The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 596: Unsuccessful Rescue

The Jurchen cavalry attacked fiercely for half an hour but failed to break through the gate. Finally, they retreated like a tide, leaving behind hundreds of corpses.

The west wind is blowing fiercely, and the setting sun is blood-red.

Jia Huan and Zu Tianshou stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the Jurchen cavalry who retreated to a distance to rest, and both breathed a sigh of relief. They had managed to hold off the enemy's first wave of attack, but the other side obviously would not give up, and the next offensive would only become more and more fierce, so the two did not dare to delay and ordered to speed up the repair of fortifications, and the city gates were simply sealed with a large amount of bricks and stones.

Fortunately, the enemy was composed entirely of cavalry, and they had been chasing us for a long distance without carrying any siege equipment. Otherwise, this small city might not be defended. Now, of course, we have to slowly waste time, and try to drag it out as long as possible to buy time for the Denglai Navy to rescue the refugees from the Thirteen Mountains. I hope Wu Sangui will live up to everyone's expectations.

As the sun was about to set, the Jurchens launched another fierce attack, probably hoping to break into the city under the cover of darkness, and divided their troops into three groups to attack the other two city gates.

The Jurchen cavalry's attack was obviously more fierce this time. They used hooks several times and almost climbed to the top of the city, but they were repelled by the tightly defended garrison. After paying the price of hundreds of corpses, the second wave of the Jurchen attack also ended in failure. The second prince Amin was so angry that he gritted his teeth and jumped up and down, vowing to slaughter all the defenders in the city after the city was captured.

As night fell, the temperature dropped. Inside the tower, Jia Huan and Zu Tianshou were roasting by the fire while having a quick dinner, and Zu Tianshou was obviously much more relaxed at the moment.

As the saying goes: The first attack is powerful, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted. The Jurchens failed to take the city after two consecutive fierce attacks. Their fighting spirit was almost exhausted. After using all their three tricks, it became even more difficult to break the city.

However, to be on the safe side, Zu Tianshou still proposed to pour water on the city wall so that a layer of slippery ice would form on the wall to prevent the Jurchens from climbing up, but Jia Huan rejected this idea. After all, the main purpose of this time was to delay time as much as possible. If the reckless Amin thought that the city was impregnable, he might withdraw early. Therefore, things should not be done too "extremely". The other party must see a glimmer of hope of breaking the city. This is like fishing, you have to make a nest first. If you want to cheat, you have to let the gamblers win two times first, otherwise they will not play with you.

…………

In Ningyuan City, the lights in the general's mansion were still on. Sun Chengzong, the governor of Liaodong, had not slept, and the generals were on standby at all times. Every half an hour, a scout would report the battle situation in Lianshan City.

At this time, another scout came in with a report: "Report, the Jiannu's second wave of attack was repelled, and they have retreated three miles to set up camp."

All the generals breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this. It seemed that there would not be a third wave of attack tonight. After all, the Jiannu were not made of iron and they also needed rest and food.

Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and smiled, "Very good, Deputy Envoy Jia and Lieutenant General Zu resisted the enemy's attack."

Sun Chengzong's aide Wang Zegu suggested: "Sir, the Jiannu are exhausted after a long battle. Now is a good time to attack them. Why not send troops now to capture them all in one fell swoop?"

As soon as these words came out, all the generals present bowed their heads in silence. A trace of disappointment flashed in Sun Chengzong's eyes. These people were frightened by the Jiannu Iron Cavalry. They were scared when they heard the name of the Jiannu Iron Cavalry. Obviously, no one dared to lead the troops out of the city to fight in the field. He could only say: "Deputy Envoy Jia took the risk this time in order to contain the Jiannu's troops. Now that the goal has been achieved, there is really no need to take risks again."

"Yes, yes, what the general said is absolutely right!" The generals echoed.

