Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 302 Outside Fengji Fort
Even after receiving a heavy slap, Jibu Keda showed no dissatisfaction. "No one passed on a false order. It was just me who underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly."

"Over a hundred dead and wounded, all Bannermen! How do you expect me to explain this to the Khan?" Watching the wounded, both lightly wounded and seriously injured, being transported to the rear, Dudu's heart was filled with anger, self-blame, and fear. Now, these emotions were expressed in a rage. "Using five hundred men to charge two or three thousand! Are you crazy or are you trying to save your life?"

"I was thinking about Li Bingcheng, not He Shixian," Jibu Keda wanted to defend himself.

Jibu Keda had reason to despise Li Bingcheng. The previous year, in the fifth year of the Tianming reign, Nurhaci personally led a large army south, hoping to swiftly defeat the Ming army and capture Shenyang, as he had done previously. However, upon reaching Shenyang, Nurhaci discovered that the Ming army was not in complete disarray as in previous battles. Instead, the main force had been well-organized and well-prepared, and the retreating soldiers he had encountered were merely scouts. Consequently, Nurhaci quickly adjusted his strategy and ordered his main force to slow down.

There was no intense fighting between the main forces of the Jin and Ming armies during this attack, and the Jin army was unable to inflict heavy casualties on the Ming army as it had previously done.

But the problem is that in this offensive and defensive tug-of-war that spanned the north and south and involved cities such as Yilu, Puhe, Shenyang, and Fengji, and in which the commanders of both sides personally took the field to command, there was a local battlefield.

At that time, Jin cavalry scouts discovered a large Ming army, so Nurhaci sent the Left Wing Banner to conduct reconnaissance. After receiving the order from the Left Wing, Manggurtai, the leader of the Zhenglan Banner, personally led a hundred elite soldiers to the battle.

Afterwards, Manggurtai reported that he had chased thousands of Ming troops all the way across the Hun River and only retreated near Shenyang. During this time, he also charged and fought for a while, causing hundreds of casualties to the Ming army.

Later, spies reported that the Ming army that was "forced out" by Manggurtai was led by Li Bingcheng, and numbered nearly 10,000. So Jibukeda naturally believed that Li Bingcheng was a weak man. At that time, Manggurtai could charge 100 to 10,000, so Jibukeda could charge 3,000 with 500.

What Jibukeda didn't know was that Manggurtai had cunningly only described the casualties and the enemy-to-us ratio, without detailing the specifics of the battle. If he had spoken with Li Bingcheng or Xiong Tingbi, he would have known that the army Manggurtai was pursuing was indeed led by Li Bingcheng, and that the army had indeed reached Shenyang. But it wasn't a forced retreat; Li Bingcheng's destination was Shenyang, and this force was a reinforcement.

The Ming army had no idea of ​​this cavalry unit of just over a hundred men until they were ambushed by Manggurtai near the Hun River. The Ming army didn't even mention the ambush in writing, simply recording it as part of the standoff at Huishan in a memorial to the emperor.

Therefore, the troops fighting against Manggurtai were not Li Bingcheng's most elite troops from the beginning to the end, but newly recruited, newly trained infantry who had not yet deployed in battle formation. Manggurtai retreated without even seeing Li Bingcheng.

In other words, Manggurtai followed the Ming army all the way, launched a surprise attack when the Ming army was unstable, caused losses to the Ming army, and retreated in time before the Ming army's counterattack arrived. This was very clever. However, he blurred the details, exaggerated his bravery, and ultimately led Jibu Keda to misjudge.

"Why do you look down on others? If the reinforcements had been delayed a moment, my elite troops of the Bordered White Banner would have been wiped out!" Seeing the horses carrying corpses, Du Du became even more angry. "You brought back so many corpses, why didn't you just die there?"

Jibu Keda raised his head suddenly, tears of grievance welling up in his old eyes. These words hurt Jibu Keda more than the pain on his face.

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After escaping the battle, Li Bingcheng led nearly 3,000 cavalrymen to retreat for several miles before stopping to rest at a hilltop where there was no smoke and no retreat.

"From each of the two formations of light cavalry, send one team to act as scouts to expand reconnaissance. If you encounter other scouts, immediately withdraw and inform us of our position." Li Bingcheng nodded to the soldiers who came to greet him and gave orders to the captain beside him. "If you have any important intelligence, send two cavalrymen to report back here and to Liulidun."

"Yes." The two captains in charge of commanding the light cavalry had just stepped onto the first step of the platform when they retreated to pass on the order.

Li Bingcheng climbed onto the platform and looked in the direction they had come from. He glanced around and saw no enemy cavalry within a few miles. He then said to the three captains beside him, "Permit everyone to dismount and rest on the spot. Eat dry rations and beans to recover your strength as quickly as possible. During this rest period, everyone must remain alert and ready for orders. No one is allowed to leave their camp for any reason."

"Yes." The two light cavalry captains looked at each other, smiled silently, and went back to pass on the order.

