The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 620: Battle of Ningyuan (Part )

As Jia Huan had expected, not long after the farmers harvested the crops in the fields, in early September of the tenth year of Qiansheng, Nurhaci personally led an army of 130,000 Jurchens across the Liaohe River and stationed in Jinzhou. He claimed to the outside world that the army was 300,000 and sent envoys straight to Ningyuan.

What are you here for? To persuade them to surrender, of course!

Nurhaci was deeply influenced by Han culture. He not only knew Chinese, but could also write Chinese characters. He believed in using courtesy before force, so before taking action he sent an envoy with his handwritten letter to persuade the enemy to surrender.

The envoy's name was Lu Guozhi. He was originally a captain under the traitor Sun Degong. Later, he joined Nurhaci with Sun Degong. As mentioned in the previous article, Wang Huazhen, the governor of Liaodong, was betrayed by Sun Degong, which led to his defeat and the loss of Jinzhou City. The King of Dai and the King of Qing were also killed and captured. Just last autumn, Wang Huazhen and Xiong Tingbai were both beheaded and thrown into the streets. Now I'm afraid the grass on their graves is three feet high.

Let’s talk about Lu Guozhi who entered Ningyuan City and walked into the general’s mansion with an arrogant attitude. He just bowed slightly to Jia Huan and Zu Tianshou who were sitting there, and said in a loud voice: "I am ordered by the wise Khan of the Great Jin Dynasty (Nurhaci) to persuade you to surrender. This is a letter written by the wise Khan to you two." After that, he took out a letter and threw it on the table next to him.

This man's rude behavior immediately angered the generals. The hot-tempered young general Man Gui stepped forward, drew his sword and put it on Lu Guozhi's neck, cursing: "You bastard, you dare to disrespect Lord Jia, you are really tired of living!"

Lu Guozhi's face changed slightly, and he said calmly, "When two countries are at war, envoys should not be killed. Do you understand the rules?"

"Bah, the knife in my hand is the rule." Man Gui raised the knife and was about to chop down.

"Step back!" Jia Huan said.

Man Gui had no choice but to withdraw his knife in dismay. Lu Guozhi snorted in disdain, but a thin layer of sweat had already seeped out of his forehead. Jia Huan glanced at him and asked, "What is your name?"

"My surname is Lu, my given name is Guozhi, and my courtesy name is Guozhong!"

Jia Huan sneered and said, "Guo Zhong? This courtesy name doesn't seem to suit you. By the way, do you know Li Yongfang and Sun Degong?"

Lu Guozhi was so embarrassed by the ridicule that he blushed. He didn't know what Jia Huan was up to, so he asked back, "So what if he recognized me? So what if he didn't recognize me?"

Jia Huan smiled faintly and said, "If you recognize them, please give them a message."

"What?" Lu Guozhi asked subconsciously.

"Let them wash the dog heads and wait for me to take them." As soon as Jia Huan finished speaking, all the generals laughed.

Lu Guozhi's face darkened slightly, and he sneered, "I'm afraid you don't have the ability."

"I can even take Nurhaci's head, let alone these two traitors!" Although Jia Huan said it lightly, it was very domineering and refreshing, and all the generals present felt their blood boiling.

Lu Guozhi was stunned for a moment, then said disdainfully: "A toad yawns - what a big mouth. In the past seven or eight years, you Jin people have been slaughtered by my Great Jin. In the battle of Jinzhou two years ago, more than 100,000 soldiers were lost, and two princes were killed and captured. You, Jia Huan, are just a little boy. How dare you speak so arrogantly? You are simply overestimating your own abilities and making a fool of yourself.

I advise you to be sensible and surrender the city. Not only can you save your life, but you can also get a high position and generous salary. If you insist on doing so, it will be too late to regret when the Khan of the Great Jin Dynasty arrives at the gates of the city!"

"fart!"

"court death!"

"Straight bitch!"

"I chopped you up!"

The generals were furious, their eyes were wide open, and everyone had their hands on the hilt of their swords, as if they were going to eat Lu Guozhi alive. The latter was so scared that he retreated again and again.

Jia Huan raised his right hand to signal silence. After the generals gradually quieted down, he picked up Nurhaci's handwritten letter from the table. He was too lazy to even open it. He tore it into pieces and threw it into the stove to burn. He said coldly: "Go back and tell Nurhaci to stop talking nonsense. If you want to fight, then fight. I, Jia Huan, am here to wait for him to die!"

Lu Guozhi was shocked and angry, and sneered: "Well, in that case, let's see who's the winner on the battlefield. I hope that when the Jin cavalry breaks through the city, you can still be so tough." After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and was about to turn around and leave.

"Wait a minute!" Jia Huan suddenly called out.

"What? Has Jia Bingbei come to his senses again?" Lu Guozhi turned around and looked at Jia Huan, asking jokingly. Unexpectedly, Jia Huan's eyes turned cold and he shouted, "Catch him!" Two burly guards immediately rushed forward like wolves and tigers, twisted Lu Guozhi's hands and captured him. The latter's heart skipped a beat, and he struggled while shouting, "When two countries are at war, they don't kill envoys. Jin claims to be a country of etiquette. Could it be that Ning Qian Bingbei doesn't know etiquette?"

Jia Huan sneered, "I will not execute you, but if you are a traitor to your country, a traitor to your master, and a disloyal and unrighteous person like you, I will not be able to accept it if you do not punish them! Come on, give you thirty strokes of the cane and throw you out of the city!"

Man Gui was overjoyed and immediately stepped forward to carry out the execution himself. He stripped off Lu Guozhi's pants and beat him with thirty sticks, causing him to scream like a ghost and his skin torn and flesh torn. He was half dead on the spot, and then he was carried out and thrown outside the East City Gate.

