The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 683 Ambush from Desperate Circumstances (Part 2)

This fierce battle lasted until dusk before it came to an end. Of course, the so-called "fierce" battle was only for the Turpan cavalry; for the Jin army, it was a one-sided massacre.

This was the result of a well-executed battle. The Turpan cavalry had the advantage in both troop strength and type, but unfortunately, they fell into an ambush and plunged into the canyon. The cavalry's advantage was completely negated, and they met their demise in the Northwest.

The setting sun was like blood, and the canyon, which was more than two miles long, had become a living hell. Corpses lay scattered everywhere, severed limbs and weapons were strewn about, and blood had soaked through the sand. Even though the wind was howling through the valley, it could not dispel the heavy smell of blood.

Soon, the final battle ended, and not a single Turpan soldier remained standing. The Jin army began to jubilantly clean up the battlefield, vying to collect the heads. The Jin army rewarded soldiers with kills, and these heads were all war merits, worth a fortune. These border troops, who had guarded the frontier for many years, had never achieved such a brilliant victory before, so their morale was soaring.

After this resounding victory, all the border soldiers, including Chu Sheng, were completely convinced of Jia Huan's abilities. As expected, a person's reputation precedes them. Jia Huan was able to establish such a great reputation in Liaodong. He was indeed capable, resourceful, decisive, and had a tough style!

"Greetings, Third Master Huan!"

"Greetings, Third Master Huan!"

As Jia Huan and Chu Sheng, along with other officers, came to inspect the battlefield, the soldiers who were cleaning up all stopped and saluted.

At this moment, Jia Huan and the others came across a Shaanxi militiaman wearing a headscarf. The young man had a circle of bloody human heads tied around his waist, probably more than ten, which made everyone gasp in astonishment.

Chu Sheng couldn't help but ask, "You killed all of these people? Are you trying to steal someone else's credit?"

The militiaman proudly puffed out his chest and said, "General Chu, I did indeed kill them all. I beheaded twelve people, but one of them was a fake. You've cut off my livelihood."

Lu Xiangjin introduced with a smile: "Third Master, General Chu, this kid is called Dong Dao. He's from Ansai County and his martial arts skills are superb. Even my elder brother and I are no match for him."

Jia Huan gave a thumbs up and praised, "Great job, the name is also very good."

Upon hearing this, the young man straightened his back even more, his pride evident, and said loudly, "Third Master, you flatter me. One bandit leader for one tael of silver is a rule set by our Lord Lu (Lu Xiang-sheng). I wonder if it counts here with you, Third Master?"

"Hey, you little brat, you're asking for a beating, aren't you!" Lu Xiangjin stepped forward to kick him, but Jia Huan quickly grabbed him and laughed, "Of course it counts. I've always been fair in my rewards and punishments, and I never mistreat the brothers who fight bravely. Since a bandit head is worth one tael of silver to Magistrate Lu, the heads of these Turpan cavalrymen are naturally worth even more. Two taels each. Of course, if you don't want silver, you can exchange it for military merits!"

In an instant, the whole place erupted in cheers. The border soldiers, let alone the militiamen, were also poorly paid. Their monthly salary was only a few hundred coins, barely enough to make ends meet. Two taels of silver was equivalent to several months' income for them. How could they not be happy? And in this battle, almost everyone had a victory.

Chu Sheng coughed lightly and winked, clearly reminding Jia Huan not to make reckless promises. After all, Jia Huan had no official position, and if the court did not recognize his promises, wouldn't that disappoint the brothers?

Dong Dao, that clever fellow, immediately shouted, "Third Master Huan, can you keep your word? I heard that you've been dismissed by the Emperor and are now a commoner. What if the court doesn't recognize this reward? Surely you shouldn't have to pay for it out of your own pocket, Third Master Huan?"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers felt as if they had been doused with cold water. Jia Huan smiled and said, "I, Jia Huan, always keep my word. If the brothers don't receive the reward money, or if they don't receive enough, I will make up the difference out of my own pocket. I can easily afford to pay tens of thousands of taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, Dong Dao said happily, "Alright, Third Master's words are enough."

The soldiers cheered again and continued cleaning up the battlefield with renewed vigor. At this moment, Man Gui brought over a man covered in blood and said with a smile, "Third Master, I've caught a big fish. This man is called Huoshai, and he's a cavalry centurion!"

Huo Shai glared at Jia Huan, spat out a mouthful of blood, and cursed, "You despicable Jin people, what kind of skill is this, resorting to underhanded tricks and schemes? If you have the guts, fight me fair and square! Bah!"

Huoshai spoke in the local dialect of Turpan, so Jia Huan couldn't understand him, but judging from his angry and resentful expression, he knew it wasn't anything nice. He waved his hand and said, "Chop him up!"

"Yes!" Man Gui kicked Huo Si to the ground, and with a flash of light, a fine head rolled away.

—Hiss!

