The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 89: The Bloody Battle of Hunhe River (Take care, Zhengzhou, and we'll be together through thick and thin!)

September 22, the 47th year of the Wanli reign, Shenyang.

The scaffolding (1) on both sides of Yangma City (2) had just been removed, and the remaining holes for the poles on the city wall were hastily sealed with mud by the craftsmen.

Dense and irregular deer feet (3) are arranged around Yangma City. Yangma City, the main city made of rammed earth and bricks, and the round buildings and hard buildings (4) outside the city wall together form a solid defensive fortification outside Shenyang.

The governor of Liaodong was inspired by General Xuanwu. During his stay in the capital, he threatened to be dismissed from office (5) and persevered. He successfully extorted taels from the Wanli treasury and returned to Liaodong.

For three months, Xiong Jinglie worked tirelessly.

He personally supervised the soldiers to build chariots and firearms, dredge the moat, and strengthen the city walls in preparation for long-term defense.

Some generals stationed in Liaoshen did not support Xiong Tingbi.

Compared with the Ming Dynasty, which owed food and wages, the Later Jin Dynasty was more attractive to these people.

After Li Rubai committed suicide out of fear of punishment, Liaozhen was left leaderless.

After some consideration, the court ordered Jinyiwei Commander Li Ruzhen to take over the position of Liaodong General.

Li Ruzhen is even worse than his brother Li Rubai.

In the original history, Li Ruzhen, the general of Shenyang, watched Kaiyuan and Tieling fall, and tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians were massacred by the Later Jin army.

After Xiong Tingbi took charge of Liaodong, he dismissed Li Ruzhen from office for ten unbearable crimes and imprisoned and sentenced him to death during the Tianqi period.

In the fourth year of Chongzhen, the young emperor realized the power of Liaozhen and had to sentence Li Ruzhen to exile, which was equivalent to acquittal.

Liu Zhaosun's time travel caused history to shift. Kaiyuan and Tieling were not captured by the Later Jin Dynasty, and Li Ruzhen continued to serve as his general.

Due to the rise of Kaiyuan, the conflict between Liaozhen and the imperial court became more intense, which accelerated the process of some Liaozhen generals defecting to the Later Jin.

Under the influence of Liu Zhaosun, Xiong Tingbi completely lost trust in Liaozhen.

Of the 800,000 taels of imperial treasury brought back this time, the governor only gave 100,000 taels to Liaozhen, and the rest was used to build defensive fortifications.

Xiong Manzi's actions broke the rules of Liaozhen. Under the manipulation of Li Ruzhen, Ding Bi and others, the censors rose up to impeach Xiong Tingbi.

Yao Zongwen, the Imperial Censor, wrote in a memorial that "the Liao situation is becoming increasingly difficult" because Xiong Tingbi "abandoned collective advice and pursued his own wisdom," attacking Xiong Tingbi for his stubbornness and self-righteousness.

Wei Yingjia and the censor Zhang Zhifa impeached him for "being out of seclusion for several months without any plan", having great ambitions but little talent, and only knowing how to use the "imperial sword to show off his power". They also said that Xiong Tingbi was suspected of embezzling Liao military funds.

Censor Feng Sanyuan went even further, listing Xiong Tingbi as "eight instances of lack of strategy and three instances of deceiving the emperor." He had indiscriminately slaughtered Liao garrisons in Liaodong, "using killing as a means of intimidation," leading to a loss of popular support in the region. Now, "the Liao situation is ruined, and he wants to shed his burden and leave," demonstrating a lack of respect for the emperor and his subjects. Feng Sanyuan recommended that this traitor be apprehended and punished as a warning to others.

Among the many officials, only the Imperial Secretary Yang Lian held a more moderate view, believing that Xiong Tingbi had both merits and demerits in Liaodong in the past few months. He pointed out:
“Those who criticize the governor (Xiong Tingbi) will never be able to erase his achievements, and those who sympathize with the governor will never be able to hide his faults.” (6)

For more than three months, Xiong Tingbi had to submit memorials to defend himself every few days and also argue with censors.

Nurhaci's army was approaching, Liaozhen was doing nothing, and the censors stabbed them in the back.

