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

Chapter 391 Scorched Earth, Easier Said Than Simplified

Shi Hu is dead, but his roar is not.

The phrase "The Emperor personally guards Shanhaiguan" was like an invisible poisonous thorn, piercing the heart of everyone present.

The daytime bloodshed had no deterrent effect; instead, it was like throwing a spark onto a pile of dry, oil-soaked tinder.

On the surface, Shengjing appeared stagnant, but beneath the surface, turbulent waves were surging.

"despair."

A drop of candle wax fell onto the gold brick, making a barely audible sound.

In this deathly silence, it was like a thunderclap.

Suddenly, a series of hurried, chaotic footsteps broke the suffocating silence as they approached. A fully armored warrior stumbled into the hall.

His armor was stained with white salt, and he exuded the salty smell of the sea breeze and the stench of sweat from a long march.

Before he could even stand up straight, his knees buckled and he collapsed to his knees.

"Your Majesty! Urgent dispatch within 600 li!"

Instantly, all eyes in the hall, like dozens of unsheathed swords, focused on him.

Najala Ejen gasped for breath, like a fish thrown ashore. Finally, he raised his head.

"There's unusual activity in Dongjiang Town!"

Third Prince Mangultai frowned and asked in a gruff voice, "Has that scoundrel Mao Wenlong sent people ashore to steal chickens and dogs again?"

“No…” Jiala Ezhen’s voice trembled with tears, “It was a large-scale landing!”

Huang Taiji's fingers unconsciously rubbed against the armrest of the dragon throne. He didn't say anything, but his eyes became even more profound.

Najila'e dared not stop, and reported at lightning speed: "Your Majesty! The Ming navy on Pi Island and Lushun has unusually assembled... We can see no fewer than a hundred ships of various sizes! They have simultaneously launched landings in the Gaizhou and Fuzhou areas! They are not attacking cities, nor are they penetrating deep into the region; they are simply establishing a foothold along the coast!"

“More importantly!” He swallowed hard, his voice growing increasingly anxious. “This servant saw with his own eyes that Lushun Port had become a massive military port! Countless Ming dogs were coming ashore, cutting down trees, setting up camps, and building fortifications! Ship after ship of weapons, grain, and cloth were being unloaded from those ships like mountains! They didn’t seem to be here to harass us; they seemed to be… building their nests!”

Everyone present changed their expressions.

Harassment is like a mouse stealing food.

Building a nest is like a wolf building a den; it's about settling down in your heartland!
As if remembering something, Najila Ezhen pulled out a handful of crumpled papers from his bosom and held them high above his head.

"Your Majesty, look! They're distributing these things everywhere in the Han villages along the way! They're even giving salt and rice to those Han slaves! Shouting, 'The Great Ming Emperor is here to save you!' Those Han slaves... those Han slaves..."

Huang Taiji slightly raised his hand, and a guard immediately stepped forward to take the paper and present it to the emperor.

Huang Taiji unfolded the paper.

The paper was coarse, but it was much better than the horse manure paper that circulated within the Qing Dynasty.

On the paper was the very pattern that had kept him up at night for the past few days—a bright red sun at the top and a bright moon at the bottom.

The Sun and Moon Flag!
Under the banner, the eight prominent characters still read: "The royal army has pacified the north and relieved the people from their suffering!"

Huang Taiji's pupils suddenly contracted.

There must have been a wise person guiding Emperor Chongzhen!
"A bunch of ungrateful sea rats, daring to act so presumptuously ashore!" Mangultai suddenly stood up, his burly body resembling an enraged bear, his copper-bell-like eyes glaring at the scout. "Where have they built their nest? Khan! Give me a Gushan army, and within a month, I will bring you Mao Wenlong's head to use as a chamber pot!"

"Fifth brother, calm down." The eldest prince, Daishan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

"Mao Wenlong is as cunning as a fox. If he truly wanted to wage war against our Great Qing, he would have already gone ashore when the late Khan was still alive. His intention is not war, but chaos. If you send your entire army to suppress him, you will play right into his hands. If you attack, he will board the ships; if you retreat, he will come ashore. If our main force is tied up along the long coastline, who will guard Shanhaiguan in the south and Mongolia in the north?"

Daishan's analysis was like a bucket of ice water poured over Mangultai's head.

He opened his mouth, but in the end he just snorted unwillingly and sat back down.

Huang Taiji's gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on Fan Wencheng, who had been keeping his head down and remaining silent.

