Ming Dynasty: He was ordered to give lectures in prison, but Lao Zhu eavesdropped and made people nu

Chapter 702: Border Crisis, Jurchen Attack

The north wind howled, blowing up the fine snow particles from the Liaodong land, hitting his face like a knife. Hu Guang stood on the observation tower of the military camp, looking at the rolling mountains in the distance. His heavy battle robe rustled in the wind, and the sword at his waist swayed gently with his steps, making a metallic clanging sound.

"General, this is the latest report on military farming." Deputy General Wang Zhen handed over a scroll of bamboo slips, with a thin layer of frost on his beard.

Hu Guang took the bamboo slips and scanned the numbers on them. Three months had passed since he came to this northeastern border on the orders of Zhu Yuanzhang. During these three months, he led 5,000 Ming soldiers to reclaim wasteland, build city walls, and practice battle formations, turning this originally desolate border into one of the Ming Dynasty's strongest lines of defense.

"The area of ​​military farms has been expanded again?" Hu Guang frowned slightly, "Tell the soldiers not to rush for success. The spring farming season has not yet arrived. The most important thing now is training and defense."

"Yes, General." Wang Zhen bowed and replied, "But the soldiers are in high spirits and want to do their best for the court."

Hu Guang nodded and turned his gaze to the mountains in the distance. That was the territory of the Jurchen tribe. In recent months, the two sides had established a relatively peaceful relationship through border trade. Under the mediation of Lord Lin Che, the Ming Dynasty exchanged silk, tea and ironware for Jurchen fur, ginseng and horses, and both sides benefited from it.

"What is the general thinking about?" Wang Zhen noticed Hu Guang's gaze.

"I wonder how long peace can last," Hu Guang said softly. "The Jurchens are tough by nature and will not always be satisfied with the meager benefits brought by trade."

Wang Zhen was about to answer when the sound of rapid horse hooves interrupted their conversation. A scout came galloping over, pulled the reins under the lookout, and raised the front hooves of his warhorse high.

"Report!" The scout dismounted and knelt on one knee. "Zhangjia Village, thirty miles to the north, was attacked! According to the villagers who escaped, it was a group of Jurchen cavalry!"

Hu Guang's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers unconsciously clenched the hilt of the sword. "What are the casualties?"

“It’s not clear yet, but the village has been burned.”

"Pass the order down, gather a thousand elite soldiers immediately!" Hu Guang turned and walked down the observation tower quickly, "Wang Zhen, you stay in the barracks and strengthen the alert."

"General, are you going there in person?" Wang Zhen followed Hu Guang's steps and said, "Why not let me go?"

"No, I have to see it with my own eyes." Hu Guang's voice was as cold as iron. "If it was really done by the Jurchens, it would affect the safety of the entire border."

Half an hour later, Hu Guang led a thousand elite cavalrymen on the official road leading to Zhangjia Village. The cold wind was biting, but none of the soldiers complained. The horses' hooves trampled through the snow, raising a white mist.

When Hu Guang saw the smoke rising in the distance, his heart sank. As the distance got closer, the smell of burning became stronger and stronger, mixed with something more disturbing - the smell of burning flesh.

Zhangjia Village was in ruins. Several houses were still burning, with black smoke billowing up. The surviving villagers were searching the ruins for possible survivors or valuables, with cries and shouts coming one after another.

Hu Guang reined in his horse and jumped off. His boots made a slight cracking sound as they stepped on the charred ground. A white-haired old man stumbled and fell in front of Hu Guang when he saw the soldiers coming.

"Sir! Sir, please make the decision for us!" The old man burst into tears and knocked his forehead heavily on the ground. "Those Jurchen beasts. They killed everyone they saw and stole all the food and livestock. My grandson is only eight years old."

Hu Guang helped the old man up and found that his hands were covered with burn marks. "Old man, please tell me slowly, how many cavalrymen were there? Which direction did they go?"

"At least. At least two hundred riders." The old man pointed to the northwest with trembling hands. "They went to the Blackwater River. They also took away a dozen young women."

Hu Guang's fists clenched unconsciously, his nails digging deep into his palms. He looked around and saw corpses thrown away carelessly, including old people, women, and even a few children. One of the small corpses was nailed to the elm tree at the entrance of the village by a spear, like a cruel warning. "Captain Wang!" Hu Guang shouted.

"I'm here!" A burly officer stepped forward.

"You take 300 people to escort the survivors back to the barracks, and arrange for medical officers to treat the wounded." Hu Guang's voice was terrifyingly calm, "The rest of you follow me to continue the pursuit."

"General, the enemy's situation is unclear. It may be dangerous to pursue them rashly." Captain Wang hesitated.

Hu Guang's eyes were as sharp as a knife: "This is not rash, this is responsibility. The people of the Ming Dynasty are bleeding on the border. As a garrison commander, how can I sit back and watch?"

He turned to the other soldiers and raised his voice: "The Jurchens think that we, the Ming Dynasty, are weak and can be bullied. Today we will let them know that anyone who offends the mighty Han will be punished no matter how far away they are!"

"We must punish them even though they are far away!" Seven hundred soldiers roared in unison, shaking the entire area.

Hu Guang mounted his horse and led his troops to follow the trail left by the Jurchen cavalry. The messy horse hoof prints and occasional bloodstains on the snow indicated the direction. As they went deeper into the border, the terrain became increasingly complex, with dense coniferous forests and rolling hills providing an excellent place for an ambush.

"General, the Black Water Valley is ahead." The scout came back to report, "The Jurchens seem to have set up camp on the hillside opposite the valley."

Hu Guang raised his hand to signal the troops to stop. He took out a map and studied the terrain in the afterglow of the setting sun. The Black Water River was the natural dividing line in this area. Although the river was not wide, the current was turbulent and both banks were steep slopes. If the Jurchens really camped on the other side, it would be very difficult to attack them.

"Send two smart scouts across the river to conduct reconnaissance and make sure to find out the enemy's number and deployment." Hu Guang ordered, "The rest of the people rest on the spot, but do not light a fire."

As night fell, the cold wind became even more biting. Hu Guang sat on a rock, wiping his sword. This sword was given to him by Zhu Yuanzhang before he left Beijing. The words "loyalty and bravery to defend the country" were engraved on the sword. In the moonlight, the blade shone with a cold light.

"General, the scouts are back." The personal soldier reported softly.

The two scouts were soaking wet, their lips were frozen purple, but their eyes were shining with excitement. "General, we have found out! There are about 250 Jurchen cavalrymen on the other side. They have captured our villagers and locked them in the big tent in the middle. The guards in the camp were lax, and they didn't seem to expect us to chase them."

Hu Guang nodded: "Well done, go change into dry clothes." He turned to the officers around him, "What suggestions do you have?"

"Let's launch a surprise attack at night and catch them off guard!" said a young and energetic captain.

"Not appropriate." Another older officer shook his head. "The Blackwater River is more difficult to cross at night. Once we are discovered, we will become sitting ducks in the river."

Hu Guang pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, "What day is today?"

Everyone was stunned, and someone answered: "General, it's the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month."

"It's the Little New Year's Eve." Hu Guang's eyes flashed with a gleam of light. "Although the Jurchens don't celebrate our festival, they know that today is an important day for the Han people. They chose to attack today because they calculated that we might let down our guard."

(End of this chapter)