The First Family of the Red Mansion

Chapter 23 The Oirat Attack

Faced with Zhou Jun's charge, the vanguard of the Oirat army initially appeared flustered, but still fought desperately.

After Liu Hu killed one of the Oirat soldiers, he also noticed that something was wrong with the Oirat soldiers.

Logically, the exhausted Oirat people should have been quickly overwhelmed by Zhou Jun's charge.

Even though their horses could barely stand, these Oirat soldiers continued to fight desperately against the Zhou army.

"General, something's not right with this group of Oirat soldiers!"

After slaying the Oirat vanguard, Commander He wiped the blood from his face, his expression grave.

"We've fallen into Gushi Khan's trap. These Oirat vanguard troops were deliberately sent by Gushi Khan to stall us."

At this moment, Liu Hu also guessed Gushi Khan's intention: to use these Oirat vanguards as infantrymen to clear out Zhou's scouts.

Then use them to hold off Zhou Jun, giving the main force behind them time to rest.

Faced with the pressure from the main force of Zhou's army, the Oirat people had no choice but to travel day and night. Not only were these Oirat vanguards exhausted, but even the main force of the army was also exhausted.

If the Zhou army in the west were to launch a surprise attack while they were still establishing their foothold, it could very likely cause heavy casualties to the main force of the Oirat.

This is why these fearless Oirat vanguards emerged.

"So what do we do now?"

After hearing Liu Hu's explanation, He Qianhu also looked regretful.

"What else can we do? We can't just let these Oirat troops go and search for the main Oirat force; it's probably too late now."

"Besides, can you really expect those Western Region people inside the pass to stop these Oirat vanguard?"

"Alright, even a mosquito is still meat. Let's eat this group of Oirat vanguard first."

After saying this, facing the Oirat people whose formation had been broken but who were still fighting against the Great Zhou army, Liu Hu led his troops to charge forward again.

"Haha, you just wait, the Great Khan will definitely not let you off the hook."

Facing Zhou Jun, who had been recuperating for a long time, this group of Oirat vanguard was no match for him.

The battle dragged on for more than two hours, and apart from a few soldiers who managed to escape, the Oirat vanguard was almost completely wiped out.

Seeing Zhou Jun surrounding them, the Oirat vanguard general, covered in mud and blood, grinned cruelly and said...

"I'll be waiting." Liu Hu glanced at him from his horse and said calmly in the face of his threat.

"Release the arrows!"

"Take off their armor and weapons, and arm as many of our men as possible."

While cleaning up the battlefield, Liu Hu spoke seriously to Hu Cunmeng.

"Understood!" Hu Cunmeng nodded, his face also looking solemn.

He knew that they would face a desperate attack from the Oirat people, and if they couldn't hold out, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

"General, the Oirat army has already set up camp fifty miles away, with a strength of no less than fifty thousand."

At that moment, the scout who had been following the routed soldiers came to report.

"An army of 50,000, and all of them are elite Oirat troops!"

Commander He, no longer as carefree as before, said with a worried expression, "The Oirat people really think highly of us. Fifty thousand elite cavalry—they're not planning to let us go!"

"I've already stabbed them in the back, can't they even retaliate?"

Liu Hu raised his eyelids and glanced at He Qianhu, then said indifferently.

"If those brothers who came with us were still here, I would have some confidence in holding off these Oirat people."

"But now only a thousand or so of the brothers who came with us are left. With those laborers who have only recently put down their hoes and whips, and those soft-faced Western Region people, I doubt they can hold off 50,000 elite Oirat troops!"

He Qianhu said with a worried expression.

"We have to stop them even if it's tough!" Liu Hu glanced at him, his face expressionless.

"Let's go back and discuss how to entertain these guests!"

"Commander, we currently have over 13,000 elite armored soldiers and 20,000 light cavalry in leather armor, including 1,216 veterans, 13,400 Han Chinese youths, and the rest are all from the Western Regions."

After the generals had all gathered, Hu Cunmeng immediately stood up and spoke.

"These troops include those stationed at Yangguan."

"We only left them 10,000 men and five days' worth of provisions at Yangguan. If the main force doesn't arrive within five days..."

Although Hu Cunmeng didn't say the rest, everyone understood that if the main force of the army couldn't arrive within five days, they would have no choice but to burn their supplies and fight the enemy in the Western Regions.

No one believed that Yangguan and Yumenguan could hold out for more than five days under the fierce attack of the Oirat people.

