Chapter 145: The Forage is Lost

Ning Wanwo said, "Master, that the little emperor Chongzhen has come to this day is entirely the bitter fruit of his own planting."

"Oh?" Dorgon asked with interest, "How do you say that?"

Ning Wanwo replied, "The last two times our Great Qing forces broke through the passes, a single imperial decree from Chongzhen caused the troops of the realm to gather upon the capital as if by a single call. You could say he commanded a hundred responses. But now, though the decree has been issued for over half a month, not a single contingent of troops has marched to the capital to勤王. Does Your Master think this is a coincidence? Why do you suppose this is?"

Dorgon said, "Indeed, why is that?"

"Because marching to the capital to rescue the monarch brings no good end!" Ning Wanwo said. "Yuan Chonghuang marched to the capital to rescue the monarch, and in the end, he was subjected to death by a thousand cuts. Prince Tang, Zhu Yujian, raised an army to rescue the monarch, only to be placed under house arrest for three years. These two were high-ranking officials; countless other unknown figures died in murky and obscure circumstances. With so many precedents, who would still dare to march to the capital and seek death?"

Fan Wencheng said, "To speak truly, this is not entirely the fault of the little Chongzhen. If anyone is to blame, it can only be the institutional framework of the Great Ming Dynasty. The Great Ming implements a national policy of civil officials controlling military generals, indulging those self-righteous scholars who understand nothing. One can only blame those bureaucrats who know only how to form cliques, engage in factional strife, and tear each other down, yet are incapable of accomplishing any proper task, let alone doing it well."

Whenever the institutional framework of the Great Ming was brought up, Fan Wencheng was filled with grievances. Although he was also a scholar, he harbored immense dissatisfaction with Ming's national policy of civil supremacy over the military. Had he not been utterly disillusioned with the Great Ming, he would never have given up his respectable status as a scholar-official to become a lackey for the Jianzhou Jurchens.

As he spoke, Fan Wencheng's expression grew agitated, and he continued, "Why did Yuan Chonghuang die? Master, if I may say something disrespectful to the late emperor, Yuan Chonghuang did not actually die because of the late emperor's sowing of discord, but rather at the hands of those cowardly yet self-righteous Ming censors and remonstrating officials. They needed to find a scapegoat for the Ming military collapse of the Jisi year!"

"Why was Prince Tang, Zhu Yujian, placed under house arrest for three years? It was not because the little Chongzhen truly believed he was plotting a rebellion; Zhu Yujian fell victim to the malicious gossip and slander of those censors and remonstrating officials, because certain individuals wished to use that incident to instigate a major political persecution and eliminate stumbling blocks on their own official paths!"

"With the nation facing imminent peril, these benighted and mediocre Ming officials thought only of shifting blame, engaging in petty intrigues, and forming factions. How could such a country ever have hope? How could such a dynasty avoid destruction?"

Ning Wanwo hurriedly averted his gaze, pretending not to have heard anything.

Dorgon also wore an embarrassed expression. Huang Taiji had used a ruse of alienated discord to trick the Chongzhen Emperor into executing Yuan Chonghuang, thereby removing a thorn in the side of the Great Qing. That event had already been recorded in the annals of the Great Qing. However, perceptive men like Dorgon, Ganglin, and Xifu all knew that was not the truth. Speaking of it in that manner back then was merely intended to build up momentum for Huang Taiji and elevate his prestige among the Eight Banners.

"Ahem..." Dorgon gave a light cough. Having little choice, he interrupted Fan Wencheng and said, "Teacher Wencheng, it is fine for you to speak of such matters with me, but you must never speak of them to others."

"Rest assured, Master." Fan Wencheng, having vented his frustrations, quickly calmed his expression and said respectfully, "This servant will never speak of this to anyone other than Your Master."

"Haha." Dorgon laughed heartily, then continued, "These benighted and mediocre officials who understand nothing yet are entirely self-righteous are a bane to the country and the people of the Great Ming, but to our Great Qing, they are heavenly assistance! If they had not thrown the vast Ming Empire into chaos and left the people with no means of survival, how could our Great Qing have risen like a dragon in Liaodong?"

"Indeed, indeed." Ning Wanwo smiled ingratiatingly. "Presently, no armies have rushed to Beijing to rescue the monarch. The little Chongzhen stands isolated and helpless, and how could a mere three to five thousand capital garrison troops possibly withstand the fierce assault of our Great Qing army? Master, once Beijing is breached by our Great Qing forces, the Great Ming will be like a giant that has lost its head; no matter how massive its corpse, it will instantly fall into paralysis. By then, we can slowly and bite by bite devour it whole!"