Fan Wencheng felt the Khan's gaze and swayed imperceptibly. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, what the Great Prince said is absolutely right. The danger in Dongjiang lies not in war, but in the hearts of the people. Building a stronghold in Lushun is intended to create a base where the Ming army can land at any time and continuously supply provisions and information to the Han people in our heartland."

This is a strategy of attacking the mind, to destroy the spirit. If we were to wage war with a large army, our elite Qing forces would likely be exhausted and run amok, playing right into the Ming's trap of using our strengths to attack our weaknesses.

Huang Taiji nodded slightly; Fan Wencheng's words coincided with his judgment.

He had already made up his mind and was about to speak, but he chose to take one more step and ask one more question.

"In your opinion, how should this be handled?"

Fan Wencheng pondered for a moment, then carefully chose his words and replied: "The best course of action now is not to fight, but to maintain stability. The key is to 'fortify the walls and clear the fields.' Appoint a prudent general to lead a small number of elite troops, along with a large number of Han soldiers and bondsers, to garrison the coastal cities. Move all Han villages, grain, and livestock within a few dozen miles of the coast inland."

Therefore, even if Mao Wenlong's troops land, they will have no food to plunder and no manpower to use, and the rumors he spread will be baseless. Although this move will result in huge losses, it is the only way to stabilize the rear and prevent the main force of our Qing Dynasty from being tied down.

Everyone in the hall fell silent upon hearing this.

"Strengthen the walls and clear the fields"—it's an easy phrase to use.

That would mean burning down the homes of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of Han people and driving them inland like livestock.

This will inevitably incite greater popular uprisings and cause even greater chaos.

But compared to having the main force tied down by a detachment of the Ming army, this seemed like a poisoned cup that had to be drunk.

Huang Taiji spoke coldly:
"I hereby appoint Prince Ying, Ajige, to lead a force of 1000 soldiers from the Bordered White Banner to the coast immediately. He has only one task—to keep them in check! Keep an eye on those Han slaves, and defending the coastal cities will be a great achievement! Anyone who dares to cause trouble in his defense zone will be held accountable!"

This is a preliminary decision.

It was also the only decision.

Huang Taiji was not easily provoked.

However, everyone knew that this was just the beginning.

……

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Palace was even more somber than the previous night.

A huge geomantic map was laid out on the floor of the hall, and the route that Ajige led his troops to take off was clearly marked with red cinnabar ink.

Several young princes, such as Dorgon and Dodo, were gathered around a map, discussing the coastal defense deployment in hushed tones, their brows furrowed.

The nobles and relatives, who had not slept all night, all wore expressions of exhaustion, but even more so of a sense of impending doom and impending crisis.

Like a group of hunters trapped inside a house, they heard the first wolf howl outside and pricked up their ears, waiting for sounds from other directions.

Soon enough, something happened.

And it was more violent and ferocious than any of them had imagined.

A Mongolian messenger from the Horqin Grassland in northern Xinjiang was practically dragged in by two guards. His tattered fur robe was soaked in blood and reeked of a strong stench of blood. One of his arms was twisted at an odd angle, clearly broken.

As soon as he entered the hall, he broke free from the guards, used his intact arm to support himself on the ground, and cried out desperately.

"Great Khan! Ligdan Khan... Ligdan Khan and the Ming general Man Gui's 70,000-strong army have crossed the Xilamulun River and breached our northern border outposts!"

If yesterday's news from Dongjiang Town was like a thorn in one's side, then this moment is undoubtedly like a knife or axe at one's throat!
An uproar erupted inside the hall!

"What?!" Amin jumped up suddenly. He had a long-standing grudge against Lin Danhan, and now he was both shocked and angry. "How could they move so quickly! What about our defenses in the northern border?"

The interpreter stammered as he translated the messenger's broken words: "Our border defenses... vanished overnight! Their army was like... like wildfire spreading across the grasslands. Our outposts were completely consumed before we could even light the signal fires! All the tribes that have submitted to our Great Qing are pleading for help from the Great Khan! They say that if they don't receive the Heavenly Army of our Great Qing soon, they... they will have no choice but to kneel before Ligdan Khan and offer him cattle and sheep!"

Second Prince Amin's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. He grabbed the man's collar and shouted, "Bullshit! When did the warriors of my Great Qing become so vulnerable! Man Gui is a fugitive, and Lindan Khan is a defeated dog on the verge of death. What makes them so special?!"

Huang Taiji coldly shouted, "Amin, let him go!"

