The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 591 To save or not to save?
Infantry is not as fast as cavalry, and its speed is definitely much slower, not to mention the mobilization of 20,000 people. The transportation of baggage and food alone is cumbersome enough, and coupled with the snowy weather, when the reinforcements arrived in Ningyuan City, it was already the first day of the winter month. It took exactly fourteen days, which was nine days longer than the agreed five days.

Sun Chengzong looked at the flag of the Great Jin Dynasty fluttering in the wind on the top of the city and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At this time, Jia Huan had already brought Zu Tianshou and others out from the city. They were all energetic, with rosy faces and high morale. They did not look hungry at all, which surprised Sun Chengzong and his generals. These guys... clearly took good care of themselves!

Jia Huan and the others greeted Sun Chengzong. The master and disciple were very happy to meet each other after half a month. Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and said with emotion: "Although I missed the appointment, Ziming did not break his promise and really saved Ningyuan City."

Jia Huan said modestly: "It was just luck. Fortunately, the Jiannu did not attack, otherwise Ningyuan City might not be able to be defended."

Sun Chengzong smiled and said, "Although the Jiannu did not come, the fact that a defeated army held the isolated city for half a month is commendable for its courage and perseverance. It can be said that it is a lone hero with extraordinary courage and perseverance."

All the generals under Sun Chengzong echoed the sentiment. Wu Sangui asked curiously, "There is no food in the city. May I ask how Lord Jia and General Zu have managed to hold on until now?"

Zu Tianshou chuckled and said, "Of course I survived by eating meat!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then their faces changed slightly. Zu Tianshou hurriedly explained: "We are eating mutton, not human flesh. Don't think wrongly. Hehe!"

Everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. In fact, cannibalism was not uncommon. Throughout history, whenever there was a famine, cannibalism was not uncommon. There were also many precedents of soldiers and civilians trapped in the city eating the old, weak and sick in order to survive.

"Where do so many sheep come from? Enough for you two thousand people to eat for half a month?" Wu Sangui asked curiously.

Zu Tianshou said proudly: "Deputy Envoy Jia led us to do a big job. We got thousands of cattle and sheep, which is enough to feed us for half a year."

Sun Chengzong looked at Jia Huan in surprise, and the latter coughed and said, "Teacher, please go into the city first. I will explain it to you in detail later."

So everyone crossed the suspension bridge and headed towards the city. Twenty thousand troops and food supplies were also transported into the city one after another. All of a sudden, the isolated city of Ningyuan became well-equipped with soldiers and food. The defenders in the city finally put down their worries and were no longer afraid of a sudden attack by the Jiannu.

Sun Chengzong, Jia Huan and others entered the general's mansion and sat down. Jia Huan was the first to stand up and apologize, saying, "I ordered a surprise attack on a tribe of Chaohua without authorization, and captured nearly a thousand cattle, sheep and horses, as well as 67 women and children. I hereby apologize to the general."

Zu Tianshou also stood up and said, "This is a decision I made after discussing it with Deputy Envoy Jia. I am also guilty."

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on, and their eyes turned to Sun Chengzong at the same time, because not making enemies with the Mongolian tribes was the major policy of the court. Jia Huan and Zu Tianshou's unauthorized sneak attack on the Chaohua tribe was, in a broad sense, suspected of "provoking border conflicts without authorization."

Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and said, "Vice Envoy Jia and Lieutenant General Zu successfully defended Ningyuan City before the arrival of reinforcements. This is a great achievement. The sneak attack on the Chaohua tribe was also a last resort. What crime did they commit? Moreover, the Chaohua tribe has repeatedly raided the south, and it is time to teach them a lesson. Therefore, I will report to the emperor that the two of you are not only innocent, but also meritorious!"

"Thank you, Lord Jinglüe, for your protection!" Jia Huan and Zu Tianshou hurriedly thanked him and sat down again.

When the generals present heard this, their eyes turned to Jia Huan with a different look. This talented Jia, who had won six top prizes at the age of only fourteen, turned out to be a ruthless character who was decisive and able to kill. If any one of them were in this situation, they might not dare to do so. However, Jia Huan not only did it, but also succeeded!
At this time, Jia Huan said again: "This humble official has another matter to report."

Sun Chengzong nodded and said, "Ziming, please speak."

"Nurhaci may be going to attack the Khalkha tribe of Mongolia."

Sun Chengzong asked hurriedly: "Is the news reliable?"

