Huangming

Chapter 241 Internal strife is brewing, I have a plan

Inside Fushun City, a suffocating sense of oppression permeated the main hall where the Later Jin dynasty was temporarily stationed.

Nurhaci, over sixty years old, sat high on the main seat, his graying braid hanging over his shoulders, his deep wrinkles revealing lingering anger.

He was like an old tiger poised to pounce; though his hair and beard were all white, his bulging muscles still supported his heavy armor, and the veins on the back of his hand holding the whip stood out.

The Later Jin nobles lined up below, including Daišan, Amin, and Huang Taiji, were like wooden stakes nailed to the ground, deliberately keeping even the rustling of their armor soft, for fear of disturbing their enraged ruler.

For twenty years, it was this old man who led the Jianzhou Jurchens through the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, using the "Seven Grievances" as his banner.

The Battle of Sarhu terrified the Ming army, and the captured grain and cloth allowed the tribesmen to taste the sweetness of being well-fed and clothed for the first time.

Those tribal chiefs who were once hesitant are now all kneeling at his feet, holding the golden seal.

But at this moment, this prestige forged in blood is turning into a massive boulder, pressing down on all the generals in the hall, making it hard for them to breathe.

"boom!"

The blood-stained military report was slammed hard onto the blue brick floor, startling Amin so much that the tassel of his sword trembled slightly.

Nurhaci coldly swept his gaze across the crowd and said angrily, "It's been a full twenty-eight days since we marched from Sarhu to the gates of Shenyang! Apart from Fushun, a tiny place, you haven't even managed to take down the earthen fortresses surrounding Shenyang! Those Han Chinese Nikans who were captured to fill the moats are almost all dead. Are you going to have the Bayaras of the Bordered Yellow Banner take the fall next?"

Nurhaci's angry rebuke was like a thunderclap, and the entire hall fell into a deathly silence, where even breathing could hardly be heard.

The generals lowered their heads, their eyes fixed on the ground, afraid of meeting the Khan's furious gaze.

In the suffocating silence, Nurhaci suddenly turned his head, his hawk-like gaze piercing straight at Li Yongfang, who was kneeling on the ground.

This once highly trusted Han Chinese confidant now cowered like a stray dog, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, his official robes soaked with cold sweat.

"Li Yongfang!"

"Why are the intelligence you provided to me so full of errors and omissions?!"

Nurhaci's whip left a white mark on the blue brick floor, and his words carried an accusatory tone: "I gave you five thousand taels of gold to bribe the Ming army, but there wasn't a single ghost in Shenyang to meet you! The Liaoyang garrison was three times larger than you said! Is this the job you did?!"

Li Yongfang trembled like a withered leaf in the wind, stammering as he tried to explain, "My lord, please understand! The Tianqi Emperor suddenly paid the Liaodong military pay that had been owed for three years, and those Ming soldiers took the money and then turned their backs on us. Sun Chengzong and Xiong Tingbi..."

"How dare you quibble!"

Nurhaci's roar made the candlelight inside the tent flicker violently.

The old Khan's python-skin whip left a trail of afterimages in the air before lashing Li Yongfang's back with a sharp crack, instantly tearing his skin open.

Fresh blood seeped out from the tear in the cotton armor, pooling into a small dark red puddle on the blue brick floor.

"Did you feed all the gold and silver I bestowed upon you to the dogs?!"

Nurhaci's golden braid swayed violently with his movements, and his headband inlaid with pearls gleamed fiercely in the firelight.

"Where are the spies in Shenyang? Where are the soldiers in Liaoyang? Apart from a few Mongol Tartars still waving flags and shouting, what have you accomplished for me!"

Li Yongfang's fingernails dug deep into the brickwork, and her molars clenched so hard they made a grinding sound.

The scene of his surrender on the city wall of Fushun three years ago is still vivid in my mind—at that time, the old Khan personally draped a sable coat over him and promised to make him the 'son-in-law of the Jurchens'.

