Chapter 188: To Fight or Not to Fight?! Zhu Youjian

The young eunuch did not dare delay; he trotted over and presented the telegram.

Gao Shiming took the envelope, strode quickly to the bookshelf, took down the thick codebook, and translated character by character.

Sender: Jia-Jia-Ding-Si (exclusive designation of Ma Shilong, Regional Commander of Datong)

Time of transmission: Yi-Bing-Ding-Geng (the sixth day of the tenth month, seventh year of Tianqi, the hour of the rabbit)

Recipient: Jia-Jia-Jia-Jia (the Great Ming Supreme Invincible Eternal Prosperity Great Emperor Himself)

Message content: Jia-Ding-Si-Bing, Zi-Yin-Ding-Mao…

Gao Shiming flipped through the codebook, translating the encrypted message aloud word by word:

"Battle… of Jining Lake… the Tiger Chieftain… may win… then… the final battle… may be… at Qingcheng… your subject… requests… to give battle at… Qingcheng."

The translation complete, Gao Shiming carefully checked it once more before raising his head and repeating:

"Your Majesty, telegram from Ma Shilong, Regional Commander of Datong: In the battle of Jining Lake, the Tiger Chieftain may win; the final battle may therefore be at Qingcheng. Your subject requests to give battle at Qingcheng!"

Zhu Youjian said nothing; he strode quickly to the great map in the center of the hall.

His gaze swiftly locked onto several critical points amid the dense, intricate map.

(A sketch map of this campaign is appended. Both sides are moving troops and will soon clash at Jining Lake. Ma Shilong predicts Ligdan Khan will win and then push on toward Hohhot. He wants to fight not at Jining Lake but at Qingcheng — that is, Hohhot.)

Qingcheng lay to the left, Jining Lake to the right, and Datong Garrison below.

The three points formed a triangle, though the leg from Jining Lake to Datong was slightly shorter, and the leg from Qingcheng to Datong slightly longer.

Qingcheng was also called Zhao City or Bansheng City; the Ming court had bestowed the name Guihua City.

"Qingcheng" referred to its walls built of blue brick; "Zhao City" to the Tibetan Buddhist lamasery temples that surrounded it; "Bansheng City" to its rammed-earth construction using wooden board frames; and "Guihua City" was the name the Ming dynasty had conferred.

But whatever one called it, it was now the royal city of the Tumed tribe of the Mongol right wing.

The Mongols had brought Han farmers into the Ordos Loop region to till the land, then built great Buddhist temples, creating a settlement zone.

Zhu Youjian suspected that this was the later Hohhot.

After all, judging by the mountains and rivers, this was indeed one of the few places on the Mongol steppe truly suited for permanent settlement.

Zhu Youjian's mind was a jumble; his first reaction, absurdly, was to run through every name of this city and the meaning behind each one.

He gave a self-mocking laugh and shook these tangled thoughts from his head.

As for Ma Shilong the man, Zhu Youjian had had a long talk with him before leaving the capital.

But the effect of that "interview" had been, in truth, quite limited.

At that time, Zhu Youjian had only just ascended the throne. Though he had displayed abilities far beyond ordinary men in finance, personnel, and document handling — thanks to his knowledge from later ages — in military affairs he was a complete layman.

War? What the hell did he know about it!

His understanding of warfare in this era had largely been accumulated and studied bit by bit only after the third Daily Lecture, when he finally had the time.

Choosing Ma Shilong had been the best solution available to him at the time.

The man came from a Shaanxi guard station and had passed the military juren examination; he could fairly be called accomplished in both civil and martial arts.

He had then served as Mobile Corps Commander of Xuanfu in Shanxi, then as Vice Regional Commander of Yongping Garrison, then as Regional Commander of Santunying in the Ji Garrison, and finally as Regional Commander of Shanhai in Liaodong.

All along his path, he had dealt with practically every power on the northern steppe.

Tumed, Kharchin, Doyan, Chahar — the names of the tribes entangled in this campaign had all appeared in his military career.

He alone possessed the connections, prestige, and seniority to integrate Man Gui's troops transferred from Liaodong and the arrogant, battle-hardened soldiers drawn from the various garrisons around the capital region.

As for that so-called "Defeat at Liu River" in the histories — a battle of only a few hundred men — Zhu Youjian did not take it to heart.

Besides, that battle was riddled with oddities: the naval force failed to arrive on schedule, yet no one was punished afterward. The hidden rot within was probably more dramatic than the battlefield itself.

But… what use was knowing all that?

Ma Shilong had six thousand cavalry under his command, but how many of them were truly battle-hardened elites, and how many were worn-out troops merely making up the numbers? He did not know!

The great battle between Ligdan Khan and the Prince of Shunyi at Jining Lake — what were the strengths of both sides? Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand? He still did not know!

A blanket of fog.

This was the true face of war.

Now Ma Shilong's petition lay before him. How should he decide?

Reject his request and order him to join the battle at Jining Lake at once — to link up with the Prince of Shunyi and the other Mongol right-wing tribes and jointly encircle and destroy Ligdan Khan of the left wing?

Or endorse his judgment?

