usatvline Chapter 74 Chen Ying's Proxy War
Chapter 74 Chen Ying's Proxy War
Chapter 75 Chen Ying's Proxy War
Chapter 074 The Shuangchengwei Mutual Market has now turned into a matchmaking event for young men and women from various tribes. During the day, these young men and women work together building walls, and at night they sing and dance around the campfire.
When they get tired of singing and dancing, the young men and women who catch each other's eye will find a secluded place to start rolling around in bed. No, there are no sheets for them to roll around in; they just use the sky as their back and the ground as their bed, very primitive and very wild.
When Chen Ying led Chen Yongren and others on their inspection tour, they encountered dozens of couples on the way. He remarked that the entertainment industry was so chaotic that he truly couldn't understand it.
That evening, a tribal chief approached Chen Ying: "Your Excellency of the Celestial Empire, we are too late. We only managed to exchange some iron pots and salt. Could we exchange them for some grain and tea?"
Other supplies are fine, but the problem is that Chen Ying doesn't have any extra food. In fact, he is short of food. He has 200,000 mouths to feed, and he needs at least 30,000 to 40,000 shi of grain every month. Where can he sell them any extra grain?
"My lord, without food, our tribe will not survive this winter!"
All the tribes of the Haixi Jurchen must take advantage of the current fat cattle and sheep to exchange for more tea, salt, and coarse grains, and mix them with some meat, so that this winter will be easier.
If the fodder runs out before the snow melts, the livestock can be fed the remaining grains to barely survive for a few more days until the snow and ice melt. Otherwise, a large number of livestock will starve to death, and if a large number of livestock starve to death, the herders will not be far from starving to death themselves.
No matter how much the other party pleaded, Chen Ying had no way to stop them.
Back inside, Chen Yongren sighed and said, "Godfather, I really never imagined that these Haixi Jurchens were so pitiful!"
"Who isn't pitiful? The people of the Ming Dynasty are pitiful too!"
Just then, Xiang Hu rushed into the office: "Sir, something's happened, something's wrong!"
"What happened?"
"You'd better come and take a look!"
When Chen Ying climbed the city wall of the east city, the open space to the west was in chaos. Hundreds of men, women and children from various tribes were gathered in several circles, with cries and curses mixed together. Through his telescope, Chen Ying saw dozens of knights covered in blood lying in the middle of the crowd, the soil beneath them soaked with blood.
Not long after, about twenty or thirty tribal chiefs who remained at the Shuangcheng trade market headed towards the east city. When they arrived at the city gate, they shouted loudly, demanding to see Chen Ying.
Chen Ying waved his hand, ordering the soldiers below to let the leaders into the city.
Inside the signing room, Chen Ying received the leaders and a young man covered in blood.
"What happened?"
"Your Majesty, I am Doron, the young chieftain of the Valkha tribe!"
The young man named Doron explained, "This morning we were returning to the tribe with the supplies we had obtained in exchange when we were ambushed halfway there. Apart from me and twenty or thirty others, everyone else was dead. All the goods were looted, and the horses were also stolen."
"Who did it?"
"It's Suna!"
Chen Ying was completely confused; he really didn't know who Su Na was.
"He is the son-in-law of the Jin Dynasty, the Jala Ejen of the Plain White Banner!"
"The Yehe tribe?"
Chen Ying's eyes narrowed. The Yehe tribe was not actually the Jianzhou Jurchen. They were actually the Haixi Jurchen, and one of the four major tribes of the Haixi Jurchen, alongside the Hada, Ula, and Huifa tribes.
The Yehe tribe was not part of the Jianzhou Jurchens, but rather a separate large group that coexisted with them. During Nurhaci's rise to power, the Yehe tribe, as one of the most powerful tribes among the Haixi Jurchens, was a major rival of the Jianzhou Jurchens.
In the Battle of Gule Mountain in 1593, the nine-tribe coalition led by Yehe was defeated by Nurhaci, after which the Yehe tribe gradually declined. Finally, in 1619, after Nurhaci defeated the Ming army at the Battle of Sarhu, he took advantage of the momentum to conquer and destroy the Yehe tribe, whose people were incorporated into the Eight Banners, becoming an important part of the Eight Banners.
