Chapter 14: The Dog-Headed Military Advisor

  Shengjing

  The big beard spent a whole day with over a thousand servants to sink tens of millions of taels of gold, more than 50 million taels of silver and countless precious antiques into the Hun River. The remaining several tens of thousands of catties of ginseng and several dozen boxes of Dongzhu and animal hides were prepared for loading on hundreds of European mules. Looking at the late sky, plus the servants were already exhausted, Wang Pu had to order the whole army to stay in Shengjing for another night, waiting for the second day to recover their strength before advancing into Korea.

  Delayed for just this one night, the situation took a drastic turn for the worse.

  The next morning, Wang Pu and the household knights had not yet had breakfast when the scar-faced man responsible for the lookout came running over with a tense expression, shouting: "General, it's bad! A large group of Jianluo cavalry has been spotted outside the city!"

  "Jian Nu cavalry!?" Wang Pu was shocked, and hastily said, "This is impossible, all of Jian Nu's cavalry has already gathered at Songshan, the entire Liao Dong only has children and old people left, where did the cavalry come from?"

  Wang Pu's shock was predictable.

  According to his speculation, at this time all the troops of Jianzhou had already gathered on the Songshan front line, and those left in Liaodong were only some old, weak, sick and disabled people. Even if the remnants of Jianzhou who escaped from Shengjing last night sent a message to Songshan, it would take at least five or six days for Jianzhou to send cavalry to counterattack Shengjing, which was also the reason why Wang Pu dared to stay in Shengjing for one more night.

  It's only been a day and two nights since now, and Jian Nu's cavalry has appeared outside Shengjing City? Did they fly over with wings?

  "That's right." Scarface panted, "It's the Jianu cavalry, at least three thousand horsemen!"

  "Three thousand cavalry!?"

  Wang Pu's face changed color again, and his heart couldn't help but start sinking.

  If it were just a simple defense, Wang Pu would not be afraid of the three thousand Jianluo cavalry outside the city. If these three thousand Jianluo cavalry dared to launch a strong attack, they would be seeking death. The red barbarian cannons on the city wall are not vegetarian, and with the development of technology by the end of the Ming dynasty, the power of firearms has become quite powerful. The explosive shells fired by these red barbarian cannons can blast a large area at once, and three thousand cavalrymen are not enough to withstand several rounds of bombardment.

  The problem now is that Wang Pu does not want to and cannot defend the city. Not only can't he defend the city, but he also wants to find a way to leave Shengjing as soon as possible. Wang Pu doesn't want to stay in Shengjing for another moment. The reason is simple: Wang Pu and his guards are a lone army with no reinforcements, and the imperial court cannot send any reinforcements either.

  Defending the prosperous capital might be able to kill a large number of enemies, and may even give Jian Nu a heavy blow, but in the end, Wang Pu and his thousands of household servants will also find it difficult to escape death. Wang Pu is not an ancient scholar who has read moral articles foolishly, he is a modern person who has traveled through time, and there is no so-called loyalty to the emperor in his mind. Moreover, he is still very young, and he does not want to be a martyr for Chongzhen Ye or the Ming Empire!

  Defending Shengjing can only lead to a dead end.

  So, go out of the city and fight a battle with Jian Nu? The enemy army outside the city is the seasoned Jian Nu cavalry, not to mention that the Jian Nu cavalry has a threefold advantage in military strength, and the chances of winning are slim.

  What's wrong?

  To save our lives, we must first find a way to deal with the 3,000 Khitan cavalry outside the city! And it must be done quickly, otherwise, once the Khitan army returns from Songshan, everything will be over.

  Wang Pu calmed himself and said in a low voice: "Let's go, first take a look at the city tower."

  Dào bā liǎn led Wáng Pú and Zhēn Yǒu Cái to the south gate of Shèng Jīng, standing on the enemy tower looking outwards. Indeed, they saw a dense formation of Jian Nu cavalry in the distance. Wáng Pú roughly estimated that the Jian Nu cavalry was at least several thousand meters away from the city gate and continued to roam around within a few thousand meters, never daring to approach easily. It seemed that Jian Nu had a very clear understanding of the power of the Red Barbarian cannons.

