MLMD -Chapter 150 The Wary Yoto

Outside Hunyuan City, in the Later Jin encampment, the great banner fluttered as numerous black, red, and white flags rippled in the wind. Many Later Jin soldiers, faces fierce and grim, were patrolling the camp.

At this moment, a troop of dispirited Later Jin cavalry rode into the camp, heads lowered. The guards at the gate stared at them in surprise.

They immediately recognized the unit—it was the cavalry that had ridden out that morning with the two beiles, Luolhun and Karuchun. But now every man looked disheveled: armor askew, many bodies smeared with blood, and on the backs of several horses lay the corpses of fallen comrades. One glance was enough to tell that this force had just endured a brutal battle.

These Later Jin soldiers were veterans of countless campaigns; wounds and death were nothing unusual to them. Yet to see an entire unit return in such a wretched state was rare indeed. Especially in recent years, since Hong Taiji had taken power, the Later Jin army’s edge had grown sharper by the day, and such scenes had all but disappeared. To witness it again today left them stunned.

In one corner of the camp, a menial laborer paused in his work and secretly watched the scene. In surprise, he asked a nearby auxiliary soldier, “Bakshi, aren’t those the men that Beile Luolhun and Beile Karuchun took out this morning? How did they end up like this?”

The auxiliary soldier named Bakshi was also dumbfounded. After a long moment, he stammered, “S‑something big has happened… something really big! Look—so many bodies brought back, and Lord Hafeng’a’s men haven’t returned at all. The sky’s about to change!”

As he spoke, they saw several jalan janggin and niru janggin hurrying toward the main tent.

Yes—the sky truly was about to change.

When the news that Hafeng’a’s entire force had been annihilated reached Yoto, the whole camp erupted in shock. When Yoto heard it, he scarcely dared believe his ears.

“What did you say? Hafeng’a and the five niru under his command—all of them killed?”

Among the Jurchens, Yoto was widely acknowledged as a man of true generalship, rarely seen angered or flustered. Yet today, before everyone, he lost his composure.

“Yes, Father. Your sons are guilty—please punish us!” Luolhun and Karuchun lowered their heads, not daring to look their father in the eye.

“You… you really are something! You led two thousand Jurchen warriors, yet let your allied force be wiped out right before your eyes. You… you still have the face to come see me?!”

Yoto’s roar echoed throughout the tent. Had he not remembered that the two kneeling before him were his own sons, he would likely have ordered them dragged out and executed on the spot. The surrounding jalan janggin and niru janggin stood rigid with fear, hardly daring to breathe.

Luolhun knelt first, kowtowed twice, and said in shame, “Father, it is entirely your son’s incompetence. However you choose to punish me, I will accept—but I beg you to let me finish speaking before you do.”

“Fine. Speak,” Yoto said coldly through clenched teeth, struggling to suppress his fury.

Five niru—nearly two thousand elite troops—wiped out. Such a defeat had not occurred in years. Even when Hong Taiji personally led the great campaign into the northern steppes, the total losses had never been this severe. If Hong Taiji, besieging the Ming at Datong, were to learn of this—who knew how he might punish him?

Luolhun and Karuchun exchanged a glance, both seeing bitterness and fear in each other’s eyes.

“Third Brother, you tell it,” Luolhun said craftily. He knew Karuchun was blunt and hot‑tempered; even if he misspoke, Yoto would likely not blame him too harshly.

Karuchun didn’t think much of it and promptly reported the battle in full detail. He especially emphasized the terrifying effectiveness of Yue Yang’s firearms.

“Father, the firelocks those Ming dogs wield are more deadly than anything I have ever seen. From over two hundred paces away, they can pierce the armor of our Jurchen warriors. Even using shield carts, we could not advance quickly to engage them at close quarters. That is why our losses were so heavy.”

“Yes, Father!” Luolhun added. “Our warriors can only harm the enemy with heavy bows at seventy paces, while those Ming dogs calmly slaughter us from over two hundred. Our warriors’ valor had no chance to be brought into play. Even when we piled bodies to reach their lines, they could still trade fire with us using their guns. Many of our brave men died in those exchanges. Father, this defeat was not due to our incompetence—the enemy’s weapons are simply too formidable!”

