Chapter Fourteen: The Cunning Strategist (Humbly Requesting Your Recommendations)

Shengjing.

The bearded man and his thousand retainers spent an entire day sinking several hundred thousand taels of gold, over five million taels of silver, and countless rare antiques into the Hun River. The remaining tens of thousands of jin of ginseng, along with dozens of chests of Eastern pearls and animal pelts, were loaded onto several hundred pack horses. As dusk fell and his men were utterly exhausted, Wang Pu had no choice but to order the entire force to stay in Shengjing one more night, planning to depart for Joseon once they had recovered their strength the next day.

But that single night's delay changed everything.

At dawn, before Wang Pu and his retinue could even have breakfast, the scar-faced man charged in, his expression tense. “General, bad news! There’s a large force of Jianzhou cavalry outside the city!”

“Jianzhou cavalry!?” Wang Pu was shocked. “That’s impossible. All the Jianzhou’s main cavalry and infantry are gathered at Songshan. There’s nothing left in Liaodong but children and the elderly—where would cavalry come from?”

Wang Pu’s astonishment was understandable. By his reckoning, all the Jianzhou troops should have been concentrated at the Songshan front by now, with only the sick, old, and weak left in Liaodong. Even if the remnants who escaped Shengjing two nights ago had managed to send word to Songshan, and the Jianzhou then dispatched cavalry to counterattack at Shengjing, it would take at least five or six days. That was precisely why Wang Pu dared to linger in Shengjing for another night.

Yet only a day and two nights had passed, and now Jianzhou cavalry were outside Shengjing? Had they flown here on wings?

“It’s true,” the scar-faced man panted. “At least three thousand cavalry!”

“Three thousand!?”

Wang Pu’s face changed again, his heart sinking. If it were simply a matter of defending the city, he would not fear a mere three thousand Jianzhou cavalry outside. If they dared to assault the walls, it would be suicide—the Red Barbarian cannons atop the ramparts were no joke. By this late Ming era, firearms had grown immensely powerful; a single explosive shell from the Red Barbarian cannon could devastate a whole formation. Three thousand horsemen wouldn’t last long under such bombardment.

But the problem was that Wang Pu neither wanted nor could afford to defend the city. Not only that, he needed to find a way to escape Shengjing as soon as possible—he couldn’t stand to remain there a moment longer. The reason was simple: he and his men were utterly isolated, with no hope of reinforcements from the court or anyone else.

Even if they held Shengjing to the last, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy, Wang Pu and his thousand or so men would still meet their end. He was no fool of an old scholar blindly loyal to the emperor—he was a man of the modern age, transmigrated to this era. The notion of dying as a martyr for the emperor or the Great Ming held no appeal for him; he was still young and had no wish to sacrifice himself for the Chongzhen Emperor or the Ming Empire.

To die defending Shengjing would be a death sentence.

And what if he led his men out to fight the Jianzhou in the open? The enemy were battle-hardened cavalry, outnumbering him three to one. The odds of survival were slim indeed.

What to do?

If he wished to survive, he had to find a way to deal with the three thousand Jianzhou cavalry outside the city—and quickly, for if the main Jianzhou forces returned from Songshan, all hope would be lost.

Composing himself, Wang Pu said grimly, “Let’s go to the city tower and see for ourselves.”

The scar-faced man led Wang Pu and Zhen Youcai to Shengjing’s south gate. Standing atop the gatehouse, they gazed out and indeed saw the dense ranks of Jianzhou cavalry. Wang Pu estimated they were several thousand meters from the gate, always circling at that distance, never daring to approach closer—a sign they clearly understood the power of the Red Barbarian cannon.

Glancing east at the newly risen sun, Wang Pu frowned and asked the scar-faced man, “Any sign of Jianzhou cavalry in the other three directions?”

“None, but there are patrols of enemy scouts riding about.”

“The cunning devils,” Wang Pu cursed. “They clearly mean to trap us here in Shengjing.”

The scar-faced man slammed his fist against the wall. “General, why don’t we just stay put? There’s plenty of ammunition and food in the city—enough for the brothers to hold out for a year!”

“Nonsense!” Wang Pu snapped. “I have no wish to die here. We must find a way out, and quickly!”

“Then let’s wait for nightfall, muffle the horses’ hooves, and sneak out of the city.”

“It’s not so simple,” Wang Pu shook his head. “Last time at Songshan, we succeeded only because the Jianzhou’s attention was fixed on their vast army, giving us an opening. This time is different—their scouts will be patrolling day and night around Shengjing, leaving us no gaps to exploit.”

“So what do we do?”

“General,” Zhen Youcai suddenly stepped forward, lowering his voice, “I have an idea.”

Wang Pu didn’t turn. “Let’s hear it.”

“Jianzhou has concentrated its main cavalry outside the south gate, leaving only a few scouts in the other directions. They’re taking a passive stance—if we don’t leave the city, they don’t move; if we try to break out, they’ll pursue us relentlessly. I think we can defeat their strategy with a feint.”

Wang Pu frowned. “What’s your plan?”

