Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 346 Nurhaci's Protracted War
The city of Hetuala was burning with flames. Li Chengliang looked at him with contempt and pulled the knife out of Zhu Ying's chest.

Tang Gudai and Huang Taiji, one holding his head, and the other crawling over from the ground with only half of his body, both cried and asked him: "Father, why did you let us go to die!"

The young Mukushi was being chased by the beast with wounds all over her body. Nurhaci saw Li Chengliang turned and rushed towards her, and he kept shouting: "No! No!"

After a while, Mukush was seen lying in a pool of blood, with his tender hand stretched out, his little face full of fear and a look of seeking help.

But when the God of Death turned around again, he turned into the emperor whom he had only met twice.

He approached slowly, looking down from above, and asked indifferently: "I have shown you the way, why don't you go?"

Nurhaci suddenly woke up from a nightmare. In the cold winter night, cold sweat had already slightly soaked his clothes.

His hand touched the knife beside him, and he felt a little relieved, but his heart was still beating fast.

"Ama! What's wrong with you!"

Outside, lying in bed with his clothes on, was his son Zhu Ying. Nurhaci looked at him who had rushed in anxiously and shook his head slowly: "It's okay..."

Then he asked, "What did I talk in my sleep?"

"He didn't say anything, just growled and sat up again."

"…How long have I slept?"

"Not long." Zhu Ying shook his head. "There is no new movement from the Han people. Father, please rest for a while."

Nurhaci was silent for a while, then said: "Make the fire burn brighter. I can't sleep. Please sit with me."

He put on a warm fur coat, stood up and sat down beside the charcoal brazier outside the tent.

He remained silent as he listened to the cracking of charcoal and the occasional sound of snow sliding down.

It was his son who was guarding outside the tent. This was actually because of the Ming Emperor's decree: only to punish the rebels, and the rebels were just the Jianzhou Jurchens.

The three tribes surrendered... Nurhaci couldn't take any chances, because the situation was getting worse and worse.

After a while he said, "This is not a solution."

Zhu Ying remained silent.

Now, they have retreated from the Xiaoqing River Valley, leaving only 5,000 people to guard the captured Hada City.

However, the army camped at the mouth of the Huifa River and did not enter the Hunhe Valley. Only 10,000 people were sent back to Hetuala.

Now, Nurhaci personally led the main force to guard the upper reaches of the Huifa River. It seemed that he could continue to threaten Guangshun Pass from the Xiaoqing River Valley, enter the Hunhe Valley from the west to threaten Fushun Pass, and go to Hetuala from the south through the valley where another tributary of the Huifa River was located, but in fact he had given up his original strategic intention.

Guangshun Pass is difficult to attack.

After losing nearly two thousand elite soldiers of the Eight Banners and suffering more than five thousand serious and minor injuries there, Nurhaci gave up the idea of ​​continuing to attack Guangshun Pass.

There were two reasons: First, in front of the narrow pass, the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners could only use bows and arrows and crudely assembled catapults for feinting attacks. The Ming army in Kaiyuan no longer had to worry about anyone, as defending the city was their strength, while attacking the city was the biggest weakness of the Jianzhou Jurchens.

Another reason was new news coming from the north of Yehe tribe.

After the Ming army left Fushun Pass and secured Sarhu and Jiefanzhai, they entered the Suzi River Valley. Among them were Tatar cavalry. Nurhaci was shocked and called back Yangguli who was sent to Khorchin. Now he was leading his troops to guard Hada City.

Korchin left dozens of people to pass messages to each other. The first message they passed back was that Korchin was useless and couldn't even capture Longan.

Therefore, Nurhaci gave up on the attack on Guangshun Pass: If Khorchin was so useless, how could he expect to withstand the counterattack of the Ming army and wipe out the Yehe tribe together with Khorchin to eliminate the worry at the rear after he broke through Guangshun Pass and captured Kaiyuan?

But before going to bed today, I received the latest news: the remnants of Inner Khalkha have withdrawn, and Khorchin also intends to withdraw.

The Great Jin Dynasty completely became the only force that could resist the Great Ming Dynasty.

"This golden opportunity turned out to be a fake." In front of his son, Nurhaci smiled bitterly, "How dare the Ming Dynasty take such a risk? On what basis did they do that?"

Zhu Ying was indignant: "Aren't the Tatars just a bunch of scattered sand?"

Nurhaci shook his head helplessly: "It is indeed a mess. But even if the Tatars are no longer as strong as they used to be, by luring the enemy deep into our territory and putting so many Tatar cavalry inside the border wall, aren't you worried that we will also rise up and end up making things worse?"

"...Are you saying that they were sure from the beginning that they could completely surround the Tatars?"

"The battlefield is ever-changing, who dares to say for sure?" Nurhaci looked a little confused, "Is this destiny?"

"Father! Destiny lies with the Great Jin!" Zhu Ying said with certainty.

Nurhaci looked at him, then looked through the tent towards the direction of the Hunhe Valley.

