Chapter 383: Marking the Boat to Find the Sword

The army returned victorious, and Liu Chengzong granted the troops nine days of leave.

As before, the participating units took leave in three staggered batches — three days at home, six days in camp.

The Marshal's residence guards were still hauling campaign supplies load after load outside the mansion, while clerks from the various bureaus of Xining Prefecture and Küriye lined up outside the official compound, watching the guards come and go as they waited to report to the prefectural office.

Military intelligence always trumped everything else, and Liu Chengzong was intensely focused on the battlefield beyond Qinghai Lake.

Zhong Hu, the garrison commander of South Mountain Fort, knew he would be the first person the Grand Marshal wanted to see upon his return, so he dared not show the slightest negligence — the moment word of the army's return arrived, he rushed almost without pause, reaching Küriye before Liu Chengzong entered the new city.

For Zhong Hu, the grueling journey to see the Grand Marshal was well worth it.

But given the substance of what he had to report to the Grand Marshal... none of it was worth two days and nights of two hundred li by boat and three hundred li at a gallop.

Zhong Hu summed up the entire battle between the Chahar and Oirat allied forces in a single sentence: "The State Preceptor sent an envoy into their lines, and the Chakhar Khan killed him. The two armies clashed briefly, the Chakhar troops broke at the first setback and fled. Three days ago they were at Little Chuodan — where they are now... this subordinate does not know."

Liu Chengzong's hope of gauging the two khans' strength from their clash thus came to nothing.

Faced with Zhong Hu's report, Liu Chengzong refused to believe the Mongol Khan was a brainless fool, so he tried to find a reason for Khutugtu Khan's killing of the envoy.

After all, it was an act no one in a normal state of mind would commit.

And Liu Chengzong's attempt to find a normal line of reasoning within abnormal behavior was, plainly put, nothing more than marking the boat to find the sword.

War is the continuation of politics; killing should be a means, not an end. Though executing an envoy is itself a kind of answer, Liu Chengzong could see no benefit in that answer.

To steel Chahar's resolve? Tens of thousands of homeless Chahar warriors needed no steeling. Killing the envoy at most bolstered Khutugtu's own courage — a show of bluster masking cowardice, an attempt to tell everyone: I am not afraid of the Oirat.

But to kill the Oirat envoy, then send a Chahar messenger over carrying his head... what good could that possibly do?

Anyone can put on a show of bravado — even Little Whirlwind barks nonstop at any dog bigger than itself — but the cowardice of breaking at the first clash on the battlefield cannot, in the end, deceive anyone.

The drawbacks, however, were glaringly obvious. For instance, right now Liu Chengzong had made up his mind: he would never again send any envoy to Khutugtu.

He had already realized that this Khan was utterly genuine, every move just like an ordinary person's. Trying to interpret the Khan's actions through the mind of a statesman could only lead him in the opposite direction — he would never figure it out.

But follow an ordinary person's logic, and it made instant sense: killing the envoy brought emotional value... it felt good.

Emperor or Khan is an enviable job, but when the realm is in decline and one is mired in adversity, an ordinary person's mind cannot bear the immense pressure that comes with the role.

Liu Chengzong shook his head and leafed through the battlefield reports Zhong Hu had compiled. Across the battlefield that the South Mountain Fort scouts could monitor, Chahar and the Oirat were locked in a pattern of one fleeing and the other pursuing. Over all this time, neither side had managed to organize any pitched battle — they had been maneuvering the entire time.

He scratched his cheek and said to his father, seated beside him: "Father, it seems you may have done Khutugtu an enormous favor."

Liu Xiangyu let out a wry laugh. The reason Chahar could maneuver freely across such a vast range was precisely that the Marshal's residence had taken in over thirty thousand women and children, freeing Khutugtu from worries about his rear.

Chahar cavalry with no rear to worry about were terrifying. They had followed Khutugtu all the way from Zhangjiakou to northern Suzhou, and their experience in strategic relocation was unmatched in the present age — the Oirat State Preceptor would not be catching up to them anytime soon.

