The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 59 Regroup and Storm the Bandits' Lair

Quan Xu was a young general whose ancestors were founding nobles, but by his generation, the title of fifth-rank general had been inherited. In addition, his father died early, and there were no other uncles or elders to help him, so his family became deserted.

Fortunately, he was quite promising, studying diligently from a young age and developing considerable literary and martial talents.

After inheriting the title, he joined the Beijing Garrison. For some reason, he caught the eye of Prince Teng and was promoted to a lieutenant general in the Imperial Guard.

This time, Wang Ziteng was demoted and sent away from the capital, so he couldn't take too many people with him. In addition, Quan Xu himself was a nobleman, and it was not something Wang Ziteng could arrange for him to be transferred away from the capital garrison.

Therefore, before leaving the capital, when he met the emperor, Prince Teng recommended this person to the emperor.

After personally investigating, the emperor discovered that Quan Xu was indeed talented and learned, and he began to cherish his talent.

Coincidentally, the emperor needed to send someone to serve under Tu Chengyu at this time, so he simply sent Quan Xu on the spot, which could also be regarded as an assessment of him by the emperor.

With the soldiers on guard on the hilltop, Quan Xu climbed up the hill with only two personal guards and no weapons.

The first thing he saw when he came up was Tu Chengyu standing in the middle of the crowd.

He was in the imperial camp during the day and stood at the front with Prince Teng, so he naturally knew Tu Chengyu.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed: "This humble general, Quan Xu, greets Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu sized up the young general and said, "No need for formalities. Did the Emperor send you here with any other instructions?"

Quan Xu replied, "Your Highness, His Majesty has sent a letter for me to present to you."

Although it wasn't an imperial edict, it couldn't be ignored, so Tu Chengyu quickly said, "Bring it here."

Quan Xu then took a wooden box from the guard beside him and presented it to Tu Chengyu.

Tu Chengyu took the wooden box, opened it, and found a letter inside; the handwriting was indeed that of the emperor.

With the emperor's letter as proof, Quan Xu's identity was beyond doubt.

Tu Chengyu needed to read the emperor's letters and didn't have time to deal with Quan Xu, so he said to Su Xuanbao, "Take General Quan around and tell him about the battle here."

Su Xuanbao accepted the order, and when Tu Chengyu took the letter to the pavilion, he took Quan Xu around to see it and introduced the day's battle.

The two had met before, but they didn't feel awkward chatting now.

Su Xuanbao's story was full of ups and downs, and Quan Xu was also deeply moved.

When he heard that bandits had impersonated the imperial guards to assassinate Prince Su, although he knew the assassination attempt had failed, he was still terrified by the close call. If Prince Su had truly been assassinated, even the reinforcements personally sent by the emperor would have suffered the consequences.

Then, upon hearing that the battle had just ended and the battlefield hadn't even been cleaned up, he felt a pang of regret. He thought to himself that if he had run faster, he might have had a chance to join the fight.

Finally, when he heard that there might still be bandits hiding in their stronghold, and that once the Imperial Horse Administration had interrogated them and found out their location, they could go and wipe them out in one fell swoop, he became extremely excited.

Despite his young age, he was a thoroughly warmonger. He hovered around Su Xuanbao, asking if he could participate in the upcoming operation to raid the bandits' stronghold.

This was not something Su Xuanbao could decide. He couldn't give Quan Xu an answer, so he could only make things up and try to cover it up.

This made Quan Xu extremely anxious, so when he saw Tu Chengyu finish reading the emperor's letter, he excitedly ran over and gave Tu Chengyu a deep bow.

His sudden bow puzzled Tu Chengyu, who asked, "General Quan, what are you doing?"

Quan Xu said, "I have heard that Your Highness is going to wipe out the bandits' stronghold. I would like to request permission from Your Highness to serve as the vanguard."

Tu Chengyu looked at the guy speechlessly and said, "There are only so few people here right now, why send out a vanguard officer?"

Quan Xu said, "Since Your Highness is not sending a vanguard officer, I will serve as a scout and go to explore the way for Your Highness."

Seeing that Quan Xu was trying every means to go to war, Tu Chengyu asked, "Do you really like fighting that much?"

Quan Xu replied, "Your Highness, I have diligently practiced martial arts and military strategy daily in the capital garrison, and I believe I possess some skill. Unfortunately, having remained in the garrison for so many years, I have never had the opportunity to fight, and I am truly itching for it. Now that I have finally encountered such a chance, I implore Your Highness to take me along, even if it means serving as a lowly soldier charging into battle."

