The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 100: Just put some croton

In the early morning, the breeze blew over the Lingxiao Tower, and the sound of wind chimes "ding-dong-dong" could be heard far away.

The general of Yulin climbed up the city wall under the escort of a group of personal soldiers. The strong smell of blood and gunpowder filled the air. Corpses were strewn all over the place inside and outside Yulin city. There were corpses from both Yulin guards, Jurchens and Mongols. Broken limbs were everywhere, and torn flags were burning in the flames.

At the other end of the city wall, some young men were busy filling the gaps with earth and rubble to reinforce the gaps.

In the city, women were providing warm meals to the soldiers who were withdrawing from the city walls.

Lingxiao Tower is the commanding height near Yulin. Climbing to the top of the tower, you can have a panoramic view of Yulin.

In the battle that took place in Yulin, both sides paid a heavy price for the Lingxiao Tower. In the late Ming Dynasty, when Li Zicheng attacked Yulin, he first captured the Lingxiao Tower.

Now, the Yulin Guards and the coalition forces of the Jurchens and Mongols are also engaged in a fierce battle for the Lingxiao Tower.

Although the general of Yulin made preparations in advance, he still failed to prevent the internal thieves. The garrisons fell one after another, and only a small number of defenders broke out.

With the enemy outnumbering us, the Yulin Guards were unable to stop the coalition forces of the Ikh Ju League and the Zhengbai Banner, so they had to retreat, build fortifications, reinforce Yulin, and establish an outer defense line.

Yulin has a strategic location due to its rugged natural terrain, and is the throat leading to strategic locations in northern Shaanxi. Taking Yulin would not only open up a channel to attack northern Shaanxi, but also cut off the Great Wall defense line.

Naturally, the Jurchens and Mongols would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Under the guidance of the traitor, they directly launched an attack on the Lingxiao Tower and used the captured artillery to fiercely bombard the fortifications around the Lingxiao Tower.

The Yulin Guards were well prepared and relied on fortifications and artillery fire to engage in an artillery battle with the enemy. The Mongols charged under the artillery fire but were blocked by the Yulin Guards' rain of arrows and muskets, suffering heavy casualties.

After seven days and nights of fighting, the armored soldiers of the Zhengbai Banner found a breakthrough in the explosion and forced their way through the gap in the city wall. After more than two hours of fighting, the armored soldiers of the Zhengbai Banner finally captured the Lingxiao Tower before sunset.

Last night, the general of Yulin took advantage of the fact that the Jurchens and Mongols were unfamiliar with the terrain and fortifications, and launched a counterattack from multiple directions of the Lingxiao Tower at the same time. After a night of fierce fighting, he finally drove the Jurchens and Mongols out at the moment the sun rose.

When the Jurchens and Mongols attacked Lingxiao Tower fiercely, the families of Yulinwei showed extraordinary unity and courage.

Men in the city and some women who were able to do physical labor joined the stretcher teams and transport teams. These teams were mainly responsible for transferring injured defenders from the front line to temporary medical centers in the city, and were also responsible for delivering urgently needed ammunition and meals.

On the streets, simple wooden carts pulled by mules and horses were busy shuttling back and forth, loaded with ammunition and food.

The city was short of manpower, and it was these transport teams that delivered supplies day and night to ensure that the Lingxiao Tower defenders could get timely supplies. In some emergency situations, even these people joined the battle and attacked the Jurchens and Mongols with stones.

Looking at the Tartar camp outside the city, the general of Yulin sighed deeply. The Yulin guards had suffered serious casualties and most of the stored ammunition had been consumed. He didn't know whether they could hold out until the imperial reinforcements arrived.

There was a sound of footsteps, and the deputy general with a bloody face and disheveled hair hurried over.

The deputy general said: "Let the young and strong ones go. If we kill all the old soldiers, it will be difficult to drive the Tartars out the next time they attack the city."

The general of Yulin was silent for a moment, then said, "Go and prepare."

"Yes." The deputy general strode down.

The general of Yulin stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the rolling yellow wind in the distance, and took a deep breath: "Are there any reinforcements?"

