the whereabouts of Ning Huanxiang, and this is when Guo Xing comes in handy.

As a dignified governor, his whereabouts will not be announced to the public, but as his bodyguard commander Guo Xingzi knows it.

Guo Xing liked to drink, so it was too easy for Sun Shaozu to pry things out of his mouth.

Of course, this is also due to Guo Xing's lack of defense against Sun Shaozu, because it would be impossible to imagine that Sun Shaozu would behave in such a crazy way.

In the end, Sun Shaozu judged that the best time to encircle and kill was between Namu Army and Duolun Army.

The two armies are the farthest apart, almost forty miles apart. If you are not careful, you only need two to three hundred people to accomplish the task.

Of course, the number of people can be larger, but the risk of being discovered is also greater. After all, so many scouts are not just for food.

In the afternoon of the next day, Sun Shaozu quietly disappeared from the military camp. After riding a long distance, he changed into Junggar clothes.

Previously, he served as the commander of Yongning Guards and was responsible for garrisoning the westernmost part of Anxi Xingdu Division, so he was very familiar with the situation where he was currently.

Although the Junggar people have learned to "keep the walls strong and clear the wilderness", Sun Shaozu knew where to find herdsmen.

Through the mouths of these people, the news can be spread to the Junggar army, attracting these people to surround and kill Ning Huanxiang.

After riding for more than 70 miles, looking at the undulating hills ahead, Sun Shaozu murmured in a low voice: "The most beneficial thing I did during those years in Yongning Guard was to learn the words of Junggar!"

Only Sun Shaozu himself knows this secret, and he will keep this secret forever.

On the fifth day of August, there was a strong wind.

Normally, such weather would not be suitable for traveling, but Ning Huanxiang didn't take it into consideration that much.

After leaving the Mubu Army station, they rushed to the Duolun Army. This would be the last place Ning Huanxiang visited.

Although the distance of more than forty miles is not far, in such windy weather, it will take an hour to travel on horseback.

Sun Shaozu is in Namubu League. He came back early this morning. Now he just needs to wait for the result. "The wind was so strong that they walked slowly and the rebels could hide easily... God helped me!" Sun Shaozu smiled.

"Commander Sun, it's rare for you to come here. We have prepared some good wine and meat. Come and enjoy!"

The speaker was Su He's son Eresi. When Sun Shaozu was the commander of the Yongning Guards, he had frequent contacts with people from the Mube. He and Su He and his son were also old friends.

"Don't call me random names. Now I'm just an idler, just coming to watch the fun!" Sun Shaozu was very humble.

Erezi smiled and replied: "Master Sun is too humble. If you stay with His Highness King Xiang, sooner or later you will have a chance to be promoted!"

"Then I'll lend you some good words!" Sun Shaozu smiled even more.

Within the next half hour, everything he planned would come to fruition, and he hoped to hear some good words at this time.

"Let's go have a drink!"

He stepped forward and grabbed Sun Shaozu and walked back. Erisi was also a cheerful man.

On the other end, Ning Huanxiang was targeted by the Junggar detectives not far away from the Mubu League.

After confirming that it was indeed Ning Huanxiang's team in front of them, the scouts were overjoyed and immediately sent someone to take a shortcut to inform them of the situation.

They had indeed set up an ambush in front, but they only sent two hundred cavalry.

All because the Junggar generals judged that the news about Sun Shao's ancestors was false information, so they didn't pay too much attention to this matter.

Of course, two hundred against more than a hundred people, and even in an ambush situation, still has a huge advantage.

The scout passed the news to the leader, Chito Reiki. This guy came here reluctantly, but he immediately became excited when he heard that there was really a big fish.

He is not valued by thousands of households, so he was sent here today. Otherwise, if he knew that he was really besieging and killing Ning Huanxiang, how would he have been able to achieve this great feat in his turn.

"My sons, the governor of the Ming army is in front. He only led a team of about a hundred people. Let's go and capture him now!"

"Whether this person lives or lives, we have made great achievements today. The man will reward you with gold, silver, cattle and sheep. A great future is ahead of you!"

Pulling out his saber, Li Mu shouted hoarsely: "Brothers, come with me... surround and kill them!"

In fact, Li Mu's explanation was not needed. The soldiers present all understood how much credit they had for besieging and killing the Ming Army Governor, so each of them was fully motivated.

