Chapter 88: Ruthless Hero

The fifth day.

On the fifth day, Wild Boar Skin withdrew his troops!

“How could he do this? It has only been five days in total!”

On the Zhenbian Gate under the morning sun, Yang Xin wore a confused expression as he spoke.

Outside the city, nearly ten thousand Jiannu cavalry stood arrayed and alert. Behind them in their camps, the remaining Jiannu silently packed their tents, set fire to what they could not carry, and formed a long line. They maintained the discipline of an elite army as they headed east along the Hun River toward Fushun, returning to their homeland.

Wild Boar Skin’s yellow silk parasol was among the assembled cavalry.

Clad in bright yellow, Wild Boar Skin controlled his horse a mile away, silently watching this place, gazing at the piled corpses still lying beneath the city wall…

He admitted defeat.

He could not take Shenyang.

At least, he could not quickly capture Shenyang without supplies. Here stood Yang Xin’s demon-like figure; outside, Xiong Tingbi kept a tight defense; behind him, the Mongols and the Yehe Tribe watched like tigers. Unable to breach the Ming Army’s outer fortresses to obtain new supplies, even though he remained the strongest military force in Liaodong, he ultimately could not sustain the attack on Shenyang without provisions.

Moreover, his morale was broken.

A few hours earlier, the mountain of corpses beside the Yongchang Gate, and behind it, Yang Xin’s figure like a demon god, had even left his most elite Plain Yellow Banner Bayara silent to this day.

“You alone cut down one hundred thirty-two Jiannu Bayara soldiers. Adding those he lost at Shenyang, the dead number close to two thousand, with at least three thousand wounded. Out of fifty thousand men, five thousand casualties. If he stubbornly fights on after such losses, then Wild Boar Skin would not have achieved what he has today. Back then, he could kneel at Li Chengliang’s feet as a slave. Do you think now, at sixty years old, he would still be so rash? Without supplies to sustain the attack, unable to take the city, and with our great army outside, would he gamble his entire clan just because a son and trusted follower died?

He truly is a ruthless hero.

And what is the greatest skill of a ruthless hero?”

Chen Yujie said.

“A ruthless hero can endure!”

He patted Yang Xin’s shoulder and continued.

In the distance, Wild Boar Skin suddenly turned his horse and galloped eastward. The Jiannu elites behind also turned and galloped away, silently ending the war and returning to their homes deep in the forests amidst the cheers and jeers from the city walls.

As the last of the Jiannu withdrew, on the northern horizon, the figures of another cavalry force appeared.

“They are such good friends!”

Chen Yujie watched this cavalry and remarked with some sarcasm.

This was the Yehe Tribe’s.

They too sat by and watched Wild Boar Skin’s retreat.

“Different peoples, different hearts! In Liaodong, we have fought and schemed with the Mongols and various Jurchen tribes for hundreds of years. There are no friends here; everyone is an enemy. Perhaps we can cooperate temporarily for profit, but when the situation changes, we quickly become enemies again. In the end, it’s all about profit. Unless they all disappear, this land will never truly belong to us.”

Yang Xin said.

From the distant cavalry, a dozen riders advanced. Soon the figures of Dergele and Nangnuke appeared, but Zhou Yuji was not seen.

“Ha, friends have come calling!”

Yang Xin shouted.

Of course, the tone for “friends” was odd.

“You are also quite a friend. With five thousand men, you tricked us into thinking it was a hundred thousand. You even found someone to impersonate Xiong Tingbi to deceive us. So let’s not point fingers. We indeed did not attack Wild Boar Skin, but you also deceived us!”

Nangnuke said.

Clearly, they had learned that the counterattack on Kaiyuan-Tieling was actually a ruse. Of course, it was no big deal; they got what they wanted anyway. In the original history, the Mongol tribes would soon face severe famine, resulting in many refugees. Later, Yuan Yingtai would take them in; He Shixian alone took in over three thousand. During the Shenyang battle, these people would open the gates for Wild Boar Skin. But this time, the gains from Kaiyuan-Tieling should alleviate their famine. Additionally, they acquired much gold, silver, and treasure, which would also be used to buy grain from smugglers. One could say the true winners of this war were them.

There were no other winners.

The Great Ming lost the cities north of Yilu. Although the forts still stood, the population was gone, and the garrison troops were gone. The land was ruined. Whether to restore garrisons later would depend on the situation.

The Yehe Tribe did not count as winners either.

Although Wild Boar Skin had full gains early on, he suffered heavy losses later. Having lost a son, he certainly was not a winner.

Only Chahua.

Only the Inner Khalkha Five Tribes were winners.

“Open the gate!”

Nangnuke shouted from below.

“It’s blocked. Go around to the west side. There is a gap blasted open by the Jiannu.”

Yang Xin said.

