According to Nurhaci's arrangement, the second prince Amin led 5,000 elite cavalry to rescue the ally Khorchin tribe. In fact, it was just a bluff and he had no intention of protecting Khorchin to the death.
Therefore, Amin obeyed the Khan's order and led his army to Nong'an Pagoda (a Buddhist pagoda in the ancient city of Nong'an County, Jilin Province) and stopped advancing.
But Amin did not expect that after he had been stationed in Nong'anta for two days, some scattered members of the Khorchin tribe fled south and brought the news that the city of Gelezhuergen had been captured.
Obviously, the Khan's bluffing plan had failed, and the Khorchin tribe was finished. This made Amin somewhat at a loss, whether to retreat or not.
At this time, Amin had no intention of leading his troops forward. The Khorchin tribe had been destroyed, and even if he continued to act, there would be no results.
Undecided, Amin had no choice but to send someone back to deliver a message, leaving it to Nurhaci to decide. He continued to station his troops in Nong'anta, sending people to gather information while waiting for the messenger to bring back the Khan's order.
At this time, the coalition forces also received information that the reinforcements of the Later Jin Dynasty had arrived in Nong'anta, and they had different opinions on the next actions.
Sirhunakduleng believed that the purpose of this eastern expedition had been basically achieved. Although there were still some Khorchin nobles and tribesmen scattered in the Khorchin pastures, it was not a big deal and it was better to retreat.
However, Ming army generals such as Man Gui felt that the Later Jin army had only 5,000 soldiers, and if they could get assistance from the Mongolian tribes, they would be able to defeat this group of Jiannu.
Ang'an and his son of the Zalantu tribe were rather hesitant. They were somewhat afraid of the elite cavalry of the Later Jin Dynasty, but did not want to offend the Ming army. They also coveted the pastures and scattered tribesmen of the Khorchin tribe.
If the Chahar retreated, wouldn't the Khorchin grasslands belong to our Zarut tribe? Ang'an was both greedy and a little worried. If he couldn't defeat the Jurchens, he would lose everything and suffer losses.
"Since Minister Duleng is unwilling to fight the Jiannu, he should retreat and report to Ligdan Khan." Ma Chengfei broke the deadlock and said with a half-smile, "Our army will remain in Gelezhuergen City for the time being. Let's see if the Jiannu are bluffing or truly coming to rescue Khorchin."
Du Leng's face darkened. It sounded like he was a coward. The five thousand elite cavalrymen of the Later Jin Dynasty had just arrived at Nong'an Tower, and he wanted to lead his troops to flee. It was obvious that he was scared away!
In fact, he was reluctant to leave and wanted to turn the Khorchin grassland into a pasture for the Uqiyet tribe so that they would have a place to stay when they left Ligdan Khan.
The Ming army refused to leave, and the Zalantu tribe did not express its stance. Did the two families have any agreement or pact to divide up the Khorchin grassland?
If the Ming army and the Zarut tribe joined forces, they would not be too afraid of the 5,000 Later Jin troops in terms of manpower. Even if the Later Jin army came, they would not have much chance of winning.
If the Chahar tribe's 10,000-plus troops were added, even the 5,000-strong Later Jin army would surely be defeated. However, were these 5,000 troops just the vanguard, or were they all there was? Was it really just a bluff?
Ang An blinked slowly and made a decision. He waited here to see if the Jurchens would arrive, and how many would come. They were all cavalry anyway, so they wouldn't have too much time to leave once they got the news.
Thinking of this, Ang'an showed a generous attitude and said, "My Zarut tribe is willing to advance and retreat with the Ming army. Let alone just 5,000 Jurchens, even if the Jurchen Khan personally led a large army, the grassland warriors would not be afraid of him."
Oh, that sounds really nice and you act like a hero.
Du Leng looked at Ang An, complained in his heart, pondered, and did not make a decision for a while.
Ma Chengfei bowed to Ang'an and said with a smile, "Thank you, Chief Ang'an, for your generosity. It is a great honor to fight alongside the warriors of the Zarut tribe."
"As I should, as I should." Ang An said modestly, "Since we are the Eastern Expedition Coalition, we should advance and retreat together."
Du Leng snorted in his heart and decided not to leave. He would wait and see what the situation would be like. Who wouldn't do that?
But before he could open his mouth, Ma Chengfei said to Ang An with a smile, "Since the Jiannu have only sent 5,000 troops, and our two tribes have over 10,000 combined, twice as many as theirs, why don't we take the initiative and defeat them?"
Ang'an's mouth opened into an O shape. This was not a response, but a proactive attack. He was determined to fight a battle with the Jurchens.
Man Gui and others secretly laughed and thought that Ma Chengfei was really bad for dragging Ang An into the trap.
Seeing Ang An's expression, Du Leng also felt pleased, thinking: "I've let you pretend, I've let you curry favor with the Ming army, so we can advance and retreat together, right? Now let's 'advance' together!"
Ma Chengfei chuckled and said, "If we can fight, we will fight. If we can't, we will retreat. I am not a reckless person. Please rest assured, Chief Ang'an."
Ang An also forced a smile, but it was rather unpleasant. Having said that, he felt like he was on a pirate ship.
Ma Chengfei's face darkened as he said, "If we can defeat them, all the captured armor, weapons, horses, and prisoners will belong to the Zalut tribe. The Zalut tribe will also be required to be more vigilant and guard northern Guangning."
Ang'an's spirits lifted as he bowed, "Thank you, General Ma, for your generosity. My Zarut tribe will fight hard and live up to the prestige of the steppe eagle."
Du Leng couldn't help but frown as he listened to the two men's echoing words. The two allied forces against five thousand Jurchens certainly had a good chance of winning.
Even if he left troops in this city, he probably wouldn't be able to swallow up the entire Khorchin grassland. At least the left wing of Khorchin, which was adjacent to the Zhalut tribe, would be swallowed up by him. As for security and protection, that place was north of the Guangning area.
The key is the attitude of the Ming army in the future, whether they will resent and retaliate for this lack of cooperation. He is planning to break away from Ligdan Khan, and then...
Duleng finally compromised and sent 5,000 troops to assist, waiting for an opportunity to attack Amin's troops in Nonganta. Of the remaining 5,000 troops, 1,000 remained in the city, while the rest swept through the Khorchin grasslands, seizing tribesmen and property.
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