Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Chapter 110 Northward Assault! (Bonus Chapter)

"Your Majesty, if it weren't for the generals' repeated self-destructions as they charged into the enemy cultivators' ranks, forcing them to hesitate, Ning Yuan might also have..."

Upon hearing this news, Emperor Changwu and his officials felt as if a bucket of icy water had been poured over their heads, leaving them feeling cold all over.

After hearing the military report, Emperor Changwu's breathing became rapid, regret flashed in his eyes, he took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "Who dares to lead troops north?"

No one answered from inside the hall; the atmosphere was oppressive and heavy.

Emperor Changwu was furious and shouted, "None of you, civil and military officials, have come to Liaodong's aid?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jia Tang stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in a fist salute under the watchful eyes of the crowd, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to lead troops there and serve the country with my life."

The reason for bowing and clasping hands instead of kneeling in a military salute is that the Great Zhao Code states: Second-level cultivators entering the court as officials may see the emperor but do not kneel.

Following Jia Tang's request, the founding lineage quickly followed suit, volunteering to head north.

Upon seeing this, some civil officials immediately became restless, while some impatient censors stepped forward to object: "No, as an important minister of the court, Marquis Wu Ying should remain in the capital to safeguard its safety."

"It was merely a mistake in command at the front; there's no need to trouble Lord Wu Ying. A general can go there directly."

"Enough!" Emperor Changwu shouted, staring at the imperial censors who had stepped forward and said coldly, "The border war is difficult now, and you are not concerned about national affairs, but instead you are engaging in cryptic exchanges. Guards, take all these incompetent officials out and beat them to death at the Meridian Gate."

"Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"Your Majesty, we know we were wrong, please have mercy."

The imperial envoys were dumbfounded and began to wail and cry. Before long, the palace fell silent again as the imperial guards dragged the people away.

Emperor Changwu stared intently at Jia Tang, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. He roared, "I hereby appoint Wu Yingbo as commander-in-chief, overseeing the three battalions, the central army of the three thousand battalions, the left flank of the five armies, the Fenglin and Shanhuo battalions of the capital garrison, and bestow upon him the seal of General Who Conquers the Barbarians. Commander-in-Chief Chen Ruiwen will be his deputy, commanding the generals under his command to march north to quell the rebellion. Whoever among you can bring the leader of the Jurchen rebels to an audience will be rewarded handsomely by me and enfeoffed as a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households."

"Depart immediately, without fail."

"only!"

Jia Tang led everyone out of the Huangji Hall quickly, and ordered the family generals and personal guards to return to their residences to gather their troops. Before they could say goodbye, everyone led their troops to meet at the main camp in the north of the city, and split into infantry and cavalry. Jia Tang led the cavalry ahead, while Chen Ruiwen led the infantry and began to gallop.

Meanwhile, at Tianshou Palace, Emperor Chongwu stood before the north window, seemingly seeing the northern camp through the thick yellow curtain with dragon patterns. His expression was inscrutable, and he remained silent.

Through the light filtering through the gap, a person nearby could see faintly embroidered dragon patterns with long horns and blood-red bodies on his black robes. He said, "Your Majesty, why not try pulling down the Jia family's battle flags again?"

"Why didn't you take some defensive measures at home before going out? Three real soldiers have already been lost; how many more can you add to the ranks?"

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant; please punish me."

Emperor Chongwu waved his hand and said, "Get up. Don't make too many arrangements. Let Jia Tang lead the founding line and the northern tribes to fight each other. They will wear each other down. All they will have to give up are some positions and titles that can be taken back at any time."

The man in black flattered, "Your Majesty possesses great talent and strategic vision, and your predictions are like those of a god."

Emperor Chongwu, in a leisurely tone, said with a sense of satisfaction: "After that brat Jia Tang has exhausted his resources through his campaigns in the south and north, and after the powerful families in various regions have suffered further losses, when the nation is exhausted, I will raise my elite troops and use secret methods to establish a dynasty that will last for ten thousand generations, as long as the heavens."

Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

Because of the sudden and continuous heavy snowfall that fell that night, the old lady hurriedly called over her many granddaughters and granddaughters-in-law to inquire about their well-being.

..

Thanks to the passing of the funeral in the mansion, Jia Tang's presence in the mansion, and the advancement of two family retainers to the third rank, the morale of everyone in the mansion gradually returned to its former state, and even surpassed it.

After all, there are very few people with a third-tier presence on the surface, and only one family can kill a third-tier person!

Grandmother Jia knew many secrets and had made an agreement with Jia Tang. In addition, she was getting old and seemed to have relaxed. She spent her days playing cards and having fun with the ladies, or inviting the women over to get close to her.

Lin Daiyu and the three sisters practiced cultivation for four hours every day without fail, which the old lady saw and felt heartbroken for.

With a smile, Grandmother Jia touched Lin Daiyu's small hand, looking at the graceful young woman, and then turned to Wang Xifeng, saying, "Feng'er, make sure the household has enough warm clothes and supplies. Don't make sure there's anything lacking, or you'll be in big trouble."

"Oh, Ancestor, you can rest assured. Even if I'm short of my own, I can't be short of these nuns', otherwise their brothers would eat me alive."

Wearing a pale yellow jacket and skirt, with a bright red overcoat adorned with several small gold buttons and a five-winged gold crown on her head, Sister Feng walked gracefully and elegantly to Grandmother Jia and complained.

Everyone around laughed upon hearing this. Grandmother Jia pointed at her and snorted, "It's good that you know, otherwise you, Feng'er, would suffer."

Just then, a long horn blared from inside the mansion, and the women inside were instantly thrown into a panic.

Grandmother Jia hurriedly got up and asked outside, "What's wrong? Quickly look outside and see what's going on."

A moment later, Lai Da respectfully reported from outside the door: "Your Majesty, ladies and young ladies, a letter came from the front saying that the Earl has been sent to Liaodong. So the Tiger Guards have assembled and are going to war with the Earl."

"Huh? Another war has broken out?"

January 17th, Ningyuan City, Liaodong.

This formidable military stronghold in Liaodong was surrounded by soldiers of the Later Jin and Mongol armies dressed in various colors. The defensive light screen above the city grew increasingly faint as numerous crossbow bolts were fired.

In the air ahead, four second-tier cultivators from the Great Zhao were being besieged by six second-tier cultivators from the Later Jin and Mongol tribes. Just as their situation was becoming increasingly precarious, another person flew out from Ningyuan City below. Upon seeing this, the rebels dispatched two more cultivators to attack, aiming to fight outnumbered and avoid being outmaneuvered in one-on-one combat.

The Jurchens and Tartars, who had fought countless battles with the Han people, knew that Han soldiers were never lacking in the spirit to risk their lives for others.

At Xiaotuanshan Fortress, 500 li southwest of Ningyuan, a cavalry force of over 10,000 men was stationed, all silently mounted on their warhorses, ready to attack. The surrounding land was dotted with remnants of the Jurchen tribes, each dressed in bright red robes, roughly equivalent to a Niru (a unit of military rank).

The remaining soldiers inside the fortress wept with joy. They had thought they would surely die after being besieged by the Jurchens, but unexpectedly, more than ten first-level cultivators wearing tiger-carved armor descended from the sky and slaughtered the Jurchens in a short time. Afterwards, they saw an endless line of iron cavalry rushing towards them and stopped to rest for a while.

..

Half an hour later, the four second-tier Tiger Guard commanders, Wang Dazhuang, Li Hanhua, Zhao Jia, and Wang Sanjia, returned from their scouts and bowed to report: "Commander, Ningyuan is currently under siege by the Jurchen Tartars. The defensive formation is about to be breached. Second-tier cultivators are outnumbering the enemy. Among the surrounding military formations, only the Zheng Hongqi He Xiang Hongqi formation in the northwest is relatively chaotic. In addition, the Baitayu Fortress and Xingshui County Fortress in the northwest..."

