Huangming

Chapter 250 Cleverly Seizing Military Power, Awaiting a Change of Opportunity

Eagle's Beak Bay, located 30 miles upstream of the Hun River in Shenyang.

The Plain White Banner camp was built against the mountains and beside the water, with tents stretching for miles and banners fluttering in the wind.

Not long after Liu Xingzuo left, Huang Taiji, dressed in light armor, hurriedly arrived at Abatai's camp.

The Fourth Prince had been working tirelessly on the water attack for days, and fine beads of sweat still clung to his forehead. His clothes under his light armor were soaked with sweat and clung tightly to his body.

He walked steadily, but a hint of fatigue showed between his brows.

"Seventh Brother."

Huang Taiji went straight to the point as soon as he entered the tent.

"It's been raining every day for the past few days, and the dikes we built in advance need to be reinforced immediately. The water level is rising too fast, and if the diversion dam is not completed as soon as possible, I'm afraid this water attack plan will backfire on our army."

He paused, then, fearing that Abatai might not understand, explained further: "The key to the water attack strategy lies in the construction of diversion dams. The Ming army has always been cautious in setting up camp, choosing only high ground. If the water cannot be accurately guided and allowed to flow in all directions, it will be like punching cotton, completely ineffective."

Upon hearing this, Abatai immediately stood up and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Prince, my soldiers are at your disposal and will not allow the floodwaters to get out of control!"

Huang Taiji nodded slightly, but his gaze remained solemn.

He gazed at the winding river on the sand table and said in a low voice, "Water may be the softest thing, but it can destroy cities and fortresses; however, if it is not controlled properly, it can also turn against us. We must ensure that every water diversion dam is unbreakable, otherwise, the water attack that our Great Jin has spent so much manpower and resources on will become a joke."

The tent was unbearably hot and stuffy. As he spoke, Huang Taiji loosened the tie at his collar, revealing his sun-darkened neck.

He casually picked up the water bag on the table, tilted his head back and took a few gulps, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with each swallow.

Water droplets slid down his chin and dripped onto his light armor, making a soft sound.

Upon seeing this, Abatai immediately ordered someone to bring him wet wipes.

"Fourth Prince, you have worked hard for the country."

Huang Taiji took it, casually wiped his face, removing the sweat and dust.

Abatai served him from the side, but he dared not show the slightest displeasure on his face.

Although Huang Taiji was Nurhaci's eighth son, in terms of seniority, he was indeed Abatai's younger brother.

However, this young prince was no longer an ordinary member of the royal family.

He was one of the four great princes, holding military power in the Plain White Banner, and his status in the army even far surpassed that of many of his elder brothers.

Although Abatai was older, he did not dare to act as an elder brother, and in his words he only regarded himself as Huang Taiji's subordinate, showing him great respect.

"Very good, with Seventh Brother's strong support, this water attack will surely succeed..."

Huang Taiji nodded slightly, his tone steady, but his gaze was suddenly drawn to the figure outside the tent.

He turned to look, his brows furrowing slightly: "Seventh Brother, who came just now? Why are there so many craftsmen outside the tent?"

Abatai quickly explained, recounting in detail how Liu Xingzuo, sent by Daishan, had brought ten craftsmen.

Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji's eyes flashed with doubt, and his brows furrowed tightly: "You and I know the Great Prince's character well. He has always been stingy and never does anything that doesn't make a profit. Why would he be so generous today, giving you ten craftsmen for nothing?"

Abatai gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "I also feel something is amiss, but since the person has already been sent to the camp, we can't just turn them away, can we?"

Why wouldn't you eat the meat that's already in your mouth?

Huang Taiji pondered for a moment, then finally waved his hand: "Forget it, it's just a small matter, there's no need to investigate it further for now."

His gaze sharpened again, and his tone became firm.

"The most important thing right now is the water attack plan; we must not let trivial matters interfere with the main task!"

After saying that, he strode towards the sand table, pressed his finger heavily on the location of the water diversion dam along the Hun River, and his eyes shone brightly.

Outside the tent, the craftsmen were still busy, but Huang Taiji's mind was already on the upcoming decisive battle.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside Fushun City, the Zhenghongqi (Plain Red Banner) camp was brightly lit.

The night wind carried the scent of burning pine wood, blowing the noise from inside the tents far away.

Dai Shan leaned back on the tiger-skin chair, his shirt half-open, revealing his muscular chest.

His signature raven-tail braid swayed with his laughter, glistening in the candlelight.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!"

Dai Shan's laughter echoed like muffled thunder in the tent, and a few drops of strong liquor spilled from the wine bowl in his hand as he leaned back and forth.

The guards standing on either side lowered their heads and dared not look directly at the drunken prince.

After a long while, Dai Shan finally stopped laughing, wiped away the tears of laughter with his sleeve, and waved to Liu Xingzuo, who had been standing by for a long time.

"Aita, oh Aita!"

Dai Shan's voice was slightly hoarse from being drunk, but it couldn't hide his smugness.

"Your use of a borrowed knife to kill is brilliant! When Father Khan heard that Abatai had forcibly taken my craftsmen, he was furious. He not only ordered that scoundrel to return the thirteen craftsmen, but also demanded that he personally come to apologize and compensate me with an additional twenty craftsmen!"

The faint hooting of owls could be heard outside the tent. Dai Shan, his eyes half-closed with drunkenness, counted on his thick fingers, "A craftsman can earn a hundred taels a year. These twenty people must be worth several thousand taels of silver! Hahaha! It's truly like sitting in the camp and having wealth fall from the sky!"

"Most importantly, Father Khan actually praised me! This hasn't happened in so many years! Aita! You've done a great service!"

Liu Xingzuo stood bowing before the table, trying to curry favor with Dai Shan.

