Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 338 South Han Mountain City
The 2th day of the first month of the tenth year of Chongzhen's reign (February 18, 1637).

North of Namhansanseong Fortress was the Qing army camp.

A cold wind swirled with fine snow, howling through the rows of tents.

The banners of the Eight Banners fluttered in the wind, with the Plain Yellow, Bordered Yellow, and Plain Blue dragon banners (in 1631, Mangultai was convicted and stripped of his title, and the Plain Blue Banner was incorporated into and personally led by Huang Taiji) towering above the central military tent, demonstrating the supreme majesty of the Qing emperor.

Outside the gate, warhorses pawed restlessly in the cold wind, their breath instantly freezing into ice crystals, covering their manes with a layer of glistening frost.

The heavily armored and armed Bayara men stood like statues, their armor gleaming coldly in the wind and snow. Their eyes, sharp as knives, scanned every movement outside the tent, vigilant for any potential danger.

Inside the central military tent, charcoal fires roared, and the Qing Emperor Huang Taiji sat in the main seat, lightly tapping a rough map of Korea on the table with his fingers, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

Daishan, Dorgon, Dodo, Hauge, Shuotuo, Yuetuo, and other Beile and Beizi lined up on both sides, and the atmosphere inside the tent was solemn and grim.

As the head of the princes, Daishan wore a heavy sable coat. The years had etched deep wrinkles on his face, but they had also made his eyes more profound.

Dorgon stood tall and straight, his eyes revealing shrewdness and cunning, and his black brocade robe further accentuated his extraordinary heroic spirit.

Dodo, by nature forthright, was pacing impatiently back and forth, his hand on the hilt of his sword, seemingly ready to charge out and kill the enemy at any moment.

Hauge stood to the side, his gaze resolute, silently listening to the crowd's discussion. Shuo Tuo, on the other hand, would occasionally glance at the crowd, his eyes full of calculation.

Yue Tuo frowned, seemingly pondering a strategy to defeat the enemy. The atmosphere inside the tent was heavy and tense, as if it could erupt at any moment.

Dorgon stepped forward, struck a bow, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the imperial army is holed up in Nanhan Mountain City, their supplies are running low, and their morale is low. We only need to besiege them for another month or so, and Li Zong will surely surrender!"

Dai Shan clasped his hands together, slightly raised his eyelids, and chuckled, his aged voice carrying a hint of disdain: "More than a month? The Ming people are cunning and unpredictable. If the Ming army reacts and launches a strong attack on our Great Qing from both land and sea, how will we deal with it?"

"To avoid any unforeseen complications, we should launch a strong attack, seize the city in one fell swoop, capture Li Zong at the foot of the city gates, and end this war quickly. Otherwise, the Ming people might just come and steal our homeland in Liaodong."

"How dare the Ming people, with their demeanor, offend our Great Qing?" Dorgon retorted without any politeness.

"If we linger in Korea for too long and fail to resolve this war, can you guarantee that the Ming people will not dare to risk attacking us?" Daishan asked calmly.

“Prince Li is right. We have almost used the entire nation’s army to attack Joseon. Our country is vulnerable, and we must guard against the Ming people sneaking into our home!” Seok-tuo chimed in, “Therefore, we should launch a few strong attacks on Namhansanseong. Maybe we can break into the city and capture Yi Jong.”

Dodo slammed his fist on the table and stood up, shouting gruffly, "A direct assault? Namhansanseong is heavily fortified; a rash attack would only increase casualties! We should set the mountain on fire, capture tens of thousands of Koreans, and hold them at the foot of the city. If they don't surrender within a day, we'll kill two thousand and force them to surrender!"

“If we go on a killing spree, it may offend the natural order.” Yue Tuo pondered for a moment and said, “Your Majesty, it would be better to send envoys into the city again, and use cannons to intimidate them and force them to surrender quickly.”

"The Koreans have already rejected our Great Qing's request for peace talks, why should we invite further humiliation?" Dodo said impatiently.

“Prince Yu, times have changed,” Yue Tuo said. “Previously, when our army besieged Namhansanseong, the Koreans thought that reinforcements from various places would come to their rescue and placed their hopes on the Ming army’s assistance. However, in the past half month, our Qing Dynasty has repeatedly dealt heavy blows to the various Korean reinforcements, so that none of their troops sent to their aid have succeeded.”

"Under these circumstances, King Li Zong and his ministers must have already felt despair, and their will to resist is probably not as firm as before. If an envoy could be sent to explain the pros and cons, the court might change its mind and surrender voluntarily."

"Hmph, what if the people of the court are oblivious to the times and continue to resist to the very end?" Dodo continued to ask.

“Then…” Yue Tuo hesitated for a moment, then said in a fierce voice, “Then we will drive the surrendered Korean prisoners to attack the city and continue to wear down the defending troops until all their supplies and equipment are exhausted. At that time, with the help of artillery, we can launch a full-scale attack on the Koreans.”

"Will it be of any use? Hannan Mountain City has high walls and thick fortifications, and its defenses are tight. Even if we lose a lot of surrendered Korean soldiers, the defenders in the city probably won't care at all."

“Hmm, Dodo has a point.” Daishan glanced at Dorgon, who was watching the commotion, and said, “If we can capture the shrine priests, the Crown Princess, the two princes, the grandson of the king, and other members of the Joseon royal family and their families who are hiding on Ganghwa Island, we might be able to persuade King Injo to give up the idea of ​​resistance.”

