The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 143 The Vigilant Tiger Dawei
Lingshi County and Fenxi County are only a hundred miles apart. By the time Huang Wenjun's plea for help reached Hu Dawei's desk, it was already late at night.

But the military situation was urgent, and even in the dead of night, Hu Dawei dared not slacken his vigilance in the slightest.

He immediately issued an order for his personal guards to muster all their troops and prepare for the night to rush to the aid of Lingshi County.

Hu Dawei was from Yulin, Shaanxi Province, and was originally a surrendered soldier from beyond the Great Wall.

This man was born brave and had some military talent. Through his meritorious service in battle, he rose from a surrendered soldier to a guerrilla general.

Along with Meng Ruhu, who was also a surrendered soldier from beyond the Great Wall, they were known as the "Two Tiger Generals" and were highly relied upon in the campaign to suppress bandits.

Several months ago, when Hu Dawei was besieging Wang Jiayin in Hequ, he took the lead and was unfortunately wounded.

After recuperating for several months and once his injuries had slightly improved, he was immediately ordered to return to Shanxi to continue the pursuit and suppression of bandits.

As the night deepened, Hu Dawei's soldiers were awakened from their sleep, and a chorus of complaints inevitably arose from the ranks.

Hu Dawei heard this but did not criticize him.

He knew very well where his brothers' resentment came from: lack of food.

This visiting army has been short of food for quite some time now.

Since being ordered to enter Shanxi to suppress bandits, this Qin army has been treated like an unwanted stepmother, with food and supplies always being the least important, and being shortchanged is commonplace.

The meager amount of grain and provisions allocated by the imperial court was simply not enough to sustain tens of thousands of troops.

Hu Dawei was a surrendered soldier from beyond the Great Wall. Knowing his own limited background, he always acted with caution, fearing he might make a mistake.

Therefore, he was extremely strict in governing his army, forbidding his subordinates from harassing the people or plundering the local area, for fear of giving others a handle to use against him.

However, the direct consequence of strict military discipline was a lack of food and pay.

The land of Shanxi was repeatedly ravaged by various bandits, who plundered the land to the point that the people could not even survive on their own, let alone have any surplus grain to sell to the government troops.

When Governor-General Zhang Zongheng allocated provisions, he naturally prioritized his own elite troops and other soldiers from Shanxi.

When it's finally their turn, the visiting troops are often shortchanged.

They would even symbolically distribute a little food just before setting off, enough for six meals over three days. It wasn't enough to fill you up, but it wouldn't kill you either.

Therefore, his soldiers often complained and were quite resentful.

Fortunately, Hu Dawei was highly respected in the army and usually shared weal and woe with his soldiers.

Moreover, after each campaign to quell the bandits, the spoils of war were never stingy; most of them were distributed to the soldiers under his command.

This barely managed to maintain the morale of the team.

Otherwise, with nighttime marches and bandit suppression, the troops would have mutinied and scattered long ago.

Upon receiving the request for assistance to suppress bandits in Lingshi County, Hu Dawei dared not be complacent in the slightest.

I heard that this bandit army is exceptionally fierce, and even Cao Wenzhao suffered heavy losses, with his Guan Ning army also suffering considerable casualties.

Hu Dawei dispatched all the cavalry and scouts in the army to explore a range of more than twenty miles.

Even so, Hu Dawei did not dare to march at full speed, and it took him almost a day and a half to reach the vicinity of Lingshi County.

As long as Huang Wenjun, the garrison commander of Lingshi County, holds firm and does not venture out, with the city's strong defenses and powerful cannons, he should be able to hold out for two or three days without any problem.

However, to Hu Dawei's surprise, the scouts he sent out reported back one after another.
It is said that signs of battle were found outside the city, suggesting that the garrison may have deliberately left the city to seek out open battle.

Although the battlefield had been concealed, it still couldn't escape the notice of these experienced scouts.

Upon hearing this news, Hu Dawei frowned deeply, feeling quite surprised.

Could it be that Huang Wenjun, the garrison commander of Lingshi County, lost his composure and went out of the city to fight the bandits before his reinforcements arrived?

He had heard of Huang Wenjun, but he was just an ordinary person. How could he have such courage?
Hu Dawei sensed something was wrong and immediately reined in his horse, ordering the entire army to be on alert and proceed slowly. At the same time, he sent out more scouts to investigate the nearby official road.

The Qin soldiers maintained their defensive formation and slowly approached the direction of Lingshi County.

