Chapter 505: The Later Jin's Response

Attack Dongjiang Town, repel Dongjiang Town's offensives at Fenghuang City and Xiuyan, flank around to Dengzhou's right wing, threaten Jinzhou, or encircle the Dengzhou army at Gaizhou — at the very least, force Dengzhou to withdraw its troops.

At the northern training ground outside Shenyang City, below the platform stood three thousand Uzhen Choha in motley clothing. The Later Jin army lacked enough cloth to make uniforms for each banner; only the banner colors could tell them apart. On the high command platform, Huang Taiji's large yellow-tasseled canopy was strikingly conspicuous. Huang Taiji had grown stout; his once sharply angular face had become rounded, but his gaze remained resolute, even though the Later Jin's current situation was extremely dire.

The political fallout from Manggultai's death during last year's Xuan-Da campaign was slowly becoming apparent, especially among the Kalaqin and Tumote Mongol tribes. The previous year's Battle of Lushun had shattered the military prestige the Later Jin had painstakingly built; the outer-subject Mongols had participated throughout and suffered heavy losses. As those survivors returned to their various steppe tribes, the Later Jin's reputation had been steadily declining. The Xuan-Da campaign had started well and yielded good gains, restoring some Mongol confidence, but the sudden appearance of the Dengzhou Long Qibing, who killed Manggultai, instantly wiped out half of Huang Taiji's achievements.

The Mongols did not care whether Manggultai was at odds with Huang Taiji; all they knew was that a Later Jin Grand Beile had been killed by Dengzhou soldiers, and his head had been displayed outside Zhangjiakou for several days. As the news spread, many Mongols grew pessimistic about the Later Jin. Among the Mongols who had already submitted to the Later Jin, people kept fleeing, the largest single instance involving over a hundred people.

When the customary year-end tribute audiences arrived, thirty percent of the Mongol tribes did not come, concentrated mainly among the Kalaqin and Tumote. Even the most loyal Khorchin sent only half their usual number of Taiji.

Joseon went without saying. Ever since Dengzhou Town stationed itself in Liaonan, it had continuously aided Dongjiang Town with arms and equipment. After Dongjiang Town caught its breath, it recovered areas like Zhenjiang and Tieshan. The Tieshan region once again began military farming; although the numbers were smaller, the arms and armor had improved considerably. Huang Taiji estimated they had roughly fifty percent of the strength from Mao Wenlong's era. With Dongjiang Town's protection, Joseon reverted to its old ways. The pro-Ming faction had always held the majority in the Yi Dynasty court; although they had not formally broken with the Later Jin, they now completely ignored the several Later Jin envoys remaining in Joseon.

The attitude of the Liaoxi Liaozhen troops was also shifting. Wu Xiang and You Shiwei had performed poorly in last year's Xuan-Da operations, but in the end, relying on the heads distributed by Song Wenxian, they muddled through and remained in their original posts. Although Huang Taiji held hostages like Zu Zerun and Zu Kefa, Zu Dashou no longer replied to Huang Taiji's letters.

External conditions were unfavorable, and internal matters were equally unsettled. Although Huang Taiji had eliminated his greatest obstacle, Manggultai, his deficiencies in battle achievements left his prestige far below that of the original history. Internally, things seemed calm, but crises lurked everywhere. Last year, Dengzhou Town, leveraging the prestige of Lushun, twice raided and attacked Gaizhou, resulting in the destruction of most of the farming outposts between Gaizhou and Yaozhou. The permanently stationed Plain White Banner troops suffered severe losses. During both the spring and autumn busy farming seasons, the Later Jin was forced to mobilize to counter Dengzhou's harassment, exacerbating the impact of floods and droughts on the harvest. Each banner lacked clothing and food; the nobles persisted in their old exploitative ways; the banner soldiers lived in hardship, and morale was extremely low.