"..." Upon hearing this, Dorgon's face instantly turned bright red, and he looked at Daishan with some embarrassment and annoyance.

A few days ago, he volunteered to lead troops to attack Ganghwa Island in order to capture the members of the Joseon royal family and the families of many ministers who were temporarily hiding on the island.

Unexpectedly, when they crossed the Yan River (i.e., the Ganghwa Strait) and headed straight for Gachwanjin, where the North Korean garrison was weakly defended on the north side of Ganghwa Island, they were intercepted by several unidentified armed ships.

These large ships were completely different from the turtle ships and pansok ships of the Korean navy. They were not only large in size, but also equipped with several powerful cannons.

While using their large ships to recklessly ram the sampans and small boats conscripted by the Qing army, they also frequently bombarded the Han Chinese artillerymen on the shore who were covering their crossing, destroying several cannons on the spot. Subsequently, with the assistance of the arriving Korean naval warships, Dorgon suffered a major defeat. More than forty sampans and small boats were almost completely sunk, and more than eight hundred elite Eight Banner soldiers were also fed to the fish in the sea. This became the most devastating defeat for the Qing Dynasty since its invasion of Korea.

Although Huang Taiji did not punish him too harshly, he remained resentful and repeatedly demanded to attack Ganghwa Island again to avenge the previous humiliation.

Huang Taiji, considering that naval battles were not the Eight Banners' forte, stopped his rash request and ordered him to lead his troops back to the main camp to join the main force in besieging Namhansanseong.

In Huang Taiji's view, whether or not Ganghwa Island was captured and the members of the Joseon royal family and the families of many ministers were not important.

If we can successfully capture Namhansanseong Fortress or force King Injo of Joseon to surrender, then this battle can be successfully concluded.

Unexpectedly, during today's meeting in the main tent, Daishan, the head of all the princes, deliberately brought up this defeat in front of Dorgon.

Seeing the ongoing argument inside the tent, Huang Taiji frowned, raised his hand slightly, and everyone immediately fell silent.

His gaze swept over the princes and nobles, and he said slowly, "Korea is a small country and nothing to fear. But you must know that our attack on Korea this time is not to destroy the country, but to subdue it."

He pointed his finger at the map and continued, "If Yi Jong surrenders, Joseon will become a vassal state of our Great Qing. This will not only sever the Ming Dynasty's arm but also provide endless support to our Great Qing. If we massacre the city and destroy the country, it will only frighten them and make them our enemy."

Hauge frowned and said, "Father, the people of Kechao are fickle. If they are not severely punished, they may harbor rebellious intentions in the future!"

Huang Taiji smiled slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Therefore, they must remember that those who submit live, and those who resist perish. If Korea surrenders, all those in the country who advocate war and commit evil shall be exterminated to prevent future troubles!"

Silence fell over the tent for a moment, broken only by the crackling of the charcoal fire.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the tent. A Goshha lifted the curtain and entered, kneeling on one knee: "Report! Urgent report from Kaijing: A part of the Plain White Banner of the Mongol Eight Banners pursued the Korean army outside Haizhou City and suffered heavy losses at the seaside, with more than 280 armored cavalrymen killed or wounded."

"Um……"

"What?……"

"What is that idiot Omubuchuhuer good for?!"

The tent immediately erupted in chaos and shouts.

Since our Great Qing crossed the Yalu River and invaded Korea, it has been conquering cities and territories all the way, winning every battle and encountering almost no fierce resistance. The losses of the Eight Banners tribes were also negligible.

Oh, no, just a few days ago, Dorgon led his troops to attack Ganghwa Island and suffered a crushing defeat, losing more than 800 Manchu soldiers.

However, this was a battle fought across the sea, and our Eight Banners warriors were not resistant to water, so this defeat is understandable.

However, apart from this, in the past month, our Great Qing has never suffered a single loss of more than two hundred soldiers in Korea.

"Foolish!" Huang Taiji shouted coldly after reading the urgent report, and threw it hard to the ground, right at Dorgon's feet.

Dorgon hesitated for a moment, then bent down to pick up the urgent report and glanced at it quickly.

"...My 1,200 elite cavalry under the white flag marched straight to Haizhou. Before the Korean soldiers could even engage in battle, they were already terrified and fled in disarray to the seaside docks."

"...However, upon reaching the beachhead, they suddenly saw the routed army turn around and form ranks, fighting to the death with their backs to the river. They had set up several layers of barricades in front of them, and their muskets fired in unison, raining bullets down like rain."

"Our troops were suddenly attacked, and dozens of cavalrymen fell from their horses, their blood staining the yellow sand. In the midst of the chaos, two giant ships were moored on the shore, and suddenly the sound of cannons deafened the heavens, and flames soared into the sky."

"In an instant, cannons roared, and men and horses were shattered. Smoke and fire obscured the sun, and only the cries of agony could be heard across the fields, with the incessant sound of armor tearing apart. Our vanguard elite lost several hundred cavalrymen, and the rest scattered."

“Niru Ejen Orgitel was hit by several gunshots, but he still fought bravely with his sword until he was finally devoured by artillery fire and his body was never found.”

"The remnants retreated three miles away. When the casualties were tallied, they found that more than two hundred armored cavalry had been lost, and the number of wounded was twice that. All their baggage was abandoned."

"..."

"Hiss... So the Korean army actually has a fighting force?" Dorgon handed the urgent report to Dodo beside him, thinking to himself.
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(End of this chapter)