How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 216 Impossible, absolutely impossible

In the third year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, on a sweltering summer day, on the south bank of the Grand Canal, Huang Taiji, the Khan of the Later Jin, stood on a high slope, his face so gloomy it seemed one could wring water from it.

He held a monocular telescope in his hand, a rare item he had looted from the Ming army. Through the telescope, to the southwest, northwest of Tongzhou City, stood a fortified village. Its walls, made of dusty, burlap sacks, were jagged and angular, with three sharp, spiky protrusions facing the open ground. Several Ming Dynasty flags fluttered listlessly on the walls.

Outside the village, there is a crooked wooden fence that stretches as far as the eye can see, extending east and west along the south bank of the Tonghui River.

Huang Taiji put down the binoculars, rubbed his eyes, and then raised them again to look.

That's right, I'm not seeing things.

He abruptly put down the mirror and turned to stare at the several white-armored soldiers kneeling before him. These were the elite troops of his Gebushixian Chaoha camp, his family's bondservants, the most reliable of all.

"The day before yesterday! Just the day before yesterday! You reported that this place was completely empty, except for a dilapidated village, there was nothing there at all!" Huang Taiji's voice was icy, clearly enraged. "This city! Did it fall from the sky? Or grow out of the ground?"

The leading white-armored soldier kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead covered in yellow dust: "Great Khan! This servant dares to swear on his life! The day before yesterday, there was indeed only an abandoned little village here, with a city wall so low that one could step over it in a single stride! We servants circled around several times and found no such city! If there is even a single lie, may I be struck by lightning!"

"A city rises overnight?" Huang Taiji scoffed, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Do you think all the southern barbarians are gods? That they can conjure soldiers from beans?"

Before he could finish speaking, someone nearby exclaimed, "Your Majesty! Look to the east! On the other side of the river!"

Huang Taiji hurriedly turned his binoculars to look at the east bank of the North Canal. What he saw made his heart feel as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer.

On the opposite bank, stretching for miles, the riverbank was teeming with people! Like ants carrying food. Countless laborers and soldiers were driving piles, erecting fences, and tamping earth. The framework of an arrow tower was about to be erected. The speed at which the construction was progressing was alarming.

Huang Taiji's hand holding the mirror trembled slightly. He put the mirror down, squinted at the bustling scene, and then looked back at the eerie fortress in the southwest.

The white-armored soldiers dared not lie to him. But the scene before them...

"A bluff!" Huang Taiji suddenly snorted coldly, as if trying to convince himself, "It must be a feint by the southern barbarians! An empty camp disguised with cloth curtains and wooden frames! Trying to scare me?"

He took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable unease in his heart. The granaries and cloth of Tongzhou City beckoned to him. He couldn't stay here.

"Send word to Yang Guli!" Huang Taiji ordered, "Choose two crossings, one open and one covert! The open one, make a big show of it and attack for me, to see the strength of that fortress! The covert one, select elite troops to cross the river quietly downstream and sneak up behind them!"

"Whoo!"

……

At a bend in the North Canal where the current was relatively slow, hundreds of Later Jin soldiers, mixed with even more bondservant aqa, began frantically setting up a pontoon bridge and moving rafts. The commotion was immense, billowing with dust.

Leading the group was a Jala Ejen, who brandished his sword and drove the procession forward. Fan Wencai, wearing an ill-fitting official robe, was also in the crowd, shouting at the top of his lungs to urge his bondsers forward. His face showed both tension and excitement, thinking that if he performed a meritorious service, he might gain face in front of his elder brother, Fan Wencheng.

On the opposite bank, Lu Xiang-sheng stood at the front of the battle.

He wasn't wearing the governor's robes, but a blue robe over brand-new cloth-covered iron armor, with gleaming arm guards. His helmet wore an iron crown with a fiery red tassel. He gazed at the commotion on the opposite bank of the river, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Your Excellency, the Tartars are about to cross the river!" a middle-ranking officer warned.

