King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 500 Bombardment

Sitting back on the chair and holding Nuo Min in his arms, Zhu Jinghong asked: "Who?"

Nuo Min replied: "I told you not to be angry!"

So Zhu Jinghong became even more curious, how could he be angry with the beauty? Did this girl Nuo Min have a fever?

So he reached out to Nuo Min's forehead and said at the same time: "You girl, what nonsense are you talking about!"

"Beauties are like jade. I can never put them down, so how can I be angry with them!"

"It's my sister who wants to see you!"

Hearing the word "sister", Zhu Jinghong was a little stunned for a moment. It took him a few breaths to guess who it might be.

"It's Qiqige!" Nuo Min explained quickly.

Seeing that what he expected was true, Zhu Jinghong asked, "Does she want to see me?"

"Exactly!"

"She sent a messenger just now, saying that she has arrived near Hami City and has something to discuss with the Thirteenth Master!"

When Nuo Min explained, Zhu Jinghong's mind couldn't help but fly back to two years ago. His last memory of Qiqige was the time he "took control" of her.

Seeing the look of nostalgia on Zhu Jinghong's face, Nuo Min felt a lot on his mind for a while, and those thoughts from the past came back to him.

It turns out that Master Thirteen has always missed his sister, but he just kept his feelings deep in his heart...

"Master Thirteen, do you want to see her?" Nuo Min asked.

Qiqige is a weak woman, and she came in private, which shows that she did not come through negotiation, at least not on behalf of Junggar officials.

Speaking of this matter, Zhu Jinghong also felt strange.

Previously, the Junggar frontline was severely defeated, and even their young master was captured alive. The Junggar people didn't send anyone to negotiate, as if they didn't care about Ling's life or death at all, and were bent on fighting the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Jinghong was thinking, and Nuo Min was also looking at her, thinking about the entanglements he imagined.

"Master Thirteen, let's meet up. I think Qiqige misses you very much too!"

Nuo Min's sudden words made Zhu Jinghong dumbfounded. This girl was too naive.

Speaking of Qiqige, although Zhu Jinghong has little contact with her, he knows that she is an independent person.

Zhu Jinghong smiled and replied: "She only has hatred for me, where does the longing come from!"

Just when Nuo Min wanted to persuade her again, she heard Zhu Jinghong say: "Forget it... Since you are interceding for her, then meet her!"

In fact, it was not all for Nuo Min's sake, because Zhu Jinghong was also very curious at this time as to what the reason for Qiqige's trip was.

Is it for peace? Or to save his brother? Or for some other reason?

Thinking of this, Zhu Jinghong became more and more excited.

"Just bring her here, and only she is allowed to come here alone!"

"Yes... I'll go right away!" Nuo Min responded, and it was obvious that she was very happy.

Nuo Min jumped away and left Zhu Jinghong alone on the high platform. After drinking two drinks alone, he suddenly felt lonely.

Listening to the laughter and laughter coming from the surrounding camps, Zhu Jinghong felt more and more lonely, so he drank two more glasses of wine.

"I'm so hypocritical!"

After laughing at himself, Zhu Jinghong thought about the next thing, and time passed much faster.

Two moments passed quickly, and the voice of inquiry from under the high platform pulled Zhu Jinghong out of reality.

After repeated questioning, Nuomin and his wife were let in by the guards.

At this moment, Qiqige was wearing a cloak, and her whole body was covered in it, but she could still see through the gaps in her hoodie. Her eyes were slightly red, largely because she had cried just now.

She was not idle along the way. She kept looking at the surrounding situation and observing the Ming army's garrison situation.

In the past, her heart was as high as the sky, and she always felt that the Junggars were first-rate and powerful. But now her idea was completely shattered, and the strength of the Ming army made her feel despair.

The dramatic changes in her family left her heartbroken.

Arriving under the high platform, Qiqige was inevitably interrogated again. No matter how Nuo Min explained, the guards did not let her go.

