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

Chapter 238 Withdraw from Seoul to avoid their sharp edge!
Theoretically, sailing against the wind can achieve speeds exceeding those of the wind, a fact verified in later sailing ships. However, in the Ming Dynasty, sailing against the wind cannot achieve the speeds of sailing with the wind.

The fastest record during the Hongwu era was eight days from Liujiagang to Liaodong, but it took them ten days to sail to Shandong by cutting through the wind.

This was not a flaw in the design of the Ming Dynasty's rigid sailing ships, but rather a limitation imposed by the materials used in shipbuilding. The reason why rigid sails were inferior to flexible sails during this period was because the size of rigid sails was limited. For example, the mainsail of a large bird-shaped ship weighed tens of thousands of kilograms, and if it were to be made larger, it would become even heavier, until the mast broke and the keel was crushed.

In terms of shape, hard-sided sailboats are generally shorter than soft-sided sailboats, with the ratio of sail height to hull height being roughly 1:1, while soft-sided sailboats can reach 1:1.5 or even 2 times the height.

Air currents are layered. Higher sails and a larger wind-receiving area can give soft sailboats greater thrust. However, in extreme weather, soft sailboats often fail to retract their complex sails in time and end up at the bottom of the sea with their crew.

This was a dereliction of duty by the Dengzhou-Laizhou Navy. The Dengzhou-Liaoning sea route was their usual route, and they should have taken over the naval leadership from the Dongfan Navy. However, they were in a hurry to go home for the New Year.

Zheng Cai had sailed the Dengliao Sea Route before, but it was summer then, with favorable winds and the Denglai Navy escorting him and the Dongjiang Navy providing support. He didn't have to worry about the navigation at all; he just needed to follow the flagship. But now he was dumbfounded!

For some time before, although they were sailing against the wind, the wind direction and speed were very stable. They never considered that there could be a hurricane in winter, and that it had reached the level of gale. This was one of the reasons why their sailing speed was slow against the wind.

Wind-cutting can only be carried out when the wind speed is slow. If the wind is too strong, the mast will break when cutting through the wind.

The cold wave arrived at night, almost impossible for people to predict; they only reacted when disaster struck. Fortunately, although the quality of the various naval forces varied, they still possessed the basic skills to deal with strong winds.

In desperation, the naval officers and soldiers drew their swords and began to cut. The thick and tough mainsail rope took four or five cuts to break, but while the rope was still tangled, it broke under the immense weight.

"Get out of the way!"

A deafening roar, the wind like a tiger, the clouds like a dragon, and the cold wave was accompanied by lightning and thunder. In the instant the lightning ripped through the night, General Huang witnessed this terrifying scene:
The severed cable lashed out with lightning speed, whipping his cousin into a bloody mist. General Huang's mind went blank.

Ugh! General Huang couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited up all the porridge he had drunk shortly before nightfall. Despite his reputation as a champion drinker, he had never killed a single person in all his years of military service, and he had never even seen such a bloody scene!
The bloody whip of the mooring rope shattered the railings on the deck. As the rope snapped, the entire sail fell off rapidly, first with the rustling sound of the mats being pulled, then with a loud crash. As the dust settled, the flagship, which had almost capsized, quickly righted itself.

The same scene played out on almost all the ships in this massive fleet. In just a few breaths, all the sails were lowered, and the fleet became a bare "bathtub" with only a few masts standing on the sea. Amidst the commotion, everything seemed to fall silent, with only the cold, merciless howling of the wind mixed with rain and snow.

General Huang knelt beside his cousin's mutilated body, sobbing uncontrollably. The boy often threatened to tell his cousin's wife on him, but this time, it was General Huang who couldn't face his own cousin and his wife. The boy had lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his older brother and sister-in-law, occasionally receiving help from other relatives.