Even the residents of Liao and Shen cities, upon hearing that the bandits were approaching, all showed joy on their faces, as if they were welcoming the return of the royal army. (7)

The city of Shenyang is full of spies, and they cannot be stopped.

Caught in internal and external difficulties, Xiong Tingbi was already exhausted.

If it were not for the emperor's kindness and full support, and if it were not for the true celebrities still struggling in Kaiyuan, Xiong Tingbi would have given up long ago.

There is no one else who is both talented in civil and military affairs, and his extraordinary achievements will be a crime!
On September 26, Nurhaci led an army of 120,000 south.

The city of Shenyang was in chaos. In addition to the Mongols and Jurchens, countless Jurchen-ized Liao people gathered together privately and secretly discussed how to assist the Khan in capturing this fortified city.

The imperial court urgently mobilized soldiers from Dengzhou, Laizhou and other places to cross the sea to provide assistance to Liaodong.

Xiong Tingbi, the governor of Liaodong, led the White Spear Soldiers, Zhejiang Soldiers, Shandong Soldiers, and the few Liao soldiers and civilians in the city to make the final struggle for this Han land.

~~~~
When Yuan Chonghuan, the military governor of Kaiyuan, and his entourage arrived in Shenyang, Bayala, the vanguard of the Jiannu Zhenghong Banner, had already approached to within eighty miles north of the city.

The white-spear scouts, wearing rattan armor and helmets with iron armor on the outside, ran back and forth on the official road in Shenyang, constantly transmitting military information from the front back to the Sichuan Army camp.

Thousands of white-pole soldiers leaned against the Yangma City in Shenyang and built three lines of defense outside: trenches, horse-holdings, and earthworks.

The Tusi soldiers also laid firewood in the trenches, poured tung oil on it, and placed caltrops dipped in horse manure around the horses.

Yuan Chonghuan took a quick look. He didn't know the names of some of the fortifications, but he felt that the White Spear Army's defense line was quite strong. If the Jiannu wanted to break through, they would have to pay a heavy price.

Thanks to Liu Zhaosun's hard work in Kaiyuan over the past few months, the White Spear Army sent to aid Liao was stronger than in history and arrived in Shenyang earlier. Therefore, they could calmly build fortifications and no longer had to rush into battle as in history, where they were besieged by the Later Jin army, which had the advantage of terrain, as soon as the war began.

Yuan Chonghuan did not dare to delay and had no time to get close to the White Spear Soldiers, so he hurried into Shenyang City pulling a dozen empty carriages.

"Haha! Preparing for battle is truly the hallmark of a strong army. If they were just a little bit closer, they would be able to catch up with our Kaiyuan troops."

Qiao Yiqi looked at the layers of defensive fortifications, his thoughts flying back to the Battle of Kaiyuan, when he was as still as a mountain and guarded the north gate. He prayed secretly that when he arrived in Shenyang today, he would also be able to keep his mouth shut and not reveal General Liu's secret.

The three men and their guards walked to the city gate bridge, where they were stopped by the chieftain's soldiers holding white spears.

A tall Tusi soldier repeatedly checked Yuan Chonghuan's documents and found Yuan Chonghuan's accent strange. They checked the carriage and went to ask the captain for instructions. The captain came over and looked at the three people with a complicated expression. Fortunately, Qin Jianxun knew these white-pole soldiers and after a long struggle, he finally let the three people into the city.

"Zhou Yafu's military command is no more than this!"

Yuan Chonghuan sighed deeply.

The flat bridge between the moat and the city wall was replaced by a plank bridge, which was a bit shaky when walking on it. Finally, I reached the other side, walked through the city gate corridor, walked through the city wall, and finally entered the main city.

Look around.

On the East and West Streets of Shenyang, there were groups of Liaozhen soldiers and horses, and an endless stream of grain-carrying carts.

Looking at this fortified city that determined the fate of countless people, Yuan Chonghuan was filled with emotion. Thinking of the heavy responsibility he had shouldered in this trip to Shenyang, he turned around and shouted to Qiao Yiqi and Qin Jianxun:

"Let's go and get food and money!"

