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

Chapter 116 Those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die.

Chapter 116 Those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die.

Chapter 115 People can never teach people, but experience can teach people everything at once. Nurhaci did encounter the Ming army's firearms units. In fact, he had already witnessed the power of the Ming army's firearms in the Battle of Hunhe four years ago.

Although the firearms of Qi Jiguang's army were not as long-ranged or powerful as those of Chen Boying's army, Qi Jiguang's army had an advantage that the Shahe New Army could not match: Qi Jiguang's army was well-trained and had a tenacious fighting spirit. Even when they ran out of ammunition and food, they could fight the Jurchen elites to a standstill with cold weapons.

When Nurhaci reorganized the army at Xianping, he not only added four banners, increasing the original eight banners to twelve, but he also made some changes to the Jurchen system. When he established the eight banners, the banner soldiers did not actually receive military pay; each banner soldier was both a hunter and a soldier. They went to war in times of war and farmed and hunted in peacetime. Their weapons, armor, warhorses, and even the provisions needed for campaigns had to be provided by themselves.

For example, a year before the famous Battle of Sarhu (1619), Nurhaci ordered each Niru (unit of military unit) to produce fifty Jia (unit of military unit), with twenty of them required to bring their own siege ladders. Since there was no pay, where did the motivation to fight come from? The answer was spoils of war.

After the war, the people, livestock, and property plundered would be distributed according to military merit. Whenever troops went out to fight, the families of the Eight Banner soldiers would cheer, because it meant that they would have the opportunity to obtain a lot of property to improve their lives.

In order to maintain the operation of the twelve banners, he now established public lands for each Niru. These public lands included both military farms and pastures established by the Ming Dynasty in Liaodong. At the same time, he used the Aha of each Niru, who were captured Ming soldiers and civilians, as military farm soldiers. He also set the treatment of the banner soldiers in each banner into five grades.

The lowest rank was the training soldier, or intern, who received five bushels of grain per month. The next rank was the war slave, followed by infantrymen, armored soldiers, cavalrymen, and white-armored soldiers. Each rank of soldier received different treatment and a different proportion of weapons.

As for the original Han army and the left and right wings of the Mongols, the collective elevation of their banners was indeed very encouraging news for the Jurchen Eight Banners, whose morale was low.

In particular, Li Yongfang, the newly appointed banner chief of the Han Army, was the first to step forward and declare: "Your Majesty, this servant has decided to defend Xianping to the death, to avenge the fallen soldiers, and to kill the 'Bright Dogs'!"

There is never a shortage of people who enjoy watching the drama unfold. Take Jirgalang, for example. He was not a banner chief, but a junior banner chief. The difference between a junior banner chief and a banner chief is only one word, but their statuses are worlds apart.

He immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this servant is willing to lead my troops to fight the Ming dogs to the death!"

Anyway, all thirty-three Niru of the Bordered Blue Banner belonged to his brother Amin. He was not even as good as Abatai, who had six Niru. He, the minor banner chief of the Bordered Blue Banner, was a commander without troops, and did not have a single Niru under his command.

He was very happy that Amin could feel the pinch.

Jirhalang and Amin had a bad relationship, and Jirhalang wished he could kill him. However, Nurhaci was very happy to see his reforms significantly improve the morale of the Jurchen soldiers.

Seeing Jirhalang and Li Yongfang receive Nurhaci's praise, the other beile were not to be outdone, and they all declared, "Khan, we servants are willing to rush forward and kill the 'bright dog'!"

Wu Keshan, who was attending the meeting, was trembling with fear. After all, he had been a subject of the Jurchens for many years, and the Jurchens' brutality and bloodthirstiness had left an indelible impression on every Mongol.

Seeing the Jurchens go berserk, he was so frightened that his limbs went weak and his breathing became rapid.

Nurhaci was very satisfied with the performance of the Jurchen soldiers. This was the Jurchen he knew. As the entire army stopped retreating, they seemed to have returned to the state they were in when they won the Battle of Sarhu.

The most direct change brought about by the Jurchens was that the small Haixi Jurchen tribes were so frightened that they turned tail and ran away, no longer daring to harass the Jurchen army. The Jurchen army was able to get a good night's sleep for once.

Meanwhile, at Yongfeng Post Station, fifty li south of Xianping City, the Ming army established a large camp. Inside the central command tent, the generals were eager to fight.

Zhou Bin asked, puzzled, "General, the Jurchens are in complete disarray; it's the perfect time to pursue them. Why did you order a halt?"

