Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 124 Thunder at Zijing Pass

"Mom, I'm just going to the border. I will be back in less than ten days. You don't have to worry about me. Just take good care of yourself."

"Going? Coming back in ten days?"

"Yes, mother, don't worry."

"Worry, what should I worry about? You are Master Yue's housekeeper in this mansion, and you are Master Yue's personal soldier when you go out. Do personal soldiers rush back to the capital when they reach the border? If you don't complete the task assigned by Master Yue, then don't come back to see me! I don't have to worry about food and drink here, and I have recovered from my illness. But you have taken care of me so much that I can't leave my mother. How old are you?"

Jia Yun, who was in Zijing Pass, felt a little dazed, and his mother's words before leaving came to his mind again.

"Housekeeper Yun, the situation is not good."

Chen Ruiwen returned from the city wall and came to the central hall. He sighed and sat back on the bench.

Jia Yun was shocked and asked hurriedly, "General Chen, what happened?"

Chen Ruiwen said: "It is not difficult to make this aerial bomb. There are as many bottles and jars as you want. However, there are always northern barbarian cavalry patrolling outside the pass. Even in the dead of night, they always harass the city. They don't want us to live in peace at all."

"After a few minutes, a new team was dispatched. It was hard to track them at night, and it was difficult to fire. We also couldn't leave the city to fight the enemy. The mines laid outside the city were completely nonsense."

Jia Yun nodded, "Then let's follow the second method the master told us to do."

Sighing, Chen Ruiwen said, "Ah, I really don't want to accept this. There is no other way, I have to do this..."

……

Two days passed in a flash.
The Northern Barbarians did not spend these two days singing and dancing.

Several pontoon bridges have been built on the Juma River for the army to pass through.

October 27, early in the morning,
Tuji Khan led his army across the river and confidently formed a battle line with their backs to the water. He thought he knew Dachang's details very well and even military deployments could not escape his eyes and ears, so there would be no surprises in the battle.

Standing on the rammed earth platform, Tuji Khan looked at the Zijing Pass with flags flying in the distance, and smiled, "Today is the day they die."

Du Ke, a counselor beside Tuji Khan, said: "It is reported that Yue Ling transported a lot of gunpowder to Zijing Pass. We should be on guard against this anomaly."

"beware?"

Tuji Khan raised his whip and pointed at the wall of Zijing Pass and said, "Look at how many cannons can be mounted on that wall. Besides, can his cannons keep firing? What's the use of more gunpowder?"

Du Ke couldn't figure it out, so he just shook his head and said nothing.

Tuji Khan called the messenger again and said, "Let Alapingzhang lead his elite cavalry to lead the charge. He must break through the city before dark!"

"As ordered."

Before they could do so, a group of cavalry separated from the Northern Barbarians' army, moved out like a line, and lined up in front of the main formation.

As the general of the right camp of the Northern Barbarians and one of the four Wanhu, Ala Pingzhang was at the head of the army and shouted to the warriors of the tribe: "The Khan entrusted us with the first battle of the Inner Pass. It is a trust in us. We must climb the city wall before noon. The first one to climb the city wall will be rewarded with 500 sheep, 500 cattle, and 100 slaves!"

The Northern Barbarian Cavalry drew out the short-handled scimitars from their waists and slapped their chests, making crisp sounds when they collided with their armor, in response to their leader.

Seeing his majestic army, Ala Pingzhang was in high spirits. He personally waved his flag to cheer them on and said, "All troops, march forward!"

In an instant, the cavalry rushed towards the west gate of Zijing Pass like a tide, and the whips in the hands of the five thousand cavalrymen cracked in unison, like thunder, with a huge momentum. Afterwards, there were armored infantry, pushing siege equipment made from local materials recently, and followed the footsteps of the cavalry to approach the city wall.

Tuji Khan was standing on the rammed earth platform, looking at the battlefield from afar. Seeing such a grand scene, he was full of confidence and laughed loudly, "This Zijing Pass will be as easy as taking something out of a bag for me!"

I saw the cavalry getting close to the city wall, three miles, two miles, one mile away, but there was no movement on the city wall, not even a single cannon shot, until the cavalry crossed the trench, broke through the chevaux de frise, and arrived at the foot of the city wall, there was still no movement on the city wall at the pass.

Tuji Khan turned his head to look at Du Ke and asked in confusion: "What's going on?"

Du Ke was also stunned. In the history of the Dachang Dynasty, there had never been a case of a defending general abandoning the pass and fleeing.

"I don't know. There are nearly 10,000 defenders at Zijing Pass. How could they just disappear like that? Is it an empty city plan?"

Tuji Khan thought for a moment, then laughed again, "Empty city plan? Can't he ask Zhuge Liang to come and tell me to leave? The one guarding the pass is Chen Ruiwen, who is also a straw bag from the four kings and eight officials. He is not worth much use. Even if Yue Ling brought him a lot of baggage and gunpowder, he would abandon the pass and flee without firing a single shot."

"gunpowder?"

For some reason, Du Ke had a bad feeling.

