Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 145: Relieving the Siege of Wei by Attacking Zhao, Taking Directly to Mingjing!!!
"Great Khan, what do you mean? You really don't intend to save Dorgon?!"

Ajige and Dodo couldn't sit still after hearing this. Although they usually disliked Dorgon, he was their own brother and they couldn't just watch him die.

Huang Taiji's words were so shocking that even his longtime supporters, such as Jirgalang and Shuoto, looked at him with strange eyes.

Faced with the crowd's doubts and Mangultai's defiance, he restrained his temper and patiently explained, "I said we should take a detour into the Ming Dynasty precisely to rescue my fourteenth brother. Think about it, is my fourteenth brother still in Liaonan? He's probably already been loaded onto a ship and escorted to the Ming capital!"

Now that the Ming emperor has refused to negotiate with us, or even to talk to us, how can we force the young Ming emperor to change his mind if we do not have enough bargaining chips?
Even if we recapture Liaonan, Dorgon can't take it back. Dorgon is also my brother, and I've always trusted him, entrusting him with command of the Bordered White Banner. His capture—doesn't this Khan grieve?"

"Hmph, that sounds nice, but who knows if you deliberately framed him! Dorgon's defeat and capture were all because of you. If you hadn't sent him to attack that Lushun, none of this would have happened!" Amin sneered. Although he didn't really care about Dorgon's life or death, he was happy to make Huang Taiji unhappy.

Huang Taiji took a deep breath and said that this was indeed an oversight on his part. He had assumed that with their large-scale attack on Liaoxi, Yuan Keli, as the military commissioner, would definitely be stationed there. With them exerting pressure in Liaoxi, all the Ming court's energy would be focused there, and Mao Wenlong's Dongjiang Town would not receive support. He could then take the opportunity to remove these thorns in Liaonan, shrink Mao Wenlong's living space, and crush this annoying fellow.

First, capture Lushun, then march south to Korea and attack Pi Island. After the fall of Lushun, the Ming court's supplies will be difficult to reach Pi Island. At that time, they only need to besiege Pi Island to starve Mao Wenlong to death without paying a huge price to launch a strong attack on Pi Island.

His plan for this year's southern campaign was to destroy Dongjiang Town, seize the Korean Kingdom, plunder the Chahar tribe, and subdue the Khorchin. He came to western Liaoning not with the intention of conquering it, but simply to take a stroll. If they could besiege a stronghold and ambush reinforcements, all the better; if not, they wouldn't suffer any losses.

According to his thinking, as long as he was in Liaoxi, he had already succeeded. He would tie down the Ming army, and the other two routes would not be hampered by the Ming court. However, he underestimated the Ming navy and did not expect it to recover so quickly.

"Great Khan, do you mean to march on Beijing and force the Ming Emperor to release my fourteenth brother?! Have you forgotten the lesson of the Chahar tribe? We've gone all the way to enter the pass, only to be blocked by the Ming army and unable to return!"

"To save my fourteenth brother, we can think of other ways. We could ransom him with gold and silver, or we could attack Liaonan and capture that scoundrel Yuan Keli. Then we can definitely exchange him for my fourteenth brother. Entering the pass is still too dangerous. I disagree!" Daishan said.

"Is it even possible to capture Yuan Keli? He's on the vast ocean. Are we supposed to fly there to find him, or swim across the sea on horseback? Reclaiming Liaonan is easy, but then what?! Yuan Keli can launch a surprise attack on Liaonan once or twice. Are we just going to stay here forever?"

"The reason we seized Liaonan is because it has grain. If we fight each other in Liaonan for years, the Ming army can still obtain supplies by transporting grain by sea. What about us?! Even our father Khan abandoned Liaonan back then, so what can we do?" Huang Taiji retorted.

Daishan frowned. He supported Huang Taiji becoming Khan, precisely because he didn't want to think about these things, things he couldn't understand anyway. He was a Grand Prince; if he wanted to, he would have become Khan long ago. But even if he couldn't understand, he didn't want to follow Huang Taiji to his death. He wanted to save Dorgon, but it hadn't reached the point where he could risk his life for him.

"As you all know, it's almost impossible to take over western Liaoning. We can't survive in eastern Liaoning either; the Koreans and Mongols have limited food supplies. Entering the pass is indeed dangerous, but it's not without a chance of success."

