The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 395 Brave Niu Niu
Pingxingguan, formerly known as Pingxingzhai and Pingxinglingguan, is located at the foot of Pingxingling, at the junction of Fanshi County, Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi Province and Lingqiu County, Datong Prefecture. It is named after the bottle-shaped terrain surrounding it.

The doors were kept wide open during the day.

Because of years of disrepair, the earthen wall is full of pits and holes; you can dig a hole in it with your bare hands.

There wasn't a single soldier in sight at the entrance.

Dozens of men in ordinary clothes rushed in, but the expected battle did not materialize. The empty city gate made their seriousness seem ridiculous, as if it were a farce.

"What do you do?"

at last.

Awakened by the commotion outside, a man in tattered prison clothes, disheveled and dirty-faced, emerged from his ear hole, yawning, and then gradually quieted down.

Several gleaming knives landed beside his head.

"Hero, spare your life!"

The man thought he had encountered robbers who were actually trying to rob their pass.

After a while.

A brightly colored procession emerged from the mountains. Qi Shannian rode his horse into the city, his face full of disbelief. He saw that the number of people gathered at the city gate was not large, only fifty or sixty.

They were all pale and emaciated, and were all old and weak.

"Why are you the only ones guarding this place?"

Qi Shan asked.

"We haven't received any grain for over a year; those who could have run away have already done so."

Why did you stay?

"We can't run."

"So what do you eat?"

"We're digging for wild vegetables. There's a pond over there, and some wheat is planted along its banks."

People chattered amongst themselves.

Once they saw that it was the flag of the Datong Army, they were no longer worried. Anyway, they had nothing, and the Datong Army didn't kill people indiscriminately, so what were they afraid of? One of them even asked boldly, "Sir, can we have some food?"

Qi Shan Nian was speechless.

He spent several nights thinking about how to capture Pingxingguan at the lowest cost.

Pingxingguan, Ningwuguan, and Yanmenguan are the links between Datong and Taiyuan. To take Daizhou, we must first take Pingxingguan, or Ningwuguan, which has 10,000 troops stationed there that we cannot possibly take down.

But Pingxingguan was taken too easily; how could I possibly report it as a military achievement?

“Give them a bag of grain.”

Qi Shan Nian gave an instruction.

The man was stunned. He had only said it casually and hadn't expected anything. Before he could react, some of the others had already kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, soldiers of Datong."

Everyone expressed their gratitude, and the tense atmosphere immediately dissipated.

They were thrown into a courtyard and locked up, and left to cook for themselves. They were quite quiet, discussing whether the Datong Army was going to rebel. Although everyone said the Datong Army was powerful and hoped that the Datong Army would teach the men a lesson, in the end no one took the initiative to join.

After we took over Pingxingguan, the military officers below came to report.

Qi Shan felt a headache coming on.

Although there were seven Class B battalions within Datong, there were only two Class A battalions.

In order to successfully capture Daizhou, they deployed their own Class A battalion, as well as a Class B battalion each from Datong and Zhang Zhen in the southeast, totaling nine thousand troops. Originally, they planned not to alert the enemy and to take Pingxingguan first.

However, they did not expect Pingxingguan to be so easy; the next two battalions would need another day to arrive.

"Urge them to march quickly."

"Leave one battalion behind, and the remaining four battalions will rest for half an hour before setting off."

Qi Shannian decided to seize the opportunity to strike, lest the news leak out and allow several counties in Daizhou to prepare.

The first county below Pingxingguan is Fanshi County.

The two places are more than 100 miles apart.

Qi Shannian personally led over a thousand cavalrymen, followed by over a thousand infantrymen.

The main difference between Class A and Class B battalions lies in the cavalry.

Both the Class A and Class B battalions had 3,000 men, but the Class A battalion had as many as 1,300 cavalrymen, while each Class B battalion had only 350 cavalrymen, a difference of nearly four times.

Proportionally speaking, the Class A battalion can already be considered a cavalry battalion.

The number of cavalry in Datong reached 15,000.

This is also a necessary number of cavalry to maintain; otherwise, it would be impossible to control the area outside the pass, and infantry alone would not be able to sustain it.

In order to extort money from passing merchants, Fanshi County set up checkpoints outside the city. In order to facilitate and prevent caravans from escaping, it also built several fences to block the road.

"Eat cabbage and then roll it with tofu."

The official in the shed picked up a piece of tofu, put it in his mouth with relish, closed his eyes contentedly, and sang boastfully, "Even the emperor can't compare to me."

The caravans nearby dared not speak out against their anger.

Everyone obediently waited for the inspection and handed over their money, thus losing a significant portion of their profits. Who could be happy about that? Seeing the clerk being treated like dirt, everyone felt as if their father had died.

"Bahhhhh."

The earth suddenly began to shake.

The commotion alerted everyone. "What's going on?" The clerk dropped the tofu he was holding onto the ground, stood up in surprise, and stared at the scene, his mouth agape. He instinctively pointed, wanting to say something but unable to speak.