He spoke so earnestly and seriously, it seemed he really wanted to go to war.

Tu Chengyu quite liked this kind of person, patting his arm and saying, "Since you like fighting so much, I promise you, once we've interrogated the bandits and found out their hideout, I'll definitely take you to wipe them out."

Upon hearing this, Quan Xu happily bowed to Tu Chengyu again.

After coordinating with Quan Xu and confirming that they were all on his side, Tu Chengyu ordered the blocked road to be opened so that Quan Xu's men could come over.

At the same time, he ordered the army cooks to hurry up and cook for everyone, so that everyone could eat and drink their fill and rest well, in preparation for the next step of wiping out the bandits' stronghold.

With all the tasks assigned and someone overseeing them, Tu Chengyu was free again.

However, this time he didn't go anywhere else, but instead went with Quan Wenwei to eat a meal cooked by his daughter.

According to Quan Wenwei, although his daughter is not very old, she has been cooking for many years, and the food she makes is delicious and visually appealing.

How delicious could a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl's cooking be? Tu Chengyu wasn't entirely convinced by Quan Wenwei's words and decided to try it himself.

However, after Tu Chengyu tasted all the dishes made by Quan Wenwei's daughter, he believed it.

Such a young girl, yet she possesses such superb culinary skills. Just for this culinary skill, Tu Chengyu had to plead with his father, the Emperor, for the sake of the father and daughter.

After enjoying a delicious dinner and a cup of tea brewed by Quan Wenwei's daughter, Tu Chengyu felt incredibly content. However, before he could even take a few sips of tea, Wu Chun rushed over excitedly to see him.

As soon as he entered, he said to Tu Chengyu, "Your Highness, I've found out."

Tu Chengyu sat up straight and said, "Tell me quickly what happened?"

Wu Chun said, "The people who impersonated the Dragon Guards today were originally sent by the person behind the scenes to monitor this palace. They hid in the mountains early in the morning to keep watch. However, in the afternoon, shortly after the Prince arrived here, they suddenly received a new order to assassinate the Prince at all costs. Later, when they were walking this way, they encountered the soldiers sent by the Prince to deliver a memorial. They captured these soldiers and learned what was written in the memorial. That's why they pretended to be the Dragon Guards to assassinate the Prince, trying to sneak into the Prince's side to carry out the assassination. Fortunately, the Prince saw through their disguise."

So that's how it was. Otherwise, Tu Chengyu wouldn't have understood how they got here so quickly. From their conversation, he could glean some information: someone had been monitoring the Imperial Camp, or at least his own movements. Otherwise, how could they have sent messengers to inform the bandits to assassinate him so quickly? Thinking about this, Tu Chengyu felt frustrated. He hadn't offended anyone, so why would someone go to such lengths to assassinate him, risking so much and sacrificing a carefully trained force? Even the murder of his father wouldn't warrant such a thing.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Did you find out who's behind this?"

Wu Chun shook his head and said, "The only person in contact with the mastermind is the bandit general who committed suicide; everyone else knows nothing about him."

This is a bit troublesome. Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and then asked, "Besides these, did you find out anything about the bandits' hideout?"

Wu Chun replied, "I found out. I asked several bandits separately and confirmed the location of their stronghold. It's in a small mountain village about 200 miles to the north. They usually disguise themselves as mountain people and only come out to do things when they receive orders."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Since they can disguise themselves as mountain people, does that mean their families are also with them?"

Wu Chun said, "Your Highness guessed correctly. Some of the bandits live in the village with their families, while the rest, without families, take turns going into the mountains for training or going out to obey orders."

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Did you find out exactly how many men they have in total?"

Wu Chun replied, "Except for family members, there are about eight hundred in total. Five hundred were sent out this time, and only three hundred are capable of fighting in the old stronghold."

Since there are only three hundred, that makes things easier.

Tu Chengyu said to the door, "Call Su Xuanbao and Quan Xu over."

One of the guards outside immediately ran out, and soon Su Xuanbao and Quan Xu arrived together.

Wu Chun then explained the situation to the two men again.

Tu Chengyu asked Su Xuanbao, "You fought them today. Tell me, how many men would be needed to take down these three hundred men?"

Su Xuanbao thought for a moment and said, "This time, we're undertaking a long-distance raid, while they're well-rested and familiar with the village. We need at least three times the enemy's strength, otherwise we'll suffer heavy casualties."

