Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 46: The Nighttime Capture of Guihua City Leaves Yue Zhongqi Completely Convinced!
In mid-April of the seventh year of the Yongping reign, at the western foot of Daqing Mountain.

"Naturalization City".

Gazing into the distance, Jia Yan's eyes were filled with indescribable excitement.

A vast city stands on a grassland with green mountains like a screen, black water like a ribbon, and green fields stretching out. The bricks and tiles are all blue. This is Guihua City, which was built in the sixth year of the Longqing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1572) and was built under the supervision of Alta Khan, the leader of the Tumed Mongols.

After more than a month, they finally arrived here. Of the original eight hundred cavalrymen, less than six hundred remained. Some were buried in Langjuxu Mountain, and others in Yanran Mountain. The ashes of the descendants of Yan and Huang were scattered in the northern desert, proclaiming that they had been here and that they had conquered.

"General."

"Here we are."

The faces of Dong Yong and the others were weathered by life's hardships, but their eyes shone with a sharp light.

"Shang Er".

Is there any news from Datong?

At this moment, Jia Yan looked at the Black Cloud Secret Agent who was accompanying him and asked directly.

"Young master."

Without hesitation, Shang Er replied, "The 20,000 troops led by Yue Zhongqi, the deputy commander of Xuanfu, and Feng Tang, the Divine Martial General, have arrived south of Guihua City."

"Zhang Guangsi, the deputy commander of Shanxi, is leading three thousand cavalrymen to roam freely in the western Tao region, plundering the herdsmen, cattle and sheep of the Chahar tribe."

"Twenty thousand border troops from Shanxi were blocking the only passage for the Mongol Tartars to retreat westward."

"Okay, okay."

Jia Yan cheered loudly, his heart pounding with excitement. Everything was ready; they were just waiting for the right opportunity.

Immediately, he issued several orders: "At midnight tonight, the entire army will attack Guihua and must retake Ping'an Prefecture to completely cut off the Mongols' hope of escaping north."

"Yes."

The guards went down to make arrangements, and the more than 500 cavalrymen dismounted to rest and wait for nightfall.

"Uh-huh!!!"

A carrier pigeon flapped its wings from the western foot of Daqing Mountain and flew towards the northern foot of Manhan Mountain.

At noon, in the Great Qian army tent hidden in the Manhan Mountain, Yue Zhongqi summoned a group of generals and said, "The Tiger General has sent a message that we will attack at midnight."

"Gulu."

Without exception, Feng Tang and the others all swallowed hard. After waiting for these past few days, they had finally received this news; the opportunity had arrived.

"Issue my order: General Shenwu will lead 5,000 troops to attack the West Gate, and General Weilue will lead 5,000 troops to attack the East Gate."

"The remaining captains will join me in attacking the south gate, while the Tiger Captains will breach the north gate as soon as possible."

Looking around at everyone, Yue Zhongqi gave a series of orders.

"promise."

Everyone present responded and accepted the order in unison.

Aside from Yue Zhongqi, the deputy commander of Xuanfu, the only other high-ranking officials here are Feng Tang, the first-class Divine Martial General, and Wei Jingyuan, the third-rank Martial Strategy General. They are the heads of the Xichuan Earl's Mansion and the Zhubei Earl's Mansion, respectively, which naturally earns the respect of younger generations like Niu Meng.

Thus, the 20,000 troops were divided into three groups, led by Yue Zhongqi, Feng Tang, and Wei Jingyuan respectively, and they huddled together, ready to face the battle that night.

At six quarters past 9 PM, as night deepened, Guihua City was shrouded in darkness, so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

Since the Mongols captured Ping'an Prefecture, hundreds of thousands of border residents have been enslaved. The once prosperous Guihua City has become lifeless. Most of the soldiers guarding the city are lackeys promoted by the Mongols from among the Han slaves, and they have no vigilance at all.

"Do it."

Hundreds of figures emerged from the darkness, wielding weapons, and charged toward the city gate.

