The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 719 A Hole Wiped Out

Jia Huan and his men decisively abandoned their horses and quickly climbed up the mountain. Behind them, arrows rained down, striking the rocks with clanging sounds and scattering sparks, creating a truly perilous situation.

Girls are ultimately weaker, and one of Ayina's maids, who was climbing slowly, was struck in the calf by a wolf-tooth arrow and tumbled down the mountain screaming. Ayina turned back to help, but Jia Huan sternly stopped her, for turning back at this moment would undoubtedly mean certain death.

Sure enough, the maid was hit by several more arrows as she rolled down, and her head hit a rock, leaving her completely lifeless. It seemed there was no hope of saving her. Ayina could only grit her teeth and continue climbing with tears in her eyes.

Finally, the group was out of range of the arrows from below and could stop to catch their breath. Jia Huan lay down behind a rock and peered down the mountain. He saw that the foot of the mountain was surrounded by hundreds of cavalry, and their abandoned horses had fallen into enemy hands. There was no way they could escape now; they could only wait for reinforcements on the mountain.

"Oh no, Master Dong, the bandit leader you just killed seems to be someone important. They're all gathered around mourning him!" Mu Ye said, pointing down the mountain.

Looking closely, everyone saw a group of thieves surrounding the headless corpse, weeping and roaring angrily up the mountain, their eyes filled with hatred. It seemed they would not let the matter rest.

Jia Huan calmly observed for a while with his monocular telescope, his brows furrowed. Just as he was putting down the telescope and turning around, intending to ask Ayina if she knew where these thieves came from, he was surprised to find that the latter had also squatted down beside him, observing down the mountain.

As Jia Huan turned his head, his lips brushed against the girl's cheek, the smooth skin so clearly palpable that both of them were stunned.

Ayina blushed deeply, but dared not look at Jia Huan. She continued to stare down the mountain, pretending nothing had happened, though her long, white neck was clearly red, and her full, round earlobes seemed to bleed.

Jia Huan coughed awkwardly, but since the other party pretended not to notice, he also pretended nothing had happened and asked, "Does Princess Ayina understand their language?"

Ayina's heart was pounding and her mind was elsewhere. She didn't hear what Jia Huan said clearly for a moment, and hurriedly hummed in response. After a few seconds, she asked shyly, "Lord Jia, what... what did you just say?"

Ayina was already extremely beautiful, a veritable youthful version of Dilraba Dilmurat, and her shy and timid appearance at this moment was even more alluring. However, with the crisis at hand, Jia Huan had no time to appreciate her beauty and asked again, "Does Your Highness understand what they are saying?"

Ayina finally came to her senses and nodded, saying, "They were speaking Mongolian, so they might be Oirats, but Oirats rarely come here to plunder."

As the two were talking, the enemy below the mountain launched their attack, spreading out and covering the entire mountainside. Even Jia Huan, who had been through countless battles, felt a chill run down his spine. Fortunately, the mountain was steep and the horses could not rush up, otherwise, it would have been impossible to hold the position with such a small number of people.

At this moment, the guards took advantage of the terrain and fired arrows and guns from a high vantage point, quickly repelling the enemy's first wave of attacks. However, the enemy below the mountain was like madmen, attacking wave after wave, refusing to give up even with heavy casualties. The guards' ammunition and arrows were soon exhausted.

Fortunately, there were plenty of rocks on the mountain. When they ran out of arrows and ammunition, they threw stones. From their high vantage point, these stones were just as deadly as arrows when they hit someone. At best, they would suffer a head injury and bleed; at worst, they would die on the spot.

However, as the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. Jia Huan and his men were ultimately outnumbered, while the enemy numbered in the hundreds, climbing up from all directions. They simply couldn't provide support. After a fierce battle, some enemies finally got close, and they had no choice but to engage in a brutal close-quarters fight.

As time went on, more and more enemies attacked the mountain, and Dong Dao and the others were exhausted. Even Jin Bao and Mu Ye had to take up their swords and step forward to help kill the enemy.

Ayina gripped her curved sword tightly, protecting Jia Huan. In her eyes, Jia Huan was just a weak scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken, so naturally he needed her protection.

At that moment, a thief broke through the defense line and lunged at Ayina with a ferocious expression. However, a gunshot rang out behind him, and a bloody flower spurted from the thief's chest. He rolled down the mountain and fell to his death, his flesh mangled.

Ayina turned around in surprise and saw Jia Huan leisurely reloading ammunition into the pistol. She immediately said with some dissatisfaction, "I can handle this!"

