Chapter 127: United Against the Manchus

While Red Lady was speaking to Li Yan, Li Hu watched her with a complex expression.

As soon as Red Lady finished speaking, Li Hu feigned a desire to talk to Li Yan and rode his horse closer. Suddenly, he struck a heavy blow to the back of Li Yan’s head. Li Yan, being merely a scholar with no martial prowess and caught completely off guard, let out a muffled groan and collapsed, unconscious.

Red Lady saw this clearly and her eyes widened in fury. "Hu-zi, what are you doing?"

Li Hu reached out to steady Li Yan’s limp body and replied calmly, "Big Brother has no martial skills. Though Sister-in-law is a formidable fighter, it is hard to guarantee his safety in the chaos of battle. If anything were to happen to him, we would regret it forever. Therefore, you must take him and leave the main camp immediately."

Red Lady was stunned and speechless. "This..."

At this moment, Jing Maocheng and Li Xuan recovered their senses and urged, "Indeed, the Commander’s safety concerns the survival of the righteous army. We cannot be too cautious."

"Very well," Red Lady said after a moment, biting her lip. "Then I leave the main camp to the three of you—Hu-zi, Senior Brother, and General Li Xuan."

"Sister-in-law, leave it to me."

"Rest assured, Junior Sister."

"Rest assured, Madam."

The three of them pledged their word. Red Lady nodded, rode forward to take the unconscious Li Yan from Li Hu’s arms, settled him in front of her saddle, and turned her horse to gallop toward the left flank, where the army’s defenses were thickest. Watching them ride away together, Li Hu and Jing Maocheng exhaled almost simultaneously, their expressions heavy with complex emotions.

The sudden three-way battle outside Datong City began in an unexpected manner and ended in an equally surprising way. The rebels and the Manchus were both severely weakened, and the cunning Wang Pu emerged as the greatest winner.

Li Yan’s rebel forces suffered the heaviest casualties. Of the fifty thousand, over ten thousand were killed, and fifteen thousand were seriously wounded. Given the lack of medicine and supplies, their fate was sealed; they would either bleed to death, starve, or freeze. Even if Li Yan refused to abandon them, they were unlikely to survive.

The only solace for Li Yan was that, in name, the Shaanxi rebel army had won the battle. Though they had only succeeded due to the support of Wang Pu’s firearms battalion and had paid a devastating price, a win was a win. The Shaanxi rebels had defeated the formidable Manchu cavalry, which greatly boosted the morale and confidence of the troops. More importantly, after this battle, the remaining twenty thousand rebels had been forged into true veterans. For any commander, battle-hardened veterans are the greatest asset.

Ajige’s Manchu cavalry also suffered heavy losses, and more importantly, they had lost the battle. Despite their powerful assault, they had failed to collapse the rebels' circular defense. By the time the Manchu cavalry reached the limit of their strength, they had no energy left to divide or surround the rebels. Crucially, Wang Pu’s two-thousand-strong firearms battalion had already wiped out the five *niruls* Ajige left as a rearguard and was pressing forward, posing a grave threat. In the end, Ajige, who rarely retreated, was forced to order a withdrawal.

Of the eight thousand elite vanguard of the Plain White Banner, fewer than four thousand remained to follow Ajige back. Over a thousand had been killed by the Shaanxi rebels, while the remaining eight full *niruls*—two thousand four hundred riders—had been decimated by Wang Pu’s firearms battalion.

At the foot of the Cailiang Mountains, the Manchu Regent Dorgon led his right-wing army of one hundred and twenty thousand infantry and cavalry in a grand march along the west bank of the Yu River. Seeing that night was falling, he ordered the camp to be set up on the spot.

In Dorgon’s command tent, he summoned his trusted Manchu and Han officials: Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, Li Yongfang, Dodo, Zhang Tingzhu, and Ganglin. Since becoming Regent, Dorgon had strived to improve the status of Han officials, and in return, almost all of them had pledged their loyalty to him. Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanwo, in particular, had become his closest advisors.

Dorgon trusted them deeply, always consulting them before making any major decisions. Fan Wencheng, in particular, claimed to be a descendant of the Song dynasty statesman Fan Zhongyan. Intelligent and well-versed in history and classics from a young age, he was a rare talent. However, due to being marginalized by examiners in the Liaodong region, he failed the exams repeatedly, filling him with resentment toward the Ming court.