There was no danger on the city wall, and the infantry approached the city gate smoothly. At this moment, everyone was in high spirits and laughed at the cowardice of the people of Dachang. Datong Prefecture at least resisted for a while, but Zijing Pass, as the last barrier of the capital, was not even defended. It was really funny.

There was no need to climb the city wall at all. The infantry directly pushed the battering rams to hit the city gate, and it was pushed down in no time. The cavalry and infantry entered the city one after another.

Seeing that it was going so smoothly, Tuji Khan also waved his whip and wanted to enter the pass. "This journey has been too smooth. I'm sure it won't be difficult to enter the capital. There are too many cowards in Dachang."

Before Ketuji Khan finished his words, an unexpected scene occurred. Suddenly, an explosion was heard in the city, causing dust to fly and black smoke to billow.

In the wilderness outside the pass, even the northern barbarian army several miles away could hear the noise.

Tuji Khan was shocked, his face twitching a little, and he said, "So despicable? An ambush?"

Without delay, Tugi Khan quickly ordered the front army to be cautious after entering the pass, and he also rushed to the front of the battle to see what the situation was like inside the pass.

As soon as we entered the pass, we saw wounded soldiers and horses lying on the ground, wailing.

"Where is Alapingzhang? What is going on?"

Tuji Khan was furious.

"Khan, Chen Ruiwen has buried gunpowder in the city. As long as this thread is touched, the mechanism will be triggered." Alapingzhang came to Tuji Khan's horse with a thread in his hand and explained, "My subordinates just figured out what's going on. There are such thin threads everywhere between the outer and inner gates. One thread can trigger one or more explosions. Horses may be able to easily pass over and avoid damage, and cavalrymen have better armor and can withstand the impact, but people will be hit inadvertently."

Zijing Pass is divided into Inner Pass and Outer Pass, which are less than one mile apart.

According to Alapinzhang, gunpowder may be buried everywhere in a distance of less than a mile. If they check one by one, no matter how careful they are, if there is any omission, it will result in casualties.

Tuji Khan dropped the thread on the ground, frowned and asked, "How many casualties were there?"

Ala Pingzhang was also very distressed. These were all his soldiers. "More than 500 were injured and more than 100 were killed. The damage caused by the explosion of gunpowder was limited. It could only scratch the infantry. The number of deaths was small, but it frightened the horses and caused many people to be accidentally injured in the stampede."

The enemy suffered losses before he even saw them, which was what Tuji Khan could not tolerate the most.

Looking at the wall of Neiguan, Tuji Khan said: "Let the horses and livestock explore the way and find out the gunpowder in these few miles. Then let the infantry climb the wall of Neiguan and carefully check whether there is any gunpowder buried behind the gate of Neiguan."

Thinking of the news he had received before, seven carts of gunpowder were transported from the capital to Zijing Pass. Such a large number, coupled with the seemingly calm Zijing Pass, made Du Ke inevitably frightened.

Tuji Khan stared at the tragic scene and asked, "Du Ke, have you ever seen the Dachang Dynasty use gunpowder like this before?"

Du Ke shook his head. "I've never heard of it before. It's probably Yue Ling's work."

Tuji Khan's brows tightened and he said, "How exactly are things done in the capital? Send a letter to inquire about it immediately after you pass Zijing Pass."

"Yes."

After the livestock were introduced into the pass and a path was paved for the northern barbarian soldiers, the infantry continued to approach the inner city wall, just like the story of attacking the outer city wall. However, this time they needed to climb the city wall. With the previous gunpowder explosion, the infantry did not dare to be careless and hurried to the top of the city wall to check the gate situation.

But just as the infantry climbed up the city wall and lined up to rush under the wall, the mechanism was triggered again, and an explosion was heard.

The inconspicuous wooden boxes, jars and stone pillars might have hidden gunpowder, which caused the Northern Barbarian Army to suffer again.

Tuji Khan was so angry watching from the bottom of the city that he could not stop the crackling of his whip and the screams of the soldiers, but he was powerless to do anything.

This made him extremely angry. Since he took command of the Northern Barbarians, he had never suffered any loss at the hands of others. He had always been the only one who schemed against others, and there was no reason for others to scheme against him.

The sound of the explosion gradually subsided and the smoke gradually dissipated. The soldier opened the door from the inside, came to Tuji Khan's horse, and reported the situation.

"Khan, there is gunpowder hidden only on the city wall, not at the city gate. But we haven't had time to investigate deeper into the city and on the way out of the city."

Tuji Khan gritted his teeth and said, "Let the animals explore the way and wade out a path, and then let the army pass through immediately. If I don't make Dachang pay the price for this, I, Tuji, will be unworthy of being the leader of the Northern Barbarians!"

After taking several deep breaths, Tuji Khan still couldn't swallow the anger.

It would have been fine if he had just buried gunpowder, but he buried it at one gate and not at another, and instead buried it on the city wall, and he triggered all of them. Isn't this an insult to his command of the troops?

Tuji Khan looked at Du Ke who was standing beside him and asked, "Change the previous plan. We will no longer go to the surrounding counties to plunder. We will go straight to the capital!"

