The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 583: Old Wang is naive, Old Bear is stubborn
Wang Huazhen recounted the disastrous defeat and said with a bitter look on his face, "It was all because I trusted the slander of the thief Sun Degong and mistakenly thought that Li Yongfang could be an insider. I hastily dispatched troops and was ambushed by the Jiannu. This led to this disastrous defeat, the death of the King of Dai and the capture of the King of Qing. This is my fault and I cannot redeem myself even if I die a hundred times!"

Li Yongfang and Sun Degong mentioned by Wang Huazhen are both big traitors. Li Yongfang was originally a lieutenant general guarding Fushun. When Nurhaci turned against the Jin Dynasty, the first city in Liaodong that he occupied was Fushun. The defending general Li Yongfang surrendered without a fight and became the first rebel general of the Jin Dynasty to surrender to the Jurchens.

Nurhaci obviously wanted to use Li Yongfang as an example, and treated the latter very well. Not only did he appoint him to a high-ranking official position, he also married his granddaughter to him and ordered him to continue to guard Fushun. So Li Yongfang, the big traitor, suddenly became the "Fushun Efu".

Sun Degong was a guerrilla general under Wang Huazhen. He had no skills but was a boaster. He was the same type as Wang Huazhen, so they had similar tastes. Wang Huazhen was ignorant and stubborn, with mediocre military ability and abusive. In layman's terms, he liked to brag. Wang Huazhen also favored Sun Degong, who also liked to brag.

One day, Sun Degong boasted again that he could incite Li Yongfang to rebel. Wang Huazhen believed it and sent Sun Degong to Fushun to contact Li Yongfang. Hehe, Sun Degong was just bragging, but Wang Huazhen took it seriously. Now he was in a difficult situation.

There was no other way, Sun Degong had to bite the bullet and disguise himself and sneak to Fushun to find Li Yongfang. Hey, he actually managed to contact him, but Li Yongfang was living a comfortable life. He was a high-ranking official and had slept with Nurhaci's granddaughter. He was known as Fushun Efu. How could he possibly turn against him?

As a result, the lobbyist Sun Degong failed to incite Li Yongfang to rebel, but was instead incited by Li Yongfang to rebel and defected to Nurhaci. He then returned to Wang Huazhen to act as a spy, staging a drama of Infernal Affairs.

Sun Degong told Wang Huazhen that Li Yongfang had agreed to act as an insider. As long as Wang Huazhen's army launched an attack, Li Yongfang would stab Nurhaci in the back, and everyone would work together to wipe out the Jiannu in one fell swoop.

How could Wang Huazhen not be tempted when he saw the great feat of the world before him? So he hastily dispatched his troops without consulting Xiong Tingbai, who was guarding Ningyuan in the rear. As a result, he was ambushed and defeated miserably. He led the remaining troops to flee back to Ningyuan City, and Jinzhou City fell immediately. The King of Dai and the King of Qing were killed and captured.

Wang Huazhen knew that he had caused a terrible disaster, so when he arrived in Ningyuan, he tied himself up and apologized to Xiong Tingbai. The latter had always been at odds with Wang Huazhen, so he mocked Wang Huazhen severely. He then decided to abandon Ningyuan City, lead the remaining troops, and escort hundreds of thousands of Liao people in western Liaoning to move to Shanhaiguan, implementing the policy of scorching the walls and clearing the fields.

After listening to Wang Huazhen's account of the defeat, Sun Chengzong and Jia Huan could not help but secretly shake their heads. Not only was Wang Huazhen greedy for merit and reckless, but he was also so naive. He was the absolute person responsible for this defeat, there was no way he could escape it!
At this time, Wang Huazhen said: "The responsibility for the defeat on the front line lies with me. I do not deny it, but Xiong Tingbai delayed sending troops to support him out of personal grudge. This is the reason why Jinzhou fell. Therefore, the King of Dai died for his country and the King of Qing was captured. Xiong Tingbai cannot deny the blame.

In addition, Ningyuan could have been defended, but Xiong Tingbai was afraid of fighting and insisted on abandoning Ningyuan City and fleeing to Shanhaiguan, handing over Liaoxi to the Jiannu. This undoubtedly allowed the Jiannu army to reach the bedside of our Great Jin Emperor. This was a major strategic mistake, so Xiong Tingbai's crime was not less than that of the offending officials, and was even worse than that of the officials. "

Sun Chengzong said calmly: "How can this official only listen to your words? I will investigate from all sides. The court will have its own judgment on your crimes and punishments."

Wang Huazhen cupped his hands and said with a dejected look: "I only ask Lord Sun to report impartially. I know I will die, but it is not the fault of the offending official. The offending official must fight for his rights."

"You can write a letter to defend yourself, and no one will stop you!" Sun Chengzong said, and left the cell with Jia Huan.

At this time, the sun was setting and the north wind was blowing hard. Jia Huan and Sun Chengzong climbed to the top of the city wall and looked outside the pass. On the left side were continuous mountains and numerous ravines, and on the right side was the vast ocean. The city was built between these mountains and the sea, so it is no wonder that it is called Shanhaiguan.

The Banghai Road is the only smooth route from the North China Plain to Liaodong. Shanhaiguan controls the throat of the Banghai Road. It is the most important pass in the east of the Jin Dynasty. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Jurchen cavalry must pass this pass before going south for hunting and grazing.

At this time, the gates of Shanhaiguan were open, and refugees continued to pour in. Every few meters, a team of soldiers escorted them. As the saying goes, it is hard to leave one's homeland. These Liao people were born and raised there, so they naturally did not want to leave their homeland. However, the army forced them to enter the pass with swords and guns.

