Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 478 "We Have No Choice But to Fight"

September 13th, night, 2:45 AM.

Hong Chengchou stood on the arrow tower of Songshan City, looking out at the camp to the north outside the city.

The Qing soldiers retreated slowly like a tide, the firelight reflected from their armor plates dancing in his pupils.

This is the third wave of Qing army attacks repelled tonight.

The night wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder and blood, made his official robes flutter loudly.

Although the Qing army's offensive was temporarily repelled, sporadic cannon fire and shouts of battle could still be heard in the distance.

"Commander, the right flank has been stabilized, and the Tartars have retreated!" A personal guard ran up quickly and knelt on one knee to report.

Hong Chengchou nodded slightly, his fingers unconsciously loosening their grip on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

His gaze swept over the brightly lit camps below the city, as he considered his next move.

However, at this moment...

"Report!" A night watchman stumbled up the city wall, his face ashen.

"Commander! Bijia Mountain... Bijia Mountain is under attack!"

Hong Chengchou's fingers suddenly stiffened, his pupils contracted slightly, and a chill ran down his spine.

He struggled to hold onto the railing of the arrow tower, but his fingertips were trembling.

Bijia Mountain stored 100,000 shi of grain, which was the lifeline of these more than 100,000 Ming soldiers.

If they run out of food, let alone a counterattack, they will collapse within five days, even faster than Du Song at Sarhu.

But he quickly returned to normal, only the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

"When did this happen?" His voice was low and steady, as if he were asking about a routine military matter.

“Half an hour ago!” the scout officer replied, looking up. “Our unit discovered several thousand Qing cavalry leaving their camp and heading east at breakneck speed, so we followed them. And then…and we found them heading straight for the supply depot at Bijia Mountain…”

“Continue!” Hong Chengchou gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, his voice sharp as if cut by a knife.

"When I returned to report the news, I heard shouts of battle rising from Bijia Mountain. Moreover... and the sound of cannons booming could be heard, which means that the defending troops are trying to stop the Qing invaders."

"Could the 'sky bridge' leading to Bijia Mountain have allowed cavalry to launch a surprise attack?"

"Commander," the officer said with a look of panic, "there seems to be a high tide today. Scouts have spotted a large section of the 'sky bridge' exposed, wide enough for more than ten cavalrymen to pass side by side..."

"hiss!"

Hong Chengchou's throat tightened, as if an invisible knife was pressed against the back of his neck.

If Bijia Mountain is lost, the tens of thousands of troops at Songshan will run out of food!
"Commander, this humble general requests permission to rescue Bijia Mountain..." General Cao Bianjiao of Yutian, standing behind him, said in a deep voice.

Hong Chengchou suddenly raised his hand to stop him from speaking.

Zhou Shipu, the military advisor standing nearby, saw the commander-in-chief's Adam's apple bob a few times, and fine beads of sweat seeping from his temples, glistening faintly in the torchlight.

"Where is Wu Sangui?" As he turned around, the hem of his robe brushed against the candlestick on the table, causing the candlelight to flicker and cast his shadow on the map, like a trapped beast with outstretched wings.

"General Wu is currently overseeing the battle at the Eastern Camp outside the city!"

"Send him to see me immediately!" Hong Chengchou's finger slammed heavily on "Bijia Mountain" on the map, poking a small hole in the cinnabar mark there.

When Wu Sangui rode in, his armor was still covered in thick gunpowder smoke, and the murderous look on his face had not yet dissipated.

"Commander!" he bowed respectfully.

Hong Chengchou stared at the "Loyalty and Bravery" token on his waist, which was personally bestowed by the emperor.

He took a deep breath and forced a stiff smile: "Uncle Chang, take three thousand elite Guan Ning cavalry out of the camp for a trip."

"Where to?" Wu Sangui raised an eyebrow.

"Bijia Mountain".

"..." A strange look appeared on Wu Sangui's face.

"Take your men and rush to Bijia Mountain immediately. Make sure to protect our supplies." Hong Chengchou's voice remained calm. "If we encounter the Tartars, do not linger in battle. Quickly break through to Bijia Mountain and, at all costs, storm into the camp to join forces with Tong Hanbang and hold it!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Wu Sangui clasped his hands in acceptance, turned and strode away.

Only after Wu Sangui's figure disappeared at the top of the city wall did Hong Chengchou slowly exhale a breath of stale air.

His palms were already soaked with cold sweat and trembled slightly inside his sleeves.

He looked towards Bijia Mountain; the night was deep, and only the distant firelight was faintly visible.

"Commander-in-Chief..." Cao Bianjiao hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

“If Wu Sangui’s Guan Ning cavalry cannot arrive in time, then we will have to make other plans.” Hong Chengchou waved his hand, stopping Cao Bianjiao from speaking.

"You should abandon the two large camps north of Songshan and concentrate all your troops in the four large camps on Rufeng Mountain. Dig trenches and await my next instructions."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Cao Bianjiao accepted the order and left.

"Order all camps in the city to strengthen their defenses." He whispered to his personal guard beside him, "Send out scouts again to keep a close watch on the direction of Bijia Mountain."
-

On Changling Mountain, Huang Taiji stood with his hands behind his back, gazing intently towards the direction of Bijia Mountain.

The night wind swept across his sable fur coat, stirring up wisps of frost that, in the torchlight, drifted like fine silver dust.

The shouts of battle outside Songshan City gradually subsided, and the cannons in the Ming army camp finally stopped firing, leaving only the sporadic sound of war drums echoing in the night.

The feint attack had been going on for most of the night, and dawn was just around the corner.

