"What kind of trouble is Your Majesty causing now? The Jurchens haven't even been pacified yet, and you're already thinking about the imperial concubine selection."
"Alright, what right do we have to interfere in the emperor's affairs?"
"Let's hurry up and send the imperial edict to the front lines. If we delay this, we'll really lose our heads!"
The two Imperial Guards hurriedly left the capital and headed east.
After passing Shanhaiguan, they found that the road was almost endless with people.
There were both forced laborers and farmers transporting grain from Beizhili.
The cavalry figures visible in the distance must be the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry.
The two Imperial Guards exchanged a glance, both recognizing each other's helplessness.
They've completely blocked the road!
Although the road was difficult to travel, they dared not delay for the slightest.
I had no choice but to grit my teeth and push my way through the crowd.
Among the cavalry, Wu Xiang spotted the two Imperial Guards at a glance. He immediately sent someone to summon them.
Although these two Imperial Guards were not high-ranking officials, they were not afraid of Wu Xiang.
"So it was Lord Wu in person."
Wu Xiang smiled and said, "Gentlemen, is there some urgent official business that brings you to the east in such a hurry?"
The two Imperial Guards immediately frowned.
"Lord Wu, this is an imperial edict. How can you just inquire about it like that?"
Wu Xiang quickly waved his hand: "How could I dare to inquire about such an important matter?"
"I was thinking that since you two have difficulty moving around, should I send some cavalry to escort you eastward?"
"Hey, there's been a rumor in the army lately that after we recapture Guangning, we'll be heading back to the capital."
"I was just thinking about whether I should go back to Shishanhaiguan ahead of schedule."
The two Imperial Guards were naturally delighted to hear that Wu Xiang was going to help them.
So he loosened his grip a lot.
"Hey, Lord Wu, where did you hear this rumor from?"
"We still have many battles to fight in the future."
Although they didn't mind revealing some information, they didn't dare to say too much.
"Alright, then please ask Lord Wu to help us by sending a team of men to clear the way."
Wu Xiang smiled and actually sent a troop of cavalry to help.
After the two Imperial Guards left, his eyes gleamed with barely suppressed excitement.
"Fortunately! It seems the young emperor really does want to continue fighting!"
In fact, Wu Xiang regretted it as soon as the news of Mangultai's surrender came.
He worried that if the court stopped the war, someone would hold him accountable for the slow march after the rewards were distributed.
The many laborers and canal workers on the road were crammed together, and he also played a part in that.
If that happens, Wu Xiang is truly finished.
"Fortunately, the emperor wants to wipe out the Jurchens in one fell swoop, so he will still need my Guan Ning Iron Cavalry."
"Then I still have a chance to make a contribution!"
Wu Xiang turned around and shouted, "Brothers, the Jurchens are clearly no longer useful. Even with the fortified city of Guangning, they only held out for a few days."
"Let's go full speed ahead and kill the enemy to achieve merit!"
His soldiers responded loudly:
"Kill the enemy! Earn merit!"
Seeing that the army's morale was high, Wu Xiang said with great satisfaction, "Good! Then let's advance eastward at full speed!"
Not far ahead of the Guan Ning Army, Qin Liangyu looked at her own White-Spear Soldiers and smiled as well.
"I didn't expect Li Ruolian to show such skill this time."
"In just a few days, they forced Mangultai to surrender."
“I knew how formidable this man was when I fought him last time.”
Upon seeing their general praise Li Ruolian, Qin Liangyu's soldiers became somewhat displeased.
"General, what are you saying?"
"It was only because Li Ruolian led his troops to escape quickly that he was able to reap the credit."
"If we were to attack Guangning, the result would be the same!"
Qin Liangyu was not angry.
She said calmly, "Since you say so, then I'm relieved."
"I have already guessed that the emperor will definitely not give up so easily and will surely launch a further attack on Shengjing."
"In time, you will have plenty of opportunities to make contributions and be rewarded."
"As for the imperial court's rewards..."
Before Qin Liangyu could finish speaking, the White-Spear Soldiers burst into laughter.
"Our emperor is so generous, offering such high rewards to the capital garrison. When it's our turn, won't we be rolling in money?"
Seeing this, Qin Liangyu was also very satisfied.
"Alright, let's speed things up and forget about those canal workers!"
After recapturing Guangning, the Jurchens had no foothold west of the Liao River.
Therefore, there is no need to send heavy troops to escort military supplies anymore.
Shengjing.
Dai Shan and his son Yue Tuo sat in the dark room, both with a hint of despair in their eyes.
"Mangurtai is a piece of trash too!"
"How dare he surrender? How could he possibly surrender!"
Dai Shan flipped the table over.
"He is utterly unworthy to be a descendant of the Aisin Gioro clan!"
Seeing his father so angry, Yue Tuo sighed.
"Father, please don't be angry at this time."
"Let's quickly figure out what to do!"
He took out several military reports and placed them in front of Daishan.
"After entering Guangning, Li Ruolian rested briefly and left 20,000 men to guard Mangultai's surrendered troops. He then led the remaining 30,000 men to the Liao River."
"To join forces with the original 10,000 troops."
"As for Liaodong, there is also news that the other Ming armies are also accelerating their advance."
"I'm afraid they'll meet up on the west bank of the Liao River in three to five days. At that time, the Ming army will probably number as many as 140,000 to 150,000."
"And what we have in our hands..."
Yue Tuo couldn't help but smile wryly as he said this.
"We only have about 10,000 men from the two Red Banners, which are still reliable."
"There are still several thousand of Ao Bai's troops on the east bank of the Liao River, so there shouldn't be any problem."
"In addition, there are more than 20,000 newly recruited able-bodied men, but their fighting strength..."
Yue Tuo shook his head again.
After years of fighting, the Jurchen army suffered heavy losses.
In the past, they always won battles when they fought abroad, so they had ways to make up for these losses.
But in the past year or so, they have suffered heavy losses.
They finally managed to gain some advantages from Korea, but Hauge gave them all away in one fell swoop.
Dai Shan only felt pain in his forehead.
He pressed his temples, looking bewildered, and asked, "If that's the case, then the troop strength for the Battle of Liaohe was..."
"50,000 against 150,000?"
"Wouldn't all the advantages then lie with the Ming Dynasty?"
If this had happened two years ago, even if the Ming army outnumbered the Jurchens several times over, Daišan would not have been afraid.
But the situation is completely different now.
Gains and losses on the battlefield are secondary.
The key point is that the Jurchens, both above and below, were already afraid of the Ming Dynasty.
Especially Mangultai's swift surrender, and especially Hauge's disgraceful behavior in Korea.
These events caused many of the old Jurchens who had followed Nurhaci to have mental breakdowns.
"I'm afraid our Later Jin dynasty won't survive this year!"
Daishan will naturally be affected as well.
He muttered, "In that case, should we just surrender as well?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Tuo immediately gritted his teeth and said, "Absolutely not!"
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