The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 1 Dusongtangma
In the spring of the 47th year of the Wanli reign, Liaodong Plain.

The wind and snow were mixed together, the north wind was biting, and a murderous atmosphere filled the air between heaven and earth.

On the hills from Kuandian to Hetuala, a team was marching hard through the snow.

The red mandarin duck battle coats extend from the hills to the plains, and the cavalry roams between the hills, vigilantly monitoring any movement around them.

Liu Zhaosun rode on his horse with his back hunched, looking up and around. The northwest was covered with dark clouds and there was a faint smell of wolf smoke.

Liu Zhaosun knew that it was just his fantasy, just like the promotion and salary increase he had gotten before he traveled through time, which were both out of reach.

Several servants said they saw nothing, and he didn't dare to remind others to look at the signal smoke, for fear of being regarded as disturbing the morale of the army and being killed on the spot.

This young captain, only twenty years old, watched tens of thousands of soldiers march towards their doom step by step, but he was powerless to do anything and could only pray silently in his heart:

"Jiusong Marin, you two must not lie down, fight the Jiannu with all your might, and hold back Nurhaci, the bastard..."

But at this time, Juniper and Marlin are probably already dead.

According to the original historical dimension, at the moment when Liu Zhaosun was praying, Nurhaci led the Later Jin army to defeat Du Song's main force, killed Du Song, and rushed to Shangjian Cliff without stopping to attack Malin who retreated there.

After defeating Ma Lin, the Jiannu will extend their butcher knife to the Eastern Army.

In just two days, the Later Jin army traveled hundreds of miles, annihilated three Ming armies in a row, broke through the enemy's formations and killed the generals, and was invincible.

The Battle of Sarhu completely reversed the situation between the Ming and Jin sides in Liaodong, and also sounded the alarm for the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

Compared with himself, a time traveler, Nurhaci, who was developing in a sneaky way and making cool moves, behaved more like a son of another dimension.

In fact, Liu Zhaosun had only been at the Sarhu battlefield for three hours.

Just three hours ago, Liu Zhaosun's name was not Liu Zhaosun, but Qi Meng.

Qi Meng is a promising young man in the 21st century. He works at a certain technology company and is responsible for the design and development of a military mobile game.

He goes to work at nine in the morning and gets off work at nine in the evening. He occasionally works overtime and works six days a week. He lives a happy life full of blessings.

One day, Qi Meng worked overtime until 2:30 in the morning as usual.

When I walked out of the company, I found that it was already late.

Just as I was standing at the door of the company, suddenly a dark shadow fell from the sky.

Bang! Qi Meng lost consciousness.

The next day, a piece of news appeared on a certain platform:
Shock!

On May 520th, a guy climbed 27 floors to give his girlfriend 999 roses, but was cheated on. In anger, he threw the flowers from a high altitude, causing a game designer to fall into a coma!

A title like "Big Coma" has a bit of the flavor of Hong Kong entertainment reporters, but the person involved can't see it.

When he woke up again, Qi Meng found himself on horseback, with an ancient army advancing at a snail's pace ahead. In short, he had traveled through time.

After traveling through time, his name became Liu Zhaosun.

There have also been some changes in his body shape and appearance, specifically: he is taller, more handsome, and more powerful.

Mr. Meng Wuyue wrote a poem in praise of it:
Travel through time to Liu Zhaosun, and the battle terrifies the ghosts and gods.

Wu Yanzu from Liaodong is very reliable in fighting.

The name Liu Zhaosun is full of Lingnan characteristics, and the aroma of boiled chicken and barbecued pork buns hits you.

Fortunately, no one around calls him handsome, which proves that he is not in Lingnan now.

He has been out of contact in Guangdong Province for many years, and his circle of friends is visible only after three days. Now that he has finally traveled through time, it's time to move to another place.

The army in front of us includes musketeers, sword and shield soldiers, and a small number of artillerymen.

The artillerymen dragged their heavy artillery forward with difficulty, each of them with an expression of bitterness and hatred on their face. They were doing outdoor sports similar to triathlon on the muddy road.

"Where is this war going to?"

As a qualified keyboard history enthusiast, Liu Zhaosun thought for a long time and finally made a judgment based on the mandarin duck-patterned battle jackets on the soldiers and the large Ming flag fluttering behind them:
This is a Ming army.

What surprised Liu Zhaosun was that no matter whether they were cavalry or infantry, except for the artillerymen, of course, everyone had shining eyes and looked straight ahead.

It seemed as if there were millions of taels of silver waiting for them ahead.

There is indeed silver in front.

Anyone with a little historical knowledge knows that before the Battle of Sarhu, Emperor Wanli spent a lot of money and offered a huge reward to his soldiers:
Anyone who can capture or kill Nurhaci alive will be rewarded with ten thousand gold coins and promoted to the hereditary title of commander-in-chief. Anyone who kills the four great beiles in battle will also be rewarded with silver and given an official title.

