The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 684 Iron Will and Tender Heart
Jia Huan's main purpose in traveling west to Hami was to sabotage the marriage alliance and bring Daiyu and Baochai back safely. Now that he has achieved 70% of his goal, what Jia Huan wants next is military merit and fame. His outstanding military achievements are the key to restoring his official position and status, as well as the capital for him to stand firm in the chaotic world in the future.

Now, heroes are rising up all over the country in the Great Jin, and the flames of rebellion are spreading across the north and south of the Yangtze River. The powerful Later Jin is also eyeing the Liaodong region covetously. People like Li Zicheng and Huang Taiji, who were gravediggers of the Ming Dynasty, have also appeared on the scene. The Great Jin is already in the state of chaos of the late Ming Dynasty.

In chaotic times, only by wielding a sword can a true man protect himself, and only by commanding an army can he aspire to become a feudal lord. Of course, Jia Huan didn't necessarily want to become a feudal lord; having the ability to protect his family, friends, and loved ones was enough.

This slaying of King Baiwa of Hami is not only a glorious military achievement, but it will also undoubtedly enhance Jia Huan's reputation. The law of the jungle dictates that the strong prey on the weak, and admiration for strength is human nature. Jia Huan's act of killing a vassal king as easily as slaughtering a chicken demonstrates his courage and magnanimity; how could his soldiers not admire and pledge their allegiance to him?
At this moment, the gazes of all the soldiers toward Jia Huan changed, filled with nothing but awe!

Furthermore, as the saying goes, it's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general. Dong Dao is a highly skilled martial artist who values ​​loyalty and righteousness. Such a talent should naturally be won over and recruited for one's own use. In addition, Jia Huan already disliked Baiwa, this "old toad." All these factors make killing him even more logical.

Now, after Dong Dao beheaded Baiwa and avenged his childhood friend, he planted his sword in the ground, knelt down on one knee before Jia Huan with heartfelt gratitude, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your kindness, Third Master. I will do anything you need from now on, even at the cost of my life!"

Jia Huan helped Dong Dao up and smiled, "You're such a good fighter, kid. If you don't think it's a waste of your talent, how about keeping you by my side as a personal guard?"

Dong Dao said happily, "If Third Master is willing to take me in, it would be my honor."

"Alright!" Jia Huan turned to Lu Xiangjin and said, "Second Master Lu, tell Jian Dou that Xiao Dong will be working for me from now on."

Lu Xiangjin laughed and said, "No need to ask my elder brother, I can make the decision on this matter." After saying that, he patted Dong Dao on the shoulder and said enviously, "You must have had some incredible luck to be noticed by Master Huan. Serve Master Huan well in the future, and you'll have your day."

Dong Dao shouted, "Understood! From now on, as long as I have a breath left, no one will be able to touch a hair on Third Master's head!"

Man Gui laughed and said, "Young man, you've got quite the big talk. I just don't know if you have the ability. You should practice with Big Iron Ox before you start making such boasts."

Dong Dao said proudly, "Master Man, watch closely, or I'll spar with you right now."

"Hey, you're getting cocky now that I said you're fat. Let's fight, who's afraid of who!" Man Gui, that kid, also had a fiery temper. He rolled up his sleeves and was ready to spar with Dong Dao.

The soldiers burst into laughter and cheers. Jia Huan waved his hand and said, "I don't object to you two having a contest, but we need to consider the timing. How about this: Baiwa has hidden a cavalry force of two hundred men. Judging from his words, this cavalry might launch a surprise attack on our camp. Regardless of whether it's true or not, you two should immediately lead your cavalry back to reinforce the camp. Whoever kills more enemies wins, how about that?"

Man Gui said menacingly, "That's good. I haven't killed enough yet. The battle just now was just to stretch my muscles."

Without saying a word, Dong Dao leaped onto his horse. Man Gui yelled, "Don't try to run away, Dong boy!" and then leaped onto his horse as well.

They captured over 800 warhorses, enough for each soldier to ride. So all the soldiers mounted their horses, leaving only 100 men to guard the prisoners and spoils before rushing back to their camp.

…………

Baiwa was not lying; he had indeed secretly hidden two hundred Hami cavalrymen, intending to participate in the attack on Jiayuguan after the success of the operation and to get a share of the spoils. However, the conspiracy was exposed, and he and Amahei became Jia Huan's prisoners.

When interrogated, Baiwa deliberately revealed the location of the Turpan cavalry but concealed the fact that there were also two hundred Hami cavalry. Naturally, he wanted to draw away the main force of the Jin army so that his two hundred Hami cavalry could raid the camp. As long as he captured Princess Kangle, he could exchange her for his freedom.

Hey, that old fox Baiwa thinks he's got a clever plan, but little does he know how little tricks he can hide from Jia Huan's discerning eyes.

Although Jia Huan was unsure how many troops Baiwa had hidden, he estimated that there wouldn't be too many, given Hami's national strength. Therefore, he decisively led the main force to raid the Turpan cavalry camp. Before leaving, Jia Huan had instructed Duan Yong to make adequate defensive preparations. As long as they didn't make any foolish mistakes, they should be able to hold out for a day or two.

Getting back to the main point, the main force of the Jin army rode the captured warhorses, one horse per soldier, turning the original infantry into a full cavalry force. This undoubtedly greatly increased their speed of returning to the camp, and they only took half an hour to get back.

At this moment, the Hami cavalry hidden by Baiwa was indeed launching a fierce attack on Duan Yong's camp.

Fortunately, Duan Yong had set up camp on high ground and used vehicles to form a circle as defensive fortifications. He had even dug a trench several meters wide in front of the vehicle formation. So, despite the limited combat strength of the four hundred guards, they were able to temporarily block the attack of the Hami cavalry.