"Bahhhhh."

"kill!"

"kill!"

More than a thousand cavalrymen charged forward, brandishing their lances and shouting battle cries, their momentum unstoppable.

Merchants, officials, and passersby were all terrified and fled in panic, leaving behind a scene of utter chaos.

This is exactly the effect Qi Shannian wanted; there's no time for reasoning now.

While the officials and runners were running into the city, he led his men to catch up. Two legs can outrun four.

"Wait for me."

"Who dares to close the door?"

The official wished he had four legs. He lagged behind and saw someone trying to close the city gate. He immediately started cursing and threatening them. The guards by the gate fearfully stepped aside.

"Close the door quickly."

As they approached the gate, the official shouted in advance, hoping to rush in before the gate closed and block the enemy.

Before he could finish speaking, he was lifted up from behind and thrown onto the horse.

His stomach was chafed painfully by the saddle, and he almost vomited. He was terrified and afraid of soiling the horse, so he covered his mouth tightly, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

In the dimly lit prison cell.

"My good sir, I advise you to confess quickly, otherwise you'll suffer for nothing and still have to confess in the end."

The jailer in the cell held pliers in his hand, speaking slowly and deliberately, but his actions never stopped.

"I really have no money left."

The man hanging there, his skin torn and bleeding, pleaded weakly, "I'm just a peddler who goes from street to street. I was thinking of trying my luck in Datong. I really don't have much money. Please spare me this time. I'll never dare to come back again."

"I'm so sorry."

The jailer grinned and extended the pliers. "Whether you have money or not, we'll use this to talk."

The people in the next cell were huddled in a corner, trembling.

The jailer suddenly turned around and said, "It's been three days. You said your family members are officials in the prefecture, but no one has come yet, not even a word. If no one comes by tomorrow, it will be your turn."

"I have people."

The man said in alarm, "My uncle is Zhou, the registrar in the prefecture. I was just running errands for him, which is why I went to Datong."

The prison guard said no more.

Those with connections will naturally come to recommend people, while those without connections will be exploited to the extreme, and they won't be allowed to leave alive.

Squeak.

The cell door was suddenly kicked open.

"Who is it?" The jailer, who was sleeping, was woken up and sat up in annoyance, only to see a squad of soldiers barging in.

The leading military officer looked around.

"Sir, who are you?"

Seeing that things were not going well, the jailer stepped forward and asked politely.

"Are you the jailer?"

Seeing the hostile tone, the jailer hesitated, glancing around. The guards all lowered their heads; they were all shrewd and could tell something was wrong. "Take them all away."

The military officer, too lazy to waste words, waved his hand, and the soldiers rushed forward.

"Who are you? What crime have you committed?"

A clerk came out, accompanied by people from the original county government office, who followed cautiously beside him.

"I am Zhang Sanfeng, a man passing through this place on my way to Datong to do business. I was arrested and accused of colluding with villains. I am innocent!" the hanging man cried out.

The clerk glanced at the roster and then at the person next to him.

The man who used to work at the yamen, standing nearby, grinned and said, "He wasn't lying."

"Save them." After giving the order, the clerk turned around and glanced at them, his eyes full of disdain. "You guys are really ruthless."

The man lowered his head.
-
"Brave Bull".

A child shouted loudly, then jumped out with his eyes closed, "I'm not afraid of difficulties." He leaped into the air, grabbed the rope, swung across the sandpit, and landed on the sand.

"Giggle."

The children's faces were flushed with laughter.

Looking out the window at the training ground, with its sandpits and swings, the voices of hundreds of children mingled together, filling the window with noise.

Another place.

"How exactly are we supposed to live?"

"If you were a soldier in the Song Dynasty, would you rather die in battle or live a life of dishonor?"

Ten boys and girls formed a group, and three groups formed a team. They stood in a circle on the training ground and had a heated discussion about today's topic.

One of the boys exclaimed, “If it were me, I would rather die fighting, and even if I die, I would take someone down with me. I would never live a life of shame, to be made a slave to someone, my life worth less than a sheep. I would never accept such humiliation.”

"Clap clap clap."

Several teenagers applauded.

“Anyone can talk big.” Another person stood up and sneered, “Didn’t the hundreds of millions of people in the Song Dynasty end up as slaves? If talking big can win, then there’s no need for us to discuss this. Everyone can just talk big.”

The boy, his face flushed with anger, said, "I'm not exaggerating. If my mother and sisters could be defiled by slave owners at any moment, and my father and brothers could be killed or robbed at any time, then I would definitely not live on."

As the gentleman said.

Why was the social atmosphere open during the Tang and Song dynasties, with a woman in the Song dynasty being able to marry three husbands, even in the family of a prime minister? However, after the Ming dynasty restored the country, the social atmosphere became conservative, and it wasn't until the Great Zhou dynasty that some places in Jiangnan became somewhat more open.

