The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

The sun has set, the sunset glow is getting redder, and the prairie in the sunset is as beautiful as a fairyland. At this time of year in previous years, herders rode their horses, sang melodious pastoral songs, and drove their cattle and sheep home. Smoke from cooking fires rose from every household, and the aroma of milk tea and cooked meat filled the air.

This year the two sides went to war. Dashun defeated the grassland coalition and swept across all the Mongolian tribes on the eastern foot of the Daqing Mountains. Those who were not captured also left here one after another to avoid the war. There was no one around and the sound of insects chirping filled the air.

The sound of horse hooves came from the end of the prairie, getting louder and louder as it got closer, and many insects stopped chirping.

A group of cavalry appeared, raising a cloud of dust, and were rolling towards this side.

The cavalry was getting closer and closer. Li Hu was riding in the front, followed closely by his personal soldiers, the sentry camp and three thousand Mongolian cavalry. On both sides were the cavalry from Datong, Xuanfu and Jizhou.

Li Hu's big white horse slowly stopped, and the entire horse team followed suit.

Li Hu stretched out his hand, and Wang Daniu immediately handed him the map. He looked at it carefully, took out his pocket watch, and then said to Wang Daniu, "Rest here, and set off in half an hour."

Wang Daniu loudly repeated Li Hu's military order. After listening to it, several messengers rushed to the military formations of Datong, Xuanfu and Jizhou respectively.

The fighting power of that group of serfs was impressive. In order to ensure that nothing unexpected would happen, Li Hu left them in the Daqing Mountains and only led these ten thousand elite cavalrymen to attack the remnants of Xilingol League at night.

Chen Qiang was right. The remnants of Xilin Gol League had to be eliminated, but not all of them could be eliminated. With the threat of Xilin Gol League, Li Hu could control the cavalry of Datong, Xuanfu and Jizhou, and slowly train the group of serfs.

Thinking of this, Li Hu sighed silently. In fact, the soldiers he wanted most were the good families from inside the Great Wall. Firstly, their physical fitness was better than the serfs who had no food to eat. Secondly, the cavalry under his command could not all be Mongolians, as he had to be on guard against others.

"The scabby dog ​​is here." Wang Daniu said in a low voice.

Li Hu glared at him, then looked at Huang Jinzhong who was riding a horse, and complained in his heart: This old eunuch is really a scabby dog, he follows wherever he goes. If he hadn't been honest, he would have been killed on the battlefield.

"The stars are shining brightly tonight, which is a good omen!" From a distance, Huang Jinzhong dismounted from his horse and walked over with a smile on his face.

Li Hu then dismounted, threw the reins to a soldier beside him, and slowly walked up: "The emperor is so virtuous! Even God is on our side."

Wang Daniu curled his lips. These two guys are more pretentious than the other!
Huang Jinzhong looked at Li Hu with a smile, thinking to himself that this was just a tough guy!

Li Hu also had a smile on his face: "After this battle, we can build the city with peace of mind and slowly wipe out the remnants of the Ulanqab League."

Huang Jinzhong looked at Li Hu and asked, "Why don't you pursue the victory?"

Li Hu also looked at him: "A good cook cannot cook without rice."

Huang Jinzhong understood what he meant, but did not respond, because he knew that the emperor would not allow Li Hu to expand his army, at least not now.

Li Hu also understood and said with a smile: "Hurry up and eat."

We are having dinner here too.

Inside the luxurious yurt, the leader of the Xilin Gol League, whose face was already red, drank a large bowl of kumis in one gulp, and then said fiercely: "This time I must capture Li Hu alive, chop off his head to make a wine cup, peel off his skin to make a magic weapon, and grind his bones to dust, only then can I relieve the hatred in my heart!"

The princes of the Western Sunite Banner and the nobles sat silently in front of the low tables on both sides, eating barbecue, drinking kumis, and listening to the drunken talk of the leader of the Xilingol League.

The leader of Xilingol League picked up the wine jug and poured wine into the bowl.

The wine in the jug is gone.

The leader of Xilin Gol League threw the wine pot onto the carpet and shouted: "Everyone is dead? Why don't you serve wine?"

A maid came out from the back tent carrying a wine jug, but was stopped by the prince of Xisunite Banner with a look.

Prince of the Western Sunite Banner: "Leader, you can't drink anymore"

The leader of Xilin Gol League stared at the prince of Xisunite Banner with hazy eyes: "I'm not drunk!"

Prince of the Western Sunite Banner: "Leader."

The leader of Xilin Gol League was annoyed: "Bring some wine!"

The maid shuddered and hurriedly handed the wine over.

The leader of Xilin Gol League grabbed the maid's hand, pulled her into his arms, picked up the wine pot and gulped for a long time, then pinched the maid's mouth open with one hand, poured the wine into her mouth, and said with a big laugh: "I heard that the Han emperor has 3,000 beauties in his harem, all of them are very beautiful, and the tender ones can be squeezed to make water. After breaking into the palace, I must taste the emperor's women to see if I can really squeeze them to make water!"

Those nobles all burst into laughter!

The prince of Xisunite Banner frowned.

The leader of Xilingol League threw away the wine jug, stood up holding the maid and said: "I have meat to eat, and you have soup to drink. When the time comes, each of me will give you eight or ten, and you can also taste the emperor's woman." Then he strode into the back tent holding the maid.

