Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 130 One man is in charge

When the Dachang army filed out of the houses, Tuji Khan suddenly realized that something bad had happened. Yue Ling had discovered their intention in advance and had set up many ambushes, waiting for him to fall into the trap.

Suddenly, a cannon shot out from the city wall, like thunder coming out of nowhere, clearly drowning out the sound of other cannons.

I saw a cannonball explode in the sky, and then scattered towards the Northern Barbarian army that came to support. It seemed that hundreds of people fired at the same time, and immediately a group of Northern Barbarian soldiers fell off their horses, and it was unknown whether they were dead or alive.

The northern barbarian soldiers rushed to their deaths one after another. Tuji Khan, who was watching the battle from afar on the rammed earth platform, had bloodshot eyes. He suppressed his anger and said to the messenger beside him, "Sound the horn to call back the troops and summon the leaders of each tribe to my tent for a discussion."

"Yes."

The Northern Barbarian army, which was at its peak, did not want to suffer a setback at the foot of the capital, so Tuji Khan quickly summoned all the tribes to discuss the matter.

As Tuji Khan expected, many tribal leaders in the big tent, after seeing the strong city and powerful artillery of the capital today, began to retreat in their hearts.

Going south to plunder is a business after all. Let’s not talk about the battlefield. But when the cost is obviously not proportional to the benefits, which tribe would be willing to be the vanguard?
If all the men of a tribe going to war were killed in battle, wouldn’t they still be doomed to be annexed when they return to the grassland?

As an outstanding leader of the grassland, Tugi Khan was naturally capable of making adjustments after suffering a defeat.

Looking at a small leader crying below, Tuji Khan said: "He Erleke, your tribe suffered heavy casualties today, but don't worry, as the Khan, I will definitely not treat you unfairly. I will allocate 10% of my tribe's previous spoils to you so that you can return to the grassland to recruit soldiers and expand your tribe."

He Erleke wiped his tears and bowed in gratitude, "Thank you, Khan."

Looking at the leaders of the tribes, Tuji Khan admitted his own mistakes in command. "Everyone, I underestimated Yue Ling today. I didn't expect him to be so alert and even dare to ambush outside the city. This boosted the morale of the Dachang army. Otherwise, the Dachang soldiers would have been vulnerable."

"Just ask, we have traveled to so many cities in the south, but we have never seen such an opponent."

Tuji Khan looked around and saw that everyone was thinking, so he continued: "However, the capital is not indestructible, and Yue Ling is not invincible. Next, we must always patrol the perimeter of the capital and not give Dachang's spies a chance to spy."

"After getting the news from the city, attack the city directly. Find more civilians to build as many siege weapons and chariots as possible to deal with Dachang's powerful artillery."

"Besides, there is only one Yue Ling in Dachang, but there are nine gates in the capital. Can he be ready at all the gates outside the city at any time and set up defenses?"

Tuji Khan successfully mobilized everyone's thoughts and made greed and desire sprout in their eyes.

"Okay, that's it for now. We have traveled a long distance for several days and are already a little tired. Let's rest for a few days and then follow my orders to attack the capital!"

"I will obey the Khan's orders!"

……

In a private house adjacent to Fuchengmen,

Yue Ling took off his armor and listened to the report from the soldiers below.

"After the battle at Fuchengmen, we roughly estimated that we killed more than 2,000 enemies, one of whom was a captain of the Northern Barbarians. We also wounded more than 5,000 enemies, captured more than 1,000 livestock, collected more than 500 helmets, and more than 200 armors."

Liu Fang, the guard of Fucheng Gate, was overjoyed and said, "Grand Commander, we have already made great achievements on the first day! If things go as planned today, wouldn't it be suicide for the Northern Barbarians to come again in the future?"

Yue Ling shook his head, ignoring Liu Fang who was eager to make a contribution, and asked, "How many casualties did we suffer?"

The soldier pursed his lips and replied, "The casualties were not great. Only 40% of the 5,000 soldiers who left the city were killed or wounded. Two cannons on the city wall exploded, injuring nine people. There were also unfortunate people who were shot by the Northern Barbarians' arrows, injuring nearly a hundred people and killing more than thirty people."

Yue Ling sighed, "Let the Ministry of War verify the merits, and the Ministry of Revenue cooperate as soon as possible to reduce the reward and compensate the families of the dead and wounded soldiers."

Seeing Yue Ling's frown, Liu Fang was very confused, "General, this is a great victory, why do you still look unhappy?"

Yue Ling said: "It's not as you thought just now. The next time we defend the city, it won't be as easy as today. Today we took advantage of the terrain and caught the Northern Barbarians off guard. We won't have many opportunities to ambush them in the future."

"Tuji Khan is not a fan of fighting, otherwise a big battle would not only hurt these people. He has his own calculations in mind, and he is not a fool. The situation is still not favorable to us."