"We appear fierce and high-spirited, but we are actually exhausted; our horses can barely run. The Haixi Jurchens and the Wild Jurchens, on the other hand, lack the courage to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Jurchens in adversity. They're more suited to fighting when the tide is on their side."

Zhou Bin fell silent. He understood that they were currently fighting a tough battle, which looked impressive, but in reality, not only were they exhausted, but more importantly, their ammunition was running low, making it difficult to sustain high-intensity combat. Neither Yongning nor Shuangchengwei City had the capacity to produce ammunition. Every bullet they used had to be transported from Changping.

Chen Ying may have only pursued the Jurchens for a little over a thousand miles, but in reality, it was no less than a five or six thousand-mile expedition. If it weren't for the fact that they could still rely on sea routes to transport ammunition, just transporting all that ammunition would have given Chen Ying a huge headache.

"Moreover, Ma Shuai (Ma Shilong) has already captured Liaoyang, so there is little point in Nurhaci returning to Liaoyang to reinforce it. If he is determined to counterattack, we might suffer a loss in the process! Besides, we have already achieved our goal in this battle."

Chen Yongren asked, puzzled, "What's the purpose?"

Chen Ying laughed and said, "Let the Jurchens know that no matter how powerful their cavalry is, they can't outrun our artillery. Let those opportunists know that the Ming Dynasty is still the same Ming Dynasty. Let Nurhaci know that his methods are outdated."

Zhou Bin seemed to be deep in thought.

Just then, Bomubogor came into the tent. He was covered in bandages, his left arm was in a sling across his chest, and there was still blood on his face.

Upon seeing Chen Ying, he struggled to kneel down, but Chen Ying stopped him.

"General—this servant deserves to die! We fell into the Jurchens' ambush and lost so many brothers—"

Chen Ying said slowly, "It's good that you're alright. Go back and take good care of your injuries. The Soren tribe still needs you—"

"My lord, you don't blame your servant?"

"What's it to you?"

Chen Ying said calmly, "Is it because you were too eager to fight the Jurchens? Is it because you were too eager to make a name for yourself? Bomubogor, remember this: there are no invincible generals in war. Losing is not a big deal; the important thing is not to lose your confidence."

He patted Bomubogor on the shoulder: "When you get back, reorganize your troops well. I will allocate some grain, salt, and tea for you. Those who are wounded, take good care of them. Those who have died, I will provide them with compensation."

Bomubogor could no longer hold back his tears, crying out, "Our Solon tribe has been loyal to our commander for generations!"

Early the next morning, the sound of deep war drums rang out from the Ming army camp at Yongfeng Post Station, and the army completed its assembly in just a quarter of an hour.

Chen Ying stood before the entire army and looked at them, asking, "Brothers, are you tired?"

"We're more afraid of being poor!"

"Ha ha!"

The soldiers burst into laughter.

"The Jurchens aren't fleeing anymore; they want to fight us to the death. Aren't you afraid?"

"Don't be afraid!"

"From Shuangchengwei to Yongfengyi, a distance of over 1,300 li, we pursued the Jurchens for over 1,300 li, chasing them until they were scrambling and crawling, until they were completely routed, until they preferred to bear our bullets and swords with their backs rather than turn around and fight us!"

Chen Ying laughed, "We killed at least 40,000 of them; their corpses littered the earth, while our casualties were so negligible. Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied?"

"No!"

"You don't have it, and neither do I!"

Chen Ying pointed to the ground beneath his feet and said, "In the thirty-eighth year of the Wanli reign, our Great Ming had twenty-five garrisons and over four million soldiers and civilians in Liaodong. Now, nine out of ten houses are empty, bones are exposed in the fields, and the land is barren for thousands of miles. We have only killed forty thousand of them. It is not enough, far from enough, because we have not completely terrified them. They still dare to stop in Xianping, fifty miles away, and still dare to appear before us. Soldiers—"

"exist!"

"Grip your swords and spears tightly, prepare for battle again! In this battle, I will utterly crush them, shatter their bones, make their blood flow like rivers, and make them so terrified they'll wet their pants at the mere sight of our Ming Dynasty's flag for the rest of their lives! Can you do it?!"

All the Ming soldiers were instantly filled with fervor, roaring at the top of their lungs, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"All troops, form ranks and continue the attack!"

"Yes, sir!"

Chen Ying commanded the Shahe New Army and the Daning New Army as the vanguard, with the Wolf Cavalry covering the left and right flanks, and the Solon and Xibe tribes...

And the servants of the Hezhe tribe followed behind.

