Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 389 Showdown (Part 1)

December 21, 1639 (January 24, 1639).

Lushunkou, the General's Office of Liaonan Garrison.

The cold wind swirled fine snowflakes, which pattered against the windowpane, making a rustling sound.

Inside the main hall of the General's Mansion, the charcoal brazier burned bright red, but it couldn't dispel the chill that filled the room.

Huang Long stared at the edict issued by the Ministry of War on the desk, his knuckles tapping lightly on the surface.

The emperor's vermilion annotations on the document appeared so glaringly stark.

"...Commander-in-Chief Huang Long of Liaonan Garrison is hereby ordered to immediately advance his troops into Haizhou, strike directly at the enemy's lair, thereby diverting the enemy's forces and relieving the crisis in the capital region!"

The generals below remained silent, but secretly exchanged glances, their expressions unusually solemn.

"General, this battle... we can't fight!... The court is sending us to our deaths!" Deputy General Shang Kexi couldn't help but speak up.

Huang Long raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Oh, why can't I hit you?"

Shang Kexi stepped forward and pointed to the map on the table: "Although Haizhou is nearby, the Qing have stationed several hundred armored soldiers there, and Dodo has over four thousand elite Eight Banner troops stationed in Liaoyang, ready to be dispatched to their aid at any time. If our army rashly launches an attack..."

"Besides..." Lieutenant General Li Weiluan interjected, "It's the dead of winter right now, the coast is frozen over, and the naval warships are immobilized. How are we going to transport supplies and provisions? Are we supposed to have our brothers carry several days' worth of rations and fight the Tartars in the snow?"

Discussions began to rise inside the hall.

Someone whispered, "Last month, the court ordered us to go north and raid the Jurchens. Not long after, they ordered us to cross the sea to defend the emperor. Now they want to order us to attack Haizhou? With such inconsistent orders, which one should we listen to?"

"Have those high-ranking officials in the imperial court been so terrified by the Qing barbarians that they've lost their minds?!"

Huang Long remained silent, only slowly unfolding the Ministry of War's document, his fingers tracing the four characters "directly attack the enemy's lair".

Outside the window, the shouts and commands of soldiers could be heard, along with the restless neighing of warhorses.

Huang Long looked down at the map on the table. From Lushun to Haizhou, hundreds of miles of wilderness were probably covered by snow now.

"General, the court is unaware of the bitter cold of Liaodong," Shang Kexi said in a low voice. "Our soldiers haven't even been properly equipped with cotton armor yet..."

Huang Long remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "How could I not know that this battle is dangerous? But please look..."

He unfurled the imperial edict, pressing his finger heavily on the vermilion annotations. “‘Strike straight into the heart of the Later Jin, relieve the crisis in the capital region’—each word carries immense weight, reflecting the Emperor’s earnest expectations. The Qing invaders have ravaged the capital region and Hebei, and now they are advancing towards Shandong. Wherever they go, they have engaged in widespread burning, killing, and looting, leaving millions of people devastated. If we remain inactive, how can we repay the kindness of the Ming court, and how can we face those suffering people?”

Guerrilla Li Degong stamped his feet in frustration: "General! There's a proper way to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country! What's the use of just throwing your life away like this?"

Huang Long glared at him, then suddenly stood up and walked down the hall, his armor clanging loudly.

He walked to the charcoal brazier and threw a dry branch into the fire, sparks crackling and popping.

"Issue the order..." His voice was not loud, but it silenced the entire room. "Three days from now, prepare the meal at dawn and depart at daybreak. The entire army will be lightly equipped, carrying only half a month's worth of dry rations."

Shang Kexi exclaimed urgently, "General! This is clearly..."

“I know.” Huang Long took a deep breath and interrupted him, picking up a letter from the table. “This morning, news came from Pi Island that Shen Shikui robbed the Jurchen grain convoy in Korea and beheaded more than two hundred people.”

As he spoke, a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Those smuggling merchants in Dongjiang Town are willing to risk their lives, are we going to be cowards?"

"General, that scoundrel Shen Shikui is clearly using the heads of Koreans to falsely claim military achievements. We don't need..." Guerrilla Xiang Zuolin shouted sarcastically.

"Zheng..."

Then, Huanglong unfastened his sword, swung it sharply, and slammed it down on the table.

The crack on the scabbard was left from the bloody battle in Fuzhou last year.

"Li Degong!" Huang Long suddenly began to appoint his generals. "You will lead eight hundred soldiers, carry many flags, and take the eastern route to make a show of force."

