King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 499 Before the War

"What are you arguing about? What's there to argue about?"

"Do I win by listening to you? Or do I win by listening to you?"

When Zhu Jinghong spoke, his eyes were also sweeping towards everyone present. Wherever his eyes went, everyone bowed their heads.

And his words also pointed out the fact that only he, Zhu Jinghong, can make decisions, and only he can lead the army to victory.

Looking at Huang Qing, Zhu Jinghong ordered: "Read the battle plan!"

"Yes!"

Huang Qing, holding an official document, walked out from behind Zhu Jinghong.

"Military order of the Northwest Governor's Office..."

Upon hearing the military order, everyone present stood up and knelt down on one knee facing Zhu Jinghong.

Huang Qing read loudly, all the generals raised their heads and listened carefully, while Zhu Jinghong was sipping tea.

Soon the military order was read out and the battle plan was presented to everyone.

Although there are many details, in general it is very simple. Break through from the south based on the four northern guards, with two infantry guards from the Beijing camp on its left and right flanks, and two cavalry from the Beijing camp to provide cavalry protection.

As for the four front armies, the Jurchen tribes were left behind, and the Qinghai Xingdu Division was responsible for receiving food and grass.

As for the Mongolian and Tibetan tribes, they were placed seventy miles west of Hami to prepare for possible reinforcements from Junggar and Kazakhs.

Of course, judging from the current intelligence, it is unlikely that these reinforcements will appear, simply because they cannot guarantee logistics.

What worries Zhu Jinghong the most is the Rakshasa army stationed at the border. Although its strength is only more than 20,000, its combat effectiveness is not generally strong.

After Huang Qing finished reading, Zhu Jinghong said: "Everyone, our army will arrive in Hami the day after tomorrow. After a day's rest, we will attack the city!"

"North Four Guards..."

Upon being called upon by Zhu Jinghong, the four military attachés from the North Guards went out together and replied: "The general is here!"

He cupped his hands and saluted the emperor from a distance, and then Zhu Jinghong said: "Your expedition is highly anticipated by the Holy One. You must not disappoint the Holy Hope!"

The emperor sent the Northern Four Guards to join the battle, originally to test these new troops.

Only if they pass the test can the emperor truly believe and implement the theories put forward by Zhu Jinghong in the past two years.

Therefore, the battle of Hami was very important. He not only had to win it, but he also had to fight it well, and he had to win the city with thunderous momentum.

"Everyone, today is September 21st. I hope that at the end of this month, the sons and daughters can have a celebration banquet and drink mutton soup in Hami City!"

According to Zhu Jinghong's arrangement, the attack began on September 25th, and there were only six days by the end of September.

Although the city of Hami is not very big, its walls are nearly two feet high. Because it received many defeated troops into the city and temporarily recruited young men, the garrison in the city was close to 40,000.

Of course, fighting is never about more people than there are people. Less than 20,000 of the 50,000 people have received training, and their morale is extremely low now.

But even so, trying to capture Hami City in six days seems very outrageous.

On the first day of October, it is not difficult to go to the city to celebrate and drink mutton soup.

But at this time, no one came out to question, because everyone was accustomed to believe that following Zhu Jinghong would definitely win the battle.

"Okay, let's go back and prepare!"

"Yes!"

After everyone retreated, Zhu Jinghong was not idle either. He led the people and began to inspect the guards again.

There are still three days before the siege, but these three days are not peaceful. The Junggar troops outside Hami City will still attack the Ming army from time to time.

The Ming army was not completely inactive. In addition to the necessary counterattacks by the army, there was another front in Hami City.

Jinyiweinan Town Fusi, in addition to supervising the North Town Fusi, its main business is actually abroad.

For example, in Hami City, they had hundreds of spies before the war started, but now there are only more than thirty people left, and the rest are either dead or unable to get in outside the city.

The energy of these thirty living people cannot be underestimated.

In addition to gathering information, they also spread a large number of rumors to the outside world, shaking the morale of the military and people in the city.