Chen Ying then boarded his sled, which was a modified four-wheeled carriage, and the army surged toward Xianping like a flood.

Sitting inside the sled, Zhou Bin couldn't help but ask, "Commander, didn't you say we're running low on ammunition and our men are exhausted? If we keep fighting—"

"Who said I was going to fight?"

Chen Ying said with piercing eyes, "I just want Nurhaci to think that I still want to fight."

"General, this is—a bluff."

Chen Ying nodded and said calmly, "Nurhaci is an old fox. If we don't pursue and retreat on the spot, he will definitely realize that we are out of ammunition. At that time, the tide will turn, and he will send out cavalry to relentlessly pursue us. I can only put on an offensive posture to prevent him from making any rash moves. Commander Ma has just captured Liaoyang and needs time to retreat. The 30,000 rescued soldiers and civilians, carrying the old and the young, will move slowly. The longer we delay Nurhaci, the safer Commander Ma will be."

Zhou Bin suddenly realized: "The Ming Dynasty is truly wise!"

Meanwhile, in Xianping City.

Nurhaci stood on the newly renovated city wall, gazing at the southern horizon with a furrowed brow.

"Report—"

A scout galloped up and reported to the Khan: "The Ming army at Yongfeng Post Station has broken camp and is advancing towards Xianping. Their vanguard is less than thirty li away from us and is expected to arrive in Xianping in two hours!"

Nurhaci's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously reacted: "Is Chen Boying planning to attack Xianping?"

Abatai immediately said, "They've come at the perfect time! We can kill them all!"

Jirgalang also said, "Khan, this servant is willing to lead the troops into battle—"

"Your Majesty, this humble servant requests permission to fight!"

Looking at the spirited princes and generals below, Nurhaci's brows furrowed more and more. In fact, when he was retreating, he deliberately wanted to stretch Chen Boying's supply line and then launch a counterattack. However, when he led more than 20,000 troops to counterattack Bomubogor, Chen Boying was also on guard against this move. An ambush directly crushed his forces.

Huang Taiji lowered his voice and said, "Father, I think Chen Boying may not really want to fight. His supplies have to be transported from Shuangchengwei, which is more than 1,300 li away. Moreover, his troops have suffered considerable losses and are exhausted. He is just bluffing to buy time for Ma Shilong."

"Eighth Brother, have you forgotten that although this place is far from Shuangchengwei, it is very close to the various tribes of the Haixi Jurchen? Why would he need to transport supplies from Shuangchengwei?"

Mangultai retorted, "The Xibe, Gualecha, Woji, and Hezhe tribes of the Haixi Jurchens, along with dozens of other tribes, have already submitted to him. Would Chen Boying lack supplies?"

There was one more thing he didn't say: when Nurhaci met with the Khalkha Mongols, he had already lost more than three-quarters of the cattle, sheep and horses he had obtained from the Mongols, so Chen Boying was not actually short of food supplies.

Nurhaci was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Fifth Prince, you're right, but what if he really is going to attack? This Chen Boying never plays by the rules. Back when he was in Shuangchengwei, who would have thought he'd actually dare to lead eight thousand cavalry in a night raid? I thought he'd advance lightly and quickly, but he advanced slowly, leaving me no opportunity to take advantage. You say he's bluffing, but he might actually be going to attack; you say he's going to attack, but he might just be feinting. I can't afford to gamble, and neither can the Great Jin!"

"What does that Khan mean?"

Nurhaci looked at Amin, currently the strongest among the Eight Banners, and said, "Amin!"

"Your servant is here!"

"I hereby order you to lead 8,000 elite troops of the Bordered Blue Banner to defend Xianping and strengthen vigilance. If the Ming army dares to invade, I require you to defend for at least ten days!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! This servant will ensure they never return!"

Amin secretly lamented that the entire Eight Banners, with tens of thousands of troops, could not withstand Chen Boying's frenzied attack. How could he possibly hold out for ten days with only eight thousand troops from the Bordered Blue Banner?

However, although he was dissatisfied, he dared not say it.

"By order of the Khan, the two Yellow Banners shall be the vanguard, the two Red Banners and the two White Banners shall be in the middle, and the Plain Blue Banner shall bring up the rear. The entire army shall retreat to Shenyang. At this time, Nurhaci no longer hoped to destroy Chen Boying in one battle. He only hoped that he could quickly return to the front and take back the lost cattle, sheep, horses and people from Ma Shilong."

