Chapter Seventeen: The Traitor

  Fan Wen-cheng, also known as Huiyue, was a native of Shenyang, Liaodong. He was the 17th generation descendant of Fan Zhongyan, a famous prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty. Ironically, unlike his ancestors, Fan Wen-cheng served foreign rulers as his masters.

  Upon hearing that Huang Taiji had summoned him, he hastily went in and before arriving at Huang Taiji's presence, he knelt down and knocked his head: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, your humble servant has good news to report to Your Majesty."

  Hong Taiji waved his hand and said, "Xian Dou, get up and talk."

  Fan Wen Cheng respectfully bowed his head and then stood up.

  As soon as he stood up, Fan Wen's tall and majestic figure was revealed, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, looking dignified. Those who didn't know him would think he was a long-time martial general; his forehead shone brightly, with a small braid at the back of his head, yet this also revealed that he was no longer a great Han man, what a pity to have wasted such good looks and ancestry.

  Fan Wencheng said: "Master, our family's Fan Yongdoushen has brought a large amount of grain and iron equipment to Shenyang. This time, there is a lot of grain, enough for us to eat and drink."

  Huang Taiji heard this and felt a sense of relief, saying: "Good, good." As soon as he finished speaking, he thought again and said: "Last time we didn't plunder much gold, silver, and jewels from the Ming country, I'm afraid we won't be able to pay for many grains, grasses, and iron tools."

  Fan Wen hurriedly comforted the emperor: "Your Majesty, Fan Yongdou has already said that this time's debt is no big deal. He also brought a piece of news that can solve the current difficulties of the Great Jin."

  The emperor got up from his seat and walked around to the front of the desk, asking: "What news is this?"

  "He said that the defense of the Great Wall to the west of Shanhai Pass was extremely poor, and the soldiers' clothes were not enough to cover their bodies. The north wind blew and they fell down. Especially in Zunhua and Xifengkou, the Ming army had previously been on the verge of a military mutiny due to troop reductions. He also said that along the way, grain and fodder were being transported, but the road encountered Mongolian tribes outside the Great Wall, who had many grievances against the Ming dynasty."

  Huang Taiji hastily walked to the side wall where a map was hung, with Fan Wencheng following closely behind, pointing out the areas involved on the map.

  Emperor Taizong of Qing looked at the map, deep in thought.

  Fan Wen looked at Huang Taiji's face and reminded him: "Mao Wenyong is already dead, and the Eastern River is no longer a threat."

  The emperor turned his head towards Fan Wencheng and struck his left palm with his right fist: "Take advantage of this opportunity, gather all the troops of Dajin, and go to the heartland of Ming for a tour."

  It goes without saying that we will swim and grab at the same time.

  The emperor thought of the wealth of the Ming country and almost drooled, then burst out laughing. Fan Wencheng accompanied him with a smile: "Your Majesty is wise!"

  Having laughed enough, Huang Taiji walked back to the desk and sat down, saying to Fan Wenchen: "Call in Fan Yongdou, I want to verify it personally."

  After a while, Fan Yongdou came in, following local customs, kneeling down and kowtowing, calling himself a humble servant to pay respects to his master. For the sake of profit, what's a little self-respect? Huang Taiji was a big customer after all. (Of course, money obtained through robbery doesn't count as real money.)

  The emperor received him warmly and thanked him for the loan, saying that he was a man of his word and would definitely repay it when he had the money.

  Then re-verified the news that Fan Wen just mentioned. After getting a positive response, I couldn't help but feel delighted.

  Fan Yongdou saw that the emperor was so happy, he said: "Your Majesty, it's not difficult to break into the Great Wall, but the only trouble is that the town of Zhuozhou is heavily guarded. This is where the governor of Shuntian and the right assistant censor-in-chief Wang Yuanyi are stationed, and their forces are relatively strong."

  Huang Taiji's smile faded, and he furrowed his brow at Fan Yongdou: "In your opinion, with the bravery of our great Jin warriors, how much loss will we suffer in taking this city?"

  "Zunhua has a large number of soldiers and countless cannons. According to my estimate, I'm afraid at least three battalions will be sent." Fan Yongdou exaggerated a bit, but with a purpose.

