novelonline Chapter 1419 Queen Song: But no matter how much promotion you get (ask for monthly tickets!)
Chapter 1419 Queen Song: But no matter how much promotion you get (ask for monthly tickets!)
Chapter 1419 Queen Song: But no matter how much I advance in rank... (Please give me a monthly pass!)
next day
A streak of dawn appeared in the east, and the summer morning breeze blew on the wheat seedlings on the earth, bringing endless coolness.
When the sky brightened, golden rays of morning light burst out from the clouds in the sky.
At this moment, the Han army launched another attack on Jinzhou City, attacking the towering Jinzhou City in the distance.
Because of the previous battle, the Jurchen soldiers did not come out from the inner room to repair and reinforce the collapsed city walls.
In fact, there was no time to repair and reinforce it because the fighting was so fierce.
At this moment, a large number of Han troops once again entered the inner city through the outer city. The red cannon was pushed over by the soldiers of the Beijing Camp and bombarded the inner city in the distance.
"boom!!!"
Along with the rumbling sound of the red cannons, thick smoke could be seen billowing from the cannons, and the inner city was suddenly exposed to the artillery fire of the Han army.
At this moment, the Jurchen soldiers rushed out of the city gate and fought a desperate battle with the Han army.
Dorgon had obviously understood that if he simply kept his soldiers hiding in the city, they would be suppressed by the Han army's artillery fire. It would be better to fight the Han army in the city, so as to give full play to the combat power advantage of the Eight Banners soldiers.
Compared with yesterday's fighting, the Han army was undoubtedly more aggressive this time. Or, in other words, the Han army's morale was greatly boosted after learning that Mu Sheng had won a great victory and captured the city of Hetuala.
Within an hour, the Jurchen soldiers were pushed towards the inner city walls.
At this moment, Dorgon was standing on the city gate tower, looking at the battle situation below, and a feeling of sadness welled up in his heart.
The Qing Dynasty is really finished.
On this side, Cao Bianjiao led the cavalry to fight against Ajige's troops.
At this moment, Jia Heng did not lead a group of horsemen to charge into battle, but was observing the battle situation with a telescope in his hand.
Chen Xiao put down the telescope, his bright eyes flickered under his willow eyebrows, and he whispered: "The Jurchens can't hold on any longer."
Jia Heng nodded and said in a deep voice: "Let the central army press forward! Intensify the offensive and completely defeat the Jurchen troops."
Chen Xiao responded, and then ordered the Jinyi Guards to launch a massive attack on the city.
At this moment, as Jia Heng's order was conveyed, more than 10,000 elite soldiers and horses of the Han army's central army were suddenly deployed into Jinzhou City, adding another weight to the combat effectiveness of the Han army.
This move undoubtedly put greater pressure on the Jurchen troops in the city.
"Dong dong..."
At this moment, the sound of the cowhide drums was like raindrops, deafening at this moment, making people feel uneasy.
The Jurchen soldiers in the city could no longer hold out under the continuous attacks of the Han army. In other words, under the continuous fierce attacks of the Han army, they were like a camel that could not bear the burden and was just missing the last straw.
At this moment, Cao Bianjiao was besieging Ajige with several officers from the Beijing camp. The long sword in his hand was so sharp that the blade was like a ray of moonlight, and he was going to kill Ajige.
On the inner city gate tower, Dorgon saw this dangerous scene and became very anxious. He ordered the officers beside him and said loudly: "Go down and help Prince Ying."
Upon hearing this, the officer opened his mouth to respond and then walked away quickly.
Dorgon's eyes were deep under his thick brows, but he couldn't help but think of Ajige's previous proposal, which was to withdraw troops and return to Shengjing City.
Otherwise, if this continues, the entire army will be wiped out sooner or later. It would be better to take away 40,000 to 50,000 people and rush back to Shengjing City.
