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

Chapter 115 Jurchen Army Expansion

Chapter 115 The Jurchens Expand Their Army with Twelve Banners

Chapter 114 Zhou Bin watched Chen Ying's retreating figure, the mystery in his heart slowly unraveling: "Master, did you foresee that Bomubogor would underestimate the enemy and advance recklessly?"

"certainly!"

Chen Ying smiled faintly and said, "Nurhaci threw away a lot of good stuff to speed up the retreat. These things fell into the hands of other tribes; how could Bomubogor not be envious?"

"Then—why didn't the handsome man remind him beforehand?"

"You can't reason with a damned devil!"

Chen Ying chuckled softly, "Moreover, we're united by interests, and we'll part ways because of those same interests. Once Nurhaci realizes he can't defeat me militarily, he'll definitely try every means to win me over. He currently controls more resources than I do, and he can offer more. It's only a matter of time before they switch sides!"

"Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."

"That's right!"

Chen Ying looked into the distance, his smile widening: "We certainly need them to establish ourselves in the Nurgan Regional Military Commission and the Haixi Pacification Commission, but the question is, does our Great Ming Dynasty lack manpower? The court can relocate four garrison troops here, or even forty, or a hundred!"

Zhou Bin and Wang Gui looked at each other. They knew very well that more than 80% of the current military garrisons were operating at a loss and had become a burden on the court. The reason why the court was in such a hurry to relocate the four military garrisons in Xingzhou to Yongning was because it was worried that things might change if it dragged on.

Whether or not Chen Boying can gain a foothold in Shuangchengwei, the court has already sent 300,000 men from four guards to the front. If he can hold the position, it is due to Chen Boying's ability and his merit. Of course, the court can also reduce its burden. More importantly, even if Chen Boying fails to hold the position, the loss and death of nearly 300,000 soldiers will be Chen Boying's responsibility.

Chen Ying did not give orders to the various tribes of the Haixi Jurchen, nor did he strictly order the Solon tribe to do anything. He simply used benefits to attract them and used the Jurchens to weaken them. What he wanted was the land of Haixi, not the people of Haixi. A tribe with only a few thousand or tens of thousands of people would cling tightly to the coattails of the Ming Dynasty.

If a tribe has tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people, it will definitely have greater ambitions. This was the case with Hamutai, Bomubogor, and of course, Nurhaci. Even when he annexed the Jianzhou Guard with more than 40,000 people, he did not dare to rebel against the Ming Dynasty until he had hundreds of thousands of troops.

Although Chen Ying was supporting the Solon and Xibe tribes, he did not want to raise a tiger that would become a threat. Although Chen Ying was not as experienced in battle as Nurhaci, he had already passed through the initial period of panic. Now, facing a battlefield full of corpses and blood, he could calmly eat braised pork without feeling any discomfort.

While Nurhaci was frantically pursuing the remnants of the Solon tribe under Bomubogormo, Chen Ying had actually set a trap. Although he seemed to be leading more than 9,000 wolf cavalry as the main force, he actually wanted to take advantage of this rare opportunity to train his troops.

That's right, it's all about training soldiers. He finally realized that good soldiers aren't trained, but rather earned through battle. The Da Ning under his command was mainly composed of military households from the Five Garrisons of Xingzhou. In the late Ming Dynasty, the career prospects for military households were very limited, but going to the battlefield and earning wealth through military merit was their best way out. The Ming Dynasty didn't lack military households who dared to fight, nor did it lack generals who could fight. What they lacked was a stage.

Chen Ying is now giving them this stage, and he is ready to do so while Nurhaci is relentlessly pursuing Bomubogor.

He was 200 li away from the Jurchen rearguard, which was actually the limit of the Jurchen's speed. The Jurchen cavalry was not on the same level as the Mongol cavalry. Their ability to seize opportunities was greatly reduced by the heavy armor of the cavalry. Chen Ying's artillery and infantry could barely keep up with the speed of the Jurchen.

Although Nurhaci was also learning and making progress, he knew that Chen Boying was actually using him to wipe out the Haixi Jurchens. Since Chen Boying came to Shuangchengwei, the Haixi Jurchens had a total of over a hundred tribes, large and small, with at least 70,000 to 80,000 people. When Daishan led the four right-wing banners of the Eight Banners to sweep through the territory of the Haixi Pacification Commissioner, he wiped out more than 20 tribes in one go. Later, he personally led his men to wipe out 20 or 30 more. Now, in less than a year, only 40 or 50 Haixi Jurchen tribes remained in the territory of the Haixi Pacification Commissioner, and the population was reduced by nearly half.

