roccoschili Chapter 81 Risking One's Life for a Future
Chapter 81 Risking One's Life for a Future
Chapter 82 Risking One's Life for a Future
Chapter 081 Chen Ying built Yongning City along Yongning Port, and then added Ningbei Fort along the direction of Shuangchengwei. In this way, the six forts of Thirty Mile Fort, Ningbei Fort, Songlin Fort, Qingshui Fort, Heishi Fort, and Hewan Fort formed the post station system from Yongning to Shuangchengwei.
On average, each fort is about thirty miles apart, and each fort is equipped with some horses for transfer. With this post station system, Chen Ying and his caravan can travel from Yongning Port to Shuangchengwei at a speed that is more than doubled.
Chen Ying rode in a carriage with his personal guards to Shuangchengwei. Regardless of whether Nurhaci would attack Shuangchengwei, he could not entrust his safety to Nurhaci's benevolence.
Of course, Nurhaci was not a merciful man. He had the blood of more than three million people in Liaodong on his hands, and Chen Ying would settle accounts with him sooner or later.
On the way to Shuangchengwei, the dirt road originally opened up by the caravan is now being repaired by the military households living in the various forts. Chen Ying doesn't have the energy to fix the road properly. Within the territory of Nurgan Commandery, the first priority is to build a city. Only when their own safety is guaranteed will they be able to settle down.
Whether it was Yongning City or these newly built castles, heated brick beds and fire walls were constructed, ensuring that the houses would remain warm and cozy no matter how cold it was outside in winter.
The semi-open-pit coal mine in Black Stone Mountain solved Chen Ying's energy problem. Unbeknownst to him, Chen Ying's sphere of influence in Nurgan Commandery had expanded once again.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in the Xibe tribe, Hamutai also learned to enjoy life by following Chen Ying. They originally migrated around with their herdsmen, but since they got a coal stove cart from Chen Ying, Hamutai also bought a wooden house that could be assembled.
In the brand-new wooden house, he was embracing his newly acquired concubine, drinking wine with great relish.
"Taiji!"
A bodyguard ran in: "Lord Chen has sent someone to invite you and Chief Meng Gun to the East City for a meeting."
Hamutai put down his wine bowl and patted his concubine's bottom: "Wait here, I'll be right back."
Since defeating Mangultai, Hamutai's prestige has soared. Small tribes have flocked to his tribe one after another, which is actually the norm for nomadic peoples. They are extremely sensitive to power. The Jurchens were a mountain weighing down on all the Haixi Jurchens. Now, they finally have someone who can defeat the Jurchens. As a result, Hamutai went from being the leader of the Xibe tribe to becoming the chief of dozens of tribes, Taiji.
His cavalry force gradually increased from over six hundred to over three thousand. Hamutai became arrogant and even asked Chen Ying to recommend him to the capital so that the Ming emperor could bestow upon him the title of Khan of the Haixi Jurchens.
When Chen Ying heard Hamutai's request, he was dumbfounded, thinking, "Does this kid even know what he's saying? Can just any Tom, Dick, or Harry receive an official title from the Ming Emperor?"
Obtaining an imperial title from the Ming emperor is both simple and complicated. At the very least, you need to be a truly capable fighter. His last victory over the Plain Blue Banner was largely due to chance, with Mangultai's underestimation of his opponent being the main reason.
At this time, Hamutai led three thousand cavalrymen southward in a grand procession toward Shuangchengwei. These Haixi Jurchen cavalrymen were indeed excellent cavalrymen; each of them carried a bag of dried meat or a bag of milk skin, and in just one day and one night, they covered six or seven hundred li.
At this time, there were even more merchants in Shuangchengwei. The caravans that came to trade here were no longer entirely Chen Ying's caravans. There were also Korean merchants who were on good terms with Chen Ying, as well as Liaodong merchants and, of course, Dengzhou merchants. All these merchants had to pay taxes to Chen Ying and could not bargain. They had to trade fairly within the scope permitted by Chen Ying.
Even the trade between Shuangchengwei required the sale of flesh, a business that Chen Ying was unwilling to engage in. However, where there is demand, there is a market. In particular, nouveau riche like Hamutai used sixteen cows to exchange for two Korean concubines. This price was so high that even the brothel owners in the capital would exclaim how extravagant it was.
