xymnovel Chapter 89 How to Explain to the Khan
Chapter 89 How to Explain to the Khan
Chapter 90 How to Explain to the Khan
Chapter 089 Chen Ying continued, "Although the four banners of the right wing of the Jurchens suffered heavy losses, their main force was not destroyed. Chieftains such as Daishan and Amin fled, and I expect that after they retreat to Shengjing, they will regroup and seek revenge again. I have ordered Hamutai, Menggun and others to lead the Haixi tribes back to the Yongning Port area to rest and reorganize. The Shahe New Army will be temporarily stationed in Shuangchengwei to strengthen the city's defenses and wipe out the remaining enemies. We will wait until the spring of next year to make further advances."
"Your Majesty, I humbly acknowledge that this victory is due to three factors: first, Your Majesty's boundless blessings and supreme power; second, the valiant efforts of our soldiers in their bloody battles; and third, the wholehearted submission of the various tribes of Haixi to their cause in punishing the traitors. I was originally a lowly military officer, but I have been deeply honored by Your Majesty's grace and promoted to commander, always filled with dread. Now, I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission and slightly thwarted the fierce advance of the rebellious enemy. This is truly a testament to Your Majesty's discerning eye and the soldiers' valiant efforts. All the heads of Yue and Xu that have been slain in battle, the seals, flags, and drums of the slave chieftains that have been captured, and the important leaders that have been taken prisoner, have been escorted to the capital by capable officers and presented to Your Majesty for your perusal. The remaining number of kills and the list of meritorious soldiers will be compiled and reported separately."
"I humbly request Your Majesty to proclaim this victory to the world, to demonstrate Your Majesty's might, and to boost morale. All fallen soldiers shall be granted lenient compensation, and those who have rendered meritorious service shall be promoted and rewarded as usual. I eagerly await your command—Respectfully submitted—Respectfully submitted by Chen Ying, Commander of Shahe Guard, on the third day of the tenth month of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign—"
Zhou Bin handed the completed victory report to Chen Ying for review. After reading it, Chen Ying affixed his official seal without hesitation, then sealed it with ink, saying, "Send it to the capital at top speed using the fastest cavalry!"
"Yes, sir!"
Early the next morning, the soldiers of the Shahe New Army began to return to Shuangchengwei. Chen Ying rode on horseback and looked out. This new army was much smaller than when it set out. The sleds and horses on the return journey were full of wounded soldiers, and the bodies of fallen soldiers were also being pulled onto carts, ready to be buried back home.
The casualties of the Shahe New Army were extremely heavy. It is said that in feudal times, an army would collapse if it suffered one-thousandth of its casualties. If this theory is true, the Shahe Guard would have collapsed countless times.
In this decisive battle, if we include the more than 700 men of the Twin Cities Guard Cavalry, they fought a total of more than 4,800 men. If we include the casualties of the cavalry guards, the number exceeded 2,000, including more than 1,300 killed and more than 700 wounded. The casualty ratio of the entire army was close to half.
If we include the casualties of civilian laborers, it is more than half. Faced with the casualties of these soldiers, Chen Ying's mood was also very heavy. In order to imitate the soldiers' cowardice and flight, he set up a lot of hidden welfare in Shahe Guard, especially the medical reimbursement policy. This was the death knell for ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.
Let alone ordinary people, especially small and medium-sized landowners, when someone in their family fell ill, they would instantly fall into dire straits. The traditional filial piety education of the Ming Dynasty had taken deep root in people's hearts. As long as there was any possibility, the sick family members would continue to receive treatment. In the end, the patient would not survive, and the family would be heavily in debt.
It was precisely because of this guarantee system that the soldiers of the Shahe New Army fought to the death, even knowing they would die. As the commander-in-chief, Chen Ying looked at his subordinates, Wang Gui and Zhou Bin, and asked, "How should we compensate the fallen soldiers?"
Zhou Bin pondered for a moment and said, "According to the 'Regulations of the Great Ming Dynasty,' if an officer dies in battle and his son inherits the position, only funeral expenses will be provided: ten taels for those below the rank of 100 and twenty taels for those of the rank of 1,000. No long-term pension will be issued. The son can inherit the father's position as usual, but only by one rank!"
Chen Ying asked, "What about the soldiers?"
