Huangming

Chapter 278 Aid to the Mongols by Exchanging Horses, Wei Lu Takes Command

For an entire day, the city of Shenyang was immersed in the aroma of wine and meat and the laughter of soldiers.

For too long, the soldiers had endured bland rations and tasteless liquor. Today, the emperor was rewarding the troops with top-quality strong liquor, large chunks of braised beef, and even plenty of steamed white flour buns.

Back at their respective garrisons, the soldiers who had just received their rewards sat together, passing around wine jars and tearing off pieces of beef until their mouths were greasy. The sounds of drinking games, laughter, and even singing folk songs from their hometowns filled the air, leaving behind all the tension and fatigue of the past few days.

A white-clad soldier with a broken leg held a wine bowl, his cloudy eyes gleaming: "I've never seen so much silver in my life, nor have I ever tasted such delicious meat... His Majesty treats us very well!"

The young soldier next to him took a big gulp of wine, choked and coughed, but grinned and said, "After this battle, I'll use the reward money to get married and give my parents a big, healthy son!"

A wave of jubilation swept through the entire city of Shenyang. Even the old soldiers sunbathing at the foot of the city wall couldn't help but come over, listening to the distant commotion, their cloudy eyes welling up with tears.

It was worth it to serve in the military and achieve such a triumphant result.

However, amidst the city's jubilation, in the study of the Liaodong Military Governor's Office, Xiong Tingbi was deep in thought, staring intently at a map of Liaodong.

He pointed his finger at Fushun and suddenly said to the guard beside him, "Release those messages."

The guards obeyed and left. Not long after, several seemingly insignificant undercurrents emerged from Shenyang.

Some were spies mixed in with the fleeing civilians, some were Jurchen prisoners who were deliberately released, and others were casual conversations that were "accidentally" leaked to Jurchen spies under the influence of alcohol.

Among these messages, the most eye-catching was the emperor's reward to Liu Xingzuo: "Liu Xingzuo, a surrendered man, is hereby granted the title of Earl of Weilu for his meritorious service in the rebellion, and is awarded a thousand taels of silver and two hundred hectares of farmland!"

Immediately following this was the Ming Dynasty's edict of pacification for Han Chinese officials who had surrendered to the Jurchens: "Anyone who is willing to return to the fold, regardless of past crimes, as long as they present a pledge of allegiance (either by beheading a Jurchen general or offering a map of a city), the court will forgive all past transgressions and reward them according to their merits, granting them titles, stipends, and land, without any shortfall!"

Xiong Tingbi stood by the window, listening to the laughter coming from afar, a cold smile curving his lips.

He knew the Jurchens' true nature all too well.

Nurhaci's rise from a small tribe in Jianzhou was not only due to the Eight Banners cavalry, but also to the large number of Han Chinese officials who surrendered and offered him advice and managed civil affairs.

Among these people were frustrated Ming Dynasty border generals, cowardly civil officials, and even some craftsmen and scholars who had been captured by the Jurchens.

They were familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the Ming Dynasty, and helped the Jurchens forge weapons and formulate laws, making them the Jurchens' "think tank".

But these people are, after all, Han Chinese.

They surrendered to the Jurchens either to save their lives or for wealth and status.

Now that Liu Xingzuo, a "surrendered man," can be granted the title of Earl, and the Ming Dynasty has issued the statement of "forgiving past transgressions and rewarding those who return to the right path," how can these people not feel uneasy?
Xiong Tingbi could almost imagine what the scene would be like when these messages reached the Jurchen camps.

Those Han Chinese officials who used to fawn over Nurhaci are probably having trouble sleeping at night.

They would think: If Liu Xingzuo can be enfeoffed as a count, if I return to the righteous path, can I also get an official position?
And what about Nurhaci?

That suspicious old boar, seeing the unrest among the surrendered Han officials, probably won't be able to sleep at night either.

But this wasn't excitement; it was fear.

He was already somewhat suspicious of the Han people, and now, with Liu Xingzuo as an example, he couldn't help but think:

Are these Han Chinese also secretly plotting to "return to the right path"?
Has someone already secretly pledged their allegiance to the Ming Dynasty?
Once the seeds of suspicion are sown, they will grow wildly.