A famous proverb in northern Shaanxi: The women from Mizhi, the men from Suide.

The women from Mizhi were beautiful. Although they were not as gentle and graceful as the women from the south of the Yangtze River, they made the second prince "fall in love" after he had stayed in northern Shaanxi for nearly a year.

Today, the second prince is the local emperor of northern Shaanxi. He monopolizes the military and political power in northern Shaanxi, and almost all the officials in the local government are his people.

Before, when Duke Shanguo Shi Guangzhu was around, no one dared to present beautiful women to the Second Prince.

In order to cling to the Second Prince, the new Magistrate of Mizhi County presented him with two stunning beauties, and the Second Prince fell in love with them at first sight.

Fortunately, he still remembered to maintain his image in front of the soldiers, so he placed the two beautiful women in Mizhi County.

The central army camp was less than forty miles northeast of Mizhi. The second prince stayed in the central army camp during the day, spent the night in Mizhi, and rushed back to the camp early in the morning.

Li Hu stood at the window and looked from afar at the second prince who was escorted by the guards and rushed out of the city.

Li Hu was originally worried about how to ensure that the second prince would not be hurt. After all, this was the emperor's order. But who would have thought that as soon as he entered the city yesterday, he saw the second prince rushing in from outside the city.

Then we saw the Magistrate of Mizhi County taking the Second Prince to a villa like a servile servant.

Li Hu waited until the second watch before he met the drunken Mizhi County Magistrate at the county government office.

We have to thank the Second Prince for this. If he hadn't mobilized all the officials from the local government offices, it would not have been so easy for Li Hu to enter the county government.

Li Hu had no time to waste time talking to him. He tied the Mizhi County Magistrate's hands behind his back with a rope and hung him on the beam. If he refused to say anything, he would add small sandbags to his feet. By the third bag, he told him everything.

After learning the truth, Li Hu was angry and wanted to laugh, but this was a good thing because it made it much easier for him to seize military power.

He has already made arrangements. He will have a good chat with the Second Prince in the villa tonight. After obtaining the seal, he will take over the army tomorrow morning.

Xie Jing and Wang Daniu sneaked into the camp yesterday. After a night, I think the generals have made their choice.

At this time, footsteps were heard on the stairs outside the private room, and then the personal soldier guarding the door reported: "General, Captain Wang is back."

Li Hu: "Come in."

The door opened with a click, and Wang Daniu, dressed in casual clothes, walked in.

Li Hu has already sat down in the window seat.

Wang Daniu walked up to Li Hu and whispered, "General, it's done." Then he took out a thick stack of paper from his arms.

Li Hu took the letter and looked at it. It turned out to be a letter of loyalty written by the generals.

After reading the letter, Li Hu looked at Wang Daniu and asked, "How is the camp?"

Wang Daniu: "It went surprisingly smoothly. This is all thanks to the Second Prince. Because he felt guilty, he didn't dare to let others know the truth about the situation ahead. Almost all of his trusted aides were sent out, and only the civil servants stayed in the camp."

Li Hu stood up and said, "Let's go to the villa and wait for the second prince." After saying that, he walked out.

When the moon rose over the east wall, it was just getting dark.

The sound of horse hooves came from afar, making the night street seem even more empty and silent. Then, a group of more than 20 riders appeared from the corner of the street, ran to the door of the house with a big red lantern hanging at the door, stopped, and dismounted together.

The leader lifted the hood of his cloak, and it was the second prince.

A guard rang the door knocker.

The door creaked open, and if you look closely, you can see that the person who opened the door still had his hand on the door.

The second prince strode in.

After walking less than three or five steps, the second prince suddenly heard the door behind him slam shut!
Then, the sound of arrows flying through the air and screams were heard outside the door, and soon it became quiet again.

The second prince loosened his hand that had just grasped the hilt of the sword, and then a hand took off his sword, and the hilt that was against his back disappeared.

The second prince suppressed his panic and said, "Yes, we can talk it over. My dear, do you want some money? How much do you want? Just tell me the number."

The man behind him spoke: "Please come in, Second Prince. Our general is waiting in the front hall."

