The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 905 Kill!

Just as Feng Ziying led two thousand cavalry on a long-distance raid on Wanyan's tribe, Jia Lian's other three armies were also rapidly approaching their target.

Because the entire Jianzhou region was sparsely populated, and the various Jianzhou tribes concentrated their forces to invade Liaodong.

In addition, Jia Lian's several surprise troops set off from the most unexpected southern bay, so even if they encountered herdsmen along the way, the Han army would decisively eliminate them.

As a result, within a few days, the leaders of the various Jianzhou tribes were unaware that Han troops had already appeared in their lairs.

By the time they finally realized what was happening and sought help from the main Jurchen force deep within Liaocheng, it was already too late.

The Suk tribe, as the second largest tribe of the Jurchens, had a population of over eight thousand.

In Suk City, the gathering place of the leaders, there were more than three thousand Jiannu people.

Of course, although it is called a city, it is really just a simple Han-style market town surrounded by earthen mounds.

Su Ke's troops were also the main force in this operation deep into Liaodong.

Its leader gathered more than 3,000 warriors and warhorses from the entire tribe and its affiliated groups, and followed Luo Jue Anchang south.

As a result, the entire city of Suk was no longer as bustling and prosperous as it once was. Most of the people left behind were the elderly, women, children, and old or frail men, who engaged in production work such as herding and farming.

Of course, there were also some tribal warriors who stayed behind, but their numbers were not large.

After all, what true warrior wouldn't want to follow their leader south to establish merit?

However, while the entire city of Suk was filled with the joy of the leaders' victorious southern campaign and receiving the continuous stream of grain, supplies, and women sent back from the south, they were unaware that a Han Chinese army of more than three thousand men had already infiltrated a dense forest just twenty or thirty miles to the south.

Because the Suk tribe was the closest large tribe to the landing site, even though Jia Lian's troops were almost entirely infantry, it only took them five days to reach the place.

Judging by the time, if things went smoothly on Feng Ziying's side, they should have reached the Wanyan tribe by now.

As for Cheng Xian of the Chang'an Army and Jiang Ji of the Navy, Jia Lian doesn't need to worry too much about them.

It would be best if they could succeed, but it wouldn't matter if they couldn't.

If this first battle can break through the Wanyan and Suke tribes, it will surely shake the entire Jurchen people and leave the Jurchen allied forces in Liaocheng in a state of disarray.

Jia Lian told Emperor Ningkang that he would not engage in a decisive battle with the main force of the Jurchens, in order to prevent Emperor Ningkang from preventing him from coming.

Now that he has arrived in Liaodong, as the saying goes, a general in the field must act according to the opportune moment.

If given the chance, he would definitely annihilate the entire main force of the Jurchen cavalry!
But that's all in the future; the key now is to take the first step well.

"Go and bring those Jurchens here."

Jia Lian sat on the ground under a tree.

While the soldiers were eating and resting, Jia Lian ordered someone to bring the "guide" to them.

These guides included some he brought from the Central Plains and others he captured along the way.

To avoid the blunder of being led into an encirclement by the Japanese, he had to ensure that the information he received was accurate.

Before long, two Jurchen men were brought over.

"You two are both from the Suk tribe?"

Jia Lian naturally did not speak the Jurchen language, but he was accompanied by a translator.

Moreover, he discovered that although few Han Chinese understood the Jurchen language, many Jurchens could speak a considerable amount of Han language.

The two Jurchens wore obsequious smiles and answered Jia Lian's questions without reservation.

How could they not fawn over them? Anyone with backbone would have been beheaded long ago.

How many people are in your tribe?

"How many troops did your leader take with him on this expedition? How many soldiers are still capable of fighting in Suk City at this moment?"

Jia Lian asked these questions casually, and the two Jurchens, desperate for a chance to survive, eagerly answered.

"Reporting to the general, our Suk tribe has 6,000 men. Excluding the elderly, the weak, and the children, there are more than 4,000 warriors who can fight."

According to rumors, the leader took away three thousand warriors and warhorses.