At this moment, there were still 70,000 to 80,000 Jurchen soldiers in the city, relying on the inner city and the city walls to fight against the Han army. As time went by, the number of soldiers was decreasing rapidly.
In this battle, because both sides fought in narrow streets and alleys, the Han army's military advantage was offset to a certain extent.
This meant that the Han army was completely unable to deploy its forces.
Therefore, it was not until night fell and the moon was bright in the sky that the Han army gradually evacuated the city, leaving only the streets and alleys of the inner and outer cities littered with corpses and broken swords and guns.
After several days of attacks, the morale of the Jurchens, who had suffered heavy casualties, had reached its lowest point at this moment.
What is particularly serious is that as time passed, the Jurchen soldiers and generals began to suspect that the old village of Hetuala City had fallen into the hands of the Han army.
The bright moon hangs in the sky, and the moonlight silently falls on the earth.
In Jinzhou City, in the hall of the government office——
Dorgon and Ajige were sitting across a table from each other. Both of them had frowns on their faces, with gloomy expressions.
Ajige suddenly said: "Withdraw the troops."
We have no choice but to withdraw our troops now. If we continue like this, once Jinzhou City is broken, Shengjing City will be unable to resist. If we withdraw to Shengjing, relying on the solidity of Shengjing City, we may be able to fight the Han army until winter.
Dorgon's face was also full of solemnity, and he said: "We can't hold on any longer, we need to go back to Shengjing for help."
Seeing Dorgon's change of tone, Ajige said, "Fourteenth brother, I will hold the city tomorrow, you take the troops and leave the city overnight and go to Shengjing."
Hearing this, Dorgon looked at Ajige and said, "Brother, you take the troops and leave. I will guard Jinzhou City."
At this moment, Dorgon addressed Ajige as his brother.
Ajige shook his head and said, "The Qing Dynasty can do without Ajige, but it cannot do without Dorgon. If Shengjing cannot be defended after you leave, please remember what the Han people said: As long as there is green mountains, there will be no shortage of firewood."
After thinking for a while, he whispered: "My great ancestor started the army with thirteen sets of armor. As long as my fourteenth brother works hard to govern the country, there may be a time when the glory of my Aisin-Gioro clan will be restored in the future."
Hearing this, Dorgon closed his eyes slightly and sighed: "I am a sinner of the Aisin-Gioro clan."
After the Qing Dynasty was handed over to him, it became worse day by day.
Ajige was silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.
On the other side, in the camp five miles away from Jinzhou City, there were lights everywhere and the sounds of people roaring and horses neighing.
Jia Heng was having dinner with Chen Xiao at this moment.
Chen Xiao looked thoughtful and said, "During the daytime siege, I saw that the Eight Banners of the Jurchens could not hold out. They were just short of a last resort."
Jia Heng nodded and whispered, "In these few days."
If the troops in the city had not been unable to deploy their forces, the Jurchen army would have collapsed and scattered long ago, and would not have been trapped in a war of attrition.
Jia Heng suppressed his thoughts, a look of certainty appeared in his eyes, and he said, "I think Dorgon might abandon the city and leave."
"Abandon the city and run away?" Chen Xiao frowned his willow-leaf eyebrows, and a look of surprise appeared in his bright eyes.
Jia Heng looked at me fiercely and explained, "Otherwise, nearly 100,000 brave Jurchens would be consumed and lost in this battle with our Han army. It would be very unprofitable. With Dorgon's wisdom, he would probably think of cutting off the tail to survive."
Chen Xiao frowned, his bright eyes flashed, and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Have someone keep an eye on them and let the cavalry attack." Jia Heng said in a low voice.
Chen Xiao nodded and said, "We have already sent people to keep an eye on them, but Dorgon will definitely send people to cover their retreat."
Jia Heng said: "We should keep as many as we can. If nothing unexpected happens, the defender of the inner city of Jinzhou will probably be Ajige."
Chen Xiao seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "Once the troops are divided, the fall of Jinzhou City will be imminent."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "That's about it."
