The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 7 Do you dare to attack at night?

"My enemy has come to my door! I haven't even made it to Hetuala yet, but that bastard Amin can't wait any longer! Send out more night watchmen and have Deng Qilong come see me!

There was a lot of discussion in the big tent. Several Korean generals were so scared when they heard that the Later Jin army was only thirty miles away that they stood up quickly.

If they were not in the Ming army camp, these people would probably run away immediately.

"The Tartars are coming! The Tartars are coming!"

The Koreans have experienced the combat effectiveness of the Later Jin army.

Over the years, Nurhaci continued to expand. In addition to dealing with the Haixi Jurchens, he also frequently clashed with Korea.

During the Chenghua period, Koreans were still able to cross the border and capture Jianzhou Jurchens who were digging ginseng.

By the late Wanli reign, the Jianzhou Jurchens, consolidated by Nurhaci, saw their fighting power soar. The Koreans, skilled at internal warfare but inexperienced in external warfare, were no match for the Jiannu.

Liu Zhaosun didn't have time to care about the feelings of these Koreans and smashed the wine bowl to the ground.

Pei Dahu, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately led the servants into the tent. The servants held sharp knives and surrounded Jiang Hongli.

Liu Zhaosun stepped forward quickly and pointed at the selfish, cowardly, and ruthless Joseon Marshal:
"Qi Shaobao once said: A general is his heart and soul; soldiers are his hands and feet. A force of tens of thousands cannot be fought by one man; it must rely on soldiers!"

"A general should love his soldiers as if they were his own children. Only then can he lead them into deep streams and into boiling water!"

"That's why Wu Qi sucked out the sores on his soldiers and Huo Qubing threw fine wine into the Jiuquan Spring!"

"Jiang Hongli! Korean soldiers are freezing to death or starving to death every day, yet you ride in a sedan chair with a beautiful girl in your arms!"

"You ignored the soldiers' hunger and cold, embezzled the food and wages given to you by your adoptive father, and reduced the soldiers' life-saving rations. You are so heartless and insane. Do you know your crime?!"

Jiang Hongli's face turned red and white.

In his eyes, these Ming generals were all stupid and mediocre people who were confused and didn't know the difference between grains.

I didn't expect that Liu Jing's adopted son was so clear about Korean affairs. He quoted from classics when speaking and knew about Wu Qi and Huo Qubing.

Jiang Dushuai turned his head and looked at Liu Jing, but Liu Jing was staring at the map without even looking at him.

"Jiang Hongli! This time, you sent troops to aid Liao with a negative attitude and repeatedly resigned from the king's presence. Last April, Gwanghaegun appointed you as the Grand Marshal, but you repeatedly declined until July. You have delayed our army's progress and are worthy of death!"

Jin Jingrui and others will be controlled by Liu Jing's servants and put to death.

Although these "anti-Ming factions" were determined to betray the Ming Dynasty, they were guilty at this time and did not dare to act rashly.

Jiang Dushuai's eyes rolled, and he guessed that Liu Jing might have intercepted his private peace talks with Daishan, and he felt panicked.

He pretended to be calm on the surface, pointed at Liu Zhaosun and cursed:
"How can you, a young boy, be so eloquent and slanderous? My country, Korea, is a vassal state of the Celestial Empire. Of course, we should stick to our boundaries and not cause trouble. The Tartars are rampant. Using our weak soldiers to invade the den of bandits in Liaodong is like using sheep to attack a tiger. Not only will it not benefit the Ming Dynasty's conquest, it will also bring disaster to my country and cause great suffering to the people! That is why I have always opposed aiding Liaodong!"

Jiang Hongli's impassioned speech left the generals stunned.

Pei Dahu looked back frequently, and Liu Zhaosun signaled him not to act rashly.

If Jiang Hongli was killed in this way, the other Korean generals would certainly be dissatisfied, and Liu Zhaosun would also need to win over Jin Yinghe and 13,000 Korean soldiers.

Seeing that Liu Zhaosun remained silent, Jin Jingrui also started to make a fuss and shouted that it was injustice.

Jiang Hongli thought that these warriors were intimidated by his righteous spirit, so he said with all his might:

"I have repeatedly advised His Majesty not to start a war rashly. However, the treacherous people in the court are bent on sending our Korean army to its doom!"

"Well, now that I've fallen into the hands of you warriors, you can kill me or chop me up as you please!"

