Huangming

Chapter 357 Holding the Ice City, Awaiting Annihilation

Inside the mansion of the Grand Prince in Fushun City.

Daishan, dressed in red leather armor with a scimitar bestowed upon him by the wise Khan Nurhaci at his waist, paced anxiously in the hall.

The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, pattering against the windowpane with a "rustling" sound, but it did nothing to calm the unease in his heart.

Since Huang Taiji led the main force to attack the Ming Dynasty, the area around Fushun and Kaiyuan, which he and Mangultai were stationed in, has become the most dangerous defensive line of the Jin Dynasty. Now, they are finally about to face the attack of the Ming court.

"Report!!"

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and a scout dressed in a tattered fur robe with frostbite on his face stumbled into the hall, knelt on one knee, and said in a trembling voice:

"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! The Ming army in Shenyang... its elite troops are marching out and heading towards Fushun!"

Dai Shan abruptly stopped, his pupils contracting sharply. He strode up to the scout, grabbed him by the collar, and spoke in a sharp tone:

"Say it again! Did the Ming army really send out its elite troops? Have you ascertained their strength and who their commander is?"

The scout trembled with fear at Dai Shan's imposing manner, but still forced himself to reply:

"Reporting to the Great Prince, the Ming army has at least 10,000 troops, and their banners are embroidered with the character 'Chen,' so the vanguard must be Chen Ce, the general from Nikan Kingdom who is assisting Liaodong!"

They arrived extremely quickly, and along the way, they sent out cavalry to capture and kill all our scouts scattered outside!

Now, within thirty li outside Fushun, almost all of our men have been wiped out, making it difficult to track the Ming army's movements. We...we're almost blind!

"Become blind?"

Dai Shan's voice was filled with anger.

He knew the importance of scouts perfectly well, having fought for so many years.

In large-scale battles, scouts are the "eyes." Without intelligence sources, the Ming army would be completely unaware of its troop deployments, marching routes, and siege plans, leaving it with no chance to retaliate.

He pointed at the scouts and angrily rebuked them: "Aren't the scouts outside people from the Mongol tribes? Didn't Chaohua of the Inner Khalkha and Oba of the Khorchin promise to help us keep an eye on the movements of the Ming army in Liaodong? Are all your men dead? You can't even stop a few Ming cavalrymen?"

The scout lay on the ground, his face deathly pale, swallowed hard, and explained with difficulty:
"Your Highness, it's not that we're useless... The Ming cavalry are too fierce. Our scouts have suffered too many casualties, and the rest are too scared to go out and investigate anymore..."

He spoke vaguely, concealing the most crucial reason.

After Chaohua secretly declared neutrality, the scouts of the five Inner Khalkha tribes withdrew quietly. They were unwilling to serve the Jianzhou Jurchens, and even less willing to offend the powerful Xiong Tingbi.

Meanwhile, the scouts of the Khorchin tribe, due to internal divisions, mostly used the excuse of "insufficient food" to quietly retreat back to the grasslands. Those remaining outside the city were only die-hards loyal to the Jianzhou Jurchens, few in number, and naturally unable to withstand the Ming army's suppression.

"Don't you dare?"

Dai Shan sneered, his tone full of sarcasm.

"You Mongols are truly as cowardly as sheep! In the past, the descendants of Genghis Khan roamed the world with such prestige, but now, in your generation, you don't even have the courage to scout out enemy positions. You have utterly disgraced your ancestors! You claim to have the blood of the Golden Family flowing through your veins, but I think... it's nothing but the blood of cowards!"

These words were like the sharpest knife, piercing the Mongols' sore spot.

The scout's face instantly turned bright red, then gradually turned ashen, his hands clenched into fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.

Although he was a vassal of the Jianzhou Jurchens, he also possessed the pride of a steppe person. Daishan's insults filled him with humiliation, yet he dared not refute them in the slightest.

After all, the Jianzhou Jurchens are still a force that the Mongol tribes cannot afford to offend. If Daishan is offended, not only will his own life be in danger, but his tribe may also face retaliation.

Seeing the scout's angry but silent demeanor, Dai Shan's anger subsided slightly, but he was still irritated.

He waved his hand, his tone icy: "Go! Tell the remaining scouts that even if they die, they must find out the Ming army's movements!"

