Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 251 The Dawn Here Is Quiet
Early May, Horqin Grassland.

The Xilamulun River meanders across the vast grasslands like a golden ribbon.

Outside Obataji's royal tent, pastoral songs drifted on the air.

Herdsmen shouted as they drove herds of cattle and sheep into the enclosures. Wisps of smoke rose from the white yurts, mingling with the fragrance of green grass, the mooing of cattle and sheep, and the carefree laughter of children, creating a timeless and peaceful picture of the grassland.

However, beneath this seemingly tranquil scene lies an unspeakable anxiety.

Inside the royal tent, the atmosphere was far from lively, though the intoxication was pleasant.

Obataiji forced a smile, raised his golden cup, and looked around at the tribal leaders in the tent, whose expressions varied. He deliberately raised his voice a few decibels: "Gentlemen, drink this cup! Do not lose your strength because of temporary setbacks. Ligdan Khan received a few benefits from that young emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and he became arrogant and presumptuous, attempting to emulate his ancestors' westward conquests. This is a path to his own destruction!"

He tried to ignite the passion in the tent by mocking his arch-enemy, but few responded. Several centurions reluctantly raised their cups, their eyes filled with worry.

An elderly centurion, emboldened by alcohol, finally couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Taiji... that's true, but things aren't going well on the Qing side either. Last year there was a severe drought, and this year there's a locust plague. I heard that a bushel of rice in Shengjing costs eight taels of silver, and even the nobles of the Eight Banners are struggling to make ends meet. Back then... sigh!"

A long sigh conveyed endless regret and unease.

The atmosphere inside the tent froze instantly.

They initially chose to betray Ligdan Khan and join the Later Jin for a greater future and wealth. But who could have predicted that the powerful Later Jin would suffer such divine retribution, while the weak Southern Ming Dynasty suddenly became strong again overnight.

Obama's face darkened, and he slammed his wine glass heavily on the table. The golden glass struck the bronze table with a dull clang.

"Silence!" he shouted sternly. "Stop uttering such demoralizing words! Now that we, the Khorchin, have submitted to the Qing, our fates are intertwined; there is no turning back! His Majesty has already agreed with us that once the western front is settled, we will join forces to march south. The Ming Dynasty is a fertile land; at that time..."

His words came to an abrupt halt, because he himself felt he lacked confidence.

With Sun Chuanting on the western front, Man Gui on the northern front, and Mao Wenlong on the southern front, the Ming Dynasty is now like a ferocious beast covered in sharp spikes. Where can we find a place to bite as easily as before?

Seeing the doubt and fear in everyone's eyes, Obataiji could only place his last hope in the illustrious reputation of the Qing Dynasty, and concluded stiffly, "In short, His Majesty's talent and strategy are beyond our comprehension. We only need to do our duty and await His Majesty's orders!"

Inside the tent, all was silent, except for the intermittent singing of the herdsmen outside, which seemed so distant and unreal. Everyone drank silently, each lost in their own thoughts, their hopes for the future long since worn away by their current predicament.

……

The Great Wall north of Xuanfu, the Killing Hu Pass.

On a dark and windy night, the mountains on both sides of the pass were completely silent, with not a trace of human habitation for miles around.

This area has been cleared out by the personal troops of Man Gui, the Governor-General of Xuanfu and Datong.

At midnight, the moon hid behind the clouds, and the world was pitch black.

Man Gui, clad in black iron armor, stood silently before the newly opened pass, his face as calm as still water, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. He slowly drew the sword from his waist, the blade flashing a cold light in the faint starlight, and then resolutely pointed it forward!
This is the clearest command!
In an instant, five thousand of the most elite cavalrymen, their warhorses' hooves wrapped in thick layers of cotton cloth, and their mouths tightly holding wooden pegs to prevent coughing or screaming.

They emerged silently from the pass like a group of ghostly soldiers from the deepest hell, and this ghostly army vanished instantly into the vast night of the grassland.

As the cavalry pierced into the heart of the grasslands like sharp knives, the infantry formations and artillery battalions that followed began to advance with astonishing discipline and speed.

The 30,000-strong army seemed to have completely evaporated from the map of the Ming Dynasty overnight, disappearing without a trace.

……

May 9th, dawn, the core pasture in southern Horqin.

The darkness before dawn is the deepest, all is silent, and most of the Horqin people are still immersed in sweet dreams.

