The defeat of the Jiannu was inevitable. The most important thing was that the disastrous defeat in Haicheng and the death of Lao Nu had caused an irreversible decline in morale and public sentiment.
There is no hope. No matter how hard they fight, it will only delay time and reduce the casualties among the tribesmen. This is the thought that almost every Jiannu soldier has in his mind.
This is indeed the case. Faced with the well-equipped and well-paid Ming army, under the sharp and fierce firepower, and with a shortage of food and supplies, no matter how hard the Jiannu resisted, their defeat was inevitable.
At this point in the war, the question for the Jiannu was no longer one of victory or defeat, but rather of preserving as many of their people as possible and retreating to the remote Haixi area.
Be it to survive and reproduce or to endure hardships, it is better than to lose the country and the clan in Liaodong.
The Jiannu people in Sarhu, Jiefan City and Shangjian Cliff retreated in batches, but were hunted down severely by the Ming army.
Just as they were relying on simple positions to block the Ming army's pursuers on the main road, the Ming army's infantry and artillery also caught up and started another round of fierce and violent attacks.
"Hold on for a day or two?!" Huang Taiji smiled bitterly. Although he knew that this was the only option, it was an impossible task.
Dudu, who retreated from Shangjian Cliff, and Sahalian, who retreated from Sarhu, looked at each other, and invariably cast their gloomy gazes at Yuetuo who delivered the message.
Yue Tuo lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Whether it takes one day or two, we will fight to the death."
The combined number of troops from several groups was less than 10,000, and there were many wounded soldiers. They had been fighting continuously and were exhausted.
They might still have the strength to draw their bows and shoot, but their arrows had been almost completely expended. This was because they were facing the Ming army, and the fire coming back was lead bullets from muskets, so there was no possibility of picking up arrows and shooting back.
Under such circumstances, we can only fight a bloody battle with the enemy in hand-to-hand combat; a deadline of one or two days will also mean the annihilation of the entire army and no one will survive.
"Let's die!" Du Du glared. "To die on the battlefield is the glory of Jianzhou warriors. Killing a few more enemies is worth it."
After saying this, he gave a hasty bow to everyone, turned around and led his troops into the position to resist the fierce attack of the Ming army.
"Fourth Prince." Yuetuo saluted Huang Taiji and said, "Please take the wounded and catch up with the main group. Here..."
Huang Taiji raised his arm, stopped Yuetuo, and said, "You brothers will complete this task. I will command the battle from here."
After a pause, he added: "The Khan is young and needs the assistance of the Grand Prince. With you here, the Grand Prince will have the strength and confidence."
Although the words were not too explicit, the meaning was clear. Huang Taiji was worried that the new Khan, Dorgon, was too young to handle the heavy responsibility and might make the wrong decision.
Daishan's support for the government ultimately depended on his own strength. With the support of his two sons, Yuetuo and Sahalian, who were both experienced in fighting, Dorgon did not dare to act on his own.
Yuetuo and Sahalian looked at each other. Although they were not afraid of death, what Huang Taiji said made sense.
"This concerns the survival of the Jianzhou Jurchens. You do not need to hesitate." Huang Taiji waved his hand fiercely and said, "The Grand Prince is calm and strategic. With him at the helm, the Jianzhou Jurchens can overcome their difficulties and make a comeback."
Yue Tuo sighed, stepped forward and greeted them, then turned around to organize the wounded and prepare to catch up with the main group.
Sahalian also bid farewell to Huang Taiji, and said hesitantly: "Fourth Prince, do not worry about the enemy's rumors and propaganda in front of the battlefield. If it is impossible to do so, returning alone will be a blessing for our Great Jin."
The so-called rumormongers were naturally the descendants of the Yehe tribe who had surrendered and rebelled. Led by Baku and Leng Sengji, they followed Man Gui's troops to this place.
Persuading the Jurchens to surrender had always been a covert operation of the Military Intelligence Department, but it only applied to those other than the Jianzhou Jurchens. Now, the scope has been relaxed, and those who have redeemed themselves through meritorious service can be forgiven.
Huang Taiji had a closer connection with the Yehe tribe because of his biological mother. Others might not think it was a big deal, but Sahalian believed that Huang Taiji would reveal his true intentions.
Therefore, he reminded Huang Taiji that if he held on to the end, he could lead a small number of people to escape. Even if he returned alone, it would be enough to dispel others' suspicions.
The rebellion of the Jurchen tribes made the Jiannu situation even worse. The already low morale of the army was further spurred by suspicion and mistrust.
It is not enough to distinguish ethnic groups by surnames alone. For example, although the Nara clan is a Manchu surname, in the Ming Dynasty the clan was scattered in Yehe, Ula, Hada, Huifa and various places.
Historical records of the Nara surname state that "although they share the same surname, each is a separate clan." This means that the Jurchen people with the Nara surname in the Ming Dynasty were not from the same clan.
The Jiannu were difficult to distinguish, and the emperor did not want to make any distinctions. He simply turned a blind eye, and all the Nara clan members who surrendered were incorporated into the Yehe clan. This not only created divisions among the Jurchens, but also served as a dagger against the Jianzhou Jurchens.
Not long after Yuetuo and Sahalian left, the Jiannu's resistance became critical.
Under the cover of artillery bombardment, the Ming army's successive attacks continuously killed and wounded the Jiannu and weakened their strength.
Having lost the advantage of medium and long-range firepower, the Jiannu could only rely on their last bit of bravery and close combat to barely resist.
But doing so would come at a great price. The Ming army's muskets and Portuguese-made rifles fired dense rain of lead bullets, and many Jiannu soldiers were shot into sieves on their way forward.
"Light the fire!" Huang Taiji used his last trick and set fire to the piled branches and weeds.
The fire started, and a large number of pine branches helped to fuel the fire, and were blown towards the Ming army by the wind.
There was nothing flammable on the road, and the Ming army retreated quickly with few casualties, but the continuous attacks had to be temporarily stopped.
The fire attack forced back the Ming army and also blocked some of the Jiannu who were fighting with the Ming army and trapped them in a sea of fire.
Through the air distorted by the heat wave, Huang Taiji and others could see their own soldiers screaming, howling, tumbling and jumping in the flames.
The Ming army's muskets were still roaring, and as they retreated in an orderly manner, they knocked down the enemies, who were on fire and smoking, and rushing out of flames and smoke.
Du Du was panting heavily, leaning on his sword, his eyes solemn, or perhaps a little dull. He had been shot in the left shoulder, and although the bullet hadn't penetrated the armor, the bone was broken, and he couldn't even lift his arm.
Huang Taiji turned his eyes away from the bloody and fiery hellish scene and gave orders, "Continue to collect firewood and make sure to stop the enemy."
Du Du glanced at Huang Taiji, opened his mouth, but said nothing in the end.
The wind direction changes, and using fire to stop the enemy won't last long. Furthermore, the Ming army can take a detour. Although the distance will delay their advance, it will only take half a day at most.
Well, without the fire attack, the resistance here probably wouldn't last even an hour or two. At least, the Ming army retreated temporarily, and our army got a short rest.
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