Jia Huan frowned and said, "I know you can handle it, but there's no need... Watch out behind you!"

Jia Huan suddenly shouted a warning. Another thief had sneaked up and stabbed at Ayina's lower back. She quickly dodged to the side and used her curved blade to slash the thief's arm off in a series of swift strokes.

The thief screamed in agony as blood gushed from his severed arm. Taking advantage of the moment, Ayina's maidservant swung her knife and killed the thief, then kicked the corpse down the mountain.

The maid kicked over the corpse and instinctively craned her neck to look down the mountain. As a result, a sharp arrow pierced her throat, and she fell backward on the spot, dying a violent death!
"Maria!" Ayina cried out in anguish, tears welling up in her eyes. However, there was no time for grief, as more bandits were attacking, and she could only fight desperately.

Dong Dao and Fan Jian were covered in blood, their blades were even chipped and mangled from the cuts, but the enemy kept surging forward and they couldn't kill them all. They could only keep moving closer to Jia Huan and tighten their defenses.

It was obvious that the bandit leader Dong Dao had killed earlier was no ordinary person; otherwise, these people wouldn't have been so frantic, attacking the mountain at any cost.

Time passed second by second, and the sun gradually began to set. Just when everyone was about to give up, a whistle suddenly came from down the mountain. Upon hearing the sound, the frantically attacking bandits retreated one after another.

The group finally got a chance to catch their breath, collapsing to the ground exhausted and panting heavily.

Dong Dao used his sword to support his body and struggled to stand up to observe the movements below the mountain. He discovered that the bandits who had retreated down the mountain were resting and eating. They had clearly not given up, but were gathering strength for the next wave of attack.

Dong Dao's heart sank to the bottom. The brothers were already exhausted after the fierce battle just now. If the enemy launched another attack, they would definitely not be able to resist.

Fan Jian was clearly aware of this as well. He crawled to Dong Dao's side and whispered, "Master Dong, five of our brothers have already died in battle, and the rest are all wounded and have no strength left to fight. You are very skilled, so take Third Master and escape through the back mountain. My brothers and I will try our best to buy you some time."

Dong Dao gave a wry smile. Behind the mountain was a steep cliff. If he were at full strength, he would be confident that he could carry Jia Huan down, but now he was exhausted. Let alone carrying someone, he couldn't even climb down by himself. So he could only pat Fan Jian on the shoulder with a wry smile.

Fortunately, after the fierce battle, the rocks were littered with the corpses of the enemy. Perhaps the casualties were too great, and the leader of the bandits was also feeling the pain, so he hesitated to give the order to launch another attack.

The setting sun, like blood, cast its slanting rays upon the mountains, turning them a pale gold. In the distance, the snow-capped Tianshan Mountains were faintly visible, and a chill was slowly building. Early spring nights are still quite cold, especially in the windy areas of the mountains.

Ayina huddled behind a rock, the blood on her face dried by the wind. Her body trembled uncontrollably, not from fear, but from the cold. Already slender with little body fat, and exhausted from the prolonged battle, she was already suffering from hypothermia, as evidenced by her pale lips. Seeing this, Jia Huan quickly took off the outer garment from the maid's corpse and draped it over Ayina, but she still trembled uncontrollably, her teeth chattering.

Jia Huan hesitated for a moment, then opened his arms and hugged Ayina tightly, using his body heat to warm her. This trick worked; the latter's body gradually stopped trembling so badly, and a touch of blush returned to her pale face.

However, Jia Huan had no romantic thoughts at this moment. He was staring at the sunset in the sky, lost in thought, as if listening intently.

“My favorite flower is the Sarilang!” Ayina suddenly said.

Jia Huan withdrew his gaze from the horizon and asked, "What did you just say?"

Ayina mustered her courage, met Jia Huan's gaze, and said softly, "My favorite flower is the Sarilang."

Jia Huan nodded and said, "This flower is very beautiful; it's the most beautiful flower on the grassland."

Ayina's eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "I also think it's the most beautiful flower on the grassland. Lord Jia, if I die, could you bury me in a place full of Sarilang flowers?"

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "No!"

Ayina was taken aback, then asked sadly, "Why? Am I not worthy?"

Jia Huan laughed and said, "Because you won't die!"

Ayina was taken aback again, not understanding why Jia Huan was still so certain.

At this moment, Jia Huan smiled slightly and said, "Listen!"

Ayina looked at Jia Huan, puzzled. However, she soon heard a rumbling thunder. Was it going to rain? No… that was the sound of horses' hooves!

