The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 681 Scolding
Baiwa was violently slammed to the ground by Mangui, leaving him dizzy and seeing stars. It took him a long time to catch his breath before he cried out in protest, "It was Amah who told me there were only eight hundred cavalry. It seems that the kid was still on guard against me. Envoy Jia, I really didn't lie to you."

Mu Ye tapped Baiwa on the head with the hilt of his knife and cursed, "You call yourself a prince? You're a traitor now! Bah! You old toad trying to eat swan meat! You think you can make a move on our Great Jin princess?"

Mu Ye and Jin Bao were originally servants of Lin Ruhai. Although they later became Jia Huan's attendants, they still felt grateful to their former master's family. Therefore, they were very unhappy with Bai Wa, who had implicated Lin Daiyu in a marriage alliance, and called him an old toad.

Baiwa was, after all, the ruler of a small country. He was naturally filled with shame and indignation at being humiliated like this, but now that his life was in the hands of the other party, he could only choose to swallow his anger.

Jia Huan, Man Gui, and Lu Xiangjin walked to the side. The latter said somewhat nervously, "Third Master, if it were only eight hundred cavalry, we might be able to take them down with a surprise attack. But now the enemy cavalry is almost twice as many. With our strength, we probably can't handle them. If we fight head-on, the casualties will be too great, and we might even capsize."

Man Gui chuckled confidently, "What's there to be afraid of? The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Let's just do it. You don't know what our Third Master is capable of."

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "Don't try to defend me like a toad. This battle is indeed going to be tough."

Man Gui was taken aback and blurted out, "Does Third Master mean we're not going to fight?"

Jia Huan frowned and said, "We can't afford not to fight. It's still seven or eight days' journey from here to Jiayuguan. If this cavalry sets their sights on us, we're doomed. If we make the first move, we still have a chance of winning; otherwise, we can only sit and wait to die."

Lu Xiangjin nodded in deep agreement, and Man Gui laughed, "Then what are we hesitating for? Let's just go for it!" As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together eagerly. This kid, like Tie Hu and Shi Tou, was like a maniac when it came to fighting, a true war maniac.

Jia Huan retorted, "What's your hurry? With just a few of us, we wouldn't even be enough to fill someone's teeth if we were just offering our heads up."

Man Gui chuckled and said, "Then I will go back and ask for reinforcements."

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "I'm afraid you can't move it. I have to go back in person to report to Duan Yong and Chu Sheng."

Chu Sheng is the garrison general of Jiayuguan. This time, he is responsible for leading a thousand border soldiers from Suzhou to escort Princess Kangle to Hami. Based on Jia Huan's observations over this period, Chu Sheng is more steady than enterprising. To put it bluntly, he is too cautious and timid. He may not be willing to take the risk of launching an attack on a light cavalry force of more than a thousand men. Therefore, Jia Huan feels it is necessary to go back in person.

Man Gui hurriedly said, "Then Third Master, please go and come back quickly, lest things get complicated."

Jia Huan nodded and instructed, "You all stay here and monitor the enemy's movements. If anything seems amiss, report back immediately by horseback. Also, if Baiwa dares to play any tricks, execute him on the spot!"

"Understood!" Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin replied solemnly.

Jia Huan made some further arrangements, and then, under the protection of his two servants, Mu Ye and Jin Bao, he mounted his horse and galloped away, quickly disappearing into the vast night.

Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin escorted Baiwa into the wind-eroded mountains and forests, finding a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides to shelter from the wind and spend the night. Although it was only July, the temperature difference between day and night in the Gobi Desert was too great. The temperature was 30 or 40 degrees Celsius during the day, but it dropped to below 10 degrees Celsius by midnight.

Two flowers bloomed, and a famous watch was displayed. Meanwhile, Jia Huan rode swiftly, much faster than he had come, and returned to the camp before dawn. Eunuch Duan, who hadn't slept all night, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Jia Huan's safe return and immediately asked, "Jia Huan, have you found the enemy's camp?"

Jia Huan took a sip of water to moisten his throat before replying, "We found it. There is an oasis about sixty miles north of here, where the enemy is stationed. However, the situation is a bit different. It's not eight hundred cavalrymen. A conservative estimate is twelve hundred, or even more."

Upon hearing this, both Duan Yong and Chu Sheng's expressions changed drastically. The enemy cavalry had suddenly increased by half, or even double, which meant that they were facing an enemy force almost equal to their own. The key was that the enemy was entirely composed of cavalry. How could they possibly fight this battle? There was simply no way they could win!
Chu Sheng said in a deep voice, "Eunuch Duan, there are too many enemy cavalry. We should not stay here for long. Let's retreat before they notice us."

Jia Huan countered, "General Chu, where do you plan to retreat to? It's still eight days' journey to Jiayuguan from here. Even if we abandon all our supplies, it will still take five or six days. If the enemy cavalry catches up, we won't have time to escape. Besides, we don't have much drinking water left; we can only last for one more day."

Chu Sheng fell silent upon hearing this, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. Just as Jia Huan had said, everyone was now in a dilemma.

Duan Yong said with a solemn expression, "Envoy Jia, you have been fighting on the battlefield for a long time and have rich experience. What should we do now?"

Seeing the critical situation, Duan Yong's tone of voice became noticeably more respectful.

Jia Huan said in a deep voice, "Given the current situation, the only way to win is to go all out and burn our bridges."