  He turned his head to glance at the rising sun in the east, and Wang Pu's eyebrows were already furrowed together. He asked Knife Scar Face, "Have you discovered any Jianshou cavalry in the other three directions?"

  Scarface said: "No, but there are Jian Nu's patrolling cavalry nearby."

  "These cunning Jurchens," Wang Pu cursed angrily. "It seems they deliberately want to trap us to death in Shengjing."

  Scarface punched the city wall with a loud crash and roared, "General, then we might as well not leave. The ammunition and food in the city are abundant enough to support us for a year."

  "Nonsense!" Wang Pu cursed loudly, "I don't want to die here, I must think of a way to leave this place, and it has to be quick!"

  "Alright then, let's wait till nightfall and put a muzzle on the horse's mouth. We'll sneak out of the city quietly."

  "It's not that simple." Wang Pu shook his head and said, "Last time in Songshan was because Jian Nu focused all his attention on the hundreds of thousands of troops, so we were able to take advantage of it. But this time is different, Jian Nu's cavalry will definitely be patrolling day and night outside Shengjing City, and will not leave us any gaps."

  "What can we do?" Scarface said.

  "General," Zhen Youcai suddenly leaned in and whispered, "I have an idea."

  "What idea?"

  Zhen Youcai said: "Jian Nu has deployed the main force of his cavalry at the south gate, and left only a small number of scouts in the other three directions. He is using a strategy of 'using stillness to control movement'. As long as we don't leave the city, they won't move. Once we leave the city, they will follow us closely and attack fiercely. I think we can use the tactic of 'making a false appearance in the east while attacking in the west' to break Jian Nu's strategy of using stillness to control movement."

  Wang Pu furrowed his brow and said: "What's this about creating a diversion?"

  "This feint is not a simple feint, but a clever plan. Inside the feint, there's another linked plan." Zhen Youcai said with some pride: "The general can send someone to gather all the large carts and horses inside the city first, load several hundred barrels of fire medicine on the carts, and then sneak out of the east gate at night. When the Jinluo cavalry catches up, the soldiers driving the carts will ignite the fuse and retreat back into the city. Due to the threat of the red barbarian cannons, the Jinluo will definitely not dare to pursue relentlessly, they will go to intercept those large carts, at which time the several hundred barrels of fire medicine on the carts will explode with a loud bang..."

  "Good!" Scarface slapped his thigh heavily and exclaimed excitedly, "This idea is great, it's vicious enough."

  "What then?" Wang Pu asked expressionlessly.

  "Then, General, you will send a trusted officer to lead a small group of soldiers to drive out hundreds of horses with flags and banners through the west gate. To deceive the Jin army's scouts, each horse will have a wooden dummy tied to its back, dressed in our military uniforms. Once they exit the west gate, they will gallop forward without stopping, making it seem like we are fleeing towards Liao Xi. The Jin army outside the south gate will definitely believe this and give chase, pursuing us relentlessly. When their main cavalry force has chased far away, General, you will lead our troops out of the east gate again. Since we just failed to break through the east gate, the Jin army will never expect us to try again from the same direction. This way, we can shake off the Jin army's pursuit without them even realizing it."

  "Good!" Scarface shouted loudly, "Zhen Youcai, you son of a bitch are really too talented!"

  Wang Pu turned his head and took a deep look at Zhen Youcai, thinking that this old man really had some guts. The term "Dog Head Military Advisor" suddenly emerged in Wang Pu's mind. Yes, Zhen Youcai was indeed a Dog Head Military Advisor. Just look at him nodding and bowing with a flattering expression, and those two dog-like whiskers, he was the standard image of a "Dog Head Military Advisor".

  "Scarface." Wang Pu said to Scarface, "Immediately send someone to gather all the large carts and horses in the city, then move out all the fireworks stored in the Jian Nu warehouse and load them onto the carts. Don't forget to put more sacks on the carts, and fill the sacks with lime, iron nails, broken porcelain, and stones. We're going to give Jian Nu a super-large firework."

