The Red Mansions

Chapter 1716 Jia Heng: It’s time for the Han Dynasty to change its surname to Su…

Han Dynasty, the sixth year of Qiande

The war broke out in Hami Guard, and the offensive and defensive battles between the two sides lasted for several months. Handong Zuowei fell into the hands of the Junggar tribe.

However, the three Mongolian guards of Hami, Shazhou and Chijin supported each other and echoed each other from a distance.

In this way, the war lasted until early June in summer. The 100,000 troops from the capital of the Han Dynasty, led by the Duke of Ying, finally arrived at the Hami Citadel in a mighty force.

Pang Shili and Jin Xuan, escorted by a large number of personal guards, hurried out of the city to welcome Duke of England Xie Zaiyi closer to the city walls and said in a gentle voice, "Duke of England is finally here."

As they were talking, they walked quickly into the city without stopping, and then both sides took their seats as host and guest.

Jin Xuan stared at Xie Zaiyi and asked impatiently, "Duke Yingguo, what did the King of Wei say?"

Xie Zaiyi was silent for a moment, then said, "Prince Wei said that the troops from the Beijing Camp and Xining should unite to pacify the Western Regions in one fell swoop and plant the Han flag on this land again."

Xie Zaiyi said in a deep voice: "The Beijing Camp has brought a large number of firearms this time. If we use them properly, we will surely be able to defeat the Junggar army."

Pang Shili shook his head and whispered, "Red Cannon can be used to defend the city, but it is inconvenient to carry it when going out of the city for a field battle. It is easy to be dispersed by the enemy cavalry, and it is difficult to guarantee the effectiveness."

Although the Red Cannon has been lightened in the past few years and can be transported back and forth by mules and horses, its power still makes the cannon very heavy.

Faced with the highly mobile grassland cavalry, the use of this clumsy red cannon in the war was inappropriate.

Xie Zaiyi raised his thick eyebrows and said in a deep voice, "The Military Equipment Supervisor has made some lightweight cannons for the cavalry to carry. They can be used to bomb the cavalry of the Junggar and Yarkand tribes."

Pang Shili's face turned serious, and he asked, "Is this kind of cannon really so light that it can be carried around at will?"

Xie Zaiyi stared at Pang Shili and said in a deep voice: "In addition, flintlock muskets have also been equipped in the Shenji Battalion of the Beijing Camp. This time, the combination of flintlock muskets and thunder bombs is enough to wipe out the enemy and eliminate the remaining enemies."

Pang Shili said: "In this way, even if Junggar and Yarkand have 200,000 soldiers and horses, they will not be able to resist our army's attack and killing."

Xie Zaiyi asked: "The Junggar army sent cavalry to harass our army's food supply. How has the fighting between the two sides been going these days?"

Pang Shili said loudly: "My Xining cavalry has been fighting with them for many days. There have been casualties on both sides, but the food supply is not seriously affected."

It can be said that Galdan’s strategy of harassing the food supply route had become ineffective due to the deployment of troops by Pang Shili and Jin Xuan.

Xie Zaiyi nodded and said, "General Pang, we still need to use the cavalry to protect the grain route. We must not expose the grain route to the iron hooves of the Junggars to prevent it from being trampled."

Pang Shili said, "Don't worry, Duke Ying! Although the Junggar cavalry is brave and good at fighting, our Xining cavalry and the Beijing cavalry have been galloping across the world for many years, and we are not inferior to them in the least."

Xie Zaiyi pondered and said, "This battle concerns the peace of our Han Dynasty for the next ten years. You and I have been entrusted with a great responsibility by King Wei, so we must not neglect it!"

Pang Shili clasped his fists and said, "Duke Yingguo, I will go through fire and water for you and will never refuse."

The generals of Xining Prefecture behind him also clasped their fists to show their determination.

At this moment, Jin Hyun took over the conversation, smiled, and said in a gentle voice: "Duke Ying has come from afar, please have dinner with us."

Xie Zaiyi responded and then sat down in a room nearby.

Pang Shili looked at him with a burning gaze under his thick eyebrows, and asked, "What does the King of Wei expect from the war in the Western Region?"

Whether he could be granted the title of marquis or even duke almost entirely depended on the attention of King Wei.

Xie Zaiyi was silent for a moment, then said, "The Western Regions have been separated from the country for a long time. King Wei wants to take them back as the country's northwest vassal. King Wei once said that whoever recovers the Western Regions will be given the title of duke, so why should he be stingy?"

After Xie Zaiyi finished speaking, everyone present felt warmed in their hearts.

……

……

In the following days, the Han army launched a large-scale attack, and the cavalry equipped with various muskets swept across the Gobi Desert. They divided into several routes and headed straight for the tribe where the Dzungar was located.