One of the generals said in a high-sounding manner: "Just as the general said, as long as the goal is achieved, there is no need to take risks. Even if we really destroy this Jiannu cavalry, what will happen? I am afraid it will only lead to Nurhaci's massive revenge, and then Ningyuan City will be in danger. Now the most important thing is to rescue the refugees, accumulate strength, and repair the defense line of the Liaoxi Corridor. We must not create any unnecessary troubles!" Sun Chengzong knew that these guys were just afraid of fighting, but he could do nothing. An army that has lost its courage will only be sent to death even if they are forced to attack. It seems that as Ziming said, the military spirit and courage must be recast, otherwise there will be no chance of defeating Jiannu. If it doesn't work, newcomers who dare to fight and rush will be promoted to gradually form a demonstration effect.

"Everyone, please go down and have a rest. You must report on time tomorrow and there must be no lapse." Sun Chengzong waved his hand, and the generals dispersed.

…………

The Thirteen Mountains are located more than a hundred miles southeast of Jinzhou City. It is called Shishan Town. It was originally a military town where a Jin army was once stationed. Shishan Town is surrounded by thirteen mountains, one upon another, so it is named Thirteen Mountains.

Now, nearly 100,000 refugees are hiding in the Thirteen Mountains, guarding the key passes and confronting the Jurchen army that came to encircle and suppress them. That day, the second prince Amin had planned to wipe out the refugees in the mountains in one fell swoop, but was lured away by Jia Huan's provocation. Now the troops besieging the Thirteen Mountains have been greatly reduced.

Late at night, the Jin soldiers outside the mountain were all fast asleep, and the sentinels on patrol also began to slack off, gathering around the fire to keep warm and chatting. Suddenly, there was a shout of killing, and countless refugees swarmed out of the mountain. The sentinels were beaten to death with sticks before they could react.

When the refugees rushed into the town, the sleeping Jin soldiers were finally awakened. They picked up their weapons and rushed out of the camp, trying to stop them. However, the refugees were like a flood that had broken through the dam. They poured out from the mountain paths in an endless stream, like a raging storm. How could they stop them?

Soon, the Jin soldiers' camp was torn apart, and the leading general had to withdraw his men in a hurry to avoid the enemy's attack.

There were nearly 100,000 refugees in the mountains. After breaking through the Jin soldiers' defense line, they, led by Wu Sangui and Man Gui, fled to the seaside 20 miles away in a mighty force.

The Jin soldiers were all confused. After the flood of refugees passed, the generals came to their senses and quickly regrouped their troops and chased after them.

Although there were many refugees, most of them were unarmed civilians, and a considerable number of them were women and children. In addition, they had been trapped in the mountains for more than a month and were already very weak, so they could not escape quickly.

The Jin soldiers chased them from behind, and it was as easy as cutting melons and vegetables. People fled in all directions to save their lives, and the formation became even more chaotic. In the end, only about half of the people escaped to the seaside, and the rest were slaughtered. There was really a river of blood and corpses everywhere.

This time, the Denglai Navy sent thousands of large and small ships to wait for support on the shore. Seeing the Jin soldiers chasing them, they used the artillery on the ships to cover and finally succeeded in picking up about 40,000 refugees. The rest were helpless and fled in all directions. A large number of refugees jumped into the cold sea, and countless people drowned.

In general, this was not a very successful rescue, but for Wu Sangui, saving more than 40,000 refugees was enough. He will definitely have a great contribution, and his name will be included in the emperor's edict of reward. People all over the world will also know that he, Wu Sangui, went deep into the tiger's den alone and rescued 40,000 people. He, Wu Sangui, will be the embodiment of a national hero!

As for the 50,000 or 60,000 innocent lives, who would care? Anyway, Wu Sangui didn't care. As the saying goes, a battle is won at the cost of thousands of dead. War always has a price! Throughout history, which famous general didn't climb to the top by stepping on thousands of dead bones?

(End of this chapter)