Stealing the Ming Dynasty [Complete] - 25

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Volume 11 Can the Peak of

Ten Thousand Ren Bears Be Held? Chapter 1: Loyal Advice.

December 26th, 5th year of the Tianqi reign (1625), dusk.

The victorious Ming army had basically completed the cleanup of the battlefield, capturing over 1,500 sets of armor and over 2,000 swords, spears, and halberds. The Guan Ning generals seemed uninterested in this equipment and were too embarrassed to share it with Huang Shi, so it all went to the Dongjiang army. The swords, spears, and halberds were one thing, but the armor was truly valuable, a national treasure. Theoretically, border troops could only be issued armor per head. Even in Juehua, the central warehouse, there were few armor reserves.

After nightfall, in Huang Shi's camp, the staff officers from Changsheng Island tested weapons, including various muskets from the Guan Ning army. Since the Guan Ning army had some unused arquebuses in stock at Juehua, Huang Shi had his men examine the quality of these muskets. The Ming army's arquebuses were modeled after Japanese matchlock muskets; they weren't very heavy and didn't require a tripod. If they were usable, Huang Shi planned to transport them back for auxiliary troops.

Having learned from the previous test of the arquebuses at Lushun, the staff officer on Changsheng Island frantically fled after lighting the arquebuses, and unsurprisingly, all three tested arquebuses exploded. Duncan, a seasoned firearms expert on Changsheng Island, carefully inspected the arquebuses and reported to Huang Shi that these arquebuses were even worse than the last ones; the inner diameter had only been calibered once, or at most twice, so the powder charge had to be significantly reduced, otherwise they would explode at the slightest touch.

"Scrap metal, utterly useless scrap metal. All the officials of the Ministry of Works of my Great Ming should be hanged!"

When Duncan used the phrase "my Great Ming," no one around reacted particularly, as Duncan's use of such terms was commonplace.

Huang Shi also brought back some three-barreled guns, a favorite weapon of the Ming army. General Yao and his men generously offered to give Huang Shi five hundred. Because of their thick outer walls, the three-barreled guns were less likely to explode, but the iron used was cast directly from pig iron smelted from coal, making them of lower quality than the wrought iron barrels currently used on Changsheng Island. For safety's sake, Duncan felt it was best not to use the prescribed amount of powder. Moreover, the barrels were short, making their power pitifully weak.

"With the safe powder charge, the lethality is similar to that of a bow and arrow, far inferior to a crossbow. It has a slight wounding effect on cotton armor at forty meters, and no wounding effect on iron armor at twenty meters. It's better to equip auxiliary soldiers with hoes and daggers; at least they can be used for work."

Duncan's opinion represented that of most of the testing officers, which led Huang Shi to abandon his plan to take the three-barreled guns for free. With this money, Huang Shi planned to build a new charcoal-fired water-powered furnace on Changsheng Island to smelt wrought iron, and then forge the wrought iron to make gun barrels. Since this three-eyed musket was being evaluated so poorly, he decided to politely decline General Yao's offer.

Meanwhile, in Jin Guan's camp, General Yao was watching General Jin direct several trusted men to work on a secret weapon...

Boom!

Today, Jin Guan had asked Huang Shi for a Changsheng Island musket as a souvenir, and he was currently demonstrating the weapon to his old comrade Yao Yuxian. General Yao walked sternly toward the shield cart ten paces away. Against this kind of equipment from the Later Jin, the Changsheng Island musket always pierced through twice in one go. There were several arrows on the same cart, most of their heads only shallowly embedded in the surface of the shield plate, easily pried off with a little force. The crossbow bolts that had been specially dragged over for testing had only pierced one head, far from penetrating.

Zhang Pan had used this type of crossbow during the defense of Lushun, and the Later Jin's shield carts were almost designed to defend against these crossbows from the Ming army. Yao Yuxian stroked the several large holes in the shield cart, his facial muscles twitching violently. He could hardly believe the horrific destruction caused by the muskets before his eyes. After a long while, General Yao looked up and met General Jin's gaze. The two nodded in unison, their faces showing expressions of sudden realization.

...

December 27th, the fifth year of the Tianqi reign. Morning, Shenyang.

A tent was pitched on the official road facing the city gate. The tent was lifted, revealing a thick blanket spread at the entrance. Kong Youde lay sprawled on the blanket, one hand supporting his head on the ground, the other arm waving weakly: "Curse, keep cursing."

Around the tent, a group of Dongjiang refugees sat or lay on the ground below the city, weapons and flags scattered haphazardly. Their horses were unbridled and unsaddled, left to dig for grass roots in the frozen ground by the roadside. The Dongjiang refugee militia had planted many wooden sticks in the ground, pasting banners and slogans made of white paper on them, displaying them to the defenders on the city walls.

These banners and slogans were covered with drawings of pigs, dogs, rats, frogs, and grasshoppers. Ming soldiers pointed at these figures with sticks, loudly explaining them to the Shenyang defenders, insisting that these were Jirhalang. Starting yesterday, Kong Youde had several soldiers perform operas at the city gate, thoroughly humiliating Jirhalang.

This morning, Kong Youde also brought several women from the women's camp, having them brandish paper weapons and challenge Jirhalang to a duel at the city walls. These women, dressed in brightly colored skirts and cotton-padded jackets, struck poses dramatically at the city walls, then declared they wanted to fight Jirhalang one-on-one, questioning his courage to come out and accept the challenge. The Ming soldiers watching also removed their armor, chattering and cheering for the women on the battlefield.

Historically, when Nurhaci campaigned in western Liaoning, even the fierce general Mangultai, facing the entire Dongjiang refugee force, retreated into Shenyang, not daring to challenge them. This time, with the Plain Blue Banner absent, and the Bordered Blue Banner and the Mongol Right Wing even more outnumbered, Jirgalang refused to step out of the city gates no matter how much Kong Youde shouted and cursed below. On

the hilltop near Shenyang, General Mao Wenlong, the pacification general, quietly watched the performance before the city gates. The Bordered Blue Banner held Shenyang with a portion of its forces, while the rest, along with the Mongol Right Wing, gathered in Liaoyang. After Amin completed the military assembly, the Geng brothers, who were covering the left flank of the Dongjiang army, felt immense pressure and had to retreat to their headquarters for protection.

Amin's army of over ten thousand has now marched north from Liaoyang, advancing all the way to Hupibao to set up camp and coordinate with the Shenyang garrison. This field force, positioned on the flank and rear of the Dongjiang army, poses a significant threat to Mao Wenlong. Under their influence, small groups of refugees from Dongjiang dare not stray too far from the main force, further impacting Mao Wenlong's efficiency in gathering

supplies. After entering the Liaozhong Plain, the Dongjiang army's supplies have consistently far exceeded its consumption. However, starting yesterday, the grain officials at the Dongjiang headquarters reported a severe decrease in revenue. Based on General Mao Wenlong's years of professional experience in pacifying Liaodong, revenue would plummet to break even within a few days, and then the net loss period would begin. If they started heading home at that point, the hard-won supplies would be almost entirely consumed by the time they reached their destination.

From Shenyang towards Liaoyang, there are plumes of smoke during the day and clusters of firelight at night; the Later Jin army in western Liaoning should have already received the news. If the Dongjiang refugees were delayed, Amin wouldn't mind making some sacrifices to hold them back for a few days, allowing the Later Jin army to return and give Mao Wenlong a good beating.

However, Amin's plan was destined to fail again this time. At times like these, the guiding star that led the Left Commander-in-Chief and General of Dongjiang would silently remind him—it was time to retreat, a step back would open up a whole new world…

“Retreat,” Mao Wenlong sighed softly. With his innate intuition, the Left Commander-in-Chief believed that now was the perfect time to retreat. He turned and strode down the mountain path, emphasizing his command: “Retreat immediately.”

“Yes, Commander-in-Chief,” Chen Jisheng and the other Dongjiang officers bowed respectfully, seeing Mao Wenlong off. Even when he was Mao Wenlong's personal guard captain, Chen Jisheng had been utterly devoted to his old commander's strategic acumen. The other officers were also very superstitious about Commander Mao; the General of Pingliao's intuition was as accurate as divination. After Mao Wenlong left, Chen Jisheng and the others immediately issued orders:

"Withdraw the troops and return to Korea."

"Quickly retreat and return to Kuandian."

"Pass on my order: the entire army shall return."

As the Ming army from Liaodong set off in waves, the Sun brothers also packed their belongings, preparing to return to Uiju, Korea. Their current lodging was originally a blacksmith's shop. Nurhaci had built many such workshops around Shenyang, which now served as temporary shelters for the Dongjiang refugees.

Since moving in, the Sun brothers had thoroughly inspected the entire house, and now they were doing a final cleaning. The third and fourth brothers were tidying up the tables, which they had originally used for sleeping, but were now unnecessary. They used bamboo strips to remove all the iron pieces from the tables, carefully stuffing

them into their bundles. The eldest brother had already torn down the window paper, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his backpack along with the leather. The second brother carefully wrapped the porcelain bowls and plates in straw, counted them one last time, and then packed them up to take with them. After leaving, they lit a fire and happily dragged their large and small bundles towards the rest of the group.

"Second Brother Sun!"

A cheerful shout came from behind. The second brother turned around and saw that he had run into

the Bai family, grandfather and grandson, from Yizhou. These days, while the young Sun was out on guard duty, Grandpa Bai was digging up field mouse burrows in the fields, and in just a few days, he had collected the winter food of nearly a hundred field mouse families. Needless to say, the young Sun was also carrying a mountain of food on his back. The four Sun brothers quickly went up to support the old man: "Grandpa Bai, take it easy, be careful of your back!"

"Don't look down on Grandpa, boys, Grandpa's back is very strong!" From Yizhou, Korea to Shenyang, they had endured wind and rain all the way, but Grandpa Bai was becoming more and more energetic. He shook off the Sun brothers, walked briskly to catch up with the group, showing his few missing teeth, and laughed heartily: "Grandpa is happy, very happy!"

...

At this time, it was also a clear early morning in Juehua, and Huang Shi had already taken to the command platform. Most of the campfires that had burned all night on the ice were almost extinguished, leaving only wisps of smoke. The guards on the early shift were methodically handing over their duties to the sentries on night duty, and another peaceful night had passed.

Huang Shi felt that the Later Jin had basically seized what they wanted and should theoretically be leaving soon. Besides, Ningyuan and Juehua were clearly not easy targets, and bandits always calculate costs. Moreover, Huang Shi remembered that Mao Wenlong would have raided Shenyang at this time in history, and the defenses of the Liaozhong Plain were even weaker than in history; it would be strange if Mao Wenlong didn't cause a ruckus. Nurhaci wouldn't have much time to waste here.

Although Huang Shi's plan to find an opportunity to strike Nurhaci and thus reverse the strategic situation in Liaodong had suffered a setback due to various reasons, tens of thousands of lives in Juehua had been saved, and the tragedy there, like that in Guangning, had been averted. Filled with a sense of accomplishment, Huang Shi was in a very good mood and whistled softly.

When Hong Antong came up, Huang Shi immediately stopped whistling. One must maintain a certain level of dignity in front of subordinates, no matter what. Yesterday, he gave Hong Antong a task, and Hong Antong came running to report the results: "Reporting to you, sir, the second daughter of the Zhao family is currently staying at her brother-in-law's house. Her brother-in-law is a clerk in Juehua, working in General Hu Yining's old camp."

Huang Shi glanced at Hong Antong and asked softly, "Her brother-in-law's surname is Chen, right?"

Hong Antong was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and quickly nodded, "Your Excellency is wise."

"Then why is Miss Zhao staying at her brother-in-law's house? Do you know?"

Almost without hesitation, Hong Antong blurted out, "It seems that all of Lord Zhao's maids have gone to Ningyuan Fort, and Lord Zhao has been busy with official duties these days, eating and sleeping at the yamen. I suspect that he must have felt it was inappropriate to leave the second daughter of the Zhao family alone at home, so he sent her to live with her sister."

Yesterday, Huang Shi had also asked Hong Antong to try to find out the whereabouts of the second daughter of the Zhao family, but after hearing this, he suddenly fell silent. Since there was no sign of the enemy, Huang Shi stopped standing in the cold wind on the command tower. After descending from the command tower, he gestured for Hong Antong to walk alongside him.

Hong Antong had followed him for many years, and they knew each other very well. Hong Antong would always carry out the tasks assigned by Huang Shi, but in the past, when Hong Antong reported to him, he rarely hesitated or spoke slowly. Hong Antong was also very intelligent, always analyzing problems clearly and never keeping things to himself. Huang Shi clearly remembered that the other few times were because Hong Antong had a resistance to the tasks he assigned.

When Huang Shi asked for his opinion, sure enough, Hong Antong began to speak: "I believe that it is very inappropriate for you, sir, to spy on this woman. If it were to be leaked, it would be extremely harmful to your reputation..."

Zhao Manxiong's foresight had been increasingly evident in recent years. After this period of training, Zhang Zaidi and Hong Antong have both grown a lot. However, Zhang Zaidi always obeys Huang Shi's orders unconditionally and executes them flawlessly, while Hong Antong often has his own ideas and even expresses dissatisfaction with Huang Shi's orders, as is the case now.

"...Sir, you bear the safety of the entire Juehua Island and the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians. At this time, it's one thing not to have the internal guards conduct extensive reconnaissance, but at least they should be allowed to rest. How can they be spying on an innocent woman?" Hong Antong became more and more agitated as he spoke, clearly very resentful of Huang Shi's order.

Perhaps because Hong Antong practiced the "Boyhood Kung Fu," Huang Shi felt that this person was becoming increasingly extreme. As the military situation on Changsheng Island continued to improve, Hong Antong's hatred for the Jurchens seemed to make him unable to tolerate even a single day of suffering. In Hong Antong's description, Huang Shi was practically a scoundrel who lustfully pursued women and disregarded the lives of his soldiers: "Sir, it is inappropriate for you to place your troops in danger for the sake of a woman."

Despite his mood instantly soured by Hong Antong's words, Huang Shi forced an approving expression, nodding repeatedly and saying, "Alright, alright, I was indeed wrong. Thank you for your frankness, Commander Hong."

"You flatter me, sir." Hong Antong sensed the impatience in Huang Shi's tone, and his arrogance subsided considerably. He quickly added, "This is also my loyal and devoted service."

Huang Shi sighed upon hearing this: "Honest advice is hard to swallow, I understand that perfectly well. Please continue."

"There's nothing more to say." Having successfully dispelled Huang Shi's good mood, Hong Antong then rambled on about the information he had gathered about Miss Zhao. If he had mentioned this first, Huang Shi might have listened with great interest. But after his righteous and earnest "advice," these reports made Huang Shi increasingly uneasy.

The 27th passed peacefully again, and the sound of cannons from the Ningyuan direction had ceased. Huang Shi's scouts were blocked on the ice and unable to reach the shore. The Later Jin army continued to send out scouts to gather intelligence on Juehua, but their numbers had greatly decreased. The staff officers believed this was an intelligence barrier rather than an intelligence reach, and they generally believed the Later Jin army was preparing for a retreat.

Huang Shi also agreed with Jin Qiude's assessment. Since the Later Jin army was no longer expending resources on continuous reconnaissance, it meant the enemy had little interest in attacking. Furthermore, Huang Shi believed that without a thorough investigation of the Ming army's weaknesses, Nurhaci would have no chance of attacking.

The three thousand Changsheng soldiers were certainly incapable of confronting the Later Jin's seven banners on the plains. Juehua's Guan Ning army was unreliable, and the Ningyuan garrison would definitely not leave the city; the current results were not unsatisfactory. After Huang Shi ordered the entire army to hold their ground, he invited the island's civil and military officials to a meeting. Afterwards, they naturally drank some wine to ward off the cold.

Huang Shi toasted General Yao and Magistrate Zhao once each, then excused himself, citing busy military affairs.

Reaching the valley between the two Juehua Mountains, Huang Shi waved for his accompanying guards to leave. After walking a short distance further, Huang Shi saw a solitary figure standing in the cold wind, his head and face completely covered by winter clothing.

(Chapter 2: Ningyuan)

When Huang Shi chatted with Li Yunrui on Changsheng Island, the guy had told him about some social skills for men and women in this era. According to Li Yunrui, getting a woman to go out alone was already half the battle won, because it meant she was already interested. He also said the first step after meeting was to kneel down and shout, "I am deeply grateful to have won your favor, young lady!" Li Yunrui said that such words would greatly please a woman who was already interested. When they came to help him up, he just needed to stubbornly refuse to get up, kneeling there as if he were about to die, and that would basically be the end of it.

Huang Shi thought Li Yunrui's words were fairly reliable. After all, most women in this era didn't have many opportunities to interact with men, and they wouldn't have the chance to go online to find out what kind of playboys they were. But Li Yunrui explained things so simply that Yang Zhiyuan and the others were stunned. He Dingyuan, now a husband, watched the smug Li Yunrui warily and said in a skeptical tone, "Supervisor Li, you really know how to tell stories. You make them sound so real."

"What do you mean by telling stories? I always just... no, I've heard that those lecherous men usually kneel down, and the ladies naturally feel sorry for them..."

Li Yunrui's story made Huang Shi realize that in the late Ming Dynasty, secretly meeting a woman was a huge challenge to the reputation of both parties. Today, Huang Shi had managed to get the Imperial Guards to sneak Zhao Er out. If outsiders found out, he couldn't expect the censors to let him off the hook.

According to the moral standards of that era, even if Huang Shi was interested in Zhao Er, the most reasonable way would be to propose to her brother. However, as someone who had lived in the 21st century, Huang Shi felt it was better to be clear to the person directly involved. What troubled Huang Shi more was the issue of Miss Wang on Changsheng Island, but he quickly realized that his feelings for Zhao Er were completely different from his feelings for Miss Wang, so Huang Shi decided to put that aside for the time being.

As Huang Shi approached, Miss Zhao was lost in thought. When Huang Shi's bodyguards came to invite her earlier, she decided it was best not to offend him. Furthermore, based on their past interactions, Miss Zhao considered Huang Shi to be a generally upright gentleman. Besides, Huang Shi had saved the Zhao family twice; since he wanted to see her, Miss Zhao felt she should risk it and come, otherwise it would be inappropriate. So she stood quietly, waiting for Huang Shi's introduction.