Liu Xiangyu exhaled a long breath. "Even without their families in tow, it would be useless. Chahar is doomed."

"Oh?" Liu Chengzong raised an eyebrow. "How does Father see that?"

Liu Chengzong knew that without the Marshal's residence intervening, the outcome of this war was almost a foregone conclusion; he was merely curious how his father had analyzed it.

After all, when it came to running, Liu Chengzong was something of an expert himself, and he understood all too well the negative effects such great-striding retreats had on an army.

Chahar's Mongol braves, even in a state of exhausted men and horses, displayed outstanding mobility — proof that those who could follow their Khan all the way to Qinghai were the elite of the elite.

But so far, Liu Chengzong had seen no sign of Chahar intending to counterattack. Any retreat not aimed at a counterattack is simply flight, which in itself tells the soldiers that the enemy is strong and we are weak.

Unless the entire army, from top to bottom, clearly understood the purpose of the retreat and knew their commander was feigning weakness.

Sunzi's Art of War says: warfare is the way of deception. Therefore, when capable, appear incapable; when active, appear inactive.

In war, the few can defeat the many, but the weak have never defeated the strong. A great-striding retreat is a show of weakness, meant to make the enemy underestimate you, to deceive the opponent and seize an opportunity to create a local situation where the strong strike the weak.

But the crucial prerequisite for feigning weakness is being 'capable.' If one is inherently 'incapable,' then it is not a feint — it is genuine weakness.

Killing the envoy yet being unable to win the fight is bluster; a full army retreat with no follow-up plan is flight.

Running back and forth, the men grow weary, the horses grow spent, and morale is run into the ground. Liu Chengzong judged that after several days of frantic flight, Chahar's thirty-thousand-strong army would completely lose the ability to fight the Oirat allied forces in open battle.

Khutugtu's remaining option was to keep running until he could run no more and the Oirat allied forces caught up. If Khutugtu truly had no follow-up plan, then Chahar, once the orthodox Khanate court of all Mongolia, would dissolve into nothing as its followers scattered in flight.

Liu Xiangyu's analysis, however, had nothing to do with military experience. He said: "Both the Chakhar Khan and the State Preceptor have sent letters to the Marshal's residence several times. The State Preceptor sent two — the first asking whether you wanted a wife, the second sending information on marriageable noblewomen of the various Oirat tribes."

Liu Xiangyu spread his hands. "The Chakhar Khan, by contrast, sent three letters, each more urgent than the last, but all with the same message: urging the Little Prince of the Southern Dynasty to come quickly and join the fight."

The Little Prince of the Southern Dynasty, seated beside his father, rubbed his forehead in agony, then bent down to stroke the sleek black coat of Little Whirlwind at his feet. "We still have to save him."

Liu Xiangyu shook his head, though not as if disagreeing with that statement. He simply held his pipe and said helplessly, "The State Preceptor has already bowed and declared himself a vassal to the Jin Khan."

At these words, Liu Chengzong's brow twitched sharply. "When did this happen? How does Father know?"

"The Jin Khan mentioned it in the state letter he sent you."

As he spoke, Liu Xiangyu pointed to the documents piled mountain-high on the table, pulled out the state letter, and quietly slid it over. "The Jin Khan sent his eldest son, Hooge, as envoy to deliver the state letter. Take a look."

Liu Chengzong looked at the letter. The state letter was written on paper, ordinary Qianshan paper, not long, the format rigorous, the calligraphy in the standard Guange style — very pleasing to the eye.

The letter was written in the second month of the seventh year of Tiancong: the Jin Khan addresses a letter to the King of the Western Sea.

The northwestern commanders all rose in arms because Ming governance is corrupt and chaotic, driving them to revolt. The same is true of our country.

Our two states are separated by mountains and rivers, yet we often hear of the Western Kingdom's achievements in attack and conquest. In the past, Chahar frequently raided the border walls and was also a mortal enemy of the Jin. Now that Chahar has been driven by our state to your region, the King of the Western Sea should not take them in. If you can drive them back, there will be rich reward.