In this way, after taking Jinzhou, the army will rest for a few days and then march straight to Shengjing City and encircle Shengjing. The war will probably be over before the end of the year?
The couple chatted and then took a rest.
At four o'clock in the morning, a Jinyifu guard called Jia Heng from his tent, his voice sounding a little panic and anxious.
Jia Heng stood up and whispered, "What's going on?"
The Jinyifu guard bowed and reported: "Commander-in-chief, there seems to be movement in Jinzhou City."
Jia Heng narrowed his eyes, turned his head to look at Chen Xiao who had put on his clothes and left his tent, and said, "Dorgon has taken action. He is going to escape."
Chen Xiao made a prompt decision and said, "Select a general from the Beijing camp to lead the troops to intercept and kill them."
In this situation, it is not necessary to retain all of Dorgon's troops, but it is enough to retain a part of them.
Jia Heng nodded and said to the Jinyifu guards, "Come here, call Cao Bianjiao."
The task of pursuing the remaining enemies must be handed over to Cao Bianjiao.
After a while, Cao Bianjiao came up to him in a hurry, clasped his fists and said, "General."
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said, "The Jurchen soldiers in the city have already left the city. It is possible that Dorgon led his troops to leave. General Cao, lead your cavalry soldiers to chase and kill them immediately."
Under Cao Bianjiao's thick eyebrows, his fierce and flashing tiger eyes seemed to show a hint of determination, and he said, "Don't worry, Marshal. I will go and give chase right away."
Jia Heng watched Cao Bianjiao turn and leave, then turned to look at Chen Xiao who was standing beside him and said, "Tomorrow the army will be assembled to capture Jinzhou City."
Although we don’t know how many troops were evacuated from Jinzhou City, facing the heavy siege of the Han army, Jinzhou City could not hold out at all.
As they talked, they returned to their tent to sleep.
As the sound of horse hooves clattered, Cao Bianjiao led a large number of cavalry soldiers to chase after Dorgon.
……
……
Shenjing City, Palace Garden, Kunning Palace
Emperor Chongping was not feeling well recently, so he did not go to the inner study to handle state affairs and temporarily handed over government affairs to the cabinet.
For example, the chief minister of the cabinet, Li Zan, and the second minister, Gao Zhongping, were both famous ministers of their time. When they handled the government affairs, everything was almost in order.
Emperor Chongping held a thin blue-covered volume of the Three Kingdoms in his hand, and he lowered his eyes to read it, muttering in a low voice: "Kong Ming went to Qishan six times, but ultimately failed. It's really a pity."
At this moment, Queen Song was holding a blue and white porcelain teacup, and in a delicate and soft voice, she whispered, "Your Majesty, I have cooked some red dates and glutinous rice porridge to replenish your Majesty's qi and blood."
I don’t know if it was because of her previous guilt that made this beautiful woman feel particularly guilty towards the emperor lying on the bed in front of her, and she planned to take meticulous care of him in the last moments of his life.
Emperor Chongping placed the blue-covered book in his hand on a small table beside him and said, "Zitong, Ziyu's storybook is truly brilliant."
Under Queen Song's willow-like eyebrows, her beautiful eyes were as clear as water. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it won't be too late to read this book after eating this bowl."
Emperor Chongping nodded and said, "When Ziyu returns to the capital, I will ask him to write a few more similar stories."
After Liaodong is pacified, Zi Yu should take a good rest for a few years and then write some storybooks.
Queen Song nodded, not taking Emperor Chongping's words seriously. She sat nearby, picked up the soup bowl, scooped up the rice porridge, and handed it to Emperor Chongping's lips.
Emperor Chongping opened his mouth, took a sip of the porridge from the spoon, chewed it gently, and said with a smile: "Zitong's cooking skills are getting better and better."
Queen Song smiled and said, "I have been making this porridge for many years, and my skills have improved a lot."
