MLMD -Chapter 153 Yueto Attacks the Camp

The black curtain of night finally retreated, and a round, orange-red sun slowly rose from behind the mountain ridge. The land was once again bathed in warm sunlight as a new day began.

Rising early, Yue Yang finished his breakfast and stood energetically before the main tent, gazing toward the direction of the Later Jin army.

This morning, Yue Yang was in high spirits and in an especially good mood, because just the previous night, the night scouts he had sent to the Later Jin camp had successfully infiltrated the enemy encampment and set fire to their grain stores. The raging flames lit up half the sky. Although Yue Yang and his men were nearly twenty li away from the Later Jin camp, they could still faintly hear waves of shouting carried on the night wind.

After fighting a battle with the Tatars the day before and wiping out nearly two thousand of them, Yue Yang had begun to think about how the next stage of the war should be fought. Although they had destroyed two thousand enemy troops, Yueto’s main force was still intact. According to intelligence reported by the night scouts, there were still nearly four thousand soldiers in Yueto’s main camp. If Yueto chose to stay inside the camp and refuse to come out, Yue Yang really had no way to deal with him given his current strength. Moreover, if Yueto recalled the more than five thousand troops he had previously dispatched, he would then command close to ten thousand men. With only four thousand troops at hand, Yue Yang truly had no confidence that he could lift the siege of Hunyuan Prefecture.

Yue Yang pondered for a long time, to the point that his head began to ache, yet he still could not think of a solution. It was not until dinner time, when he saw rows of soldiers lining up for their meals and heard a cook muttering while ladling rice, “Men are iron, food is steel—miss one meal and you’ll starve,” that Yue Yang suddenly felt a flash of inspiration.

Since ancient times, cutting off an enemy’s provisions or supply lines during a battle between two armies had always been a vicious yet highly effective tactic. No matter how brave or formidable an army might be, once its supply line was severed, morale would immediately fall into chaos. At best, the troops would lose the will to fight; at worst, the entire army would collapse.

Thus, Yue Yang decided to send out a small team of night scouts carrying lamp oil and other flammable materials to infiltrate the Later Jin camp and see if they could burn down the enemy’s grain stores. He had not held much confidence in this plan to begin with, but reality gave him a huge surprise. Those few night scouts actually succeeded in setting the grain stores in the Later Jin camp ablaze, and the roaring fire burned for a full two hours.

Seeing the great fire raging within the Later Jin camp, Yue Yang knew that without supplies, Yueto would not be able to remain here for long.

Heavy footsteps sounded from behind, and Feng Xiaoming’s voice rang out beside him.
“Milord, do you think the Tatars will come to attack our camp today?”

Yue Yang smiled faintly. “If they don’t come, then it only proves one thing—that the Tatars have already withdrawn. But I’m certain Yueto won’t be willing to retreat so easily. Just wait—before long, he’ll definitely come.”

No sooner had Yue Yang finished speaking than a loud blast of military horns faintly echoed from afar. The sound was urgent and piercing, passing relay-like until it reached the camp.

Yue Yang smiled slightly and said, “See? Aren’t the Tatars here already? Come… let’s go to the front and welcome our guests.”

As the horn calls rang out, the Ming army camp also stirred into motion. Commands were shouted one after another, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of marching footsteps. Very soon, squads of fully armed soldiers, under the direction of their officers, ran toward the perimeter of the camp…

Five or six li away from the Ming camp, Yueto rode atop a crimson warhorse. He wore white armor trimmed with red, with cloud-swallowing beast pauldrons on his shoulders. The polished chest mirror gleamed brightly, and a golden curved saber hung at his waist, radiating a murderous aura.

At his side were the two brothers, Luo Luohun and the other, along with dozens of exceptionally burly White Banner soldiers who guarded him closely.

With some unease, Ka’erchuhun asked Yueto, “Ama, are we really going to attack the Ming camp?”

Yueto turned his head and looked at him, saying in a deep voice, “What? Ka’erchuhun, are you afraid?”

“Of course not!” Feeling looked down upon, Ka’erchuhun hurriedly replied. “We Jurchen warriors have never feared any enemy. It’s just that our supplies have been burned. In my opinion, we should withdraw immediately and regroup with the main army before making further plans. Otherwise, once our provisions are exhausted, we’ll be in real danger.”