Du Ke said, "The shortest way to get to the capital is to go through Yixian, Laishui, and then cross the Juma River to Liangxiang. After crossing the Lugou Bridge, you will reach the outskirts of Beijing and can set up camp. If you travel quickly along this route, you can reach the capital in about ten days."

Tuji Khan heaved a sigh of relief, regaining the dignity of the Northern Barbarian Khan. His face showed no emotion, and he said calmly, "Okay, let's go."

……

The capital, the Privy Council,
Yue Ling received the news sent from the border and read it carefully. "On October 27, the Northern Barbarians passed Zijing Pass and suffered more than a thousand casualties from the aerial thunder. They are now heading to Yizhou. Yizhou and Laishui accepted the guards of Zijing Pass and supported each other to prevent the Northern Barbarians from moving south. They closed the city and laid mines under the city to prevent the Northern Barbarians from moving rashly."

"Yizhou and Laishui can be defended temporarily, but without reinforcements, we will not be able to stop the Northern Barbarians' attack. I hope the Grand Commander will issue an order as soon as possible."

Picking up the pen and dipping it in ink, Yue Ling pondered, "October 27th is seven days ago. It seems that in three days, the Northern Barbarians will definitely not be able to reach the city. The time is already enough."

Yue Ling wrote on the paper, "There is no need to fight to the death. Retain your strength. You can cut off the bridge when there is water, retreat south to Dingxing or north to Fangshan, and block the retreat of the northern barbarians."

At that moment, another minor official came in and told Yue Ling: "Grand Commander, the important officials from all departments and the generals you appointed are all here, waiting for you to discuss matters."

Yue Ling nodded and said, "I'll be there right away."

When Yue Ling walked into the conference room, he saw that the guests had come in an orderly manner, with the civil and military officials sitting in separate rows, with a clear distinction between them. He could not help but shake his head and smile, then walked between the two and took a seat in the upper position.

Clearing his throat, Yue Ling said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time. The border reports that the northern barbarians have reached Yizhou, and they may reach the capital in ten days. Prior to this, since the Liaodong Governor Geng Bingwen rebelled, we have been preparing for nearly a month and a half. The grain transport on the Datong River has not stopped for a single day, and the grain stored in the granaries in the south of the Yangtze River has been transferred to the capital, filling up the granaries prepared in advance. According to estimates, it is enough for the military and civilians in the capital for at least one year."

"Of course, the contributions of the Qianhu Suo in various places were also made. They traveled to the capital by land and brought a lot of food with them. They didn't have to compete with the people in the city, and they even had some left over."

"In addition to the trenches, horse traps, and fortresses in front of the moat, we have also set up a large camp in Shunyi, which is connected to Tongzhou and other places to ensure backup and to welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince back to the south to set up camp at any time."

"Now, we only have 150,000 garrison troops in the city. If we count the conscripted civilians, who can simply move weapons and equipment after a month of training, the total number of troops for defending the city is 200,000. It is not an easy task to have 200,000 people guarding the nine gates of the capital. There are less than 20,000 people in each place."

Everyone on the field listened attentively to Yue Ling's arrangements, while Dai Quan was recording, compiling and summarizing them and sending them to the palace.

"Besides, we can't disperse these 200,000 people on the city wall. Therefore, every gate will be under great pressure if facing the attack of the northern barbarians."

"After my recent selection, I would like to ask all the generals to guard one gate each, and I will lead a team to mobilize in the middle and provide support to all places. Next, everyone, please listen carefully to the arrangements.

General Feng Tang of the Divine Martial Army guarded Desheng Gate; General Ma Shang of the Duke of Zhiguo guarded Anding Gate; Prince Zhongyong guarded Dongzhi Gate; Marquis of Pingyuan Jiang Zining guarded Chaoyang Gate; Prince Zhongshun guarded Xizhi Gate; Liu Fang of the Duke of Liguo guarded Fucheng Gate; Xu Hui, the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp, guarded Chongwen Gate; and Wang Xing, the commander-in-chief of the Yulin Guard, guarded Zhangyi Gate.

Yue Ling has already mentioned eight of the nine gates of the capital, and only the southern gate, Zhengyang Gate, has not yet been mentioned. Zhengyang Gate is the main gate that directly faces the northern barbarians. Although the northern barbarians may not directly attack, its importance is obviously higher than the other gates.

Prince Zhongshun couldn't help but frown when he heard that Yue Ling didn't assign him to Zhengyang Gate.

"Yue Ling said that he would be the one to coordinate. Who will come from Zhengyang Gate? Is there anyone better than me?"

　感谢彼岸听枫、欲望国王、君玉缺、书友18337、尼伯的指环、迷人软中软、明晰先生、酣畅_busy、人在崩铁，老婆流萤、蝶岁春秋不话别、橘猫炒鲦鱼、伊甸花园、书友34501、梦之浩然、I白鸦I、中庸道、小c要看书、书友10830、书友52932、书友46529、书友43517、天衍四九丨、zr2012、三岁就会打碟、脸黑的小丑的月票，感谢大佬书友01644的打赏，感谢大家的支持！
　　
　
(End of this chapter)