Just when the couple was immersed in all kinds of warmth and sweetness, they suddenly heard bursts of brisk footsteps outside. It was Dai Quan.
Dai Quan was dressed in a bright red python robe and a black mountain crown on his head. He walked around a folding screen embroidered with bamboo patterns and mountains and rivers. His fair and beardless face seemed to be covered with a hint of joy.
"Your Majesty, this is a letter from the Duke of Weiguo via carrier pigeon." Dai Quan approached and whispered.
Even if the military report was sent urgently over 600 miles, it would not be as fast as this. Only the carrier pigeons of the secret spy system of the Jinyifu Guards could be sent this fast.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongping was startled and quickly put the bowl of porridge aside. He looked at Dai Quan intently and said, "Bring it here for me to see."
Dai Quan bowed and walked over, holding the report with both hands, and said, "Your Majesty."
Emperor Chongping almost reached out to grab the military report, and after reading it, his pupils shrank, and he asked excitedly, "Hetuala City was captured?"
Emperor Chongping naturally knew where the Jurchen city of Hetuala was. That was the Jurchens' old nest. When Shengjing City was not captured, the Jurchens had been entrenched in Hetuala.
Queen Song asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, has Ziyu won another victory?"
Emperor Chongping's sunken cheeks showed a strange blush, and he said: "Hetuala City has been destroyed, and the old nest in Liaodong has been destroyed by my Han army."
Queen Song's beautiful face could not help but smile and said in a clear voice, "That is truly cause for celebration."
Emperor Chongping was so excited that he could not hide his excitement. He said, "I heard that this was done by an unknown deputy general under Mu Sheng. Of course, if Zi Yu had not attracted the main force of the Jurchens in Jinzhou, I'm afraid this roundabout attack on the city would not be possible at all."
Queen Song asked, "Is Ziyu in Jinzhou now?"
Emperor Chongping said: "The main force of the Jurchens is in Jinzhou City, and Ziyu is confronting them. This battle is the key to whether our Han Dynasty can defeat the Jurchens."
Under Queen Song's dark eyebrows, her beautiful eyes showed a look of infatuation.
It seems that the little fox will be back soon, and this time he should be able to be conferred the title of a prince.
But no matter how high his rank was, it would not be as high as the title of the son she gave birth to him, humph...
……
……
Liaodong, Jinzhou City
next day
The sky was bright, and strands of golden sunlight illuminated the eastern sky, while the eaves and houses seemed to be covered with a layer of golden red gauze.
A large number of Han soldiers poured out of the military camp and marched towards Jinzhou City under the leadership of the generals of the Beijing camp.
In Jinzhou City, Ajige led his 30,000 soldiers, some of whom gathered in the inner city, while others tried to fight with the approaching Han army in the streets.
"Dong dong..."
At this time, the sound of drums rang out, deafening and shocking people inexplicably.
A large number of Han knights wearing red uniforms and black armor launched a fierce attack on Jinzhou City.
At this moment, the shouts and cries of killing shook the sky and were heard from far away.
This time, Ajige did not go into battle, but urged
At this moment, Jia Heng and Chen Xiao were riding on maroon horses, looking at the situation in the city through a monocular telescope.
"Use the Red Cannon to bombard the inner city."
As Jia Heng gave the order, a large number of soldiers from the Beijing camp pushed red cannons and bombarded the city walls. Amid the billowing smoke, shells fell on the city walls one by one. When they exploded, many groans of pain could be heard.
"Rumble..."
At this moment, one black red cannon after another was firing continuously at the city wall.
After a while, the inner city was also riddled with potholes due to the fierce bombardment, and seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
However, because the inner city was not soaked by the flood, its tolerance was obviously higher and there was no sign of collapse at this moment.
Jia Heng frowned and said, "Send more troops. The first one to reach the top of the city will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold."
As Jia Heng's order was passed down, the morale, which had been somewhat low, was undoubtedly boosted.
