Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 495 The Changing Situation of the Qing Dynasty
"On the first day of the eleventh month, the Qing army broke camp and returned north, and the Eight Banners tribes retreated in succession."

"...On the third day, the government troops regrouped and pursued the enemy. More than 20,000 cavalry and infantry followed the enemy's rear guard, intending to seize an opportunity to strike a part of them and blunt the enemy's advance."

"...On the fourth day, after extensive reconnaissance, it was confirmed that the enemy troops had indeed retreated, so the army was urged to advance rapidly. At noon, the government army's 7,000 cavalry caught up with a group of enemy soldiers on the banks of the Daling River. Just as they were about to launch a surprise attack, they were ambushed. Only Wu Sangui, the general of Ningyuan, led more than 3,000 cavalry to break through the encirclement. The remaining 3,800 were all killed, and Ma Ke, the general of Shanhaiguan, fought bravely and died for his country."

"...The enemy cavalry took advantage of their victory and launched a counterattack. Wang Pu, the general of Datong, was routed before the battle even began, and his entire army scattered. They were pursued by the enemy for more than ten miles. Cao Bianjiao, the general of Yutian, used a wagon formation to block the enemy cavalry and fired cannons at them, repeatedly inflicting casualties on the enemy cavalry. However, with more than 10,000 enemy cavalry surrounding them, they could not advance an inch and could only hold their ground and wait for reinforcements."

"...When Commander-in-Chief Hong Chengchou heard the alarm, he personally led tens of thousands of troops to advance slowly to provide reinforcements, but was harassed by more than 10,000 enemy cavalry, which slowed down his march."

"...After Cao's troops held out for two days and were on the verge of defeat, the enemy cavalry suddenly broke the siege and left, and the more than 10,000 cavalry that had harassed Hong's army also disappeared without a trace. Although the government troops were suspicious, they quickly reorganized their troops and retreated to Jinzhou."

"...It is said that the Jurchen chieftain Huang Taiji was seriously ill, which caused the Jurchen troops to retreat north in panic."

"..."

On November 15th, inside the Xinhua Guild Hall in Jinzhou City, the silver charcoal in the charcoal brazier was burning brightly, making people drowsy from the smoke.

But Zhong Minghui showed no signs of fatigue. He unfolded and rolled up the report from Ningyuan on the rosewood table with both hands. The ink on the Xuan paper was rubbed by his fingertips until it became rough, and faint white marks appeared on the edges.

He tapped his knuckles heavily on the words "Huang Taiji, the chieftain of the slaves, is seriously ill," his brows furrowing as if he wanted to etch those words into his mind.

"Ill?"

Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled up again, revealing half a white tooth, and he sneered, "Could it be that he's dead?"

Upon hearing this, the people sitting in the room raised their eyebrows and their eyes revealed a look of surprise.

Having worked with this man for many years, I've often heard him use all sorts of strange words, so I'm used to it.

As for the word "hanged up," they were naturally familiar with it as well.

That is... the slave chieftain Huang Taiji is dead!

"Sir, is this false information spread by the Tartars to lure the Ming army into being deceived again?" Zheng Dayuan, deputy commander of the Liaohai Self-Defense Army, asked very cautiously.

“Hong Chengchou isn’t a fool. He was tricked by the Tartars once, losing more than 10,000 elite troops and a general. He probably won’t risk going north again.” Zhong Minghui handed the report to Zheng Dayuan and said with a smile, “In any case, this nearly two-year-long Battle of Songjin has come to an end. Moreover, the result is much better than we expected.”

The charcoal in the brazier crackled and popped. Zhong Minghui poked at the fire and continued, "Hong Chengchou's main force is still intact, Jinzhou City hasn't fallen, and although the Guan Ning cavalry suffered heavy losses, their foundation remains undamaged. What does this mean? It means that the situation in Liaodong hasn't completely deteriorated, and the Ming army still has the strength to fight. I estimate that the Qing forces didn't gain much advantage in this battle; on the contrary, they suffered considerable losses. So, for at least the next two years, they won't have the strength to launch a large-scale offensive. The Ming Dynasty... can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

“What’s even more interesting is…” he changed the subject, his eyes brightening, “If Huang Taiji really died at this time, the situation in Liaodong might descend into chaos that we can’t even imagine. Those people within the Qing army might start fighting amongst themselves for the Khan’s throne and destroy themselves!”

