Chapter 555: The Old Capital

On the banks of the Qingsha River at Gaizhou, many half-built wooden trestle bridges stood on the southern shore, but no one continued the work. The laborers who had swarmed like ants a few days ago had suddenly vanished. Tents had been withdrawn from several military-camp sites, and the timber felled from the surrounding area had been set ablaze, sending thick smoke straight into the sky.

In the riverbank fighting a few days earlier, the Dengzhou infantry had seized the northern bank of a crossing point, reducing several newly built Later Jin watchtowers to rubble and establishing a bridgehead. After the main Later Jin force appeared north of Gaizhou, the Dengzhou garrison abandoned the northern bridgehead and withdrew the civilian laborers and infantry from the southern bank of the Qingsha River, leaving the Long Qibing and a portion of cavalry to hold the position. Now only the southern bank of the ford remained under Dengzhou garrison control.

A column of cavalry without banners approached from the south and halted on the southern bank of the ford. Chen Xin drew out his telescope. A li beyond the riverbank lay Gaizhou city. The earthen wall fortifications built outside the city were clearly visible. The Later Jin army had invested considerable resources in Gaizhou, and the fortifications had nearly reached the river's edge.

Liu Pojun was also surveying the scene with a telescope, saying as he did so, "It was confirmed yesterday that the main forces of the Later Jin Eight Banners that have reached Gaizhou include the Two Yellow Banners, Two Red Banners, Plain Blue Banner, and Plain White Banner. Combined with the main force of the Mongol Left Wing spotted the day before, the bulk of the true Jurchen troops have now assembled at Gaizhou."

Chen Xin listened while continuing to observe through his telescope. No new banners had appeared on the walls of Gaizhou, but Gaizhou was a large city. Its residents had been massacred during the Tianming era, so a large portion of the Later Jin main force would be garrisoned inside the city, invisible from here.

Liu Pojun continued, "Intelligence relayed by the special-operations team today indicates that the Mongol Right Wing, three thousand Ujen Choha troops, and a contingent of Outer Vassal Mongols were discovered at Boluoguo yesterday. The Outer Vassal Mongols are slightly more numerous than last reported, likely between four and five thousand."

Zhu Guobin said coldly, "Those Mongols may have come, but they won't necessarily fight to the death. The only ones truly close to the Jianzhou Bandits are the Khorchin contingent. Even if their taijis are willing, the fighting capacity of the common Mongols beneath them is far inferior to that of true Jurchen armored soldiers."

"They've assembled in force. Huang Taiji is betting heavily this time." Chen Xin drew his collar close and glanced at the Qingsha River not far away. The temperature had plummeted over the past few days, and ice fringes had already formed along the riverbank. The river would likely freeze overnight.

Chen Xin turned to Liu Pojun and asked, "Has the Junlingsi still designated the area near Yulinpu as the site for the decisive battle?"

"Yes. North of Gaizhou lies a stretch of hilly terrain, and suitable ground for a decisive battle only appears near Boluoguo, thirty li away. The area immediately around Gaizhou city is even less suitable; the Later Jin would have the city to fall back on, which would be extremely disadvantageous for our forces. To the south, Yulinpu and Guotoupu could serve as battle sites, but if we make Huang Taiji attack a defensive line at Guotoupu, he would probably rather turn back. East of Yulinpu is blocked by mountains, and to the west is the Liaodong Sea. Our Dengzhou grand army of forty thousand men can fully cover the front line, making it difficult for the Jianzhou Bandit cavalry to exploit their advantage. Therefore, the Junlingsi believes only the area near Yulinpu can serve as the site for a decisive battle."

Chen Xin nodded. Although Huang Taiji had come to Gaizhou, he was still sheltering inside a heavily fortified city. They had to be drawn out onto open ground before their main force could be dealt a crushing blow. Compared to Dengzhou, the Later Jin lacked the potential for sustained warfare. A single rout in a major battle would cause the Later Jin system to disintegrate.

Zhu Guobin asked Liu Pojun, "Has the Junlingsi assessed whether the Jianzhou Bandits will be willing to fight a decisive battle at Yulinpu?"

"The Jianzhou Bandits will absolutely refuse to engage us in narrow valley or defile terrain. Yulinpu is flat ground. If Huang Taiji still refuses to come, then we'll have the Eighth Battalion launch a fierce assault on Lianshan Pass. Huang Taiji won't be able to sit still then."

Chen Xin smiled. "Huang Taiji has come to Gaizhou, so he's riding a tiger and can't easily dismount. Proceed according to the Junlingsi plan. The Fourth Battalion will hold Yulinbao. Abandon this ford this afternoon."

。。。

On the fourth day of the ninth month, another cold snap descended upon Liaodong. The Qingsha River began to freeze. The Dengzhou troops and ships at Lianyun Island sailed south one after another. Liaodong once again entered the season of ice and cold, but the war was slowly heating up.

The Later Jin Eight Banners grand army had assembled in full at Gaizhou. In addition to the Manchu Eight Banners, there were 1,700 men of the Mongol Left Wing, 7,000 Ujen Choha troops, 1,500 men of the Tianyou Army, and over 4,200 Outer Vassal Mongols. Excluding the Mongol Right Wing left to garrison Liaoyang and Haizhou, every Later Jin unit with a formal designation was concentrated around the small city of Gaizhou.

