Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 136 Taking advantage of the situation
On the Dongzhimen city wall,

The flag bearer who was about to gather his troops heard Yue Ling's tone change and couldn't help but look stern, and they all stopped.

He turned around and bowed to Yue Ling, "Reporting to the Grand Commander, this flag was in this state when it came into our hands. We dare not let it have any defects. Otherwise, Lord Lu of the Privy Council will definitely not forgive us."

The flag bearers nodded earnestly, waiting for Yue Ling's words.

Frowning, Yue Ling asked again, "When this flag was handed to you, was it originally with a tassel sometimes and without one sometimes?"

The flag bearers said, "Sometimes there are more, sometimes there are fewer. The flags are sent to Zhengyang Gate for safekeeping at night. Lord Lu didn't ask about this little thing. Maybe one of the teams knocked the flag tassel off during the war."

Seeing that Yue Ling's face was not right, the flag bearers felt insecure and tried to find a way out for themselves as such a small matter was investigated so carefully.

Of course Yue Ling thought differently from them.

"It is indeed difficult for humans to detect the difference between a flag with or without a tassel. However, Saker Falcons feed on wild ducks, grouse, and rabbits on the grasslands, and can even catch voles. Even the smallest difference cannot escape its eyes, so it is certainly feasible to use this method to transmit information."

Yue Ling pondered and said, "The last time there was no tassel on the flag, could you hear birds singing?"

After hearing Yue Ling ask a question that was beyond their expectations, the flag bearer was in a daze for a while before realizing that Yue Ling was not holding them accountable, but was investigating something.

Everyone did not dare to neglect it. They thought about it seriously, discussed it together, and gave an accurate answer. "Reporting to the Grand Commander, we took this flag without tassels five days ago. There was a bird singing in the morning of that day."

"Were there northern barbarian cavalrymen outside the city that day?"

"Yes, yes, it's about the same as this morning."

Yue Ling nodded slightly and had an idea in mind.

"Okay, you guys go back first. What I want to ask you today is..."

The flag bearers all breathed a sigh of relief and immediately responded, "We swear to heaven that we will never gossip about it and will never let anyone else know."

……

The Privy Council,
Feng Yu and Lu Yuan were busy together in the classroom.

All confidential matters such as daily troop rotations, baggage replenishment, and analysis of military intelligence must be handled in this classroom.

The sky gradually darkened and the gong had been ringing for who knows how many hours. Feng Yu rubbed his shoulders and stood up from his seat.

"Luckily, Yue Ling raided the enemy's camp. Recently, the supplies needed to replenish the nine gates of the capital are just some food and fodder. Otherwise, I would not be able to finish my work by dark."

After completing his part, Feng Yu wanted to go home and rest. Seeing Lu Yuan looking worried, he stepped forward and asked, "Master Lu, what difficulties have you encountered?"

Lu Yuan raised his head, the wrinkles between his brows spread out, revealing a smile, "No, it's not difficult. You are right, thanks to Yue Ling, we can relax these few days."

Shaking the documents in his hand, Lu Yuan said, "However, the rotation of the city wall arranged by Yue Ling is getting more and more frequent. Tomorrow, troops will be transferred from Deshengmen to Dongzhimen."

Feng Yu smiled and said, "It's not a difficult task. Just send the documents out and let the officers below do it."

Lu Yuan sighed and said, "It would be better to just let one team guard one gate for a long time, and then replenish them when the troops are damaged. This back and forth is just a waste of manpower."

Feng Yu considered and said, "He probably has his reasons. We have been guarding for more than two months. If the morale of the soldiers in one gate is low and they stay in one place for a long time, it would be bad if the soldiers mutinied and surrendered to the enemy."

"Moreover, several generals are descendants of the four princes and eight dukes, and some of them have old ties with the Kangwang Mansion. To be honest, even I find it difficult to trust them. If there was no one else in the capital who could be used, why would I give them this opportunity?"

Deputy Privy Councilor Chai Pu walked in, picked up Feng Yu's teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, shook his head and sighed, "That's why, when we sat together as Left and Right Prime Ministers, we talked about Yue Ling and said that he was experienced in planning things. You still haven't thought it through."

Feng Yu and Lu Yuan stood up together and bowed to Chai Pu, "Deputy Envoy Chai, you haven't returned home yet."

Chai Pu nodded and said, "The reason why the lineage of the four princes and eight dukes went to King Kang is because there are still too few people who can catch the eye of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. They have to be demoted every generation. If they don't have military merits, they will have nothing to do in the court in two generations. How can they not be anxious?"

