The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 919 Rout
The Jurchens retreated across the board.

Of course, this refers to the main battlefield.

Those who attacked by sea, and those whose east was completely bombarded, had almost no survivors.

Jia Lian ordered some of the warships to approach the bay, fire cannonballs across the slope, and plow the ground before finally ceasing the bombardment.

Now that the fleet has been exposed, there is no need to hide it anymore.

He left them to their positions at sea, while Jia Lian himself returned to the bay in a small boat.

Of course, to prevent the Jurchens from repeating their old tricks and damaging the ships, Jia Lian also dispatched more than a thousand soldiers to guard the ships.

With so many naval guns watching over them, the Jurchens would never launch another attack unless they were courting death.

There is no longer a need for many soldiers to defend the bay.

Not long after entering his general's tent, generals began to come in to report on the battle results.

Su Keguang, Cheng Xian, and the others had faces as red as chrysanthemums.

"General, our battle casualty statistics are in."

Regardless of the consumption of artillery shells and bullets, we suffered more than 500 casualties in this battle, almost all of which were lost in frontal defense.

The Jurchens' bows and crossbows were quite formidable.

After Su Keguang finished speaking, Cheng Xian couldn't wait to laugh and said, "Compared to the losses, our results this time are amazing."

On the eastern battlefield alone, no fewer than three thousand Jurchen corpses were counted... Heh heh, almost none of them were intact.

"These naval cannons that the general brought onto the ship are truly amazing!"

Cheng Xian was a subordinate of the military governor of Chang'an, and he originally did not know anything about the new warships and the naval reforms.

It wasn't until he was under Jia Lian's command that he realized the Tianjin naval force had become such a wealthy and powerful force.
But he only knew that the Tianjin naval force was wealthy; he didn't know that these naval guns were really that powerful.

Defeating those large groups of Jurchens was as easy as killing chickens.

No, it's simpler than killing a chicken.

Killing a chicken might result in being pecked by it, but he saw clearly that when the naval cannons fired at the Jurchens, they were completely unharmed!

It was truly a one-sided massacre.

The general's plan to turn the tables on the Jurchens by deliberately giving them ships and luring them to sea for a naval battle was truly... flawless.

Su Keguang added with a smile: "Besides the eastern battlefield, the number of Jurchens who launched a surprise attack from the sea is estimated to be around three thousand."

Today, the shallow waters outside the beach are littered with the corpses of Jurchen slaves, and the exact number has not yet been counted.

However, in my opinion, unless one of these Jurchens is a skilled swimmer capable of diving several miles in one breath, there is absolutely no chance of survival.

The Jurchens' plan to launch a surprise attack on the Han army's rear from the sea meant that when the Han fleet arrived, they would have no way to retreat.

It was destined that the entire army would be wiped out.

Jia Lian added, "It's not just three thousand, there's also about a thousand Jurchens who were chasing me before."

I ordered ten warships to stay behind and clear out that group of Jurchens; they should be returning soon to report back.

As they were talking, the commander in charge of clearing the sea battlefield came to report the results of the battle.

He also captured a middle-aged man who looked utterly dejected and dejected.

"Reporting to the General, we captured it on the large ship."

He seemed to have a special identity, and several people were protecting him.

They tried to jump into the sea to escape, but were caught by your subordinate.

When I asked him his identity, he didn't answer, only saying that he wanted to see the General.

"Oh, you want to see me?"

Jia Lian looked at the Jurchen man with great interest.

At this moment, the man seemed to come to his senses and stared intently at him.

"Jiligulu..."

Jia Lian couldn't understand, so he could only look at the accompanying interpreter beside him.

The translator, looking displeased, said, "General, this fellow is insulting you."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian did not get angry but laughed instead.

Judging from his appearance, he must be a Jurchen leader, probably someone I beat badly, hence his resentment.

The victors are always very magnanimous.

Jia Lian, of course, wouldn't stoop to his level, and simply smiled and said, "Ask him what his status is."

However, at this moment, the Jurchen Han people became arrogant.

He held his head high, looking like he didn't want to talk to anyone.

Seeing this, Jia Lian didn't bother with further words. He looked at the former commander and asked, "Are there any other prisoners captured?"