"Let them come up!"

As Zhu Jinghong's words came out from the high platform, the guards below made way to allow Qiqige and the two to pass.

The two of them went up to the high platform together. At this time, Zhu Jinghong was still sitting on the chair, looking calmly at Qiqige after a long absence.

They were really affectionate... Nuomin saw a different scene in his eyes, and sighed in his heart.

After taking off her shirt and hat, Qiqige looked at Zhu Jinghong and saluted, "Greetings to the Thirteenth Master!"

"Why did you come to see me?"

"My daughter is willing to help Thirteenth Master and capture the city of Hami!"

Zhu Jinghong was fully prepared and would respond appropriately to any temptation, but he didn't expect Qiqige to say such a thing.

After a few breaths, Zhu Jinghong asked: "Are you going to betray your family?"

"Why?"

Qiqige untied the cloak and let it fall to her feet. Then she walked forward and said, "It was Junggar who betrayed my father and brother!"

Zhu Jinghong became even more curious when he heard this, but he didn't rush to ask questions and just waited for Qiqige to continue.

"My brother was defeated in the front and was captured. My father already wanted to discuss the matter, so he secretly summoned his confidants to discuss it!"

"The imperial army has been victorious in successive battles, and now its frontline is pointing directly at Hami. A few days ago, my father summoned the ministers to formally propose a plan for a merger..."

Zhu Jinghong remained calm-faced. In his opinion, this was the thinking of normal people. If this battle continues, Junggar will definitely be defeated, and by then Qiqige's family will have to be liquidated.

It is very necessary to stop the troops and negotiate an alliance in time, even if it is just to delay time.

"However, on the afternoon of the ceremony, my father died suddenly in his palace, and the princes of various ministries immediately elected a new Great Khan!"

Boy, this situation is even more exciting.

What puzzled Zhu Jinghong was that Jin Yiwei would have reported such important news, but he had not received the news.

So Zhu Jinghong asked: "With such a change, no news came out?"

"The incident occurred seven days ago. Since then, news has been strictly blocked inside and outside Yili, and all transportation arteries have been blocked, so the matter has not spread yet!"

"Since it was strictly sealed, why were you able to escape from the city? And you were allowed to escape to our army's formation!"

Faced with the question, Qiqige replied: "There are always some loyal ministers in my family. Seeing that I was alone, they helped me!"

Zhu Jinghong didn't ask any more questions. He planned to have someone investigate this matter. The truth would be clearly revealed when the time came. At the moment, he was actually more concerned about another matter.

"You said you would help me capture the city of Hami. How can you help me?"

Qiqige replied: "I am willing to go to the front of the battle in person to expose the Ili rebellion and persuade the defenders to surrender!"

"What conditions do you have?" Zhu Jinghong asked directly.

At this time, Qiqige had come to him, picked up the wine bottle and poured wine while saying: "I only want to help the court, put down the rebellion, and avenge my family!"

Holding the wine glass with both hands, Qiqige knelt down in front of Zhu Jinghong and begged: "Please do it for me, Lord Thirteen!"

After staring at Qiqige for a few seconds, Zhu Jinghong took the wine glass and said with a smile: "Then it depends on your performance!"

Zhu Jinghong can guarantee that his words have absolutely no other meaning. He just hopes that Qiqige will persuade him to surrender tomorrow and perform well.

But Qiqige couldn't stop her from thinking too much. She stood up and pulled off her hairpin, then lay down in Zhu Jinghong's arms.

"As long as Master Thirteen is willing to help me take revenge, I can do anything you want!"

Zhu Jinghong was stunned for a moment, and Nuo Min on the side was also shocked, secretly thinking that Qiqige was really unruly and unruly, actually snatching a man in front of him.

Nuo Min walked closer and said, "Sister, Master Thirteen is not such a person!"

Qiqige had no time to care about other things, so she kept staring at Zhu Jinghong and feeling the changes in certain parts of his body.

