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

Chapter 316 A Thousand-Mile Raid: Capturing Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, Alive!

In February of the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign (the third year of the Tianci reign of the Jurchens), a biting wind swept through Shenyang. Due to the collapse or ignition of many coal mines by the Ming army, coupled with the large-scale consumption of slaves without replenishment, there was a shortage of manpower for mining, resulting in a coal shortage in Liaodong and insufficient firewood reserves.

Last winter, even many Jurchens froze to death, and the Han, Mongol, and Korean slaves below them died in droves.

Outside Shenyang, a large number of corpses were carelessly discarded. The branches of the withered trees by the roadside were covered with crows that had eaten their fill. Each crow was slick and shiny. The crows even began to be picky eaters, pecking only at the eyes and ignoring the large pieces of flesh. The ground was littered with people who died with their eyes wide open in disbelief.

Whoosh, whoosh! Two sharp arrows shot out from the side, startling the flock of crows, which took flight and formed a dark cloud. With two thuds, two plump crows fell from the tree.

"How come so many servants died? I told you that Ajige was no good!" Mangultai said to Daishan beside him, rubbing his left shoulder, which was a little sore from drawing the bow.

"If you're so capable, why don't you do it yourself?!" Dai Shan glanced at him sideways.

"Great! Great! Second Brother, if you support me, then my position as Great Khan is secure!" Mangultai exclaimed in delight.

"Never mind what I said," Dai Shan said calmly.

Mangultai's expression fell, and he said unwillingly, "Second brother, why would you rather let that brat Ajige become the Khan than let me? What's so good about that brat?"

“What’s so good about being a Khan?!” Daishan retorted.

"Sigh, I can't argue with you!" With that, Mangultai spurred his horse and rode away in a huff.

On the city wall, Dorgon, who had just turned eighteen, was full of vigor. The corpses scattered all over the city below seemed to be non-existent to him. On the contrary, he was a little nervous about the tens of thousands of soldiers brought by his two older brothers.

"Dodo?! What are you standing there for? Open the city gates now!" Mangultai shouted angrily as he stopped his horse below the city walls.

"Great Prince, Third Prince, the Great Khan has ordered that you bring only a small number of your entourages to the capital for a meeting. It would be inconvenient for the main army to enter the city, so please set up camp outside the city. I will send someone to deliver supplies to you immediately," Dodo said, peeking out from between the battlements.

Daishan sneered and said, "Open the gate and let us in, or have Ajige come out of the city for a meeting. I'll give you a quarter of an hour to consider, otherwise we'll just go back!"

Dodo's face was grim. He told Daišan Mangultai to wait while he went to ask his brother Ajige. Amin's death was too absurd, destroying the basic trust among the major princes. Without several thousand soldiers by their side, who would dare to gather and discuss matters?!

Fifteen minutes later, the gates of Shenyang slowly opened, and Ajige, dressed in a yellow jacket, walked out alone, empty-handed. He looked at Daishan and Mangultai and said with some helplessness, "We are all brothers, and our relationship is completely different from that of Amin. Is it necessary to be so wary of each other?!"

Mangultai was slightly moved, but Daišan's gaze remained cold. He interrupted Ajige and said, "Great Khan, what is it you want to see us about? If it's about a southern expedition, then forget it. If it's just about catching up, then there's no need. We can discuss it in letters!"

Ajige paused for a moment, then said in a slightly trembling voice, "My men have received information that the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is not in the capital. He is currently in northwestern Shanxi, in the area from Pianguan to Hequ!"

Daishan and Mangultai exchanged shocked glances. Mangultai couldn't contain himself any longer and exclaimed, "Has Emperor Chongzhen gone mad?! Why isn't he staying in Beijing? Is he just going to go find women from Datong?! That's too greedy! Even three thousand beauties in the harem aren't enough for him to ruin!"

Ajige looked at Mangultai as if he were a fool, and Daishan also found it hard to bear looking at his younger brother. Ajige cleared his throat and said, "To do it or not? This is a golden opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"

“It’s a bit far. Datong and Taiyuan have a lot of troops and their generals are not bad. There are also two border walls, one inside and one outside. Chahar Khan Ligdan lost tens of thousands of elite troops. We only have this much left. We can’t afford to lose anymore,” Daishan said in a deep voice.

"No, there's no need to fight Datong Town head-on! Yansui Town in northern Shaanxi has withdrawn its troops, leaving only Yulinwei with a few thousand soldiers stationed there. Along the more than 1,000-mile-long border wall, most areas are essentially undefended."

