I'm in the Red Mansion

Chapter 284: Burning in the water and on the shore, burning Qing soldiers to death

As for Jia Cong, he would naturally not miss this great opportunity.

Jia Cong sent out three catapult convoys to ambush three Qing army teams that were building pontoon bridges.

Because the Xia army occupied the advantage of geographical location, the attack of the Xia army also caused great losses to the Qing army.

However, Tu Hai's guess was correct in one thing, that is, there were not many stones in Jizhou City.

There is no stone produced in Jizhou City, and the stones accumulated in the city are not many.

The last time the Qing army used rafts to cross the river, they used a large number of stones.

Therefore, this time they soon ran out of stones.

Tu Hai was overjoyed when he saw this and ordered his soldiers to advance quickly.

Next, Jia Cong ordered three teams to carry out sniping attacks with bows and arrows.

However, the Qing army had been prepared for this and had shieldmen to resist at any time.

Jia Cong, seeing that the results were not good, simply and decisively withdrew the attacking army.

Then they closed the city gates tightly and blocked them with huge stones from the inside, showing an attitude of living and dying with the city.

If someone else behaved like this, Tu Hai would definitely think that the other person was afraid.

But when this person was Jia Cong, Tu Hai became extremely alert.

Something is wrong, something is terribly wrong!

Even if there were no stones left in Jizhou City, the effectiveness of their blocking with bows and arrows would be greatly reduced.

But in fact, the Daxia army had the advantage of geographical location and they had more people.

They still have the absolute upper hand.

The floating bridge built by the Qing Dynasty was extremely narrow. How many people could stand on it?

The Daxia army, on the other side of the moat, could, in principle, field several thousand men.

If they defend to the death at all costs, they will inevitably pay a heavy price.

However, the Xia army would rather not take advantage of this and chose to withdraw decisively.

Tu Hai would never believe that there was no trick involved.

Tu Hai judged that either there was a shortage of supplies in Jizhou City.

They were running out of arrows.

They had to keep the remaining arrows for defending the city and were unwilling to waste them here.

But this point doesn't make sense.

Because Tu Hai knew that there were already a large amount of supplies piled up in the warehouses of Jizhou City, so the shortage of arrows would definitely not be so severe at this moment.

Therefore, there is only one last possibility left for Daxia to choose to withdraw its troops.

That is, the Daxia side felt that this kind of sniping was too inefficient, and they had more effective ways to kill the enemy, so they decisively gave up using bows and arrows to block.

And what other means does Daxia have?

Is there any other method like setting fire to the moat?
For a moment, Tu Hai's expression became solemn.

But at this point, the arrow was already on the string and he had to shoot.

Although I was extremely alert, I could only respond to the opponent's moves.

The Qing army spent another day and finally completed the construction of the pontoon bridge.

But then, Tu Hai became cautious.

He did not, as originally expected, immediately lead his army forward and launch an all-out attack.

Instead, he sent 10,000 soldiers to launch a feint attack under the city. His main purpose was not to attack the city, but to find out what kind of ambushes and traps the Xia army had set under the city.

When they were building the pontoon bridge earlier, they saw that the Xia army had gathered tens of thousands of civilians and ambushed something here.

If he couldn't figure this out, Tu Hai wouldn't dare to send his entire army forward.

However, he sent out an army of 10,000 and searched almost every corner of the ground, but still could not find the traps set by the Xia army.

In Tu Hai's imagination, the trap set by Xia Jun was nothing more than a method similar to burning the moat.

Bury a large amount of kerosene under the ground early on, and then wait for their army to arrive before setting it on fire.

However, no matter how hard they searched, they could not find the kerosene.

Didn't even find anything that was an eyesore.

This made Tu Hai puzzled, and he even asked people to dig up several frames of soil from different places and send them back.

Tu Hai watched it for a long time personally, but couldn't see anything fishy.

While these 10,000 Qing troops were constantly exploring, the Daxia army would naturally not miss this opportunity.

