Chapter 1702: The Great Ming Emperor Duels the Mongol Great Khan

On White Deng Mountain, as night fell, the Northern Yuan Hutuktu Khan, Ligdan Batur, was pondering a rather serious question — which of his consorts should he spend this fine evening with?

Because Ligdan Batur, now thirty-seven years old and more than twenty years on the throne of the Mongol Great Khan, had only one son — and he had eight senior consorts! After all those years of effort, to have produced just one son was truly too few. And this boy, named Erke Kongguoluo Ejei, was only six this year and not in the best of health; he might die young at any time. Things could not go on like this!

In the future, when he had unified all the Mongol tribes like Dayan Khan, he would not even be able to enfeoff the myriad households of the left and right wings! He could not very well toil bitterly to conquer the realm himself, only to hand it over to other men's sons in the end, could he? It seemed he would still have to exert himself with vigor!

Just as he was thinking about whom he should exert himself with, the door curtain of his khan's tent was suddenly flung open, and then a huge figure barged in. This person had come in great haste, walking with such force that she brought a gust of wind with her!

Ligdan Batur looked up and could not help frowning slightly.

The arrival was the foremost female warrior of the Mongols, named Wuyunna, the younger sister of Guiyingqia, the foremost warrior of the Mongols, and also one of Ligdan Batur's eight senior consorts, in command of the Alakchuo Te Myriad Household ordo. This Alakchuo Te Myriad Household was composed of warriors selected from the various divisions of the Uriyangqa Myriad Household (there had long been no unified Uriyangqa Myriad Household) that had been forced to submit to the Chahar tribe. Only a female warrior like Senior Consort Wuyunna could keep them in check!

But today this female warrior, for some reason, was brimming with tears. Looking at Senior Consort Wuyunna's broad, tear-streaked face, Ligdan Batur felt a sudden pang of guilt! Could it be that this Great Khan had neglected his warrior for too long, and the warrior felt wronged?

"Ah, Yongshi, my beloved consort, what is—"

"Wuwu," the female warrior burst out with a wail, "Great Khan, my brother is dead!"

What? Your brother? Guiyingqia. Ligdan Batur was petrified on the spot. How could this be? Guiyingqia! The foremost warrior of the Mongols! How could he be dead? When he had been sent across the Yu River this morning, he had been perfectly fine. How could he be dead? What illness had he contracted? But a man like that?

"How did your brother die?" Only after a long while did Ligdan Batur manage to force out a sentence.

"He — he died in battle!" Wuyunna said through her tears. "He was cut down in formation by the emperor of the southern barbarians. His head was cut clean off. He died so horribly—"

Ah! Ligdan Batur was so shocked his eyeballs nearly popped out.

"Wu— Wuyunna, what did you say?"

Wuyunna wept: "Great Khan, my brother crossed the river today to raid for grain and happened to run straight into the Southern Dynasty emperor, who had personally led his army on campaign. He fought that Southern Dynasty emperor and was slain by the Southern Emperor!"

If he had run into the Southern Emperor, being killed was only to be expected!

"The Southern Emperor... he has come to Datong?" Ligdan Batur still could not believe it.

Wuyunna nodded, biting down on her big yellow teeth: "That accursed Southern Emperor, after killing my brother, led his troops in a forced crossing of the Yu River and even drove back Daichin Jaisang's men. He is now setting up his formation on the east bank of the Yu River, and he has even proclaimed that he will fight the Great Khan one-on-one to decide victory. Daichin Jaisang is outside the khan's tent right now; the Great Khan can ask him!"

How could such a thing happen?! The little emperor of the Great Ming could actually slay the foremost warrior of the Mongols!

Ligdan Batur even suspected he was having a nightmare, and hurriedly reached up and plucked out one of his own whiskers — ow! It really hurt!

Wuyunna wept and asked again: "Great Khan, are you going or not?"

Go and fight a duel with the Southern Emperor who had beaten the foremost warrior of the Mongols to death? Ligdan Batur glared at Consort Wuyunna, thinking: What are you trying to do? Plotting to murder your own husband?

Wuyunna then added another sentence: "Great Khan, your sister, Senior Princess Uriyangqa, has already gone to fight the Southern Emperor. You should go quickly too..."

"What? Uriyangqa, she—" Ligdan Batur panicked the moment he heard this. He knew his sister's fiery temper all too well. Someone had cut down her husband! How could she not be frantic? How could she not fight to the death? His brother-in-law was already gone; he could not let his sister be thrown in after him!

"Quickly, quickly," Ligdan Batur sprang to his feet, "summon the men at once, and ride out to battle!"