For the preceding two days, a silent operation was launched simultaneously at both the northern and southern ends of the Horqin Grassland.

On the southern front, Man Gui's most elite scouts and naturalized Mongol guides infiltrated like ghosts into the heart of the Khorchin tribe's pastures, covering an area of ​​about 100 li. Meanwhile, on the distant northern front, Ligdan Khan dispatched his most cunning Chahar hunters.

These two elite squads, belonging to different camps, cooperated efficiently under the coordination and intelligence guidance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard spies. Like combs combing through the vast grasslands, they silently removed one overt or covert outpost and scout after another, cutting off all the tentacles of the Khorchin tribe reaching out to the outside world.

This vast grassland has quietly become a cage isolated from the world.

A Khorchin sentry responsible for guarding the southern perimeter was leaning against a wooden fence, yawning sleepily. The cool morning dew dampened his fur coat. He rubbed his eyes and habitually looked at the shallow river in front of the camp.

The next moment, his pupils suddenly contracted!

What he saw was not the pasture swaying in the wind on the opposite bank of the river, but hundreds of silent cavalrymen wading silently across the knee-deep water. Their dark armor blended into the night, with only the faint light reflected from their blades, like the gaze of death.

Fear gripped his throat; he tried to raise the alarm, but an arrow shot from the darkness pierced his neck with deadly precision, silencing all his cries.

There were no war drums, no bugles, only the cold blades and short screams.

The chapter of slaughter was then unveiled with thunderous force.

Almost at the same time as the cavalry raid, Ming infantrymen, who had already set up their positions on some inconspicuous hills on the outskirts of the tribe, aimed hundreds of ballistae, which were already cocked, at the camp.

As the commander waved his flag, countless crossbow bolts as thick as bowls, trailing a piercing whistling sound, swarmed like locusts over several open areas and stables where the Khorchin people were trying to gather for resistance.

A newly surrendered Mongol commander, known as the "Thousand-Man Commander," displayed exceptional ferocity in this operation. With a swift stroke, he beheaded a Khorchin nobleman who had just rushed out of his tent in an attempt to resist. But he didn't even glance at the jewel-encrusted gold sword at the nobleman's waist; instead, he roared angrily at his men:

"The lord has ordered! No looting! Kill all the men with weapons! Quickly! Quickly!"

This method of warfare, which was not for wealth but purely for killing and destruction, plunged the surviving Khorchin people into the deepest fear and chaos. In their minds, war was about plunder, while the army before them seemed to have come only to destroy.

Meanwhile, on the distant north bank of the Xilamulun River, Ligdan Khan, who had already assembled his forces, excitedly licked his lips. He drew his ancestral sword, pointed it forward, and roared, "My men! Seize their cattle and sheep, take their women! Follow me and raze Oba's royal tent to the ground!"

Twenty thousand Chahar cavalrymen swept down like a flood from a burst dam towards the unprepared northern pastures of Horqin.

Ligdan Khan did not launch a full-scale attack. He remembered the strict orders of the Ming envoy and dispatched 10,000 of his most elite cavalrymen, under the command of his most trusted son, Ejei. They sped southeast along the eastern side of the Khorchin grassland, forming a huge arc-shaped encirclement.

Their goal was to cut off any possible route for the Khorchin tribe to escape to Shenyang, the capital of the Later Jin dynasty, and to exterminate all messengers who attempted to seek help!

At this moment, the Horqin Grassland has been transformed into a huge and sophisticated slaughterhouse.

Man Gui's Ming army was a sharp butcher's knife, cutting off the head and bones of the enemy precisely from south to north; Ligdan Khan's main force was a crushing hammer, sweeping everything from north to south; and Ligdan Khan's 10,000-strong detachment was a fence, completely blocking the prey's last escape route.

The northern and southern fronts, one focused on speed and the other on breadth; one paralyzed command and the other created chaos; with the addition of an elite cavalry force to cut off the retreat, the three armies coordinated seamlessly.

The Khorchin tribe, once a powerful clan, saw its tribal command crumble and its army crumble within half a day on May 9th.

……

May 10th, Shengjing.

Huang Taiji was discussing matters with Daishan, Amin, and other princes. The focus of their discussion remained the increasingly serious food problem and the enormous pressure brought by Sun Chuanting on the western front.

