Chapter 40

Gao Shiqui nearby couldn't bear to watch any longer; the crown prince had been frightened into this state by the emperor—could he still smoothly succeed to the throne afterwards?

He spoke up to mediate:

"Your Majesty, the Eldest Prince is now trapped in an isolated city, in imminent danger; we should hurry to rescue him. If he is truly captured or... that would be an irretrievable defeat for our Great Qing!"

Gao Shiqui's words startled the momentarily angry Kangxi,

If the Eldest Prince were captured or killed by the Han Dynasty, that would truly be a great disgrace!

After all, losing a battle is understandable; even famous emperors in history have suffered defeats!

But if his son dies on the battlefield, what face would he have left to call himself a sage ruler!

Moreover, even if the Eldest Prince bears guilt that cannot be escaped, Kangxi never thought of letting him die.

Kangxi actually still likes this eldest son; otherwise he wouldn't have let him lead troops this time.

The Eldest Prince Yinzuo also holds the highest rank among the princes, having been ennobled by Kangxi as a 'Direct Prince,' and has always been highly regarded!

If it weren't for the defeat being too disastrous and too swift, plus concealing military affairs and acting on his own initiative, Kangxi wouldn't be so furious.

At this moment, thinking of his son still besieged by the Han Army, life or death unknown, Kangxi felt a pang of sympathy.

He didn't even have time to reprimand the crown prince; he gritted his teeth and said:

Hmm, Gao Shiqui is right! Responsibility can be pursued later; the most important thing now is to rescue the Eldest Prince and the twenty thousand trapped Qing troops.

Tong Guowei, Ma Qi, you all speak: what should the court do now that would be appropriate?

Several ministers in the Southern Study exchanged glances, and Ma Qi was the first to speak:

Your Majesty, I think we should select elite troops and strong commanders separately to go rescue!

Kangxi thought for a moment, then shook his head and said:

That's probably too late! It's already been two days since the Eldest Prince was besieged; if we now select troops, by the time we reach Jizhou City, ten or more days will have passed!

Tong Guowei spoke up:

Your Majesty, we could simply dispatch senior commanders and let the Mongol side send troops; that side is near Jizhou City.

At the same time, we can send envoys to the Han Dynasty to negotiate peace, as a stalling tactic!

Furthermore, we can send troops to launch a fierce attack on Liaodong to pressure the Han court! The Han court now faces internal and external troubles; many officials actually do not want to be enemies of our Great Qing!

After Tong Guowei's remarks, Kangxi nodded silently, pondered a moment, and said:

Just follow Tong Guowei's suggestion! Let the Fourteenth Prince Yinzhi lead troops from the Mongol side! On the Liaodong side, deploy another hundred thousand troops, with Longkodo as commander-in-chief.

Also send people to the Han court to persuade those officials, as a stalling tactic!

Speed is essential! The edict must be issued and delivered today!

After Kangxi finished speaking, he glanced at Li Dequan kneeling on the ground and said coldly:

You also investigate thoroughly the details of this Liaodong campaign; I want to know everything, no matter how minor!

Where did those Han heavy cavalry come from? And what's the deal with that Han general Jia Jing?

Li Dequan and the others hastily accepted the order, trembling; only Yinsi remained kneeling in place.

Yinsi!

'Father Emperor!' Yinsi flinched, thinking Kangxi was about to reprimand him again, and immediately lowered his head further.

Although Kangxi had already lost hope in this crown prince, thinking of the deceased empress, he softened his expression and instructed:

Yinzuo has caused such a huge incident out there! His household, upon hearing the news, must be panicking!

You have time to visit your sister-in-law and a few nephews and nieces; as the heir apparent and also a brother, you should keep these matters in mind!

Alright, you may withdraw!

…………

Outside Jizhou City.

Jia Jing led forty thousand cavalry and infantry, having already besieged this city for three days, but no matter how the Han Army formed their ranks, the Qing troops held firm and did not sortie.

The sun rose in the east, morning clouds filled the sky.

The September weather grew colder day by day.

The cold wind howled, the chill assailed the people, as if foretelling the sorrowful fate of the Qing troops inside Jizhou City.

On the horizon outside Jizhou City, a dark mass of Han Army surged out of the camp once more, deploying their formation outside the city.

Under the Han Army's great banner,

Jia Jing's calm gaze fell upon the towering Jizhou City; the Qing troops on its walls had already taken precautions, staring intently at the outside as if facing a great enemy.

Twenty thousand Qing troops defending Jizhou City were more than sufficient, especially since even adding the twenty-five thousand infantry reinforcements sent by Nian Gengyao, the Han Army numbered only about forty thousand.

Even if the Xuanjia Army is formidable, after all they are cavalry; cavalry's advantage lies in mobility and shock tactics, and there has never been a rationale for using cavalry to assault a city.

As a military stronghold of the Great Han Empire, Jizhou City's defensive facilities may not match those of the great cities like Shenjing, Jinling, or Chang'an, but its various military constructions are still not to be underestimated.

Merely the city wall together with its parapet stands three zhang five chi high, which converts to about eleven meters in modern units.

Moreover, it has a moat, two watchtowers, four corner towers for observation and shooting; urnworks exist on the east, south, and west sides; to the north it leans against the Yan Mountains, controlling the valleys and high ground, making it a city easy to defend but hard to attack.

By Jia Jing's side were Qin Qiong, Zhu Que, Feng Ziying and Han Qi, plus the newly arrived infantry commandant, First-Rank Son Liu Fang of the Li State Duke's mansion, and the incumbent First-Rank Son Hou Xiaokang of the Xiu State Duke's mansion.

Liu Fang and Hou Xiaokang were sent by Nian Gengyao to support Jia Jing; they are also outstanding figures among the founding lineage's martial merits, holding the rank of fifth-grade commandant in the Han Army.

This opportunity to come to the rescue was hard-won by them from among the many commanders in Liaodong.

After all, everyone knows that if they could capture or kill the Qing commander-in-chief Yinzuo, it would be a great achievement.

As for whether they could defeat the Qing Army, nobody doubted it, after all Jia Jing is simply too good at fighting!

Since setting out on campaign, he has suffered no defeats, already becoming a legendary figure in the hearts of the Liaodong troops.

'Uncle, we've already besieged the city for three days; I don't know when we will attack.'

Feng Ziying's gaze burned as he looked ahead at Jizhou City, like a hunter eyeing plump prey.

At this point he had already risen from the rank of fifth-grade commandant, his official rank promoted two levels, and he was ennobled as a Second-Rank Baron.

However, because the last time he returned to Shenjing to report his achievements, he missed Jia Jing's attack on Jidu, resulting in his military merit being slightly less than Han Qi's and his title one rank lower, so he is extremely eager for this battle to earn merit.

As for his calling Jia Jing "Lord Uncle", it is naturally because the imperial edict from Shenjing has already reached the army, and Jia Jing, due to his merits, was promoted to Fourth-rank Colonel and First Rank Count.

Since the rank of First Rank Count corresponds to third rank, which is higher than fourth-rank colonel,

therefore, the generals in the army began to address Jia Jing as Lord Uncle.

"Indeed, Lord Uncle! The siege engines have now been forged, just awaiting your command! I guarantee that within five days I will capture Jizhou City for you, and take the infant of the False Qing Crown Prince Yin Di alive…"

Beside him, Han Qi also, with a confident expression, voluntarily offered to take the banner.

Since he has been campaigning with Jia Jing, he has never been defeated in battle, and likewise has accumulated merit to be promoted to the position of Cong Wu Pin Colonel, with an additional title of First Rank Male.