After he grew up, he said he wanted to do great things and make a lot of money to support his family, so I went on the ship with him. That rascal is greedy, but he wouldn't even spend the money he got through swindling and cheating!
He managed to get the position of sergeant by pulling strings, earning four taels of silver a month, of which he sent three and a half taels back home. General Huang was happy to swindle him a little money, considering it a food allowance for the young man, but little did he expect…

"General, it's cold outside, let's go back inside, General, General?!"

By this time, General Huang was deaf. He hated drinking and even felt that this accident was divine retribution for his alcoholism. If he hadn't been so drunk that he had wasted most of the day, they might have already entered port before the storm, and his cousin wouldn't have died.

His personal guards looked at him with concern, but dared not disturb him because of the terrifying expression on his face. They could only find someone to arrange for some cotton-padded clothes to be draped over their general. However, the cold wave swept in, and no matter how many clothes he wore, it was not as good as being indoors. General Huang, who was stranded on the deck, was frostbitten and caught a cold.

The fleet had already covered most of the distance and was about to reach Port Arthur when it encountered this unexpected predicament. As was customary, they lowered their anchor, only to find that the anchor chain was too short to reach the seabed; the ships, with their sails down, had no other way to maneuver.

If they were inland flat-bottomed sand barges or multi-story ships, they could be rowed by hand. But these seagoing vessels, which are several stories high and don't have oarsmen on the lower deck, can only watch in fear as their ships are pushed by the sea wind and waves, praying that they don't collide with each other or hit the reefs.

By noon the next day, the wind speed had dropped to a safe level, and the naval forces of each provincial administration office reconnected the mooring lines, raised the sails again, and the fleet gradually returned to order.

After a thorough inventory, the four fleets lost a total of one large bird ship, seven Fujian ships, and thirteen 400-ton drilling ships, as well as a total loss of 12,000 shi of grain and 700 soldiers! Of course, some ships were not found, and it is possible that some ships were simply lost or misled.

The seas are unpredictable, and those who go out to sea to make a living have long been prepared for the possibility of never returning. Compared to this massive navy of tens of thousands, the casualties of seven hundred men, though tragic, are not unacceptable, and the loss of supplies is negligible. The awkward thing, however, is that they are now lost.

With the vast ocean at their backs, they lost all their landmarks. Due to the chaos of the previous night, they were unable to record the fleet's current position in time, rendering the nautical charts and watchtowers useless.

The correct approach would be to wait until nightfall to use stargazing for guidance, but the problem is that the cold wave arrives in the middle of the night, and they cannot guarantee that they will not encounter strong winds if they wait. Perhaps this short daytime is their precious window of opportunity for navigation.

Since they couldn't determine their exact location, heading northwest was the safest bet. Although they weren't sure where they had been blown to, they were certain of the direction they were being blown in—this was the conclusion reached by the commanders.

"Let's leave a few boats for the search and rescue," Zheng Cai suggested.

"That's not a good idea. In the situation last night, even if those who fell into the water didn't drown, they would have frozen to death. Now we don't even know where we are. If we leave a few boats behind, are you sure they can return safely?!" Shen Shouyue said in a deep voice.

Sighing heavily, Zheng Cai softly murmured, "May Mazu bless us!"
The fleet set sail, encountering numerous shipwrecks along the way and salvaging over two hundred pale, bluish-purple corpses. It seemed they had stumbled upon the correct course they had come from, and with a heavy yet somewhat relieved feeling, they used the wreckage as beacons to continue their journey.

But by evening they still hadn't seen any land, and they realized they had made the mistake of trying to find a sword by marking the boat: if a boat could be blown away, how could these broken pieces of wood be anchored in place?
Zheng Cai and his men sailed for another three days with trepidation. This time, they finally saw the outline of land. The soldiers, who had been living in fear for several days, finally breathed a sigh of relief. The fleet erupted in a series of howls and wails, and it was unclear whether they were crying or laughing.

No matter where they ran, as long as they stayed along the coast, they had nothing to fear. At that time, people's understanding of the world was still relatively shallow; whether there was a Dragon King in the vast ocean was unknown to them.

Seoul, the capital of Joseon, was originally a place steeped in Confucian culture, but now it has become a city of Manchuria.

