The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 910 Unbelievable
"They're coming."

On the newly built watchtower in Tamuzhai, Jia Lian handed his binoculars to the general beside him.

The general took the Western contraption, glanced at it, and was almost startled.

From this angle, looking down at thousands of barbarian cavalry galloping by is quite awe-inspiring.

"My goodness, these Jurchens are truly remarkable. They've even equipped their horses with iron armor... These are real armored cavalry."

Everyone around them was curious and scrambled to grab the telescope.

Unfortunately, these kinds of peepholes were extremely valuable, and in the Wei army, only high-ranking generals were equipped with them.

Generally speaking, there aren't people like them who are at the thousand-household level.

While they were observing, Jia Lian laughed and said, "Look more closely."

The general, who had originally intended to hand over the mirror, immediately took it back upon hearing this. After examining it carefully, he suddenly smiled knowingly:
"Yes, yes, these are just intimidating things."

Only the cavalry at the very front were fully armored, presumably elite troops. The rest of the cavalry were mostly bare-horsed, with only some decorative items attached.

I knew it! Their iron smelting skills are far inferior to those of our Great Wei.

Even our Great Wei wouldn't dare equip its cavalry with full armor; how could they possibly afford to play this game?

After the others received the telescopes, they all commented: "It seems that these Jurchens are trying to intimidate us. Using these methods is like showing off one's limited skills before an expert, and it makes them a laughing stock."

"I really don't understand how General Huo, who seems so shrewd, could lose to these junkies."

After seeing through the Jurchens' little trick, the generals felt inexplicably more relaxed.

The Jurchens used this underhanded tactic to make themselves appear exceptionally powerful, but it was merely an attempt to put psychological pressure on their own side.

This might suggest that the other party doesn't have enough strength; otherwise, there would be no need for them to do this.

Seeing that they had all grasped the situation, Jia Lian ordered, "Gentlemen, they are about to attack. Everyone, take your positions as previously assigned."

Enough with the pleasantries. I have prepared fine wine and meat for you all in the main camp, awaiting your victory.

"I dare not fail in my mission."

Several generals took their leave and went to direct the defense.

However, Jia Lian did not return to the main camp as he had instructed, but continued to observe the situation from the watchtower.

……

A kilometer in front of the camp, Xin Muershan deliberately had his cavalry form up in battle formation.

He was still quite clever, having witnessed the power of the Great Wei's cannons in Liaocheng.

Although he didn't think the Han army that had raided his territory would be carrying many of those cumbersome machines, he still didn't form ranks within the range of the Han army's artillery, just in case.

Otherwise, if we haven't established a firm foothold and haven't even given them a proper welcome, it would be a huge blow to morale.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the enemy has made no unusual moves, clearly they were prepared and are waiting for our attack."

Xin Muershan glanced ahead at the distant camp.

Although this small village of Tamu was under his jurisdiction, he had never paid much attention to it before.

I never imagined that the terrain here would be so treacherous.

No wonder these Han soldiers dared to set up camp here.

It seems that outflanking tactics are no longer viable. To eliminate this Han army and avenge their families, the only option is a frontal assault.

But he still kept a watchful eye.

Knowing full well that there were hidden paths behind the camp from which he could escape, he certainly wouldn't ignore them.

If the Han army collapses at the first contact, leaving behind a small path, wouldn't that give the rebel leader a chance to escape?
Therefore, he had already ordered several hundred cavalry to take a detour, intending to ambush them behind the camp.

Therefore, he will not launch a large-scale attack before his own ambush troops reach the designated location.

He was only cautiously probing while ordering his men to cut down trees, preparing to make some simple siege weapons.

Otherwise, it would be too much of a loss to use flesh and blood to break through a city.

Time slipped away quietly amidst this tense standoff between the two sides.

The Jurchens did not launch a large-scale offensive until nightfall.

Thus, both sides spent a difficult night in fear, each wary of the other launching a night raid.

Finally, at dawn the next day, Xin Muershan felt that his ambush troops were in place and the weapons he had made were barely enough, so he ordered an attack on the camp.

He felt that if he didn't order an attack soon, his troops would mutini.

The feeling of watching an enemy who slaughtered your own people right in front of you, yet being unable to do anything about it, is incredibly painful.

The same applies to New Murshan.

He couldn't wait any longer; he wanted to kill all the Han soldiers in Tamu Village, cut off their leader's head, make it into a wine jug, and use it to hold wine every day.