Previously, the Khoshut State Preceptor has already sent envoys to our state to offer tribute. Now the Great King and we both regard the Ming as our enemy; we ought to conspire together and join our strength, forging eternal amity. I have the utmost sincerity for an alliance, and I do not know your esteemed thoughts on the matter — I can only crane my neck in hope that the Great King will send a letter and envoy.

"This letter was written in the second month."

Having read the letter, Liu Chengzong smiled at his father. "Both the Jin Khan and the State Preceptor Khan possess far more of a king's bearing than Khutugtu."

The second month of the sixth year of Chongzhen was a critically important point in time. Liu Chengzong had only just launched his eastern campaign then; word could not possibly have reached Hong Taiji's ears.

The Marshal's residence had not yet won its great northwestern campaign against the imperial court. The so-called achievements in attack and conquest mentioned in the letter were, at most, a reference to his first routing of He Huchen, or mere polite flattery.

Just as Liu Chengzong had previously anticipated, the Jin's dispatch of an envoy this time was not necessarily for his sake — the focus was on eliminating Khutugtu.

Hong Taiji sending his eldest son was very likely meant to soothe any sense of slight at being treated as a secondary concern.

Liu Chengzong set the state letter aside and smiled at his father. "Dad, you've met Hooge — what did you think of him?"

"Very clever. Though I don't know whether it's his own cleverness or Hong Taiji's."

Liu Xiangyu said, "When he paid his respects to me, he knelt with the full ceremony due an elder. He didn't speak of matters between our two states — it was more like he was claiming kinship. He's a year older than you, yet whenever he mentioned you, he invariably called you elder brother, with exceptional deference."

Liu Chengzong chuckled inwardly. He had already learned of this when the army passed through Xining on its return.

In Xining, he had summoned the three Regional Commanders and inquired about Jin affairs. Yang Qi and the others had all served in the Ji-Liao region and had some understanding of Jianzhou and the Jin.

From Jianzhou to the Jin Kingdom, as Nurhaci's military power steadily swelled, the binding tactic of political marriage was also exceptionally masterful; add to that the custom of levirate marriage, and the kinship ties became extraordinarily tangled — when it came to claiming relations, the Jin imperial clan could be called the foremost under heaven.

"They put their posture very low. He sees me and shouts 'Aye.' What am I supposed to shout when I see him? I'm not going to claim brotherhood with him."

Liu Xiangyu asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"Me?"

Liu Chengzong pointed at himself and laughed. "Save the Tiger Dun Rabbit, and clean up the State Preceptor Khan."

"As for the Jin Kingdom, that Hong Taiji is thinking the same thing as me. They must fight the imperial court, and I must fight the imperial court too. Alliance or no alliance, this is the momentum of the times and cannot be changed."

As Liu Chengzong spoke, he raised a hand and swept it before him. "Zhangye not yet taken, Ili not yet pacified — the Great Ming is a swampland. Before the capital is breached, whoever fights it to the death gets dragged down with it. I don't even have the Six Ministries; I can't afford that kind of attrition."

When anyone speculates about others, they use themselves as the blueprint to fathom others' actions — Liu Chengzong was no exception.

In his view, what he most wanted to see was the Jin Kingdom and the Great Ming locked in a death struggle in Liaodong, with the Great Ming throwing everything at fighting Jin, giving him time to recuperate and build strength.

So by the same logic, Hong Taiji would likewise hope that the Great Ming would pour its main forces into the northwestern theater, easing the pressure on the northeast.

Liu Xiangyu asked, "Then what about Hooge? Just let him go back like that?"

"No, no, no. Don't let him go back. We won't engage with Hong Taiji, but we'll do our best to win over Hooge. Let him eat well and enjoy himself here… make it seem like we value them greatly, like we're just a hair away from an alliance."

Liu Xiangyu sighed, baffled that a man as upright as himself could have sired such a crooked second son.

The moment he heard that, he knew the Lion was thinking about whether he could swindle something out of the Jin Kingdom — or very possibly just stringing them along for his own amusement.

This was not the proper path.