At that time, all the Han Chinese who surrendered to the Jurchens would live in fear, lest Nurhaci behead them as "disloyal people" one day.

Nurhaci, on the other hand, would become increasingly distrustful of Han Chinese officials who surrendered, at best stripping them of their power, and at worst killing them.

"Humph."

Xiong Tingbi gave a low, cold laugh.

"You owe your current status to the surrendered Han Chinese officials, right? I'll cut off your left and right arms!"

If Nurhaci dared not use or trust Han Chinese, the Jurchens' laws, weapons, and food supply would be greatly compromised, and their strength would inevitably plummet.

What's even more ingenious is that the growing alienation between the Han Chinese who surrendered and the Jurchens would cause the Jurchen army's morale to begin to crumble from within.

If you can't even trust your own people, how can you fight this war?
If they could use Nurhaci's hand to get rid of a few "traitors" who were wholeheartedly serving the Jurchens, that would be an even greater surprise.

After winning hearts and minds, it's time to address Lin Danhan's request for assistance.

Although three days have passed since the rewards were distributed.

But the bustling atmosphere of Shenyang remained undiminished.

now.

The atmosphere inside the White Tiger Hall was completely different from that outside the city.

Xiong Tingbi, dressed in a scarlet official robe, sat upright in the main seat, his gaze sharp as he swept over the generals standing solemnly below.

He Shixian, still in full armor and with a hint of alcohol on his face, had sharp eyes; You Shigong stood ramrod straight, his hand on the sword at his waist; veteran generals Chen Ce and Qi Jin had calm expressions, clearly having given it much thought; while young generals like Zhou Dunji and Qin Bangping were eager to try, their eyes fixed on Xiong Tingbi.

"Everyone."

Xiong Tingbi got straight to the point.

"His Majesty has issued an edict to rush to the aid of Ligdan Khan of the Chahar tribe. The reason for summoning you all today is to discuss the matter of sending troops."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Shixian stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and said loudly, "It should have been done long ago! This humble general is willing to serve as the vanguard, leading our troops straight into the grasslands, and we will definitely let the Jurchens taste our might!"

He was extremely impatient and had been holding back his energy for days, eager to find an opportunity to fight the Jurchen cavalry again.

However, Chen Ce frowned and stepped forward, saying, "General He, please calm down. The grasslands are open and conducive to cavalry raids. Our main force consists mostly of infantry, which may not be able to operate effectively. Moreover, our cavalry is already insufficient. If we were to engage the Jurchens in open battle on the grasslands, we would likely not fare well. In my humble opinion, this reinforcement effort will probably be of little use."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, calming everyone down a bit.

Although the Ming infantry were brave, they were indeed at a disadvantage on the vast grasslands when facing the Jurchen cavalry who came and went like the wind.

Qi Jin nodded, his tone grave: "General Chen is absolutely right. These past few days, I have been reorganizing the cavalry, trying to form a unit where each soldier rides three horses, lightly armored and skilled in archery, to emulate the Jurchens' tactics. But time is still short, and the soldiers' archery skills are far inferior to those of the Jurchen cavalry. If we really want to compete with them on the grasslands..."

He paused, his expression grim, and said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid the chances of survival are slim."

Silence fell over the room for a moment.

Although He Shixian was brave, he knew that what Chen and Qi said was true.

Although a victory was won outside Shenyang a month ago, only those who experienced it firsthand know how brutal that victory was.

The White-Spear Army suffered more than half its casualties, and the Liaozhen cavalry also lost nearly 30% of their manpower. To call it a great victory would be an understatement; it was more of a Pyrrhic victory fought with flesh and blood.

What about the Jurchens?
Although the two Blue Banners suffered setbacks, the main force of the Eight Banners was not seriously injured. Nurhaci's foundation remained solid, like a wounded tiger that, though temporarily retreating, still had sharp claws and teeth.

Not to mention the scar from Sarhu, which still throbs with pain in the hearts of the Ming soldiers.

