Di Ming

Chapter 358 Drinking water from the Yalu River, wielding the whip at Jiulian City!
After paying their respects to Zhu Yin, Bu Zhai and his group then paid their respects to General Qi Jiguang, addressing him as "Grand Tutor Qi".

Although Qi Jiguang was not Grand Tutor, he was already Grand Protector, which was not far off.

The Beile of the various Haixi tribes, including Buzhai, held Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang in high esteem. Their envoys, who frequently traveled between Beijing and Liaodong, were naturally already familiar with the names of Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang.

Especially towards Zhu Yin, they not only dared not bully his youth, but also revered him as a god.

These Jurchen nobles were quite superstitious. In their view, Zhu Yin's achievements at such a young age must have been due to his past life, making him different from other high-ranking officials in the court.

Furthermore, they also wanted to appear more submissive than Nurhaci in order to gain the support of the court and dispel its suspicion and hostility.

At this moment, all 36,000 Ming soldiers were arrayed, their armor gleaming, their hat plumes blazing like fire, and their banners fluttering like a forest. Cavalry, charioteers, firearms soldiers, swordsmen and shieldmen, spearmen, and archers were arranged in orderly formations, immovable as mountains, exuding a majestic and awe-inspiring presence.

Two large, apricot-yellow banners fluttered high, the front depicting a crescent moon, a red sun, and the Big Dipper. The reverse side bore prominent characters:

"Zhu, Vice Minister of War, Vice Censor-in-Chief, Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Imperial Commissioner, Governor-General of Jiliao, and Commissioner for the Anti-Japanese War in Korea."

"Qi, Left Grand Commandant and Imperial Guardian of the Ming Dynasty, Commander-in-Chief of the Korean Anti-Japanese Military Affairs."

The might of the Han army was displayed to the fullest, exuding a majestic and awe-inspiring aura. In particular, the dark muzzles of the Ming army's cannons instilled a sense of dread in Bu Zhai and his men.

The Jurchens were filled with awe upon seeing the Ming army's imposing presence. They knew the Ming army numbered well over a million and mistakenly assumed such elite troops were numerous. Little did they know that this well-armored, well-supplied, and highly trained Ming army comprised less than ten percent of the force.

Buzhai's expression became even more respectful, and he bowed with the Han Chinese cupped hands, saying, "I respectfully request the Grand Tutor's instructions."

Zhu Yin ordered, "Raise the flag! Change the banner!"

"Yes, sir!" Buzhai and the others accepted the order together.

Immediately afterwards, the 20,000-strong Haixi Jurchen army also raised the Ming army's sun and moon banners. Including Jianzhou, the 30,000-strong Jurchen army all came under the Ming banner.

This was something that had never happened before, yet Zhu Yin managed to pull it off.

Zhu Yin planned for six years to bring the Jurchens to the Korean battlefield and have them fight the Japanese head-on, rather than letting them benefit from the conflict. He spent hundreds of thousands of taels of silver on this project.
Once the Jurchens were on his chariot, it would be difficult for them to dismount. From that day forward, the Jurchens were his weapon! His eagle! His dog!

After the flag-changing was completed, Zhu Yin said gently, "Set up camp here and rest for one night. We will break camp early tomorrow morning. Don't worry, the army has prepared provisions at Fushun Pass and will resupply there."

Zhu Yin said in Jurchen: "Brave and wise hunters will come together under the blessing of fate. The Baturu, who are both heroes, will be united by justice to face the nine-headed Yeruli together."

"My Beile from the foot of Mount Hulun, I have come in accordance with the will of the heavenly god Abukaenduli and the war god Cuohazhanye, bringing a divine revelation!"

Buzhai and the others were greatly surprised. They never expected that Grand Tutor Zhu could speak Jurchen so well, almost indistinguishable from native Jurchens. He was indeed no ordinary person.

Upon hearing this, Buzhai and the others felt even greater awe and bowed deeply, saying, "Please enlighten us, Grand Tutor Zhu!"

Zhu Yin's expression was solemn as he pointed eastward, "That's Japan! Their god is a nine-headed demon king, Yale!"

What? They took Yeruli, who was brutal, evil, greedy, treacherous, and ruthless, and who intended to enslave all living beings, as their god? Buzhai and the others were somewhat incredulous when they heard this.