Fan Wencheng also seized the opportunity to advise, "Master, this servant and Gongfu maintain our previous stance. After capturing Beijing this time, there is no need to return beyond the passes. Shengjing has already been destroyed anyway; why does Your Master not relocate the capital to Beijing? Your Master need not worry about Zu Dashou and Wu Sangui in western Liaodong. Once Beijing is taken, this servant can use a silver tongue to persuade this uncle and nephew to surrender meekly. By then, the entirety of western Liaodong and the imperial capital will be incorporated into the territory of the Great Qing!"

"This..." Dorgon quickly evaded the topic, looking around and deflecting: "Let us discuss something else, such as how to breach the city of Beijing. I wonder what brilliant insights the two teachers might have?"

Dorgon was already considered a person of exceptional vision and foresight among the Jurchens, but moving the capital to Beijing was simply too insane for him; he had not even dared to entertain the thought. No matter how passionately the two hardcore traitors, Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanwo, tried to reassure him, he did not dare to easily make such a reckless decision.

Although the Jianzhou armies frequently thrashed the Ming forces soundly, deep in the subconscious of the Jurchens, the Great Ming remained a colossal giant. All Jurchens believed that no matter how sharp their claws and teeth were, it was utterly impossible for them to completely tear the giant of the Great Ming apart—that was simply out of the question!

"Alas."

Fan Wencheng and Ning Wanwo exchanged a silent look, their faces filled with disappointment.

The reason both men were so eager to lobby Dorgon to stay in Beijing was partly out of selfish motives. Both were desperate to prove their abilities and make those who had once ostracized and suppressed them kneel at their feet, begging for mercy. They wanted those people to know that they, too, could accomplish great things.

***

Datong.

The Ming military's gunpowder bureau was working against the clock to manufacture gunpowder, while Li Yan's rebel forces were stepping up their training. Both sides were frantically making preparations for the impending major battle, while the Jurchen forces outside the city remained completely oblivious, still fretting over their impending depletion of rations and forage.

The Jurchen North Camp.

Elites of the Two Yellow Banners, such as Xifu, Soni, Tulai, Tantai, and Lengsengji, had already gathered in Hooge's command tent. By this time, Hooge was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth inside the large tent. Tachan, who had been sent out to plunder supplies, had repeatedly failed to send provisions back, leaving Hooge unable to sleep or eat in peace.

The food supplies within the main camp were only enough to sustain the men and horses for another two days!

"This Tachan..." Hooge abruptly stopped in his tracks, cursing fiercely, "What a piece of trash! With eight thousand cavalrymen, he can't even secure a single grain of food."

Just as Hooge was boiling with rage, a personal guard suddenly rushed in, knelt, and reported, "Master, scouts have just returned reporting that a large force of Ming troops has appeared fifty li west of Datong, and... and they are escorting over a thousand large wagons!"

"What?" Hooge widened his eyes and stammered, "A large force of Ming troops?"

The others, including Tulai and Tantai, also changed their complexions.

Xifu, however, was overjoyed and said, "Master, this is good news!"

Hooge frowned and said, "Ming reinforcements have arrived, and you call that good news? Good my foot!"

"Master, it truly is good news," Xifu analyzed. "Think about it, Master. If they were truly reinforcements, why would they be escorting over a thousand large wagons? Isn't it obvious? This Ming force is transporting grain and fodder to Datong! Master, our provisions are nearly exhausted, and the situation inside the city is also reaching its limit. If we simply intercept this batch of grain, hehe, Datong is finished!"

Hooge nodded and said, "Put that way, it does seem to be the case."

The remaining men, including Tulai, Tantai, and Lengsengji, also revealed expressions of excitement. If matters were indeed as Xifu analyzed, wouldn't capturing Datong be just around the corner?

Hooge turned back to glare at the guard and asked, "How many men are in this Ming force?"

The guard replied, "Roughly over ten thousand."

"Over ten thousand?" Hooge asked Xifu, "Xifu, how many cavalrymen do you say we should send to intercept them?"

Xifu said, "Master, all the elite forces of the Datong garrison have been concentrated by Wang Pu inside Datong city. The remainder guarding various other cities are nothing more than a mob. Four thousand iron cavalry will be more than enough."

Xifu's deduction was hardly surprising. If Wang Pu had not concentrated all his elites in Datong, how could he have withstood the Jurchens' desperate and costly fierce assaults?

Hooge said, "Tulai, Lengsengji, listen to my orders."