~~~~~~
September 29
The low-pitched sound of the conch shell floated over various places in northern Liaoning.

Looking down from the sky, thousands and thousands of small black dots slowly moved southward along the path, like black streams, and finally merged into a vast tide of troops at Fushun Pass. A Later Jin vanguard of tens of thousands of people gathered at Fushun Pass, demonstrating their overwhelming strength to the Ming Dynasty.

Inside Fushun Pass, countless Eight Banners flags were fluttering.

A 16-foot-long flag of the Later Jin Khan was erected on the ground in front of the fort.

There were more than ten armchairs in the front hall. The Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty sat at the top, and below him sat the leaders of the Eight Banners, Khorchin princes and Han ministers.

Nurhaci, who was sitting in the middle of the upper seat, looked at the ground with a calm expression and slightly lowered his head. In front of him, a middle-aged man who looked like a Han Chinese was kneeling.

"Great Khan, here are the details of the troop deployment in Shenyang City, as well as the defensive maps of the White Spear Soldiers and the Zhejiang Soldiers. Please review them, Great Khan."

The Han man held a stack of account books above his head with both hands, not daring to look up, and spoke respectfully.

Manggurtai, who was sitting below, moved his body and reached out to touch the rat tail braid on the back of his head.

Nurhaci knew that except Huang Taiji and Jirgalang, no one else could read, so he said to the man:

"read."

"Yes, Khan."

The man agreed, flipped through the account book skillfully, and read it aloud in front of the Khan of the Great Jin Dynasty, the leaders of the Eight Banners, and the Mongolian and Han ministers.

"To the east of Shenyang City, there are currently 7,500 Zhejiang soldiers stationed, including 5,000 combat troops, 1,500 auxiliary troops, 200 artillerymen, and over 800 mounted infantrymen. The combat troops are equipped with spears, muskets, halberds, wolf milling machines, heavy swords, round shields, and long shields. The artillerymen are equipped with tiger squat cannons, general cannons, and extermination cannons..."

"Similar to the Kaiyuan soldiers, find some different thoughts!"

Manggurtai waved his hand to interrupt the man, looking disapproving. Several beile around him looked at the leader of the Zhenglan Banner with displeasure. Nurhaci glared at Manggurtai and said slowly:
"Go on."

The man quickly agreed, nodded to Manggurtai behind him, and continued:
"North of Shenyang City, there are 5,000 White Spear Soldiers stationed, including 3,000 combat troops, 1,500 auxiliary troops, and 500 cavalry. They have no artillery. The combat troops are equipped with white spears, short crossbows, heavy swords, rattan armor, long shields, rattan helmets, and a small number of fire guns. The cavalry are equipped with chain mail, lances, short crossbows, a small number of three-barreled guns, and sabers."

"East of Shenyang City, stationed are Zhao Zhilun's unit from Liaozhen and Ding Bi's unit..."

Nurhaci raised his hand slightly and the man stopped immediately.

"These are our own people, stop nagging. Show me the White Spear Soldiers' defensive map."

A rather detailed defense map was spread out on the table. The Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty held a magnifying glass in his left hand and pointed at the map with his right hand, occasionally asking questions to the Han people beside him.

"Is this the trench they dug? Are there bamboo sticks or caltrops buried at the bottom?"

"Reporting to the Khan, Nikan has placed tung oil, firewood, and gunpowder in the trench."

Nurhaci frowned and looked away.

The beile below began to discuss, loudly talking about the defense of the white-pole soldiers and exchanging their views.

Among the beile, except Jirgalang and Ajige, the others have fought against the white-spear soldiers. The last time the Bordered Blue Banner was almost wiped out in the north of Kaiyuan City, it was done by the white-spear soldiers and Zhejiang soldiers.

Everyone knows that these two southern barbarian soldiers are difficult to deal with.

These flag leaders, who were rich in combat experience, unanimously concluded that if they attacked the White Spear Soldiers' positions head-on, at least several thousand warriors would be killed, not including the Baoyi.

