Young Miss Han had never seen a Beacon Tower before, but she had heard of it countless times, so she knew what it meant to light it. To her, the savagery and barbarism of the Tartars were like how people now viewed the Japanese devils. They were a group of bloodthirsty beasts.
Yang Ling was more surprised than shocked. He had been influenced by too many movies and dramas of the later generations. In his opinion, the so-called Tartars were rough and fierce Mongolian warriors. They were hospitable and forthright. They might be brave in battle, but they were not Japanese soldiers who had lost their humanity.
However, they were still enemies, and he was not naive enough to think that they would show mercy to him if they attacked the city. He immediately grabbed Han Youniang's hand and ran to the county government.
The city gates were tightly shut, and the residents of the city had already rushed out of their homes because of the beacon fire. It was not the first time that Bayan Mengke, the little prince of Tartar, led his troops to attack the border. However, most of the time, they did not dare to directly attack a pass like Jiming Posthouse. For such a tall city, they did not have the ability to carry all kinds of siege weapons from afar. The Tartars would not risk heavy casualties to attack the city just to plunder.
However, in small-scale battles, the beacon towers would not be used to transmit messages. Tonight's situation was a little special. It seemed that a pass had been directly attacked. How could these people not feel panic?
Although Magistrate Min was a muddle-headed magistrate, he was a soldier after all. When he heard the news that the Tartars were coming, he rushed out of the back hall without even putting on his clothes.
There were only 260 people stationed here, led by two commanders. According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, once a war broke out, the local chief executive would be in charge of the overall military operations. The officers did not have independent command rights, so County Magistrate Min was now the commander of the garrison.
Magistrate Min was an old hand in this field. He immediately sent scouts to contact the nearest post stations to inquire about further information. At the same time, he sent people to rush back to the prefecture to mobilize troops. At that time, he also sent people to inform Ma Yi Cheng, asking all military post station personnel to wear swords and spears and be ready to go to the city to support at any time.
Yang Ling was dumbstruck as he watched from the side. To be honest, he had been handling all sorts of matters on behalf of County Magistrate Min these days, and County Magistrate Min had been like a puppet to him. Even though Yang Ling was grateful for County Magistrate Min's kindness, he looked down on him in his heart. He did not expect him to be so orderly in handling the war.
County Magistrate Min's saliva flew everywhere as he finished assigning the tasks. He then heaved a sigh of relief, straightened his clothes, and shouted behind him,""Where are my armor and saber? Hurry up and bring them over!”
After saying that, he turned to look at Yang Ling and Young Lady Han, who was standing behind him. He smiled and said,""Motherf * cker, I'm afraid this year won't be good. These Tartars came to rob us on the eve of New Year's Eve. Presumably, the heavy snow this winter has frozen many cows and sheep to death.”
At this moment, two servants walked out, one carrying a chainmail and the other carrying a large knife. Because this was a third-grade county, the conditions were harsh. Magistrate Min did not bring his family with him, so these servants served him daily.
County Magistrate Min did not stand on ceremony. He took off his official robe and began to change his clothes in the hall. Han Youniang quickly retreated to the side room to avoid suspicion. County Magistrate Min put on his chainmail neatly and put on his magistrate's robe. He reached out and snatched the broadsword from the servant.
The blade weighed at least forty pounds. County Magistrate Min held the blade in one hand, and with a flick of his wrist, the heavy blade spun around in his hand. Then, he slammed it against the ground, smashing the green bricks and debris into the air. Yang Ling was shocked. Even though he knew that County Magistrate Min was a military officer, he did not expect him to wield such a heavy weapon.
County Magistrate Min was dressed like a county magistrate. The black gauze wings on his hat swayed when he walked, but he was carrying a sharp saber. He looked neither fish nor fish, but he did not care. He shouted out of the hall in an imposing manner,"Let's go! Follow me to the city wall!"
A group of bailiffs who had arrived in the courtyard one after another responded in a noisy manner, and a large group of people rushed out.
Yang Ling followed them out of the county office. The four red lanterns at the entrance of the office were swaying gently in the wind and snow. The snow was falling even more heavily, and large snowflakes were falling, making the world seem vast.
County Magistrate Min brought a group of people with sabers and guns and rushed to the city wall in large strides. The streets were filled with villagers who were running around like ants on a hot pan, so they did not have time to pay attention to them.