"some."

At the command of the commander, two more Jurchens were immediately brought in.

After some interrogation, it was discovered that this big man was the leader of the Suk tribe, the second largest tribe of the Jurchens.

This time, not only Jia Lian, but everyone else laughed.

They already knew about Jia Lian's achievements.

First, they destroyed the stronghold of the Suk tribe leader, seizing all the supplies and young women. Then, they severely damaged the Suk tribe's pursuing troops at Tamu Village.

The naval battle just now probably wiped out this guy's last remaining resources.

No wonder this guy acted that way.

Seeing Jia Lian and the others looking at him pitifully, Xin Muershan completely exploded.

He bared his fangs, desperately trying to break free of his restraints, intending to bite the Wei generals in front of him to death.

Jia Lian shook his head and smiled, not wanting to bother with such a person, and ordered, "Cut his Achilles tendon and take him away to lock him up."

Be careful not to let him commit suicide; bringing him back to the capital will also be a meritorious deed for us.

If his status didn't actually have some use, Jia Lian wouldn't mind chopping him up and throwing him into the sea to feed the fish.

This is a battle for survival between two nations and peoples; there is no room for mercy.

Not to mention, this guy has most likely committed numerous crimes in Liaodong.

"Yes!"

Those present had all followed Jia Lian in killing so many Jurchens, so naturally they had no pity for them and didn't care about this trivial matter.

After some calculations, the final result was:
The eastern battlefield had a kill count of approximately three to four thousand.

Including the thousand Jianzhou Jurchens who pursued Jia Lian at sea, the total number of troops was roughly over four thousand.

Including the few hundred but less than a thousand on the main battlefield, this battle resulted in the beheading of nearly ten thousand people.

It can be said that the main force of the Jurchens was already crippled.

All the generals were overjoyed at this result. Their bloody battles had not been in vain; they had finally dealt a fatal blow to the Jurchens.

Su Keguang even added to lighten the mood, saying, "The only pity is that we don't have many shells left."

Fortunately, Jiang Ji wasn't around, otherwise he would have been heartbroken.

The Zhenyuan cannon and the new type of shells were still relatively new.

As the person in charge of the project, Jia Lian naturally prioritized his own team.

Therefore, apart from the firearms battalion being the first and most complete beneficiary, the Tianjinwei Navy was the unit with the most new cannons, besides the firearms battalion.

For this expedition, the firearms battalion departed from the capital, so it was inconvenient for them to carry too many of their own weapons.

Therefore, the ammunition loaded onto ships was almost entirely the navy's quota.

This time, Jia Lian brought almost all of his naval assets.

The previous rounds of bombardment, while satisfying in killing the Jurchens, also consumed a great deal of shells.

If Jiang Ji finds out in the end, he will probably regret leading the raid on the Mulunmu tribe.

Speaking of Jiang Ji, the crowd, while happy, couldn't help but feel a little worried.

They all knew that Jia Lian had ordered Feng Ziying to lead 1,500 cavalry to meet Jiang Ji, but they had not received any news so far.

I just questioned the two Jurchen soldiers, but they didn't know any useful information.

The leader of the Nasu tribe might know something, but that guy is obviously stubborn and won't listen to reason, so you probably won't get anything out of him.

For a moment, the generals couldn't help but feel a little regretful. They should have left a few more survivors at sea instead of killing those "water ghosts" one by one.

While Jia Lian and the others were worried about Feng Ziying and Jiang Ji, they were unaware that the two were secretly hiding in a dense forest dozens of miles outside the bay.

"So, have you found out everything?"

Inside the woods, Feng Ziying and Jiang Ji, both disheveled and dirty, sat facing each other on the ground, looking at the returning scouts and asking them questions.

"Reporting to the General and Commander, there are too many Jurchen cavalry, and they are very vigilant. We dare not get too close."

However, the lower ranks also noticed that these Jurchens seemed to have suffered a defeat, and they were all dejected.

Feng Ziying and Jiang Ji were both very surprised.

On that day, Feng Ziying was ordered to go east to meet Jiang Ji, and things went smoothly at first.

