Chapter Fifteen: Deception

  Shengjing, imperial palace.

  The sun was setting, Wang Pu was lying on the stone table in the pavilion, snoring loudly. Zhen Youcai was fanning him with a round fan. Wang Pu was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly awakened by the sound of hurried footsteps. He got up and saw that it was Xiaowu, Knife Scarface, and Big Beard who had arrived.

  Scarface wiped the sweat and reported loudly: "General, all the big cars are ready, a full 200 vehicles! Each car is loaded with several large barrels of fire medicine, this time we must be able to blow the enemy to pieces."

  Wang Pu nodded and asked Big Beard: "Big Beard, have all the horses in the city been rounded up?"

  "All have been rounded up." said Big Beard, "Jian Nu has indeed raised many fine horses within the city, everything has been done according to your orders, General."

  "Good." Wang Pu asked Xiao Qi again, "Xiao Qi, how's it going with Old Man Li?"

  Xiao Qi frowned and said: "General, Old Man Li said that the illness of the Jian Nu woman is very serious. He doesn't dare to say for sure if he can cure her, but he will definitely do his best."

  "I'm worried not just about those two slave women, but also the two slave princes." Wang Pu said in a low voice, "Before making a breakthrough at night, you must make arrangements, and you must ensure that nothing goes wrong, absolutely cannot let them escape."

  "General, you can rest assured." Xia Qi sneered, "When we break through the siege, I will specially assign two brothers to escort those two Jian Nu women. They will tie the Jian Nu women to their backs, and they won't be able to escape! As for those two Jian Nu princes, heh heh, I've already had someone cut their Achilles tendons. Now they're completely crippled, even if they want to run, they can't!"

  "Good." Wang Pu praised, "As long as these four Jianluo captives can be smoothly escorted back to the capital, it will be a great achievement."

  Xiao Qi was overjoyed and said: "Thank you, General."

  "There's more." Wang Pu said to the scar-faced man, "The sixteen red cannons on top of Shengjing City can't be left for Jian Nu either. You immediately send someone to put fire under the cannon base and blow them all up before you leave."

  "It is." Scarface replied sternly, "I'll go make arrangements now."

  ■■■

  Hong Taiji finally arrived at the Qing army's large camp in the south of Shengjing City after nightfall.

  Manggultai, Tulai and Abatai personally came out of the gate to welcome him, kneeling on the ground. Huang Taiji was already exhausted and had no strength to speak, he just waved his hand to signal the three to get up.

  Due to the urgency of military affairs, Huang Taiji only rested for a short while before ordering people to summon Manchu Zhuli, Tuerai, and Abatai into the grand tent. Manchu Zhuli and Tuerai arrived quickly, but Abatai had not yet arrived. Huang Taiji asked: "Where is Abatai?"

  Tulai replied: "Abai has taken his troops out on patrol."

  The emperor asked again: "Is there any unusual movement of the Ming army inside the city?"

  "There isn't." Zhu Xi Li replied, "The Ming army inside the city is very quiet, without any unusual movements."

  The emperor looked at the sky outside the account, which had already turned completely dark, and ordered: "It's late at night, the Ming army may make a breakthrough from the city at any time. We must send people to light more fires outside the city and dispatch more cavalry to patrol. We can't leave any blind spots."

  "These slaves have all been arranged."

  Just then, Ao Bai rushed into the tent, panting and kneeling down to report: "Your humble servant Ao Bai pays his respects to Your Majesty."

  "Steady." Huang Taiji waved his hand and asked, "Ao Bai, is there any unusual movement in the Ming army?"

  "Report back to His Majesty," Ao Bai Da replied, "I've just received news that the Ming army has already exited from the east gate."

  "Huh?" Hong Taiji's fingers, which were twisting his prayer beads, paused for a moment. "Has the Ming army come out of the city?"

  "Yes," Ao Bai said, "There are about 600 or 700 Ming troops, escorting more than 200 large carts."

  Emperor Taizong asked: "Do the Ming troops have torches?"

  "Ao Bai shook his head and said: 'No.'"

  The eunuch Zhu Shi said beside him, "Your Majesty, if the Ming army comes out of the city with torches and banners, I think there must be a trick. Now that the Ming army doesn't light torches, it seems they really want to sneak away in the dark."

  Turan said: "Your Majesty, I'll take some men to intercept them."

  The emperor nodded after a moment of contemplation: "Yes, Tueraye, you lead 500 cavalrymen to intercept this Ming army. Remember, if the Ming army retreats back into the city, under no circumstances should you pursue and kill them - the red barbarian cannons on the city walls are not to be underestimated."

  "Your Majesty? Are 500 cavalrymen not a bit too few?" Man Zhuxi asked in confusion, "In order to annihilate this Ming army, I thought that at least 2,000 cavalrymen should be dispatched."

  "No." The emperor shook his head and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Ming army is playing a trick of making a false appearance to the east while attacking in the west. This time, the sudden attack on the eastern gate was just a feint, so our main force absolutely cannot make any rash moves."

