The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 593 Rescue of Thirteen Mountains

Sun Chengzong ordered his men to take these refugees back to the camp on the island and provide them with food, lodging and heating. Then he and Jia Huan went into the barracks to discuss how to rescue the soldiers and civilians trapped in the Thirteen Mountains.

Originally, Sun Chengzong had discussed with the generals in Ningyuan City yesterday, and almost all the generals felt that they should give up the rescue. After all, the Thirteen Mountains were too far away from Ningyuan City and were out of reach. If they fought a field battle, the Jin army was no match for the Jurchen cavalry, not to mention that they had to escort nearly 100,000 refugees across hundreds of miles back. This was an impossible hellish task.

However, encountering this group of refugees who had escaped from the Thirteen Mountains on their own on Juehua Island today gave Jia Huan and Sun Chengzong a new idea: since land rescue was not possible, could they try rescue from the sea?

Sun Chengzong and Jia Huan stared at the military map for a long time, their expressions were very solemn. The Thirteen Mountains are located about 150 miles northeast of Jinzhou, and about 20 miles from the seashore. It is quite difficult to sneak past the Jin soldiers' blockade and escape to the seashore. In addition, there are nearly 100,000 trapped soldiers and civilians in the mountains. If all of them are taken away, a lot of ships will be needed.

Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then said, "We will first send a group of troops to feint and attack Jinzhou, distract the Jiannu and tie down their forces, and then wait for an opportunity to send a ship to rescue them. Ziming, do you think this plan is feasible?"

Jia Huan nodded and said, "The person in charge of guarding Jinzhou is the Second Prince Amin. I heard that he is unruly and has a fiery temper. He is a man of courage but no strategy. This plan should be feasible, but we must first get in touch with the Thirteen Mountains, and the whole process must be kept secret. No news can leak out. Once the other party finds out, I am afraid we will lose both the lady and the troops. In addition, how can we mobilize the rescue ships?"

Sun Chengzong nodded and said, "That makes sense. As for the ships, it is not a problem. We can mobilize the navy from Denglai, Shandong, and arrive in a few days. The righteous people of the Thirteen Mountains refused to submit to the Jiannu and rose up in resistance. They would rather die than shave their heads and join the bandits. If we can successfully rescue them, it will surely enhance the prestige of our country and greatly strengthen the momentum of our army. Ziming, we really need a victory!"

Jia Huan nodded in agreement. Since the great defeat at Sarhu several years ago, the Jin Dynasty had maintained a zero-win record in its battles with the Jurchens. It had been defeated in succession and had almost lost all of Liaodong and Liaoxi in just a few years. The entire army was afraid of the Jurchens. From the court to the people, there was a pessimistic mood in the country. Some smart people in the Beijing-Tianjin area had even begun to migrate south. In such a negative national atmosphere, the Jin Dynasty really needed a big victory to boost the morale of the army and the national confidence.

"Without further delay, I will immediately submit a request to dispatch the Denglai navy to assist in the rescue. At the same time, I will send a force to launch a feint attack on Jinzhou to relieve the pressure on the military and civilians in the Thirteen Mountains. Ziming, who do you think should be assigned this important task?" Sun Chengzong asked.

Just as Jia Huan was about to answer, he heard shouting and cursing outside the barracks. The voice seemed to come from his follower Jin Bao. He could not help but frown and quickly walked out of the barracks to check.

Jinbao was seen grabbing the collar of a refugee and cursing angrily. The refugee was very strong and much taller than Jinbao, but he did not resist. He just kept chewing his steamed bun desperately, with his cheeks bulging.

Jia Huan quickly stopped Jin Bao and asked what was going on. The latter said aggrievedly: "Third Master, this black guy was not satisfied with eating five steamed buns, and he actually snatched six more!"

Jia Huan asked Jin Bao to step back, then looked the refugee up and down and found that this guy was not only strong, but also dark-skinned. It was hard to tell how old he was, but his eyes were black and bright, so he must be very young.

The boy must have been very hungry. He held two steamed buns in each hand and ate them madly. In a moment, he stuffed the whole thing into his mouth. When he saw Jia Huan looking at him, he seemed a little scared and quickly lowered his head to avoid him.

"Don't drink water after eating, be careful not to burst your stomach." Jia Huan reminded. If this kid eats like that, with more than a dozen steamed buns and then drinking some water, his stomach will really be burst.

Seeing Jia Huan's friendly face, the refugee became bolder and said in a low voice: "I can eat twenty steamed buns in one meal, and thirty when I'm really hungry."

Mu Ye stuck out his tongue and said, "You are the reincarnation of Zhu Bajie, which old man can afford to support you?"