If anyone deserts again, I, Daishan, will hold their tribe accountable. Not only will I reclaim the pastures previously granted, but their entire tribe will also be enslaved!

"Yes Yes!"

The scout bowed and agreed hastily, then scrambled out of the hall as if a raging flood or ferocious beast was chasing him.

Just as Daishan was still seething with anger, a calm voice suddenly rang out:

"Father, don't be angry. Mongols are inherently two-faced and have never been trustworthy. The only people we Eight Banners can rely on are our own people."

Daishan looked in the direction of the sound and saw his third son, Sahalian, slowly walking forward.

Sahalian was handsome, and although he was not as brave as his eldest son Yuetuo, he was more composed and wise.

He stepped forward and advised, "Although the Ming army has wiped out the scouts, it has also exposed their marching movements. Chen Ce is leading the vanguard to attack, and Xiong Tingbi's main force will surely follow soon. Instead of blaming the Mongols, we should prepare for them as soon as possible. That is the right thing to do."

Sahalian's words were like a bucket of cold water, slightly cooling down Daishan's anger.

He was about to speak when his eldest son, Yue Tuo, couldn't contain himself any longer and stepped forward, his tone sharp and assertive:
“Excellent! Father, if Xiong Tingbi attacks, we will fight him! We couldn’t take Shenyang before because the Ming army was holed up behind the high city walls and relied on artillery to defend it, which made it difficult for our cavalry to maneuver. But now they have taken the initiative to leave the city and are no longer protected by the fortified city. This is our opportunity!”

Yue Tuo was a burly man with a shallow scar on his face, a mark left from his early battles with the Ming army.

"As long as we set up an ambush and intercept the Ming army's vanguard in the Sarhu Valley outside Fushun City, we will surely be able to blunt their morale!"
If we can seize the opportunity to counterattack, and even capture Shenyang and take Xiong Tingbi's head, then Father will have a clear lead over Huang Taiji and Mangultai in the struggle for the Khanate. At that time, the Khanate will surely belong to Father!

"Ah!"

Upon hearing the words "Khan's throne," Daishan let out a cold laugh, his eyes filled with mockery.

"Take Shenyang? Take Xiong Tingbi's head? Yue Tuo, you make it sound so easy! We only have two Red Banners, totaling no more than 15,000 men, many of whom are temporary conscripts of herdsmen who are not even fully armored. Do you think we can defeat Xiong Tingbi's 30,000 to 40,000 troops with such a small force?"

The coldness in his words instantly made the atmosphere in the hall subtle.

Sahalian lowered his head slightly, not daring to say anything more.

He knew that the rift between his father and his elder brother stemmed from the power shift that occurred last year.

In the fifth year of Tianming, Shuo Tuo, the younger brother of the eldest brother Yue Tuo, left in anger because he was dissatisfied with his father's favoritism towards a concubine. This angered Nurhaci, who not only deposed Daishan from his position as "Crown Prince" but also took away the Bordered Red Banner from him and handed it over to Yue Tuo to command.

Since then, although Daishan still led the Plain Red Banner, he lost complete control over both banners.

Even though Yue Tuo was his biological son, this "hatred of being usurped" became a thorn in Dai Shan's side.

Nowadays, Yue Tuo talks about "making meritorious contributions" and "competing for the Khan's throne," which, in Daishan's view, seems more like a boast about his power in the Bordered Red Banner Army than a genuine plan for him.

Yuetuo clearly sensed the dissatisfaction in his father's words, and his expression darkened slightly, but he still insisted:

“Father, although we have fewer troops, we are not without a chance of winning! We can ask Mangultai in Kaiyuan for help. He has more than 6,000 men in the Plain Blue Banner. If the two armies join forces, the total strength will be 20,000, which is enough to fight the Ming army!”
Besides, Huang Taiji is far away in Korea and won't be back for a while, which is the perfect opportunity for us to claim all the military credit!

"Request Mangultai's assistance?"

Dai Shan chuckled and shook his head.

“Do you think Mangultai is a good person? He would love for us and the Ming army to be exhausted so he can reap the benefits! I don’t think he will come. Even if he does, it will be when we are severely weakened.”

"Besides, the roots of our Eight Banners lie in cavalry. Our tactical advantage lies entirely in mobility. Raids, encirclements, and plunders all rely on fast horses and sharp blades."
But defending a city requires digging trenches and building fortifications; it's about enduring the days and testing one's patience, something we have no experience with.”

