Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 530 Lin Daiyu Guards the Home in the Face of Battle

Before the shame in her heart had faded, Lin Daiyu's eyes were already clear.

She quickly shed her elaborate dress and changed into a fitted outfit with narrow sleeves and tight-fitting trousers.

Then, Lin Daiyu quickly instructed Yuanyang, Zijuan, and Qingwen, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, "Today, some villains have plotted against the mansion. They must be the enemies that my husband mentioned earlier. If they break into the mansion, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Yuanyang, immediately send a message to each courtyard, instructing them to go to the artificial hill in the back garden as soon as possible and take refuge in the secret passage. Instruct Sister Bao to maintain order there, and make sure to calm everyone down and prevent panic."

Turning to Zijuan, Lin Daiyu's tone tightened, and she said urgently, "Zijuan, Xueyan is heavily pregnant. You must go and help her yourself, and make sure she walks slowly so as not to disturb the fetus. There is a quiet room prepared for her in the secret passage. Settle her in properly and arrange for more people to guard her there."

"Qingwen, go and tell the aunts to bring their younger sisters and sisters to meet up. Everyone, hide underground and do not go out. No matter how chaotic things are outside, do not open the tunnel again. Do you understand?"

The three nodded in unison. Zijuan's eyes trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but ask, "Madam, where are you going?"

Lin Daiyu's face softened with a smile, but her eyes grew even more resolute. She called to Shi Xiangyun beside her, "Sister Yun, come with me to check the situation outside the mansion. The mansion my husband entrusted to me will not be ruined in my hands."

Shi Xiangyun gripped the crossbow, her chest heaving with excitement, and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I'll stay with Sister Lin!"

After saying that, the two of them went out one after the other.

Cuilu, who was guarding the felt curtain outside the door, withdrew her gaze from the hall, but before she knew it, her face had turned deathly pale. However, she still hurriedly caught up with the two of them.

Watching Lin Daiyu disappear into the night draped in a black crane cloak, Zijuan could not contain her emotions and silently shed tears.

Lin Daiyu's slender and delicate body had now become a protective wall in front of everyone. Even the sisters, who were usually boisterous and used to joking and playing around, were all moved to tears upon seeing her today.

Yuanyang helped Zijuan up and sighed, "The task that Madam gave us is extremely urgent. Now is not the time to cry. As Madam instructed, let's hurry and deliver the message."

"it is good."

……

The corner tower on the wall of Dingguo Mansion is a nearby high ground.

Normally, it serves to monitor the surroundings, but now that war has broken out, it has an even more important role to play.

The army, like a swarm of ants, surrounded the city walls in a dense, dark mass.

The corner tower had already issued a warning, and while the message was being relayed back to the mansion, firearms and crossbows were distributed, and everyone was on high alert.

They cannot strike first, lest they be in a legal or ethical disadvantage.

Whether or not to fight this battle, and how to fight it, ultimately depends on the decision of the lady in charge of the household.

But this is a bit of a dilemma, since the lady is only a young girl of marriageable age.

At this moment, the guards were still somewhat worried that if they were too afraid to go out, or if they lacked military knowledge and dared to arbitrarily deploy troops, it would have the opposite effect.

Perhaps it would be better if the lady promised them to decide for themselves.

As the troops lined up below, Lin Daiyu, accompanied by Shi Xiangyun, arrived at the outer curtain and steadily ascended the corner tower.

"Meet Madam."

The guards saluted in unison, and upon seeing Lin Daiyu, their eyes gleamed with surprise.

If even the young mistress of the manor is so fearless and undaunted in the face of danger, how can these men who have fought bloody battles possibly back down?
To protect the family of Duke Dingguo and to repay his kindness, they will fight to the death to protect their master.

Lin Daiyu's face was ashen, but her mind remained remarkably calm.

What's the situation below?

The head of the guards stationed at this corner tower bowed and reported, "A quarter of an hour ago, we discovered traces of Beijing garrison soldiers, numbering over three thousand."

"Judging from their flags, armor, and weapons, they are indeed under the command of Prince Teng of the Beijing Garrison. Their equipment mainly consists of crossbows, spears, and steel swords, with occasional muskets, but they are crude and unusable, a world apart from the flintlock muskets in the mansion."

"However, the situation is dire. The mansion is now surrounded on all four sides. The shield carts have been deployed in the front, and the formation is good and shows no signs of disorder. In my judgment, it will be a full-scale attack from all sides in no time."

"The defenses of the city walls are not uniform. The four corner towers also have arrow towers, which are high up and can be defended. The rest are only relying on the courtyard walls, which have no natural defenses and may not be able to prevent the enemy from climbing and breaking in."

The head of the guards slowed down his speech, trying to explain the current situation as clearly as possible so that Lin Daiyu could understand.

Lin Daiyu possessed the ability to remember everything she saw, so she memorized every word she heard.