Tu Chengyu asked Quan Xu, "How many people did you bring this time?"

Quan Xu replied, “Your Highness, I have brought 500 cavalrymen from my own unit, and His Majesty has transferred another 500 cavalrymen and 1,000 infantrymen from elsewhere, for a total of 2,000 men.”

Tu Chengyu asked, "Are the cavalrymen riding solo or in pairs?"

Quan Xu replied, "Your Highness, they were all riding alone."

That leaves only a thousand horses. Adding the two hundred horses we brought with us, if each person has two horses, we can only feed six hundred people.

Tu Chengyu said to them, "Two horses per person isn't enough. Do you have any ideas?"

Quan Xu said, “Your Highness, all the rebels who came today are here; not one has escaped. As a result, the rebels outside the mountains will not know the specific details until tomorrow morning at the earliest, and by the time they send the message back to their stronghold, it will be tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. All in all, we have a whole day to reach the rebels’ stronghold, which is more than enough time. Your Highness can send someone back to the capital to request His Majesty to send more warhorses.”

Tu Chengyu looked at Quan Xu with a half-smile and said, "Do you think that once the Emperor finds out about this, there will still be any involvement between the two of you?"

Quan Xu and Su Xuanbao exchanged a glance, realizing what was going on. Given their experience and age, the emperor really wouldn't trust them with such a task.

"This method won't work," Quan Xu frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "Since two horses per person aren't enough, let's each have one. We have plenty of time. Let's set off now and travel on foot tonight. Tomorrow, when we reach the vicinity of the rebels' lair, we can launch a surprise attack on horseback. This way, we can send 1,002 men, four times the number of the enemy, and we're sure to return victorious."

That's one approach. Tu Chengyu turned to Quan Wenwei and asked, "Mr. Quan, what do you think of this method?"

Quan Wenwei was sipping tea nearby when Tu Chengyu's polite address of "Mr. Quan" nearly made him drop his teacup. He hurriedly put down the teacup, brushed the tea stains off his robe, and coughed awkwardly, saying:
"Ahem, Your Highness, I think this method is quite good."

Tu Chengyu said, "Since everyone thinks this is a good plan, then let's do it this way. This attack will involve 1,200 men, with Su Xuanbao as the commander and Quan Xu as the deputy commander. Do you two have any questions?"

The two men exchanged another glance, then bowed and replied, "Your subordinate obeys."

Then, Tu Chengyu continued, "This raid on the rebels' stronghold was carried out by my own troops, bearing a tremendous responsibility. Therefore, I demand that you annihilate all the rebels and not let a single one escape, otherwise I will have no way to explain myself to the Emperor."

This time, the two agreed very readily.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will certainly not disappoint you."

Tu Chengyu said, "You all go and prepare first."

After the two left, Quan Wenwei said, "Why didn't Your Highness let them capture the rebels alive? Perhaps they could capture some bandits who know clues about the mastermind."

Tu Chengyu shook his head and said, "A raid from two hundred miles away is inherently a very dangerous undertaking. For them, it's a matter of risking their lives. I can give them strict orders to strengthen their resolve, but I can't give them random orders that would disrupt their morale. Besides, I've heard that when deploying troops on the battlefield, the most taboo thing is to use public affairs for personal gain."

After listening, Quan Wenwei sincerely exclaimed, "Your Highness is wise!"

Tu Chengyu said, "But I'm still worried about the two of them going. Why don't you go and be their advisor, Mr. Quan?"

Quan Wenwei looked stunned. He had just praised the other person for being wise, but in the blink of an eye, he had been tricked.

Quan Wenwei asked, "Your Highness sent this humble subject to help the two generals; doesn't Your Highness go himself?"

Tu Chengyu said, "I was planning to go, but the Emperor has summoned me back. Therefore, I have no choice but to let you go and help them."

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, I am a criminal and cannot go to war with the army. Besides, my daughter is young and needs my care."

Tu Chengyu said, "It is precisely because Mr. Quan has committed a crime that I am giving him a chance to make a contribution. As for your daughter, Mr. Quan need not worry; I will certainly find someone to take good care of her."

Since Tu Chengyu had already said that, how could Quan Wenwei refuse? He could only nod in agreement.

And so, the matter was settled.

After the soldiers rested for half an hour, Su Xuanbao, as the commander-in-chief, led 1,200 men toward the rebels' lair.

Tu Chengyu returned to his room and went to sleep early.

I'm going to a banquet this afternoon, so I'm posting both chapters together.

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(End of this chapter)