"This time, Yue Ling gave them some opportunities. For some of the princes and dukes who couldn't become the gatekeepers, he also let their descendants become officers to get some military merit. In this way, they can work together to guard the gate instead of causing chaos in the city and colluding with the northern barbarians."

Feng Yu and Lu Yuan both understood what was said and nodded repeatedly, thinking it made sense.

Chai Pu laughed again and said, "Don't look at Yue Ling's young age. He is more familiar with the rules of the officialdom than you and I."

After finishing the tea, Chai Pu said, "Okay, Mr. Feng can go back first, and Mr. Lu should go to the city wall to review the flag bearers, so we won't talk any more."

Chai Pu returned to the main hall, and Lu Yuan and Feng Yu respectfully saw him off, and then they went out together.

Chai Pu picked up the documents on the table, but put them down again, stood up and looked at the two people outside the door, then shook his head and sighed for a while.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart,
Emperor Yuan Qing was lying on the couch, with three little ones lying below him.

"I've met Grandpa Huang."

Emperor Yuan Qing's face lit up with a smile that had not been seen for a long time, and he whispered, "Okay, okay, you are so good, get up now."

"Dai Quan, give them some rewards."

Dai Quan took out three jade pendants from the brocade plate he had prepared in advance, handed them to the three little guys one by one, and bowed to them.

The principle of kinship between grandparents and grandchildren seems to apply to the royal family as well. When Emperor Yuan Qing saw these little guys, the pain in his body seemed to be relieved a little.

"Have they all been to school?"

The Crown Princess stood behind the little ones, and Fu Li replied to Emperor Yuan Qing, "Your Majesty, I have found a teacher for them, and they are now reading the Four Books."

"Good, very good. They all seem quite smart, like Jiro."

After letting out a sigh, Emperor Yuan Qing said, "Forget it, it's good enough to have met once. Go back first, lest the filthy air in this room infect the child."

The Crown Princess bowed again and called the three little ones back.

"Goodbye, Grandpa Huang."

When the Crown Princess led the three imperial grandchildren out of the hall, they saw Xia Shouzhong walking quickly out of the door with a worried look on his face.

When Xia Shouzhong looked up, he also saw the Crown Princess and her entourage. He quickly stopped and made way for them, bowed and said, "Crown Princess."

The Crown Princess nodded slightly and asked in confusion, "Why are you in such a hurry? What are you going to do?"

Xia Shouzhong held a memorial in his hand and pretended to be embarrassed, "Yue Ling handed in a memorial from outside the palace to present to Your Majesty. It is about the upcoming war. He also told me that if the Crown Princess wants to read it, it's fine."

The Crown Princess shook her head and said, "It is his duty to inform the Imperial City when he is leading troops outside. Your Highness entrusted the matter to him, so I naturally trust him. Moreover, in the past two months, he has been able to repel the invading enemies every time, and he can also lead troops to raid the Northern Barbarians' camp. In terms of military affairs, few people in the city can compare with him. Even if I see it, can I judge the pros and cons?"

Xia Shouzhong nodded and said, "Yes, I am too suspicious."

The Crown Princess said again: "Go and do your own thing."

Xia Shouzhong bowed again and left quickly. After bidding farewell to Xia Shouzhong, the Crown Princess took the children on the way back to the East Palace. The eldest child beside her asked in confusion: "Mother, why is the emperor living in the palace so sick that he can't even stand up? Is he going to die?"

The Crown Princess frowned and looked over coldly. The boss quickly covered his mouth and dared not say another word.

The second son asked again, "Mother, who is the Yue Ling you and Eunuch Xia were talking about just now?"

The Crown Princess smiled again and explained, "Yue Ling, he is the one who is now guarding the capital, protecting the people, and fighting against the northern barbarians. With him, we will be safe in the imperial city, and you will be able to sleep well at night."

The second child nodded his little head and said firmly: "How impressive! When I grow up, I want to be like him and protect the country, the people, and my mother."

The Crown Princess patted his back and encouraged him, "Then mother will wait for you to grow up."

In the hall, Dai Quan received the memorial and read it to Emperor Yuan Qing.

"Your Highness, according to Yue Ling's meaning, he said that Lu Yuan, who is now in charge of the Privy Council, might be secretly colluding with the Northern Barbarians. In order not to alert them, he used the flag tassels as a secret signal to set up a trap in the city in advance to lure the Northern Barbarians to attack."

"The Northern Barbarian Cavalry is not something our army can easily wipe out. Only by luring them into a trap can we wipe out most of the cavalry in one go. I think this is a good strategy."