He nodded slightly, and Shi Xiangyun lit a torch to illuminate the way, then he personally looked down below.

The head of the guards immediately stepped forward and advised, "Madam, the corner tower is still too dangerous. If they suddenly launch a sneak attack, we may be in serious trouble."

Lin Daiyu glanced at the nearly formed military formation below and instantly grasped the enemy's layout and strengths and weaknesses, without needing to look a second time.

Leaning down with her back against the wall, Lin Daiyu closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

Although she had never experienced war, under Yue Ling's influence, Lin Daiyu had been studying military strategy books since she was seven years old.

After that, Yue Ling would discuss tactics and analyze the battle situation with her in every battle. The two were truly in perfect harmony, and it wasn't just that Yue Ling indulged her love of poetry and prose.

Now, all of this will be like the morning light, breaking through the fog of the battle before us.

Recalling Yue Ling's troop deployment against the barbarian army and the current situation of both sides, Lin Daiyu slowly said, "Leave thirty elite soldiers in each of the four corner towers, rely on the fortifications, concentrate firepower, and focus on supporting the enemy's main attack direction!"

"The rest of the guards will be stationed at the four gates of the courtyard! If the rebels try to scale the walls, they will be stopped with rockets."

"If any enemy lands, fire horizontally with flintlock pistols, in groups of three, positioned in a pincer formation, with three groups in the front, middle, and rear, firing in staggered shifts without error!"

"If the gate is breached, let the enemy into the trap, and once they are crowded in the gate passage, bombard them with the Tiger Crouching Cannon!"

With the battle plan clearly laid out, the guards seemed to be greatly shocked. When they looked at Lin Daiyu again, there was no doubt in their eyes, only awe and obedience.

This clear instruction and composed demeanor were exactly like those of the Duke of Dingguo.

After bowing respectfully, the head of the guards nodded emphatically, "Yes, sir!"

"Wait a minute," Lin Daiyu added. "First, send someone with a loud voice and quick wit to the main gate to shout and question why they are besieging the Duke's mansion."

"To fabricate their intentions, delay them, and cover our movements!"

……

"You people, staying up all night and surrounded the Duke's mansion with weapons, what is your intention? Do you know that this is a residence bestowed by His Majesty? Trespassing is tantamount to treason!"

"Whose orders are you acting on? What are you doing here? State your names immediately!"

Shouts came from inside the Dingguo Mansion, which made Ji Bin, who was standing on horseback in the alley outside the mansion, sneer.

He showed no sign of disappointment that the Dingguo Mansion had noticed; instead, he appeared confident of victory.

"Given the current situation, they are still holding us accountable and trying to intimidate us with rhetoric. They are truly naive."

"With the Duke of Dingguo not in the mansion, this is about the quality of his personal guards."

With such a significant advantage, the commanders sincerely clasped their hands in respect, following Ji Bin's lead, and asked, "Sir, when do you think we should make our move?"

"The advantage is in my hands, so why not tease them a bit?"

Before they could react, at Ji Bin's behest, men lined up at the front and responded to those inside the mansion: "Today, rebels have plotted a rebellion and have reached outside the city. The city lacks military equipment, and we have come to your mansion to borrow it on His Highness's orders. You need not panic; open the gates, take the equipment, and we will leave." "What a joke! You are under house arrest; how can you borrow military equipment? Where is Commander Wang Ziteng of the Capital Garrison? Ask him if he dares to report to his family and take responsibility for besieging the Duke's mansion!"

In officialdom, regardless of rank, most officials are like non-stick pans.

Once the sensitive spot was touched, no one dared to utter a word.

The room fell silent. The person who had spoken bowed and asked, "Madam, shall I continue?"

Lin Daiyu shook her head and said, "These people are stubborn and incorrigible, and they are harboring evil intentions. There's no need to say more. Give the order! Fire arrows from the corner tower!"

Almost simultaneously with Lin Daiyu's order, shouts of battle suddenly rang out from the Beijing garrison surrounding the mansion.

There were sounds from all directions, but the ones coming from the southeast, near the corner gate adjacent to the drill ground, were the loudest.

Dozens of makeshift ladders were quickly erected, and battering rams, under the cover of shield vehicles, approached the gate.

"Launch the rocket!"

The guards, who had been waiting with their bows drawn, launched the already lit rockets, illuminating the night sky.

The guards below also had a direction to fire their arrows, and in an instant, rockets flew in all directions.

Rockets crashed outside the wall like meteors, igniting flames everywhere. Screams came from ladders and shield carts as several rebel soldiers from the Beijing garrison fell to the ground engulfed in flames, knocking down many others in the process.

Unexpectedly, the manor was so well prepared that the first wave of climbers suffered a setback.

The shouts of battle outside the wall were deafening, but Ji Bin's expression slowly turned grim.

Although he was unfamiliar with military affairs, he could still discern the situation.

