The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 94: The Sun Never Sets on Hunhe River

"General Xuanwu, just as you predicted, the Bordered Blue Banner has sent troops to aid Hetuala. I reckon Li Yuchen and Lin Danhan should be back soon. Your deception, sneaking through Chencang and manipulating hundreds of thousands of Jiannu soldiers, is truly a stroke of genius!"

In the Tieling Lieutenant General's Mansion, Liaodong Governor Kang Yingqian was sitting in the position of Lieutenant General of his old enemy Ding Bi, leisurely sipping a steaming cup of Biluochun.

Three days ago, when Kang Yingqian heard that the Nu chieftain had led an army of 120,000 to attack Shenyang, he became anxious and worried about the safety of Kaiyuan every day.

As the army approached, General Kang even persuaded Liu Zhaosun to flee to Korea, and then escape back to the interior by sea from Korea.

A few days later, Liu Zhaosun commanded the Kaiyuan soldiers to launch a surprise attack on Tieling, and sent a cavalry battalion under the banner of the general to attack Hetuala.

After all these operations, the Bordered Blue Banner was forced to split its troops several times. Jirgalang had put himself in danger. If Liu Zhaosun wanted to, he could eat up one of their troops at any time.

Kang Yingqian's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and when he completely controlled Tieling, he began to look forward to a new future.

At this time, Pei Dahu, director of the Intelligence Department, was leading a dozen team members, and with the assistance of the Central Army Guard, they were moving boxes of the people's wealth that Brigadier General Ding had extorted over the years out of the courtyard.

"I never thought a mere lieutenant general like Ding Bi could squeeze so much of the people's wealth and have so many beautiful wives and concubines... No wonder the Liao people say Ding Bi is the richest man in Liaodong. Such a greedy general should have been killed by Xiong Jinglüe long ago! Peng Yong failed to assassinate this villain last time, so we can't let him escape again this time!"

Kang Yinggan said this, but inwardly he was quite pleased. This time, during a surprise attack on Tieling, he had captured Ding Bi's lair. Soldiers had found 130,000 taels of silver and over 3,000 taels of gold in the cellar beneath the Lieutenant General's Mansion, along with mountains of grain and cloth. Liu Zhaosun would also take over Ding Bi's dozens of shops in Tieling.

Although they had lost Kaiyuan, they had occupied Tieling, and Ding Can had given them these family assets as compensation. After Kang Yingqian did the math, he felt that it was not a big loss.

However, when he thought of Qiao Yiqi, Yuan Chonghuan and the others trapped in Kaiyuan, he felt a little sorry for them and continued:

"However, Qiao Yiqi and Yuan Chonghuan have suffered. Just now, the Tangma reported that Huang Taiji has gathered tens of thousands of troops at the north gate of Kaiyuan. Eight pontoon bridges have been built and they are attacking the north gate day and night. General Liu, we must hurry north to rescue them. It's a good opportunity for the Bordered Blue Banner to divide its troops and rescue Kaiyuan now. By attacking from both inside and outside, we may be able to repel Huang Taiji in one fell swoop."

"By then, we will have the two cities of Kaiyuan and Tieling, and let the White Spear Soldiers and Zhejiang Soldiers fight to the death with the Later Jin in Shenyang, and we will sit back and reap the benefits, hahahaha."

Kang Yingqian looked expectantly at Liu Zhaosun who was sitting opposite him. Seeing that he had stopped talking, Liu Zhaosun slowly spoke:

"General Kang, I will not go to Kaiyuan. I am not interested in Huang Taiji."

"what?"

The tea bowl in Kang Yingqian's hand tilted and almost fell to the ground.

General Kang carefully placed the tea bowl back on the table.

What Liu Zhaosun said next surprised him even more.

"I will go to Shenyang, destroy the Later Jin, kill Ding Bi, and rescue the White Spear Soldiers and Zhejiang Soldiers!"

"Going to Shenyang?"

Kang Yingqian was silent for a moment and asked:
"What do you mean? General Liu, are you crazy? The chieftain has 100,000 troops in Shenyang, and we only have 4,000."

Liu Zhaosun put down his teacup and stood up suddenly from his seat:

"Less than 100,000. The Plain White Banner and the Bordered Blue Banner have already been dispatched, and the Later Jin troops in Shenyang have also been withdrawn northward. The Later Jin troops on the banks of the Hun River have fought hard for two days and are probably already showing signs of weakness. Oh, and now that Nurhaci is dead, this opportunity cannot be missed. I will lead my elite troops back to Shenyang and wipe out the Eight Banners in one fell swoop!"

Kang Yingqian was stunned:
"What? How did the chieftain die in Shenyang?"

Jin Yu Ji had already started helping Liu Zhaosun put on his armor. She pressed her chest against his back and carefully fastened the chain mail neck guard.

Liu Zhaosun felt the temperature of Jin Yuji's body, smiled knowingly, and turned to Kang Yingqian and said nonsense:
"He was killed by a Liaozhen gunner. It is said that his death was very tragic."

