plumnovel Chapter 88: First Battle, Fame and Triumph Before the Emperor
Chapter 88: First Battle, Fame and Triumph Before the Emperor
Chapter 89 A Victory in One Battle Presented to the Emperor
Chapter 088 Aisin Gioro Yuexu joined the army at the age of sixteen, leading troops to conquer the Yehe and Jarud tribes, and repeatedly made military achievements. He was granted the title of Beile and became the banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner. He was also the first third-generation banner lord of the Eight Banners during Nurhaci's time.
He and Dudu, the banner lord of the Bordered White Banner, belonged to the third generation, but he became the banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner four years earlier than Dudu. He was also a vanguard general of the Jurchens and died unexpectedly under the bombardment of artillery.
Of course, the battle did not stop after Yue Xu's death; on the contrary, it became even more intense. This was because Nurhaci stipulated that the bodies of the Jurchens who died in battle must be brought back for burial, especially the generals. If they did not seize the bodies, all the banner soldiers would be demoted to armored men. After Yue Xu's death, countless banner soldiers of the Bordered Red Banner rushed towards Yue Xu's body without regard for anything else.
The artillerymen of the Shahe New Army were now in an upwind position, and the smoke from the cannon fire did not obstruct their view. They could see very clearly. In the past, when the shells fell, the Jurchens would scatter and flee instantly, but now they were acting very strangely, rushing towards Yue's corpse.
The artillerymen of the Shahe New Army realized that they had hit an important target this time, and the gunners quickly adjusted the target and fired specifically at the direction of Yue Xu's corpse.
"Boom boom boom—"
Dozens of cannonballs rained down, and the Jurchens who wanted to retrieve Yue Xu's body were instantly met with a devastating blow, with shouts and neighing of horses filling the air in chaos.
The general of the Bordered Red Banner stared wide-eyed in disbelief as the Ming cavalry surged towards them like a tidal wave. Hada, the cavalry commander who came from the Haixi Jurchen slave background, was very clever. He knew that Chen Boying was his benefactor, but the problem was that Chen Boying had now defeated the four right-wing banners of the Jurchens, which meant that a large number of people would definitely defect to him.
If he didn't demonstrate his value, he would be pushed aside by others. He watched as the Jurchen cavalry charged desperately in one direction, which meant there were big fish there. He disregarded everything and rushed towards the direction where the Bordered Red Banners were most concentrated.
At this moment, the soldiers of the Bordered Red Banner had no mind to fight. Their banner leader was dead, and if they did not retrieve Yue Ji's body, ordinary soldiers would be demoted to armored men, while the officers would face execution. Therefore, retrieving the body was their primary objective.
It was precisely because of this situation that, in the eyes of the other Bannermen of the Bordered Red Banner, the Ming cavalry clearly numbered only four or five hundred, yet they managed to knock over a thousand Bannermen of the Bordered Red Banner.
The other soldiers of the Bordered Red Banner were dumbfounded when they saw this scene. What was wrong with the Ming army? They not only used cannons to defeat their brave and skilled Jianzhou warriors, but they could also accept being defeated by cannons. After all, the power of cannons was undeniable, and it was normal for them to be unable to defeat them.
The problem is that the Ming cavalry only had four or five hundred men, yet they were able to fight against overwhelming odds in cavalry battles, scattering thousands of elite Bordered Red Banner troops. The Ming cavalry actually had an absolute advantage in cavalry battles. What is wrong with this world?
Although the encounter battle was short, lasting less than two hours, it was extremely bloody. Bomubogor chased after Daishan and went on a killing spree. Daishan ran ahead, while Amin and the bannermen of the Bordered Blue Banner chased after him.
Whether Amin was willing or not, he could not stand by and watch Daishan, the head of the four great beile, have his head chopped off by the Solon people. Although Daishan did not have the title of crown prince, he was Nurhaci's second legitimate son. The eldest son, Chuying, was already dead, and now the second son, Daishan, had become the eldest legitimate son.
If Nurhaci's eldest son were to have his head chopped off, it would be a disgrace to the Great Jin Kingdom. Even if he returned in the future, Nurhaci would not let him go. So Amin led the bannermen of the Bordered Blue Banner and the Plain Yellow Banner to try to save Daishan.