"Greetings, Miss Zhao," Huang Shi greeted her with a generous bow, then, without waiting for a return greeting, said loudly, "I wish to discuss something with your esteemed brother, and thus would like to ask Miss Zhao a question.

" Miss Zhao replied softly, "Please speak, Your Excellency, I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

"I wish to ask Miss Zhao, are you betrothed?" Huang Shi saw the person opposite him lower their head immediately, but he continued speaking regardless: "I have heard that your elder brother had agreed to write a marriage contract with a colleague in Ningqian, but your brother's contract has not yet been written, and the betrothal ceremony has not been held. Therefore, Miss Zhao is not currently formally engaged. I wonder if my knowledge is correct?" "

The marriage certificate wasn't written that time, naturally because Huang Shi wasn't good enough. Before coming here today, Miss Zhao Er guessed that Huang Shi might bring up a similar question, but when she faced the man's proposal directly, her heart was immediately filled with overwhelming emotions. For a moment, Miss Zhao Er forgot that her face was still completely covered, and instinctively lowered her head to avoid being seen by the person opposite her with a sweet smile on her face.

Fortunately, reason always lasts longer than emotion. Miss Zhao Er knew that if she broke off the engagement, her elder brother would probably be in a difficult position. Besides, in Miss Zhao Er Er's personal impression, Huang Shi was a very dangerous person, giving her a cold feeling.

"I'm afraid it would be better for the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian to ask my brother directly about this matter. It would be improper for me to answer." She secretly glanced at the person opposite her, who remained motionless and seemed to have no reaction. Miss Zhao Er Er bit her lower lip and said in a more emphasizing tone, "Indeed, as the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian said, my brother hasn't written the marriage certificate yet. However... in my opinion, my brother has always been a man of his word." “

Is that so?” Huang Shi responded thoughtfully. The other person’s words seemed to carry a negative connotation, but perhaps it was an expression of helplessness; he wasn’t entirely sure. After a pause, Huang Shi decided to confirm again: “Does Miss Zhao think this promise should be kept?”

The other person remained silent. Huang Shi knew his words had been too abrupt, but as a modern man, he valued the woman’s opinion more than her family’s: “I can assure Miss Zhao that if you believe the marriage contract is invalid, I will definitely make it invalid!”

This blatant statement made Miss Zhao both ashamed and angry. However, this time she hesitated for a long time before finally making up her mind, lowering her head and gritting her teeth, she said: “Your Excellency, I have heard that a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and without integrity, one cannot stand.”

“I see.” Huang Shi nodded, then smiled slightly and bowed deeply: “I was very rude today. Please forgive me, Miss Zhao.” "

Having said that, Huang Shi flicked his cloak and strode away without looking back. When he reached the inner guard perimeter, he ordered Hong Antong to carefully escort Miss Zhao home, after which the investigation of the Zhao family could be lifted.

When Hong Antong returned, he saw Huang Shi drinking. This was mainly because Huang Shi was bitter; he believed that in terms of physique, appearance, demeanor, and etiquette, he had nothing to be ashamed of, yet he had been so decisively rejected. Losing to an opponent the woman had never even met made Huang Shi feel greatly humiliated and somewhat regretful—his current advisors only knew how to fight; if Li Yunrui were here, he could certainly offer some good advice.

Seeing Huang Shi drinking, Hong Antong couldn't help but send the others away and stepped forward, saying, 'Sir, you bear the responsibility for the safety of Liaodong; how can you let yourself be ruined by a woman and indulge in wine?'

'Ruined? Indulging in wine? Who? Are you talking about me?'" "Huang Shi asked a series of questions in surprise. Although he was indeed drinking, the rice wine wasn't very strong. Besides, he only wanted one cup to sip slowly and relieve his boredom; he had no intention of downing the whole jar in one go, or even a second cup. Although he wasn't as abstinent as he usually was, Huang Shi considered himself far from being an alcoholic. Hong Antong's accusation surprised him greatly.

Seeing that Huang Shi wouldn't listen to his advice, Hong Antong quickly stepped back: "Your subordinate dares to beg Your Excellency not to be seduced by women and disregard the safety of the soldiers."

"Alright," Huang Shi interrupted him impatiently. He downed the remaining wine in his cup and then threw the cup in front of Hong Antong: "Take it; I'll only drink this one cup today. I won't drink a drop more." A hint of joy appeared on Hong

Antong's face as he picked up the wine bowl. Before leaving, he didn't forget to say one last thing to Huang Shi: "This is also my loyal and devoted service. Your Excellency is so kind to me, and I am fortunate to have received your advice."

"Hmm." Huang Shi let Hong Antong claim all the credit for himself, and he gave a weak "hmm," then loosened his armor and lay down, falling asleep after a while.

He slept until he was woken up by the guards on duty. Huang Shi groggily opened his eyes; the window was still pitch black. Startled, he sprang up. However, he didn't hear any commotion, which immediately calmed his nerves. He quietly told the guards outside to open the door. It

wasn't a night raid by the Later Jin army; they were, after all, human, not real wild boar hides. In the dead of winter in Northeast China, the Later Jin army didn't have the skill to sneak across the ice in the dark for a night raid. Actually, it was Zhang Minghe who had come urgently to see him, and the guards outside had let him in. Huang Shi rubbed his eyes as he sat on the kang (heated brick bed) and told Zhang Minghe to sit down and talk.

"Commander Yao and the others have gone in pursuit!" "After Zhang Minghe finished speaking, Huang Shi, who was still half asleep, jumped out of bed and demanded that Zhang Minghe explain himself clearly."

After the Battle of Juehua, the Later Jin army suffered thousands of casualties, but barely managed to slay a single Ming soldier. Therefore, ever since the defense of Juehua ended, Yao Yuxian and his men had always thought the Later Jin army was nothing special, constantly urging Huang Shi to find an opportunity to raid their camp. Neither the Later Jin nor Huang Shi possessed the ability to raid a camp across a stretch of frozen land, so Huang Shi unceremoniously rejected such proposals.

When Huang Shi said the Later Jin army might retreat, Yao Yuxian and his men began to persuade him to pursue them, but Huang Shi dared not pursue at least twelve thousand armored Later Jin soldiers with only three thousand men. He estimated that the Later Jin rearguard had at least one banner, and if his infantry was held back by the Later Jin rearguard, the Later Jin army could easily turn around and wipe him out.

Yesterday afternoon, the Later Jin army showed signs of retreat. Huang Shi strictly forbade any unauthorized attacks, and although Yao Yuxian and his men were itching to pursue them, they dared not do so on their own. As night fell, the rearguard of the Later Jin army began to retreat with torches. Hu and Jin, the military commanders, could no longer contain themselves and decided to pursue the enemy independently with the Juehua forces, without informing Huang Shi. Although Yao disagreed, he also promised not to report to Huang Shi beforehand.

Huang Shi's position in Juehua was built on the sense of crisis brought about by the impending enemy. Now that the sense of crisis had subsided, as the deputy commander of Dongjiang, he naturally could no longer control the Guan Ning army. The movements of these four battalions of the Guan Ning army were concealed by the darkness, and the Dongjiang army was unaware of them beforehand. It wasn't until the vanguard of the Guan Ning army began to chaotically set out from their camp with torches that the Dongjiang army's internal guards sensed something was amiss.

However, in such darkness, the guards on Changsheng Island were unsure what had happened, and those sent to inquire received only ambiguous answers. Before Zhang Minghe arrived, they hadn't determined whether it was a normal mobilization, so they didn't wake Huang Shi and Hong Antong.

Zhang Minghe understood because he had been deceived: "...General Hu asked to borrow my muskets to take a look. I was drunk at the time, so I readily agreed. As a result, they took all three hundred of my muskets..."

Zhang Minghe, the Dongjiang guerrilla commander and battalion commander of the Vanguard Battalion, was the only person in Huang Shi's system capable of commanding several squads. Two of the seven squads that came to Juehua this time were infantry units from the Vanguard Battalion. To prevent gossip, Huang Shi usually had Zhang Minghe command a separate battalion to avoid accusations from censors about him absorbing friendly forces.

Zhang Minghe's two infantry units had three hundred musketeers. Hu Yining and his men had come to Zhang Minghe's camp last night, gotten him drunk, borrowed all his muskets, and then invited him to join them in pursuing the Later Jin army.

Although others still considered Zhang Minghe not to be Huang Shi's trusted subordinate, he clearly didn't see it that way. The invitation from General Hu and his men immediately sobered Zhang Minghe up, and he desperately wanted the musket Huang Shi had given him back. Zhang Minghe's attempt naturally failed, but General Hu's attempt to drag him down with him also failed. Zhang Minghe strictly ordered his eight hundred soldiers not to leave the camp, and then hurriedly went to report to Huang Shi.

"You said Yao Yuxian wasn't involved?"

"Yes. I also heard Hu Yining cursing, saying that General Yao took the lion's share of the credit, and if there were any gains in the pursuit of the Jurchens, General Yao would definitely not get any."

"Hmm, very good." Huang Shi didn't further reprimand Zhang Minghe. Since the deed was done, the next step was to think about how to salvage the situation. Although Zhang Minghe had lent weapons to others privately, he wasn't confused when it came to matters of principle. Moreover, Zhang Minghe was the first to voluntarily join the Changsheng Army; as long as there were no major mistakes, Huang Shi was determined to protect this role model.

"Get up." Seeing Zhang Minghe kneeling on the ground, covered in sweat from fright, Huang Shi handed him a towel. Huang Shi paced around the room a few times, then opened the window and braved the cold wind to look at the pitch-black east: "In this cold night, I can't stop them at all. I can only wait until dawn to chase after them; hopefully, it's still not too late."

Huang Shi told Zhang Minghe to go back and get some sleep, and to prepare for the troops' departure at dawn. After seeing Zhang Minghe off, Huang Shi planned to take a nap while there was still more than an hour until dawn. Unexpectedly, he had just gotten into bed and sighed comfortably when the guards brought in the anxious Zhao Yingong.

As soon as he invited the furious Zhao Yingong in, he asked abruptly, "General Huang, Jin Guan and Hu Yining have led two battalions of troops to chase after the Jurchens on their own. May I ask what General Huang thinks of the outcome?"

Seeing that Zhao Yingong was so well-informed, Huang Shi was greatly surprised: "How did you know about this, Lord Zhao?" "

Zhao Yingong's brother-in-law was a clerk in the Golden Crown Camp. After the Battle of Juehua, many civil officials felt that Huang Shi was nothing special, but Zhao Yingong's opinion of Huang Shi completely changed, and he became particularly superstitious about Huang Shi's judgment. Hearing that the Golden Crown had sent troops to pursue them, Zhao Yingong's brother-in-law, unwilling to give up the credit, wanted to go with them. Knowing that Zhao Yingong would never agree, he hadn't informed him, single-mindedly hoping to gain merit for a promotion.

Although Zhao's eldest daughter was somewhat infatuated, she wasn't stupid; her only thought was how to win her husband's heart, so she disguised herself as a page and went with them. Zhao's second daughter was currently staying at her sister and brother-in-law's house. After failing to dissuade them, she went to her brother to inform him, and that's how Zhao Yingong found out.

Zhao Yingong's brother-in-law was undoubtedly a short-sighted fool. Huang Shi could also tell that Zhao Tongpan was extremely dissatisfied with this brother-in-law. Rather than saying Zhao Yingong was worried about his brother-in-law, it would be more accurate to say..." He was worried about his sister. Huang Shi was curious why the eldest daughter of the Zhao family had disguised herself as a page and gone with him, but before he could ask, Zhao Yingong blurted it out: his brother-in-law couldn't ride a horse, and if they

encountered danger, he probably wouldn't be able to escape quickly. Back when they retreated from Guangning, the entire Zhao family had actively learned to ride horses, and Old Man Zhao had made both his daughters learn as well. Today, the eldest daughter was afraid her husband would be in danger, so she went along. Now, filled with anger and resentment, Zhao Yingong couldn't help but blurt it all out. Thinking of his sister's safety, he slammed his fist on the table.

Huang Shi ordered his guards to bring tea to Lord Zhao to calm him down. Now he understood why the Zhao family had such a bad impression of him. His eldest daughter usually had to endure all the humiliation and mistreatment, and at this crucial moment, this man, in order to gain merit, even brought his wife along as a shield—it was no wonder the Zhao family hated him, the culprit, for marrying such a scoundrel.

...

Those accompanying Huang Shi on the attack were mostly his personal guards, nearly a hundred men who had fought on the Liaodong battlefield for many years. Hong Antong rode close behind Huang Shi on his right rear, while Zhang Minghe, returning to his old ways, followed half a horse behind Huang Shi on the other side, a horse lance in hand. Zhang Minghe's original personal guards and retainers had been disbanded; he had left twenty men as his battalion's personal guards, and they had all come with him this time.

Huang Shi's plan was that if the Later Jin army was well-organized, he would naturally have to protect himself. But if the Later Jin army was disorganized, he could see if he could take advantage of the chaos to snatch several generals back.

After arriving near Ningyuan Fort, Huang Shi and his men had a clear view of the battlefield. Some Ming troops had already retreated, while a small number of Later Jin troops were in pursuit. The two armies were currently circling the city, and the defenders on the city walls dared not open the gates wide to let anyone in, nor dared to fire their cannons for fear of injuring the enemy; they could only stand dumbfounded on the city walls watching the pursuit below.

"The useless Liaoxi army has collapsed again, and clearly collapsed very quickly; they've already scattered in all directions." Huang Shi stopped his horse and observed the chaos before him for a moment. He sighed deeply, held the reins with his left hand, and slowly drew his longsword with his right, pointing it diagonally to the sky.

A series of clanging sounds came from behind him; Huang Shi knew that every member of his guard had drawn their sword. He spurred his horse forward and shouted, "Let the Jurchens taste the might of our Liaodong border army!"

A continuous echo followed: "Let the Jurchens taste our might!" "

Can Wanrenzhi Peak withstand the attack? Chapter 3: Cavalry Warfare.

Since arriving on the island, Huang Shi had already requisitioned some horses. Before setting off, he rushed to General Yao's camp and took away another batch of warhorses, politely declining General Yao's offer to send troops. When leaving Juehua, Huang Shi handed over unified command to Zhao Yingong, instructing him to prepare to receive wounded soldiers. In addition, Huang Shi also asked Zhao Yingong to prepare manpower to assist in the defense of field fortifications. Although the possibility of the situation deteriorating to this point is very small, it is still necessary to take precautions."

Behind him were messengers carrying his banner. Huang Shi's hundred-odd cavalrymen lined up in a long, serpentine formation, using him as the center. They followed Huang Shi, slowly urging their mounts forward, maintaining this formation as they accelerated, charging towards a distant group of Later Jin cavalry.

"Hong Antong," Huang Shi called out without turning around.

"Your subordinate is here," the captain of the inner guard following Huang Shi immediately responded in a deep voice.

"Zhang Minghe!" "

Your subordinate is here, following closely behind Lord Yu," the officer of the Vanguard Battalion shouted proudly, his lance held high in one hand.

Most of the Ming troops who fled to Ningyuan City were cavalry. They ran around the city, desperately shouting for the gates to be opened. The pursuing Later Jin cavalry seemed few in number, and their formation was scattered, completely unprepared for battle. They chased each other in this chaotic manner until the Changsheng Island cavalry charged close before anyone noticed them.

Huang Shi tensed his elbows, his right arm gripping his longsword in a straight line, pointing directly forward. His mount began to gallop, the wind whistling past the sides of his helmet, mingling with the rapid clatter of hooves. The small number of enemy soldiers ahead seemed hesitant, but many of the rear guard slowly regrouped, abandoning their pursuit and deploying into formation, seemingly preparing to charge the Ming army.

"The Jurchens are too late, they reacted too late!" Huang Shi judged his opponent in his mind. He squeezed his horse's flanks again, and the spurred horse charged forward with all its might. Zhang Minghe, Hong Antong, and the other officers followed closely behind Huang Shi, kicking their mounts with all their might. They were all at least a mount's length ahead of the ordinary guards.

Seeing the Ming army charging towards them, the Jurchen troops, now arrayed in battle formation, seemed to know they had no more time to regroup. They began to move in opposite directions, all brandishing their blades at the Ming soldiers. The wind howled louder in his ears, and Huang Shi enjoyed the feeling of being driven forward. He stared intently at the approaching enemy, his gaze unwavering, and shouted again, "Hong Antong, Zhang Minghe, charge!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes, sir!"

Echoes resounded almost simultaneously from his left and right. Huang Shi casually lowered his mask, and then heard two more shouts, one after the other: "Kill the Jurchens!"

"Kill the Jurchens!"

After shouting, the two men also lowered their helmet masks, and the response quickly spread across the entire Ming army line. Every soldier of the Dongjiang Army shouted with all their might, "Kill the Jurchens!" Then they lowered their masks and followed the officers in front of them as they charged towards the enemy. Huang Shi,

at the forefront, gripped his sword hilt tightly, his upper arm perpendicular to the horizontal plane, his elbow pointing skyward against his helmet, his upper arm thrusting behind his back, ready to unleash a powerful, all-out strike.

The standard equipment for the cavalry of Changsheng Island was a single-handed saber. Besides Zhang Minghe wielding his lance and his cavalry, the soldiers from Changsheng Island behind Huang Shi all mimicked his movements. This cavalry maneuver was suggested by He Dingyuan. While thrusting was the most lethal method, He Dingyuan believed it was difficult to execute accurately on fast-moving, intersecting horses.

In past training exercises on Changsheng Island, even He Dingyuan himself could only achieve accurate thrusting four out of ten times. Therefore, he strongly advocated that slashing with a sword was the most effective weapon in cavalry combat. He Dingyuan believed that the accuracy of slashing with a sword was at least three or four times higher than that of spear thrusting; at least he himself was almost always right. Moreover, with the force of the passing horses, slashing with a sword could be fatal or maimed, at least instantly incapacitating the opponent. Therefore, it was more practical to slash with a sword than to pierce through a person with a spear.