At the southern gate, nearly a hundred soldiers were nervously watching the city. This gate faced the north and south official roads. The east and west gates were built near the mountains and were not suitable for warhorses to gallop. Even if the Tartars attacked, it would be difficult to mobilize a large number of cavalry to attack the east and west gates, so it was relatively safe. Therefore, only seventy soldiers were sent to guard each gate, and a commander rode back and forth on horseback to patrol.
The guard of the south city gate was standing on the top of the city wall and looking down. When he saw the county magistrate coming in person, he quickly ran over and knelt on the ground with both hands cupped in fists."Jiang Bin greets Lord Min."
Magistrate Min waved his hand." No need, no need. Chief Jiang, are the Tartars here?"”
Jiang Bin smiled and said,"Milord, the lights are not as bright as the city walls, so we can't see clearly. However, if we don't look at the torches of the Tartars, there are at least a hundred of them. However, Milord can rest assured that with this humble servant here, they won't be able to attack."
Yang Ling sized up this general manager. This General Jiang was extremely handsome, and he looked to be in his early twenties. He had a well-built body and a fierce expression, as if he did not care about the Tartar soldiers at all.
Yang Ling could not help but nod his head. In his previous impression, the soldiers of the Great Ming Empire were all extremely weak. Otherwise, the Great Ming Emperor would not have personally led an army of five hundred thousand to be defeated by Grand Tutor Wala's army of one hundred thousand, even losing the Emperor. He had thought that the officials of the Ming Dynasty would turn ashen when they heard the name of the Tartars. He did not expect that a county magistrate and a general guarding the city here were actually courageous.
Lord Min laughed and said,"Let's go up and take a look." The group of people went up the city wall and looked down the city wall with the help of the arrow pile. They saw that it was dark below the city wall. More than a hundred torches were moving around, and strange cries came from below the city wall.
More than 20 torches had gathered in the middle of the main road below the city, illuminating a few figures who were shouting something to the city from afar. "You want to take down my Jiming Posthouse with just a hundred people?" Lord Min sneered.”
Jiang Bin pointed to the east and said,"Milord, one of the scouts we sent out was shot dead by the Tartars. The one who escaped reported that the sounds of fighting in the two and a half miles direction shook the sky. The Tartars must be attacking there."
Erli and a half, Wulitai, and Patrolling Shop were the passes closest to Jiming Posthouse. However, if they wanted to attack Juyong Pass further, they had to break through Jiming Posthouse. Therefore, when Lord Min heard that the Tartars were attacking Erli and a half, he knew that they were in a difficult winter again. They treated Ming Dynasty as their warehouse and came to plunder grain and fodder.
Therefore, the Tartar soldiers below the city were most likely blocking the city gate to prevent the city from sending troops to rescue Erliban Posthouse. Min Wenjian hadn't used any weapons for more than two years, and his arms were so idle that they itched. When he saw the Tartars galloping their horses and shouting on the left and right sides of the city wall, he was overjoyed. He turned his head and said to Chief Jiang, Chief Jiang, prepare a warhorse for me and send 40 men to follow me out of the city to repel the Tartars."
Chief Jiang had long wanted to leave the city to fight, but he didn't dare to act rashly without the order of his superior. When he heard the order, he was overjoyed and quickly shouted to his subordinates,"Men, bring two warhorses over. Archers on the city walls, prepare. Sentry Chiefs Liu and Li will lead the troops to follow Milord and me into battle!”
Yang Ling was rather surprised when he saw that they dared to leave the city with only forty people. Beside him, Captain Wang had been Sir Min's trusted aide when he was in the army. Seeing Yang Ling's surprised expression, he chuckled and said,""Advisor Yang, I think you haven't seen Lord Min's bravery. Lord Min was once Commander Qian under Commander Du of Da Tong, and his martial arts skills are outstanding. Back when we were exterminating the mountain bandits, Lord Min only led one sentry and killed over a hundred mountain bandits. This time, we will definitely win."
Two cavalrymen and forty lieutenants to fight against the Tarist cavalrymen on their tall horses? Yang Ling felt a little uneasy, but when he thought about how County Magistrate Min was able to wield the 40-pound machete with ease, and how the machete weighed more than 100 to 200 pounds when wielded, his martial arts skills were definitely not bad. Even if he was no match for him, he would not be in any danger, so he felt slightly relieved.
The city gate creaked open. There was no moat or suspension bridge in this small city. Twenty archers on top of the city gate drew their bows and readied themselves. Lord Min and General Jiang had already led forty soldiers out of the city.
