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

Chapter 86 Borjigin Lindan Batur: I will make the Great Mongolia Great Again!

“Great Khan, we have plundered quite a bit and captured many herdsmen, enough for us to graze and work. But we can’t cultivate our land, so we can’t feed them all no matter how many we capture. Perhaps we should take them back while we’re ahead,” said Wanhu Badaxizaisang.

“Yes, it’s very close to Dadu. The Ming people outnumber our cattle and sheep on the grasslands. We can’t kill them all. When they send troops from other places, we will lose many people,” Tashhai, the Grand General of the Left Wing of the Great Mongol Empire, echoed.

Upon hearing this, Borjigin Lindan Batur said, "Our attack on the Ming Dynasty is not for plunder, but for trade and the tribute that the Ming Dynasty gives to our Great Mongol Kingdom. We have not yet achieved our goal."

If we are no match for the Ming Dynasty, I will naturally retreat. But the Ming Dynasty of today is not the same as it was more than two hundred years ago. The Ming Dynasty of today is like a sixty-year-old man who looks like an adult but can't even beat a child who is shorter than a cartwheel.

"You're afraid of the Ming army's mobilization, but didn't we just defeat that so-called general of Taiyuan a few days ago? The Ming army's formation looks intimidating, but in reality, those Ming soldiers are as weak as lambs just born from a ewe's womb. Even if they outnumber us, they're no match for us steppe wolves."

"But what if the young emperor of the Ming Dynasty refuses to back down and insists on fighting us? We're besieging Datong but we don't have any siege equipment or cannons, so we can't take it at all!"

The weather has been getting worse and worse these past few years. Winters are getting longer and longer, and spring and summer are getting shorter and shorter. The snowstorms last year and this year have killed so many of our cattle and sheep! Now that the snow has finally melted, we need to hurry up and let the grazing begin! Now that we've brought all the men to Mingguo, what will happen to our own homes?" Kangkarbaihu, the chief of the Etuoke tribe, said with deep concern.

“Brother, since everyone is advising against it, let’s go back. I feel something is wrong. We’ve fought against the Ming people in Liaodong before. The Ming people aren’t all weak. Besides sheep, they also have their own sheepdogs.”

Moreover, even if the Ming people can't do anything to us, Huangtaiji might bring those beasts from the Khorchin to raid our tribe again at any time.

"There are only old people, children, and women in the tribe. They can't possibly withstand their attack. If our women are taken away and our children are killed, our tribe will have no future. No matter how much we plunder, it will be useless," Iron Spear Konot Sumu Kuotu Taiji advised.

"As long as we have enough warriors, where will we lack women? Juntu Taiji, my brother, if you want women, I have ten women in my tent to share with you. Their skin is as white as milk, and their voices are more melodious than lambs. Aren't they more beautiful than your Khatun and Ike?!" Lindan Khan said loudly.

“Brother, that’s not what I meant! I know that men of the grasslands can’t lie on a woman’s belly all day long, but you should at least give me a definite answer on when you’re going to withdraw your troops.”
"We're now stuck in the northern part of Shanxi Province. We've already looted most of the easy places, and the remaining Ming people are hiding in cities and valleys, which are difficult for us to deal with. Moreover, many Ming cavalry are attacking us, and we're losing people every day. The tribe's losses are getting bigger and bigger. If this continues, what we've gained won't even be as much as what we've lost," said Juntu Taiji.

"Kangkarbaihu, take Zhaluhuchi as our Great Mongol Empire's envoy and go to the Ming Dynasty again to ask them for tribute. This time we don't want one million taels of silver, five hundred thousand taels will do."

"Gongtu Taiji, take five thousand iron-spear Konots and run around Xuanfu City to scare that little emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Huluke Zaisang, you guard Datong City and don't let their people out. Tashhai, you come with me to Yanmen Pass. Twenty days. If things don't change in another twenty days, we'll retreat back to the grasslands," Lindan Batur promised.

He was also very frustrated. He wanted to be the Mongol Khan who had the final say, and to kill and rape anyone who dared to disobey his will, instead of having to consult with others to do things like this.