He Dingyuan's assessment was similar to the statistics from Changsheng Island. Most cavalrymen's slashing accuracy at high speed was more than three times that of spear thrusting. Another disadvantage of using spears is that the Changsheng Island soldiers, with relatively less combat experience, might be more impulsive and reckless in life-or-death situations than the Later Jin army, prematurely thrusting their spears. This would further reduce the already low weapon accuracy of the Changsheng Island cavalry.

Huang Shi's military philosophy was to train a large number of cheap, sustainably depleted soldiers, rather than a few exceptionally skilled elites. Since He Dingyuan's thrusting accuracy was less than 40%, Huang Shi set the training target for the Changsheng Island cavalry at around 50% for sword strikes. This way, as long as the opposing army wasn't composed entirely of fierce generals like He Dingyuan, Changsheng Island wouldn't suffer a significant loss in the exchange ratio. And if the opponents were all warriors of He Dingyuan's caliber… then even if the exchange ratio was unfavorable, what was the loss?

The bigger problem was the higher accuracy of spear thrusting at warhorses, but this wasn't a concern. As long as the opponent didn't thrust, the cavalry would have a chance to behead them, so it wouldn't be a loss either way. Huang Shi often practiced on horseback on the training ground, chopping off the heads of scarecrows. Although he didn't train as hard as ordinary soldiers, after so long, he was confident that his accuracy in chopping off heads while mounted was at least 40% to 50%.

The two cavalry lines rapidly approached, the enemy soldiers wielding their preferred weapons. Huang Shi, at the forefront, held his breath, his eyes fixed on the cavalry lance in his opponent's hand. Closer, closer still, the tip of the lance flashed, thrusting towards Huang Shi's chest before he could even swing his sword. Huang Shi sidestepped the attack, letting out a roar and simultaneously swinging his sword. But by the time the cavalry lance passed his chest, the distance between him and his opponent was too great; Huang Shi's sword drew a futile arc in the air.

"Ugh, so ugh!" Huang Shi angrily pulled on the reins, causing his warhorse to neigh and quickly slow its gallop. The missed swing of his sword, wielded with all his might, sent a surge of blood rushing to his chest, leaving his arm feeling empty and almost dislocated. He spurred his horse, shouting urgently, "Turn around! Turn around quickly!" and charged again towards his opponents.

The cavalry around Huang Shi also turned and followed. Several soldiers who had dropped their weapons drew their spare sabers, brandishing their blades behind their heads with loud shouts. The previous exchange had knocked down about ten Dongjiang soldiers, but two or three out of the sixty-odd men on the opposing side had also fallen. Several Ming and Later Jin soldiers who had fallen had already gotten up and begun fighting with their spare weapons.

Huang Shi desperately urged his mount to gallop faster. He understood that in a cavalry charge, the slower one was more likely to be struck; the enemy soldiers understood this as well. The remaining forty-odd Later Jin cavalrymen had also turned and bravely charged towards the superior Ming army once more.

As Huang Shi charged forward on horseback, he brandished his sword a few times in the air, signaling his troops behind him to form a double-layered formation. He now deeply understood that mounted enemies were indeed more difficult to cut down than straw men stuck in the ground. He kicked his horse's belly several times with all his might, then forcefully swung his right arm and longsword through the air several times before finally slinging them behind his head. This time, focused intently on his opponent, Huang Shi even forgot to check if his men had caught up.

It was the same enemy soldier again. Huang Shi's eyes were locked on the slightly trembling spear tip, his upper body remaining perfectly still. Holding a sword or saber behind the head to generate power was also a standard maneuver for the cavalry of Changsheng Island. He Dingyuan had advocated for a flexible approach, letting whatever was customary, but Huang Shi disagreed, because he hadn't had enough time to train his cavalry.

Therefore, after each training session or military exercise, Changsheng Island meticulously recorded the results, statistically analyzed the hit rates of various postures, and ultimately discovered that, for Changsheng Island's existing average level, this posture had the highest hit rate in live-fire combat training. Initially, Huang Shi and his staff officers didn't understand why this movement was so effective, but they still ordered its widespread adoption. Later, after conducting numerous military exercises, Huang Shi and his team discovered the reason: it prevented cavalry from using their sabers to parry enemy attacks. Otherwise, when faced with a thrusting spear, regardless of whether they would be stabbed, the knight would instinctively use their saber to parry, thus reducing the effectiveness of the attack.

"Our tactics on Changsheng Island have always emphasized courage and offensiveness. Regardless of troop type, we must have the determination to launch a desperate close-range attack. This combination of ferocity and precision is the combat model we admire most..." Huang Shi silently recited these words. This time, the lance opposite him hadn't moved, and Huang Shi hadn't dodged... Soon, he could swing his sword... Finally, in that instant, the spear tip suddenly jolted and thrust forward with incredible speed.

At this moment, Huang Shi's gaze began to move upwards. He instinctively dodged, and in the split second before their stirrups met, Huang Shi's longsword swung out with all his might. This time, the two were very close. A flash of sword light enveloped the Later Jin soldier's helmet. The Later Jin soldier didn't have time to retract his lance, so he desperately lunged forward.

The two horses passed each other. Huang Shi saw his longsword touch his opponent's helmet, then felt a heavy, sticky sensation in his hand. The rushing horse almost carried the sword away. "Good!" Huang Shi shouted. After the horses passed each other, Huang Shi pulled hard on the reins, held his longsword up to his eyes, and squinted at the drops of blood rolling down it.

"Exciting, exciting, so exhilarating!" The bloodstains on the sword made Huang Shi laugh heartily. In the two moments he had just brushed past death, he felt a chill in his heart, and the hairs on his body stood on end. This time, after striking his target with his sword, he felt a huge weight lifted from his chest, as exhilarating as a drowning man suddenly letting out a breath. After

hearing that the Guan Ning Army had caused trouble again this morning, Huang Shi was initially stunned, but then he found himself secretly pleased. Since arriving on Juehua Island, although Huang Shi had repeatedly compromised for the sake of the greater good, this did not mean that he was satisfied with playing this role. From the perspective of Changsheng Island's interests, Huang Shi didn't want anything to happen to these generals whom he had worked so hard to maintain; but emotionally, he also hoped these fools would embarrass themselves.

And then there was yesterday, when a young woman he had saved twice not only gave him the cold shoulder, but his own bodyguard also tried to provoke him under the guise of righteousness. Huang Shi didn't consider himself a rogue; he didn't intend to argue with a young woman, and his bodyguard was loyal, so he couldn't cause trouble for Hong Antong, either personally or professionally. Therefore, he barely suppressed his anger. Just now, when Huang Shi saw the Later Jin army's formation scattered outside Ningyuan City, the excitement he felt was indescribable—he had finally found a bunch of bastards he could beat to a pulp! He was going to crush them!

Reining in his horse, Huang Shi swung his long sword and abruptly turned around. This time, about ten more Ming soldiers fell from their horses, but more than half of the Later Jin soldiers were knocked off their mounts. In the ensuing battle, the Ming army, taking advantage of its superior numbers, formed a two-tiered formation. The Later Jin soldiers, after engaging the first rank, were already facing a second wave of sabers before they could even adjust their riding posture. Meanwhile, the Ming cavalry in the rear ranks, not only free from the threat of a Later Jin counterattack, could launch a full-scale attack. Furthermore, the fact that most of the Later Jin soldiers were exhausted increased the accuracy of the Ming's attacks in the second rank.

Of the original sixty-odd Later Jin cavalry, less than twenty remained. This time, instead of turning back, they abandoned their fallen comrades and fled the battlefield at breakneck speed.

Huang Shi led the remaining cavalry in renewed activity. As he passed a group fighting on the ground, Huang Shi effortlessly executed a straight slash, as simple as chopping down a scarecrow. His longsword struck a Later Jin soldier facing away from him on the back of the head. After the horse charged past, Huang Shi sheathed his sword to examine the result. This time, the blade was not only stained with fresh blood but also with some milky white liquid.

A dozen or so remnants of the Later Jin army fled without looking back, while those remaining on the ground were instantly slaughtered by the Ming army. Huang Shi's guards captured many unattended horses. Some Ming soldiers had fallen due to injuries to their horses, but a few were unharmed. They took the reins from their comrades and rejoined the ranks.

"General Huang! General Huang!"

After the Later Jin army fled, Huang Shi immediately heard shouts from afar, followed by a large group of Ming soldiers rushing towards his banner. The leader, a disheveled general, was shouting, "General Huang, I will never forget your life-saving grace!"

Huang Shi looked closely. Who else could it be but Jin Guan? Before today, General Jin had been on the battlefield twice. The first time was the Battle of Yaozhou, where he, along with Zhou Shoulian and Yao Yuxian, abandoned Li Chengxian and Lu Zhijia and fled. The second instance was the Battle of Juehua. After carefully observing Huang Shi's battle, he felt that the Dongjiang Army wasn't anything special. Ao Bai and his gang had painstakingly climbed the cliff for a long time but hadn't made much of a fuss before being easily killed by General Jin. This made him realize that he had previously overestimated the Jurchens.

Yesterday, when they discussed things privately, they figured that since none of them were officials below the fifth rank, Huang Shi couldn't really do anything to them. Even if Huang Shi insisted on impeaching them, as long as they could win a battle before then, everything would be settled. So they devised a plan to trick the Dongjiang Army out of their muskets.

After getting Zhang Minghe drunk and stealing his muskets, General Jin and the others felt that since Huang Shi could defeat seven banners plus Mongols with just over a thousand muskets, their three hundred muskets plus their own several thousand three-eyed muskets should be enough to deal with some of the rearguard Jurchen troops. Today, they planned to imitate Huang Shi's method from that day, using a volley of muskets to startle the horses, then unleashing a hail of bullets to obliterate the Jurchen army.

They were indeed lucky, only encountering one banner. This promising start pleased General Jin and his men, but misfortune soon followed. Some idiot fired a shot the moment the Later Jin army approached, and the entire army erupted into chaos, unleashing all their muskets. The borrowed muskets, due to issues with the gunpowder, seemed to have lost their full power; some even used them like large shotguns, stuffing them with numerous small pellets. Before

the smoke from the muskets had even cleared, the Later Jin cavalry were upon them. General Jin was defeated in a daze, and when he regained his senses, he found himself running laps around Ningyuan Fort.

Huang Shi smiled slightly at Jin Guan: "General Jin, are you alright? Are you injured?"

"No, no. Thank you for your concern, General Huang, I'm perfectly fine." This wasn't just polite talk; Jin Guan had been feeling unwell these past few days, but with such a great victory before him, he had been fighting desperately. Before attacking with his allies today, he had nearly collapsed several times due to his illness. But unexpectedly, after running two laps around Ningyuan Fort, drenched in sweat from the shock and fright, all of Jin Guan's ailments vanished. He felt as if he had become twenty years younger.

"General Hu is still ahead!" Jin Guan was accompanied by nearly a thousand cavalrymen who had fled with him, but Hu Yining had disappeared halfway through the escape.

A small number of Later Jin warriors died on the spot, and all forty-two Later Jin soldiers who fell from their horses ended up as corpses, while the Ming army only lost eight men. The eleven seriously wounded men who were unable to fight were also helped onto their horses, and Huang Shi instructed Jin Guan to send some men to take them back to Juehua.

"No problem, leave it to me, Commander Huang, don't worry!"

Jin Guan pounded his chest loudly. At the same time, the Later Jin cavalry, who had been pursuing them, gathered not far away. Jin Guan snorted heavily, spurred his horse, and galloped to Huang Shi's side, brandishing his fist and shouting at the hill where the Later Jin army was located:

"Jiangnu! Are you here to die?" While

Jin Guan,

who was taunting the Later Jin army, was provoking them, Huang Shi and his guards were resting their horses. As a modern man, he always believed that the barbarians' experience advantage could, and would certainly, be overwhelmed by the courage and organization of modern armies. Huang Shi silently reviewed the battle in his mind. Using sabers for close-quarters attacks not only had good statistics on the training grounds but also proved very effective in actual combat.

In terms of practical experience, although the soldiers of Changsheng Island had greatly improved, they probably still couldn't match the Later Jin army. Therefore, the gap in skill could only be made up for by a courageous offensive spirit. However, Huang Shi believed that the skill gap was only a matter of time. As long as Changsheng Island persisted in a war of attrition, the skill levels of both sides would gradually converge. For example, in recent battles, the Later Jin's White-Armored Soldiers could no longer give Huang Shi the same sense of awe as they had in the Battle of Gaizhou.

The Later Jin army opposite them didn't seem numerous; Huang Shi estimated their numbers to be about half that of the Dongjiang army. Although some stragglers were rushing to gather around their banners, they were unlikely to outnumber their own forces. Taking advantage of the enemy's regrouping, Huang Shi, his guards, and their mounts were panting heavily, trying to recover their strength as quickly as possible.

Huang Shi's assessment was largely correct. The force pursuing nearly a thousand fleeing Ming soldiers consisted of only two Later Jin niru (military units). When they set out for Liaoxi, each of them had brought eighty armored soldiers. Along the way, they suffered continuous losses due to illness, had to leave some men to guard and protect the rear, and also had to send troops to escort captured grain back to Haizhou. Therefore, by the time they reached Ningyuan, each of the two niru had only sixty riders left.

Today, during the pursuit, because the Guan Ning army had already scattered, the two niru ordered to pursue had split into two groups to encircle them. The niru that had just been pursued by the Dongjiang army had already collapsed, and all its men and horses had fled. Now, looking at the distant snake banner, the Niru suddenly felt a surge of helplessness filling his chest.

In the past, while battles against the Dongjiang army were evenly matched, the Later Jin army had won more than they lost. But against Huangshi, the Later Jin army hadn't won a single battle. The initial victories were attributed to the Dongjiang army's numerical superiority, but after the Battle of Nanguan, they themselves felt this explanation was unreliable. However, the Later Jin army preferred to believe that the Battle of Nanguan was due to their own exhaustion; if it weren't for the fatigue from the hasty attack on Lushun, they wouldn't have fared so poorly.

But the Battle of Fuzhou ruthlessly shattered this notion. Although Nurhaci tried his best to cover up the truth of the Battle of Fuzhou, the Later Jin army couldn't find many reasons to support his claim. Especially Mangultai, the banner chief of the Plain Blue Banner, was utterly demoralized. By the time of the Battle of Juehua, the entire Later Jin army felt that the enemy was merely a simple field fortification, not a truly impregnable fortress. But despite losing so many lives, they hadn't even scratched their opponents.

The morale of the Later Jin army was now more than just low. From the typical Third Prince Mangultai to the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old child soldiers, they all firmly believed that the Changsheng Army would never dare to fight the Later Jin cavalry. Many pessimistic Later Jin soldiers agreed that the Changsheng Army was brave, united, and capable, but regardless of time or place, every Later Jin officer and soldier would add: "If it were a cavalry charge, one of our warriors could take on twenty Changsheng Island bastards!"

"Jiangnu, are you here to die?"

Jin Guan shouted again at the opposite side. Huang Shi still didn't react, but he couldn't help but think maliciously—what would Jin Guan's expression be if he turned around and saw that I had run away when the Jiannu cavalry charged?

Although Huang Shi politely allowed Jin Guan to show off, Zhang Minghe behind him could no longer contain himself. He suddenly burst out from behind Huang Shi, barking in an unseemly manner at Jin Guan, "General Jin, where are my three hundred muskets? Return them to me immediately!"

Hearing Zhang Minghe's shout, Jin Guan's face immediately fell in embarrassment. Although they had planned to swindle some supplies from Changsheng Island, to be on the safe side, General Jin and his men ultimately decided to target Zhang Minghe. First, because this guy was of low rank and young, these seasoned veterans thought they could easily fool him; second, General Jin and his men, judging others by their own standards, believed that Zhang Minghe, having established his own battalion, was definitely not Huang Shi's loyalist, and that Huang Shi might even be hoping for Zhang Minghe's downfall so he could punish him; third, they further believed that Zhang Minghe might not be entirely loyal to Huang Shi, and that they could perhaps offer him some incentives to pull him onto the same side.

"The muskets have been given to Lieutenant General Hu. General Zhang will know once he returns," Jin Guan stammered, shifting the blame to Hu Yining, whose fate was unknown. Having seen Zhang Minghe closely following Huang Shi earlier, Lieutenant General Jin had inwardly groaned. Now, realizing he had seemingly offended Huang Shi and suffered a major defeat, he was filled with regret. Wu

Yu and Zhang Guoqing, who had accompanied Lieutenant General Jin and Lieutenant General Hu on the attack, had also fled back with Jin Guan. These two guerrillas quickly echoed his sentiments, insisting that Hu Yining was not only the mastermind behind the scheme, but had also taken all of Zhang Minghe's muskets for himself.

Zhang Minghe, red-faced and visibly ready to argue, was summoned back by Huang Shi's gentle shout. Now was not the time to argue with these people. Huang Shi had invested so much in these people, and this victory was expected to help them climb the ranks. He even hoped they would spread good word about Changsheng Island. Huang Shi thought that if he were to work in Liaoxi in the future, it would be better to have these acquaintances he had dealt with. Even if he didn't come to Liaoxi, he might be able to do some business with them and do some useful work for Changsheng Island and Liaonan. It wouldn't be good to ruin everything for a few hundred muskets.

However, these reasons weren't the most crucial. Huang Shi firmly believed that when a formidable enemy was at hand, it was never a good time for internal strife.

After recalling the enraged Zhang Minghe, Huang Shi felt that his horses had rested enough, while the Later Jin army on the other side seemed not to have recovered. He leaped onto his warhorse and drew his longsword once more.

Although he had undergone long-term rigorous training, Huang Shi couldn't relax until he had been tested in actual combat. After his recent firsthand experience in battle, Huang Shi had drawn several conclusions. First, the fear of being preemptively attacked by the enemy can be overcome; second, the consequences of a preemptive strike are not unbearable; and finally, the close-range effectiveness of the saber is excellent, extremely excellent.

Theory on paper can never compare to firsthand experience. Filled with confidence from the previous battle, Huang Shi raised his longsword high, making a few feints towards the heads of the enemy soldiers before him, while simultaneously surveying his subordinates. Like Huang Shi, these men displayed even stronger fighting spirit and confidence than before they set out. One by one, they eagerly leaped onto their horses, drawing their gleaming blades.