“I saw it.” Lu Xiang-sheng said calmly. “It’s a bluff, mainly a test. But now that we’re here, we’re not going back.”

He slowly drew his saber, its blade gleaming coldly in the summer sun. He turned to look at the hundreds of Shuntian militia cavalrymen behind him. Many of these Yan and Zhao soldiers were trained by him personally, their eyes filled with trust and murderous intent.

"My comrades!" Lu Xiang-sheng's voice suddenly rose, "Follow me to defeat the enemy!"

Having said that, he spurred his horse, and with a neigh, it charged forward like an arrow released from a bow. Hundreds of cavalry followed closely behind, surging towards the riverbank like a flood bursting its banks!

Just as a few dozen Later Jin soldiers on the opposite bank crossed the river on rafts and climbed onto the muddy bank, their formation scattered, a cloud of dust rose from the opposite bank—a Ming cavalry force was already upon them!
Lu Xiang-sheng took the lead, his horse moving with incredible speed. He was a master of archery and horsemanship, and as he approached the enemy lines, he was the first to draw his bow and nock an arrow. With a "whoosh," a Jin infantryman who had just regained his footing fell to the ground.

"Kill!" Lu Xiang-sheng abandoned his bow and switched to his sword. His gleaming saber drew an arc and directly cleaved a shield-wielding guard to the ground, shield and all.

His cavalry, like wolves and tigers, charged into the enemy ranks. Blades flashed, blood splattered. The beach was narrow, and the Later Jin soldiers had no chance to maneuver; they were instantly routed.

Fan Wencai was urging the remaining bondservants to board the rafts when he saw the enemy forces in front of him collapsing and a Ming general charging straight at him. He was terrified.

"Stop him! Stop him now!" Fan Wencai screamed as he backed away.

Lu Xiang-sheng's eyes flashed like lightning, already locking onto the bandit chieftain dressed in brocade robes and riding a horse. He spurred his horse straight at him, casually slashing down any bondservant who tried to stop him along the way.

As the two horses crossed paths, Lu Xiang-sheng swiftly brought his knife down!
Fan Wencai's expression froze in horror. A head, streaked with blood, flew into the air. The headless corpse swayed and fell off its horse.

"Second brother!"

On the west bank of the North Canal, Fan Wencheng and Jin Chengren stood side by side watching the battle. Fan Wencheng watched helplessly as his younger brother was slain by Lu Xiangsheng, letting out a piercing scream before his vision blurred and he nearly fainted. Jin Chengren was also deathly pale, his legs weak, muttering in Korean, "Heavenly soldiers... Heavenly soldiers are still powerful..."

On a distant hilltop, Huang Taiji also witnessed this scene through his binoculars. He put down the binoculars, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Who is that barbarian general charging into battle?" he asked his men. "Your Majesty, judging from the banners, he appears to be Lu Xiang-sheng, the Ming Dynasty's Shuntian Governor."

"Lu Xiang-sheng?" Huang Taiji pondered the name, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "A mere civil official from the south, yet he possesses such courage and martial arts skills? Truly... a Baturu!"

……

Almost at the same time that Lu Xiang-sheng launched his counterattack, ten miles upstream, in a secluded section of the river overgrown with reeds.

Yang Guli personally led three hundred elite cavalry to arrive quietly. Each rider rode two horses, all elite soldiers among the white-armored and cavalry. Zhao Si and over a hundred bondservants had already been ordered to set up dozens of wooden rafts there.

"Quickly! Cross the river silently!" Yanguli whispered the order. The men and horses swiftly boarded the rafts and rowed towards the opposite bank.

The opposite bank was completely silent, with only the rustling of the reeds in the wind.

Yanguli was secretly pleased, thinking he had succeeded. The first group of over a hundred people successfully landed and began to set up a perimeter. Subsequent groups crossed the river one after another.