The nobles smiled at each other, stood up and walked out.

The prince of the Xisunite Banner was in a daze for a long time, listening to the screams coming from the back tent, looking at the map hanging there and shaking his head, then he stood up and walked out.

The moonlight shone quietly, and the entire camp was shrouded in tranquility.

The prince of Xisunite Banner came out of the yurt wearing a fur coat. What happened during dinner made him upset and he couldn't sleep.

Suddenly, his ears moved, and in the whistling night wind, he could faintly hear the sound of a large group of horse hooves! At this time, the camp was still very peaceful.

The prince of Xisunite Banner moved his ears again. The sound of countless horse hooves was getting closer and clearer.

The Mongols in the camp finally realized what was happening. "Enemy attack!" A shrill voice rang out, and the military camp exploded. All the Mongols who were originally asleep were awakened. Without even having time to put on their armor, they rushed out of the tents with their weapons in hand, and the entire camp was in chaos.

But it was too late. Li Hu's cavalry rushed into the camp from three directions, charging wildly. The heads of the Mongols flew up one by one under the sharp sabers that passed by. There were panicked Mongols running everywhere, and their terrified shouts and cries echoed over the prairie.
As the old saying goes, a gentleman does not stand on a dangerous wall. Li Hu was a man who valued his life. He did not lead the cavalry to charge. By the time he arrived, the battle was over.

Looking at the Mongolian camp, Li Hu could not help laughing. Not only was there no decent fortifications, but two or three thousand people were crowded together. If they were separated, at least most of them would be able to escape, let alone a comeback.

At this time, Wang Yaozu came personally, carrying a shirtless Mongolian.

Wang Yaozu said excitedly: "Marshal, we have captured the leader of Xilin Gol League!"

Li Hu became alert and examined the leader of Xilingol League from head to toe.

The leader of Xilin Gol League could speak Chinese and immediately shouted: "Li Hu, you despicable villain, what's the point of sneak attack! If you have the guts, let's fight with real swords and guns, that's what real men do!"

"Can you dance?" Li Hu asked suddenly.

The leader of Xilin Gol League was slightly stunned and replied: "We Mongolians are good at singing and dancing."

"That's good."

Li Hu quickly interrupted him and shouted, "Come on! Send the leader of Xilin Gol League and his noble lords to Beijing to dance for His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding cavalry cheered loudly.

Huang Jinzhong nodded appreciatively.

Wang Yaozu: "Marshal, this is the map we found in his tent. He may not be very capable, but he has great ambitions."

Li Hu looked at the map in the torchlight and smiled, "All the pride of the Mongolians in Xilin Gol League is on this map. What a pity. Roll it up and send it to Beijing together!"

As he was speaking, Datong Lieutenant General Zhou Xun strode over and knelt down before Li Hu: "General, a group of Mongols escaped, about two to three thousand people, and fled to the northeast."

Huang Jinzhong was shocked: "Marshal, we can't let them escape. There must be an important person from Xilin Gol League among them."

Li Hu raised his hand and said, "The reinforcements from Xilin Gol League should be arriving soon. Pack up and retreat!"

Huang Jinzhong thought about it and swallowed back what he was saying.

The moonlight also quietly splashed on the city of Kaifeng.

However, at this moment, Kaifeng City was engulfed in flames, and people were running around in panic everywhere. Kaifeng City had fallen!
"What? Jia Zheng is missing!" Shui Rong looked at his confidant who was kneeling on the ground.

The confidant said: "By the time we got there, all the officials who controlled Jia Zheng had been killed!"

Shui Rong: "Guard the city gates for me, search every place, and find Jia Zheng!"

The confidant retreated in response.

Yang Qilong spoke up: "Maybe he is no longer in the city."

Shui Rong didn't say anything, but his face was paler than the cold moon in the sky.

Yang Qilong's guess was correct, Jia Zheng was indeed no longer in the city.

At this time, Jia Zheng was lying on a stretcher, being carried towards Luoyang.

Zhou Rui, with a bloody face and disheveled hair, glanced at the unconscious Jia Zheng, then looked at the big man beside him and said gratefully: "Thank you, brave man. When we get to Luoyang, my master will definitely reward you handsomely!"

The sturdy man smiled and said, "Lord Jia is a good official and should not have died in Kaifeng City. Besides, we are old friends with your master's nephew and son-in-law. We cannot stand idly by for both public and private reasons."

Nephew-in-law? Zhou Rui's eyes flashed: "Does the warrior know General Li?"

The sturdy man smiled and nodded.

The person who rescued Jia Zheng was none other than the Master of the White Tiger Hall.

The battle of Zou County made him understand one thing: to oppose the imperial court is like hitting a rock with an egg.

Even though Shui Rong defeated Wang Ziteng's troops, as long as the imperial court frees up its hands and mobilizes the elite troops in the north to move south, Shui Rong's army will be as vulnerable as a chicken or a dog.

He had already found out that Jia Zheng was not only the emperor's father-in-law, but also Li Hu's uncle.

Save Jia Zheng, clear yourself, use Jia Zheng to join the government army, kill Shui Rong, and avenge your brothers! (End of this chapter)