It's all that damned Huang Taiji's fault! He humiliated him. The people of the grasslands only obey the strong. He vowed that once the Ming Dynasty surrendered, he would lead his troops to wipe out the Khorchin and those Jurchens! Datong City is fourteen meters high, twelve meters wide at the top, and eighteen meters wide at the bottom, making it one of the most formidable cities in the world. It has over four hundred cannons of various sizes, many of which are brand-new Hongyi cannons. Datong has no shortage of iron ore and coal; more than half of the Hongyi cannons imitated by the Ming Dynasty were produced here.

The nine border regions had long been in arrears with their pay, making it difficult for the people of Datong to survive, let alone for warhorses. Lacking good warhorses, Datong was powerless against the northern barbarians in open battle, but it was a different story when defending the city. The Mongols, having lost their cavalry advantage, were in a sorry state, and even when besieging Datong, they dared not approach the city walls. Only when forced by the Jurchens with swords and spears would the Mongols be willing to attack the city.

After the initial panic of the war, the garrison in Datong gradually calmed down. At least they did not think that Datong would be captured by the northern barbarians, unless a traitor secretly opened the city gates and surrendered the city.

At this moment, in Datong City, Governor Zhang Yiming and General Qu Jiazhen were arguing.

Zhang Yiming accused Qu Jiazhen of being cowardly and unwilling to fight, to which Qu Jiazhen retorted: "Even if Shanxi is utterly destroyed, it doesn't matter. Defending Datong is of paramount importance. Back when Liaoyang was still in existence, Liaodong, though devastated, was still in the hands of our Great Ming. Since the fall of Liaoyang, Liaodong has been difficult to recover. A pedantic scholar like you, who knows nothing about military affairs, only knows how to urge troops to go out every day, completely unaware of what is important and urgent!"

"Qu Jiazhen! I have also studied military books and strategies thoroughly, yet you say I know nothing about military affairs?! Do you even know the principle of 'the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting, the worst strategy is to fight without fighting'? The dangers of the imperial court are a hundred times greater than those on the battlefield!"
"Defending Datong is no achievement! Now the border wall has been breached, and the iron hooves of the northern barbarians are rampaging, leaving Beizhili directly facing the danger of military advance. Just imagine what the officials of the court will think when they see this, and how His Majesty will judge it? Even if the northern barbarians leave after their plunder, and you and I are arrested and brought to the court for trial, will we have any way to survive?!" Zhang Yiming shouted loudly.

Upon hearing this, Qu Jiazhen's expression changed, but in the end he shook his head and said, "His Majesty is known for his benevolence and has never been heard to execute ministers. If I had a sufficiently elite army, I would naturally obey your orders and lead troops into battle. However, you are not unaware of the current situation in Datong Town. How can such soldiers withstand field battles? You are clearly sending me to my death with my brothers!"

"My lord! The northern barbarians have retreated! The northern barbarians have retreated!" the messenger shouted excitedly.

"What?!" Qu Jiazhen and Zhang Yiming exchanged a glance, their faces lighting up with joy. "Let's go, let's go up to the city wall!"

Having said that, Qu Jiazhen leaped onto his horse and galloped off. Zhang Yiming, dressed in the robes of a second-rank civil official, found it inconvenient to mount his horse. He tried to jump up and down twice but failed, and his old face flushed red. His servant immediately knelt down and said obsequiously, "Master, please step on my back to mount your horse."

"Get out of the way!" Zhang Yiming kicked the servant aside, pulled his official robe up a bit, then tucked it into his waistband, letting the belt and his fat body hold the robe in place. He stepped onto the stirrups again and finally managed to climb up.

At the foot of the city wall, Zhang Yiming dismounted his warhorse and climbed the stairs. When he reached the top of the wall, panting, he saw Qu Jiazhen leading his horse, looking down at the city below with a serious expression.

About two miles outside Datong City, the once densely packed camps had been mostly dismantled, and dust filled the air as the main force of the Northern Barbarians began to retreat. However, a camp near Datong City remained standing, devoid of life, showing no signs of withdrawal. Judging from the number of tents, it was estimated that there were still several thousand men and horses.

"Governor Zhang, I intend to lead my troops out of the city tomorrow to engage the enemy in open battle!" Qu Jiazhen suddenly said.

(End of this chapter)