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

Fei Yanggu's personal guard, clad in iron armor, roared and stood in front of Fei Yanggu with his body.

With a loud "bang," the iron armor on the guard's body was shattered by the iron arrow.

Following closely behind was the body of the personal guard, which had a gaping hole in its body, with its internal organs still beating and functioning inside.

Even after piercing through the guards, the arrow still held considerable power.

Amidst the despairing gazes of all the Qing soldiers, the bullet pierced through Fei Yanggu's chest, the force of the penetration even causing Fei Yanggu's body to fall off his horse.

Thick, fresh blood flowed from Feiyangu's mouth, staining the black soil on the ground a bright red.

This vanguard general who commanded 50,000 Qing troops was now a corpse.

His eyes were wide open, clearly not expecting this outcome.

"boom!"

This scene left the Qing troops on the battlefield reeling, as if their minds were about to explode.

"General!"

The generals and guards around Fei Yanggu were furious, and their expressions changed drastically.

Losing a battle and having your commander die are two different things!

Feiyangu is dead. Even if they, as his personal guards and subordinates, escape back, they will still be held accountable for their crimes.

Meanwhile, Jia Jing had already sat back on his horse, and the specially made three-stone iron-rimmed bow in his hand was broken in two because Jia Jing used too much force.

This not only shocked the Qing army, but also Zhuque, who had rushed to protect Jia Jing.

You should know that this iron-framed bow was personally commissioned by him to be forged from black iron.

It's called a three-stone bow, but to break it in two, the force required would probably be far more than three stones.

The general's divine strength is truly astonishing!

"The general's strength and unparalleled archery skills have truly broadened my horizons!"

Zhuque exclaimed in surprise.

The Qing soldiers surrounding Jia Jing were terrified, overwhelmed by his martial prowess and imposing presence. With their commander dead, they had lost the will to continue fighting.

Meanwhile, Feng Ziying, Han Qi, and others from the Han army were overjoyed and excited after their initial shock.

"General, your might is truly unparalleled!"

"The enemy commander is dead, kill them!"

The Han soldiers were already exhausted from their isolated advance.

Seeing this, their fighting spirit soared, and they charged forward once more.

After being attacked from both inside and outside by Jia Jing and Qin Qiong, the Qing army, which originally numbered 40,000, was now reduced to less than 30,000.

Moreover, the remaining majority of people had completely collapsed and retreated, fleeing in panic and scrambling to escape.

"Run! We've lost!"

"The general is dead; if we don't retreat now, we won't be able to escape!"

"That Han general is inhuman! Run!"

this moment,

A complete and utter defeat, like a house of cards collapsing.

Jia Jing led his troops in a surprise attack, advancing and retreating seven times before joining forces with Qin Qiong's army, thus securing victory.

It took a full half-day for this battle to finally come to an end.

"This was the most exhilarating battle I've ever fought! It was so satisfying! I single-handedly killed over a dozen Qing soldiers. This victory might just get me a promotion!"

Covered in blood and with his armor tattered, Feng Ziying rode his horse to Jia Jing's side and couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"Yes! It's so much more comfortable to fight alongside the general! I was stunned when the general shot Fei Yanggu dead with an arrow just now!" Han Qi exclaimed.

"This humble general greets the general! This battle has certainly fulfilled our mission!" Qin Qiong dismounted, bowed to Jia Jing, and solemnly handed over his orders.

"Uncle Bao, there's no need for such formalities! We were able to win this battle thanks to your timely arrival! Otherwise, even if we had won, few of the several thousand men in Jinzhou City would have survived!"

Jia Jing smiled and waved to Qin Qiong.

Looking at the battlefield stained with blood, Jia Jing's expression was grave:

"Although we won this battle, many of our brothers were killed or wounded. We must do a good job in providing compensation and medical treatment."

"In addition, hurry up and clean up the battlefield, take stock of the spoils, and capture the Qing soldiers who have fled! Also, send someone to report the victory to the Pingliao General's Office! This matter is to be handled by Ziying and Han Qi."

"Uncle Bao, you'll have to work hard. There are still several thousand Qing soldiers remaining at the other three gates. They should already know they've been defeated. Lead half of the cavalry to pursue them. They're just infantry, so try your best not to let them escape!"