"Soldiers will be given a full monthly ration for three years, approximately 36 shi of rice, calculated at 12 shi per year. After three years, if their wives remain chaste and have no one to rely on, they will be given six dou of rice per month for life. If a soldier who dies in battle has no sons to inherit his position and has no wife, and if his parents are old and have no one to rely on, the court will support his parents for life."
Chen Ying was well aware that the Ming Dynasty's military system had a very humane policy on compensation for the deceased and their families. However, this was the late Ming Dynasty, and the court could not even pay military salaries, let alone provide compensation. Naturally, it could not pay according to the standards.
Taking the Wanli Korean War as an example, the compensation for the fallen Ming soldiers was only equivalent to three to five taels of silver, and it depended on whether the superiors would deduct it. The families of the fallen soldiers were exempt from taxes, and the government would arrange for them to cultivate their land, with the harvest belonging to the families.
Chen Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Our fallen soldiers of Shahe Guard will be compensated according to the imperial court's standards. On top of the imperial court's standard compensation, I will give each fallen soldier a compensation of forty taels of silver. The families of the fallen soldiers will receive one hundred mu of land near Yongming City. A seventh-rank officer will receive a compensation of sixty taels of silver and two hundred mu of land for his family, while a sixth-rank officer will receive a compensation of one hundred taels of silver and three hundred mu of land!"
Zhou Bin said with a surprised look, "Sir, this will cost a lot of money—"
"I'll figure out how to get the money!"
Chen Ying coldly said, "The soldiers shed blood for the Ming Dynasty, and I will absolutely not allow my soldiers to shed tears again. Our Shahe Guard has no land in Changping, but we have it here. There is a lot of land here. Although it is wasteland, it is black soil. You can get oily soil with every handful. You can even grow seedlings by sticking a chopstick in it."
Zhou Bin bowed and said, "Your Excellency is merciful!"
"Furthermore, no officer is allowed to embezzle the pensions of fallen Liao soldiers. If discovered, I may recognize the officer, but my sword will not!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
"The standards and amounts for compensation should be determined quickly. As for the military merits of the soldiers who made the beheadings, the reward money from the imperial court will be issued after the imperial court bestows it. However, the land awarded for military merits must be planned as soon as possible!"
Chen Ying was very clear that Henke Lake, also known as Xingkai Lake during the Qing Dynasty, was the largest freshwater lake in the Nurgan Regional Military Commission and a fertile area of the Sanjiang Plain. Although the Sanjiang Plain was not as large as the Songliao Plain, it was a plain with an area of 12,000 square kilometers.
Moreover, the dense network of rivers facilitates irrigation, making it an excellent fertile land. Chen Ying's invention of the iron shaft type seeder was particularly suitable for cultivation in the Sanjiang Plain.
He didn't really know how much the Jurchens lost in this battle, but he was certain that the Jurchens had destroyed their own Great Wall, especially the three Solon tribes. Huang Taiji launched a war to conquer the Solon tribes in the fourth and fifth years of Chongde (1639-1640). After two years of war, he finally unified the Solon tribes and sent troops to garrison the Solon villages on the north bank of the Heilongjiang River.
In 1640, the first batch of twelve poor Solon Niru were incorporated into the Eight Banners, along with fifteen mixed Niru, totaling 5,673 bannermen. During the Kangxi era, the number of Solon Niru increased to ninety-seven. The first batch of Xibe Niru consisted of sixty-five Niru. Before the Manchus entered the Central Plains, the number of Solon and Xibe Niru alone was more than eighty, with over 20,000 elite soldiers.
In this battle, with over 20,000 elite troops on the main battlefield, eliminating them would be extremely difficult, likely requiring tens of thousands of troops. Although Chen Ying won this battle, it also involved a strong element of luck. If it weren't for the Solon tribe's betrayal of Daishan at a crucial moment, Chen Ying would probably have had to flee in the end.
In this battle, Chen Ying shattered the myth that "the Jurchens are invincible if they number less than 10,000, or more than 10,000." The Eight Banners of the Later Jin were no longer an invincible opponent in the eyes of their former defeated subordinates.
The intuition of nomadic tribes regarding power is extremely accurate. Once they discover that the power they have allied with is beginning to weaken, they will immediately turn against them. Betrayal is the least of their worries; a group attack is the only way for nomadic tribes to survive.