"In the final analysis, the northern barbarians are mostly cavalry, and they are too mobile. If they can't win, they can just run away, while we can only defend the city and fight to the death. Even if we gain a slight advantage, we can't stop them from retreating. When they come back, it's not certain who will win or lose."

Hearing this, the smile on Liu Fang's face faded and she also shook her head.

Yue Ling stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't let your guard down. The Northern Barbarians may attack Fuchengmen again next time. Thank you for taking care of us these days. I will go back to the government office first."

Liu Fang nodded, clasped his fists and saluted, "Farewell, Grand Commander."

Just after returning to the government hall, Yue Ling was faced with a mountain of documents.

"Is your Highness the Crown Prince in good health? If Yin Taihe leads the troops, the outcome of the Liaodong war will be very uncertain."

Yue Ling put aside the war report and flipped through another document. "Because of the war, prices in the capital have risen recently, especially in East City."

Yue Ling frowned slightly and shouted to the clerk outside the room, "Let the commander of the Five Cities Military Department and the deputy director of the Ministry of Revenue come to see me together!"

Not long after, Qiu Liang, the commander of the Five Cities Army, and Ji Bin, the deputy director of the Ministry of Revenue, entered the hall together and bowed to Yue Ling above.

"Greetings, Grand Commander. What do you want to see us about?"

The two were called by Yue Ling and were both confused and didn't know what he meant.

Yue Ling frowned, threw the document in front of the two, and said in a bad tone, "How dare you report this? The prices in the market cannot be stabilized. Are you going to provoke riots among the people in the city?"

The two of them bent down to pick up the document, and after reading it together, they knew why Yue Ling was angry.

The commander of the Bingmasi was a sixth-rank official, and the deputy minister was a fifth-rank official. Now they were being scolded by Yue Ling, who was the same age as their son, in the hall. They felt embarrassed and hung their heads.

Yue Ling pointed at the two and said angrily, "You have one day to restore the prices of commodities in the capital, especially grain, oil, salt and other necessities for the people's lives. Otherwise, I will not show any mercy and will directly punish you by military law!"

The two of them nodded timidly.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard Yue Ling say, "Also, check if anyone in the capital is causing trouble. If there are any ignorant merchants who want to make a fortune during this time of national crisis, directly notify the Ministry of Justice to detain them in jail and treat them as Northern Barbarian spies!"

"Yes, yes. I will obey your command."

……

The fifth day after the Northern Barbarians first attacked the capital.

Winter month 13,

In recent days, the Northern Barbarians have not made any major moves, but have instead focused on spies. Any cavalry scouts sent by Yue Ling would quickly be discovered by the Northern Barbarians, who would then send out a small team of troops to hunt them down.

Due to the horses' strength, the horses in the capital city were not as good as those on the grassland, which resulted in few spies being able to escape.

On the battlefield, without being able to send out scouts, Yue Ling was like being blindfolded, and he did not dare to act rashly. The Northern Barbarians also resumed their usual tactics of harassing the enemy, sending cavalry to attack the city gates from time to time, causing the soldiers on the city walls to be on edge every day, which was really miserable.

That day, early in the morning,
In the storage room under the city wall, Lu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, facing the flag bearers, and angrily said, "What on earth do you do for a living? After one night, if someone can still lose the flag, how can you not lose your heads?"

"From now on, when you come down from the city wall at night, return the command flag here first, and come here the next day to receive it! I will keep an eye on you every day. If you make any mistakes again and delay military operations, I will behead you on the city wall!"

All the flag bearers lowered their heads and nodded earnestly.

With a cold snort, Lu Yuan sent people to distribute the command flags, "Take them all, this flag is more important than your life. Without the flag, how can the gates communicate with each other and how can the various departments cooperate? Well, this is all I have to say, you guys take care of yourself, go to the city wall."

As soon as the sky brightened, the flag bearers rode their horses onto the bridleway on the city wall, galloping between the gates and rushing to their positions.

Before they could do so, a few cries were heard from the sky, which startled the officers and soldiers at Xizhimen.

Suddenly, a soldier shouted, "Here they come! The Northern Barbarians are coming!"

Someone asked, "Are they really coming up? Or is it just a small group of cavalry attacking and testing them?"

"Look, it's all pitch black!"

Under the huge shadow of the city wall, the armor of the Northern Barbarian Army took on a touch of black, like a dark brown tide, engulfing the earth and rushing towards the capital.

Seeing this, the soldiers quickly went to look for Prince Zhongshun in the arrow tower.

When Prince Zhongshun hurried to the top of the city wall, he took a look, slapped the battlements, and cursed: "These bastards have finally come to attack my gate. If the city is captured today, I will leave this head on the city wall!"

"Pass on my military order. Load the cannons and fire the crossbows. Wait until the northern barbarian army gets close before attacking! Don't be afraid of wasting gunpowder. Fight to the death for me!"