Because the number of tribes has decreased and the population has declined, these Haixi Jurchens have no choice but to rely on Chen Boying. Just like this pursuit, the Solon tribe sent most of its able-bodied men, and the loss of more than 10,000 of them has severely weakened the Solon tribe. As long as Bomubogor can surrender, he will not actually exterminate the Solon tribe.

The problem was that Bomubogor was in a very bad state; of the two thousand cavalrymen who had broken through the encirclement, less than six hundred remained, yet he showed no sign of surrendering. This was mainly because Nurhaci had a terrible reputation. Surrendering to the Jurchens or not meant only a matter of dying sooner or later. Apart from the Jurchens, all the other tribes were his cannon fodder. They were the ones who did the toughest battles, the worst food, and the hardest, most tiring, and dirtiest work, but they received no credit for their victories.

Just when Bomubogor was surrounded by the Jurchens and could no longer run away, Nurhaci sent people to persuade Bomubogor to surrender. However, the problem was that before Nurhaci's people could even step forward to persuade him to surrender, Bomubogor was already surrounded.

Chen Ying's three top lieutenants, Wang Tiezhu, Chen Daniu, and Qin Siming, led the Shahe New Army to the ambush. Chen Daniu, looking through his binoculars at the Jurchens who seemed completely unprepared, laughed excitedly, "Finally caught up with these bastards! Fire! Bomb them!"

"Boom boom boom—"

With the first salvo, more than a hundred shells whistled towards the Jurchen cavalry. Upon hearing the cannon fire, all the Jurchen soldiers were instantly terrified. Large bursts of orange-red flames exploded in their ranks. The Jurchen soldiers were horrified to see Jurchen cavalrymen, under the bombardment of the shells, with severed arms and broken swords, and it seemed as if a rain of blood was falling from the sky.

The surviving Jurchen soldiers at the northern camp of Shuangchengwei City had been subdued by Chen Ying's artillery fire. They instantly understood what had happened, and countless Jurchen soldiers let out chilling screams: "Those devils are catching up!"

The once orderly Jurchen army instantly descended into chaos. Thousands upon thousands of people were terrified and scattered in all directions. Those inside the encirclement desperately tried to escape, while those outside, unaware of what was happening, rushed forward to investigate. In the ensuing trampling, countless people were pushed over and crushed into a bloody pulp.

Bomubogor, who had thought he was doomed, laughed loudly as he watched the cannon fire, "Nurhaci, don't you dare run away!"

Nurhaci, his face pale, cried out in disbelief, "How did the Ming army catch up with us? Weren't they still more than two hundred li away? They—"

No one answered Nurhaci's question; they cried out in alarm, "Khan, retreat quickly!"

Before Nurhaci could react, his personal guards hurriedly grabbed the reins of his warhorse and pulled him desperately toward Xianping.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom—"

Another volley of shells flew over, crashing straight into the crowd. Countless people vanished without a trace under the bombardment, their arms and legs flying wildly through the air. Because the Jurchens were so densely packed, not a single shell was wasted. Jurchen soldiers fell in droves like felled wheat, some with their arms severed, some with their legs cut off, some with their stomachs ripped open and their intestines spilling out, and some even cut in half at the waist.

Although the Jurchen soldiers were seasoned veterans and had fought countless battles, they had never witnessed such a bloody and horrific scene. What distressed them most was that shells flew in volleys, and they had no chance to fight back; they could only endure the onslaught.

They watched Nurhaci flee and fled as well. From the start of the bombardment to the collapse of the Jurchens, it took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Even though the rapid-fire cannons were extremely fast, they still couldn't keep up with the speed at which the Jurchen soldiers collapsed.

Nurhaci had initially intended to retaliate, but seeing the Jurchen warriors running around like sheep, he finally gritted his teeth and whipped his horse: "Go!"

Watching the remnants of the Jurchen army flee in panic, the military households of Xingzhou Garrison were instantly dumbfounded. Was this still the Jurchen they knew?

Wasn't it said that the Jurchens could charge into the Ming army's artillery fire, advancing wave after wave, fighting to the death? But why did they collapse after suffering only a thousand casualties, less than half a percent of their entire army? The Ming army could hold out for several hours when facing the Jurchens' attacks. What happened to them?

"What are you waiting for? Chase after them!"

The Ming soldiers and wolf cavalrymen suddenly realized what was happening and began to pursue. It wasn't that the infantry caught up with the cavalry, but when the cavalry fled for their lives, the horses' stamina was very limited. They would die of exhaustion after only twenty or thirty li, and cavalrymen would fall behind from time to time.

Moreover, the Wolf Riders were pure cavalry. They were fast and had the advantage of being well-rested. With their horses in full service and high morale, they pursued the enemy for a full two hours. Of course, it wasn't that they didn't want to pursue them anymore, but that they simply couldn't keep up.