Nurhaci checked the defense of the Zhejiang troops in the east of the city again, his face becoming increasingly grim. He was silent for a long time, then waved his hand to interrupt everyone's discussion and looked up at the Han minister sitting in the corner:
"Li Efu."

"Khan, your servant is here."

Fushun Prince Consort Li Yongfang quickly agreed and looked up at his grandfather-in-law who was only two years older than him, with a submissive look on his face.

"Send someone to find the commanders of the White Spear and Zhejiang Armies and tell them that I will establish the Eight Han Banners. If they surrender to the Great Jin, they will become the leaders of the Eight Han Banners. Their troops will remain the same, but their food and wages will be doubled. In addition, each commander will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver, good land and beautiful houses, and they can marry the daughters of the Beile."

Before Nurhaci finished speaking, everyone around him showed expressions of astonishment.

Since the Khan started his rebellion, there has never been such a reward for the Han people. Even Li Yongfang, the first person to surrender, was only rewarded with the title of Fushun Prince Consort.

Li Yongfang was embarrassed when he heard this. He hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to speak: "Great Khan, I think this is inappropriate. Sichuan and Zhejiang are all foreign soldiers. Unlike Liaozhen, they can be bribed. The families and property of the Ming foreign soldiers are all inside the Great Wall. They are actually hostages of the imperial court. If these soldiers were not desperate, they would not..."

Nurhaci nodded slightly, stood up and walked to Li Yongfang, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile:
"My husband has been in Liaodong for a long time and is unaware of the affairs within the Great Wall. When I was the Dragon and Tiger General of the Ming Dynasty, I often visited the Ming capital and interacted with the generals of Jizhen and Xuanda, so I was familiar with the enemy situation. Currently, the nine border areas of the Ming Dynasty have long been in arrears in food and wages. These foreign soldiers are just looking for more money. Have you forgotten? Last time at Sarhu, before I launched the attack on Dusong, foreign soldiers from Xuanda and Huguang voluntarily surrendered to me."

Nurhaci looked up at the golden dragon banner fluttering outside and said with a slight smile:

"I am kindhearted and cherish talent. I cannot bear to slaughter heroes. If we can conquer Liaoning and Shenyang without bloodshed, that would be the best. My dear, please send a few loyal servants with silver to visit Qi Jin and his men. Explain the pros and cons and tell the generals in Sichuan and Zhejiang that the people's will is with us, and the destiny lies with us, not with the Ming. This will save them from wasting their time trying to stop a chariot. If this is successful, we can add two more powerful armies to our Great Jin."

"But Khan, the soldiers from Sichuan and Zhejiang are not as good as those..."

Li Yongfang was about to continue speaking when he looked up and saw Manggurtai glaring at him. Li Yongfang was startled and had to swallow the words back.

The leader of the Zhenglan Banner had never had a good impression of the Fushun Prince Consort. He knew that the last time Amin was deposed was because of Li Yongfang's instigation. After this incident, Manggurtai hated this Han Chinese Nikan even more.

The Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty did not notice the change in expression between the two men. He sat back in his chair, looked around at the beiles, suddenly remembered something, and asked.

"How is Liu Zhaosun now?"

Jirgalang, the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner who had been in charge of scouting Kaiyuan, hurried forward and reported to the Khan.

"Great Khan, a while ago, the southern barbarians closed all the mines, sent the miners back to the city, harvested the rice, and set fire to thousands of acres of crops. Bayala, whom I sent to Niangniang Mountain, reported back that Nikan has cut down all the trees around Kaiyuan, and all gates are only open to entry, not exit. This time, Liu Zhaosun may be really afraid that we will attack him."

As Jirgalang spoke, he carefully observed the changes in the Khan's expression. He had just been promoted to the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner. Although he had won several battles, he did not have a deep foundation in the Eight Banners because he was not Nurhaci's biological son.

Seeing Nurhaci's expression was calm, he continued:
"Kaiyuan spies reported that in July, Buyanggu's younger brother, Burhanggu, led several hundred Yehe cavalrymen to rob Khorchin and abduct Manggus's granddaughter. They then fled to Kaiyuan, where Liu Zhaosun took them in. In August, more than a dozen small Mongol tribes fled to Kaiyuan, and Huduntu (Lindan Khan) also sent troops."