After all, these two passes were temporary expansions built by the Oirat people to store grain and fodder, and they were rammed earth structures.

The reason they were able to hold out for more than 20 days was because the Oirat people did not dare to bring back artillery from the front line.

But now that the main force of the Oirat has retreated, as long as they have a few cannons, Yumen Pass and Yang Pass will not be able to hold out for long.

"We absolutely cannot allow the Oirat people to bombard the pass with cannons at will."

"Commander Hu, how many cannons do we have left?"

Liu Hu looked at Hu Cunmeng, who was most familiar with firearms, and asked.

"General, the eight cannons we captured earlier are all intact, but we don't have much gunpowder and shells left."

Hu Cunmeng replied immediately without hesitation.

"As long as we have them, as long as the Oirat cannons don't get too comfortable and blow down our city walls, we can hold out until the main force arrives."

After listening, Liu Hu nodded, then looked at Putila and solemnly said to him, "In our upcoming battle against the main force of the Oirat, there absolutely cannot be any internal problems."

"Putila, keep an eye on those newly annexed Western Region people. If they make any unusual moves..."

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in Liu Hu's eyes: "You'd better handle this neatly!"

"Don't worry, General. If they dare to make any move, I will show them what cruelty is and make them regret ever being born."

Puttila's expression was resolute, then he revealed a cruel smile. His stark white teeth and full beard were chilling.

Perhaps it was the pressure from Zhou's main force behind them, or perhaps the freezing weather kept the Oirat people awake.

Before dawn the next day, scouts brought back news that the Oirat people had broken camp and were heading towards Yumen Pass.

"What's the situation like over at Yangguan?"

Liu Hu, having finished putting on his armor, hurriedly asked.

"Over at Yangguan, the Oirat people only sent three thousand men to keep watch, but they did not launch an attack."

The scout replied immediately.

Although the Oirat people surrounded the east side, they could still maintain contact through the two passes on the west side.

"It seems that the Oirat people already know that there are not many food supplies on the Yangguan side, and have given up on retreating from there."

Hu Cunmeng arrived just in time and overheard the scout's words.

"Then we can't let our guard down. If they can't conquer this place in a short time, they will inevitably break through Yangguan Pass as a backup plan."

"Immediately send a message to Yangguan, instructing them to be on high alert and to expedite the repair of defensive fortifications."

"yes!"

It was during the Little Ice Age, and after a snowfall, the temperature dropped quickly. The biting wind at dawn made the flags flutter loudly.

Looking at the soldiers huddled on the city wall, their hands red from the cold, Liu Hu felt a surge of relief.

"Fortunately, it was the Oirat people who couldn't hold out first!"

"It seems the Oirats intend to take us down in one fell swoop!"

Looking at the vast Oirat army stretching into the distance, the dozens of magnificent Suluding banners, and the great banner symbolizing the Khan's throne, a burning desire flashed in Liu Hu's eyes.

He has already accomplished three of the four major military achievements: being the first to charge into battle and slay enemy generals, and capturing enemy flags.

All that's missing is the Suluding and the Great Banner, which symbolize the Oirat rule.

If I can capture it, then I will have accumulated all four major military achievements.

Throughout history, how many military generals have been able to accumulate all four of these military merits?

But before he acted rashly, he led his men to rush over.

After all, this time they were not facing the old and weak Oirat people and Western Region people left behind, but the elite who maintained the Oirat rule.

Before long, the Oirat army arrived at Yumen Pass. The tens of thousands of soldiers, lined up in neat rows, were completely silent except for the commands and the deep, stirring horns, which put great pressure on the newly recruited Western Region people and Han laborers on the city walls.

At that moment, they seemed to see once again the Mongol cavalry that had swept across Eurasia.

Several of the Western Region centurions were already deathly pale, their trouser legs soaked with sweat as they trembled.

At this moment, Putila took a few steps back with a look of disgust, and then waved her hand.

Immediately, a group of warriors from the Western Regions came up and dragged those people away...

People who lose heart before even engaging in battle are unstable factors. Why keep them around if we don't eliminate them now?

Liu Hu and the other generals from Zhou only glanced at it and didn't say anything, while the generals from the Western Regions dared not speak.

Just then, Liu Hu saw a group of soldiers walk out from the front of the Oirat ranks, and they struggled to push more than a dozen cannons to the front of the lines.

Upon seeing this, Liu Hu immediately shouted, "Commander Hu! Commander Hu!"

"General?"

"See those Oirat cannons? We can't let them fire; our city walls can't withstand their bombardment."