"In my opinion, we should simply leave the city and have a battle with Xiong Tingbi in the open field! If we win, we can not only dampen the morale of the Ming army, but also take the opportunity to plunder their supplies."

Even if we lose, so what if we lose Fushun? It's just a small city. We Eight Banners soldiers have always valued people more than land. As long as the soldiers of the Two Red Banners are still here, there will be plenty of opportunities to take it back in the future!

These words sound frank, but they are actually full of selfish motives.

Dai Shan had a well-thought-out plan.

With Fushun and Tieling falling, the Ming army's next target will be Kaiyuan, where Mangultai's Plain Blue Banner will face Xiong Tingbi's forces head-on.

His two red banners only need to be withdrawn to preserve the main force. This way, he won't have to fight the Ming army head-on, and he can watch Mangultai fight the Ming army and reap the benefits.

Moreover, he knew perfectly well:

If we were to risk our entire force of 15,000 men just to defend two small cities, we wouldn't be able to compete for the Khanate, let alone explain it to Nurhaci.

Without military power, a prince is no different from a lamb to the slaughter in the Eight Banners. Who will let him go, Huang Taiji or Mangultai?

'As long as people are here, everything is here.'

This was his core plan.

"Father! Absolutely not!"

Upon hearing this, Sahalian's expression changed instantly. He took a large step forward, his tone urgent, almost a rebuttal.

"Fushun is an important town in Liaodong. If we abandon it without a fight, how will we explain it to the Khan?"

Furthermore, you previously made an alliance with the Fourth Prince Huang Taiji. He went to attack Korea, while you defended Fushun and Kaiyuan to hold off the Ming army. Now he is still fighting fiercely in Korea. If we abandon the cities and flee, we will not only break our promise to the Fourth Prince, but also make the Eight Banners nobles think that you are cowardly and afraid of the enemy. This will be detrimental to your struggle for the Khanate!

Sahalian's words hit the nail on the head, and Daishan's face darkened.

He forgot his alliance with Huang Taiji and ignored the impact of "breaking his promise" on him.

After all, his father Nurhaci valued loyalty and responsibility most, and he could not bear the blame of abandoning the city and fleeing.

Yue Tuo nodded in agreement, a rare moment of solidarity between him and his younger brother.

“Sahalian is absolutely right, Father. If Fushun and Tieling are lost, Kaiyuan will be isolated and helpless. At that time, Mangultai will definitely put the blame on us, saying that we retreated without a fight and implicated him.”

Moreover, if the Ming army were to capture Fushun, they could use it as a base to steadily advance towards Hetu Ala, which would likely enrage the Great Khan.

Daishan was rendered speechless by his two sons' words and paced back and forth in the hall in frustration.

We are not confident of defeating Xiong Tingbi's army of 30,000 to 40,000.

They were afraid of breaking their promise to the Khan and Huang Taiji, and also of being vilified.

Caught in a dilemma, he felt an urge to tear everything in front of him apart. "Alright! Stop arguing!"

Dai Shan abruptly stopped, his tone tinged with impatience as he shifted the blame.

“I’m not good at defending the city, nor do I have the patience for it. Sahalian, I’ll leave this to you. You can decide how to build the city and how to deploy the defenses. I’ll only be responsible for allocating supplies and manpower.”

Then he turned to Yuetuo.

"As for fighting outside the city, Yue Tuo, these days you should lead the cavalry of the Bordered Red Banner to test the strength of the Ming army's vanguard outside the city, and see how capable Chen Ce's men are. If they are easy to deal with, then take the opportunity to charge; if they are not easy to deal with, then retreat quickly and do not fight head-on."

As soon as he said that, Yue Tuo's heart skipped a beat.

He had previously thought his father's idea of ​​abandoning the city was risky, but now it seemed that his father wanted to push all the "hard work" onto his two sons, while he stayed behind and oversaw the situation. If they won, he would get credit, but if they lost, all the responsibility would fall on his sons.

However, Sahalian's next words put his mind at ease.

"Father, rest assured, I already have a plan to defend the city! It is freezing cold now, so we can take water from the Liao River tonight and build another three-foot-thick ice wall outside Fushun. The ice wall is smooth and hard, and the Ming army's ladders will definitely slip and not be able to climb up."