Out of the 40 soldiers, 20 swordsmen and shield-bearers, and 20 spearmen spread out like wild geese. Jiang Bin reined in his horse and was about to shout at the Tartars who were just a stone's throw away from him. Unexpectedly, Master Min controlled the reins with one hand and walked slowly on the road with his saber. Suddenly, he shouted,"Thief chieftain has invaded our border.”
With that, he raised his saber over his head, kicked his legs against the stirrers, and galloped straight toward the dozen or so Tartars who were wrapped in animal skins and carrying bows and arrows.
Jiang Bin's eyes were wide open. He knew that this Lord Min was actually a commander of a thousand under the Da Tong Commander Du Renguo. Commander Du was known as Madman Du, and he never paid attention to battle strategies when killing enemies in battle. He did not know how to coordinate with multiple troops. Usually, as soon as the enemy and the enemy came into contact, he would immediately lead the army to charge in like a swarm of bees. There was a chaotic battle. In his hand was a sixty-pound thick machete. There were really not many people who could stop him. He was really a man who killed people, and Buddha who blocked him.
However, in a battle between two armies, it was not a matter of individual heroism that could decide the outcome of the battle. Although he was bloodthirsty and warlike, and had personally killed many Tartar soldiers, he always lost more than he won. Whenever he was defeated, he would vent his anger by breaking his armor with his saber. He didn't expect that this County Magistrate Min would behave in the same way as his commander.
Jiang Bin was anxious. If anything happened to Magistrate Min, even ten of his heads wouldn't be enough to chop him off. At this time, he couldn't care less about the fact that his subordinates were all infantry commanders. He immediately brandished his saber and shouted,"Follow my lord and kill him!" This Jiang Bin had extraordinary arm strength and good horsemanship. He wielded two three-foot-long sabers and held them in both hands. He controlled the horse with his legs and chased after the county magistrate Min Wenjian.
Seeing this, the forty primary schools could only chase after the horses. The road was slippery in the dark and the snow was thick. In an instant, all the formations disappeared and they became a group of stragglers.
The magistrate rode a good horse, and the distance of an arrow was covered in an instant. He released the reins, raised his sword with both hands, and rushed straight at a young man in his twenties who was surrounded by the group of people.'To capture the thief, first capture the king', this illiterate magistrate understood this principle.
Under the torch, the young man was wearing a tiger skin robe. He had a bow on his shoulder and a spear in his hand. His mission was to harass the soldiers stationed in the city and intimidate them so that they would not go out of the city to rescue the soldiers of the two-and-a-half-mile station. This mission could be said to be extremely easy.
As soon as he arrived at the city, he ordered his men to hold two torches and galloped around the open land below the city, bluffing to intimidate. He stood here and shouted loudly. He knew a thing or two about the garrison here in advance. He thought that there were not many defenders in the city, and the county government was controlled by civil officials. Under such a situation, they would never dare to go out of the city to fight, so he was a little careless.
It was his bad luck that he met the Mad County Magistrate under the Mad General of Da Tong today. Not only did he go out of the city to meet the enemy, but he also charged over alone. The general stood an arrow's distance away from the city gate. Min Wenjian's soldiers were always fighting when they came out, so they didn't even light their torches. Standing there, he didn't know that the soldiers had already left the city. Although Magistrate Min shouted from below the city gate, he didn't hear it clearly because he was also loudly scolding the soldiers on the city gate. He thought that the Ming soldiers were scolding back.
It was snowing heavily. Magistrate Min was riding a black horse and wearing a green official robe, blending in with the night. Although the horse hooves were fast, the Tartar cavalrymen who were putting on a show were galloping around. They didn't care about it until Magistrate Min rushed forward with a knife in both hands and charged into the crowd. Under the cover of more than ten torches, they could tell that this person was from the Ming Dynasty.
One side was completely unprepared, while the other side was galloping at full speed. When they got closer, the youth in the tiger skin robe widened his eyes in shock. He saw a rider riding in front of him. The person on the horse was wearing a bright official robe. The yellow bird with its wings spread on the front of the official robe could be seen clearly. This person was also wearing a black gauze hat. The wings of the hat fluttered up and down at a great angle. It was extremely elastic and had not broken yet.
The official on the horse had a dark face, small round eyes, and a full beard. His hands were raised high in the air in a strange posture.
The horses were as fast as lightning, and the Tattars had no time to react. It was not until the pair of strange-looking hands fiercely swung down at the tiger-robed youth's shoulder, and the torch shone in the air, that they realized that the official was holding a cold machete.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。