And in the military tent where the Junggar tribe was located——

The foreign generals gathered in the military tent, talking at once, and it was clear that the situation was in chaos.

Galdan was wearing a cold black armor. His forehead was as smooth as the moon and his brow bones were very high. He looked at the foreign general who suddenly ran over from outside and shouted, "What did you say?"

"Khan, the Han army's guns are light but powerful. Our army has suffered heavy casualties during this period." A foreign general said loudly with a melancholy look on his face.

Galdan asked anxiously, "How many casualties have our warriors suffered recently?"

The general's dark and strong face looked unhappy. He said, "Khan, our troops have suffered heavy casualties. If this continues, we will definitely not be able to defeat them."

Qili Siming of the Yarkand tribe said in a panic, "Khan, what should we do next?"

During this period, not only the Dzungar tribe suffered heavy casualties, but the Yarkand tribe also suffered considerable casualties.

Galdan thought for a moment and said in a cold voice: "The soldiers should retreat to Liucheng in the west, and at the same time lure the Han army to the west, set up a trap, and annihilate the Han army in one fell swoop."

When Qili Siming heard this, his unshaven face showed an indescribable sense of helplessness, and he said, "This is the only solution for now."

Galdan raised his eyebrows, nodded slightly, then looked at the soldiers around him with a serious expression and said, "All troops, prepare and retreat to the northwest!"

At this moment, Galdan had not yet realized the seriousness of the problem, and did not know that Xie Zaiyi had already divided his troops to cut off the retreating route of the Dzungar cavalry.

Western Regions, Liucheng——

This is the only way to enter Turpan in the Western Regions. Although the city is slightly small, it is surrounded by drought-resistant crops such as tamarisk and jujube trees.

It is autumn now, and the lush vegetation has turned yellow, adding a sense of desolation and bitter cold to the western region filled with yellow sand.

At this moment, on the spacious and wide official road, the sound of horse hooves could be heard, and a large number of cavalry were approaching Liucheng in a mighty manner.

Above the flag, a black flag embroidered with a wolf flag was faintly visible and fluttering in the wind, while a large number of cavalrymen were holding long swords, and the shining blades were dazzling under the sunlight.

"Oh no! It's the Han army!" The Junggar soldiers on the city wall said anxiously when they saw the red flags in the rising dust.

"Swoosh!" As arrows were thrown like rain, many Junggar soldiers quickly fell to the ground with "puff" and "puff" sounds.

The generals all changed color: "Oh no, the enemy is attacking!"

Then, the sound of "boom..." was heard continuously.

Accompanied by bursts of rumbling artillery fire and scattered smoke, a large number of Han troops approached the city like a tide and hit the city walls.

Tens of thousands of cavalrymen from the Beijing camp gathered towards the city walls in a mighty force, raising a huge cloud of dust that swept towards the towering city walls.

The Han army of the Shenji Battalion in the Beijing Camp carried a large number of muskets and fired them at the city wall. The air was filled with smoke and the Junggar soldiers on the city wall were hit by the musket bullets. Blood gushed out of their burly bodies and they let out screams.

At noon, the cavalry of the Beijing Camp rolled up their armor and entered Liucheng. However, the flag on the top of the city wall had not been changed and the wolf totem of the Junggar tribe was still hanging.

The leading officer of the Beijing Camp was standing on the city wall at this moment, holding a monocular telescope in his hand, looking at the vast desert in the distance.

……

……

On the other side, the Galdan and Yarkand bandits were still unaware that their retreat route to Liucheng had been blocked, and were now discussing military matters in the military tent.

"The Han army's firearms are too powerful. Our army should retreat to Turpan first, then divide our forces and advance. We should not confront the Han army in Shazhou." Qili Siming of the Yarkand tribe said.

Galdan looked annoyed and said, "It is unwise to use one's own weakness to attack the enemy's strength."

He regretted it to the extreme. He should not have fought with the Han army for the city, but should have focused on harassing them.

Qili Siming, the second taiji of the Yarkand tribe, looked serious and said, "Now how can we remedy this defeat? Our army has fallen into a passive position."

Galdan thought for a moment and said, "The most urgent thing now is to retreat back to Liucheng and prepare for the future."

At this moment, the troops led by the two men had suffered casualties of 30,000 to 40,000 in the previous battle with the Han cavalry, which was not a small number for an army of 200,000.

Casualties were nearly 20 percent, but there was no progress at all.

Naturally, Galdan couldn't hold on any longer.

Qili Siming was silent for a moment, then said, "This is the only way."

Galdan said: "You and I will first go to Liucheng to station troops, send out scouts to investigate the enemy's recent situation, and then further observe the situation."