Inside Gyeongbokgung Palace, Amin was once again hungover and unable to wake up. The noblewoman from the Kim family of Joseon who was serving him was beaten so badly that she was covered in bruises and there was hardly a patch of good skin on her body.

He was a cruel man to begin with. He used to be under the control of the old Khan, and later he was busy fighting for power with Huang Taiji. Now that he has been enfeoffed as the King of Joseon, he is the most powerful man in Joseon except for having to pay three million shi of grain and 100,000 slaves every year. He can do whatever he wants!
He hits women when he's happy, and he hits them even more when he's unhappy. He's drunk and forgets why he hits them, but he still does it!
In Shengjing, Ajige, who had recently become the Great Khan, was seriously injured. Although he did not die, he became a "sickly man" and had to rely on ginseng every day to stay alive. He was not very familiar with how to be a Great Khan or how to govern the country to begin with, not to mention his current physical condition.

Huang Taiji naturally became the regent, though this was just what people called him in private. Daishan was no pushover either; he seemed to have unleashed his true nature and was no longer subservient to Huang Taiji, leading to constant arguments between the two. Ajige tried to mediate, often getting so angry he vomited blood. The situation in Shengjing was unpredictable, and Amin was starting to lose his composure.

He got what he wanted. Aside from attending the annual meeting of the Heshuo Beile and ministers, he stayed as far away from Shengjing as possible. No matter how they fought, whoever became the new Khan would try to win him over. It's just that Ajige was incredibly resilient; he coughed up blood every day, and every time he looked like he wouldn't live much longer, he just wouldn't die. Ajige was someone they all recommended, and it wouldn't look good for him to suddenly turn against them, so they had no choice but to let him continue in his position.

Shengjing was in dire straits, the Khan was half-dead, and Huang Taiji was emaciated, but Amin had gained several sizes. Middle-aged weight gain, while not as noticeable before due to the exhaustion from constant warfare, had now led to a life of wine and meat, though hunting was rare. In just one year, Amin had become a "big fat pig."

The hall was filled with deafening snoring, but Jin Xiaoxi's gaze towards Amin grew increasingly loathsome. She quietly got up and found a small knife for shaving mutton on Amin's clothes. She took the knife, grasped the sheath and the handle, and carefully began to pull it out, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

However, she was unfamiliar with the use of knives. Her father's education of her had stopped at poetry, singing, and dancing. He had originally intended to send her to marry into a powerful family, but in the end, he sent her to be a plaything of the "slave chieftain." She didn't even know how to use her thumb to push the knife out of its sheath; she could only grip the hilt and draw it. This small knife was easy for Amin to use, but it was a bit too tight for a weak woman like Jin Xiaoxi.

She increased the pressure in her hand, but the knife remained unmoved. Frustrated, she was on the verge of tears. Finally, with a "click," the blade was drawn. However, amidst the "white noise" of only snoring, the sound of metal clashing was exceptionally jarring. Her heart nearly stopped beating, and her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

She stiffly turned her head and saw that the mountain of flesh on the nearly collapsed bed was still fast asleep, and she was relieved. However, there was still a long way to go from drawing the knife to completing the assassination. If she didn't take the right path, she might "fast forward" to the time of presenting the knife and escaping.

Kim Hyo-hee had never killed anyone, yet despite carrying a weapon, she didn't even know where to stab it. Amin had long seen through her cowardly nature; in reality, brave women were rare, and most of the women they kidnapped eventually submitted obediently.
Kim Hyo-hee, knife in hand, tiptoed up to Amin. Amin, with his back to Kim Hyo-hee, was completely unaware of this; his keen battlefield instincts were utterly useless at this moment.

Kim Hyo-hee raised the knife high above her head, and the scenes of being bullied and abused by Amin flashed through her mind. It seemed that as long as she swung the knife, all this hatred would end at this moment.

But suddenly, the images of her mother and her younger brother appeared in her mind. The last time her brother secretly came to see her, he said that because of her, he had become a soldier of the Jurchens, and that he could raise the banner if he killed ten Ming soldiers, and then everything would be alright.