The officers, arranged according to rank, spurred their horses forward, followed by the most senior veterans of the Imperial Guard, then those with average service, and at the very back were the youngest soldiers, lacking combat experience and having only seen battle once or twice. Silently, the officers and soldiers, now lined up according to rank, all pointed their sabers at the enemy opposite them, just like Huang Shi.

The friendly forces in front of them wisely moved aside. The vast, unobstructed land stretched from before his horse all the way to the enemy's banners in the distance. Huang Shi glanced at Ningyuan Fort on his right, where countless heads thronged. Their burning gazes made Huang Shi feel as if he were standing under the blazing sun: "Brothers, let's go and crush the Jurchens!"

"Yes, sir. Crush the Jurchens!"

Huang Shi removed his mask, his legs already gripping the horse's flanks tightly...

The Later Jin cavalry on the hill had been observing the Ming army on the opposite hilltop. Although the snake banner before them was already a nightmare for the Later Jin army, this cavalryman, like all the Later Jin officers and soldiers, believed that the Changsheng Island cavalry was merely a pursuing force, and they certainly didn't have the courage to engage the Later Jin army head-on. Weren't the Changsheng Island cavalrymen always only brave enough to pursue? Had they eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard today?

While the Later Jin army rested to recuperate, this Niru kept repeating the same mantra over and over, as if hypnotizing himself. He tried to convince himself that the previous Niru hadn't been defeated in a fair battle, but rather suffered a devastating blow due to a surprise attack by the Ming army. However, although he kept rambling on and on, the voice of dissent in his heart grew louder and louder, preventing him from ordering an attack.

Before, when he didn't order an attack, the Niru could find reasons to deceive himself, such as "saving his strength and waiting for the right opportunity." But when the Ming army began to deploy their troops, clearly preparing to attack, the Niru could no longer offer any comforting reasons.

After Huang Shi led his entire army to draw their swords, the Later Jin Niru mechanically ordered everyone to mount their horses and prepare for battle. But when he saw the Ming army beginning to descend the hillside in the distance, the Later Jin Niru was speechless, unable to utter the order to engage.

Many of the Niru's men witnessed the entire battle. In each engagement, the number of friendly troops knocked off their horses far exceeded that of the enemy. Although the Ming army had a numerical advantage, they had indeed won through fair and square cavalry combat. A huge question weighed heavily on the Niru's mind: "That Niru also had sixty riders, and he was wiped out after only two charges. Huang Shi has more men, and his horses are better than mine. I also have sixty riders. Can I win against him?"

After the Ming army charged down the slope and began to accelerate, the Later Jin Niru muttered "Too late" a few times, then quickly turned his horse around and shouted to his men, "Retreat! Retreat! Rejoin the main force!"

Huang Shi led his army in hot pursuit, the wind whistling past their helmets. In winter, the ground didn't produce much dust, and the enemy's backs and heads were exposed to the Ming army. Along the way, men from both armies stumbled and fell from their horses. Those unfortunate Later Jin soldiers were either trampled into a bloody pulp by the galloping horses, or barely managing to stand before being cut down again by countless sabers.

In this seemingly harmless pursuit, Huang Shi, as the one charging ahead, naturally had the best chance to stain his blade with blood. He had already struck a fleeing enemy soldier, though he wasn't certain that his strike would kill him. But considering the large number of men behind him, he figured the enemy soldier couldn't escape forever; his fate was sealed.

Now, another enemy soldier had fallen from his horse. The soldier was frantically waving his arms, his head tilted back as he ran, his face almost reaching the sky. As Huang Shi rode past him, a straight slash sent the fleeing man sprawling into the dust.

"Heh—" Huang Shi shouted with exhilaration. The battle had reached this point, and he felt a profound sense of satisfaction.

The humiliation he suffered at the hands of the Shandong civil officials, the stifling frustration he endured in the capital, and the unpleasantness caused by the Liaoxi civil and military officials all seemed to be expelled with each strike.

Originally, this Niru (military unit) and another Later Jin army unit had separated to begin circling after separating, aiming to encircle the fleeing Ming army. While confronting the Ming army earlier, they had already circled half of Ningyuan Fort, with the Changsheng Island army blocking their shortest route home. Since this Niru's Later Jin soldiers no longer had the courage to fight their way out, they could only run in circles around Ningyuan Fort to shake off the Ming pursuit. As the two groups ran around the city, Ningyuan Fort was densely packed with soldiers staring down, along with auxiliary military households and civilians.

Right before their eyes, a group of ruthless characters were running desperately ahead, while an even more ruthless group was chasing them relentlessly from behind. The seven field battalions of Guan Ning Army soldiers, along with countless military households and able-bodied men, filled the city walls, jostling and pushing to get a glimpse of this rare spectacle. Meanwhile, the important figures within Ningyuan Fortress climbed the city walls, watching in astonishment as the Later Jin army was relentlessly pursued by the Ming forces.

The Later Jin army had initially hoped the Ming would stop, but after circling half of Ningyuan Fortress, the Later Jin commander realized things were likely in serious trouble. These soldiers were his personal servants; he was given so many horses because of his skilled horsemen. Each time someone fell behind, it pained him deeply.

This Later Jin unit had initially confronted the Ming army slightly north of the east gate of Ningyuan Fortress. To shake off the Changsheng Island troops, they had first marched straight south, then made a sharp turn west from the south gate. Now they were fleeing towards the west gate, their advance heading straight for the official road in front of Ningyuan's north gate.

As the hundred-odd cavalrymen below the city surged past the west gate of Ningyuan Fort, the chase had reached its climax. No one paid any attention to the reactions of the spectators on the west gate tower. First, a group of Later Jin cavalrymen galloped past, disappearing like rabbits into the distance towards the north. Then, an even larger group of Ming cavalrymen roared in, pursuing the Later Jin army like wolves.

The crowd on the north gate tower of Ningyuan was mesmerized, speechless for a moment. After both armies had passed, the gazes of the crowd on the tower were drawn to Huang Shi's banner, watching dumbfounded as the red flag billowed in the rising dust. A man surrounded by a large group of soldiers was the first to react. This man was short, dark-skinned, and wore armor that clearly didn't fit him well. He stroked his beard, seemingly enlightened, and said, "So that's how formidable the saber cavalry are!"

"Lord Yuan, your insight is brilliant!"

"Lord Yuan, you truly see the big picture from small details!"

"Lord Yuan, your words are spot on, truly enlightening this humble general!"

The surrounding exclamations had barely begun when they heard the thunderous sound of hooves from their left, causing them to turn their gazes back to the right. They saw another troop of men surging in from the south of the west gate. The leading banner bore a large "Jin" character, behind which were two smaller general's banners, one bearing the character "Wu," and the other "Zhang."

It was General Jin, Lieutenant General Wu, and Lieutenant General Zhang leading nearly a thousand Guan Ning cavalry. This vast army, galloping forward, was truly awe-inspiring; to the onlookers on the city walls, it was as if thousands of horses were flowing past, the deafening rumble of hooves making even the city itself seem to tremble.

The leader of this Guan Ning cavalry unit, clad in golden helmet and silver armor, and a crimson cloak, was none other than General Jin Guan. His eyes were wide open, his teeth clenched, and his bronze beard bristled. In his right hand he held a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, seemingly found somewhere, while his left hand gripped the reins tightly. Jin Guan leaned slightly forward, leading the charge and displaying his fierce and unyielding nature. He was like a valiant and invincible steel general, a true invincible Vajra on horseback, sword in hand.

Closely following behind Jin Guan was another imposing general, none other than Zhang Guoqing, the Guan Ning guerrilla commander. Zhang Guoqing gripped the reins tightly, already off the saddle, his back arched as he stepped into the stirrups. Zhang Guoqing's lips were tightly pressed together, his face as calm as still water. His deep gaze passed past General Jin's side and went straight to the yellow stone banner further ahead. His legs kept squeezing together as he spurred his horse to follow closely behind Jin Guan.

Wu Yu, the worst horseman, couldn't keep up with Jin Guan and Zhang Guoqing. With his desperate urging, he managed to keep his position in the center of the army. General Wu, with his brows furrowed and eyes wide, pointed his sword at the sky, his teeth grinding, his face contorted like a demon from hell.

"Giddy up, giddy up..." As they passed the west gate of Ningyuan Fort, the ferocious General Wu whipped his mount a few more times, then swung his sword forward with force, ignoring the billowing dust rushing towards him, and shouted hoarsely, "Kill! My men, kill me!" (

The last sentence appears to be a separate, unrelated fragment

and is not translated.) If sacrificing a few men could bring back a large number of heads and equipment, the Niru (military units) would be quite willing to do it. However, there was really no benefit in directly attacking the troops of Changsheng Island, unless… The Niru of the Later Jin glanced back at the flag behind him. Unless he could cut off Huang Shi's head, the reward would definitely not outweigh the loss.

However, this Niru also knew that this was wishful thinking. If he really went back to kill Huang Shi, even if he survived, he didn't know if he would live to enjoy the reward. He could only spur his horse on, hoping to shake off the pursuers as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this group of Later Jin soldiers had come from a long pursuit, and had just been circling Ningyuan with the Jin Canjiang and his men. Now that they had become the prey, their horses were no longer enough to guarantee their safe escape.

After only circling a small part of Ningyuan Fortress, more Later Jin cavalrymen, whose horses were exhausted, began to fall behind. Several men's mounts had already fallen due to exhaustion, and the men had been caught up and killed by the Ming army. Therefore, many of the soldiers who fell behind ran away to shake off the pursuers, hoping that the main force would draw the main attention of the Changsheng army.

Huang Shi and his group, relying on their superior numbers, would signal to their subordinates with their swords whenever they saw a stray Later Jin soldier trying to escape. This would allow the Changsheng Island cavalry, which outnumbered them twice as many, to break away and pursue them, while their own group would relentlessly follow the rear of the Later Jin Niu Lu main force.

The distance between Huang Shi and the several Later Jin soldiers in front of him continued to close. He kicked his horse hard, trying to speed up the process. The Later Jin soldier closest to Huang Shi hadn't even dropped his nail spear. Now, he was holding the reins with one hand while half-turning his head and thrusting the nail spear backward, his face showing the desperate look of a cornered beast.

The nail spears used by the Later Jin soldiers were generally made very long, mainly to balance the weight at both ends. In battle, because they were too heavy, they could only be held in the middle of the shaft and had to be tucked under the arm to keep them level. Generally speaking, the attack range of a four-meter nail spear was roughly equivalent to that of a two-and-a-half-meter lance or horse spear. However, since lances and horse spears are two-handed weapons, they are more flexible for thrusting.

Of course, the latter two are more complex to manufacture and more expensive.

Because it was difficult to adjust the thrusting direction of the nail spear, Huang Shi hadn't been optimistic about its effectiveness in mounted combat. But now he found that it was quite good for stopping pursuit, at least it posed a significant threat to Huang Shi, who only had a sword. He had been positioned on the enemy soldier's left flank for a while, but several attempts to attack were thwarted by the nail gun, preventing him from successfully closing in and cutting down the enemy.

"If you're so capable, then I guess I can't handle this," Huang Shi said, pulling out a hand musket from his waist. This new weapon wasn't particularly powerful, roughly equivalent to a crossbow. While the hand musket had a decent range, on a violently jolting horse, anything beyond twenty meters was unpredictable.

During the previous mounted combat, twenty meters was a mere second for two riders clashing on horseback, so Huang Shi couldn't use it. Moreover, horse speed was paramount for safety, and Huang Shi dared not slow down to improve accuracy and risk being hacked down. Besides, shooting a high-speed target from a galloping horse was something Huang Shi felt his marksmanship was far from adequate. In this pursuit, the hand musket seemed perfect.

However, the main problem with matchlock muskets was their inconvenience; after setting up the hand musket, Huang Shi still needed to use a flint to ignite the fuse. He loosened the reins, preparing to fire his musket, which slowed his horse considerably. Just as he was busy lighting the fuse, a loud roar suddenly came from the side. Zhang Minghe spurred his horse forward, cutting in front of Huang Shi's horse and seizing the attack position on the left rear. With a single thrust of his spear, he dismounted the enemy soldier.

Zhang Minghe was in a bad mood today. He had already made a name for himself years ago, renowned in the Vanguard Battalion for his excellent horsemanship. After being selected as a personal guard by General Zhang Feimao, the entire battalion regarded him as a promising talent, believing his future was limitless. After Zhang Feimao died in the Battle of Nanguan, Zhang Minghe lived up to expectations and became the new leader of the Vanguard Battalion, at which time he was only in his early twenties.

But from then on, Zhang Minghe's life deteriorated day by day. Apart from a few old brothers like Zhang Guanshui, few people inside or outside the battalion respected him. If it weren't for Huang Shi's continued support, Zhang Minghe knew he would have been finished long ago. The Battle of Fuzhou had further humiliated the Vanguard Battalion, so Zhang Minghe gritted his teeth and relinquished his independence, joining Huang Shi's forces on Changsheng Island. He Dingyuan had always been his role model, and Zhang Minghe hoped to become like him through loyalty and bravery.

Huang Shi had indeed treated him well; after all, Zhang Minghe was the first battalion commander in the Changsheng Island system. The two teams from the Vanguard Battalion had performed bravely in the Battle of Juehua, and although Zhang Minghe's power and influence in the battalion were now minimal, the credit still belonged to him.

Thinking of his decisive decision and promising future, Zhang Minghe was initially quite pleased. However, after being flattered by Jin Guan and his men yesterday, he couldn't resist having a few extra drinks, leading to this major disaster. This morning, when they went to attack, Zhang Minghe specifically chose a ten-foot-long lance to accompany Huang Shi, determined to kill a few more Later Jin soldiers to vent his anger.

Life is always unpredictable; what you rush for is what you don't get. In the two clashes just now, Zhang Minghe hadn't managed to kill a single soldier, leaving him with nowhere to vent his rage, which only burned even brighter. Seeing Huang Shi dragging his feet, unable to kill the Later Jin soldier, Zhang Minghe could no longer contain himself. He leaped onto his horse, rushed in front of Huang Shi,

and thrust his spear, hitting the target with indescribable satisfaction. Another Later Jin soldier, knowing he couldn't escape, drew his horsebow to shoot an arrow. Zhang Minghe watched the man's movements closely, and as the Later Jin soldier released his hands to fire, Zhang Minghe, taking advantage of the slight slowing of his horse, roared again and thrust his spear forward, striking the Later Jin soldier

squarely in the ribs… The Later Jin army swept towards the north gate of Ningyuan like a whirlwind, fleeing northwards on the official road. They had barely passed the north gate tower when Huang Shi and his men attacked. The two sides were now very close. Huang Shi, seeing that the pursuing force was small and disorganized, had initially planned to repel them and rescue the Guan Ning generals. Upon hearing that Hu Yining had fallen behind, his only thought was to drive the enemy away and then search their route to see if he could find Hu Yining.

However, seeing the enemy fleeing in disarray before him, his primal hunting instincts resurfaced. Huang Shi and his men grew increasingly excited, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing enemy. Their swords clashed, more blood spurting out, and the group from Changsheng Island shouted excitedly, urging their horses forward.

Seeing the enemy fleeing in disarray within two or three hundred meters, and their numbers dwindling, an excited Huang Shi gave his mount another hard kick. His horse reared up, accelerating forward.

The rear guard of the Golden Bull Banner, watching his dwindling comrades, felt a pang of despair. He glanced back at the pursuers again, and was surprised to find that there weren't many left. Based on the experience of this Niru (a military unit), the dust cloud rising from the pursuers suggested there were only about thirty men left.

Huang Shi, Zhang Minghe, and the others, relentlessly pursuing, didn't have time to look back. They were fixated on the enemy in front of them, hoping to catch up quickly and kill a few more. But in reality, like the constantly lagging Later Jin troops, some of the Dongjiang army soldiers were exhausted and gradually fell behind. And every time a stray Later Jin soldier broke away and fled, Huang Shi would allocate twice the number of troops to pursue the deserters, so gradually they no longer had any numerical advantage.

Seeing the Later Jin army suddenly run off the official road and circle around, Huang Shi couldn't help but laugh three times: "Are they desperate?" He brandished his long sword and led his men straight ahead, circling behind the Later Jin army twice.

The enemy cavalry surged up a hill and disappeared behind the slope. Huang Shi, chasing after them, reached the top and was the first to leap to the summit. Upon first seeing the enemy formation behind the hill, Huang Shi instinctively leaned back, his longsword snapping back as if to give a halt.

...

The Later Jinniu commander, initially distressed by his losses, saw that the pursuers numbered only about thirty, and the idea of ambushing Huang Shi resurfaced. He had only forty men left, and at this rate, he would lose at least half more to the Ming army.

The military strategy of "do not press a desperate enemy" applies here; since escape meant certain death, the Later Jinniu commander resolved to fight to the death. If he could kill Huang Shi, no matter how many men he lost, the banner and the Khan would surely replenish them. The Later Jinniu commander wasn't confident his mount would have enough stamina to allow him to escape. Since death was inevitable anyway, it wasn't a big deal. It was better than falling behind and being brutally killed, like being slowly butchered by Huang Shi.

So he led his troops off the main road and headed straight for the hilly area beside the road. He clung to a sliver of hope that Huang Shi would let him go because of the complex terrain. But the Later Jinniu Regiment's hopes were dashed once again. The Dongjiang Army seemed completely oblivious to the danger and followed them off the main road, chasing them into the hills.

Finally, the Later Jinniu Regiment made up his mind to fight to the death. He immediately spotted a higher hill. After leading the charge over the hill, he immediately pulled on his horse, jumped off first, and began preparing an ambush. Although his servants behind him were still somewhat panicked, they understood their master's plan when they saw this, and they also pulled on their mounts, quickly forming a defensive line.

By the time the last few Later Jin soldiers had escaped past the highest point of the hill, more than twenty Later Jin warriors had already established their ambush line on the back slope. The Later Jin commander was rapidly issuing orders to them. These Later Jin soldiers turned their horses sideways to form a makeshift field fortification, and the first few to stop even removed the thick felt from their horses' backs to use as shields.

