Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 290 Jin Ming Intelligence War
Sarhu City was originally the Sarhu stronghold of the Suhe tribe of the Jianzhou Jurchens. In the 11th year of the Wanli reign, Nurhaci launched an uprising and began to encroach on the Jurchen tribes, conquering the city the following year. Sarhu City then faded from public view until the 47th year of the Wanli reign (also known as the 4th year of the Tianming reign), when the Ming army advanced towards Hetuala in four directions. Du Song, commander of the western route, camped on Sarhu Mountain, preparing to attack the Jiefan City, which was under construction.

After the battle, construction of Jiefan City was completed, and Nurhaci moved in, bringing his consorts to live there. The following year, Nurhaci ordered the construction of Sarhu City on the site of Dusong's former military camp. In October, shortly after Shen Feng's expedition concluded, Sarhu City was still unfinished, so Nurhaci relocated from Jiefan City to Sarhu City and ordered the construction of additional housing for the military and civilians.

The eighth day of the second month, the sixth year of Tianming in the Jin Dynasty and the first year of Taichang in the Ming Dynasty.

Aisin-Gioro Nurhaci, the self-proclaimed "Wise Khan Who Nurtured All Nations," was inspecting the newly built Mongol camp outside the city of Sarhu. For this somewhat unofficial inspection, Daishan, the Grand Prince who commanded both the Plain Red and Bordered Red Banners, had a simple wooden platform half a man's height erected in the camp's open space, upon which he placed an exquisite chair looted from the Kaiyuan government headquarters.

When Nurhaci was sitting on a chair accepting the refugees' kneeling homage, Daishan stood beside the chair with his head lowered and his eyes lowered. However, his Khan Ama did not seem to appreciate his kindness and kept a cold face during the inspection.

"There are so many people. Have all the refugees from Jiefan and Hetuala moved here?" Nurhaci stood up and asked while waving to the entourage around him, indicating that he should ask the refugees to go back.

"Yes. They were all moved here according to Khan Ama's order," Daishan replied with a humble look. "If any of them escape to the rear, the garrison commander will arrest them."

"Yes." Nurhaci nodded calmly, then asked, "How many people are there in the camp now?"

"Excluding those who died suddenly yesterday, there are now 2,654 Mongolians who come here to beg for food." Daishan knew what was going on and answered immediately.

The fifth year of Tianming was far from a good year for the Mongols in Chahar, Khalkha, and other areas of northern Liaoning. First, high temperatures in spring and summer, followed by heavy snows in autumn and winter, caused livestock deaths and reduced milk and meat production, leading to severe famine across the Liaodong region. To survive, the Mongols were forced to move south. Those who were restless opted for plunder, while those who were more comfortable and risk-averse sought refuge and begging. This put considerable pressure on both the Ming and Jin factions, who were locked in a stalemate.

Nurhaci led Daishan to the entrance of the resettlement camp. He didn't leave immediately, but paused and asked, "There are more than two Jala Mongols here just to eat our food. Someone suggested that we organize the Mongols into separate Niulu, following the Eight Banners system. What do you think, Great Beile?"

Daishan was stunned. After a moment's thought, he cautiously advised, "Khan, within our Eight Banners, there are still many Niulu that haven't been filled. If you wish to recruit these Mongol surrenders, simply distribute them to the various Niulu according to the old rules." The Eight Banners were, of course, primarily composed of Jurchens, but there were also foreigners. Even within the fifteen Niulu led by Nurhaci himself, there were many Mongols and even Han Chinese from Liao who had fled the harsh rule of the Ming Dynasty. However, these people were dispersed among the various Niulu, rather than being organized separately.

Nurhaci didn't speak immediately, only glancing at Daishan. Just as he was about to speak, the Fourth Prince, Huang Taiji, walked alone through the Yellow Banner guards gathered at the camp gate and came in front of the two men.

"Greetings, Khan." Huang Taiji knelt down and saluted Nurhaci.

"You're here," Nurhaci said, swallowing the words that had rolled to his throat. His eyes shifted from Daishan's face to the tuft of rat tail on the back of Huang Taiji's head. "Is there any new intelligence?"

"Yes, Khan Ama." Huang Taiji curled up on the ground with an extremely humble attitude.

"Stand up and talk." Nurhaci said with a slight beckoning.

"Thank you, Khan." Huang Taiji quickly stood up and saluted Daishan. "Greetings, Grand Prince."

"No need to be so polite, Eighth Brother." Daishan forced a kind smile. "If there is any urgent news, please report it to Khan Ama immediately."