On the east bank of the Yu River, just as the sky was growing quite dark, large formations of Ming troops and Northern Yuan troops arrived almost simultaneously.

The Ming troops that had come up were the headquarters army led by Hei Yunlong, Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, Wu Xiang, Cao Wenzhao, Huang Degong, and others, along with the Datong garrison troops led by Fang Zikun, plus Man Gui's household retainers, and in addition some Datong garrison soldiers rowing wooden boats to transport chevaux-de-frise, tents, and cannons. All told, there were roughly fourteen or fifteen thousand men. Still remaining inside Datong city were only a few thousand garrison soldiers under Governor Zhang Yiming.

In addition, Yang Gao, Sun Zushou, Hei Mingxiao, and others were leading a regiment of the headquarters army, holding the North Gate parade-ground fort and securing Zhu Youjian's line of retreat.

Just as Man Gui and Hei Yunlong were busy directing their subordinates to form a crescent-moon great formation with their backs to the Yu River, countless Mongols came surging from the direction of White Deng Mountain. Charging at the very front was an Iron Lance Konot Sumun, led by a general in brocade robes and silver armor, who rode straight up to a row of chevaux-de-frise that had just been set in place, and then shouted in unison: "Where is the Southern Dynasty emperor? The Great Khan wishes to do battle with him!"

This time it was Zhu Youjian's turn to be greatly alarmed!

Wasn't Ligdan Batur a run-away khan? How had he suddenly grown so bold as to dare a duel with Us? No — We must go and see!

With that thought, Zhu Youjian, who was eating a meat-filled flatbread together with Man Gui, Hei Yunlong, Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, Wu Xiang, Cao Wenzhao, Huang Degong, and the others, hastily stuffed the flatbread into his mouth in two or three bites, then rose and started toward the front line — which badly frightened Man Gui and Hei Yunlong.

They too could understand Mongolian, and of course knew that the Hutuktu Khan was coming to fight a duel with Zhu Youjian! Judging by this young Son of Heaven's manner, did he really intend to go and accept the challenge?

The Great Ming Emperor dueling the Mongol Great Khan? How could such a thing happen under heaven?

"Your Majesty, you are a body of ten thousand chariots; you cannot do battle with a Tartar chieftain like the Hutuktu Khan!" Hei Yunlong hurriedly moved to block Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youjian pushed the great general aside with one hand and said with a laugh: "If such a thing is truly happening, We could not ask for more. Our martial prowess is the foremost under heaven; why should We fear not being able to cut down Ligdan Batur in formation? If We can first cut down Ligdan Batur, and then cut down Hong Taiji, will not all under heaven be at peace?"

Huh? You certainly know how to make a fine wish! Man Gui thought to himself: You even want to take a cheap shot at Hong Taiji!

Hei Yunlong did not know that Zhu Youjian's cheap shots were invincible. The report he had received was that Zhu Youjian, alone on horseback with a single spear, had bravely fought the foremost warrior of the Mongols, battling for thirty rounds and knocking him from his horse!

This little emperor truly was the bravest of the three armies!

But no matter how brave, he could not keep charging out to fight people one-on-one! Swords and spears had no eyes; if by some chance he got himself knocked down, the trouble would be enormous.

"Your Majesty, you must not go and fight the Hutuktu Khan!" Hei Yunlong ran along behind Zhu Youjian, pleading as he went. "If anything should happen to you, what would become of the Great Ming!"

"Rest assured!" Zhu Youjian said, a little impatiently. "Our martial skill is so high; how could anything possibly happen?"

Right — if one shot from the blunderbuss doesn't kill Ligdan Batur, then fire a second shot, a third shot... How could a cheap shot possibly go wrong?

By the time Zhu Youjian reached the front line, the sky was already very dark, but tonight was a bright-moon night, and many torches and bonfires had been lit on the battlefield, so one could still dimly make out a group of iron-armored cavalrymen riding back and forth in the open ground beyond the chevaux-de-frise.

"Has Ligdan Batur come?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"Your Majesty, that one in the lead is very likely Ligdan Batur." Fang Zikun, who was directing the formation at the front, came over to answer.

"How can you tell?" Zhu Youjian asked again.

"Your Majesty, look — that man's build is rather slender, not like the other Mongol warriors, who are all about the size of door panels." Fang Zikun pointed at the Mongol in brocade robes and silver armor with the vigorous bearing. "A figure like that, who can also lead the Iron Lance Konot Sumun out to battle — if he is not Ligdan Batur, he must certainly be some extraordinary noble!"

"Good!" Zhu Youjian nodded heavily. "We shall take this wretch alive!"

(End of Chapter)