In the center of the horse-drawn defensive line, ten Later Jin soldiers picked up their iron-framed bows and had already drawn the bowstrings to their fullest extent. Just as they were making this preparation, Huang Shi leaped out from the hilltop, taking the lead. The Later Jin commander saw him clearly, pointed his arm forcefully at him, and shouted, "Fire!"

As he leaped over the highest point of the hill, Huang Shi could already see the enemy formation at the foot of the back slope. Seeing the arrows pointed at him from twenty meters away, Huang Shi instinctively leaned back, then quickly pulled the reins to the left, simultaneously crouching down to the left side of his mount. His violent tug nearly ripped the bridle off the horse's head, twisting its neck into a wide arc to the left. At that moment, a volley of arrows whistled through the air. As Huang Shi's right leg dislodged from the stirrup and he fell to the left, he saw two arrows glide overhead, and his mount let out a painful neigh.

The horse was struck in four arrows in the chest and two in the neck. Before it collapsed to the ground, Huang Shi himself had already dislodged from the stirrups and rolled awkwardly to the ground. In his desperate attempt to avoid being crushed by the horse, only one thought flashed through Huang Shi's mind: "When I have money, I must equip my horse with breastplates and neck armor."

...

Later, the Jinniu troop, seeing Huang Shi fall from his horse, hurriedly urged the archers to draw their bows. Just as they were about to draw their bows again, the rear guard of the Ming army rushed in, firing ten arrows that felled two more Ming riders. The Ming army's warhorses refused to charge into the Later Jin army's horse-drawn defensive line, automatically carrying their riders and circling around from both flanks. The clash between the two outermost Later Jin soldiers and Ming cavalry resulted in a 1-1 draw: one Ming soldier was impaled by a Later Jin spear, while the other had his skull cleaved open by a passing Ming soldier.

The Later Jin commander immediately ordered half of his cavalry to engage the Ming cavalry. He knew the Ming army would grow in number, and Huang Shi's hundreds of men would soon arrive. His only chance was to kill Huang Shi before then, hoping the enemy's morale would collapse and they would retreat—the only chance for these few dozen Later Jin soldiers to survive.

In an instant, twenty of the thirty-odd Ming cavalry charged forward, and several others dismounted and gathered where Huang Shi had landed. Knowing his chance of survival was fleeting, the Later Jin commander decisively ordered his men to charge, then pushed aside his horse and, wielding a large axe, charged towards Huang Shi's position.

...

After falling from his horse, Huang Shi stumbled back two steps, one in his right chest and the other in the front of his right thigh, but neither arrow caused any damage. The front of his armor was already very strong, with an average thickness of about two or three times that of the back armor, and the right chest was one of the thickest parts of his armor. The arrows that hit there couldn't penetrate his mountain-patterned armor.

In fact, the thigh armor of the general's armor was also an important piece of armor, which Huang Shi estimated to be about one millimeter thick. But perhaps the arrow was too close; it managed to deeply indent the mountain-patterned armor plate, and the arrowhead was embedded directly in the armor. Huang Shi pulled it out with a forceful tug with his left hand, and quickly glanced at the arrowhead—thankfully, there was no blood on it. The armor that Eunuch Wei had carefully selected was indeed of good quality.

When the Later Jin soldiers rushed over, Huang Shi had already stood up. He forcefully threw the arrow aside, and then drew the long dagger from his waist. Huang Shi looked at the Later Jin soldiers lying in ambush at the foot of the mountain ahead. He casually twirled his longsword in his right hand, slowly bringing it to a stop in front of his chest, pointing diagonally forward. He uttered a cold, detached remark: "Well done! Just as expected, a cornered rat will bite a cat, a cornered dog will jump over a wall."

Before encountering this small ambush, Huang Shi had already vented his anger quite a bit. The resentment that had accumulated over the past few days had been largely washed away by the joy of the hunt. After being shot twice by arrows, falling from his mount, and rolling on the ground in a sorry state, Huang Shi suddenly felt the anger in his chest burning fiercely, almost bursting out of his throat.

Before the enemy began their charge, Huang Shi gripped his longsword with both hands, took a firm step on the ground, and even had time to shake his neck from side to side, assuming an attack stance. Looking down at the Later Jin warriors, his heart was filled with contempt and disdain: "Barbarians, barbarians. You have no culture, no creativity, no art, no history, not even ancestors, and you even have to claim ancestors from different sources... You really have nothing... All you can do is show off your ability to kill, rob, and destroy civilizations... If you can't fight at sea, try land battles; if you can't fight at long range, try close combat; you lost the cavalry battle today, do you still want to save face with foot battles?"

Huang Shi stared at his mortal enemies charging towards him, and while swinging his longsword, he cursed: "What other skills do you Tartars have? Show them all! Grandpa is here waiting to see."

A fierce giant rushed up from the opposite side, wielding a long-handled axe with great power. Huang Shi blocked one of his aerial downward slashes with both hands.

Then another downward slash, faster than lightning, came. Huang Shi blocked it again with force, only to feel a surge of force, and he was pushed back a step, his sword slipping from his hand. The enemy was clearly fighting with all their might, their long axe sweeping in a wide arc, causing him to lose his footing and spin sideways.

When Tianqi bestowed the Shangfang Sword, he instructed Huang Shi to always keep it with him, but Wu Mu and many others believed it was better not to carry out this order. Wu Mu had advised Huang Shi to treat the Shangfang Sword like others, which would be the most appropriate way, but Huang Shi felt Tianqi's words were serious.

Huang Shi took a step back to steady himself, gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, and pulled hard… the Emperor's Sword was already drawn, the cold light flowing across its crystalline blade like a clear spring.

Chapter 6: Returning to One's Heart.

As Huang Shi drew his sword, a Later Jin soldier carrying a flag spear charged towards him. Although he couldn't see the face clearly, he felt the man must be quite young. On the way to Lushun, and in the Battle of Gaizhou, the enemies who had fought Huang Shi to the death had left him with fierce memories. Huang Shi had killed more than one white-armored soldier, and this one, in terms of both demeanor and physique, didn't seem like a seasoned veteran.

He had initially intended to use his dagger as a shield, but facing an opponent swinging an axe, having a dagger in his left hand was somewhat inconvenient. Huang Shi swiftly tossed the dagger at the man, and as the enemy soldier dodged to the side, Huang Shi deftly moved aside, then tucked the flagpole under his left arm.

The enemy soldier pulled back the spear with force, but Huang Shi firmly gripped the shaft with his left hand, and with a swift swing of his longsword, struck the enemy soldier's left forearm. With a scream, the enemy soldier released his right hand to clutch his severed arm, and after suddenly losing his balance, he tumbled headfirst down the mountainside. Huang Shi, without changing expression, collected the banner and tossed it at his feet. Before the enemy soldier tumbled down, he recognized his face; he was probably a young man of about twenty.

Several screams rang out around them. The guards surrounding Huang Shi, regardless of anything else, were equipped far better than the Later Jin soldiers. Before the enemy could charge, they were already poised to strike, launching a fierce attack from their high position.

The axe-wielding burly man lunged at Huang Shi again. Having discarded his dagger, Huang Shi could now grip the sword hilt with his entire left hand. He braced himself against the axe handle, using his height and weight advantage, his arm spinning rapidly before he swung the axe away. The enemy recoiled in panic, taking two steps back. Facing the unarmed enemy, Huang Shi raised his sword above his head, intending to finish him off with a heavy blow.

As Huang Shi drew his sword back deeply, he saw a flicker of fear on his opponent's face... He had already inhaled deeply, and the fear on his opponent's face deepened... Just as he was about to let out a shout and unleash his full power, his opponent's face contorted with terror, and he even took a step back—all these actions happened in an instant.

Immediately afterward, Huang Shi felt a gust of wind behind him. In the split second before his sword moved, a colossal object swept past him, the surging air almost causing Huang Shi to stumble.

Before him stood the back of a mounted general, wielding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, who delivered a powerful horizontal slash. Huang Shi watched as the enemy's head flew into the air, and at the same time, he heard a deep, resonant shout, a deep male voice brimming with the might of a great man: "Slay—"

Countless cavalrymen surged into the battlefield in succession, and Huang Shi and his guards found themselves inexplicably pulled from the heart of the battle. The newly arrived cavalrymen roared with earth-shattering cries, and the small battlefield instantly erupted into chaos. Huang Shi retreated several steps, finally understanding the situation before him. He reached for his sword sheath with his left hand and sheathed the Imperial Sword. Cavalrymen continued to charge from both sides, and a voice roared from afar: "Kill! Men, kill the slaves!"

...

Less than a moment after General Jin arrived with hundreds of Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, the battle was over without any suspense. Twenty-odd Later Jin soldiers were chopped into mincemeat by the swarming Guan Ning cavalry. A dozen or so Later Jin cavalrymen, without even dismounting, took advantage of the Ming army's distraction to flee the battlefield as quickly as possible. Huang Shi's guards, concerned for their commander, did not pursue them.

"The Jurchens abandoned their allies and superiors, deserting in the face of battle, while the Guan Ning cavalry fought bravely..." Huang Shi muttered to himself in a low voice, only he could hear. His allies were chaotically clearing the battlefield. Hong Antong had already retrieved Huang Shi's sword: "My lord, the sword."

Huang Shi sheathed both the sword and the long dagger. Hong Antong, with barely concealed envy, looked at Huang Shi's other sword and couldn't help but ask, "Sir, isn't it delightful to kill bandits with the Imperial Sword?"

"Oh..." Huang Shi blurted out without hesitation, "Very enjoyable! Killing bandits with the Imperial Sword is better than killing a cow."

This remark elicited laughter from the guards around Huang Shi. Before the Battle of Sarhu, the Liaodong garrison was already exhausted and its troops were depleted. When Yang Hao, the Right Vice Minister of War, ordered the slaughter of a cow as a pledge of righteous indignation, the soldiers tried three times with different knives, but failed to stab the cow in the stomach. Frustrated, Yang Hao, in a fit of anger, ordered the soldiers to use the Imperial Sword to kill the cow, and finally succeeded.

After the battles of Sarhu, Shenyang, and Liaoyang, most of the Liaodong garrison's military families' sons, unwilling to be ruled by a foreign tribe, fled to Korea or south to Lushun. Over 90% of the officers and soldiers of the Dongjiang Army were from the Liaodong garrison. When Huang Shi mentioned the anecdote about slaughtering the ox, the soldiers on Changsheng Island burst into laughter, but the laughter gradually turned into sorrowful sighs.

Back then, the military households of Liaodong Garrison were impoverished, and the generals of Liaodong advocated allowing their soldiers to eat their fill for a few more months and to be issued more weapons before attacking Jianzhou. However, the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty strictly forbade this, believing that the military budget had already been exceeded. Therefore, the Ministry of War told Liaodong Garrison that the provisions would only last until this winter, and if they did not attack Jianzhou soon, they would have no more provisions.

An officer of the Imperial Guard sighed, "If... if the fathers and brothers of Liaodong Garrison had received the armor that the officials issued to us, how could we have lost Sarhu?"

These words silenced the soldiers on Changsheng Island, including Huang Shi. Besides the unexpected incident of not being able to pierce the ox's belly with three blows, even the Liaodong Garrison's general, Du Song, was poorly equipped. Du Song's iron helmet was completely rusted. The Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty simply coated it with paint and issued it to the Liaodong Garrison as a genuine product. However, on the battlefield, a stray arrow pierced through the helmet of such a high-ranking general as Du Song, killing him instantly.

Du Song's servants retrieved their master's body. The helmet, as flimsy as paper, left even Grand Secretary Xu Guangqi helpless, though he could only lament in anguish. No official from the Ministry of Works was punished for this. Civil officials treated military officers like servants, while military officers treated civil officials like enemies! Many of the soldiers in the Dongjiang Garrison were originally from Liaodong Garrison households. Tens of thousands of Liaodong Garrison soldiers died in the Battle of Sarhu, and many of the soldiers on Changsheng Island also lost their fathers and brothers in the battle.

An inner guard sighed and quietly repeated Duncan's words: "The officials of our Ministry of Works should all be beheaded."

Hong Antong, not being from a Liaodong Garrison household, couldn't join the conversation. Seeing everyone fall silent as they reminisced about the past, Hong Antong deftly twirled his saber twice in the air, then expertly sheathed it. He shouted to Huang Shi, "This saber hasn't seen blood in a long time. Although I practice day and night, I'm always worried my skills have become rusty..."

Patting the hilt of his sword, Hong Antong let out a satisfied sigh, "Today I finally had my fill! My old sword is still sharp!"

This drew a chorus of applause from those around him. Lately, the Imperial Guard had been performing duties similar to military police. After today's exhilarating battle with the Later Jin soldiers, not only was Huang Shi invigorated, but his Imperial Guard, like a blood-stained steel blade, had also developed a sharp, murderous aura.

Having released his pent-up energy, Jin Guan strode towards Huang Shi and his men. Approaching Huang Shi, he first bowed deeply, then gracefully twirled his broadsword in a circle, the hilt landing heavily on the ground.

Jin Guan, right hand on the hilt, knelt with his left hand on his knee: "This humble general is late, please forgive me, General Huang."

Zhang Guoqing and Wu Yu followed closely behind Jin Guan, kneeling simultaneously on one knee to Jin's left and right, chanting in unison: "This humble general is late, I deserve death, I deserve death!"

"Please rise, three generals, thank you for your righteous assistance." Huang Shi hurriedly gestured for them to rise. He had already invested a considerable amount in these three men today; if they were all killed by the Later Jin soldiers, it would be a huge loss. Although these three men, along with the missing General Hu, had deceived Zhang Minghe yesterday, they were ultimately members of the Guan Ning Army, and Huang Shi was not their superior. At most, he would make them relinquish some merit and silver as a slight punishment.

Huang Shi had already shared his thoughts with Zhang Minghe while observing the battle. Although Huang Shi reprimanded Zhang Minghe, he still agreed to reissue him a musket. While the regulations on Changsheng Island included penalties for damaging weapons, the specific circumstances described in those regulations didn't entirely match Zhang Minghe's mistake from yesterday. Since there had never been a case of friendly forces maliciously stealing military supplies from Changsheng Island, Huang Shi planned to add a new regulation after returning and not pursue the matter further.

Seeing Jin Guan and the others kneeling before Huang Shi, Zhang Minghe, though seething with hatred, had no reason to persist. Zhang Minghe felt it was best to follow Huang Shi's lead to quickly integrate into the Changsheng Island core group.

Jin Guan, unaware of Huang Shi's intentions, guessed that Huang Shi wouldn't allow himself to be humiliated. Hearing Huang Shi's polite tone, General Jin's heart pounded with anxiety. He thought to himself, "Being polite is like being a stranger; being a stranger means not treating that person as one of our own..." Hearing the rustling of armor behind him, and that Zhang Guoqing and Wu Yu seemed about to rise, Jin Guan quickly coughed and lowered his head even further: "This humble general has faced danger time and again, and it is General Huang who has saved my life. This great kindness is something I can never repay."

Jin Guan's voice trembled with emotion as he spoke, and Zhang and Wu immediately snapped out of their daze. They were about to stand up when their bodies sank, and they both collapsed to the ground: "General Huang's repeated acts of saving our lives, we will never forget, never forget!"

When General Yao was not present, General Jin was clearly the leader of the group. He slammed his fist on the ground several times: "Last night I heard that the Jurchens had retreated, and we wanted to pursue them, but we were short of weapons. That scoundrel Hu Yining then urged me to borrow muskets from General Zhang. I was blinded by greed and thought I'd borrow them first, and return them after I'd used them..."

At this point, Lieutenant General Jin let out a long sigh, too ashamed to speak. The other two behind him understood, knowing they couldn't avoid this, so they joined in cursing Hu Yining. After cursing Hu Yining for a while, with Lieutenant General Jin leading the way, the three of them changed their tune, repeatedly cursing that they should have died long ago, and that from now on, as long as Huang Shi gave the order, they would go through fire and water without hesitation.

During this time, Huang Shi tried several times to pull the three of them up, but as soon as he helped one up, another would fall down again. They just lay there repeatedly and sincerely confessing their guilt, seven parts blaming themselves and three parts blaming General Hu. After a while, General Jin lost his temper, pounding his chest and shouting, "This humble general will take men back right now and risk his life to find all three hundred muskets lost on the road for General Zhang. If even one is missing, this humble general will not return. I'm telling you, Commander Huang!"

The other two joined in the commotion, and Huang Shi, naturally, couldn't let them go on like this. He quickly said that lost muskets could be remade, and it wasn't worth risking everything for them. General Jin and the others continued their commotion for a while, finally forcing Huang Shi to agree to compensate them at a price of fifty taels of silver per musket before they reluctantly stood up.

A single musket from Changsheng Island wouldn't normally cost more than a few taels of silver. When Huang Shi returned to Changsheng Island, Bao Jiusun told him that with the steel drill bit, efficiency had greatly improved; what used to take a whole day to drill a musket could now be done in three hours. Since General Jin and his men were being so courteous, Huang Shi felt embarrassed to make things difficult for them any longer, and the matter of stealing the musket seemed to be forgotten.

"I won't thank you enough, General Huang has saved me so many times. From now on, whatever you command, I will gladly serve you," General Jin and his men said, fearing Huang Shi wouldn't include them in the list of those who had contributed to the victory. Then Zhang Guoqing added angrily, "It's all that bastard Hu Yining's fault, always coming up with bad ideas, good riddance!"

This resonated with many. Wu Yu, his face full of indignation, waved his hand in a mock chopping motion: "That's right, that's right. That scoundrel Hu Yining… humph, humph. I really wish I could chop him a couple of times!"

The battle was over, but Hu Yining hadn't been found; everyone assumed he was probably dead. Huang Shi understood that these officers needed a way out, so he generously gave them one: "Alright, alright. Death is the greatest virtue. No matter what wrong Officer Hu was, he fought bravely and died for his country. Let's not blame him anymore."

Hearing Huang Shi's words, Officer Jin and the others felt reassured. Since Huang Shi wasn't even willing to blame Hu Yining anymore, their military merits were almost certainly preserved. The crowd immediately erupted in agreement:

"Commander Huang is truly magnanimous."

"If Hu Yining knew this in the afterlife, he would surely be ashamed beyond measure." "

These past few days, I've been fighting alongside Commander Huang, and I have a feeling I can't quite describe—a warm and comforting feeling."