Because of humiliation and insult.

Women in the Tang and Song dynasties could walk on the streets, but this was no longer the case in the Southern Song dynasty, at least not in the north.

This was even worse during the Yuan Dynasty.

According to the notes of foreign merchants who came to do business during the Yuan Dynasty, the local people were very enthusiastic when they did not see the conqueror soldiers, but when the conqueror soldiers appeared, they became numb and silent and went back home.

The thought of such humiliation drove the boy mad.

The canteen opens on time every day.

"A half-grown boy can eat his father to death," but the food in the canteen was limited, and everyone was hungry, but that didn't dampen their enthusiasm.

"Look!"

A child stood up excitedly, pointing at the figure quietly leaving in the distance, as if he were going crazy, unable to utter a single word after that.

"It's General Jie!"

"General!"

Chaos quickly broke out on the training ground.

Everyone searched, but found nothing in the end, and all their excitement was for nothing. When it was time for breakfast, everyone started sighing and complaining because they were really hungry.

His face was pale and sickly, but his eyes burned with passion.

Wang Xin suddenly understood.

Why do we say that children are the future?

The children of the Xia Dynasty were not much different from the children of the Ming Dynasty.

No matter where they come from, what they look like, or what social class they belong to, even if they've never met before and don't speak the same language, the children can quickly become friends and play together once they're put together.

So at this stage, children are like blank slates.

When they grow up in different environments and with different educations, although they are all human in form, they are actually two different species in terms of thought and behavior, and their perceptions of the same thing are often opposite.

Changing an adult is incredibly difficult, almost impossible.

However, raising children is simpler; through education and a semi-closed environment, their parents' perceptions can be erased.

Ultimately, do they change the environment, or does the environment change them?

anyway.

With their addition, things are definitely more worth looking forward to.

Back to the Jiedushi Mansion.

Everyone in the military governor's office was waiting for news.

As soon as Wang Xin entered, someone told him, "People from the Prince of Xining's residence have come to see the military governor."

"The Prince of Xining's Mansion?"

Wang Xin looked surprised.

Upon learning that the military commander had returned to his residence, Zhang Yuncheng rushed over, saying, "I was just about to send someone out to look for the military commander."

"what happened?"

“I have spoken with that man, and he was indeed sent by the Prince of Xining. His purpose is not simple. The Prince of Xining wants to befriend the military governor and has given him a generous gift of 20,000 taels of silver and 1,000 taels of gold.”

"why?"

Why would someone give him a gift? Wang Xin found it puzzling.

It wasn't that no one gave him gifts at first.

Over the years, I haven't had any major issues. After my son was born, many people offered me gifts, but I returned those I could. The gifts I couldn't return were used for military expenses, and I never paid them all back, nor did I ever send anyone to express my gratitude.

Over time, they had little interaction with the outside world.

He had never even sent any gifts to the Jia family.

“He didn’t say,” Zhang Yuncheng said excitedly. “My guess is that it’s about Shaanxi.”

"Shaanxi?"

Wang Xin frowned.

Amidst this chaos, have those ambitious individuals who usually remain hidden finally become restless?

I never expected the first one to be the Prince of Xining.

"General Jie".

Someone rushed over from outside, overjoyed, and kept quiet all the way. When he arrived in front of Wang Xin, he was excited, but lowered his voice and said, "We have successfully taken Daizhou."

"all?"

"It's all of them, one prefecture and three counties."

"How are the casualties?"

"Five brothers were injured. Two of them twisted their ankles and fell from their horses. One of them fell off his horse due to exhaustion and hit his head. The other two were injured in a fight at the gate of Daizhou."

"There's still fighting?"

"No, it was a surprise attack launched to capture the city gate as quickly as possible. Once the main army appeared, the guards at the city gate scattered in panic."

There aren't many soldiers in the county, so it's easy to occupy the city if we can take the city gate.

Daizhou is the capital city, and there is a commander of several hundred men in Daizhou. Although they are militia, Wang Xin thought about the life of a militiaman and said no more.

After calculating the days, and considering the casualties...

"Qi Shannian has given us a pleasant surprise." Wang Xin smiled.

The easy capture of Pingxingguan did not surprise him.

In previous years, the Hu people had been able to easily break through Pingxing Pass after entering the pass, so there was no reason why they couldn't take it since it was so close.

The nation's treasure lies in its virtue, not its strategic location; the morale of its soldiers is far more important than its terrain.

Otherwise, in such a strategically important location, what good would it do if no one was willing to defend it? Even the Hu people, who had no engineering equipment, could easily take over the strategically important Pingxingguan Pass.

"The Western King can't sit still any longer, and I'm afraid the Eastern King will be soon as well."

Zhang Yuncheng felt much more relaxed and said with a smile, "Grand Secretary Zhang has assessed the situation and should know to win us over. As for the King of the West, let's befriend him first."

"Do not."

Wang Xin shook his head. "Reject him."

(End of this chapter)