Volume 3: Liao Dong Wind and Cloud Chapter 2: Out of the Pass (Part 2)
His words were not in line with his heart, and he told himself not to make wild guesses. Zhu Yinglong did not pursue the matter further, nor did he reveal the other party's ambiguous feelings towards him. His gaze also shifted away from Xiong Hu's blushing face, because his mind was not on romantic matters. What he was thinking about in his heart was the situation in Liaodong. According to historical records, due to Sun Chengzong's resignation, the new Minister of War, Gao Di, was weak and incompetent, and did not understand military affairs. He believed that the Ming army could not hold out outside the pass, and would abandon the cities outside the pass and withdraw into the pass. Yuan Chonghuan was isolated in Ningyuan, with a thin force, and Nurhaci, the Khan of Later Jin, thought that this was the time to launch an attack, and he would definitely be able to capture Ningyuan, opening up the passage to attack Beijing. So, taking advantage of the retreat of the garrison at Jinzhou and Right Tun, and the chaotic situation, on the 23rd day of the first month of Tianqi's sixth year, he led an army of 130,000 men across the Liao River, launching a major attack on Ningyuan. Yuan Chonghuan had only over 10,000 men, facing tens of thousands of enemies, and the people outside the pass were in a state of panic. Nurhaci led his troops past Ningyuan city, camping on the road to Shanhai Pass, cutting off Yuan Chonghuan's retreat, and surrounding Ningyuan city like a watertight seal. Gao Di, who was at Shanhai Pass, should have sent troops to rescue him, but news arrived at the Ming court, and the officials were at a loss for what to do. However, Zhu Yinglong had not heard any news from the front lines of Ningyuan all along, so did Nurhaci not attack Ningyuan city? Or was it that history was wrong? Or had history changed? Or had the imperial court blocked the news, fearing panic and unrest among the people? Although he remembered that according to history, this battle was won by the Ming dynasty, he still worried that if some link in history had been inadvertently altered by him, what would be the result? Just like Cui Xingxiu, who was originally supposed to be his Minister of Works, but now was the Governor of Henan.
Xiong Hu suddenly discovered that Zhu Yinglong, who was sitting opposite him, had lost his voice. The sky had already darkened, and she could only see the faint outline of a person in front of her, but couldn't make out the expression on his face. Suddenly, Xiong Tingyi's shouting voice came from beside her ear, they must have returned to the campsite. However, Zhu Yinglong still didn't move, Xiong Hu waited for a long time and couldn't help but speak up: "Your Highness, we should head back, Father is calling us."
Zhu Ying Long's body moved slightly as he stood up and flicked his sleeve, saying: "Alright, let's head back now."
Everyone saw Xiong Hu and Zhu Yinglong return together, and they all looked at each other with a hint of meaning, especially since Xiong Hu was very close to Zhu Yinglong, her face still flushed, looking even more charming, if you didn't look closely, it seemed like a pair of lovers who had just returned.
As the two approached the camp, Xiong Hu also noticed that everyone's gaze at her was quite different. She herself was a clever and sensitive person, and immediately knew why everyone's gaze at her was different. With a blush, she distanced herself from Zhu Yinglong, this obvious attempt to cover up was naturally not fooling anyone's eyes, it was just the usual behavior of a woman in Xiong Hu's state of mind.
"Tomorrow, we will leave Longjing Pass and enter the territory of Mongolia. Everyone must be careful." The crowd gathered around the bonfire to warm themselves up as Xiong Tingyi explained with his hands rubbing together.
"Which tribe of Mongolia are we going to enter?" Zhu Yinglong asked, although he knew some names of Mongolian tribes, but when it came to saying where the territories of these tribes were, he couldn't say a word, and naturally asked.
"It is the Khorchin Zaruud Banner, from Xifengkou to Beijing, 1,280 li away, with a width of 870 li and a length of 2,200 li, covering an area of 360,000 square kilometers. It belongs to the Nenjiang River basin, so it is also called Nen Khorchin. They are on good terms with the Later Jin dynasty but hostile towards us. In the past, our merchants were often robbed by them when they went out of the pass, so we need to be more careful." Xiong Tingbi has been in the border area for a long time and is naturally very familiar with the Later Jin dynasty and Mongolia.