The silly boy even asked her how she was doing. At that time, Kim Hyo-hee tried her best to cover the bruises on her body with her clothes and insisted that she was doing well! Kim Hyo-hee was scared. If she stabbed him, it would definitely implicate her family. Although her father was not good to her, she still did not want him to die.

Thinking of this, she could no longer bring herself to harm Amin, but Amin's life was too miserable, and she didn't want to live like this anymore. She slowly turned the knife towards herself, tilted her head back, revealing her slender neck!
"Great Khan, it's terrible! The Ming army is attacking!" Amin's personal guards suddenly burst through the door. Amin was merely a banner lord; in Korea, he made the Koreans call him "King" and his own people call him "Great Khan." In short, even though he couldn't gain real power, he still had the pretense of addressing the people.

The white-armored soldier entered and saw Kim Hyo-hee holding a knife. He was instantly filled with rage. As guards, they shared the same fate as their master, rising and falling together. Although Amin was cruel, he wasn't completely out of his mind; he was still good to his personal guards.

"You wretch, how dare you assassinate the Great Khan?!" The white-armored soldier strode forward and kicked the frail Jin Xiaoxi away. At this moment, Amin was finally awakened.

"What are you doing?! Jalaturush, what are you doing?!" Amin exclaimed in shock and anger.

"Great Khan, this woman just tried to assassinate you with a knife!" Zhala hurriedly replied.

Amin followed his gaze and saw Jin Xiaoxi lying on the ground, her life hanging in the balance. Beside her lay the meat-cutting knife, stained with blood. Amin was startled and quickly reached out to frantically touch her face, head, and neck, but apart from smearing oil on her hands, she couldn't find any blood.

Upon closer inspection, a faint line of blood appeared on the woman's neck. Based on Amin's extensive experience of killing, this level of injury should not be a serious problem.

"Idiot, she's not trying to kill me, she's committing suicide!" Amin immediately flew into a rage.

Well, Zhala realized he had done something wrong, so he lowered his head and remained silent.

Amin caught her breath, but instead of punishing her guard, she asked, "What did you just say?!"

"This woman..."

“No, the previous sentence!” Amin interrupted.

"Ah, right!" Zhala Tulushi slapped his bald head and said, "Master, the Ming army is attacking!"

"Oh, the Ming army... What?! How is that possible? Where did they come from? Where is the third brother? Is that bastard Mangultai dead? How could he let the Ming army through?" Amin was both shocked and furious.

"Great Khan, it's the navy."

"Navy?! Mao Wenlong's Dongjiang Navy, a mere two thousand men, dare to provoke me?! You put on your armor, let's go and meet him!" Amin said angrily.

In the dead of winter, only a madman like Mao Wenlong would dare to launch a sneak attack. Otherwise, he simply couldn't understand how stupid the Ming Dynasty could be to choose to invade in winter. Wasn't the lesson they learned at Sarhu enough? Ice and snow were the home ground of the Jianzhou Jurchens!

"Great Khan, this armor seems to have shrunk, I can't wear it!" Zhalaturush stammered.

"How could the armor shrink? What nonsense are you talking about! Uh..." Amin suddenly couldn't continue cursing. He looked down at his big belly and couldn't even see his toes anymore!

“In ancient times, Liu Bei’s thigh muscles grew back, and now my belly is swollen. I suppose this is God’s way of reminding me that I will surely achieve great things!” Amin said with emotion.

Zhala's lips twitched. Although he wasn't very educated, he instinctively felt that what Amin said was very unreliable!

"By the way, how many boats did they bring, and how many people?" Amin asked casually.

“Seven hundred large ships, that must have carried thirty to forty thousand people,” Zhala replied, scratching his head.

Amin froze, slung off the armor he couldn't fasten, and cursed, "You damned beast, why didn't you say so sooner? What's the point of fighting then! Notify everyone to evacuate Seoul and avoid their advance!"

(End of this chapter)