  Huang Taiji was taken aback, thinking that the population of Da Jin was limited, and the number of soldiers who could fight was only a third of what it used to be. The loss would be unbearable! After some thought, he asked Fan Yongdou: "What if we bypass them without fighting?"

  "Master, if we don't attack now and let them pass by, once the Ming army gathers in full force, won't our retreat route be cut off by the Xunhua army?"

  Emperor Taizong of the Qing thought about the location of Zhuozhou, fearing that it would be inconvenient to bypass and not attack. If only a small area in front of Zhuozhou was seized, the gain seemed meager, and after much deliberation, he fell into a dilemma.

  Fan Yongdou saw that the timing was almost right, and presented a plan: "Master, I also have many heroic warriors under my command, who only listen to me. When you go to attack Zunhua, I will order the bravest soldiers to sneak into the city beforehand. Once the battle starts, they will set fire as a signal at night, and will definitely present Zunhua City to you."

  Hong Taiji was overjoyed: "Is this true?"

  "I'm willing to stake my head on it." Fan Yongdou said with an iron-clad attitude.

  Fan Wen-cheng beside him did not show any expression, staring at the map on the wall motionless.

  Hong Taiji carefully considered it and was moved. However, long-distance warfare was indeed too risky, and the Great Jin could hardly afford a major loss.

  He walked all the way to the edge of the map and looked up.

  Fan Yongdou didn't go there just to join in the fun; that map was still his gift to Huang Taiji, so he naturally knew it well.

  Those two finally fixed their eyes on Shanhai Pass. If the battle is stuck after entering the pass, it would be troublesome if the Genghis Khan's cavalry cuts off the retreat route, this possibility cannot be ignored.

  Fan Yongdou saw that Huang Taiji was still hesitant and decided to reveal another piece of information, saying: "Your Majesty, I have another message here."

  The emperor turned around and looked at him: "Is there any other news?"

  "This time, I heard that the Emperor of Ming had ordered Wang Yuan-ya to strengthen his defenses, in case the Lord and Master broke through his lines. If the Lord and Master really broke through his lines, the Emperor of Ming would order Wang Yuan-ya to hold out at Zhuozhou, mobilize the national army to defend the capital, and engage in a decisive battle with the Lord and Master at Zhuozhou, while sending the Guanning Iron Cavalry to attack Shenyang directly."

  Huang Taiji and Fan Wenlong were both shocked upon hearing this, what a vicious plan!

  Fan Yongdou looked at their two expressions, secretly pleased in his heart, but his face remained unchanged.

  Logically speaking, this plan is top-secret. How did Fan Yongdou, a merchant, come to know about it? So, Huang Taiji asked Fan Yongdou: "How did you find out?"

  "The master previously attacked Jinzhou, letting them eliminate their worries, thinking that the master would not think of going around. Therefore, this plan was ridiculed and spread out, thus knowing."

  He paused for a moment, then continued: "Master, rest assured. Even if there are precautions, it doesn't matter. I've been in the Ming country's border area for a long time. The most elite troops of the Ming country are the border troops, and the most elite among them is the Guanning Iron Cavalry. The Ming emperor has spent all the national treasury to support the Guanning Iron Cavalry. Other border troops have not received military supplies for a long time, and even if they occasionally receive some, most of it is embezzled by corrupt officials and generals. Therefore, the current border troops are weak and can be easily defeated. Master, you can rest assured."

  Emperor Taizong nodded and said, "Our Great Jin is invincible in the wild, even the so-called Guanning Iron Cavalry of the Ming country will be defeated by us. But if they cut off our retreat route and make a last stand, we must be prepared to defend ourselves!"

  Fan Wen Cheng suddenly smiled and said to the Emperor Taizong, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that not only can resolve this worry, but also gain control of Shanhai Pass!"

  The emperor was overjoyed and hastily asked: "What plan is there? Speak quickly."

  "I thought that by laying down multiple layers of troops in Jinzhou, and before attacking Xifengkou, secretly sending out false information to Yuan Chonghuan, making him believe that our main force is attacking Zunhua, and the situation is critical, then Yuan Chonghuan will definitely send his elite cavalry from Ningyuan and Shanhaiguan to come and rescue, at which time we will ambush and annihilate them on their route of march, and then take Shanhaiguan as easily as taking something out of a pocket."

