MLMD -Chapter 346 Strike First to Gain the Upper Hand

After discussing for quite some time, Hu Laosan finally put forward a suggestion: they could dispatch cavalry to pursue the enemy, but at the same time send out large numbers of ye bu shou scouts to conduct reconnaissance. If the Qing army showed any signs of massing in force, they were to report immediately so the cavalry could steer clear in time.

“No!”

The moment Hu Laosan finished speaking, Wu Chengfeng shot him down. “Lord Hu, that makes no sense. Since when did our cavalry fall so low that we need ye bu shou to scout the road before we even dare pursue the enemy? As the saying goes, in warfare speed is everything. If we fight the way you say—taking two steps and looking three times—what war is there to fight at all? We might as well go home and hold our kids!”

“Heh… you brat, are you looking for trouble?” Hu Laosan glared at him. “The barbarians still have seventy to eighty thousand main troops, while we don’t even have ten thousand cavalry in total. Do you think it was easy for the Marquis to build up this little bit of strength? Don’t you go squandering it all for him!”

“That’s nonsense!” Wu Chengfeng glared back. “The Marquis trained these cavalrymen precisely to fight battles. Otherwise, what do we need cavalry for—herding sheep?”

“You’re talking bullshit!” Hu Laosan sprang to his feet, about to explode in anger, when Yue Yang slammed the table and roared, “Enough, all of you shut up!”

“Look at yourselves—just look at you!” Yue Yang scolded Wu Chengfeng and Hu Laosan with a dark expression. “You’re both guerrilla generals now, yet neither of you carries yourselves like one. Who are you? You’re comrades-in-arms, brothers who share life and death. If I weren’t here today, would you be putting on a full-on brawl? I’m telling you right now—if you keep arguing, I’ll send every last one of you to the supply camp to work as cooks!”

Yue Yang even let slip the crude word “laozi.” Over the years, as his rank rose and his power grew, his authority had become ever more imposing. Seeing him truly enraged, the generals fell silent in terror, scarcely daring to breathe. Wu Chengfeng and Hu Laosan both lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word.

Seeing them finally shut up, Yue Yang’s anger eased. “Disagreements in the army are normal. Having different views on matters is normal. You can discuss them, but you must never start hurling insults or throwing punches just because you disagree. If you’ve got anger to vent, go vent it on the barbarians. There are still seventy or eighty thousand of them outside, and hundreds of thousands more in Shengjing and Liaodong. If you’ve got the ability, go kill their men and seize their women—the common folk won’t curse you for it, they’ll even give you a thumbs-up and call you a real man. But mouthing off at your own comrades here—what kind of man does that make you?”

Hu Laosan and Wu Chengfeng were scolded until their faces flushed crimson, their heads nearly hanging to their chests. Only then did Yue Yang continue, “That said, what you both argued earlier isn’t without merit. Infantry can’t catch up, and cavalry pursuing alone is risky. So what should we do? I say it’s simple—we pursue with the entire army. We chase them all the way to Shengjing. I want to see what the barbarians do then!”

“What… chase them to Shengjing?”

Yue Yang’s words stunned everyone present. No one had expected him to be so bold—to actually plan to pursue all the way to Shengjing. This was a fight to the death.

“M-Marquis… we’ve only got this many troops. Can we really fight all the way to Shengjing?” Zhao Yongxin, a battalion commander from the artillery unit, stammered, even his speech faltering.

“What, scared?” Yue Yang snorted and shot him a sideways glance. “Aren’t you nicknamed ‘Zhao the Cannon’? You claim there’s nothing you can’t blast apart with artillery. And now you’re chickening out?”

Zhao Yongxin panicked and quickly explained, “Who’s scared? This subordinate is worried about the long march, and Shengjing is the barbarians’ old nest. If we get there and end up surrounded, we won’t even have anywhere to run!”

Yue Yang laughed. “All right, do you think I don’t know what you’re saying? Of course I’m not foolish enough to try to besiege Shengjing. But this time Huang Taiji came all fired up, beat us up a bit, and now that he can’t win, he wants to run. Since when did the world offer such a good deal? If we don’t properly play the host and send them off with some enthusiasm, wouldn’t we be letting them down?”

Just then, a ye bu shou strode in briskly from outside, saluted Yue Yang, and reported loudly, “Reporting to the Marquis! This humble one was ordered to scout outside the barbarian camp. The barbarians have already begun breaking camp and are retreating toward Shengjing!”

“Hahaha—just as we expected!” Yue Yang leapt to his feet in delight and shouted, “All generals, hear my command!”

With a sharp shua, everyone stood up.

Yue Yang swept his piercing gaze across them and barked, “Wu Chengfeng!”

“Here!” Wu Chengfeng immediately stepped forward, cupped his fists, and looked at Yue Yang.

“You are to immediately count your men. At dawn, lead five thousand cavalry and pursue the enemy at once. Hang on the Qing army’s rear and harass them. If they’re few, wipe them out; if they’re many, avoid them. Do not let the Qing withdraw so easily!”

“This general obeys!” Wu Chengfeng responded with delight and hurried off to make preparations.