As the army marched several miles beyond the city walls, the outline of Lingshi County could be seen in the distance, but Hu Dawei's heart sank.

Not far away, the city gate of Lingshi County was tightly closed, and the area outside the city was deathly silent, with no pedestrians in sight.

On the city wall, although some figures could be vaguely seen moving about, they were not as heavily guarded as the usual garrison, and were even somewhat lax.

It was as if they were deliberately creating a relaxed atmosphere to entice him to lead his troops forward.

This made the battle-hardened Hu Dawei feel deeply uneasy.

He made a decisive move, ordering the army to halt its advance, form battle formations, and take precautions.

Hu Dawei's expression was solemn as he gave the order in a deep voice:
"Go! Send a few of the loudest brothers to knock on the door!"

Upon receiving the order, the guards beside him spurred their horses forward and shouted at the top of their lungs toward the city wall:

"Listen up, garrison troops on the city wall! We are reinforcements under General Hu!"

"Where are the bandits who attacked the city? They've vanished without a trace!"

The shouts echoed across the empty plains, carrying far and wide, but the city walls remained deathly silent.

After a long while, a few heads slowly peeked out from the crenellations of the city wall, looking down timidly.

"The enemy troops, unable to capture the city after a prolonged siege, led their army eastward."

The guard who had spoken was somewhat suspicious and continued to press for answers:
"If that's the case, why keep the city gates closed?"

"Open the city gates immediately and summon your commander to answer!"

There was another moment of silence on the city wall. After a long while, just as Hu Dawei's patience was about to run out, the city gate was slowly pushed open.

Immediately afterwards, a commotion broke out on the city wall, and a familiar figure, supported by several soldiers, appeared shakily behind the crenellations.

The man was pale and somewhat panicked; he was Huang Wenjun, the garrison commander of Lingshi County.

Seeing Huang Wenjun's disheveled appearance, Hu Dawei's suspicions deepened.

He spurred his horse forward and shouted sharply:
"Commander Huang! You sent someone to me late at night to request reinforcements, and you are absolutely certain that it is extremely urgent."

"But when I led my troops to the aid of the enemy under the cover of night, all I found upon arrival was silence. Where are the bandits you spoke of?"

He looked up, staring at Huang Wenjun's deathly pale face:
"Furthermore, the scouts have observed signs of fighting and battle along the way, within several miles of your city."

"What's going on here? Did you go out of the city to fight the enemy soldiers?"

Huang Wenjun's eyes darted away, his voice was weak, and he stammered in response:
"General Tiger, the bandits have been unable to break through our defenses after a long siege, and I have led my troops to repel them by launching a night raid on their camp."

"They suffered heavy casualties and have fled eastward!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Dawei frowned, his tone filled with suspicion and scrutiny:

"Commander Huang, I didn't mishear, did I?"

"With just your thousand bannermen, you think you can inflict heavy casualties on the bandits and force them to flee eastward in panic?"

As the two were talking, Jiang Han's archers and musketeers had already taken cover behind the city wall, keeping a close eye on Hu Dawei.

Jiang Han was extremely anxious. If Hu Dawei moved any closer, he would be within range of the bows and muskets.

At that time, he only needs to give the order, and the guns and cannons will fire simultaneously, surely killing Hu Dawei on the spot.

When that time comes, the thousands of Qin soldiers brought by Hu Dawei will be leaderless, and won't they become Jiang Han's?
Unfortunately, Hu Dawei was a seasoned veteran with a high level of vigilance and refused to take another two steps forward.

Hu Dawei sneered, his voice suddenly rising in pitch:

"Commander Huang! The cavalry I dispatched have thoroughly searched the official road and post road to the east, but they have not found any trace of a large band of bandits!"

He raised his riding whip and pointed outside the city.

"On the contrary, outside your Lingshi County, there are many traces of battle that have been covered up, and the stench of blood has not yet dissipated."

"How is this going?!"

Huang Wenjun was speechless when asked the question. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his eyes became increasingly panicked.

Hu Dawei, his voice sharp and menacing, continued to press the question:
"I'll ask you one more time! What's the situation in the city right now?! Where are the enemy soldiers?!"

Huang Wenjun stammered, unable to speak.

Huang Wenjun dared not utter any nonsense, for there was a long spear pressed against his back.

Even uttering the half-wrong word will result in a disastrous outcome.

"me."