Logically, he should have made use of his strengths in field combat to defeat the Ming army that had entered the Suzi River Valley from Sarhu.

But that would require attacking the Hunhe Valley and taking Sarhu first.

Can the troops left in Hada City hold the city? If not, the Ming army at Guangshun Pass can fight all the way to the present place and block them in the Hunhe Valley.

Nurhaci could not even disperse his troops to capture Huifa City and Ula City, and had to clear the retreat route to the east first.

Because it was also a siege, and they had to face the Ming army, which was well-equipped and had many firearms.

After waking up from a nightmare, Nurhaci, who was in a state of mental uncertainty, could not understand why the Ming Dynasty's rulers and ministers dared to adopt such a risky strategy.

Was it simply a matter of gamble and luck, or was the Ming army really completely different from before?
The former makes people feel that destiny is on the side of the Ming Dynasty, while the latter shows that the Ming Dynasty is able to handle the situation with ease.

"Do you think we should be weak first and then strong, or strong first and then weak?" Nurhaci asked his son.

This is the eldest son, the most brave and good at fighting. At this moment, the Jin Dynasty still has to face powerful enemies, so he is of course the most suitable heir.

Nurhaci wanted to hear Zhu Ying's opinion.

"Attack the strong first and then the weak!" Zhu Ying said without hesitation, "Father, let's take Sarhu first! Yangguli is in Hada City, and he will definitely be able to defend against the Ming army coming out of Guangshun Pass!"

Nurhaci said nothing.

"If we can't even protect Hetuala, it will be even more difficult for the Great Jin to conquer Khorchin, the Wild Jurchens and the Northern Mountain Jurchens!" Zhu Ying said sincerely, "Father, we must not retreat! Even if we can't break into the Ming border wall, as long as they get out of the wall, our chances of winning will be much greater! If we take back the three tribes and take down the six forts in Kuandian, the Great Jin will be the backbone of the border areas outside the Great Wall! Khorchin and Korea will continue to contribute, and Chahar and Khalkha will definitely not accept it!"

Nurhaci knew that this was indeed the truth.

But it's too difficult.

He looked at his son and said, "Khorchin is short-sighted. Kaiyuan is still in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, and the Yehe tribe has become a dog of the Ming Dynasty. They can send troops to Huifa and Ula from the north. How can we take back the land of the three tribes and the six forts of Kuandian?"

"So we must drive the Ming army back to Fushun Pass! We must first hold the west firmly, and then retake Huifa and Ula! If Hada can be retaken, why not Huifa and Ula? If the Ming can only defend the Liaodong border wall, I will personally lead the army to capture the six forts of Kuandian, and let Dai Ying force them to send troops to Korea!"

Nurhaci looked at his determined eyes and asked, "We must first take Sarhu. What if we can't take it?"

"We can definitely take it down!" Zhu Ying continued, "It will be the Chinese New Year soon, they will definitely let down their guard. Father, we can definitely take it down!" Nurhaci was silent for a long time, then looked at him and nodded, "Okay, you go. At daybreak, you take 10,000 elite soldiers with you!"

"Your son obeys your order!" Zhu Ying was overjoyed, thinking that "father" had made the right decision.

Seeing him walk out of the tent to make arrangements, Nurhaci slowly stretched out his hands and continued to warm himself.

The army approaching Hada City had nearly 40,000 troops, and by the time Yangguli brought his men back, the number had completely exceeded 40,000.

However, the total casualties in the Battle of Hada City and the Battle of Guangshun Pass exceeded 4,000, with more than 3,000 seriously injured and unable to fight again, and more than 5,000 slightly injured.

Another 5,000 men were arranged to stay in Hada City, and 10,000 men were arranged to return to Hetuala from the rear. At this time, Nurhaci had only 18,000 troops around him, of which more than 5,000 were slightly injured.

Let Zhu Ying lead 10,000 elite troops to the Hunhe Valley. The number of Qingyuan troops there, plus those who retreated from Sarhu and Jiefanzhai areas, is no more than 3,000.

Can 13,000 elite soldiers retake Sarhu?

Among them were the new four banners that surrendered from the Hada, Huifa and Ula tribes.

He asked someone to call Huerhan.

"You take the five thousand wounded soldiers and guard them here," Nurhaci said, "I want to go back to Hetuala."

"Your Majesty!" Huerhan hesitated to speak.

"If you can successfully capture the Ming army camp in Sarhu, then let Yangguli send troops to guard here, and you lead them to Sarhu." Nurhaci said, "Hetuala, I must go back."

Looking at the brave general who had followed him for many years, Nurhaci said seriously: "If things don't go well with the eldest prince, we should prepare to retreat. Listen carefully!"

Nurhaci and Zhu Ying thought differently.

It is of course best to start with the difficult and then move on to the easy. If one can establish the foundation for survival, the Ming Dynasty must also face up to its own combat power.

It was impossible to win a quick victory now, because Chahar, Khalkha and Khorchin could not be relied upon. North Korea's internal problems had not been resolved, and the Great Jin was fighting alone.