Without the constraints of the Plain Red, Plain Yellow, and Bordered Blue Banners, Chen Ying mobilized the new army soldiers of Moxia Shahe to launch a desperate charge against the Bordered Red Banner.
"Press them down and crush these idiots!"
As Chen Ying roared and shouted, even without counting the casualties, the Shahe New Army actually suffered heavy losses in this battle, especially the more than one thousand soldiers of the Right Thousand Household of Guide Guard who followed Chen Ying north from Yongcheng to Changping. These people were Chen Ying's direct troops.
They were also the soldiers with the strongest fighting spirit. Many of them were attacked by the Jurchens and didn't even have time to fix their bayonets. They could only detonate grenades and perish together with the Jurchens. The casualties of these loyal soldiers were heartbreaking for Chen Ying. More than 60 of his more than 100 personal guards died in battle. Even his adopted son, Chen Yongren, was shot three times by the Jurchens and stabbed six times. His fate was unknown.
Chen Ying desperately wanted to save the Bordered Red Banner. If Yue Ji hadn't died, the Bordered Red Banner wouldn't have collapsed so quickly. But the problem was, by the time the Bordered Red Banner realized that the Plain Yellow Banner, Bordered Blue Banner, and Plain Red Banner had all retreated and were nowhere to be seen, what was the point of fighting anymore?
The Bordered Red Banner also collapsed. It wasn't easy for them to leave. Hada led the Shuangcheng Guard cavalry, and Hamutai led nearly a thousand Xibe cavalry. You should know that Hamutai had more than three thousand cavalry at his peak before the war, but now he only had a third of them left. If they let the Bordered Red Banner go, they probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night and would be extremely regretful.
Seeing the Jurchens retreating, Zhou Bin looked at the laborers who were still standing there in a daze and said, "What are you all standing there for? Charge!"
The laborers suddenly realized, "Oh right, this is a great opportunity to collect heads! One Jurchen head is worth ten acres of land. We must rush up here quickly!"
The laborers drew their temporary swords and charged forward, howling. When they saw the Jurchen soldiers lying on the ground, they slashed their necks with their swords.
The Tang-style horizontal sword, forged from high-carbon steel, was very easy to use. After all, one could grip the hilt with both hands, and the strength of two hands was definitely greater than that of one hand. With one strike, a head was chopped off, and then the head was used to chase after the next person.
The Jurchens were now in complete defeat, their army collapsing like a house of cards. Countless people were killed or wounded in the infighting, and many were knocked down before they could even stand up.
After a chase of less than fifteen minutes, the main force of the Jurchens had disappeared. The four right-wing banners of the Jurchen Eight Banners were, after all, mainly cavalry, and their mobility was too strong. Although they were beaten and coughed up blood, the main force quickly left the battlefield and disappeared without a trace.
Although Chen Ying did not directly participate in the battle, he was also very tired at this time, especially since the smell of blood on the battlefield was too strong. Although Chen Ying was the commander of Shahe Guard, he had not actually participated in such a fierce battle. His stomach was churning, and he was trying his best to hold it in. If the soldiers saw their commander-in-chief vomiting so badly, it would really affect their morale.
"Yongren————"
Only after the words were spoken did Chen Ying realize that his adopted son, Chen Yongren, had taken three arrows for him and been slashed more than a dozen times by the Jurchens in order to save him. Fortunately, Chen Yongren was wearing a thick cotton coat, which, once soaked with sweat, proved quite effective in protecting against both arrows and slashes.
Chen Ying waved his hand and said, "Someone, bring me a cup of water!"
"yes!"
Chen Ying drank a cup of tea, which finally calmed his churning stomach and made him feel a little better. Before he could even catch his breath, Zhou Bin excitedly laughed, "Sir, congratulations, sir! We've won a great victory!"
"I already know that. Now tell me something I don't know!"
Zhou Bin waved his hand, and another soldier behind him carried a mutilated corpse. Calling it a corpse was a stretch, as only the neck and shoulders remained; the body below the chest had completely disappeared.
"This is----"
"Congratulations, Your Excellency, on beheading Yue Ji, the leader of the Four Lesser Princes and the commander of the Bordered Red Banner!"