Then pile up hay and sulfur outside the city. If the Ming army sets up cannons to bombard it, we will light the hay. The thick smoke will block their vision and prevent their firearms from aiming.

We'll widen the outer moat to three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and fill it with bamboo sticks coated with poison, while the inner moat will be filled with excrement.

Firstly, it would prevent the Ming army from digging tunnels; secondly, the frozen excrement would be slippery and make it difficult for them to fill the trenches even if they wanted to.

Sahalian had clearly done his research on defending the city.

"If the Ming army outside the city is truly elite and insists on attacking the city, we will deliberately show weakness and feign defeat to let them into the barbican. Then, we will unleash a hail of arrows from the barbican and pour boiling oil down on them. We are guaranteed to annihilate them all inside."

If the Ming army is just a bunch of incompetent fools, then Brother Yuetuo can fight in the open outside the city while we launch a pincer attack from within the city, and we'll surely crush them!"

Sahalian's plan was detailed and specific, even including countermeasures, which not only impressed Daishan but also gave Yuetuo a lot of confidence.

Previously, Yue Tuo always felt that his father sent him to fight in the field as a "pathfinder," and that if the Ming army was too strong, his Bordered Red Banner might be destroyed outside.

Now, with Sahalian's support in defending the city, even if the battle in the field goes badly, he can retreat back into the city and avoid being surrounded by the Ming army. The unease of being "sold out by his father" has dissipated considerably.

"Okay! Just do as you say!"

Dai Shan clapped his hands, and a hint of satisfaction finally appeared on his face.

“Saharan, I’m entrusting the defense of the city entirely to you. Just tell me what manpower and supplies you need.”

"Yue Tuo, go prepare for field battles. Remember, fight if you can, retreat if you can't. Don't engage the Ming army in a direct confrontation; preserving your strength is the most important thing."

Dai Shan emphasized the last phrase, "preserve your strength."

Clearly, even with a plan to defend the city, what he cared about most was still not to lose any troops from the two Red Banners.

"As ordered!"

Sahalian and Yuetuo both accepted the order.

but.

Even after making these arrangements, Daishan was still somewhat uneasy.

With only the forces of the two Red Banners and Sahalian's defensive strategy, it would still be extremely dangerous to withstand Xiong Tingbi's large army.

He strode to the desk, picked up pen and ink, and while quickly writing a letter, called out to the outside of the tent:

"Guards! Send these two letters out immediately. Send one to Kaiyuan and give it to Mangultai; send the other to Hetu Ala and give it to Amin!"

The guard quickly entered and took the letter with both hands.

Dai Shan stared at him, his face somewhat ferocious.

"Tell Mangultai that if he does not lead his troops to reinforce us within three days, I will abandon Fushun! At that time, the Ming army will advance straight to Kaiyuan, and he will face Xiong Tingbi's army himself!"

As for Amin, tell him that Fushun is in grave danger and he must immediately lead the Bordered Blue Banner to its aid. If there is any delay, the Khan will blame him, and he cannot bear that responsibility!

He was well aware of Mangultai's greed and Amin's excuses.

If no "threat" is added, these two will definitely stall for time and watch Fushun fall into danger.

Only by linking the consequences of "abandoning the city" to their interests can we force them to send troops as soon as possible.

The guard bowed in agreement, then turned and quickly left.

Upon hearing their father's arrangement, Yuetuo and Sahalian nodded repeatedly.

More reinforcements mean more hope of defending Fushun. At this moment, we can no longer worry about the distribution of benefits; solving the immediate crisis is the top priority.

In the following days, the snow and wind outside Fushun continued, but it became a battlefield for the two armies to fight.

Sahalian devoted all his energy to the construction of the city's defenses.

Meanwhile, Yue Tuo led 5,000 Bordered Red Banner cavalrymen to frequently leave the city and launch surprise attacks on the Ming camp to test the strength of the Ming army.

However, the combined infantry and cavalry formation of the Ming army became the "nemesis" of the Eight Banners cavalry.

Chen Ce linked dozens of chariots end to end to form a sturdy chariot formation. The outside of the chariots was covered with thick iron plates, and the inside was equipped with muskets and small cannons.

Behind the chariot formation, infantrymen, armed with spears and shields, formed a dense square; cavalrymen roamed the chariot formation on both sides, ready to provide support at any time.