"It was all thanks to the wise decision of the Great Prince. This servant only did my best to offer a small suggestion. This insignificant contribution is really not worth mentioning."

In the dog-eat-dog world of the Eight Banners camp, to gain trust, one had to first make this capricious master feel comfortable.

Daishan, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, shook the wine bowl in his hand and said with a smile, "I will remember your contributions."

"Hiccup~"

He let out a burp and waved his hand dismissively: "These twenty craftsmen, three of them are yours! And you'll need to come up with more good ideas for me in the future!"

"Thank you for your grace, Master!" Liu Xingzuo immediately knelt down, his forehead hitting the hard ground with a heavy thud.

A moment later, he raised his head, his eyes sparkling with just the right amount of gratitude: "This servant will certainly do his utmost to serve my master!"

Daishan nodded in satisfaction, then, drunkenly pointed outside the tent and said, "Bring those craftsmen back to me tomorrow!"

A glint flashed in Liu Xingzuo's eyes, but he deliberately showed a hesitant expression.

He rubbed his hands together, stammering, "This servant will take care of it right away, but..."

"Just what?"

Impatientness appeared on Dai Shan's flushed face.

If he weren't in a good mood right now, he would definitely have kicked Liu Xingzuo.

What a joke! How dare she stammer and not finish her sentence in front of him.

He said irritably, "Spit it out!"

"Whoo!"

Liu Xingzuo feigned fear and responded, then lowered his voice and said, "This servant has heard that the Fourth Prince's water attack plan is about to be launched, and would like to ask the First Prince to allow this servant to take some men to... to get a share of the spoils."

He then hurriedly added, "This humble servant dares not compete with you princes for credit; I only wish to pick up some fish that slipped through the net on the periphery."

Silence fell over the tent. Liu Xingzu remained bowed, but his heart was filled with unease.

Although he had made a verbal promise to act expediently on behalf of Daishan, he still needed to obtain a formal order to send troops.

Otherwise, if he rashly sends troops during peacetime, he won't be able to act as an inside agent.

Upon hearing Liu Xingzuo's words, a hint of doubt appeared on Dai Shan's face.

"Stealing credit?"

He chuckled and shook his head.

"After the water attack, both banks of the Hun River became a vast swamp, and warhorses were stuck in the mud and could not move an inch. Without light boats and fast ships, it would be a waste of your effort to go there."

Liu Xingzuo scratched the back of his head, feigning ignorance.

"This servant thinks that after the flood, there will surely be refugees fleeing, and perhaps we might even encounter the routed Ming army."

He rubbed his hands together, revealing a shrewd smile, and said, "This servant has little ambition; I'll take whatever I can get."

"Confused!"

Dai Shan slammed the wine bowl heavily on the table, looking at him with a disappointed expression.

"Follow me to Shenyang in three days. Father Khan has granted us permission to plunder for three days! At that time, we'll have silks and satins, gold and silver jewelry, and beautiful Han women. Isn't that better than you picking up trash in the wilderness?"

Liu Xingzuo quickly bowed and smiled obsequiously, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes: "Your Majesty is wise, but once we enter Shenyang, the best things will naturally go to the princes first. How dare a servant of my status compete with you? It's better to stay on the outskirts and make a little gain if possible."

"Hahaha!"

Dai Shan suddenly burst into laughter, slapped his thigh, pointed at Liu Xingzuo, and said, "What a cunning fellow! Is he afraid that the treasure he stole will end up in his own hands?"

At this moment, a hint of understanding appeared on his flushed face.

"Fine! I'll agree to your request. Maybe you'll actually catch one that slipped through the net."

"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your kindness!"

Liu Xingzuo immediately knelt down and kowtowed. The moment his forehead touched the ground, a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The night wind howled outside the tent, scattering Daishan's drunken babbling into the darkness: "Remember, if you really catch a big fish, you'd better offer it to this prince first."

As they were talking, the leader of the Zheng Hongqi Banner actually got drunk.

"master."

"master."

Seeing that Dai Shan did not react, Liu Xingzuo respectfully bowed.

"Master, this servant takes his leave."

After bowing, Liu Xingzuo bowed and left the tent. As the heavy tent curtain fell behind him, his tense shoulders and back finally relaxed slightly.

The night wind carried the earthy scent of Liaodong, and Liu Xingzuo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if exhaling the fawning and humility he had just feigned in front of Daishan.

His clenched fist trembled slightly inside his sleeve, his nails digging deep into his palm.

By the light of the campfire, Liu Xingzuo looked toward the Hun River.

There, Huang Taiji's grand plan to attack the enemy by water had entered its final stage.

The roar of the river could be faintly heard, like the surging ambition in his chest.

"If we succeed in this battle, I, Liu Xingzuo, will be Ban Chao, Huo Qubing, and Wei Qing!"

If Fushun, Tieling, and Kaiyuan, these fallen cities, can be recovered in one fell swoop, Liu Xingzuo's name will surely be engraved in the annals of history.

Perhaps one day, the people of Liaodong will no longer praise the "Jianzhou Iron Cavalry," but rather the heroic deeds of Liu Xingzuo in leading his army to recover lost territories.

The night dew dampened his clothes, and the cool touch jolted him awake.

Now is not the time to indulge in fantasies.

Liu Xingzu straightened his clothes, his gaze sharpening once more.

He must find Li Yangeng immediately so that the Ming army can prepare in time to provide support.

A major war is imminent, and every moment of delay could mean the loss of a crucial opportunity.

The sound of a night patrol soldier's clapper could be heard in the distance, and Liu Xingzuo's figure quickly disappeared into the shadows of the tent.

He was like a cheetah that had been lying in wait, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the Jurchens!
(End of this chapter)