"No way?" Everyone looked on in surprise.

The Jurchen chieftain Huang Taiji led almost the entire army to fight the Ming army along the Songjin line. Although our Xinhua Army's surprise attack on Liaoyang forced them to retreat north, it shouldn't have been enough to "kill Huang Taiji with anger," said Zhang Yougong, the person in charge of trade affairs in the Liaohai Colonization Zone, thoughtfully. "I think the lord may have guessed correctly. Huang Taiji is most likely dead."

"Why?" Xu Jixian, the person in charge of the Jinzhou Trading Post of the Colonization Special Zone, asked.

“You all saw the report from the garrison earlier. At that time, more than 10,000 Tartar cavalry surrounded Cao Bianjiao’s more than 7,000 infantrymen and were about to devour them,” Zhang Yougong said. “But what happened? They actually withdrew their troops, letting the fat meat that was about to be in their mouths escape. Also, the more than 10,000 Tartar cavalry that harassed Hong Chengchou’s main force withdrew without hesitation, without any hesitation.”

"Tell me, besides the death of the Manchu chieftain Huang Taiji, what else could have made the Tartars so hastily withdraw their troops? The generals of the Eight Banners are clearly eager to return to Shenyang to fight for power. I can't think of any other reason why the Tartars would do such a thing!"

"Hiss, so it seems the Tartars are about to have internal strife?" Zheng Dayuan said in surprise.

"Perhaps..." Zhong Minghui smiled wryly, then leaned back in the rosewood chair, his fingers unconsciously stroking the carvings on the armrest, his gaze drifting out the window.

Snowflakes were pattering against the windowpane, making a soft "shush" sound, as if they were telling a story.

Suddenly, images of the Qing Dynasty dramas he had seen in his later years flashed through his mind. He remembered a scene where, after Huang Taiji's death, Hauge and Dorgon fought fiercely for power. Hauge initially had the upper hand, but he casually said, "I am not worthy of the title due to my lack of fortune and virtue." This self-deprecating remark gave Dorgon a handle to use against him. Dorgon then installed the six-year-old Fulin as Khan and became regent, completely outmaneuvering Hauge.

But the current situation is so different from what is portrayed in the play and what is written in history books.

Firstly, the Qing forces did not completely win the Battle of Songjin. On the contrary, due to the continuous stalemate, the Qing forces were in a very bad situation. They not only suffered heavy losses, but also exhausted themselves to the point of "running out of ammunition and food", with almost no extra food to survive the winter.

Next, it seems that Huang Taiji died rather young. Will this have a huge impact on the political landscape within the Qing Dynasty?
It is important to understand that in the original historical timeline, Huang Taiji's brilliant victory in the Battle of Songjin not only broke through the military strategic framework of the Ming Dynasty, but also profoundly reshaped the power structure of the Eight Banners.

Through a brilliant victory, he firmly bound "military merit and benefits" to "personal authority," leading the Eight Banners military group to believe that "attachment to Huang Taiji = obtaining benefits." This belief, after his death, also translated into support for his eldest son, Hauge.

After Huang Taiji's death, Hauge was able to gain a lot of support, which was essentially the "Songjin War Bonus Group" protecting its own interests.

These people attached themselves to Huang Taiji not simply out of "loyalty," but because Huang Taiji could bring them victory and benefits.

After Huang Taiji's death, they would naturally choose Hauge, who best represented the "existing interest structure," rather than Dorgon, who might disrupt the existing structure.

But now?

The Battle of Songjin achieved only limited results and suffered considerable casualties. No fewer than thirty mid- to high-ranking generals, including Jiale Ezhen, Mele Ezhen, and Gushan Ezhen, were killed in action. Even Prince Wuying, Ajige, perished in battle. It was a complete military and strategic failure, and the myth of Huang Taiji as the "Heavenly Khan" was likely shattered.

Therefore, the struggle for power within the Eight Banners will become even more intense. Those Eight Banners military merit groups that have not gained any benefits will likely split up. There will be supporters of Hauge, but there will probably be quite a few who hesitate and watch, and there may even be opportunists who want to side with Dorgon.

Under these circumstances, Hauge would probably no longer utter humble words like "lacking in fortune and virtue, unfit for the task," and would instead pick up a knife and fight Dorgon to the death.

So, will the Tartars start a fight?
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(End of this chapter)