Late Ming Dynasty: Summoning players from Liaodong to support the Ming Dynasty

Inside the commander's tent of the Later Jin camp.

A heavy bronze wine cup with an animal head was slammed to the ground.

"Clang!"

Shards of metal flew in all directions, one of them grazing a guard's cheek and leaving a bloody mark. The guard stood frozen in place, too afraid to move.

The air inside the tent seemed to have frozen into ice.

Second Prince Amin paced back and forth in his tent, his bull-like frame making the felt beneath his feet groan with each step. He had just finished listening to the tearful report from the few survivors of the Baturu camp.

The supplies were burned, the elite troops were slaughtered, and more than 300 Jin warriors perished in a small supply camp.

The enemy is a group of "ghosts" that cannot be killed or eradicated.

"ghost?"

Amin suddenly stopped, turned around, and his face, crisscrossed with scars, was violently distorted with rage, making him look particularly terrifying.

He kicked the trembling guard in the chest, who screamed and flew out like a rag doll, crashing heavily into the tent pole.

"A bunch of useless trash who only embarrasses me!"

Amin's roar was laced with bloodlust, "If you can't win, you accuse me of having a ghost! When did the warriors of the Jurchens become as cowardly and timid as the southern barbarians!"

The Niru Ejen who were attending him were pale-faced, but none of them dared to utter a word of dissuasion.

Amin's tyranny was a fear etched into the very bones of every Manchu soldier.

"Guards!" Amin's voice was filled with murderous pleasure. "Drag those few lackeys who escaped from the supply camp out and execute them!"

"To uphold military law!"

As soon as the order was given, several desperate cries and pleas for mercy came from outside the tent, but they were quickly drowned out by the sound of rough dragging.

In this suffocating atmosphere, a general dressed in Han Chinese military uniform quietly stepped out from the ranks, knelt down in the center of the tent, and kowtowed.

It's Hu Yongqiang.

His movements were silent, like a slippery snake, slithering from the shadows into the firelight. All the Jurchen generals in the tent had their eyes on him, their gazes a mixture of disdain, scrutiny, and a hint of cruel anticipation.

Hu Yongqiang seemed oblivious to the stares; he simply buried his head deep in the cold carpet, his forehead pressed against it. The armor he wore, taken from a Later Jin general and altered to a smaller size, looked somewhat out of place on him, especially against his stubble-covered, clean-shaven face, making him appear even more peculiar.

"Um?"

Amin's anger had not completely subsided. He lowered his head and looked down at the Han man kneeling on the ground with his nostrils flared. In his eyes, these Han generals who had surrendered were more contemptible than the enemies of the Southern Dynasty.

"What nonsense do you have to spout?" Amin's tone was utterly unfriendly.

Hu Yongqiang trembled, but didn't raise his head. Instead, he said urgently in a shrill, almost grating voice, "Your Highness, please calm down! This servant... this servant has something to say!"

"explain!"

"Your Highness's divine might is unparalleled, and the warriors of the Great Jin are invincible. What right do these mere southern barbarians have to speak of ghosts and gods!" Hu Yongqiang immediately launched into a practiced flattery, lowering his ego to the dust. "This must be that Guangning garrison commander, Chu Ze, using some underhanded sorcery and evil magic to create a charade and undermine the morale of our army!"

His words cleverly transformed "ghosts" into "sorcery".

This not only gave Amin a way out, but also shifted all the blame onto Chu Ze.

The expressions of the Jurchen generals inside the tent softened slightly. The talk of ghosts and spirits terrified them; but if it was an enemy's scheme, then all that remained was anger.

Amin's expression softened slightly. He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the Han man kneeling on the ground, as if re-examining a tool.

"What are you going to do?"

Amin's anger finally subsided slightly, turning into a more somber and heavy mood.

Hu Yongqiang keenly sensed this change, and he abruptly shifted the subject, posing the truly fatal question.

"Your Highness, with Baturu dead, this servant is worried about something else."

"Could it be that our agreement with the mole inside the south gate of Guangning City... has been exposed along with Baturu's death?"

These words were like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing Amin's last flare of anger.

Deception!

This is his trump card, the one he's determined to use to win this siege!

If this plan is exposed, the losses will be far more than just a supply battalion.

"Pass down the order! Cancel the original plan!" Amin almost instinctively wanted to make the safest decision.

"Your Highness, you mustn't!"

Hu Yongqiang suddenly raised his head, a cold, calculating smile on his face. "This servant believes that not only should we not cancel it, but this is actually an excellent opportunity for us to turn the tables and achieve our goal in one fell swoop!"

Amin paused, looking at him suspiciously.

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"Your Highness, think about it," Hu Yongqiang said slowly, but every word was piercing, "that garrison commander of Guangning City, thinking that he has intercepted our secret letter and knows the plan to deceive the city, must be very proud of himself right now, thinking that he has everything under control."

"What will he do? He'll surely lay a trap at the south gate, waiting for us to walk right into it, so he can win another great victory and boost the morale of his already collapsed army!"

"And this is our chance!"

A glint of malice flashed in Hu Yongqiang's eyes.

"Our plan to defraud the city remains unchanged!"

"However, the 'supply convoy' heading to the south gate was just bait! The carts weren't loaded with grain, but with sulfur and hay for starting fires, and dozens of suicide soldiers hidden inside! Their purpose wasn't to breach the gate, but to create the greatest chaos under the city gate, drawing the attention of all the garrison of Guangning City firmly to the south gate!"

A feint to the east while attacking in the west!

The several Niru Ejen inside the tent instantly understood, and their faces showed a look of realization.

But Hu Yongqiang's plan went far beyond that.

He crawled forward two steps on his knees, lowering his voice as if a venomous snake were flicking its tongue.

"While everyone's attention is focused on the fire at the South Gate, the other gates of Guangning, especially the most heavily guarded West Gate, will inevitably be left vulnerable due to troop withdrawals!"

"At that time, I will personally lead a truly elite force to launch a fierce attack on the west gate under the cover of night!"

"I still have some old acquaintances in the city. With a large sum of money, I can bribe one or two guards at the west gate to open a small gap at a crucial moment… Guangning City will be within my grasp!"

A ring within a ring, a scheme within a scheme!

The entire command tent was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was speechless with shock at Hu Yongqiang's ruthless and meticulously planned scheme.

Looking at Hu Yongqiang, who was crawling on the ground, Amin's small eyes flashed with genuine approval for the first time.

The ruthlessness and cunning of this Han Chinese general who surrendered was more to his liking than any Jurchen he had ever met.

"good!"

Amin slapped his thigh, making a loud noise.

"What a brilliant example of turning the tables!"

He burst into laughter, his laughter filled with the arrogance of an impending great victory.

"Hu Yongqiang!"

"Your servant is here!"

"I, Your Highness, will allocate another three hundred elite Bayara soldiers of great gold to you! They will all be at your command!"

Amin walked up to him, lifted his chin with the end of his riding crop, and grinned maliciously.

"You must raze the West Gate to the ground for me, Prince! On the day the city falls, spare only the garrison commander Chu Ze; the rest are yours to do as you please!"

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your divine grace!"

Hu Yongqiang kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the cold ground with a dull thud.

When he raised his head again, his face was adorned with an incomparably fawning and humble smile, but deep in his eyes lay a chilling, cunning glint.

He believed that no matter who the general in Guangning City was, whether it was the rumored capable Chu Ze or some unknown barbarian, they would never be able to see through his seemingly flawless scheme.

A self-righteous victor is waiting for him to walk into the lion's den.

And he had already prepared an inescapable grave for this victor.