Please call me the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty

evening.

The sky was ablaze with the colors of sunset.

Thirty li outside the east gate of Ningyuan City, on a hillside, two horses were slowly moving, with two young men sitting on their backs.

One of them was tall and imposing, exuding a commanding presence. This man was none other than Dorgon, and behind him was his brother Dodo.

As a general, Dorgon understood the principle of "know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Therefore, he came to inspect the terrain in person.

Ningyuan

For the Later Jin, this was a place of shame.

In Dorgon's memory, his father Nurhaci had never suffered a defeat since he began his military campaigns.

He met Yuan Chonghuan in Ningyuan.

In the Battle of Ningyuan, his father, Nurhaci, led an army of 13.

At that time,

There were only about 20,000 troops in Ningyuan City.

Ningyuan was just a small city, but after Yuan Chonghuan's renovation, the city wall was 32 feet high and 20 feet wide.

Under normal circumstances, the Later Jin's Eight Banners army could have captured a city like this in a single day.

However, unexpectedly, Yuan Chonghuan rallied the city's residents to help the Ming army defend the city.

Yuan Chonghuan wrote the heroic words, "I vow to live and die with Ningyuan."

He invited the Portuguese to help them use the red-coated cannons.

At that time, there were eleven red-coated cannons in Ningyuan City.

It must be said that those Portuguese were quite capable.

The artillery shells were extremely accurate; they were almost hitting the exact target, and the Later Jin army suffered heavy casualties.

Nurhaci organized several assaults, but failed to capture Ningyuan City.

Finally, his father, Nurhaci, was also wounded by cannonballs.

The number of taxis used by the Ming army increased significantly.

Zhu Youxiao said that this was the first major victory in seven or eight years in battle against the Later Jin army.

Yuan Chonghuan wrote a letter to his father, saying something like, "This old general has dominated the world for a long time, but today he has been defeated by this young man. Isn't this the will of Heaven?"

Unexpectedly, Nurhaci, the father, was so angry after reading the letter that he died.

Dorgon felt resentful and indignant whenever he thought about this.

Unfortunately, Huang Taiji launched another attack on Jinzhou in an attempt to avenge his father, but was defeated once again.

Later, they devised a counter-espionage scheme, claiming that Yuan Chonghuan had negotiated peace with the Later Jin, which forced Yuan Chonghuan to resign and return to his hometown.

After Dorgon surveyed the terrain, he greatly admired Yuan Chonghuan.

He thought to himself, Yuan Chonghuan is indeed a great general in defending the city, just like Sima Yi back then.

Zhuge Liang led the Shu army to attack Cao Wei, where they encountered Sima Yi.

Seeing that the Shu army was at its peak and that the supply routes were rugged and difficult to transport, Sima Yi decided to adopt a strategy of holding firm and not engaging in battle.

No matter how the Shu army insulted him, he refused to leave the city to fight.

Finally, in desperation, Zhuge Liang sent someone to deliver a set of women's clothing to Sima Yi in an attempt to humiliate him.

To everyone's surprise, Sima Yi was shameless and boldly put on the women's clothes, even asking his generals if they fit him well.

Even Zhuge Liang couldn't do anything about Sima Yi.

At the beginning,

Wang Zaijin proposed a plan to retake the pass, which essentially meant abandoning the area outside the pass and holding onto Shanhaiguan.

Yuan Chonghuan, however, expressed his opposition.

Yuan Chonghuan believed that guarding the area outside the pass was better than guarding the pass itself, and guarding the area outside the pass meant guarding Ningyuan.

Therefore, the Ming court twice dispatched Sun Chengzong to inspect the area outside the Great Wall.

Ultimately, Sun Chengzong approved Yuan Chonghuan's plan to build the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line.

This shows that Yuan Chonghuan was a man with strategic vision.

Later, the Ming court removed Wang Zaijin from his post and appointed Sun Chengzong as Minister of War.

However, Sun Chengzong and Wei Zhongxian did not get along well.

Wei Zhongxian worried that Sun Chengzong, like Bai Qi, would seize military power and accumulate too many military achievements, and that in the future, his status would surpass his own.

Therefore, Wei Zhongxian spoke ill of Sun Chengzong to Zhu Youxiao every day, saying that he was like Li Huaiguang of the Tang Dynasty and Wang Dun of the Jin Dynasty, who held military power and would eventually rebel.

Zhu Youxiao was originally a person without his own opinions.

He felt that Wei Zhongxian's words made some sense.

Therefore, Sun Chengzong voluntarily resigned from his position as Minister of War and took over the post of Gao Di.

Gao Di's views differed from Yuan Chonghuan's.

He demanded a retreat back inside the pass, abandoning the cities outside.

Yuan Chonghuan resolutely refused to retreat, saying, "I am the Ningyuan Circuit Intendant, and I will live and die with Ningyuan. If you want to leave, you leave, I will not leave!"