“It’s not just a simple feint,” Zhen Youcai said with a sly smile. “There’s a trap within a trap. First, gather all the large wagons and horses in the city, and load several hundred barrels of gunpowder onto the wagons. After dark, sneak them out the east gate. When the Jianzhou cavalry pursue, have the drivers light the fuses and retreat to the city. Because of the Red Barbarian cannon, the enemy won’t chase too close—they’ll try to intercept the wagons instead. At that moment, the powder explodes—boom!”

“Excellent!” cried the scar-faced man, slapping his thigh. “That’s a vicious trick!”

Wang Pu remained expressionless. “And then?”

“Then, General, send a trusted officer with a small party to drive several hundred horses out the west gate, making a great show of it—each horse with a dummy strapped to its back, dressed in Ming uniforms. Charge westward as if fleeing toward western Liaodong. The Jianzhou outside the south gate will be fooled and give chase. Once they’re drawn far away, you lead the main force out the east gate. Since we just failed to break through there, they won’t expect a second attempt, and we can slip away unnoticed.”

“Well done!” shouted the scar-faced man. “Zhen Youcai, you really are talented!”

Wang Pu turned to look at Zhen Youcai, thinking, This old fox is indeed crafty. The phrase “wily advisor” sprang to mind—Zhen Youcai, with his subservient manner and those two tufts of beard, was the very picture of a classic schemer.

“Scar-face,” Wang Pu ordered, “gather all the city’s wagons and horses, and bring out all the gunpowder from the Jianzhou warehouse to load onto the wagons. Don’t forget to pack extra sacks filled with lime, iron nails, broken china, and stones—we’re going to give the Jianzhou a massive firework show.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll see to it at once.”

As the scar-faced man hurried off, Wang Pu called after him, “If you see the bearded man, tell him to report to me at once.”

■■■

One hundred li southwest of Shengjing, in the campaign tent of Hong Taiji.

Ebilun entered and reported, “Your Majesty, the three thousand Mongol cavalry arrived outside Shengjing before dawn, and per your orders, have encamped five li south of the city. Scouts are patrolling day and night in the north, west, and east. The Ming soldiers in the city have no way to escape.”

“Good,” Hong Taiji replied wearily. “Manzhu Xili’s three thousand Mongol cavalry arrived just in time, they have not disappointed me.”

“Sire,” Ebilun said with concern, “Now that the Mongol cavalry are in place, and Tulai and Oboi have joined Manzhu Xili at Shengjing, you can rest easy.”

Hong Taiji frowned in thought, then shook his head. “No, I cannot.”

Ebilun was startled. “Your Majesty, why not?”

Hong Taiji, his corpulent body shifting, extended his hands to Ebilun and Tajian. “Help me up.”

Ebilun and Tajian hurried forward to assist him.

The imperial physician nearby wanted to object but dared not, and could only urge gently, “Your Majesty, you are still weak and need rest.”

“No,” Hong Taiji panted, shaking his head. Just moving left him breathless. “I cannot rest. I must go to Shengjing and command this war myself.”

“What? Your Majesty, you want to go to Shengjing?” Ebilun protested. “With Manzhu Xili, Tulai, and Oboi there, and three thousand Mongol cavalry, surely it will be easy to eliminate the fewer than a thousand Ming soldiers in the city. There’s no need for you to personally lead the army.”

“You don’t understand.” Hong Taiji waved his hand weakly, struggling for breath. “The Ming commander is no ordinary man. With just a small force, he dared to strike deep into Liaodong, launching a surprise attack on our capital. In all the decades since our founding, such a thing has never happened. His courage and cunning must not be underestimated. In terms of daring and strategy, he even surpasses Yuan Chonghuan and Hong Chengchou!”

“What?” Ebilun was appalled. “More formidable than Yuan Chonghuan and Hong Chengchou?”

Hong Taiji nodded, his expression grave. “Yuan Chonghuan was a multi-talented general—both scholar and warrior, strict in discipline. Both my father and I were defeated by him. He was the greatest commander I’ve ever known, but he liked to boast and was too much the scholar, always showing off his brilliance—so I needed only a small trick to have the Chongzhen Emperor eliminate him. Hong Chengchou was also strict and modest, skilled at dealing with people, but he was too cautious, lacking initiative. When Chongzhen pressed him, he lost his composure and fell to me without shame.”

“Indeed, indeed,” Tajian and Ebilun chimed in obsequiously. “Your Majesty is unrivaled in wisdom and martial prowess.”

Hong Taiji continued, “I still don’t know who commands this small Ming force, but he is bold and resourceful, leading a daring raid that captured our capital in one fell swoop. That alone makes him a hundred times more formidable than Yuan Chonghuan or Hong Chengchou. If he is not eliminated, he will become a grave threat to our Qing in the future!”

Tajian and Ebilun looked on with admiration, awed by their emperor’s far-sightedness.

“Manzhu Xili, Tulai, and Oboi are all experienced commanders, but they may not be a match for this man. That is why I must go to Shengjing and take personal command.”

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ps: Begging for your recommendation votes.