  "Yes, I'll go and take care of it."

  Scarface nodded and left. Wang Pu shouted at his back: "When you see Big Beard, tell him to come and see me immediately."

  ■■■

  One hundred li southwest of Shengjing, the imperial tent of Huang Taiji.

  "Your Majesty, the 3,000 Mongolian cavalry have arrived outside Shengjing City before dawn and set up camp five miles outside the south gate as per your orders. Several batches of scouts have also been dispatched to patrol the north, west, and east directions day and night without interruption. The Ming army inside the city is now unable to move."

  "Hmm, good." Huang Taiji nodded wearily and said weakly, "The three thousand Mongolian cavalry led by Manchu Zhubi arrived just in time, not disappointing me."

  "Your Majesty," Abatai said with concern, "the Mongolian cavalry has also arrived, and Tulai and Suo Bai have gone to Shengjing to meet with Zhuang Prince. Your Majesty can rest assured now."

  The emperor frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly shook his head and said, "No, it won't work."

  "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

  Hong Taiji's stout body shifted slightly, and he stretched out his hands to the attendants Ebilun and Tabai standing beside him: "Ebilun, Tabai, help me up quickly."

  Ebilun and Dahai hurriedly rushed forward to help Emperor Taizong up.

  The imperial physician beside him wanted to stop him but didn't dare, so he advised: "Your Majesty, you are currently weak and need more rest."

  "No." Huang Taiji panted and shook his head, his stout body making him pant with every move. "I cannot rest, I must rush to Shengjing to personally command this war."

  "What? Your Majesty wants to go to Shengjing?" Ebilun hastily advised, "I thought that with the presence of Manchu officials and Tuerbie, Obai and others, as well as 3,000 Mongolian iron cavalry, it would be easy to clean up the less than 1,000 Ming army remnants in the city. Why does Your Majesty need to personally lead the expedition?"

  "You don't understand." Huang Taiji weakly shook his head and panted, "This commander-in-chief of the Ming army is not simple. With just a small force of the Ming army, he dares to deeply enter the Liaodong region, launch a surprise attack on our Great Qing capital, this is something that has never happened in decades since Nurhaci's rebellion. His courage and strategy cannot be underestimated. Just from his bravery and military tactics, he is even above Yuan Chonghuan and Hong Chengchou!"

  "Ah?" Yi Bi Long exclaimed in surprise, "More formidable than Yuan Chonghuan and Hong Chengchou?"

  The emperor nodded and said with a serious expression: "Yuan Chonghuan was both literary and military, and his governance of the army was strict. He defeated me twice, so he can be said to be one of the greatest generals I have ever seen. However, this man likes to talk big and has too much of a bookish air about him. He is also very sharp-tongued and not tolerated by the rulers of the Ming dynasty. So I just used a small trick and had Chongzhen get rid of him. Hong Chengchou was also strict in governing his army, and he was low-key and good at getting along with people. However, he was too cautious in battle and lacked the desire to advance. When Chongzhen urged him on, he became flustered and defeated by me, but I don't think he was unjustly treated."

  "That's it." The eunuchs beside him, Taiji and Abulon, hastily flattered, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, no one can match."

  The emperor continued: "Although I still don't know who the commander of this small Ming army is, he has guts and wisdom, bravery and strategy. He was able to lead a small Ming army in a surprise attack on our Great Qing Dynasty's capital and succeeded with one blow. Just based on this point alone, he far surpasses Yuan Chonghuan and Hong Chengchou by a hundred times! If we don't eliminate him, he will surely become the greatest threat to our Great Qing Dynasty!"

  Tá Zhān and ē Bì Lóng's expressions were solemn, while Huáng Tài Jí's far-sightedness made the two men admire him endlessly.

  Emperor Taizong said: "Mazhu Heshen, Tulai and Suo E are good at fighting and have been on the battlefield for a long time, but they may not be able to defeat this person. Therefore, I must go to Shengjing in person."