He then looked at Shang Kexi: "Li Weiluan led a thousand vanguard soldiers to cross the Sancha River on the ice and head straight for Haizhou. I will personally lead the main army to follow. It is said that the garrison commander there, Erke, is an old acquaintance of ours. He is fond of drinking and women and will surely be unprepared."

"Half a month? What if we encounter the Tartars..."

“If we can’t take Haizhou,” Huang Long tightened his armbands, his eyes reflecting the flickering firelight as he looked up, “we’ll die on the battlefield, just like Grand Secretary Sun and Minister Lu.”

Everyone was in awe.

In the flickering candlelight, the scars on Huanglong's face appeared particularly ferocious: "If Dorgon comes to our aid from Liaoyang, it will take him at least three to five days to receive the news and assemble his troops. We have several light cannons from Xinzhou, and we can take Haizhou in no time. At that time, we'll slaughter the entire city, burn the supplies, and retreat immediately. That will be enough to give the Jurchens a hard time!"

A gust of wind swept through the room, making the edicts from the Ministry of War on the dark table rattle.

The words "Advance immediately" written in vermilion ink were flickering in the glow of the charcoal fire, resembling dried blood.
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December 1th, the third year of Chongde (January 31, 1639).
Shenyang, Chongzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace.

"Ugh……"

Huang Taiji slowly put down the report in his hand and sighed softly.

Fan Wencheng stood at the lower end, his eyes lowered, not daring to speak rashly.

"The grain from Korea has been robbed again?" Huang Taiji's voice was deep as he looked up at Shi Tingzhu, the kneeling Han Chinese Plain White Banner Gushan Ezhen.

"Your Majesty, this servant is incompetent!" Shi Tingzhu dared not shirk his responsibility and kowtowed heavily at the foot of the steps.

"Hmph, the grain requisition team was ambushed by Shen Shikui's troops from Dongjiang Town on Huanghai Road, losing 65 armored soldiers, more than 120 bondservants, and more than 1,000 accompanying Korean soldiers and teachers. More than 40 grain carts were also destroyed. In this situation, you are truly utterly incompetent!" "..." Shi Tingzhu knelt on the ground, not daring to say anything more.

"Heh..." Dai Shan tucked his sleeves and sneered a few times, "That old dog Shen Shikui! Tieshan didn't kill him last year, but he's become even more arrogant! ... Utterly incompetent!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji's expression darkened.

Who is being referred to as utterly incompetent?
More than a year ago, he personally led a large army to conquer Korea. On the way back, he ordered Ajige to lead troops to besiege Tieshan and, together with the Korean army and navy, to take the opportunity to break through Pidao Island, thus completely removing this extremely troublesome "thorn".

Unexpectedly, the tens of thousands of Qing and Korean allied troops suffered a crushing defeat at the foot of Tieshan City, losing thousands of soldiers and failing to capture even a fraction of the city.

Although most of the lost troops were Korean auxiliary forces, the Manchu Eight Banners and Han Eight Banners also suffered more than a thousand casualties, resulting in greater losses than the entire expedition to Korea.

This infuriated Huang Taiji and caused him to lose face.

Since Tieshan could not be captured, Pi Island, located at sea, was even less of a possibility.

Before the North Korean navy even approached Pi Island, it was chased south by the Dongjiang naval force and fled back to Ganghwa Island.

Huang Taiji never imagined that the seemingly insignificant Dongjiang Town would be so difficult to deal with.

I still remember that when Mao Wenlong was still alive, although he had more than 100,000 troops (he claimed to have), he did not dare to fight my Qing Dynasty's armored cavalry head-on on land.

They only ever resorted to petty theft and sneak attacks; they would never dare to build a city on Tieshan Mountain and garrison it so openly.
Previously, the iron hooves of our Great Qing Dynasty had trampled through Tieshan City before.

How come now, even with tens of thousands of troops besieging it, it can't be taken?

Afterwards, Ajige reported that the Ming army's firearms in Tieshan City were very sharp, and the city's defenses were also very strong. The defensive deployment was also extremely ingenious. No matter where a strong attack was launched, it would be attacked by the Ming army from several directions.

After a siege lasting over a month, the bodies of the Koreans nearly filled the moat, and they were unable to climb the city walls.

To make matters worse, the Ming army in Dongjiang Town used its naval vessels to constantly rotate the city's garrison and deliver various supplies, making it impossible for them to be trapped.

Not long after the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty withdrew to Liaodong for rest and reorganization, news came from Seoul that the Korean navy had been blocked by Dongjiang Town near Ganghwa Island and, with the help of several gunboats from Xinzhou, was completely annihilated.

