Chapter 218: Counterattack

In the last days of the sixth month of the fourth year of Chongzhen, the Grand Hall of Governance in Shenyang was utterly silent. The two sides were filled with the Eight Banner Lords, along with each banner's Gushan Ejen and generals of Regional Commander rank and above. Most of these men were hulking and brawny, their shaved pates trailing a money-rat-tail queue behind, with only a strip of mustache left on the upper lip. Many bore scars on their faces, and when they occasionally raised their heads, their gazes always revealed a savage ferocity. The entire hall was filled with a chilling, barbaric aura.

At the head sat Huang Taiji in the center, flanked left and right by Manggultai and Daišan. Huang Taiji's face was grim. Manggultai's broad face carried a look of unbridled arrogance, while Daišan on the other side kept his head down, fiddling with his thumb ring, a picture of deep contemplation.

In the middle of the hall knelt a group of people, only three in the front row. Their clothes were tattered, their expressions panicked and haggard, and a short stubble of hair had grown on their heads. According to the Jianzhou Bandits' custom, they were supposed to shave every five to seven days; clearly, they had not shaved on time.

What Huang Taiji cared about now, however, was not their hair. Attacking Dongjiang Town had been his decision. He had always placed great importance on this stubborn, sticky military town, but the outcome of this battle had plunged him into a passive situation.

This time, the Left Wing Army had been nearly annihilated. The Plain White Banner's Gushan Ejen, Kekduli, was missing. Rumors from Pi Island claimed Kekduli had been captured by the Ming army — something unprecedented in Later Jin's history of warfare. This disastrous defeat had spread like wildfire through the banners, dealing a severe blow to Huang Taiji's prestige and obstructing the power-sharing reforms he had been smoothly advancing.

Since the Jisi Campaign, Huang Taiji's prestige had soared. Although there was the defeat at the Four Cities last year, the army had not suffered major losses, and the blame for that failure had been entirely borne by Amin. This allowed Huang Taiji to push forward his reform measures. In his eyes, Later Jin had reached a point where reform was imperative.

The Ming state was decadent, but Later Jin was in truth no different. The nobles of each banner routinely smuggled and traded goods with surrounding powers, concealed manor fields and able-bodied men, evaded labor service and grain taxes, and privately pocketed spoils of war. During the Jisi Campaign, the silver turned over to the public treasury amounted to a mere few tens of thousands of taels. The military aristocracy of each banner was already showing signs of seeking pleasure; some had even smuggled in opera singers from the Ming who performed southern arias, inviting friends and companions to watch at home.

It was only because their state was newly founded and the fierce toughness brought from the mountain forests had not yet faded that they could keep pressing the Ming army. But if this trend continued, sooner or later their fighting spirit would be utterly lost, and they would sink to the level of the Ming army. These people were short-sighted, which to Huang Taiji, who cherished ambitions for all under heaven, was naturally unacceptable. On the contrary, many Han officials possessed considerable enterprising spirit, incessantly submitting memorials urging the conquest of the Ming state and the struggle for the realm. Huang Taiji continuously raised their treatment and expanded the scope of their appointments. Militarily, he had already established the Ujen Cooha this year. On the civil side, he planned to increase the number of scholars in the study. According to his vision, this year he would also change the study into the Literary Institute, an independent body under his direct control, establishing official posts for Han civil officials within it. Once conditions matured, it would be transformed into a bureaucratic system like that of the Ming state, using administrative power to reclaim authority from the banners — another force to counterbalance the military aristocracy.

But now, with the defeat at Pi Island, his steps had to slow somewhat. Huang Taiji pulled back his thoughts and glanced left and right at Manggultai and Daišan. The two men seemed utterly indifferent, neither showing any intention of speaking.

Huang Taiji sneered inwardly. Turning his head, he addressed the men kneeling below: "Damuhe, your Plain Red Banner belongs to the Right Wing. Why did you go to Shenmi Island with the Left Wing Army that day?"

Damuhe, kneeling in the first row, was the escaped Plain Red Banner Jalai Ejen. He kowtowed once before answering: "In reply to the Great Khan, your slave... your slave was ordered that day by Regional Commander Lenggeli to bring one Niru to serve with the Left Wing Army."

