GBP Chapter 634 The Tartars' Retreat
Chapter 634 The Tartars' Retreat
"Ajige is dead!"
The shouts echoed across the battlefield, leaving not only the Bordered White Banner army bewildered, but also Abatai and Yangguli, who were engaged in fierce battles with Shanxi and Xuanfu garrisons. In the central position, the Bordered White Banner was suffering a crushing defeat. Was Ajige really dead?
The death of their commander-in-chief is a fatal blow to the morale of an ancient army. The Later Jin army, which had initially held a slight advantage, suddenly lost its will to fight. Not only were the Bordered White Banner soldiers chased and routed by the Qionghai Army's counter-charge, but the Plain Blue Banner soldiers on both sides also lost their will to fight and turned their horses to flee. Hu Dawei and Yang Guozhu were also bold and, like the Qionghai Army, launched a counter-charge.
The situation on the battlefield took a sharp turn for the worse. The Ming army, led by the Qionghai Army, chased after the Later Jin troops, their battle cries echoing through the sky. The once arrogant Bayara and his soldiers were filled with panic, like stray dogs, leaping over piles of corpses, leaping onto their warhorses, and fleeing without looking back. This scene was the first of its kind to unfold beneath the walls of the Ming capital.
On Yongding Gate, the soldiers of the Beijing garrison stared in disbelief at the scene before them, completely stunned. Tears welled in the eyes of an elderly veteran: "For so many years, we've always been bullied by the Tartars. Today, we've finally stood up for ourselves. To see this with my own eyes, my life has been worthwhile!"
A young soldier from the Beijing garrison said with lingering fear, "No wonder Qionghai Town is so arrogant, daring to contradict even the officials of the Ministry of War. They have real backing. Luckily, we didn't offend them. Judging from their posture, if we didn't do what they wanted, they really would open fire!"
A bystander sneered, "You have to consider your own strength before you offend someone. Why would they bother with a nobody like you?"
"Haha, that's right..."
On the city wall not far away, Yang Sichang, who had returned at some unknown time, looked ashen-faced as he watched the Qionghai Army chasing the Tartars like a whirlwind, his feelings complicated.
Although the Later Jin army wasn't exactly suffering a complete rout, once they began their retreat, they lost control of the situation. The various banners of the Bordered White Banner and Plain Blue Banner were in complete disarray; the commanders and officers couldn't find their leaders, soldiers couldn't find their generals, and generals couldn't find their soldiers. The Later Jin soldiers, accustomed to thrashing the Ming army, were experiencing this kind of rout for the first time. Fortunately, their main force consisted of cavalry, which moved quickly and gradually widened the gap. Only the cavalry from Shanxi and Xuanfu kept up with their opponents, preventing them from falling behind, although the pursuers gradually began to break away.
At this critical moment, Abatai stepped forward, attempting to save the fate of this large army. If this situation continued, the fate of these tens of thousands of men would not be much better than that of previous Ming armies.
He rode through the chaotic crowd, found Yanguli by the banners, and shouted amidst the clamor, "Lord Yingcheng, we must stop the rout and launch a counterattack on the spot, otherwise things will only get worse..."
Yang Guli also answered loudly, "The fate of the Prince of Ying is unknown, the morale of the army is in chaos, and the Ming dogs are pursuing us too closely. What else can we do?"
Abatai had fought several battles with the Qionghai Army and was very clear about its strengths and weaknesses, knowing exactly where its opponent's Achilles' heel lay. Pointing to the pursuing troops behind him, he succinctly stated, "The Ming dogs were able to launch a counterattack only because of Qionghai Town. Without them, even a hundred thousand troops would be nothing to fear. Look back, those who can hold us back are all cavalry from border towns like Shanxi and Xuanfu. Qionghai Town is all infantry, and they're quite far away..."
Yanguli is very experienced and understood immediately.
