I founded a heavy industry group in the late Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 114 An eye for an eye

Chapter 114 An eye for an eye

Chapter 113 Nurhaci received a battle report that nearly three thousand men had been killed or wounded in a single day. This news struck him like a thunderbolt. But that wasn't the key point. The most crucial point was that the cause of their more than three thousand casualties was not their trusted enemy, the Ming Dynasty, but the Haixi Jurchen and the Wild Jurchen.

What does this mean?

Nurhaci was acutely aware that the empire he had painstakingly built over thirty years, through countless victories and massacres, was beginning to crumble. The most precious asset of the Jin Dynasty was the saying, "The Jurchens are invincible if they number less than ten thousand, but invincible if they number ten thousand!" This meant that in Liaodong, in Mongolia, and in Korea, the Jurchens were no longer an invincible force, nor the source of the great fear that made people tremble at the mere mention of their name. Those who had been wavering were beginning to side with the Ming Dynasty.

At first, Nurhaci didn't understand why Chen Boying, who had the fortified city of Shuangchengwei to rely on and could have stalled them until they retreated at minimal cost, chose to exploit his weakness and risk heavy casualties by leading 8,000 horses in a massive charge towards their camp of tens of thousands of troops. The Ming Dynasty was short of horses, and 8,000 horses were a huge asset for the Ming Dynasty, yet Chen Boying treated them as consumables.

Now he finally understood that Chen Boying wanted to use a bloody victory to show the Haixi Jurchens and the Wild Jurchens that the Ming Dynasty was still the same Ming Dynasty, still incredibly powerful, and still stronger than the Jin Dynasty.

Chen Boying has succeeded. With this victory, he has directly proven that the Ming Dynasty is still the same Ming Dynasty. This is the weakness of the Jin Dynasty, which established itself on military might. After its military strength was shaken, even a small tribe of a few hundred people dared to come up and trample on them.

In fact, when Daishan's Eight Banners Right Wing was defeated by Chen Boying last time, the prestige of the Great Jin began to waver. Last time, only a few thousand people helped Chen Boying, but now there are tens of thousands of troops. This time, the defeat of Shuangchengwei shattered the myth of the Great Jin's invincibility, and the alienation of its allies became inevitable.

Nurhaci could see the implications, but he was powerless to resolve the crisis. Unless the main force of the Jin dynasty still existed, the situation was dire. However, they hadn't received any news from Liaoyang for three days, which indicated a serious problem. Returning now was likely too late. If Sun Chengzong's ambitions grew even larger and he launched a counterattack on Shenyang, the impact on the Jin dynasty would be utterly devastating.

To resolve this crisis, it is not complicated. All that is needed is an even greater victory to prove that the Shuangchengwei's crushing defeat was just an accident and that the Great Jin is still powerful. But the question is, does the Eight Banners army, which has lost too much blood, still have the ability to prove this?

The old city of Xianping Prefecture was also the former seat of the Haixi Pacification Commissioner's Office during the Ming Dynasty. This city was officially abandoned in the third year of the Zhengtong era and became part of the Jianzhou Guard.

When Nurhaci arrived here, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, even though the Jin Dynasty had suffered heavy losses and its morale had been severely damaged, its foundation was still intact. As long as they could hide in Xianping City to catch their breath and rest for a while, they were fully capable of fighting the Ming army again. At this time, the Jin Dynasty's battle line had been extended by nearly a thousand miles, and they were less than nine hundred miles away from Shenyang. Even if Chen Boying wanted to fight again, he would not be as successful as he had been in Shuangchengwei. This battle was still going to be fought!

Although Xianping City was abandoned for over a hundred years and served as a military post for Jianzhou Guard for over a hundred years, the infrastructure of the Ming Dynasty was no joke. The city was built with sufficient defensive capabilities, as long as it was not destroyed by humans.

After a quick clean-up, in the former Haixi Pacification Commissioner's Office in Xianping City, the Jurchen army craftsmen hurriedly cut down trees, built roofs, installed doors and windows, and set up a temporary palace.

Nurhaci sat on a tiger-skin couch, a rough map spread out in front of him. The cold wind howled outside, and the charcoal fire in the brazier inside flickered, but it gave him a long-lost warmth. He could no longer deny that he was getting old; his body was not as good as it used to be.

With this city as a base, it became much more difficult for the various Haixi Jurchen tribes to launch attacks on this dilapidated city.

It was a city, not a temporary camp, so it wouldn't be easy to storm in. More importantly, the city walls reassured the people.

"Father."

Daishan entered, covered in snow: "All the banner generals have arrived."

"Come in!"

"Greetings, Khan!"