"In half an hour, I will lead all my troops to attack Shenyang. Ligdan Khan's 8,000 cavalry will follow shortly, along with Li Yuchen, Burhanggu, and others."

"General Kang, it's time for us Han men to make great achievements. Are you willing to accompany me?"

Kang Yingqian opened his mouth wide, his beard trembling, and muttered.

"I am willing."

North Gate of Tieling.

General Xuanwu Liu Zhaosun stood on the towering corner tower and looked towards the north.

Wang Erhu, who was accompanying him, looked anxious.

The 3,600 soldiers had already built a fire and cooked, and had taken a short rest in the city wall. They were now full of energy and morale. Everything was ready, except for the east wind. The cavalry that had attacked Hetuala had not yet returned, so this attack on Shenyang could not be without cavalry cover.

Shortly after Liu Zhaosun occupied Tieling, Nurhaci led his army to Shenyang. While attacking the White Spear Soldiers and Zhejiang Soldiers, he did not forget the sharp sword hanging behind his army. He ambushed a large number of scouts and cavalry around Shenyang, and even deployed several scout lines near Tieling to prevent the Tieling Ming army from suddenly attacking from the south.

After Liu Zhaosun occupied Tieling, he searched for spies in the city and killed hundreds of them. Tieling, like Kaiyuan, only allowed entry but not exit, completely destroying Nurhaci's intelligence system in Tieling.

A few days ago, Liu Zhaosun showed signs of preparing to move north, and later sent a large number of cavalry to harass Hetuala.

After hearing the news, like Jirgalang, Nurhaci also dispatched troops to the north to provide support, sending more than 5,000 people, mostly cavalry. As a result, the Later Jin's scouts in the direction of Tieling relaxed.

"Here they come, the cavalry are coming."

Liu Zhaosun pointed at a black wave rising on the distant horizon and spoke loudly to the two captains behind him.

"Gather all the troops and prepare to march."

At the foot of the North Gate City Wall, officers above the rank of flag captain gathered.

Considering that Yuan Chonghuan was still suffering in Kaiyuan, Liu Zhaosun had to come in person to do the pre-war mobilization!

Liu Zhaosun looked up at everyone.

"No matter how many ways you come, I will only go one way!"

"I will return the favor today just as I did to you in Sarhu!"

"When we get to Shenyang, we'll destroy whichever banner of the Jiannu army is fighting the White-Pole Army."

Generals Deng Changxiong, Wang Erhu, Li Yuchen, Buerhanggu and others reined in their horses and listened quietly to General Liu's orders.

Inside the city wall, three thousand soldiers were ready for the upcoming hundred-mile rapid march.

Outside the city wall, more than 3,000 war horses were leisurely chewing grass. Whether they were Yehe people, Han people or Mongolian cavalry, they were all ready to charge.

Liu Zhaosun leaned forward in front of Pei Dahu and asked in a low voice:
"Damn it, didn't they say there were 8,000 cavalry? There's less than 4,000. What's going on?"

Pei Dahu smiled bitterly:
"After the battle of Hetuala, the Mongols felt that the loot was not enough, and more than half of them fled back to Chahar. Even Ligdan Khan couldn't stop them."

Liu Zhaosun cursed in his heart, these Mongols were really deceiving, fortunately they were not the main force in this attack.

General Xuanwu looked up at the eastern sky. It was dawn, and his expression was as calm as water as he began to give orders.

"Pass on my orders!"

"Li Yuchen led a thousand cavalrymen to raid the Jiannu scouts and cut off any contact with the Shenyang bandits!"

"Buerhangu leads a thousand cavalrymen to cover the flanks of the battle force! If you encounter scattered enemy soldiers, drive them away and do not pursue them!"

"The entire army must carry fried noodles, abandon all baggage and food, and march south at full speed. We must reach the south bank of the Hun River before sunset tomorrow and defeat the Later Jin troops in Shenyang. Anyone who retreats will be executed!"

The central army guards raised a blue command flag, and the messenger riders carried the flag and rushed to the headquarters of each thousand troops.

The captain of each battalion waved the flag and the commander-in-chief's combat order was conveyed to the captains of each flag.

At the sound of bamboo whistles from the captains of each flag, the soldiers who were resting in the city wall stood up one after another.

As the beating of the drums sounded, 3,600 soldiers walked out of the city wall like puppets. The neat and majestic square formations outside the city changed into marching columns, like a giant black dragon with scales, crossing the bushes and grass between the plains and hills, making a slight rustling sound, and moving rapidly southward.

The cavalry rushed past the long column of spears like a rolling torrent, and the land of Liaodong shook slightly.

Three thousand six hundred elite soldiers marched at full speed, their sharp weapons gleaming coldly in the morning light.

Liu Zhaosun looked at the rising sun in the east, and resolutely led his elite troops, riding into the Hunhe battlefield.

"I don't want to see the sunset over the Hun River again!"

(End of this chapter)