In the forty-second year of the Wanlis, when Nurhaci conquered Fushun, Fan Wencheng felt his talents would never be utilized by the Ming and defected to the Manchus, beginning his career as a traitor. Sadly, he was not appreciated by Nurhaci or Hong Taiji, serving as a lowly clerk for twenty-five years. During this time, he endured humiliation, his favorite concubine was raped, and he was nearly executed by Hong Taiji. Yet, he could only fawn over his masters, having burned his bridges with the Ming. However, Dorgon’s rise to power finally changed his fate.

Unlike his predecessors, Dorgon was more visionary. He sought to integrate and utilize Han people rather than discriminate against or slaughter them. He believed that the Manchus could not conquer the Ming with bows and blades alone; they needed to learn from the Han and rely on Han intellectuals to rule the Central Plains. Furthermore, he aimed to use a policy of appeasement to assimilate the Han people captured beyond the passes to increase the Manchu population.

Under these circumstances, Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanwo rose to prominence. They did not disappoint Dorgon, using all their efforts to help him topple his rival, Hooge, and secure the position of Regent.

Dorgon looked at Fan Wencheng and asked, "Master Wencheng, I hear the walls of Datong are very sturdy. How do they compare to Jinzhou?"

Fan Wencheng replied respectfully, "Your Highness, Ming cities are categorized into four levels: Town, Guard, Battalion, and Fortress. Jinzhou is only a Guard city, while Datong is a Town city and the seat of the Prince of Dai. It cannot be compared to Jinzhou. Datong’s walls are nearly twenty *li* in circumference, built with rammed earth mixed with straw, thirty-eight feet high and seventy-six feet wide at the base, encased in two layers of blue brick. It is extremely thick and solid."

Dorgon frowned. "Can the Red Barbarian cannons breach these walls?"

"No," Fan Wencheng shook his head. "While powerful, they are not enough to breach such thick walls. To do so, I believe it would take months and hundreds of thousands of pounds of gunpowder."

Ganglin gasped, "Months? Hundreds of thousands of pounds of gunpowder? How many shots would that be?"

Artillery expert Tong Yangxing calculated on his fingers, "Each shot requires five pounds of gunpowder. Ten thousand pounds equals two thousand shots. One hundred thousand pounds is twenty thousand shots. We have five cannons; if we fire two hundred shots a day, it would take a full hundred days."

"One hundred days?" Dodo shouted. "If it takes a hundred days to take Datong, how long would it take to take Beijing?"

"Your Highness, rest assured, it will not take that long," Fan Wencheng said. "Though the cannons cannot breach the walls, they can certainly destroy the city gates."

Dorgon replied, "I fear Wang Pu might be like Zu Dashou and block the four gates with giant boulders."

"That is easily solved," Fan Wencheng said. "Your Highness can have men dig tunnels to the base of the walls and bury tens of thousands of pounds of gunpowder. I am certain they would explode."

Dorgon’s eyes lit up, and he slammed the table. "Good! That is a brilliant idea!"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. The tent flap lifted, and a figure strode in. The man was bare-chested, drenched in blood, his head wrapped in a blood-stained white cloth, and blood still oozing from his right cheek. His eyes were bloodshot and his expression was terrifying.

Dodo recognized him immediately as Ajige and cried out, "Twelfth Brother! What... what happened to you?"

Dorgon was also shocked. "Twelfth Brother, what has happened?"

"Nothing," Ajige grunted. "Just some minor wounds."

Dodo moved closer and gasped again, "Twelfth Brother, where is your queue?"

Ajige replied irritably, "A Southern Ming woman cut it off."

Dorgon’s expression turned grim as he realized the gravity of the situation. "Twelfth Brother, did you suffer a defeat?"

Ajige hung his head in silence.

"Fourteenth Brother is asking you," Dodo prodded, "Did you lose the battle?"

"I did lose," Ajige roared, waving his arms in anger, "but who knew the Southern Ming bastards had such powerful firearms? Duoming’a’s three *niruls* of nine hundred heavy cavalry were wiped out in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea. And Bamubu’s *jalan* was eaten up in the time it takes to finish a meal..."

Dorgon was stunned. "Twelfth Brother, how many of the eight thousand Plain White Banner cavalry are left?"

Ajige hung his head again. "I haven’t counted, but at most, around four thousand."

Dorgon felt a wave of darkness wash over him. Ajige had sacrificed four thousand elite cavalry—thirteen *niruls*! The Plain White Banner was already the weakest of the Eight Banners. Having finally seized nine *niruls* from Hooge during the succession, Ajige had now squandered them all, along with four of the original *niruls*.