The Later Jin dynasty is not yet in a position to be attacked by those opportunistic foes. The formidable reputation it has built up over decades of warfare still makes the steppe wolf tribes wary. However, as time goes by, this capital will be gradually consumed.
The Jurchens had to achieve a major victory over the Ming army before this capital was completely depleted, in order to prove that they were still the number one military power in East Asia and to deter their disloyal allies; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Unfortunately, the downside of establishing a nation by force is that once neighboring powers discover that your military strength is not as formidable as they imagined, they will immediately become disloyal. Only by continuously achieving victories can your position be secured, so no matter how difficult the battle, you have to keep fighting.
To use a joke from the internet, it's like having to finish a casual encounter even if you're crying.
Chen Ying was heartbroken. From an economic point of view, he had actually lost money in this battle. "When the cannons roar, gold is worth a fortune." In this battle, they used more than 3,780 hand grenades, nearly 50,000 lead bullets, and more than 14,000 artillery shells. Sixty-three armored vehicles were destroyed by the Jurchens. They also had to pay more than 60,000 taels of silver in compensation and more than 38,000 mu of land as a reward for military merit.
Meanwhile, the defeated right wing of the Jurchens retreated to the upper reaches of the Huifa River. Daishan reined in his horse and stood on a hill, looking at the remnants of his defeated army slowly advancing in the valley, his face ashen.
Daishan finally breathed a sigh of relief. After three days and three nights of frantic running, they had finally shaken off the mad dog-like Soren pursuers, but what they couldn't shake off was the lingering fear and despair in their hearts.
They are now out of ammunition and food, and have lost almost all their supplies and spoils. Many Jurchen warriors have abandoned their armor, tents and other supplies in order to escape. Daishan, the head of the four great beile of the Great Jin Kingdom, can now only huddle in a dilapidated cowhide tent.
This tent was from a tribe they had raided along the way. There were only about twenty tents there; the other tents were used to house the wounded soldiers, as the weather was too cold and the wounded soldiers couldn't survive in the wild.
The small tent felt incredibly oppressive. A fire burned within Daishan's heart. He noticed the other banner leaders were nowhere to be seen and asked in confusion, "Where's Amin?"
Goshha, standing beside him, said in a trembling voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Amin Beile—was shot twice by Bomubogor and is still unconscious—"
When it comes to military intrigue, the Jurchens were undoubtedly number one, and the Solons were second. The Jurchens' arrows were often soaked in horse manure, so if you were hit by one, you would likely get infected with bacteria. Because most arrow wounds were not fatal, the kind of situation depicted in movies and TV shows where an arrow pierces through the chest and comes out through the back was almost impossible. Even without armor, arrows could not penetrate the chest.
The most fatal injury was actually the infection of the wound. The Solon people were most famous for their poisoned arrows, which were sure to hit and kill. Daishan knew this, and he silently mourned for Amin in his heart.
"Where is Yue Zha?"
Daišan had served as the banner chief of the two Red Banners and was very familiar with the Jala Ejen and Niru Ejen of the Bordered Red Banner. The Jala Ejen, who was being stared at by him, spoke with difficulty: "Reporting to the Grand Prince, my master was killed by the Ming dogs' cannons—"
"What?"
Although Dai Shan's relationship with his father-in-law and son was not harmonious, and sometimes he even wished he could kill them, he was still very shocked to hear that Yue Ji had died.
This is the first time a banner commander-level general has died in battle since Nurhaci established the Eight Banners. It is feared that there will be no way to explain this to Nurhaci.
Nurhaci greatly favored Yue Ji, and as early as the first year of the Tianqi reign, he appointed Yue Ji as the banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner and the head of the Four Lesser Beile.
"Have the battle casualty statistics for each banner been released?"
"Your Highness, the battle losses of each banner have been tallied."
Dai Shan took a deep breath: "Speak."
"The Bordered Red Banner—is basically decimated. More than 2,800 bannermen were killed, more than 300 were seriously wounded, and countless others were lightly wounded. As for Prince Yue—his body could not be recovered. Of the 25 Niru Ejen, 13 were killed, 9 were wounded, and the rest were all wounded."
Dai Shan gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white.
"In the Plain Red Banner, over 1,200 of my bannermen were killed in action, and over 200 were seriously wounded. Of the five Jiala Ejen (military commanders), two were killed in action and three were wounded. Seven Niru Ejen (military commanders) were killed in action and nine were wounded."
