The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 182 Fighting
"Asshole."

"Tell Hu Liyong that if he doesn't come, even if I lose, he won't get away with it."

Feng Yong cursed angrily.

Upon hearing the governor's order, the officer opposite him hurriedly went out.

The hall was bustling with activity. Many clerks were busy at work, while some officers were staring at a map hanging on the wall. The map showed Datong, including troop strength and passes, and was classified as highly confidential.

It's not usually taken out; it's kept by a designated person and only hung up when needed.

"Where has that scoundrel Wang Xin gone?" Feng Yong asked his men after calming himself down.

"According to the information brought back by the scouts, at their speed, they should have reached the Huai Ren area, less than a hundred li away. They should be able to reach Datong City in three days at the latest," a school officer hurriedly said.

Feng Yong narrowed his eyes, and his excitement subsided.

When Feng Yong first heard that Wang Xin was leading a large army towards him, he was quite surprised, and then he became nervous. He knew that while the civil officials and some lazy military officers didn't understand, he certainly did.

This team's fighting power is terrifying, exceeding my expectations.

Although Datong City had several thousand troops and he himself had five hundred armored cavalry, he was not confident of defeating the enemy. What he never expected was that this person was even bolder than he had anticipated.

He actually brought troops with him; what does he want to do?
Feng Yong impeached this person for rebellion in his memorial, but in reality, he did not think that this person would rebel. Looking at this person's resume, he was the kind of general who was blindly loyal. How could he possibly rebel?

That's why I deceived them with my own methods.

This man started his career in Yangzhou, where he built an army and achieved considerable military exploits. However, due to internal strife, the imperial court disbanded the army or transferred him without warning. Instead of resisting, he obediently complied.

There are generals like this. When Feng Yong first saw this man's resume, he doubted that he had made a mistake.

I originally thought Yue Fei was a character only found in vernacular novels, but I never expected to see him in real life. After he arrived in Datong, he led his army out as soon as I gave the order.

He had predicted everything correctly, except for this person's fighting strength. One wrong move and the whole game would be lost.

Originally, I wanted to take advantage of this man's blind loyalty and have measures to deal with him regardless of whether he came or not. However, I did not expect that he would actually bring an army.

Why is this person always so unpredictable? Feng Yong couldn't help but feel resentful.

“Commander, they only have two thousand men. No matter how powerful they are, it’s impossible for them to conquer our Datong City.” The officer spoke up, noticing his commander’s worry.

"What do you know?" Feng Yong had lost his usual patience.

The officer was reprimanded and dared not speak casually, knowing that the governor was now capricious and no one dared to disturb him.

In the midst of the chaos, Wang Xin arrived outside Datong City on the morning of the third day. He traveled smoothly without encountering any obstacles. Although there were soldiers spying on him, they ultimately made no move.

All the gates of Datong City were tightly closed, and many people on the city walls stared coldly at the army outside the city.

"This is the first time in so many years that Datong has been besieged, and by its own army no less. It's the biggest joke in the world." Zhang Wenjin's voice was devoid of joy or sorrow.

Feng Yong gazed at the young figure in the distance below the city and memorized it deeply.

Hu Liyong did not bring his men to Datong. He had been obedient for many years, which was why he had not been eliminated. Now that the situation has changed, he immediately sat on the sidelines and watched the tigers fight. Does he think he doesn't know what he's up to?

If only I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have kept this person around in the first place, considering the trouble it might cause.

The guards at various passes could not be mobilized in time, and Datong City only had a few thousand troops. They dared not leave the city and could only let others stay outside. If this continued, how much prestige would he have left?

As Zhao Tao said, this person would definitely not attack Datong; his main purpose in doing so was to suppress his own prestige.

After Zhao Tao's reminder, Feng Yong suddenly realized the truth and felt even more resentful, because he was at a loss for what to do.

Wang Xin also saw the people on the city gate tower. He ordered his men to set up camp and prepare for a long-term stand, while sending someone forward to shout a message.

Two riders stepped forward and stopped at a distance, guarding against arrows fired from the city gate. They called out, "Wang Xin, the guerrilla general of Yanmen Pass, has come to Datong on the orders of Feng Yong, the military governor of Datong and Yongxing. Please open the city gate."

Hearing the shouts from below, many officials breathed a sigh of relief; they were coming for Feng Yong, not for a rebellion.

As long as it's not a rebellion, they won't be implicated, and the imperial court won't have any trouble. Many people couldn't help but glance at Fatty Feng, whose face turned ashen with anger.

Undeterred, Zhao Tao leaned halfway out of the city wall and shouted, "Let's put down the baskets and invite General Wang Xin to sit on them and come up."

"fart!"

"Why sneak around? Open the city gates, and my general will go in on his own."

Instead of going back to relay the message, the riders below the city wall cursed directly.

Wang Xin sent men to shout, but he didn't expect anything. He knew that the gates of Datong wouldn't open, and he hoped they wouldn't open either. If the gates did open, it would be bad for him to rush in.

One option is to anticipate the court's intentions and simply wait for their decision, without creating unnecessary complications. The other option is to charge into the city and engage in battle, which would result in uncontrollable casualties and pointless sacrifices.

What I need to do is keep Feng Yong at bay in Datong, to prevent him from causing trouble and making reckless moves. Even if he succeeds by accident, it will still reduce internal strife in Datong. All morning, the entire city of Datong watched as the Hexi Camp outside the city swaggered around.