Watching Wu Chengfeng leave in high spirits, Hu Laosan asked with some concern, “Marquis, trailing harassment is fine, but what if the barbarians suddenly turn back and counterattack? Their main force is still intact.”

Yue Yang did not reproach him. He was not so arrogant as to be unable to tolerate dissent.

“Hu Laosan, your caution is right. But have you thought this through? The barbarians are retreating now, but how far can they go in a day? They’ve got seventy to eighty thousand troops, along with baggage and supplies. They can’t possibly travel light all the way back to Shengjing. Otherwise, before they even get there, they’d lose at least thirty percent of their men. Unless they’re willing to abandon all their auxiliary troops and baggage, they won’t be able to move fast. Don’t be fooled by the fact that most of our army is infantry—when it comes to marching, we won’t be any slower than them.”

As he spoke, Yue Yang narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing from within…

While Yue Yang was arranging manpower for the next day’s pursuit, Dorgon, Daišan, and the others were also leading their army in retreat. In the pitch-black night, countless torches were lit, forming an endless orange-red serpent across the vast grasslands.

Near the front of the column, Dorgon, Daišan, and the other generals surrounded a luxuriously decorated carriage, hurrying northeastward.

In the darkness, no one spoke. Their expressions were gloomy as they trudged on in silence. After a while, a cavalryman galloped up and reported loudly, “Reporting to the princes and banner lords! The Ming army’s main force has not pursued us, but their ye bu shou scouts are trailing several li behind us. They’re extremely alert—this servant’s men tried several times to approach under cover of darkness to eliminate them, but each time they were detected and evaded us. Instead, we suffered some losses.”

“Useless slaves!” Dorgon snorted coldly, then said, “Forget it. In that case, ignore them. If they like following, let them follow. At this hour, the Ming army wouldn’t dare press closer anyway.”

The surrounding generals all agreed. They were veterans of war and knew full well how dangerous it was to pursue an enemy at night. Not only was night blindness common in this era, but marching in darkness also made it easy to fall into ambushes. No experienced commander would casually order a night pursuit. Everyone understood that night was actually the safest time; daytime was far more dangerous.

After dismissing the scout, silence returned. After some time, Dorgon rode up beside the carriage, pulled open the curtain, and looked inside. In the dim light, he could only see a figure lying motionless on the bed. A cold glint flashed in Dorgon’s eyes. He turned to the person beside him and said softly, “Fifteenth Brother, come with me.”

With that, Dorgon rode off to the side. Dorodo followed without hesitation.

Once they were more than a hundred paces away from the main column, Dorodo asked quietly, “Fourteenth Brother, what is it?”

Dorgon was silent for a moment before saying, “Fifteenth Brother, this defeat has severely weakened us. Once we return to Shengjing, the Eight Banners will convene to discuss matters, and I will certainly be held accountable. The Great Khan is unconscious right now—some people will definitely jump out and clamor to enthrone Hooge. What should we do?”

“That can’t be…” Dorodo froze, then said in shock, “The Great Khan is still alive and on the throne.”

“You don’t understand,” Dorgon sneered. “It’s precisely because the Great Khan is still alive that they’re in a hurry to push Hooge onto the throne. If they wait until the Great Khan is gone, it won’t be so easy to put Hooge up there.”

Though Dorodo was fierce and brutal, he was not stupid. With Dorgon’s explanation, he immediately understood. Although Huang Taiji spent most of his time unconscious, he still had periods of lucidity each day. He certainly knew his days were numbered, and someone like him would never fail to arrange matters before his death.

Huang Taiji had ten sons in total. The second, third, and eighth had all died young. Of the remaining seven, only the eldest, Hooge, was an adult; the others were no more than twelve years old. Thus, only Hooge was truly qualified to inherit the throne.

Throughout history, struggles for the throne were always merciless. Father-son bonds and marital affection were empty words—only blades and blood were real. Given Huang Taiji’s ruthless nature, he would certainly clear the path for his son before dying. And Dorgon and Dorodo, as Hooge’s greatest threats, would undoubtedly be the first targets.

Thinking of this, even Dorodo shuddered despite his ferocity. He quickly grabbed Dorgon’s sleeve and asked, “Fourteenth Brother, what should we do?”

“What else can we do? Their blade is already at our necks. The only option is to strike first. We absolutely cannot let him return alive to Shengjing. Otherwise, once we get back, we’ll all die without burial!” Dorgon’s words were thick with murderous intent. As he spoke, he took a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it to Dorodo.

“Fifteenth Brother, this contains poison I acquired at great cost. It can’t be detected afterward. Find a way to make him take it.”

“All right. I’ll do it!”

Dorodo’s hand trembled as he took the bottle, but a killing light also flashed in his eyes. He said coldly, “This time, I’ll also avenge Mother.”

“Good that you understand. Once he’s dead, that fool Hooge won’t be able to compete with us.” Dorgon patted Dorodo on the shoulder. “Once I ascend the Great Khan’s throne, this realm will belong to the two of us. Anyone who owes us—we’ll make them repay it all!”