"Two or so Niru (units of the Jurchen) are attacking both the southeast Caozhuang post station."

Jia Tang's expression was cold. Upon hearing this, he shouted, "Commander Ma Yong, lead your troops to support Caozhuang Post Station and kill all the Jurchens. Commanders Hou Zunqi and Liu He, lead their troops to support Baitayu and Xingshui respectively. After the three commanderies have finished their battles, they will join forces at Baitayu. Hou Zunqi will act as a guerrilla commander and wipe out the small groups of Jurchens in the surrounding area."

"only!"

The three men accepted the order and left with their respective cavalry.

"On the surface, Jia Ping led four people—Chen Suo from the Duke of Qi's Mansion, Niu Zhenhui and Niu Zhenzu from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and Hou Mingtu from the Duke of Xiu's Mansion—to support the second-tier battlefield in Ningyuan."

"In the shadows, Jia An led Li Hanhua, Zhao Jia, Wang Sanjia, and Zhang Muren to hide and then suddenly kill several people at the opportune moment, creating chaos to coordinate with our surprise attack."

"only!"

The ten men received their orders and split into two groups. Jia Ping and his group of five flew straight into the air, while Jia Kang and his group of five activated their invisibility spells and rushed into the forest, using the speed-traveling talismans in their pockets to travel through the forest.

The founding generals behind Jia Tang looked on with burning eyes. For this trip north, each of the Duke's mansions sent two second-level cultivators and the Marquis's mansion sent one, who were considered external retainers to accompany them in battle.

However, everyone was surprised to find that Jia Tang alone had more than ten second-level martial artists under his command, not to mention the Tiger Guards who wore golden fire armor, had rings on their hands, and carried weapons that emitted a special aura.

After disappearing for a month, where did he go to some sacred place to cause such a dramatic change?

"The timer will last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, then the surprise attack will begin. I can only deliver one blow; the rest is up to you."

95

Although the old servant tore up the contract with the second-tier cultivators and ordered his own cultivators to surround and kill the Liaodong cultivators, he did not take any action against the lower-ranking soldiers.

Therefore, it's understandable that Jia Tang would launch a counterattack under this pretext; otherwise, if the old slave were to follow suit and massacre the lower-ranking Jurchen soldiers one after another, it would be troublesome.

The generals and cultivators who were named stared intently at the hourglass above Jia He, their figures gradually lowering.

As the last grain of sand fell below, the entire army shot out like a flying arrow, heading straight for Ningyuan. At the front, Wang Dazhuang and Qian Wujia took a deep breath, focused their minds, formed hand seals, and chanted an incantation: "Heaven and Earth are boundless, borrow the power of Heaven and Earth."

"Vajra Technique, by imperial decree!"

"Swiftness Technique, Speed!"

Everyone sensed being enveloped by an invisible aura, and the familiar amplification state reappeared. As their martial bodies became more compact and hardened, the speed of their warhorses gradually increased, and the entire team emitted a faint golden light, as if heavenly soldiers had descended to earth.

Ahead, inside the Ningyuan City command tent, Liu Fang sat in the main seat, flanked by Jiang Feibai and Wang Xiaoqian, as well as other military officers of various ranks.

Someone asked, "General, when will the imperial reinforcements arrive?"

"If they don't come soon, Ningyuan won't be able to hold on much longer."

"More than 70% of the first-rank military officers in the army have been killed in action. If the fighting continues, there will be almost no mid-ranking military officers left."

Liu Fang listened to everyone's complaints without saying a word, staring straight at the battlefield of the second-tier cultivators in the sky ahead. Seeing their dangerous situation, a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes.