Zhu Yin continued, "If Yale is not their god, why would they conquer Korea and attack Liaodong?! They boasted that to conquer Liaodong, they must first conquer Korea! Now, they've arrived!"

Nurhaci shouted, “I have been to Japan! They are extremely arrogant, cruel, evil, treacherous, and vicious, and they do indeed worship Yeruli! They are the natural enemies of the Jurchens! They boast that Liaodong originally belonged to them!”

"Not long ago, the Japanese army killed dozens of Jurchen men and hung their heads on a big tree by the Yalu River. The women became prostitutes in the camp. This is an absolute fact!"

Buzhai and the others all showed anger and said, "The Jurchens are protected by the God of War, Cuoha Zhanye, how can we suffer such humiliation! Are their swords sharp enough, but our Jurchen horses are not fast enough, and our bows are not strong enough!"

"Please lead us, Grand Tutor, and let the Japanese taste the fury of the Jurchen warriors, so that they will not dare to bully us for a hundred or a thousand years!"

Zhu Yin, clad in magnificent armor and draped in an embroidered cloak, rode out on horseback and proclaimed, "We have 67,000 men here! More than 3,000 more will join us! Adding the royal army in Korea, we have a total force of over 100,000!"

At this point, he raised his riding whip and shouted, "The advantage is on our side! The Ming Dynasty will surely win!"

Zhu Yin only mentioned that his side had over 100,000 troops, but made no mention of the more than 200,000 Japanese and puppet troops in Korea.

All the troops, including the Jurchen soldiers, shouted in unison: "The advantage is on our side! The Ming Dynasty will surely win!"

In the Han army formation, on the command vehicle of the field medical battalion, Ning Qingchen, wearing a miniature suit of armor specially made for her, looked at Zhu Yin, who was inspecting the army, with bright eyes.

The little tiger looks so proud today!

Little Black, dressed in a unique, custom-made dog armor, lay lazily at Ning Qingchen's feet, looking somewhat listless. It wanted to curl up, but the armor wasn't comfortable for that, so it could only lie upright.

……

Early the next morning, outside the border city of Sarhu, 67,000 troops stood solemnly, their ranks stretching for miles, an overwhelming sight.

A majestic eagle soared from Zhu Yin's mobile wagon, its cry echoing as it pierced the sky, circling above the army. This was none other than Zhu Yin's prized falcon: Flying Tiger!
Following this, the Jurchen nobles also set their gyrfalcons free, and Nurhaci's gyrfalcon was no exception.

But the most majestic of all was Zhu Yin's Flying Tiger. Indeed, the falcon was stronger than the gyrfalcon.

"Screech! Screech!" A dozen or so eagles circled overhead, their cries shaking the heavens.

Sixty or seventy thousand troops, all looking up.

When the Jurchen and Mongol armies set out on campaign, they customarily released eagles first. This served two purposes: first, to scout the surrounding terrain and enemy forces; and second, as a form of sacrificial ritual, to let the heavens, through the eagles, inform the heavens that the army was about to depart.

Then, several galloping horses from the central army rushed out, and several messengers carrying command flags ran past the front of the army, waving the flags and blowing urgent whistles.

Immediately, the tens of thousands of troops fell silent, with only the pawing of their warhorses and the snorting of their hooves.

Then, on the central army chariot, adorned with a large banner and pulled by four horses, Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang stood side by side, supporting the shaft, as it slowly passed in front of the army formation.

In front of the chariot were the imperial envoy's entourage and royal command flags, with guards on both sides, and behind them were Li Rusong, Nurhaci, Buzhai, and others on horseback.

This is the inspection team.

The Han army was arrayed in perfect uniformity, disciplined and well-equipped, resembling clouds hanging from the sky.

Although the Jurchen army's formation was not very neat and their armor coverage was low, they were wild and fierce, with a bold and unrestrained spirit, carrying a fierce and murderous aura, like a group of ferocious beasts.

It truly is a perfect balance of stillness and movement.

This wasn't the first time Zhu Yin had reviewed a large army, but he was still filled with fervor.

The inspection team marched from the west of the military formation to the east, a distance of three miles, before turning back and arriving at the central command platform.

Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang stepped onto the command platform and faced the army. All the generals, including the Jurchen nobles, stood in full armor below the platform, like an army arranging itself.

Below the command platform, four heavy cannons, each weighing over a thousand catties, were already lined up in a row. These were the most powerful artillery pieces the Ming army possessed.