"What?"
Chen Ying asked incredulously, "He's from Yue Ji's company? What proof do you have?"
"have!"
Zhou Bin waved his hand, and two soldiers escorted a Jiannu Niru Ejen to Chen Ying.
"Kneel down!"
The Niru leader dared not hesitate and timidly knelt on the snow.
"What's your name?"
"Reporting back to Master, your servant Yihaci, of the Fuca clan, is the Niru Ejen of the 13th Niru of the 3rd Jiala of the Bordered Red Banner —"
"Is this the head of Yue Hua, the banner chief of the Bordered Red Banner?"
Ihazi kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty—"
Chen Ying did not believe it easily. He asked other prisoners to identify him. After more than a dozen prisoners verified each other's identities, he finally became convinced that Yue Ji was dead.
Although the Later Jin Dynasty did not lack a vanguard general like Yue Ji, the problem was that Yue Ji was the main driving force behind Huang Taiji's ascension to the Khanate after Nurhaci's death. After Nurhaci's death, the decision on the succession to the Khanate was in the hands of the four powerful Beile.
In fact, the strongest was Daishan. Daishan and his son Yue Xu controlled two Red Banners, making them the strongest among the Eight Banners. Although Daishan was the most senior Beile, he knew he had no hope of succeeding to the throne due to his own scandals and loss of power.
At the urging of Yuetuo and Shuotuo, Daishan took the initiative to recommend Huang Taiji. This move was crucial because Daishan had the strongest power, and his support made it impossible for other Beile, such as Amin and Mangultai, to oppose him, which ultimately led to Huang Taiji's ascension to the throne.
With Yue Xu dead, and without the support of Huang Taiji, a nephew even closer than his own son, it's questionable whether Huang Taiji can ascend to the throne. If the two Red Banners didn't unite to support Huang Taiji, Amin would actually be the strongest, and the Khanate might face further turmoil.
On September 29th of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign (1624), the Shahe New Army engaged in a major battle with the main force of the four banners of the right wing of the Jurchens at the Sanjiang Plain of Changbai Mountain. At the cost of 1,600 casualties, the Ming army decisively defeated the Jurchens, beheading Yue Ji, the banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner, and capturing more than 3,400 others, taking more than 240 prisoners, and seizing more than 5,600 warhorses, more than 4,000 cattle, and more than 30,000 sheep. This battle was a great victory for the Ming army.
It must be pointed out that the actual casualties of the Jurchen Right Wing Four Banners were far greater than the number of decapitations. After all, the Jurchens took many corpses with them when they fled, and many heads were also smashed. Because the 31.5 mm caliber muskets were so powerful, if they hit the head, it was like hitting a watermelon with a hammer, and the entire skull would be blown to pieces, making it impossible to calculate the battle merits.
This can be considered as the Ming army finally achieving a resounding victory since Nurhaci rose up against the Ming. Compared with the Battle of Sarhu, the Battle of Hunhe and the later Battle of Songjin, this battle was not very large in scale. Although the Jurchen Eight Banners suffered heavy losses, some of these casualties were borne by the Jurchen armored soldiers, which was not unacceptable.
To say that it severely weakened the Jurchens would be an exaggeration, but this battle was an extremely heavy blow to them. For the first time since Nurhaci raised his army, the Jurchen army suffered a crushing defeat in open battle against the Ming army with inferior forces. The dazzling aura of "the Jurchens are not to be fought if they have less than 10,000 men" was trampled into the mud by the Shahe New Army.
The actual battle proved that the idea that the Jurchens were invincible if they had less than 10,000 men was pure nonsense. This battle, on the contrary, proved that the Ming army was invincible if they had more than 10,000 men.
Although Chen Ying was in charge of organizing the Shahe New Army, the army's pay was not in accordance with the highest standards of the imperial court. The Shahe New Army's pay was even less than that of the nominal Liaodong Garrison. The Liaodong Garrison also adopted a recruitment system, and the regular infantrymen received a monthly pay of one tael and five mace of silver, seven dou of grain, and two jin of salt.
The pay was even lower than that of the elite Guan Ning Army, because the annual salary of an ordinary soldier in the Guan Ning Army was nominally as high as forty taels, which was equivalent to three taels and three mace of silver per month.