"Oh?"

Nurhaci frowned slightly, and Huang Taiji, who was sitting below, leaned forward slightly, his expression suddenly becoming solemn.

"and then?"

"Don't worry, Great Khan. Huduntu sent envoys to Kaiyuan, hoping to swear an alliance with Liu Zhaosun, but Liu Zhaosun refused. He didn't believe Huduntu had 400,000 troops, and he refused to send troops to help them."

"Furthermore, according to Shenyang's report, Kaiyuan City only has enough food and fodder to last for half a month. There are fewer than 3,000 soldiers in the city, including the Liao people who were temporarily recruited. The city is short of firearms, gunpowder is exhausted, and armor is in tatters."

"Is the news reliable?"

"Reporting to the Khan, it is absolutely reliable! It was said by Qiao Yiqi, the military supervisor of Kaiyuan, and the people of Liaozhen heard it with their own ears. A few days ago, Liu Zhaosun sent Qiao Yiqi to Shenyang to demand money and food, and asked the White Spear Soldiers and Zhejiang Soldiers to pay the Kaiyuan soldiers a reward per head. I think the number of heads will only be more, not less."

Nurhaci nodded slightly as he listened, but Huang Taiji, who was sitting below, had a serious expression on his face.

After Jirgalang finished speaking, Huang Taiji looked up at his father, the Khan. He thought they would discuss how to deal with Liu Zhaosun next, but he saw the Khan touch his nose and point at the man kneeling on the ground:
"Tell me about that. The leader of the Bordered Blue Banner just mentioned that Kaiyuan sent envoys to Shenyang to demand grain. Your information should be more accurate. Who were they? What did they say?"

The man quickly replied:

"Reporting to the Khan, Liu Zhaosun has sent the Kaiyuan Military Governor, Yuan Chonghuan. He has a Sichuan troop commander, whose name is unknown, and a military supervisor, Qiao Yiqi, whom the Sixth Prince just mentioned."

"Qiao Yiqi?"

Nurhaci recalled and felt that this person was very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard of him.

Daishan added from the side.

"Father Khan was the sworn brother of the Korean commander Jiang Hongli during the Battle of Sarhu. Qiao Yiqi was the Korean military supervisor. It was he who informed the Koreans of all of Liu Jing's military intelligence."

Nurhaci nodded.

Manggurtai beside him said angrily:

"If it weren't for this Liu Zhaosun who showed up, so many Ming soldiers wouldn't have escaped at Hunjiang! We must have annihilated them all!"

Nurhaci glanced at the hot-tempered Beile, then turned to ask the great Beile Daishan:

"I remember now. Back then, it was the Great Prince who contacted the Korean commander to discuss peace talks between the Jin and Korea. Where did that Commander Jiang go after that? Why haven't we heard from him in so long?"

Daishan smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said harshly:
"I'm afraid he was also killed by Liu Zhaosun! Poor Korean civil servant, he has a deep friendship with my Great Jin, alas!"

Jirgalang then said angrily:

"This Liu Zhaosun is truly despicable. In Kaiyuan, he killed many innocent people who were loyal to the Great Jin Dynasty and forced them to work in the mines. This murderer will surely suffer retribution in the future!"

Nurhaci smiled slightly, touched his nose, and motioned the Han man on the ground to continue.

"Khan, when Yuan Chonghuan entered the city, he went to Chen Ce (the commander of the White Spear Army) to ask for food and money, saying that he would not leave until his twelve carriages were full. He said that the Sichuan soldiers were the richest, and he knew it in Guangxi. Later, he fought with the Sichuan soldiers."

