The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 344 Do you still dare?

Ji Jinxiao was so angry at Jia Huan's questioning that he laughed sternly, "What a sharp-tongued bastard! When we attack you later, I'll tear your mouth, knock out your teeth, and peel off your skin. Let's see how you, a dead duck, can still be stubborn!"

Ji Jinxiao was so angry that he immediately ordered a group of death warriors to launch an attack. However, although these death warriors were fearless, they were ultimately helpless against the two-layer hedgehog-like walls. Soon, the first wave of attacks ended in vain, leaving only five corpses in the alley. One of the death warriors relied on his good jumping ability and climbed up the first outer wall. He leaped directly across the alley that was more than two meters wide and landed on the top of the inner wall. As a result, he was shot as soon as he stood firm. He fell from the five or six meter wall to the alley, and then was stabbed through the heart by a spear extending from the inner wall.

Seeing that the violent attack was not going to work, Ji Jinxiao finally calmed down, glanced at Zhang Yidong who was just watching the fun, and said unhappily: "Master Zhang, it will be dawn in two hours at most, what are you waiting for?"

Zhang Yidong stroked his beard and said, "Chief Executive Ji, please be patient. According to my careful observation just now, this temple is easy to defend but difficult to attack. I am afraid it will not work if we take it by force. Even if we take it, there will be heavy casualties."

Ji Jinxiao said with a stern face, "Master Zhang, what you said is redundant. We know that it is easy to defend but difficult to attack. But if we don't attack, do we still expect Jia Huan to open the door and come out to die?"

Zhang Yidong smiled and said, "Of course we have to attack, but we have to use a different method."

Ji Jinxiao snorted coldly: "What kind of attack method?"

"Fire attack!" Zhang Yidong uttered these two words with confidence.

Ji Jinxiao's eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "What a good idea! Just burn them all to death with a fire. It's a bit too easy for Jia Huan, the bastard."

Zhang Yidong shook his head and said, "The pain of being burned or choked alive can be reduced tenfold, and the key is that we don't have to spend a single soldier."

Ji Jinxiao nodded and said, "That's right, let's burn them to death."

At that moment, Zhang Yidong ordered his men to find kerosene, cloth, etc. to make rockets and shoot them at the Buddhist hall inside the wall. They also threw the burning wooden furniture inside. In an instant, it seemed as if a fire rained down from the sky. The salt soldiers, servants and Jinyiwei defending inside the wall suddenly panicked.

Jia Huan shouted, "Don't panic, everyone. Only the Jinyiwei will continue to defend the wall. Everyone else should start to put out the fire. Quickly!"

Upon hearing this, everyone rushed to put out the fire, leaving only the Jinyiwei to continue holding spears to prevent the enemy from climbing over the wall. However, putting out a fire is not as fast as starting one, not to mention that the entire Buddhist temple was now surrounded by five or six hundred people. If one person threw a fire inside, Jia Huan and others would not be able to put out the fire even if they had three heads and six arms.

The worst thing was that the main structure of the temple was made of wood. The rockets hit the roof and beams and quickly caught fire. How could they put out the fire? So, the fire eventually broke out, with blazing flames and billowing smoke.

At this moment, outside the wall, Ji Jinxiao listened to the terrified shouts from inside, and the wrinkles on his old face were relaxed with joy. He laughed and said, "Bastard, can you still be sharp-tongued at this time?"

Zhang Yidong looked at the raging fire inside, and the heavy stone that had been hanging in his heart for days finally fell to the ground. At the same time, he was also a little scared. This kid Jia Huan actually hid from his eyes and ears, sneaked back to Yangzhou, and brought back a cavalry. If he had been a little slower, the result would have been different. Now, it was all burned out once and for all, without any future trouble.

--boom
At this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the south of the city, shaking the earth and almost waking up the entire Yangzhou city. Many people got up from their beds and looked around in panic.

Zhang Yidong and Ji Jinxiao were both startled, but the next second, the sound of horses' hooves like thunder could be heard in the quiet night...

Zhang Yidong and Ji Jinxiao's faces changed drastically, with fear in their eyes. Naturally, such a noise could only be made by cavalry.

At this moment, the south gate of the old city of Yangzhou, also known as Anjiang Gate, had its two heavy doors blown to pieces by heavy artillery fire. Countless broken bricks and stones, as well as burning wood chips, were scattered all along the straight road into the city.

Under the faint moonlight on the night of Chinese Valentine's Day, a cavalry unit galloped across the suspension bridge like a dragon out of the sea, and rushed straight into the broken city gate. The rumbling iron hooves slammed violently against the granite on the long street, shaking the earth and scaring all the gods and ghosts!
Outside Anjiang Gate is the Grand Canal. At this moment, a row of warships are anchored on the canal. On one of the three-masted ships, the torches are as bright as day. On the main mast is a general's flag with a huge "Zhang" inscribed on it. It turns out to be the lieutenant general of the Jinling Navy - Zhang Guizhang.