After the scene was silent for a few moments, Zhu Jinghong was heard saying: "Perform your efforts to persuade her to surrender tomorrow!" "Nuomin, take her down to rest, and then come to my place. I have something to tell you!"

"Yes!" Nuo Min responded, then leaned over to help Qiqige up.

It was early morning on September 25th, the twelfth year of Orthodoxy.

In the freezing cold wind, all units of the Ming army were ready for battle and could cover the city with fire at any time.

Nowadays, the effective range of the North Four Guards' artillery is about 600 meters. In order to improve accuracy and coverage, their positions are as close as 300 meters.

This distance is beyond the range of bows and arrows. Although the defenders have artillery, they are old cannons and pose little threat.

The most important thing is that these cannons on the Hami city wall will become the focus of attack soon. According to the battle plan, it is best to cancel them all at once.

In front of the formation, under the tight protection of a large shield, Liu Fang led Qiqige all the way forward.

As they approached, the people on the wall also paid attention to them.

Tibur was not on the tower at this time, but at a very ordinary crenel. Obviously he understood that it was not safe to stay on the tower.

"General, just use artillery to kill those people!" Someone next to Tibul suggested.

The two previous wars had caused a deadly feud between the two sides. Apparently, this general had relatives killed by the Ming army, so he was so aggressive at this time.

"Let's see what tricks they are playing!" Tibul said in a deep voice.

In fact, he could probably guess the Ming army's intention, but Tibur still didn't release the arrow because he subconsciously wanted to delay the war.

Repeated defeats cast a shadow on Tiebul's heart, stamping the thought that this battle must be defeated.

It's just this fact that Tiebul will never admit.

Let's say that under the city wall, Liu Fang and his party stopped about twenty feet away from the city wall. From this distance, the shouts could be heard clearly.

Under the protection of the big shield, Liu Fang cleared her throat, and then shouted: "People in the city tower, listen, I am Liu Fang, deputy governor of the Northwest Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty, and I have been ordered to come here today to show you a way out!"

"Now that you are surrounded, the only way to resist is to die. As long as you are willing to surrender, Ming Dynasty can forgive your sins!"

"Now is your chance to find a way out. I hope you will make a wise choice and become His Majesty the Emperor's ministers again!"

Every sentence Liu Fang shouted was shouted out by the translator, so that the nearby Junggar soldiers could hear it, and then these people spread the news.

The atmosphere on the city wall was already pessimistic. After hearing these words, it gradually became agitated, which affected the morale of the soldiers to a certain extent.

"You Ming people have killed so many of our brothers, and now you want to trick us into surrendering, so that we can induce us to put down our weapons and let you slaughter us. You Ming people are simply vicious..."

"Brothers, surrender is a dead end, only a dead end..."

Tiebul took the lead in shouting, and other Dzungar officers also followed suit to calm the morale of the army, directly equating surrender with death.

Soldiers may survive if they surrender, but if generals surrender, their families will die, so they are determined to drag soldiers into war.

"Warriors of Junggar, I am Qiqige, the daughter of the Han Dynasty. I am here to convey the order of the Great Khan, asking you to immediately put down your weapons and surrender to the court..."

After Liu Fang shouted to no avail, Qiqige finally appeared in front of everyone.

Although it was not far enough to see the person's face clearly from a distance of twenty feet, Tibur could already hear Qiqige's voice.

Not only him, most of the other generals on the city wall also recognized Qiqige.

Just now the soldiers were in commotion, now even the generals are in commotion.

To a certain extent, Qiqige can represent her father, and now she is here to "deliver an order".

The generals can ignore Ming's threats, but should they carry out the Khan's orders?

But will the Great Khan really bring down the light? Since Ming has come, why not send someone to deliver the order? Why did you send your daughter here?

So the generals began to doubt that they could not let tens of thousands of soldiers lay down their weapons and let others slaughter them just because of a few words from a woman.