The Ming army carried out punishment on behalf of heaven, so the Junggars were defeated repeatedly in battles...

It was the Great Khan of Ili who offended the emperor and caused disaster for his own selfish reasons. He should no longer sacrifice his life for those in Ili...

Daming is the king's teacher. As long as he surrenders, he can save his life. Don't worry about the safety of his family anymore...

Every word of these widespread rumors is like a sharp sword, hitting the already fragile hearts of the soldiers and civilians in the city.

In fact, Jin Yiwei's psychological warfare has been in action since August, but it has never had much effect.

Now that the war situation is unfavorable to Junggar, the power of these rumors has increased sharply.

The general in charge of defending the city was named Tibul. He was a confidant of Junggar Khan Alabutan. He had always been a steady and steady fighting style, so he was sent to defend the city.

"Master Wanhu, more than a hundred people were arrested in the city today, and our cells can no longer be held!"

There were too many people spreading rumors. Although Tibur was determined to investigate, it was difficult to make any progress.

Even if he catches Jin Yiwei's people, since these people have only one-way contact, it will be difficult for him to follow the clues and lead out more people.

So he could only use the worst method to arrest those who spread rumors, but how could he catch such people all the time.

So far, more than 2,000 people have been imprisoned in the cells, but the rumors have not completely disappeared. The key is that the cells are still full.

Tibur frowned and said: "The Ming army has arrived outside the city. I'm afraid they will attack the city in the next two days. Send all these people to defend the city!"

The following Qianhu replied: "These people have no intention of fighting. I'm afraid they will only do bad things and cause trouble if they get on the city wall!"

Tiebul replied: "Then tell them that if they don't fight with all their heart, everyone in their family will die!"

Nowadays, strict martial law is enforced in the city, and every household is enclosed in their respective residences, so it is easy to threaten these people's families.

"Yes!"

Tibur's order was quickly implemented, but his move caused greater turmoil within half a day.

It turned out that there were rumors in the city that Tiebul wanted to force Qingzhuang to defend the city and threatened Qingzhuang's family.

The young man who originally guarded the city had a bad mentality. After hearing these words, he became even more worried about his family. They had been away from home for ten days since they climbed the city wall.

As a result, there were more deserters every day, forcing Tiburi to take iron-handed measures and behead the deserters in public to shock people.

When the morale of the army was slightly stable, Tibur also started a public opinion war, telling the people of the city through official means that the Ming army would massacre the city once the city was breached.

The announcement at the official level is actually much more powerful than the rumors. The people actively participated in defending the city out of fear, while some only thought about how to escape from the city.

But overall, the situation in the city has become much calmer, which makes Tibur feel a little more at ease.

However, as the Ming army appeared in large numbers outside the city, the so-called settled military morale still caused a lot of commotion, forcing Tibur to kill another group of people.

On September 24, there was still one day before the siege, but all the Ming army units had arrived at their designated positions.

In addition to artillery, the Ming army also built more than a dozen catapults, apparently trying their best to increase their firepower.

Looking at the formed position in the distance, Tibul felt particularly heavy.

It stands to reason that he is the one defending the city. Normally, it would not be a problem to hold on for two or three months. At least he shouldn't panic right now.

And all this is because the person leading the troops on the opposite side is Zhu Jinghong, who has won consecutive battles.

"Looking at their posture, I'm afraid they will attack in the next two days!" Tibur sighed.

"Send the order, order all ministries to be on strict alert, and send more manpower even at night!"

His arrangement actually doesn't have much effect. After all, the manpower to defend the city is now exhausted, and it will remain the same no matter how hard it is.

Compared with the tense atmosphere inside Hami City, the Ming army outside the city was relatively relaxed and comfortable.

After setting up their formation, they entered the rest stage. According to Zhu Jinghong's military order, they had enough food and wine.

Fighting all the way from Yumen Pass to Hami City, they got a lot of trophies, the most abundant of which were cattle and sheep. "Brothers, the city of Hami is ahead of us. Let me eat and drink well today, and we will start attacking the city tomorrow... Let's all enjoy the military glory!"