If we cannot win quickly, there is a way to avoid defeat, and the prerequisite is to defeat the Ming Dynasty's threat to Hetuala.

But if you can't even do this, you can only do the easy things first and then move on to the difficult ones.

"Remember! If Sarhu is not captured in ten days, be prepared!" Nurhaci said solemnly, "Take Ula City with all your strength. From Ula City along the Songhua River to Tianchi Lake on Mount Paektu, as long as we protect the eastern side, even if we build a new city by the Beiqin Sea, the Jin Dynasty will have a chance to make a comeback!"

Hu Erhan's eyes were filled with tears: "Your Majesty..."

Nurhaci smiled and said, "Now I feel at ease. The Ming Dynasty can either build a new Great Wall or continue to visit us year after year."

He put away his smile and his eyes turned cold: "Since the situation has become like this, let's unify the outside of the Great Wall first! Both sides of Changbai Mountain, east of Songhua River! Take over Khorchin and destroy the Khanate. In the future, when we counterattack Ming, from their Xuanda to Liaodong, they will all listen to my orders of the Eight Banners. It will never be like this time!"

It is better to rely on yourself than to rely on others.

Nurhaci stared at him and said, "This is not a retreat! The eldest prince can make extraordinary achievements, but it is the same. The boundary is still the current border wall. But no matter what, the capital of the Great Jin Dynasty does not need to be located in Hetuala. Since the Manchus originated by the Beiqin Sea, the capital should return to their hometown first! If the Ming Dynasty is not afraid of suffering a series of defeats after a long expedition, just attack!"

He made a decision, he could attack or defend.

Now that we have already broken off relations with the Ming Dynasty, we need greater depth.

His mission in this life was to ensure the survival and growth of the Great Jin, to pass on the throne, and to lay the foundation for future generations.

Hetuala still has to try his best to defend, but he cannot put himself in danger.

Zhu Ying was still too reckless and didn't like to think too much about retreat.

Hamgyong Province, North Geum Sea, Songhua River...

Nurhaci temporarily gave up his desire for Liaodong, as the entire area outside the Great Wall was always easier.

The Great Jin was also a large country with a vast territory, which was more important than anything else. Even if the land outside the Great Wall was poorer, with more manpower and resources, it was not impossible for it to help Korea, which had also rebelled against the Great Ming.

Even including Japan.

Nurhaci regained his spirits and prepared to return to Hetuala to suppress the three powerful tribes who had surrendered.

He was sketching out the scenario of a protracted war in his mind, while the message that Korchin was conveying to the Ming Dynasty was on the way to Beijing.

At this moment, the ceremony of enthroning the four concubines had just been completed in the Forbidden City.

In addition to Concubine Xiu, Concubine Shen and Concubine Kang, Yehenara Donggo became the emperor's only concubine of a foreign race so far.

This was undoubtedly a "reward" for the Yehe tribe's contribution in this battle, although they hesitated at first, but later they were tied to the chariot.

Yehenara became the only person who was granted the title of concubine even though she had not given birth to any children for the emperor.

"It's not that easy to kill Nurhaci." Zhu Changluo said nonchalantly beside the "old woman", "Does this count as breaking your oath now?"

Dong Ge tasted it for the first time, but the old woman is now like a charming cat.

"Your Majesty is so powerful that Jianzhou will fall sooner or later. I am not in a hurry." She leaned on Zhu Changluo's side, listening to his heartbeat, and then said softly, "Besides, Your Majesty has long asked me to change my temperament..."

"How can your character be easily changed?" Zhu Changluo glanced at her. "I and my ministers have already discussed it. We will use the treasury to build a temporary palace in Chengde Prefecture. You can live there from time to time, and you can also meet your clansmen."

"I thank your majesty for your grace!"

Donggo didn't know that the emperor planned to have a son with her and take over the Lingnan Jurchens in the future.

Now she just felt that His Majesty doted on her.

Zhu Changluo smiled but said nothing.

The development of the Luan River area requires a large amount of money.

Prince Su doesn't have much money, but Prince Chu is okay.

This is not enough. Zhu Changluo called this place a cultivation palace, but in fact he would use the internal treasury to build more basic functional buildings, including a school there.

The Tumed Tatars and Lingnan Jurchens requested that some of them be sent to study. People were also sent to the military industrial park in Zunhua to explore.

After all, if Zhu Changluo's memory is correct, the later construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway, including the Qinhuangdao port, was all related to the Kailuan Coal Mine.

Of course, it is impossible to build a railway now, but in the future Kaiping will be able to collect some money from the Tatars in the south and north of the desert through border markets. In addition, the specific location of the Kailuan coal mine may be explored, and these can be arranged into an industrial belt along the Luan River.

These are extremely important foundations for the next step of industrial breakthroughs.

On the contrary, Shanxi coal is more well-known...it is better to leave more for future generations to use.

Even if we cannot actually control the Mongolian Plateau now, we must use benefits to enslave the lower-level herdsmen to mine the shallow coal and iron!
(End of this chapter)