Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

"General, our morale has been low today, and the Han army is on guard. Let's withdraw our troops for now and attack the city another day when we have the chance!" a Qing general beside Fei Yanggu advised.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Wait!" Fei Yanggu stopped him.

"The fog hasn't lifted yet, and that brat Jia Jing just repelled our army. He certainly doesn't expect us to attack again, so his defenses are bound to be lax. Another attack now might be surprisingly effective!"

"Select 5,000 elite troops from the central army, bring them all siege equipment, and attack the south gate again in a quarter of an hour."

After a moment of contemplation, Fei Yanggu gave an order to his soldiers.

"General, you truly are a renowned general in our army. You've taken such a counterintuitive approach that Jia Jing, that brat, would never have imagined. In this battle, I am willing to be the vanguard, to help you break through Jinzhou City and capture that brat Jia Jing!" The Qing army generals all volunteered.

……

At the south gate, Jia Jing ordered the battlefield to be cleaned up. Looking at the corpses strewn across the city walls, he frowned and asked:

What were the casualties in this battle?

Feng Ziying and Han Qi, who were beside him, had already bandaged his wounds. Feng Ziying replied:

"In this battle, our army suffered more than half its casualties, and of the two thousand defenders at the south gate, less than a thousand survived."

Feng Ziying looked somewhat somber, clearly deeply saddened by the casualties suffered by the Han soldiers!

At this moment, he no longer possessed any of the air of a wealthy young master he had when he first arrived in Liaodong. Now, he was more like a steel blade honed by the battlefield, exuding a fierce aura!

"The Qing army suffered over two thousand casualties in this battle, and one of their deputy generals was killed by the general!"

Han Qi added.

"Collect the bodies of the fallen, and arrange for medical treatment for the seriously wounded as soon as possible. Do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our brothers!"

"Those with minor injuries should have their wounds bandaged and rest on the spot as soon as possible. I have a feeling that the Qing army will attack again soon!" Jia Jing stood by the city wall, observing the Qing army's movements through the fog.

"Those damned Tartars dare to attack the city?!" Feng Ziying's tone was full of surprise and doubt.

"Yes! The fog hasn't lifted yet, and they might attack again while we're off guard!"

"Feiyanggu is a general in the Qing army. He currently has 50,000 troops besieging our Jinzhou city, and we are struggling to take it. He is under great pressure!"

Jia Jing pondered for a moment and then explained. He possessed Zhao Yun's experience and intuition regarding the battlefield, and he believed he wouldn't make a wrong judgment.

"He wanted to launch a surprise attack on us, little did he know that I also wanted to settle things with them! This is the day to make my mark!"

Jia Jing looked around, made up his mind, and said in a deep voice:

"Feng Ziying, Han Qi, listen to my command!"

Upon hearing Jia Jing issue the military order, Feng Ziying and Han Qi saluted in unison and said:

"Please give the order, General!"

Although they didn't know how Jia Jing would win, their past battlefield experience told them that their opportunity to make a name for themselves had arrived!

They believed in Jia Jing's abilities because he hadn't lost in two years.

"Feng Ziying led the remaining one thousand men of the southern city, along with the two thousand elite troops he brought with him, to reinforce the city's defenses. They prepared plenty of defensive supplies such as oil, boulders, logs, and crossbows, and secretly ambushed the city walls to deliver a head-on blow when the Qing army attacked."

"Han Qi immediately led his men to order the soldiers guarding the west, east, and north cities to leave only 300 men to guard the city, while the rest of them were to secretly come to the south gate, and the city's supplies were also moved to the south gate."

"The messenger immediately sent a letter to General Qin Qiong, ordering them to prepare to attack from behind the Qing army when our forces engage them, with the Xuanjia Army as the vanguard, and strike directly at the location of the Qing army's main banner!"

"This time, I will take advantage of the Qing army's retreat after their siege, lead all the defending troops out of the city, and join forces with the cavalry outside to launch a pincer attack and utterly defeat the Qing army!"

Jia Jing continued to issue military orders.

At this moment, Feng Ziying and Han Qi realized that the cavalry unit that had been missing had already secretly left the city and circled around to the rear of the Qing army.

Just a few days ago, they were wondering why there were still about four thousand cavalry troops in Jinzhou City, but there was no movement during the several times the city gates were in danger.

It turns out that Jia Jing had made arrangements long ago, setting up this grand scheme, just waiting to seize the opportunity to launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside, and annihilate the 50,000 Qing troops outside the city in one fell swoop.

They had already accomplished a great feat by holding Jinzhou City against an attack by 50,000 Qing troops, but unexpectedly, Jia Jing had already planned to annihilate the Qing troops outside the city.

If they could truly defeat the Qing army, it would be no small matter for the entire Han Dynasty.

After all, since the reign of Emperor Chengzu, the Han army had always been at a disadvantage against the Qing army, and rarely had such a great victory.

As for whether Jia Jing could do it, they had no doubt, after all, they knew the fighting power of the so-called "Xuanjia Army" and Jia Jing's martial prowess.

Under such a pincer attack from both inside and outside, the Qing army had little chance of survival!

Feng Ziying, Han Qi, and the messenger, each filled with excitement and anticipation, bowed to Jia Jing and then left to receive their orders.

Fifteen minutes later.

Just as the Han army on the city wall had replenished their defensive supplies and were preparing to rest, a cry of alarm came from a Han scout:

"The Qing army has attacked the city again!"

Jia Jing and Feng Ziying hurried to the city wall and looked down.

Under the shroud of a thin mist, swarms of dark figures rushed towards the city wall.

The tall battering rams, ladders, and other equipment were also carried by the Qing army and rushed toward the city wall.

Feng Ziying looked somewhat surprised, not expecting that the Qing army had indeed attacked again, just as the general had predicted, and so quickly at that.

If we are not prepared, the Qing army might take advantage of the situation and break into the city.

But at this moment...

The Han soldiers on the city wall looked at Jia Jing with a sense of reverence, awaiting his orders.

Jia Jing raised his right hand, signaling to his soldiers not to act rashly and to let the Qing army get closer before attacking.

Only after the Qing army reached the foot of the city wall did Jia Jing shout:

"put!"

In an instant, the Han soldiers hiding behind the city wall all stood up.

They immediately hurled oil, stones, logs, and molten gold at the Qing soldiers below the city wall.

The archers behind the Han army also fired all their crossbows at the Qing army.

"Bang bang..."

"Knock knock..."

"Bang bang..."

"Buzzing..."

One loud bang after another followed as the massive object slid across the city wall.

"Ah! Ah..."

Instantly, countless screams rang out from the Qing army ranks, and the area beneath the city wall turned into a living hell. Qing soldiers fell in droves, and their blood stained the earth red.

One of the oil cans happened to hit the Qing general on the head. Despite being fully armored, the general was still drenched in the oil.

Before he could react, countless torches rained down from the sky.

"what……"

"No……"

Countless Qing soldiers had no time to retreat before flames shot into the sky, and hundreds of figures struggled and twisted in the flames.

The others were either crushed to death by rolling stones and logs, boiled alive by molten gold, or pierced by arrows and crossbow bolts.

The entire area beneath the city wall was filled with heart-wrenching screams.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."