Chapter 101: Dividing Forces

When the commander fell, the Southern Camp fell into further chaos.

Some tried to flee to Dongying or Xiying, but as soon as they stepped out of the camp gate, they were caught and cut down by Ming Cavalry.

In less than half an hour, fifteen thousand troops in Nanying were routed, more than half killed or wounded, and the rest scattered in flight.

The Goryeo Army in Dongying heard the commotion and indeed sent troops to aid.

Ten thousand Goryeo troops just as they left the camp gate were struck on the flank by two thousand cavalry led by Chen Heng, who had been lying in ambush on the side.

The Goryeo Formation fell into chaos, unable to advance or retreat.

The Nüzhen in Xiying were cautious, sending only five thousand to scout.

Zhang Wu led two thousand cavalry out of the forest in a charge; the Nüzhen, seeing the unfavorable situation, withdrew back into the camp.

At this moment, Chang Mao had already led three thousand cavalry through the north gate into the city.

Ye Wang, on the city wall, saw the reinforcements and was moved to tears.

"Open the city gate, receive Prince Wu!" he shouted.

The north gate opened, Chang Mao led his troops into the city and quickly reached the east gate tower.

"General Ye, Prince Wu leads the Longxiang Army to aid, currently charging the enemy camp from the south!" Chang Mao said.

Ye Wang looked outward and indeed saw flames shooting skyward from Nanying, and the sound of killing ringing in the ears.

"Great! Great! How many did Prince Wu bring?" he said repeatedly.

"Ten thousand elite cavalry."

Ye Wang was startled: "Ten thousand? The enemy has fifty thousand..."

Chang Mao smiled and said, "General Ye, rest assured, Prince Wu always wins with fewer against many; look, Nanying is nearly finished."

Ye Wang looked and indeed saw Nanying's resistance waning, Ming Cavalry galloping through it as if entering an uninhabited realm.

"Then... what shall we do?" Ye Wang asked.

"Prince Wu has ordered the garrison to reorganize its troops; when the signal is given, break out through the east gate and, together with the ambush outside the city, strike the Goryeo Army from both sides."

Ye Wang's spirit lifted as he said, "I obey!"

He turned to the Vice General and said, "Relay the order: everyone who can move, gather at the east gate. We've been holding back for eight days; it's time to vent our fury!"

"Yes!"

Inside the city there were still over six thousand garrison troops; although most were wounded, upon hearing that reinforcements had arrived they mustered courage, took up weapons, and gathered at the east gate.

Outside the city, Zhu Yong had already cleared Nanying.

He had Wang Gui tally the spoils, then climbed an earthen mound to observe the battlefield.

To the east, Chen Heng's two thousand cavalry were still locked in combat with the Goryeo reinforcements, deadlocked.

To the west, the Nüzhen camp was tightly sealed, evidently watching.

Zhu Yong thought for a moment, then told the messenger, "Send a signal to the city, let Ye Wang exit. Then tell Chen Heng to feign defeat, retreat southward, and lure the Goryeo Army into pursuit."

"Yes!"

Soon, three volley arrows shot toward the sky.

The east gate of Kaiyuan swung wide, and Ye Wang led six thousand garrison troops out. These troops had been besieged for eight days, a fire brewing inside them; now they surged like a tiger unleashed, charging straight at the Goryeo camp.

The Goryeo Army, already unsettled by the failed reinforcements, fell into chaos the moment they saw the city garrison break out.

Chen Heng, having received the order, deliberately showed a weakness and led his troops to retreat south.

The Goryeo commander, believing the Ming forces were exhausted, exclaimed joyfully, "Give chase! Don't let them get away!"

Ten thousand Goryeo troops pursued relentlessly, unaware that they were being led toward the vicinity of Nanying.

Zhu Yong, seeing the moment had arrived, led three thousand cavalry out from the flank, cutting off the Goryeo retreat.

Ye Wang's garrison also swept in from the opposite side.

Attacked from three sides, the Goryeo Army fell into a tight encirclement.

"Kill!" Zhu Yong charged ahead on horseback, swinging Double Hammers like wheels, scattering flesh and blood wherever he went.

The Goryeo tried to form a Formation to resist, but under repeated assaults by Ming Cavalry, the Formation quickly collapsed.

The battle lasted an hour; the ten thousand Goryeo reinforcements were annihilated, their commander killed by a single hammer blow from Zhu Yong.

The remaining twenty thousand Goryeo troops in Dongying dared not emerge, forced to watch helplessly as the reinforcements were wiped out.

Zhu Yong did not rush to assault the camp, allowing his troops a brief rest.

At this moment, the Nüzhen in Xiying suddenly opened their camp gate and began retreating north.

"General, the Nüzhen are trying to flee!" Wang Gui said.

Zhu Yong glanced and said, "Let them run; we lack the manpower to fight on two fronts. Deal with the Goryeo first."

The Nüzhen withdrew cleanly; fifteen thousand of them quickly vanished into the northern forests.

Only then did Zhu Yong turn to Dongying and tell Ye Wang, "General Ye, have your men shout a message to the Goryeo, telling them to surrender and not be killed."

Ye Wang nodded, ordering a soldier fluent in the Goryeo language to step forward and shout.

