Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 310 New Strategy
"So fast?" Chen Ce was surprised. "Fengji is ninety miles north of Fushun and over a hundred miles from Sarhu. How could the bandits have completed the journey in half a day?" Fushun, Fengji, and Liaoyang are almost in a straight line. There are mostly plains between Fengji and Liaoyang, and there are repaired passes. Even if they did not go in a straight line to Fengji, Nurhaci should not have been so fast.

"They should have marched along the mountain road in advance, and then suddenly emerged from Dongzhou Fort or Magendan Fort." Xiong Tingbi stood up, walked to the edge of the map that had just been unfolded, and drew a circle in the area further east to the northeast of Fengji.

In April of the 46th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (the third year of the Tianming reign of the Jin Dynasty), Nurhaci initiated the first conflict between the Ming and Jin dynasties, the Battle of Fushun. On the 14th, Nurhaci ordered his troops to march in two directions. He personally led the four banners of the right wing and all the Bayala of the Eight Banners directly towards Fushun City, while ordering the Grand Prince Daishan to lead the four banners of the left wing to attack Dongzhou Fort and Magendan Fort. The defenders of the two forts put up a fierce resistance, but were outnumbered and captured. Hundreds of soldiers were taken as captives to the capital, Hetuala. From then on, the Ming lost these two forts, only briefly "recovering" them during the Battle of Sarhu.

"Weren't there any spies who noticed the movements of the slave chief beforehand?" asked Tong Zhongkui, who was sitting next to Chen Ce.

"No, and it's unlikely there will be any," Xiong Tingbi explained. "The forts along the Dongzhou, Magendan, Sanyangyu, and Qinghe lines were originally frontier strongholds built in the hills and dense forests. Now they've all fallen, completely in enemy hands. The only way to investigate is to send out Night Guards and take the risk of conducting reconnaissance. I believe Li Bingcheng must have sent Night Guards, but it's hard to say how many of them would have returned alive, and how many of those who did return would have been able to bring back useful intelligence in time."

The Ming army's dynamic reconnaissance was poor, often sending personnel to confirm information after receiving it, far less nimble than the Jin army. Even Nurhaci's construction of a nest in Sarhu, a highly publicized and lengthy event, was only confirmed by the Shenyang Yebushou after the nest was completed. He Shixian risked sending additional personnel to verify the situation because the Liao people abducted by the Jin army in Kai and Tie cities were unable to bear the pressure and had reported back that "the chieftain had built a new nest, constructed hook ladders, camp carts, and prepared food supplies, and was fearing an attack on Shenyang and Fengtian."

"Have the defenders of Fengji come into contact with the slave soldiers?" Chen Ce asked again.

"They've already engaged." Xiong Tingbi stepped around Gao Bangzuo and handed the letter to Chen Ce. "Marshal Li Zhenshuo wrote that the slave soldiers were extremely arrogant. They even dared to attack the larger force with a small force, launching a charge despite being clearly outnumbered." With that, Xiong Tingbi walked back to the map, staring at the battle location described in the letter.

"But the slave soldiers' reinforcements arrived quickly. Li Qi had just finished encircling a small group of slave cavalry when the majority of them arrived. This wasn't out of arrogance, but a strategy. They wanted to show weakness, lure me into a tough fight, and then quickly surround and attack me. That old wild boar skin often uses this tactic."

"It is indeed possible." Chen Ce had followed Marshal Chen Lin in two long and drawn-out battles: the war to resist Japanese invaders and aid Korea, and the war to quell the rebellion in Bozhou. He had rich practical experience and had seen all kinds of conspiracies and tricks.

After Chen Ce finished reading the letter, he tried to pass it to the military supervisor, Gao Bangzuo. But Gao Bangzuo raised his hand and refused, saying, "I've already read it. Circulate it around." Gao Bangzuo, a provincial governor and councilor, held a rank one level below Xiong Tingbi and one level above the two inspectors. He held considerable influence in "Liaozhong," or Liaoyang. He had already read the letter before the generals were summoned.

"Okay." Chen Ce nodded and handed the letter to Tong Zhongkui.

Tong Zhongkui took the letter, read it, and asked, "Zuo Tang, where will we station our troops tomorrow?"

"It's not certain yet, we have to wait a little longer." Xiong Tingbi said.

"Wait?" Tong Zhongkui was stunned. "Wait for what?"

"Wait for the intelligence from Hupi." Xiong Tingbi tapped the location of Hupi Post on the map. "If nothing unexpected happens, Lieutenant General Zhu's troops should have reached Fengji by now." He then pointed to the current base of the Liaoyang reinforcements, Wujingying, twenty miles northeast of Hupi Post.

The Wujing Camp was located almost exactly on the median of the line connecting Shenyang and Fengtian. If Hupi was attacked, the first reinforcements would be the Wujing Camp's guerrillas, followed by the main forces from Fengtian, Shenyang, and Liaocheng.