The Han army soldiers fought bravely and rushed to the top of the city.
At the same time, the Han soldiers below were also fighting with the Eight Banners. The sounds of shouting and killing, the sound of weapons cutting into flesh, and the groans of pain that came one after another were intertwined at this moment.
By the afternoon, the Jurchen troops could no longer hold out and were repeatedly losing positions on the city walls. A large number of Han soldiers had already climbed onto the city walls and were clearing out the Jurchens.
At this moment, Ajige's face was gloomy. He picked up a steel knife in his hand, called dozens of horsemen, went down from the top of the city wall, and rushed towards the Han army.
"Dangdang..."
Ajige was worthy of being the most powerful general of the Jurchens. Even when he was besieged by generals at the level of the commander of twelve battalions, he was not afraid at all.
The Han army officers and generals gathered around him like a revolving lantern, but the man swept the sword in his hand back and forth, and no one could match him.
Jia Heng was holding a telescope at this moment, looking from afar, and said, "Bring me my knife."
After a while, the Jinyifu guards brought a long sword. Jia Heng took it and turned to look at Chen Xiao who was standing beside him. He said, "Xiaoxiao, you lead the army. I will meet this Jurchen captive king."
Chen Xiao nodded, his expression paused, and warned: "Be careful in everything."
Jia Heng said nothing more and headed for Jinzhou City accompanied by a group of personal guards.
At this moment, Ajige was holding a long sword and killing people everywhere.
At this moment, Ajige felt something and looked back suddenly. In the distance, like a sea of fire spreading out, a young man in a python robe riding a maroon horse, holding a long sword with a sharp blade in his hand, walked towards him, escorted by many generals.
"Jia Heng brat!" Ajige almost gritted his teeth, and under his two thick eyebrows, his tiger eyes were full of murderous intent.
Ajige's brother Duoduo died at the hands of Jia Heng, and later, Jia Heng was the one who caused the current situation in which the Jurchen clan is on the verge of collapse.
The hatred is so overwhelming that it is difficult to express.
Jia Heng snorted coldly and said, "Die, you thief!"
As he spoke, he rode up on horseback, accompanied by his personal guards. The long sword in his hand was like a ray of moonlight, and he slashed towards Ajige in mid-air.
"clang……"
Ajige raised the long sword in his hand and blocked it upwards.
The weapons clashed and sparks flew.
Ajige's face was horrified as he frowned, "Jia Heng, you little bastard, give me your life!"
At this moment, the surrounding Han army officers and generals, seeing Jia Heng coming here, no longer besieged Ajige, but led their elite troops to fight against the soldiers on all sides.
Ajige fought with Jia Heng, and the horses of both sides were galloping back and forth non-stop.
Although Jia Heng seldom went into battle personally, as he grew older, his strength gradually reached its peak and his martial arts gradually reached the pinnacle.
At this moment, the extremely sharp long sword in his hand was like a violent storm, firmly blocking Ajige's attempts to evade.
As time passed, Ajige felt sweat oozing out of his back. He was stretched thin and completely unable to withstand the endless force of the sword.
At this moment, Ajige was in a trance for a moment, and felt the sharp energy of the sword. Without saying much, he shuddered and dodged to the side.
Suddenly, I felt a pain in my arm. It was clearly the knife that suddenly came down and cut my arm.
"Pfft..."
Suddenly, a flash of blood appeared and an arm shot up into the sky.
Ajige's arm was in so much pain that he yelled, "Child."
Jia Heng shouted angrily, "Prepare to die!"
There were three Dorgon brothers, and Dodo has passed away. Now only Ajige and Dorgon are left. Now it is time for this one to return to his position.
Feeling the evil wind, Ajige's heart trembled, he drew his long sword to meet the attack, and quickly turned his horse and rode away.
The surrounding cavalry officers also rushed over and risked their lives to rescue him.
(End of this chapter)