In Dongying there was a moment of silence; finally, the camp gate opened and a Goryeo commander emerged, holding a white flag.

"We... we surrender..." he said in halting Chinese.

Zhu Yong nodded and said, "Lay down your weapons, clasp your hands over your heads, and line up to come out."

The Goryeo troops gradually left the camp, laid down their weapons, and formed a line on the open ground.

All twenty thousand hung their heads in dejection, with no will to fight.

Zhu Yong ordered a count of the prisoners, treatment of the wounded, and cleaning of the battlefield.

In this battle, the Longxiang Army lost over three hundred dead and more than five hundred wounded.

They exterminated twenty‑five thousand Goryeo troops, about five thousand Nüzhen, and captured twenty thousand prisoners.

The siege of Kaiyuan was lifted in a single day.

Ye Wang walked up to Zhu Yong, knelt on one knee and said, "I, the junior commander Ye Wang, thank Prince Wu for lifting the siege!"

Zhu Yong helped him up and said, "General Ye, you defended the city for eight days; well done. How is the situation inside the city?"

Ye Wang's eyes reddened as he said, "We had eight thousand brothers; now only about six thousand three hundred remain, most wounded, civilian casualties… no less than two thousand."

Zhu Yong was silent for a moment, patted his shoulder and said, "We will avenge them."

He turned and looked east.

That was the direction of Goryeo.

This battle is only the beginning.

Next, it will be their turn to pay the price.

As the sun set, corpses lay scattered outside Kaichuan City, and blood flowed like a river.

But the Great Ming banners on the walls still fluttered rustling in the evening wind.

Hongwu Year Four, the third day of the ninth month.

Outside Kaichuan City, the camps stretched for more than ten li.

Xu Da's 150,000‑strong army had arrived the day before and linked up with Zhu Yong's ten‑thousand Longxiang Army.

The Ming forces in Liaodong totaled 160,000, their War Flags blotting out the sun, and the camps were like a forest.

Inside the central army's great tent, the generals gathered.

Xu Da sat on the Main Seat, with Chang Yuchun and Deng Yu on his left, and Zhu Yong and Wang Baobao on his right.

A huge Liaodong Map hung inside the tent, marked with the territories of Goryeo and Nüzhen.

"Gentlemen, the siege of Kaichuan has been lifted, but this war cannot end here; Goryeo and Nüzhen repeatedly violate our borders. If we do not strike them hard, the frontier will never know peace," Xu Da began, his voice steady.

Chang Yuchun slammed the table and said, "Old Xu is right; with our 160,000 troops here, we should press on in one surge, push through Goryeo, and capture that Wang Zhuan to bring him before Heaven for judgment!"

Deng Yu, more cautious, said, "General Chang is brave, but Goryeo's interior is full of mountains, easy to defend and hard to attack. Though our army is large, if we advance rashly, we may be drawn into a protracted war."

Zhu Yong, sounding simple, said, "Uncle Deng is right; Goryeo has many mountains, hard to fight, but I think we can split our forces."

Everyone looked at him.

Zhu Yong walked to the map and pointed at the Yalu River, saying, "The main Goryeo force should now be concentrated around Pingrang, preparing to block our crossing. We can split into three routes."

"One route advances eastward from Kaichuan to attack Goryeo's northern frontier; another moves south from Liaoyang, crosses the Yalu River straight to Pingrang; and a third…"

He pointed northeast and said, "Attack Nüzhen."

Xu Da's eyes brightened as he said, "Prince Wu means we should first crush Nüzhen, then turn to Goryeo?"

"Hmm! The Nüzhen fled from Kaichuan, surely they will return to their old stronghold. If we focus all on Goryeo, the Nüzhen might stab us from behind."

"Better to first subdue Nüzhen, cut off Goryeo's aid, then focus on attacking Goryeo." Zhu Yong nodded.

Wang Baobao interjected, "The junior commander agrees with Prince Wu's words; the Nüzhen tribes are scattered in the mountains and forests, and if we do not eradicate them soon, they will become a future trouble."

"The junior commander is willing to lead his cavalry northward for the campaign."

Xu Da pondered for a moment, looked at Chang Yuchun and Deng Yu, and asked, "What do you think?"

Chang Yuchun scratched his head and said, "…Prince Wu makes sense; those Nüzhen barbarians are no good in battle, but their raids are annoying. It's fine to eliminate them first."

Deng Yu also nodded and said, "I have no objection."

"Alright… then we split into three forces. I, the commander, will lead eighty thousand main troops south from Liaoyang, cross the Yalu River to attack Pingrang; Chang Yuchun will lead thirty thousand eastward from Kaichuan to attack Goryeo's northern frontier.

Prince Wu and Wang Baobao, you will lead fifty thousand cavalry north to eradicate the Nüzhen tribes." Xu Da decided.

He looked at Zhu Yong and said, "Prince Wu, the Nüzhen matter is yours; act quickly—no later than two months—to cleanse all Nüzhen tribes north of Liaodong."

"Yes!" Zhu Yong replied, clasping his fists.

"General Wang, you know the grassland terrain well; you should assist Prince Wu greatly," Xu Da said to Wang Baobao.

"The junior commander obeys!" Wang Baobao said solemnly.

The meeting ended, and the generals each returned to their camps to prepare.