The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

"Fukangan, that little bastard!"

Emperor Wushang was so angry that he grabbed the inkstone on the imperial desk and threw it to the ground!
The inkstone fell to the ground, ink splashed everywhere, and several red-robed eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department were splashed all over their faces and bodies.

The eunuch who held the seal sighed silently. The Supreme Emperor had been deceived by Fukangan again. This was the fourth time. Foreigners could not be trusted!

The Supreme Emperor's face was pale and his chest kept rising and falling.

At this time, the top scholar hurried in holding an official document. He was stunned and in a dilemma, and was caught a glance by the Supreme Emperor.

Supreme Emperor: "What's the matter?"

The top scholar came in, looked at the official document and reported: "The military report just came from Liaodong, the Jurchens crossed the border and attacked the garrison again, but were repelled by our army. Lord Zhongjing said that if this continues, it will be difficult to lead the soldiers."

The Supreme Emperor raised his hand and said gloomily, "Reply to the text and tell Shi Ding to teach these beasts a lesson for me!"

The top scholar said: "Yes." He bowed and walked out.

The Supreme Emperor stood up, paced rapidly, then suddenly stopped and said to the eunuch in charge of the seal: "Hurry up Li Hu and let him fight the enemy as soon as possible!"

The eunuch in charge of the seal hesitated for a moment and said, "The Duke of Lu is already short of troops, and now the Mongols from the south of the desert have also joined in. Moreover, the enemy is almost all cavalry, and they are erratic. If we are not careful, we may fall into danger!"

The Supreme Emperor was stunned and stood there in silence for a long time. Then he waved his hand and said, "Tell Li Hu that I allow him to expand his army to 100,000. However, he must completely defeat the enemy before the end of September, and then march eastward to attack the Mongolian tribes in the south of the desert, threaten Shengjing City, and share the pressure for Shi Ding!"

The eunuch in charge of the seal: "Yes."

The Supreme Emperor paced a few steps and said: "Recruit another 50,000 young men."

The eunuch in charge of the seal was shocked: "Fifty thousand? The young and strong men in the capital have been almost all mobilized! If another fifty thousand are recruited, this year's autumn harvest will become a big problem. In addition, the national treasury..."

The Supreme Emperor raised his hand and said, "These 50,000 young men are for the Imperial Guards. The money will be transferred from the inner treasury. As for the autumn harvest, I can't worry about that."

The eunuch in charge of the seal had no choice but to answer again: "Yes."

The Supreme Emperor walked to the window and said, "Think of a solution for King Kang. If it doesn't work, kill him."

The eunuch in charge of the seal was startled.

The Supreme Emperor: "I cannot give the Jurchen Tartars an excuse."

The eunuch in charge of the seal understood that the Jurchens had entered the country under the banner of revenge for the former Ming Emperor Chongzhen.

Before the Double Ninth Festival, the leaves in the capital city had already turned yellow.

The streets were empty in the early morning. The autumn wind blew the fallen leaves all over the ground, making it seem even colder and more desolate.

A group of soldiers surrounded a large green velvet sedan chair and were heading towards the west city.

Inside the sedan, Jia Jingwei closed his eyes, his body swaying slightly as the sedan moved forward.

A burst of hurried horse hoof sounds was heard, and a horse was seen galloping towards Jia Jing's sedan chair.

When he ran to the sedan chair, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department dismounted and walked to the sedan chair.

The team stopped, Jia Jing lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and stuck his head out.

The man whispered something hurriedly in his ear.

Jia Jing's expression changed, and he shouted, "Turn around! Turn around! Go back to the cabinet!"

The team turned around quickly and trotted back the way they came.

After half a year, Jia She had a lot more white hair, but he was in good spirits and was practicing Tai Chi slowly in the yard.

Suddenly, Jia Lian rushed in like a gust of wind, shouting "Master!" and running towards Jia She.

Jia She collected the ceremony, frowned and scolded: "What's the matter? Why are you so flustered?"

Jia Lian panted: "Hu, Hunan is lost."

Jia She was stunned for a moment and said, "This result is not unexpected."