Although Liaoyang City had been captured by Ma Shilong, Ma Shilong was extremely greedy. He not only seized more than 30,000 slaves, but also captured tens of thousands of shi of grain. Almost all the grain and property in Liaoyang City was taken away by Ma Shilong. Because he carried too many supplies and the slaves were extremely weak, Ma Shilong's army marched very slowly, only able to travel 20 to 30 li per day.

It would take him at least twenty days to travel more than 600 li, and at the fastest more than half a month. This meant that Nurhaci still had a chance to reclaim the property and slaves that Ma Shilong had taken from him.

Looking at Nurhaci's back, Huang Taiji seemed to understand that Nurhaci had been frightened by Chen Boying and had lost his former ambition. But the problem was that Nurhaci was the backbone of the Jin Dynasty. If even Nurhaci had lost confidence, what would become of the Jin Dynasty in the future?

The Ming court dispatched Chen Boying's detachment to launch a surprise attack on Shuangchengwei and establish an alliance with the various Jurchen tribes of Haixi. As time goes by, this alliance will become stronger and stronger. So where is the future of the Great Jin?

Jirhalang said incredulously, "Withdraw? Just let these traitors go like that?"

"Withdraw! I, the Khan, do not wish to repeat this a second time!"

Amin pulled on Jirhalang, signaling him to shut up.

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that the Ming army led by Chen Boying was not to be trifled with. The Jin dynasty had fought them three times and all of them had ended in defeat and heavy losses. If they were to fight them head-on again, they would inevitably suffer heavy casualties. The Bordered Red Banner was crippled by Chen Boying, and the Two Yellow Banners also suffered more than 6,000 dead and wounded by Chen Boying. If they were to fight such a tough battle, it would definitely be crippling.

These days, strength is everything. Since Nurhaci doesn't want to continue fighting, anyone who insists on stepping forward to fight Chen Boying to the death is simply out of their mind.

The Jurchen generals outwardly feigned righteous indignation and resentment, but Nurhaci knew very well that they were secretly overjoyed. He had to admit that the Great Jin could no longer afford to fight a fierce battle that would result in the deaths of thousands or even tens of thousands of people, and had no choice but to retreat.

Once his Crimson Flame Banner Wuzhen Chaoha has trained his army, he will then compete with Chen Boying.

The Jurchens were essentially a pack of wolves. If their prey was weak, they would pounce on it relentlessly, tearing it to pieces until it was dead. But if their opponent was so powerful that it threatened the very survival of their entire race, they would immediately back down and refuse to fight again.

For more than 30 years, this was the first time that the Ming army had defeated a much larger enemy force in a field battle, forcing the Jin army to back down. This "first time" was unacceptable to the Jin army.

The problem is, no matter how unacceptable it is, nothing can be changed. Chen Boying is eyeing them like a tiger eyeing a flock of sheep. Now that the roles have reversed, they have become the Ming Dynasty's punching bag, to be attacked and beaten at will.

Soon, the Jurchen generals, especially the older veterans, adapted very quickly because they had witnessed the power of the Ming Dynasty firsthand. Before the Jurchens rose to power, no one dared to cause trouble in the Jianzhou Guard or the three Jianzhou Left and Right Divisions. When the Ming Dynasty attacked them, it didn't need to send tens or hundreds of thousands of troops; just four or five thousand men were enough to make them cry for their fathers.

These veterans are very shrewd. It is Nurhaci and the Aisin Gioro who are rebelling. We are just accomplices. If we can't win, we can surrender. Surrendering only means losing half the battle. Being a dog for Nurhaci is the same as being a dog for the Ming Dynasty. It's not a big deal.

Of course, Nurhaci was unaware that his veteran generals had changed their attitude; they were eyeing Nurhaci's wolf cubs, seemingly contemplating where to strike.

As night fell, outside Xianping City, at the Ming army's temporary camp.

Chen Ying sat alone in his tent, a newly written victory report spread out in front of him.

A woman dressed as a man entered and said softly, "My lord—"

"Why are you here? What happened in Yongning?"

Su Mei smiled slightly: "My lord, I was entrusted by someone in Yongning to request that you withdraw your troops!"

"Anhui merchants?"

Su Mei was slightly taken aback: "How did you know, sir?"

"Isn't it obvious? The Huizhou merchants are one of the financial backers of the Donglin Party. If the Jurchens are wiped out, it will definitely be in the Donglin Party's interest. The Donglin Party members will certainly ask their masters for help—"

Chen Ying initially thought the Shanxi merchants were the only traitors to the Ming Dynasty. However, it wasn't until the Huizhou merchants proposed opening trading posts in Shuangchengwei, specifically at the various post stations between Yongning and Shuangchengwei, that Chen Ying became suspicious. Merchants prioritize profit over righteousness, and currently, the six post stations between Yongning and Shuangchengwei were completely devoid of civilian traffic, making business unprofitable.