In reality, the ordinary infantry arquebusiers of the Shahe New Army received only one tael of silver and one shi of grain per month, while the artillerymen received one tael and two mace of silver and one shi of grain per month.
Nominally, but the soldiers' pay and rations were distributed to ordinary soldiers in full. No officer was allowed to withhold them. Anyone who dared to withhold or intercept them would be dismissed from office or beheaded as a warning to others.
Of course, the soldiers of the Shahe New Army also had certain hidden benefits that other border armies did not enjoy. For example, the sons or daughters of the soldiers could study at the Shahe School for free. Not only was there no tuition fee, but meals were also provided, with a standard of four qian of silver per month.
Don't underestimate the four qian of silver at Shahe School. Because Zhang Changgeng, the governor of Shahe Garrison, is good at scheming, these four qian of silver can not only ensure that these children have enough to eat, but also that they can have an egg and a glass of milk every morning. Even a landlord like Song Xianze, who owns more than 200 acres of land, cannot enjoy this treatment.
In addition to free education for children, there is also medical assistance. If soldiers of the Shahe New Army fall ill during their service, the Shahe Guard will cover their medical expenses. If the illness is a direct relative, this only includes parents, parents-in-law and children. Grandmothers, brothers and sisters are not covered by medical insurance.
Soldiers' immediate family members can be reimbursed for 70% of their medical expenses, and there are many medicines that are not covered by medical insurance in later generations. If this part of the expenses is included in the military pay, the soldiers of the Shahe New Army will receive higher pay than the elite soldiers of the Guan Ning Army, at least reaching four to five taels of silver.
Nevertheless, this fully-funded Shahe New Army inflicted heavy losses on the Jurchens in its first battle. Since Chen Ying's rebirth in June of the third year of the Tianqi reign, history took a sharp turn here, signifying that the goddess of fate had abandoned her favorite and turned her favor to that ancient people within the Great Wall.
More importantly, although Chen Ying's Shahe New Army suffered more than 1,600 casualties, the actual number of casualties on the Ming side in this battle was also far greater than the recorded number. For example, the Shuangcheng Mutual Market Alliance Army had more than 7,600 cavalry a little over a month ago, but now they had less than 2,000 cavalry left. Hamutai himself suffered more than 2,000 casualties, and was almost reduced to its original strength.
Meanwhile, the Shuangcheng Guard cavalry, numbering over 700, suffered over 380 casualties, more than half of their force had been wiped out. In addition, there was the Solon tribe, which had a total of over 20,000 men participating in the battle. As for how many men were left, Chen Ying didn't actually know, as the two sides had not yet established a good communication channel.
After four days of cleaning up the battlefield and collecting the escaped warhorses and cattle, Chen Ying began writing a memorial to the Tianqi Emperor, who was far away in the capital.
Of course, Chen Ying's calligraphy, which was so bad it made one want to cry, was not to be underestimated. The person in charge of writing the victory report was Zhou Bin, the deputy commander of Shahe Guard. When he heard that Chen Ying had asked him to write the victory report, he was so excited that he was incoherent. What a great favor it was that the Tianqi Emperor could see his handwriting.
In fact, Chen Ying simply didn't want to write.
This report of victory, dictated by Chen Ying and written by Zhou Bin, is vividly presented on paper.
"Commander Chen Boying of Shahe Guard respectfully reports: On the great victory at Changbai Mountain, the slaying of the Jurchen chieftain Yue in battle, and the defeat of the four banners of the right wing of the Jianzhou Jurchens: "
On the 29th day of the ninth month of the fourth year of the Tianqi reign (1624), I led the new army of Shahe and the righteous people of various tribes in Haixi to engage in a decisive battle with the main force of the four banners of the right wing of the Jurchens on the Sanjiang Plain of Changbai Mountain. In this battle, relying on the might of Heaven, we fought bravely and risked our lives, defeating the rebels with a small force, killing the false banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner, Prince Yue, and capturing countless others. I respectfully present to Your Majesty the details of the battle and the number of prisoners captured:
First, I laid out a plan before the battle, luring the enemy deep into our territory. I offered a fine steel sword, salt, or other valuables for each Jurchen headheaded. I then convened an alliance with the Haixi Xibe, Gualecha, Guarcha, Warka, and Ne'in tribes, ordering them to infiltrate the Songliao Plain, the heartland of the Jurchen territory, to hunt heads. After more than two months of hunting, five to six thousand Jurchen banners were killed. This enraged Nurhaci, the Jurchen chieftain. He dispatched his son Daišan, nephew Amin, and others, leading over forty thousand elite troops from the four right-wing banners, intending to seize our Shuangcheng trade market and annihilate the Haixi tribes.
