The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 904 Urgent March

The north wind blows the ground and the white grass turns, and Hu Tian snows in August.

Although it's not yet August, the entire eastern and northern parts of Liaodong have already started to get cold.

The hardworking herders, seeing the grasslands gradually turning yellow, are already considering migrating to find better pastures.

I heard that the tribe's warriors conquered the State of Wei, bringing back not only a large amount of grain and wealth, but also a vast tract of fertile land.

Maybe we can move the livestock south this year.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves came like a tidal wave.

Several Jianzhou herdsmen looked up, their eyes beginning to show horror and fear.

They couldn't understand who could wield such power on this grassland.

Could it be that the leader's army has returned victorious from its southern expedition?
This was their prayer. Because, aside from this possibility, they, herders driving large herds of cattle and sheep, would be in great danger if they encountered other armies.

The outcome was exactly as they had feared.

The warriors that appeared were not from their tribe, nor did they resemble any other Jurchen warrior armies.

Because their armor and horses did not display any Jurchen insignia.

Judging from their clothing and appearance, they do resemble the Han Chinese that the leader and his men captured...

Although they couldn't understand why Han cavalry would appear on this land, the clever ones had already begun herding their cattle and sheep, trying to avoid these wolf-like armies.

It was all in vain.

While they were observing each other, the enemy's outer cavalry also spotted them.

Without any hesitation, a hundred or so riders surged toward them, each with a murderous look on their face.

The herders panicked, and the clever ones immediately abandoned their flocks and prepared to flee on horseback.

However, those with horses were also the ones who died the fastest.

With intermittent "thump-thump" sounds, both the horse and its rider collapsed onto the grass.

Seeing that these bandits were indeed there to kill, the other herders were filled with despair and kept begging for mercy from the approaching cavalry.

However, the other party barely even glanced at them, and casually swung his saber across their bodies.

Not satisfied with having dealt with all the barbarians, the cavalry surrounded the two tents and crushed them with their horses or swords.

As the tent tore open, several elderly, weak, women, and children huddled in a corner, shivering.

The leading officer frowned and immediately pointed out two young soldiers, instructing them to raise their guns and aim.

Just as the Jurchens thought they would die a miserable death like the men, some weeping and others glaring angrily at the bandit army, the two soldiers became shy.

One of them said, "Sir, I'm afraid I won't be able to aim accurately."

"Coward."

The officer rode forward and slapped him on the helmet.

"The purpose of sending you to fight is to practice your marksmanship and courage. If you can't even aim properly, how can you be expected to kill Jurchen barbarians on the battlefield?"

"If you ask me to kill the Jurchen barbarians, I certainly won't hesitate, but these are all women and children..."

Are we being too…?

The young man, who had only been in the army for two years, seemed to have some reservations about the general's orders.

The officer's eyes immediately turned dangerous.

But before he could reprimand him, a general rode past on horseback.

What are you dawdling for?

The officer apologized, no longer bothering to advise the hopeless young man, snatched his musket, and casually shot and killed an old woman and a boy being protected by a woman with two shots.

Then, ignoring the young man's reluctant expression, he rode up to another cavalryman who was not equipped with a musket and threw him the musket.

Seeing his surprised look, the officer said directly, "What are you standing there for? This gun is yours. The ammunition is all on him, just ask him to give it to you."

"Thank you, sir."

Many people have already witnessed how powerful the muskets in the hands of those musketeers are.

Those who could equip themselves with such items treasured them like precious gems.

Those who don't have it naturally feel a sense of envy.

Ignoring the heart-wrenching cries of the young men and the Jurchen woman, the officer rode up to the general and said obsequiously:

"They're just a few Jurchens, why did you, Commander Qianhu, come all the way here?"

The commander sneered, "General Feng ordered me to lead men to slaughter these cattle and sheep, bleed them, tie them to horses, and dry them to serve as military rations."

The officer followed closely behind the commander, flattering him as he said, "No wonder the lord told us to bring more ammunition and less rations. It turns out he had anticipated that there would be no shortage of supplies on the grasslands."

My lord is truly a man of divine wisdom and strategy; my humble servant could never match even a fraction of your brilliance…

"Stop flattering me, kid."

This was all the idea of ​​the General and General Feng.

Don't the Jurchens and Tatars frequently raid southwards, robbing our border people of their food rations to serve as military provisions?
We are simply giving them a taste of their own medicine.

"Yes, yes, yes, what you say is true, sir."

However, I still have a question.

As we marched, we encountered many Jurchen Tartars.

