I'm in the Red Mansion

Faced with the heavy losses, Tu Hai’s face turned pale.

In fact, there are ways to overcome the threat of catapults.

For example, the moat could be filled with earth.

It is not necessary to fill up the entire moat, just a road about ten feet wide will be enough.

And the filling material does not necessarily have to be soil.

You can use wooden stakes, or even stones, steel, etc.

But doing so will take more time.

What Tu Hai lacks most now is time.

He didn't dare to delay too long. If he delayed for too long, Da Xia might send a large number of reinforcements.

Once the reinforcements from Daxia arrive, he will really not be able to take Jizhou City.

Even before the Qing court knew about this, if he failed to capture Jizhou City, he would be in big trouble.

Therefore, he simply couldn't wait that long.

Next, Tu Hai prepared to use the simplest and most brutal method, which was the human wave tactic.

Since one thousand rafts cannot break through the defense line, what if I use ten thousand rafts?

Even if there are only four or five soldiers on a raft, it can transport 40,000 to 50,000 people at a time.

There are no mountains or hills in Jizhou City, and there is no place to mine stones.

Tu Hai believed that there were not many stones in Jizhou City.

Even if they moved all the stones out of Jizhou City, the amount would definitely be limited.

Even if the loss of these 40,000 to 50,000 people is 10,000 or 20,000, if only 20,000 or 30,000 people go through, they will surely be able to annihilate all the Xia troops under the city wall.

After that, they could easily build a pontoon bridge to allow the entire army to pass.

After passing it, he would attack the city at all costs, and he would be able to recapture Jizhou City in two or three days at most.

Thinking of this, Tu Hai immediately ordered people to continue cutting down trees and building rafts.

This time, the three armies worked hard and spent a whole day to finally build more than 10,000 rafts.

This time, Tu Hai directly mobilized 50,000 soldiers, with five people on each raft, ready to launch a thundering attack.

At this time, the Xia army on the other side of the moat became extremely worried.

At this time, only Jia Cong was able to remain calm.

Because he has a backup plan.

Next, Jia Cong commanded the soldiers to continue attacking with catapults.

The rocks drew beautiful parabolas in the air and smashed the rafts.

However, this time, the Qing Dynasty deployed too many rafts.

The attacks from the catapults were completely unable to block them.

The raft was moving at a very fast speed.

The moat is only about a hundred meters wide.

Soon, the rafts reached the middle of the river one after another.

It seemed that we would soon be able to row to the other side of the river.

Xia Jun's heart was in his throat.

At this time, the Qing army also began to shoot with bows and arrows.

Although the raft was very bumpy and difficult to aim.

However, they have an absolute advantage in numbers and there is no need to aim at all.

Fortunately, the Xia army had built defenses early on and were able to hold off one or two attacks.

But because time is too tight, it is difficult to cover everything.

Therefore, there have been casualties on the Xia army's side.

Although the number was not large, it made Xia Jun start to get nervous.

The Qing army's rafts were closing in step, and the rafts in front were about to reach the shore.

The next moment, they could rush over at any time.

At this moment, Jia Cong quickly issued orders.

Then, a black smoke rose up.

And this is also a signal of attack.

Next, all the soldiers were replaced with rockets.

At this time, the Xia army soldiers couldn't help but have some doubts in their hearts.

In fact, the Qing army should have used rockets to attack as soon as they entered the water.

The rockets could set the Qing army’s rafts on fire and even affect the surrounding rafts.

Isn't it too late to use it now when the Qing army is about to cross the moat?
However, military orders are as heavy as mountains, and they have to carry out the orders as the general gives them.

Therefore, all the soldiers, without hesitation, switched to rockets and shot directly at the raft.

Whoosh!
Whoosh!Whoosh!
Rockets, trailing long trails of fire, shot straight towards the raft.

Of course, more rockets still fell onto the water.

boom!
The next moment, flames suddenly burst into flames on the water surface.