Suna's full name was Yehenara Suna. After Nurhaci conquered the Yehe tribe, Suna led her tribe to surrender. Nurhaci then took control of the remaining forces of the Yehe tribe and married his fourth daughter to Suna as his wife.
The problem is, the implications of Suna's presence here are self-evident.
Just as Chen Ying hesitated, Duolun staggered and knelt before him, his voice hoarse in broken Chinese: "Your Majesty! I beg you to avenge my Warka tribe! Suna killed my father, killed over a hundred of my people! They stole everything we traded for salt! I beg you—"
Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed to the ground, unable to hold on any longer.
The Yehe tribe are the lackeys of the Jurchens and traitors of the Haixi Jurchens. They are enemies a hundred times stronger than Engetu. If they come, can this newly established trade market still be preserved?
Chen Ying was also thinking about how to use this opportunity to his advantage. He wanted to take advantage of the fact that the Jurchens had abandoned Shuangchengwei, so he could establish a foothold in Shuangchengwei through trade and then gradually develop it.
The problem is that Suna arrived too quickly. His plan was to establish the Shuangcheng Garrison Command, expand the army, and stockpile grain. Once his army was trained, even if the Jurchens discovered Chen Ying's plan, they would not be able to capture Shuangcheng Garrison.
He now has only 1,500 men under his command, 1,000 of whom are untrained military households. More importantly, the Dengzhou navy of more than 4,000 men has already returned, laden with supplies. This is precisely when Chen Ying is at his weakest. Even if it takes another half month, the first batch of immigrants to Dalu Island, more than 5,000 people, will arrive.
Even if the immigrants to Dalu Island were untrained, they could still help defend the city.
The dozens of leaders had different expressions: some were angry, some were fearful, some were hesitant, and a few had shifty eyes, clearly already planning their escape route.
Chen Ying naturally realized that these tribal leaders wanted to run away. If these Haixi Jurchens ran away, leaving Chen Ying to fight Suna alone, he would most likely not be able to withstand the Jurchens' attack.
Chen Ying now has some combat experience. He fought against Mao Chenglu's personal guards on Pi Island and against Engetu's bandits. The problem is that Suna belongs to the Plain White Banner, and the current banner lord of the Plain White Banner is Huang Taiji.
One can despise the Manchu Qing dynasty, but one has to admit that Huang Taiji was quite capable in warfare. Chen Ying needs time now; he cannot simply throw his hard work to Suna.
Chen Ying didn't want to compromise. Compromise is easy to become a habit; he'd just do whatever he wanted.
Chen Ying raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down and slowly began to speak: "As you all know, the Yehe tribe robbed the Warka tribe, killed their chieftain, and stole their goods. Why did they do this? It's because they don't want to see the Shuangcheng trade market thrive, and they don't want to see your tribes have salt to eat, iron to use, and tea to drink. You all know better than I do who's behind them."
The Xibe chieftain, Hamutai, clenched his fist: "Lord Chen, we fought the Yehe tribe, and we were no match for them. They outnumbered us, their horses were faster, their swords were sharper, and more importantly, they had the Jin Kingdom behind them. We—"
"They have the Jin Dynasty, but you have me behind you, and the Ming Dynasty. What are you afraid of?"
Chen Ying coldly said, "Do you want to wait to die? Once the trade market opens, you'll have salt, iron, and other valuable goods. The Yehe tribe will be envious, and so will the Jurchens. Do you think they'll stop coming after you just because you hide in the forest? They can rob the Warka today, they can rob your Xibe tribe tomorrow!"
"this----"
The leaders weren't stupid; they knew very well that what Chen Ying said was true. The Haixi Jurchens were like blood bags for the Jurchens. In battles between the Jurchens and the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchens were also human, and they would suffer losses. It was nothing like the almost crushing victory they had boasted about in Qing history.
In Chen Ying's view, the credibility of Qing history is even lower than that of stories compiled by entertainment magazines, because the reason is very simple: when Wu Sangui served as the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, he had less than 50,000 troops under his command, the most elite of whom were his 3,600 private soldiers.