Xiong Tingbai's current strategy is very clear, that is, to fortify the walls and clear the fields, turning the 800-li Liaoxi into a deserted restricted area. Without people, there is naturally no food. The Jurchens cannot grab supplies, and winter is coming soon, the weather is cold, so they cannot stay in front of Shanhaiguan for long.

I don’t know if Xiong Tingbai’s strategy worked. For so many days, the Jurchen cavalry did not appear in front of Shanhaiguan, which gave Xiong Tingbai enough time to escort the refugees into the pass.

At this moment, a rolling yellow dragon suddenly appeared on the road outside the pass. It was the dust kicked up by the war horses as they ran. Jia Huan and Sun Chengzong could not help but feel nervous. Wu Sangui immediately drew his bow and shouted, "There is an enemy. Everyone be on guard!"

The imperial envoys and guards were on alert. The accompanying military supervisor Dao Xing Shen Yan put his hands on the awning and looked over. Suddenly he smiled and said, "It's General Xiong who's back. Don't be nervous."

Not long after, a cavalry of about fifty riders galloped to the gate. Judging from their uniforms and flags, they were indeed their own people. The leader was about sixty years old, fully armed, wearing a helmet with a red tassel, with thick eyebrows, a wide mouth, and sharp eyes. It was obvious that he was not someone to be trifled with. This man was none other than the governor of Liaodong - Xiong Tingbai.

The cavalry stopped before closing the gate. Xiong Tingbai glanced at the imperial commissioner's flag on the top of the city wall and shouted impatiently, "Open the gate! Are you blind, you bastards?"

Jia Huan and Sun Chengzong could not help but frown. This man had a bad temper and a foul mouth, and he seemed to be making indirect accusations. The gate was immediately opened slowly, and Xiong Tingbai rushed into the city gate surrounded by a group of guards. As soon as he got off his horse, he asked loudly, "Old Xing, where is the imperial envoy?"

The military supervisor Dao Xing Shen Yan smiled apologetically at Sun Chengzong and Jia Huan and said, "Xiong Jinglie has always been so impatient. Please don't blame me, the two imperial envoys. Let's go down."

After Sun Chengzong and Jia Huan got off the city wall, Xiong Tingbai strode over, bowed slightly to Sun Chengzong and said, "Greetings, Lord Sun. I happened to be out of the city today to scout the enemy, so I was not able to come to greet you. I am really sorry!"

Xiong Tingbai said sorry, but he looked innocent. He didn't even look at Jia Huan, the imperial envoy. He was extremely arrogant. No wonder he was so unpopular in the court. When something happened, no minister came to plead for him.

Sun Chengzong obviously knew Xiong Ting's temper very well. He calmly clasped his fists in return and asked, "Did General Xiong find any trace of the enemy during his reconnaissance this time?"

Xiong Tingbai frowned and shook his head, saying, "I have advanced 300 miles today, but I have not seen any trace of the Jiannu. I wonder what conspiracy Nurhaci is playing."

Jia Huan said: "Perhaps it was not a conspiracy, but Xiong Jinglue's overreaction. The Jurchens' logistics could not keep up, so they were not in a hurry to attack."

Xiong Tingbai's face darkened, his hair and beard stood up, and he shouted sternly: "Where did you come from, you little brat? How dare you speak nonsense here!"

Jia Huan said calmly, "I am Jia Huan, the head of the Ministry of War, and the deputy imperial envoy on this trip."

There was a hint of surprise in Xiong Tingbai's eyes. He naturally knew Jia Huan, and he was just bullying Jia Huan's young age and deliberately scaring him. He didn't expect that this young boy could be so calm. You know, ordinary officials, even those with higher ranks than Jia Huan, would be afraid when they saw him. After being shouted at by him, they would all be terrified and at a loss.

I have to say that although Xiong Tingbai looks ugly, he is still very majestic. In addition, he has been leading troops on the front line for a long time, so he has a terrifying aura. His angry glares and roar are really scary.

Little did he know that Jia Huan was no pushover either. Although he was young, he had also struggled out of a pile of dead bodies. He had been through countless life and death situations and had seen all kinds of scenes. How could he be afraid of Old Bear?

Xiong Tingbai saw that he could not scare Jia Huan, so he could only snort coldly and said arrogantly: "That is also because my strategy of clearing the countryside and defending the city has worked. Nurhaci dare not advance lightly."

"Maybe!" Jia Huan said calmly. He did not choose to confront Xiong Tingbai. He was just unhappy with Xiong Tingbai's arrogant attitude, so he stopped at that point and did not tear his face apart. After all, this was meaningless and not conducive to subsequent work. So what if he gave him some points?

Xiong Tingbai looked at Jia Huan in surprise and thought, this kid knows how to act and is calm and composed, he is not simple.

At this time, Sun Chengzong said calmly: "It is almost dark today, and Xiong Jinglue has just returned from going out. Let's rest and eat first. I will talk to Xiong Jinglue in detail tomorrow morning."

Xiong Tingbai didn't waste any words, just turned around and left, without even saying anything about treating Sun Chengzong and Jia Huan to dinner, showing no regard for worldly virtues at all.

The military supervisor Xing Shenyan said awkwardly: "The two imperial envoys, please follow me."

Xing Shenyan arranged for Jia Huan and others to stay and prepared wine and food to entertain them. No conversation took place that night. Early the next morning, Sun Chengzong and Jia Huan went to talk to Xiong Tingbai, but they were told that Xiong Tingbai had gone out for inspection before dawn.

As a result, no matter how good-tempered Sun Chengzong was, he was still full of anger. Jia Huan was also speechless. This old man was really stubborn and stubborn. It was rare for someone with such a character to get to his current position. His ancestors must be very proud!

In the evening, Xiong Tingbai finally came back. He looked obviously strange and took the initiative to talk to Sun Chengzong and Jia Huan.

(End of this chapter)