Now, that brocade robe has long been torn to shreds by the whip, just like his ridiculous promise.

"My lord, you are wise."

He had barely opened his mouth when another whip lashed his shoulder blade, the pain making his vision go black.

The tent reeked of blood and the acrid smell of cold sweat, and Tong Yangzhen, kneeling to the side, had his crotch soaked.

Nurhaci's breathing became increasingly heavy.

A few days ago, when he personally led the elite troops of the Eight Banners to the gates of Shenyang, he was full of vigor and high spirits.

Li Yongfang confidently assured that there would be internal strife within the city, and that the Mongol tribes would rise up in response.

But now?

The cannons on the city walls were reaping the lives of the Eight Banners warriors every day, while the promised reinforcements were nowhere to be seen.

The old Khan suddenly stopped whipping his whip.

He recalled how the Ming army's four armies crumbled under the iron cavalry of the Eight Banners at Sarhu last year.

The tribal chiefs knelt in the snow and kissed his boots, calling him 'Wise Khan'.

'Cannot lose'

Nurhaci muttered to himself, gripping the whip in his hand tighter and tighter.

Obataiji of the Khorchin tribe was still observing, while Bujantai of the Ula tribe was even more indecisive.

These wolf cubs are all waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

If we lose face at the gates of Shenyang, we fear we will be attacked by all sides next spring.

"Snapped!"

"Slap!" "Slap!"

The cracking of the whip grew faster and heavier.

There wasn't a single good piece of flesh left on Li Yongfang's back, but he still bit his lip tightly, not daring to make a sound.

He knew that if he screamed now, what awaited him was not a whip, but a sharp knife to sever his wrist.

The brothers Tong Yangxing and Tong Yangzhen, kneeling to the side, were terrified.

They were originally highly regarded by Nurhaci, and with their extensive network of connections in Liaodong, they were responsible for persuading Ming generals to surrender and turning border guards against defection.

But now, all those secret letters and promises of great benefits, delivered with great effort, have vanished without a trace. Not only have they failed to persuade any officers to defect, but not even a single ordinary soldier has responded.

This futile task has now become a sword hanging over our heads.

Their heads were almost touching the ground, their buttocks were sticking up high, and the felt pads under their knees were stained with dark marks from the cold sweat seeping from their foreheads. Even their breathing was trembling and rapid.

"Khan!"

A furious shout rang out inside the tent, and Daishan strode forward, his face ashen.

It's time to kick someone when they're down.

"That scoundrel Li Yongfang dared to spread false military intelligence; according to the law, he should be executed!"

"Since my Eight Banners elite troops arrived in Liaodong, he kept saying that the people in Shenyang were in a state of panic and that a little coercion would cause internal strife, enough to disrupt the Ming army's formation. But what was the result? The city walls remained high, the soldiers remained in formation, and there was not a trace of chaos! Our army has been unable to break through the stalemate for so long. Shouldn't the blame for this missed opportunity be placed on him?"

"Let's look at Liaoyang again!"

Dai Shan's voice grew increasingly sharp as his gaze swept over the people inside the tent.

"That scoundrel said before that Liaoyang's defenses were lax and the soldiers and civilians were complacent, but our scouts risked being shot through by Ming dogs' arrows and risked their lives to sneak to the city to find out that Liaoyang was already under martial law, with arrow towers covering the city walls, and heavy troops gathered in Shenyang and Liaoyang. Not even a bird could fly in!"

"What's even more hateful is that along the Hun River, at Fengjibao, Baitapu, Hupiyi... wherever our army might advance, the Ming dogs have dug countless trenches, some deep enough to bury half a person, some wide enough to block warhorses, clearly to hinder our army's advance!"

His tone suddenly shifted, piercing the Tong brothers like an ice pick: "And you two good-for-nothings! The Tong family has been operating in Liaodong for many years, claiming to have disciples and former officials everywhere, but what has been the result? Have you only been busy hoarding gold and silver and dreaming of getting rich, or have you been secretly colluding with traitors and leaking the Khan's military secrets?"