Lu Guozhi was filled with shame and hatred, resentment and fear. With the help of several followers, he lay on the horse's back and fled back to Jinzhou in a panic. He cried to Nurhaci, exaggerating how arrogant Jia Huan was and how he "greeted" all the women in the Khan's family.

Nurhaci was furious. He had been fighting on the battlefield for decades, had fought hundreds of battles, and was invincible. No one had ever dared to despise and insult him like this. Now this Jia Huan, who was said to be a young boy of only sixteen years old, had the audacity to threaten to take his head. He simply didn't know how to live or die!
At that moment, Nurhaci immediately issued an order, and the army set out from Jinzhou and headed straight for Ningyuan City.

On the other side, Jia Huan had already issued orders that all soldiers and civilians outside the city should be withdrawn into the city, and all villages and strongholds should be emptied, without leaving any surplus food. They should implement the strategy of clearing the countryside and fortifying the city so that the other side could not get any supplies.

Although Ningyuan had made sufficient preparations for the past two years, the strength of the Jin soldiers was unquestionable. In addition, they had the psychological advantage accumulated over the years. Now that they came with the power of the newly defeated Ligdan Khan, they should not be taken lightly.

Jia Huan's plan was to avoid the enemy's attack first, defend the city, use the power of the city's strong artillery to consume the enemy, and then wait for an opportunity to counterattack.

Nurhaci led an army of 130,000 Jurchens and marched to the west of Ningyuan City with murderous intent. They set up camp about five miles away. Flags covered the sky and the sun, and war horses piled up like thunderclouds. The entire coastal road was cut off by military camps all over the mountains. The momentum was so great that it seemed as if the world was about to be destroyed.

The soldiers on the Ningyuan city wall were all shocked when they saw this. Although an ambush in March last year wiped out a Niulu of the Jiannu, it was only a small victory and was not enough to change the Jin army's fear of the Jurchens.

After all, in the past seven or eight years, the Jin army had been repeatedly defeated by the Jiannu cavalry. In the battle of Sarhu alone, nearly 100,000 people were killed or wounded, and the entire army was almost annihilated. In the defeat at Jinzhou the year before last, hundreds of thousands of troops under Wang Huazhen were wiped out, the King of Dai died in battle, and the King of Qing was captured. With all these things, if there was no hearty victory, the Jin army would not be able to overcome its fear of the Jurchen army.

In fact, let alone the Jin army, even Jia Huan felt a little scalp tingling at this moment, because of the elite troops who had truly experienced hundreds of battles, the fierce murderous aura could really be felt. Although they were five miles away, the terrifying aura of this Jurchen army was still overwhelming, which was frightening.

Tiehu licked his lips solemnly. He was originally full of confidence, but he was a little shaken for a moment. He was originally against defending the city and advocated taking the initiative to attack and seek battle, because offense is the best defense.

However, at this moment, Tiehu obviously changed his mind. Facing such a terrible army, a field battle was obviously a foolish choice. Even with the 3,000 Guanning Iron Cavalry that he had personally trained for more than a year, he might not be able to lead the charge. Unless he broke the opponent's morale first, there would be a chance of winning.

On the top of Ningyuan City, Jia Huan led his generals to observe the Jurchen army. On the other side, in the Jurchen camp, Nurhaci also led his generals to inspect the front.

Nurhaci is sixty-seven years old this year, still energetic and with bright eyes. Wearing heavy armor and sitting high on the horse, he looks arrogant and has an unparalleled domineering aura, as if he wants to trample everything in the world under his feet.

At this moment, the top of Ningyuan City was full of flags, swords and spears, and artillery batteries, especially the giant artillery batteries rising from the ground at the four corners of the city wall. Even Nurhaci, who had experienced many battles, could not help but blink, thinking to himself: "This Jia Huan is really not an easy person to deal with. There is something special about the artillery batteries on the four corners."

It turns out that the artillery batteries on the four corners of Ningyuan City are semicircular and protrude outward, with a defense angle of almost 270 degrees. Even two guns can fire at each other to help the other side clear the attacking enemies below.

Nurhaci was experienced in combat, so he naturally saw the trick at a glance, so he frowned. However, Nurhaci had fought countless battles over the past decades and was invincible. Although the Ningyuan City in front of him was armed like a hedgehog, Nurhaci was still confident that he could take it in one fell swoop.

"Hmph, little Jia Huan, no matter how strong your city is, you can't stop our army." Nurhaci snorted coldly, but before taking action, he decided to give the other party another chance, so he sent someone to call for surrender.

A horseman was seen galloping out of the camp, arriving at the moat of the east city gate and stopping. He shouted loudly to the top of the city wall: "Listen carefully, soldiers of the Jin army on the city wall. My wise Khan of the Great Jin Dynasty is personally leading an army of 300,000 to take Ningyuan. God is merciful. If war breaks out, there will be disasters. If you open the city and surrender, my Khan promises not to kill anyone and to treat you well. If you are stubborn and resist stubbornly, you will die when the city is captured..."

hum...

Before the unfortunate man could finish his words, a short spear came flying from the tower, as fast as lightning and as swift as thunder. With a click, the short spear hit the man's chest, piercing through his armor and passing through his chest, blood splattering on the spot.

The warhorse was frightened and turned around and ran away. The unfortunate man who was shouting had one foot still in the stirrup, and his body was dragged away by the warhorse.

"Lord Tiger is mighty!" The Jin army on the city wall cheered loudly, and Nurhaci and others in the enemy camp opposite were all furious when they saw this.

"If you don't accept my toast, then you'll have to drink a penalty. Attack!" Nurhaci gave an angry order, and the Jurchen army immediately pressed towards Ningyuan City like a tide.

(End of this chapter)