Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 525: Discussion on Retreating

For the Ming army, the Jin army's assault on Shenyang, which destroyed five trenches in a single day and inflicted nearly 2,000 casualties, was a truly terrifying event. During the First Sino-Japanese War to Aid Korea, the Ming army, commanded by General Li Rusong, recaptured Pyongyang, Kaesong, and Hanyang, with only 1,241 soldiers killed. While the current Shenyang defenders were no match for the troops deployed to Korea, they nonetheless demonstrate the strength and fortitude of Nurhaci's Jin army.

However, this kind of bloody attack and defense that frightened the Ming army defending the city was not what Nurhaci wanted to see.

To launch this unprecedented war for the nation's destiny, Nurhaci mobilized virtually all of the Jin Empire's young and able-bodied men, squeezing their labor force to its limit. He drafted 100,000 of the 120,000 men of all kinds from the 231 Niulu. Of these 100,000, nearly 40,000 were so-called armored men—permanently enlisted soldiers—while the remaining 60,000 were surplus men who served as laborers and attendants during normal times and could be conscripted into the army in wartime.

Although the intense siege lasted only the first and last two days of the seven days, the ten days of attack and defense had already resulted in over ten thousand casualties on the Jin side. Of these ten thousand, nearly three thousand were valuable armored personnel; every loss was a loss. While the casualties of the remaining soldiers were not as deplorable, they were still valuable labor. If these casualties were too high and not replaced in a timely manner, post-war production would be hampered.

Thinking of this, Nurhaci was furious. He pulled off the leather belt from his waist and beat and kicked Yuetuo. Nurhaci kicked and cursed, using more and more dirty words.

Before ordering Daishan and Yuetuo to separate, Nurhaci might have still considered Yuetuo his grandson, but after the separation, the then 22-year-old Yuetuo was a full-fledged adult. Nurhaci, despite his age, was still very strong and showed no mercy in his beatings, as if all these more than 10,000 people were carried to the city of Shenyang by Yuetuo.

"Stop hitting me! I was wrong, I was wrong!" Yuetuo had long since learned the classic principle of "take the small stick, walk away if it's too heavy." Seeing that his excuses were ineffective and the beatings on him were getting heavier, Yuetuo simply dodged and hid beside his father, trying to direct his grandfather's anger towards his father. "Grandfather! Grandfather! My Bordered Red Banner suffered heavy casualties, all because my father's Plain Red Banner stayed behind and didn't fight! If the Plain Red Banner had given their all to support us, how could we have suffered such a terrible defeat!"

"Ha!" Daishan refused to let this rebellious son drag him down, so he dodged and dodged to the side. "The Khan's order to me was to support the feint attack. Yuetuo! Don't think you can get away with it by throwing dirty water on me, your father!"

Daishan even wished Nurhaci would just beat Yuetuo, the foolish and greedy rebellious son, to death. Then, perhaps, he could regain the Bordered Red Banner. Sons were like that; even if he lost one, he still had five. There was no need to cherish them too much. Moreover, this was a rebellious son who was grinding his teeth and trying to steal food from his mouth.

"The Zhenghong Banner's men weren't feinting at all," Yuetuo said as Daishan dodged Nurhaci's beating. "They weren't attacking at all!"

"You idiot! Do you even know what support is?" Daishan dodged again, almost kicking Yuetuo himself. "My mission is to prevent the Ming troops from the north and south from interfering with the offensive from the east! Tell me honestly, has the Bordered Red Banner been attacked from the north and south?"

"Of course!" Yuetuo rolled over twice on the ground, almost knocking over the torch in the tent. "Otherwise, why would the battle be so difficult?"

"Do you think I'll attack only if two or three thousand of the Zhenghong Banner die? Great Khan, I'm willing to face him head-on. Call all the people here and see if I've ever ordered them to stand aside and watch!" Daishan then said to Nurhaci, "You're nothing but a reckless wretch. You can't do anything but reckless attacks. If you keep fighting like this, you'll eventually wipe out the entire Xianghong Banner!"

Daishan's words were like a sharp arrow, accidentally but accurately piercing Nurhaci's heart. It also relieved the physical pain that Yuetuo was suffering.

"Oh!" Nurhaci sighed, threw down the leather belt in his hand, and fell heavily to the ground.

"Khan Ama!" Daishan immediately stopped running, knelt down in front of Nurhaci, and put on the appearance of a filial son, gently stroking Nurhaci's back. "Please don't let this kid's defeat hurt your health! What to do next, how to fight in Shenyang, is up to you."