"I can eat and work." The refugee rolled his eyes.

Jia Huan couldn't help but become interested and asked, "What's your name and how old are you?"

"My name is Mangui, and I'm sixteen years old." The refugee replied. He had already swallowed the bun in his mouth, and the buzzing sound was no longer there. The sound was surprisingly loud, but he seemed not to be full yet, and licked his lips with satisfaction.

Jia Huan's heart moved, and he said, "It's rare to see people with the surname Man."

"I am Mongolian, and my name was given to me by my adoptive father." The refugee answered frankly.

"Bah, so you are a Tartar. No wonder you don't look like a Han Chinese." Jin Bao spat.

Man Gui didn't seem to mind being called a Tartar. He just glanced at Jin Bao with contempt and said, "I can beat ten people like you!"

Jin Bao was immediately furious: "You are so arrogant, come on, practice with your Grandpa Jin."

Mu Ye quickly pulled him away and said, "Why bother with this little Tartar?"

In fact, Mu Ye was worried that Jin Bao would not be able to defeat him and bring shame to the Third Master. The little Tartar was too strong, like a calf. Jia Huan laughed and said, "You are still a troublemaker. Tell me, what are your abilities?"

Man Gui replied: "I am very strong, good at fighting, and can ride a horse and shoot arrows. If it weren't for me, all the people on the boat would have died along the way."

"Sir, I can testify that Mangui is indeed a powerful guy. He even killed two Jian slaves." A refugee uncle interrupted.

Man Gui puffed out his chest proudly and said, "See, I didn't lie to you, did I? If it wasn't so chaotic at the time and everyone was in a hurry to escape, I would have cut off his head and come back to claim the reward."

Jia Huan's heart moved, and he waved his hand and said, "Come with me!" Then he turned and walked back to the barracks.

Man Gui was not afraid and followed Jia Huan into the barracks. Although Sun Chengzong had not come out just now, he had heard the conversation between the two parties, so he also looked at the black loach-like guy in front of him with appreciation.

Jia Huan sat down and asked, "What does your foster father do for a living? Where is he now?"

"My adoptive father was a horse dealer in Shishan Town. He died of illness a few years ago. My adoptive mother and brother were killed by the Jiannu some time ago. My two sisters were also abducted by the Jiannu. I fled into the mountains by myself." Man Gui said with a hateful look in his eyes.

Jia Huan nodded and said, "Do you want to eat meat?"

Man Gui said, "Yes, I still want to be a general!"

"Why?"

"Because being a general means you can eat meat, sleep with women, and lead troops to kill the Jiannu for revenge."

Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and coughed lightly. This kid is really - straightforward!
Jia Huan nodded and said, "I have something for you to do now. If you succeed, not only will you have meat to eat, but I will also make you a general. How about that?"

Man Gui's eyes lit up, but he said doubtfully, "Are you serious? I see you are not very old, and you don't have a beard yet. Can you keep your word?"

Sun Chengzong couldn't help but smile. Wu Sangui next to him scolded, "How dare you! This is the deputy envoy of the imperial decree, the current director of the Military Selection Division of the Ministry of War, Lord Jia. If you want to become a general, you still have to go through Lord Jia's selection."

Man Gui's heart was warmed, and he quickly asked, "What does Lord Jia want me to do?"

Jia Huan smiled. This kid is quite clever. He just kept saying "I" and was very boastful. Now he called himself "little one". He asked, "Do you remember the way we escaped?"

Man Gui nodded repeatedly and said, "I remember, of course I remember!"

"Then let you go back the same way and enter the Thirteen Mountains again. Do you dare?"

Man Gui was stunned for a moment, and immediately hesitated. Xing Wei said sarcastically, "You don't dare anymore? I thought you were so awesome, but it turns out you are just a coward."

Man Gui's eyes suddenly widened with anger, and he shouted, "Bullshit, there is nothing I dare not do." After that, he clasped his fists towards Jia Huan and said, "Master Jia, I will do this job, but after the task is completed, you must fulfill your promise and make me a general flag."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "If you perform well, not to mention being a general, even being a centurion won't be a problem."

Man Gui was both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly patted his chest and said anxiously, "I've done it!" as if he was afraid that Jia Huan would go back on his word.

Jia Huan and Sun Chengzong looked at each other, called Man Gui to the side of the map, pointed to the location of the Thirteen Mountains and gave him detailed instructions. This boy was quite smart. He understood as soon as he heard it, learned it once he was taught, and could apply it to other situations.

Jia Huan couldn't help but feel a little surprised. This kid is good. If he is trained in the future, he will definitely be a talent.

(End of this chapter)