The Dengzhou garrison abandoned the southern bank of the Qingsha River. Its forward elements pulled back to Yulinpu. Within sixty li south of Gaizhou, the main Dengzhou forces at Xin'anbao, Guo'erpu, and Xiongyueyi advanced in sequence. Along the official road, the great army streamed toward Guotoupu to assemble. At Yulinpu, a trench defense line was constructed, held by the main Fourth Battalion of the Liaonan Brigade, reinforced with a portion of cavalry. Later Jin scout cavalry began crossing the Qingsha River and moving south, their numbers growing day by day.

After the Later Jin main force reached Gaizhou, the Dengzhou and Dongjiang troops in the Xiuyan direction remained on high alert, establishing layered defenses along the mountain roads and cutting off any hope of a Later Jin light-infantry raid. The mountain infantry battalion guarding the mountain routes from Xiuyan toward Haizhou became more active, pushing its defensive line toward Haizhou. Haizhou was a critical node on the Later Jin supply route, forcing the Later Jin Mongol Right Wing to be tied down between Haizhou and Liaoyang, thereby dispersing Later Jin strength at the front.

Huang Taiji himself, leading the Two Yellow Banners, arrived at Gaizhou on the third day of the ninth month. He raised the Khan's banner within Gaizhou city, preparing for a life-or-death battle with Chen Xin. As he and Yoto had envisioned, Chen Xin should also be eager for a decisive battle; otherwise, he would not have abandoned his effective attrition tactics at this moment. Thus, Huang Taiji hoped to use small-scale engagements to draw the Dengzhou garrison into a decisive battle along the Qingsha River line.

But before his seat had even warmed, another piece of bad news arrived from the north.

。。。

Heavy snow fell upon Sarhū in Liaodong. This old capital, standing on the northwestern ridge of Mount Sarhū, was still stubbornly resisting. The name Sarhū became widely known because of the pivotal battle fought there at the turn of the Ming-Qing era. The place was originally called Sar Lake, and it controlled the alluvial plains of the Suzi and Hun rivers for dozens of li below the mountain. In past years, the grain harvest had been abundant, making it a crucial node for Later Jin control of northern Liaodong.

Construction of its city walls began in the fifth year of the Tianming era. Although it was ten li behind the old capital of Jiefan, its location was better suited for expansion toward central Liaoning. Therefore, Nurhaci began building the city in Tianming 5. The city wall was roughly seven li in circumference, with gates opened on the east and south sides, mutually supporting the nearby cities of Jiefan and Wanggao. In addition, four large fortresses—Shangjianya, Zhakedan, Wendexiang, and others—served as outer defenses. Had it not been for the excessive number of armored soldiers drawn away, the Dongjiang army would have been able to mount a substantive assault against it.

After the heavy snow fell, the Dongjiang army's offensive paused for two days, and the fighting slackened slightly. The defenders of Sarhū had just breathed a sigh of relief when they discovered that the Dongjiang army had paraded over a thousand captured true Jurchens below the city walls. This instantly caused morale in Sarhū to plummet, because these captives all came from Jiefan, just ten li away.

Both Sarhū and Jiefan were built against the mountains, which greatly favored the defenders. The ridge of Tiebei Mountain, where Jiefan was located, was particularly precipitous. Although the city wall was only two li in circumference, the attacking force could not deploy its troops effectively. Thus, when the Dongjiang army arrived, it smoothly burned and slaughtered the residential area by the water outside the city but could not fight its way into Jiefan. The Dongjiang army then changed its approach and quickly captured Jiefan, because Jiefan had one fatal weakness: there was no water source inside the city (Note 1). In previous years, the true Jurchens all lived outside the city near the water source, and Jiefan city was used only as a military strongpoint, not a living community. As a result, when the Dongjiang troops arrived, the true Jurchens outside the city could only flee into the fortress-like Jiefan.

After the Dongjiang troops blockaded Jiefan for several days, the stored water inside the city ran out. The true Jurchens all knew that the Dongjiang troops were an army formed from Liaodong people, who shared a deep, irreconcilable hatred with the Later Jin, and that surrender would lead to no good end. They had hoped for heaven to show mercy and send a snowfall, which would give them water to drink. But although water is the cheapest thing, it is more vital than grain. After holding out for two days, someone who could no longer endure the thirst finally opened the city gates and let the Dongjiang garrison in. These captives were the ones escorted over from Jiefan.

The next day, the Dongjiang army continued its assault on Sarhū. The commander defending Sarhū sent men out of the city overnight to deliver a letter begging Huang Taiji for help. This time, the Dongjiang army's offensive was fierce. Shang Keyi, driven by a pent-up fury, had already captured Hetu Ala and Jiefan and was now pressing the attack on Sarhū. Three of the four large fortresses surrounding Sarhū had already been taken. All three had once been Later Jin capitals, and the Dongjiang army seemed intent on capturing the Later Jin capitals one by one.

When Huang Taiji received the plea for help from Sarhū, he was standing alone before a crude map, studying the terrain around Gaizhou. After reading the dispatch, Huang Taiji rubbed his nose to ease a feeling of discomfort, then began moving his finger across the map, combining what he saw with his own memories of past visits to Gaizhou, muttering continuously to himself.

。。。。。。

Note 1: Recorded by the Korean Yi Myeong-hwan: "Jiefan city lies between two rivers, extremely steep and obstructed. Inside the city there are absolutely no wells or springs. It is built of a mixture of wood and stone, several zhang high. All the Jurchen households, great and small, live outside the city by the water's edge." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.)

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