"The commander-in-chief said that after this battle, the Northern Four Guards will raise a hundred general flags, thirty hundred households, ten deputy thousand households, five thousand households..."

Within the scope of authority of the Governor's Office, military attachés with a thousand households and below could only be granted titles. Zhu Jinghong only said this to boost morale.

"As for the silver reward... brothers, there is no need to worry, there is plenty of silver in Hami City!"

Baihu preached policies to his subordinates, and he himself was very enthusiastic about it, hoping to be promoted to deputy Qianhu after this battle.

There are more than 200 people in the North Siwei Hundred Households, but there are only ten deputy Qianhu positions. It has to be said that the competition is still very high.

Therefore, this Baihu must try his best to mobilize the enthusiasm of his subordinates.

As long as his men work hard enough, he can get the results he wants.

The behavior of this Baihu is a reflection of most junior officers, and the situation of the Northern Four Guards at this time is almost the same.

It was precisely at this time that the four northern guards were in a defensive window period. Unfortunately, the Hami defenders did not have the courage to take the initiative.

In fact, even if they really break out of the city, with the reaction speed of the four northern guards, they can easily defeat the incoming enemies.

Three miles south of Hami City, a high platform was also built here. Zhu Jinghong was standing on the high platform at this time, observing the situation in the city with a telescope.

Although there is a lot of information about Haminei, it is more intuitive to see it with your own eyes, so Zhu Jinghong appears here.

Appearing here with him were the four commanders of the Northern Four Guards, the four commanders of the Beijing Camp Cavalry, and of course Liu Fang, who had a weak sense of presence, although he was standing next to Zhu Jinghong.

Just listen to Zhu Jinghong say: "Everyone, the morale of the army in Hami City is unstable. If we attack our army tomorrow, we will first use artillery to cover and bombard it...first, we will turn him upside down!"

The city of Hami is actually not very big, less than two miles from north to south, and it is actually very crowded because so many defeated troops have gathered inside.

Covering bombardment will inevitably cause a large number of casualties and can greatly damage the morale and morale of its troops.

At this moment, Zhu Jinghong turned around and asked: "How many artillery shells do we really have?"

Not only grain and grass are transported within the pass, but also ordnance and military supplies, including ammunition.

At this time, a staff officer not far away answered: "Come back to the commander, there are nearly 10,000 rounds of artillery shells!"

Just listen to Zhu Jinghong say: "Then tomorrow... let's send out three thousand first!"

what?

It would be too wasteful to send out three thousand troops tomorrow. After all, it was not time for the general attack yet, so the generals present were very surprised.

But since it was Zhu Jinghong's arrangement, no one questioned it. Only Liu Fang wanted to give some advice after coming down.

"In addition... choose someone to go to the city tomorrow and negotiate with them one last time. Tell them that we are not here to kill people, but to punish the traitors and promote kingship!"

"As long as they are willing to surrender, His Majesty the Emperor will forgive their sins and readmit them as subjects of the Ming Dynasty!"

After saying this, Zhu Jinghong glanced around and asked, "Which of you is willing to go?"

Everyone looked at each other, they had basically no interest in such a meaningless errand.

Just when Zhu Jinghong decided to make the decision, Liu Fang's voice rang out.

"Commander, I am willing to go!"

A person of Liu Fang's level has no place in the Northwest Governor's Office. Now he finally has an opportunity.

Putting away the telescope, Zhu Jinghong walked up to Liu Fang, stared at him for a few seconds and then asked: "Director Liu, this trip is dangerous, so you have to think about it!"

Liu Fang smiled and said: "Commander, in the early years, I followed the ancestors to conquer the world, and later followed His Majesty to conquer Buchen. In all these years, I have been through mountains of swords and seas of fire, but I have never been afraid of any danger!"

His words were somewhat flattering. After all, Shizu's last expedition was more than thirty years ago.