Beset by internal troubles and external threats, Huang Taiji felt increasingly overwhelmed. What was most hateful was that the Dengzhou Town cavalry was steadily growing stronger, with all their horses coming from Kalaqin and Tumote, and the Guanning Army acting as an intermediary in between. These cavalry made Dengzhou Town's tactics against Gaizhou ever more flexible, as demonstrated in the autumn offensive in the second half of the year. Although the Later Jin dispatched five thousand cavalry, they only managed to destroy a few Dengzhou fortifications closest to Yulinbao and did not dare to advance deeper, allowing Dengzhou Town to firmly establish Fuzhou as a support point. With Fuzhou as a base, Dengzhou Town's front line advanced over a hundred li, pinning down the Later Jin's main force and preventing it from venturing far from Liaodong. With the Liaodong Sea about to thaw, Dengzhou Town would certainly launch another offensive to disrupt the spring planting in Gaizhou.

Huang Taiji's gaze shifted to the nearby Yoto. This Minister of War had refused to kill his own consort, an act that had already violated Huang Taiji's taboo, but the time was not yet right to move against him. At the end of the year, Daišan had formally submitted a memorial requesting not to sit level with the Great Khan, honoring Huang Taiji as the sovereign of the Later Jin. Huang Taiji had given corresponding compensation: Sahaliyan was appointed the new Uzhen Choha Gūsa Ejen, and Yoto could only be kept in the position of Minister of War for now.

"Beile Yoto," Huang Taiji spoke flatly, "Liaodong has already entered spring, and the Liaodong Sea has thawed. Do you think the Dengzhou Town across from us will come to Gaizhou again?"

Yoto turned back and said, "In reply to the Great Khan, your slave believes Dengzhou Town will certainly come. Judging by their past behavior, when they were at Jinzhou, they dispatched troops in the spring to attack Fuzhou. After occupying Fuzhou, they raided Gaizhou during the spring and autumn busy farming seasons. Their use of troops is not aimed at a decisive battle with our main army, but at wearing us down with manpower, tying down our main army so it cannot venture far. Your slave therefore concludes that after spring begins, Dengzhou Town will definitely come to Gaizhou and will also once again attack and occupy places like Xiuyan and Fenghuang City."

Huang Taiji narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Then, as Minister of War, what countermeasure do you propose?"

Yoto heightened his vigilance inwardly. With Huang Taiji asking him, the Minister of War, for his opinion in front of so many beile, he had to respond with extreme caution. He understood Huang Taiji's intentions toward him perfectly well; the moment he revealed any flaw, Huang Taiji would punish him on grand and honorable grounds. But he still decided to speak his true thoughts, because the Later Jin could not withstand such attrition.

"Your slave believes that Dengzhou Town's purpose in coming this time is to force our main army to concentrate, wasting provisions and pay in places like Gaizhou, using bondservants to participate in the spring planting. Moreover, they will certainly, as they did last autumn, bring the Dongjiang island bandits along, using Dongjiang Town to attack areas from Xiuyan to Hetu Ala and elsewhere, making it impossible for our main army to assemble."

Huang Taiji said flatly, "State your countermeasure."

Yoto paused for a moment before speaking. "Your slave believes the Nikans will certainly come in multiple columns, as they did last autumn. Their troop disposition will likely be in three or four columns, like the fingers of a hand, each column coordinating with the others, striving to keep our Great Jin overwhelmed and unable to respond. However, every advantage has its disadvantage. Because the region is vast, with mountains and rivers separating them, if we again use elite White Armor scouts to intercept, then communication between them will be cut off for ten days or more. Your slave's countermeasure is to follow the late Khan's old strategy at Sarhu: no matter how many columns you come by, I go by only one. Attack one column, and the others, relying on mutual support, will naturally collapse on their own."

Huang Taiji nodded inwardly. Yoto's strategy was not far from his own thinking. The Later Jin could not afford to fight on all fronts; they could only use concentration to break dispersion, striking one column. Even if the other columns inflicted some losses, it would still boost the army's morale.

"Then, Beile Yoto, which column do you think is best to strike?"

Yoto knew full well that Huang Taiji already had a countermeasure in mind, yet kept pressing him to voice it, shifting the responsibility onto his own head. But as Minister of War, he could hardly evade it.

"In reply to the Great Khan, defend on the western route, attack on the eastern route."

Huang Taiji furrowed his brow. "The western route is Gaizhou, but Gaizhou is the strongest column. Back then, the late Khan first destroyed the strongest, Du Song, and then the rest. Why does Beile Yoto propose doing the opposite?"

