Not only Yuan Chonghuan, but also other officers and soldiers in Liaodong did not believe it.
"If we're talking about two hundred years ago, back when Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu were in power, the Beijing Garrison was indeed formidable."
"But so many years have passed, and the Beijing Garrison is completely rotten."
“That’s right. Logically speaking, the three major camps in the capital should have a total of 170,000 troops, but I’ve heard that the actual number of troops in the capital garrison is less than 10,000.”
"It's rotten to the core, how can it possibly win a battle?"
Discussion immediately broke out on the walls of Ningyuan City.
A lieutenant approached Yuan Chonghuan and asked, "General Yuan, could this be a plot by the Jurchens?"
"What if they're just feigning a retreat, and then launching a surprise attack under cover of night?"
Yuan Chonghuan shook his head slightly, not believing that the Jurchens would actually do such a thing.
He thought to himself, "The Jurchens are indeed skilled in stratagems, but this kind of scheme is far too naive."
"These Liaodong soldiers have fought against the Jurchens for over a decade; how could they fall for such a low-level trick?"
But he still nodded and said, "You're right! The Jurchens could indeed have done that!"
"Someone, issue a message to the entire city: we must remain on high alert for the next few days!"
He then encouraged the lieutenant, saying, "Your suggestion is excellent; I, the commander-in-chief, must thank you."
After he saw the lieutenant leave with profuse thanks, Yuan Chonghuan smiled slightly.
"Haha, my skill in winning people's hearts isn't bad either!"
"Given time, I will completely bring all the armies around Ningyuan under my control."
"When the time comes, we'll fortify our strongholds, fight a protracted war, and gradually push the battle line to the Liao River. The Jurchens will then collapse without a fight!"
He subconsciously placed his hand on his chest, where the memorial he had just written lay.
It contains his methods for "pacifying Liaodong in five years," which are actually the things he was just thinking about.
Logically speaking, Yuan Chonghuan's plan didn't have any major problems.
The Jurchens did not engage in farming, and the Little Ice Age was not only aimed at the Ming Dynasty; Liaodong also suffered from consecutive years of poor harvests.
Therefore, the Jurchens mainly obtained their food and supplies by plundering the Ming Dynasty.
As long as the fortifications at the front can withstand the Jurchens' attacks, making it impossible for them to gain anything and forcing them to retreat empty-handed.
Then it won't be long before the Jurchens decline on their own.
Yuan Chonghuan just didn't expect that Huang Tai in history was extremely clever. He directly launched a campaign against the Mongols, then bypassed the Ningjin defense line and went straight to attack Zhili...
After Yuan Chonghuan stepped down from the city wall, he felt somewhat anxious.
"If the Beijing garrison truly wins the battle, Li Ruolian will definitely be given an important position!"
"The new emperor didn't have many confidants to begin with, so he forcibly found a newly appointed martial arts champion."
"If this martial arts champion is really that good at fighting, and can even lead the Beijing garrison to victory, then the emperor will definitely regard him as the reincarnation of Yue Fei."
"In that case, where will I ever get my chance to rise to prominence?"
Yuan Chonghuan grew increasingly anxious, and finally could only sigh, "Alas, how did Li Ruolian suddenly appear in this world?"
Almost at the same time he made his remark.
It is located several dozen miles west of Ningyuan City.
Dai Shan, mounted on his horse, glanced back in a panic.
"The Ming army didn't pursue us, did they?"
The scout hurriedly replied, "Great Prince, the Ming army not only did not pursue us, but also fortified the city and did not even send scouts out of the city to investigate the situation!"
Daishan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good, that's good!"
A few days ago, he learned from the defeated soldiers that Huang Taiji had actually been blown to pieces by a cannon shot, which he did not quite believe at first.
"That bastard may like to fight me for power, but he's also a hero. How could he die so easily?"
But when several defeated soldiers said the same thing, and even when a captain brought Fan Wencheng over with him, he gave the same report.
Then even if he didn't believe it, he would have to.