Therefore, Gao Di gave Yuan Chonghuan a small number of troops to guard Ningyuan, but abandoned Songshan, Youtun, and Dalinghe and Xiaolinghe, and retreated back to Shanhaiguan.

However, even under those circumstances, Yuan Chonghuan still managed to achieve a great victory at Ningyuan.

Dorgon pointed in the direction of Ningyuan City and said to Dodo, "Do you see? Yuan Chonghuan is indeed a great general in defending the city."

"Brother, there is no need to worry, Yuan Chonghuan is not in Ningyuan."

He has already resigned and gone back to his hometown.

"Who is in charge of guarding Ningyuan now? General Man Gui, Deputy General Zuo Fu, and Assistant General Zu Dashou."

Dorgon smiled slightly: "These people are no match for you."

It's a bit of a shame that Yuan Chonghuan isn't in Ningyuan; I've wanted to meet him for a long time.

At the same time, let's avenge our father!

"We will avenge our father sooner or later!"

Dorgon returned to the camp and convened a meeting with everyone.

Dorgon looked at everyone and said, "We encountered almost no obstacles along the way and arrived here smoothly."

Ningyuan is right before our eyes. What good strategies do you have to defeat the enemy?

Dai Shan stroked his beard and said, "One of the reasons we were defeated last time was because Yuan Chonghuan was in Ningyuan City."

Secondly, it was because they had the support of the Portuguese, who possessed eleven red-coated cannons.

It must be admitted that the Portuguese were very accurate with their cannons.

Now, Yuan Chonghuan is no longer in Ningyuan City, and it is said that the Portuguese have returned to their country.

Therefore, we have nothing to be afraid of.

Yue Tuo was eager to make a name for himself. He thought to himself that during the last attack on Shanhaiguan, he encountered Zhu Youjian in Yanshan and was beaten up by Li Ruolian. Now, his injuries had healed considerably.

Ningyuan is empty, which is a good opportunity to make a name for oneself.

So he stepped forward and said, "Please give me 5000 men, General. Tonight, I will lead them to launch a surprise attack on Ningyuan City. We will surely succeed!"

Upon hearing this, Mangultai stood up and said, "The small city of Ningyuan is just a tiny place. Why would it need 5000 soldiers?"

"General, you only need to give me 3000 men, and I will attack from the front. If I fail, I am willing to be court-martialed."

Upon hearing this, Dorgon frowned and asked, "Isn't 3000 men a bit too few?"

Mangultai laughed heartily: "Quite a few. In my opinion, the Ming army is nothing but chickens and dogs, not worth mentioning!"

Dorgon looked at the two of them: "Commendable courage!"

Alright, since that's the case, let's do it your way. Fight if we can, retreat if we can't win, but we can't fight head-on!

"I will show you the enemy's strategy and formation."

It was around 2 AM.

Two groups of the Later Jin army quietly left the camp.

Mangultai led 3,000 men to attack from the front, while Yuetuo launched a surprise attack from the left.

Soon, the two sides clashed.

Man Gui, the city's garrison commander, personally led his troops out of the city to fight against Mangultai.

The two fought for thirty rounds without a clear winner.

It must be said that Mangultai was truly a fierce general, incredibly powerful.

Seeing that he could not defeat Mangultai, Mangui had no choice but to retreat back into the city and defend it with Zu Dashou, Zuo Fu, Zhu Mei, and others.

They brought in the red-coated cannons.

However, since the Portuguese had withdrawn, their fire was not very accurate, firing haphazardly in all directions without inflicting a fatal blow on the Later Jin army.

While the two sides were locked in a stalemate,

Yue Tuo led his troops in a surprise attack from the left flank.

Upon receiving the report, Man Gui quickly divided his troops, sending Zu Dashou to lead the army to resist Yue Tuo.

The battle raged until dawn, with both sides suffering casualties before withdrawing their troops.

Man Gui quickly gathered everyone to discuss countermeasures.

Man Gui's voice was already a little hoarse: "It seems that Dorgon is quite formidable."

Zu Dashou, his battle robe stained with blood: "This time, Dorgon is the commander-in-chief, leading 5 troops to attack Ningyuan."

Our city currently has less than 1 troops. How can we resist?

Although there were eleven red-coated cannons, the Portuguese had already withdrawn, and we didn't know much about them.

"You might accidentally hit your own people, and sometimes you might even miss."

The deputy general Zuo Fu said, "Why don't we retreat back to Shanhaiguan and abandon Ningyuan?"

Man Gui shook his head: "No, you should know that Yuan Chonghuan and Sun Chengzong went to great lengths for Ningyuan back then."

Therefore, Ningyuan must never be lost.

"But we don't have enough men to hold them off."

Ningyuan is a small city, unlike large cities like Beijing and Shengjing, which have high walls and deep moats. Now, the city's food supplies are running low, which is also a problem.

