Chapter 63: A Familiar Enemy is Better
Chapter 63: A Familiar Enemy is Better
“So what if we lose Liaodong completely?”
Yang Xin said.
He was now in Chahua’s great tent. The current leader of the Inner Khalkha Five Tribes was actually an old man nearing seventy, half-reclining on soft cushions as he watched Yang Xin. Flanking him were his trusted men. The core was his eldest son, Aobadaiqing. The others were several Noyans who helped him manage affairs here, along with a Yellow Sect monk. Most of these people actually understood Chinese. Their luxuries, tea, sugar, even grain, all relied on Great Ming merchants. Between the two sides, there were both open markets and secret smuggling…
Actually, it was mostly smuggling.
Not only did they understand Chinese, some could even write Chinese characters.
“Does Wild Boar Skin really have the ability to breach Shanhai Pass with just his tens of thousands of men?
That’s simply a joke!
As for Liaodong, it wasn’t a matter of life and death for the Great Ming. Not only did it fail to provide any taxes to the Great Ming, but the court had to invest millions of taels every year to maintain it. Its only function was to provide a barrier for Shanhai Pass, or more accurately, to block you. Even without Liaodong, the Great Ming would still be the Great Ming. We would still sing our songs and dance our dances. But if Wild Boar Skin occupies Liaodong, do you think you can remain as you are? He certainly cannot breach Shanhai Pass, but he can turn his armies west and make you his servants. If that day ever comes, I will be drinking wine in a tavern in the Capital City, watching your heads hang high on his city gates.
Do not forget, Zaisai took the woman who was supposed to be his daughter-in-law.
Do not forget, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.
While we are in Liaodong, we and he are mortal enemies locked in a fight to the death. If we withdraw from Liaodong, then you will have to face his armies. Either you destroy them, or they destroy you. The fertile pastures of Liaodong can ultimately belong to only one. But in my view, the ones who will be destroyed can only be you.”
Yang Xin continued.
“We have a Khan with four hundred thousand bowmen!”
Aobadaiqing, Chahua’s eldest son, declared proudly.
“Are you perhaps referring to Ligdan Khan? Lord Noyan, when you say this, search your conscience. Have you truly submitted to him, even just respected him in your heart?”
Yang Xin said disdainfully.
The monk chanted a few sutras.
He seemed to be in a good mood. At this time, Ligdan Khan was already doing foolish things.
“Four hundred thousand bowmen? I admit all the men of your various Mongol tribes combined certainly exceed four hundred thousand. But please tell me, apart from the Chahar Eight Tribes, who really listens to him? You? The seven tribes of the Khalkha right wing? The twelve Tumed? None of you listen to him. Yet you still call him your Great Khan. Does your conscience not trouble you? Even within the Chahar Eight Tribes, they might not all listen to him. Even if the Chahar Eight Tribes all listened to him, scraped together they would only have thirty to forty thousand cavalry. Adding you all, maybe fifty to sixty thousand. Don’t boast. How could we not know how many people you have?
Can the total population of the Chahar Eight Tribes, men, women, old and young, exceed one hundred thousand?
Can a single Noyan under you command one thousand men capable of fighting?
Our army of over a hundred thousand was defeated at Sarhu. Why do you think your fifty or sixty thousand can defeat him? Our two sides have fought many battles over the years. Why do you think your combat strength far surpasses Liu Ting, Du Song, and others?”
Yang Xin went on immediately.
“We are certainly stronger than you!”
A man opposite stood up and yelled angrily.
“Come on, please!”
Yang Xin said without hesitation, extending his hand.
The man roared and charged out, reaching to grab Yang Xin’s shoulders. Yang Xin casually dodged and simultaneously reached out to grab the back of the man’s belt. Then he lifted him up and threw him toward Nangnuke beside him. Nangnuke and another Noyan next to him simultaneously reached out and caught the man, almost being knocked over themselves. The man, once on his feet, was still dizzy, looking around blankly as if he didn’t understand how he got there. He even wanted to continue charging at Yang Xin, but Chahua stopped him with a shout.
“Baturu, our two peoples have fought for centuries. What you are like, we know very well. What we are like, you know very well. We lost to the Jiannu, and so will you.
But we can afford to lose.
Behind us lies a vast land, with a population a thousand times greater than the Jiannu. If we wished, we could mobilize millions of troops into Liaodong. It’s just that the value of this land to us does not warrant such action.
We can retreat to Shanhai Pass and rest easy.
Does Wild Boar Skin really think his small population can compete with us, who have millions of soldiers, for the Central Plains?
His entire population couldn’t even fill the city of Beijing.
But you cannot afford to lose.
If you lose, you have nothing. Your Noyans’ heads will hang on Wild Boar Skin’s city walls. Your men will become slaves. Your women will be taken by them. Helping us is helping yourselves. As long as we do not abandon Liaodong, then you remain under our protection. In the future, we can trade freely. Our Emperor will also give you substantial annual rewards. What we were in the past, we will remain. For centuries, the Great Ming has regarded the lands beyond the frontier wall as your pastures. But do you know how Wild Boar Skin will treat you if he gets this land?
We admittedly haven’t been on friendly terms.
But we are familiar with each other. We know you, and you know us.”
Yang Xin said nonchalantly.
“Wasn’t Zaisai helping you?”
Chahua said slowly.