At this moment, Lieutenant General Zhang was standing on the attic at the bow, watching the cavalry galloping into the city with a complicated expression. The red heavy cannon next to him was still smoking. It was obvious that the shot that just broke through the city gate was the masterpiece of this big guy.

It turns out that in addition to Tiehu, Jia Huan has another backup plan, that is the Navy Lieutenant General Zhang Guizhang.

When the bandits of Datong Mountain were being suppressed, Lieutenant General Zhang was in charge of leading the navy to block the Yangtze River to prevent Kang Dayong and his men from escaping to the sea along the Yangtze River. Two days ago, Jia Huan used a trick to escape and secretly returned to Yangzhou. Before leaving, he sent his personal soldiers to inform Lieutenant General Zhang downstream and ordered him to lead the navy to the city of Yangzhou as soon as possible to prepare for any emergency.

At that time, Kang Dayong's gang had been wiped out. Zhang Guizhang really didn't understand why Jia Huan asked him to rush to Yangzhou. However, since he successfully captured Chongmingsha under Jia Huan's command last time, Lieutenant General Zhang had been convinced of Jia Huan's ability. So after receiving Jia Huan's order, he led the navy to leave Zhenjiang without hesitation and headed straight for Yangzhou City.

As the saying goes, it is better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. Tiehu was at a loss as the city gates were closed, when he suddenly saw a navy coming from the lower reaches of the canal with a flag bearing the word "Zhang". He guessed it was Zhang Guizhang, the lieutenant general of the Jinling navy. The result was just as he had expected.

So Tiehu immediately boarded the ship to meet Zhang Guizhang in person, explained the whole situation, and asked Zhang Guizhang to use heavy artillery to blast open the south gate.

Zhang Guizhang was shocked and his first reaction was to refuse. He thought it was a joke. Bombarding the gate of Yangzhou city would be fine if something really happened, but if he found out later that it was a misunderstanding, then his behavior would be a serious crime.

Tiehu tried to persuade Zhang Guizhang in every possible way, and almost wore his lips out. Seeing that Zhang Guizhang still refused to agree, he became nervous. Just as he was about to take a tough approach, three flaring arrows suddenly shot into the sky from the city.

Zhang Guizhang was a little shaken when he saw this. Not long after, he saw fire rising from the city. Tiehu was so anxious that his eyes turned red. He stared at Zhang Guizhang as if he was going to eat him. The latter made up his mind and immediately ordered the artillery to fire.

The three-masted ship that Zhang Guizhang was riding on was the same Western armed merchant ship that Jia Huan had captured. The red heavy cannon on the bow was incredibly powerful, with a range of six or seven miles, so it blew up the city gate with one shot.

Seeing the city gate being blasted open, Tiehu left a message saying that Lao Zhang was a brave man and led his cavalry into the city.

It was the middle of the night, and the streets were empty, not even a ghost could be seen. The two hundred riders had no problem marching along the way, and soon arrived at the Imperial Salt Inspection Office. Seeing the flames rising from the direction of the back house, and the central door of the office wide open, Tiehu was extremely anxious, and he rode straight in, charging towards the back house. However, it was not suitable to charge into the house on horseback, so he had to dismount and walk.

Tiehu led two hundred brothers and rushed to the Buddhist temple, but saw that the outside of the temple was surrounded by people and a huge fire had already started. People outside were still throwing wood and other debris into the temple. He was furious and roared, then swung an eighty-jin iron rod and rushed forward.

A group of soldiers from the Salt Transport Bureau were so reckless that they rushed forward and tried to gang up on Tiehu. The result was predictable. Tiehu swept the soldiers away with just one move. The weapons in the hands of the salt soldiers were blown away. Then he swung the second stick, and flesh and blood flew everywhere, splashing a large amount of blood mist, causing a large number of casualties. His power was truly unstoppable.

Zhang Yidong and Ji Jinxiao, who were hiding in the back, witnessed this scene and were terrified. My god, this black guy is really a tiger reincarnated, a King Kong descended to the earth!

Tiehu was seen swinging an iron stick with great force, and wherever it passed, blood and flesh flew everywhere. Anyone who was touched died, and anyone who was touched was disabled. He was like an empty space. The two hundred brothers behind him were also extremely brave. They were not afraid of the yamen soldiers who outnumbered themselves by several times. They were unstoppable and killed the yamen soldiers in defeat.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Zhang Yidong and Ji Jinxiao fled to the back garden in a hurry. After they took the lead and ran away, the other soldiers dared not fight anymore. In a short while, they collapsed and were defeated. They fled in all directions.

"Third Master! Third Master!" Tiehu took two steps at a time and ran forward, swung the iron rod and smashed the door on the outer wall of the Buddhist hall. After only two hits, the door opened from the inside. A pungent smoke rushed in his face. Then a man rushed out first. It was Yi Hong, the commander of the Jinyiwei who was blinded in one eye.