Most of the people in the group had never been to the border, and they yearned for that kind of life where one could ride horses along the border, build achievements and establish a career. Everyone surrounded Xiong Tingbi and asked him to tell stories about his experiences at the border. Xiong Tingbi was indeed a first-rate military general, from the origins of various Mongolian tribes to Nurhaci's unification of Jianzhou Jurchen, with only a few thousand soldiers defeating an alliance of nine tribes with tens of thousands of people and horses, to taking an oath with "Seven Grievances" to attack the Ming dynasty. He talked about the strange customs and habits of various Mongolian tribes and how the Later Jin "queue troops" were brave and good at fighting. If Xiong Tingbi retired one day, he would definitely become a popular storyteller, especially since his storytelling was close to the people's vernacular and could evoke resonance in others. Even Zhu Yinglong listened with rapt attention, and when Xiong Tingbi reached the climax of his story, he too cheered along with everyone else!
"Is Nurhaci really this formidable?" someone in the crowd couldn't help but ask.
Xiong Tingbi took a sip of hot wine, looked up at the sky and sighed: "Indeed, Nurhaci is a military genius. In those years, he was just a small slave in General Li Chengliang's mansion. Who would have thought that such a heroic figure would emerge? If he were still alive, he would be my Great Ming's greatest enemy."
The moon has sunk in the west, and everyone has dispersed to rest. On this journey, Zhu Yinglong has been sharing a tent with Xiong Tingyi for two reasons: firstly, Xiong Tingyi's martial arts skills are the highest among all of them, so he can protect him nearby; secondly, although Zhu Yinglong can talk about military strategy on paper, it's different when it comes to actual situations. It's convenient for him to ask for advice at any time to gain practical experience. Otherwise, Zhu Yinglong wouldn't have bothered to leave his comfortable life behind and suffer from the cold and hardships.
As soon as Zhu Yinglong lay down, Xiong Tingyi slipped in and asked him, "Your Highness, you seem to have been preoccupied with thoughts for the past few days, often walking alone in a daze. What's going on?"
Zhu Yinglong knew that his actions in the past few days would not escape Xiong Tingbi's careful thoughts, but he only asked now, which made him feel a bit strange. He sat up and said: "I knew that nothing could be hidden from General Xiong's eyes. I was just thinking about whether Houjin would attack us at this time."
"It's unlikely at this time, the current temperature is cold and freezing, not suitable for marching and fighting. Would Nurhaci make such a mistake?" thought Xiong Tingyi.
Indeed, during the long winter of the Cold Arms era, all military commanders were unwilling to fight at this time, especially those on the offensive side. Zhu Yinglong's idea was not wrong, but he knew that this was a battle for Nurhaci's life and death, and history would not be mistaken. Now there is only one possibility left, which is that this war has been postponed. Such a victorious battle, initially, the eunuch party may have blocked the news, but this battle only lasted three days, and it was a victory for the Ming Dynasty. The eunuch party will not give up this opportunity to take credit. He remembered that Wei Zhongxian's grandson, Wei Liangdong, and great-grandson, Wei Pengyi, were both granted titles. After such an analysis, Zhu Yinglong suddenly felt his blood boiling. This battle must have been postponed. Originally, according to the schedule, they should have finished this battle before arriving in Ningyuan. Now, if he hurried, he might still be able to witness the entire process of the Battle of Ningyuan's defense. How could a person who had never been on the battlefield not be excited?
"This king is just guessing, let's go to bed early, we still have to leave the pass tomorrow!" Zhu Yinglong didn't want to say more, as speaking too much would lead to trouble, and he didn't want to be deified for no reason.
Xiong Tingbi also knew Zhu Yinglong's temper and lay down with a belly full of doubts.