Amin reluctantly let go, but his chest continued to heave violently, clearly consumed by rage.

“Fan Wencheng,” he said coldly.

"Your servant is here." Fan Wencheng bowed and stepped forward, his face paler than the candlelight in the hall.

"Tell me, is the 70,000-strong army of Ligdan Khan and Mangui real? What is their fighting strength?"

Fan Wencheng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His brain was working at high speed, connecting all the intelligence about the North.

“Your Majesty,” his voice was low but clear, “Lindan Khan, as the supreme ruler of the Mongols, has no fewer than 30,000 elite troops in his Chahar tribe, all of whom are skilled archers. This time, under the banner of ‘reviving the Golden Family’ and with the support of the Ming Dynasty, he will surely be able to coerce the tribes in southern and western Mongolia. It is no exaggeration to say that he can gather 40,000 to 50,000 cavalry.”

He paused, then pointed to a point on the map: "As for Man Gui, he is a fierce general. If he has 10,000 to 20,000 troops, plus Ligdan Khan's cavalry... Your Majesty, this army of 70,000 is probably... not too much of a stretch."

This calm and even brutal analysis completely shattered any lingering hope that had just arisen within the hall.

This is not bluffing; it's a real, overwhelming pressure!

"Then how should we deal with this?" Mangultai asked impatiently.

Prince Rui, Dorgon, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

His young face showed little panic, only a solemnity beyond his years.

He walked to the map, pointed to the northern region, and said to the crowd, “My brothers, please take a look. The advantage of the Ligdan Khan and Mangui allied forces lies in their large number of cavalry, which can move like the wind. If our Great Qing wants to repel the enemy, we can only fight them with cavalry. But they have now entered our heartland. If we send troops from Shengjing, the journey is long, and the supply of food and provisions will be the biggest problem.”

He then pointed his finger south, pointing to the location of Shanhaiguan.

"Moreover, will that Ming emperor in the south really just stand by and watch us fight a decisive battle with Ligdan Khan? Is Dongjiang Town building its nest on the coast really just to scatter a few pieces of paper and sing a few songs?"

Dorgon's words were like a cold wind, chilling everyone to the bone.

Yes, it's a complex scheme.

The net has been spread across the east, north, and south. The Qing Dynasty's biggest dilemma is that they don't know which net is the main one and which is just a feint.

Second Prince Amin sneered, "In your opinion, Fourteenth Brother, should we sit here and wait for Ligdan Khan's horses to trample Shengjing, or should we wait for the Ming army from the south to besiege the city?"

Dorgon remained unyielding, meeting Amin's gaze head-on: "Second Brother, please calm down. What I mean is, war is inevitable. But how to fight, when to fight, and where to fight must be carefully planned before taking action. Otherwise, if the elite troops of our Great Qing Eight Banners are bogged down in a quagmire of fighting on multiple fronts, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Easy for you to say!" Mangultai slammed his fist on the table and roared, "By the time you've made your plans, their knives will be at our throats! In my opinion, we should seize this opportunity to gather all our troops, head north, and fight Ligdan Khan to the death! Let's break one of the Ming's arms and see how arrogant they can be then!"

"Absolutely not!" Daishan immediately objected. "Fifth Brother, the Ming Dynasty is our greatest threat! Lindan Khan is nothing more than a minor ailment. If we send all our forces north, leaving Shengjing vulnerable, the likes of Sun Chengzong and Zu Dashou in the south will seize the opportunity to invade, and we will be doomed!"

"Defend! Defend! Defend! All you do is defend!" Mangultai roared in fury. "Are we going to starve to death or be trapped in this Shengjing city in the end?!"

Inside the main hall, complete chaos ensued.

The pro-war faction, which advocated immediately heading north for a decisive battle, and the pro-defense faction, which advocated holding Shengjing and guarding the southern front, were arguing fiercely.

Everyone has a point, but no single point can solve all the current problems.

Huang Taiji sat on the Khan's throne, coldly observing all of this.

He looked at Mangultai and Amin arguing heatedly, at Daishan who was mature and composed with a worried expression, and at Dorgon who was showing sharp eyes and emerging talent.

He did not stop the argument.

Because he knew that this argument was a true reflection of the current predicament of his Great Qing Dynasty.

Going forward is like entering a cliff.

Retreat is a dead end.

To hold out is to wait for death.

As night deepened, the arguing gradually subsided, but a clear path to break the deadlock still failed to emerge!
……

The morning of the third day was particularly oppressive.