The reason for using such cannons to fire signal shots was, of course, to deliberately demonstrate to the Jurchen and Bozhou soldiers and let them see the firearms of the Ming Dynasty.

Qi Jiguang waved his hand, and the messenger immediately shouted, "Fire the signal cannon!"

"Boom—" The four breech-loading cannons roared simultaneously, truly shaking the earth and resounding through the sky, their power astonishing. The Jurchen soldiers were all terrified.

These are the cannons of the Ming army! They're really powerful!

As soon as the cannon fire stopped, Zhu Yin took out a proclamation, unfolded it, and read: "By Imperial Decree—Proclamation to Aid Korea, Defend Liaodong, and Resist Japanese Pirates!"

"Oath-taking ceremony!"

The soldiers immediately focused their attention and listened attentively. Even the Jurchens, who could not understand Chinese, remained solemn.

Zhu Yin read aloud: "The world is now in order, and the distinction between Chinese and barbarians has been established. The Great Ming Dynasty has ascended the throne, its virtue extending to all corners of the land, and its rites governing all directions… Now, the Japanese have usurped the title and presumptuously assumed supremacy, gathering a horde of wicked beasts to invade Korea en masse. They are slaughtering the common people, arousing the wrath of both gods and men…"

"Korea was the first vassal state bestowed upon us by Emperor Taizu, and has served the Emperor with unwavering loyalty for two hundred years. Now they have sent envoys to grovel and plead for our surrender. How can I bear to stand idly by? I have now mobilized an army of 300,000, and have ordered Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang… to lead the three armies and quell the rebellion within a set timeframe…"

"...I hereby command the three armies, to obey my orders, to wield their weapons and spears, to brave arrows and leap on horseback, to slay the Japanese pirates and eliminate the stubborn traitors..."

"A proclamation to the Japanese pirates: Wherever the sun and moon shine, all is bright! Quickly lay down your arms and surrender, submit to punishment. If you remain stubborn and resist the royal army, when the heavenly troops arrive, we will all be destroyed. Do not say you were not warned... This proclamation is issued far and wide, so that all may know!"

After Zhu Yin finished reading the imperial edict, all the generals answered in unison, "By imperial decree! Suppress the rebels!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, "By imperial decree, we punish the traitors! By imperial decree, we punish the traitors!"

Next, Zhu Yin brought out the royal command flag and the imperial sword. The royal flag was a triangular yellow flag with a dragon pattern, embroidered with "Imperial Command". The royal token was a gilded bronze token, engraved with "Royal Command".

Zhu Yin then announced the rewards and punishments according to the law, thus completing the ceremony of issuing a proclamation and swearing an oath.

Then Qi Jiguang appointed the generals, assigning them command tokens and seals. Each Han Chinese guerrilla commander and above, and each Jurchen commander and above, would go up to the platform to receive their command tokens.

After the generals were appointed, there were over a hundred generals on the platform. Only then was the allied force officially formed.

Li Rusong pointed to the army and said to Zhu Yin, "Generalissimo, with our army so powerful, the Japanese pirates are bound to be defeated."

The generals were all greatly encouraged, saying that the Japanese pirates were no match for them.

Only Zhu Yin, Qi Jiguang, Nurhaci, and others knew that the Japanese army was an extremely tough nut to crack. Countless soldiers who set out today would die on the battlefield.

After the oath-taking ceremony, the army held a pre-battle ritual. The Han army performed the Ma sacrifice according to custom, while the Jurchen army burned pipa bones and conducted a shamanic ritual.

Therefore, the two armies held separate sacrificial rites.

The Ming army's sacrificial rites naturally worshipped the god of war. Throughout history, Chi You was considered the principal deity and the lord of war.

Besides worshipping the war god Chiyou, there was also worshipping the military flag, also known as "Ma Ya".

At this time, to the east of the Han army's great formation, a three-tiered altar had already been built, enshrining the divine tablet of Chi You, the five flags, and the six banners, and preparing three sacrificial animals—oxen, sheep, and pigs—as well as wine and spirits.

Not far away, hundreds of cooking pots were lined up in a long row.

Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang were both chief officiants. The two led the generals in burning incense and kowtowing, slaughtering animals and taking their blood, and personally smearing the military flags and war drums to communicate with the gods.

The slaughtered meat was immediately cut up and boiled in a cooking pot.