If Dorgon is so powerful, why didn't he break through the pass and enter?
Is it that they don't want to? Just like Chen Ying didn't go to Tsinghua University, it was because their strength didn't allow it; the Jianzhou Jurchens...
The combined population of the Haixi Jurchen, Haidong Jurchen, and other three tribes was approximately two million. However, before they entered the Central Plains, their total population was only 200,000 to 250,000.
The Haixi Jurchens, two major blood transfusion groups, donated blood to the Jurchens, resulting in only one-tenth of the total population of the three tribes during the Wanli era.
So where did all these people go? The answer is they died.
Chen Ying's gaze swept across every face like lightning, saying, "We don't know how many people from the Yehe tribe have come. But the fact that they dare to plunder shows that they've already set their sights on this place. You can escape, escape back to the deep mountains, escape back to the old forests, and continue your lives of lacking salt and iron, of sometimes being hungry and sometimes full. But I can tell you, you can escape for a while, but not forever. The Jurchens will eventually devour you one by one, just like they devoured the four tribes of Haixi."
Silence fell over the crowd; some lowered their heads, while others gritted their teeth.
"If you can't leave, then I can leave too."
Chen Ying continued, "I will return to Dalu Island and Shahe Guard, and remain my commander. But I ask you, are you willing to give up this trade? Are you willing to give up this salt, this refined iron, this tea, this cloth? Are you willing to let your children go back to those days when licking a single grain of salt could bring them joy for half a day?"
"I can't bear to part with it!"
The Xibe tribe wasn't actually part of the Haixi Jurchens; they were only fully subjugated during the Qing Dynasty and became the Solon soldiers. Hamutai said indignantly, "I can't bear to part with them!"
Chen Ying suddenly laughed: "Since they can't bear to part with them, there's only one way: fight. Beat the Yehe tribe until they're terrified, until they never dare to set foot in this forest again!"
Hamutai spoke with difficulty: "Lord Chen, the Yehe tribe now has tens of thousands of troops. Can we—defeat them?"
"able."
Chen Ying replied without hesitation, "You have men, horses, and the advantage of familiarity with the terrain. I have firearms, cannons, sharp swords, and sturdy armor!"
Clang!
Chen Ying drew his sword directly, a Tang-style horizontal sword forged from high-carbon steel, gleaming coldly and exceptionally sharp. He tossed it to Hamutai, saying, "Hamutai, what do you think of this sword of mine?"
"this----"
The translator said directly, "This is a divine weapon!"
"Ha ha!"
Chen Ying smiled faintly and said, "Is this knife worth the head of a Yehe person?"
Chen Ying had actually given up on integrating the soldiers of these tribes. They couldn't communicate with each other, and more importantly, these people were used to being undisciplined and he didn't have time to train them.
Is there any way to deal with the Yehe tribe?
Of course, there are; guerrilla warfare is possible.
Chen Ying placed his sword, armor, a bag of salt, and four iron pots on the table, and looked at the crowd, saying, "You can use your familiarity with the terrain to your advantage—whether you set traps, ambush, launch a surprise attack, or poison someone—one Yehe tribe head can be exchanged for a sword, five heads for a sturdy suit of armor, one head for a bag of salt, and one head for these four pots!"
"I won't let you fight this battle for nothing!"
Chen Ying smiled faintly and said, "If the Yehe tribe is not eliminated, the border market will forever remain a dead market. Those who are willing to fight this battle with me can stay, and we will form a blood oath to advance and retreat together. Those who are not willing can leave now. I will not stop them."
If Chen Ying had said something earlier, most of the tribes would probably have left. But the problem is, Chen Ying has shown them the way. They have a blood feud with the Yehe traitors. They wouldn't dare to confront the Yehe tribe head-on, but they can easily set traps and ambushes them, and cut off a few Yehe tribe heads.
Chen Ying's statement has a fatal flaw. Chen Ying may not have said that the heads of the old, weak, women and children cannot be cut off. If they cannot defeat the able-bodied men of the Yehe tribe, can they not defeat the old, weak and disabled men of the Yehe tribe?