Of the nine thousand wolf riders, half collapsed from exhaustion, and more than a thousand of their warhorses were worn out. However, the harvest was astonishing: they killed more than three thousand Jurchens and captured more than three thousand. The only regret was that the number of cattle and sheep captured in this battle was limited.

Hada rode forward, his face beaming with excitement: "Master, a great victory! A great victory indeed! We have utterly annihilated the Jurchens!"

Chen Ying turned his head and looked at the Ming soldiers beside him. Even the soldiers of the Da Ning New Army, who were fighting for the first time, were full of fighting spirit. They even performed the amazing miracle of being faster than horses. Of course, more importantly, they no longer had any fear of the Jurchens.

"Zhou Bin, do you know what this battle means?"

Zhou Bin was stunned for a moment: "Does that mean—we won?"

"Yes, we won."

Chen Ying nodded, his gaze deep, and said, "But more importantly, from now on, our Great Ming Dynasty has gained a foothold in the Haixi Pacification Commission of Nurgan."

Xianping City, the office of the Haixi Pacification Commissioner.

When Nurhaci returned, he found himself drenched in cold sweat. Of the more than 20,000 elite troops who had gone out to attack, less than 13,000 had returned, and all of them looked ashen-faced, with even their horses foaming at the mouth.

Those once-mighty Eight Banners elites who swept across Liaodong are now like stray dogs, not even having the courage to look back.

"Father!"

Huang Taiji looked at the still-shaken Nurhaci and said, "The Ming army has not caught up."

Nurhaci nodded without speaking. He closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. The princes around him were also silent, none of them daring to speak.

After a long silence, Nurhaci slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over everyone. Suddenly, he laughed, "Good, very good indeed, Chen Boying. For over thirty years, I have dominated Liaodong, and no one has ever forced me to this point. I've been thinking, where exactly did we go wrong?"

No one dared to speak. Under Nurhaci's oppressive rule, the eight banner chiefs below him consisted of one nephew, three grandsons, and four sons. The so-called Great Jin Kingdom was nothing more than a matter for their family. Everyone else had to stand aside. If they said the wrong thing, they would lose their heads.

Nurhaci turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife: "I understand now. It's not that our warriors aren't brave enough, nor that our arrows aren't sharp enough; it's the firearms. What did Chen Boying rely on to win? He relied on cannons, on fire-breathing cannons, on those exploding fireballs. No matter how brave our warriors are, they can't withstand a hail of bullets; no matter how sharp our arrows are, they can't outshoot cannons. Therefore, our Great Jin must also have firearms!"

Daishan asked cautiously, "Father Khan, what do you mean—"

"I want to build a Ujjachak Banner."

Ujñācāra is a Manchu word meaning heavy troops or heavily armed forces.

Nurhaci coldly said, "From now on, our Eight Banners will become Nine Banners. The Ninth Banner will be called the Red Flame Banner, specializing in training in firearms and cannons. The banner's soldiers will be divided into twenty Niru, ranking alongside the Eight Banners, and I, the Khan, will personally command the banner leaders!"

"The Khan is wise!"

The princes quickly began to flatter him.

"Father, but firearms belong to the Ming people. Where would we get muskets and cannons?"

Nurhaci sneered, "Chen Boying can make them, but I can't? He has people, and I have people too. Eighth Prince, I'm entrusting this matter to you. First, collect the firearms and cannons abandoned on the battlefield; retrieve what you can and repair what you can. Second, select skilled firearm builders from among the captured Ming artisans, give them the best treatment, and have them build them for me. Third—send someone to Shanxi to find those Jin merchants. Tell them I want to buy firearms, gunpowder, and artisans who can make them. Let them name their prices; I only want the goods."

Huang Taiji bowed and said, "Your subject understands."

Nurhaci then looked at the others: "Send the order down, the entire army is to retreat to Shenyang. Take all the tribes along the way with you, and burn or kill all those you cannot take. I will not leave anything for Chen Boying."

"twitter!"

With the order given, the remnants of the army finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Ying was unaware that because of his otherworldly butterfly, he had not only forced out the Jurchen Wuzhen Chaoha, but also, in history, this was just a heavy armored force established during the reign of Huang Taiji, called the Wuzhen Chaoha Battalion.

After careful consideration, Nurhaci established the Chiyan Banner and then the Han Banner, with Li Yongfang as its leader. He then established the Left and Right Mongol Banners, with Wu Keshan and Wunege serving as their respective leaders.

After this defeat, the Jurchen Eight Banners not only did not surrender but increased, adding four more banners, making it twelve banners in total.

Ujenchaoha will be the future hope of Daikin.

He gazed at the southern sky and murmured, "Chen Boying, you've won this round. But I will not admit defeat. The day my firearms battalion is fully trained will be the day you die."

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