As Luolhun spoke, tears streamed down his face. The generals exchanged uneasy looks. They did not doubt the truth of the beiles’ words; thousands had witnessed the battle firsthand. Anyone could be asked.

What puzzled them was where this Ming force had come from—and since when Ming firearms had become so powerful.

Smack!

Yoto slammed his palm against the armrest and shouted, “You useless fools! You lose a battle and then blame the enemy’s weapons—how can I tolerate this? Guards!”

“Yes!”

At Yoto’s shout, two burly gosheha strode into the tent, knelt on one knee, and cried out, “What are your orders, Beile?”

Yoto bellowed, “Drag these two worthless idiots out and—”

“Beile, please reconsider!”

Before he could finish, the generals all dropped to their knees, pleading for the brothers.

“Beile, the two beiles speak the truth. This defeat was not due to command failure but to the Ming dogs’ overly powerful weapons, which we have never faced before. Such a loss is not surprising. It cannot all be blamed on the two beiles—Hafeng’a bears responsibility as well!”

“Yes, Beile, please spare them!”

Seeing a sea of kneeling figures, Yoto secretly let out a breath of relief. In truth, how could he bear to severely punish his sons over a single defeat? But as the commanding general, if his sons erred without punishment, how could he convince the rest? He had to put on a show. Now that the generals had pleaded for them, he seized the opportunity, glared at his sons, and barked:

“I’ll spare you this time. If you offend again, I’ll punish both crimes together. Understand?”

“Thank you, Father, for sparing our lives!”

“Hmph. You two are lucky. Get up!”

Luolhun and Karuchun finally breathed out and rose to their feet. They had survived this ordeal by the skin of their teeth.

Afterward, Luolhun knelt again and said solemnly, “Father, I still have something to say.”

Yoto frowned deeply. “Luolhun, what is it now?”

“Father, I believe that although our defeat was largely due to the Ming army’s powerful firearms, our own carelessness also played a part. Before this battle, we didn’t even know where the enemy came from or who their commander was. Aside from learning from their banner that the commander’s surname was Yue, we knew nothing. Such negligence and underestimation—how could it not lead to defeat? Therefore, I think the best course is to immediately recall the forces stationed in the surrounding prefectures and crush this Ming army with overwhelming strength. That is the proper path.”

“Hmm… the beile makes sense.”

“Makes sense my foot! Recalling all surrounding forces would take at least three or four days. Do you think that Ming army would stupidly wait for us? They’d run—after all, Ming troops are best at fleeing.”

“No… better to be cautious!”

The jalan janggin and niru janggin began debating heatedly, opinions sharply divided.

Yoto closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. When he opened them, there was a trace of appreciation in his gaze.

He said gravely, “Luolhun, I’m pleased to hear you say this. The Han have a saying: even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. Underestimating one’s opponent is the greatest mistake. From this battle, it’s clear this Ming army is unlike those we’ve faced before—disciplined and superbly equipped. What we must do now is send out more scouts to track their movements, while recalling our forces stationed outside. When the time is ripe, we’ll annihilate them in one stroke. I have a premonition—if we let this Ming army grow, it will become a formidable enemy in the future!”

“Yes!”

At his words, the generals knelt in unison to acknowledge the order.

While the Later Jin camp grew tense, Yue Yang’s forces set up camp twenty li south of Hunyuan City.

Throughout the army, spirits were high. In a single battle, they had annihilated nearly two thousand enemies, taken over eighteen hundred heads, and seized large quantities of weapons, armor, and horses. If such results were reported to the court, they would surely shock both officials and commoners alike.

Sitting in his command tent, Yue Yang quickly wrote a letter and, together with more than a dozen wagonloads of enemy heads, dispatched messengers overnight to Yingzhou. He also sent a letter to Lu Xiangsheng in Datong. This was no time for modesty—the greater the merit, the more attention from the court, and the faster his promotion.

Yet after finishing the letters, Yue Yang grew worried. Today’s victory had wiped out two thousand Later Jin troops, but Yoto still commanded over ten thousand men. Such a loss was not enough to cripple him. If Yoto grew ruthless and recalled all his scattered forces, Yue Yang would be in serious trouble.