Therefore, in the entire city of Suk, there are at most a thousand warriors still capable of fighting…

Jia Lian laughed and said, "Are you lying? Your entire Suk tribe only has eight or nine thousand people, yet you claim to have six thousand men?"

"This……"

The two Jurchens didn't know how to answer this question, but the accompanying translator, who was quite knowledgeable about the Jurchens, explained it to Jia Lian.

It turns out that the Jurchen tribes' preference for sons over daughters was ten times worse than that in the Central Plains.

Daughters from poor families rarely grow up to be adults.

Therefore, not only the Suk tribe, but the entire Jiannu tribe was a typical example of having more men than women.

This is why they frequently raided Han China and Korea to abduct women.

Jia Lian then inquired about the layout of the city, focusing on their military camps and the places where their warhorses were kept.

The two Jurchens naturally told them everything they knew.

After hearing this, Jia Lian found that it roughly matched what he already knew, so he didn't ask any more questions.

He even reassured the two Jurchens: "As long as what you say is true, after the royal army wins, if you are willing, you can follow the royal army back to Han territory, settle down in Han country, become citizens of the superior nation, and never have to suffer the pain of war again."

The two Jurchens thanked them profusely and left.

Without Jia Lian giving any special instructions, several key generals gathered around.

Jia Lian pulled out the map of Suk City that he had drawn along the way and said to everyone, "According to all the information we have gathered, there are probably two to three thousand Jurchens in Suk City at this time, most of whom should be the elderly, weak, women and children."

What are your thoughts?

Everyone was relaxed.

I originally thought the Jurchens were incredibly powerful, but it turns out they were nothing more than a few big cats and little cats.

Three thousand regular armored soldiers against two thousand old, weak, women and children?

They believed that if the children in the family were in charge, the battle could be won.

Jia Lian was well aware of what the generals were thinking. He frowned and shouted, "Don't underestimate these Jurchens!"

They grew up in such a poor and harsh place, and were not only fierce by nature, but everyone knew how to ride a horse and shoot arrows.

You've seen some Jurchen women along the way who can mount horses and fight!
Moreover, there should still be several hundred Jurchen soldiers in the city. If we are not careful, my army may suffer heavy losses as well.

I have traveled thousands of miles and crossed oceans to bring you to this heartland of the Jurchens, not to send you here to die.

I want both victory and to take you back exactly as you came!

We have already gained a significant advantage in this battle, and it would be a disgrace to achieve victory at such a heavy cost.

I hope you all can fully understand my intentions.

The generals were ashamed and apologized one after another.

Jia Lian was too lazy to waste any more words with them. He pointed to the western part of Suk City on the map and said, "This area should be the military camp in Suk City. Their warhorses are probably kept here."

Jia Lian picked up a piece of charcoal from the ground and circled a spot in the southwestern part of Suk City.

"The reason why the Jurchens were so powerful was that everyone in them was skilled in riding and archery."

"If our army could destroy their stables before the battle even begins, even just scattering their horses and preventing them from mounting and fighting immediately, they would lose their advantage and be defeated by our army."

The generals, upon hearing this, wholeheartedly agreed.

One of them suggested, "Horses are afraid of the dark. Why don't we launch a night raid on their camp and catch them off guard? That would surely throw the Jurchens into chaos."

Another person said, "A night raid is a good option."

However, our army's primary advantage lies in firearms.

If visibility is poor at night, our army will also lose its advantage.

Therefore, I fear we cannot achieve the greatest victory with the least cost.

The group brainstormed and put forward a variety of viewpoints, which unexpectedly led to a brief but heated discussion.

Suddenly, a commander of the artillery corps laughed and said, "Have you all forgotten that we brought ten cannons with us on this trip?"

Since darkness is conducive to surprise attacks, and our army is skilled in daytime warfare.

Why not launch the attack before dawn?

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Seeing that Jia Lian's eyes also showed approval, the commander spoke eloquently: "In my opinion, we can secretly transport ten cannons to the west of Suk City at dawn, when the Jurchens are most relaxed, and fire all ten cannons at the enemy's stables before dawn."

Even if they can't kill all the enemy's warhorses, the intense artillery bombardment will surely frighten them all.

