Chapter 1758: A Protracted War, a Contest of Endurance

"Ama, you're still alive! Your wound isn't serious, is it? Have you seen a doctor?"

"Ama, who wounded you like this? Your son will go take revenge for you!"

Daishan's two filial sons had arrived, both kneeling there to pay their respects to their old father, yet on those two flat-cake faces hung a trace of amusement — no matter how you looked at it, there was a hint of schadenfreude. Daishan had been better off before he saw these two filial sons; now that he saw them, everything felt wrong. His breathing quickened, his lips turned white, and his face went pale and flushed by turns.

The other great Beiles present watched this father and his two sons, all of them not knowing whether to laugh or cry. In other families, no grudge between father and son lasted overnight, but in his family — what kind of father and sons were these? They were outright enemies!

"Great Beile, just look at these two sons of yours — how fine they are! So filial!" Hong Taiji naturally had to smooth things over; he did not want to see father and sons in Daishan's family destroy one another. Of course, he liked the idea of Daishan's family being loving and harmonious even less!

Great Beile Daishan had eight sons, and several of the older ones had already shown real ability! For example, the very two who were angering Daishan now — Yoto and Šoto — were not only skilled in war, but had also governed the Bordered Red Banner, filled with the old and weak, so well that it flourished day by day. If not for Daishan's failure to manage his household, his favoritism toward the sons born of his second wife, and his mistreatment of Yoto and Šoto, the sons of his first wife — which made everyone look down on him — the current Great Khan would surely have been Daishan. This old fellow shouted about beating and killing his own sons; how could his brothers not be afraid? If he became Great Khan, none of them would come to a good end!

Daishan snorted, and said to Šoto, who was shouting about avenging him: "The one who shot me was the little emperor of the Southern Court. Young as he is, he has the valor of Lü Bu. Last time, when he fought Ligdan Khan, he slew the brave Guiyingqia in battle and captured the Great Princess of the Uriankhai alive! This time he has wounded your father. If you truly have filial devotion, go down the mountain and fight him!"

What? Slain Guiyingqia in battle? Šoto was startled, thinking: That was the foremost warrior of the Mongols! The little Ming emperor is that formidable? If he went down the mountain to fight him, wouldn't that be walking to his death? He shot his old father a sullen look and sat there fuming, saying nothing.

"Great Beile, you know the little emperor of the Southern Court has the valor of Lü Bu, so why send Šoto down the mountain?" Hong Taiji quickly handed Šoto a way out. Though he also looked down on Šoto, Yoto had once supported him with all his strength in becoming Great Khan — Yoto was the banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner, and by supporting Hong Taiji instead of his own father Daishan, he had effectively blocked Daishan's path to the khanship.

And Daishan, unable to become Great Khan himself, could not possibly support Manggūltai, who had killed his own mother — Manggūltai's mother, Lady Fuca, had been Nurhaci's chief consort, but because she and Daishan had exchanged glances, Nurhaci had divorced her. Manggūltai thereby lost his status as a son of the primary wife, and in his rage and humiliation, he actually killed his mother! As for Dodo, who had inherited more than forty niru of the Plain Yellow Banner, he was only thirteen at the time, so of course he could not become Great Khan either. Thus Daishan could only go with the flow and cast his vote for Hong Taiji as well.

So it was Yoto's crucial vote — representing the Bordered Red Banner — that made Hong Taiji the Great Khan of the Great Jin.

After pulling Šoto to his feet, Hong Taiji looked at Yoto: "Yoto, you and Šoto have come at just the right time. This campaign beyond the passes is nearly over, and we must carefully discuss how to fight the coming battles. Ajige and Dorgon sent word a moment ago that they have already taken Modaoyu Pass. Once they have settled things, they will come over as well to discuss strategy together."

Hearing Hong Taiji say this, Yoto hastily rose and pulled his brother, who was always saying the wrong thing, off to one side. The booi servants in Daishan's tent hurriedly brought camp stools for the two of them.

Seeing that the two were seated, Hong Taiji did not wait for the Dorgon and Ajige brothers, and directly began the council of war.

Hong Taiji glanced at Daishan and asked: "Great Beile, you speak first — how is that little emperor's skill in directing troops and fighting battles?"

"A tough opponent!" Daishan clutched his chest, his face full of pain — whether from the wound or from being angered by his two filial sons, it was hard to tell.

Daishan paused, then added: "The little emperor can not only charge into the fray himself, but is also skilled in using cavalry. We can no longer treat him as one of those incompetent Southern Court generals we've met before."

