Daishan thought so and felt that he was lucky to be able to make a prompt decision, abandon Liaodong, and evacuate hundreds of thousands of his people.

But others had different ideas, such as Dorgon and Dodo.

The two brothers were still young and had not experienced the hardships their father and brother had gone through. They were naturally filled with resentment after suddenly going from a comfortable life to this bitter cold environment.

You know, the Jianzhou Jurchens also migrated from the bitter cold land in the north. Nurhaci and his eldest sons had experienced hardships.

"Sleeping on firewood and tasting gall, with only 3,000 Yue soldiers, we can conquer Wu." Duoduo took a sip of wine, full of ambition and resentment. "Rest and recuperate. In just a few years, our Great Jin will be able to rise again and attack Ming once again."

Duoduo nodded vigorously, agreeing with his brother.

Although they were dissatisfied with their father Khan's dying will, they did not dare to express it too obviously.

Although their older brothers such as Manggurtai and Huang Taiji had died, the Dorgon brothers still lacked military achievements and qualifications, which led to the complete submission of the Eight Banners.

However, Dorgon was Nurhaci's designated successor, and no one would challenge him for the time being unless he made any major mistakes.

As the eldest Grand Beile, Daishan was originally the strongest contender for the Khanate. However, his sons Yuetuo and Shuotuo were both killed in battle, and the two Red Banners also suffered heavy losses. He seemed to have lost hope and posed little threat to Dorgon.

Hearing Duoduo's arrogant words, Daishan rolled his eyes secretly and did not immediately refute or contradict him.

In his opinion, Duoduo was drunk, or was just arrogant and ignorant of the immensity of the world, which was totally unrealistic.

It would only take a few years to recover, and yet they were going to attack the Ming Dynasty again? If it were that simple, why would they have to retreat and move, and why would they have lost so many men and horses to stop the Ming army?

Can the lost troops be replenished in a few years? Daishan pursed his lips slightly, disagreeing in his heart.

Now, don’t even think about the beautiful dream of rallying the troops to attack the Ming. The real task is to ensure the survival of hundreds of thousands of our people and guard against continued attacks by the Ming army.

It was no longer possible to defend the Ming army's battle formation by relying solely on horseback archery. Daishan was still frightened by the sharp power of the Ming army's muskets and artillery.

If they still occupied Liaodong, they might have the resources to manufacture guns and cannons and improve their firepower; retreating to this bitter and cold land, finding exploitable minerals and having enough craftsmen is already an unattainable luxury.

If they just survived this winter, countless people would die of hunger and cold. Moreover, many of them were like Dorgon, accustomed to comfort and it was not easy for them to adapt to the hardship of life.

Despite having this wooden house, warmth and enough food, Dorgon and others were not satisfied and unwilling to resign themselves to their fate.

"King Khan." Daishan raised his head and said slowly, "I have organized several elite troops. Once the snow stops, they will set out in several directions to explore and find some supplies to alleviate the difficulties faced by our people."

The Jiannu fled northwards until they paused briefly at the Songhua River, where they then continued northwards, with tens of thousands more of them stopping at the Heilongjiang River.

Hundreds of thousands of people couldn't be packed too densely. And along the way, there were few people. To plunder supplies, Daishan had no choice but to send his men on a search.

"Also, we've already arranged for our tribesmen to go hunting in the mountains and fish by breaking ice." Daishan continued, "Searching for supplies is one thing, but finding arable land or a suitable place to live is also a top priority."

It wasn't just the Jian slaves who migrated here; there were also tens of thousands of Han domestic slaves, whose greatest skill was, of course, farming. Once a suitable place to live was found, hundreds of thousands of people could separate and live in villages.

Dorgon nodded repeatedly, showing great respect for Daishan. Daishan was not only the oldest brother, but also the regent appointed by his father Khan and a highly respected Beile.

"You've worked hard, Grand Prince," Dorgon praised him, displaying a greater understanding than his brother. "When we retreated north, the weather was freezing cold, so the roads were easier to navigate. But after spring, when the rivers thawed, the roads became long and muddy, making continued attacks by the Ming army difficult."

Daishan agreed with this to some extent, but he still warned cautiously: "Even so, we can't take it lightly."

"Of course." Dorgon pondered and said, "I want to send a group of people to continue exploring northward, or even establish a base, just in case."

"Good, good." Daishan nodded vigorously, raised his glass and said, "Your Majesty has thought it through carefully. This is a foolproof plan."

Dorgon raised his glass in return, showing great humility.

There was a harmonious atmosphere in the wooden house. The elder brother and the younger brother were talking happily, and they were dreaming of enduring development and then making big moves.

Outside, the snow was falling, already knee-deep.

A dozen miles away from here is a sheltered spot in the mountains and forests, where a group of migrating Jurchens gather.

Fan Wencheng carried a bundle of firewood on his back and walked towards his home step by step with difficulty in the knee-deep snow.

He estimated the time, and it was quite accurate. The door of a wooden house not far away opened, and a Jurchen woman walked out. She seemed to be in good spirits, humming some tune as she walked away.

Fan Wencheng waited until the Jurchens were far away before he walked to his door and pushed it open.

The cabin was tiny, without even a bed. Instead, it was a sleeping area covered with animal skins spread out on a pile of weeds. A few broken stones formed the structure, and an iron pot hung from the beams. The air was filled with the smell of domesticated animals.

Fan Wencheng's wife was very young. She was given to him by Huang Taiji after he became successful by joining the Jiannu army.

At this time, the young woman slowly sat up from the animal skin, looked at Fan Wencheng expressionlessly, full of contempt and disdain, and put on her clothes lazily.

Fan Wencheng added firewood to the fire, smoke rose, sparks flew, flames rose, and the house became a little warmer.

The woman put on her dress and silently threw a pocket over.

Fan Wencheng weighed the rice in his hand and found it was only about two pounds. He shook his head. After a brief pause, he grabbed two or three handfuls of rice and put them into the pot.

The defeat and escape of the Jiannu not only brought misery to the Jurchens, but also to the traitors who defected to the Jiannu.

The decline of the Later Jin Dynasty was a foregone conclusion, and there was no need to think about "suppressing the rebellion with military force and maintaining peace with culture and education". What's more, they lost the appreciation of Huang Taiji, who was a traitor to Fan.

Under the pressure of survival, traitors like Fan Wencheng inevitably became second-class people below the Jurchens. In fact, they were second-class people to begin with, not even qualified to be "slaves."

The rice bought with the meat rolled in the boiling water in the pot. The aroma of the porridge gradually became stronger, causing Fan Wencheng to swallow his saliva involuntarily.

The most important thing is to survive. He doesn't care about shame or integrity.

The woman walked over silently, took a bowl of porridge from the pot, and started drinking it.

Fan Wencheng also helped himself to some porridge. When the pot was almost empty, he coughed dryly and said to the woman, "Tomorrow I'm going to the river to break ice and fish. You don't have to hold the door open. Two people are coming."

The woman paused while eating porridge, looked at Fan the traitor with contempt and cold eyes, and then lowered her head.

……………………