GBP Chapter 569 Interception
Chapter 569 Interception
Gartu said to Abatai with a worried expression, "Your Highness, something is not right. This situation is somewhat similar to what happened a couple of days ago. Has Ming Gou already taken the grain along the way?"
Abatai was startled and exchanged a glance with Gartu. It wasn't impossible; if Ming Gou could use this trick once, he could certainly use it a second time.
"But even if it's true, what do they want to do?" Gartu asked, puzzled. "In such a short time, the area they can control is limited. They can only do some sabotage along the way for a few miles to make things difficult for our supplies. But what else can they do besides slowing down our march a little?"
Abatai couldn't figure it out either, but just to be on the safe side, he instructed Gartu: "Slow down, that's fine. Be careful that the Ming dogs don't have any tricks up their sleeves. As long as we don't panic, no Ming army in Shandong will dare to fight the Jin in the open."
Gartu thought about it and agreed. If any random army could fight the Jin warriors in the wilderness, there would be no need for this entry into the pass. As for slowing down the march, it would take more time and inevitably give Ajige an opportunity to make things difficult for them. But what's one more problem than another? They had already been delayed for seven or eight days, so a day or two more wouldn't matter.
The army originally planned to enter Qingzhou Prefecture within three days, cross Jinan Prefecture within five days to reach Beizhili, and rush to Shunyi before Ajige's agreed time to leave the pass. However, due to the Qionghai Army's small actions, supplies were difficult, and they could not march on an empty stomach. They marched and stopped frequently, and three days passed without leaving Laizhou.
At the same moment, Liu Ye and his men, who had been eagerly waiting in Dengzhou, finally saw the fleet arrive. Liu Ye immediately gave orders to the fleet: the officers and soldiers of the First and Second Regiments did not disembark, but simply replenished their water and vegetables. Then the Independent Regiment also boarded the ships, and almost the entire Qionghai Navy rushed straight to Laizhou Bay.
The location Liu Ye chose for the ambush was Changyi County, which borders Laizhou Bay to the north and is located at the border of Laizhou and Qingzhou, under the jurisdiction of Pingdu Prefecture of Laizhou Prefecture. Apart from the similar name, this Changyi has no direct connection with Liu He, the King of Changyi who is known in history as the "Deposed Emperor of Han". The latter's fief was located in Juye County, Heze City.
At this time, Changyi County was merely a sparsely populated small county town, largely ignored by the government. Its city walls were still made of rammed earth, without any brick cladding, and appeared dilapidated. Although compared to other prefectures and counties, Changyi's walls seemed fragile and easily breached, Abatai, leading his troops through the area on his way to Dengzhou, perhaps finding it too poor and unprofitable, had no intention of looting. When Liu Ye arrived in Changyi County, seeing that the city walls were even less sturdy than those of Lingao and Chengmai, he abandoned the idea of defending the city and ordered his army to dig fortifications and set up barricades and other obstacles on the official road a few miles from the county seat.
Liang Xiaoming also followed the army to Changyi. He didn't quite understand Liu Ye's decision and asked, "This county town is a bit dilapidated, but it's still better than being in the open with no defenses. Why not go into the town to defend it?"
Liu Ye gestured with his chin, "Well, let Chief of Staff Yan tell you. The plan was decided by their staff office; I just made the final decision."
Yan Guang explained, "Our purpose in coming here is to intercept the Tartars. While it would be safer to hide inside the city, it would also restrict our movements. If the Tartars don't want to get entangled, they can simply bypass the county town and head north directly. So what's the point of hiding inside the city?"
Liang Xiaoming understood: "The Tartars are focused on heading north and will never attack the county town on their own initiative. All our hard work in intercepting them will be in vain."
Perhaps it was fate that destined Abatai to encounter the main force of the Qionghai Army. Just a few hours after Liu Ye arrived in Changyi, the Later Jin army also arrived.
The Later Jin scouts spotted the enemy blocking their only route and immediately reported back. Abatai was furious upon hearing this news. He had been having a run of bad luck lately, encountering setbacks at every turn since entering Shandong. Now, who dared to challenge him? He shouted, "Gartu!"
Gartu rode over on horseback: "Your subordinate is here."
"I'll give you two thousand men. No matter who stands in your way, you must clear them away before the main army arrives and remove any obstacles to your advance. Don't delay the journey."
Gartu loudly replied, "Yes, sir!"
Two thousand Mongols and a mixed force of Later Jin soldiers broke away from the main group and followed Gartu, advancing at a faster pace. Their mission was to clear the way before the main army reached the battlefield. In their understanding, apart from a few units like the White-Clad Soldiers, almost no Ming army could stand against the Jin in the open field. As long as the two thousand cavalry charged, no matter who stood in their way, they would only suffer a rout.
Gartu led his army to a point two miles ahead and discovered a massive, dark mass of infantry blocking their path. He gasped in shock; there must be over ten thousand of them. It seemed the scouts hadn't accurately reported the enemy's numbers.
Gartu, who had planned to launch an attack immediately upon approaching, hesitated. An army of this size was no small matter; it was clearly a battle-ready affair. It should be noted that the army Abatai brought from Shandong, including the Plain Blue Banner soldiers, the Eight Banners Mongol and Han troops, and bondservants, totaled only a little over 15,000 men. Although the strength of the enemy before him was unknown, it was certainly not something a mere 2,000 men could withstand.
Gartu, terrified after being attacked at the bastion, saw an enemy force far outnumbering him. He hesitated for a moment, abandoned the idea of charging, turned back, and reported to Abatai.
With a "crack," the whip lashed out, leaving a bloody welt on Gartu's back. But Gartu dared not dodge and could only endure the blow.
"Have the Ming dogs of Dengzhou robbed you of your soul?" Abatai shouted. "Don't forget, although we suffered a setback, the Ming dogs were hiding in strange stone fortresses, not fighting us openly in the open. Now that we have such an opportunity, why are you slinking back? So what if we have more people? It's common for hundreds of our Great Jin warriors to chase after tens of thousands of Ming soldiers."
Gartu was filled with shame and replied, "Your Highness, I understand. Please give me another chance."
Abatai raised his riding whip and pointed ahead: "Go! You are one of the few warriors in my Plain Blue Banner. Don't let fear blind you. Open your eyes wide, stare at your opponents, raise your saber, and cut off the heads of those Nikan!"
Gartu's emotions were completely stirred up. His face flushed red, he raised his saber, turned his horse around, and shouted, "Follow me, kill the Ming dogs!" The two thousand men returned to the battlefield.