Jia Yujing of Red Mansion

Chapter 41 The war situation is in danger
Yang Zhenye had already issued military orders before going on the expedition, and there were no prisoners in this war.

Regardless of whether they are men, women, old or young, all Tatars who can hold a knife will be killed.

The cattle and sheep that could not keep up with the marching speed of the army were close to Yanmen Pass for the follow-up infantry to pick up.

Those far away from Yanmen Pass will also be killed, and those who cannot eat will be burned.

Without food and shelter, the remaining young children will starve to death or be eaten by wolves on the grassland.

Even if he was reluctant to massacre ordinary people in his heart, when he saw the hatred shining in the eyes of those seven or eight-year-old children.

Jia Qiong and Xu Shan also had to be cruel and raise the butcher knife. This is what every soldier has to face in this era.

Yang Zhenye sent hundreds of scouts along the road to scout the herdsmen's camps, and then detached small groups of cavalry to attack.

All Mongolian camps discovered will be burned to the ground by fire.

Sporadic resistance is like a mantis using its arms as a cart, unable to turn over any waves.

Blood and fire dyed the beautiful Hetao Plain red, turning it into a purgatory on earth.

On the third day after sending troops to Yanmen Pass, Jia Qiong and Xu Shan asked Yang Zhenye for orders, and each led a small group of cavalry to hunt around.

This is also the first time they have truly experienced the cruelty of war, an experience they can never learn from reading books.

At this time, in the Central Plains, the Mongolian attack had reached the hinterland of Guyuan Town.

Because of preparations in advance, most of the people in Yulin and Guyuan towns were moved to the fortress and county town.

The Mongolian army had to crack open the hard turtle shells before they could eat the fat inside.

However, the Mongols were not good at attacking cities, so these turtle shells often had to break a few of their big teeth before they could be broken. This was completely inconsistent with the original intention of the Mongols to go south to clear grass valleys.

Time has quickly entered mid-July, and the weather has reached the hottest time of the year.

Chahan's military tent also became hot and hot, making him feel upset.

This month, his army traveled nearly a thousand miles, but apart from breaking through a dozen small towns with a small population, the other gains were almost negligible.

At this time, Chu State's [-] Beijing troops had already sent reinforcements to various pass towns heading south.

Although the Beijing camp did not dare to go out to fight with them in the field, it was already very difficult for the Tatar army to continue going south.

The rewards were completely out of proportion to the efforts, and some leaders and soldiers in the army began to want to return home.

But Chahan was unwilling to retreat like this. If his first battle as the Tatar King ended like this, it would be a big blow to his prestige.

So he decided to make a desperate move, regrouping all the troops who had been scattered to clear the grass valley, and rushed towards Qingyang Mansion, one of the largest cities among the three towns in Shaanxi.

If they could break through Qingyang, a large city with more than 10 people, the harvest would be enough for them to return home with a full load.

Although Yang Sicheng, the governor of the three sides of Qingyang, is now in charge, the garrison in Qingyang is less than [-] because the troops are scattered everywhere for defense.

Although the Tatars' siege methods are insufficient, Qingyang City is large and naturally requires more troops for defense.

Yang Sicheng's troops are too small, and it is impossible to defend the city for too long if they are scattered.

Chahan used a war of attrition and organized an army to attack continuously for ten days day and night. Now Qingyang City is in danger.

Yang Sicheng successively mobilized [-] young men to help defend the city, but the untrained young men had limited combat effectiveness and suffered heavy casualties in the face of the Mongolian army's attack.

In just a few days, less than 2 people were left.

There are only [-] soldiers under his command, and all of them are injured. Less than [-] can go to the battlefield.

However, the Tatar army still has [-] troops. According to the intensity of the attack, they will have no troops available in less than three days.

Once the city is destroyed, the nearly 30 people in the city will become lambs to be slaughtered.

Chang'an City, Daming Palace.Newspapers reporting on the war situation on the border came one after another. Emperor Longqing and his ministers spent a lot of time discussing the war every day, but they were unable to do anything.