The second prince's brain buzzed, and he was stunned for a long time before he said tremblingly: "You, you were sent by my father to arrest me."

That person: “Please!”

The second prince came back to his senses and said fiercely in his heart: "No matter who you are, you have to kneel down when you see me." Thinking of this, he strode inside.

The second prince walked in and stopped in the courtyard. The door to the front hall was open, and in the middle was a square table with several dishes, a pot of wine, and two sets of cups and chopsticks.

There was a man standing next to the table, looking at him with a smile on his face.

Li Hu, how could it be him? !

The second prince trembled and walked in with a pounding heart.

Li Hu folded his hands and said, "Second Prince, I am acting according to your orders. I am sorry for the offense!"

After hearing what Li Hu said, the second prince had to swallow his words and walked to the top and sat down.

Li Hu also sat down on the stool beside him, picked up the wine pot and poured a glass of wine for the second prince, then put down the wine pot: "The emperor knows everything."

The second prince was timid at first, but then he became firm again: "I am a prince. Shi Guangzhu doesn't listen to me. He is just defying the imperial power."

Li Hu interrupted him directly: "Second Prince, hand over the seal!"

The second prince's face darkened for a moment, then he quickly smiled and said, "General Li, you have a heavy burden this time! The emperor's holy name, the reputation of the royal family and the court are all on your shoulders!"

Li Hu said calmly: "What do you mean?"

The second prince picked up the wine pot and poured a glass of wine for Li Hu, saying, "I am not only the son of my father, but also the imperial envoy appointed by my father himself. In addition to the military and political affairs of northern Shaanxi, I also control the border troops of Yulin Town. These are all issued by imperial edict."

At this point, he picked up the wine glass and drank it all. "Ten thousand deaths is a number, one hundred thousand deaths, one million deaths is also a number. But the emperor's holy name, the face of the royal family and the court are different. This will shake the foundation of the Dashun Dynasty!"

Li Hu didn't say anything, but picked up the wine jug and poured him another glass of wine.

The second prince perked up and drank the food in one gulp. Then he picked up his chopsticks and said as he ate: "You should understand that your situation is very embarrassing. Once a new crown prince is appointed, you will have no place in the court. As long as you help me, whatever I have, I will give you half."

Li Hu: "Please give me some advice, Your Highness." As he said that, he filled his glass with wine again.

A trace of pride flashed across the second prince's face. "It's very simple. You just stay in Mizhi City and wait for the matter in Yulin to be resolved. As for the emperor, don't worry, I will speak for you. Besides, when a general is away from home, he may not obey the emperor's orders."

He drank it in one gulp and continued, "As long as you seize the opportunity and save face for the emperor and the court, it will be a great achievement!"

Li Hu: "No, I can't bear such great credit."

The second prince put down his chopsticks and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Li Hu: "Second Prince, why do you have to ask when you already know the answer?"

The second prince glared and said, "Are you really going to disregard the emperor's holy name?!"

Li Hu looked at him with a smile, then slowly said: "That's why the emperor sent me here." As he spoke, he picked up the wine glass in front of him and poured it on the ground.

The second prince's face suddenly changed, becoming paler and paler. Then his body trembled, and he quickly put his fingers into his mouth. With a "wow" sound, he vomited out the food and wine he had just eaten!

Li Hu shook his head: "His Majesty has ordered that you be taken back."

The second prince vomited until tears came out.

Li Hu continued, "It wasn't poisoned, just some croton seeds."

The second prince suddenly raised his head and said, "You, you are taking revenge for your personal gain." As he spoke, his stomach growled.

Li Hu: "Come on, help the Second Prince with his toilet!"

A personal soldier came in with two pretty girls.

The two women supported the second prince and walked towards the back hall.

"Wait a moment."

Li Hu stood up, took off a jade seal from the second prince's waist, and told the two women, "Serve well."

"Yes." Two women helped the second prince into the back hall.

The second prince didn't dare to speak, for fear that he would not be able to hold it in, so he could only glare at Li Hu fiercely.

Li Hu smiled, finally feeling a little relieved. Even if he was punished by the emperor, he would feel relieved!