"Qiao Yiqi found Xiong Tingbi and, in front of several Zhejiang officers, drew his imperial sword and said that Liu Zhaosun owed him 13,000 taels of silver and that Kaiyuan City had been owed wages for several months. The emperor's wages were all in Shenyang, so why wasn't he paying them? There were 3,000 soldiers in Kaiyuan City, and each was to be paid 10 taels of silver, so Xiong Tingbi had to give him a total of 43,000 taels. Xiong Tingbi was very angry and said he had no money. Qiao Yiqi said it didn't matter and that he could use the Zhejiang soldiers' wages to offset it. He also said that the Zhejiang soldiers were very rich. He had been chatting with Qi Jin, and Qi Jin said that the Zhejiang soldiers had sufficient food and wages, and that they had tens of thousands of taels of silver a year... Two Zhejiang soldiers who were outside heard this and rushed in with their swords to attack Qiao Yiqi."

Huang Taiji asked hurriedly:

"Has he been hacked to death?!"

The man swallowed his saliva, and seeing that all the Beile were staring at him, he continued quickly:

"My lord, before Yuan Chonghuan and his men arrived, the Sichuan and Zhejiang troops were still clamoring for Xiong Tingbi's permission to seize the silver. But when they saw Liu Zhaosun's stance, both sides stopped arguing. They said they would first kill Yuan Chonghuan and Qiao Yiqi, and then go to Kaiyuan to kill Liu Zhaosun after defeating our Jin. Later, a deputy general named Qin Minping desperately pleaded for mercy for the two men, so Xiong Tingbi had the white-pole soldiers beat them with thirty military sticks. I heard that Yuan Chonghuan's leg was broken, and they were finally driven out of Shenyang overnight."

Jirgalang burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Good fight! Killing him would be the best! Liu Zhaosun, that killer, has finally come to this day! He must have been at the end of his rope and couldn't hold on any longer, so he dared to go to Shenyang to ask the enemy soldiers for food."

He laughed dryly a few times, but when he found that no one around agreed with him, he stopped quickly.

Daishan looked coldly at the new leader of the Bordered Blue Banner:
"Sixth Prince, Liu Zhaosun, is a brave warrior, and his soldiers are all fearless lunatics. Go ask Amin, at Hunjiang, they had only 300 retainers, yet they dared to charge into a 6,000-man army. Last time in Kaiyuan, Liu Zhaosun nearly killed the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner. Do you think such a man would become a coward now?"

After hearing what Daishan said, Jirgalang's smile suddenly turned into an awkward smile. He turned his head to the side and stopped talking.

During these days, Bayala of the Bordered Blue Banner had suffered more than a dozen casualties while scouting around Kaiyuan.

The Kaiyuan soldiers who were not captured at night were indeed fearless, especially the Guangxi Wolf Soldiers and White Spear Soldiers, who were simply a nightmare for the Bayaras.

Manggurtai, who was sitting next to him, heard this and felt it was a mockery of him. He got angry and shouted:
"What a shrewd general! At that time, the warriors of the Zhenglan Banner broke through the west gate and were attacking the north gate. I beat the white-pole soldiers and the Zhejiang soldiers so hard that they fled in panic! If you and your eighth brother (Huang Taiji) hadn't withdrawn your troops in advance, Liu Zhaosun would have been captured by me and cut into pieces by my sword."

The great prince Daishan refused to give in:
"If that's the case, why didn't you capture Liu Zhaosun when you were at Hunjiang? You had over ten thousand men under the Zhenglan Banner, yet you let the Yehe people chase you for more than ten miles. That sounds ridiculous."

Manggurtai was about to explode when Nurhaci waved his hand to interrupt this meaningless argument, looked up at Huang Taiji, and asked:

"Eighth Prince, what do you think about this?"

Huang Taiji had been waiting for questions. He stood up and looked at everyone, then turned back to look at the Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty and sneered:
"Father Khan! Liu Zhaosun, this bastard, must have read too much Romance of the Three Kingdoms and is trying to trick me with a self-torture tactic! He burned farmland and destroyed mines, and sent envoys to Shenyang to play a trick with Xiong Tingbi. He was just deliberately showing weakness, hoping that my army would ignore Kaiyuan and focus on attacking Shenyang. Then, he could take advantage of our unpreparedness and launch a surprise attack! He already used this trick in Kaiyuan last time, and now he's trying to trick me again. How ridiculous!"

Several Beile also nodded.

Nurhaci was about to speak when the young prince Duoduo standing behind him suddenly shouted:

"My father Khan reads Romance of the Three Kingdoms the most!"

