serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 7 The Battle of Ningyuan 4
"boom!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The failure of the first boarding camp made Li Chengyang very angry. He never expected that there would be a group of white armor soldiers in Ningyuan City, only 12 people. There were no casualties on the other side.

Li Chengyang grabbed the drumsticks and beat the drums himself to cheer him on. He shouted in a hoarse voice: "Commander, I command the war supervisor to go up. If you can't climb the city wall within half an hour, behead!"

At this moment, a spy galloped over and reported loudly: "Report to the commander, the defenders of the first mountain have blown down the cliff."

"what!"

Cao Yi and the other generals changed their faces, and all looked at Li Chengyang.

The battle of offense and defense entered a fierce state, a ladder that was leaning up was overturned and fell, and Zhou army infantry holding knives, axes and shields continued to roll down from the ladder, screaming and roaring one after another, "Boom! "With a loud noise, an eight-pound projectile slammed into the gap in the city wall, shaking the mountain suddenly. Under the continuous bombardment of Zhou Jun's artillery, it finally couldn't bear it and collapsed.

"Dang!"

When the drumstick fell to the ground, Li Chengyang pulled out his waist knife, pointed at Ningyuan City, and shouted sharply: "Go into the city, all resisters will be killed, and the property in the city will be seized by the army!"

"kill!"

Following an order, the last [-] Zhou army let out a soaring roar, brandished their sabers, burst out murderous aura, and swept towards Ningyuan City.

The howling was everywhere.

The dust and smoke gradually dissipated, and the mountain road was in a mess, blood was flowing all over the ground, corpses were everywhere, and the organs of people and war horses were scattered everywhere, like a purgatory on earth.

None of the guards of Guangning and the armored soldiers rushing to the front were alive. Yong Qi sat on the horseback, staring coldly at the mountainside of Shoushan.

The fleeing Zhenglan Banner armored soldiers rushed over, and gradually calmed down when they saw their own army. Under the shouts of the officers, they formed a scattered queue in front of the army.

At this time, a white-armored soldier came galloping up to Yongqi, reined in the reins, jumped off the horse, and said loudly: "Young master, the collapsed gravel blocked the mountain road. It was about one foot high and deep. About a hundred paces."

A cold light flashed in Yongqi's eyes: "How many troops were lost?"

Bai Jiabing: "I haven't counted yet, it's less than [-]."

The Tartar generals who surrounded him spoke: "Young Master, what about Ningyuan City?"

Yong Qi didn't respond, and stared at the front tightly, the horse would definitely be unable to pass, without the horse, they would all become the souls of the cavalry of the Zhou army, and Ning Yuan was over.

Thinking of this, he waved his hand: "The army attacked Shoushan and killed Zhou's army!"

Capital, Ningguo Mansion.

In front of the gate, the two "Ningguo Mansion" red silk lanterns usually hung under the eaves of the gate have already been replaced by white gauze lanterns with blue characters on a white background.

Both sides in front of the door were full of young servants with filial belts around their waists.

The gate was open, and at a glance, the courtyard was brightly lit.

Since it is not the end of life, the mourning hall is set in the main courtyard outside the Yimen.

The descendants of the Jia family, headed by Jia Rong, were kneeling on the futon in front of the coffin in filial piety.

At this moment, Lai Sheng, the chief steward of the Ningguo Mansion, hurried in and whispered something in Jia Rong's ear.

Jia Rong was shocked when she heard the words, her face turned pale, she stood up abruptly, and walked out.

In Ning'an Hall, a single candle illuminated the hall brightly.

There was silence in the hall.

Jia Zheng sat silently on the chair, lost in thought.

Jia Lian walked in: "Master, Brother Rong is calling."

Jia Zheng recovered from his contemplation: "Call him in."

Jia Lian withdrew.

Jia Rong came in through the opened curtain, and said hello, "Master."

"Come on, come on, sit down and talk."

Jia Rong sat down.

"Originally, I shouldn't have said these words. But, I didn't expect. There are many things you shouldn't know, but you have to tell you. I will explain it to you today."

Seeing him speak so seriously, Jia Rong couldn't help being shocked.

Jia Zheng: "Listen up. Our family started with military exploits, and the titles were inherited by lower ranks. If we want to consolidate our power and status, we have to change. That's why the third generation of the Jia family abandoned martial arts and went to literature, and your grandfather is a high school second. As a Jinshi of Maoke, the eldest master also accompanied the prince in the palace since he was a child. Unfortunately, God does not bless my Jia family.