Jia Jing gave the order.

"yes!"

The men accepted the order and left.

…………

A few days later.

In the Qianqing Palace of Shenjing City.

Emperor Jingsheng sat behind his desk, still holding the report of victory from the Liaodong front that Xia Shouzhong had just handed him.

He looked at it again and again, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy.

He couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth in the main hall.

Suddenly, he raised his head and asked Xia Shouzhong, who was serving him, "Feng Ziying went to the Ministry of War to report for duty, why hasn't he arrived yet?"

This was the third time he had asked about Feng Ziying's whereabouts.

In this major victory at the front, Jia Jing inflicted a crushing defeat on 50,000 Qing troops and killed the Qing commander, Fei Yanggu.

This was truly one of the few major victories the Han Dynasty had achieved against the Manchus in the last decade.

Feng Ziying was the messenger sent back by the Liaodong Pingliao General's Office to report the victory.

Emperor Jingsheng was eager to meet him and learn about the details of the situation at the front.

Xia Shouzhong understood Emperor Jingsheng's joy and replied with a smile, "I've already sent someone to inquire; Feng Ziying has entered the palace and is on his way to the Qianqing Palace!"

"The head of Fei Yanggu, the first-rank imperial guard minister of the pseudo-Qing dynasty, has also been sent to the capital and handed over to the Ministry of War."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingsheng lowered his head again to look at the victory report in his hand, his eyes shining brightly, and muttered to himself:

"With over 10,000 troops, they defended Jinzhou for more than ten days without losing it. Instead, they used a surprise force to circle around to the enemy's rear, and at the critical moment, they went out of the city to fight the enemy in the field. They attacked from both inside and outside, and defeated 40,000 enemy troops."

"In this battle, he single-handedly killed hundreds of enemies and took the enemy general's head amidst a vast army. He was truly brave and fierce, with astonishing courage..."

Emperor Jingsheng had already placed high hopes on Jia Jing. Although Jia Jing had not achieved any major victories in the past two years, he had won many battles in small-scale engagements and made considerable gains.

But since previous battles had all been small-scale operations, no one dared to claim certain victory against the overwhelming force of the 150,000-strong Manchu army.

There were many pessimistic and appeasement-seeking voices in the court. It was only because Emperor Jingsheng withstood the pressure and provided money and grain as requested that the front lines were able to fight the Qing army without interference.

But I never expected the victory to come so quickly, and to be such a clean and decisive one.

Now, Emperor Jingsheng wants to see if any of the civil and military officials dare to say that they should not advocate war.

Who else dares to say that a Qing army of ten thousand is invincible?

Who else dares to say that he showed excessive favor and trust towards Nian Gengyao and Jia Jing?!

"Such merit greatly enhances the prestige of our Han Dynasty! Nian Gengyao can be promoted to the rank of Second-Class Marquis, and Jia Jing can be promoted to the rank of First-Class Viscount."

"Let all the officials see that I am not the cold-blooded, heartless ruler who fails to reward merit, as some claim!"

Emperor Jingsheng muttered to himself as he pondered, his eyes filled with fighting spirit and a hint of suppressed fierceness.

The current state of the nation is not due to the inability of the Han army to fight, but rather to the excessive number of officials who are incompetent and hold their positions without fulfilling their duties.

Even if you give someone like the Duke of Cao a lot of troops, he will only lose battles!

He naturally rewarded meritorious officials continuously and was tolerant and forgiving.

However, he also had to vigorously crack down on those incompetent officials who embezzled and abused their power.

Therefore, Emperor Jingsheng believed that his governance strategy was correct and that his new policies would be of lasting merit!

We just need to promote more truly loyal and talented people.

"My lord! Go and summon Zhang Tingyu, Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall; Li Guangdi, Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall; Chen Tingjing, Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion; Gong Dingzi, Grand Secretary of the Baohe Hall; Niu Jizong, Left Commander-in-Chief; and Xu Ding, Duke of Zhao, Right Commander-in-Chief, and have them all come and discuss this!"

Emperor Jingsheng regained his composure and gave instructions to Xia Shouzhong, who was standing beside him.