Furthermore, due to the continuous rainy weather, our bows and arrows have rusted, and some bowstrings have rotted. These weapons are too dull.

"How can we fight a war without weapons?" the Left Assistant asked rhetorically.

Zu Dashou slapped his forehead: "Stubbornly enduring like this is definitely not going to work."

Call for help immediately!

"Ask for help? Ask who for help?" Man Gui asked.

"We must ask the imperial court for help."

Man Gui frowned: "The new emperor has ascended the throne, but distant water cannot quench immediate thirst."

By the time the imperial army arrives, it will be too late; the cucumbers will be cold.

"Why don't we write to Mao Wenlong? Isn't he on Pi Island?"

"He also has several thousand men under his command," Zu Dashou suggested.

Man Gui frowned upon hearing Mao Wenlong's name.

Because he knew Mao Wenlong was a troublemaker and difficult to talk to.

"I'm afraid that won't work."

"Let's give it a try!"

So Man Gui wrote two letters, one sent by carrier pigeon to Beijing and the other to Mao Wenlong, requesting support.

morning.

The camp of the Later Jin army.

Dorgon's main tent.

Dorgon sat in the center, with Dodo standing behind him.

Dorgon's face was ashen: "Bring them both up here!"

"promise!"

At this moment, Yuetuo and Mangultai were each pushed forward by two guards.

Yuetuo and Mangultai's arms were tied up.

They both knelt on the ground.

Dorgon's face was ashen as he looked down at the two of them:

"Manggultai, Yuetuo, what did you two say to me?"

You all say that little Ningyuan is no problem at all, and we can take it down in one fell swoop.

"But you attacked all night, suffering heavy losses, yet you failed to capture Ningyuan City, thus dampening our army's morale. What is your punishment?"

"This—." Mangultai and Yuetuo looked at each other, neither daring to speak.

According to the Later Jin army's system, losing a battle meant losing one's head.

Dorgon was furious: "Take them both out and behead them!"

The four guards ignored all that and dragged Yuetuo and Mangultai out.

Mangultai thought to himself, "This Dorgon is really heartless. How can you say that I am your elder brother? How can you not care about brotherly affection?"

Yue Tuo was so frightened that he cried out, "Father, please save me!"

Upon seeing this, Dai Shan quickly said, "General, please calm down!"

"What do you have to say?" Dorgon's anger had not subsided.

"Although they were not well-prepared this time and underestimated their opponent, which is why they failed to take Ningyuan City,

However, the Ming army also suffered heavy losses, so it was a draw.

Moreover, now is precisely the time when both armies are in dire need of manpower.

Before even capturing Ningyuan, the execution of the general is detrimental to the army.

"Please, General, show them leniency and allow them to atone for their crimes by serving in the army."

Saharin and Ajige also pleaded on their behalf.

Dorgon let out a sigh of relief: "Very well, considering they are first-time offenders and out of consideration for everyone's pleas for them, they will be spared the death penalty, but they will not escape punishment. Each of them will receive forty strokes of the cane."

"Give me a good beating, make sure every blow draws blood!"

Upon hearing this, Daishan thought to himself, "Dorgon, you're really ruthless."

Yue Tuo is my son, your nephew. You just hit him like that?

How could a person withstand 40 lashes?

However, Dorgon had already made concessions, so it was inconvenient for him to plead for them again.

The four guards dragged Yuetuo and Mangultai outside the tent, pulled down their trousers, and pinned them to the ground, beating their buttocks.

Someone was counting nearby: "One...two...three...four..., thirty-nine...forty!"

No one dared to show favoritism; that would be a real beating.

He watched as Yuetuo and Mangultai were beaten until they were covered in blood and their skin was torn open.

Yue Tuo thought to himself, "You ruthless Dorgon! By seniority, you're my uncle."

We're about the same age, we've been together since we were little, practically inseparable. I'll keep quiet about whatever bad things you do.

Do you think I don't know what you've been up to?

Why do you keep going to Da Yu'er's tent? What's the deal with that jade belt?

Do you dare say that your relationship with Dayuer is innocent?

I just didn't want to say it. I didn't expect you to be so cruel to me. You just wait and see!

After the fight was over, Dorgon waved his hand: "Take them away and find a physician to treat their wounds."

So, everyone worked together to carry Yuetuo and Mangultai away.

When others saw that Dorgon's army was strictly disciplined and that he would even beat his own brothers and nephews without hesitation, who wouldn't be afraid?

Dorgon looked sharply at the crowd and asked, "Do you have any other good strategies to defeat the enemy?"

Dai Shan steadied himself and continued, "Although we failed to take Ningyuan, I discovered a few things."

"Oh, what's going on?" Dorgon asked.

In fact, Dorgon had observed carefully that when the soldiers were beating Yuetuo, Daišan's face was twitching incessantly.

He also knew that Daishan was worried about his son.

Dorgon simply pretended not to see it; he just wanted to deflate Daišan's arrogance.