Hong Taiji nodded and said: "The Great Beile is right — the little emperor of the Southern Court is indeed formidable!" He then glanced at Manggūltai and Amin. "Second Beile, Third Beile, what do you think?"

Manggūltai said: "The little emperor of the Southern Court is formidable. The Eight Banners troops we have on hand who can truly fight number only twenty thousand, and over these days we have suffered more than a thousand casualties, bit by bit. It is about time to go back!"

Amin nodded: "Let us go back, or turn and strike Joseon instead! Joseon may not be as rich as the Southern Court, but we can still plunder a thing or two there, and Joseon is easy to fight!"

Hong Taiji nodded noncommittally, then looked at Yoto. Yoto said: "Great Khan — I agree with withdrawing from within the Great Wall, but we cannot give up the contest for the Yan Mountains! Once the Yan Mountains are lost, the offensive and defensive positions between us and the Southern Court will be reversed!"

Hong Taiji turned his head to look at his eldest son, Hooge. "Hooge, what do you think?"

Hooge said: "We must contest the Yan Mountains, but at the same time we can no longer ignore Liaoxi and Shanhai Pass!"

"Shanhai, that mighty pass, is not easy to take!" Hong Taiji's brows furrowed deeply.

"Father Khan," Hooge said, "Shanhai Pass is a place the Southern Court must relieve and cannot afford to lose. If we cannot menace Shanhai Pass with a strong army, the Southern Court will throw its full strength into contesting the Yan Mountains with us. But the Yan Mountains are vast, and the terrain is extremely broken — everywhere there are ridges and valleys, and seizing them one by one is far too difficult. If we can use Shanhai Pass to divide the Southern Court's troops and resources, our chances of victory may be somewhat greater."

"But dividing our forces to Liaoxi also scatters our own strength!" Manggūltai interjected. "Right now, even concentrating all our strength does not guarantee we can take the Yan Mountains. If we divide our forces to Liaoxi as well, we will be even less certain."

"Third Beile," Hooge said, "a decisive battle requires concentrating forces, but to establish military farms and build up strength, we must divide our forces. The present little emperor of the Southern Court has the valor of Lü Bu. Even if we gather the great armies of the Eight Banners and defeat him, our casualties and losses would number in the tens of thousands. And if we cannot slay him on the battlefield, he will remain the Southern Court's emperor, and with the Southern Court's national strength, he can certainly rebuild an elite army quickly and fight us again. Even if we trade one of our men for three of his, we cannot afford the exchange! Therefore, the plan for now is not only to plan for war, but also to plan for military farms, for administration, for national strength."

What Hooge said had, of course, all been taught to him by his father Hong Taiji. Hong Taiji had already seen clearly that the struggle between the Great Jin and the Great Ming would be a protracted war — what mattered was not victory or defeat in a single moment, but enduring stamina.

Because Zhu Youjian's skill in directing troops and fighting battles was extraordinary, defeating the Ming army as easily as before was no longer a task that could be accomplished.

Fortunately, Hong Taiji still had confidence in his own ability to govern a state!

He nodded and said: "Hooge is right. We must administer the Yan Mountains and Liaoxi! The Yan Mountains, which the Southern Court wants to contest, we cannot easily give up. We must leave behind sufficient troops and capable Beiles to pacify the Yan Mountains and administer them over the long term. And the Liaoxi Corridor, which the Southern Court has abandoned, we must also take and administer well, advancing step by step with military farms, until we reach the walls of Shanhai Pass!"

His gaze swept around Daishan's great tent: "Which of you is willing to administer the Yan Mountains, and which of you is willing to administer Liaoxi?"

"Your Majesty, you have finally returned—"

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Funing, the Count of Xincheng, and the heir of the Duke of Dingguo are all gone... The Count of Xiangcheng is also gravely wounded and looks as though he may not last! The Count of Ningyuan is also badly wounded..."

By this time Zhu Youjian had returned victorious to camp — the camp being Gao Hongtu's wagon fort. He had been marching and fighting for days on end, and had personally charged into the fray several times; by the time he returned to camp he was utterly exhausted. Yet still he could not rest. While having men help him remove his armor, he summoned Gao Hongtu, Zhu Chunchen, and the just-arrived Hei Yunlong and Zhao Shuaijiao.

And he had also learned the news that Zhu Guobi, Zhao Zhilong, and Xu Yunzhen had fallen in battle, and that Li Shouqi and Li Zunzu were gravely wounded!

Although Tang Zhishan's first battle had ended in victory, the Ming army's losses had not been light either — a true Pyrrhic victory!

(End of Chapter)