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

Chapter 146 Who do you think I am? Move the boat closer!

Despite Huang Taiji's strong opposition, the main force of the Jurchen army did not head south to cause trouble for the Ming army. However, the Ming army became increasingly arrogant and sailed their ships to the mouth of the Daling River and along the banks of Songshan Fort. The large ships fired their cannons, shattering the thin ice at the river mouth, while the smaller Cangshan boats sailed upstream, venturing deep into the Daling River to gather intelligence on the enemy.

The Jurchen troops on both banks rushed out of their camps, chasing after the Cangshan boat on horseback and firing arrows wildly. The small Cangshan boat returned fire with light breech-loading cannons, scattering the Jurchen cavalry like birds and beasts. The Jurchen camps along the Daling River were thrown into chaos. The princes who were having a meeting received a report from their subordinates, so they followed Huang Taiji to a high place on horseback to observe the situation.

Between the coast and the sea, sails dotted the waters, and boats moved like a dense weaving. The expressions on everyone's faces turned grim. Huang Taiji was right. The Ming Dynasty had a navy, and Liaonan was surrounded by the sea on three sides. They simply couldn't defend it. Even their once-proud cavalry mobility and tactics of using speed to defeat slow forces had become a joke.

Liaonan is a mountainous region, not a vast plain. Cavalry had to march along winding mountain valleys, while the navy sailed smoothly through the waves.

Cavalry marches risk being detected, but what could these mountain barbarians possibly use to scout the movements of the Ming navy? The comparison was utterly futile. Huang Taiji, therefore, no longer hesitated and ordered the entire army to break camp and withdraw from the lower reaches of the Daling River.

On the large bird-shaped ship, Yuan Keli, holding a monocular telescope, happened to spot the figures of the slave chieftains on the hills by the sea. Suppressing his excitement, he summoned his trusted general Liu Zeqing and whispered a few words to him. Then, the large bird-shaped ship raised its sails, spun around, and crashed through the thin mist on the sea, heading straight for the shore.

It was the dead of winter, and the nearshore waters were frozen over. The wooden hull of the large bird ship crushed the sea ice, making a series of heart-wrenching sounds. The solid ice cut across the hull, carving deep scars into the wooden planks.

"My lord, the ship is cracked and taking on water!!!" a sailor exclaimed.

"Ignore them, and have them taken down!"

The warship rushed onto the ice and crushed it with its own weight, causing the ship to rock violently. Seawater rushed into the cracked hull, causing the ship to tilt slightly to one side. However, the Great Bird Ship was an improved version of the Fujian Ship and inherited its watertight compartment design. The seawater only entered a shallow amount before being blocked by the bulkheads and the air inside the compartment.

"What is that ship doing?!" muttered fourteen-year-old Dordo.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. They stood on the hillside gazing into the distance without looking closely. Huang Taiji had not noticed this scene before, only realizing it after hearing the words.

"Not good, retreat quickly!!!" Huang Taiji almost simultaneously with his shout, riding off on horseback without the slightest hesitation. This quick-wittedness had saved him many times on the battlefield.

"One thousand three hundred steps!" Liu Zeqing shouted, giving a thumbs up.

"Damn it, they're trying to escape!" Yuan Keli shouted, slamming down his binoculars. "Aim and fire! Open fire!!!"

Boom! ! !
The 2,500-pound Hongyi cannon spewed out smoke, and twelve 12-pound iron shells spun out, covering a distance of three miles in the blink of an eye.

shhhhhh! ! !
At such a distance, firing the cannons would have been completely inaccurate, but the whistling of the shells past the princes' ears still made their hearts stop and cold sweat pour down their backs. In the past, they had always forced others to die under the Ming army's artillery fire.

These men would never be within the range of the Ming army's artillery, because that weaponry did not distinguish between soldiers and generals, and could not be resisted by individual bravery alone.

Sizzle! A shell struck the flesh and blood, sending up a pile of minced meat and a cloud of blood mist that scattered everywhere.

Boom! ! !
The explosion rang out again, not from the warships on the shore firing cannons again, but from the exploding iron ball that landed on the ground—it was a high-explosive shell!

Huang Taiji was not known for his bravery, and because of this incident, he was always looked down upon by his brothers. However, he didn't care, believing that a wise man avoids dangerous situations and that those in positions of power should worry, while those in lower positions should exert themselves. Even his seemingly radical actions were carefully considered, and he always had a way out. Today's ordeal was the most dangerous he had ever experienced. Many princes fled in disarray, and the hillside was filled with dust and chaos.

Huang Taiji fled down the hillside and finally stopped to catch his breath. He frantically groped around on his body, only feeling relieved after confirming that the flesh and blood on his body were not his own. But then the question arose: whose flesh and blood was this?! Huang Taiji was truly terrified. Having lost several princes in half a month, he had no way to explain himself. Even if his men didn't rebel, they would be terrified by this.

Huang Taiji called out names one by one. Mangultai, whom he disliked the most, escaped at a speed second only to him and thus escaped unharmed. But even if he wanted to take down Mangultai, it shouldn't be at this point.

He knew when to consolidate power and when to delegate it. Now was the crucial moment for taking a desperate gamble to enter the Ming Dynasty. He preferred to disperse power to gain a stronger fighting force. In short, now was not the time for internal strife.

“Amin, Daishan, Jirhalang, Ajige… Hauge?!” Huang Taiji cried out in alarm.

"Father Khan, I'm here!" Hauge said helplessly, raising his hand. Huang Taiji turned his head to look, only to find that Hauge had actually run fifty steps more than him!

"Where's that boy Dodo?!" Daishan asked, panting heavily. Huang Taiji's heart skipped a beat. Could it be? Why are these three brothers here again?!
Cough cough cough! ! !
The smoke gradually dissipated with the sea breeze, and a bald head emerged from the smoke, with a braid as thick as a little finger hanging down the side of his head. It was Dodo; he was still alive, but he walked with a limp, and his mink hat had flown off somewhere.

With red eyes, Ajige rushed forward and helped Dodo up. As the eldest of the three brothers, he had worried himself sick over his two younger brothers. Before their mother passed away, she had told him to take good care of them. Just now, he thought he was about to lose another brother. If both of his brothers were gone, how could he face his mother after his death?!
"Um?!"

Mangultai sized up his younger brother, who was decades younger than him, from head to toe. His gaze lingered between Dodo's legs. Suddenly, he burst into laughter and said, "Dodo, you've peed your pants, haven't you? Hahahaha, you're such a coward! I wonder what Father would think if he knew he had a son like this!"

Cough!

Daišan feigned a cough and glared at Mangultai. Ajige and Dodo, the brothers, stared angrily at Mangultai. Dodo, with tears in his eyes, stammered, "My horse was blown to pieces! I almost died! Died!!!"

"Do not weep. The descendants of Shule Beile, Kundulun Khan, and the wise Khan of Fuyu Lieguo shed blood but not tears. Here, I will give you my horse as compensation."

Huang Taiji stepped forward, put his arms around Ajige and his brother, and handed the reins of his yellow horse to Dodo. Dodo took the reins in a daze, even forgetting to cry.

Amin scoffed at this. Huang Taiji had always been fond of winning people's hearts; he could only fool children, not the real ones! It was a pity that his foolish younger brother couldn't see Huang Taiji's ugly face, and was completely infatuated with him, becoming utterly loyal to him—truly despicable!

(End of this chapter)