Huang Taiji shifted his gaze to the right side. Lenggeli bowed and said, "Great Khan, this is the truth. Your slave felt that day that without boats we should not force an attack, and certainly should not have gone onto Shenmi Island to force an attack. It is hateful that Kekduli would not listen to your slave's words and even made snide remarks. Your slave then dispatched Damuhe to assist him."

"Then why did you just happen to pick men from my Plain Red Banner?" Daišan beside him suddenly interjected. Lenggeli started in alarm and quickly knelt. He had chosen at random that day, with no specific consideration at all; how could he have known it would lead to such a catastrophic defeat?

"Your slave... your slave... it was... it was thinking that Damuhe is a Jalai Ejen, and if Kekduli acted rashly and underestimated the enemy, he could at least offer some counsel..."

Dorgon, on the left side, said in a sardonic tone: "Kekduli has been fighting since he was a teenager. What does he need Damuhe to teach him?"

Only then did Lenggeli remember that the Plain White Banner Lord was also present — Kekduli was the Plain White Banner's Gushan Ejen. These Banner Lords were men he could not afford to offend. Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead. He lay prostrate on the ground and simply stopped talking. In any case, he had brought his own troops back; they couldn't very well execute him. With all the Banner Lords present now, and their own banners having suffered heavy losses, this was precisely when their pent-up anger had no outlet. It was better to stay silent.

Daišan, however, was unwilling to let him off. Still fiddling with his thumb ring with his head lowered, he continued: "Since you were in command of the Right Wing troops, and you clearly knew the Left Wing troops were underestimating the enemy and advancing recklessly, why did you still send troops to be thrown in? Could it be you were afraid of taking too few heads from the Ming army for merit?"

Lenggeli stammered, unable to answer. At the time, he had been hoping Kekduli would get a bloody nose so he could enjoy the Left Wing's misfortune. Only later, upon learning of Kekduli's total annihilation, did he realize the magnitude of the disaster he had caused. That was why he had insisted on not withdrawing, accepting the scattered remnants who straggled back — partly to find witnesses, and partly to show he had done his utmost. Who knew these Banner Lords would still target him?

He was Huang Taiji's man, and Huang Taiji had to protect him. But it was inconvenient for Huang Taiji to intervene personally. After a moment's thought, he shot a glance at Yoto.

Yoto did not hesitate. He stood up and loudly addressed Daišan: "Ama, Kekduli is also a man seasoned in war. Presumably, he would not have listened to Lenggeli either. That Lenggeli could hold off so many southern barbarians, staying on the shore the entire time and rescuing so many men back, can still be considered doing his duty."

Daišan's expression remained leisurely, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Huang Taiji's choice of Yoto to speak up was apt. Daišan was usually not as domineering as Manggultai, but behind the scenes, his mind was far more calculating. If Huang Taiji was not careful, Daišan could easily put him in an awkward position.

Seeing that Daišan was not pursuing the matter further, Hooge also spoke: "At that time, since there were no Korean war boats, not attacking Pi Island was correct. The generals who fled back from the Left Wing can all attest that Lenggeli opposed continuing the sea crossing. Therefore, although Lenggeli achieved no merit, he can also be considered without fault."

Manggultai burst out laughing: "What Beile Hooge says is truly laughable. I've followed the Old Khan in battle since my teens and have never heard of a campaign where one had neither merit nor fault. You're given several thousand men to run nearly a thousand li, and you come back with nothing to show for it? What kind of damn war is that? Since the Left Wing troops were surrounded on Shenmi Island, were you, Lenggeli, scared out of your wits? Didn't you know to take advantage of the emptiness and strike directly at Pi Island? If you had just taken the island bandit harbor on the north side of Pi Island, could the Pi Island navy still float on the sea?"

Hooge's face darkened as he stared coldly at this uncle. Manggultai had always been overbearing, daring even to strike people during the Deliberative Council. After Amin was placed under house arrest last year, Manggultai's arrogance had been somewhat curbed. Now, seeing Huang Taiji's momentum weaken, he immediately jumped out again. Noticing Hooge's hostile expression, Manggultai looked back at him with utter disdain: "Does Beile Hooge think his uncle speaks wrongly?"

Daišan again interjected: "Even if the matter on Shenmi Island is not Lenggeli's responsibility, what about the inexplicable night raid on the camp at Tieshan on the return journey? Not to mention the bondservants rioting and half the grain and fodder being burned, Li Sizhong is also missing. Surely you can't blame Kekduli for that too?"