"And now the ice on the Yellow River near Hequ hasn't melted yet. If we send a cavalry force to break in, that little Chongzhen will be as easy as taking candy from a baby!" Mangultai said unhappily, "Ajige, who taught you this bad habit? Why are you speaking so flowery?"

Daishan frowned and said, "Great Khan, how do you know so much about the Ming army's troop deployment? You even know the troop deployment in Shaanxi?! Where did you get this information? Are you sure it's accurate?!"

"Don't worry about that, I have my own ways. Anyway, the news is definitely confirmed!" Ajige looked a little uneasy.

"Elite cavalry on a thousand-mile raid?! That sounds so familiar!" Mangultai muttered to himself.

Daishan looked at Ajige suspiciously and questioned, "If you want to launch a surprise attack, why don't you just send people directly? Why are you asking us?!"

Ajige argued that he did not have enough elite cavalry, and that his Bordered White Banner had suffered particularly heavy losses in the past few years of fighting, so he hoped that everyone would contribute a few hundred cavalry to make up the numbers.

Actually, it wasn't that he couldn't afford a few thousand cavalry; it was just that he was unwilling to bear the risk alone and feared that the balance of power would be broken, so he wanted to find his two older brothers to share the risk.

His little schemes couldn't fool a shrewd person like Daishan, or even Mangultai. This guy might not seem very smart, but it depends on who you compare him to. He certainly couldn't outmaneuver someone like Huang Taiji, but as the leader of a banner, his intelligence was still intact. They were still weighing their options.

"How many guards did Emperor Chongzhen have around him?!" Daishan pressed.

"Six thousand!" Ajige said confidently, "half infantry and half cavalry."

Six thousand?! Daishan frowned. Six thousand was a very awkward number. The emperor's men were definitely elite troops. Even if they were just for show, they were well-equipped. This number was right at the limit of their each banner's troop deployment. But who was willing to go all out?
Although Ajige couldn't say for sure, everyone knew he wanted to replicate the Ming army's night raid that killed Huang Taiji. But was that so easy?!
Later, they were shocked to learn of the Ming army's lineup against Huang Taiji. Three generals were deployed at once, along with hundreds of cavalry generals. He couldn't understand how the Ming army dared to do that! If they were ambushed, the Ming army would be completely finished. All the capable generals and adjutants would be dead. What good would a coward do?!
When Huang Taiji was alive, they wished he were dead. Now that he was really dead, everyone's feelings were complicated. They felt a chill in their hearts. If they were in Huang Taiji's shoes, they wouldn't have been able to withstand it either. It's just that the Ming army's campaign this time was too strange. Damn traitor!
Seeing Daishan hesitate, Ajige continued to press the issue: "You all know the current situation of our Great Jin Kingdom. The Ming army is becoming more and more difficult to deal with. We have no way to attack the Ming. With the Ming's strength declining, if this continues, we will be finished!"

The Ming court cannot stand idly by and watch us occupy Liaodong indefinitely. Now is our only chance to turn the tide: capture the young Chongzhen Emperor alive, negotiate with the Ming, and force them to make peace!

“We can’t learn Zhao Shuai’s fighting style, but we can send troops. Each banner can send 800, which is 64, enough to make 6,400 elite cavalry. Let’s also choose a general to lead the troops. If the few of us go together, it will only cause trouble,” Dai Shan said.

Ajige clapped his hands and said, "What the Great Prince said is absolutely right. I think so too."

"Then who do you plan to send?!" Dai Shan asked.

"It would be safest to trouble you, Second Brother, to go. You are the best at long-distance raids. In the Battle of Sarhu, you killed Du Song and annihilated the Ming army's western route. Father, you are the number one warrior of our Great Jin. Who doesn't know your fame, Second Brother?!"

"Don't give me that. I'm too old. You should find a younger man," Dai Shan said, picking at his ear.

Mangultai was eager to try, but Ajige and Daishan ignored him. Daishan was really afraid that his younger brother would get into trouble, as there were very few princes of his age left.

Ajige was thinking that once the several thousand soldiers were in this guy's hands, he didn't know if he could get them back. If Mangultai had these several thousand more men, he was afraid his position as Khan would be unstable.

“Then, how about we send Jirhalang?! That way everyone will feel at ease,” Ajige said.

Daishan exclaimed in surprise, "He's willing to go?!"

“Jirgalang?! He’s not bad at fighting, but I think it would be better for you, Great Khan, to lead the expedition yourself. Your injuries should be almost healed by now. You haven’t been recuperating for two years and you’re too afraid to ride a horse and shoot arrows, have you?!” Mangultai provoked.

(End of this chapter)