  "Good!" As soon as Huang Taiji heard this, he couldn't help but praise out loud. If they could take down Shanhai Pass and Ningyuan, then in the future, it wouldn't be difficult to come and go as they pleased within the pass. Who knows, maybe even contending for the Central Plains wouldn't be a difficult task. Thinking of this, Huang Taiji wished he could immediately fly to Shanhai Pass.

  However, as the leader of Houjin, after a surge of passion, he thought carefully and shook his head, commenting: "This plan seems feasible but is actually difficult to implement. Let's not talk about how to make Yuan Chonghuan believe it, just considering Yuan Chonghuan himself, he is stubborn and self-centered. If he doesn't follow the plan and launches a surprise attack on Shenyang with his main force, it will likely end in a situation where both sides suffer heavy losses, which would be unbearable for Da Jin."

  Fan Wen Cheng listened and also felt that Huang Taiji's worries were reasonable, and he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

  Fan Yongdou listened to the side, suddenly felt that the truth was indeed grasped by Shanhaiguan, and it seemed that entering the Central Plains was not impossible. Should we bet on the truth? He couldn't help but think carefully about it.

  After a moment's thought, I realized that even if the Jurchen people couldn't conquer the Central Plains, in people's minds at this time, it was still not feasible for the Jurchen to conquer the Central Plains. However, entering the pass and getting rich would be much more convenient, and the more they plundered, the more they would gain.

  Fan Yongdousheng had been in the business for a long time and was able to maintain his position as the leader of Shanxi, he was also a decisive person, so he said to Huang Taiji: "Master, I can solve this problem."

  Huang Taiji's head jerked up, his eyes fixed intently on Fan Yongdou as he urged in a slightly agitated tone: "Speak quickly!"

  "When the Ming emperor was purging the eunuchs, a supervising eunuch who had been flattering Wei Zhongxian feared being held accountable and escaped to outside the pass, where he encountered danger. He was rescued by a slave. This man was familiar with the rules of the Ming court, so the slave could order him to pretend to be an envoy sent by the Ming emperor, instructing Yuan Chonghuan to lead his entire army to rescue Zhuozhou and specifying the route they should take, in order to set up an ambush."

  "What about the imperial edict?" asked Fan Wen Cheng from the side.

  Fan Yongdou took a look at the book and nodded in approval of its meticulousness, then explained: "I have another person under my command who is extremely skilled at imitation. I can have him create a fake imperial edict that's almost indistinguishable from the real thing."

  Huang Taiji listened to the conversation and didn't say a word, starting to pace back and forth in the room. The big and small slaves watched from the side, knowing that Huang Taiji was weighing whether his plan could be used.

  This strategy is risky, but if successful, the risk will also be huge, and there will no longer be a so-called Ningjin defense line. Whoever wants to enter the pass can enter, whoever wants to get rich can get rich.

  Emperor Taizong of Qing pondered for a while, stopped pacing back and forth, and said to Fan Yongdou: "Alright, alright. I have decided to take a detour via Xifengkou. What you just said must be kept confidential. The specific details will be discussed with Xian Dou and then reported to me."

  Fan Wen and Fan Yong were about to go down to discuss in detail when they were stopped by Huang Taiji, who said: "Let's discuss it here instead, I'll listen."

  After finishing speaking, Huang Taiji went to the gate again and added more guards. He stood at the gate and did not allow anyone to enter without permission.

  After negotiating for a long time, they finally settled on every detail, and the emperor was also very satisfied, so he let the two slaves go back to rest.

  Before leaving, Huang Taiji said to Fan Yongdou: "I will remember your merits. If there is any gain, I will surely reward you heavily. Otherwise, as long as I am here for a day, you are my honored guest."

  Fan Yongdou was overjoyed and knelt down to kowtow in gratitude.

  After they left, Huang Taiji became more and more excited, thinking that today's event was a great opportunity. However, could he still gain more benefits from this matter? Huang Taiji walked back to his seat, gently tapping the table with his fingers, deep in thought.