Chu Sheng frowned and asked, "Does the marriage envoy Jia mean to take the initiative?"

"That's right!"

Chu Sheng shook his head and refused, saying, "The enemy has 1,200 light cavalry, or even more. Even if we launch a surprise attack, our forces are probably no match for them. It would just be throwing our lives away. I cannot agree with that." Jia Huan calmly asked, "Then, Commander Chu, do you have a good plan?"

Chu Sheng said, "Abandon all supplies, turn back at full speed along the original route, and at the same time send out fast horses to request reinforcements from within the pass."

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "It's too late."

"It's better than deliberately throwing your life away," Chu Sheng retorted.

Jia Huan frowned and said, "We'll die of thirst on the way in less than three days. Rather than die a cowardly death, we might as well take a gamble."

Chu Sheng said in a deep voice, "The disparity in troop strength is too great, and there is no chance of victory. If we retreat now, perhaps... with good luck, we might still have a glimmer of hope."

Upon hearing this, Duan Yong seemed somewhat tempted. Jia Huan, realizing the danger, suddenly shouted angrily, pointing at Chu Sheng's nose and cursing, "Absurd! At this time, turning your back to the enemy is suicide! Chu Sheng, as a border soldier, where is your courage? Where is your bravery? Where is your honor as a soldier?"

Chu Sheng was startled, then blushed and argued, "Fighting a war isn't just about courage. This general has to be responsible for the lives of his brothers. Everyone has elderly parents and young children to support."

Jia Huan sneered, "Don't make excuses for your cowardice. I'm not afraid to boast, but I, Jia Huan, have fought far more tough battles than you, Chu Sheng. As a soldier, protecting our country is our duty, dying on the battlefield is an honor, being afraid to fight is incompetence, and fleeing without a fight is a disgrace. I, Jia Huan, am not afraid to die. You, a dignified military general, are you not even as good as a mere scholar?"

Chu Sheng was so ashamed and embarrassed by the insults that he felt like he could disappear. He cupped his hands and said, "Jia, you have quite the sharp tongue. I won't argue with you. I'll just listen to Eunuch Duan. As long as Eunuch Duan says to fight, I will lead my men to fight to the death and will never disgrace this armor!"

"Good, this is the true spirit of the men of our Great Jin. General Chu's words are enough." Jia Huan knew when to stop, cupped his hands in return, and looked at Duan Yong.

Duan Yong's expression shifted uncertainly, clearly indicating that he was undecided.

Jia Huan had dealt with Chu Sheng by using a provocation tactic, and was now calm, because he had already figured out Duan Yong's character. Although this man was fond of military achievements, his skills were mediocre. To put it bluntly, he was ambitious but lacked talent, wanting to do great things but afraid of death.

"Duan Zhongshi, although the enemy cavalry is numerous, their encampment is surrounded by wind-eroded hills and forests stretching for more than twenty miles, which is extremely suitable for an ambush. As long as our army lays an ambush in advance and lures the enemy cavalry into it, we will be able to take advantage of the terrain to annihilate them in one fell swoop," Jia Huan said confidently, which was equivalent to giving Duan Yong a sense of reassurance and letting him see the hope of victory.

Sure enough, Duan Yong perked up immediately upon hearing this. His desire for military merit overcame his fear of death, and he asked, "Really? How confident are you?"

Jia Huan said in a deep voice, "If I were to take command, and General Chu were to cooperate fully, we would have an 80% chance of winning."

Duan Yong's eyes lit up. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly clenched his fist and cursed, "Damn it! We'll give him a shot! Chu Sheng, from now on, you'll follow Jia Huan's orders. After this is done, you'll have a great achievement to show for it."

Chu Sheng glanced at Jia Huan hesitantly, then bowed and said, "This subordinate obeys the order."

Jia Huan breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands, saying, "Eunuch Duan's decision on the spot is excellent. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Please, General Chu, immediately gather your troops and set off with me."

Chu Sheng turned and left as soon as he received the order. When it was fully light, everything was ready. Jia Huan, disregarding his fatigue from the journey, set off with a thousand border soldiers and a hundred militiamen under Lu Xiangjin. Only four hundred guards from the princess's residence remained at the camp, and Tie Niu also stayed behind to protect the ladies of the Chai and Dai families.

Seeing Jia Huan lead his troops away, the camp's defensive strength was greatly reduced, and Eunuch Duan became a little uneasy again. Fortunately, before leaving, Jia Huan had given him some instructions on how to deal with possible emergencies.

“Sir, isn’t this too risky? What if Jia Huan is defeated? In my opinion, since we have dozens of riders in our guards, why don’t we take Her Highness the Princess and ride back to the interior of the pass?” a young eunuch suggested.

Duan Yong raised his hand and slapped the little eunuch across the face, cursing, "Shut up! Although I am a palace servant, I have high moral character. How could I abandon others and run away for my own life? If you dare to spread rumors again, I'll cut out your tongue."

The young eunuch, trying to curry favor, accidentally patted the horse's leg and covered his face, repeatedly kowtowing in apology.

Actually, Duan Yong wasn't so noble; he was just afraid of being accused of desertion. Besides, if Jia Huan won and he fled first, wouldn't he become a laughing stock?

"Jia Huan, Jia Huan, everyone says you're resourceful and decisive, and invincible. I hope you won't disappoint us this time. We've staked our lives on this." Duan Yong prayed silently.

(End of this chapter)