Li Bingcheng chewed on the same dry rations as he and the three captains gazed toward Fushun. At this moment, the horizontal beacon smoke, originally a single layer, had shrunk into a single mass. But the subsequent beacons were often two or three, not five. This indicated that the slave soldiers had dispatched a small force capable of threatening the fort, intentionally dispersing the fort's troops.

Although the Jin army would constantly drive out the soldiers stationed at the forts during their advance, they would not extinguish the beacon fires. This was because the beacon fires on the forts served as a fixed signal; once lit, the signal was established. Furthermore, keeping the beacon fires on would help scouts accurately report the enemy's position.

Li Bingcheng hoped that the cavalry scouts could bring back information about the slave army's main camp and the elite cavalry in time. However, the Jin army's cavalry scouts were also deployed in large numbers across the plains, making it difficult for the Ming army's cavalry scouts to avoid their in-depth reconnaissance.

After about two quarters of an hour, the beacon smoke moved a little closer to Fengji, but the latest and most useful information in Li Bingcheng's hands was still only the direction and approximate number of the enemy's cavalry for rescue.

"General! Look!" In a trance, a captain standing on the watchtower with Li Bingcheng pointed at a cavalry scout of the Jin army that appeared in their field of vision.

"It seems they've discovered us too," Li Bingcheng said. "Let's go and retreat to Liulidun."

Li Bingcheng had no intention of returning to the city, but a gentleman would not build a dangerous wall. Even if he had to fight, he would fight within his own sphere of influence.

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After Huang Taiji led his troops out of the main camp, the cavalry scouts of the four flags on the left wing were all commanded by him alone.

Like Li Bingcheng, Huang Taiji also continued to send out spies, more spies.

He not only wanted to find the position of the Ming army as quickly as possible, but also hoped to deceive the Ming army by driving out their spies, quietly approach the main force of the Ming army's cavalry, and then launch a surprise attack. In this way, even if he could not annihilate the Ming army, he could severely undermine its morale.

But the facts proved that Huang Taiji still thought the matter was too simple. Even though he sent out nearly 300 cavalry scouts from the four flags to scout in all directions and continuously drive away the enemy, there were still Ming army scouts who risked their lives to rush into his vicinity to scout and escape unscathed.

"Stop!" Huang Taiji saw the main force of the Ming army in the distance from the hilltop nine miles outside Fengji Fort. He knew that the Ming army had also seen him.

Huang Taiji could already see the outline of Fengji Fort, but he did not immediately order an attack. Instead, he said to the messenger beside him, "Go and call Jibu Keda, Buha, and Tong Yangzhen over."

"Yes."

Despite his harsh words and even a slap in the face, Dudu returned Jibu Keda to Huang Taiji after receiving the wounded, the remains, and the captured and recovered armor and weapons. He hoped he could redeem himself with meritorious service and expiate the shame of his crimes with the head of a Ming general. Otherwise, upon returning to Sarhu, Jibu Keda would undoubtedly face severe punishment from Nurhaci. If he returned like this, not only would his status as Jiala Ezhen be revoked, but even his status as Niulu Ezhen might be stripped.

Huang Taiji was also very tolerant. After Jibu Keda returned with the elite troops of the Bordered White Banner, instead of blaming him too much or sending him back, he comforted him with kind words.

"Fourth Prince." Soon, the commanders of the three left wing banners gathered around Huang Taiji. "Yes," Huang Taiji nodded in response, and said to the messenger who had returned with the commanders, "Listen carefully. When I finish speaking, go to the left wing and report our situation to the Khan."

"Yes." The messenger responded solemnly.

"Buha." Then, Huang Taiji looked at the commander of the Zhenglan Banner, Bayala Jiala Ezhen Shumulu Buha.

"Fourth Prince." Although the distance between the two was close enough for him to hear the order clearly, Buha still turned his horse closer and saluted to show his respect.

"I want you to hand over all the Bayala of the Zhenglan Banner to Jibu Keda's command." Huang Taiji stared at the direction of the Ming army and did not find any unusual movements.

Buha was stunned for a moment. "As you command."

"What are you doing?" Jibu Keda was also confused. He opened his mouth to ask, but Huang Taiji waved his hand to stop him. "Listen to me."

"Yes." Jibu Keda stopped immediately.

"I will hand over the Plain White Banner's light cavalry to Tong Yangzhen for command." Huang Taiji looked at Tong Yangzhen, who saluted in return. Huang Taiji then looked at Jibu Keda. "Jibu Keda, I want you to hand over the Bordered White Banner's light cavalry to Buha for command."

"I obey your command." Jibu Keda nodded slightly. He probably guessed what Huang Taiji was doing.

After dividing the troops and adjusting the commanders, Huang Taiji began to deploy tactics: "Later, Buha will move to the left wing, and Tong Yangzhen will move to the right wing. Each of us will use arrows to attack the Ming army from a distance. Jibu Keda and I will lead the troops to charge the enemy from the center. If the Ming army besieges Jibu Keda and me, the left and right wings will coordinate to charge and disperse the Ming army. If the Ming army does not disperse, we will surround them."

