Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 113 The Unyielding Jurchens, Never Cease War

"Huh?" Zhu Youjian was taken aback after hearing this.

Li Zicheng rebelled again?
And at this critical juncture, they launched a surprise attack on his rear?

So Li Guo was just a smokescreen sent by him.

Why didn't he act sooner, instead of waiting until he drove Dorgon out of the pass?
Didn't he know he could withdraw his troops at any time?
A series of questions arose in Zhu Youjian's mind.

Why did he feel that after traveling back to the late Ming Dynasty, the characters who should have shone brightly in history books all had such abstract behavioral logic?

After calming himself down, Zhu Youjian inquired carefully.

"What exactly happened? Why did Ni Yuanlu send you here? How many cities have been lost? How many elite troops does Li Zicheng have? And who are leading them?"

Although the questions were very detailed, the messenger still answered with the briefest possible words.

"Your Majesty, at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) the other day, scouts from all directions rushed to the capital to request reinforcements."

"Li Zicheng has once again raised an army under the pretext of punishing the traitors of the state. He has mobilized 80,000 troops and divided them into five routes. They entered the Henan and Beizhili areas from the Hetao region. They do not know the situation of the city defenses in various places for the time being, but the city defenses in various places are all empty. They are no match for Li Zicheng."

"The Grand Secretary has ordered me to ride a swift horse to inform Your Majesty that you are requesting that Your Majesty return to the pass."

"The Grand Secretary said: The garrison in the capital is less than 10,000, and the garrison in other places is less than 2,000. It is impossible to stop the enemy without Your Majesty withdrawing the troops."

The meaning is very clear: if Zhu Youjian does not withdraw his troops, the north and Henan will fall again.

Moreover, this time it was different from the Qing army's entry into the pass.

There are truly no garrison troops left inside the pass.

All the usable troops had been taken by Zhu Youjian to the area outside the Great Wall to block Dorgon, leaving only the armies of Prince Zhou and Shi Kefa still on their way.

But given the strength of these two units, they were at best comparable to the routed troops under Li Zicheng.

It's fine for defending a city, but once the situation changes from offense to defense, its true strength is immediately revealed.

As the Ming army's chariot formation swayed precariously in the twilight, the yellow sheep with their burning tails smashed the barricades to pieces.

The cavalry of the Bordered White Banner poured in through the gap, the flashes of their three-barreled guns flickering in the smoke and dust.

Zhu Youjian's hand gripping the sword had veins bulging. At this moment, half a broken arrow was still stuck in his dragon-patterned armor, and his warhorse was startled by stray arrows and reared up from time to time.

The war is at its most critical moment, and it is impossible to withdraw troops now.

Compared to Dorgon, Li Zicheng was no threat at all!
He reached out and took the report from the messenger, stuffing it into his pocket without even glancing at it.

Then he instructed, "Go back and tell Ni Yuanlu that my mind is made up."

"We will never cease hostilities until the Jurchens are destroyed!"

"I grant him the right to organize militia to defend the city, and he may choose any officials he wishes. The troops under Shi Kefa and Zhou Wang will also be temporarily placed under the command of Ni Yuanlu. He shall hold the city for me for seven days!"

Having said that, without waiting for the messenger to remember or not, he turned around and rejoined the battle.

The battle has now reached a fever pitch.

The sentries rushed towards Zhu Youjian like madmen.

"Report! The left flank of the vehicle emplacement has collapsed!"

The sentry had just brought news from the front when he was shot through the throat by a stray arrow, his blood spraying onto the yellow dragon banner.

"Your Majesty, Commander Huang requests permission to move to the rear!"

Before he finished speaking, the artillery vehicle ten feet away exploded with a loud bang.

Zhu Youjian swiftly chopped off the cloak that was in his way, the broken blade sparking as it scraped against the iron armor. "If I retreat even half a step, the entire army will collapse instantly! Order Huang Degong to plant my dragon banner at the breach!"

The remnants of the Fifth Army Battalion advanced forward against the shield wall. When the battle flag embroidered with a golden dragon was raised amidst the smoke of battle, the Mongol cavalry roared like trapped beasts.

Abunai's nephew, Batel, led three hundred elite soldiers back into battle. The moment his scimitar pierced the neck of a yak, boiling blood splattered all over his face, turning him crimson.