Everyone gasped in shock, their hearts filled with dread. Their impression of Jia Huan as ruthless and decisive was further reinforced. He could behead a centurion without even bothering to interrogate him. Tsk tsk!

By the time the battlefield was cleaned up, it was completely dark. The clerk in charge of taking inventory began to report the battle results to Jia Huan and Chu Sheng.

In this battle, more than 1,200 enemy soldiers were killed, more than 200 were captured, and more than 800 warhorses were seized. The Chinese side suffered only 37 dead and more than 200 wounded. It was a great victory and the first major victory on the western border after decades of peace and prosperity in the Great Jin Dynasty. It is destined to be recorded in history.

Chu Sheng was overjoyed. He had been in charge of guarding Jiayuguan for almost nine years and was scheduled to be rotated out at the end of the year. He never expected to achieve such a great feat at this time, annihilating more than a thousand cavalrymen of the Turpan Khanate. With this achievement, promotion was a sure thing, and it was not impossible for him to become the General of Gansu in the future. Thinking of this, Chu Sheng was even more delighted. He bowed to Jia Huan and said admiringly, "This battle was entirely due to Third Master Huan's strategic planning. This humble general is in awe."

Jia Huan humbly replied, "General Chu, you flatter me. This achievement is due to the concerted efforts and valiant fighting of all the soldiers. I dare not claim such credit."

The soldiers were even more impressed by Jia Huan's humility and lack of self-promotion. However, at that moment, a shrill scream suddenly came from afar, followed by the neighing of horses.

"Stop him! Don't let Baiva escape!" someone shouted.

It turned out that the old fox Baiwa took advantage of the Jin army's relaxation after their great victory, secretly cut the ropes with a stone shard, ambushed a militiaman on guard duty, seized a warhorse, and tried to escape under the cover of night.

"Damn it, trying to escape? No way!" The generals were furious and mounted their horses to give chase.

Fortunately, Baiwa was too weak to escape and was captured half an hour later, tied up and brought before Jia Huan.

"You bastard, I'll kill you!" Dong Dao charged forward with a ferocious expression, trying to cut off the head of Hami King Baiwa.

It turned out that the two militiamen who were guarding Baiwa were from northern Shaanxi. One of them, surnamed Dong, was Dong Dao's childhood friend. When Baiwa was escaping, he ambushed Dong Dao's friend and hit him on the head with a fist-sized rock. His brains were almost spilled out, and he was beyond saving. No wonder Dong Dao was so angry.

Lu Xiangjin grabbed the crazed Dong Dao and shouted, "Little Dong, don't be so presumptuous!"

However, Dong Dao was indeed a skilled martial artist. Without knowing how he moved, he easily broke free from Lu Xiangjin's restraints and slashed at Baiwa with a swift and powerful strike.

Baiwa was terrified, thinking he was going to die. Man Gui, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and blocked Dong Dao's deadly blow with his own knife. At this moment, Lu Xiangjin and several militiamen finally rushed over and pinned Dong Dao to the ground.

Man Gui strode forward and kicked the knife out of Dong Dao's hand, exclaiming in surprise, "You've gone mad, kid!"

"Ahhh!" Dong Dao screamed wildly, almost knocking over the militiamen who were pinning him down; his strength was truly terrifying.

Jia Huan frowned and said, "Let him go!"

Lu Xiangjin hurriedly said, "Third Master, we can't let him go! When this kid goes crazy, no one can control him!"

Jia Huan calmly said, "It's alright, release him."

Lu Xiangjin hesitated for a moment, but finally released the man. Dong Dao got up from the ground, staring fiercely at Baiwa with hatred in his eyes.

Jia Huan asked calmly, "You want to kill him?"

Dong Dao nodded, and Jia Huan waved his hand, saying, "Then kill them!"

Everyone was stunned. Although Baiwa was despicable, he had a special status. If he was to be killed, he should be escorted back to the capital and handed over to the emperor for judgment.

Dong Dao was clearly taken aback. He glanced at Jia Huan in confusion, but in the end, he still bent down and picked up the knife from the ground.

Baiwa was terrified and said in a trembling voice, "Envoy Jia, I am the King of Hami, you cannot kill me without my permission!"

Jia Huan ignored him. Seeing Dong Dao approaching step by step, Baiwa was about to collapse. He shouted, "Jia Huan, if I die, Princess Kangle will not live either. Do you think only Turpan sent troops? In fact, I also arranged two hundred cavalry. Princess Kangle is probably already in my hands."

Jia Huan raised an eyebrow and shouted, "Kill!"

Dong Dao was still somewhat hesitant, but Jia Huan shouted, and he instinctively swung his knife down. With a snap, Baiwa's head rolled into the gravel.

Everyone was stunned again. Jia Huan said calmly, "You think your little tricks can fool me? Men, put Baiwa's head in a box and send it to the capital to claim credit. Let his head be displayed throughout the nine border regions to show off the prestige of our Great Jin Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)