Xiong Tingbi continued, "If Lieutenant General Zhu's camp is set up in the west of Fengji, our army will go east to form a three-way confrontation with the Feng and Hu armies to confront the enemy. Otherwise, we will go west." Whether going west or east, Xiong Tingbi's planned garrison was less than half a day's journey away from Wujingying.

"Where are the reinforcements from Marshal He Zhen in Shenyang?" Lieutenant General Zhou Dunji took the letter from Tong Zhongkui and asked, "They should have arrived in Fengji by now, right?"

"No." Xiong Tingbi shook his head and said, "Marshal He's troops will not move."

"Why doesn't Shenyang move?" Zhou Dunji asked.

"Besiege Wei to save Zhao." Xiong Tingbi was explaining this strategy to Zhou Dunji and the other generals present. He gestured on the map as he said, "Feng and Hu towns will support each other. If one town is besieged, the other town will send troops to share the pressure without compromising its own defenses. At this time, Shen Town will remain stationary. Once the enemy and I engage in battle, Shen Town will immediately dispatch elite troops to attack the new nest. If the enemy doesn't return to support us, we will quickly attack Fushun. If they still don't, we will attack Sarhu. If the enemy does return to support us, the siege of Feng and Hu towns will be lifted immediately, and the Shen Town troops will return to the city to defend it, maintaining the status quo."

"Maintain the status quo?" Chen Ce stood up and clasped his fists, asking, "Why doesn't Zuo Tang make plans to pursue the victory?"

"No pursuit, never at any time." Xiong Tingbi looked around at the generals. "I've already sent orders to all the cities, telling them not to pursue unless they are absolutely certain of the enemy's presence, that is, the majority of the enemy troops have been captured, and that they can escape quickly. Otherwise, even if they succeed, their achievements will go unrewarded, and even if they capture the enemy, there will be no reward. This rule applies to the generals of each city, and it applies to you as well. No one may pursue without my order."

"Are you so cautious?" the young envoy couldn't help but interrupt.

Xiong Tingbi patiently explained, "Although Liaodong has gathered 140,000 troops, most of them are recruits only capable of city defense, not field combat. We have very few mobile troops available, and even fewer elite troops. Meanwhile, the Nu chieftain has over 100,000 troops, all veterans of countless battles. Furthermore, Old Wild Boar Skin is cunning and unpredictable in his tactics, moving swiftly and always obeying his orders. His young wild boars are also very skilled. If our army rushes in rashly, we'll be surrounded and annihilated by the Nu bandits if we're not careful."

Xiong Tingbi paused and gave an example: "When Zhang Chengyin, Po Tingxiang, Pu Shifang and others led 10,000 troops to rescue Fushun, they fell into the Nu chieftain's strategy of feigning defeat to lure them in. In the end, they failed to save Fushun and ended up losing their own army, which was annihilated and shocked the whole country. Later, Yang Jinglue was forced by the court to launch an expedition in four directions, but because they could not coordinate, they were taken advantage of by the Nu chieftain and defeated one by one. This shows the decline of our army and the strength of the enemy. The lesson is here, and I must learn from it." Having said this, Xiong Tingbi faced southwest and bowed:

".I think the Emperor's order to the troops not to protect themselves probably also means this."

"Then when will we launch the suppression campaign?" Ma Xianglin asked.

"Wait until the enemy is weak and I am strong." Xiong Tingbi himself could not give a specific time.

"When is the enemy weak and when am I strong?" Ma Xianglin continued to ask.

"Okay!" Qin Liangyu tugged at her son's sleeve.

"That's all right," Xiong Tingbi said with a tolerant smile, unperturbed. "Victory in war depends not only on the troops, but also on the momentum. As long as Liaozhen can hold its own, we can use our great power to strangle the usurping thieves. Now that we're through this, we'll have plans. Son, you have plenty of battles to fight, but I don't just want you to fight, I want you to live."

Xiong Tingbi had already written a secret memorial about his new plan and was on his way south to the capital, ahead of the imperial envoys. He could only suggest this plan, not make the final decision; it required the emperor's approval before it could be implemented.

Ma Xianglin's eyes flashed, and he smiled and nodded: "Yes."

The next day, before the dawn, a ray of light appeared in the distant sky, bright enough to illuminate the horizon.

Dergelei rose early, in a cheerful mood. The previous night, he had reported the battle situation and losses to his father, the Khan. His father publicly praised him, saying he had handled the situation well. Not only had he fought bravely and decisively, defeating the Ming cavalry and causing Ming reinforcements to hesitate and not advance, but he had also decisively retreated after the Ming artillery fire, avoiding a rash clash that would have caused even greater losses.

As for the lack of advance deployment, which led to the brothers Yuetuo and Shuotuo becoming too excited and preparing to attack the flank of the Ming army, since no serious consequences occurred, everyone tacitly did not mention it.

Degelei dressed neatly and came to the Khan's tent. He thought he had arrived early, but he didn't expect that the commander of the four left wing flags, the fourth prince Huang Taiji, was already standing in front of the guards waiting.

Degelei quickly walked to Huang Taiji's side and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Fourth Prince."