Ten hook-and-sickle spears suddenly emerged from under the carriage shaft, severing the legs of the vanguard horse bearing the white banner at the root. Qi Jiguang's Mandarin Duck Formation revealed its fangs from the dust.

Inside Dorgon's central command tent, Fan Wencheng stared at the constantly moving bronze horse on the sand table, drawing blood-red arcs on the sheepskin map with charcoal. "Your Highness, a gap has appeared on the Ming army's right flank. Have Sony's five thousand light cavalry cut in from here."

"No." Dorgon pushed the ivory token representing the Plain White Banner over the hill, the gold-inlaid armor striking the sandalwood table with a resounding clang. "Have Dodo send men with the Bayara Guard to cut in and disrupt the Southerners' lines!"

He tapped his fingertips in the direction of Nuluhuer Mountain, the candlelight flickering in his pupils. "There should be some movement from Jirhalang's side?"

Fan Wencheng nodded. "It should be ready, but it seems a bit late. Even if we come out now, we'll only be caught in a fierce battle."

Dorgon remained noncommittal. His initial plan was to feign defeat at Nuluhuer Mountain, and then have Jirgalang send troops to cut off the Ming army's rear.

But given the current situation, even if we arrived, it would be of little use.

"Has Tan Tai sent any news?"

"If there's no further action, I'll have no choice but to continue retreating..." Dorgon said in despair.

Fan Wencheng, however, did not dare to respond.

In his opinion, there shouldn't have been any entanglement in the first place; Hauge's decision not to send troops was already a stroke of luck.

If Dorgon were to hand over the main army to Dodo, he could send a light cavalry to Shengjing, seize control of the city, and then bring back the Plain Blue Banner and the Bordered Blue Banner from the mountains to reinforce the capital. This would take at most a month.

Given Dodo's abilities, he might still be able to continue his struggle against Zhu Youjian.

Dorgon refused to listen, revealing his petty and narrow-minded nature, a trait honed through his battles in the Northeast.

They absolutely couldn't bear to part with these 90,000 elite troops.

The Jurchens were not the same Jurchens during Nurhaci's time. The casualties of tens of thousands of people were only the loss of one generation.

Five or ten years later, when the next generation grows up, the Jurchens will still be the same Jurchens, and they will be born with a deep-seated hatred for the Southern Dynasty.

That would be the best time to destroy the Southern Dynasty.

Fan Wencheng thought about it more and more, even recalling the scene and choices Dorgon made when he was about to enter the pass.

None of the events that followed were similar to what they had anticipated.

It's even the complete opposite.

Perhaps when Zhu Youjian's capital exceeded one million, they should have abandoned their ambition to conquer the Southern Dynasties.

Looking back at Dorgon, Fan Wencheng sighed again.

No more words.

The fighting continues.

The Ming army on the other side was incredibly tough.

Let alone sending Dodo with three thousand heavy cavalry.

Even if we brought in the White-Armored Soldiers from Nurhaci's time, they probably wouldn't be able to break through the Ming army's lines.

Another day of stalemate.

Both sides used almost every conceivable tactic.

One side consisted of Dorgon, Dodo, and Fan Wencheng. If the timeline hadn't shifted, this trio would have been enough to establish their dominance over the Central Plains.

But the opposing side was no less formidable, featuring Huang Degong plus a youthful version of Qi Jiguang, and Zhang Shize, the Ming Dynasty's war god who had fought with 500 to 700,000.

Whenever the Qing army tried to use a tactic, the Ming army could react and counterattack in less than 15 minutes.

Similarly, the Ming army was in the same boat. Late at night, fifty sampans fully loaded with oil sailed downstream.

Just as Dorgon's night raiding force reached the riverbank, three Kongming lanterns suddenly rose into the night sky.

Fire ropes blazed in the reeds, and the muskets of the Shenji Battalion sent sparks flying from the Qing army's heavy armor. Lead bullets pierced through three layers of cotton armor and into flesh, bringing out bone fragments that gleamed white in the moonlight.

"Fell into a trap!"

Jiala Zhangjing swung his sword to cleave the incoming arrows, but Erhe of the Bordered Yellow Banner was pulled off his warhorse by a hook and sickle.

As he flipped and leaped up, a fishing net covered his head, and two rattan shield soldiers thrust their short swords into the gaps in his chainmail.

The burning fireboat crashed into the wooden bridge downstream. Ten soldiers in white armor jumped into the rapids, clinging to logs. The fireboat exploded into pieces in front of the bridge pier, and the burning tung oil spread with the waves, turning the entire riverbed red.