Huh?
Shouldn't it be the raft that was on fire? Why was the water on fire?
Looking closely, there was indeed a raging fire burning on the water surface.

Because the raft was made of newly cut trees, it was not easy to burn even if a rocket was shot at it.

However, even the raft was not easy to burn, so why did the water surface burn?

At this time, the Xia army and the Qing army only realized it belatedly.

I'm afraid the general secretly ordered people to pour a large amount of kerosene?
Indeed, it is.

If kerosene had been poured into the moat at the beginning, the Qing army would not be blind, so how could they not see it?
Besides, the smell of kerosene can also be smelled.

However, after the Qing army's rafts went down the river, they took the opportunity to dump kerosene.

At this time, the Qing army's attention was all focused on the stones thrown by the catapults.

I automatically ignored the kerosene and the smell.

Now, when all the Qing army rafts have been launched into the river and have covered the entire moat, they will fire rockets to set fire.

The Qing army was left with no way to escape.

At this time, the entire moat was burning fiercely, and in a very short time, it turned into a flowing sea of ​​fire.

The 50,000 Qing troops on the raft were all engulfed in the sea of ​​fire.

The raging fire burned their bodies and they screamed miserably. Many of them suffocated before they could even scream.

Some lucky ones quickly jumped into the moat.

However, the weapons and armor on their bodies made them extremely dense, and they could not float after jumping into the river.

Well, even if we could float to the surface, there would be a raging fire burning on the surface of the water, and the result would not be much better.

The air was filled with a burnt, rotten smell.

There were a few lucky ones whose rafts had reached the other side. They hurriedly jumped out of danger and rushed madly to the shore.

However, what awaited them was endless arrow attacks from the Xia army.

At this point, they can only be slaughtered.

The real lucky ones were the Qing troops who had just entered the river on the other side.

Seeing that the situation was not good, they hurriedly fled to the shore.

However, although they escaped from the sea of ​​fire, they could not escape from the heat.

Most of these few lucky ones only ran a few steps before they stumbled and fell to the ground, wailing in pain, and soon died.

Only a very few lucky ones managed to escape from the sea of ​​fire.

They screamed in fear and ran back like crazy.

Then he fell to his knees and burst into tears.

It was so miserable that those who heard it cried and those who listened to it felt sad.

On the inside of the moat, the Xia army looked at the Qing army engulfed in the sea of ​​fire and couldn't help but burst into cheers!
This time, as many as 40,000 to 50,000 Qing troops were buried in the sea of ​​fire.

It turned out that the general had already arranged everything and was just waiting for the Qing army to fall into an ambush!
How could they have been so afraid before?

On the Qing army side, the remaining hundreds of thousands of Qing soldiers couldn't help but feel a chill all over their bodies when they saw tens of thousands of comrades buried in the sea of ​​fire.

They really didn't expect that Xia Jun would have such vicious means.

Previously, they were very envious of the soldiers who landed first, because although landing was dangerous, it also meant they could make meritorious service.

At this moment, the only feeling in the hearts of these survivors was gratitude.

Fortunately, it was not their turn to go, otherwise, they would have been the ones to die in the fire.

When the Qing army general Tu Hai saw this scene, he felt very upset.

He felt a sweetness in his throat, and the next moment, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, and his body fell backwards!
"General! General!"

After rescue, Tu Hai quickly regained consciousness.

He was very haggard, with bloodshot eyes and a bloodthirsty look on his face, like an old lion.

This time, the loss was too great!

There were 50,000 soldiers, but less than a thousand survived.

Even these thousand people were almost all frightened out of their wits, and most of them became unconscious.

Including this time, he has lost about 70,000 soldiers and horses!

Seventy thousand!
Before this, the Qing Dynasty and Daxia had fought for so many years, but had never suffered so many casualties.

This loss left him with no way out.

Even if he could capture Jizhou City, he would definitely not end up well.