"Why continue fighting?" Nurhaci said, hunched over dejectedly, like a withered old tree. "Call the flag leaders and generals to discuss retreat."

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Another half hour later, Huang Taiji, Nurhaci's eighth son and the fourth prince, leader of the Plain White Banner, and Du Du, Nurhaci's eldest grandson and eldest son of Chu Ying, leader of the Bordered White Banner, each arrived at the Khan's tent with a group of influential and noble Jala Ezhen.

At this time, Nurhaci had already returned to his seat. His breathing had evened out, and the anger on his face had faded. He seemed to have regained his hawk-like gaze, looking down upon the world with his superiority.

However, the sharp-eyed and clever generals still caught Nurhaci's mess before he knelt and kowtowed. The old Khan must have been angry again.

"Knowing the Khan!" The generals knelt and kowtowed.

"Everyone stand up and sit down." Nurhaci's voice, which he maintained deliberately, lost its dignity due to the phlegm stuck in his throat that he couldn't cough out.

"Thank you, Great Khan!" The generals stood up and sat cross-legged in their respective seats in order.

"In recent days, I've received frequent urgent reports from the rear," Nurhaci began, but he didn't directly mention the current battle situation. "It says that while we were engaged in bloody battles, the cunning Ming army sent large numbers of roving troops to frequently harass the deserted tribal villages in our rear, killing and injuring many unarmed women and children. As the saying goes, if the rear is unstable, the front cannot be secure. Therefore, I have decided to temporarily withdraw my troops and thoroughly eliminate these despicable and despicable Ming roving troops. Once the rear is secure and there are no more loopholes for us to exploit, we will discuss attacking the Ming and seeking revenge. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Yuetuo, who had just been severely beaten, was stunned. He had never expected that Nurhaci's reason for retreating would be an attack from the rear. Yuetuo secretly glanced at Daishan and found that his father was still as calm as before.

In terms of military accomplishment and political acumen, Yuetuo and his father Daishan were completely on a different level. The moment Nurhaci proposed to withdraw his troops, Daishan guessed that his Khan Ama would probably find a way to save his own life instead of withdrawing his troops directly on the grounds of military failure.

Daishan supported the withdrawal of troops. Shenyang's will to resist was surprisingly strong, completely different from Fu, Qing, Kai, and Tie. If Shenyang was attacked just like that, even if Shenyang was finally taken down, it would be a miserable victory that would not be worth the loss. But the problem was that the excuse Nurhaci found for himself was not perfect, and it might not convince the generals below. Sure enough, not long after the big tent fell silent, Guoluo Darhan, the son of Nurhaci's sister, the husband of Nurhaci's second daughter, the son-in-law, the Niulu Ezhen under the Bordered Yellow Banner, who had recently led troops into Yilu and plundered hundreds of people and livestock, came out and kowtowed and advised, "Khan! The damage caused by the Ming army's wandering soldiers in the rear is nothing more than a minor disease and an itchy problem. I think that we should just send a detachment to clear it up, why should we withdraw the troops?"

In Dalhan's view, if he lost a woman, he could find another one; if he lost a son, he could have another one. It was obviously an exaggeration to withdraw troops because of such a small loss.

"Prince Darhan is absolutely right. I am willing to lead the troops to search the mountains and wipe out the Ming army's stray soldiers!"

"I'm willing to go!" After Dalhan spoke, several other generals who had benefited from the proposal quickly came forward to express their agreement. Without exception, they were all powerful officials who had settled in Sarhu City or Jiefan Village.

Daishan felt that it was time to speak up for Khan Ama, but he couldn't find the perfect opportunity.

A less high-level perspective reveals that while the Jin army was hindered, the battle was not over. The Liaoyang reinforcements south of Shenyang, halted in their tracks after being blocked, stopped short of advancing to relieve the siege. The Ming troops stationed in Fengji and Hupi were even afraid to march out of the city, blocked by the two blue banners. For most of the Jin army, these weaklings simply remained huddled within the city, completely devoid of fighting spirit. Consequently, many, including some wounded who witnessed the Ming army's minor defeat, believed that with a stronger effort, they could capture Shenyang and even capitalize on this momentum to push all the way out of Liaodong.

The premise of telling everyone that they need to stop losses is to admit the losses and admit that the strategy has failed. But Nurhaci obviously did not want to admit the losses, and Daishan did not want to help Nurhaci admit it.