"The Plain Yellow Banner suffered over 900 dead, over 100 seriously wounded, and countless minor wounded. The Bordered Blue Banner suffered over 1,100 dead and over 200 seriously wounded. Although Prince Amin is not in mortal danger, he needs to recuperate for several months."
"In addition, about three thousand armored men and bondservants from various banners were killed in battle, and countless others were seriously wounded."
The scene was deathly silent. Dai Shan closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.
The Bordered Red Banner was decimated, the Plain Red Banner was severely damaged, and the Plain Yellow and Bordered Blue Banners suffered heavy losses. In this battle alone, more than 6,000 Jurchen bannermen died, equivalent to the loss of twenty Niru (military units), and nearly 1,000 were seriously wounded. These seriously wounded were basically crippled even after being healed, which means that an entire banner was wiped out.
Including the armored men, the number of dead and wounded was close to ten thousand. Since the father of the Khan raised his army, the Jianzhou Jurchens had never suffered such a great loss. What was even more terrifying was that Yue Ji, his eldest son, the banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner, and Nurhaci's most beloved grandson, was on the list of the dead.
Daishan trembled all over and finally couldn't hold on any longer, collapsing to the ground. In fact, Daishan wasn't really unconscious; he was pretending. He was thinking about how to explain things to Nurhaci.
As the head of the four princes, Daishan was not actually favored. When he was young, he was often bullied by his elder brother Chuying. Chuying was extremely cruel and had superhuman strength, often beating him until he was covered in bruises.
Later, Daishan was almost beaten to death by Chu Ying. His stepmother, Fucha, rushed out to stop Chu Ying. However, Chu Ying did not respect Fucha and beat her as well. Daishan and Fucha were seriously injured by Chu Ying. They treated each other's injuries and ended up rolling around together.
Daishan didn't actually feel guilty, after all, the Jurchens had a tradition of fathers succeeding sons, and his stepmother, Lady Fucha, had maintained a de facto marital relationship with him for several years.
It wasn't until Nurhaci took Abahai as a concubine that she revealed this to him, which made Nurhaci very disappointed in Daišan. Later, Lady Fucha died suddenly, and Abahai ascended to the position of Grand Consort.
Because of the Fuca clan, Nurhaci stripped Daišan of his position as the leader of the two Red Banners and directly deprived him of his right of succession; otherwise, he would have been the crown prince of the Jin Dynasty.
Now he led more than 40,000 men from the four right-wing banners to attack a small Xibe tribe. Not only did he fail, but he also suffered heavy losses. In fact, losing this battle is nothing. The Jin Dynasty had dominated Liaodong for more than 30 years and had also suffered defeats. Although Daishan did not know that their descendants had covered up their dark history for more than 200 years.
In fact, the Jurchens themselves also suffered defeats. For example, in the Battle of Hunhe, on the north bank of the Hunhe River, the Jurchen Eight Banners elites faced more than 4,000 White Spearmen. The Eight Banners elites launched repeated attacks and even used archers skilled in archery.
After several bloody battles, the Sichuan Army was almost completely wiped out due to running out of ammunition and food and being outnumbered. Qin Bangping fought to the death, and thousands of White-Spear Soldiers stained the Hun River with their blood. Although they won this battle tactically, the cost was much more severe than that of the four thousand White-Spear Soldiers. Not counting the casualties of the Mongol and Han armies, on the north bank of the Hun River alone, the Plain Red Banner lost six Niru, and other banners also lost thousands of men.
The actual casualties were about 1.5 times that of the White-Spear Soldiers. On the south bank of the Hun River, facing the firearms of Qi Jiguang's army, the White-Spear Soldiers were "piled up" to death; facing Qi Jiguang's army, they were "worn out" to death by the enemy running out of ammunition and food.
After this battle, the Jin army lost more than 20,000 men, but had 6,000 to 7,000 Han soldiers and more than 8,000 Mongol cavalry. In comparison, the Jurchen Eight Banners only lost 5,000 to 6,000 men.
The problem is that in this battle, the Jurchen bannermen suffered nearly 10,000 casualties, far exceeding the Hunhe Battle. The key issue is that Nurhaci himself commanded the Hunhe Battle, and he wouldn't say anything about it. But now, he can't get rid of the blame for this.