However, if he fails to capture Jizhou City, I am afraid his entire family will be killed without a burial place!

At this time, for the sake of his family, he had no choice but to fight hard to capture Jizhou City.

As long as he can capture Jizhou City, he can protect his family.

Thinking of this, Tu Hai stood up again.

This time, Tu Hai decided to prepare slowly rather than take risks.

This time, he planned to build a floating bridge and pave it across bit by bit.

Then use a large army to besiege Jizhou City and take it at all costs.

Next, Tu Hai gave orders to the soldiers to start building a steel pontoon bridge.

The fire burned for a long time until the kerosene in the water was burned out and the flames were extinguished.

However, the unpleasant smell in the air lingered for a long time.

I'm afraid it will take a while to dissipate.

In Jizhou City, everyone was smiling and excited.

The General is truly amazing!
In the past, almost everyone in Daxia was afraid of the Qing Dynasty like a tiger.

I felt that the Manchus were unrivaled in cavalry and archery, and extremely brave, and could not be defeated.

But today, the general just used a fire and easily burned to death 40,000 to 50,000 Qing soldiers.

How many troops did the entire Qing Dynasty have?
I was afraid that the general could just set a few fires and burn all the Qing soldiers to death.

But Jia Cong did not relax.

The Qing army suffered such a great loss that they are unlikely to invade again within the next three or two days.

They must find a foolproof plan before continuing the attack.

However, they would not give up after suffering such a huge loss. Now Tu Hai still had 120,000 to 130,000 soldiers and horses, and still had an absolute advantage.

The next time they come back, I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to resist.

Now, we must make further arrangements.

Next, Jia Cong recruited civilians again and asked them to come to the city wall again to start arranging defenses again.

The air here is still scorching hot, and the ground is a little hot to the feet. People will sweat profusely after standing for a while.

And because it was closer to the moat, the air was filled with a disgusting smell.

Fortunately, the weather was gradually getting colder at this time.

If the weather is hot, I'm afraid the plague will break out in a few days.

Now, Jia Cong didn't have the time to salvage all the corpses in the river.

Jia Cong distributed masks to every laborer. Wearing a mask, the smell became much lighter.

And the wages were increased to fifty cents per day.

Therefore, despite the extremely poor environment, almost all the people in Jizhou City came to sign up.

While these workers were working, Jia Cong ordered people to deliver buckets of mung bean soup.

The environment here is indeed a bit bad, and Jia Cong can't let these laborers get sick from heatstroke.

Next, Jia Cong personally took command and asked them to start work according to his own deployment.

On the other side of the moat, Tu Hai stared at the other side of the river with murderous intent in his eyes.

However, no matter how angry he was, he had to be alert at this time.

I wonder what these Xia troops are doing?
Previously, they had killed nearly 50,000 of their own soldiers.

Now, I wonder what kind of sinister trap they have set?

At this moment, Tu Hai suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

Now he still has nearly 130,000 soldiers and horses left.

But if this top scholar of Daxia set another vicious trap, how many times would his 130,000 soldiers be able to trap and kill people? !
Tu Hai felt his scalp tingling and he almost gave up his plan to capture Jizhou City.

However, for the sake of his family's lives, he had to continue to persevere.

……

But at this time, Niu Jizon's urgent military information from 800 miles away arrived in the capital again.

This time, the news made the people of the entire capital city go crazy.

After Emperor Yonglong received the news, he stood up suddenly.

He read the report over and over again in ecstasy and it took him a long time to calm down.

That little guy really keeps giving him surprises!

And the surprises are bigger each time.

This time, they even recovered Jizhou City, one of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun can be said to be Emperor Yonglong's greatest ambition after he ascended the throne.

However, the national strength of Daxia was declining.

It is already very difficult to just maintain the status quo.

The chance of realizing his wish is becoming increasingly slim.

But what he never expected was that this little guy Jia Cong did it quietly.