“He stood by and watched Wild Boar Skin capture Kaiyuan. He stood by and watched Wild Boar Skin capture Tieling. He even took the chance to capture several of our forts. Is that helping us? Wild Boar Skin has already set off to attack the Yehe Tribe, yet Zaisai wanders outside Tieling and doesn’t go to rescue Jin Taiji. He probably still wants to snatch the gold and silver Wild Boar Skin looted from Tieling! I’m rather curious. When Wild Boar Skin destroys the Yehe Tribe and turns around with fifty thousand troops to beat him, will he regret it!”
Yang Xin said.
Chahua looked at Aobadaiqing.
“Go and see. Jin Taiji must be saved. Without Jin Taiji, the Jianzhou people can reach us. Put aside things like wealth for now. If he is short on men, I’ll call everyone to help him.”
Chahua said.
He was still quite clear-headed. Originally, the Ming Army controlled the area with Kaiyuan as the apex, using the Liaodong Frontier Wall to separate you from Wild Boar Skin. Beyond the Liaodong Frontier Wall, the Ming Army didn’t interfere; it was the Yehe Tribe blocking the way. Wild Boar Skin had already taken Kaiyuan and Tieling. If he destroyed the Yehe Tribe as well, then they would have to face Wild Boar Skin directly. Preserving the Yehe Tribe meant preserving their own barrier. Ultimately, they, the Yehe, and the Ming Army would form a triangular encirclement around Wild Boar Skin, who had thrust into Kaiyuan and Tieling. What remained was a joint force of the three to decide the battle. If they could defeat him, then the old situation would be restored. For Chahua, restoring the old situation was the most perfect outcome.
Aobadaiqing left immediately.
Chahua looked at the letter Xiong Tingbi had sent him. The letter promised him ten thousand taels annually.
It was that simple.
But also the most effective.
Having served as a Circuit Inspector in Liaodong, Xiong Tingbi understood very well what these people wanted.
“As for you…”
Chahua looked up at Yang Xin.
“I still have to go to the Yehe Tribe. Jin Taiji may not know Wild Boar Skin will attack him. In fact, Wild Boar Skin has been boasting about attacking Shenyang, but lying is what he does best.”
Yang Xin said.
“Gather five hundred warriors and go with him to Yehe City. Since even the Ming people have not forgotten the Yehe, we, as their relatives, cannot do nothing. This envoy is right. Although we have fought the Ming people for centuries, we are familiar with each other. But we are not familiar with the Jianzhou people. We know what the Ming people will do, but we don’t know what the Jianzhou people will do. Sometimes, an enemy is better when they are familiar.”
Chahua said to Nangnuke.
As he spoke, he looked directly at Yang Xin without any attempt to hide it.
“Indeed, an enemy is better when they are familiar!”
Yang Xin said with a smile.
The old man’s choice was not surprising, because he was already allied with the Ming Army. It was just that Zaisai led troops at the front, but Zaisai, blinded by greed, wanted to take advantage to gain benefits. Or perhaps he wanted to watch Wild Boar Skin, the Ming Army, and the Yehe Tribe fight to a stalemate before making his move. He didn’t expect Wild Boar Skin to break through like a hot knife through butter, eventually leading to them being defeated one by one. But cooperating with the Ming Army was their principle, and this likely had Ligdan Khan’s support. After all, even if defeated by Wild Boar Skin, the Ming Army would simply abandon Liaodong. As for Wild Boar Skin being able to breach Shanhai Pass, even the Mongols would consider that a joke. And once the Ming Army abandoned Liaodong, then beyond the pass, only Wild Boar Skin and they would remain. Wild Boar Skin would certainly fight a decisive battle with them.
One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.
The plains of the lower Liao River were the best land. Wild Boar Skin wanted it. The Mongols wanted it. If the Ming Army abandoned it, they would have to fight over it. Wild Boar Skin would also not allow others to sleep soundly right beside him.
The Inner Khalkha Five Tribes would bear the brunt first.
In the original history, they were also the first to be destroyed by Wild Boar Skin.
Thus, Yang Xin had perfectly completed his first mission. As for whether Zaisai would listen to Chahua, that was beyond his control. Nangnuke quickly gathered five hundred cavalry, and the next day, they set off with Yang Xin on the journey to the Yehe Tribe.
This cavalry force was led personally by Nangnuke.
Chahua’s Five Great Camps claimed seventy to eighty thousand cavalry, but everyone knew cavalry numbers were easily exaggerated.
After all, that flood of thousands upon thousands of cavalry, even if only ten thousand, could easily be believed to be a hundred thousand.
Judging by how later, when Chahua personally led his entire army to a decisive battle with Wild Boar Skin, who had just withdrawn from Ningyuan, and still suffered a crushing defeat, it showed their actual fighting strength at this time could not exceed thirty thousand. Ligdan Khan, as the currently strongest, was estimated by Wild Boar Skin to have only thirty thousand cavalry. Four hundred thousand was pure nonsense. If he really had four hundred thousand, he wouldn’t have lost. Four hundred thousand cavalry wouldn’t even need to fight; they could just charge and drown Wild Boar Skin’s tens of thousands of Eight Banners troops.
With them as companions, Yang Xin had to slow his pace.
Finally, they spent three days reaching the Yehe Tribe…
It actually wasn’t far.
How far is it from Zhangwu area to Siping?
Yehe City was in the mountains southeast of Siping. Jin Taiji and his nephew Boo Yanggu each had one city, the former the east city, the latter the west city, actually separated only by a small river.