Since that defeat, the imperial court not only lost tens of thousands of elite troops, but also suffered particularly heavy losses in warhorses. In addition, with the successive falls of Kaiyuan and Tieling, countless warhorses and provisions in Liaodong were plundered. To this day, the Ming army can barely muster six thousand cavalry, and most of them are old, weak, and sick horses. It is doubtful that even four thousand can truly be armored and ready for battle.

In contrast, the Jurchens often had three horses for each of their Eight Banners cavalrymen, and their horsemanship and archery skills were honed from childhood. When they charged across the grasslands, they could leave the Ming infantry far behind.

"This mission to provide aid is going to be difficult!"

Chen Ce sighed heavily.

"Our infantry can be effective in city defense, but on the grasslands, they are lambs to the slaughter. As for the cavalry, their meager archery training is barely enough to touch the Jurchens. In open field battles, they'll probably be reduced to bones."

Although He Shixian was eager to go into battle, he fell silent at this moment.

His cavalry was indeed elite, but at most they numbered only a thousand or so. If they were to face the Jurchen Eight Banners cavalry, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

"Moreover, that scoundrel Ligdan Khan is a wolf in sheep's clothing. If we really send our cavalry there, who knows if he'll turn around and betray us for Nurhaci's benefits?"

These words were like a block of ice thrown into boiling water, instantly extinguishing some of the initial enthusiasm for sending troops.

Trust, on the border between Liaodong and the grasslands, has long been worn down to mere fragments.

During the Wanli era, in order to restrain the Jurchens, the imperial court promised the Mongol tribes a large amount of grain and provisions, allowing them to harass Jianzhou. However, when the tribes actually took action, the imperial court's grain and provisions were delayed, and they could only watch helplessly as the Jurchens retaliated against them.

Furthermore, during Li Chengliang's time, Ming soldiers, eager to claim credit, even stabbed the Mongol tribes in the back while they were fighting with the Jurchens, stealing their heads to report as their own.

Of course, the Ming army was no good, and those Mongols were no pushovers either.

Ligdan Khan's grandfather, Chechen Khan, tricked the Ming Dynasty into opening trade under the guise of "tribute," only to turn around and lead his cavalry to raid and plunder the city.

In previous years, Ligdan Khan even used the banner of "allying with the Ming to resist the Jin" to trick the governor of Liaodong into giving him twenty cartloads of silk, but then turned around and secretly made peace with the Jurchens.

"If you trust him, he can betray you; if you don't trust him, then the aid is meaningless."

Chen Ce rubbed his temples, his tone full of helplessness.

"Neither of us nor these Mongol tribes dare to entrust our backs to each other."

“I have already considered your concerns a hundred and eighty times in my mind.”

Xiong Tingbi's gaze swept across the faces of the generals, his expression serious.

“You only know that I, Xiong Tingbi, dare to go head-to-head with the Jurchens on the battlefield, but you forget that you can’t deal with these foxes on the grasslands by brute force alone.”

Although Nurhaci called Xiong Tingbi a "barbarian," beneath that "barbarian" exterior lay a cunning scheme more shrewd than that of a steppe wolf.

Back when he was training troops in Liaodong, he used a combination of kindness and severity to deal with many border generals who outwardly obeyed but inwardly defied him. Naturally, he had a way to deal with Ligdan Khan.

"This time, we're not going to play games with Ligdan Khan in our support."

"The main support this time consists of twenty carts of gunpowder, 500,000 catties of grain and fodder, and 1,000 muskets. These are the real hard currency. As for the troops, there are 3,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry. To put it bluntly, they are the escort team to transport the supplies."

He paused, then emphasized, "Send it to the border of the Chahar tribe, settle the handover clearly, and our people will be stationed near the Great Wall, not going deep into the grasslands to join the fray. Firstly, this will attract the Jurchens to divide their forces for defense, and secondly, it will prevent us from being dragged into Ligdan Khan's battlefield. It's a win-win situation."

He Shixian's brows remained furrowed after hearing this. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "But what's the difference between giving all this gunpowder and provisions to that bastard Lindan Khan and throwing meat buns to a dog? I haven't even settled accounts with those Mongol tribes who defected last month!"