Dorgon was filled with regret. He had been too soft-hearted in letting Ajige lead the vanguard. If he had chosen his fifteenth brother, Dodo, this defeat would never have happened.

"Fifteenth Brother," Dorgon suppressed his rage, "take Twelfth Brother to have his wounds treated."

"Yes." Dodo led Ajige out.

Once they were gone, Dorgon sighed. "I was careless. I never thought my softness would cost the Plain White Banner four thousand elite troops."

Fan Wencheng advised, "Your Highness, as the saying goes, victory and defeat are common in war..."

Dorgon raised a hand to silence him. "Master Wencheng, no need to say more. I know what to do. I will not be blinded by rage or lose my reason due to the Prince of Yingwu’s injuries. This battle for Datong will be a hard-fought one, and I have enough patience."

"Your Highness is wise," Fan Wencheng said respectfully.

***

In the Datong Commander’s office, Wei Daben entered, breathless. "My respects to the Prince Consort."

"No need for formalities, Magistrate Wei," Wang Pu said. "Have all the civilians outside the west gate entered the city?"

"Rest assured, Prince Consort, I have handled it," Wei Daben replied.

Wang Pu nodded. "There is another urgent matter I need you to handle immediately."

"At your command," Wei Daben said.

"The Manchu vanguard has appeared, and their main force cannot be far behind. They are not like the rebels; they have strong troops and deadly siege weapons—the Red Barbarian cannons. While the walls are solid, the gates may not withstand their bombardment."

"What is your intent, Prince Consort?"

"Please recruit the strong men in the city to block all four gates with giant boulders, then reinforce them with poured lead."

"Understood," Wei Daben said solemnly. "I shall attend to it immediately."

"Thank you, Magistrate Wei."

"It is my duty for the safety of the hundred thousand people in Datong. If anything, I should be the one thanking you, Prince Consort."

Wei Daben turned to leave. Watching him, Wang Pu smiled faintly, thinking that while the man was a bit slick, he truly cared for the people in a crisis.

As Wei Daben left, Xiao Qi entered. "General, you summoned me?"

Wang Pu nodded. "There is a task that only you can do."

***

Outside Datong, in the rebel camp, the night was deep, but Li Yan’s tent remained brightly lit as he consulted his generals.

The appearance of thousands of Manchu cavalry was no coincidence. A massive Manchu force was undoubtedly crossing the Great Wall toward Datong. The rebel army’s original route had to be adjusted, or they would collide head-on with the main force.

If the remaining twenty thousand rebels encountered the main Manchu army, they would be wiped out. Heading north was blocked, and east or south were equally dangerous. It seemed the only path was to return to Shaanxi, but everyone knew that was a dead end—Shaanxi was too poor; they would starve.

Just as they were at a loss, Li Hu entered. "Big Brother, there is a spy from the government army who wants to see you."

"A government spy?" Li Yan asked. "Where is he?"

"Outside," Li Hu said.

"Bring him in."

Li Hu returned with a sturdy man in plain clothes, his face covered by a black cloth. Red Lady instinctively stepped in front of Li Yan to protect him.

Li Yan gestured, and Li Hu removed the cloth. The man opened his eyes, scanning the generals before settling his gaze on Li Yan. "You must be General Li Yan?"

"I am," Li Yan replied calmly. "And you are?"

"I am Xiao Qi, captain of the Wang family’s guard."

The rebel generals were shocked. "Wang Pu’s man?"

Li Yan gestured for silence. "You risked entering our camp at night. What is your purpose?"

Xiao Qi bowed toward the direction of Datong. "On behalf of my General, I am here to invite General Li Yan and your army to take refuge on Mount Leigong. Once you are there, the two hundred thousand *dan* of grain and over eight million pounds of dried meat on the mountain will be yours."

The rebel generals were stunned. "Is there such a good thing?"

Jing Maocheng, who had nearly died at the hands of the government army, was skeptical. "Why should we trust Wang Pu? Who knows if this is a trap?"

The others agreed, but Li Yan remained silent.

Xiao Qi said calmly, "Whether you believe it or not is your business. I am only a messenger. If you do not believe me, I shall take my leave."

"Wait," Li Yan said. "I believe in General Wang Pu’s sincerity, but... there must be a reason, right?"

Xiao Qi then said, "My General says there is only one reason: the Manchus are too powerful. The government troops in Datong alone cannot stop them. He hopes to join forces with General Li Yan to fight the Manchus together."