Looking at Huang Wenjun, Hu Dawei's doubts deepened:
"it is good!"

"Since you say the enemy troops have retreated, then open the city gates now and come out to greet me personally!"

"I will send men into the city to investigate!"

Huang Wenjun looked embarrassed and declined, saying:
"General Hu Hu, I was wounded by an arrow in the previous battle, and it is really difficult for me to move around."

"Why don't you come and take a look for yourself?"

But Hu Dawei stopped talking and turned his horse around and left.

They didn't even dare to come out of the city to greet us? And they came up with such a lame excuse?
Hu Dawei knew perfectly well that Spirit Stone City had probably already fallen into the hands of bandits!
As for Huang Wenjun, he's probably just a puppet pushed to the forefront, someone they want to lure into a trap.

Hu Dawei secretly rejoiced, thankful that he had always been cautious and had not rashly entered the city, otherwise he would have truly become a sitting duck.

This place is not safe to stay any longer; we must lead our troops to retreat immediately.

At the same time, the news of the fall of Lingshi should be reported to Governor-General Zhang Zongheng as soon as possible for a decision.

On the city wall, Jiang Han saw that Hu Dawei was unyielding and was about to ride back to camp without saying a word, which fueled his anger.

He grabbed Huang Wenjun and pulled him close, hissing in a low voice:

"waste!"

"Is it that difficult to lead him into the city?" Huang Wenjun was scolded mercilessly, but he could only lower his head and not dare to breathe loudly.

Fearing that the bandit leader in front of him might get angry and kill him in a fit of rage, he was afraid that the bandit leader in front of him might get angry and kill him.

Seeing this, Jiang Han was too lazy to waste any more words. The most urgent thing right now was to stop Hu Dawei and prevent him from leading his troops back.

He pondered for a moment, then turned to Shao Yong beside him and instructed:

"Shao Yong, immediately gather five hundred cavalrymen and go out through the south gate to see if you can get in front of Hu Dawei."

"Remember, you must remain hidden!"

"I'll take Huang Wenjun out of the city first to keep Hu Dawei calm."

As soon as Hu Dawei returned to his own army formation, he immediately ordered the rear guard to become the front guard, preparing to retreat slowly, unwilling to stay here for even a moment longer.

But just then, a scout on guard duty ran back and urgently reported:

"General!"

"A group of people has come out of the city and is heading this way!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Dawei's heart skipped a beat. He immediately rushed to the front of the formation, took the telescope from his personal guard, and looked towards the city.

Not far away, Huang Wenjun rode his horse out of the city, followed by seven or eight hundred men, slowly approaching his army formation.

"Ok?"

Hu Dawei was taken aback. Could it be that his previous judgment was wrong?
Huang Wenjun really came out to greet me?
But what's the deal with having so many people following behind?

Hu Dawei was also unsure for a moment, so to be on the safe side, he turned to his personal guard and instructed him:

"Go and give the order immediately: make them stop right there and not take another step forward!"

"Maintain a distance of at least four li, otherwise, I'll fire an arrow!"

Upon receiving the message, Jiang Han frowned and couldn't help but curse under his breath:
"Is this son of a bitch born in the Year of the Rabbit?"

"So wary?"

But now that things had come to this, Jiang Han dared not take another step forward.

He had to do everything he could to stall Hu Dawei, at least to buy him a quarter of an hour.

To avoid being discovered, Shao Yong took a longer detour, which would take at least fifteen minutes to intercept Hu Dawei's path.

Jiang Han frowned, his mind racing as he considered countermeasures.

Just then, Zhao Sheng leaned closer and whispered:

"General, why don't we take a step back to advance?"

"First, we should adopt a peaceful stance to lull Hu Dawei into a false sense of security and make him lower his guard."

"If we can delay for a moment and wait for Commander Shao's cavalry to arrive, the great cause can be accomplished."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han's eyes flickered slightly.

"Oh?"

"Tell me more about it?"

"what?"

"Huang Wenjun voluntarily stepped back?"

While observing Huang Wenjun's troops through binoculars, Hu Dawei listened to the news brought back by his scouts, and was quite surprised.

He turned to look at the scout beside him:

"what happened?"

"What exactly does that guy surnamed Huang want?"

The scout quickly bowed and replied:

"Reporting to the general, the man surnamed Huang sent someone to say that since the general does not trust him, he cannot force him, and he will take his men back to the city to rest."