It was the middle of the night, and a cold, half-moon hung in the sky. The young ladies, including Daiyu and Baochai, huddled in a makeshift shelter made of several carriages. Hearing the sounds of horses' hooves, shouts of battle, and arrows whistling through the air from the front lines, they were all terrified, their faces pale and their delicate bodies trembling. *Whoosh…*

An arrow happened to fall from the sky and struck an unfortunate palace maid in the chest. The maid screamed and fell into a pool of blood.

This terrified the women, who screamed and huddled together. Lin Daiyu nestled in Xue Baochai's arms, her breathing rapid with tension. Baochai sensed something was wrong and comforted her, "Pin'er, don't be afraid. The enemy won't be able to break through so easily. Huan-di will be back soon."

Lin Daiyu nodded with a pale face, took out a dagger from her bosom and put it in Baochai's hand, and whispered, "Good sister, I am weak all over now. If the enemy rushes up later, kill me first. I would rather die than fall into the hands of the enemy."

Xue Baochai's delicate body trembled slightly. She took the dagger, nodded, and said, "Me too. If the enemy rushes up, I will kill you and then kill myself."

Xiangling, Zijuan, Ying'er, and Xueyan turned pale with fright. Xueyan cried and said, "This servant is afraid of pain. Please, Miss Bao, give this servant a hand too."

Just then, the sound of thunderous hooves suddenly came from the dark night, followed by a deafening roar of cheers—the reinforcements had returned!
Duan Yong's heart had sunk to the bottom, but seeing the reinforcements return, and all of them were cavalry, he was both surprised and delighted. He jumped up and laughed loudly: "That kid Jia Huan got so many horses, he must have won! Hehe, good lad, he really didn't disappoint me!"

"Kill!" Thousands of Jin cavalrymen swept in like a whirlwind, annihilating the Hami cavalry in an instant.

Man Gui rode his horse and brandished his sword like a dragon emerging from the sea, while Dong Dao moved sideways like a tiger descending a mountain, his long sword flashing with countless blades, causing heads to roll and limbs to fly everywhere...

Clearly, the two men were now locked in a fierce battle because of Jia Huan's words. The poor Hami cavalrymen were slaughtered, crying out for their fathers and mothers, and fleeing in panic on their horses!
"Third Master is back! Third Master is back!" At this moment, the women finally dared to peek out from their hiding places. Seeing that the bearded Hami cavalrymen had been utterly defeated, they were all overjoyed and wept tears of joy.

Soon, the two hundred Hami cavalrymen were scattered, some dead and some fleeing. Jia Huan spurred his horse up the sand dune, his white scholar's robe seeming to be plated with a layer of silver light under the moonlight, exuding a calm and elegant air!
"Be careful, it's Third Master Huan! Don't accidentally hurt him!" The guards recognized Jia Huan and put down their bows and arrows, removing the obstacles from the cart formation to let Jia Huan and his men in.

When Jia Huan rode into the camp, the guards cheered with joy. Their admiration and support were so great that even Duan Yong was a little jealous. However, Duan Yong was more excited than anything else and stepped forward to ask, "Jia Huan, how is it going?"

Jia Huan smiled and bowed, saying, "I have fulfilled my mission. I annihilated 1,500 Turpan cavalry, captured more than 800 warhorses, took more than 100 prisoners, and killed a centurion. In addition, Baiwa was killed by me because he tried to escape!"

Upon hearing of this great victory, Duan Yong was so excited that his eyes narrowed to bulge. He disregarded the fact that Jia Huan had killed King Baiwa of Hami without authorization and clapped his hands, laughing loudly, "Good, excellent! This battle was won brilliantly and is worthy of being recorded in history!"

Jia Huan laughed and said, "Eunuch Duan will also be remembered in history!"

Duan Yong, despite his physical disability, was determined to achieve great military merit. Jia Huan's words struck a chord with him, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter, grabbing Jia Huan's hand and saying, "Thanks to Brother Jia, hahaha!"

Jia Huan broke out in a cold sweat and subtly withdrew his hand. Eunuch Duan, clearly realizing his lapse in decorum, smiled and said, "Brother Jia and the soldiers have worked hard. I will write to the Emperor to request their commendation later!"

The soldiers all laughed happily. Jia Huan asked, "Is Her Highness the Princess alright?"

Eunuch Duan nodded and said, "Brother Jia, rest assured, Her Highness the Princess is safe and sound."

"Let me pay my respects to the princess first!" Jia Huan inquired about the whereabouts of the ladies, including Daiyu and Baochai, and then walked over. The generals exchanged ambiguous glances. The relationship between Jia Huan and Princess Kangle was already common knowledge. Now that the marriage alliance had failed, it was a good thing for Third Master Huan.

At this point, Eunuch Duan stopped stopping Jia Huan. Since Baiwa had colluded with Turpan to plot against the emperor, he was a rebel king, and the marriage alliance was naturally off. Jia Huan had made such a great contribution, and the emperor would probably pardon him and reinstate him to his original position. It would be better to do this favor for the boy.

Meanwhile, Jia Huan strode towards where Baochai and Daiyu were. At this moment, the other women also stood up. Seeing the young man walking quickly in the moonlight, dressed in white as snow, Daiyu and Baochai were overjoyed and wept. They staggered forward to greet him and exclaimed in unison, "Brother Huan!"

To avoid suspicion, Jia Huan opened his arms and embraced the two women, saying softly, "I'm sorry to have startled you."

Under the stunned gazes of the palace maids, both Daiyu and Baochai blushed with embarrassment. At this moment, filled with tenderness, they did not choose to hide their feelings and nestled openly in Jia Huan's arms.

(End of this chapter)