Just as Yanguli himself set foot on the eastern shore and before the troops had fully assembled, a sudden change occurred!
From behind the reeds and earthen slopes on the flanks, deafening cannon fire and battle cries suddenly erupted! Smoke and dust obscured the sun, and countless soldiers charged out!
Sun Zushou, fully armored, led two thousand elite cavalrymen from Jizhou, charging in like a mountain crashing down! These two thousand cavalrymen were true veterans of countless battles, half of them were the personal guards of various generals, and the other half were the imperial guards, well-equipped and highly trained.

Sun Zushou, experienced and prudent, did not charge in a swarm. He divided his cavalry into five formations, each with four hundred men, and they attacked in shifts!
The first wave of cavalry did not engage in battle, but merely swept past, raining arrows down on the newly assembled Later Jin army, causing men and horses to fall.

The second wave followed closely behind, armed with three-barreled guns, closing in to within dozens of paces and unleashing a deafening barrage of bullets.

In the third and fourth waves, they brandished their lances and longswords, charging directly into the chaotic enemy ranks, hacking and trampling.

Yanguli, a veteran general, remained calm in the face of danger, and roared: "Dismount and form ranks! Form ranks with your backs to the river! Spears on the outside, bows and arrows on the inside!"

The white-armored soldiers were indeed fierce and brave. Though startled, they remained calm and quickly closed in, forming a hedgehog-like circle with their spears and shields, while archers fired arrows through the gaps. The Ming cavalry's charge was momentarily halted by this tenacious defense.

The two sides were engulfed in a fierce melee. Swords and spears clashed, men and horses fell to the ground, and blood instantly stained the riverbank red.

Sun Zushou calmly observed from his vantage point that Yangguli's troops were locked in a fierce defensive battle, proving difficult to break through and only increasing their casualties. He waved his flag and sounded the retreat. The first four cavalry formations retreated like a receding tide, disengaging from the Later Jin army.

Yang Guli had just caught his breath, thinking he had withstood the Ming army's surprise attack. But then he saw that the fifth wave of Ming cavalry did not charge, but instead escorted several artillery pieces to the front of the formation.

The cannon carriage unfolded, revealing six 300-pound general cannons!
The gunners moved swiftly, loading ammunition and adjusting the firing angle.

Yang Guli's pupils constricted sharply, and he knew something was wrong!

"put!"

Sun Zushou swung the command flag down fiercely.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The general's cannon spewed deadly flames and shrapnel! Hundreds of lead bullets swept through the dense circular formation of the Later Jin army like iron brooms!

In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere! The sturdy gun emplacement was riddled with holes, and screams filled the air. No matter how brave the white-armored soldiers were, they could not withstand this thunderous blow.

The formation completely collapsed.

"Retreat! Cross the river! Cross the river quickly!" Yang Guli's eyes were bloodshot. Knowing that the situation was hopeless, he brandished his saber and led the charge into the river. The surviving Later Jin soldiers also completely lost their will to fight. They threw down their weapons, cried out, and jumped into the North Canal, desperately swimming towards the west bank.

Zhao Si stood on the west bank of the river, watching the usually imposing white-armored soldiers swim back in a disheveled state, soaked to the bone, with many corpses floating on the river. He was completely terrified.

……

Huang Taiji stood on the high slope, slowly lowering the binoculars in his hand.

The feint attack force collapsed, and Fan Wencai was killed in battle. The main attacking force, the elite Yangguli, fled back in disarray, losing over a hundred more of its elite soldiers…

He gazed at the "city built overnight" on the opposite bank, at the stretching wooden palisade on the east bank, and at the triumphant Ming cavalry.
A summer breeze blew by, but Huang Taiji felt a chill all over his body.

He opened his mouth, his voice dry and low, so low that only he could hear it:

"impossible……"

"impossible……"

"Absolutely...impossible..."

The outline of Tongzhou City was faintly visible in the distance, but he felt that the city had never been as far away as it was now.

(End of this chapter)