"Khan Ama." Huang Taiji turned to Nurhaci and reported, "Our spies in Liaoyang City have reported that the eunuchs sent by the new emperor of Mingguo have arrived in Liaoyang."

"Hmm," Nurhaci glanced at Daishan inconspicuously, then asked Huang Taiji, "Why did the emperor send the imperial envoy to Liaodong?"

Nurhaci attached great importance to intelligence gathering. During his attacks on Qinghe, Kaiyuan, and Tieling, he repeatedly leveraged the connections of Li Yongfang, a surrendered general from Fushun, to establish contacts within the cities. This was largely responsible for the Eight Banners' ability to capture the cities with minimal effort. Through long-term operations, he now had spies in every fortress and city in Liaodong, even at the Joseon court. As long as Xiong Tingbi didn't order the city gates to be locked and prohibited from entering or leaving, he could gather the latest intelligence from each city, even the strategic deployments of the Ming army.

For example, Nurhaci learned the news of the imperial envoy's departure from Beijing through the intelligence line in North Korea. After that, Nurhaci kept a close eye on the movements of the imperial envoy.

"It should be as the spies in various cities reported before. The emperor sent an imperial envoy to Liao to reward the troops. The imperial envoy's convoy is very long, and he should have brought a lot of things." Huang Taiji was interrupted by Nurhaci before he finished speaking.

"Why did the emperor reward the troops? Was it to urge the war? Did the Ming army stationed in Liaoyang move north?" Nurhaci asked three increasingly specific questions in succession, which gradually relaxed Huang Taiji's expression.

Huang Taiji picked up the third question and answered, "At least when the spies left Liaoyang, the southern troops had not yet moved north."

After receiving the imperial edict, Xiong Tingbi lifted the martial law in the entire city. However, the spies asked around and did not leave Liaoyang until noon the next day.

"If there's nothing new, then what are you reporting?" Nurhaci frowned slightly.

"There's something new!" Huang Taiji said hurriedly.

"explain."

"After the imperial envoy arrived, Xiong Manzi posted notices all over the city. He said Gao Huai would be tortured to death soon." Huang Taiji added, "It was the eunuch who collected the mining tax."

"Gao Huai." Nurhaci certainly remembered this name. He had sent Gao Huai numerous gifts through Li Chengliang, "when Wang Mang was humble and had yet to usurp the throne." "He's actually still alive, even though the new emperor wants to use him to establish his authority." The wrinkles on Nurhaci's face thickened.

Upon hearing of the Wanli Emperor's death, Nurhaci felt a complex mix of emotions. There was a sense of regret, a sense of sadness he couldn't articulate, but also a mixture of anticipation and anticipation. He hoped the new emperor would be as weak, cowardly, and lustful as the rumors had suggested. He hoped that upon taking power, he would force Xiong Tingbi out of the city for a decisive battle, or simply remove him from office.

But the emperor, Zhu Changluo, looked like a truly wise ruler. Not only had he suppressed all criticism of Xiong Tingbi during the height of the court debate, but he had even used the imperial treasury to pay the troops. This couldn't help but make Nurhaci wary and concerned. "Anything else?" Nurhaci, distracted, glanced at Daishan as usual. Before last September, Daishan had been the one liaising with the spies.

Daishan noticed Khan Ama Gaiyi's gaze, and the sadness in his heart became even more intense.

"Khan Ama is wise, there are indeed some." Huang Taiji's tone was very calm, without any emotion. "Xiong Manzi's royal banner left Liaoyang. But he himself seems not to have left."

"The flag moves, but the people remain the same." Nurhaci paced back and forth, muttering to himself, "What is he trying to do?"

"Could it be related to the recent unrest in Shenyang?" Huang Taiji said cautiously.

"What turmoil?" Since he no longer had access to first-hand intelligence, Daishan was not aware of the news that had come out of Shenyang some time ago.

"This." Huang Taiji did not answer, but looked at Khan Ama with a hesitant look.

Nurhaci did not comment on this. Instead, he turned to face the Mongol camp behind him and asked Huang Taiji, "The number of Mongols who have come to join our Khan is almost more than two Jala. I would like to follow the Eight Banners system and organize the Mongols into Niulu. What do you think, Si Beile?"

Daishan's expression froze when he heard this. Khan Ama had asked the same question again in front of him, clearly dissatisfied with his answer. Daishan suddenly felt a little annoyed, but the words were already out of his mouth and he couldn't take them back.

"Khan Ama is wise," Huang Taiji immediately praised him. "The banner system was the first sacred system established by the Great Jin. Khan Ama was able to defeat the Ming Dynasty several times because the banner system was well-organized and united the people. If the Mongols were to be organized into separate Niulu, it would not only prevent the miscellaneous population and the resulting chaos, but also help to bring the Mongols into the Jin Dynasty and make them loyal to our country."

