Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 286: All in One Go

Xichangkou is a huge valley formed by two mountains, only 180 miles away from Yafu Pass in Liaodong.

On one side of the hillside, several strong men were crawling in the snow.

These people wore warm animal-skin hats, thick leggings, and had goose-feather knives commonly used by the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty on their waists.

Since the forward military stations at the Liaodong passes were abandoned, the Liaodong Army sent out multiple scouts to scout the enemy situation within a hundred miles outside the passes to fill the gaps created by the retreat of the military forts.

This team of scouts lost their way on a snowy night and accidentally advanced to a place 200 liang away from Yafu Pass, where they discovered the movements of the Jurchen tribes in a valley called Xichangkou.

Through the sparse yellow bushes, they saw countless soldiers and horses pouring out like a flood from the huge valley mouth at the foot of the mountain, a black mass, galloping towards the direction of Yafu Pass.

The faces of those scouts from the Great Zhou changed drastically, and they quickly retreated quietly, found horses in the woods, bypassed the ridge, and galloped towards Yafu Pass.

Even if they rushed back to report the news, compared to the speed of the Jurchen cavalry, they would only arrive half an hour earlier at most.

……

Since the Zhou army abandoned its fortress, the Jurchen tribes lost the most convenient way to plunder food and fodder.

All places on the Liaodong border were on high alert, closing their doors and defending their positions, leaving no trace of the Jurchen tribes.

Under the ravages of the long and severe winter in Liaodong, countless old and weak people died of cold and hunger.

If you don't want to sit and wait for death, you must break the deadlock, go all out, and select a large number of troops to break it.

This was the consensus reached by the leaders of the three Jurchen guards under such harsh and embarrassing circumstances.

The three of them were hereditary Jurchen nobles, and had inherited official positions and golden seals from the Great Zhou for generations. At the same time, the Great Zhou also kept them under control. Over the years, there had often been fights and mutual checks and balances between the three guards.

However, these ferocious and stubborn tribes that grew up between the white mountains and black waters still grew wildly and, in the past hundred years, developed into a considerable force.

Whenever there was a famine, the Jurchen tribes would march south to plunder, burn and kill, and tens of thousands of Han people died at the hands of the Jurchens.

Among the troops and horses that were advancing violently, the three men riding horses in the front were dressed in luxurious clothes, riding tall and strong horses that were picked from hundreds of miles away, and they were guarded by hundreds of personal guards.

The man in the middle was of sturdy build, with a rough face, an unruly look, and an air of bravery that could not be defeated.

This man was Dong Shan, the deputy governor of the Jurchen Left Guard. He was the youngest among the three guard leaders, but the strongest. He was skilled in martial arts, brave in battle, and a famous warrior among the Jurchens.

On his left was Li Manzhu, the deputy governor of the Jurchen Guards. He had grey hair and looked a little sleepy. He was the oldest and most experienced of the three guards leaders, and was a thoughtful and resourceful man.

The man on Dong Shan's right was tall and thin, with a full beard and a sinister and murderous look in his eyes. He was Fanercha, the deputy governor of the Jurchen Right Guard.

Fanercha is Dong Shan's uncle, but the uncle and nephew have always been at odds.

At that time, Dong Shan's father was the leader of the Jurchen Left Guard. After Dong Shan's father died, Fanercha and Dong Shan, uncle and nephew, fought each other for the position of Governor of the Left Guard.

Emperor Jiazhao, who had just ascended the throne for a few years at that time, adopted the strategy of driving away the wolf and swallowing the tiger. He set up the Jurchen Right Guard and appointed Fan Ercha as the co-governor of the Right Guard.

Because of this reason, the uncle and nephew have been fighting openly and secretly for nearly ten years, while the cunning Li Manzhu has been watching from the sidelines.

If it weren't for last year, Goryeo would have completely turned to the Great Zhou in order to suppress the Jurchen tribes and closed Qingyuanji on the border between Jianzhou and Goryeo, causing the Jurchen tribes to lose their important channels for obtaining supplies.

The Great Zhou continued to strictly control the trade with the Jurchen tribes. If it were not for these external factors, the three Jurchen guards, who were not in harmony with each other, might not have been able to unite.

However, the contradiction between them will not completely disappear because of this, it will just remain hidden.

……

This time, the three Jurchen guards almost came out in full force, gathering 4,000 elite cavalry, 3,000 infantry, and 1,000 auxiliary troops.

They also brought with them a large number of cattle and sheep as military rations, which were the last assets that the three Jurchen guards had scraped together.

The spies sent by Li Manzhu reported that the food and supplies sent from Guangning City to Yafu Pass were piled up like mountains, but there were less than three thousand troops stationed at Yafu Pass.

Moreover, the Jurchens have not attacked for nearly a month, so the Zhou people must have relaxed and slacked off. It is a good opportunity for us to march our troops out of danger and catch them by surprise...

If this battle fails, they will have to kill their horses to satisfy their hunger on their way back, and what awaits them will be a more difficult and predicament than the long winter.