Jia Lian: "If we lose Hunan, Hubei will be lost, and even the entire Central Plains will be lost! The palace is in an uproar now!"

Jia She shook his head and sighed, "It would be fine if the Prince of Nan'an directly crossed the Yangtze River. As long as the main force of the Beijing Camp led by Xie Jing and Wang Ziteng arrived, they could be wiped out in a year or two at most. I'm just afraid that he won't go north!"

Jia Lian was stunned for a moment and stood there, looking at Jia She.

Jia She continued, "If the Prince of Nan'an chooses to march eastward to attack Jinling, all the way down the river, those pampered soldiers will surely be vulnerable and flee. Even if the Jiangnan camp defends Jinling to the death and waits for help, it won't last long."

After a pause, "The Prince of Nan'an took over Hunan and then annexed the area north of the Yangtze River in Hubei. I estimate that the number of troops under his command can reach 500,000."

Hearing this, Jia Lian took a breath.

Jia She: "Once the Prince of Nan'an ascends the throne in Nanjing, the rule of Dashun will be shaken from its foundation." Having said that, he sighed deeply.

Jia Lian's expression changed drastically. If the Prince of Nan'an really ascended the throne in Jinling, Dashun would lose its legitimacy in the south, and even affect the north. If a dynasty loses its legitimacy and legality, anyone can rebel and ascend the throne.

Jia She looked at him and asked, "What are the rules in the palace?"

Jia Lian sighed, "What other rules can we follow? It's the same old routine, urging Xie Jing to speed up the march and urging Li Hu to fight as soon as possible." At this point, he suddenly remembered, "Should the master write a brief summary of this matter to remind the Supreme Emperor?"

With a humph, Jia She turned and walked towards the room, saying, "If you want to show your courtesy, hurry up. That old man will soon come to his senses. Also, don't drag me into this."

Jia Lian smiled and said loudly, "Master, please use your study room for a moment."

The response he received was the slam of a door closing!
Baohe Hall

The Supreme Emperor looked at Jia Lian's gradually disappearing figure outside the window and said with a smile, "This kid has good abilities, but he doesn't have this foresight. It should be his father."

The eunuch holding the seal handed a bowl of tea to the Supreme Emperor and said with a smile: "Jia She still has the country of Dashun in his heart."

The Supreme Emperor took a sip of tea and said, "It's been more than ten years. It's hard for him to still put the overall situation first. I had no choice back then." He walked to the imperial desk with the tea bowl and sat down. He picked up the brief and looked at it again. Then his eyes flashed, "What do you think about me sending Jia Jing to Jinling to take charge?"

The eunuch in charge of the seal felt a pang in his heart. If the rebel army of Prince Nan'an really attacked Nanjing, sending Jia Jing to Nanjing at this time would be just asking him to die!

The Supreme Emperor: "This fake Taoist priest is unpredictable. It is obvious that he deliberately set up the Wang family incident to test me. I have been playing with eagles all my life, but in the end I was pecked in the eye by a little sparrow!" At this point, he sneered and said, "I sent him to Jinling to tell him that in the face of absolute strength, all conspiracies and tricks are a joke.

Let him understand what it means that 'thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the Lord'."

After a pause, he said, "His grandson is not young anymore, it's time for him to go out and gain some experience. Well, give him the title of Director of the Ministry of Works, let him study in the Ministry first, and then we'll assign him a position later."

The eunuch in charge of the seal: "Yes."

The Supreme Emperor: "Whether he defended Nanjing or died in Nanjing, I will not hold him responsible."

The eunuch in charge of the seal nodded solemnly.

The Supreme Emperor: "You go to the Cabinet in person to pass on the decree. Also, have the Cabinet draft another decree to urge Li Hu to hurry up."

The eunuch in charge of the seal said, “Yes.” He answered and walked out quickly.

Just as the eunuch in charge of the seal left, the chief eunuch on duty came in quietly and reported, "Your Majesty, Chief Steward Dai Quan is back."

Dai Quan is back? The Supreme Emperor's eyes flashed. He came back just in time. It's time to put an end to the matter of King Kang!