This loophole was actually left by Chen Ying on purpose. With just these few rotten garlic, even if they attacked together, they probably couldn't deal with a full-strength Jurchen cavalry unit. The Jurchen commander led five Niru, which theoretically amounted to 1,500 cavalry.
If you consider a single Jiala as equivalent to 1,500 cavalrymen, then you are simply too naive. The Jurchen Niru were divided into Baiba Yala, Hongjiabing, and Majia. Both Majia and Hongjiabing had their own war slaves. They would bring at least one armored man and sometimes two or three. In actual battles, a Niru could have over a thousand men.
Like Suna, this Jiala Ezhen, had tens of thousands of Yehe soldiers under his command. In fact, even Duolun couldn't say how many Yehe cavalry they had encountered.
Meng Gun was the first to step forward, kneeling on one knee: "The Gualecha tribe is willing to fight alongside Lord Chen!"
Meng Gun knew that the Yehe tribe was not far from here, in a valley where they could escape the winter. He planned to set a fire there and then cut off some of their heads while they were putting out the fire.
Chen Ying's price was very high: a head and a bag of salt, which was equivalent to an ox; five heads and a suit of armor worth several hundred taels of silver. It was such a good deal that the profit was enough to make them take the risk.
Hamutai gritted his teeth and knelt down as well: "The Xibe tribe is willing too!"
"The Ergun tribe is willing to follow!"
"The Ussuri tribe is willing to follow!"
One after another, the leaders knelt down. Finally, Dolon struggled to his feet and knelt down with a thud: "Although the Warka tribe is reduced to only the old and weak, as long as we have a breath left, we will fight the Khorchin to the end! We beg Lord Chen to lead us to revenge!"
Chen Ying helped Duolun up, looked around at everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, since that's the case, let's establish a rule. From today onwards, each tribe will be responsible for attacking the Yehe tribe, and rewards will be given according to merit after the battle. Anyone who dares to desert in the face of battle or secretly collude with the enemy will be executed without mercy."
"Lord Chen, let us swear a blood oath!"
"Alright, let's swear a blood oath then!"
That night, the tribal leaders and Chen Ying cut their fingers, dripped the blood into a wine bowl, and drank it all together.
After the leaders left, Chen Yongren said softly, "Godfather, are we really going to have to confront the Yehe tribe head-on?"
"A head-on confrontation is the stupidest approach. What we need to fight is a battle that will leave them completely bewildered."
What Chen Ying is fighting now is actually a proxy war. He provides money and equipment to make the various tribes of Haixi Jurchen fight the Yehe tribe. Even if he can't destroy the Yehe tribe, he can still severely damage it.
As for the outcome, Chen Ying didn't think it was that important. The Yehe tribe held a major position among the Jurchen Eight Banners, mainly distributed in the Plain Blue Banner, Plain White Banner, and Bordered Yellow Banner. Suna was only a part of the Plain White Banner. If he set fire to the entire Yehe tribe, it would affect more than just the Plain White Banner.
The more they fight, the deeper their hatred grows. By then, it will probably be impossible to resolve the conflict. Chen Ying doesn't need much time, even just a month or two, to train this army well in Shuangchengwei. By then, the Yehe tribe will be half-crippled from being ganged up on, and Chen Ying will lead the Shahewei to reap the rewards. He is now following the path of the Jurchens.
When the Jurchens fought, they usually sent Han and Mongol cannon fodder first. The Ming army was half-crippled, and then the Jurchens would swarm in and win the final victory. Gradually, they gained the reputation that the Jurchens were invincible if they had fewer than 10,000 men.
Now Chen Ying is also using this tactic. The army is a monster fed on victory. Only through continuous victories can the morale of the army be cultivated.
"My grandfather punched your grandfather!"
Therefore, when facing a beautiful person, the Chinese people have an absolute psychological advantage and are ready to crush them even before the battle begins. The Ming army, on the other hand, has suffered too many defeats and is already fearful before the battle even starts.
The night wind howled, and the winds of change in Liaodong were subtly altered by the influence of Chen Ying, this otherworldly butterfly.
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