The army marched out, five tanks leading the way in a single file.
Behind them followed Cao Bianjiao, the commander of the Eastern Xie, and Wang Tingchen, the commander of Liaodong, along with their soldiers.
These two were specifically instructed for special attention by Fang Er before his departure.
It was imperative to accumulate as much military merit for them as possible.
Although Wang Xuance did not understand the reason for doing so, what the Duke said was the absolute truth!
At the Đại Lăng River Fortress, within the command tent.
Dorgon, Jirgalang, Dai Shan, Tang Gudai, and Abai, five brothers, sat facing each other.
Jirgalang's shoulder was still wrapped in cloth, where he had been shot. If he hadn't instinctively dodged, his head would likely be displayed on Zhu Youjian's imperial desk by now.
Dai Shan, with an displeased expression, looked at Dorgon and asked.
"Fourteenth Brother, you have always been a skilled warrior, why were you so utterly defeated this time!
Where are Suo Tu and the others? Why are they not seen returning with you!"
Dorgon angrily slammed his fist on the table and growled in a low voice, "The Ming army, I don't know from where they got these turtle shells that our swords and sabers can't penetrate!
Even more infuriating, those turtle shells can move, and the Ming army has even mounted cannons on them!
How are we supposed to fight this battle!"
Dai Shan was stunned by this revelation, and the ominous premonition in his heart grew stronger. He suddenly stood up and shouted.
"I don't care how you fight this battle! Answer me now, why are Suo Tu and the others not returning with you!
And where are the Seventh and Ninth Brothers!
Why did I not see their figures among the retreating troops!"
Jirgalang felt utterly bitter; this was all Hong Taiji's doing.
In terms of seniority, Dai Shan was the second eldest. After the eldest, Zhuying, was gone, it should have been him to inherit everything Nurhaci had left behind.
But Hong Taiji, using every trick in the book, finally managed to seize absolute power for himself.
To prevent Dai Shan's influence from growing too strong and threatening him, he had been suppressing Dai Shan at every turn since he established the Great Qing.
He rarely allowed Dai Shan to participate in frontal battles, fearing that his accumulation of military merit would eventually lead to a situation where he would become too powerful to control.
However, at the same time, due to the Eight Banners system of the Qing Dynasty, both the Plain Red Banner and the Bordered Red Banner were in Dai Shan's hands. There was no reason for the two banners not to participate in battles, so the commanders were changed from Dai Shan to Dai Shan's sons.
For any assault on fortified cities, the two Red Banners were always at the forefront!
To put it plainly, Hong Taiji was using the two Red Banners as cannon fodder, desperately weakening Dai Shan's power.
But this time, it seemed he had gone too far.
All of Dai Shan's remaining four sons were lost in this battle!
Seeing Dai Shan's face turn progressively greener, Jirgalang quickly said.
"Second Uncle, please accept my condolences. Fourteenth Brother is telling the truth, we were indeed tricked by the Ming army this time.
Those turtle shells are not only impervious to swords and sabers and equipped with powerful cannons, but they also move faster than warhorses.
If a warhorse is struck by them, it will be crushed into a pulp in the next moment!
For Fourteenth Brother to bring back so many soldiers, he has already done his best.
To defeat those turtle shells, we can probably only wait for the Red Cannons to be sent from Yizhou."
Dai Shan turned and glared at him, "Don't play coy with me! I only ask you one question!
Where are Suo Tu, Waikda, Mandahai, and Husi!
And also, where are the Seventh and Ninth Brothers!
Why are they not returning with you!
You two are both uncles. You escaped and returned, so where are my sons!
And the Seventh and Ninth Brothers! Dorgon, they are your own biological brothers!"
Jirgalang, seeing that he could not conceal the truth, had no choice but to speak plainly.
"Suo Tu and the others all, all died outside the city of Jinzhou!
The Seventh and Ninth Brothers were captured by the Ming army. Those turtle shells were relentless, and a head-on confrontation was impossible, so we had to flee back."
*Puff~~~*
Although Dai Shan had already suspected some of it, upon hearing the truth, he still spat out a mouthful of blood.
Then, he slumped down.
"Grandfather!"
Standing beside him, his grandson, Luoluohuan, quickly reached out to support him, preventing him from falling to the ground directly.
Dai Shan pointed at Dorgon and laughed in extreme anger.
"It's one thing to abandon my sons there, but to abandon the Seventh and Ninth Brothers outside the city of Jinzhou as well, let's see how you explain this to the Eighth Brother!
A fire of rage burned within him. He had only eight sons in total.
The eldest, third, fifth, and sixth sons had all passed away. Now, of the remaining four, all were lost by Dorgon in this one battle!
Of his twenty grandsons, one was also lost, leaving only nineteen!
*Puff~~*
Thinking of this, Dai Shan spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Damn Eighth Brother, I will settle this with you later!
Report~~~"
Just then, a scout rushed into the tent, knelt on both knees, and addressed everyone.
"Reporting to Fourteenth Lord, Second Lord, the Ming army is attacking, and they are less than five li away from us!"
*Bang!*
Dorgon slammed his fist on the table and looked at Abai and Tang Gudai. "Third Brother, Fourth Brother, dare you face the enemy with me?"
After Abai and Tang Gudai exchanged glances, Abai said to Dorgon, "Younger Brother Fourteen, your Third Brother has a hemorrhoid problem lately and cannot ride a horse. But rest assured, all the warriors under my command can be given to you to lead!"
Tang Gudai also stood up and said, "Younger Brother Fourteen, your Fourth Brother contracted a venereal disease this morning after sleeping with a Mongolian girl. I have a large patch of blisters on my lower body, and I also cannot ride a horse. You can take those warriors with you."
After saying this, they bowed and left the tent.
They were mere bystanders. If they won, the credit would not fall to them. If they lost, they would lose their lives.
Upon returning to their respective camps, fearing that Hong Taiji would later hold them accountable for avoiding battle, they immediately covered up their actions.
Abai found a knife, inserted it into the ground, took off his pants, and sat down on the knife handle.
"Ah~~"
After a scream, some yellow blood flowed down the handle, staining the blade.
Tang Gudai found a thin Chinese incense stick, lit it, and held it to his inner thigh, gritting his teeth as he cauterized it.
*Sizzle~~~*
After the burnt smell, blisters began to appear one after another.
Compared to losing their lives, these injuries were nothing!