Yoto licked his lips and said in a low voice, "Because the circumstances are different. Because our main army may find it difficult to swallow the Dengzhou Town forces on the western route in one bite. Dengzhou Town has Fuzhou as a base, with nearly ten military forts along the way, and the distance to Gaizhou is only one hundred eighty li. If their main army advances, there will certainly be infantry garrisoned in the forts along the route, making them hard to take in haste. Their cavalry and Long Qibing number nearly three thousand; relying on their forts to sally forth, our main army would again become bogged down in a protracted, indecisive struggle. Looking at the eastern route in contrast, Xiuyan and Fenghuang City were both breached by our main army during the winter. From the coast all the way to Lianshan Pass, Samaji Fort, and Laozhai, the area is desolate and uninhabited. Dongjiang Town, coming from this direction, cannot sustain a prolonged campaign, and their combat strength is far inferior to our armored soldiers. We can certainly defeat them in one battle. Our main army would then advance and garrison Xiuyan, and from Xiuyan advance on the eastern flank of Jinzhou. With Dengzhou's flank insecure, they would have no choice but to withdraw to Fuzhou. Our Great Jin could gain half a year's respite to recuperate."

Huang Taiji lowered his head and pondered for a long time, then looked toward Daišan beside him. Although Daišan had relinquished his co-equal status, Huang Taiji still granted him the privilege of being exempt from the rituals of a subject.

"Second Brother, do you think Beile Yoto's proposal is feasible?"

Daišan bowed slightly. "The Great Khan is brilliant, wise, and astute, and can naturally exercise his supreme authority alone. I am old and do not quite understand these matters of warfare."

Huang Taiji sneered coldly in his heart. Daišan was as slippery as ever. Huang Taiji was pressing him to state a position precisely to prevent him from settling accounts afterward. Fortunately, what Yoto had said was basically consistent with his own strategy, so there was no need to worry about a small misstep ruining the larger plan.

"Since Second Brother has no objection, then let Beile Yoto elaborate on how to defend in the west and attack in the east."

Daišan shot Yoto a look. Yoto caught it; Daišan's meaning was for him to be as vague as possible and not shoulder all the responsibility himself. Yoto wrestled inwardly for a moment, then raised his head and said to Huang Taiji, "Defending in the west means we must endure the loss of farmland and the inability to farm near Gaizhou. Send several thousand cavalry and several thousand Uzhen Choha into Gaizhou, using mobile warfare against mobile warfare. When their main force advances, we pull back into Gaizhou. As long as Gaizhou holds, Dengzhou's supply lines are blocked, and their infantry cannot advance deep north. Additionally, deploy a force to defend Yaozhou and Haizhou to prevent Dengzhou light cavalry from entering the fertile heartland of Liaozhong. On the eastern side, we concentrate our elite forces and conceal them in one location…" …

On the shore opposite Shicheng Island in the Liaodong Sea, there was a strategically important location — the site of Huanggudao Fort. Since the fall of Liaodong, Dongjiang Town and the Later Jin had fought back and forth over this place, and it had changed hands many times. Since Dengzhou Town stationed itself in Liaonan, the Later Jin had been driven away from here. It had since been occupied by Shang Kexi's forces from Shicheng Island.

At this moment, on the Liaodong Sea outside Huanggudao Fort, sailboats dotted the sea's surface. Countless red figures streamed ashore from the harbor in single file, coalescing on the shore into small rectangular blocks, then heading toward Huanggudao Fort.

Zhong Lao Si stood at this place he had seen countless times on maps, feeling a surge of excitement. After two years, he had returned to this place, Liaodong. Only fighting the strongest Jianzhou Bandits made him feel this thrill.

The Second Guards Battalion had rested and reorganized at Jinzhou for two days, then boarded ships again to sail north. After landing and reorganizing at Huanggudao Fort, they would advance toward Xiuyan, saving more than half the journey. According to the plan, they would launch their attack before Gaizhou, drawing the Jianzhou Bandits' troops to deploy eastward, after which the Liaonan Brigade on the western route would raid and attack Gaizhou.

"Sir Zhong, Vice Regional Commander Shang of Dongjiang Town has arrived," a disciplinary officer reported loudly, coming from the direction of Huanggudao Fort.

"Shang Kexi, huh, already a Vice Regional Commander. But I'm also a brevet Vice Regional Commander." Zhong Lao Si waved a hand. "Let's go, meet this miner."

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