Inside the Grand Hall, the princes and nobles, who hadn't slept all night, all had bloodshot eyes and looked exhausted.

The argument had exhausted all their energy, but it had brought no results.

Everyone sat there dejectedly, like defeated roosters, awaiting the Khan's final decision.

Huang Taiji also did not sleep a wink all night.

He stood with his back to the crowd, like a statue, silently standing in front of the huge geomantic map.

He appeared unusually calm, but the bloodshot eyes betrayed the devastating storm raging within him.

It is not the crampedness of the palace that is the confinement of the mind; it is not the oppressive heat of summer that is the torment of the nation's fate!
Northern invaders knocked on the gates, Eastern barbarians built their nests, and the Southern Dynasty was about to make a move; the state was as precarious as a pile of eggs. There was no food or supplies inside, no reinforcements outside, and the emperor and his ministers were of different minds; the world was about to be turned upside down.

For the first time, he felt that the Qing Dynasty he had personally built was like a palace built on quicksand, which could collapse at any moment.

Just then, a rapid, frantic sound of hooves rang out from outside the palace, followed by the mournful cry of a horse collapsing from exhaustion.

Immediately afterwards, a Gushan Ezhen from the Ningyuan front staggered in.

His left arm was hastily bandaged with strips of cloth, and dark red blood had soaked through the bandages, dripping onto the polished gold bricks.

He collapsed to the ground, and with his last ounce of strength, he roared out that cry:
"Khan...from the south...from the south they're coming!"

Inside the hall, the last bit of air was sucked out, plunging it into absolute silence.

"Undoubtedly confirmed!" The man raised his head, his face a mixture of blood and desperate madness.
"The Guan-Ning cavalry has been deployed in full force! The Ming court has appointed the veteran general Sun Chengzong as commander-in-chief, leading all the armies! Zu Dashou, Zhao Shuaijiao, He Kegang and other main Ming generals have all assembled! The infantry and cavalry are said to number 200,000, and their vanguard has already passed Ningyuan and is advancing layer by layer towards Jinzhou! The mountains and plains are filled with Ming troops! In their camps, every night they sing that song... that song 'The royal army has pacified the north, relieving the people from their suffering'!"

It was as if an invisible hand had gripped the throats of everyone in the hall.

Threats from the east, north, and south formed a perfect closed loop at this moment.

All attempts, speculations, and wishful thinking were crushed under the banner of the "Sun, Moon, and Five Stars," which represented the emperor's personal presence.

After an unknown amount of time, Mangultai's weak but still forceful voice broke the silence: "Khan! Attack the south! The Ming emperor is the key! Since he dared to leave the pass, let him not return! They say they have 200,000 troops, but they always exaggerate. They're lucky if they have 50,000 capable soldiers! While they're still establishing their foothold, send the whole army at them and fight to the death under the walls of Jinzhou! What are you afraid of!"

"Foolish!" Dai Shan's voice trembled slightly. "Fifty thousand? Even if we only have fifty thousand Guan Ning cavalry, relying on the fortified city, if we send our entire army in, the outcome will still be fifty-fifty! Once defeated, our Great Qing will have no room for maneuver! Two hundred thousand troops, with food and supplies for men and horses, how long can they hold out? We should focus on defense and wear them down!"

On the verge of exploding into silence, Fan Wencheng, the Han official who had been standing by his side, could no longer remain silent.

He suddenly took a few steps forward, disregarding the distinction between ruler and subject, and knelt down on the ground with a thud!
"Khan! My lords!" He didn't cry, but his voice was hoarse as if it had been sanded, and his eyes flashed with a crazy determination. "Trapped in this city of sorrow, there is only death ahead! Now that things have come to this, we can't wait any longer, we can't hold out any longer!"

He crawled forward two steps on his knees, looking up at Huang Taiji's heavy, mountain-like back.

"In my humble opinion, the enemy on three sides may seem united, but each has its weaknesses! The Dongjiang army is like a mosquito, it can bother people but not kill them; the main force of the Ming army at Shanhaiguan is as powerful as a bear, but it is slow to move and its food supply is its Achilles' heel. This is a defensive army, not an aggressive one! Only the north... Man Gui and Ligdan Khan in the north!"

Fan Wencheng's speech quickened: "Man Gui is a Ming general, and Ligdan Khan is the Great Khan of the Mongols. These two are united, but their alliance is superficial; neither will submit to the other! Although their army is strong, their hearts are not united! This is the only opportunity our Great Qing can seize! If we can crush the enemy on the northern route in one battle with overwhelming force, then we can..."