"At worst, we can just let the bandits seize Liaodong and take over Korea along with them. As the saying goes, 'The ruler and his subjects die for their country; the king guards the borders!' Go ahead and stir up trouble! Stir up trouble! Throw the Ming Dynasty into chaos! Then we'll see how the Emperor of the Celestial Empire punishes you!"

Liu Jing looked up at Jiang Hongli and was shocked by the shamelessness of this Korean civil servant.

He waved to Liu Zhaosun, indicating that he should continue.

"The ruler and his subjects die for the country? How dare you say that! You shameless bastard!"

"The Ming Dynasty mobilized troops and generals across the country, causing unrest throughout the nation. The Emperor was exhausted, even using up the treasury. You, a scoundrel, took the military pay my adoptive father gave you and spent it on prostitutes and feasting in Changyi City, living a leisurely life, delaying the deployment until February of this year."

"Damn it! Changyi across the Yalu River is only a hundred miles away, and you took two months to walk!"

"Wanli came to the aid of the Koreans, and my adoptive father led his troops from Sichuan, working tirelessly to rescue them. Yet you hid our food and fodder and refused to feed us. Countless Ming soldiers suffered frostbite in Pyongyang, and we finally drove the Japanese soldiers away to help you restore your country. Damn you ungrateful wolves! When the Celestial Empire was in trouble, not only did you not aid it, you even stabbed it in the back."

"Jiang Hongli, tell the thieves the route of the Eastern Army. I'll give you the heads of our Southern soldiers in exchange for your pledge of allegiance to the Tartars!"

After saying that, Liu Zhaosun threw the secret letter he had found on the Jiannu spy at Jiang Hongli's face.

Jiang Hongli's face changed drastically and he almost fainted.

It was also the fault of these Later Jin scouts who were so arrogant that they did not take the Ming army's night patrols seriously at all, so they dared to carry such important evidence with them without fear and did not destroy it in time.

The servant picked up the secret letter and waved it in front of the Korean general.

Upon learning that the peace talks had been exposed, Jin Jingrui, who had been so arrogant just now, now looked dejected, like an eggplant hit by frost.

The scene of my adoptive father fighting bloody battles in Korea appeared before my eyes.

Looking back at the shameless Jiang Hongli in front of him.

Liu Zhaosun suddenly choked up.

I feel deeply sorry for the Ming army soldiers who shed their blood in a foreign land.

"White-eyed wolf!"

The eyes of other Ming army generals in the tent were also red, as many of them had participated in the Korean War.

What Liu Zhaosun just said was all their personal experience.

Along the way, everyone knew that the Koreans were delaying their advance, but they didn't expect Jiang Hongli to be so despicable.

Jiang Hongli opened his mouth wide, not mentioning the peace talks with the Later Jin at all, and continued to refute:
"The letter is forged, don't believe it!"

"Besides, in matters of marching, victory depends on having the right time, the right terrain, and the will of the people. Last winter, the weather was still cold, which wasn't the right time, and the muddy roads weren't the right terrain. I can't command the entire army, so how can I rush forward? After crossing the river from Changcheng, the soldiers each carried ten days' worth of food, and now they've run out of food and grass..."

Jiang Hongli was about to speak at length, but Liu Tianxing, who was sitting next to him, could no longer hold back and unsheathed his imperial sword with a clang.

"You're all like sissies! Stop hesitating. General Kang, please lend me your Imperial Sword!"

Qiao Yiqi was stunned. Just as he was about to persuade him, Liu Tianxing stabbed Jiang Dushuai in the heart with the imperial sword.

Liu Tianxing killed people like crazy every day. He was not satisfied with just one sword strike, so he drew his own knife and beheaded Jiang Hongli.

Poor Jiang Hongli didn't even have time to make any sound before he died on the spot.

His eyes widened and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

Jin Jingrui was completely sober now, and knowing that he was doomed, he pushed aside the servants beside him, grabbed a knife, and said incoherently:

"How dare you kill the commander? You're a rebel! The Tartar soldiers are coming, kill them all! I'll take you away and make you my bondsers!"

Liu Jing nodded to Liu Zhaosun, who said loudly:

"The thieves Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui secretly communicated with Jianzhou, betrayed the army's intelligence, and plotted to assassinate General Liu. They deserve death! Kill them immediately!"

The servants rushed forward and hacked Jin Jingrui, who was lying on the ground, to death with their swords.

Inside the big tent, there was a deathly silence, with only the sound of weapons entering flesh and the chattering of Korean teeth.

The remaining Korean generals knelt on the ground, speaking some incomprehensible foreign language.