Tulai and Lengsengji quickly stepped forward, knelt, and kowtowed, saying, "This servant is here."

Hooge commanded, "Each of you leads two thousand iron cavalry and intercepts this batch of Ming provisions!"

"Understood!"

***

Twenty li west of Datong city.

Zhao Liujin was leading the border troops in escorting more than a thousand large wagons toward Datong city in a grand procession. The thousand-plus wagons were mostly loaded with horse feed, though naturally, there were also dozens of wagons of grain. The long line of wagons stretched across the official road, escorted by over ten thousand border soldiers. The spectacle resembled a massive earthworm slowly writhing along the highway.

"Too slow! Walking at this pace, we won't reach Datong even by dark!"

Amidst the sprawling wagon train, Zhao Liujin furrowed his brows deeply, shouting to the captain of his personal guards beside him, "Immediately dispatch men to pass down the order to the whole army: accelerate the marching pace, and make sure we reach Datong before dark today!"

"Reporting..." Just as Zhao Liujin finished speaking, a fast rider suddenly galloped back from the vanguard, letting out a shrill roar while still far off, "General, a large force of Jurchen iron cavalry has appeared ahead!"

"What?" Zhao Liujin sucked in a breath of cold air upon hearing this, blurting out, "A large force of Jurchen iron cavalry?"

The fast rider quickly dashed up to Zhao Liujin, panting heavily, "General, the Jurchen cavalry are charging this way!"

"General, look quickly, Jurchen cavalry!"

"Good heavens, it really is Jurchen cavalry!"

Just as the rider finished speaking, several personal guards around Zhao Liujin cried out in terror. When Zhao Liujin hurriedly looked up, he indeed saw billowing dust rising on the hazy horizon ahead, as a troop of Jurchen iron cavalry clad in bright yellow armor swept over like a whirlwind—they were unmistakably the bravest and most formidable Two Yellow Banner iron cavalry among the Jurchen Eight Banners!

"Damn it, the Jurchen are already right on top of us, and you bastards waited until now to report back? What were you doing earlier, huh?!" Zhao Liujin cursed unceremoniously, slicing the fast rider down from his horse with a single blade stroke, and then roared at the top of his lungs, "Form ranks quickly! Form ranks! Circle all the large wagons together, circle them together!"

More than ten thousand Datong border troops began to scramble into chaotic formations, attempting to encircle the thousand-plus wagons into a defensive ring to block the Jurchen charge. Whenever Ming forces encountered the Jurchen in the open field, this was how they did it; only by relying on a wagon barricade could they barely manage to withstand a charge by the Jurchen iron cavalry.

However, this time, it was evidently far too late!

Before the Datong border troops could form their wagon barricade, the Jurchen had already closed in. The rampaging Jurchen cavalry rushed into the chaotic ranks of the border troops like a pack of hungry tigers descending upon a flock of sheep, killing fiercely. Blades flashed, blood splattered everywhere. With their morale shattered, thoughts in disarray, and lacking the protection of a wagon barricade, the Datong border troops collapsed instantly, degenerating into lambs ripe for slaughter...

"It's over. It's all over."

Zhao Liujin gazed at the border soldiers fleeing in panic under the drive of the Jurchens, his face pale and his heart turned to ash. He never imagined that a force of over ten thousand border troops could be so utterly fragile—they had practically collapsed at the very first touch!

How could Zhao Liujin have known that the border troops of this era could no longer be compared to those of the Wanli and Tianqi reigns?

The border troops of the Wanli and Tianqi eras were true elites; though their equipment was poor, their training was sound, and they dared to fight. No matter how ferocious the enemy, they at least had the courage to put up a desperate fight! But the border troops of this period could no longer be called an army. Because they had long been unable to collect their military pay, the soldiers had no choice but to reach out and prey upon the common people. In a very short span of time, they had completed their transformation from government soldiers into "bandit troops."

Such "bandit troops" still differed significantly from genuine bandits and roaming rebels; they possessed a most typical characteristic: when it came to ravaging ordinary folk, they were fiercer than tigers, but when they encountered an enemy—whether roaming rebels or Jurchens, or even just a band of petty thieves—they could run faster than rabbits!

When the Jurchen army was pressing hard upon the border, Wang Pu was in no rush to recall these border troops to Datong precisely for this reason. Bringing these "brigands" back to Datong would not only fail to strengthen the city's defense, but would very likely ruin things! In the end, Wang Pu had also assigned these "brigands" to the Datong Left Guard.

For Zhao Liujin to expect such border troops to withstand the charge of the Jurchen iron cavalry was clearly a pipe dream.