That night blood flowed like a river, Yizhong's old thousand-year-old soldier was defeated and hanged himself, the founder of the country suffered an unprecedented blow, and everyone related to Prince Yizhong was liquidated.

After all, he has been a prince for 30 years, and the emperor's imperial decree emptied most of the entire court, which also led to instability in the frontier.

The Tartar emperor, who had just secured his throne, seized the opportunity to personally lead an army of 20 troops to the south of the customs. The historians, Wang family uncles, etc. all died in the battle at Shanhaiguan. The old man also died of illness shortly after returning to the capital due to serious injuries.

In the end, the Supreme Emperor was grateful for the achievements of the Jia family, and released the elder and your grandfather from the death row. "

Jia Rong's eyes widened upon hearing this.

Jia Zheng continued: "When it comes to your father's generation, the family puts their hopes on Zhu'er, hoping that he can provoke the whole family. brunette"

Speaking of this, his voice was a little choked up, and he paused for a moment, then continued: "Now the court is in chaos, and the two days are hanging in the air. The Supreme Emperor has never stopped interfering in political affairs, and he is not an idle person. In recent years, Jia The power of the family has declined too much, and if one is not careful, there may be no chance to stand up."

Jia Rong seemed to understand, and hurriedly said: "The clan's residence has not agreed that the attack on the noble has something to do with the palace?"

Jia Zheng nodded: "The Elder Master has used his old connections to send news from the palace." As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over.

Jia Rong took Zhan Kan, and there were only two words written on it - Jia Hu.

Jia Zheng sighed slightly, and stood up, "Don't resent your second uncle. Who inherits the title and how to inherit the title is not up to you, nor your second uncle."

Jia Rong's face turned pale.

Glancing at him, Jia Zheng continued, "You might think, why? In fact, without your second uncle, the Ningguo Mansion would have been burned. Ronger, the old lady asked me to tell you, treat the Qin family well and live a good life." To be alive is better than anything."

"Use kerosene! Use kerosene!"

"Burn them."

Dozens of Zhou Jun rushed up with clay pots containing kerosene in their arms, and then threw these pots down the mountainside one by one, and smashed them at crowded places. The pottery pots shattered and black kerosene flowed all over the hillside. Following the firing of the rockets, the hillside burst into flames. In just a moment, the raging fire completely engulfed the entire hillside. The sea of ​​flames was full of wailing, and the green battalion soldiers seemed to be unable to find an exit, scurrying about in the sea of ​​flames.

Without backup support, fewer and fewer Tartar soldiers rushed up the mountainside, and finally they were all wiped out by the Zhou army.

Puffs of smoke floated all the way to the mountainside, and the smell of meat made people sick.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

With the ringing of the bell to withdraw the soldiers, the green battalion soldiers fighting at the foot of the mountain finally breathed a sigh of relief, helped each other's tired bodies to withdraw from the battlefield, and retreated towards the camp.

"The Tartars have retreated."

Yang Dayong looked at the slowly receding crowd and roared loudly.

The surviving Zhou army on the mountainside cheered loudly, celebrating that the Tartars had retreated and defended the first mountain, and also congratulating themselves for surviving.

The bloody and tense battle finally came to an end. Jia Hu only felt that he was so tired that he was about to collapse. For two whole hours, he couldn't remember how many times he repelled the attack of the Tartars. The thunder and arrows have long been used up, and there are only a dozen explosive packs left. There are still 300 people in the Zhou army, and almost everyone is injured. With a knife.

Jia Hu was sitting on a big rock, and the military doctor was disinfecting and bandaging his left arm. At this time, Yang Dayong brought dry food and hot water, and said in a hoarse voice: "General, there are still seven hours before the appointment. We can get through it." Well?"

Jia Hu smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know, is there any movement from the Tartars?"

"The fire is too big, and there is no sign of attack for the time being."

Jia Hu took a sip of hot water, "Let the big guys hurry up and rest, the Tartars may attack at any time."

"Yes."

After eating the pancakes in his hands, Jia Hu stood up and looked towards Ningyuan City, where the flames were still raging into the sky, the battle was still going on, Zhou Jun hadn't captured the city yet.

