The bad news keeps coming, which really proves the saying "Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly."

There is also a saying: When you are in bad luck, even drinking cold water will get stuck in your teeth. This is also quite appropriate and is a perfect portrayal of the current situation of the Jiannu.

Historically, the fall of the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty was attributed to the Ming Dynasty's lack of luck, which actually has some truth to it. In several key battles, luck strangely favored the Jianlu, which is very puzzling.

Now, under the leadership of the wise and powerful Emperor Tianqi, the Ming Dynasty finally regained its fortune and power, which in turn put pressure on the Jiannu.

Baku, the son of Beile Burhangwu of the Yehe tribe, led the Yehe people in rebellion, captured the fifth Beile Manggurtai, and helped the Ming army to break through Shangjian Cliff with internal and external assistance.

The news was not complete, and Daishan and others did not know that the person who played the biggest role in this was the inconspicuous Leng Sengji.

It was he who deceived Manggurtai, it was he who contacted Mangui's troops, it was he who persuaded Baku and other Yehe people, and it was he who helped the Ming army break through Jilin Cliff.

This guy, who was promoted to a higher position by betraying his master Manguji in history, was unable to change his nature and seized the opportunity.

The loss of Shangjian Cliff made the defense of Jiefan City even more difficult. Not only were they attacked from both sides, but if the Ming army continued to advance, the Jianlu would be cut off from their retreat and face the danger of being annihilated.

Daishan hurriedly mobilized the troops of the Plain Yellow Banner to resist the Ming army in the north, ensure the safety of the retreat route, and strictly urged the military and civilians to speed up the retreat.

At this point, the Jiannu's orderly retreat was completely disrupted, and they fell into a tragic situation of fleeing in panic.

Fierce fighting broke out on three battlefields: Shangjian Cliff, Jilin Cliff in Jiefan City, and the other was to stop and delay the pursuit of the Ming cavalry.

Boom, boom, boom...

The continuous explosions were deafening, and the roar echoed in the mountains for a long time.

After Dongjiang Town was bombarded again, the infantry rushed up again, shouting and killing, under the cover of shield bearers.

"Shoot!" Huang Taiji waved his sword forward and shouted to give orders.

Arrows flew densely in the air, taking advantage of the mountain's terrain and being high above, they also had the advantage of range.

Ming soldiers fell from time to time, but more of them kept approaching their positions and entering the range of their muskets.

The wooden shields stood like a wall, and the Ming army musketeers used them as cover and support as they fired at the enemy. Gunfire rang out, white smoke rose, and the two sides entered into a face-to-face firefight.

Artillery shells flew in from time to time and hit the Jiannu positions. After a moment, flames burst out and broken stones and shrapnel flew everywhere.

Although the Jiannu were on the defensive, the Ming army relied on its advantage in firearms and suffered no greater casualties than the Jiannu during the attack.

Huang Taiji felt sad. This defensive battle was entirely a test of manpower. Every casualty of a Jurchen warrior meant less chance of revival in the future.

But they had to defend it even if they had to kill all their men. The large group of soldiers and civilians had not yet completely passed through this place, and the Jurchen warriors were using their lives to fight for the hope of survival for their people.

Jurchen warriors?! Huang Taiji's pupils contracted, and the flag of the Jianzhou Guard commander in the distance stung his eyes.

Lead bullets were flying, arrows were hurled at them, and the attackers were not only the Ming army, but also the Jurchens.

That Nara Zhongming took advantage of the precarious situation of the Later Jin Dynasty and used the title given by the Ming court and his identity as a member of the Yehe tribe to win over many Zhenyi people.

Especially after the defeat at Haicheng and the fall of Liaoyang, not only the Yehe tribe, but also the Hada, Huifa, and Ula tribes, which had been extinct and should have been lost to history, revived and attacked the Jianzhou Jurchens like hungry wolves.

It would be better if we could capture and kill high-ranking officials of the Later Jin Dynasty. Cutting off the heads of the Jianzhou Jurchens would also allow us to claim credit for our rebellion to the Ming army and win a place for our people to survive in Liaodong.

Huang Taiji knew very well that not only the descendants of these Jurchen tribes, but also many Jianzhou Jurchens had changed their names and pretended to be from other Jurchen tribes and defected to the Ming army.

When disaster strikes, everyone flees for their lives. The bandit group that once worked together fell apart, fully demonstrating the true nature of human beings.

Boom! The explosion was so close that even though Huang Taiji was protected by his personal guards, his ears were buzzing and his head was dizzy.

Boom, boom! Explosions rang out continuously, triggering several screams and wails.

After a while, Huang Taiji stood up, pushed away his personal guards, and saw the dead Ata Gao.

This brave warrior who had fought with him for many years fell miserably to the ground, shrapnel embedded in his forehead and blood gushing out.

The Ming army's artillery fire was fierce. Otherwise, how could they suppress the Jin army?

Huang Taiji frowned, turned his eyes away and continued to command the battle.

If he had experienced the Battle of Haicheng and witnessed a real artillery bombardment, he would have been grateful for the bombardment he was suffering now.

The Dongjiang garrison had only one-third of the main force in Liaonan in terms of artillery. Each mixed brigade had only six field guns, twelve Portuguese mortars, and twenty Ming heavy mortars. Even if the entire army was deployed this time, there would only be about a hundred guns in total.

But even so, it was something that Huang Taiji and other Jianlu had never seen before.

The Ming army, at the foot of the fortress wall, stayed within the range of their muskets and engaged the Jianlu in a firefight. Lead bullets rained down, sending shattered fragments flying across the fortress wall.

Field artillery and Portuguese artillery were also pushed forward, and the firepower suddenly increased, forcing the Jianlu army to be unable to raise their heads.

"Why isn't it over yet? The losses are too great, we can't hold on any longer." Huang Taiji howled furiously and sent soldiers to urge them on.

The Ming army no longer retreated in formation, but instead evacuated the wounded and replaced them with new soldiers, which meant that the attack would continue, giving the enemy no chance to breathe.

Solid shells from field artillery continued to hit the village walls and gates. Although the gate had been blocked, Huang Taiji had no confidence in how long the walls could hold out.

Moreover, the Ming army's rear guard was carrying ladders forward, preparing for a fierce attack. According to the number of troops in the camp and the enemy's firepower, Huang Taiji knew that he could not hold out for long.

Outside Jiefan City, Mao Wenlong personally commanded the attack. After two days of exhaustion, he had already seen that the Jianlu could not hold out for much longer.

"General Cao." Putting down the telescope, Mao Wenlong smiled and nodded at Cao Wenzhao, who was riding towards him. He asked casually, "Are all the food and supplies ready?"

Cao Wenzhao cupped his hands and said, "It's enough for the troops to last seven days."

Seven days! That means three days of pursuit, and enough time for the return trip.

Mao Wenlong smiled slightly and said, "After three days of pursuit, we should have covered two hundred miles. The Jiannu army and civilians are moving slowly, so they must have suffered heavy losses."

Cao Wenzhao was full of confidence. He nodded and smiled, saying, "Even if we can't destroy the Jiannu, we must kill them and make their heads roll."

After a pause, he added: "General Zhou's cavalry, General Man's cavalry, plus my troops, are no longer something the Jiannu can resist."

The three groups of flying cavalry in southern Liaoning, eastern Liaoning and northern Liaoning alone had reached 13,000 to 14,000 people. Together with the spear cavalry drawn from various tribes, there were nearly 30,000 iron cavalry, which was enough to hunt down the Jiannu and make them miserable.