"However, that man surnamed Huang even brought out a lot of grain and fodder, and piled it up not far in front of us."

He said it was a small token of his gratitude to the general for his hard work in bringing troops to support him.

Upon hearing this, Hu Dawei's eyes lit up:
"Where are the provisions?"

The scout pointed ahead:
"They were piled up on an open space not far away, and Huang Wenjun's men had already retreated."

He said, "General, if you trust me, just send someone to fetch it."

Hu Dawei pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Free provisions are free, so why not take them? My men haven't eaten yet today.

However, he remained cautious enough and only sent a squad of about a hundred men to retrieve it.

Hu Dawei himself stayed put, keeping a close eye on Huang Wenjun's men, afraid that he might make any unusual moves.

Jiang Han coldly watched as Hu Dawei's men cautiously approached and began loading the grain and supplies onto the vehicle bit by bit.

When the officers and soldiers had loaded all the supplies onto the vehicles and were preparing to return to their base...

Jiang Han, accompanied by several personal guards, rode forward and announced loudly:
"Hey buddy over there, don't rush off!"

"Our general sent someone to fetch some wine and meat, all prepared for you."

"We'll ship them back together later, so we don't have to make several more trips."

When the Qin soldiers transporting the grain heard that there would be wine and meat, their eyes lit up and they couldn't move their legs.

What's wrong with these Shanxi soldiers today? Why are they being so generous?

You know, getting them to share some of their grain is practically impossible under normal circumstances.

They all used to act like wealthy landlords, why have they suddenly changed their tune today?
However, they didn't suspect anything too much. Why not take the free food and drink that were offered to them?

Lately, everyone has been going hungry, with little to no food in their stomachs, and they're all looking forward to having a good, satisfying meal before going home.

Time slips away quietly, bit by bit.

Hu Dawei, who was watching from a distance, gradually frowned.

what happened?

It's just moving some grain and fodder, why are you taking so long? You've spent so much time and you're still not done?
Could it be that they've been detained?

Hu Dawei was filled with doubts and immediately sent another of his personal guards to find out what was going on.

Soon, the guard brought back the message.

The Shanxi soldiers brought out a lot of wine and meat from the city, saying that they were considerate of the hardship of the journey and wanted them to take it back to their camp.

Upon hearing this report, Hu Dawei's unease only intensified.

When did these Shanxi soldiers become so generous?

Not content with sending a batch of grain and fodder, they even offered to send out another batch of wine and meat?
Do they think they have too much food and can't finish it?

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
Hu Dawei made a quick decision and decided not to wait any longer.

He immediately issued an order for the troops at the front to return immediately, and the entire army broke camp and returned to Fenxi County.

However, this back-and-forth delay made it too late.

Shao Yong's 500 cavalrymen had successfully circled around to the rear of Hu Dawei's army formation.

The scouts under Hu Dawei's command mostly focused their attention on Huang Wenjun ahead.

Only about twenty scouts were left to guard the rear of their own army formation.

It wasn't until Shao Yong and his men closed in to within three or four miles that the scouts discovered the enemy attack.

Seeing the urgency of the situation, the scouts didn't have time to think and immediately sounded the alarm to warn Hu Dawei ahead.

Woo——!
A low, mournful bugle call sounded, but by then it was too late to sound the alarm.

The distance of three or four miles is nothing more than a blink of an eye for cavalry charging at full speed!

Shao Yong took the lead, pointed his lance forward, and roared:
"Charge with me!"

After saying that, he led his five hundred cavalrymen in a charge towards Hu Dawei's rear guard!

The five hundred cavalrymen suddenly accelerated, like a black torrent rolling forward.

The cavalry charged to within sixty paces, drew their bows and nocked arrows, unleashing a barrage of arrows at the enemy formation ahead.

Arrows pierced the air and instantly rained down on Hu Dawei's army formation.

When Hu Dawei heard the warning horn, his heart sank, and he knew something was wrong.

Before he could give the order to change formation, his soldiers were shot down by arrows from above, and screams and wails filled the air!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, upon hearing the bugle call, Jiang Han's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he abruptly drew his saber.

"The time has come!"

"Follow me and slaughter the government troops!"

At his command, the soldiers behind him who were still carrying provisions instantly tore off all their disguises.

Like tigers released from their cages, they drew their swords and spears and charged towards Hu Dawei's army.

　I'm still recovering from my cold, so here's a chapter to start. More chapters will follow soon, don't worry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)