He said, "Do not form an alliance, but we can dispatch an envoy mission to establish friendly relations with the Jin Kingdom, to scout the roads and terrain south of the Gobi and even in Liaodong, the local customs and conditions, the true state of their military strength, and the character of their generals. Only, the choice of personnel requires exceptional caution."

Liu Xiangyu then continued, "As for the Oirats and taking Zhangye and pacifying Ili, I believe that after successive great battles, the Marshal's headquarters is inclined toward stability. It is inadvisable to make enemies on all sides. Stabilize the Oirats — their forty-thousand-strong army is worn out from long campaigning and already has thoughts of withdrawing. We should seize this moment to open up farmland, drill the troops, and recuperate."

"Even if we routed their allied army, it would be difficult to seize the Ili River. It can be attacked but not held. Without fifty thousand settlers, we cannot dominate the Ili River."

Fifty thousand settlers — Liu Chengzong scratched his head. He couldn't afford to move them.

He had always been raising troops right at the subsistence line, and keeping the desperate refugees who came to him alive right at the life-or-death line. Settling the frontier with migrants required surplus grain, and surplus grain was far too great a luxury for him.

"Father, Ili is too far. No one has been there. Thinking about settling the frontier now is too remote. As for sending an envoy to the Jin Kingdom, I do have someone in mind, but that will have to wait until later. The most pressing matter is to first organize six Han battalions. The Mongol Khan will just have to bend and shrink a while longer."

The person Liu Chengzong considered most suitable to serve as envoy to the Jin Kingdom was Gao Xian, who was currently in Pingliang Prefecture living off Prince of Han's stipend grain.

Gao Xian knew the structure of the Lion Camp very clearly, but his understanding of the Marshal's headquarters was on par with Hong Taiji's. Sent to the Jin Kingdom to eat Shenyang's rice for a year or two, Hong Taiji wouldn't be able to pry anything useful out of his mouth either.

Besides, the timing was just right. By the time Gao Xian came over from Pingliang, the problem of the overseas Mongol army should be resolved. Then they could finalize the names and ranks of the official posts and just in time to form an envoy mission to the Jin Kingdom.

"Ha. 'Bend and shrink.'"

Liu Xiangyu thought to himself, you're just not going to let the Tiger Chieftain stretch out again.

He said, "The Tiger Chieftain can run but can't fight. He won't hold out. If you want to protect him, it's still best to prize speed above all. Once the State Preceptor defeats him and captures ten or twenty thousand Chahar prisoners, what you'll be dealing with then will be forty to fifty thousand Mongol troops."

What Liu Xiangyu did not say was that perhaps the Chahar army couldn't fight when facing the Oirats, but if they surrendered to the Oirats and then fought the Marshal's headquarters, their morale would likely redouble.

Men might charge once for their Great Khan, but for rations, they could charge at least five times. Add in their women, and if they didn't die, they could probably charge ten times.

They were holding thirty thousand of those people's women.

"In this fight, haste makes waste. The Tiger Chieftain's cunning cannot be measured by ordinary standards. What if, after we finish off the Oirats, the Tiger Chieftain still wants a fight with me? We'd take a loss."

Liu Chengzong stubbornly shook his head. "Expanding the Marshal's headquarters to ten battalions is imperative… As for the Tiger Dun Rabbit, I'll give him a city. If he can't fight in the field, he can squat inside the city like a turtle. He can at least squat for a few days."

"Which city?"

The Chahar had many people. A small fortress like Nanshan Fort obviously wouldn't do. This city needed to hold thirty thousand troops, have some measure of city defenses, and also be far enough from the Oirat allied army to make them run around the Gobi a bit more.

The terrain needed to be relatively enclosed, able to create the opportunity to annihilate the Oirat allied army and ensure that once the Marshal's headquarters entered the fray, the Mongols of the Four Oirat Tribes wouldn't scatter everywhere.

At the same time, it couldn't be too far from the Marshal's headquarters' sphere of control, or else they couldn't achieve the effect of waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy.

Liu Chengzong just happened to have such a city in hand. He said, "Eight Trigram City."