Ao Bai led 20,000 infantry and cavalry in repeated attacks on the Ming army's defenses. The ladders were put up and then knocked down, then put up again, resulting in considerable casualties.

However, the Ming army on the other side remained steadfast, their firearms roaring and their arrows raining down like locusts, forcing the Qing army's offensive back time and time again.

"Your Majesty, the Ming army's artillery fire is even more intense than expected," Sony reported in a low voice, his voice tinged with a hint of gravity. "Especially their new barbarian cannons, which have an extremely long range. Our siege ladders have already been shattered countless times before they even got close to the camp."

Huang Taiji did not respond immediately, but merely narrowed his eyes slightly. He had anticipated the Ming army's tenacity.

Hong Chengchou was not Yang Hao, and Songshan was not Sarhu.

Even so, he still felt a faint unease.

The Ming army's artillery was too powerful and too dense, as if they didn't care about ammunition consumption at all.

"Any news from Ajige's side?" he finally asked, his voice low and slow.

“Not yet.” Sony shook his head. “But according to the time, they should have already stepped onto the ‘sky bridge’ and are launching an attack on the Ming army’s supply camp.”

Huang Taiji gently stroked the pearl on the hilt of his sword with his fingertips, feeling the cool touch of the smooth jade.

He is waiting.

Waiting for an opportunity large enough to break through the Ming army's defenses.

The grain and fodder from Bijia Mountain were the lifeblood of Hong Chengchou.

If Ajige could seize or burn the Ming army's grain reserves in one fell swoop, the 130,000-strong army at Songshan would be in dire straits in an instant.

At that time, the Ming army will inevitably panic, and their defenses will inevitably crumble.

But what if Azige fails?
The thought flashed through his mind, and Huang Taiji's eyes suddenly turned cold.

No, we cannot fail.

The Qing Dynasty had staked its last elite troops. If it failed in this battle, the morale of the Eight Banners would completely collapse, and Dorgon's defenses at Rufeng Mountain would be breached by the Ming army.

"Send scouts again to gather intelligence in the direction of Bijia Mountain," he ordered in a deep voice. "Report back immediately if there is any unusual activity."

"Yes, sir!" Sony bowed and withdrew.

Huang Taiji stood alone on the high slope, the night wind brushing against his face, carrying the smell of gunpowder and blood from the distant battlefield.

He recalled that on the eve of the Battle of Sarhu, his father Nurhaci had also stood on the bank of the Hun River, looking at the campfires of the Ming army on the opposite bank.

The Eight Banners soldiers were few in number and poorly armored at that time, but in the end, they won.

“Father Khan…” he murmured softly, as if seeking some kind of guidance from the unseen world.

"Your Majesty, why don't you go to the tent to rest?" a Bayara guard said in a muffled voice. "News has arrived from Bijia Mountain, and this servant reported it immediately."

"Take a break?" Huang Taiji gave a wry smile. "I can't rest! I'll just enjoy the night breeze."

His gaze returned to the east, where the horizon gradually brightened, but the news he had been waiting for all night still hadn't arrived.

"Your Majesty, look!" The Bayara guard suddenly pointed into the distance.

A series of red lights lit up the eastern horizon, not the warm color of sunrise, but the crimson of fire.

Immediately afterwards, the faint sound of artillery fire rolled over, muffled like distant thunder.

Huang Taiji's heart skipped a beat. He stood on tiptoe and looked up.

"Did our men succeed?" The guards of the Bayara tribe were beaming with joy.

Huang Taiji didn't speak, but just stared intently at the red light.

He recalled the look in Ajige's eyes before he set off, like that of a starving wolf.

Choose people to eat!

Pity!
If we could seize all that grain, we could feed the bannermen who were starving.

But the red light only lasted for about half an hour before being swallowed up by the thick fog.

The cannon fire stopped, leaving only the wind whistling through the pines, like the mournful weeping of someone.

"Send more scouts!" Huang Taiji's voice was somewhat unsteady. "I need to know exactly what the situation is at Bijia Mountain..."

"Report!..."

Before he could finish speaking, a fast horse suddenly charged out of the fog in the east.

The knights on horseback, billowing in dust and their armor stained with blood, galloped towards us, shouting from afar.

Upon reaching the camp entrance, he immediately dismounted and quickly rode up the mountain.

"Your Majesty!..." The armored cavalryman knelt on the ground, kowtowing several times, and then said with a sorrowful expression, "Your Majesty, Bijia Mountain... Bijia Mountain has been defeated! Prince Ajige is seriously injured..."

Huang Taiji's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword, his body swayed slightly, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes.

"Say it again!"

"Your Majesty, our troops launched a surprise attack on Bijia Mountain, but encountered strong resistance from the Ming army at 'Tianqiao,' suffering nearly half of their cavalry losses. Prince Ajige was wounded by artillery fire and his condition is not good; I fear..."

Huang Taiji took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He turned to look at the seaside that was gradually turning a sliver of light, and found it so dazzling.

"Defeated?" He smiled bitterly, suddenly feeling all the strength drain from his body, his hands unconsciously reaching out to grab something.

The soldiers below the slope were still gnawing on their dry rations, and no one noticed that their Khan was clenching his teeth and swallowing the word "impossible" back down his throat.

The night wind carried the smoke of gunpowder and the distinctive sulfurous smell of Ming army cannons.

Huang Taiji shivered and realized that his fur coat was already soaked with cold sweat.

In the distance, the sound of cannons rang out again from the Ming army camp, one after another, as if striking at the lifeline of the Qing Dynasty.

He knew that the battle had to continue.

But the star that had been hanging in my heart has now been extinguished.

Perhaps, all we can do is fight with all our might.
-

(End of this chapter)