...

Several people lavishly praised Huang Shi, taking the opportunity to praise themselves a bit, and also to criticize Hu Yining. Wu Yu yelled at the top of his lungs, "General Huang is magnanimous enough not to bother with that scoundrel Hu Yining, but I don't have his magnanimity. If we find his corpse later, I'll definitely kick it a couple of times. Don't try to stop me!"

"Who's going to stop you?" Zhang Guoqing shouted, spitting as he did so, then made a chopping motion, "I'm going to chop it a couple more times."

"And me..." Jin Guan had just raised his hand, but before he could finish his sentence, a long, drawn-out shout came from afar: "General Huang!"

From a distant hill, a disheveled man emerged. He stumbled and ran towards the yellow flag. The guards, seeing this man's sudden appearance, immediately stirred. Many Guan Ning soldiers drew their bows and arrows, while others raised their muskets and aimed.

Upon seeing this, the newcomer removed his hat and waved it at the crowd, shouting excitedly in a loud voice filled with heartfelt joy: "Don't shoot arrows! Don't fire guns! Commander Huang, it's me... I'm Hu Yining! Commander Huang, it's me, Hu Yining!"

After falling from his horse, Hu Yining had slipped to the roadside to avoid the brunt of the attack. He carefully observed his surroundings while hastily donning a soldier's uniform he'd hidden somewhere. He saw Later Jin cavalry passing by frequently, and his heart pounded with anxiety. Staying still in the open meant certain death from the cold, but if discovered, even in soldier's attire, he might still be beheaded.

Just as Hu Yining was at his wit's end, the situation around him suddenly changed. He lay prone behind a hill, listening to the sounds of horses' hooves and fighting, completely unable to guess what was happening. When he heard people calling his name from all around, Hu Yining didn't realize they were looking for him. He worried that his men had been captured and might have confessed to his presence on the battlefield, which he feared was a trap set by the Jurchens to lure him out.

Therefore, the experienced and cautious Hu Yining remained hidden, waiting until the noise faded into the distance before cautiously peeking out to observe the situation. After careful examination, he not only confirmed Huang Shi's snake flag but also vaguely recognized his old comrades, including Jin Guan. Hu Yining was overjoyed and nearly fainted, rushing out to reunite with them.

As Hu Yining charged, General Jin was still raising his hand in a half-chopping motion. Once he recognized the man as his brother Hu, he lunged forward and gave Hu Yining a hearty, bear-like hug, tears welling in his eyes: "Brother Hu, you've worried me sick!"

Zhang Guoqing and Wu Yu were also teary-eyed, and the four of them embraced tightly: "Lord Hu, we've finally brought our reinforcements! We were so worried we'd be too late!"

Hu Yining struggled to push the three away, then pounced on Huang Shi and knelt before him like a hungry tiger. "This humble general has faced danger time and again, and it is Commander Huang who has saved my life. I am truly grateful for his great kindness and generosity! From now on, if Commander Huang gives the order, I, Hu Yining, will go through fire and water without hesitation… Hmm, this humble general will return now and, at the cost of my life, retrieve all three hundred muskets lost on the road for General Zhang. If even one is missing, this humble general will never set foot on Juehua again… I entrust this to you, Commander Huang."

Seeing

Hu Yining safe and sound, Huang Shi was very pleased. There is a saying, "Having more friends means having more paths…" Huang Shi had always been a staunch believer in this. He did not believe that he could overcome all future difficulties by relying solely on Changsheng Island, nor did he intend to. In the past, Huang Shi had tried his best to get along with both the Shandong civil officials and the allied forces of Dongjiang. Although

these allies were somewhat unscrupulous, they were still allies, and Huang Shi still intended to try his best to unite them and establish a friendly relationship. Furthermore, the performance of the Guan Ning cavalry just now reinforced Huang Shi's preconceived notion: as long as the Guan Ning cavalry fought seriously and honestly, instead of constantly scheming to "sacrifice their comrades to save themselves," they were not entirely without fighting power.

After the battle of Yaozhou, Ma Shilong had already lost power. In Huang Shi's opinion, apart from Man Zhu, the general of Ningyuan, the other five generals of the Guan Ning army, including Yang Qi, were basically finished. With the victory at Juehua and the many heads taken, Huang Shi estimated that the three Guan Ning adjutants who had cooperated with him were bound to be promoted. Ideally, all three would be promoted to general; even if not all of them, promotion to deputy general was highly probable.

If one could be promoted to general and two to deputy general, Huang Shi felt he could establish a good relationship with the Guan Ning army. Besides, there were three guerrilla commanders at Juehua; with such great merit this time, they would certainly receive a share as well. After this battle, the relationship between the Changsheng Island army and these generals was extraordinary. Even if they were transferred to Liaoxi, Huang Shi wouldn't be completely sidelined.

When Hu Yining returned to his unit, Huang Shi's horses had recovered somewhat. He personally led the team to continue searching northward, finding scattered soldiers along the way. To conserve horses, Huang Shi and his guards led their horses on foot, and nearly a thousand Guan Ning soldiers naturally followed suit. After all, walking a few extra steps wouldn't be too tiring, but in a crisis, horses could determine life or death.

As Huang Shi walked, he sent the scattered soldiers he found back to Juehua. Most of these men didn't have horses, and if they encountered a large Jin cavalry force, escaping with them would be difficult. But if he couldn't get them off the battlefield alive, why risk fighting this battle? Although Huang Shi led his horses on foot, he deliberately walked ahead of the main army so that the rescued Guan Ning soldiers could see the Changsheng Island flag.

These soldiers naturally knew who had saved their lives. With word spreading, the Guanzhong army gained many unpaid advocates. After walking several miles, Huang Shi had gathered three or four hundred scattered soldiers. After expressing their deepest gratitude, they began their journey home, heading south in twos and threes.

Huang Shi remembered that historically, Ningyuan Fort had sealed all four gates tightly to ensure its safety. It wasn't until three days after the Later Jin army left that Yuan Chonghuan recruited a few "suicide soldiers" from the Ningyuan Fort garrison and lowered them down the city wall to report to Shanhaiguan. Now, if they wanted the Guan-Ning cavalry inside Ningyuan Fort to open the gates, who knew when? Therefore, Huang Shi instructed the soldiers not to waste time going to Ningyuan Fort to knock on the gates; Zhao Tongpan of Juehua should have already cooked soup and warmed the food, and they should return to Juehua immediately.

Huang Shi still remembered his trip to Jinzhou in July. By then, he had become the Deputy General of Liaonan, and his mission was to inspect the preparations for the attack on Fuzhou. Tens of thousands of people in Jinzhou Fortress flocked to the streets to welcome him. Although half a year had passed since the Battle of Nanguan, the gratitude of the soldiers and households saved by Huang Shi had not diminished but had instead grown stronger, like aged wine. Every household in Jinzhou Fortress had erected a monument in Huang Shi's honor. Looking at the tens of thousands of faces cheering and jumping for joy, Huang Shi couldn't help but think—after pacifying Liaodong, spending the rest of my life in Liaonan wouldn't be so bad.

After returning to his unit, Hu Yining refused to change back into his general's armor. When everyone had advised him to be mindful of his appearance, Hu Yining shouted at the top of his lungs, "I did run away, I did change into a common soldier's uniform, all under the clear blue sky. Even if I changed back, it would just be burying my head in the sand, but..."

Hu Yining held up both hands, thumbs up, and declared to Huang Shi, "But when I saw Commander Huang's heroic figure, my courage returned. Thinking of my Hu family's 150-year history of military service, I regret not dying on the battlefield, bringing shame upon my ancestors. Now, I will wear this common soldier's uniform and follow Commander Huang to fight my way in and out seven times! This is called repentance, this is called knowing shame and then becoming courageous!"

Now, dressed in a common soldier's uniform, Hu Yining led a horse with his left hand and held a lance in his right, walking closely behind Huang Shi, looking just like a lackey. However, General Hu, emboldened by his shame, not only wasn't afraid of being seen as a servant, but even wore a smug smile. Earlier, when someone asked Huang Shi why he wasn't riding a horse, General Hu had retorted sharply, "General Huang is saving horses! How can you not understand such a simple thing? What if we encounter that old scoundrel Nurhaci? Wouldn't it be a pity if we escaped because of insufficient horsepower?"

Huang Shi couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Saving horses was a good idea, but the purpose was clearly not to pursue the enemy. If General Hu's jinx came true and they encountered Nurhaci's main force, Huang Shi would certainly flee in disarray. Huang Shi felt that Hu Yining understood this as well, but his words were also good; at least they boosted morale, so Huang Shi let him be.

The thousand-strong army slowly advanced, and soon they arrived at a place less than a few miles from Lianshan Fort. The battle between the Later Jin rearguard and the Juehua Guan Ning Army early this morning was not far from here. General Jin and his troops were likely defeated north of Lianshan Fort. When the Ming army's vanguard crossed the last mountain ridge and entered the valley before Lianshan Fort, they were suddenly confronted by a large number of Later Jin soldiers. This greatly surprised the Dongjiang army's vanguard, as they hadn't encountered any Later Jin scouts along the way and had assumed the Later Jin army was far away.

The Ming army had pursued them from Ningyuan Fort, and Huang Shi figured the escaped Later Jin cavalry would at least reveal their location. Even if the enemy wanted to ambush them, they would certainly have sent scouts to investigate their forces. Therefore, since they hadn't seen a single scout along the way, Huang Shi had conserved his horses and hadn't sent out any long-range reconnaissance teams.

Upon hearing that the Later Jin army was right in front of them, Huang Shi was speechless with surprise. This was completely different from his years of experience fighting in Liaonan; he had never seen the Later Jin army so careless before. The scouts reported that the Later Jin army had few cavalry and had already attacked the Ming scouts. Huang Shi immediately ordered his entire army to mount up and rush to the aid of the scouts.

When Huang Shi led his troops close to the valley, the scene before him shocked him even more. The valley was littered with the corpses of hundreds of Ming soldiers, most of them facing south, clearly killed while fleeing. Several hundred Later Jin soldiers were still searching for spoils and cutting off heads in the valley. These Later Jin soldiers were stunned when they suddenly saw the Ming army appear at the valley entrance. The dozens of Later Jin soldiers who were rushing towards the valley entrance to attack the Ming scouts were also speechless with shock when they saw the large Ming column.

Although there were more than 400 Later Jin soldiers cleaning up the battlefield, only about 100 of them were armored soldiers; the remaining 300 or so were newly recruited Mongol bannermen and Han bondservants. Since entering the Hexi Corridor, the Later Jin army's vigilance had been steadily decreasing in the face of the Guan Ning army, which fled at the mere mention of their name. While the Battle of Juehua had somewhat curbed the Later Jin army's arrogance, they still didn't believe the Changsheng army would dare to launch a large-scale pursuit.

In fact, their assessment wasn't wrong; Huang Shi indeed had no plans for a major pursuit. If it weren't for a group of important figures getting caught in enemy lines today, Huang Shi would never have intended to leave Juehua. And after defeating the Guan Ning army's pursuit this morning, the Jianzhou army, responsible for the rearguard, had regained its usual arrogance, and the fact that the Dongjiang army hadn't pursued them confirmed their initial assessment.

With the harsh winter in the Northeast and so much spoils of war to clear from the battlefield, the Later Jin army didn't send out any more scouts southward. The two Niru who had pursued the defeated Guan Ning troops to Ningyuan Fort died in the chaos. Their subordinates, to evade responsibility, greatly exaggerated the number of Huang Shi's troops, reporting to the Later Jin commander that they had been ambushed by a large contingent of Dongjiang infantry and artillery. However, this failed to alert the Later Jin rearguard at Lianshan Fort.

The few hundred men in the valley were newly recruited Mongol soldiers and Han bondservants, relatively poor. Seeing so many Ming corpses, they rushed over to scavenge. The Later Jin officers and soldiers, believing the main Ming army was still twenty li away in Ningyuan, and mistaking the Dongjiang scouts for isolated Ming troops, paid them no attention.

Huang Shi, of course, was unaware of these details. The sudden close encounter with the Later Jin army caught him off guard, allowing the Guan Ning cavalry to overtake him. With a shout from Hu Yining, he charged forward on horseback, spear in hand. Before Huang Shi could give an order, the large contingent of Guan Ning troops surged forward from both flanks, closely following Hu Yining in the attack.

In the blink of an eye, Huang Shi found himself surrounded only by his inner guards and Zhang Minghe's personal guards. He stopped his eager men, smiling as he pointed ahead with his whip: "Do we even need to fight this battle?"

Indeed, no... The Later Jin armored soldiers opposite him numbered no more than a hundred, with cavalry probably making up less than a third, and they were scattered across a vast wasteland, searching for spoils. The remaining bannermen and bondservants, lacking combat experience, were exhausted and drenched in sweat after a long day's work. Nearly a thousand Guan Ning cavalrymen were as fierce as tigers descending from the mountains and as swift as dragons entering the sea. Seeing the massive Ming army appear before them like heavenly warriors, the Later Jin soldiers were stunned for a moment, then cried out in unison, scattering in all directions, screaming and begging for mercy.

While the Guan Ning army pursued the fleeing Ming troops, Huang Shi ordered his inner guards to quickly spread out their intelligence network. His earlier assessment had been wrong; the situation was now clear. The Later Jin army hadn't gone far; they too had misjudged the situation. Since the two armies are likely already very close, whoever figures out the situation first will be in an advantageous position and will be able to seize the initiative on the battlefield.

...

Not long after, north of Lianshan Fort.

The Plain Red Banner, which was responsible for covering the rear this morning, has already begun its northward march. Starting this afternoon, it will be the Plain Blue Banner's turn to cover the rear, and tomorrow it will be the Plain White Banner. These three banners responsible for the rearguard will take turns performing the rearguard mission to ensure the safety of the main army. Small detachments of the Later Jin army are marching along the official road, with Later Jin armored soldiers and cavalry leisurely on both sides of the convoy. In the marching ranks, the banner lords of the Plain Blue Banner and the Plain White Banner are also chatting leisurely.

Huang Taiji could have easily stayed in the warm carriage in front instead of riding in the wind, but he insisted on chatting with his fifth brother to relieve his boredom. Mangultai couldn't refuse this kindness and also enjoyed chatting with his clever younger brother, so the two rode together, laughing and talking, surrounded by guards from the two banner lords. When

the urgent report of Ming army pursuit arrived from behind, Mangultai and Huang Taiji's expressions changed drastically. The three beile responsible for the rearguard had not been unaware of the possibility of Ming army pursuit. Although Huang Taiji and Mangultai believed that the possibility of Huang Shi pursuing them was extremely low, they had still set up an ambush, leaving only a Plain Red Banner to lure the enemy in the front.

But the more than three thousand Ming soldiers who came to pursue this morning were easily defeated by the Plain Red Banner, and the Ming army's tactical style was clearly different from Huang Shi's. The three beile were very clear that the Dongjiang army was not among them. In the end, the three brothers concluded that this was definitely not an operation commanded by Huang Shi. To be on the safe side, Daishan also sent several soldiers in white armor to pursue them for ten miles, but they found no trace of the Dongjiang troops along the way.

Just now, two defeated Niru returned, reporting an encounter with a large force of Huang Shi's artillery and infantry around Ningyuan Fort. This news largely matched the strategic expectations of the three Beile. They had previously believed that after the Later Jin army retreated, Huang Shi might go to Ningyuan Fort to join the main Ming army force. The Dongjiang army's actions confirmed their judgment; Huang Shi had indeed entered the city with cannons.

However, the latest reports from the troops overturned all previous predictions. The panicked rear guard reported seeing Huang Shi's snake banner, and that Huang Shi had at least several thousand cavalrymen, too many to count. They were already within ten miles of the Later Jin rear guard.

"Impossible! Where did Huangshi get so many people? I count heads for Huangshi every day, how come I don't know he has several thousand cavalry?" Mangultai's face turned pale, and he reached into his robes to pull out a small notebook—the notebook he had carried with him every step of the way for months. The Third Prince quickly dipped his index finger on his tongue, rapidly flipped to the page he was looking for, and nervously pointed his finger back and forth along the lines of records, quickly doing the calculations in his mind again.

After finishing the calculations, Mangultai shook his head, his right hand trembled impatiently, and he flipped the notebook back to the first page, while simultaneously putting his left thumb in his mouth and unconsciously biting his nails. Mangultai focused intently on flipping through the notebook again, his fingers trembling uncontrollably on the pages, his heavy breathing becoming increasingly rapid, and the beard on his face shaking faster and faster. Suddenly, he let out a furious roar, his voice filled with despair and indignation: "This number is wrong! I can't possibly be wrong either! There are only six or seven hundred cavalrymen on Changsheng Island. Where did these thousands of cavalrymen come from? Did Huangshi create soldiers from beans, or did they just pick them up off the roadside?"

Mangultai grinned, his face flushed, waving his notebook in the air. Seeing that he was so angry that tears welled up in his eyes, Huang Taiji quickly grabbed his arm and comforted him: "Don't be like this, Fifth Brother, let's ask more carefully. Don't rush."

...

Several Guan Ning army generals returned, panting heavily. Although they were exhausted, their faces were filled with excitement and anticipation, especially Hu Yining. This time, Hu Yining had truly turned the tide. The red tassel on his lance was soaked with blood, and two human heads hung at his waist. After returning, General Hu remained silent, both he and his mount breathing heavily, exhaling white smoke in the cold wind.

Jin Guan, without a word, dismounted and plopped down on the ground, stroking his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and letting out a satisfied sigh: "The feeling of chasing people...it's so good, so good."

This elicited chorus of agreement from General Hu's other old comrades. Hu Yining seemed to want to say something, but burst into a violent cough as soon as he opened his mouth. He covered his mouth with his hand, nodding frantically, his face filled with deep sorrow. The

Later Jin soldiers lining both sides of the official road had either been slaughtered or fled. Huang Shi, fearing a counterattack by a large Later Jin force, dared not allow them to clean up the battlefield. Just as he had gathered the Guan Ning army, scouts confirmed Huang Shi's concerns. The scouts had already spotted the rearguard of the Later Jin army, and the Later Jin army had clearly noticed them as well, sending out a large number of scouts towards the Ming army.