Left Deputy General Jin Yinghe placed his hand on the scabbard and looked over here coldly.

Liu Jing looked up at the crowd, his gaze fixed on the corpse. "Thieves Jiang and Jin have been executed. I'm a good judge of character. You are all loyal and brave. Kill these thieves and destroy Nurhaci. Whether you're a Korean or Ming general, the Celestial Empire will honor you and reward you handsomely!"

After saying this, he turned around and looked at Kang Yingqian and continued:
"Regarding today's events, Military Supervisors Kang and Qiao will report the truth to the cabinet. Lord Fang of the cabinet and I have a life-or-death relationship. He will report this to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The current emperor is wise and brave, and he will understand our intentions."

"You are all meritorious officials, and you will certainly be rewarded. As for your Joseon leader, Gwanghaegun, you can say that the two were shot and killed by the Jiannu. I believe he will not blame you. What do you think?"

The servants who were chopping people were still dripping blood from their swords. They were all murderous and had fierce looks on their faces.

All the Korean guards and deputy generals in the tent hung their heads, their faces pale.

We are not fools. Since Liu Jing dared to kill Jiang Hong and establish Jin Jingrui, the servants of the two men must have been controlled or even all killed.

In such circumstances, anyone who dared to say no would be immediately hacked to death.

Although these Korean generals are not good at fighting, they have the ability to judge the situation.

When the troops were dispatched to Liaodong this time, the pro-Myong faction did not have the upper hand in Korea. Now that the two big leaders of the pro-Myong faction are suddenly gone, the position of the pro-Ming faction will inevitably be further consolidated.

Even if Gwanghaegun wanted to pursue the matter and avenge his man in the future, it would probably be left unresolved, after all, the law does not punish the masses.

This Gwanghaegun came to power in an illegitimate way, and there were always many people in the court who opposed him.

Everyone immediately knelt on the ground, saluted Liu Jing repeatedly, and expressed their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and General Liu with tears and snot.

Liu Jing nodded with satisfaction. Guerrilla General Deng Qilong and sentry officer Yuan Jianlong had already arrived outside the tent, and Liu Jing hurriedly called them in.

Deng Qilong, a short and strong man, walked in, followed by Yuan Jianlong. Both of them turned a blind eye to the corpse lying on the ground.

The two men knelt on one knee and saluted the general, and Liu Jing called them to stand up.

Liu Zhaosun took a look at Deng Qilong and saw that he was wearing rattan armor, with a quiver and a canteen on his waist, and a flint coconut ladle and other items in his cross-body bag. These were all equipment of the Qi family army. He guessed that they had just returned from patrolling the camp, and he couldn't help but respect this man more.

"General Deng, where is the Bordered Blue Banner now?"

Deng Qilong was about to stand up from his seat, but Liu Jing waved his hand and asked him to sit down.

"Your Excellency, the rebel Second Beile Amin led 8,000 soldiers and camped on the Dong'e Road before sunset. The rebels sent white-armored soldiers to scout south and encountered our Yebushou army 20 miles northwest. Both sides suffered casualties. The surviving Yebushou reported that the rebel cavalry camps were gathering and the artillery troops were preparing meals. It is not certain whether they will attack tonight. I have ordered the artillery and cavalry camps to be on full alert."

When he heard that there were 8,000 Jiannu, Liu Jing frowned.

When he was in Korea, he heard people say that one Jiannu soldier could defeat ten Japanese pirates.

I originally thought it was just nonsense, but this time when I came to Liaodong, I saw that the Eight Banners soldiers were well-armored and were no less powerful than the Ming army. Even Du Song was no match for the Jiannu. I couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Eight Thousand Shinyi, it seems that this Amin wants to swallow us up in one bite!"

The generals all looked gloomy, especially the Korean generals.

Liu Jing looked around, pondered for a moment, and finally spoke:

"Tell me, how should we fight? Let me be clear: the army only has enough food and fodder for a month, so we can't drag it out like that bastard Jiang Hongli did!"

Deng Qilong followed Liu Jing's gaze and glanced at Jiang Dushuai lying on the ground. He thought for a moment and was about to speak.

Someone next to him said first:
"Foster father, since the enemy won't attack me, I will attack him. I will lead a thousand elite soldiers to attack the Blue Banner at night and crush the enemy's fighting spirit!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who asked for battle was Liu Zhaosun, Liu Jing's adopted son. He stood with his head held high, looking at the generals with a stern expression.

"One thousand men against eight thousand Tartar soldiers?"

"It's not appropriate."