He stood on the city wall and continued to attack the Qing army below with bows and arrows.

Even though the Qing army prepared shields.

However, the shield still has blind spots.

The Great Xia army stood on the city wall, looking down from above with ease.

After many rounds of random shooting, the Qing army still suffered heavy casualties. After most of the day, the Qing army lost at least another 1,000 or 2,000 people.

No wonder this guy stopped trying to stop them from building the pontoon bridge later on.

Standing on the city wall and shooting from a high vantage point is much more efficient than shooting from below.

Of course, Tu Hai knew that Xia Jun must have other intentions.

But for a moment, they found it difficult to see through Da Xia's tricks.

But Tu Hai no longer had time to wait.

He planned to launch a large-scale attack on the city starting from tomorrow, and he was sure to recapture Jizhou City within three days.

The next day, Tu Hai got up early and ordered his army to make a fire and cook.

After dinner, Tu Hai prepared to assemble his army and attack the city with all his might.

But at this moment, an imperial envoy arrived.

Upon hearing the news, Tu Hai's face was filled with bitterness.

The Great Xia court had already learned of their capture of Jizhou City.

However, the Qing Dynasty tried its best to conceal the news because of Tu Hai, and tried to report it after they recaptured Jizhou City.

Therefore, the Qing court received the news much later than Daxia.

However, the truth could not be hidden, and Tu Hai was unable to capture Jizhou City.

Instead, it was the Qing court that learned the news one step ahead.

When the civil and military officials of the Qing Dynasty learned the news, they were all extremely angry.

They cursed Tu Hai and called him a good-for-nothing and a waste, and they wished they could cut Tu Hai into pieces and feed him to the dogs.

It’s really because Tu Hai’s defeat this time was so miserable.

Since he led his troops to attack Daxia, he had lost the lives of more than 70,000 soldiers and even lost the city of Jizhou.

The loss of 70,000 soldiers was enough to make the Qing Dynasty feel distressed.

They had never suffered such heavy losses since the war with Daxia.

The crime of losing Jizhou City was even more serious than the loss of 70,000 soldiers, and it was an unforgivable crime.

The Qing court also lost patience, so it sent an imperial envoy to announce the decree, ordering Tu Hai to go back and answer for his crime.

Next, the Qing Dynasty would naturally send another general to lead troops to retake Jizhou City.

Therefore, the imperial envoy arrived on the day when Tu Hai intended to attack the city.

Tu Hai naturally guessed the purpose of the imperial envoy's visit. He couldn't help but look bitter, knowing that he could not escape this disaster.

Tu Hai had no choice but to lead his generals to bring the imperial envoy into the tent.

"Tu Hai, do you admit your guilt?"

Hearing this, Tu Hai burst into tears, knelt down with a thud, and said in a deep voice: "I admit my guilt!"

Next, the imperial envoy read out the imperial edict, which was written by Kang Mazi himself, and in it he cursed Tu Hai.

Finally, Tu Hai was ordered to lead his troops to retreat, and after handing over the army, he returned to Beijing to answer for his crime.

This is also because Qi Tuhai lacks prestige in the army and his entire family is in the capital.

Otherwise, I'm afraid he would be forced to rebel.

Tu Hai kowtowed with tears, and then said in tears: "I know that I have committed a grave sin. I have killed tens of thousands of Qing soldiers and lost the city of Jizhou. I will not deny my guilt even if I die."

"Then, I am willing to wash away my previous shame, seize Jizhou City, and then go back to confess my crime to the emperor!"

Hearing Tu Hai's words, the imperial envoy couldn't help but frown and said, "How daring of you, Tu Hai! Are you still planning to disobey the imperial order?"

Tu Hai smiled sadly and said, "How can I have the courage to disobey your order? In fact, I am not even prepared to go back alive!"

"This time, I will lead the charge. I will not stop until the city is conquered!"