"Ten miles ahead, we've spotted the banners of the Jurchen Plain Blue and Plain White Banners, about a thousand cavalrymen, slowly approaching our army," the scout reported to Huang Shi, a hint of worry in his eyes.

However, before Huang Shi could speak, Zhang Guoqing sneered, "A mere firefly's light dares to compete with the sun and moon? Perfect timing! I was just worried about not having enough heads to claim credit for!"

Although they had killed over two hundred people in the previous battle, ultimately there were too many wolves and not enough meat, and Zhang Guoqing hadn't managed to get many. He turned and clasped his hands deeply in a fist salute to Huang Shi: "This humble general is willing to be the vanguard and slaughter the Tartars without leaving a single one alive!"

"No..." Hu Yining finally caught his breath and shouted: "Zhang Youji, you cannot try to claim all the credit for yourself."

Hu Lieutenant General immediately turned to Huang Shi: "General Huang, this humble general is also willing to go with you!"

Can the towering peak bear the weight? Chapter 8 Interlude

"Retreat."

After Huang Shi finished speaking, several Guan Ning army generals looked at him with incredulous expressions, all thinking they had misheard. Both sides appeared to have a thousand or so cavalry, the enemy and our forces were evenly matched, and Huang Shi was a famous "enemy of ten thousand men," who had always won with fewer troops over the years. These Guan Ning army generals were in high spirits and thought that Huang Shi would encourage his remaining strength to advance and break through the Later Jin rear guard, so they all volunteered to join the battle and share the spoils.

"I said, retreat." Huang Shi said it again in a calm tone, and at the same time ordered the scouts to be recalled.

Although the enemy's numbers were small, Huang Shi knew that with two banner leaders present, their entourages must be elite Later Jin troops. Their slow movement suggested reinforcements were likely behind them. They were already nearly twenty li from Ningyuan, and

Huang Shi felt he had done more than enough in this rescue operation. He summarized the situation briefly. The Guan Ning army, if they calmed down, could see the disparity in troop strength. Huang Shi bluntly told the Guan Ning generals, "Military strategy dictates: first seek invincibility within yourself, then seek vulnerability against the enemy. Your loyalty and courage are commendable, and I will certainly report this to the Emperor. However, the enemy's momentum is overwhelming, and you have a long road ahead. Why act rashly? I am determined to retreat; I hope you will do my best."

Hearing that Huang Shi lacked confidence, the Guan Ning generals immediately lost heart. Besides, Huang Shi had already promised to report their achievements, so the generals asked for nothing more. However, as is customary, the Guan Ning generals, being worldly-wise, readily agreed to Huang Shi's decision, unanimously expressing their agreement to retreat. They considered Huang Shi's decision incredibly wise and decisive.

Retreating from the enemy lines is a more complex tactical maneuver than pursuing. Although the enemy was still far away and they hadn't formally encountered each other, Huang Shi felt that dealing with the Guan Ning cavalry couldn't be taken lightly. The rescue operation had been very successful so far; the last leg of a journey is often the hardest.

Huang Shi hadn't thought too much about it when he arrived, but now his mind was calming down. He worried that if he left these inexperienced Guan Ning soldiers behind, they might panic and run away, turning his thousand-odd cavalry into sheep again. Huang Shi didn't want to be dragged down by the Guan Ning army on the way back to Juehua, suffering a rout and losing the victory he had risked his life to win. The

Later Jin army was still several miles away; it would take them some time to scout and assess the enemy situation. Huang Shi and his personal guards each had a horse, and Ningyuan wasn't too far away; surely they could get back.

Having figured this out, Huang Shi calmly told his generals, "You retreat first; I will personally bring up the rear."

After assigning tasks, Huang Shi ordered the Guan Ning army to immediately begin their retreat. He confided in his generals, "In my opinion, the Jurchens opposite us number around three thousand in armor. About half of them are cavalry, but the Jurchens are currently terrified. Therefore, as long as our army retreats in formation, they will be hesitant and dare not pursue us."

After speaking, Huang Shi paused to let them understand his meaning, then smiled and said, "Gentlemen, as long as you proceed slowly, the Jurchens will not dare to attack. I entrust my life to you all."

Several Guan Ning generals shouted in unison that they dared not, and then led their troops away separately. Of course, the situation was not as serious as Huang Shi made it out to be. It was only a few dozen miles from here to Juehua, and if things got really bad, Huang Shi could escape using his horse. However, Huang Shi always believed that a sense of accomplishment was very important for improving work enthusiasm, and a sense of honor was indispensable in the army. Therefore, even if it was a retreat, it was worthwhile to spend some time encouraging the troops.

The Guan Ning army indeed retreated slowly and in neat formation. Zhang Minghe, who had been staying by Huang Shi's side, looked around at his own men and couldn't help but say indignantly, "Sir, we Dongjiang Army soldiers are at the forefront of fighting the enemy and retreating behind. We do all the hard and tiring work, but these good-for-nothings get all the credit."

Huang Shi was about to explain when he saw the disapproving look on Hong Antong's face, so he gestured for Hong Antong to share his opinion as well. Hong Antong immediately launched into a long-winded explanation: "As the saying goes, 'A hero needs three helpers.' Without these thousand Guan Ning soldiers, our strength would be far less than that of our hundred inner guards from Changsheng Island and Lord Zhang's twenty cavalry. Even if every member of my Dongjiang army fought bravely, we would inevitably suffer heavy losses on this march."

Seeing Huang Shi nodding and smiling, Hong Antong, encouraged, spoke even more fluently: "My lord often says, 'Helping others is helping yourself,' and frequently instructs his subordinates: 'Kill the bear first, then consider dividing the meat.' I believe that if we had let the Guan Ning soldiers lead the charge today, or left them to cover the rear, we would have ended up losing the battle." "Not only will countless brothers die, but all our previous efforts will be in vain. That would be a huge loss,"

Huang Shi said. "Brother Hong understands my heart."

Hong Antong bowed on his horse, his tone filled with undisguised pride: "You flatter me, sir. It's all thanks to your past teachings."

Seeing Huang Shi looking at him again, Zhang Minghe, suddenly realizing what was going on, also smiled and said: "Your wisdom and foresight are beyond the reach of others."

Huang Shi nodded heavily: "Brother Zhang's contribution in this battle is outstanding.

He should be ranked first in the merits." Although Huang Shi had been supporting Zhang Minghe since the Battle of Nanguan, after Zhang Minghe surrendered after the Battle of Fuzhou, Huang Shi had never forgotten any of his achievements. Huang Shi's open suggestion that Hong Antong say those words clearly showed that he already considered Zhang Minghe a trusted general, something Zhang Minghe was well aware of. After a few words of modesty, he said no more, secretly pleased with himself, deeply grateful for his decision to join the Dongjiang Army.

"After returning to Changsheng Island, I will try to replenish the Vanguard Battalion with another three hundred muskets," Huang Shi added with a smile, "but what is done once must not be repeated. Brother Zhang must be careful in the future, and absolutely no similar incident should happen again."

"Understood, sir, please rest assured."

At this time, the Guan Ning Army had already moved two miles away, and most of the inner guard scouts on Changsheng Island had also returned. A scout delivered the latest report: "Reporting to sir, the Jurchen cavalry of over a thousand is still slowly moving south, about seven to eight miles away from here. The Jurchens have also sent twenty scouts to intercept our scouts, so we do not know if the Jurchens have any reinforcements."

"Hmm, let's wait a little longer." Huang Shi looked at the setting sun. He planned to wait until the main force of the Later Jin was within five miles before starting to retreat. His hundred cavalrymen staying here could hinder the Later Jin army's reconnaissance work. If his troops were driven back by a few dozen Later Jin scouts, his true strength would be exposed immediately.

Today's military operation could be described as perfect, except for one minor incident: the failure to find Zhao Yingong's sister and brother-in-law. Before departing from Juehua, Zhao Yingong had pleaded with Huang Shi to look after his sister and brother-in-law. However, Huang Shi told him that the battlefield was ever-changing, and that the couple, a scholar and a frail woman, would likely face dire consequences if they encountered a ferocious enemy. Huang Shi had given Zhao Yingong a heads-up, advising him to prepare himself mentally.

Zhao Yingong expressed his understanding and explicitly stated that he agreed Huang Shi should prioritize the overall situation and not put himself in danger for his sister and brother-in-law. Although Zhao Tongpan said this, Huang Shi still hoped to encounter his relatives by chance; after all, it would save two lives, but now that hope seemed extremely slim.

...

Several miles away.

Mangultai, gripping his beloved large iron shield, solemnly rode slowly before his headquarters. Just now, Huang Taiji advised him not to be the first to charge, but Mangultai was worried about low morale, so he insisted on leading the charge to boost morale. Huang Taiji and Mangultai had already ordered the unarmored soldiers and bondservants to retreat immediately. At the same time, Huang Taiji also sent someone to his Plain White Banner to immediately come to reinforce them.

Just now, Huang Taiji helped Mangultai with some calculations, concluding that Huang Shi himself did not have that many cavalry, and the reinforcements from Changsheng Island should not arrive so quickly. Their final conclusion was that Huang Shi's forces, in addition to his elite fire brigade and half of the mysterious new elite brigade, might also include seven battalions from Ningyuan and four battalions from Juehua in pursuit. The two battalions of Guan Ning Army that morning were probably overly ambitious and reckless, but this time they should be Huang Shi's main force.

If it is a full-scale attack, there would be about ten Guan Ning Army field battalions and two Dongjiang Army field battalions, with about 25,000 soldiers. This massive force, roughly twice the size of the Later Jin armored troops, was certainly beyond the capabilities of the Later Jin's rearguard of three banners. However, given the Ming army's rapid pursuit, they clearly hadn't brought many auxiliary troops.

Mangultai judged that the Ming army was pursuing with light troops, carrying only their armor and no supplies, allowing them to quickly catch up with the Later Jin's rearguard. Therefore, their total strength should be between 30,000 and 35,000. Although the Later Jin had fewer armored troops, only 12,000, Mangultai and Huang Taiji didn't have high hopes for the Guan Ning army's fighting ability, so they didn't believe the Ming army had any numerical advantage.

The Battle of Juehua proved the Guan Ning army wasn't entirely vulnerable, but the two princes believed that the eleven field battalions of Guan Ning were only good at holding positions, their field combat capabilities were very poor, at best on par with the Later Jin's unarmored soldiers, bondservants, and Mongol herdsmen. Despite this conclusion, they were unwilling to fight. Unless the Later Jin leadership collectively lost their minds, they would never accept a battle with a high exchange ratio.

What truly worried the two princes was that among the tens of thousands of Ming troops were three thousand elite soldiers from Huangshi's directly administered territory. Sending the rearguard, the Plain Blue Banner, to fight the three thousand Dongjiang troops to the death was clearly unrealistic, and even with the Plain White Banner added, the two brothers weren't confident. Furthermore, Huangshi had brought over twenty thousand Guan Ning soldiers to help; with the Dongjiang Army as the core, the Guan Ning Army might not be so easy to defeat. Since even with the Plain Red Banner, they couldn't be sure of success, Mangultai and Huang Taiji had no choice but to use a delaying tactic.

If they could weaken the Ming army's strength by another ten or twenty percent through the weather, Mangultai and Huang Taiji were confident they could turn around and crush the Ming army. Therefore, the two princes ordered all castles, post stations, and residences along the way to be burned immediately—in short, any place where they could find shelter from the cold must be destroyed for the Ming army… Tonight, the Plain Blue Banner and Plain White Banner would sleep in tents. The Ming army opposite them was advancing so quickly; they probably didn't have any camping equipment.

Mangultai and Huang Taiji's plan was to implement a scorched-earth policy, leaving the pursuing Ming army starving. If Huang Shi was sensible, he would obediently return to Ningyuan; if he insisted on pursuing, his army would be half-dead from the cold within days. Of course, even a delaying tactic required preparation time; if Huang Shi charged now, the entire plan would fail.

To create an atmosphere of confidence, Huang Taiji and Mangultai immediately led the Plain Blue Banner to slowly move backward. Huang Taiji's Plain White Banner also immediately raised its large flag to enhance the deterrent effect. Meanwhile, reports from Later Jin scouts came in rapid succession, confirming that the opposing commander was indeed Huang Shi. They also saw Huang Shi leading about a hundred cavalrymen blocking the entrance to the valley in front of the Lianshan Mountains, thus preventing them from detecting the Ming army's deployment behind the ridge.

Upon hearing that Huang Shi only had a hundred men with him, Mangultai and Huang Taiji exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion and worry in each other's eyes. Mangultai did some quick calculations: "Five li is about a safe distance. We might as well stop five li away. If the Ming army has several thousand cavalrymen chasing us, our thousand cavalrymen will have time to retreat."

"The Ming army's artillery has a range of about one li. Huang Shi's infantry are incredibly fast; they've probably already arrived. Hmm, his cannons are fast too; judging by the time, they should be here soon." Huang Taiji ignored Mangultai, preoccupied with his own thoughts, and after a while, suddenly looked up and laughed, "Fifth Brother, since we're bluffing, let's go all the way."

Mangultai glanced at his younger brother, who always liked to only say half of what he meant, and muttered with some dissatisfaction, "Just say it already; I'm listening."

...

Huang Shi, standing at the mouth of the valley, gazed northward. The Later Jin army's main force stopped five li away, and then a hundred knights carrying two large banners slowly rode out, stopping only two li away from Huang Shi. Huang Shi squinted at the Plain Blue Banner and Plain White Banner opposite him, muttering, "Could it be an ambush, intended to lure me into attacking? Unfortunately, I have no strength to do so."

Hu Yining, who had already left, returned with seven or eight guards. He said that Jin Guan was already leading the Guan Ning Army's retreat and he wasn't needed, so he came back to stand with Huang Shi. Huang Shi couldn't force Hu Yining to leave, so he let him stay.

At this moment, Mangultai opposite him was also looking up, chin raised, at the red flag fluttering at the mountain pass. He sighed, "It seems the main force of the Ming army hasn't arrived yet. Huang Shi is also waiting for reinforcements, or he's trying to lure us into attacking. This is his usual trick."

"At least we must cut off his scouts, not let him observe our strength and weakness." Huang Taiji, seeing that Huang Shi dared not press forward, also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the main force of the Ming army hadn't arrived yet, and the enemy was also wary. Now, every moment of delay was precious, buying more time for the supply train to retreat.

The two banner leaders led over a hundred well-trained cavalrymen. This small but agile force was confident they could handle any attack, whether Huang Shi charged with his own men or a large cavalry force emerged from the valley behind him. Moreover, at a distance of two miles, the Ming army's artillery posed no threat. Huang Taiji felt this would boost morale and make it harder for the usually cautious Huang Shi to make a decision.

Seeing the two banner leaders and their guards dismount, Huang Shi beckoned, and the guards of Changsheng Island also jumped off their horses, standing on the ground with their commander.

"We'll stand here a little longer, then we should flee," Huang Shi whispered with a smile to Hu Yining, Zhang Minghe, and Hong Antong beside him. The three nodded slightly; they all knew they couldn't deceive the enemy for long. Sooner or later, they would send men to further probe their strength, and that would be Huang Shi's time to leave.

Huang Shi estimated that the Guan Ning army should have already gone far away, so he added, "When they send scouts closer, we'll all mount up, slowly walk across the ridge, and then launch a full-scale escape south. The Jurchens have lost their nerve and are afraid of falling into our trap, so they'll definitely conduct a thorough reconnaissance. By the time they've finished searching, we should be almost back in Ningyuan."

After Huang Shi finished speaking, his men laughed and quickly relayed the order. The two armies faced off for a moment, about two miles apart, before Huang Taiji turned to Mangultai and said, "Our supplies should have been far away by now, and the enemy is hesitant. In a little while, when our men start burning the surrounding houses, Huang Shi will be able to see through their deception. So let's withdraw while we're ahead and go."

Mangultai, with a solemn expression, slowly nodded, and the two turned to mount their horses and leave. Seeing the Jurchen army on the opposite side starting to mount their horses, Huang Shi also waved for his men to mount up immediately, preparing to flee. Just as Huang Shi, Mangultai, and Huang Taiji were preparing for a swift retreat, they suddenly heard a woman's scream coming from the west…

“Help! General Huang, help!”

Huang Shi looked in the direction of the sound, and when he understood what was happening, he was truly terrified. The one screaming was Zhao Yingong's eldest sister. In the wilderness less than a mile from the official road, she was struggling with a man. Beside him was someone else, who seemed to be Zhao Er Guniang. The wind carried Zhao Da Guniang's screams intermittently.

Early this morning, Zhao Da Guniang had left with her husband. Zhao Er Guniang first went to report to her brother, but Zhao Yingong was too busy with official duties to pursue them, so Zhao Er Guniang hurriedly rode after them herself, hoping to call her sister and brother-in-law back. There were many infantrymen in the two Ming army battalions, so Zhao Er Guniang, after asking around, luckily caught up with them. Just as she was desperately trying to persuade her sister to return, the Ming army ahead had already collapsed and retreated.

The two sisters and Zhao Yingong's brother-in-law fled among the fleeing soldiers. Their horses were stolen, so they hid in a cave in this valley. Unfortunately, they were discovered by a Later Jin bondservant. Zhao Yingong's brother-in-law was killed on the spot while protecting them, and the sisters were tied up and prepared to be taken away.

When the Ming army attacked, the bondservant quickly snatched the two sisters back into the cave and stopped them from moving. Huang Shi was worried about a Later Jin counterattack, so he didn't allow the Ming army to thoroughly clear the battlefield. As a result, the three of them, although right under Huang Shi's nose, remained undiscovered.

After hastily gaging each of the Zhao sisters, the bondservant focused his attention on the Ming soldiers outside and didn't notice that the eldest sister was secretly making moves. After a long struggle, the eldest sister finally managed to untie the ropes binding her feet and remove the gag from her mouth. Then she pounced on the bondservant and bit his hand hard, drawing blood.

Taking advantage of the moment the bondservant was startled, Zhao Da Mei jumped up and rushed out of the cave calling for help. This was the first scream a woman heard by Huang Taiji, Mangultai, Huang Shi, and those around them.