However, this time, Huang Taiji did not turn around.

He kept his back to the crowd, but slowly raised his hand and made a gesture of cessation.

Fan Wencheng's words came to an abrupt end.

A chilling silence fell over the hall once again.

All eyes were focused on that unmoving figure.

Finally, Huang Taiji spoke.

His voice was neither audible nor indicative of any direction.

"Preach my will."

All the Beile clan members, including Fan Wencheng, were suddenly invigorated!
"First, I hereby order the Bordered Yellow and Plain Yellow Banners to immediately assemble outside Shengjing City, with all personnel fully armored, horses saddled, and ready for battle day and night. No one may act without my order."

The order stunned everyone. It meant the deployment of the two elite Yellow Banners, but… their movements were unclear? Were they heading south or north?
"Secondly, I order Amin and Mangultai that the Plain Blue and Bordered Blue Banners under your command should immediately prepare for the expedition. Within three days, I want to see your troops ready to set off at any time."

Amin and Mangultai exchanged a glance, both filled with confusion. They were the proponents of war, but the Khan still hadn't said where the war would lead.

"Third," Huang Taiji's gaze seemed to pierce through the walls, looking towards the distant south and north, "I hereby appoint Daishan, Dorgon, and Dodo, you are responsible for integrating the remaining troops of the other banners, as well as all Han troops and bondservants, to defend Shengjing. The city's defenses are entirely under your jurisdiction."

The three commands were both crystal clear and utterly vague.

He mobilized his most elite troops, but gave them no clear objective.

He ordered preparations for war, but did not specify the time or place of the battle.

Huang Taiji was like a master chess player who placed several crucial pieces on the chessboard, but hesitated to make the final move that would decide the outcome.

"Khan!" Mangultai finally couldn't hold back any longer, stepped forward, and asked urgently, "Which side are we... going to fight?"

Huang Taiji slowly turned around.

Those deep eyes swept over everyone, as if they could see through all the thoughts in their hearts.

He did not answer Mangultai's question, but instead said something unrelated.

"Are you hungry?"

Everyone was stunned.

Huang Taiji's lips curled into a meaningful smile, a smile tinged with cold mockery.

"The enemy is on three sides, and its power is overwhelming. However, I believe that the greatest enemy of our Great Qing Dynasty is not coming from any of the east, south, or north."

He paused and said word by word:

"It is our own...fear and chaos."

“This is exactly what the enemy wants to see. They want us to panic, to lose our composure, and to run headfirst into the wall they have set for us, like headless flies.”

His gaze sharpened like a knife: "If I decide to launch a southern expedition today, the northern barbarians will surely advance unimpeded; if I decide to launch a northern expedition today, the southern barbarians will surely take advantage of the situation to attack. One move will affect the whole situation. Before we can see the enemy's true killing move, any rash action will be tantamount to courting death."

Huang Taiji sat back on the throne, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrests of the dragon throne, producing a steady and powerful rhythm.

"Therefore, my decision is to wait a little longer."

"Wait?" Amin's brows furrowed. "Khan, can we afford to wait?"

"We can afford to wait." Huang Taiji's eyes gleamed with the cunning and patience of a hunter. "An army cannot move without supplies. Whether the Ming army numbers 200,000 or 100,000, they are guests from afar, and their consumption of food and supplies will be enormous. Ligdan Khan and Man Gui's 70,000-strong allied army are divided, and the longer it goes on, the deeper the conflict will become. We, on the other hand, are the masters who are waiting in comfort."

He stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and looked around at his brothers.

"The more critical the situation, the calmer you must remain. The more chaotic the situation, the more patient you must be than the enemy. From this moment on, I want all of you to remember one thing—observe the situation calmly. If the enemy does not move, I will not move. If the enemy moves, find their weakness and strike decisively!"

"The court session is over."

After saying this, Huang Taiji flicked his dragon robe and walked into the inner hall without looking back.

The princes and nobles left in the hall looked at each other, their hearts filled with turbulent emotions.

After a brief silence, the atmosphere inside the main hall grew increasingly eerie.

The princes huddled together in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones, their eyes filled with speculation and unease.

No one could understand Huang Taiji's thoughts.

In a secluded corner where no one was watching, Second Prince Amin exchanged meaningful glances with several of his confidants.

(End of this chapter)