This really gave him a big surprise!
Next, Emperor Yonglong hurriedly summoned his important ministers to the imperial study to discuss the matter.

When the civil and military officials learned of this, they were all shocked.

It's not all joy, there's also shock.

Soon, all the ministers gathered in the imperial study.

Kou Xiang, Lin Ruhai, Prince Beijing and others all congratulated in unison: "Your Majesty, congratulations, Your Majesty!"

The rest of the ministers had no choice but to follow suit and congratulate.

After the situation calmed down, Emperor Yonglong said, "Well, all the ministers are here. Next, let's discuss it. Now that we have captured Jizhou City, what should we do next?"

Kou Xiang couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, General Jia's recovery of Jizhou City is an unprecedented achievement!"

"Recovering Jizhou City is of vital importance to our Great Xia."

"Now that we have recovered Jizhou City, we can recover the other fifteen states of the Sixteen States of Yanyun. We can then drive the barbarians out of Daxia and recover our land!"

"Therefore, now we naturally have to fully support Jizhou City and ensure that Jizhou City is not lost."

"And from now on, we must make Jizhou the center of our northern operations. Relying on Jizhou, we will gradually recover the surrounding territories."

Lin Ruhai stepped out and said, "What Prime Minister Kou said is a plan for the country. Jizhou City is of vital importance to our Great Xia."

"Now that we have it, we must not lose it."

Prince Beijing stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I second the motion."

Recapturing Jizhou City was a great victory for Daxia.

The war faction was naturally overjoyed and strongly supported Kou Xiang's argument.

At this time, Prime Minister Qin stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed!"

Emperor Yonglong glanced at Prime Minister Qin and asked, "Oh, I wonder what your opinion is?"

Prime Minister Qin said: "Your Majesty, the Qing Dynasty is strong, how can you swallow this? It will definitely lead to crazy revenge from the Qing Dynasty."

"If the Qing Dynasty launches a war that will destroy the country, how can Great Xia resist? This is one of the reasons!"

"Secondly, even if Great Xia gathers all its strength and can defend Jizhou City, the transportation route is too long."

"I don't know how much manpower, material resources and financial resources will be consumed in a year. I am afraid that this alone is enough to drag down our Great Xia. Your Majesty, please think twice."

After Prime Minister Qin finished speaking, Prime Minister Kou sneered and said, "According to Prime Minister Qin's words, our Great Xia should hand over Jizhou City, apologize to the Qing Dynasty, and pay compensation and cede land?"

Prime Minister Qin said sternly: "Otherwise, in my opinion, it would be better to start peace talks with the Qing Dynasty."

"Let them exchange the lands of Wenzhou and Mozhou for Jizhou."

"Wenzhou and Mozhou are closer to Daxia, which is more conducive to our defense."

“This move can be said to kill two birds with one stone.”

Hearing this, Prime Minister Kou couldn't help but curl his lips and said, "The land of Wenzhou and Mozhou combined is not even half the size of Jizhou."

"Moreover, Wenzhou and Mozhou have no strategic locations to defend, and the Qing Dynasty can launch an attack on them at any time."

"Qin Xiang really made a good calculation, and he always considered the Qing Dynasty. I don't know whether you are the prime minister of the Qing Dynasty or the prime minister of Daxia."

Hearing this, Qin Xiang could not help but get furious. He could not help but say, "You, you are going too far!"

Next, a quarrel broke out between the pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction.

However, today, the peace faction is not very popular.

It seems that some people among the peace faction also think that they should defend Jizhou City.

Emperor Yonglong slammed the table and said in a deep voice: "You are all important officials of Daxia. How can you quarrel so much?"

When Emperor Yonglong got angry, the scene suddenly became quiet.

Emperor Yonglong said: "No need to argue anymore, prepare to support Jizhou City."

"Now that we have taken Jizhou, we cannot afford to lose it."

