The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 912 Heading Southeast
When Jia Lian heard Feng Ziying's confident promise, his expression finally softened.

In reality, he wasn't as impartial as he seemed.

If any of the women he found in the chief's fortress after breaching Suk City were truly stunning, he wouldn't mind enjoying them.

The reason why soldiers are still strictly prohibited from committing adultery is mainly to ensure the discipline of the army.

If they fail to enforce orders strictly during their deep penetration into the heart of Jianzhou, their mission could very well fail.

For example, when a forced march is needed, some soldiers are delayed because of this.

For example, fighting over women will inevitably affect morale.

Not to mention, if a few innocent soldiers were to fall in love with a Jurchen woman... the consequences would be truly unpredictable.

Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to prohibit soldiers from having relations with any women.

However, Jia Lian also knew that this military order would inevitably cause some resentment among the soldiers. After all, it wasn't a secret that he was always accompanied by two female guards.

So Jia Lian first helped Feng Ziying up, and then said:
"It is not that I am heartless, but that if our army wants to achieve great things, we must ensure that orders are obeyed without question."

Go back and tell your brothers that they have all made great contributions this time, and the imperial court will surely reward each of them handsomely.

Even if the imperial court is stingy, we have plundered so much wealth from the Jurchen stronghold this time.

This general promised that at least half of these assets would be distributed to the soldiers or their families according to their merits.

The rest will be handed over to the imperial court for disposal.

Of course, this also includes the women from Jianzhou.

When those women from Jianzhou return to Han territory, the imperial court will inevitably sell them off cheaply as commodities.

Go back and tell the brothers that if any of them fancy a Jurchen woman, I will give them priority in purchasing her.

But now, before we return to Han territory, these women are spoils of war won by the soldiers with their lives. They belong to the soldiers and the court. Before they are distributed, anyone who dares to touch them will face my ruthlessness.

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Feng Ziying and the two young soldiers behind him breathed a sigh of relief.

He finally understood the good intentions behind Jia Lian's military order.

The general still cares about us, but he has to consider the bigger picture, which is why he doesn't allow us subordinates to act recklessly.

Seeing that Feng Ziying and the others understood his meaning, Jia Lian sighed helplessly.

If facing an army from later generations who have enlightened the people, there would be no need for him, as the commander-in-chief, to offer such earnest and heartfelt advice.

However, in this era, many soldiers joined the army simply to earn a living.

Moreover, in their minds, since ancient times, those who have won battles and captured enemy cities should receive these kinds of treatment.

Not to mention, that's exactly how the Jurchens ravaged Liaodong.

Now that they are not allowed to do such things, it is inevitable that they will feel resentful.

Jia Lian doesn't have enough troops at his disposal this time, so he must ensure harmony and unity within the three armies and absolutely prevent any mutiny or similar incidents.

After calming Feng Ziying down, Jia Lian glanced again at the two Jiannu girls who were hugging each other, weeping, and looking timid.

After thinking for a moment, he summoned Aqin and then asked Feng Ziying, "How many Jurchen women did you bring back this time?"

Feng Ziying quickly replied, "We originally captured no less than a thousand Jurchen women, but I was worried that taking them all would slow down our march, so I only took one-third, a total of four hundred."

However, these four hundred women were not all Jurchen women; some were also women from the Great Wei, who had voluntarily accompanied the army south.

Jia Lian said, "After you go back, bring these four hundred women with you and hand them over to Aqin."

Although the looted wealth and women from Suk City had already been taken back to the landing bay by soldiers, nearly a hundred new women were looted from Tamu Village and the surrounding area after the capture of Tamu Village. Jia Lian entrusted them to Aqin for temporary care.

Feng Ziying responded with an "yes," and then explained, "This humble servant received the General's signal and hurriedly led his troops here."

The valuables and women are still a hundred miles away, but I have already sent men to retrieve them.

Jia Lian nodded, ceasing the discussion, and instructed Aqin to take the two Jurchen girls away.

……

Just as Jia Lian was drinking and eating meat, celebrating his great victory...

More than a hundred miles away, Xin Muershan and his men, who had fled here, were covered in dust and dirt.

Looking at the few hundred remaining soldiers behind him, Xin Muershan's heart sank to the bottom.

He knew he was finished.

Not only was he finished, but the entire Suk tribe was finished with him.

He had already calculated that even with the three hundred ambushers he had previously deployed, he would probably have a hard time mustering a thousand men.

Even so, the Suk tribe was not considered weak among the entire Jianzhou Jurchen tribes.

However, his foundation is gone!

