Chapter 131: Pursuit Beyond the Pass

Abatai, a hundred paces away, stared wide-eyed, his gaze filled with utter disbelief. A musket ball had pierced his body from some unknown source, exiting through his back. He opened his mouth as if to speak but no words came, and so he died in silence.

"Ama! Ama!" Bohetuo wailed loudly, unable to believe any of this.

All the Tartar commanders were likewise stricken with terror—the Ming army's firearms were simply too fearsome, dropping men dead at such a distance without warning.

By this time, the Ming army's spearmen and sword-and-shield troops had already charged forward, mercilessly slaughtering the Qing soldiers within the camp. The Qing troops, their eyes bloodshot with rage, launched a frantic counterattack against the Ming forces.

But the Ming army had superior numbers, and with many Qing officers already killed, the Qing forces held out only briefly before collapsing entirely, scattering and fleeing desperately toward Lengkou.

Several thousand cavalry on the Ming right wing moved like a pack of wolves, sweeping around to intercept and cut down the fleeing Qing troops, the cries of battle ringing out without end.

Bohetuo placed Abatai's remains across his horse's back. Around him gathered some Plain Blue Banner armored bannermen, and he spurred his horse desperately into the fray, trying to fight his way out.

Yet against the deadly firearms, even the bravest armored bannermen were utterly useless—they were dropped one by one by the Yongwei Camp's musketeers, and Bohetuo was honorably captured.

"Your Highness, we've captured a Tartar beile alive!" A Mobile Corps Commander of the Yongwei Camp said with a grin as he dragged Bohetuo before Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang furrowed his brow and said, "What the hell is a beile? Why keep such a worthless thing around? Drag him off and kill him!"

Compared to the status of Crown Prince, the position of beile was hardly better than dog shit—no wonder Zhu Cilang found him so contemptible.

Bohetuo felt himself insulted. He roared in defiance: "I am a beile of the Great Qing! If you want to kill me, you'll have to pay with your life first!"

With that, Bohetuo suddenly lunged, shoving aside a Yongwei Camp soldier beside him, snatching the soldier's waist saber as he went, and charged furiously at Zhu Cilang with a roar.

Just as he advanced two steps, a personal guard beside Zhu Cilang flashed out, sending a flying kick that knocked the saber from Bohetuo's hand, then spun and struck Bohetuo on the side of the neck, sending his massive frame crashing to the ground.

The guard closed in the instant Bohetuo hit the ground, drew his own waist saber in one fluid motion and chopped off Bohetuo's head, then sheathed his blade and returned to Zhu Cilang's side—the entire sequence executed in one seamless, lightning-fast motion.

Zhu Cilang cast a cold glance at Bohetuo's corpse and said calmly, "Continue the pursuit. Same as I said before—take no prisoners!"

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Lengkou Pass—the only pass leading beyond the Great Wall within a hundred li of this stretch of the wall, surrounded by towering mountains and ridges. A great mass of captured civilians and livestock were packed here, weeping and wailing as the Qing troops drove them toward the pass and out beyond the frontier.

Several hundred Qing soldiers of the Plain Red Banner lashed out fiercely with iron whips, driving along the civilians plundered from the Great Ming, intending to bring them beyond the pass as slaves.

"Ming dog, move it!" A Tartar soldier slashed at one civilian, cursing at them viciously.

Just as this Tartar soldier was about to cut down another civilian to make an example, a bullet suddenly pierced through the top of his skull.

"The Ming army is coming!" A Plain Red Banner Tartar soldier cried out in panic, his voice cracking with fear.

Some Tartar soldiers looked back in terror and saw an enormous mass of black-clad cavalry thundering toward them. Terrified, the group of Tartars abandoned the civilians and scrambled for the pass.

The captured civilians watched their own cavalry charging in with the sun-and-moon banners raised high, and the entire pass erupted in jubilation. They spread the word to one another, weeping tears of joy and cheering—the Great Ming's army had come, and they were saved!

"We are the Imperial Ming army, come to rescue you!"

"Everyone stand on both sides of the road—don't run around, walk back slowly!"

"The Tartars inside the pass have been wiped out—don't panic!"

Several detachments split off from the cavalry host and rode among the crowds, shouting as they went, while the rest of the cavalry continued pursuing the Tartar soldiers ahead.

At the leveled Qing army camp, Zhu Cilang was receiving reports from the various units.

Yang Qili of the Longxianging Night Scouts rode up with good news: "Your Highness, this officer has captured that bastard Chao Pichang!"

Chao Pichang, bound hand and foot, was hauled before Zhu Cilang. Before the guards even barked at him, Chao Pichang dropped to his knees with a thud and wailed, "Your Highness, this officer surrendering to the Tartars was truly out of desperation—it was the Tartars—"

Zhu Cilang didn't even look at him, simply waving his hand to have the man dragged away. This one wouldn't be killed for now—he planned to bring him back to the capital to give His Majesty the Emperor, who was under too much work pressure, an outlet for his anger and a chance to relax.

Huang Degong grinned broadly: "In this battle our army slew Abatai, the barbarian chieftain of the Manchu Plain Blue Banner, chopped up a beile as well, and now we've captured a surrendering Regional Commander—this time we've truly struck it rich!"

Sun Yingyuan had likewise shed his usual composure and burst into hearty laughter: "That so-called Prince Wuying Ajige—pity he slipped away early, or he'd have been another valuable head, and we could have made it a pair of princes!"

Zhu Cilang smiled slightly as well, then continued: "There are still civilians being driven beyond the pass by the Tartars. Order all cavalry to prepare—we ride beyond the pass and rescue the people!"

"Yes!" The assembled generals answered solemnly, excitement burning in every heart.

In the main column of Qing troops exiting the pass, Ajige led the two White Banner armies at the very front, with the various banner forces and the captured Ming civilians and supplies following behind.

When he heard that Abatai had been killed in battle and that the Ming army was already pursuing from behind, Ajige was first stunned, then suddenly shouted like a madman: "Retreat now!"

Ajige abandoned all his baggage and made the first move, choosing to flee beyond the pass. He no longer even had the courage to face the Ming army in battle. At this moment, he could only choose to give up the grain and supplies to ensure the smooth retreat of his entire force.

Ajige's actions successfully set a fine example for the Qing army—fleeing alongside him were over ten thousand Qing soldiers. Not just the two White Banners, but troops of every other banner followed along as well.

If the commander had bolted and the two White Banners had run too, why should the rest of them stay behind to haul supplies and drive along Ming civilians? What sense did that make?

All the Qing troops in the rear column directly abandoned the civilians and supplies and fled after the two White Banners toward the pass. The narrow mountain road descended into chaos, with civilians scrambling up the slopes to dodge the Qing soldiers' reckless stampede.

Ajige galloped without pause for two full shichen before finally reaching beyond the pass and entering the territory of the Great Qing.

"Finally back!"

Ajige let out a long breath. The heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled, and he felt utterly relieved. Here, his army of tens of thousands was finally safe—no more worrying about Ming pursuit.

A Qing scout galloped up urgently, joy written on his face: "Your Highness, Prince Rui is personally leading the Plain White Banner army to receive us!"

"My fourteenth brother is here!" Ajige exclaimed in delight, promptly leading his army northward to rendezvous with Prince Rui, Dorgon.

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