At that time, Liu Fang was still serving as a member of the Long Imperial Guard, responsible for guarding outside Shizu's tent, but his father was already a general in charge of the army at that time.

No wonder he was chosen as the governor by the old man. They really have the same chemistry... Zhu Jinghong thought to himself.

But he knew that Liu Fang was definitely not a waste. He had indeed fought many battles during the Taiping years, which was why he was promoted to his current position as governor.

"Has Governor Liu thought clearly?"

Liu Fang smiled and said: "Does the commander think that the old minister is impulsive?"

Liu Fang is of course unlikely to be impulsive at such an old age, at least others cannot say that he is impulsive.

Zhu Jinghong immediately said: "Okay... I'll wait for the good news from the Governor tomorrow!"

"I must go all out!" Liu Fang said, cupping her fists.

Immediately after the discussion ended, everyone dispersed. They also had many things to deal with before the war began.

Zhu Jinghong, on the other hand, stayed on the high platform, sitting alone on a chair and looking ahead. A table had been set up on one side, with several plates of side dishes and a bottle of wine.

The city ahead was already at his feet. This feeling of controlling everything and controlling people's life and death made Zhu Jinghong feel particularly comfortable.

Bang...bang...bang...

There were footsteps on the stairs. Zhu Jinghong immediately turned around and saw Nuo Min after a few breaths.

"Why did you come up here?" Zhu Jinghong asked with a smile.

This high platform is nearly five feet high. Although it is extremely stable, it will still sway if there is wind due to the rigidity of the material.

So it really takes some courage to climb up from the stage.

After getting on the stage, Nuo Min adjusted her clothes and replied: "You stand so high, I'm afraid you will be alone!"

Looking at Nuo Min, who was full of youthful spirit, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help but be deeply affected. He suddenly felt that he was old.

To be more precise, after personally commanding the battle, he inevitably matured, and he could even be called two people before and after leaving the capital.

He did not reject this, because he could not play the role of a gangster forever, so he just took this opportunity to become mature and steady, so that the emperor could rest assured.

Of course, the most important reason is that after this expedition, he can no longer play the trick of pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger.

"Why does Thirteenth Master keep looking at me?" Nuo Min asked with a smile.

Zhu Jinghong stood up and faced her, and then said: "The beauty is in front of you, it wouldn't be a waste if you don't look at her!"

Nuo Min replied: "I'm just an ordinary woman, so how can I be called a beauty? Thirteenth Master, it's better not to praise me. Why are you so embarrassed!"

Zhu Jinghong then replied: "If you are not beautiful, who can be called a beauty?"

When Zhu Jinghong came closer, Nuo Min asked: "Isn't the princess considered a beauty?"

"She...of course she is not a beauty. She is very fierce now. It is not an exaggeration to call her a tigress!"

Baochai would send "encrypted" messages to Zhu Jinghong about what happened in the capital and the palace. Zhu Jinghong knew his wife's methods very well.

At this time Nuo Min replied: "The Thirteenth Master has the courage to subdue a dragon and a tiger. Even if the princess is a tiger, she cannot escape from your grasp!"

Pulling Nuo Min into his arms, Zhu Jinghong held her chin, and then said: "That's natural. I have a spear in my hand, and it's easy to subdue a tiger with the palm of my hand!"

When she said this, Nuomin had already felt something, so she quickly broke away.

This behavior made Zhu Jinghong even more excited, and he took steps closer to Nuo Min.

Hiding behind the chair, Nuo Min said with a smile: "Master Thirteen, I'm here to report something important!"

While walking around, Zhu Jinghong asked: "What's the matter?"

While dodging, Nuomin replied: "Someone wants to see you, please ask me to inform her!"

Seeing that Nuo Min was not joking, Zhu Jinghong rushed forward, grabbed Nuo Min's sleeves, and pulled her into his arms with all his strength.

Hugging the beauty tightly, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Who wants to see me?"

Ignoring her torn clothes, Nuomin replied: "She is a real beauty!"

(End of this chapter)