"Change to shotgun shells!" Li Guozhen's breech-loading cannon roared again, and Dorgon, hundreds of paces away, chopped down the command flag. "Let Dodo make the move!"

At the darkest hour before dawn, several thousand more frightened gazelles were driven into the battlefield.

Qi Yuan's improved Tiger Crouching Cannons exploded in succession, but they also plowed several bloody trenches in the herd of beasts, and the frenzied animals crashed into the car formation with barbed wire.

Dodo's brocade dragon banner suddenly appeared in the southeastern hills, and the Plain Yellow Banner cavalry poured in through the gap, their scimitars slicing through the carts and sending wood chips flying.

"Raise your spears!" Huang Degong's roar drowned out the screams, and the battalion commanders and riflemen of the five armies formed a human wall, shoulder to shoulder.

The moment the first warhorse was pierced by a spear, the following cavalrymen used their momentum to smash human bodies, breaking bones and tendons.

Jiala Ezhenkulecha had three flying hammers hanging on each side of his saddle. The spinning iron chains swept away seven spear shafts until Huang Degong's horse-slaying saber pierced his collarbone, the blade getting stuck in his iron ring armor and sparks flying.

Zhu Youjian's Xuanjia cavalry numbered only two hundred, their breaths beneath iron masks mingling with blood and foam.

The dragon banner suddenly moved westward, and Dorgon's central army indeed shifted accordingly.

Zhang Shize's 3,000-strong battalion had now circled around to the Qing army's flank and rear. The improved three-barreled guns fired in unison within thirty paces, the lead bullets piercing through three layers of shields. Suksaha, the commander of the Bordered White Banner, was hit in the face by five bullets at the same time.

As the Duke of England's sword cleaved the flagpole of the brocade banner, Dodo was personally slaughtering fleeing soldiers, shouting, "Don't retreat! The Ming dogs have already run out of gunpowder!"

The battle situation took a turn for the better at 3:45 AM.

Zheng Chenggong's naval infantry suddenly appeared on the upper reaches of the Laoha River. Thirty Fujian ships launched two hundred centipede boats, and the improved Hundred Tigers Charge Arrows, carrying burning cotton, covered the rear of the Qing army.

The cavalrymen hurriedly dismounted to put out the fire, but were intercepted and killed by Li Guo's old camp cavalry who had been lying in wait for a long time.

Nikan, the captain of Dorgon's personal guard, led his men to seize the grain wagons and push the burning hay into the river. The black smoke immediately obscured the entire right flank of the battlefield.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Qi Yuan lunged forward, knocking Zhu Youjian off his saddle, the crossbow bolt grazing past his golden helmet.

Twenty paces away, a death squad member disguised as a Ming soldier lifted his cotton armor, revealing the white trim underneath.

Qi Jiguang's army immediately surrounded the assassin, using four-meter-long iron rods to entangle his limbs, while the hook-and-sickle spears took the opportunity to sever his Achilles tendons.

Zhu Youjian wiped the blood and mud off his face and found half a bloody eyelid stuck to his palm.

at the same time.

Dorgon finally unleashed his ultimate weapon: three hundred improved shield wagons were pushed forward, with wet cotton quilts sandwiched between double-layered elm planks. When hit by the Portuguese cannon shells, they could only leave dents.

The Plain White Banner assassins hid under the carts and suddenly launched their flaming grenades when they were thirty paces away, causing the musketeers of the Divine Machine Battalion to fall in droves.

"Fire with fierce oil!" Qi Yuan personally led forty elite soldiers in a counter-charge, pushing oil tankers. The burning pottery jars exploded in the shield workshop, and the viscous flames flowed through the gaps in the cotton quilts, burning the Qing army's heavy armor into iron coffins.

Zhu Youjian shouted, and the dragon banner suddenly tilted forward three degrees. The drums and bugles of the central army were all changed to the "Breaking the Enemy's Formation Music." Huang Degong immediately understood the emperor's will and roared in a hoarse voice, "His Majesty has decreed! Whoever kills Dorgon will be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

The battle situation reversed in an instant.

Zhang Shize's 3,000-strong battalion abandoned the pursuit of the fleeing soldiers and instead charged lightly towards the Qing army's central camp.

Despite being covered in arrows, the Duke of England braved the rain of arrows to cut down Dorgon's personal guard, Goshha.