Just as the cabinet was drafting the decree, a great battle broke out on the prairie!
A low horn sounded on the prairie, and a black mass of Rakshasa cavalry appeared at the end of the prairie, with at least ten thousand people.

The Dashun army had only 5,000-odd men. Under the leadership of Bai Wu, the leader of the White Tiger Hall, they lined up on the vast grassland, forming a square formation with carts loaded with food and supplies to resist the attack of the Rakshasa cavalry.

The 5,000 government troops led by Bai Wu were not simply escorting food and supplies, but were used as bait to encircle and kill the Rakshasa cavalry.

The Luosha cavalry's warhorses were incredibly fast. Relying on the advantage of their warhorses, the Luosha cavalry went around to the rear of the Dashun government troops and plundered the grain route. The structure of the 5,000 government troops was not complicated, with 2,000 musketeers, 3,000 sword and shield soldiers, and dozens of gunners.

The north wind blew strongly across the prairie, stirring up a cloud of flying sand and rocks, and the big flag behind Bai Wu made a snapping sound.

Bai Wu held up a telescope and looked at the Rakshasa cavalry that were getting closer and closer. The ferocious faces of the Rakshasa people were clearly visible.

Bai Wu drew his sword and shouted, "Shoot!"

The musketeers who were kneeling on one knee behind the cart opened fire at the same time!
Fire spewed out of the muzzle of the gun, and the neighing of war horses immediately sounded from the opposite side. Hundreds of war horses' front legs went limp and collapsed forward, and their blood flowed out, dyeing the prairie red.

Hundreds of Rakshasa cavalrymen were thrown to the ground and instantly trampled into pulp by the cavalrymen behind them, without even having time to utter a scream.

The breech-loading muskets fired quickly and fiercely, and Rakshasa cavalrymen kept falling down. It would have been fine if they were trampled into a pulp by the war horses behind them, but those Rakshasa men whose limbs were broken by the war horses, or even whose half bodies were crushed by the dead horses, could only howl in pain.

Finally, the Rakshasa cavalry rushed to a distance of 120 steps. As long as they gritted their teeth, they could reach the front of the Dashun army.

By this time, the gunners had already set up the submachine guns hidden on the cart.

Bai Wu grinned and shouted, "Fire! Hit them hard!"

A series of mother cannons spewed out large balls of fire. This thing has a large killing area. One shell carries 500 lead bullets, which can block a front 50 steps wide. One shot can clear out a large area of ​​people.

The scene in the telescope made Bai Wu swallow hard. Broken limbs and arms were flying all over the sky, and blood was raining down on the ground. The withered yellow weeds were instantly dyed blood red!
There is an open charging chamber on the rear belly of the sub-gun, which can be used to hold sub-guns. A sub-gun is equipped with five sub-guns. When firing, the sub-guns are placed in the charging chamber, and the firing rate is very high.

Almost in an instant, the gunner fired all the shells.

After the sound of the cannon, there were the miserable shouts and cries of countless Rakshasas!
The surviving Rakshasas began to flee backwards frantically.

Bai Wu sneered: "Want to leave now? It's too late!"

At this moment, the earth-shaking sound of horse hooves was heard, and then a red cloud quickly surged across the sky.

The Yulin cavalry, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed towards the battlefield from three sides of the prairie!
The two cavalry units collided fiercely like huge waves. Screams, the sound of bones breaking, and the wails of death echoed over the prairie.
The war came quickly and ended quickly. Due to careful planning, all the Rakshasas were saved.

While Bai Wu was ordering his soldiers to tidy up the carriage, he looked at the prisoners who were being escorted here.

Deputy General Yulin came over with a noble-looking Rakshasa and said to Bai Wu, "If we catch a big fish, we may be able to learn more about the Rakshasa from him."

Bai Wu looked at the Rakshasa noble. The Rakshasa people were hiding too well. They still didn't know how many people there were on the other side or what kind of equipment they had.

After examining the Rakshasa noble from head to toe, Bai Wu turned his gaze to the man following Deputy General Yulin.

Deputy General Yulin: "The people of the White Lotus Sect can speak some Rakshasa language."