"Your Majesty, I beg you to grant me your permission. I beg you to grant me your permission!"

Tu Hai begged and kowtowed repeatedly.

Soon, his forehead was bleeding.

Seeing this, the imperial envoy couldn't help but feel compassion.

Of course, his compassion was not motivated by Tu Hai, but was automatic.

Now Tu Hai is basically doomed to die.

If I don't agree to his words, I'm afraid I may not be able to save my life.

When a dog is desperate, it will jump over the wall; when a rabbit is desperate, it will bite people!

What's more, he is a general with more than 100,000 soldiers and horses?

The imperial envoy suddenly covered his chest and cried out.

"Oh, I can't do it anymore. I can't do it anymore. My old illness has relapsed. Someone, help me to rest."

"Yes, my lord."

Soon, the imperial envoy's two subordinates helped him leave.

Seeing this, Tu Hai stood up and said in a deep voice: "Gather the troops and follow me to attack the city!"

"Yes, General!"

Next, Tu Hai led 50,000 troops and surrounded Jizhou City through three pontoon bridges.

Now he still has less than 130,000 soldiers and horses, but it’s not that Tu Hai doesn’t want to put all of them into it.

The space below the city was simply too narrow. If all 130,000 men were mobilized, there wouldn't even be enough room to move the siege equipment.

Leading 50,000 soldiers at a time is basically the limit.

Next, Tu Hai took the lead, carrying ladders and began to attack the city.

On the city wall, various supplies for defending the city were piled up at the back.

The Daxia soldiers were frightened but not in chaos.

After they followed Jia Cong to win several battles, they gradually stopped being afraid of the Qing army.

The Qing army was just like them, with only a mouth and two eyes, and they would die too.

Even because of several great victories, many soldiers began to feel that the Eight Banners Army was no more than that.

Next, the soldiers on both sides of the city began shooting arrows frantically.

Soon, casualties occurred on both sides.

Jia Cong held a longbow and shot rapidly.

Every arrow fired could take the life of a Qing soldier.

His killing efficiency is extremely amazing.

As long as he had enough bows and arrows, wouldn't he be able to kill hundreds of Qing soldiers in a day by himself?

However, when two armies confront each other, individual bravery is ultimately limited.

The number of Qing troops was simply too large, four times as many as theirs.

Although Jia Cong's shooting rate was astonishing, it was just a drop in the bucket.

Although the Xia army on the city wall relied on the city wall and was in a dominant position.

However, after all, the number of Qing troops under the city was too large.

Therefore, even though the Qing army suffered more casualties.

However, the Xia army inevitably began to suffer casualties.

This made Jia Cong very distressed.

These soldiers, one by one, have been tempered.

Each of them is a strong soldier, and losing one would make him extremely sad.

Jia Cong actually had some arrangements.

And it is arranged right under the city wall.

He and his men had been busy for three days, and it was not in vain. However, the Qing army had just taken up an offensive posture, so they could not launch an attack immediately.

Because the Qing army still had a way to retreat at this time.

If they trigger it at this time, about half of their troops will be able to escape.

Jia Cong was waiting for a more appropriate opportunity, an opportunity that would leave the Qing army with no way to escape.

Yesterday, Tu Hai didn’t realize what ambush Jia Cong had set.

In fact, he fell into a misunderstanding.

When Jia Cong set fire to the moat previously, he used kerosene.

Therefore, Tu Hai fell into the trap of thinking that Jia Cong would also use kerosene to attack this time.

Of course not.

The Qing army is neither stupid nor blind, can't they see it?
What Jia Cong arranged under the city was actually a mixture of materials.

These materials, if found alone, are not easy to detect.

Based on the knowledge of people of this era, they have no idea what it is used for.

But once several materials are mixed.

Then once it comes into contact with an open flame, a raging fire will soon break out.

Especially when pouring kerosene, it is the kind that is difficult to extinguish unless it burns completely.