From then on, the entire Liaodong Peninsula was a world where Ming ships could roam freely, and there was no longer any danger of being hindered by Korea.

Immediately afterwards, Gwanghaegun, who had been deposed for more than ten years in Korea, suddenly appeared and called on all Korean soldiers and civilians to overthrow Yi Jong's rule, expel the forces of the Great Qing, and return to the Ming Dynasty's sphere of influence.

As a result, Li Zong was also a complete waste of space.

He sent troops to attack Kangryeong County, which was occupied by Prince Gwanghae, several times, but not only did he fail to defeat them, he also suffered defeat after defeat on the battlefield and could not do anything to them.

It is said that in just a few months, Prince Gwanghae gathered three to five thousand followers and with the help of firearms from the new island, his power expanded rapidly, attracting many former retainers to join him.

If this trend continues, North Korea may be on the verge of a power struggle.

Ma Futa, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, led his men to take a look and found that Kangling County, where Prince Guanghai was based, was a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides and facing the mainland. Several sturdy stone (cement) fortresses had been built there, with many cannons on the walls. The defensive facilities were comparable to those of Tieshan City.

Not to mention that the weak Koreans would be unable to penetrate it, even if the elite Eight Banners troops of my Great Qing Dynasty came, they would still have a headache.

In other words, this kind of city cannot be besieged to death, nor can it be attacked and captured.

Unless, of course, one has a skilled navy that can launch a long-term siege from both land and sea, forcing them to run out of ammunition and food, and ultimately surrender without a fight.

It seems North Korea is about to descend into chaos.

Upon realizing this, Huang Taiji felt a sudden, inexplicable anxiety.

We finally managed to bring Korea under our control, making it a place that our Great Qing could take whatever it wanted from. If chaos breaks out in Korea, how can it reliably provide our Great Qing with the many supplies needed for our conquests?

Dorgon, Yue Tuo, and others led troops south to attack the Ming Dynasty, incurring countless expenses. Our Great Qing Dynasty repeatedly ordered Korea to import grain, pig iron, cloth, and other supplies.

However, North Korea made every effort to evade and delay, claiming that the country was still embroiled in war and the region was devastated, so there was no stockpile of supplies to send to Liaodong.

Only when our Great Qing Dynasty pressed them urgently did they reluctantly provide a small amount of grain, which was then escorted to Shengjing.

What's infuriating is that the Ming army stationed at Tieshan frequently dispatched elite cavalry to raid grain transport convoys, severely hindering the flow of supplies.

"What's the situation in Liaonan?" Huang Taiji pondered for a long time before suddenly asking.

Fan Wencheng said in a low voice, "The scouts report that Huang Long is gathering troops in Lushun and Jinzhou, and seems to intend to head north."

Daishan scoffed: "In the dead of winter, would the Ming army dare to go out of the city for open battle? The five thousand Eight Banners cavalry stationed in Liaoyang are just looking for a chance to stretch their muscles!"

"We must not underestimate the enemy." Huang Taiji glanced at him, his voice steady. "Huang Long has been frequently raiding our Qing garrisons in Liaonan these past few years. Although his actions have been small, who can guarantee that he won't risk a full-scale attack?"

"Now that Lu Xiang-sheng has just passed away and the Ming army has suffered a defeat of tens of thousands, the Ming court will surely issue strict orders to send troops from various regions to contain the enemy. We must be on guard."

He strolled to the charcoal brazier and looked at the glowing embers: "Where is Dorgon on his side?"

"Yesterday we received a military report that the main force bypassed Dezhou, crossed the Grand Canal at Dongchang and Linqing, and then split into three routes: one towards Gaotang, one towards Jining, and one heading straight for Jinan," Fan Wencheng added. "However, the Qin troops led by Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting are also..."

Huang Taiji raised his hand to interrupt him: "That's enough, it's time to bring them back. Issue an edict, ordering Dorgon to immediately return the captured people and property to the north."

"In addition, tell the Korean envoy that if they want the Qing Dynasty to send troops to help suppress Gwanghaegun, they should send some gifts first."

As he turned, the wind from his cloak extinguished the nearest palace lantern, and only a cold voice could be heard in the shadows: "When spring arrives and the ice melts, I will once again conquer Korea, first eliminating these two sources of trouble, Shen Shikui and Prince Gwanghae."

Outside the palace, the north wind whipped up snowflakes that lashed against the window paper, rustling like knives.
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(End of this chapter)