...After Jia Cong brought Ai Li back from outside the city, he reported the enemy's whereabouts to Liu Yongzheng, the lieutenant general at the pass.

Liu Yongzheng had been in Liaodong for a long time and had heard the legend about the Saker Falcon, but legends were just legends, and he was still somewhat skeptical about the idea that a bird could detect the enemy.

However, he was still quite convinced of Jia Cong. This young man was full of talent, proficient in firearms, well versed in military strategy, and very diligent in his dealings with others.

It was he who proposed the idea of ​​retreating the military fort to General Liang, and it achieved excellent results. General Liang thought highly of this man and even transferred him from Lord Gu, the commander of nine provinces, to be his firearms staff.

This morning he took the initiative to go out of the city to gather information, and Liu Yongzheng also knew about it. He even sent him twenty cavalry guards. He believed that Jia Cong would never do anything without a purpose.

Moreover, after withdrawing from the military fortress, the Jurchens were in dire straits due to the severe winter and the war in Liaodong was at a delicate and urgent juncture. In order to be prepared for an eventuality, it is better to believe it than not.

Although Yafu Pass has an important geographical location and is the only way to communicate between the inside and outside of the pass, it is not a strong city like Guangning that can station 100,000 troops.

Three thousand troops are already the limit for stationing here. If the Jurchens come in large numbers, the risks involved will be unpredictable if reserve troops and food supplies are not prepared in advance.

So Liu Yongzheng immediately ordered the garrison at Yafu Pass to prepare for battle, and sent people on fast horses to bring back Liang Chengzong, who was on patrol at Yunding Pass this morning.

……

At Yafu Pass, on the city wall, Jia Cong, Liu Yongzheng and others accompanied Liang Chengzong to inspect the city defense armaments deployment.

Liang Chengzong and Liu Yongzheng held the same attitude towards the information about the Jurchen visit brought back by Jia Cong, just in case.

Liang Chengzong even mobilized some troops from the nearby Yonglan Pass to provide assistance.

Moreover, several teams of scout cavalry returned to the city this morning. Although they did not detect any enemy situation, two scout teams did not return on time.

There are two possible outcomes: one is delay along the way, the other is encountering enemy cavalry and being annihilated.

These elite and experienced scouts generally would not encounter the first situation. They are more likely to encounter the enemy, which can also indirectly confirm the accuracy of Jia Cong's information.

On top of the city wall, eight Portuguese cannons were lined up in a row, with their black muzzles pointing toward the vast wasteland outside the city wall, exuding a silent murderous aura.

The Portuguese artillery instructor Madelon is adjusting the best firing angle for each cannon, while instructing the soldiers of the artillery battalion on relevant skills and tricks.

Jia Cong saw a rare look of excitement on Madelen's face, as if the upcoming battle did not make him nervous at all.

Perhaps for an artillery expert, the most brilliant highlight of his life is when the artillery fire is fired accurately.

Jia Cong had sufficient communication with Madelen on a daily basis, and he was very clear about his intention of setting the distance of the ruler outside the city.

He believed that as long as he provided him with the best opportunity, Madelen would be able to maximize the power of the artillery.

It was not that Madelon wanted to help Da Zhou win the battle, but it was out of the technical instinct of a Portuguese artillery expert.

At this time, Jia Cong's attention was fixed on the two small catapults on the east side of the city wall. He asked Liu Yongzheng that these two catapults could throw up to 500 meters.

Liang Chengzong stroked the cold cannon body. That day, he was in the suburbs of Guangning and witnessed with his own eyes the power of the Portuguese cannon's three-round rapid fire.

This rapid-fire artillery was almost subversive in suppressing the large group of cavalry and infantry. He had great confidence in the upcoming results of the battle.

He said to Jia Cong: "Yu Zhang is the best firearms expert in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Whether the Jurchens can annihilate the enemy at the gates of the city depends on the power of your firearms!"

Jia Cong said: "General, the Jurchens have experienced the sharpness of the musket array, so they must be prepared for this attack. They will be more cautious within 200 steps of the musket array.

In order to inflict a heavy defeat on the Jurchens in this battle, the power of artillery was crucial. Although the artillery had a range of a thousand steps, its greatest lethality was within a thousand steps.

If a large force of Jurchens attacked, one army must be led to launch a feint attack to meet the enemy, luring the Jurchens into battle under the city walls. Only then could the power of artillery, porcelain mines, muskets and other firearms be brought into full play.

In addition, we need to attract another army to encircle the enemy's rear wing, attack the middle of the river, and completely defeat the enemy... "

……

In the firearms camp, hundreds of musketeers were lined up. These were soldiers with strong arm strength selected by Jia Cong after he appointed firearms staff, and they were trained in grenade throwing.

There were many wooden boxes piled up around Guo Zhigui and Jiang Xiaosi, which contained the porcelain mines shipped to Liaodong this time...

(End of this chapter)