Since the general has given the order, regardless of the old, weak, women and children, why not just kill them all, instead of sparing those women under the age of thirty?
The general wasn't unaware of how ferocious that woman was; she came at the men and tried to scratch them to death...

"Could it be the general... hehe." Faced with the officer's reasonable speculation, the commander gave him a slap with his whip.

"Don't make wild guesses, kid."

This was the general's strategy of "plundering the court and sweeping away the enemy's lair".

The Jurchens broke their oath with Emperor Taizu decades ago, declaring that they would no longer be subordinate to our Great Wei.

Over the years, they have constantly caused trouble, invading my Liaodong region countless times, killing countless people, and plundering countless riches and women.

He killed the General Who Protects the Nation before.

The general led us in this surprise attack into the heart of the Jurchen territory, aiming to completely sever the Jurchen's foundation.

What was that saying again...?

"To destroy their race and wipe out their descendants?"

"Yes, that's the sentence. You're not completely clueless, are you?"

"It's all thanks to the good upbringing of adults."

"Hehehe, to put it simply, this is the 'extermination of offspring' strategy."

In short, the Jurchens only had a small number of people, and killing one meant one less to go.

The fewer Jurchens there are, the safer the people of Liaodong will be.

As for why those young women were kept...

Qianhu said, and after making sure no one was around, he continued, "I guess it's probably because women like that can have children."

Just like stealing cattle and sheep to use as military rations, don't these barbarians like to abduct Han women to bear their children?

Conversely, why can't we abduct these barbarian women and take them back to Han territory?

The captain laughed and said, "But we haven't taken a single Jurchen woman with us along the way."

"Are you stupid, kid?"

We're going to launch a surprise attack on the Wanyan tribe. Speed ​​is of the essence; how could we possibly bring these women along!

However, the war will end sooner or later.

"Once we've completely wiped out those Jurchen cavalry, we can just take these women with us."

The officer suddenly realized: "I knew it! Our total force is less than 10,000 men, so why did the general send so many warships?"

The general truly has great foresight.

After we eliminate the Jurchens, we will ship all their cattle, sheep, warhorses, women, and wealth back to Han territory...

Haha, that would be awesome if it were true.

Throughout history, there has never been such a groundbreaking feat.

Who knows, we might all go down in history.

The commander laughed, but still cursed, "Bah! To be remembered in history? We'll be lucky if the censors and civil officials don't curse us to death when we get back."

Whether it is robbing barbarians of their property and women, or killing the old, weak, women and children, it is not in accordance with the demeanor and principles of a great nation.

So even if they succeed, they shouldn't expect to receive much praise.

They might not have dared to implement such brutal tactics if they hadn't come out with the general.

The commander considered himself a veteran under the general's command.

When the general was fighting against the Tatars in the northern desert, he was one of his centurions.

At that time, he didn't realize that his own general was so ruthless.

The general at that time strictly followed the traditional Chinese spirit of civilization and implemented the policy of "not killing those who are lower than a cartwheel".

Why did they suddenly become so fierce and ruthless when facing the Jurchens?
The officer in charge didn't have as many thoughts on the matter as the commander.

He felt that the general was extremely wise and powerful, and that this was exactly how the fickle, cruel, and inhumane Jurchens should be treated.

He even felt that they hadn't fully achieved an eye for an eye.

The Jurchens plundered Liaodong, killing our people, seizing our property, and even raping our women.

If it weren't for a clear order, he really wanted to retaliate in kind!
Along the way, he also saw several Jurchen women with decent figures, and even some Han Chinese women who had been abducted.

Fortunately, the higher-ups also said that if this matter is accomplished, the general will reward all the soldiers with a large amount of wealth.

When the army returns in triumph, and you're promoted and made a fortune, wouldn't it be great to visit brothels with dignity?

Other generals might offer empty promises, but they had secretly inquired and learned that this general had a history of giving his men money and leave to facilitate their visits to brothels…

Suppressing his bloodlust, the officer asked again, "Sir, you just said that clearing out these Jurchens along the way is partly to prevent our whereabouts from being revealed."

But with two thousand cavalrymen, it's difficult to conceal our movements along the way. Even if we're extremely careful, haven't we already been exposed?

The officer was well aware that even though they had killed all the Jurchen herders they encountered.

But I am in the open, while the Jurchens are in the shadows; there's no way I can completely eliminate them.

Perhaps some Jurchens would secretly inform on them.

The commander was unconcerned: "What's the big deal about being exposed? As long as we march faster than those messengers, it's the same as not being exposed."

With that, the commander addressed the men busy slaughtering sheep and cattle ahead: "Hurry up! If you can't keep up with the main group, I'll take your chamber pots!"

……

(End of this chapter)