"I'm afraid there aren't many soldiers in the army who can fight at night."

Everyone was talking about it.

Liu Zhaosun said firmly:

"With 30,000 men, selecting 1,000 elite soldiers for a night attack shouldn't be a problem! Everyone, the situation is critical right now. If we wait for the Bordered Blue Banner to attack tomorrow, our fate will probably be worse than Du Song Marin's! We should take advantage of Amin's underestimation of the enemy and crush the Bordered Blue Banner's fighting spirit with one strike. This opportunity cannot be missed and there is no time to lose!"

Liu Jing stroked his beard and nodded. He had been in many battles and knew the importance of morale to the army.

It wouldn't be long before the news of Juniper Marin's disastrous defeat spread throughout the army.

The Eastern Army was short of food and supplies, lacked armor and firearms, and had very few artillery pieces. Now they were alone in deep territory and their morale was already low.

If we fail to give the soldiers the confidence and courage to defeat the Jiannu, they will inevitably collapse after the battle, and the outcome will only be more tragic.

Instead of waiting for the Later Jin soldiers to attack us, it is better to take the initiative!
"Alright, then Xiao Shisan will be in charge. The Eastern Route's 30,000-man army is at your disposal!"

Liu Zhaosun thanked his adoptive father and was overjoyed.

Deng Qilong looked over here, clasped his hands together and said:
"We, the Southern soldiers, have come to Liaodong to kill the Tartars. Deng is willing to go!"

Liu Zhaosun looked at Deng Qilong approvingly, and Liu Jing also nodded slightly.

"The Zhejiang soldiers are brave, and with General Deng joining us, great things can be accomplished!"

"Since General Deng has left, I will follow him!"

The speaker was Yuan Jianlong. In history, he and Deng Qilong both died in a bloody battle in Hunhe River.

Liu Zhaosun looked up at the tall Jin Yinghe and said loudly:

"General Jin, Jiang Hongli has been executed. The army cannot be without a leader for a single day. You can lead the entire Korean army and help the Ming Dynasty fight against the enemy! The position of commander-in-chief will be yours!"

The servants put their hands on the scabbards and stared at Jin Yinghe with eager eyes.

Liu Tianxing took back the imperial sword, pointed it at Jin Yinghe, and waited for him to speak.

Jin Yinghe's expression remained unchanged. After a while, he said calmly:

"The Jiannu are a great threat to the Celestial Empire and a mortal enemy of our Joseon. In previous years, they crossed the border to dig ginseng, causing unwarranted harm to our people. This time, Namiji's entire family was killed by the Jiannu! I, a general, will have no ties with the Jiannu. I am incompetent and can only lead a small army, not a general commander! You don't have to force me, otherwise, I will die today!"

Liu Zhaosun laughed heartily. Jin Yinghe was really a man of integrity. No wonder he could fight Bayara to the end.

Thinking of this, he held down the servant's weapon and stepped forward and said:

"When my adoptive father was in Pyongyang, he heard of the general's name and said you were a young hero. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary."

Liu Zhaosun's eyes were gleaming. "General, do you dare to fight a bloody battle with the Jiannu? Follow me in a night raid to crush the Blue Banner's spirit?"

Jin Yinghe suddenly stood up, his bear-like figure imposing and majestic. He first saluted Liu Jing on the high seat with a fist, then turned to Liu Zhaosheng and bowed, his voice as loud as a bell:
"How dare you disobey orders!"

Pei Dahu broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that this fierce Korean general would seek revenge for Jiang Hongli.

Judging from this man's skills, it is not a problem for him to kill several servants by himself. It is a blessing that he can avoid a fight for now.

The troops for the night attack were basically finalized: a group of Liu Jing's servants, a group of Zhejiang soldiers under Deng Qilong and Yuan Jianlong, and a group of Korean archers under Jin Yinghe.

At that moment, the three began to discuss the details of the night attack.

There is no time to lose, take action now, and Amin will take the initiative to attack tomorrow.

At this moment, I suddenly heard someone shouting from behind:

"What? You look down on me? I'm going too!"

When everyone looked back, it was Liu Tianxing who had just assassinated Jiang Hongli.

Liu Zhaosun never expected that his fourth brother Liu Tianxing, who had always been his enemy, would put aside their past grudges and follow him to kill the Jiannu.

One more helper means a better chance of victory. Liu Zhaosun nodded to his brother and said loudly to everyone:
"Return to camp and prepare. We'll set off in half an hour!"

(End of this chapter)