Nangnuke, of course, did not know that Yang Xin just wanted him to see the mountain of corpses. He and Dergele quickly turned and went around to the west. When they ascended the Zhenbian Gate again, their eyes held noticeably more awe. Their purpose in coming was simple: to claim the benefits promised by Xiong Tingbi and the Li Family. Also, to discuss future trade, especially the crucial Zhenbei Pass horse market for the Yehe Tribe. The Yehe Tribe relied on this trade hub for survival. If the northern pass horse market did not reopen, the Yehe Tribe would struggle to survive.

This was crucial.

But reopening the northern pass horse market required restoring garrisons along the Kaiyuan-Tieling line.

So they had to clarify this matter with Xiong Tingbi.

Of course, what they said was that they had come to rescue Shenyang. They would certainly use this reason to ask Wanli for rewards, including the Yehe Tribe, even though Wild Boar Skin’s withdrawal had nothing to do with them.

But they were indeed the first to arrive at Shenyang.

This was none of Yang Xin’s concern.

Whether it was about money or negotiations, it had nothing to do with him. However, Dergele brought him many good things…

“This, this, the two Beiles are too kind!”

Yang Xin looked at the chest before him, his face wearing a mask of false humility.

This was Jin Taiji’s gratitude to him. After all, Yehe City was largely saved because of him, and Dergele was also rescued by him. Jin Taiji still had to show some thanks. What the Yehe Tribe could give him were things like ginseng, deer antlers, marten pelts, and the like. The Zhenbei Pass horse market originally traded such items. Yehe and Haixi, even Wild Jurchen merchants, came to Zhenbei Pass to sell these things, along with horses, cattle, and sheep, buying cotton cloth, grain, ironware, and such from Ming merchants.

“For saving my life, I must repay you!”

Dergele said.

In the original history, he did not die either. Although Wild Boar Skin used him to threaten Jin Taiji, Jin Taiji simply drove out his own wife and children and then set fire. Dergele was incorporated into the Eight Banners but held no real power. Wild Boar Skin did not trust him; he was just a titled figurehead. But his family remained prominent. His nephew was Emperor Kangxi’s famous minister; his two daughters, one married Jì’ěrhālǎng, and the other first married Ligdan Khan, later also marrying Jì’ěrhālǎng.

In fact, they were already married by this time.

“Who are these two?”

Yang Xin pointed to the two young maidens behind him.

They stood there, looking at him shyly. Their faces were quite broad, sturdy, and flushed red like legendary apples. They were wrapped in fur robes.

“I am giving them to you as maidservants!”

Dergele said straightforwardly.

“Well, then I humbly accept!”

Yang Xin said.

He considered this his contribution to unity.

“Since the Taiji treats me as a brother, I have some words to ask the Taiji to relay to your honored father. Wild Boar Skin’s ambition will not die. Although this time he suffered greatly, within a year or two at most, he will surely make a comeback. And whatever he intends to do, the first thing will be to destroy the Yehe Tribe. Since that is so, why not strike while he is weak? Of course, I do not mean the Yehe Tribe should attack Hetu Ala, but rather, your honored father should take this chance to recover the Yehe Tribe’s original territories, retake those forts occupied by Wild Boar Skin. Wild Boar Skin lost the grain from Kaiyuan; the coming winter will be hard. Those forts sided with him, hoping to share in the plunder.

But now the plunder failed.

The chiefs of those forts not only gained no benefits from Wild Boar Skin, but they must also share the coming famine. Do they truly have any loyalty to Wild Boar Skin?

Your honored father is loyal to the Great Ming.

And although I am but a commoner, I have connections in the palace.

I can even meet the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. When the time comes, if I put in a good word for your honored father, it is easy to imagine that His Majesty’s rewards will be plentiful. Similarly, your honored father controls the northern pass horse market, so grain can be easily obtained. If your honored father uses grain to win over these chiefs, who will they choose? Starve with Wild Boar Skin, or have grain with your honored father? They will naturally submit to the Yehe Tribe. The reason Wild Boar Skin dares to covet the Yehe Tribe is simply that Jianzhou is strong and Yehe is weak. But if the Yehe Tribe strengthens itself this way, would he still dare to covet it?”

Yang Xin said.

Of course, Wild Boar Skin would not agree, and then the two sides would continue fighting! This essentially redirected the war between Wild Boar Skin and the Great Ming back to the war between the Yehe Tribe and Wild Boar Skin, more accurately, the war among the various Jurchen tribes.

“But in that case, you would still need to restore the garrisons at Kaiyuan and Tieling!”

Dergele said.

They naturally saw this as a good opportunity to recover lost territory.

But the precondition was that the Ming Army had to restore Kaiyuan. Otherwise, Wild Boar Skin could move north again at any time to besiege Yehe City. Kaiyuan and Yehe City supported each other. Without the Ming Army at Kaiyuan, Yehe City could not hold. Similarly, without the Yehe Tribe’s rear support, Kaiyuan would be hard to defend. If Jin Taiji wanted to recover lost land, first the Ming Army had to garrison Kaiyuan to protect their rear.

“Leave this matter to me. Even if Xiong Tingbi does not do it, I will advise the Emperor!”

Yang Xin said.