The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 401 New Eight Banners

Three days later, forced by the Korean traditional skills, the Qing army had to squeeze out 30,000 stones of food and grass from its teeth to reinforce the Korean army that was stranded in Kuandian.

After confirming that the first batch of food and fodder was on the way, Commander Li Shunyi finally led his troops from Kuandian, imitating his old friend Jiang Hongli, and advanced at a snail's pace of twenty miles a day towards the Shenyang battlefield six hundred miles away.

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Twenty miles east of Shenyang, at the frontier position of Jing'an Fort.

Under a huge golden dragon banner, the Qing Emperor Du Du sat on a throne and listened to the report of the situation in Kuandian by the Blue Banner Armorer Ezhen Gong'a, surrounded by a group of Eight Banners generals.

These young faces are the new generation of forces of the Aisin Gioro family, including: Dorgon, the leader of the Plain White Banner, Duoduo, the leader of the Bordered White Banner, Aierli, the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner, Sahalian, the leader of the Plain Red Banner, and Shuotuo, the leader of the Bordered Red Banner.

Aierli was Amin's second son, Shuoto and Sahalian were Daishan's second and third sons (the eldest son Yuetuo died in the Battle of Hetuala).

In addition, Huang Taiji's son Hauge was responsible for staying in Hetuala and commanding the troops of the Bordered Yellow Banner (but they had all been withdrawn).

Emperor Du Du personally led the most powerful of the flags, the Zhenghuang Banner and the Zhenglan Banner.

Together with several Han and Mongolian ministers, this was the highest-level power distribution of the Qing Dynasty in the post-Huang Taiji era.

On the surface, this power structure takes into account the interests of all factions, so it can maintain a certain delicate balance.

"So, you were fooled by that bastard Li Shunyi? You gave them food, but they didn't come to attack Shenyang. You, the Bordered Blue Banner, have brought shame to the Qing Dynasty!"

Before Gong'a and the Emperor could finish their words, Duoduo, leader of the Bordered White Banner, took the lead and interrupted them loudly.

The young flag master Duoduo just turned thirteen this year. He is the fifteenth son of Emperor Taizu of the Qing Dynasty.

According to the Jurchen custom, the youngest son is doted on. The old slave doted on Duoduo even more during his lifetime, and even wanted to pass the most elite two yellow flags to the fifteenth Beile. The little Beile was arrogant and domineering since childhood and did whatever he wanted. In the original history, Duoduo was behind the three massacres of Jiading and the ten days of Yangzhou presided over by the Qing Dynasty. He also relied on massacring cities and killing people along the way, and was called a famous general of the early Qing Dynasty by some historians in later generations.

Unfortunately, the old slave had died early on the battlefield of Hunhe River, and Duoduo's dream of becoming the leader of the two yellow flags had been dashed. Ever since he could remember, he had hated the Kaiyuan Army to the core, and he hated Liu Zhaosun so much that he wanted to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.

No one around dared to speak. The 22-year-old Du Du looked at this uncle who was nearly ten years younger than him with a smile, but did not say anything.

Dorgon, who was standing next to him, glared at his brother fiercely. The leader of the Bordered Blue Banner, Aierli, turned pale with anger. The burly Sahalian said in a gloomy tone:

"How can you believe the words of a Korean barbarian? Back then, my father and Jiang Hongli agreed to kill Liu Jing at Sarhu. But that bastard Jiang Hongli broke his promise and went to the Shajianzi camp and disappeared. This caused the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner to suffer a defeat at Hunjiang, which benefited Liu Zhaosun! That's when he started to make his fortune..."