They did this for one purpose only: to smuggle goods to the Jurchens through Chen Boying's channels.

Chen Ying was now not only powerless to annihilate the Jurchens, but also unable to continue the fight. He didn't mind doing the Huizhou merchants a favor, so he nodded and said, "Do they want me to spare Nurhaci?"

"That's right!"

Su Mei smiled faintly and said, "My lord, what do you mean?"

"I want 30%!"

"What?"

"The Donglin Party embezzled two-thirds of the military pay from the Liaodong military fund, amounting to at least four or five million taels of silver annually. I don't need much more, just one million shi of grain and one million taels of silver. Once I receive the grain and silver, I can immediately withdraw my troops!"

Chen Ying decided to temporarily drain the Donglin Party of its value: "Go and reply to them—"

"My lord, is 1.5 million shi of grain, plus 1.2 million taels of silver, not enough?"

Su Mei smiled faintly and said, "I took it upon myself to make the decision for you, sir. The deposit of 200,000 taels of silver, plus 150,000 shi of grain, has already arrived in Yongning."

"Ha ha--"

Chen Ying burst into laughter: "Su Mei, you really understand me. Let's do it this way!"

He paused, then looked at Su Mei: "What do you think Nurhaci is thinking right now?"

Su Mei thought for a moment: "They're probably thinking of a way to get revenge."

"right."

Chen Ying nodded. "Moreover, I can roughly guess how he will take revenge. He will learn from me. He will learn to make firearms, train musketeers, and use artillery. He will also have his own firearms battalion."

Su Mei's heart tightened: "Then what do we do?"

Chen Ying laughed, a confident laugh: "Those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die! He can learn my firearms, but he can't learn what I have—what?"

"system."

Chen Ying spoke slowly and deliberately, laughing, "He can make muskets, but he won't treat the craftsmen well. He can train musketeers, but he won't let the soldiers eat their fill. He can use cannons, but he won't let the soldiers know why they have to fight. He'll never learn these things. Even if he wanted to, the Jurchen nobles wouldn't agree. He can use his prestige to suppress dissent, but he'll die. He's already over sixty and doesn't have many years left. After he dies, his successor won't have his prestige. The harder he tries to suppress it, the stronger the backlash will be."

When President Chiang Kai-shek summarized his failures, he famously said, "Fighting corruption will destroy the nation, but not fighting corruption will destroy the country." He wasn't blind to the internal problems; he was simply powerless to change them. The Ming Dynasty is in a similar situation now. The Tianqi Emperor is not the Chongzhen Emperor. When Chongzhen first ascended the throne, he indeed lacked experience and was misled by the Donglin Party.

The problem is that destroying the Donglin Party wouldn't solve the real problem, and destroying the Jurchens would solve the Ming Dynasty's problems, but it would only delay the Ming Dynasty's demise. The Ming Dynasty needed reform, top-down reform, and the most fundamental reform was land reform, which would tie the people of the Ming Dynasty to a lifeline that could lock them in.

As long as the people of the Ming Dynasty are not killed and do not participate in rebellion, the Ming Dynasty can continue. This topic has gone a bit too far, but Nurhaci's learning from Chen Ying to forge firearms is equivalent to abandoning the Jurchen's horsemanship and archery skills, which is also equivalent to crippling his own martial arts. Apart from horsemanship and archery, the Jurchen have no advantage over the people of the Ming Dynasty.

In terms of population size or intelligence, they are completely inferior.

At this moment, on the official road from Liaoyang to Ningyuan, a large and impressive procession was slowly making its way south.

Ma Shilong rode his horse in the middle of the column, glancing back at Liaoyang City as it gradually disappeared from view, his heart filled with mixed emotions. "General,"

Man Gui rode forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "The Jurchen pursuers haven't shown up yet. It seems that Chen Boying has held Nurhaci back."

Ma Shilong nodded, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes: "This Chen Boying is indeed a trustworthy man. Pass down the order to speed things up and try to return to Ningyuan within half a month."

"yes!"

Among the ranks, 30,000 rescued soldiers and civilians, young and old, though exhausted, shone with hope in their eyes. They had finally returned to the land of the Ming Dynasty, and were no longer slaves of the Jurchens.