Qili Siming responded with a "yes" and without saying anything else, he led a large number of soldiers towards Liucheng.

Two days later.

"Khan, Liucheng is ahead." At this moment, a foreign general with a big beard and a rough face came quickly from the side and spoke to Galdan.

However, just as the army approached Liucheng, they heard the rumbling sound of muskets from the top of the city.

"Sorry..."

But then I heard the horses all kick up their heels, and then raised their four hooves, and soon I heard bursts of neighing from the soldiers all around.

Immediately, overwhelming artillery fire poured down on the entire Junggar tribe.

For a time, the troops of the Junggar and Yarkand were in chaos.

Galdan's expression suddenly changed, his clear eyes flickered, and he whispered, "Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!"

They wanted to cut off the Han army's retreat, but they were cut off by the Han army in advance. Unfortunately, their food and supplies were all in Liucheng.

The troops of Dzungar and Yarkand were in chaos under the bombardment of the Han army's muskets.

At this moment, accompanied by a "creak", the city gate in the distance suddenly opened, and then a large number of soldiers could be seen pouring out from the city wall. The Han cavalry raised their swords with cold air in their hands, which were bright and dazzling under the sunlight.

"kill!!!"

For a moment, the sound of killing shook the sky and reached the sky.

Qili Siming's face turned pale, his pupils condensed sharply, and he said: "Not good! Not good, this is the main force of the Han army!"

Galdan also noticed the movement of the troops on the top of the city. His heart sank to the bottom. He pushed the horse under his crotch and shouted loudly: "Retreat! Retreat!"

In fact, the troops of the Beijing camp on the towering city walls were not the main force of the Han army, but just a detachment, pretending to be an all-out attack.

At this moment, the Dzungar and Yarkand tribes were in such a state of confusion that they had no time to distinguish these details. Under the charge of the Han army, they fled everywhere, leaving behind only their flags and drums.

However, since there were not too many Han troops in Liucheng, they only pursued for a while before retreating back into the city.

Galdan and Qili Siming led more than 100,000 chaotic cavalry and fled far away.

……

……

After suffering a defeat in Liucheng, Galdan and the Yarkand tribes retreated westwards, while Xie Zaiyi and Pang Shili's troops pursued them from August to October.

The heavy snow fluttered down in Guanzhong, covering the city of Shenjing with a layer of white snow, which was dazzling under the sunlight.

In the city of Shenjing, the Five Cities Army organized a large number of soldiers to clear the snow.

In the wing room in Shenjing City——

Because of the burning floor heating, hot air could be seen surging in the house, and the warmth was cozy. Jia Heng and Chen Xiao were sipping tea together, while Gu Ruoqing was looking after their two children not far away.

They were Jia Heng and Chen Xiao's son Jia Rui, and Jia Heng and Gu Ruoqing's daughter Jia Ping. Of course, they had changed their surnames to Su Rui and Su Ping.

Chen Xiao asked with concern: "It has been more than a month since the Duke of England came. Is the war going smoothly?"

Jia Heng said: "The Junggar and Yarkand tribes are mainly cavalry. The troops transferred by the Beijing camp this time are also cavalry. In addition, they have fire guns and artillery shells. It should not be difficult to restrain them."

Chen Xiao asked: "Now that most of the provincial governors have been replaced, only Guangdong and Guangxi are left. Who do you plan to transfer to serve as the governor of the two places?"

Previously, Jia Heng transferred Song Xuan to Hunan as governor, and the governor of Hubei, Yu Zhigao, who was also a classmate of Lin Ruhai, was transferred.

The Governor of Anhui was a contemporary of Li Shouzhong, and was succeeded by former Anhui Provincial Governor Deng Cheng.

Local governors and governors-general were gradually replaced by Jia Heng's cronies, and the court recently planned to select a central official to go to Guangdong and Guangxi to prepare for the future war in Vietnam.

The Han Dynasty now gradually finalized the governor system, setting up governors in important places to command the governors and the three departments and be in charge of military and political affairs.

For example, the Governor-General of Zhili, that is, the area of ​​Hebei has been renamed Zhili, with its seat in Beiping Prefecture.

In the winter of the fifth year of Qiande, Liaodong Governor Wang Ziteng was promoted to Governor-General of Liaodong.

As for Fujian and Zhejiang, Jia Heng was not in a hurry to establish the post of governor. In fact, the post of governor of Huguang had not been established yet because there was no suitable official to be dispatched.

Jia Heng picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Vietnam is the land of the Han and Tang dynasties. In the past two years, they have not paid tribute to the court as diligently as in previous years. The court should punish them!"

"So we're going to use troops next year?" Chen Xiao asked.