"It seems you have thought about it a long time ago." Nurhaci showed his first smile of the day.

"If I can coincidentally please the Emperor, I will be greatly honored." Huang Taiji had not thought about it. He just praised the Emperor casually, and then in his quick wit picked up a few reasons that did not sound too awkward to agree with him.

Daishan suddenly lost his mind in the chaos and asked, "If the Mongols are to be organized into Niulu, under which banner will they be assigned?"

"You should take care of your family affairs first, and you don't need to worry about this." Nurhaci said coldly: "Fourth Prince. You will be responsible for compiling the Mongolian Niulu."

Huang Taiji was overjoyed, but he suppressed his smile and gave Daishan a seemingly sincere apology. Then he knelt down and said, "Your son will obey the order of Khan Ama."

"Huh!" Nurhaci let out a long breath. "Continue the espionage. We must thoroughly investigate the strategic deployment of the Ming army and the movements of every general."

"Yes." Huang Taiji accepted the order solemnly.

"Also, increase the number of cavalry and scouts. As soon as possible, clarify the perimeter deployment of the three towns of Shenyang, Fengji, and Hupi, as well as the location of the newly added watchtowers."

"Yes!"

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While Nurhaci was actively sending troops to investigate the situation around Shen, Feng and Hu, He Shixian also arranged batches of night patrols to go deep into enemy areas to gather intelligence.

According to classification, the Night Guards, responsible for conducting espionage and enemy reconnaissance, belong to the ranks of scouts. Until now, they have no specific organization. They can be affiliated with a certain watchtower and be under the jurisdiction of the guarding officer; they can also be affiliated with a certain guard and be under the jurisdiction of the guard officer; or they can be affiliated with a certain battalion or fort and be directly under the command of the fort or battalion commander.

The Yebushou troops in Shenyang were innovatively placed under the command of General He Shixian. Sun Chuanting suggested to He Shixian that all Yebushou troops, whether stationed at forts or stationed with the army, be registered and receive food and wages as the general's standard bearers, effectively permanently improving the treatment of the Yebushou. Previously, the treatment of Yebushou troops was entirely tied to the unit they belonged to.

Sun Chuanting also suggested that He Shixian improve the reporting process. He allowed for the reporting process to be kept secret, bypassing all intermediaries. When encountering important military information, he could report directly to the general himself and receive a reward. Of course, anyone who attempted to falsely report military information in exchange for a reward would be punished with death for disrupting military morale.

Sun Chuanting's suggestion did not come out of thin air. The institutional basis for his suggestion was that Xiong Tingbi provided generous food subsidies to the dispatched scouts and severely punished the acts of false reporting and non-reporting.

During his tours of Liao, Xiong Tingbi observed that life for the fort soldiers was often extremely difficult. Their armor was often incomplete, their weapons were scarce, and sometimes their superiors refused to even provide them with a knife for self-defense. If the fort was located in a desolate, uninhabited area, even water was a problem for the stationed soldiers. Even compared to the city guards, who were oppressed by officers at all levels, their lives were incredibly difficult. Their lives were simply not human.

The reason why the officers treated the scouts so lightly was simple: in times of peace, they were invincible, so why bother to spy on the enemy?
The imperial court lacked a system, and border commanders treated them with extreme contempt. This meant that Ming scouts were no match for the Mongol and Jurchen spies. Without food and pay, even water was hard to come by. When the enemy approached, the soldiers on the garrisons didn't abandon their posts and flee, and the spies didn't lead the enemy's way, which was considered a tribute to the imperial court. Still want intelligence? My lord, you'd better consult your own divination.

Although the scouts' combat skills did not improve rapidly in a short period of time, Xiong Tingbi had no way to insert spies into the thieves' lair. But at least under the combined effect of carrots and sticks, the scouts no longer fled and were willing to scout.

The intelligence about the large-scale migration of slave soldiers and the possible relocation of the slave chieftain Nurhaci to Sarhu City was obtained by the Yebushou, who risked their lives to investigate and directly relayed it to He Shixian, who then dispatched a swift horse to report it to Xiong Tingbi. Because of this information, only two of the five Yebushou who had been hiding near the fallen city of Fushun returned.

Just as He Shixian was poring over the large Liaodong map hanging on the wall, pointing and commenting on it based on the latest intelligence, scouts arrived to report that Governor Xiong Tingbi had returned to Shenyang. His troops had split into two groups, one entering the city through the south gate, while the flag bearer, carrying the royal banner, remained stationed and was moving toward the east gate.

(End of this chapter)