Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 127 The troops are approaching the city
Ningguo Mansion,
Ever since Jia Zhen and his son had a commotion at Yue Ling's mansion and were driven back by Yue Ling, Jia Zhen had fallen seriously ill and closed the door to visitors. Instead, there was a sense of peace and tranquility that had not been seen for a long time.

One day, the main door of Ningguo Mansion was closed as usual, and only one door at the corner was opened to allow people from the mansion to pass back and forth.

Menzi was standing by, so bored that he could only draw grids on the ground to pass the time.

Suddenly, they heard a carriage stop outside and someone approaching. The doormen hurriedly stood up and went out to stop them, saying, "The master is ill now and refuses all visitors. Please..."

Menzi's words became less and less confident, because he was shocked after seeing the appearance of the person who came.

He rubbed his eyes, realizing it wasn't a dream. Menzi took two steps back in shock and said, "Old Master?!"

Jia Daihua snorted coldly, "I just thought you were blind, and the Ningguo Mansion pitied you, so they let you come here to guard the gate. Call Jia Zhen's unworthy descendant to me, I will wait for him in the main hall!"

"Yes Yes Yes……"

Ning'an Hall,
Jia Zhen and Jia Rong all rushed to the main hall to inquire. When the servants in the mansion informed them that the old master had returned, they did not believe it and just thought that the servants had just happened to meet them.

Now the old man was seen standing in the hall with his eyebrows raised and eyes wide open, with three parts of suspicion, three parts of fear, three parts of excitement, and one part of joy in his heart.

"Jia Zhen, I'm here to see the old master."

"Jia Rong, I'm here to see the old master."

The two men knew they had done many wrong things, so they knelt down in the hall before Jia Daihua even opened his mouth.

Jia Daihua did not say anything to the two of them to stand up, but instead scolded them, "You two idiots, you have brought disgrace upon the Ningguo Mansion. The Crown Prince only showed extra favor by sending you a gift, but you are so complacent that you are carried away. Are you pig-brains?"

Jia Zhen and his son kowtowed in the hall to admit their mistakes.

Jia Daihua had no interest in whipping the two of them, so he asked again, "How is the old lady in the West Mansion doing lately?"

Jia Zhen hurriedly said, "Maybe he's getting better now. Rongguo Mansion hasn't entertained guests for a long time, and there has been less contact between us and the East Mansion."

Jia Daihua's face turned cold and he said, "It's not wrong to have less contact. If you have bad intentions, you will only bring bad luck to the family. If the West Mansion learns of my return and comes to greet me, I will refuse to go back."

Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were shocked.

"Is the old man trying to draw a clear line between himself and the West Mansion?"

No matter what they were thinking, the two men did not dare to disobey Jia Daihua and quickly agreed.

After a few more questions, Jia Daihua drove away these two unlucky people, out of sight, out of mind.

When he went out again to burn incense at the Jia family ancestral temple, he saw Jiao Da leaning against the door of the temple, holding a wine gourd, and was drunk.

"Oh, you can come back, I'm surprised."

Jiao Da was an old servant in Ningguo Mansion. He had fought with the old Duke Jia Yan several times. During a disaster, he was dug out from the dead by Jia Yan. He fled all the way and only gave the old Duke food and water he found. He only drank horse urine to survive.

He had made great contributions to the prosperity of Ningguo Mansion. Even if Jia Daihua had a bad temper, he still respected this old servant because of their old friendship. Now, hearing his jokes and ridicule, he was not angry and said, "Open the door. I will go inside to worship our ancestors."

Jiao Da poured another sip of wine into his mouth, wiped it with his torn hemp sleeve, and said, "If the ancestors saw the state of the mansion, they would be so angry that they would come back to life. And the story of losing the young mistress of the mansion and not being able to get her back made the whole city laugh at them."

Jia Daihua pushed the door open and said, "Let the whole city laugh at us, it's better than being hated by His Highness and being remembered by him. It's the boy Yue who did this and snatched the young lady away from the mansion, and the mansion should thank him. Is this really reasonable? What a bunch of stupid young men..."

Jia Daihua curled his lips and went back into the ancestral hall.

Jiao Da looked at Jia Daihua's slightly hunched back, and the smile on his face gradually faded. "He's already a sixty-year-old man, and he still has to go to the battlefield to fight for wealth and honor for his descendants. Alas, how sad and lamentable."

Rongguo Mansion,
The two palaces of the East and the West are close to each other, so no matter what happens, it cannot be hidden from the other side.

Upon hearing the news that the old master of the East Palace had returned, even Lady Jia was shocked and hurriedly sent people to greet him, but when they came back, they all had sad faces.

"Grandfather, the old master in the East Mansion confiscated our things and kicked us all out."

Grandmother Jia looked unhappy, sighed, and said after a long while, "Go back first."