"Otherwise, why would all the families of those Ming dynasty military households have been evacuated from the garrisons and fortresses under the jurisdiction of Liaozuo?"

"Our army originally wanted to capture some local Nikan people to force them to attack the city, but now we can only forcibly conscript them from places like Kaiyuan and Tieling. Doesn't all of this seem like the Ming dogs had already laid a trap, just waiting for our army to fall into it?!"

"Your Majesty! I am innocent!"

"Your Majesty, you are wise! This humble servant would never dare to have any disloyal thoughts!"

Dai Shan's words struck them like a thunderbolt. Li Yongfang, Tong Yangxing, and Tong Yangzhen felt their blood freeze instantly. They no longer cared about their dignity and crawled forward half a foot on their knees, their neck veins bulging and their voices trembling like candles in the wind.

They knew all too well that every gaze in the tent held a hidden knife. If Nurhaci so much as frowned, their heads would roll to the ground in the blink of an eye, and their families and guards would be dragged away to become slaves!
"master!"

Li Yongfang's forehead slammed against the ground with a "thud," and bloodstains were splattered on the felt mat.

"My loyalty to you is witnessed by Heaven and Earth! I abandoned darkness for light back then because I saw through the tyranny of the Ming Dynasty and how its oppressive government was more ferocious than a tiger. That's why I wholeheartedly submitted to the Great Jin! If I have even the slightest disloyalty, may I fall into the eighteenth level of hell after death and never be reborn!"

Tong Yangxing immediately kowtowed, his voice trembling with sobs: "Master! You know that those Ming officials are tyrannical and oppressive, treating us Liao people like dirt. My father and brothers all died at their hands! If it weren't for the Khan's divine might, my Tong family would have long been innocent victims of the Ming dogs' blades. How could we bear the infamy of the ages and collude with our blood enemies?"

Tong Yangzhen was so anxious that he became incoherent, repeatedly kowtowing his forehead to the ground: "Master...this servant...this servant's whole family makes a living under the Khan's command, my daughters have all married into Manchu families, and the lives of our entire family are tied to the Great Jin...how dare, how dare we betray him..."

The people inside the tent had different expressions: the princes either watched coldly or had a hint of sarcasm on their lips; some of the ministers and officers lowered their eyes and remained silent, while others could not hide their excitement.

With these Han Chinese lackeys losing power, wouldn't there be an opportunity for a redistribution of their troops, wealth, and resources?

This mighty Eight Banners army, seemingly an impenetrable force that swept across the battlefield, was actually a turbulent place within, with power struggles among the princes and divisions between the Manchus and Han Chinese constantly raging.

The Jurchen nobles looked down on Han Chinese generals who surrendered, using their familiarity with the Liaodong region to keep a close eye on their military power and wealth. If they made any mistakes, they would pounce on them and tear them apart.

Dai Shan's attack at this moment is not merely about questioning military intelligence.

Anyone with eyes can see that he's been eyeing Li Yongfang's eight regiments for quite some time now.

These eight Niru were elite troops that Li Yongfang brought with him when he surrendered. Their territory was fertile and their soldiers were well-equipped, which had long made many Beile (princes) envious.

Now that we've seized this opportunity to correct our mistake, when will we ever get another chance?
The time is ripe.

Huang Taiji, who had been observing this tense questioning from the sidelines, finally emerged slowly from the shadows.

"Father, please accept my report."

He first bowed deeply to Nurhaci, then raised his head and swept his gaze across the crowd like a quenched blade, and said loudly: "Although Li Yongfang and others have made mistakes, their loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon. At this time of attacking the city, if we severely punish the surrendered generals, I fear it will discourage the army from returning to our side."

Before he finished speaking, Dai Shan's sword rang out with a dissatisfied clang.

"Huang Taiji, what do you mean?"

Huang Taiji seemed not to hear, and took three steps forward, staring intently at Nurhaci.

"Father, I have a plan that can help you take Shenyang as quickly as possible!"

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(End of this chapter)