The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

"The troops stationed at Qiaoheji were the Eighth Division of Henan Town, with a strength of 12,000 men, isolated in the east."

“East of Sishui, there is only a part of it. As long as we capture Qiaoheji, our left wing can launch a major southward offensive, directly threatening the flank of the main force of the Jingnan Army, and attack from behind its main force.”

On the Qing army's central command platform, Hauge sat in the head seat on the right, leaning slightly forward, and expressed his thoughts.

After Chen Wang transferred Cao Bianjiao away from Aoguan, Huang Taiji also transferred Hauge from the west of Jining.

Huang Taiji had no intention of attacking from Aoguan, west of Jining City.

Ao Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack; it is not something that can be conquered in a short time.

If they concentrate their forces to launch a strong attack on Aoguan, Chen Wang will find out in no time and can easily mobilize troops to reinforce and stabilize the front line.

Moving troops westward would only weaken the forces on the front lines, giving the Jingnan Army an opportunity to take advantage.

So after learning that Cao Bianjiao had taken away almost all of Aoguan's cavalry, leaving only infantry to guard Aoguan.

Huang Taiji also ordered Hauge to lead the main force from the south to the eastern suburbs of Jining.

The deep sound of the conch shell echoed slowly in everyone's ears.

Hauge frowned, puzzled by Huang Taiji's order to launch a frontal attack.

On the right side of the Jingnan Army's main formation, east of the Si River, there was only one division of troops.

Qiaoheji has a flat terrain and no natural defenses, so it is not a place that is easy to defend or difficult to attack.

With their formidable military strength, it would not be difficult for them to send tens of thousands of troops to launch a fierce attack on the Jingnan Army's camp at Qiaoheji.

In terms of cavalry, both in terms of size and combat strength, it is superior to the Jingnan Army.

When the time comes, we can attack the city with infantry and support with cavalry, allowing us to prepare for the enemy with ease.

Whether the Jingnan army comes to the rescue or not, the situation will worsen.

If the Jingnan army comes to the rescue, if their forces are small, they can besiege the enemy and attack the reinforcements. If their forces are large, their frontal battlefield will be much weaker, and they will gain more advantages on the front.

If the Jingnan Army does not come to the rescue, once they capture Qiaoheji, they can directly threaten the flank of the Jingnan Army, which will inevitably greatly shake the morale of the Jingnan Army.

Huang Taiji turned his head slightly, his cold gaze lingering on Hauge for a moment before moving away.

Haug felt that gaze scrape across his cheek like an ice blade. Though it was only for a moment, it still made him shudder, and the words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat.

"You can see it, but do you think Chen Wang can't?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Huang Taiji's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

He now places great hopes on Haug, who has eight children.

However, among these eight sons, only Hauge, Fulin, and Bomubogor held the highest status.

Fulin and Bomubo were still young, one was eight years old and the other was two years old.

The other sons, the eldest of whom was the fourth son Yebushu, were only 16 years old at the time.

Yebushu was weak-willed and disliked by him; his mother was of low status and could not be relied upon at all.

The fifth son, Shuo Sai, was brave and resolute, but he was only 14 years old. Most importantly, his mother was from the Yehenara clan, so the throne could not be passed on to him.

The other sons were all only five or six years old. How could they possibly take charge of such a large country in the midst of such a raging storm?

In fact, the only person he can pass the throne to now is Hauge.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Hauge command the two Blue Banners and even bestowed upon him the title of Prince.

However, Hauge has not made much progress and has not achieved many military exploits.

In terms of military strategy, Hauge's vision was far inferior to that of Dorgon and Ajige, and even to Jirgalang and Dodo.

Huang Taiji knew Dorgon perfectly well.

He knew perfectly well that his younger brother was never as obedient and submissive as he appeared.

Once he passes away, the transfer of power in the country may not be too smooth.

But Huang Taiji was powerless to do anything about it.

The country still needs Dorgon, so we must not leave Dorgon.

Thinking of this, Huang Taiji sighed again.

If Hauge could be more ambitious, he would have half of Hauge's abilities.

He wouldn't have allowed Dorgon and Dodo to remain in power for so long; he would have found an excuse to depose them long ago and then selected more loyal servants to manage the two White Banners.

"How easy is it to capture Qiaoheji in a short period of time?"

"Our army is now arrayed with its back to the Fu River, with no way to retreat. On the main battlefield, the Jingnan army's strength is roughly the same as ours, with 140,000 troops and 110,000 troops."

East of the Sishui River, Huang Taiji left behind more than 10,000 cavalry to hold off the Jingnan Army stationed at Qiaoheji, leaving only 140,000 men on the front line.