Emperor Yuan Qing took a deep breath and said, "This is a risky move. If we fail to stop the cavalry and allow them to break through the city gate, the outcome will be disastrous."

"Well, whatever. He has been coordinating the external affairs during this period and is more familiar with the battlefield situation. Let's do as he wishes. The original intention of sending this memorial is to prevent the people in the palace from panicking when they hear the news that the city gates are opened."

After thinking for a while, Emperor Yuan Qing said, "Also inform the East Palace. If Yue Ling wanted to rebel against the Northern Barbarians, why would he have to wait for two months?"

"The slaves obey."

……

The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month,

Although it was New Year's Eve, there was no festive atmosphere in the entire capital.

The cold wind blew on the streets, stirring up wisps of dust. Soldiers from the military department were patrolling the city, and their inspections were stricter than usual.

In front of each house, apart from pasting some blessing characters and spring couplets, and the wealthy families hanging up lights and decorations, there is not much joy to be seen on people's faces.

There were no more firecrackers set off in the city, and the festive atmosphere became much weaker.

The people were all worried about the war outside the city, which concerned their life and death.

It should have been the most joyous festival, but the entire capital city was unusually quiet. Only a tense and solemn atmosphere hung over the entire city.

No one knows whether the northern barbarians will take advantage of the festival to launch a large-scale attack on the city.

Yue's house is no different from the outside.

In the main hall, Lin Daiyu and the girls were having their reunion dinner, and there was an empty chair at the main seat at the table.

The girls moved their chopsticks from time to time, then looked up at the empty seats, then lowered their heads and sighed, as if everyone in the room had become Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu naturally couldn't hide her worry on her face.

Ever since the intense war with the Northern Barbarians, Yue Ling has never returned home. In the past, the two were inseparable and always in the same place, but now they have been separated for several months.

This made Lin Daiyu a little difficult to adapt to.

But now, Brother Yue is not only her concern, but also the hope of all the people in the city and the backbone of the soldiers defending the city. Taking root in the military camp is what he should do.

At the right time, Ni Ni wrapped in a cotton coat, ran over from outside, lifted the heavy felt curtain in front of the door with great effort, and reported the news inside with a smile.

"Miss Lin, there is a letter from the master."

Lin Daiyu hurriedly waved her hand and called Ni Ni to her side.

Zijuan grabbed a handful of silver ingots from a small wooden box nearby and stuffed them into Ni Ni's small pocket as a reward for her bringing the good news.

"Thank you Miss Lin, thank you Sister Zijuan."

After leaving the letter, Ni Ni left happily.

"Girl, take a look at what General Yue wrote."

Lin Daiyu looked around at everyone, nodded, opened the letter, read it from top to bottom, then breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Qin Keqing looked anxious, "Miss Lin, what did the master write?"

Lin Daiyu passed the letter on, "Brother Yue said that the war with the northern barbarians is coming to an end and he will be back in a few days. Since he can't spend the New Year with us, he will make it up to us next time so that we don't have to worry."

The little girls all passed it around. Xueyan and Baozhu read it together and found that there were a few words they couldn't recognize, so Ruizhu read it to them again.

With Yue Ling's letters, the girls who knew little about what was happening outside could feel more at ease.

Although they didn't know what kind of hardships and dangers Yue Ling had gone through, the fact that he was in good health now was great news to them.

"Okay, don't worry about it. Let's eat first. We'll stay up tonight and play cards in your room for a while."

After giving the instructions, Lin Daiyu took the letter and returned to her room alone, and wrote a reply to Yue Lingshu.

……

The situation on the front line remained stalemate until the end of the first month of the year.

The atmosphere in the city became increasingly tense.

Now, the time has come for the Northern Barbarians to attack.

The border troops cannot act rashly, but Henan and Huguang, which are far away from the capital, have already sent troops to support the capital.

If the Northern Barbarians fail to capture the city, it will mean the failure of this operation and they will have to retreat to the grassland and make other plans.

I don’t know when I’ll have such a good opportunity next time.

Tuji Khan's plan was not wrong. He let the Jianzhou Jurchens instigate the Liaodong Governor, an old subordinate of King Kang, to rebel, causing King Qin to be stuck in the quagmire outside the Great Wall and unable to extricate himself.

The capital was empty, so he went south to the capital and raided Dachang's lair.

But who would have thought that Yue Ling would suddenly appear in the capital and block him from entering, causing his current losses to be less than what he had gained from the looting along the way.

After receiving additional troops and preparing various siege equipment, Tuji Khan and the small leaders of various tribes who had been complaining for a long time issued an order, "In mid-February, the decisive battle in the capital will begin."

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(End of this chapter)