But even if we lose, we shouldn't lose so many men and soldiers. If we lose so many men and soldiers, Nurhaci won't forgive us when we get back.
Unaware of Daishan's thoughts, the others exclaimed in alarm, "Great Prince, quick, summon the physician and the shaman! The Great Prince has developed dissociative identity disorder—"
Daishan felt like he wanted to die. Taking advantage of the night when no one was paying attention, Daishan drew his knife and prepared to slit his throat. He could die, but he couldn't fall into Nurhaci's hands. Once he fell into Nurhaci's hands, he wouldn't even have a chance to die.
However, at that moment, dozens of Goshha rushed forward, quickly snatching Daishan's knife, not even sparing the small knife used for eating meat.
It's ridiculous. They fought such a disastrous battle that they'll never be able to explain themselves when they get back. With Daishan taking the fall, at worst they'll just be forced into slavery as armored soldiers. But if Daishan commits suicide out of shame, they, the Goshha, will definitely be buried with him.
For the sake of their own heads, dozens of Goshha kept a close watch on Daishan, following him even when he urinated or defecated, their eyes fixed on him without blinking, fearing he might commit suicide. They ate his flesh, bones and all, for fear he might choke to death.
Daishan punched the Goshha beside him, but these Goshha were heavily armored and not afraid of punches and kicks at all. Anyone who hits an armored soldier knows that it is themselves who will suffer.
Daishan desperately wants to die, but he no longer has the chance; he is being protected very well.
Under the same sky, Bomubogor, the leader of the Solon tribe who had won the battle, was also very saddened to see his people who had been rescued and returned. He was very guilty because it was because of his decision to go south that the Solon tribe of twenty or thirty thousand people had now been reduced to only six or seven thousand, and of the more than fourteen thousand tribal soldiers, less than eight thousand remained.
The crux of the problem is that their cattle, sheep, and horses have suffered heavy losses, and the pasture they had stored for the winter has been burned to death by the Jurchens. Now, with heavy snow and freezing temperatures, they have neither food nor winter supplies. What should they do?
As the leader, one decision led to the tragic deaths of over 20,000 people and severely weakened the entire tribe. More importantly, in order to seek revenge, he mobilized the Solonbe tribe's horse and reindeer cavalry. These 20,000 to 10,000 cavalrymen marched south in a grand procession, requiring a large amount of provisions. They would arrive here in another ten days to half a month.
How to solve the problem of food and fodder?
What does the future hold for the entire tribe?
Bomubogor was very confused; he really felt old.
"Chief, why don't we head south and seek refuge with the Ming Dynasty!"
Baldachi, the leader of the Jingqili clan of the Solon tribe, was a clan chief of a large clan in the Solon tribe. He had a clear understanding of himself. At present, the Jurchens and the Ming Dynasty were fighting fiercely. In Bomubogor's view, this was an opportunity for the Solon tribe to rise. However, he believed that this was actually an opportunity for them to choose sides.
The Jurchens had risen to power over thirty years ago, annexing the three tribes of the Jianzhou Jurchens and subsequently swallowing up the four Hulun tribes of the Haixi Jurchens. They now had 80,000 to 90,000 troops, and even the Khorchin and Inner Khalkha Mongols of Mongolia had submitted to them. Together, they had hundreds of thousands of troops, which seemed very powerful. However, this was not the case. The Ming Dynasty was still the behemoth that crushed and dominated the Mongols.
The Ming Dynasty only sent one commander, Chen Boying. There were hundreds of such people in the Ming Dynasty. One Chen Boying led several thousand Ming soldiers and defeated the Jurchens. What if the emperor of the Ming Dynasty sent dozens more Chen Boyings?
Is there any way for the Jurchens to survive? More importantly, the Ming Dynasty has millions of troops, which is more than ten times the population of their entire tribe. The Ming Dynasty has more than 200 million people. Even if the Solons are very good at fighting and can fight ten against one, so what?
The Ming Dynasty has over 200 million people. Even if ten people were to be exchanged for one of them, it would still wipe them out.
Bomubogor's eyes suddenly lit up: "That's a good idea!"
He didn't want to join forces with Chen Boying, but rather to unite with the Ming Dynasty to fight against the Jurchens. As long as the Ming court supported him, giving him some equipment and food would be enough for him to survive the winter.
"Let's wait for the other tribes and the envoys to arrive, then we'll head south together!"
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