Nurhaci was already deeply suspicious of Daishan. Daishan felt that if he went against Nurhaci's wishes and rashly admitted losses, even if he had good intentions and ultimately withdrew his troops, Nurhaci might suspect him of attempting to undermine the Great Khan's authority and seize power.

Just as Daishan was racking his brains for words, the eighth elder Huang Taiji, who was sitting across from him, suddenly spoke up: "Darhan! Are you so cruel?"

"I don't understand what the Fourth Prince means." Dalhan was stunned.

"From what I've heard, the Ming army was very active, and several small tribes were even massacred by the Ming army! The Ming army's atrocities were numerous and tragic, and you actually call it a minor ailment, a minor itching!" Huang Taiji's views were almost identical to Daishan's, but he didn't dwell on Daishan's hesitation and directly followed Nurhaci's line. He would oppose anyone who jumped out to oppose him.

"Fourth Prince, the losses in the rear are only a few hundred, not as much as the casualties in Shenyang in one day. There is always a death in war. The worst that can happen is that after we take Shenyang, we can give more spoils to those people to make up for the losses." Dalhan's opinion is similar to Yuetuo's. Shenyang has not been taken because the attack is not urgent enough. As long as the troops are increased and the siege is continued, the morale of the Ming army can be defeated and Shenyang can be taken, just like when Kaitie was captured.

"Ridiculous! How can you heal the grief of your loved ones? You only speak so lightly because you haven't suffered any harm yourself." Huang Taiji bowed to Nurhaci as he spoke. "Khan Ama is a kind and benevolent man, understanding the people's hardships and cherishing the young and vulnerable! I believe that now is the time to withdraw all our troops and consolidate our rear."

The generals surrounding Huang Taiji still hadn't quite grasped the situation. However, their psychological confusion didn't affect their support for Huang Taiji. Beyond military matters, political considerations were also crucial. Now, Grand Prince Daishan had gone from controlling two red banners to solely controlling the Bordered Red Banner. Although Yuetuo, who controlled the Bordered Red Banner, was Daishan's eldest son, the division of the family lineage itself effectively weakened Daishan's power. Furthermore, the feud between Yuetuo and Daishan was practically common knowledge.

If they take one more step, Daishan might be deposed, and Huang Taiji could compete for the position of crown prince. As long as Huang Taiji can sit on the Khan throne a hundred years after Nurhaci, then these people can preserve their wealth and status by virtue of their support for the throne.

Therefore, as soon as Huang Taiji finished speaking, these generals all knelt down with him and praised the emperor loudly: "The Khan is benevolent and wise! We are deeply grateful and admire him!"

Darhan said unconvincedly, "The Ming army's tactics are nothing more than 'encircling Wei to save Zhao.' Retreating now would mean falling into their trap, and all those who died would have died in vain!"

"Hey, Dalhan, you've read the Book of Han and know about 'Besieging Wei to Save Zhao,' right?" Huang Taiji frowned, deliberately adopting a mocking and provocative attitude. "Tell me, can we afford to not lift the siege of Wei just to attack Zhao? Do you dare to issue a military order, saying that you will lead the troops back and clear the rear? If we can't completely clear it out, and the tribe suffers, what will become of us?"

Darhan had never read Chinese books, nor did he recognize Chinese characters; he had only heard this story told to him by a Han slave who spoke Jurchen. However, Darhan clearly understood the insult, and his face flushed with anger. In his excitement, he directly retorted to Huang Taiji: "Why wouldn't I dare issue a military order? You're just asking for my head!"

Dalhan said it directly, and for a moment, Huang Taiji could not find any words to refute.

The big tent fell into silence, and everyone could only steal glances at Nurhaci.

Nurhaci did not express his opinion. He frowned slightly and looked at Daishan and asked, "Grand Prince, what do you think? Should we withdraw our troops?"

Daishan was stunned for a moment. Nurhaci's words sounded as if he was the one who proposed the withdrawal.

Should he accept the request? Daishan's mind raced: If he didn't, he would be defying his father's wishes, only to inflict further suspicion on him. But if he accepted, these people would blame him for the "wasted losses" at Shenyang. If he accepted, he would completely bid farewell to the siege of the crown prince; if he accepted, he would lose the support of the young men.

This is really a contradiction, and both sides are angry! Daishan didn't want to answer.

But at this time, Nurhaci had shifted everyone's attention to Daishan, and Daishan had to answer.

(End of this chapter)