Suddenly, a mournful wail rang out from outside the hall.

A Khorchin messenger, ragged and covered in blood, stumbled into the hall like a lost dog, fell to his knees, and let out a desperate wail:
"Your Majesty! Save Khorchin! The Ming army... the main force of the Ming army! Man Gui's elite border troops have all come out and joined forces with Ligdan Khan to surround us! My tribe... is completely finished! Completely finished!"

His words trembled with fear, but his logic remained remarkably clear. He produced a broken Ming army standard-issue arrow, the words "Jizhen" clearly engraved on the shaft—the only evidence he had pulled from his comrade's corpse.

Huang Taiji and the other princes exchanged glances, their hearts filled with turmoil.

However, before they could digest this astonishing news, three urgent military reports were placed on Huang Taiji's desk from different directions, almost at the same time.

The first report was an urgent dispatch from Liaoxi. It was written by Jirgalang, Huang Taiji's most trusted frontline general. The handwriting was messy, the ink was not yet dry, and it was filled with panic and urgency.

"Your Majesty! Sun Chuanting, the Ming general, has mobilized all the main forces within the pass—chariot battalions, firearms battalions, cavalry battalions… covering the mountains and plains, boundless and limitless! His army has already breached seven of our outer outposts! His cannons are bombarding Ningyuan's defenses day and night! The ferocity of his offensive suggests he intends to fight our Great Jin to the death! I fear Ningyuan will fall, and I implore Your Majesty to quickly send the main force to reinforce it!"

The second report was an urgent dispatch from the southern front. It came from Amin, the garrison commander of Zhenjiang, and the letter was even soaked with a corner of his sweat from panic.

"It's an extremely urgent matter! Mao Wenlong has mobilized all his forces, with over two hundred warships of various sizes, already covering the river! His subordinates Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming have led their elite troops in several beach assaults, their offensive is more ferocious than ever before! I fear Zhenjiang is in grave danger, I beg Your Majesty for instructions!"

The third messenger, also from the direction of Khorchin, brought more precise, yet more despairing, intelligence.

"Your Majesty! The Ming general Man Gui has personally led tens of thousands of soldiers from the Jizhou border garrison to join forces with Ligdan Khan, and launched a general offensive against our tribe at dawn on May 9th! Grand Prince Oba has been killed in battle, and the main force of the Khorchin has been wiped out! This time, the Ming army... is here to annihilate our tribe!"

Every piece of intelligence is absolutely true, and every military report points to a bloody reality!
Huang Taiji slumped on the Khan's throne, remaining silent for a long time.

He saw through the Ming army's entire scheme: harassment on the southern front, feigned attack on the eastern front, and main attack on the northern front.

This was an open and undisguised scheme, clearly telling him that the Ming Dynasty was surrounded on three sides, and that Huang Taiji had to make a choice.

But does he have a choice?

By abandoning Zhenjiang on the southern front, Mao Wenlong could penetrate deep into the heartland, threatening Shengjing's flank with perpetual unrest. By abandoning Ningyuan on the western front, Sun Chuanting could sweep through the Liaoxi Corridor, his forces advancing directly towards Shenyang. That was the capital! The very foundation of the Jin dynasty!

Khorchin... was a relative by marriage, an ally, a shield... but it was ultimately just an outer vassal state.

The lesser of two evils.

At this moment, Huang Taiji, despite his immense resentment and anger, had only one choice left.

"It's too much to bully others..."

Huang Taiji practically spat out those words through gritted teeth. He slammed his hand on the imperial desk, abruptly stood up, his face filled with humiliation and rage.

This is the fury of someone who has their cards laid bare and their lifeline seized, yet is forced to act according to the other party's wishes.

"Issue my Khan's decree!" he roared, his voice echoing through the hall, filled with a helpless killing intent. "Order Yuetuo and Sahalian to immediately lead all the Baturu of the Plain Yellow Banner and Plain Red Banner in Shengjing to rush to Ningyuan's aid! We must keep Sun Chuanting out of the pass! I want that little Ming emperor to know that the foundation of my Great Jin is not something anyone can touch!"

He turned to the two dejected Khorchin messengers and waved wearily:

"Go back...and tell those of you who are still alive. I will remember this blood feud! Once I have repelled the main force of the Ming army, I will personally lead a large army to avenge Oba and all the fallen Khorchin warriors!"

(End of this chapter)