……

At the watchtower of Tamuzhai, Zhao Sheng and Zhang Yong, who were beside Jia Lian, laughed when they saw that the enemy had finally made a move. "It seems that these Jurchens are more patient than we thought, and they have actually dragged it out until now before attacking."

Jia Lian asked with a smile, "Aren't you afraid?"

"It is our honor to follow Second Master through thick and thin. We are not afraid of death, nor are we afraid of these Jurchens."

Jia Lian smiled and turned around, observing the battlefield as he said, "Don't worry, you won't die."

Although this group of Jurchens was much more rational than he had imagined, fortunately, everything was within his expectations.

Over the years, he had already ordered the entire Tamu Village to be completely renovated.

In addition to the trenches dug across the frontal positions and the ample barricades, ten Zhenyuan cannons and two thousand muskets were also hidden within them.

On the mountain walls on both sides, there were also many archers and hidden crossbowmen.

It can be said that as long as the Jurchens dare to launch a strong attack, they will definitely be able to give them a hard time.

This is also why he watched as the other party built the equipment for capturing the stronghold yesterday, but made no move at all, and even when they were working overtime at night, they didn't think of disturbing them at all.

Seeing that both sides had begun exchanging fire under the command of their commanders, Jia Lian felt unusually calm.

How could things not be peaceful?

In terms of sheer excitement and thrill, the battlefields here can't compare to the fierce battles against the Tatars on the grasslands back then.

In terms of ferocity, this battle of several thousand people was nowhere near as bloody as the close-quarters combat of tens of thousands of elite soldiers on Iron Net Mountain.

Thus, throughout the entire battle, apart from using messengers to coordinate the entire battlefield, Jia Lian would only occasionally glance to the north, as if there were some factor in that direction that could instantly determine the outcome of the battle.

Jia Lian was very calm, but for Xin Muershan, he was anything but calm.

Although he had some idea that the Han army must have some reason to dare to station themselves here, he still did not expect that they would be so difficult to deal with.

"My Lord, this won't do."

The rebel army dug countless tunnels in front of the camp. These tunnels were interconnected and meandered. Whenever our warriors broke through a defensive line, they would immediately retreat into the tunnels behind them, and then, taking advantage of our unpreparedness, stand up and fire their muskets.

Moreover, they had placed a large number of barricades between each of their defensive lines, so our warriors couldn't rush over and cut off their heads immediately...

They also don't engage in direct combat with us.

This can't go on like this.

Before the brothers even charged into the camp, many had already been killed or wounded.

Their artillery and muskets were too powerful; even from the hillsides on both sides, there were people firing arrows from the shadows. Many of our brothers were caught off guard and killed.

New Murshen trembled with anger and asked, "Is there any way to attack from the mountains on both sides?" "No. Not to mention the steepness of the mountains, even if we could barely climb up, we would have to cut down all the trees to get through quickly."

The bandit troops inside the camp won't just stand by and watch us cut down trees.

New Murshan couldn't help but curse.

To defend against enemy artillery fire, he ordered his cavalry to charge in a dispersed manner.

Sure enough, once the cavalry dispersed, even if the enemy's artillery hit them, it did not cause too many casualties.

However, this also fails to showcase the advantages of a cavalry charge.

Although the soldiers were willing to risk their lives because of their anger and hatred.

However, such small-scale attacks are essentially piecemeal tactics, only adding to the enemy's victories.

Just as Xin Muershan was troubled, one of his subordinates suggested, "Why don't we set the mountains on fire? That way we can at least get rid of the threat hiding in the forests on both sides."

Xin Muershan was taken aback, then slowly nodded.

As things stand, this is the only option at the moment.

……

Inside the camp, seeing that the Jurchens had stopped charging and were slowly retreating, several generals came to Jia Lian to ask whether they should pursue the enemy while they were ahead.

Jia Lian shook his head: "No need. They will attack again."

The generals were all somewhat puzzled.

Logically speaking, given their superior firearms and numerical advantage, they should have been able to achieve this.

Even if they went out of the camp and fought the Jurchens head-on, they still had a chance of winning.

Why did Jia Lian stubbornly choose such a defensive playing style?

Could it be that Jia Lian is afraid there are hidden troops behind the Jurchens?
That doesn't seem like it at all. Is the general really that cautious in his military operations?

Although there were some suspicions, no one voiced them. After all, if generals were cautious in their military operations, the survival rate of their subordinates would be greatly increased.

Jia Lian could certainly see what they were thinking, but he wasn't in a hurry to explain to them.

Instead, they kept a close eye on the movements of the Jurchens after their retreat.