Early this morning, Emperor Longqing received Yang Sicheng's last letter, which showed that the situation was very critical and Yang Sicheng was ready to die with the city.

Emperor Longqing hurriedly summoned all the ministers for discussion. He asked with a very gloomy face: "The Mongolian troops surrounded Qingyang Mansion, Yang Sicheng was trapped in the isolated city, and the soldiers were few and far between.

The 30 people in the city are in danger. Do you have any good ideas to solve the crisis in Qingyang? "

Many cabinet ministers and military bosses were silent this time.

They all know that it is not easy for Da Chu to hold the Yellow River defense line and prevent the Mongols from entering Guanzhong.

If troops are sent to rescue Qingyang Mansion and fight the Mongolian army in the field, with the current combat effectiveness of the Chu army, they are likely to suffer a disastrous defeat.

When the Mongols take advantage of the situation and advance into Guanzhong to threaten Chang'an, even if they manage to hold Chang'an in the end, it will inevitably cause shock to the world, destabilize the country, and the consequences will be unbearable.

Everyone knew in their hearts that if Qingyang Mansion was breached, the Mongols would definitely choose to withdraw their troops after looting, and the crisis would be over.

But at the expense of hundreds of thousands of people in Qingyang, no one can say this easily.

Emperor Longqing's face became even more ugly when he saw that all the ministers were silent.

He looked at Luo Jin and Zhang Chunyang, and said to himself that you were very convincing at the beginning, saying that you could not easily mobilize the army, but just strengthened the alert.

It was because I listened to the two of you and failed to adjust the defenses in time that the Mongols were able to break through Zhenyuan Pass so easily.

Now you have turned into a mouthless gourd, which is simply unreasonable!
"Luo Aiqing, do you have any good ideas?"

Luo Jin was called upon by Emperor Longqing, so she had to say a few words even if she didn't want to.

"Your Majesty, the Mongols invaded this time, and our border has already been prepared to implement the strategy of strengthening the wall and clearing the wilderness.

The Mongols' food supply will definitely be unsustainable. In Yichen's opinion, the siege of Qingyang Mansion this time was just a risky move by them.

As long as Yang Sicheng can hold on for a few more days, the Mongolian army will naturally retreat. "

Luo Jin avoided the important and took the easy, and did a Tai Chi move. Emperor Longqing was unhappy in his heart, but he didn't feel good about it on his face.

He looked at Zhang Chunyang again and asked: "Now that Qingyang Mansion is in danger, how can we hold on to it?

Mr. Zhang Ge, do you have any good advice for me? "

Zhang Chunyang cupped his hands and replied: "Your Majesty, our army is good at defending the city but not good at fighting in the field, but the Mongolian army is all cavalry.

If you rush to send troops to rescue, you may fall into the Mongolian plan to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao. The mistakes made six years ago cannot be made again.

Yang Sicheng is well versed in border affairs and can manage the army well, so he should not be easily attacked by the Mongols.

We should wait for reinforcements from each town to arrive and then concentrate our superior forces to fight the enemy decisively. "

Emperor Longqing knew that what Zhang Chunyang said was very reasonable, and it could be regarded as a mature idea for the country.

But when he thought about the destruction of Qingyang City, how many of the hundreds of thousands of people would be massacred, and how many of them would be plundered and taken to the grasslands, he felt like his heart was twisting.

The ministers all saw what Emperor Long Qing was thinking, but they didn't want to speak. Zhang Shirui sighed secretly and had to stand up.

He stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, the top priority now is to hold the Xiaoguan defense line and prevent the Mongols from continuing to move south.

Qingyang Mansion... I'm afraid we can only figure it out slowly. "

Emperor Longqing was silent for a long time, then waved his hand in frustration and said, "Please go ahead and discuss a post-war plan for me as soon as possible."

"Yes, I will take my leave."

The ministers knew that Emperor Longqing had compromised and hurried back to prepare a plan for the aftermath. They all felt that Qingyang City would most likely be breached.

(End of this chapter)