"Yes! Your Majesty is wise!"

As for the reward for Jia Cong, no one mentioned the matter, neither Emperor Yonglong nor the civil and military officials, including Prime Minister Kou and the pro-war factions such as Lin Ruhai.

Recapturing Jizhou City is certainly a great achievement, but it is also necessary to be able to hold it before we can be credited with further achievements.

Otherwise, even if we reward it now, we fail to defend it and it is taken back by the Qing Dynasty.

But the imperial court has already announced it to the world, so wouldn't it become a joke then?

……

It is said that Niu Jizong, with an army of 50,000, had already arrived behind the Qing army.

However, Niu Jizong ordered his army to hide far away.

His army of 50,000 had no power to resist the Qing army of 180,000.

Once discovered by the Qing army, his 50,000-strong army would probably be swallowed up in one bite.

Niu Jizong kept sending out scouts to find out the news of the Qing army's siege on the city.

He was prepared to provide support at any time if Jizhou City was unable to hold out.

At the same time, Niu Jizong also secretly sent someone to contact Jia Cong.

So that Jia Cong would know that there were 50,000 reinforcements outside the city, and that Jia Cong would also be able to have an idea of ​​the situation.

Unexpectedly, before his people could contact Jia Cong, they received the news that Jia Cong had burned nearly 50,000 Qing soldiers.

This news first left Niu Jizong stunned, and then he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This junior is so amazing!
This fire killed 50,000 Qing soldiers!
This time, the Qing army suffered heavy losses.

Niu Jizong estimated that the remaining number of Qing troops was about 130,000.

Although they were still defeated, if the 50,000 soldiers he led could enter Jizhou City.

Sixty thousand soldiers are definitely more than enough to defend the city.

Therefore, Niu Jizong continued to send out scouts to spy on military intelligence.

Always ready to rescue.

Niu Jizong continued to report to Emperor Yonglong the news that Jia Cong had set a fire to kill 50,000 Qing soldiers and that he himself had led an army of 50,000 to provide support.

In Jizhou City, the personal soldiers sent by Niu Jizong finally took advantage of the night and quietly swam across the moat and reached the other side.

God knows what kind of mental blow he suffered when he was swimming in the moat.

Not to mention the unpleasant smell spreading in the river, the corpses that could be touched everywhere made him feel even more creepy.

The moat is quite deep, but too many people died...

After finally diving to the other side, he was almost shot to death on the spot as soon as he emerged.

If he hadn't dodged quickly and shouted in time, he would have died here in vain.

Fortunately, he survived and met Jia Cong.

When Jia Cong learned the news, he became even more excited.

Originally, based on his various arrangements, he was confident that he could withstand the attack of the Qing army this time.

In fact, he did not take Niu Jizong's support into account and gave the enemy some leniency.

When calculating his own strength, Jia Cong strictly calculated according to the most pessimistic scenario.

Now Niu Jizong actually came to support, which was a pleasant surprise.

Jia Cong ordered his men to take Niu Jizong's personal soldiers away to rest.

Next, Jia Cong began to think about how to get in close contact with Niu Jizong and exchange information.

And he made use of Niu Jizong's 50,000 troops.

As for the Qing army, after three days of hard work, they finally gathered all the materials for the floating bridge to cross the river.

These were all floating bridges that they had summoned the blacksmiths in the army to forge day and night.

The shape is roughly similar to the iron racks of later generations, and these iron racks are placed forward in the water one section at a time.

Then stone slabs were laid on top, and thus a section of the floating bridge was completed.

The Qing army decided to build three pontoon bridges.

The main reason is actually to disperse the defensive forces of the Xia army.

The pontoon bridge was not wide, and due to its limited width, the Qing army was unable to deploy its troops.

If the Xia army launched an all-out ambush on the other side of the river, they would have to pay a heavy price before they could get through.

By building three floating bridges, the pressure was reduced to one third. (End of this chapter)