"You mean, we should launch a counterattack on the spot, wipe out some of the troops from Shanxi and Xuanfu, and Qionghai Town won't be able to keep up or provide timely reinforcements, thus reversing the tide?"
"Exactly!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Yang Guli drew his sword, turned his horse around, and said, "I'll deal with Shanxi Town, and you deal with Xuanfu Town. Let's finish this quickly and decisively, and not give Qionghai Town a chance to pounce and entangle us!"
Abatai rode up to the Bordered White Banner's ranks and roared, "Your master was ambushed and injured by Ming dogs. You bunch of lackeys don't think about avenging your master, but only about running away. Aren't you afraid that your master will skin you alive and tear your tendons apart when he wakes up?"
He saw Ajige on horseback, his face ashen, unconscious, and he didn't know if he was dead or not. But even if the man was dead, he would insist that he was only injured, otherwise the Bordered White Banner would lose its morale, and the battle would be completely lost.
The Gushan Ejen, Meile Zhangjing, and the Niru Zhangjing of the Bordered White Banner exchanged hesitant glances. Abatai was merely a minor banner chief of the Plain Blue Banner and had no authority over them, but since Ajige's name had been invoked, they could no longer ignore it. Indeed, things were as Abatai had said: if Ajige hadn't died, given his violent temper, he would have definitely punished everyone who had "deserted in the face of battle" once he awoke.
Gushan Ezhen gritted his teeth and said to Abatai, "We'll listen to Raoyu Beile. What do you suggest we do?"
Abatai pointed his whip at Yangguli, who was already locked in battle with the Shanxi garrison cavalry again, and said, "Lord Yingcheng has already engaged the Ming dogs. The most capable fighters among the Ming dogs are not these border garrison cavalry, but the Guangdong soldiers carrying the 'Qiong' flag. If we can take advantage of the Guangdong soldiers' lack of cavalry and inability to catch up while we turn around and wipe out the cavalry from Shanxi and Xuanfu, there is still room for recovery. Otherwise, after a crushing defeat and returning to Shengjing, the Great Khan will never forgive you!"
These words sent shivers down the spines of the Bordered White Banner men. The Great Khan had always been wary of the three Dorgon brothers and the two White Banners, and had been trying to weaken them. If they suffered an unprecedented defeat, it would undoubtedly be as if the Khan had handed the knife to them. He would not let the matter rest without using this as a pretext to strip the two White Banners of dozens of Niru (military units), and these Gushan Ejen (chieftains) and Niru Zhangjing (military officers) would also suffer extremely severe punishments. Fines and confiscation of their bondservant status would be the least of their worries; they might even be beheaded and displayed to the public.
Seeing their expressions, Abatai knew they had been persuaded. He raised his knife and shouted, "Draw your knives, turn around and cut off the Ming dogs' heads!"
The men with the white banners regained their courage, drew their swords, turned their horses around, and howled as they charged towards the Xuanfu garrison army.
Liu Ye saw all this through his binoculars and shook his head regretfully. After all, the Later Jin army was the premier armed force in East Asia, unmatched except by the Qionghai Army. Their ability to quickly halt their decline and organize a counterattack under such dire circumstances was truly admirable, even for their adversaries.
He issued the order: "The entire army shall cease pursuit, and all regiments and battalions shall return to their units according to their established structures to prevent an enemy counterattack."
Yan Guang asked in surprise, "General, aren't we going to press our advantage?"
"Don't pursue a desperate enemy. Haven't you seen that Shanxi and Xuanfu garrisons have already been turned on?" Liu Ye pointed ahead. "We've learned our lesson from infantry chasing cavalry. We can't repeat that mistake and exhaust ourselves. Besides, the Tartars haven't suffered any major losses; their main force is still intact. Let's call it a day. Also, send someone to inform the generals of Shanxi and Xuanfu garrisons to stop the pursuit. Without our cooperation, they'll be at a great disadvantage."