Bai Wu glared at the White Lotus sect member.

The White Lotus member was startled and knelt down.

The Rakshasa noble suddenly roared loudly.

Bai Wu looked at the White Lotus sect member and asked, "What the hell is he yelling about?"

The White Lotus Sect member: "He said, he said."

Bai Wuyi glared: "Speak!"

The White Lotus Sect member shuddered: "He said you are shameless. Not only did you hide the artillery, but you also launched a sneak attack from behind."

Bai Wu laughed angrily: "Damn it! This is 'Only the officials are allowed to set fires, but the people are not allowed to light lamps'!" Then he stretched out his hand, "Bring the whip!"

Bai Wu's personal soldiers immediately brought a long black whip.

Bai Wu took the whip and swung it towards the sky.

The whip made a loud "crack" sound.

The Rakshasa noble immediately started shouting loudly.

The White Lotus Sect member: "He said he was a nobleman and enjoyed privileges, and it was against morality to mistreat aristocrats."

Bai Wu was delighted. He walked forward, kicked the Rakshasa noble to the ground, and beat him on the back and legs.

The Rakshasa noble screamed in pain.

The White Lotus Sect member: "He cried out in pain and said his family would pay the ransom"

Bai Wu ignored him and continued to beat the Rakshasa noble!
The White Lotus Sect member: "He said he knew he was wrong and asked the merciful Eastern warriors to forgive him."

Yulin's deputy general spoke up: "Okay, he's surrendered."

Bai Wu then stopped, spat, and cursed, "Bah, you cheap bastard!" Then he turned to the White Lotus Sect member, "Tell him to tell him the number of their numbers, weapons and equipment, and food supplies. As long as he knows, tell him everything."

The White Lotus member translated it immediately.

After hearing this, the Rakshasa noble nodded quickly.

Bai Wu and Deputy General Yulin smiled at each other.

As the sun sets, the camp is filled with the aroma of food.

In the central army tent, Li Hu was also eating, a plate of roasted lamb legs, a plate of stir-fried beef, a plate of steamed vegetarian meatballs, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of clear soup with vegetable leaves floating in it.

It is not three years ago now. The Han people who migrated outside the Great Wall have reclaimed the land and grown not only grain but also many vegetables.

So at this time of year, Li Hu's army can still eat fresh vegetables.

At this time, a personal soldier reported from outside the tent: "General, Xue Ke is here."

Li Hu: "Let him in."

A corner of the curtain was lifted and Xue Ke walked in.

Li Hu took a bite of rice and said to Xue Ke, "You haven't eaten yet? Serve yourself."

Since there were no outsiders, Xue Ke was not polite. He filled a bowl of rice and sat down next to Li Hu. While eating, he said, "The champion and the military scholars are full of complaints. They are very dissatisfied with the commander-in-chief's inaction. Someone suggested submitting a memorial to the court, but the champion stopped him."

At this point, he glanced at Li Hu and said, "As for who made the suggestion, we are still investigating."

Li Hu swallowed the food in his mouth: "No need to check."

Xue Ke was startled at first, then he realized what was going on and sighed in his heart, why did he make such a fuss? Now he has lost his life!
At this moment, the voice of the personal guards was heard outside again: "Marshal, Bai Wu is back."

So fast?
Li Hu was really surprised and said loudly, "Come in."

Before he finished speaking, Bai Wu strode in, saluted Li Hu first, then took out a stack of ink papers from his arms and reported to Li Hu: "Marshal, we have captured a Rakshasa noble, and we have inquired about all the situations of the Rakshasa people." Then he presented the stack of ink papers to him.

Li Hu put down his bowl and chopsticks, took the pictures one by one and looked through them carefully. As he looked, a smile appeared on his face.

After reading the last page, Li Hu thought for a moment and then shouted, "Come on!"

A personal soldier came in in response.

Li Hu: "Tell the commanders of each camp to come to the commander's tent in half an hour to discuss matters!"

The soldier answered loudly, "Yes," and turned and walked out.

Li Hu's eyes gleamed, it's time to end it! (End of this chapter)