Dorodo clenched the porcelain bottle tightly, a glimmer flashing in his eyes…

As dawn broke, light gradually spread across the land. Urgent hoofbeats thundered over the grasslands as a large cavalry force galloped forward.

At the head of this cavalry were several thousand riders wearing a strange kind of uniform. They wore green helmets and green garments. If people of later generations were to see them, they would surely cry out in astonishment, for what these cavalrymen wore were the stab-resistant vests Yue Yang had brought from the modern era.

The three thousand sets of stab-resistant vests and helmets Yue Yang had obtained were now being issued first to the ye bu shou and Wu Chengfeng’s cavalry.

Galloping across the grasslands, Wu Chengfeng looked ahead from time to time, then glanced down at the grass-green vest he wore, feeling extremely satisfied. When Yue Yang had ordered the quartermaster to deliver the vests the previous night, Wu Chengfeng had thought they were joking. Later, Yue Yang personally put one of the vests over a wooden post and had men shoot it with arrows, hack it with blades, and stab it with swords. By all rights, after such punishment, the vest should have been riddled with holes—but this seemingly thin garment remained completely intact. Wu Chengfeng had been utterly shocked, then ecstatic.

Everyone knew a warhorse’s load was limited. Though cavalry armor was lighter than that of heavy infantry, it still weighed thirty to forty jin in total. If this burden could be reduced, cavalry mobility would be greatly improved, and the horses’ endurance would increase as well. The advantages were self-evident.

In his excitement, Wu Chengfeng immediately seized control of the entire batch of vests, refusing to let go. He even called over a unit of cavalry on the spot to carry these treasures away. And today, the cavalry riding at the very front were precisely those newly equipped with the stab-resistant vests.

Just as Wu Chengfeng was admiring his new gear, several ye bu shou galloped in from afar. Reaching him, they reported loudly, “Reporting to the General! At dawn, the barbarians left behind about three thousand cavalry as a rear guard. They are currently advancing slowly about ten li ahead.”

Wu Chengfeng frowned. “What about the main body of the barbarian army?”

The scout replied, “The main force is now more than sixty li ahead of us.”

Wu Chengfeng sneered. “Heh… they’re running pretty fast. Seventy or eighty thousand men managed to slip sixty li away in one night, in pitch darkness—must have been hard on them.”

A battalion commander asked worriedly, “Sir, what should we do? Should we wait for the Marquis to bring up the main army before pursuing?”

“Bullshit!” Wu Chengfeng snapped. “If you’re scared, then get the hell back. My cavalry battalion has no need for cowards!”

The commander lowered his head, his face flushed with shame. The Yingzhou Army had always upheld a tradition of fighting the enemy on sight—an idea Yue Yang had deliberately instilled in his officers. In Yue Yang’s view, lack of ability could be trained, lack of knowledge could be learned, but courage was innate. Once a soldier developed fear of the enemy, his potential would be extremely limited. That was why Wu Chengfeng reacted so angrily.

This time, Wu Chengfeng had brought five thousand cavalry, enjoying a numerical advantage. As long as they could wipe out this enemy force before the Qing reacted, there would be no risk of being counter-encircled.

True to his decisive nature, Wu Chengfeng shouted to the signaler beside him, “Tell the men behind us to catch up immediately. I’m taking them to eat meat—tell them to hurry!”

“Yes!” The signaler immediately pulled out the walkie-talkie and began shouting.

Ever since Yue Yang had equipped the army with walkie-talkies from the modern era, command efficiency had improved dramatically. In the age of cold weapons, the greatest difficulty in commanding troops was transmitting orders promptly. Ancient commanders relied on sound and sight—drums, horns, flags, signal fires—but even then, timely transmission remained a key measure of a commander’s competence. The advent of walkie-talkies solved this problem outright; their range allowed orders to be transmitted to troops tens of kilometers away in real time.

Soon, under Wu Chengfeng’s command, the five thousand cavalry formed a coordinated wedge formation and charged toward the three thousand Qing cavalry acting as the rear guard. To Wu Chengfeng’s surprise, however, the rear guard put up only token resistance before scattering and collapsing.

Seeing how easily they broke, many were stunned. A battalion commander asked in disbelief, “Sir, why are the barbarians so weak? Could there be a trap?”

“You idiot—can’t you see their banners say Mongol Eight Banners?” Wu Chengfeng snapped, then shook his head. “Looks like the barbarians haven’t changed at all. They’re still driving the Mongols to their deaths. Just like that saying—‘you go die, I’ll take the credit.’”

“Sir, what should we do next?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Keep chasing! The Marquis said our task is to make sure the barbarians don’t withdraw in peace—to drag the fat ones thin and the thin ones to death!”

Amid the thunder of hooves, the five thousand cavalry pursued along the route of the Qing retreat…

Since Wu Chengfeng’s cavalry also rotated mounts—one rider to three horses—their pursuit was swift. By noon, they had bitten firmly onto the Qing army’s tail.

“What? The Yingzhou Army has caught up?!”

Receiving the alarm from the rear, Dorgon and the other generals—who had been eating lunch together while discussing matters—were startled.