The strong wind stirred up dust, providing excellent hiding conditions, indicating that the siege might go smoothly.

Here, preparations for an ambush were in full swing, but on the other side of the Mube army, Sun Shaozu was drinking and eating meat with Su He and others, chatting with each other about old things.

Although there was a language barrier, there were two translators in the tent, so Sun Shaozu had a good chat with everyone.

"Father, with such a big wind and sand, it is easy to get lost while traveling. Will something happen to Governor Ning?" Erris asked with a worried look on his face.

Su He was stunned for a moment, and then he replied: "He has been running around for more than a month, and I haven't seen him get lost... I think nothing will happen to him!"

Although Erisi nodded, he still felt uneasy.

The reason why he remembered Ning Huanxiang was because among so many young generals, Governor Ning had only praised him.

At this time, Sun Shaozu was also thinking about Ning Huanxiang. He estimated that the siege might have begun now.

Thinking that after Ning Huanxiang's death, Zhu Jinghong was the only one who could take charge of the overall situation, he was so excited that he drank two more drinks.

Besides, on the Gobi, the fierce battle has ended, and Li Mu is leading his men to clean up the battlefield.

"Are you sure you haven't spared anyone?" Li Mu asked with a frown.

"I will never let anyone go!" several hundred households under his command replied one after another.

Except for a dozen or so survivors, everyone including Ning Huanxiang died, while Li Mu and his party lost seventy people.

Two hundred versus one hundred, and it was an ambush battle like this. Li Mu had to admit that the Ming army's combat effectiveness was really high.

"Tell them to hurry up and take all the armor back, and I'll interrogate those alive!"

The armor of the Ming army was of excellent quality, with hundreds of sets of armor on site, and its value was something Li Mu could not ignore.

Even if the longer the battlefield is cleaned, the higher the risk, Li Mu feels that the price is acceptable.

The Junggar soldiers quickly cleaned the battlefield, and Li Mu came among the survivors.

Thirteen people were captured alive, and guard Qianhu Guo Xing happened to be among them. At this time, he was hit by an arrow in his shoulder, and the arrow penetrated his armor at close range.

There were seven other people injured like him, two of whom were already dying and would normally not survive for half an hour.

"Where is your governor?" Li Mu asked.

They brought an interpreter with them and immediately conveyed the message to Guo Xing and his party.

Guo Xing replied: "We are just a patrol team, we don't have the governor you are looking for!"

Hearing this, Li Mu laughed loudly and immediately replied: "The patrols of the Duolun and Namu tribes don't have as good armor as you!"

Guo Xing replied again: "We are the Beijing Cavalry!"

Li Mu had no intention of talking nonsense and immediately scolded: "Hurry up and tell the truth. Do you think you can hide it? We already know your details!"

At this time, Guo Xing could be sure that his party had not been ambushed by these people by chance. It was obvious that the other party was well prepared.

Then it is very possible that Governor Ning's whereabouts have been leaked... Guo Xing thought to himself.

There was no point in hiding it, so Guo Xing asked: "How do you know that Governor Ning will pass through this place?"

Obviously Guo Xing wants to find out how the news was leaked, and even if he dies, he wants to be clear about it.

However, the result of his questioning was that he was whipped hard on the face, and then Li Mu beat and scolded: "I asked you, not for you to ask me!"

"Hurry up and tell me, where is your governor now?" Li Mu shouted loudly.

"He's dead..." Guo Xing answered simply.

Ning Huanxiang was indeed dead, and he was hit by arrows from the very beginning because he was at the densest place where arrows were.

"Where is the body?" Li Mu asked again.

He still had to take the body back, so that he could complete his errand and get the reward he deserved.

Of course, Guo Xing refused to give in. At this time, he was determined to die because he knew that it would be impossible to return alive. The other soldiers also had the same idea.

Seeing that everyone was speechless, Li Mu swung his sword and killed two people, causing the remaining people to become commotion.

In the end, someone was willing to go and identify the body, but Guo Xing said nothing about it.

At this time, he didn't want to die anymore, because he really wanted to find out who leaked the news and who made him and his brother so miserable.

As he recalled carefully, Li Mu asked again: "How did your governor decide on the battle strategy? As long as you tell us... we can spare your life!"

"Can you really spare my life?"

Li Mu solemnly replied: "I would like to swear in the name of God!"

(End of this chapter)