Although he didn't know the specific details, Huang Shi quickly grasped the general situation. He snorted coldly, shook his head, and muttered to himself, "The Zhao family... I really don't know how to evaluate them. Are they brave or stupid?"

Huang Shi used to think Zhao Er Mei was agile, but this time she was utterly reckless. On a dangerous battlefield, a woman was simply throwing her life away. If Huang Shi and Zhao Er Mei had switched places, facing his sister's situation, Huang Shi, despite his anxiety, wouldn't dare to go out and search; he could only let her try her luck. Searching would only result in losing his own life.

After jumping out of the cave, Zhao Da Mei ran towards Huang Shi, screaming desperately. The bondservant, unable to grab her, quickly hoisted the still tightly bound Zhao Er Mei onto his shoulder and ran in the opposite direction. Seeing this scene, Zhao Damei, disregarding her still-bound hands, hurriedly turned and chased after him.

The bondservant, carrying someone on his shoulder, was naturally unsteady on his feet. After a few quick steps, Zhao Damei crashed into him, and the three of them tumbled to the ground. "General Huang, save me!" Zhao Damei cried out with all her might one last time, then bit down hard on her sister's clothes, refusing to let go.

In that instant, Hong Antong recognized the person opposite him. In his desperation, he disregarded the presence of outsiders and shouted to Huang Shi, "Sir, I'm going to rescue them right away! Please go ahead, sir!"

Seeing that Huang Shi didn't act immediately, Hong Antong hurriedly added, "Sir, please go ahead without worry. I'll risk my life to ensure Zhao Xiaoniangzi's safe return."

While Hu Yining was still in a daze, Zhang Minghe had already discerned something from Hong Antong and Huang Shi. He also bowed to Huang Shi, saying, "Sir, I've practiced horsemanship diligently since childhood and am willing to go with Commander Hong to rescue them."

"No matter how good your horsemanship is, a horse carrying two people won't run fast." Huang Shi glanced at the three people on the ground a few hundred meters away, then turned to look at the Later Jin cavalry to the north. The hundred or so Later Jin cavalrymen remained motionless. Huang Shi felt a cold gaze piercing from the opposite side, scrutinizing his every move.

Can Wanrenzhifeng bear the weight? Chapter 9: Trajectory.

Mangutai didn't understand Chinese. He stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him and asked, bewildered, "What's going on? Do they know each other?"

"Hush—" Huang Taiji immediately stopped Mangultai's question. He listened intently to the west while keeping a close eye on the Ming army's formation. A hint of tension and excitement appeared on his usually calm face.

From the moment he discovered the Zhao sisters, Huang Shi had been drenched in cold sweat, but he couldn't show the slightest panic or hesitation in the face of Huang Taiji's sharp gaze. Huang Shi glanced around at his soldiers, knowing he had only one choice. After hearing Zhang Minghe's words, he sneered and retorted to Hong Antong, "Commander Hong, do you really think I'm going to put the soldiers in danger?"

"Follow me." Without waiting for Hong Antong or Zhang Minghe to speak, Huang Shi turned his horse south, repeating the order with emphasis, "Follow me."

Huang Shi rode slowly, and the Ming soldiers all pulled on their reins and followed. Huang Shi, riding ahead, felt sweat pouring down his face, soaking his clothes. He walked forward without looking back, muttering to himself, "Are all the Zhao family members crazy?"

Hong Antong, who was following closely behind Huang Shi, overheard this. He leaned forward slightly and whispered to Huang Shi, "My lord, you are wise. I think the Jurchens' actions are also very strange."

"I know," Huang Shi interrupted Hong Antong impatiently. He shook his head and said, "But I dare not try, because if I make a wrong move," Huang Shi sighed again, looking ahead, "The one opposite is the leader of the Plain White Banner. Huang Taiji is not someone to be trifled with. We must be extremely careful with him."

He watched the Ming army slowly walk away in the distance. Huang Taiji's expression shifted repeatedly, his whip rising and falling several times. Mangultai, standing beside him, asked curiously, "Eighth Brother, what are you doing?"

Huang Taiji, deep in thought, replied, "Fifth Brother, don't you think Huang Shi's actions are strange? Perhaps he has no ambush at all. No reinforcements. He's just using light troops to gather the fleeing soldiers."

"Then shouldn't we pursue him..." Mangultai's words trailed off. If Huang Taiji was right, and they wanted to pursue Huang Shi, they could only rely on the two brothers and their hundred men. They would first hold off the enemy, then rely on the cavalry behind them to attack. But if Huang Taiji was wrong, and Huang Shi had reinforcements behind him, their hundred men would surely be hacked to pieces. In the past, every time he clashed with Huang Shi, his schemes backfired and he suffered the consequences. Thinking of this, Mangultai became discouraged again: "That Huang Shi is extremely cunning. And it seems the Ming generals don't have the guts."

Huang Taiji nodded, his raised whip finally falling limply. He agreed, saying, "Huang Shi is indeed quite mature and prudent; he shouldn't put himself in danger… Hmm, although I haven't seen such a general in many years, there are still quite a few daring ones among the Ming. Perhaps…"

Zhao Da-guniang bit her sister's clothes for a while. Then, realizing the kidnapper had fled, she ignored the pain and struggled to sit up, just in time to see Huang Shi's banner disappear behind the ridge. Zhao Da-guniang stared blankly at the spot where the Ming banner had vanished, almost unable to believe her eyes. Suddenly, her mouth tightened; a rope reached behind her head and tightly bound her mouth again…

Huang Taiji lowered his head, recalling the shouts he had just heard, carefully pondering their meaning. He suddenly looked up to the west. The Later Jin soldier had already subdued the woman who had cried for help and was tying her feet. Huang Taiji glanced south again. The Ming army had completely disappeared from sight. He softly asked Mangultai beside him, "Fifth Brother, should we pursue them or not?"

"I don't know, don't ask me. You decide." Mangultai mumbled, then gritted his teeth after a moment: "I'll go after them. Eighth Brother, you stay here. If something happens to me, you can lead the troops to retreat..." "Forget

it, Fifth Brother," Huang Taiji shook his head, looking north, then at the setting sun: "It's too late to pursue them now. We should retreat quickly. At least the army is safe now."

...

When Huang Shi returned to Juehua, it was already dark. Jin Guan and the others had set off much earlier and had only just returned to Juehua. It seemed their retreat had been very successful. All the generals of Juehua were waiting for Huang Shi's return outside the camp gate. Upon seeing them, Huang Shi immediately dismounted and bowed to the officers and generals of Juehua's Guan Ning Army, saying, "Gentlemen, your banners remained orderly and dust was not raised, so the Jurchens did not see through our army's strength. My safe escape today is truly thanks to your efforts."

Immediately, a clatter of armor echoed at the camp gate in return. Jin Guan and the others respectfully said, "General Huang, you flatter us." After saying this, they all raised their chins high, none turning to look at the adjutant Yao beside them.

Huang Shi also presided over the memorial ceremony for the soldiers who died during the day, silently completing a series of sacrificial rites. In China, death is considered a great loss, and soldiers who died fighting for victory are especially valued in the army. Today's battle, both psychologically and in terms of the battlefield, was a victory for the Ming army after an initial defeat. Several Guan Ning generals stood behind Huang Shi, each holding incense sticks, and joined him in a solemn kowtow.

After the solemn ceremony, it was time to celebrate the victory. General Jin arranged for a soldier to run up with a bowl of wine. Huang Shi took the full bowl, paused slightly, and then said loudly, "Although I belong to Dongjiang, I have long admired the reputation of the Liaozhen generals.

Today, thanks to the might of the Holy Emperor, I am able to join forces with you all to defeat the enemy and terrify them. It is truly a great joy! I offer this wine to the Holy Emperor, to the Ming Dynasty, and to Liaozhen!" Huang Shi

then drank the wine in one gulp. The Guan Ning generals, holding their bowls, echoed, "To Dongjiang!"

Yao Yuxian, who hadn't participated in the pursuit, seemed somewhat embarrassed; his voice was neither loud nor clear, and he felt awkward standing in the center of the crowd. The chief seat, which used to belong to General Yao, was now occupied by General Jin, and even Zhang Guoqing no longer gave him a second glance. After Huang Shi led everyone in drinking the celebratory wine, General Jin rushed to Huang Shi's side, ready to invite him into the banquet, while General Yao could only stand by and watch helplessly.

Normally, Yao Yuxian hadn't done anything wrong; he hadn't been secretly plotting against the Changsheng Army, nor had he stolen Zhang Minghe's musket. But now, General Jin and his group had clearly formed a united front against Deputy General Yao. Seeing the Guan Ning Army's attitude, Huang Shi didn't feel comfortable expressing his opinion. He also didn't want to go against the crowd, especially since General Jin and his group had acted quite bravely that afternoon.

Entering the military camp, Huang Shi saw that Juehua's civil officials had already arrived. Two large banquet tables were set up in the center, with the seat of honor on the left naturally reserved for General Huang Shi. Zhao Yingong sat upright on the right, and the other civil officials sat in order on the right side of the banquet, following behind him.

Inside, Huang Shi was pondering how to report the whereabouts of his two younger sisters to Magistrate Zhao, but before he could speak, Zhao Yingong waved his hand and whispered to Huang Shi that they should discuss the matter after the banquet. He didn't want to spoil Juehua's enjoyment of the day. Huang Shi waited anxiously for a long time, finally managing to follow Zhao Yingong out when he got up. He stopped Zhao Yingong outside and recounted the day's events in detail.

Since Huang Shi had given him a heads-up that morning, Zhao Yingong had been somewhat prepared for his elder sister's fate, but the second sister's behavior was truly unexpected. Zhao Yingong had been busy providing logistics for the soldiers and looking after Juehua's affairs all day, so he hadn't had time to go home. Now, listening to Huang Shi's account, Magistrate Zhao's face first turned deathly pale, then ashen.

Stunned, Zhao Yingong remained speechless for a long time before finally recovering. He stood there, feeling stiff and cold, unsure of what to do. He kept muttering to himself, "Those two sisters are so close. They've always cared for each other since childhood, never wanting the other to suffer even a little."

The bitterness in Zhao Yingong's eyes saddened Huang Shi, who felt a pang of sorrow and desolation. He wanted to pat the poor man on the shoulder, but then sighed with pity and returned to the banquet. The pitiful Magistrate Zhao was left outside, bewildered and lost.

Back at the banquet, Huang Shi told the people around him that Zhao Yingong was probably too tired and wasn't feeling well, so he went back to rest. As he spoke, he noticed Hu Yining's gaze linger cautiously on his face for a moment before quickly averting.

...

As soon as Huang Taiji entered the tent, Mangultai, who had been waiting inside, jumped up: "How was it?"

Huang Taiji nodded. He sighed: "The younger one insisted she had nothing to do with Huang Shi, and wasn't afraid of any threats. But the older one was more timid. She confessed everything before I even asked. It turns out her sister is Huang Shi's betrothed wife." "

Huang Shi's betrothed wife?" Mangultai was so surprised he could hardly speak. They had initially suspected the sisters might have some connection to important figures, that their families had official dealings with Huang Shi, but they never expected to catch such a big fish. Mangultai asked suspiciously, "Why would Huang Shi send his betrothed wife to the battlefield? And why would he abandon his wife and sister-in-law on the battlefield? You haven't been deceived, have you?"

"It's certainly sensational. But that woman described in great detail when Huang Shi proposed marriage, who he sent, and the dowry. To confirm, I asked her several times, and she answered without hesitation each time, repeating it word for word. It definitely didn't seem like a fabricated lie. I think it's 90% believable. Also, according to that woman, the person who proposed marriage to her sister on Huang Shi's behalf was a man named Zhang Zaidi. Although he was Huang Shi's closest confidant and sworn brother, very few people in Juehua should know him. That woman didn't know much about Zhang Zaidi's identity either, yet she believed it." "According to the story, they look and are about the same age. If there wasn't a real marriage proposal, this couldn't possibly be fabricated."

Huang Taiji looked at the dumbfounded Mangultai and chuckled self-deprecatingly, "We've been fooled by this fellow again today. Huang Shi is truly a ruthless character, even abandoning a betrothal gift."

Next, Huang Taiji explained why the two sisters went to the battlefield and the bondservant's testimony, finally concluding with a cold laugh: "The elder brother of these sisters is now the head of the civil officials in Juehua. If nothing unexpected happens, their brother will also be promoted. They're truly a rare commodity."

"Slow down, slow down," Mangultai said, marking a new category in his notebook. After filling in all the important information he had just heard and upgrading his existing data, Mangultai chewed his nails and pondered for a while: "What do you plan to do with them?"

Huang Taiji paced around the tent with his head down, shook his head, and said, "I don't know yet, but we need to verify their story first. We can't just listen to their side of the story. After all, we've never heard of Huang Shi having a betrothed wife, never heard of it before."

Mangultai slapped his thigh and said fiercely, "That's right, if we find out they're lying, we'll make them regret it!"

After his fierce outburst, Mangultai's face suddenly showed a look of shame, and his tone became listless: "If what they say is true... if we always beat Huang Shi to a pulp, then even dividing his wife and children wouldn't matter. But so far we haven't won a single battle against him, and now we're threatening him by kidnapping his wife... that's a bit too much, a bit too much. It really damages my reputation, Mangultai."

Upon glancing up and seeing the ambiguous smile on Huang Taiji's face, Mangultai's shame deepened. He scratched his head sheepishly, "Alas, of course I have no intention of letting them go back. Eighth brother, you're clever enough to decide how to handle it." "

Their affairs cannot be known to Father Khan for the time being. Otherwise, if Father Khan gets angry, we won't be able to stop him."

"Of course, I understand." "

I've been keeping the house in Liaoyang for Huang Shi. If it's confirmed that these are indeed his betrothed wives, then let the sisters live there. We can't be too ruthless; we must leave room for dealing with Huang Shi in the future."

Mangultai nodded and pressed, "And then?"

"Then we'll take it one step at a time. It's been almost five years, and I haven't allowed anyone to touch the two women Li Yongfang gave to Huang Shi. They're still living in that house. This time, let Huang Shi's betrothed wives discipline them. No one can say a word against this courtesy." This is also a good opportunity for them to get to know each other. Hmm, the most urgent thing after returning to Liaoyang is to find out if there was any betrothal involved. That younger sister has been vehemently denying it, and it seems somewhat true.”

…

Zhao Yingong was not there. The heavy responsibility of keeping the banquet lively fell entirely on Huang Shi’s shoulders. Although his accompanying guards had already shielded him from several rounds of drinks, he couldn’t rely on his attendants to handle the toasts from heavyweights like General Yao and General Jin. After round after round, Huang Shi felt he was about to collapse, and it seemed only a matter of time before he had to crawl under the table.

“General Huang is incredibly brave, this humble general will offer another bowl.”

General Jin was particularly lively tonight, and seeing another round of drinks coming, Huang Shi secretly groaned, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and resist. He had just stood up with a smile when suddenly someone cut in front of Huang Shi and smiled at Jin Guan, saying, “General Jin, it seems you haven’t toasted me yet tonight.”

“Lord Zhao, please forgive me, it’s all my fault.” Huang

Shi returned to his seat. Zhao Yingong moved among the crowd, offering toasts in turn, instantly enlivening the atmosphere in the room. Among Juehua's officials and soldiers were quite a few troublemakers, and having drunk a bit too much, they loudly proclaimed—"Zhao Tongpan has been absent for so long, he should be punished with a drink!"

Huang Shi wanted to step in to help, but Zhao Yingong readily agreed, downing three cups in a row. Zhao Tongpan, his lips tightly pursed, then twirled the empty cups in both hands, showing them to everyone, drawing cheers. But the more he performed this way, the more Huang... Huang Shi felt increasingly uncomfortable.

Lieutenant General Hu Yining also seemed restless, fidgeting in his seat. When Zhao Yingong offered him a toast, Hu's smile was forced.

Finally, after Zhao Yingong returned to his seat, Huang Shi hurriedly went over to persuade him to rest. But as if anticipating what Huang Shi was about to say, Zhao Yingong spoke softly before he could utter a word: "Tonight is a victory celebration banquet. To ensure everyone in Juehua enjoys themselves, I dare not let personal matters interfere with official duties. General Huang, there's no need for further discussion." Zhao Yingong's words made Huang Shi retreat without hesitation.

After Zhao Tongpan finished speaking, he chatted and laughed with the other officials. After a while, he raised his cup again and went over to personally celebrate the victory with Jin Canjiang and the others. Huang Shi stared at Zhao Yingong for a while. This civil official, whom he had always disliked, gave him a completely different impression tonight. Zhao Yingong's refined and courteous demeanor, which Huang Shi had always thought was just affectation, now gave him the feeling of a refined gentleman in a corrupt world. In

the following two days, Huang Shi felt that Zhao Yingong seemed to be numbing himself with work. He was either in the military camp or in his study dealing with official business all day long, and he didn't even eat a few meals. Huang Shi felt bored, so he stopped going to Zhao Yingong's place.

The other Juehua officials were unaware of the Zhao family's affairs. Since the start of the war, whether it was military affairs or logistical supplies, Zhao Yingong had performed exceptionally well, earning praise from most officials behind his back. Even colleagues with personal grudges against Zhao Yingong had nothing to say. Now, most people on Juehua Island believed Zhao Yingong was on the verge of promotion, so they spared no praise. Zhao Yingong simply smiled at all the compliments and flattery.

On the last day of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign,

Huang Shi invited Zhao Yingong, who had come to visit, to sit down and then had the imperial guards serve tea. After sitting down, Zhao Yingong elegantly took a small sip of tea before calmly explaining the purpose of his visit. It turned out that Ningyuan Fort had now returned to normal, and tomorrow was New Year's Day of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign. Zhao Yingong wanted to invite Huang Shi to accompany him to Ningyuan Fort to offer New Year's greetings and to submit a unified memorial to the court regarding the entire Ningyuan-Juehua campaign.

Huang Shi smiled and said, "That's excellent. I have long wished to meet with Lord Yuan, the Ningqian Circuit Intendant."

Zhao Yingong smiled faintly upon hearing this, "It is good that Lord Huang knows that the court has promoted Lord Yuan to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner."

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