"So that's really how it is?" Dai Shan was initially delighted, but then somewhat alarmed.
"After Huang Taiji died, no one in Manchuria could rival me, which is indeed a good thing."
"But if the Ming army takes advantage of the situation and attacks, I might not even be able to escape!"
Therefore, he could only conceal the news of Huang Taiji's death for the time being, and then hurriedly ordered the entire army to retreat.
Fortunately, the Liaodong army had already been terrified of the Jurchens and dared not leave the city to fight in the field.
That's why he was able to retreat calmly.
Dai Shan was relieved to hear that the Ming army had not pursued them.
He ordered the army to continue retreating, and only after returning to the east of the Liao River did he finally release the news of Huang Taiji's death in battle.
Daishan sensed the low morale in the army and was not in a good mood either.
"Alas, since the time of my father Khan's cavalry, our Manchus have never suffered such a crushing defeat!"
He had already ordered a count, and Huang Taiji had taken five thousand cavalrymen with him in this battle, all of whom were elite Jurchen troops.
After Huang Taiji's death, the Jurchen army collapsed and was mostly wiped out by the Ming army.
In this battle alone, the Jurchens lost more than three thousand elite cavalry.
Dai Shan rubbed his chest, feeling a pang of heartache.
"That's over three thousand people!"
Despite the Jurchens' constant boasting of hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers, their core military force actually numbered only tens of thousands from beginning to end.
This included many infantrymen, as well as bondservants.
Only slightly more than half of them were actually Manchurian soldiers.
Historically, the Jurchens won many victories, but when they were about to enter the pass and compete with Li Zicheng for the throne, Dorgon's army numbered no more than 100,000.
Therefore, the loss of these three thousand cavalrymen was almost entirely in vain.
For the Jurchens, it wasn't a devastating blow, but it was still a significant setback.
Dai Shan sighed, "After such a defeat, I really don't know how to explain myself!"
He asked his sons:
Do you regret it now?
Originally, after Nurhaci died, Daišan had the opportunity to compete for the Khanate, but his sons advised him to be patient and support Huang Taiji instead.
So Daishan took a step back.
That's why he's asking this question now.
Upon hearing this, Dai Shan's eldest son, Yue Tuo, felt somewhat embarrassed.
But he quickly came to his senses and said to Daishan, "Father, what's the use of saying all this now?"
"We should hurry back to Shengjing with our troops and invite Hauge to succeed to the throne!"
Dai Shan was furious upon hearing this.
"Back then, you advised me to give in to Huang Taiji, so be it, that kid is indeed formidable."
"But now that Huang Taiji is dead, how can you expect me to back down to his son?"
"That kid Hauge is only a teenager, what is he anyway!"
Huang Taiji had four sons, but apart from his eldest son Hauge, his second and third sons died young.
As for the fourth son, he was still an infant at this time and had no chance of inheriting the Khanate.
Yue Tuo seemed unsurprised by his father's statement.
But he still advised, "Father, you are the most powerful. If you inherit the Khanate, the other princes will have no choice but to submit to you!"
Dai Shan sneered, "Isn't this better?"
“Our Later Jin is currently in a precarious situation, and it needs someone like me to take charge of the overall situation.”
But Yue Tuo still shook his head.
“Father, think about it. Since the other beile will suffer if you ascend to the throne, can they just stand by and watch you become the Great Khan?”
"If this isn't handled properly, our Later Jin dynasty could descend into internal strife!"
Upon hearing this, Dai Shan fell silent instantly.
Seeing that his words had an effect, Yue Tuo continued to persuade him: "But as long as Father does not succeed to the throne, you will still be the Great Prince."
"Even that brat Hauge can only show respect to you, Father. He might even ask you to be his godfather."
After a long pause, Dai Shancai sneered, "I don't need a son like him!"
"Fine, since you've all advised me like this, I won't vie for the Khanate."
As he spoke, he glared at Yue Tuo.
"How could I have given birth to such a cowardly son like you!"
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