What Daišan referred to occurred on the retreat route of the Later Jin army. After they passed Tieshan, a fire suddenly broke out at night, and they were raided. This caused over a thousand bondservants to riot, with dozens trampled to death. Li Sizhong went missing. This matter indeed could not be denied. Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Huang Taiji put on a broad smile and said to Manggultai: "Fifth Brother, why quibble with the younger generation? When we followed the Old Khan into battle, they weren't even born yet."

He turned to Hooge and said, "You must learn more about battlefield matters from your uncles." Hooge swallowed his anger, sat back in his chair, and said no more.

Seeing the situation thus, Huang Taiji could only demote Lenggeli by one rank and fine him one Niru. The other Banner Lords did not object this time, and only then was the Right Wing Army's matter considered settled.

Huang Taiji returned to the question he had wanted to ask from the beginning. He said to Damuhe: "Describe the circumstances of the battle on the island that day."

"Yes. That day, not long after your slave followed Kekduli onto the island, the Dongjiang Town navy appeared from the west. Kekduli said there was no time to return to shore, so we would hold out on the island and slip back to Xuanchuan in batches. Then the Dongjiang Town navy began shelling. Everyone was fleeing southward, men scattering everywhere. Later, armored soldiers came to report that Ming troops had landed under cover of the chaos. We followed Kekduli westward to meet them..."

Manggultai loudly interrupted: "To hell with the navy talk. Tell us about that Ming army — was it still that Wendeng Battalion?"

Damuhe nervously said: "Yes, it was that Wendeng Battalion. Your slave followed Kekduli in charging their formation. Before we even got close, they cut down two to three hundred of us with their cannons and firelocks. The armored soldiers suffered grievous losses. And this Wendeng Battalion was no weakling in close combat either; they would not retreat when fought. On the contrary, our two wings couldn't hold out for long before collapsing and fleeing. Your slave was the last to run, only hoping to return and bring word."

Huang Taiji narrowed his eyes and asked: "How many men do they have? What kind of firearms could cause you to lose two to three hundred armored soldiers before even engaging?"

Damuhe hesitated slightly. "A full two to three thousand men, plus dozens of cannons on the ships. Their firelocks can pierce armor at seventy to eighty paces. Even if some armor plates weren't penetrated, men were still struck and vomited blood from the impact, unable to fight." Damuhe exaggerated the Wendeng Battalion's numbers somewhat, making it seem not that his own efforts were lacking, but that the enemy was too strong.

Daišan asked darkly: "Merely two to three thousand men. We've seen cannons and firelocks before. How could they kill so many?"

"In reply to the Grand Beile, this Wendeng Battalion's cannons are different. They have a kind of small cannon, even more ferocious than those several-thousand-jin great cannons, firing as fast as arrows. Every time they fired, a swath of warriors would fall. Their firelocks are also different from ordinary Ming troops. They don't fire at a distance; they wait until we draw near and then fire all at once. The volley is like a thunderclap. Every time they fired, our battle line suffered heavy losses and fell into chaos."

Now even Daišan raised his head. The other Banner Lords and generals around began to murmur in low discussion. Previously, they had considered the Sichuan troops and Zhejiang troops the strongest Ming forces. But since last year, this Wendeng Battalion had suddenly emerged, and this year they had been dealt another harsh blow. Everyone began to take them seriously.

The youngest, Dodo, walked up to Damuhe and asked seriously: "This small cannon you speak of — is it the Crouching Tiger Cannon?"

"In reply to the Fifteenth Beile, it is not the Crouching Tiger Cannon. It has wheels, is taller than the Crouching Tiger Cannon, and fires without pause, the lead shot falling like rain. That Wendeng Battalion brought seven or eight of them. We didn't even dare stop to loose arrows."

Dodo immediately turned to another man kneeling nearby. "Shi Tingzhu, you are with the Ujen Cooha. Have you ever seen this kind of small cannon before?"

The man beside him was Shi Tingzhu, Vice General of the Ujen Cooha. He had originally been sent to induce the Han people of Dongjiang Town to surrender — originally a cushy assignment. But the situation had changed abruptly. He had barely escaped Shenmi Island with his life, and upon returning, he was interrogated by all the masters, already utterly terrified and dispirited.

"Fifteenth Beile, your slave has never seen that kind of small cannon. No cannon has ever been able to fire so fast. By your slave's reckoning at the time, it was several times faster than a bird gun."