Having learned of the enemy's situation, I devised a strategy to lure them into the mountains and use the snow as a weapon. I ordered the leaders of the Haixi tribes, including Hamutai and Menggun, to lead their troops in a fighting-and-retreating manner, drawing the main force of the Jurchens towards the Zhusheli Valley in the Changbai Mountains. The Jurchens, arrogant and overconfident, advanced recklessly into barren land, running out of supplies and their morale gradually collapsed. By late September, heavy snow fell, blocking the valley roads, leaving the Jurchens trapped and unable to advance or retreat, like turtles in a jar.
I led 7,000 new soldiers from Shahe, along with more than 4,000 civilian laborers, northward from Shuangchengwei via a narrow road, traveling 1,600 li before emerging from the western side of the Zhusheli Valley.
Chen Ying did not actually write the victory report as described. Of the more than 7,000 troops in the Shahe New Army, he did not mobilize the entire army. There were still more than 1,500 garrison troops on Dalu Island, and more than 1,000 troops in Shuangchengwei and Yongning Port. However, he needed to achieve a victory in this battle and also needed to promote his confidants.
Whether it's Chen Daniu, Wang Tiezhu, Qin Siming, Xiang Hu, or others, they all have limited seniority in Shahewei, making promotion difficult. Relying solely on establishing additional thousand-household offices would be insufficient to gain widespread acceptance.
Chen Ying continued, "At dawn on September 29th, the four banners of the Jurchen right wing were about to search the mountains when I ordered the artillery to bombard the enemy formation with a barrage of thunder cannons and three-inch heavy cannons. The cannon fire was deafening, and lead bullets rained down. Caught off guard, the Jurchens were thrown into chaos. Yue Shou, the banner chief of the Bordered Red Banner, was hit by a cannonball and died instantly, his body never to be found. The routed soldiers of the Bordered Red Banner scrambled for the body, so I ordered the cavalry commander Hada to lead the Shuangcheng Guard cavalry and Hamutai to lead the Haixi cavalry to flank and attack from both sides. The commander of the Shahe New Army advanced in formation, launching a three-stage barrage that continued unabated, leaving the Jurchens with heavy casualties. Amin, the banner chief of the Bordered Blue Banner, tried to rescue Daishan but was intercepted and killed by Bomubogor, the leader of the Solon tribe, and his men. By dusk, the Jurchens had completely collapsed, leaving corpses everywhere, and fled north in panic—"
"In this battle, the Shahe New Army and the righteous people of various Haixi tribes beheaded over 3,400 enemy soldiers, captured 243 Jurchens, and seized over 5,600 warhorses, over 4,000 cattle, over 30,000 sheep, and tens of thousands of pieces of armor, weapons, flags, and drums. Most gratifyingly, the false Bordered Red Banner leader, Beile Yue, was killed in battle. Yue was Nurhaci's eldest grandson, who had commanded the Bordered Red Banner for many years. He was cunning and cruel, and had repeatedly caused trouble on the border. His execution on the battlefield is truly a blessing from Heaven for the Ming Dynasty and a boon to the nation!"
"In this battle, the Shahe New Army suffered over 1,600 dead and twice as many wounded. My adopted son, Chen Yongren, the captain of my personal guard, was wounded by three arrows and sustained six injuries while protecting me; his fate is unknown. Nearly 4,000 righteous people from various tribes in Haixi also perished. I have ordered the names of all the fallen soldiers to be registered and properly buried. They will be given preferential treatment according to regulations after the battle. The wounded are being treated to the best of their ability by the accompanying medical officers—"
P.S.: Um, I finally managed to update 11,000 words today, so I'm humbly asking for a vote. >