Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 580: Rebellion (Part )

At this point, Wuergudai felt it was time to express his loyalty. He withdrew his hand, stood up, and strode over to Amin. "Wuergudai, thank you."

"Hey, you and I are companions and brothers, why should we observe the rules of hierarchy?" Before Wuergudai could kneel down to salute, Amin put his hand on his shoulder.

"I dare not." Wuergudai pretended to struggle. "Even if the Hada tribe is restored, it will still be under your rule."

"It's still early. Even if you must kneel, there's no need to rush." ​​Amin simply stood up and forced Wuergudai to sit on the salt bag where he had been sitting before.

Wu Ergudai had no choice but to sit still.

After Amin sat down again, Wuergudai confirmed, "In other words, you want to write a letter to the Ming Kingdom about the battle strategy we agreed on this afternoon?"

"No, no, no," Amin shook his head and said, "We still have to fight this battle well."

"Fight well?" Wu Ergudai was a little confused. "Then what should I write?"

"Didn't that kid Yuetuo also say he wanted to 'ally with Wu to attack Cao'?" Amin smiled sincerely. "Just write down this information and tell 'Gao Bangzuo' in a letter. As long as the Ming army can use the information you provide and catch those who are going to Korea to negotiate on the way, can't you still be 'Guan Yu' who 'is in Cao's camp but his heart is with Han'?"

"Have you brought the brothers Yuetuo and Shuotuo here as well?" Wuergudai suddenly remembered that Amin left the two brothers alone at the end of the meeting.

"Of course not. After all, those two brothers are Daishan's biological sons and the Khan's biological grandsons. Looking at Yuetuo's jumping around, he might even want to become the new Khan." Amin said, "I want to win him over, and I want to win over Dudu first." Amin has already planned to find a time to test Dudu.

"Then how come they came up with this suggestion so coincidentally?" The fleeting look of realization on Wuergudai's face turned into confusion again.

"Who knows what that silly boy is thinking about all day long, it's definitely right that he wants to stand out." Amin guessed: "I guess he probably saw Du Du say what he wanted to say, so he had to come up with something different. It's a pity that he has no knowledge, so after holding it in for a long time, he could only pump out a stinky fart." Amin couldn't help laughing.

"Then why did you oppose it so strongly at that time?" Wu Ergudai couldn't laugh. The doubts in his heart grew deeper and deeper.

"Of course I have to object. If I can't even refute this kind of 'Yueto'-style stupid talk, then I shouldn't be the commander-in-chief." Judging from Amin's tone, it was obvious that he used the word 'Yueto' in its original meaning.

"And if I agree on the spot, if something happens in the future, the old man will most likely suspect me directly." Amin's face darkened a little. "In the past year, the old man's suspicion has become more and more serious. He even doesn't believe Daishan. He says that the father-son relationship has returned to normal, but in fact he is still on guard. If it really is the same as before, how could the old man let me lead the troops to fight against Korea." In the past, when the army was divided, Nurhaci himself usually led two yellow flags and Daishan led two red flags.

Wu Ergudai didn't say the last word. "Aren't you worried that Yuetuo might withdraw his proposal if provoked? It seems like this kid still has some blood in him."

"If he wants to withdraw, then just withdraw. It's just icing on the cake. Just pretend he never mentioned it and continue with the original plan." Amin said nonchalantly.

"What exactly is your plan?" Wuergudai frowned.

Amin's eyes flickered. "I originally just wanted you to write some useless nonsense to Gao Bangzuo to establish some connections with the Ming Dynasty first. But since Yuetuo has handed us such a good thing, let's put it to good use."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Wu Ergudai couldn't help himself. He simply laid it out and asked, "I want to know what your plan is."

"Didn't I tell you during the first negotiation? I want to cease the war and become the next 'King of Shunyi' appointed by the Emperor. Then you can take your old Hada people and become independent, becoming your own Hada Beile. You won't have to live a cowardly life under someone else's roof anymore."

"Of course I remember everything you said, but I want to know more details," Wuergudai said, puffing out a breath, insisting on getting to the bottom of it. "For example, the battle strategy we discussed this afternoon. Since you want to make peace with the court, why do you want to fight this battle 'properly'?"

"I have my own considerations. You just need to do what I ask you to do. There is no need to know about things that do not require your involvement." Amin stretched out his hand and tried to hold Wuergudai again.