At this time, Qiqige did not dare to speak out about the coup in Ili, because then these frontline soldiers, worried about the safety of their families, would still serve the new Khan as their leader, and would not listen to her persuasion to surrender.

The city of Hami was of vital importance, and Yili also knew it, so on the day of the coup, an envoy was sent to convey the military order ordering it to stick to it.

However, due to the large number of Ming army scouts, this team of messengers was forced to hide in Tibet. Instead, they arrived one day later than Qiqige.

By coincidence, these people had already entered the city from Hami North City and had arrived at South City.

"Qiqige and her brother Bater attempted to usurp the throne and murder the Great Khan. After their failure, they fled Ili. Now the Great Khan is ordering people to arrest them!" the messenger shouted loudly.

Good guy, this news is even more exciting, and it also makes the situation extremely unfavorable for Qiqige.

"Is this happening? Is the Great Khan okay?" Tibur found the envoy and asked after confirming his identity.

The envoy replied: "The Great Khan was seriously injured, and now Ili is in charge of His Highness Narisong!"

Risong was Alabutan's brother that day. Logically speaking, the Khan position should be his. Unfortunately, his father abolished the eldest son and established a younger one.

"Everyone, these things are all caused by Ming people. They want to exterminate our people, so we must not surrender!"

"Reinforcements are on the way, and there is also a large army of Rakshasa Kingdom to help. As long as you persist for a few days, the siege of Hami will be easily solved!"

The messenger's words were very loud, so they were heard by the translator outside the city, and they were immediately conveyed to Liu Fang.

"let's go!"

Liu Fang was very decisive because he had realized that the possibility of persuading surrender was infinitely equal to zero.

Before leaving, Liu Fang couldn't help but look at Qiqige more and secretly thought that this girl was really not simple.

Regardless of whether he was trying to kill his biological father or not, it is remarkable that he was involved in these incidents and escaped unscathed. The key is that he was so bold and dared to go to the front of the battle to persuade him to surrender.

"Shoot her to death!" the messenger shouted, threatening Tibul to give the order quickly.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Qiqige immediately turned her horse's head and galloped far away. She also knew that she was in very danger now.

"Fire arrows..."

The horse galloped and quickly ran a distance of more than ten feet. Qiqige was already out of range, so the wave of arrows could not hurt her.

"Hurry up and prepare to meet the enemy!" Tibur shouted loudly.

In less than three minutes, Liu Fang returned to the Chinese army camp and, in desperation, restored her life to Zhu Jinghong.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong was sitting on the top chair very casually. After listening to Liu Fang's report, he immediately said: "Then order all the ministries to fire according to the planned plan!"

"Yes!" Liu Fang responded.

Under his message, orders began to be conveyed one after another. The nearest Habayashi Zuowei was the first to load, then lit the fuse and began the bombardment.

There was only a loud roar as the first artillery shell was fired. Unfortunately, the artillery fire did not focus on the target, but hit the city wall.

This is already a very good effect. Next, you only need to adjust the muzzle slightly to hit the city wall.

Each guard is equipped with 100 artillery pieces, and the four northern guards add up to 400 artillery pieces. It is really a spectacular scene to fire together.

The smoke from the muzzle is like flowers, blooming in this wilderness.

Boom... boom... boom...

Listening to the constant roaring, Zhu Jinghong picked up the telescope and began to observe the situation on the front line.

"The Habayashi Right Guards fought well. Nearly half of the cannons stationed on the section of the city wall they were responsible for have been destroyed. Their gunners need to be commended!"

This sentence was naturally recorded by the staff and will be used as the original data for determining military merit after the war.

"How did the Yulin left guard fight? Why did Lao go up to the tower to attack his first line of defense!" Zhu Jinghong said in a stern tone.

Although the battle plan was clearly formulated, Yulin Left Guard did not strictly implement it, which made Zhu Jinghong particularly dissatisfied.

Looking back, Zhu Jinghong said in a stern tone: "Ziying, go to the front immediately and ask what's going on!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)