Although he learned that Jiang Ji was trapped in that valley, after thinking it over, Feng Ziying did not rush to his rescue. Instead, he chose to take advantage of the Jurchens' unpreparedness and seize Mulunmu Village.

It worked.

He didn't have to exert much effort to break into the poorly defended Mulunmu Fortress.

After a massacre, they joined up with several hundred of Jiang Ji's remaining troops.

Just as they were looting and replenishing their supplies, they were shocked to learn that the main force of the Jurchens was coming.

So they had no choice but to evacuate the fortress overnight.

Unexpectedly, this main force of the Jurchens seemed determined to capture them, relentlessly pursuing them all the way.

When Feng Ziying first saw that there weren't many pursuers, he turned around and fought them fiercely.

But he was shocked to discover that the Jurchen cavalry chasing him might number in the tens of thousands.

This really frightened him.

Fortunately, when they broke through Mulunmu Fortress, they captured a lot of warhorses, which could expand Jiang Ji's remaining troops into cavalry.

Otherwise, their losses would be even greater.

Discovering that the Jurchens were relentlessly pursuing them, Feng Ziying and Jiang Ji decided to go all out and make the best of a bad situation.

Instead of fleeing south indiscriminately, they dispersed in units of captains and centurions.

"Go, all of you carry out the General's plan to thoroughly eliminate the enemy's forces."

Even if it means death, you must kill as many Jurchens as possible to make enough money before you are allowed to die.

Yes, Feng Ziying and Jiang Ji ordered their subordinates to break up into smaller groups and go to Jianzhou to wreak havoc.

It was precisely because they were scattered that Luo Jue Anchang felt that pursuing them was not worthwhile, so he temporarily gave up and led the main force to continue south.

Feng Ziying and Jiang Ji originally intended to lead the main force of the Jurchens in circles.

Finding that the enemy had stopped pursuing them, they began to secretly observe the movements of the Jurchen main force.

After seeing the direction the Jurchen army was heading, they were actually very worried, guessing that they were going to besiege Jia Lian.

But there was nothing they could do to stop it.

At this moment, the two of them had only two or three hundred cavalrymen left.

This number of men wouldn't even be enough to fill the Jurchens' teeth.

Therefore, they could only hide in the shadows, preparing to seize an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the Jurchens, which could be considered as indirect support.

I didn't expect the Jurchens to move so quickly. Their main force only arrived here yesterday, and the battle is already over today?

And it seems they even lost?
Feng Ziying and Jiang Ji were both somewhat surprised.

Jiang Ji, in particular, was somewhat skeptical.

He clearly saw that there were nearly 20,000 Jurchens gathered here, and they were almost all cavalry!

How many men does Jia Lian have under his command?
While Feng Ziying and Jiang Ji were discussing the battle situation, another scout came to report: "Reporting to Commander-in-Chief, the main force of the Jurchens has begun to withdraw."

They broke camp and began their return journey along the same route.

Jiang Ji stood up abruptly and asked in surprise, "Really? Do you know the situation inside the bay?"

"I don't know. Jurchen cavalry are everywhere, so we dare not approach the bay rashly."

However, some brothers said that they heard deafening cannon fire from the other side of the bay, and then the Jurchens retreated and set up camp shortly afterward.

Now they've completely broken camp, looking like they're about to retreat.

Jiang Ji was stunned and muttered, "This shouldn't be happening. Could it be that the General has been defeated?"

It's no wonder Jiang Ji thought that way.

Although he knew about the fleet and naval guns, he thought that while they were powerful, they weren't invincible.
Moreover, those were nearly 20,000 Jurchen cavalry; the sheer force of their movement was terrifying.

Even if the naval guns were powerful, it was impossible to scare the Jurchens away in a single encounter.

More likely, Jia Lian was defeated and killed, or he saw too many Jurchens and fled by boat in advance.

Hmm, it seems the general has run away.

This also explains why the Jurchens were so dejected.

They came with a large force, but in the end they gained nothing but a shelling attack, so of course they were frustrated.

Feng Ziying pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Let's go, let's go take a look at the bay!"

Given this unusual situation, they certainly wouldn't be at ease without checking on the situation inside the Gulf.

(End of this chapter)