This mission to the north was undertaken with three second-tier cultivators from the manor, leaving only two second-tier cultivators who had made new breakthroughs during the great changes in the world to guard the home. They joined forces with more than ten second-tier cultivators from Liaodong and thought victory was assured. However, they did not expect that they would lose more than half of their forces in a battle a few days ago, and one of their own clan elders would also die in battle. The three-way alliance on the other side resulted in a huge disparity in the number of high-level cultivators, often leading to them being outnumbered and having to rely on self-destruction as a deterrent.

"Old Niu, I'm afraid I'm doomed, but you guys need to hurry, we can't afford to lose Liaodong."

Just as she was muttering to herself, a second-tier cultivator from the Great Zhao Kingdom above had his arm severed. Suddenly, Liu Jin, Liu Fang's uncle, flew out to provide support and saved the man from near death.

However, with Liu Jin joining the battle, two more second-tier cultivators flew out from the opposite side and began to besiege them. Judging from the blood-red wolf claws in the sky, they were Tartar cultivators.

As time went by, Liu Jin's energy gradually waned, and the range of his supernatural powers shrank, making the situation increasingly dangerous. This caused Liu Fang below to feel extremely anxious.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Liu Jin cracked open, and four dark green vines rapidly sprouted from the soil, instantly entangling the two second-tier Tartars. Immediately afterward, several enormous monkey tails, bull heads, bull horns, and wolf heads appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun, and struck one of them directly, instantly obliterating him into nothingness.

"Tudacco!"

Another Tartar shouted in disbelief, his eyes instantly turning red, and he charged at Liu Jin with a burst of blood.

But the next moment, five second-tier cultivators flew in from behind. Without saying a word, they joined forces with Liu Jin, who was also exploding with blood, and used their divine powers to turn the sky into color, blasting the Tartar cultivator into a blood mist.

The remaining cultivators from both sides gathered around their own forces and engaged in battle in mid-air once again.

Upon seeing this, Liu Fang, who was inside the command tent, instantly perked up, strode out of the tent, and roared, "Sound the horn! Reinforcements have arrived!"

.

"Waaaaah—"

'

Upon hearing this, the soldiers in the city, their armor torn and their clothes ripped, cheered loudly, their morale greatly boosted.

Meanwhile, inside the Jiannu royal tent, the old servant paid little attention to the two dead second-tier cultivators. Instead, he looked at the five newly arrived Great Zhao cultivators and sighed, "How pathetic, how pitiful. After waiting all this time, only five cultivators have arrived. Are they just expendable pawns again?"

The eldest prince, Daishan, chuckled and said, "Isn't this the trick the Han people are most familiar with? It's called... it's called cutting off one's tail to survive."

The old servant laughed heartily and announced loudly, "Order ten second-tier soldiers to attack, beat the drums and sound the horns, and begin the siege."

"A concubine's son!"

On the side of the Jurchen allied forces, ten cultivators, accompanied by the soaring horns and earth-shaking drums, swiftly headed to the second-tier battlefield in the sky. The Jurchen banners on the east, south, north, and south sides of Ningyuan City, led by a rank-ezhen, began their fearless siege.

But just as the ten Jiannu cultivators were about to arrive, suddenly, a towering stone mountain appeared between heaven and earth and crashed down on the ten people. Immediately afterward, a sea of ​​fire surged up, and streaks of golden swords and blades shot out, mixed with two huge and ferocious tiger heads that pounced on the group.

"Thump!"

Various supernatural powers bombarded the ten Jiannu cultivators directly, with deafening sounds!

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, the seven people hiding inside the formation, looking somewhat disheveled and terrified, were revealed. This single, unexpected combination of Taoist techniques and supernatural powers had caused the old servant's side to lose three cultivators.

"What?"

Amidst the cheers of the entire city of Ningyuan, time seemed to stand still inside the Jiannu imperial tent; all sounds ceased abruptly, and the old servant jumped up in shock, his face showing astonishment.

Five figures faintly appeared on the ground, each exuding murderous aura and with sinister eyes. The leader was none other than Jia An, who wielded the low-grade magic weapon, the Shattering Mountain Seal.