Elli could not stand seeing someone insulting his father like this. He flew into a rage and pointed at Sahalian's nose and cursed:
"Sahalian, leader of the Zhenghong Banner, the war is imminent, why are you talking about these things? Speaking of which, if the two red banners led by Daishan had not preserved their strength and stood by and watched the dying Khan die, the old Khan would not have died in Shenyang!" Sahalian, relying on the emperor's support, was not afraid of Amin's son at all, and said tit for tat:

"Elli, the Han Chinese have a saying, 'What, what's in front is nothing, what's behind is nothing?' I'm bringing up Amin's defeats in the past just to let all the flag leaders know that in future battles, they should stay away from the Bordered Blue Banner..."

Amin has always been a pain point for the Bordered Blue Banner and an indelible psychological shadow for all successive Banner leaders. In the Battle of Sarhu, the Battle of Kaiyuan, the bloody Battle of Hunhe River, and the Battle of Hetuala, the four major battles between the Jianzhou tribe and the Kaiyuan army, the Bordered Blue Banner was the first to collapse, dragging down other banners.

That's why Elli reacted like this when Sahalian mentioned that the Bordered Blue Banner was defeated.

Du Du's eyes narrowed, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and his expression became cold.

Sahalian's brother, Shuotuo, the leader of the Bordered Red Banner, hurried out to smooth things over. Just as he was about to speak, he looked up at the newly repaired wall of Jing'an Fort in front of him, and at the densely packed Qi soldiers on the wall, his eyes revealed deep hatred.

The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty looked at the people around him, his eyes fell on Duoduo and Sahalian, and said coldly:
"Let's not talk about the past. I am the eldest grandson of the old Khan. In terms of seniority, you are all my uncles. However, the four great beiles have died in battle, and in terms of seniority, it is my turn. Therefore, I am the Khan and the Emperor. When the old Khan was in power, he said that the Eight Banners only became one after they were united. Right now, the enemy of the Qing Dynasty is right across from us, not among you."

All the flag owners around suddenly fell silent. It was unusually quiet under the banner. The wind blew through the plates of Gosha's iron armor, making an unsettling whistling sound.

"Don't think I'm only twenty-two years old, or that I'm inexperienced. I'm telling you today, if I hadn't saved the Jianzhou bloodline, you'd all be feeding brown bears on Sakhalin Island right now! I can ignore the usual fights in Hetuala, but today, on the battlefield, we must all unite. If anyone tries to sow discord or behave in a sarcastic way again, I'll chop off his head as a sacrifice!"

Goshiha, who was beside the emperor, put his fingers on the scabbard, waiting for Dudu's order.

Several flag owners consciously retracted their necks.

The three-day deadline proposed by Gong'a was simply impossible to achieve. It was not until then that Jiala Ezhen of the Bordered Blue Banner realized that the two teammates around the Qing Dynasty - if Hu Duntu, who has not been heard from since then, is not included - were not very reliable.

Emperor Kang Qiang's original strategy of five countries attacking Qi has now only been realized, with only three of the five countries left, and the teammate in the south has not yet come online. The 20,000 Qing troops ran into the densely packed watchtowers and garrisons around Shenyang, and could only fight on their own.

Du Du stared at everyone with a dagger-like gaze and continued:

"Thinking back to the Battle of Hetuala, the Great Khan (Huang Taiji) was killed, and more than half of the Eight Banners were killed or wounded. I was captured by the traitor Liu and forced to go to Kaiyuan to serve as a servant of Liu Zhaosun. I endured for three years. The beiles in the Khan's Palace died or fled. That was the worst time for Jianzhou. There were less than 3,000 men left, and women went to Fushun to sell their bodies... I survived those days alone. Where were you then? Let me be frank: the Qing Dynasty can do without anyone!"

"Now, Blue Banner, attack the city immediately! First, take down Jing'an Fort. Elli, you'll lead the charge. Your father was hacked to pieces here by Liu Zhaosun. Today, you must avenge your father. Just like your father did at Jing'an Fort in Kaiyuan, take down the fortress and slaughter all the Han people inside to intimidate Kang Yingqian! Tell that old man we're here for revenge!"

(End of this chapter)