Jia Huan replied, "I dare not say it is 100% certain, but it should be 70% to 80% possible, because Hutudun has recruited all the men from various Mongolian tribes, presumably to deal with the attack of the Jin people, and according to the news from the spies in Jinzhou these days, Nurhaci has returned to Shenyang, leaving only the second Beile Amin to guard Jinzhou." Sun Chengzong said happily, "If this is true, it is good news for us. In this way, I will have enough time to repair the Liaoxi defense line. At the same time, it also proves that Xiong Tingbai's abandonment of Ningyuan was a huge strategic misjudgment. I will report this matter to the emperor immediately!"

All the generals present were in a bit of a dilemma at this point, because they were all originally subordinates of Xiong Tingbai, and some of them were generals who had once guarded Ningyuan City. Later, as Xiong Tingbai abandoned the city and entered the pass, it was now proven that abandoning Ningyuan City was a mistake, and they were naturally afraid of being held accountable.

Now is the time to use people, and Sun Chengzong will naturally not be stupid enough to destroy his own foundation, so he immediately comforted him: "This is the fault of Xiong Tingbai and others, you don't have to worry about it. Next, I hope you will work together to recover the lost territory and strengthen the military power of our Great Jin."

All the generals present immediately expressed their loyalty and cut ties with Xiong Tingbai.

Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Jia Huan and said, "Deputy Envoy Jia has done a great job. I will submit a petition to the Emperor to ask for your commendation."

Jia Huan hurriedly expressed his gratitude, and everyone looked at him with envy. Jia Huan had just been promoted to the fifth rank of Director of the Ministry of War not long ago, and he would probably be promoted again soon. He was truly on the rise.

At this time, Zu Tianshou said, "I also have something to report to you, Lord Jinglüe."

Sun Chengzong nodded and said, "General Zu, please speak!"

"According to the information obtained by the spies, there are still hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians trapped in the Thirteen Mountains. They hid in the mountains and held on, vowing to never shave their heads and join the bandits. Their loyalty and bravery are commendable, so I beg the governor to send troops to rescue the Thirteen Mountains."

Sun Chengzong frowned and said nothing. The Thirteen Mountains are located in the southeast of Jinzhou City, more than 400 miles away from Ningyuan. Rescue is very difficult, not to mention fighting a field battle. The Jin army is no match for the Jurchen cavalry that comes and goes like the wind. By then, let alone saving people, they might even lose themselves.

The generals present all had the same idea, and they all tried to dissuade him, saying, "The Thirteen Mountains are far behind enemy lines and cannot be saved. Your Excellency, please think twice!"

"It's already difficult to save Ningyuan City, how can we spare the energy to rescue Thirteen Mountains? This is a suicide move, we must not do it!"

"That's right, and since Nurhaci has already returned to Shenyang, if we send troops to rescue the Thirteen Mountains now, we might not be able to save anyone, and even anger them. Sending a large army to attack Ningyuan right away will not be worth the loss!"

Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then looked at Jia Huan, who remained silent and did not seem to have any intention of expressing his opinion. Sun Chengzong could not help but feel a little disappointed and said in a deep voice, "This matter is of great importance and cannot be decided hastily. Let me weigh it carefully again."

After discussing for a while, they decided to reopen Juehua Island and station 3,000 people on the island to respond to Ningyuan City from a distance.

After all the generals left, Sun Chengzong kept Jia Huan and asked, "Ziming, do you also think that we should not rescue the soldiers and civilians trapped in the Thirteen Mountains?"

Jia Huan nodded and said, "From a rational point of view, students do not support sending troops to rescue. We do not have the strength to do so at present. Even if we forcibly send troops, it will only lead to our death. There is no need to make such a useless sacrifice."

Sun Chengzong nodded heavily and said, "Master, of course I understand, but I cannot bear to watch hundreds of thousands of lives being destroyed. Moreover, these are the soldiers and civilians of the Great Jin Dynasty who refused to shave their heads and join the bandits. They are loyal and unyielding. If we give up on them, I am afraid that it will chill the hearts of the three armies and tens of millions of the people of the Great Jin Dynasty."

Jia Huan frowned and said, "It's impossible to do anything, what can I do?"

Sun Chengzong sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Forget it. It is more important to protect Ningyuan and the Liaoxi defense line. Ziming, before it gets dark, follow me to inspect Juehua Island. The importance of this island is no less than that of Ningyuan City."

"That's what I wish for!" Jia Huan stood up and left the general's mansion with Sun Chengzong. They went out of the city to conduct an on-site inspection on Juehua Island in order to formulate the next defense strategy. After all, Nurha would come sooner or later.

(End of this chapter)