"After all," Wu Ergudai dodged. "Are you still going to be on guard against me?"

"How could that be?" Amin forcibly grabbed Wuergudai, his voice as gentle as a flower thief deceiving a young girl: "Not only did I take you away from the old man, I've also been trying to find a way to help you show your face in the Ming Dynasty. How could you still think that?"

Wu Ergudai refused to accept this and said stubbornly, "But all of this is part of your plan, isn't it? You just said I was your companion and brother, but if I didn't know the full story, I would just think of myself as your pawn."

"Don't let your imagination run wild." Amin squeezed Wuergudai's hand.

"It's not that I don't want to be your pawn," Wuergudai continued to himself. "If I can successfully restore my country as you said and become Hada Beile again, I would accept it even if it means being your pawn. But how can a pawn like me know the strategy of you, the chess master? You said you wanted to stop the war, but you also said you wanted to fight this war well. You also want me to write letters to the Ming Kingdom while you are fighting this war. Your thoughts are so obscure, how can I feel at ease?"

"It's so dark and unclear. Haha, there are not so many clear and obvious things in the world." Amin slowly let go of Wuergudai and looked sideways at the steadily burning torch. "Wuergudai, do you think we can win this battle?"

Wuergudai felt that Amin was trying to change the subject again, and said with a disappointed sigh, "You don't even let me manage the troops, how would I know this?"

"I can't let you lead the troops, or the Khan might become suspicious of me. But you've been here every time we raise our troops, so you should have felt it," Amin said. "Tell me what's really in your heart."

Wu Ergudai was silent for a moment. "I find it difficult."

"It's more than difficult," Amin continued, staring at the torch. "The Ming have amassed two hundred thousand troops in Liaodong, and the city defenses are robust, leaving no weak spots. Liaoyang can even muster fifty or sixty thousand flexibly deployed reinforcements in a short period of time. Furthermore, the route from Liaoyang to Fenghuang is clear. Even if we can reach the Old Wall quietly, reinforcements from Liaoyang would arrive in four days at most." "To breach the Old Wall, capture Fenghuang and Zhenjiang, both protected by forts, and hold off Ming reinforcements at least equal to our entire army in four days is simply unrealistic! Not to mention, there are still unknown numbers of Ming troops in southern Liaoning, like Xiuyan and Xuancheng. As soon as Fenghuang and Zhenjiang fires sound the alarm, reinforcements from these areas will immediately march north. Even if our army can capture these two cities and block the reinforcements from Liaoyang and southern Liaoning, how can we stop the Ming troops from across the sea? Despite all the heated discussions this afternoon, I simply don't think victory is possible."

Wu Ergu looked at Amin deeply. “Since you know these things, why do you still want to ‘fight well’?”

"What else? Are you afraid before the battle? Are you surrendering to the Ming army?" The firelight enveloped Amin's eyes, obscuring them and revealing the bloodshot. "Even if the Bordered Blue Banner listens to me, will the Bordered Red Banner, Bordered White Banner, and the two Yellow Banners listen? You can see how eager they are to fight. They won't listen to me if I tell them to."

"It doesn't matter whether they listen to us or not. We can directly lead the Ming army into Kuandian and let the Ming army help us suppress the Bordered Red Banner and the Bordered White Banner." Wu Ergudai said.

"Are you serious?" Amin didn't even look at Wu Ergudai.

"Of course I'm serious. This was my first reaction when you asked me to write to Gao Bangzuo just now." Wu Ergudai explained, "As long as you can get the Ming army to suppress the Red and White Bordered Banners, you will immediately gain the favor of the court. The emperor may even summon you to the capital to pay tribute."

"That's a nice thought, but it's unrealistic," Amin said. "Let's not even talk about whether Xiong Tingbi would believe us. Even if he did believe us and sent troops to Kuandian, how would we hold off the combined forces of the Bordered Red Banner, Bordered White Banner, and the two Yellow Banners and four Niulu before the Ming army arrived?"

"As for the Bordered Blue Banner, even though they seem to be listening to me now, if we are truly pitted against the Four Banners coalition due to our treasonous actions, they will likely turn against us. At that time, we will either be arrested, tried, and executed, or flee to the Ming. Only by fighting a battle with honor and losing it, and letting the generals, especially those of the Bordered Blue Banner, know that they cannot win, will they be convinced to make peace with the Ming army under my leadership."