Not only is Suk City now a barren, isolated city, but his most loyal supporters, upon whom he relied to govern the Suk tribe, are also few and far between.

Leaving aside whether the Suk tribe can still fully obey him after this defeat.

Even if he could, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand the retaliation from the people and forces he had offended.

For a moment, he was at a loss as to what to do.

But he knew that he couldn't stay in Suk City for long.

Not to mention that the Han army could chase after them again at any moment, there wasn't a single woman left there.

Without women, it's like having no roots.

He was filled with hatred, hating himself for failing.

If he wins, he can not only avenge himself, but he might also be able to save himself and the other women of the tribe.

It's too late to say anything now; he has to consider his own and his tribe's future.

"My Lord, why don't we go and pledge our allegiance to the Grand Prince?"

I heard that the Wanyan tribe was also attacked by the Han army. If we go and join them, we can not only avenge this blood feud, but we might also have a chance to rise again.

New Murshan remains silent.

Deep down, he absolutely did not want to be dependent on Luo Jue Anchang.

It wasn't just because he had some conflicts with Luo Jue Anchang, but because he had long seen through the old fox's great ambitions.

If I were to join him, I fear that the last bit of my foundation would be completely wiped out by him.

but.

If we were to ask who in the entire Jianzhou region is capable of eliminating this Han army, he could find no one other than Luo Jue Anchang.

After thinking for half a day, he finally compromised with reality and decided to rest in Sukcheng for one night before heading north to join the Wanyan tribe.

However, Xin Muershan was unaware that Luo Jue Anchang's mindset was not much better than his at this moment.

Luo Jue Anchang led his troops back from Liaocheng.

He had originally planned to ambush the pursuing Han army, but when he learned that his stronghold had been attacked and breached, he immediately lost his temper.

He traveled without stopping, and when he arrived at Wanyan Village, he was filled with despair.

Because Feng Ziying was more ruthless than Jia Lian.

After Feng Ziying breached the city, he not only slaughtered all the men, but also set fire to the entire fortress before leaving!
That's typical Japanese behavior.

Of course, Feng Ziying did this not because he was inherently cruel, but because he felt he had to do it.

First of all, he couldn't take all the valuables in the entire stronghold with him. If he left them behind, they would become supplies for the enemy to use against them when Luo Jue and Anchang returned.

Therefore, in order to destroy the foundation of the Wanyan tribe, he had no choice but to burn it down.

Secondly, he only took some of the young women with him.

By setting the city ablaze, they could drive away the remaining Jurchen women.

Because there is nothing left to feed them within a radius of dozens of miles.

If they wanted to survive, they had no choice but to flee. In this way, these women would not fall back into the hands of the Wanyan tribe leader, but would instead be scattered to various places.

Once they have completely annihilated the main force of the Jurchens, they may be able to reclaim it again.

It must be said that Feng Ziying truly grasped Jia Lian's strategy of eradicating the Jurchen regime, and his mind was filled with thoughts of how to completely destroy the foundation of the Jurchen people.

……

Jia Lian did not stay long in Tamu Village. The day after the victory celebration, the entire army broke camp.

Although this was a good place to fight a defensive battle, Jia Lian did not underestimate the Jurchens.

He committed numerous crimes in the heart of the Jurchen territory, which inevitably enraged all the Jurchen tribes.

At that point, it's entirely possible that they'll all turn against him.

Since we are fighting deep in enemy territory, how can we stay in one place?
The best strategy is to move around and keep the enemy constantly on their toes.

This time, he did not continue north, but turned down and headed southeast.

This march not only avoids encountering the main force of the most powerful Wanyan tribe, but also allows them to join forces with Cheng Xian and Jiang Ji's troops.

Most importantly, after his and Feng Ziying's sweep, the Jurchen tribes west of Jianzhou were severely devastated.

Then it's time for the Jurchens in the east to enjoy the treatment of being thoroughly annihilated.

To the east of Jianzhou lies the Mulunmu tribe.

This is the easternmost of the four major Jurchen tribes.

It is also the tribe, apart from the Wanyan tribe, that is furthest from Jia Lian's landing bay.

Jia Lian's initial plan was to let the tribe go for now, and then come back with superior forces to defeat them after the alliance was formed.

However, Jiang Ji was unwilling to lag behind, so he shamelessly asked Jia Lian for 1,500 soldiers to attack the city.

In Jiang Ji's view, the Mulunmu were the weakest of the four major tribes.

If the other three armies can succeed, there's no reason why he can't.

Therefore, he was full of confidence throughout the march.