Next, the two sides launched a fierce siege.

At this time, the Qing army's combat effectiveness was at its strongest.

The Qing army soldiers were indeed extremely fierce.

Especially when their general Tu Hai led the charge, no one cared about their life.

Under the cover of archers, they quickly carried the ladders to the top of the city wall.

Then they climbed rapidly upwards.

On the city wall, the Xia army soldiers were working hard to lift stones and throw them down.

In siege warfare, stone can be said to be an excellent defensive material.

As long as the stone is thrown accurately, it may be able to knock several people off the ladder.

When they tried to stop the Qing Dynasty from building a pontoon bridge, they did not use up all the stones.

Instead, at least half of them were left to defend the city.

Below the city wall, countless civilians lined up with pots, boiling water and gold juice.

This boiling water is also a magic weapon for defending the city.

The feeling of having a pot of boiling water poured on you is chilling just to think about.

The gold juice is the most vicious weapon.

Gold juice is actually a mixture of urine and feces, which should be classified as a biological weapon.

Not to mention the disgusting taste.

What's even more terrifying is that this gold juice is extremely poisonous. As long as there is a wound on the body and it is contaminated by this gold juice, the wound will definitely fester and become inflamed, and it is basically hopeless.

Therefore, when the defenders have sufficient personnel and supplies, the attackers basically have no good way to deal with the city.

The only way is to fill it with human lives.

A siege war is actually also a war for supplies.

Once the defenders have almost exhausted their supplies, the attackers will gradually begin to exert their strength.

On the city wall, Jia Cong was shooting and killing the Qing troops while looking for Tu Hai's location.

Shoot people first, shoot horses, and capture thieves first.

If Tu Hai could be shot and killed first, the Qing army might have retreated without fighting.

It doesn't matter if his arrangement is not used this time, he can use it next time.

However, Jia Cong discovered that Tu Hai was actually very cunning.

At the beginning, he was indeed the one who led the attack on the city with the soldiers, carrying ladders.

But when they reached the foot of the city, he held the ladder and urged the soldiers to go up.

And he himself didn't even climb up the ladder.

At this moment, he was hiding under the shields of several personal soldiers, commanding the situation from the center.

Even with Jia Cong's perfect archery skills, he couldn't find an angle or a gap to shoot him.

At this time, the Qing army suffered heavy casualties.

Of course, Xia Jun’s supplies were also consumed very quickly.

If it weren't for the help of tens of thousands of people in the city, many supplies would have been in short supply.

Moreover, this time the people took the initiative to help transport the supplies and were not hired by Jia Cong.

But they came spontaneously.

It is one thing for these people to be loyal to Daxia and to General Jia Cong.

More importantly, they were actually afraid that if the Qing army broke through the city, they would take revenge on them later.

By that time, I’m afraid there won’t be many people left in the city.

As the losses mounted, the Qing army continued to send in additional men.

The war on the scene became even more brutal.

At this time, Jia Cong saw that the time had come.

So he decisively ordered his men to light the firewood pile and raise the signal smoke.

For the defense of an entire city, smoke signals are still the best means of communication.

And the soldiers on the city walls saw the wolf smoke.

They poured out barrels of kerosene that they had prepared in advance.

When the pungent smell of kerosene spread in the air, the Qing soldiers suddenly had a bad premonition in their hearts.

At this moment, they were somewhat puzzled.

This kerosene doesn't seem to be in the water.

In the moat, kerosene can be spread evenly, so it can burn quickly.

And in the soil below the city, no one knows how much water will seep down.

Even if these kerosene burns, the flame will probably be very limited.

I wonder what the generals of Daxia are thinking?
Did he really think that he could burn them to death with just this kerosene?

Soon, all the kerosene on the city wall was poured out.

Next, of course, is the much-anticipated part of igniting the kerosene with the rocket.

The Qing troops under the city could not help but become riotous.

However, they were not too panicked.