What was initially thought to be a decisive and overwhelming battle turned into a stalemate right from the start.

The two sides exchanged arrows across the courtyard wall. Some of their own soldiers took the opportunity to climb the wall, but were still shot down by follow-up arrows.

"What's going on? There are only eight hundred people in the manor, aren't there?"

The commander of the thousand households clasped his hands and pleaded, "My lord, please do not be anxious. The manor has already used such a fierce method as fire attack to resist the enemy. They must have no other tricks up their sleeve."

"This humble general will go to supervise the troops. As long as we get over the wall, with our superior numbers, we will still have the upper hand."

Ji Bin agreed.

As expected, after the commander personally supervised the battle, the waves of attacks became even more intense than before.

Or perhaps the guards in the courtyard were exhausted from shooting arrows and, while catching their breath, were able to scale the courtyard wall.

But as soon as they landed, they realized something was wrong.

His legs were deeply embedded in the pit, which contained sharpened bamboo rafts.

The first wave of rebels to enter the mansion all perished on the spot.

There weren't many covers on the training ground.

The rebels also anticipated that the guards of the Dingguo Mansion would not be able to defend this place well.

But when they stepped over the corpses of their comrades and finally landed inside the mansion, they heard the distant sound of firearms exploding in the corridor, as if they were spewing flames.

As the smoke cleared, the fallen rebels were all mangled and bloodied, their cries of agony echoing through the air.

The commander who climbed the wall with the rebels was not spared either. A shrapnel of a lead bullet bounced in front of him and pierced his left eye. He fell straight down from the wall.

"Lord Ji, Commander Dou is injured and his entry into the mansion is blocked."

Ji Bin gritted his teeth and said, "I really don't understand. There are only eight hundred people in the manor, while we have nearly five thousand. We are attacking from all sides, and they only have two hundred people in each group. How can you not defeat them?"

"Lord Ji, there are firearms in the manor that we have never seen before. They are truly formidable. They reload much faster than the muskets we have. They can only fire one shot after landing, while the enemy keeps firing continuously."

Ji Bin retorted angrily, "I won't listen! I want a solution! We've already started taking action. If things don't work out, you know what the consequences will be!"

Another commander stepped forward and said, "In my humble opinion, since firearms are already at a disadvantage, we should use all the gunpowder to blow open the side gate."

Ji Bin was overjoyed and said, "Great, we'll do it your way!"

Corpses lay strewn across the wall, and the training ground reeked of both gunpowder and blood, a truly nauseating sight.

Lin Daiyu stood far inside the room, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, but she couldn't help but gag.

Shi Xiangyun bit her lower lip tightly, staying close to Lin Daiyu. Seeing this, she comforted her, "Sister Lin, if you are not feeling well, please wait inside the ceremonial gate. I will keep watch over you from here."

Lin Daiyu shook her head, straightened up while holding onto the table, looked out the window, and said, "The other side has stopped attacking and has stopped firing arrows. They must be planning some more intense offensive."

"Once this battle begins, a winner must be decided, and we cannot afford to be complacent."

Shi Xiangyun nodded and glanced at the distant arrow tower. Many of her guards were already injured and were being carried down by others during this brief period of calm.

While the height of the arrow tower has its advantages, it also makes it a target for the enemy.

At the same time, battle reports from the other departments were also being compiled.

The guards blocked the doorway, reporting in turn.

"Report, Madam! Although a large army has gathered at the South Gate, the attack pressure is not great. I suspect there is a commander at the main gate."

"Report, Madam! The northwest corner tower has been repelled by three waves of climbers, but the wall has already been damaged!"

"Report, Madam, the small gate to the north back garden offers a wide view, and the flintlock musket is proving its power; no one can get close."

As they were talking, suddenly a huge fire broke out outside the mansion, like a thunderbolt, shaking the house and overturning all the teacups.

Lin Daiyu knelt on the ground, shook off the dust that had fallen from the roof beams, and pulled Shi Xiangyun, saying, "The enemy has blown up the wall. Quickly have the guards set up the cannons and wait until half of the enemy has entered before firing them."

Shi Xiangyun hurriedly climbed out, "I understand!"

……

Underground, in a secret passage.

The other girls in Dingguo Mansion were all restless, pacing back and forth in the corridor.

Xue Baochai comforted everyone, saying, "Don't worry, Lin Daiyu will be fine. No one in this mansion is more intelligent or knowledgeable about military affairs than her."

"Many of you have seen how powerful the firearms in the manor are. How could a traitor be a match for the manor's personal guards?"

Even so, people still can't help but worry.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, the underground tunnel shook.

Many girls were shaken so badly that they swayed and fell to the ground in fear.

Xue Baochai supported one of them with each hand, looking towards the exit of the secret passage, praying in her heart, "Sister Lin, please be alright!"

(End of this chapter)