Yueto replied noncommittally, “Then what do you think we should do?”

Ka’erchuhun immediately said, “In my view, after our supplies were burned last night, we should have broken camp and withdrawn at once. In the darkness, the Ming army wouldn’t dare pursue us. By now, we would already be dozens of li away, and the Ming army likely wouldn’t chase too far. That way, we could safely retreat to Datong Prefecture and rejoin the Great Khan.”

“Hmph…”
Yueto snorted lightly and said, “Luo Luohun, explain to your third brother why we must attack the Ming camp.”

“Yes… Ama!”
Luo Luohun answered, then turned to Ka’erchuhun. “Third Brother, Ama didn’t withdraw immediately because if we did, when we return to Datong and the Great Khan asks about it, how would Ama answer? Should he say that we retreated as soon as our supplies were burned? If so, Ama’s position as a beile would likely be lost. You know very well that in recent years the Great Khan has already been planning to replace the leaders of the Plain Red and Bordered Red Banners. If Ama commits such a grave mistake again, even Grandfather might be implicated.”

“What… there’s such a thing?” Ka’erchuhun had never imagined that what seemed like a minor defeat could involve so many complications.

Yueto looked at the two brothers and spoke earnestly. “That’s why you can’t judge matters only by what’s on the surface. You must learn to use your head more. Now that the Great Khan’s throne is increasingly secure, I’ve heard he’s even considering abolishing the title of khan and proclaiming himself emperor. From now on, there will be plenty of upheaval in our Later Jin.

“The reason I insist on attacking the Ming camp is, first, to test the true strength of this Ming force so we can prepare accordingly in the future. Second, after this battle, if we win, everyone will be pleased. Even though our supplies were burned, wiping out this Ming force would still be a net gain. If we fail to take them down, at least we’ll have something to report to the Great Khan when we return. Otherwise, if word spreads that we fled without fighting, do you think the Great Khan—who’s been looking for an excuse to deal with us—would let such an opportunity pass? Just look at the situation of Dorgon and his brothers. Dorgon is capable and talented, yet isn’t he still forced to keep his head down and act cautiously?”

After hearing Yueto’s words, Ka’erchuhun finally understood his father’s painstaking considerations. He shook his large head and said nothing more.

This time, Yueto had truly gone all out. More than four thousand troops broke camp and advanced toward the Ming army. At the front were two thousand cavalry mounted on warhorses, followed by Yueto and the various generals, with two thousand infantry bringing up the rear. Large command banners fluttered in the wind, presenting an awe-inspiring sight.

When Yueto arrived before the Ming camp, he narrowed his eyes and carefully examined it.

In his view, the Ming camp was arranged in a fairly standard manner. At the outermost edge were chevaux-de-frise, with iron caltrops scattered nearby. A trench encircled the entire camp. Around it stood musketeers clad in black-and-gray full armor. At the main gate, more than a dozen cannons were emplaced, with several artillerymen standing behind each one, and a bright torch planted beside every cannon.

Yueto squinted for a long while before asking Luo Luohun, “Are these the Ming troops you encountered yesterday?”

“Exactly,” Luo Luohun said, taking a deep breath. “Ama, these Ming troops are completely different from the ones we’ve seen before. Not only are their firearms extremely powerful, but their armor is also finely made and very sturdy. In yesterday’s battle, many of our warriors clearly hit them with arrows, yet unless the arrow struck the face, neck, or other vital areas, it couldn’t penetrate their armor at all. On the other hand, their firearms were terrifying. Even our warriors wearing two layers of armor couldn’t withstand those lead bullets. That slave Hafenga was killed by one of those weapons.”

After hearing this, Yueto narrowed his eyes once more and looked at the Ming camp, then turned and said, “Ka’erchuhun, immediately lead two niru to attack the Ming camp. I want to see for myself just how formidable these Ming firearms really are.”

“Yes!”
Ka’erchuhun acknowledged. Soon, amid a series of deep, low horn blasts, several hundred Later Jin soldiers charged toward the Ming camp, and a great battle was about to begin…