To avoid wasting time, he even deliberately avoided places along the way that might expose his whereabouts.

After about nine days, he finally approached Mulunmu Village.

Although Jia Lian and the others agreed to take action around the seventh day, he was two days late.

However, he felt that since the Mulunmu tribe was the farthest away, even if Jia Lian and the others had already taken action, the news might not have reached them.

Therefore, it is still possible for him to succeed in the sneak attack.

However, perhaps the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

When he devised his strategy and prepared to attack the stronghold under cover of night, he was surprised to find that the enemy was prepared.

He's been ambushed!
Fortunately, the enemy seemed to lack sufficient troops and dared not leave the city to pursue him, allowing him to escape.

Although he suffered a setback in his first battle, he also figured out the enemy's strengths and weaknesses.

The enemy has far fewer soldiers than he does.

After probing twice more, they found that the opponent's defense was indeed tight and there was no opportunity to exploit.

He brazenly began cutting down trees nearby to manufacture siege equipment!
It's a coincidence.

Jia Lian undertook a large-scale shipbuilding project in Tianjin, and many officers and soldiers in the navy were also involved.

This resulted in most of his soldiers being skilled in carpentry, making them incredibly fast at building machinery.

Therefore, as he anticipated, as long as he could destroy the fortifications the enemy had laid out in advance and send his entire army into the city, he would surely be the one to win in the end.

Although it may cause great casualties, what war doesn't involve death?

To die on the battlefield, to die in battle with the enemy, is the glory of a soldier.

But fate seemed determined to work against him.

Just as he was about to finish building all the engineering equipment, enemy reinforcements arrived.

He was terrified at the time, thinking that Chiang Kai-shek might be about to sacrifice himself for the country.

It was later discovered that only a few hundred riders had arrived.

After a flurry of frantic defense, they finally managed to drive the enemy back.

However, this also reduced the number of combat-ready troops he had to less than a thousand.

The only saving grace was that, even with reinforcements, the enemy's numbers seemed to be roughly equal to his own.

However, the enemy consisted mostly of cavalry.

Therefore, he lost the right to take the initiative in attack and was forced into a passive defense.

At this point, Jiang Ji had actually backed down.

He felt that since the enemy was able to send the first wave of reinforcements, it was very likely that they would send a second wave.

In the end, he will inevitably fail and perish.

Realizing that he had little hope of taking over Mulunmu Village, he began to consider how to extricate himself from the situation.

He thought this way, and the enemy seemed to know it too.

Therefore, the enemy cavalry kept a close watch on him, preventing him from escaping.

Jiang Ji was furious.

He knew the enemy was waiting for other reinforcements so they could wipe him out in one fell swoop.

He was unwilling to be slaughtered, so he wanted to take advantage of the enemy's weakened forces and fight them to the death.

In this way, at least we can rebuild our slavery, and maybe we'll even have a chance to fight our way back.

However, whenever he wanted to confront the Jurchens head-on, they would retreat into the Mulunmu Fortress, forcing him to fight a siege.

Once he shows any signs of retreat, the Jurchen cavalry will all come out of the city and harass him from both sides.

Jiang Ji knew that he had met his match.

The enemy's commander is incredibly disgusting.

He began to regret volunteering.

He even began to regret not advising Jia Lian to bring several thousand more warhorses onto the ship.

If the troops under his command were also cavalry, how could he be so frustrated?

Just as he was rallying the entire army, urging them to prepare to die for their cause, a subordinate reminded him:
"General, the Jurchens have reinforcements, and so do we!"

Jiang Ji was taken aback. Did they have reinforcements?
Yes, they have that too!
They were soldiers of the Great Wei, a powerful nation conquering a weak one.

If weak nations can have reinforcements to wait for, why can't they?
Not to mention the million-strong army within the Great Wei territory, even in Liaodong, there are tens of thousands of troops on standby.

Of course, Jiang Ji knew that these troops were a distant solution that couldn't quench his immediate thirst.

But there are still three other groups of troops and those left to defend the landing bay, right?

If any of these four places can come to his rescue, he still has a chance to live.

Having figured this out, he immediately changed his strategy, choosing a nearby valley that could be used for defense to advance into, and assigning all his warhorses, including his main general's mount, to messengers, instructing them to break out under cover of night to deliver the message.

Now, all he can do is hope that reinforcements will arrive soon.

He understood that even if he could hold out in the valley, the military rations he carried would not allow him to stay there for long.

Not to mention, the enemy commander will definitely try to cut off his water supply and starve them to death.

"General, my life depends on you..."

(End of this chapter)