"Yes, sir." The three of them accepted the order.

After saying this, Huang Taiji said to the messenger, "Hurry and go to the Khan to ask for help. Run as fast as you can!"

"Yes." The messenger rode away on horseback.

While the Jin army appeared to have fewer men than the Ming, Huang Taiji was certain that, while powerful, the Ming army was no monster, merely an elite force. He had asked Jibu Keda, and he knew that in the previous encounter, the total number of Ming soldiers killed, wounded, and injured who fell from their horses and were subsequently killed by the Jin army was approximately fifty. With Jibu Keda's 500 against 3,000, he was able to achieve a near one-to-one exchange.

He now had 2,300 men under his command. If he charged with this force, even if he couldn't break the enemy line, he would at least be able to pin them down. The four flags on the right wing had already assembled and were not far from here. If he could hold off the enemy for a while until reinforcements arrived, he could potentially wipe out the elite troops at Fengji Fort in one fell swoop, severely damaging the morale of the Ming army.

"Everyone go back and quickly adjust your deployment." Huang Taiji turned his head and stared at the Ming army's position, his eyes flickering with a glint of fire. "Wait for me to signal the attack, then we'll attack together."

"Yes!" The three main generals received the order in unison.

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On the Ming army's position, Li Bingcheng, adhering to the principle of "I won't move unless the enemy does," sat on his horse and silently observed the Jin army's position. After the relatively successful battle and a period of rest, the morale of the Ming army was high, and the soldiers were ready to fight, showing no fear at all.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the Jin army's position, and Li Bingcheng subconsciously thought that the slave soldiers were about to attack. Two breaths later, he realized that the slave soldiers were adjusting their formation.

His close followers also noticed this and said, "General, the enemy has changed their formation. We can take this opportunity to charge forward and disrupt their deployment. We will surely defeat them in one fell swoop!"

"No, no." Li Bingcheng was very cautious.

"Are you not going to fight anymore?" the attendant was puzzled. "The enemy cavalry is smaller than ours, why not take advantage of the chaos and charge at them?"

"It won't cause any chaos." Li Bingcheng said, "Although the slave soldiers are barbaric, they are not stupid. If they dare to change their formation in front of me, they won't be afraid of me charging into their formation at this time. Moreover, the two armies are three miles apart, and it will take more than a moment for them to reach each other. By then, our army will have fought for three miles, and their horses and men will be exhausted, and the slave soldiers will be able to rest and wait for them to tire out. Moreover, the slave chief's elite troops are definitely not limited to this group, and there must be bandits hiding behind them. We are in the open, and the enemy is in the dark. If we are trapped in their formation, it will be difficult for us to escape." Li Bingcheng weighed the steel gun in his hand. "It is better to return to the city and wait for reinforcements. When Shen and Hu's troops arrive, we can wait for an opportunity to act."

Over two thousand cavalrymen, including hundreds of "Ming-armored household servants," were a force Li Bingcheng would never confront without reinforcements. He had only a handful of elite troops, and every loss was a loss. If they were wiped out, Fengji Fort would be left without any mobile force. He would then be forced to retreat and passively defend, awaiting reinforcements.

"Then why not retreat now?" the attendant asked again.

"No rush." ​​Li Bingcheng chuckled and said, "Order the three formations to wait for my signal arrow. Once the arrow is fired, the left and right light cavalry formations will immediately move west and enter the city via the south gate. The lance cavalry formations will follow me and lure the enemy out of the east gate, then retreat and stay. If I fire another signal arrow, they will also retreat and enter the city via the south gate."

"Yes." Several personal attendants immediately rode away to pass on the message.

After a while, the Jin army changed its formation and the commotion on the battlefield gradually subsided.

As Li Bingcheng's Jin army adjusted its deployment, Huang Taiji kept a close eye on the Ming army's positions. Noticing only a few Ming cavalrymen were moving back and forth, Huang Taiji could imagine they were likely delivering orders. He certainly didn't know what the orders were, but the fact that Li Bingcheng didn't take advantage of this so-called "open window" to attack at least showed that he was a clear-headed man, unlike He Shixian, who was a reckless and reckless warrior.

Huang Taiji was on high alert, but he showed no sign of changing his mind. Silently, he drew his whistling arrow and drew the bowstring to its full length, aiming at the setting sun.

Then, a flare arrow was shot out, drawing a mournful wail like a ghost in the sky.

"Kill!" The light cavalry on the left and right wings responded at the same time, roaring and rushing out of the position.

The roar of the Jin army was like thunder, covering up the last note of the flare arrow before it landed.

The whistle arrow was stuck straight into the ground, and it looked like a shining artifact under the sunlight, until a horse suddenly came from the middle of the road and ruthlessly stepped on it and broke it into two pieces.

(End of this chapter)