"Smash it!"

Liu Hu pointed to the cannons and said to Hu Cunmeng.

"This subordinate obeys!"

Hu Cunmeng shouted confidently.

Although their artillery was also captured from the Oirat people, they were now on higher ground and could fire farther than the Oirat people.

"The advantage is in my hands!"

"boom!"

Just before the Oirat cannons came into range, the cannons on the city wall fired.

In just two rounds of test firing, Hu Cunmeng destroyed three Oirat cannons.

With the precise firing of the third and fourth rounds, the Oirat cannons were destroyed before they could even fire a single shot.

The Oirat artillery was stunned and immediately abandoned the remaining cannons and ran away.

"Why is Zhou's army hitting the target more accurately than ours when we have the same cannons?"

At this moment, Zhou Jun's artillery had stopped firing. Gushi Khan ordered his men to pull back the remaining cannons. Looking at Zhou Jun on the city wall, who were cooling down the cannon barrels, he couldn't help but ask.

"Has the Eternal Heaven ceased to protect its people?"

At this time, Gushi Khan was no longer the spirited man he once was. At only thirty years old, he looked like an old man in his fifties, his face no longer showing the composure and calmness he once had.

"Great Khan, the cannons of those Western heretics are also very accurate. They must have mastered some technology that makes their cannons even more accurate."

"And the Great Zhou has also learned these methods!"

The Torgut tribe occupied the western part of the Western Regions, which bordered Central Asia, and thus knew more about it.

"Those Semu people from the West?"

Gushi Khan realized what was happening and asked the Torgut leader in a puzzled tone.

In his mind, those greedy Semu people could only collect taxes and do some shady tricks and other low-class things. He had never heard of them having such abilities.

Gushi Khan's Khoshut tribe occupied the former Tibetan territory and had long since severed ties with the West. Their impression of the Semu people was still based on the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.

"It was them. Ever since we were driven out of the Central Plains, they turned to the Great Zhou for silk and porcelain."

"The Rakshasa people who frequently harass the north of the Dzungar Khanate were established by tax farmers who were once under the control of the Golden Horde. They are also very skilled in using firearms."

The Torgut leader continued, "Who would have thought that those former slaves, with their ingenious skills, would defeat the valiant Mongol cavalry?"

"Back then, everyone felt that we had been too lenient, which gave those slaves the opportunity to overthrow us."

"so………"

At this point, the leader of the Torgut tribe shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Although he didn't say the rest, Gushi Khan understood that decades ago, after they invaded the Central Plains again, they had abandoned their so-called "benevolence".

However, the final result was that after their massacre, the people of the Central Plains were not intimidated. Instead, before they could reunify the world, they were driven out again.

Thinking of this, Gushi Khan felt great disdain for his ancestors. If he were Altan Khan back then, he would never have done that.

Conquering the world isn't about fighting and killing; it's about understanding human relationships and social dynamics!

If you don't give people the opportunity and benefits to cooperate, it's no wonder they'll kick you out.

But there's no use saying anything more now. If they don't take Yumen Pass first, they'll be finished once Zhou's main force arrives.

"Since we can't beat them with firearms, let's show them the courage of the Oirat people."

"Have the Duerbote troops prepare a suicide squad to attack the city; we cannot give them a chance to catch their breath."

"Tomorrow, your Torghut tribe will be in charge of attacking the city. The day after tomorrow, it will be handed over to our Khoshut tribe. If we can't take Yumen Pass in three days, we will head north to Yangguan."

"clear!"

The Torgut leader glanced at Gushi Khan discreetly, then bowed his head and left the tent.

"Instruct our men to keep an eye on the Khoshut tribe and report to me immediately if they make any unusual moves."

"Yes, Chief!"

After leaving Gushi Khan's camp, the Torgut leader took a deep look behind him, a meaningful glint in his eyes.

"kill!"

After the Oirat's plan to bombard Yumen Pass failed, they immediately organized their forces to launch an attack.

The bloodstains beneath Yumen Pass had not yet been cleaned up when the air was filled with the stench of blood once again.

This time, unlike the last time, facing the elite Oirat forces, even with Liu Hu personally commanding, the Oirat troops still managed to breach the city walls several times.

If it weren't for the desperate resistance of the defending soldiers, Yumen Pass would have been breached on the very first day.

"General, news has come from the command camp that they have sent the Marquis of Zhongyong with 10,000 troops to cross the desert from the north to support us."

When the Oirat people were driven back again, the personal guards finally brought good news.

"Very good!"