Jia Heng said: "Don't use the army for the next two years. Take care of internal affairs first, and then we can discuss other things."

It was after he ascended the throne that he conquered Vietnam. At that time, he was in power and could incorporate the entire land of Vietnam into China.

Jia Heng said, "In the next two years, when the railway is built to Nanjing, it should be almost enough."

In the past five years of Qiande, the official road with cement repair has been built to Nanjing, and construction has begun to be carried out towards Beiping Prefecture and Jinan Prefecture, truly forming a highway hub connecting the north and the south.

As for the railway from Shenjing to Luoyang, it is still being laid, but the steam locomotive is still being improved. It has not yet been truly opened to traffic and there are still many problems. The Military Equipment Inspectorate is still making improvements.

The water conservancy renovation project of the entire Han Dynasty has also entered its final stage. The dikes and dams in the Huaihe River section have been built, while those in the Yellow River section are still under construction.

The land of Sichuan also healed the pain brought by the war. The new Sichuan Governor, Shi Ding, had begun to transform the Sichuan chieftains into officials.

Just as Jia Heng was thinking about the border affairs, a maid with two buns and a beautiful face came running into the mansion and said breathlessly, "Your Highness, the Jinyi Guards are here and they said they have urgent military information to report to Your Highness."

Chen Xiao's heart moved slightly, he looked up at Jia Heng and said, "It must be the military intelligence report from the northwest."

At this time, apart from the northwest, there was really no other place to report military intelligence.

Jia Heng said, "Let's go and take a look together."

Chen Xiao nodded, and while the two were talking, they had already quickly walked into the hall.

The person who came was the Jinyiwei Commander Liu Jixian.

As for Qu Lang, he was transferred by Jia Heng to Nanjing as a commander in the fifth year of Qiande. Ostensibly, it was because he had failed to guard Prince Yan properly, which led to Prince Yan's suicide.

But in fact, he was tasked with spying on the Chen clans in the southern provinces in order to monitor the movements in the southern provinces.

Liu Jixian could not hide his excitement in his voice, and said, "Your Highness, a great victory in the northwest! A great victory in the northwest! Duke Ying defeated the Junggar and Yarkand tribes. After annihilating 60,000 enemies in Liucheng, he defeated the main force of the Junggar in Turpan and killed two Yarkand taijis in battle. He has won a great victory in the Western Regions."

After hearing this, Jia Heng, who had been feeling a little worried, completely relaxed.

Although they were very confident in the combat effectiveness of the Han Dynasty's imperial camp, after all, the Junggar and Yarkand tribes led 200,000 troops to invade the entire Hami City.

Both armies were cavalry and were skilled in field charges. Even though the Han army could rely on the advantage of firearms, it could not guarantee victory.

Now that he had received the good news, Jia Heng couldn't help but feel relieved.

Chen Xiao's beautiful face showed a bright smile, and he said, "We have won a great victory in the Northwest. I can finally have a good sleep from now on."

During this period, Jia Heng was also very worried about border affairs, because the troops involved this time were as high as 200,000, which could be called a national war and would affect the country's destiny.

Unlike previous wars, this time it was not Jia Heng who led the troops, so he had no control over what would happen in the northwest.

Once he suffered a defeat, Jia Heng's prestige, which had been at its peak, would collapse, and his path to becoming an emperor would be cut short.

Jia Heng was in the capital, not leading the troops himself, so one can imagine how worried he was.

Jia Heng's eyes flickered fiercely under his sword-like brows, and he said loudly: "If the Western Regions are recovered, the northwestern border will be stable and peaceful for a long time, and the court will have a buffer place to deploy troops. However, in the future, we need to build a railway from Shenjing to Yili to consolidate and strengthen the court's management of the border."

He also truly realized the territorial map of the Qing Dynasty in later generations. At this time, the Han Dynasty included the Northeast, Inner and Outer Mongolia, the Western Regions, Tibet, and Taiwan.

If both Korea and Japan were under his command, the territory would exceed that of the Qing Dynasty in the previous life.

Compared with the Qing Dynasty's policy of controlling the border areas, he used railways and guns to rule and promote ethnic integration, which was entirely possible to achieve long-term stability.

Chen Xiao said: "After the Western Region is recovered, we can prepare for the abdication in the spring of next year."

Jia Heng said: "After next year, the year after next, which is the eighth year of Qiande, it will probably be that time."

It is now the winter of the sixth year of Qiande, and next year will be the seventh year of Qiande. It is expected that after a year of internal affairs improvement, local governments will submit petitions one after another, and then he can naturally abdicate and become emperor.

It's time for the Han Dynasty to change its surname to Su.

The war in the Western Regions was briefly mentioned, and the protagonist entered the fast lane to ascending the throne.