"When Chen Wang led his troops on the Northern Expedition, the generals he selected were all brave and strong from their respective garrisons, and all were the most valiant from their respective armies."

Huang Taiji snorted coldly and asked in return.

"Do you really think we have any advantage in terms of combat strength?"

It is a fact that they now have more troops than the Jingnan Army on the main battlefield in the eastern suburbs of Jining.

However, in terms of combat strength, they are at most comparable to the Jingnan Army.

Huang Taiji sighed inwardly.

They were ultimately inherently disadvantaged. Of the 140,000 men under his command, only about 70,000 were bannermen. This was because he had almost entirely transferred all the bannermen to the front lines.

Of the remaining 70,000 men, apart from more than 20,000 Green Standard Army soldiers, the rest were almost all troops from the outer Mongol vassal states.

Less than 30% of this part of the troops were armored.

The troops of the Outer Mongolian vassals were also not allowed to fight any tough battles.

The Jingnan Army led by Chen Wang, without exception, consisted entirely of his elite troops.

This is why, despite deploying as many as 50,000 cavalrymen in the vanguard, he could not overwhelm the Jingnan Army's mere 20,000 cavalrymen.

Huang Taiji did not dare to send his elite banner troops into battle.

Because in this way, he would have no way to control the restless Mongol vassals.

Huang Taiji was filled with resentment.

Chen Wang's series of arrangements were almost suffocating.

Ajige's side was firmly tied down within Shandong territory.

The battle reports that came in succession all indicated unfavorable circumstances.

Zuo Liangyu led 50,000 troops north to Shandong, occupying Yidu in Qingzhou Prefecture, threatening the safety of the capital.

Ajige led his troops in more than ten battles against Zuo Liangyu over a period of ten days, but he lost more often than he won.

In the final battle, Ajige assembled 30,000 infantry and cavalry, summoned the elite banner troops, and personally led the army to attack the Jingnan army camp at dusk.

Caught off guard, the Jingnan army suffered the collapse of several lines of defense, including the killing of Li Wanqing, the commander of the Jingnan army's vanguard. As a result, the morale of the Jingnan army plummeted.

However, just as the tide of battle was turning and the Jingnan army was beginning to crumble.

Zuo Liangyu led a thousand of his personal guards in a counterattack, blocking the elite charge led by Ajige.

Then, officers and soldiers from various battalions of the Jingnan Army went into battle one after another.

Even Liu Guangzuo, the former commander-in-chief of Baoding who had hidden in Baoding and dared not fight during the Wuyin Incident, actually led his troops to press forward.

As a result, the Jingnan Army suffered an initial defeat but ultimately won.

If Ajige had not acted decisively and ordered a retreat, the Eastern Expeditionary Army would likely have been annihilated in this single battle.

If Ajige cannot restrain Zuo Liangyu's movements.

Zuo Liangyu could then continue north, thus opening up the road to Tianjin and the capital, and making contact with the Ming army that was holding Guan Ning.

At that time, their escape route will be cut off, and when news of their defeat reaches beyond the Great Wall, those foreign Mongols who already harbored resentment will bare their fangs at them.

collapse.

It could happen in an instant...

Ajige's troops could not be moved.

Azige couldn't either.

Huang Taiji looked around, a chill running through him.

"The vanguard has already closed in on the enemy lines by two miles!"

The soldiers on watchtower ran over from a short distance, bowed, and reported.

The soldiers' report brought Huang Taiji's somewhat scattered thoughts back to reality.

He slowly rose, looked into the distance, his gaze passing over the layers of military formations and landing on the misty front.

The vanguard of over 10,000 Han Bannermen, leading over 20,000 Green Standard Army soldiers, was getting closer and closer to the main formation of the Jingnan Army. Behind them were over 20,000 elite troops from two Blue and two Red divisions.

The bannermen of the four banners rode in a dispersed formation, pressing down at the rear, like a giant net slowly unfurling, firmly holding the rear.

The dark mass of people surged forward like a tidal wave.

The Jingnan Army's heavy artillery positions began firing when they approached within approximately four miles.

The sound of cannons rang out from time to time, and black shells tore through the air, crashing into the ranks of the troops at a speed that was difficult to detect with the naked eye.

Where the bullets landed, men and horses fell over, dirt flew everywhere, and the once neat formation was torn apart with messy gaps as if by an invisible giant plow.

The minor casualties did not shake the morale of the troops at the front.

Hong Chengchou has been released by Huang Taiji and is now in command of the more than 50,000 armored soldiers at the front.