"Pfft!"

The soldiers guarding the city gates were slaughtered in their sleep. Soon after, the city gates slowly opened to the sides, revealing the streets.

"Dong Yong, give the signal."

Seeing this, Jia Yan waved his hand.

"call out!!!"

A sharp whistling sound shattered the silence of the night, and dazzling fireworks exploded in the night sky.

"Brothers, kill!"

Wielding a three-pointed, double-edged sword, Jia Yan charged ahead, heading towards the nearby Guihua City. "Da da da! Da da da!"

The sound of hooves echoed in all directions as hundreds of cavalrymen clad in black cloth armor poured into this pearl of the northern frontier, galloping across the streets paved with blue bricks, completely waking the sleeping people and enemies within the city.

"Enemy attack!"

The soldiers guarding the city wall tried to stop them with terrified expressions, but unfortunately, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; they were overestimating their own strength.

"Wow!"

With a swift movement, Jia Yan's blade flashed, its cold light illuminating the surroundings. The dozen or so soldiers who had just appeared were instantly beheaded, their blood gushing from their necks and staining the ground red. And this was just the beginning.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"

The cavalrymen following closely behind brandished their sabers, the sharp tips slicing through the bodies of their enemies, tearing flesh and blood apart, their killing intent palpable.

"Dong Yong, Li Qing, Peng Li, each of you take fifty riders and go open the remaining three city gates to receive our friendly forces."

"The rest of you, follow me and charge towards the governor's mansion."

"Yes."

The cavalry that had just entered the city split into three groups and sped off in the east, west, and south.

The remaining cavalry, under Jia Yan's command, galloped through the city, leaving a trail of corpses and rivers of blood in their wake.

"General, they've arrived."

The captains, including Niu Meng, who were sons of noble families, witnessed the dazzling fireworks bursting in the sky. They were all so excited that they could hardly contain their emotions.

"The door is open."

"All troops, attack!"

Yue Zhongqi watched as the south gate opened, and anxiously issued orders.

"Yes!"

In an instant, tens of thousands of soldiers poured into Guihua City like a tidal wave, and Ping'an Prefecture, which had been occupied for several months, once again heard the clarion call of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"kill!"

“Kill these lackeys who act as accomplices to the tyrant.”

"Leave no one behind!"

At the same moment, the east and west gates opened one after another, and Feng Tang and Wei Jingyuan each led 5,000 soldiers into Guihua City. The shouts of battle shook the heavens, and those who had followed the Mongols to act arrogantly were all purged. The stench of blood permeated the air, enveloping this important town in the northern frontier.

The massacre lasted for an hour before gradually subsiding, and everyone arrived at the former Ping'an Prefecture military governor's office.

"Tiger-like Captain".

Yue Zhongqi, Feng Tang, and Wei Jingyuan gazed at the heroic young man before them, their admiration undisguised.

"I've met Brother Shi."

Niu Meng, Hou Jie, Liu Yi, Han Qi, Feng Ziying, Chen Yejun, and Wei Ruolan all clasped their hands in greeting, even though they were all older than Jia Yan, they had no choice but to accept being his subordinates.

"Dong Yong, Li Qing."

"My lord!"

Two brave figures, covered in blood, stepped forward.

"Seal off all four gates; not even a bird is allowed to fly out."

“All wealthy merchants who defected to the Mongols shall be beheaded and their entire families confiscated.”

“The Ping’an Prefecture Treasury has been guarded. No one may enter without my order.”

With a stern expression, Jia Yan issued the orders methodically.

"Yes."

The guards on both sides left the main hall.

Seeing this, Yue Zhongqi and the others had no complaints and let Jia Yan give orders. In terms of military rank, many of them were superior to Jia Yan, but in terms of military merit, no one in the dynasty could compare to Jia Yan.

Moreover, he was the eldest son of the Jia family, which had two dukes. Most of the people here came from the founding line, so who would say anything?

(End of this chapter)