Dodo suddenly slapped Shi Tingzhu across the face. "You dog slave! Then why didn't you build this kind of small cannon? You egged us on to build those five-thousand-jin cannons. The bird gun fires several shots before your cannon fires once, and after a few shots it has to stop. What use is that?"

Shi Tingzhu was full of bitter suffering he could not voice. It was not his idea to build such large cannons; it was clearly Huang Taiji who had decided it. Yet he could not defend himself. Dodo, though young, was also extremely overbearing. Right there in the great hall, he slapped Shi Tingzhu back and forth. The crisp slaps echoed through the empty hall. The dignified Deliberative Council of Later Jin resembled nothing more than underworld bosses holding a triad initiation ceremony.

"Fifteenth Brother, that's enough." Dorgon hastily pulled Dodo back to his seat. Although Huang Taiji's expression remained unchanged, Dorgon sensed that Huang Taiji was already extremely displeased. Dorgon did not want Dodo to offend Huang Taiji over such a trivial matter. After Dodo's outburst, the various generals in the hall all began privately discussing that Ming army, creating a buzzing noise.

Huang Taiji pondered for a long while, then said to Daišan and Manggultai on his left and right: "Grand Beile, Third Beile, this Wendeng Battalion has blunted our army's edge three times now. Moreover, a Gushan Ejen has been captured. This is something unprecedented since the founding of our Great Jin. If we do not avenge this, how can our Great Jin overawe the Mongols and Korea?"

When discussing the enemy, Manggultai did not throw a tantrum, but still complained: "Eighth Brother, it's not that your brother wants to complain, but when we were at Gu'an, we should have massed the army and crushed them in one fell swoop. Now they have several thousand soldiers in hand, plus these powerful cannons and firelocks. It's become difficult instead."

In his heart, Huang Taiji did not believe that had been a mistake. Judging from the later attack on Changli, with such a strong army defending Gu'an, the forces that had entered the pass could not have taken it. Even if they could have, the casualties would have been catastrophic, and the banners would not have accepted it. Still, he said calmly: "Fifth Brother is right. That day, I merely thought it was his good luck, and thus missed the opportunity. Now it seems this Wendeng Battalion cannot be left alone. The sooner we eliminate it, the better."

Daišan frowned and said: "They came by ship. After the battle, they've probably all gone back. With the wide Liao Sea between us, we can't very well fly over to attack them."

Huang Taiji said composedly: "Naturally, we cannot fly over. But right now, there is an excellent opportunity to make this Wendeng Battalion deliver itself to Liaodong."

Daišan smiled faintly: "You mean Dalinghe?"

"Precisely. The Grand Beile and I are of one mind."

Manggultai quickly asked: "Has construction started at this place yet? Why has Liaodong been making noise for so long without starting to build the city?"

Huang Taiji took out a sheet of paper. His two elder brothers immediately turned their faces away. Remembering they were illiterate, Huang Taiji had no choice but to explain: "Elder brothers, the Ming army's manpower and supplies have all been assembled at Jinzhou. Construction of the city will certainly begin in the seventh month. As long as we besiege it without attacking, the Ming Emperor will surely dispatch strong armies to its rescue. Since this Wendeng Battalion claims to be a strong army of the Ming, it should be on the conscription roster."

Daišan and Manggultai exchanged a glance. The city of Dalinghe had not even begun construction, yet Later Jin already possessed the intelligence, even knowing the exact time it was to start. Later Jin naturally could not tolerate the Ming army's continued encroachment. The two of them had no objections to attacking Dalinghe, only differing on how to attack. Manggultai wished to assault directly, finish the fight early, and then enter the Ming capital region again in winter for plunder. But now, with Huang Taiji putting it this way, they were somewhat swayed.

Huang Taiji continued to incite them: "After this battle, that Wendeng Battalion Assistant Regional Commander will likely be promoted again. The last time we invaded the Ming, he was merely a Picket Officer, yet he defeated our Mongol wings. If he is allowed to become a Regional Commander, I fear..."

Daišan and Manggultai finally nodded in agreement. Although they sometimes did not see eye to eye with Huang Taiji, they were not half-hearted when it came to war.

With the two senior beile's consent, Huang Taiji's plan to attack Dalinghe City could finally proceed as he envisioned. He turned to look at the defeated soldiers below, a trace of a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.