Stand by and watch Ligdan Khan defeat or even rout the Prince of Shunyi, and then, after the Prince of Shunyi retreats to Qingcheng, have the Ming army, rested and waiting, deliver a fatal blow to Ligdan Khan when he comes in pursuit?

The former carried lower risk: the Great Ming could share the fruits of victory with the Tumed tribe, but its ability to integrate and control the Mongol right wing after the battle would inevitably be greatly diminished.

The latter carried extreme risk, but also extreme reward. If it succeeded, the Great Ming would descend upon Qingcheng as a savior and could then, through a series of measures — frontier trade markets, tribute relations, bestowals of titles and rewards — gradually tighten its grip on the entire Tumed tribe.

Win one such battle, and the deadlock on the northern frontier would be broken.

Afterward, whether to co-opt or strike Ligdan Khan, and how to respond to the Later Jin's probes into the Mongol region — all would enjoy ample room to maneuver.

But… what of the risks?

How long could Qingcheng hold out? Would the Prince of Shunyi collapse and flee a thousand li, turning the situation into one where the Great Ming had to face Ligdan Khan alone?

Had Ligdan Khan already detected the movements of these six thousand Ming cavalry and laid a trap?

Could they win? And if they could not win, how would they salvage the aftermath?

Countless questions came flooding in, swirling ceaselessly through Zhu Youjian's mind.

War is the gravest affair of the state.

The so-called foolproof plan is merely self-deception; the true decision often hangs on a hair's breadth.

This was a colossal gamble, staked with the flesh and blood of countless soldiers and the national fortune of the Great Ming. And he was the gambler who had to throw the dice.

Gao Shiming stepped forward and said quietly:

"Your Majesty, a Grade-A telegram, sent three times in succession. The two subsequent telegrams have also been verified; the content is identical, with no discrepancy."

Zhu Youjian remained silent, as if he had not heard.

Gao Shiming asked again:

"Should we wait for the three-hundred-li express dispatch? By distance it should arrive the day after tomorrow. I imagine Commissioner-in-Chief Ma will provide a more detailed explanation in the dispatch."

Zhu Youjian remained silent.

A more detailed explanation? He could roughly guess what it would contain.

Nothing more than some supporting evidence attached to explain why he had made such a risky strategic judgment.

But a window of battle is fleeting. By the time the dispatch arrived, everything might already be too late.

Seeing this, Gao Shiming offered another suggestion:

"Or, summon the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, and the Nine Chief Ministers to discuss it together?"

This time, Zhu Youjian finally reacted.

He slowly turned around. The tight lines of his face had relaxed, and a faint smile even appeared.

"Discuss it?" he asked softly. "In the end, such discussions are destined to yield no result. When everyone voices an opinion, no one bears responsibility."

"In a matter of this magnitude, the only one who can truly make the decision is me alone!"

His gaze was calm and profound, as if it had already pierced through layers of fog and seen the final outcome.

"Send the telegram."

Zhu Youjian looked at Gao Shiming and spoke, each word deliberate.

"Between me and Ma Shilong, there are only four words."

"Go! All! Out! Do it!"

Gao Shiming said no more. He nodded heavily, turned, picked up the codebook, and swiftly translated those four words into a telegraph code of only eight characters.

Then, holding the encoded message, he hurriedly turned and left the hall, handing it to the signalman waiting anxiously outside the door.

Watching the signalman swing onto his horse and gallop swiftly away, Zhu Youjian finally let out a long breath.

He opened his palm and only then realized it was already covered in clammy sweat.

"Damn it, it's definitely this body's problem. In my last life, what kind of scene haven't I seen!"

Zhu Youjian cursed inwardly, arbitrarily pinning that tension onto Chongzhen's head.

He composed himself again and smiled at Gao Shiming, who had returned, as if that decision concerning the fate of the nation had been nothing more than casually approving an ordinary memorial.

"Come, let's continue what we were discussing. Bring up the appointment memorials for the officials recalled to service in the Southern Metropolitan Area. I want to examine them carefully."

Before the Meridian Gate tower, the urgent sound of hoofbeats drew near from afar.

A signalman bearing a command flag on his back came racing from the Western Park. He hurled the dispatch in his hand up onto the high wooden platform and shouted with all his strength:

"Top-priority telegram! Five consecutive transmissions!"

The signalman on the wooden platform dared not show the slightest negligence. He caught the dispatch, turned, raised the red command flag in his hand, and began waving it vigorously.

From the Meridian Gate in the capital, it extended westward along an invisible line.

Six hundred seventy-four li, fifty-four telegraph stations.

One red flag after another unfurled in turn beneath the clear sky.

The first top-priority military telegram issued by His Majesty the Yongchang Emperor of the Great Ming was racing toward Datong at a speed surpassing the age.

Seven characters, arriving within one double-hour!

Ding— System Notification

The hidden scenario "Display Might Across the Great Desert" — all prerequisite conditions have been fully met. The scenario instance is now officially open.

Beta testers, if you wish to participate in this battle, you may proceed to Datong Garrison and register with Regional Commander Ma Shilong.

This battle carries high risk. Participation is limited to players of the Martial Honor rank, Senior Sixth Grade, Cloud Rider Commandant and above.