Whenever Yue Tuo's cavalry charged, the Ming army would first fire cannons and muskets simultaneously, and the dense rain of bullets could instantly kill a group of cavalrymen.

If the cavalry were to manage to reach the chariot formation, they would be torn apart by the infantry's spears.

Even if a few cavalrymen broke through the defense line, they would be surrounded and intercepted by the Ming army's cavalry, making it difficult to cause any real damage.

Over the course of several days, Yue Tuo not only failed to defeat the Ming army's vanguard, but also lost hundreds of cavalrymen, and even suffered a graze wound on his arm from a stray bullet during a surprise attack.

Seeing the low morale of his soldiers, Yue Tuo became increasingly anxious.

He finally understood that the Ming army of today was no longer as disorganized as it was during the Battle of Sarhu. The coordination between the chariots, infantry, and cavalry had rendered the Eight Banners cavalry's mobility advantage meaningless.

Ming Gou actually found a way to deal with them.

of course
Actually, it's not that a solution has been found.

These were the Jurchen cavalry, who, in order to defend the city, had no choice but to attack the Ming army's wagon formation.

Previously, when faced with a convoy they couldn't break through, they would avoid it from a distance and use their mobility to plunder grain convoys or harass the rear.

Attack where they must defend.

When the chariot formation arrived in disarray and their formation broke apart, they attacked and defeated them.

Now, in order to defend the city, they have been bound instead.

Meanwhile, Chen Ce used this time to steadily build up a camp outside Fushun City.

His method was simple: he ordered his soldiers to pour water around the camp. In the cold wind, the water quickly froze into ice, forming an ice wall more than ten feet high.

Sandbags and wooden fences were piled up on the inside of the ice wall to form a double layer of protection.

Tall watchtowers were built at the four corners of the camp, equipped with musketeers and scouts to monitor the movements within Fushun City at all times.

What's even more ingenious is that Chen Ce did not rush to attack the city, but instead adopted a strategy of "surrounding three sides and leaving one side open".

He ordered the construction of ice city fortresses in the east, south, and north of Fushun to block the city's food supply and retreat routes, but left a gap on the west side.

This seemingly careless arrangement actually hides a secret:
If the Jianzhou Jurchen garrison in the city wanted to break out, the west side was their only option. Chen Ce had already laid an ambush in the valley on the west side, waiting for the enemy to walk right into their trap.

If the defending troops hold their ground and do not come out, the encirclement from three sides with one side missing can also break their morale, making them feel lucky and unwilling to fight to the death.

Whenever the Jurchen army came out of the city to fight, Chen Ce would deploy his complete chariot, infantry, and cavalry formation, with a continuous stream of infantry pressing in, creating an overwhelming numerical advantage.

After several charges, the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry, seeing that they could not break through the Ming army's formation, could only retreat back into the city in frustration, each attempt ending in failure.

On the fifth day of the siege of Fushun, a dark mass of flags suddenly appeared on the distant horizon.

The main force of the Ming army, led by Xiong Tingbi, finally arrived outside Fushun.

Tens of thousands of Ming soldiers marched in formation, their banners fluttering, their armor gleaming, and their cannons being pulled by horse-drawn carts, leaving deep tracks in the snow.

Chen Ce personally led his generals to greet Xiong Tingbi. Upon seeing Xiong Tingbi, he dismounted and bowed respectfully.
"This humble general, Chen Ce, pays his respects to the Commander-in-Chief! Fushun City has been besieged by our army for five days. The morale of the Jurchen defenders in the city is low, and their food supplies are running low. They are just waiting for your order, sir, to launch a general offensive!"

Xiong Tingbi reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping over the distant city of Fushun, then over the Ming army's fortified camp in Bingcheng, a look of satisfaction in his eyes:
"Commander Chen did a good job! By surrounding the enemy on three sides and leaving one side open, and by pouring water to build a camp, we not only cut off the enemy's retreat route but also preserved our strength. This is the best strategy!"

Next, it's time to attack the city.

Xiong Tingbi turned to look at the army behind him, still feeling somewhat gloomy.

Even if the Jurchens were not good at defending cities, it would probably take a lot of lives to capture Fushun!
I wonder if there's a better way to both recover lost territory and minimize losses.

Also.

It depends on whether Liaoyang can hold off the elite Jurchen troops in Hetu Ala.

Otherwise, it won't be so easy for him to recover the lost territory.

(End of this chapter)