Dodo's reinforcements were desperately blocked by Li Guo. Suddenly, the ancient tune of Jianzhou rang out on the battlefield. The remaining Baiya La guards abandoned their formation and used their bodies to form a human wall for their commander.

The most brutal fighting occurred at the beginning of the You hour (5-7 PM).

Zhu Youjian led the last of his imperial guards into the enemy ranks. Qi Yuan was pierced through the right chest by a spear while trying to save the emperor, but he slashed the spear shaft and continued fighting.

Dorgon's brocade armor was finally exposed to the gunfire, but the Shenji Battalion's final volley of guns only shattered his breastplate.

"Send the signal!" The British Duke, covered in blood, lit a tricolor firework, and a heavily armored cavalry force that had been lying in wait for a long time suddenly charged out from behind the northwest sand dunes.

The golden banners fluttered in the north wind, and the three-eyed muskets, combined with the sabers of the soldiers from beyond the Great Wall, threw the Qing army into chaos.

Dorgon's command flag finally began to retreat, but was hit by a stray arrow the moment he turned around. Fan Wencheng snatched the commander and rolled off the saddle. Goshha of the Plain Yellow Banner used his body to form a human shield.

The Ming army fought fiercely despite their exhaustion, while the Qing army endured heavy casualties.

Corpses and severed limbs littered the earth, and armor and banners fluttered along the pools of blood.

The mountains of corpses and seas of blood became a tangible reality before Zhu Youjian.

After two days and nights of fierce fighting, the Ming army's dragon banner was planted atop the mountain of corpses. Huang Degong knelt down, presenting half of the brocade banner, and said weakly, "Your subject is incompetent."

He fainted in a pool of blood before he could finish speaking.

They ultimately failed to stop Dorgon, who led the Jurchens out of the encirclement and headed towards the Red Peak area.

Although they only fled fifteen miles, the situation changed drastically.

The Ming army had no fighting strength left, let alone the ability to continue the pursuit.

Moreover, the Ming army has been completely bloodthirsty these past two days, and they are only able to continue fighting by sheer willpower.

The fact that the Qing army escaped the encirclement meant that their fierce battle over the past two days had failed.

Their willpower collapsed, and they had absolutely no chance of fighting.

The clerk, his hands trembling, presented a brief battle report booklet as he tallied the casualties.

The Fifth Army suffered 60% casualties, the Divine Machine Battalion's firearms were completely destroyed, and the Three Thousand Battalion had only 8,000 cavalrymen left who could stand.

Of the Mongol tribes that surrendered, seven tribes were declared suicidal, leaving 20,000 of the remaining 31,000 cavalrymen.

The Xuanjia Cavalry had 400 men left, the Imperial Guards had 300 men left, the Night Scouts had 300 men left, and the Qi Family Army had 3,200 men left.

Zhu Youjian was shocked when he saw the battle report.

Let alone the Five Armies Camp without strong affixes, even with red affixes, they would collapse if they suffered more than 40% casualties.

In other words, this battle truly unleashed the potential of the Ming army!

As long as these armies can be preserved, they can be built into a powerful army even without any entries in the future!
Moreover, these battle losses resulted in the complete demise of the Bordered White Banner and the loss of seven Jala (units of weight) of the Plain Yellow Banner.

Zhu Youjian steadied himself, tore off a piece of his dragon robe to cover his split hand, and said to the soldiers kneeling all over the grassland, "Today's bloody battle will be recorded in history with you all!"

The waning moon peeked out from behind the blood-red clouds, and the surviving Mongol cavalrymen suddenly struck their shields with their scimitars, their ancient war songs drowning out the groans of the wounded.

Twenty miles away in the Qing army camp, Dorgon's screams lasted for half an hour.

As the shaman dug the arrow out of his shoulder, Dodo was whipping the routed soldiers with his horsewhip, shouting, "Thirty thousand men couldn't break through the wagon camp, they should all be fed to the eagles!"

Fan Wencheng silently sorted through the reports from various departments over the past few days. One piece of secret letter with sealing wax on it caught his attention. It contained a short sentence.

"Li Zicheng is advancing eastward, and the heartland of the Southern Dynasty is in dire need of attention!"

The signature was that of Tan Tai, who had been released by Dorgon beforehand.

In the flickering candlelight of the commander's tent, a sigh that sounded like a mix of crying and laughing could be heard.

(End of this chapter)