Yes, that was the sound of horses' hooves. Under the setting sun, a dark "cloud" appeared on the western horizon, moving rapidly across the grassland with a rumbling sound that grew louder and louder.

At this moment, Dong Dao and his guards stood up, shading their eyes with their hands as they looked westward. Their expressions changed from surprise to ecstasy, followed by cheers and shouts of joy.

Seeing this, Ayina quickly stood up. She saw a cavalry force galloping from the west, a dark mass like an overwhelming wave. The thunderous hooves seemed to crush the mountains and the earth. A general's flag fluttered in the wind. As they got closer, she could clearly see a huge "Man" character embroidered on the flag!

It's obvious that Man Gui has led his men to attack!

A surge of overwhelming joy at narrowly escaping death welled up inside Ayina, and she almost burst into tears of happiness, blurting out, "It's the Manchu guerrillas!"

It turns out that after Jia Huan divided Hami into three administrative regions, he sent a guerrilla general to garrison each region. Man Gui led a thousand men to garrison Bakun County, and the administrative center of his garrison was only a few dozen miles away from here. Jia Huan had already informed Man Gui in advance of this trip and agreed to arrive at the other party's garrison this afternoon.

It was already evening, and Jia Huan had not arrived yet. Man Gui was naturally anxious, so he sent people to search for him. They discovered the enemy's presence and hurriedly led his cavalry to the rescue.

Jia Huan bet that Man Gui would send someone to find him after he broke his promise, and he was right. Although Man Gui was impulsive in battle, he was still responsible and loyal to Jia Huan.

The bandits below the mountain were taken aback when they saw a Jin cavalry force suddenly attack. They hastily mounted their horses to defend themselves, but how could they possibly be a match for the well-equipped Jin cavalry? Coupled with their hasty response, they were no match for them, and their formation was thrown into disarray in the first encounter.

"Kill them! Chop these bastards up!" Man Gui took the lead, brandishing his sword and shouting menacingly.

This guy waited for Jia Huan for a long time, only to find that his leader was surrounded on the mountain by a group of ignorant "bandits" whose fate was uncertain. Naturally, he was furious, so he led his brothers to chase and fight relentlessly until the enemy's blood flowed like a river and corpses littered the ground.

That wasn't enough. He chased them for over ten miles, all the way to their camp, where he wiped out the entire tribe, young and old, before joyfully returning to pay his respects to Jia Huan with a large number of cattle, sheep, and prisoners.

Jia Huan hadn't expected that Man Gui would wipe out the entire clan, young and old. Through interrogating the prisoners overnight, he learned that the bandits who suddenly appeared were not Oirats, but Tatars.

To put it simply, both the Oirats and the Tatars were Mongols, but they split after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty. This Tatar group that suddenly appeared in the Hami region came from the Tumed Tatar tribe.

The Tumed tribe was originally stationed in the Hetao region. In the latter half of last year, Huang Taiji led his army to sweep across southern Mongolia, defeating Ligdan Khan so badly that he could only flee westward. The Tumed tribe also fled westward to the territory of the Oirat Mongols.

As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Moreover, the Tumed tribe was just a group of displaced and homeless dogs. After arriving in the Oirat, they were ostracized and driven away by the local tribes. In the end, they could only flee south to Hami and temporarily graze their livestock in Bakun County for the winter.

The Tumed tribe had fled all the way here, and their population and livestock were almost gone. In addition, the extreme cold of last winter had caused many more people and livestock to freeze to death. They barely made it to spring and, in order to survive, they planned to plunder some local tribes in Hami. However, their first deal was with Jia Huan. In the end, they did not get any bargains and were wiped out by the mad and warlike Man Gui.

It is worth mentioning that the bandit leader that Dong Dao killed at the beginning was the son of the leader of the Tumed tribe, which explains why the enemy attacked the mountain like madmen.

After understanding the ins and outs, Jia Huan couldn't help but secretly admire Huang Taiji's prowess. In just one year, he had swept through southern Mongolia. This was a huge problem for the Great Jin Dynasty. The solid Liaoxi defense line was no longer a formidable barrier to stop the Jurchens from moving south, because Huang Taiji could easily bypass Mongolia and attack the Great Jin Dynasty.

Of course, if he went through Mongolia, Huang Taiji's supply lines would be too long. Unless he could truly subdue the Mongols and assimilate the conquered territory, it would obviously be impossible in a short time. Such a large area of ​​land would take at least several years to fully digest and absorb.

(End of this chapter)