Of course, this is similar to an organization somewhere in the future offering a reward of one billion US dollars for the president of the United States, dead or alive.

It’s a lot of money, but no living person can get it.

Two hours later, Liu Zhaosun had a complete understanding of his situation.

It is now March 3rd, the 47th year of the Wanli reign, or to be exact, the first quarter of the morning.

He was in an unknown valley between Kuandian and Hetuala.

The army in front of us is the Eastern Army that was the last to be destroyed in the Battle of Sarhu. Its general is Liu Jing, who is known as "the most powerful general in the late Ming Dynasty."

Oh, just to add, this General Liu is now my adoptive father.

The Ming Dynasty inherited the Yuan system, and Zhu Yuanzhang established the Wei Suo system based on the Yuan Dynasty's military household system.

Under the Weisuo system, some people were, in principle, military households for generations, and their descendants were all military households. Of course, change is possible, but it requires a certain price.

This bizarre system, which violated social development, began to collapse before Zhu Yuanzhang's death.

By the late Yongle period, a large number of garrison soldiers had fled. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, nearly half of them had fled, and the garrison system existed in name only.

After the Battle of Tumu, recruiting soldiers gradually became the mainstream in border towns across the country.

By the late Ming Dynasty, any general who did not have a thousand servants and a large number of adopted sons under his command, and who did not suck the blood of the soldiers and draw empty salaries, would be embarrassed to say that he was in the military of the Ming Dynasty.

Not far behind this group of people, there was another army, which was the Korean reinforcements that came from Seoul after Emperor Wanli urged them many times.

Although Korea was a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, it had a grand presence. This time, the military expedition was delayed for a year by the Korean monarch and his ministers.

Sometimes he said there was not enough food and grass, and sometimes he said he was a weak fighter. He was procrastinating all the way, and these days he was complaining that it was too cold and there were no minks.

The army was led by a Korean civil servant named Jiang Hongli. He was greedy for money and lustful. It was said that he brought a woman with him on this expedition.

To be fair, the Korean soldiers had a hard time supporting the Ming army. Their performance on the eastern battlefield was as follows:
The bird guns were fired and the barrels exploded, killing and injuring the Ming army, causing chaos in the formation; the bird guns were fired and smoke was everywhere, blocking the Ming army's sight, causing them to be taken away by the white-armored soldiers...

Of course, according to the Koreans, their ancestors were very brave and defeated Nurhaci so much that he doubted his life and sent envoys to Seoul to beg for mercy.

Oh, let’s not discuss this for now.

According to the original historical trajectory, tomorrow, March 4, the 47th year of the Wanli reign, the Eastern Army will be ambushed at Abudaligang.

Liu Jing and his men were all killed in the battle. The Korean soldiers surrendered to the Later Jin and assisted in killing the remaining Ming troops.

At this point, if we ignore the stupid teammate Li Rubai who was still on the road, the four Ming armies were basically finished in the Battle of Sarhu.

As a time traveler, Liu Zhaosun didn't want tens of thousands of troops to be wiped out like grass.

He didn't want his and his adoptive father's bodies to be dismembered after death and used to claim credit, like Dusong's, where their bodies were mutilated.

So he had to do something. Even if he couldn't defeat the Later Jin, he had to knock out a few of Nurhaci's front teeth! Let the Tartars know that the Ming Dynasty was not without people!
Looking at the elite soldiers and generals drawn from Huguang, Zhejiang, Guizhou and other places, and the dark masses of spearmen in the distance, Liu Zhaosun's eyes turned and he made up his mind.

In the original historical dimension, the reason why the Eastern Army was surrounded was not only due to lack of food and grass and being forced to advance, but the main reason was that the commander was too reckless.

The reason for the reckless advance was that they were fooled by the enemy.

The Later Jin soldiers wore Ming army uniforms and armor, carried the general's flag, and falsely claimed that Du Song's army was approaching Hetuala, and asked Liu Jing to lead the troops to cooperate.

Liu Jing was eager to gain merit and entered the encirclement without knowing what was happening.

In the narrow terrain of Abudaligang, it was difficult to deploy the chariot camp formation, and coupled with the continued charge of the Jiannu dead soldiers, the Ming army was quickly defeated.

The last 5,000 Zhejiang soldiers who resisted stubbornly were divided and surrounded by the Eight Banners Army, which outnumbered them several times, and were slaughtered.

Liu Zhaosun decided to use his imagination.

If the Ming army could move to an open battlefield, and the 5,000 Zhejiang soldiers could calmly form a battle formation and take advantage of the chariot camp, could they stop the Later Jin army?

If the Korean generals had not been so cowardly, abandoned the unreliable muskets, and used bows to fight against the Jiannu archers, would the Ming army have held out longer?
If the Ming army had the upper hand on the day of the decisive battle, could the Korean soldiers' firearms have been more powerful?

If Liu Jing stayed away from the front line and was not killed by Bayala's arrows after the battle, could the Ming army have held out a little longer?

If the Yehe tribe could have come to the rescue earlier, could the Eastern Army have avoided complete destruction?