A dozen Jinyi soldiers followed closely behind Yi Hong, and then Lu Xiangsheng rushed out quickly carrying Lin Ruhai on his back. The latter lay on his back motionless, and it was unknown whether he was choked to death or something.

Soon after, Lin Daiyu, Ping'er and others also staggered out, each of them covered in smoke, coughing and looking in a miserable state!
At this time, Dai Shilin and Jia Huan's personal soldiers also escaped from inside one after another. Seeing this, Tiehu became anxious and grabbed Dai Shilin and asked, "Xiao Dai, where is the Third Master?"

Dai Shilin was also choking with tears streaming down his face. He kept coughing and felt as if his chest was about to explode. It was not until Tiehu shook him vigorously that he realized that Jia Huan was not around. He said in a hoarse voice, "Third Master... Third Master was beside me just now."

Little Xing Yuan said with tears in his eyes, "Brother Huzi, I seemed to see little brother going to the Buddhist temple just now."

Lin Daiyu originally suffered from a respiratory disease which would flare up every spring and autumn. Now that she had inhaled too much smoke, her breathing became even more difficult. Her chest heaved violently and she almost felt like she was dying. But when she heard that Jia Huan had not come out, she was so frightened that she even struggled to go in to save him, scaring Xueyan and Ping'er so much that they held her tightly.

At this moment, there was a sudden loud bang. It turned out that the Buddhist hall was burned down by the fire. The flying charcoal even exceeded the five or six meter high wall and fell on everyone. The heat wave made the cavalrymen retreat quickly.

"Huan—brother!" Lin Daiyu cried out in grief and fell to the ground, tears falling like pearls from a broken string.

Ping'er was also pale at this moment, and she fell to the ground. Little Xing Yuan burst into tears, Xueying kept wiping her tears, and even Yi Hong looked at the collapsed Buddhist temple with a complicated expression, thinking: "This kid Jia Huan didn't escape, it seems he is dead, what a pity!"

Tiehu was also disappointed at this moment, his eyes were red, and he suddenly roared and was about to rush forward. Dai Shilin hurriedly grabbed him and shouted, "Brother Hu, don't be impulsive, you can't go in!"

Tiehu poked the iron rod into the ground with all his strength, breaking the thick stone slab. Seeing the raging flames in front of him, tears filled his eyes and he let out an unwilling roar!
Lin Daiyu felt a sharp pain in her heart, her heart was broken, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. She became completely exhausted, trembling like a withered branch in the cold wind.

However, just as everyone was heartbroken, suddenly a ball emitting billowing white mist rolled out from inside.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then took a closer look and realized that this was not a ball at all, but a person covered in a thin quilt. The quilt was probably wetted with water and was steaming under the high temperature, emitting white steam.

At this time, the man rolled on the ground a few times, tore off the thin quilt on his body, and lay on the ground coughing desperately.

"It's Master Huan San!" Dai Shilin shouted in surprise. Everyone looked closely and saw that it was none other than Jia Huan. Although he was smoked to a black like charcoal, he was still recognizable at a glance.

Instantly, thunderous cheers rang out all around!
"Third Master!" Tiehu rushed forward in ecstasy, but suddenly stopped, because Lin Daiyu, who seemed to have lost her soul just now, seemed to have suddenly come back to life at this moment, and she didn't know where she got the strength from, but she quickly pounced forward.

"Brother Huan, you scared me to death, woooo!" Lin Daiyu threw herself on Jia Huan and burst into tears. Tears left two white marks on her pretty face, which was ashen-colored.

Jia Huan coughed violently for a while, then slowly recovered and said with a hoarse voice, "Sister Lin... I'm fine. Look, luckily I didn't get burned."

As Jia Huan spoke, he took out something from underneath him. It turned out to be the spirit tablet of Mother Lin enshrined in the Buddhist temple. It seemed that he had turned around to take this.

Lin Daiyu pursed her lips and stared blankly at Jia Huan's darkened handsome face. She felt mixed emotions and suddenly grabbed Jia Huan's hand and bit the back of his wrist hard.

"Ah!" Ping'er, Xueyan and others couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise.

Jia Huan groaned in pain, and when Lin Daiyu opened her mouth, she saw two rows of neat and thin teeth marks on the back of his hand, with blood oozing out, which showed that the bite was quite severe.

"Miss Lin...you!" Ping'er was extremely heartbroken, but she didn't dare to say anything harsh.

"Will you dare to do it again in the future?" Lin Daiyu glared at Jia Huan with tearful eyes, seeming to be ashamed and annoyed, happy and sad.

Jia Huan couldn't help but feel a little nervous, and said to himself: "I'm afraid I won't dare to do that. Thank you, Sister Lin, for being lenient."

(End of this chapter)