Because in their opinion, there would be no danger as long as they avoided the places where kerosene was poured on the ground.

boom!
Soon, dense rockets were shot down from the city walls.

Soon, the kerosene under the city began to burn into a raging fire.

At this time, the Qing army subconsciously avoided the place where kerosene was burning, but they still did not know how powerful it was.

They didn't even stop attacking the city.

However, the next moment, the kerosene under the city no longer burned properly, but suddenly exploded.

Suddenly, countless kerosene splashed onto the soldiers.

What terrified them was that the fire spots could not be extinguished after splashing on them.

It attached itself to their clothes and started burning fiercely.

They wailed and desperately beat out the flames on their bodies.

But no matter how hard they tried to put out the flames, it was difficult to extinguish them.

On the ground, the fire started to crackle rapidly.

It looked like gunpowder was burning—

Yes, gunpowder had already appeared in this era.

Even in normal sieges, cannons and muskets were used.

However, the artillery and muskets of this era were still very bulky.

It is still not a conventional weapon and is even highly disliked by the military.

Unless it was a protracted war, the army rarely used muskets and artillery.

However, the burning of gunpowder is not unheard of in the military.

However, it was completely different from the burning situation below the city.

Soon, the soil on the ground began to burn.

The ground under the city wall once again turned into a sea of ​​fire.

One by one, the Qing soldiers were soon buried in the sea of ​​fire, wailing.

At this time, the Qing troops who were still on the ladders were even more worried.

The brothers below have all died in the fire. Go up now. Even if you go up, you will just be giving yourself away.

But if we don't go up, the ladders below have been burned by everyone, and we are afraid that they will be burned down if we don't know how to use them.

At this point, they were really in a dilemma.

However, they didn't have to worry for long, because they didn't even have to wait until the ladders were burned.

Under the scorching flames, they soon couldn't hold on and fell off the ladder.

However, the Qing troops on the periphery, near the pontoon bridge, still had a way to escape.

However, there are only three floating bridges.

And because the road was very narrow and no one wanted to die, they argued on the floating bridge.

In order to survive, they even drew their swords and fought each other.

For a moment, these only three survival routes were extremely blocked.

At first, some Qing soldiers could not bear the burning and jumped into the river on their own initiative.

But once you jump in, you can never get out.

Even if there are lucky ones, there are too many corpses of their compatriots sunk in the river, which may prevent them from being ground down by the river water.

However, these soldiers jumped into the water again with their skin burned.

And the water in the moat is very filthy.

I am afraid that even if these soldiers survive, they will never be able to pick up swords and guns again in their lives.

This time, there were another 50,000 soldiers.

Perhaps because there are three passages, more people may survive this time than the last time the city was burned in the moat.

But at least three or four thousand people could escape.

Even so, this time the loss would be as many as 40,000 to 50,000 people.

By this calculation, in this war, the Zhenghuang Banner lost a total of 110,000 to 120,000 troops.

In the end, there were only 70,000 to 80,000 of them left!

Now, their troops are only half of Daxia's!

After this defeat, they no longer had the ability to capture Jizhou City.

Let’s talk about Tu Hai, a general of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Qing Dynasty. He managed to escape alive under the desperate protection of his personal soldiers.

But at this moment, there was no joy on Tu Hai's face.

He is finished!

What's the point of rescuing him?
It would be better if he had just died in the fire. Even if he died, he would still be considered a hero.

At this moment, Tu Hai felt completely hopeless.

He couldn't help but draw out the long sword from his waist and slashed it across his neck.

The next moment, Tu Hai pushed the golden mountain and overturned the jade pillar, and fell to the ground and died.

The soldiers under his command couldn't help but burst into tears.

The Xia army on the city wall and the people in the city all cheered loudly.

Won!

Faced with the siege of hundreds of thousands of Qing troops, they actually managed to hold the city.

Not only that, the general's two fires killed almost 100,000 Qing soldiers.

(End of this chapter)