Feng Yong did not send troops to attack. Although he preserved his strength, the morale of Datong was greatly affected. After all, the official explanation was that Wang Xin's troops had attacked friendly forces without authorization, acting recklessly and tantamount to rebellion.

The thousands of soldiers defending Datong were now facing this army that had been the subject of much gossip, and many soldiers couldn't help but mutter to themselves.

"Have people prepare." Feng Yong remained silent until he returned and summoned his trusted confidants.

The general looked surprised, thinking that his own military governor was helpless.

Feeling the gazes of his subordinates, Feng Yong laughed angrily, "You little bastard, you don't think I've lost my composure just because I suffered a defeat?"

The general smiled sheepishly and said, "The rumors are so exaggerated that even I can't help but feel apprehensive."

If it were him, facing thousands of barbarian cavalry and five hundred armored cavalry, he would definitely not be able to win. On the battlefield, strength is what matters, and no matter how eloquent the words are, they are useless.

Feng Yong changed his expression and said seriously, "I think Wang Xin is so arrogant and shows signs of setting up camp. He is too reckless."

The general nodded, showing approval.

Datong City is protected by city walls, but to camp outside the city walls is not a good thing if it is a large army, as they can take turns on guard duty. However, with only two thousand men, it is really arrogant.

Even if they are on guard against a sneak attack from Datong, there is no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. With Datong right under their noses, when to launch a sneak attack is entirely up to Datong, and the chances of success are very high.

Just then, someone rushed over with a message.

The troops at Yanmen Pass have withdrawn.

Feng Yong and his trusted general looked at each other, completely bewildered. That little thief Wang Xin was indeed unpredictable; they couldn't guess what he was thinking at all. Feng Yong quickly went to the city wall to observe.

Sure enough, not far below, the army was packing up supplies. Because there were so many vehicles, it made quite a scene.

"What exactly is he up to?" Zhang Wenjin, who had just arrived, was also completely baffled.

"Arrange for someone to keep an eye on it."

As Feng Yong made the arrangements, he couldn't help but glance at Zhang Wenjin. In Datong City, the only person who could threaten him was this man. Although this man had no soldiers or power, he was subject to Zhang Wenjin's control in many matters.

Zhang Wenjin felt Feng Yong's gaze and sighed inwardly.

This military governor, who had held a stable position in Datong for many years, finally panicked, as his opponent had been maneuvering him around from beginning to end.

Then he thought of that guerrilla general. This piece is really powerful. Once it crosses the river, it will pounce straight at the opponent's head. Who can stand in its way? With such a helper, Zhang Jifu is like a tiger with wings.

In any case, the imperial court finally won back some ground.

Zhang Wenjin suddenly spoke up, asking with a smile, "Commander Feng, it's been many years since you returned to the capital to report on your duties. Have you ever thought about going back to the capital for a visit?"

Upon hearing Zhang Wenjin's words, Feng Yong was momentarily lost in thought and couldn't reply.

Seeing that Feng Yong did not answer and stood there stunned, Zhang Wenjin did not press him for an answer. He smiled, shook his head, and left on his own. With Zhang Wenjin's departure, many officials also left, leaving only a group of military officers.

Feng Yong snapped out of his daze, smiled at the military officer watching him, and acted as if nothing had happened.

I couldn't help but walk to the city wall, stroke the battlements, and look at the horizon. Everything in Datong was built by myself. For decades, I have worked hard, even if I haven't made any great contributions. How does the imperial court really view me?

When I first arrived, not to mention the Shanyu tribe, let alone the Yehu tribe, even the Dabansheng region frequently blocked the pass, attracting a large number of poor people from inside the pass to flee outside.

At that time, the Daban Sheng region was known for its 100,000 archers. Also, the capital region had just lost Da Ning, and people were in a state of panic. The nine border regions were unstable, and it seemed that Shanxi was also about to lose Datong.

It was through his own efforts that Datong was stabilized step by step, the Shanyu tribe was brought under control, and the rise of Daban was contained.

If we had relied on the imperial court, the Datong region would have fallen into the hands of the Hu people long ago, just like the present-day Daning.

These scholars, full of selfishness and self-interest, curse the corrupt court, but their actions are actually more disgusting. What is even more infuriating are the ignorant and unruly commoners who, for petty gains, act as accomplices to the wicked, even leading the barbarians and tipping them off.

Dabansheng absorbed people from within the pass, guiding them to reclaim wasteland in Dabansheng and even build Dabansheng city.

These were all methods they devised to deal with the situation. They feigned compliance with the wealthy and powerful, and channeled large sums of silver to officials. The military pay that should have been sent from the capital to the nine border regions was reduced by half before it even left the capital.
After doing so much, I've ended up being the villain!

Recalling Zhang Wenjin's words, the contempt in his tone, Feng Yong was extremely angry. Yes, with the righteous cause of the court in hand, he could always attract talented young people, just like he had back then.

If things went well, it was the civil official's credit; if things went wrong, it was the military official's responsibility. Thinking of this unfairness, Feng Yong's large belly felt like it was about to explode.

"My lord, we might as well fight them to the death."

The general who had just arrived quietly beside Feng Yong made his stance clear.

(End of this chapter)