Our army, taking advantage of the situation, will storm into the city, and the outcome will be decided.

Everyone's eyes lit up, realizing that this plan was feasible.

Jia Lian nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "If we win this battle, you should remember this first attack."

The commander said happily, "It is all thanks to the general's skillful command of the army. I dare not take credit for it."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Alright, in that case, let's proceed according to Commander Zuo's plan."

The entire army is ordered to rest for one day and proceed according to plan at dawn tomorrow.

The strategy was simple, but its effectiveness was remarkable.

The reason Jia Lian asked his generals to brainstorm was twofold: firstly, he feared that his own arbitrary decisions might be flawed; and secondly, he wanted to cultivate the leadership abilities of his trusted generals.

As for the ten cannons, Jia Lian originally didn't intend to bring them, since they would affect the marching speed.

However, it was later considered that if the Jurchens also had some relatively strong positions or fortifications, a few cannons might come in handy.

Even if we take a step back, it can also be used for defense.
They then used ten carts to pull ten cannons to accompany the army.

To pull these ten cannons, Jia Lian even took the lead, having his generals untie their own warhorses to serve as laborers.

It was only after they encountered some Jurchen nomads who killed and seized their horses that the generals were finally freed from their warhorses.

Otherwise, the generals would probably have had to walk here like the soldiers.

A day passed quickly, and dawn was about to break.

Just as the Jurchens in Suk were fast asleep, a series of deafening cannon shots came from the west, waking up all the Jurchens in the city.

In an instant, people, cattle, sheep, and warhorses all began to neigh in panic.

The barracks on the west side of Suk City.

Although it was called a military camp, the Jurchens didn't actually have any soldiers.

At least for now, the Jurchens, who are still in a tribal alliance, do not have any regular army.

They all considered themselves warriors, training on their own in peacetime and assembling in wartime.

Many of them are the main labor force in their respective families, and they also have the responsibility of herding livestock.

Therefore, at this time, there were only two or three hundred warriors left to guard the camp.

Of course, there were also patrollers, but the artillery battalion's cannons were positioned two or three miles away, and it was nighttime, so the patrollers on the high platform only heard ten muffled thuds coming from outside before they looked over in confusion.

At first, they didn't know what was making the noise until they saw a row of neat flames shooting into the sky and then rushing straight towards them. Only then did they vaguely realize what it was.

They had almost no time to react before ten shells slammed into the city.

The tents were smashed, the debris crashed into the stables, and a deafening roar and a dazzling burst of flames erupted.

The horses were either dead or wounded, and the rest were neighing and running away.

The tent was set on fire, and the haystacks also burst into flames.

Only then did all the Jurchens realize: "An enemy attack!!"

As a result, the Jurchens in the vicinity all got up, and for a time there was no unified command.

Some people hurriedly picked up weapons and bows and arrows, wanting to find the enemy and fight them.

Some people saw important supplies on fire and rushed to put out the fire with buckets.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain.

With the same sound, ten more shells rose into the air and rained down...

The entire western part of Suk was in complete chaos.

West of Suk City, as the first wave of shells took off, dozens of neatly arranged torches lit up.

The torchlight, combined with the hazy white light of dawn, allowed those with good eyesight to see the scene clearly.

On the empty ground, ten cannons were lined up and fixed in place, their muzzles all pointing towards Suk City.

Each cannon was accompanied by four to five Han soldiers.

Their gazes were cold as they mechanically carried out the orders of their commander.

Behind them were several square formations.

Each square formation appears to have hundreds to a thousand people.

These formations, with their brightly colored armor and neatly arranged equipment, clearly belong to elite, combat-ready troops.

After several rounds of shells, the commander ordered the artillery to switch to solid shot.

So the artillerymen lowered their guns, loaded solid lead bullets, and aimed at the already vulnerable battlements of Suk.

After ten lead bullets, the earthen mound and battlements collapsed.

Upon seeing this, the commanders of the formation drew their swords and shouted, "Kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

More than three thousand Han soldiers, like wolves and tigers, pounced on the critically wounded and dying Sukcheng.

……

(End of this chapter)