You say the Chahar tribe was blocked, but didn't they eventually escape? If even the Chahar tribe could escape, why can't we? We have more soldiers than the Chahar, and our generals are more valiant. They were blocked because they were overconfident; after breaching the pass, they didn't send anyone to guard it. We only need to guard the exit; what can the Ming Dynasty do to us?

When I led my troops to Shanhaiguan, situated in a small area between two cities, they still dared not engage in battle. After we enter the pass, the vast land and sky will be our domain, and the Ming Dynasty can do nothing to us!
Liaodong is bitterly cold, while the capital region of the Ming Dynasty is a prosperous land. Such a prosperous land awaits our plunder. Aren't you tempted?! The Mongol tribes have a long-standing feud with the Ming Dynasty, but now they have formed an alliance with us and promised to provide guides. Moreover, the Ming court is rife with corruption, the border troops are lax, and the passes along the Great Wall may not be well-defended.

"Our army is elite; a swift and decisive victory is assured. If we are trapped in Liaodong, the Ming court will have a chance to regroup, and Yuan Keli will surely strengthen his defenses, making future advances even more difficult. This expedition is not only for plunder, but also to shake the very foundations of the Ming court." "Ajige, Dodo, don't you want to rescue Dorgon? If so, come with me into the pass," Huang Taiji said.

Then he looked at Amin and said, "Come with me into the pass, and I will give you Seoul, the capital of Korea."

He then said to Daishan, "Brother, when Father Khan first raised his army, he hesitated. It was you who persuaded him, which led to our current foundation in Liaodong. How come you are so timid now? Have you grown old, lost your heroic spirit, and become cowardly?"

"Huang Taiji, don't think I don't understand reverse psychology. Let me think about it some more," Daishan said irritably.

Huang Taiji continued his warning: "Think about it, how was our Great Jin established? If we had suffered repeated defeats, we would have collapsed on our own without the Ming army even needing to attack. You may think I am not a good Khan, but ask yourselves, do you have a better solution? If you cannot think of a better solution, then you must listen to me."

"Forget it. According to our tradition, let the princes vote by raising their hands," Mangultai said impatiently. "I agree to attack the Ming. Damn it, these past few years have been too frustrating. I want to kill those Ming dogs!!!"

"Huh?!" Huang Taiji looked at Mangultai in surprise. He hadn't expected that Mangultai, this troublemaker, would be the first to support him. He looked gratefully at his fifth brother, but Mangultai turned his head away, not wanting to pay any attention to Huang Taiji.

"The Khorchin may not be reliable. If they break their alliance halfway, our army will be attacked from both sides. Moreover, there are many passes along the Great Wall. Although the Ming army is weak, it can still defend from the terrain. Our supply lines will be easily cut off once we penetrate deep into the territory."

Our army has suffered repeated defeats and is not yet fully recovered. If this expedition fails, it may shake morale. When the Old Khan was alive, he prioritized stability in warfare and never deployed such a small force deep into enemy territory. This is not a foolproof strategy. "Great Khan, I disagree with this plan," Jirgalang said.

Huang Taiji's face darkened; those who most opposed him now supported him, and those who most supported him now opposed him.

Daishan looked at Mangultai, then at Huang Taiji, sighed, and raised his hand, saying, "Agreed."

With three of the four princes agreeing, the outcome was basically decided. Amin reluctantly raised his hand; it was always the same, and he was truly fed up. Amin said irritably, "Great Khan, remember your promise."

Huang Taiji nodded, raised three fingers and swore, "When I return from the pass, no matter the outcome, I will grant you the Korean capital of Seoul and the Gyeonggi region."

The atmosphere had been built up to this point. The other princes were young and had little say, and they couldn't even hold their own flags firmly. Since their older brothers had all said they were going, then they could go too.

Although they suffered setbacks at the hands of Yuan Keli and Mao Wenlong, based on their experience fighting against the Ming army, it was rare to find an army like the Dongjiang Army, which generally had deep-seated hatred for them and was extremely ruthless. Most of the Ming army was no match for them, so Huang Taiji's words still made sense, and there was still a chance that the pie he painted would come true.

(End of this chapter)