"Prepare the thunderstones, rolling logs, gold juice and kerosene for them!"

King Chungshun personally took off the bow on his back and joined the soldiers in defending the city.

"Flag bearer! Pass on my order. Fire together in ten breaths!"

Ten breaths later, deafening sound of artillery fire was heard from the city wall. Powerful crossbows as thick as gun barrels were fired and also penetrated the wall, which should have seriously injured the enemy.

But when the smoke cleared, the Northern Barbarian army got closer, and King Zhongshun noticed something was wrong.

I don't know what master has given this barbarian some advice, but he has actually upgraded his siege tactics!
The front row was no longer armored heavy cavalry, but chariots wrapped in armor, followed by a large number of infantry.

The cavalry simply drove their livestock to explore mines and ditches, and then turned back, without directly attacking the city gate.

The damage caused by artillery fire and powerful crossbows is greatly reduced for heavy chariots with strong protection.

King Zhongshun stared at him, "You bastard, if Yue Ling gave me a red cannon, wouldn't I be able to blast through that iron sheet with one shot?"

"That's right!" When Yue Ling was mentioned, King Zhongshun suddenly realized.

"Flag bearer! Quickly inform Yue Ling that the Northern Barbarians are attacking Xizhimen!"

At the same time, Yue Ling was deploying troops at Dongzhimen, which was opposite to Xizhimen. After a round of flag bearers on the city wall sent messages, soldiers on Dongzhimen ran down the city wall to inform Yue Ling.

"Grand Commander, today the Northern Barbarians are attacking Xizhimen. The situation there is critical. Please go there quickly to take charge!"

"Xizhimen?"

Not long ago, the Northern Barbarians were active in the east. Yue Ling thought they would take the initiative to attack the east, but unexpectedly they were just the opposite, in the west.

Yue Ling immediately mounted his horse and led 5,000 cavalrymen to rush towards the Xizhimen city wall.

He also issued orders to the two sides of Xizhimen, Fuchengmen and Deshengmen to provide urgent support to Xizhimen.

In two quarters of an hour, Yue Ling passed through the city. When he arrived at the Xizhimen city wall, he saw a fierce battle on the wall. Some northern barbarian soldiers had climbed up the wall and engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Yue Ling immediately led the cavalry along the horse path and climbed the wall, rushed into the field to clear a path, and then dismounted and fought on foot.

When the Northern Barbarian soldiers on the city wall saw a flag with the word "Yue" raised high behind the person coming, they knew it was Yue Ling, who had caused them heavy casualties recently.

When enemies meet, they are extremely jealous of each other, and the Northern Barbarian soldiers immediately pounced on Yue Ling.

But what they had never expected was that Yue Ling's martial arts were more sophisticated than his strategic calculations.

Waving the 10-foot-long lance in his hand, he rushed to the top of the city wall. Even without the speed of the horse, the lance in Yue Ling's hand could still sweep away groups of enemy soldiers, leaving the surrounding soldiers stunned.

The soldiers were stunned for a moment, and then they heard Yue Ling roar: "Quick, hold the battlements first, don't let them climb up the wall again!"

Yue Ling's individual fighting power was fully demonstrated at this moment. After defeating the surrounding northern barbarian soldiers, he alone defended several battlements.

With one thrust of the lance, he could knock down several people on the flying ladder, and then he could take out the musket at his waist and fire three bursts in succession to help the friendly forces around him defeat the enemy.

The battle line, which had been on the verge of collapse, was managed to stabilize with the help of the cavalry led by Yue Ling and the rapid support of the two nearby gates.

As the Grand Commander, Yue Ling had the power of a single man guarding the pass, which further boosted morale.

The soldiers of Dachang fought bravely with the enemy. Even those who were seriously injured jumped off the city wall holding the enemy soldiers and died together.

Not long after, the Northern Barbarians, after a long and fruitless attack, sounded the horn and retreated like the tide, and could no longer be seen on the city wall.

Yue Ling wiped the sweat from his forehead and slowly let out a breath.

"It's really dangerous."

Yue Ling looked in the direction of the voice and saw King Zhongshun covered in blood. His armor was a little disheveled, and it seemed that he had several wounds on his body.

After taking a few breaths, Prince Zhongshun threw away the curled sword in his hand, slowly sat down on the battlement, pointed at Yue Ling and said, "Okay, you are so brave, I admire you today. Apart from the crown prince, I have never admired anyone else, you are the second one."

Yue Ling chuckled and stood on the ground with his lance, "Thank you very much for your appreciation, Your Majesty."

King Zhongshun also laughed three times, "You bastard, when you wielded that horse spear, I thought you were some kind of earthly immortal. When you have time, teach me martial arts."

"Martial arts must be honed from a young age, and Your Majesty is already old enough."

King Zhongshun was stunned when he heard this, and then he laughed along with Yue Ling.

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(End of this chapter)