The princes and generals filed in and knelt on the ground to kowtow.

Nurhaci nodded, slowly stood up, his back still straight, his voice still loud: "Get up, all of you."

The council hall was packed with people, including Daišan, Amin, Huang Taiji, Dudu, Jirgalang, and the Meile Ejen and Jiala Ejen of each banner, all of whom looked disheveled and demoralized.

Nurhaci looked at the princes and ministers and said, "It's been three days, and there's still no news from Liaoyang. It's highly likely it's lost. Even if we go back now, we probably won't make it in time. The pursuers behind us are like maggots clinging to our bones; we can't shake them off. Those small tribes that used to kneel and beg for mercy at the sight of the Great Jin banner now dare to come and bite us! Yesterday evening, a small Hezhe tribe of only a few hundred people actually stole over two hundred warhorses! When has our Great Jin ever suffered such humiliation?"

None of the princes responded, and the hall fell silent.

Nurhaci's gaze slowly swept over the crowd: "What's wrong? You all look like you've lost your mothers? It's just one loss. How many battles have we lost since we started our rebellion?"

The crowd looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

"I'm telling you—"

Nurhaci's voice suddenly rose eight octaves: "The Great Jin has not lost! Chen Boying merely caught us off guard. In terms of strength, manpower, and warriors, who can compare to us? Those Haixi barbarians only dared to bite us because they saw us as a temporary folly. As long as we fight back fiercely, beat them until they are hurt, terrified, and killed, they will kneel obediently at our feet, just like before!"

Dai Shan said with lingering fear, "Father, if you keep hitting me—"

"Are you saying that if the fighting continues, Great Jin will be finished!"

Nurhaci interrupted Daishan sharply, saying, "Do you think I don't know? Liaoyang has probably already fallen. So many warriors of the Great Jin have died. This grudge cannot go unavenged. We have no way out, and we cannot retreat! If we retreat, the Mongols will rebel, the Koreans will rebel, and all those tribes that we have suppressed for more than ten years will rebel!"

The hall was deathly silent.

Daishan raised his head, a complex light flashing in his eyes: "Ana, how do you suggest we fight?"

Nurhaci said slowly, "Let's make an example of them. The tribe that's been chasing us the most is the Solon tribe of Bomubogor. These savages think they can act tough in front of me just because they've latched onto Chen Boying. I'll let them know that savages will always be savages."

The elite troops of the Jurchen Eight Banners were simply terrified by Chen Boying's firearms. They immediately recalled the heavy casualties they suffered at the hands of Qi Jiguang's army in the Battle of Hunhe, with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. Facing Chen Jiguang's army, whose firearms were several times stronger than Qi Jiguang's, they did not want to fight, nor did they dare to fight.

Whether they let them deal with the Solon tribe or the Xibe tribe, the Eight Banners of the Jurchens are not afraid at all. Even the Bordered Red Banner, which was badly defeated by Chen Boying, can now be easily defeated by the Solon tribe.

"Mangurtai!"

"Your subject is here!"

"This place is called Black Pine Valley. It's surrounded by dense forests on both sides, with only a narrow path in the middle. Bomubogor has been chasing us for three days and is now in a frenzy. If we show weakness, he will definitely catch up. I, the Khan, will completely cripple the Solon tribe here."

Bomubogor was indeed desperate, mainly because he initially wanted to preserve his strength and made an excuse to get the Solon tribes and Solon envoys to catch up and attack together. As a result, this was a delaying tactic, and they slowed down. Although they were still ahead of Chen Boying's army, they did not engage the Jurchens in battle.

In the past few days, the Haixi Jurchen and Wild Jurchen tribes have been pursuing and killing the fleeing Jurchen soldiers, capturing countless prisoners. Those once high-ranking Eight Banner elites are now fleeing like stray dogs in front of them. If we're talking about poverty, the Solon tribe is actually the poorest. When they see those small tribes eating with grease on their faces, they become anxious.

The problem was that in the past three days, he had led over 15,000 elite cavalry from the main Solon tribe, Solon sub-tribes, and Solon envoy tribes, only to reap meager scraps, causing great discontent among his followers. In these tribes, a leader had to bring benefits to his people; if he couldn't, who would follow him? Take Ligdan Khan, for example. The 35th Great Khan of the Mongols, a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, acted rashly and went against the Jurchens. He was thoroughly defeated by Nurhaci and then by Huang Taiji, ultimately losing all support and his forces dwindling to just over 40,000 men.

"Chief, we've spotted a Jurchen supply train ahead, about two or three thousand men, escorting six or seven thousand warhorses, and several hundred large wagons, heading towards Black Pine Valley!"