When she was the only one left in the room, she leaned back in the armchair, closed her eyes and began to think, "It's a disaster. This old guy has already hated me. The Jia family is already in decline, and this Dongxi Mansion is going to make trouble. What should I do?"

……

After the northern barbarians broke through Zijing Pass, they entered the vast and flat North China Plain.

On the plains, the advantages of the cavalry can be maximized, and when taking the road to the capital, the several cities passed by were not as tall and solid as the border cities. Just because of the thunder, they suffered a lot.

However, after several days of fierce attack, they also captured the city, and successively conquered Yizhou, Laishui, Zhuozhou, Liangxiang, and arrived at the south bank of the Lugou River.

"Qiyan Timur, fetch your precious falcon and release it to see if there is an ambush on the other side of the bridge. You have kept it for so long, has it learned human nature yet?"

Qiyan Temur, the commander of the Left Camp, rode beside Tuji Khan and said with a smile, "Of course it can't be fed for nothing. If there are people on the other side, it will circle in the air to warn people. Khan, just keep an eye on it."

The falcon was released and flew high in the sky. After only one round of searching, it landed on Kiyan Temur's shoulder again.

"Khan, it seems that there is nothing unusual."

Tuji Khan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, it is quite useful, not just a decoration."

Afterwards, he gave orders to those around him: “The entire army should cross the bridge and set up camp ten miles away from the capital.”

Finally arriving at the foot of the capital, Tuji Khan was in a very good mood. He had swept away the gloomy mood of the past and planned to take the capital in one go.

"Du Ke, have you made any contact? How do you explain the incident at Zijing Pass?"

Du Ke rode side by side with Tuji Khan and said, "There is news. Yue Ling sent a family general to the border to deliver a message about the Zijing Pass incident. He hid it from everyone except him and the messenger. Even Chen Ruiwen who was guarding the city and the soldiers who escorted the gunpowder didn't know what the message was for. I'm afraid he has already suspected the spies in the city."

Tuji Khan just frowned slightly and said, "Yue Ling is smart, but he has no power to change the situation. I have already entered the capital area, and he has no cavalry. How can he fight me?"

"Have you got the defense map of the capital?"

Du Ke nodded, "We have got it. Now the generals of the Nine Gates are aware of it. It's just that the strength of the troops in each place is uncertain. This is not a big concern. We still have ways to deal with it."

Hearing this, Tuji Khan felt more relieved.

"Okay, let's capture the capital in one fell swoop, and then go north to poke the back door of the Dachang Crown Prince. We, the barbarians, can also rule the world!"

That day, after crossing the Lugou Bridge, the barbarians first set up a large military tent.

Tuji Khan hosted a banquet in his tent to entertain the leaders of the tribes and encouraged everyone before the battle. "Now, except for the troops that are holding back the border troops at Juyong Pass, we have all gathered at the foot of the capital. There are 120,000 troops, and countless war horses and livestock. You have plundered along the way and gained a lot of benefits, but these are just appetizers. The wealth of the capital is beyond your imagination!"

"After we plunder the capital, we will transport the property back to the grasslands, which will be enough for your small tribe to become a middle tribe, and the middle tribe to become a big tribe. At that time, we will be invincible on the grasslands, whether it is Yarkand in the west or the Jurchens in the east, they will all be under our rule. If we defeat the prince of Dachang in one fell swoop and destroy the country, then this land of Dachang will become our northern barbarian land, and the power of Mongolia will be restored!"

Below, the leaders of each tribe were all cheering, but some were worried.

"Khan, if the prince of Dachang were to retreat south first and come back to aid the capital, we wouldn't have much of an advantage with a hundred thousand troops plus the two hundred thousand in the city."

Hearing this, everyone stopped cheering and started to think about it.

Tuji Khan looked even more relaxed. He stood up, raised his glass, and said with a smile, "I have something to say. Everyone, listen carefully. Prince Dachang will never be able to withdraw! He will only be trapped in Liaodong, and will be caught in a dilemma. If he is unlucky, he may even be defeated by the Jurchens."

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

"Is this something the Khan has planned in advance?"

Tuji Khan laughed and said, "Of course, when we take over the capital, we will celebrate the New Year in the capital first..."

During the banquet, people drank and enjoyed themselves. When Tuji Khan went to the toilet, he brought a jar of wine and walked around the small tent.

"Old Master, are you feeling better now? We have finally reached the capital city you've been longing for. I will definitely let you reunite with your family in less than a month. Old Master has been stationed at the border for many years, and you haven't been back to the capital city for a long time, right?"

Jia Daishan opened his eyes slightly and said weakly, "You want to kill me as a sacrifice, why don't you come?"

Tuji Khan smiled and said, "No hurry, what's the hurry? Let the old master see how vulnerable the capital is, so that the old master can die in despair without any regrets."