If I had a Gatling gun with unlimited bullets, the kind that shoots blue fire...

Liu Zhaosun expressed his anticipation.

Just as the time traveler was thinking wildly, the queue suddenly stopped.

The servant came back to report that he had found General Du's flag.

There were about fifteen or sixteen Dusongtang cavalrymen, who shouted that they had killed Nurhaci and asked General Liu to speed up the advance.

Talk about Cao Cao, Cao Cao is here!
Liu Zhaosun turned and looked at his adoptive father. Liu Jing was holding the reins and looking forward. His warhorse was sneezing loudly and pacing back and forth in the snow.

This general of the Ming Dynasty had been in the military for half his life, and his hair and beard were completely white, making him look quite old, but his brows showed the calmness and composure that only a general could have.

As a representative of the southern troops, he was assigned by Yang Hao to the most difficult eastern line this time.

The Korean soldiers were a constant burden, and Liu Jing had been feeling depressed these days. Suddenly, he heard that Du Song had sent someone to ask him to join forces in attacking the Jiannu. He was a little surprised.

"Let him come forward..."

Just as he was about to call Tang Ma forward to ask for clarification, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind him:

"Father, wait a minute."

When he looked back, it was his adopted son Liu Zhaosun.

Over the years, Liu Jing has fought campaigns in the east and west, and has survived many life-threatening situations, including arrows, swords and guns. He has only a few adopted sons left by his side.

Liu Zhaosun grew up with Liu Jing since he was a child. He experienced wars of all sizes and could be considered a veteran. Although he was only twenty years old, he was very prestigious in the army.

He was the thirteenth among all the adopted sons. He was born with brute strength and could fight a tiger. He had the closest relationship with Liu Jing.

"Thirteen, do you have something to say?"

Liu Zhaosun looked around, signaled the servants to step back a few steps, and lowered his voice:

"Foster father, we have nothing to do with the Northern Army. Now that Du Song has benefited, why would he think of us? Besides, Du Song and foster father are both generals, how dare he command us? I think there's something fishy going on!"

Liu Jing smiled coldly and interrupted with a wave of his hand:

"Crazy Du is leading his troops this time with elite troops and the best firearms. Yang Jinglue's intention is to have him command four armies. You don't know Du Song. Back then, when he was in Mongolia, he divided his troops and attacked in a coordinated manner, killing hundreds of Mongolian cavalry in one night. He's quite formidable. It's no surprise that he was able to defeat the bandits this time. At a time like this, don't worry about the southern and northern troops!"

Liu Zhaosun laughed in his heart, you don't care, but others do.

This grandson of Yang Hao clearly wants our Southern soldiers to die, so the route given to the Eastern Army is the longest and most dangerous, and the supplies and equipment provided are also the worst.

Liu Jing didn't notice the change in his adopted son's expression and continued:
"Speed is of the essence in war! If Crazy Du has truly defeated the Bordered Yellow Banner, our Eastern Route Army can't sit idle. We're running low on food and fodder, and a slow march to Hetuala would be disastrous. We should abandon our baggage and lead our elite troops in pursuit! Tomorrow night, you and I can drink in Hetuala, and then we can capture the Nu Chieftain. With the military supervisor commending our Southern Army for their achievements, why should we be afraid of the Liao soldiers?"

Liu Zhaosun smiled bitterly in his heart.

Now we are chasing them and have firmly entered the ambush circle of the Later Jin army. I am afraid we will have to go to the underworld to drink tomorrow.

Tens of thousands of troops were suddenly ambushed. Given his adoptive father Liu Jing's military strategy, he should not have made such a low-level mistake.

Perhaps there was another hidden reason behind the demise of the Eastern Army. In any case, he couldn't let these fake Dusongtang horses succeed.

The only problem was how to make Liu Jing trust him while maintaining the morale of the troops and preventing internal strife.

He pondered for a moment and made up his mind.

"Foster father! Give me a hundred servants. I'll go check on them and let them rest in the camp. If there's any trickery going on, they won't dare stay!"

Liu Jing didn't know what his adopted son was up to, so he interrupted him with a wave of his hand:
"We're in a hurry to march, why would we need to rest? Are you still doubting Du Song? Don't act rashly! If we anger Crazy Du, Yang Hao will not let us off easily!"

Liu Zhaosun jumped off his horse, kowtowed to the ground with his head, and kowtowed several times to Liu Jing.

"Foster father, I'll only give you half an hour. If you can't get anything out of them within half an hour, it won't be too late to let them go!"

Liu Jing looked at his adopted son meaningfully, feeling surprised that the usually carefree Liu Zhaosun could have such a strategy today.

At this time, another servant came to urge, saying that Tangma could not wait any longer. Although reluctant, Liu Jing nodded and asked his adopted son to check it out.

Liu Jing was worried. The southern and northern troops were already at odds with each other. If any conflict arose at this critical juncture, it would be difficult to resolve.

(End of this chapter)