Bomubogor's eyes lit up: "Which banner of the Jurchens?"

"They were flying the banner of the Plain Blue Banner, and the men and horses were exhausted, so they were moving extremely slowly!"

Bomubogor laughed loudly, "So it's Mangultai! That good-for-nothing who got beaten to a pulp by Lord Chen! Chase after them and leave no one alive!"

"Chief, be careful! Black Pine Valley is a treacherous place. What if the Jurchens have laid an ambush?"

"ambush?"

Bomubogor waved his hand dismissively, "The Jurchens have no strength left to ambush us! They can't even run away! Pass down the order: full speed ahead! Capture Mangultai, and I, the chieftain, will reward you handsomely!"

More than 15,000 Sauron cavalrymen quickly assembled and then roared away.

When they stormed into Black Pine Valley, the Jurchen supply train was slowly making its way through the valley. Upon seeing their pursuers, they were thrown into chaos, abandoning their carts and fleeing.

"Chase them!" Bomubogor drew his saber. "Kill them all!"

The Sauron cavalry surged into the valley like a tidal wave.

But just as they charged halfway, deafening shouts of battle suddenly erupted from the dense forest on both sides.

Countless arrows flew out of the forest, densely packed and blotting out the sun. The Sauron cavalry at the forefront fell in droves, their screams and neighing horses mingling together.

"An ambush!" Bomubogor's expression changed drastically. "Retreat immediately!"

But it was too late.

At the valley entrance, countless Jurchen cavalry emerged from the snow, blocking their retreat. The supply train ahead also abandoned its wagons, revealing the swords, spears, and bows hidden inside.

Nurhaci himself stood on a high slope at the mouth of the valley, holding a large bow, and shot an arrow.

The arrow pierced the sky and struck Bomubogor's warhorse squarely. The horse neighed and fell to the ground, while Bomubogor was thrown a great distance, landing dazed and disoriented.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!"

Nurhaci's voice echoed through the valley.

The Solon cavalry were trapped in a narrow valley, surrounded by enemies on both sides, unable to advance or retreat. Their bravery was rendered useless in the confined terrain, and they could only watch helplessly as the Jurchen arrows rained down on them, claiming their lives.

The battle lasted less than an hour.

Of the 15,000 Solon cavalry, more than 8,000 were killed in battle, 3,000 were wounded, and more than 2,000 were captured. Only less than 2,000 followed Bomubogor and escaped from the valley through a hidden path.

Bomubogor was covered in blood, with two arrows in his left arm and a knife wound on his right leg. He was practically carried out of the village. Lying in the snow, he stared at the towering flames in the direction of Black Pine Valley, his eyes filled with despair.

"It's over—it's all over—"

The news reached the Ming army camp two hundred miles away on the morning of the next day.

"General! Bomubogor—Bomubogor has been ambushed by Nurhaci! Of his 15,000 men, less than 2,000 remain!"

'

Chen Ying slowly turned around, his face expressionless: "Where is Bomubogor?"

"He's alive, but severely wounded, and is retreating this way. He's being pursued by Jurchen troops! Nurhaci is personally leading the charge, killing indiscriminately; more than a dozen small tribes have already been slaughtered!"

Chen Ying suddenly laughed: "What a Nurhaci! I thought he was just a runaway."

Chen Ying wasn't actually naive enough to think he could wipe out the Jurchens in one battle, nor did he believe Nurhaci could be easily defeated. While Nurhaci could be described as brutal and inhumane, he wasn't truly incompetent; he had fought his way up through sheer hardship. The claim of thirteen suits of armor is somewhat far-fetched, but it's true that he started with only a few hundred men. To have unified the Jianzhou Three Guards and practically control all of Liaodong from a small tribe of a few hundred, he was indeed a formidable figure.

Zhou Bin stepped forward and said, "General, it seems you had anticipated this?"

"certainly!"

Chen Ying laughed and said, "Send the order: the entire Wolf Cavalry is on high alert. I, the commander, want to meet Nurhaci!"

Zhou Bin exclaimed in surprise, "General! Nurhaci is deliberately luring you into battle!"

"I know."

Chen Ying smiled faintly, "He had Mangultai lure the enemy deep into his territory, defeating the Solon tribe in one battle. Bomubogor is my subordinate; he was chasing the Jurchens for me when he fell into the ambush. Now he's crippled, and the Jurchens are hunting down his remaining troops and slaughtering those tribes that have pledged allegiance to me. If I cower and refuse to fight, who will dare to follow me in the future?"

Zhou Bin seemed to understand that Chen Ying was using Chen Ying's own methods against him.