Zhu Yin stood beneath the altar and read the sacrificial text before the tablet of Chi You:

"...Your subject Yin respectfully leads the six armies, obeying the king's command, and reverently carries out the divine punishment...May the gods bless us, and annihilate the wicked and stubborn...May you accept this offering!"

When the chieftain's soldiers saw the statue of Chi You, they couldn't help but prostrate themselves in worship.

Once the sacrificial meat was cooked, Qi Jiguang ordered it to be distributed to the soldiers, symbolizing the sharing of divine blessings. However, in reality, because there were so many people, each person only received a piece of meat, which was called "a small feast."

...

The Jurchen army's sacrificial rites were different. Furthermore, each tribe conducted its own separate sacrificial rites.

Each unit erected a sacred banner on the west side of the procession, and the accompanying shamans offered sacrifices with the blood of black oxen and white horses. The soldiers drank blood wine and swore an oath, still preserving the ancient custom of making blood oaths.

The shamans, of course, danced. They brandished their knives and chanted incantations:

"The God of War, Chokhazhanye, rides his celestial steed and is omnipresent, protecting our army's triumphant return..."

"Abukahehe, clad in feathered robes, breathed fire, while Yeruli, with nine heads, spewed poisonous mist; chaos reigned, and they fought for three thousand rounds..."

The scapulae of each part were burned, and after divination by looking at the cracks in the bones, without exception, they all showed "auspiciousness".

After the Han and Jurchen armies completed their respective departure rituals, three cannon shots were fired, and the armies set off in turn.

Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang led a combined army of Han, Jurchen, Tujia and Miao peoples southward in a grand procession along the east side of Liaodong Pass.

Upon reaching Fushun Pass, the Ming army resupplyed with provisions and then marched south again.

On February 17, they encountered more than 3,000 troops under Mao Wenlong, the coastal defense guerrilla commander of Lushun, who were waiting there on orders. The total number of Ming soldiers reached 70,000.

Mao Wenlong was indeed a talented general; his force of over three thousand men was clearly an elite army, which greatly pleased Zhu Yin. After summoning Mao Wenlong, Zhu Yin stated that he would recommend him for the position of adjutant general after this battle.

Along the way, many Jurchen people migrated north with their families. Seeing the army heading south, they stopped with peace of mind.

On February 19th, the army finally arrived at Jiulian Town Jiangbao, a place where rumors were circulating and people were filled with fear.

Zhu Yin cracked his whip and said, "We've reached the Yalu River, that's Zhenjiang Fort!"

When the army arrived at the Yalu River, tens of thousands of warhorses were drinking water by the river. The entire riverbank was filled with shouts of men and neighing of horses, creating a magnificent sight.

Drinking water from the Yalu River, whipping the horse across Jiulian City!
This is the southern end of the Liaodong Great Wall. The Yalu River flows mightily westward, and nine passes stand in a row on the north bank of the river, with naval camps and fortresses forming a continuous stretch, like a giant chain between the river and the sky.

This was the Ming army's Jiangbei camp before they entered the court. The three leaders who entered the court earlier, Hao Jie, Yang Shaoxun, and Gao Huai, crossed the river from Jiuliancheng.

Zhu Yin knew that in later history, during the First Sino-Japanese War, Yamagata Aritomo had entered Northeast China from this very place.

At this time, Zhenjiang Fort was very empty, with only a few thousand Ming soldiers guarding the supplies and provisions and protecting the water fortress.

Fortunately, the Japanese army had not yet crossed the river. This shows that Hao Jie was still holding on.

Li Hualong, the Liaodong governor who was stationed in Jiuliancheng, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He was hoping for reinforcements to arrive every moment, fearing that Hao Jie on the other side of the river would suffer another major defeat and that the Japanese army would cross the river and enter Liaodong.

When Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang led their army to Zhenjiang Fort, the tense atmosphere was immediately replaced by the joy of the arrival of reinforcements.

Upon hearing the news of the army's arrival, Li Hualong rushed to meet them on horseback without even putting on his hat.

"Oh, Brother Zhihu! I've been waiting for you!"

PS: That's all for today. Please support me, thank you, and goodnight! In the previous chapters, I got the names wrong. Hao Jie was written as Hao Jing in many places. I'm sorry, this was a misunderstanding. Hao Jing was a person from the Yuan Dynasty, while Hao Jie was a person from the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)