Wu Ergudai then asked, "Since you're already assuming defeat, why don't you simply let me tell the Ming army the strategy for advancing, especially the strategy for the Bordered Red Banner and Bordered White Banner? This way, not only can you achieve your goal, but you can also consume as many of these restless individuals as possible."

"I need to think further ahead," Amin turned his head and looked at Wuergudai intently. "If word gets out that he sent his own soldiers to be annihilated by the Ming army just to negotiate peace, how can I possibly maintain my position even if I accept the emperor's title in the future? Wuergudai, you don't want the future Jurchen 'Shunyi King' to be such a heartless and unscrupulous person, do you?"

Wu Ergudai was frightened by the look on his face. "You're right. But what if after this battle, the imperial court refuses to negotiate peace and insists on sending troops to destroy us? Don't forget, even now, the Ming Dynasty is still sending reinforcements to Liaodong."

"This depends on you," Amin sighed. "The court has been bringing forward orphans of the Yehe, Hada, Ula, and Huifa tribes in a row. It's obvious they want to use the old method of appeasement to bring the Jianzhou tribe back to its original form. As long as you, Hada Beile, who 'is in Cao's camp but his heart is with Han,' can mediate and convince the court that I, the orphan of the second commander of the Jianzhou tribe, am willing to negotiate and be loyal to the emperor, the court will definitely be tempted."

Wu Ergudai nodded and jumped down from the high salt bags. "I understand. I'll write the letter as soon as I get back."

"The night is long and dreams are many, so just write here," Amin held Wuergudai in his arms, "I've prepared the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone for you."

Wu Ergudai was startled. He looked around, but saw only stacked bags of salt. "Where is it?"

"Right here." Amin took down the torch and walked to a corner that had not been illuminated by the fire before. In the corner stood a stool and a wooden table, and on the wooden table were a set of study supplies, an account book, and a candlestick with a new candle.

"Sit down and write. Write about the Red Banner's trip to Korea." Amin picked up the candlestick and lit it with a torch. He then walked back and put the torch back in its place. "Early tomorrow morning, send Mangku to Zhenjiang with the letter."

"Okay, I'll write it right away." When Wuergudai heard that Amin was going to let Mangku go to Zhenjiang, he felt a little relieved.

Wu Ergudai picked up the brush and dipped it in ink. Before he could put the pen to paper, Amin's voice came from behind him again: "Write Chinese characters."

"I understand." Wu Ergudai nodded and wrote the first sentence: Wang Dutang, the Minister of Hada of the Ming Dynasty, respectfully writes to the Senior Councillor of the Ming Dynasty.

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When Wuergu returned home after delivering the letter, it was already completely dark. Fortunately, Amin gave him the torch, otherwise Wuergu would have had to rely on the waning gibbous moon in the sky to find his way home.

"You haven't slept yet?" After extinguishing the torch and walking into the main tent, Wuergudai immediately found a pair of eyes reflected in the moonlight staring at him.

"How can I sleep if you don't come back?" Manguji's voice floated over gently.

"Haha," Wu Ergudai tied the tent rope. "Do you still want me to sing to comfort you?"

"What did Amin say to you?" Manguji climbed out of the bed.

"You'd better know less." Turning around, Wuergudai found that Manguji had walked up to him. "It's better."

"I'm not good at 'better', I want to hear what you have to say." Manguji hugged Wuergudai, as if seeking warmth.

"That's fine," Wuergudai simply picked up Manguji and carried him horizontally. "If the truth ever comes out, you can betray me."

"That's not what I meant." Manguji buried his head in Wulgudai's chest and said in a muffled voice.

"This is what I mean," Wuergudai carried Manguji to the bed and sat down. He looked down at Manguji and said with a firm tone that had not been heard for a long time: "If this great thing can be accomplished, you will follow me back to my hometown and become a concubine of the Hada tribe. If it cannot be accomplished, you will find a good opportunity to betray Amin and me, and then continue to be a princess of the Jianzhou tribe."

"No!" Manguji looked back at her husband, tears welling up in her eyes. "If that day ever comes, I will die with you."

(End of this chapter)