Inside the East City Council Hall, Chen Ying, Mao Yuanyi, Meng Gun, and others had all arrived, but everyone looked very solemn. As soon as Hamutai entered, he sensed that something was wrong.
"What is it, Lord Chen?"
Hamutai sat down casually: "Is it your caravan that has brought back some good stuff again? I wonder if I could exchange a few bolts of silk for a Jurchen head?"
"We'll talk about exchanging the silk later!"
Chen Ying frowned slightly. Hamutai was not a qualified tribal leader. Of course, it was enough that Nurhaci had emerged in Liaodong, and it was impossible for a second one to appear.
Hamutai has not yet completed the re-equipping of the elite troops under his command. He hasn't even replaced the sturdy plate armor with the six hundred core men under his command, yet he has already begun to enjoy himself.
Chen Ying pointed to the intelligence report on the table: "I just received news that Nurhaci has suspended his campaign against Ligdan Khan of the Mongols and has mobilized the elite troops of the four banners of the Right Wing of the Jurchens, under the command of Daišan. They will soon advance eastward!"
Hamutai's smile froze on his face: "Thirty or forty thousand elite troops?"
He swallowed hard and asked with difficulty, "Lord Chen, can we—win this battle?"
Chen Ying looked at Hamutai and laughed: "What? Are you scared?"
"Who—who's afraid!"
Hamutai straightened his chest, his voice noticeably weak: "That's right—that's thirty or forty thousand elite troops, no joke!"
Chen Ying stood up and walked to the map on the wall: "Of course we can't win in a direct confrontation, but we can run. You're all familiar with the terrain around here. If they attack, can't you outrun them?"
"But the problem is, just running around isn't a solution!"
Hamutai's words caused a brief silence in the council chamber.
Yes, just running isn't a solution; they can run for a while, but not for the whole year.
This time, the Jurchens have brought 30,000 to 40,000 elite troops, not the small-scale raiding forces of the past. They can sweep through the enemy lines, looting and killing everything in their path, leaving only scorched earth behind.
Meng Gun urged, "Lord Chen, please tell us your plan quickly! We've been through thick and thin with you, what else wouldn't we dare to do?"
"Please look here, everyone."
The group crowded around and saw a range of snow-capped mountains marked on the map. The mountains were steep and rugged, with ravines crisscrossing the area, and almost no one lived in the surrounding hundreds of miles.
"This is the northeastern part of the Changbai Mountains, a notoriously cold and harsh place."
Chen Ying pointed to that area and said, "Every year after October, this place gets blizzards. The deepest snow can reach above a horse's belly. When the temperature drops to its lowest, it can freeze a person into an ice sculpture."
Mu Tai gasped, "Lord Chen, you're not suggesting we hide in this godforsaken place, are you? That's practically suicide!"
"It's not about hiding inside, it's about luring the Jurchens inside."
Everyone was taken aback.
"Think about it, what are the Jurchens after with so many troops? They want a quick victory and to crush us in one fell swoop. They have limited supplies and can't stay long after the mountains are blocked by heavy snow."
Chen Ying gestured on the map, saying, "What we need to do is stall them until after October. Once the heavy snow comes, they won't be able to retreat even if they want to."
"How can we lure it?"
"Use yourselves as bait."
Hamutai's expression changed: "This—isn't this playing with fire?"
"That's why I said it will take more than a month."
Chen Ying pointed to the snow-capped mountains: "You are familiar with the terrain and know where you can go and where you can't. Travel light, each person carrying ten days' worth of dry rations, and ride horses through the forest playing hide-and-seek with them. There are so many Jurchens, their marching speed will definitely be slow. You fight and retreat, retreating towards the snow-capped mountains. When they chase us into the mountains—once the snow falls, I can bury them all inside."
Chen Ying wasn't bragging. He had been to Changbai Mountain and knew how thick the snow was in winter. Just detonating explosives could cause an avalanche. If the Jurchens weren't prepared, no matter how brave they were, they would be finished.
The most crucial part of this plan is to outmaneuver the Jurchens. Chen Ying can't do this job; he doesn't have the ability. But Hamutai and others can, though they'll have to risk their lives!