At night, the silence was terrible. Looking at the fire on the mountainside, Jia Hu had an ominous feeling, as if he hadn't seen the Tartar soldiers for a while. Could it be that the loss was too great, and the Tartar commander couldn't afford it anymore? !
Suddenly, a sentry rushed over and reported: "General, there is movement on the mountain road to the east."

Jia Hu suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He seemed to have seen the scene where the defenders at the eastern foot were slaughtered by the Tartars. Before he could think about it, he shouted loudly: "Get ready to meet the enemy!"

"Ugh-"

The horn blew suddenly, and the green battalion soldiers at the foot of the mountain mobilized again. Thousands of people roared and rushed towards the first mountain. !"

In the night sky, hundreds of arrows were like a woven arrow net, shooting all over the sky. The sudden attack left everyone defenseless. There were screams on the mountainside. With one scream, a Zhou army was shot by arrows. After being hit in the eye, there was another muffled groan. A Zhou Jun was pierced through the throat and died tragically on the spot.

The arrows were gone long ago, and the firecrackers were also useless. Jia Hu held the shield in his left hand and the knife in his right, squatting halfway by the low wall, reflecting the firelight on the hillside, he could already see the Tartars climbing up from the cliff in the east. Soldiers, his pupils contracted into a line, and the one rushing to the front was actually a group of white armored soldiers.

The second wave was shot out, followed by the third wave. The overwhelming arrows made everyone unable to lift their heads. The powerful arrows pierced through the shields, and people kept getting hit by arrows. Looking at the soldiers who kept falling to the ground, they looked again. As the mountain fire gradually extinguished, Jia Hu took a deep breath and hissed, "Get out! Get back to the top of the mountain!"

"The general has an order to retreat to the top of the mountain!"

"Everyone, get out!"

Amidst the shouts of retreat, the crowd began to retreat to the mountain. Those Tartar armored soldiers seized the opportunity to shoot arrows while chasing after them. People kept getting shot and fell to the ground. The original blocking battle turned into a unilateral pursuit and massacre. There are Zhou Jun's corpses everywhere.

Everyone retreated directly to the last line of defense. The terrain here is dangerous. If you want to go up the mountain, there is only one mountain road. Seeing the white armor soldiers chasing after them, Jia Hu cut off the crossbar with a knife, and smashed the boulder that had been prepared along the mountain road. The three white-armored soldiers couldn't dodge in time, and they were thrown off the cliff together with the Zhenglan Banner armored soldiers behind them. The remaining white-armored soldiers continued to rush forward. They fired arrows while shouting. Every time they shot arrows, several Zhou soldiers fell down. The ground, and behind them, thousands of Green Battalion soldiers are rushing crazily.

Jia Hu shouted loudly: "Throw the explosives!"

Two trebuchets that had been assembled in advance threw the explosive package that had ignited the fuze, and there were two explosions immediately on the mountain road, but this did not stop their footsteps, and the Tartars behind stepped on the corpse of their companion and rushed When they came up, their arrows were like migratory locusts, and they suppressed everyone unable to lift their heads, and more than [-] people were shot to death in a short time.

When the most critical moment came, Yang Dayong yelled, "Kill!" With a wave of his sword, the three hundred Zhou army jumped up, brandishing their long swords and rushed down the mountain road. In the fierce battle, nine white armored soldiers rushed to the front, followed closely by the Zhenglan Banner armored soldiers. At the same time, thousands of green battalion soldiers rushed in like a tide, and the two sides collided fiercely. The white armored soldiers really Cruel, Zhou Jun who rushed to the front all had their heads cut off.

All the soldiers guarded the mountain road tightly. They huddled together with the Tartars. The long knives in the hands of all the people could no longer exert the power of slashing, so they could only choose to fight close to each other. Bite, no one is willing to retreat, the small mountain road has become a purgatory on earth, and the smell of blood in the air makes everyone extremely violent. The moment the people in front fell down, the soldiers behind immediately swarmed up, one The slippery white armor soldier was trampled to death.

The mountain road has already been killed with corpses all over the field, and the green battalion soldiers who rushed up kept shooting arrows, and Zhou Jun continued to be killed by arrows. Zhou Jun on the top of the mountain could only dodge passively. All of them were thrown out, and in the deafening explosion, countless green battalion soldiers were blown up, and the shrill screams resounded throughout the night sky.

One after another torches illuminate the night sky red.