The Battle of Jining was a matter of national destiny.

Huang Taiji had already bestowed generous rewards and made it clear to the three armies.

Huang Taiji was not stingy in the slightest when it came to military merits and future prospects.

Land, bondservantes, grain, and silver were all offered as rewards.

The difficulty of obtaining it has been reduced by more than three or four times compared to before.

For these low-ranking Banner soldiers and Han soldiers who had long suffered from hunger and cold and survived by fighting, every single thing was enough to ignite the deepest ferocity in their bones.

The banner soldiers of each banner all came from the land of white mountains and black waters, and life and death were nothing new to them.

The Han soldiers were of low status. Apart from the direct followers of the Three Princes, most of the Han soldiers struggled on the poverty line and suffered from hunger, cold and hardship.

The surrendered pro-independence camp has no way back.

The banner soldiers of the four banners were positioned at the rear, ready to retaliate if they dared to flee.

What awaited them was the cold, menacing sight of a saber.

Moving forward doesn't necessarily mean immediate death.

But retreating will inevitably lead to certain death.

They had no choice, they never had a choice.

The tide of the times rolls ever onward, and individual destinies can only move forward with the tide.

Where is Jirhalang?

Huang Taiji turned to look west and asked in a cold voice.

“Prince Zheng has led his troops to within two miles of Balapu. Our army has driven away the troops of Cao Bianjiao of Jingnan Army.”

Grand Minister Ebilun knelt on one knee and reported.

Huang Taiji stared at the fortress suspended at the westernmost edge of the Jingnan Army's formation on the western plain and gave a cold command.

"Bayintu!"

"The slave is here!"

Baiyintu rolled over from the side, knelt on one knee, and responded with a resounding roar.

"I'm handing over the Bordered Yellow Banner to you..."

Huang Taiji remained calm, seemingly unconcerned about the impending battle.

But Huang Taiji's muffled voice and slightly trembling hands ultimately betrayed him.

Huang Taiji didn't say much.

Baiyintu went as ordered.

Huang Taiji simply watched Baiyintu leave.

"Haug".

Huang Taiji called out softly.

"Khan Ama."

Hauge noticed Huang Taiji's sudden heaviness.
He always felt that Huang Taiji's gaze as he watched Baiyintu's departing figure was not the usual look of farewell.

It's more like the gaze of someone facing the deceased at a funeral.

Huang Taiji's final soft call confirmed his suspicions.

"I don't have much time left..."

Huang Taiji slowly closed his eyes, and that feeling of dizziness surged into his heart again.

"That's what I'm most worried about."

"It is the Qing Dynasty."

Hauge stepped forward and helped the swaying Huang Taiji. His eyes were filled with panic, his heart was racing, and his voice choked with emotion.

"Father..."

"I don't know how much further we can go, nor do I know the final outcome of this battle."

Huang Taiji sighed, opened his eyes, and tilted his head slightly to look at Hauge.

"You should grow up now..."

Huang Taiji looked at his eldest son and felt quite disappointed.

"I will teach you one last thing, the most important thing that an emperor should learn..."

Huang Taiji regained his footing and stood shoulder to shoulder with Hauge.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom boom boom!"

A thunderous roar suddenly came from the Qing army's large formation to the west.

That was the tremendous sound produced by the simultaneous firing of thirty-six heavy cannons.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

The dull sound of war drums suddenly rang out.

Immediately following, a deafening roar of battle cries erupted from the western countryside at the same moment.

Led by Jirhalang, 50,000 Qing infantry and cavalry charged forward, sweeping towards Balapu, where the red flag was flying, like a tidal wave.

Huang Taiji did not turn his head; he continued to look south.

"A general must act according to orders."

"A ruler issues orders that are carried out."

"Every choice you make could make or break millions of people."

"As the emperor, you will no longer have a 'father Khan' behind you, nor a 'teacher', nor anyone to guide you."

"From the moment you sat in that position..."

"You are the only one who needs to know 'what to do'."

Huang Taiji stood firmly, gazing at the distant red tide.

Even if you don't know.

"We must...move forward..."

He couldn't actually see the road ahead at all.

But he couldn't tell anyone.

These words seemed to be addressed to Haug.

In reality, Huang Taiji was talking to himself.

Chen Wang laid a trap, sitting firmly in the center, waiting for him to fall into it.

He had no choice at all.

He could only.

Put everything on the line.

Huang Taiji's gaze turned eastward.

That was the formation of the Two White Banners army under Dorgon's command.

He will have everything.

It all fell on Dorgon. (End of Chapter)