After placing the jar of wine on Jia Daishan's desk, Tuji Khan left with a smile.

As soon as I left the tent, someone came looking for me.

"Khan, a messenger has arrived."

Tuji Khan was shocked and said, "Okay, I will go back now."

Entering the big tent where Tuji Khan was staying, I saw a man in white clothes, a jacket with slanting collar and a cloth belt around his waist. The outer layer of the clothes was made of silk and the inner layer was made of animal skin. It was very obvious that his clothes were influenced by the Central Plains and also had the characteristics of nomadic peoples.

The man bowed and saluted, "Khan."

Tuji Khan smiled and said, "It's not easy to come here from afar. How are you doing now?"

"Everything is planned by Khan..."

……

The capital, the Privy Council,
Yue Ling was getting busier and busier. He hadn't returned home for several days. He was so tired that he simply fell asleep in the yamen.

The pressure was like a stream of water, rushing towards Yue Ling from all directions.

Not only is there the heavy trust of the King of Qin and the royal family, but there are also hundreds of thousands of civilians in the capital and two hundred thousand troops inside and outside the city walls.

When it comes to battle, casualties are not just numbers in a game. As far as the military formation is concerned, once the damage in the formation exceeds 30%, it will shake the morale of the army. If it exceeds 50% and still remains in disarray, they can be regarded as the elite among the elite.

How could there be a battle to the last soldier as in the game? The soldiers nowadays have no faith in their hearts, and when it comes to life and death, most of them will certainly run away.

Commanding a battlefield does not just require opening the full map view and clicking the mouse.

Yue Ling had to distinguish from the snowflakes of military intelligence notes which ones were most likely to be true, and which ones might be exaggerated by the garrison, or which ones might be the result of unknown reconnaissance. Yue Ling needed to carefully identify them to minimize the possibility of misjudgment.

"Grand Commander, wake up. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not doing well in Liaodong. Now the army is under the command of Yin Tai and General Yin. They have been attacking Guangning City for several days without success and have also suffered several surprise attacks and raids."

"Grand Commander, the northern barbarians have already crossed the Lugou River and are less than 20 miles away from the capital!"

"Grand Commander, His Majesty is in the morning court again. Now the civil and military officials are heading to the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

"Your Majesty? It seems that the matter reported by Chief Steward Dai has been resolved."

Yue Ling pinched his brows and stood up, "Okay, I got it. The battle report will be placed on my desk and I will deal with it when I return."

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart,
Emperor Yuan Qing took some tonic medicine to stimulate the blood flow to his heart and boost his spirits, and put on some makeup to cover up his illness.

Dai Quan's eyes welled up as he watched from the side. After this incident, Emperor Yuan Qing might never be able to get up from his couch again. He could only be described as at the end of his rope.

Emperor Yuan Qing, knowing that he had not much time left, felt good and a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Erlang is guarding the country at the border, how can I hold him back? Besides, I have been in power for more than 30 years, and after today, I can say that I have finally come to an end."

"Dai Quan, what's going on outside the capital now?"

Dai Quan wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said, "The barbarian army has crossed the Lugou Bridge and is now setting up camp. I'm afraid they will attack the city tomorrow."

Emperor Yuan Qing nodded slightly, "Then I have to attend this court session. Of course, I am not the key person in this court session, so I'll leave it to Yue Ling, the important minister entrusted by Erlang."

Dai Quan nodded slightly.

Emperor Yuan Qing said again: "Can Yue Ling really resist the 120,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Barbarians? If this city is defended, it will be an unprecedented achievement."

Dai Quan nodded again, "Yue Ling is very capable. The fact that the capital is not in chaos before the war and the people are not stranded on the streets is also due to his contribution."

"Since even you say so, how can I not believe it? It's possible that one of you and Erlang is wrong, but can both of you be wrong?"

"But now that the city has been defended, Erlang will have a headache. For such a great feat, any reward would not be excessive. Yue Ling has just reached adulthood, and he will have many more achievements in the future. What will he do when there are no more titles to be given? He is different from Erlang. Erlang is a royal family after all. If he has many achievements, he can become the emperor. But what should a minister do?"

Emperor Yuan Qing laughed again, "There are times when he has a headache."

Dai Quan also remained silent.

However, in his opinion, it was difficult for the Crown Prince and Yue Ling to have a rift. In terms of the way they interacted, they were not like a monarch and his subject. It was unimaginable for a monarch and his subject to have a heart-to-heart talk without any scruples.

"Forget it, take me to the palace."

　Thanks to Wumiaowang0337, Qingyun Boxinglang, DecedeE, Renbengtie, my wife Liuying, Shuyou37434, Maozhaoxuzaishang, Shuyou03166, Tongliao Khanate Ambassador to Gambia, Kaysero018, Dolphin Admiral, Mr Chen, and Ziai for their monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support

　　
　
(End of this chapter)