A group of Jurchens around him burst into laughter. The Khan really loved reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Everyone knew that the Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty loved this seven-year-old prince the most, so no one would blame him for his innocent words.

Nurhaci laughed out loud, and after a while, he returned to his gloomy expression. He looked at everyone with sharp eyes, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

"Whether he comes to Shenyang or not, I will take special care of this man. If he uses the self-torture tactic, I will use the same tactic against him. Last time, I let him get away with it, but this time... Eighth Prince."

"My son is here!"

Huang Taiji quickly stood up and listened carefully to his father Khan's orders.

"You lead the White Banner troops. One part of them will lie in wait on the road from Kaiyuan to Shenyang, cutting off the roads around Kaiyuan. Another part will besiege Kaiyuan City and wait for General Liu to leave. Once our army conquers Liaoshen, if he doesn't come to rescue us, we will unite our forces and raze Kaiyuan City to the ground!"

A group of beile stood up and responded. According to convention, it was time for the Khan to issue the order to attack.

Nurhaci glanced at everyone and continued:

"The rest of the troops, after Fushun's consort returns, will attack Shenyang City with all their might. First, capture the west and south gates, then attack from both inside and outside, bombarding them with artillery to annihilate the White Spear and Zhejiang troops."

"twitter!"

Nurhaci looked down at the Han man who was still kneeling, leaned over to help him up, and said coldly:

"I give you tens of thousands of taels of silver every year, not to keep you in the account books. Go back and contact Ding Bi and follow his command. Lieutenant General Ding rushed from Tieling to Shenyang for this battle. You must also contribute to the Great Jin."

The man kowtowed quickly and said in a trembling voice:

"Don't worry, Great Khan. The Liao people in the city are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our army. I have already made preparations to open the gates to welcome our lord. I will ensure that Xiong Tingbi and the two foreign soldiers are killed without a burial place."

All the beile laughed and grabbed the wine glasses on the table and drank.

Nurhaci looked up at the Khan's flag fluttering in front of him, and felt a little excited. He had been lurking in Liaodong for many years. Although Sarhu was a great victory, it was just the beginning. He knew very well that only by conquering Liaoshen could the Jianzhou Jurchens become the real masters of this land.

In the sight of the Khan of the Later Jin Dynasty, a figure of Bayala with a small triangular flag on his back suddenly appeared. He was a soldier with white armor of the Bordered Blue Banner. He ignored the obstruction of the Gosha around him and rushed in from outside the pier. There was some blood on his body and he fell to the ground.

Nurhaci waved his hand to dismiss Gosiha. Everyone looked up at Bayara, and Jirgalang was even more nervous.

"Great Khan, the Kaiyuan soldiers suddenly left the city and are heading towards Tieling. They have killed all the scouts we stationed there."

~~~~~~~
Note: (1) Yangma City is the outer wall of the city, about meters away from the city. It is smaller than the main city and serves to protect the main city. There are no streets or houses in Yangma City. For example, Yangma City was built in Jingjiang Prefecture in the Southern Song Dynasty.

(2) Scaffolding, also known as scaffolding, was called "eagle scaffolding" in the Song Dynasty and "scaffolding" in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

(3) Deer feet: wooden stakes were driven into the ground between the moat and the city wall. The stakes were arranged freely in three rows and acted as a tripping hazard. Because of the disorder, the stakes were like deer feet stepping on them. The exposed part of the stakes was as high as the legs of a sika deer, so they were called deer feet.

(4) Tuanlou, a semicircular wall protruding outward from the city wall, is also called Mamian. Yinglou, a square wall protruding outward from the main city wall, has sharp corners, so it is called Yinglou.

(5) Wan Sitong, History of Ming Dynasty, Volume , “Biography of Xiong Tingbi”

(6) Wang Zaijin, Records of the Liao Dynasty during Three Dynasties, Volume

(7) When the Later Jin attacked Shenyang, “many households in the city opened their doors and lit torches as if waiting, and the women also dressed up to welcome the door.” (Shenzong Shilu, Volume )

(End of this chapter)