Recalling how, a month ago, he had personally allocated 50,000 shi of grain to the Mongol allies, only to have them take it and exchange it for silver from the Jurchens, He Shixian's anger flared up.

"Don't worry, the Ming Dynasty never takes advantage of others."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Xiong Tingbi's mouth.

"These things are to be exchanged with Lindan Khan for warhorses."

"Lindan Khan is now suffering heavy losses from the Jurchens. Most of the Chahar tribe's pastures have been occupied, and many of his warhorses have been lost. He is eager for us to send troops to draw the Jurchens' attention. He himself said that he is willing to give up 5,000 warhorses in exchange for our support."

The room fell silent immediately after he said that.

Five thousand warhorses—this number struck like a thunderbolt, making the generals' eyes light up.

Everyone knows that the horse administration of the Imperial Stud has long been in disarray. The warhorses in Liaodong are either old, weak, sick, or disabled left over from the early years, or inferior horses that were fought to the death to snatch from the Jurchens. The cavalry force has long become a "lame tiger".

If we could really add 5,000 warhorses, we could not only rebuild an elite cavalry force, but also greatly improve the mobility of the infantry.

"This deal is a good one!"

Qin Bangping suddenly clapped his hands.

"Trading some gunpowder and provisions for warhorses is worth it!"

"Besides."

Xiong Tingbi added, "Our people only camp along the Great Wall and don't venture deep into the grasslands. If Ligdan Khan dares to play tricks, we'll just pull the supplies back and let him fight the Jurchens on his own. He's in a hurry to beg us right now, so he doesn't dare to turn against us."

You Shigong's brows gradually relaxed. He scratched his head and chuckled, "The strategist really thought this through. Five thousand warhorses are enough for us to build a decent cavalry!"

Now that the itinerary is set, who should take care of this task?
The first to react was He Shixian, the General of Shenyang.

He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said loudly, "General, I am willing to go on this mission of escorting supplies and exchanging them for warhorses!"

Xiong Tingbi slowly shook his head, his gaze lingering on He Shixian for a moment before turning to Liu Xingzuo and Qi Jin beside him, and said in a deep voice:

"This mission is intended to be undertaken by the Earl of Weilu, with General Qi assisting him. Remember, the primary objective of this battle is to acquire warhorses, draw away some of the Jurchen forces, and relieve Ligdan Khan's siege. If we can avoid direct confrontation with the Jurchens, we should avoid engaging them in battle."

He knew in his heart that although He Shixian was brave, he was too straightforward and impulsive. When it came to battle, he would think of charging into the fray. But this mission was about maneuvering rather than fighting.

Using one's own weak cavalry to engage the Jurchen's iron cavalry head-on is a cardinal sin in military strategy, and we must never let He Shixian take this risk.

In contrast, Liu Xingzuo is familiar with the customs of the Mongol tribes and has just received a great reward from His Majesty, so he will definitely do his best to prove himself; Qi Jin is calm and experienced and is good at training and managing troops. The combination of the two is the most reliable.

Upon hearing this, He Shixian's excitement vanished instantly, replaced by deep disappointment.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Xiong Tingbi's determined eyes, he swallowed his words and stepped aside.

When Liu Xingzuo heard that he had been chosen, his heart skipped a beat.

He had just been granted the title of Earl of Weilu by His Majesty and was worried about not having a chance to repay this great favor. Xiong Jinglue's move undoubtedly gave him a chance to prove himself.

He wanted to show everyone that he was worthy of the earldom bestowed upon him by His Majesty!
Liu Xingzuo took a step forward, his eyes as firm as iron.

"Your humble servant obeys the order and will certainly bring back five thousand warhorses safely to relieve Ligdan Khan's siege!"

Qi Jin then stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Liu Xingzuo, saying in a deep voice, "This humble general will certainly assist the Earl of Weilu, strictly follow the instructions of the General, and not easily engage in battle with the Jurchens."

Xiong Tingbi looked at the two men and nodded in satisfaction: "Good, you shall immediately muster your troops and prepare provisions, and depart in three days. Remember, in all matters, prudence should be the priority, and do not be greedy for merit or act rashly."

(End of this chapter)