NCCnovel Chapter 563 Withdrawal of Troops
Chapter 563 Withdrawal of Troops
Abatai thought these Bayaras, incited by Gartu, would resort to the Han Chinese tactic of military remonstrance. He gripped his sword hilt, ready to strike at any moment. As a minor banner chief of the Plain Blue Banner, second only to Hauge, he was their master. Given the strict class divisions of the Jin Dynasty, these Bayaras, though skilled in combat, would never dare to actually attack him. He only needed to draw his sword and kill one or two, and the rest would naturally cower.
Unexpectedly, Gartu suddenly knelt on the ground, and the remaining Niru Zhangjing and Bayala also knelt down in unison, startling Abatai.
"Your Highness, please order a retreat! This is, after all, the heartland of the Ming Dynasty. No matter how incompetent the Ming army is, they can still gather troops from all sides to surround us, and with this scorched-earth policy, even if they can't defeat us, they can wear us down. Our warriors of the Great Jin are not afraid to die, but if we are to die, we must die a glorious death on the battlefield, not starve to death!" Gartu pleaded.
The Niru Zhangjing and Bayara also shouted in unison, "Please, Your Highness, order the troops to withdraw!"
Abatai then realized that while they were offering advice, it wasn't a military remonstrance, but a heartfelt plea. Their unanimous voices suggested they had already discussed it privately. These Niru Zhangjing and Bayara, including Gartu, were the core personnel of the Plain Blue Banner; the management of the army and the command of battles depended on them. If they were unwilling to fight, no matter how stubborn he was, the war couldn't continue.
Seeing Abatai remain silent, Galtu knew he was wavering. He quickly pressed his advantage, crawling two steps forward and grabbing Abatai's leg, continuing his pleading: "Your Highness, I know you want to eliminate a formidable opponent for the Great Jin, to prevent the emergence of a second Zhejiang army or White-Spear Army. But eliminating this strange Ming army isn't just your responsibility, nor is it just the responsibility of the Plain Blue Banner; it's the responsibility of the entire Great Jin! It's too much for you to shoulder this alone. If you end up losing everything and becoming isolated, who will understand your good intentions? The Khan and those princes and dukes who participate in the council will be lucky if they don't kick you when you're down."
The last sentence deeply stung Abatai. His biggest worry was that his political status did not match his military achievements, age, and seniority. Not to mention compared to Huang Taiji, who had inherited the Khanate, even his younger brothers and nephews far surpassed him.
Dorgon, the fourteenth brother, was only twenty-four years old and was already the Prince Rui of the First Rank, the banner lord of the Plain White Banner, and in charge of the Ministry of Personnel; Dodo, the fifteenth brother, was twenty-two years old and was already the Prince Yu of the First Rank, the banner lord of the Bordered White Banner, and in charge of the Ministry of Rites; Hauge, needless to say, although he was his nephew in terms of seniority, was the banner lord of the Plain Blue Banner, his superior, and had been granted the title of Prince Su of the First Rank, in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. Meanwhile, he himself was almost fifty years old and did not even have a title of Heshuo, only the title "Raoyu" (meaning rich in Manchu) added before Beile to cover up his shame. Whenever Huang Taiji held a banquet, he could only sit with the young Beile who were even younger than his own son, which made him lose face completely.
Regarding the siege of the fortress, Abatai did have some personal motives, wanting to gain more merit, but eliminating future threats to the Jin Dynasty was the primary reason. Hearing Gartu's words, he thought: "That's right. I don't even have the qualifications to participate in court discussions; why should I sacrifice myself for this Ming army? Even if these people become more powerful than the White-Spear Soldiers and Zhejiang Soldiers in the future, Huang Taiji and the princes and dukes will hold them up if the sky falls. Even if I retreat like this and might be punished upon returning, as long as I still have a few Niru under my command, even if I'm demoted to Beizi, it's better than a Beile without any troops."
He remained silent for a long time, but Gartu thought he was still hesitating. After analyzing the pros and cons, he played the sympathy card: "Your Highness, we have already plundered a lot of good things and captured a lot of people this time. We should be content. Let Prince Wuying and the others be the heroes! Your wife is still waiting for you at home, and my father is also waiting for me to bring back more bondservantes!"
Abatai sighed deeply, loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword, and said helplessly, "You've already said so much, what else can I say? Order the retreat!"
Everyone was overjoyed and exclaimed in unison, "Your Highness is wise!"
Except for Abatai, no one in this large army wanted to waste any more time with this strange stone fortress and the Ming army inside. They just wanted to return safely to the interior of China with the looted wealth and people.
Upon receiving the order, the entire army rejoiced and immediately packed up their belongings, broke camp, and withdrew. Although everyone was eager to return home, years of combat experience and strict military discipline ensured that the retreat of the 10,000 to 20,000-strong army was orderly. The front ranks became the rear ranks, and the rear ranks became the front ranks. The baggage train, people, and livestock were in front, and the main army was behind. They retreated in an orderly manner along the route they had come from, heading towards Qingzhou and Jinan.
Su Hongtu, who was patrolling on the wall, saw this scene, jumped up, and shouted, "The Tartars have retreated!"
The soldiers stationed on the various sections of the city wall and the protruding corners cheered: "The Tartars have retreated!"
The cheers startled Liang Xiaoming and his group, who quickly climbed the city wall and peered through their binoculars. They saw banners waving and dust billowing across the opposite side, as a large cavalry escorting a supply wagon slowly drove away – it seemed they were truly retreating.
Fearing a trap, Liang Xiaoming called Ma Wei over and asked, "Among us, you have the most dealings with the Tartars. Based on your experience, do you think the Tartars are really retreating or just feigning a retreat?"
After carefully examining the area through his binoculars, Ma Wei replied confidently, "Sir, the Tartars are truly retreating. They've left their provisions, supplies, and soldiers in front, with their army behind. They can't even launch a counterattack now—their provisions are gone. Are they going to fight us on an empty stomach?"
Liang Xiaoming was finally relieved and said to Ma Wei, "Quickly send cavalry back to Dengzhou to report to Governor Lin that the Tartars have withdrawn."
Ma Wei agreed and selected several young riders with good horsemanship from the cavalry camp to rush back to Dengzhou to report the news.
Led by Abatai, the Zhenglan Banner army advanced from Beizhili directly to Dengzhou, where they encountered the Independent Regiment. Their assault on the city was thwarted, leading to a siege that lasted thirteen days before they finally withdrew on the fourteenth. The main reason for the retreat was that this army, which had intended to plunder, had gained nothing from the siege and instead suffered heavy losses. The entire army, from top to bottom, was eager to leave, and although Abatai was the commander, he could not defy the will of the entire force. However, what made Abatai make such a quick decision was Liu Ye's scorched-earth policy, which was the final straw that broke the morale of the Later Jin army. Otherwise, the siege might have continued for several more days, until they ran out of supplies and could no longer hold out.
The gates of the fortress opened, and several cavalrymen rushed out, speeding towards Dengzhou.