  "Ah, I see," said Zhu Xi, nodding his head, "I understand now."

  Huang Taiji then said to Tuerai: "Go quickly."

  "Ah."

  Tulai responded with a "yes" and left to carry out the order.

  ■■■

  Dào bāo liǎn led five hundred households of soldiers, pressing two hundred large carts from the east gate out of the city, and then crossed the Hun River (Hun River is adjacent to Shengjing City, the pontoon bridge is within the range of the Hongyi artillery, the Qing army did not dare to get close) and walked less than three miles forward. Suddenly, the figure of Jian Nu appeared in the south, and in the firelight, Jian Nu rushed over the mountains and fields, cutting off the Ming army's path.

  The scar-faced man's face floated up with a sly smile, and he ordered: "Brothers, ignite the fuse!"

  The servants lit the fuse on the fire bucket, which was made by soaking hemp rope or twisted cloth strips in nitric acid or salt solution and drying them, allowing it to burn for a long time. Although the fuse on the fire bucket was only a little bit long, it could burn for half a stick of incense.

  Burning speed: about 100 mm per hour.

  Seeing his brothers had already lit the fuse, Scarface reined in his horse and shouted: "Withdraw! Return to the city!"

  At the sound of Diao's order, the 500-strong garrison abandoned their carts and ran away, retreating into Shengjing City like scattered clouds. By the time Tulai arrived with his 500 Mongolian cavalrymen, they only saw hundreds of carts scattered all over the ground, but the Ming army was nowhere to be seen.

  "This group of Southern Ming barbarians are all rabbits, they can only run fast." Seeing that the pursuit was not in time, Tuhai could only curse viciously towards the direction where the Ming army escaped, and then turned to the 500 Mongolian cavalry behind him, "Braves from the Khorchin grassland, I heard that the cowardly Southern Ming barbarians have fled at the wind of your arrival, now let's take away your spoils of war back to camp."

  The Mongol cavalrymen cheered and rushed forward to scramble for spoils.

  At this moment, the fuse burned out, and hundreds of barrels of gunpowder loaded on the big cart exploded one after another. A deafening explosion was heard, and a magnificent smoke flower suddenly burst outside the East Gate of Shengjing. The raging flames shot up to the sky, visible from dozens of miles away. Thousands of burlap sacks stacked outside the gunpowder barrels were blown into the air, and the iron nails and broken porcelain pieces inside the sacks flew everywhere.

  The Mongolian cavalry, crowded around the big car, scrambling for spoils of war, were suddenly blown to pieces, with heavy casualties. More than 200 horses and riders closest to the explosion were blown to smithereens, over 100 people were shocked to death by the huge shockwave, bleeding from seven orifices. The remaining 100-plus cavalrymen, who were slightly farther away, were also injured by the flying iron nails and ceramic pieces. Tulai was even beheaded by a palm-sized piece of shrapnel, dying tragically on the spot.

  ■■■

  Shengjing City South, Qing Army's Large Camp.

  Emperor Taizong was discussing matters with Ma Zhuoli, Oboi, Tabai and Ebilun when suddenly the dark sky outside the tent lit up, followed by a deafening explosion. The ground began to shake slightly, causing Ma Zhuoli and others to be shocked out of their wits. Oboi instinctively drew his waist knife and shielded Emperor Taizong, shouting: "Who goes there? Protect the emperor!"

  "What's the panic!" Huang Taiji pushed Ao Bai away with force and scolded, "The red barbarian's cannons can't reach this far."

  "Could this sound be like cannon fire?"

  "It can't be that loud just from firing a cannon." Huang Taiji frowned and said, "The sound seems like the armory exploded. Go, immediately send someone to check the east side, is something wrong with Tuerai?"

  "Ah."

  Ao Bai received his orders and left, but returned in less than a cup of tea's time.

  Seeing Ao Bai's serious expression, Huang Taiji couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and asked: "Where is Tuer?"

  "Ao Bai said gloomily: 'Your Majesty, is Tuhai really dead from the explosion?'"

  Hong Taiji frowned and did not speak, but Manchu officials such as Zhu Heshi asked in shock: "Were they blown to death?"

  Ao Bai nodded and gritted his teeth, saying: "The cunning Southern Ming barbarians filled the big cart with gunpowder. As soon as they appeared, the Southern Ming barbarians abandoned the cart and escaped back into the city. When Tuolai led his troops to arrive, the gunpowder on the cart exploded just in time, killing more than 300 of the 500 cavalrymen on the spot, and the rest were all seriously injured. Tuolai... was also killed by the explosion."

  "What? Over 300 riders were blown up? The rest are all severely injured?"

  Manchu Xi Li heard this and his heart was about to bleed. The cavalry he brought this time were all the elite of the Mangus tribe.

  "It's a big mistake, I made a big mistake." Huang Taiji sighed, "I didn't expect the Ming army to make a move on the big cart, it was indeed a big mistake."

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