After Nurhaci's death, Daišan was older, but he was not well-liked.
He knew that if he tried to force his way to the throne, it would definitely provoke public outrage.
In the end, they could only reluctantly support the younger Huang Taiji.
Therefore, Huang Taiji should consult Dai Shan before making any decisions.
Of course, Huang Taiji was a very skillful man in history, and coupled with the poor performance of the Ming army, he was always able to win battles.
Over time, his prestige gradually grew, and Daishan was sidelined.
At this time, Daišan was still at the height of his power in the Jurchen state.
Upon hearing Huang Taiji's question, Dai Shan raised an eyebrow.
"Your Majesty, we only withdrew our troops at the end of last year, and we returned with almost no results."
"Is it still appropriate to attack the Ming Dynasty now?"
"If we retreat again for no reason, or suffer a defeat, who will take responsibility?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji cursed inwardly:
"What the hell did he mean by that?"
"He hasn't even sent troops yet, and he's already blocked my retreat, hasn't he?"
The Jurchens at this point cannot say for sure that they can defeat the Ming Dynasty.
Sending troops again does indeed carry the risk of defeat.
If Huang Taiji were to take responsibility for the defeat at this point, he would be in trouble if the Jurchens actually suffered a loss.
Huang Taiji felt a surge of anger, but he remained outwardly very amiable.
“What the Great Prince said makes a lot of sense. Haven’t the Han people also said that in war, one should consider defeat before considering victory?”
"I want to learn from Big Bellado in the future."
"I wonder what the Grand Prince's opinion is on this military expedition?"
Seeing Huang Taiji agree with him, Dai Shan smiled smugly.
As a result, they forgot about finding fault.
He rose with satisfaction and addressed the other princes:
"My view is that we must send troops, and not just a small-scale war, but a large-scale one!"
"Let's take advantage of the instability within the Ming Dynasty and give them a hard blow."
Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji subconsciously revealed a contemptuous smile, but quickly concealed it.
"Hehe, this Daishan is indeed not smart. I used a little trick and praised him a few times, and he lost his way."
"They've proactively supported sending troops!"
He nodded repeatedly, then turned to look at the other princes.
"The eldest prince is absolutely right. What do you all think?"
Seeing that Huang Taiji and Daishan both supported sending troops, the other princes naturally couldn't object.
They all nodded and said, "Then let's send troops!"
"But are we still going to attack Ningyuan this time?"
This time, Huang Taiji shook his head.
"I heard that the young emperor of the Ming Dynasty recently made a fortune, and I guess the garrison in Ningyuan has also resumed its military pay."
"At this time, we must not provoke Ning Yuan, who is a tough nut to crack."
"In my opinion, it would be better to encircle the enemy and attack their reinforcements."
Dai Shan frowned: "Surround the point and attack reinforcements?"
Huang Taiji slammed his hand on the table.
"Yes! We'll pretend to attack Ningyuan, but we'll surround it without actually attacking."
"When the Ming Dynasty learns of this, it will surely resort to its old tricks again, sending a small force out of the pass to disguise itself as a large army."
"Let's turn the tables on them and wipe out this entire force."
"Then, taking advantage of our great victory, we will force the Ming Dynasty to sue for peace with us."
After thinking for a moment, Dai Shan nodded in agreement.
"The Khan's plan is quite good; an army cannot be trained in a day or two."
"It is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to suddenly conjure up an army in the short term."
"So they're sending reinforcements again, but I estimate the force won't be large."
At this point, he gave Huang Taiji a cold look.
"I just hope that this time, the Great Khan won't retreat with his troops at the slightest sign of trouble."
Huang Taiji was extremely dissatisfied, but he still shook his head with a smile.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I won't make that mistake again."
They then discussed the specific time for deploying troops.
After the other princes left, Huang Taiji finally couldn't hold back any longer.
He slammed his hand on the table.
"Hmph, this Daishan really doesn't take me, the Khan, seriously!"
"If we win this battle, he'll definitely take all the credit for himself, and then..."
Huang Taiji's beard trembled with anger.
"Won't he become even more arrogant then?"
He suddenly looked up and shouted outside:
"Someone, bring Fan Wencheng here!"
Soon, a middle-aged scholar walked in.
"Great Khan, are you looking for your servant?"
As soon as the scholar entered, he gave Huang Taiji a deep bow, groveling and servile.
Upon seeing this, Huang Taiji's mood immediately improved.
"You're the most considerate servant of all!"
He patted the seat next to him, gesturing for Fan Wencheng to sit down, and then asked him:
"The eldest prince has been getting more and more disobedient lately. Do you have any ideas on how to teach him a lesson?"
Fan Wencheng seemed unsurprised upon hearing this.
He said to Huang Taiji:
"Great Khan, this is not difficult. We can use someone else to do the dirty work."
"Using someone else's knife to kill someone?" Huang Taiji frowned slightly. "Using whose knife?"
Fan Wencheng sneered:
"Naturally, we're borrowing the Ming Dynasty's knife! Great Khan, you see, although we have a high chance of winning this time, as long as the Ming Dynasty is prepared, we probably won't gain any advantage."
"Then all you have to do is let Daishan lead the charge, and if he suffers a defeat, wouldn't you have an excuse to deal with him?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji was tempted, but still shook his head.
“That won’t do! The Ming Dynasty is already far stronger than our Later Jin. If we brothers start fighting amongst ourselves, we will be even less of a match for the Ming Dynasty.”
Upon hearing this, Fan Wencheng quickly advised:
"Your Majesty, you are mistaken. I used to be an official in the Ming Dynasty and know the situation there best."
"The Ming Dynasty is already terminally ill, and changing the emperor won't reverse its decline."
"Even if we suffer a small loss in this attack, it won't change the overall situation."
"But if a fool like Daišan were to seize power, then our Later Jin... our Later Jin would truly be without hope!"
"Great Khan, this servant knows that you and the Great Prince are brothers and have a very good relationship, but for the sake of the foundation laid by the previous Great Khan, you have no choice but to take drastic measures."
When Fan Wencheng said the words "Later Jin," he always felt a little awkward, but this was the official name of the Jurchen state, so he could only grit his teeth and keep saying it.
However, Huang Taiji did not notice any of this.
After being flattered by Fan Wencheng, he nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself:
"This lackey is so quick-witted. It's clearly me who wants to fight Daishan for power and profit, but the way he puts it makes it sound like I have no choice but to do it."
"But that makes sense. The Ming Dynasty is indeed weak and helpless. Even if we tricked Daishan this time, our Later Jin will only suffer a small loss and will not be seriously injured."
"If all else fails, after this defeat, I'll lead my troops to fight Korea, or go after the Mongols to make up for the losses. That would be fine."
With that thought in mind, Huang Taiji no longer hesitated.
"Alright, then write a document for me and secretly send it to Ningyuan City, to be handed to Yuan Chonghuan."
"Tell the Ming Dynasty everything about my plan to send troops."
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