"Oh no, are they planning to set the mountain on fire?" a commander exclaimed in surprise.

This is the lair of the Jurchens, with mountains and forests stretching for countless miles on both sides.

They really went all out by setting it on fire!
However, some people immediately looked at Jia Lian and flattered him, saying, "The General is truly a visionary; he even foresaw this."

Jia Lian, however, did not take any credit for this.

Anyone who has read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" knows that Zhuge Liang loved to use fire attacks.

With their geographical advantage, firearms, and fortifications, the enemy is unable to break through head-on. Wouldn't it be normal for them to set the mountain on fire?
So he gave the order to the people who were waiting nearby, saying, "You may go and cut down the entire isolation zone."

Since constructing the fortifications required a large amount of timber, Jia Lian ordered the soldiers who were gathering materials to secretly cut down two firebreaks in the forests on both sides.
However, in order to prevent the enemy from discovering the isolation zone and abandoning this strategy, thus failing to achieve the goal of delaying the enemy's attack, Jia Lian specifically ordered that the two trees be temporarily preserved.

In this way, when the enemy decides to use fire, all we need to do is completely cut down the isolation zone, which will render the enemy's efforts futile for a long time.

Sure enough, after half a day of preparation, they quietly started setting fire to the surrounding mountains and forests.

He had expected the Han army in the camp to be in a panic, but he found the Han army in Tamu Village to be unusually calm.

His doubts were soon resolved.

As the fire grew larger and spread up the mountain, it suddenly weakened and, as if it were sentient, bypassed Tamu Village and began to spread further to the north and south.

"This……"

The Jurchens who set the fire were stunned, and for a moment they thought the Han army had divine assistance.

Of course, the new Moorsan did not think so. After figuring out the facts, he was furious.

"Damn it, damn it, these Han soldiers were actually prepared!"

"My Lord, shall we continue setting fires?"

"Screw you, you wild boar! If they can cut down one barrier, why can't they cut down a second one?"
The fire has now reached the entrance of the village. Do you know how many casualties our brave warriors would cause if they went forward to set the fire, even with rockets?
That's utterly foolish!

The subordinate general, though resentful, dared not show it. He simply smiled awkwardly and asked, "Then, Your Highness, what should we do now?"

New Moorshan felt he had never had such a difficult choice in his life.

The Han army in Tamu Village had clearly been preparing for a long time and numbered quite a bit.

A direct assault offers absolutely no chance of success.

However, he was unwilling to retreat or watch the enemy's main force withdraw.

"Sir, perhaps we should wait for reinforcements to arrive before making any further decisions..."

"Where did this bullshit reinforcement come from?"

Mentioning this made the new Mursan even angrier.

After racking his brains for a solution without success, he made a snap decision and gave the order: "These Han soldiers are cowards, hiding in their camps and not daring to show their faces. They must all be a bunch of cowards."

Order the entire army to charge.

The first person to storm into the camp will be rewarded with ten beautiful women and five hundred cattle and sheep.

"Kill one Han soldier, and you'll be rewarded with a woman, a warhorse, and ten cattle or sheep!"

A generous reward will surely attract brave men. Right now, he can only hope to rely on the ferocity of his tribe's warriors to breach this camp.

Whether he has that many resources or not is not important.

It must be said that the potential unleashed by hatred combined with the incentive of a large reward is enormous.

After receiving their orders, the Jurchen cavalrymen charged towards Tamu Village with fearless courage.

It must be said that such a large-scale attack did put enormous pressure on Tamuzhai.

Casualties finally began to appear in Tamuzhai.

As the defenses were being breached one by one, some people began to advise Jia Lian to retreat first.

However, Jia Lian remained unmoved, his gaze fixed intently on the north.

Finally, it seems his hopes have been fulfilled.

Amidst the hazy smoke and dust, strange, earth-shaking noises began to emanate from the north of Tamuzhai.

The increasingly close and clearer strange sound stunned both sides in the battle.

Xin Muershan was also stunned.

Did those people have a change of heart and actually lead troops to help him?

The idea is beautiful, but the reality is cruel.

"My Lord, something terrible has happened! A large number of Han cavalry have appeared on our flank!"

"how is this possible?"

Not only was Xin Murshan panicked, but the other Jurchens also showed expressions of disbelief.

In Jianzhou, in their stronghold, just as they were besieging a group of Han soldiers who were launching a continuous attack.

The reinforcements that arrived were not warriors from their Jurchen tribe, but from the Han army?
That's wishful thinking.

(End of this chapter)