Under the city of Ningyuan, the cries shook the sky.

Tens of thousands of men, women and children were driven out of the city by the Zhou army. They were all family members of the defenders. Li Chengyang sat on the horse and looked at these Tartar women, children and old people who were crying all the way, without a trace of pity in their eyes. After a one-day siege and nearly [-] casualties, the city was finally captured.

At this time, a scout came galloping and reported loudly, "Commander, the Tartars are still attacking Shoushan."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, Li Chengyang said: "Did you encounter any Tartars visiting the horse?"

Sentinel: "One stick of incense wiped out a wave before."

Li Chengyang nodded, "There's no need to stop us, just spread the news about our recovery of Ningyuan."

"promise!"

Seeing the scouts going away, Cao Yi hesitated, walked up to Li Chengyang and said softly, "Commander, since the Tartars are still attacking Shoushan, should we send troops to rescue?"

Li Chengyang didn't turn his head back: "I know why the Tartar reinforcements didn't come?"

Cao Yi and those generals looked at each other and had no choice but to retreat.

The mountain path has almost turned into a Shura hell, with corpses everywhere, the blood has soaked the mountain path red, and there are less than 200 of the [-] defenders left. The two sides have been fighting in this mountain path for nearly two hours, and they are exhausted. The living and the dead were crowded together. Jia Hu stabbed the dagger into the neck of the last white-armored soldier and watched him roll down the pile of corpses before staggering and sitting on the pile of corpses behind him. superior.

At this time, Jia Hu's face was covered with blood, and the armor on his body was already in tatters, and two gaps were cut in the cotton armor inside. Fortunately, no vital points were injured. I have to say that these white armor soldiers are too powerful. , he has learned the lesson today.

Some wounded and surviving Zhou soldiers lay moaning in the pile of corpses. Jia Hu looked back and saw that there were no more soldiers standing. , he shouted hoarsely to the soldiers beside him: "Kill the Tartars!"

"Kill the Tartars!"

Suddenly, a figure rolled down from the top of the mountain. It turned out that the seriously injured Yang Dayong woke up, and saw him holding the last explosive bag in his arms, "General, blow up these beasts to death."

"it is good!"

Jia Hu's heart ached, he was the one who made them suffer, he ignited the last dynamite bag, and threw it at the oncoming Green Camp soldiers. With the sound of the explosion, he jumped off the mountain path, and rushed into the crowd like a mad tiger, bloody With a sudden shot, seven or eight green camp soldiers fell to the ground in an instant. Jia Hu's ferocity seemed to infect every Zhou army. .

Inside the Tartar tent, the Jinzhou guard was lying on a stretcher. Although he suffered severe trauma, he still insisted on meeting Yongqi, "Young Master, withdraw your troops."

With a "snap", the generals in the two rows knocked off their horseshoe sleeves in unison, and knelt down on one knee in unison.

Yong Qi didn't speak to the generals, and didn't even look at the generals, she went straight to the big tent, and said slowly: "Destroy every Zhou army!"

The faces of the generals became even uglier.

A mouthful of blood spewed out from the mouth of the guard of Jinzhou. He slowly crawled to Yongqi's feet, and said in a very low voice: "It's almost dawn. If Zhou Jun finds out our strength, we won't be able to get away. The green battalion soldiers can't be trusted!"

At this moment, there was a "bang" explosion on the top of the mountain, and Yong Qi's face changed. This sound was too familiar to him. Every time it sounded, it meant the failure of one's side and the need to increase troops. A small first mountain has swallowed too many lives. More than [-] people died in battle, of which nearly [-] were armored soldiers, and the group of white armored soldiers who have not heard from them may really have to leave.

The guard of Jinzhou couldn't bear it anymore, looked at the generals and said: "Ningyuan City has been lost, and nearly half of the [-] armored soldiers have been lost. If the young master is injured again, we will all be sinners of the Qing Dynasty."

After hearing his words, many people shouted:
"Young master, withdraw your troops."

"Get out."

"If Zhou Jun finds out about you, it will be really dangerous."

Yong Qi turned around slowly, sighed, and said weakly: "Pass my order, the army will withdraw to Jinzhou."

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

As the bell for withdrawing troops rang, the green battalion soldiers retreated like a tide, leaving their corpses on the ground, and the battlefield became deadly silent for a moment.
(End of this chapter)