Huang Taiji responded with courtesy as an equal. "Tenth brother, why should you be so polite?"

Huang Taiji did this because the status of the Derge clan had been significantly improved when Nian Daishan was abolished last year.

At that time, Daishan killed his "evil wife" with his own hands and swore to heaven: if he did evil again and bore resentment, he would be willing to be punished by heaven and earth and die a miserable death.

While forgiving Daishan, Nurhaci went a step further and drafted an oath, burning it to the sky, formally concluding an important oath:

Today, your sins have been known to your father, the Khan. He did not simply believe the words of one person. From now on, Amin, Manggurtai, Huang Taiji, Dergelei, Yuetuo, Jirgalang, Ajige, Dodo Dorgon, and the eight Beile will be appointed as Heshuo Ezhen.

The Khan receives grants from the people of the Eight Banners and eats their contributions. In government affairs, the Khan may not act arbitrarily. The Khan rules by divine mandate. If any Khoshuo Ezhen attempts to commit evil and disrupt government affairs, the other seven Khoshuo Ezhen will meet and punish him, humiliating him if necessary or killing him if necessary. Even if the Khan of his own state wishes to depose or demote someone for personal vendetta, the other seven banners may not yield to the Khan.

This was the far-reaching agreement within the Jin Dynasty known as the "Eight Heshuo Ezhens Discussing State Affairs Together." This agreement elevated Nurhaci's tenth son, Dergelei; Daishan's eldest son, Yuetuo; Shurhaci's sixth son, Jirgalang; Nurhaci's twelfth son, Ajige; and Nurhaci's fifteenth and fourteenth sons, Duoduo and Dorgon, to the same rank as the three great beiles: Amin, Manggurtai, and Huang Taiji. This was second only to the so-called "Khan."

Huang Taiji was not like Manggurtai who had many complaints about this arrangement. He supported all the decisions of his father Khan, whether they were right or wrong. As long as his father Khan said it publicly, Huang Taiji would support it publicly and never complain.

"Fourth Prince, when will we launch the attack on Fengji?" Degelei asked Huang Taiji.

"I don't know. I haven't met my father Khan yet." Huang Taiji shook his head and said, "Besides, whether they will attack or not is still unknown."

"Didn't father Khan ask us to be prepared yesterday?" After Dergelei came back, Nurhaci not only did not remove his temporary command of the elite Zhenghuang Banner troops under his command, but instead asked him and his two nephews to go back to summarize the gains and losses and make preparations.

"Tenth brother, we should always be prepared for battle." Huang Taiji chuckled. "If we forcefully attack Fengji, Fushun and even Sarhu will be in danger."

While the Ming army lacked the flexibility of the Jin, they were far more efficient at sieges. With only half a day's lag, the walls of Sarhu could be crumbled by Ming artillery fire. After the walls collapsed, the Ming army didn't need to occupy them, search and kill, but simply set them ablaze.

"Then why mobilize such a large army and make such a fuss?" Degelei nodded thoughtfully.

"The Khan is blessed with wisdom. I still need to think and learn more." Huang Taiji smiled warmly, as if he had merged with the rising sun.

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Soon, Daishan, the leader of the Plain Red Banner, Dudu, the leader of the Bordered White Banner, Jirgalang, the chief general of the Bordered Blue Banner, Yuetuo and Shuotuo, the two chief generals of the Bordered Red Banner, and Shumulu Buha, the chief general of the Plain Blue Banner, all gathered outside Nurhaci's tent.

After all parties exchanged greetings, everyone stood there in silence.

The positions of these people were very subtle. Although Daishan had been deposed, he still stood alone at the head of the line, staring silently at the curtain of the Khan's tent, wondering what he was thinking. Yuetuo and Shuotuo were clearly Daishan's sons, yet they were gathered around Degelei. Because Degelei was close to Huang Taiji, the two brothers were closer to Huang Taiji than Daishan. Buha seemed to be standing closer to Degelei, but between them were Daishan's two sons.

Jirgalang stood behind the right side of the group. Like Daishan, his eyes were fixed on Nurhaci's tent, but his mind was not on the door curtain of the tent. Instead, his peripheral vision was wandering among Nurhaci's descendants.

Jirgalang glanced at the crowd twice before noticing Nurhaci's eldest grandson, Dudu. Dudu was to the left and rear of Daishan and the others, seemingly close to them, yet also seemingly isolated and safe.

Jirgalang became interested in Dudu. He turned slightly and found that Dudu had his head drooped, as if he had not slept well. He wanted to go over and talk to Dudu.

But at this time, Nurhaci, who was also wearing armor and helmet and dressed neatly, walked out of the Khan's tent.

　Note: Duoduo and Dorgon are both considered Heshuo Ezhen. Furthermore, the most errors and contradictions in the Manchu records are between Dorgon and Huang Taiji. Why? Because both held power and manipulated the Manchu records. Furthermore, their successor, Emperor Qianlong, also manipulated the Manchu records.

　　As to why it moved, it is hard to speculate.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)