Dorgon glared at the remnants of his army behind him, his teeth grinding in rage.
He had led a hundred thousand men on this expedition. After two major defeats, fewer than forty thousand remained to flee with him!
His own Plain White Banner had suffered a severe blow to its foundation.
The seats in the council of eight princes were ranked according to strength.
Before, he was second only to Hong Taiji. Now, he feared he couldn't even match Haoge's status.
Seeing the city walls of Yizhou without encountering any reinforcements only fueled his anger further.
Upon seeing the fawning expression of the armored guard at the city gate, he raised his riding whip and lashed out.
*Crack!*
What are you smiling at? Get out of my sight!
*Ah~~*
The armored guard was caught completely off guard. After a scream, his face was instantly torn open by the whip.
Dai Shan and Jirgalang entered the city behind Dorgon as if they hadn't seen anything.
The armored guards were mostly surrendered Mongols and Han Chinese. In their eyes, they were no better than slaves.
Oh no, perhaps a tiny bit better than the native Jurchen slaves, but that was all.
Therefore, no one cared if they lived or died.
The crisp sound of hooves stopped outside Hong Taiji's main tent. Dorgon dismounted and strode angrily into the tent. Seeing Hong Taiji discussing something with a group of Han ministers, he roared in fury.
"Your Majesty, my messenger for reinforcements should have arrived two hours ago. Why have I not seen a single rescue soldier along the way?!"
Hong Taiji looked up at him and said unhappily, "Is this the tone you should use when speaking to me?"
"I received your message, but the content was vague and unclear!"
"The messenger you sent back died of his wounds shortly after entering the city."
"In such a situation, shouldn't I have been more cautious?"
"Must I disregard everything for the sake of rescue?"
His voice was not loud, but it caused Dorgon to freeze. The thing he had feared had come so quickly!
In the past, he had even cursed Hong Taiji to his face in front of all the civil and military officials, and Hong Taiji would only smile and accept it.
Now, he had merely complained, and the result was completely unexpected!
However, with his banner's strength greatly diminished, it was impossible to regain his former status.
Dorgon could only swallow his anger and say, "It is I who have been remiss, Your Majesty. I beg your punishment."
*Hahahaha~~*
Hong Taiji chuckled, stood up, walked over to Dorgon, and patted him on the shoulder twice.
"It's nothing. Although I know my fourteenth brother is straightforward, it's fine. Just be more careful in the future."
"I was just discussing the artillery carts you mentioned in your letter with the ministers. Now that you have returned safely, you can explain what that thing is to me in detail."
"Come, sit down and talk."
Saying this, he personally moved a chair for Dorgon, his attitude very cordial.
Dorgon looked at Hong Taiji's smiling face, wishing he could punch him directly, but he could only endure it.
Dai Shan and Jirgalang, who had been following behind, also entered the main tent.
Seeing that only the three of them, including Dorgon, had returned, Hong Taiji asked with confusion, "Where are my third, fourth, seventh, and ninth brothers?"
Jirgalang remained silent and walked to an empty chair to sit down. This was a matter between brothers, and it was best not to get involved.
Dai Shan's eyes were red, and he was still coughing incessantly. It was unclear how he had become so seriously ill after coughing up that mouthful of blood. He had been coughing all the way from the Dalinghe Fort to Yizhou.
Hearing Hong Taiji ask about the whereabouts of his brothers, he angrily accused Dorgon.
"Cough, cough, they were captured by the Ming army!"
"Duo, cough, Dorgon is incompetent!"
"Cough, cough, he not only lost four younger brothers but also caused Shuotuo and his three brothers to die at the hands of the Ming, and even Adali perished!"
"I implore Your Majesty to revoke Dorgon's position as the banner lord of the Plain White Banner and bring justice to the fallen warriors!"
Hong Taiji was taken aback. This matter had not been mentioned in Dorgon's previous plea for reinforcements.
He turned to Jirgalang, "Is what Prince Li says true?"
Having intended to stay out of it, Jirgalang was unexpectedly pulled in. He could only nod helplessly, "Replying to Your Majesty, it is indeed so."
Hong Taiji's gaze fixed on Dorgon, as if spitting fire, and he continued to ask.
"How many troops were lost this time?"
Jirgalang replied, "A total of five thousand cavalry, nearly twenty thousand infantry, and over thirty thousand auxiliary and miscellaneous personnel were lost."
Upon hearing this number, Hong Taiji's rage finally erupted. He kicked Dorgon, chair and all, to the ground, then pointed at his nose and cursed.
"You, who have been renowned for your prowess in battle for decades, have managed to bury so many warriors in a single stroke!"
"How dare you return to face me!"
The council of eight princes was a result of his compromise with Chuan.
However, he was constantly devising ways to weaken the strength of the eight princes.
But this loss had far exceeded his expectations.
The Eight Banners had only a little over a hundred thousand men in total. Including the Han and Mongol banners, the Manchu Qing had an army of only over two hundred thousand.
A loss of sixty thousand in one battle was a blow that left him breathless.
After calming down slightly, he continued to roar at Dorgon.
"You will be responsible for the losses of the Plain White Banner!"
"You will also be held accountable for the losses of the Bordered Blue Banner and the two Red Banners!"
"Nine Niru from the Plain White Banner will be transferred and divided equally among the Bordered Blue, Plain Red, and Bordered Red Banners."
"Dorgon, do you have any objections?"
*Pfft~~~*
Upon hearing this, Dorgon immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
He accepted the losses on the battlefield.
But to have nine of his twenty-five Niru taken away due to a failed rescue mission was devastating. If he agreed, the Plain White Banner would be virtually nonexistent.
But what else could he do?
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up, looked at Hong Taiji, and gritted out, "Fine! Fine! Fine!"
"Your Majesty's decision, your subject has nothing to say. I accept my fate!"
"However, my health is not good. I request Your Majesty to permit me to return to Shengjing to recuperate for some time."
"After my health has recovered, I will return to fight the Ming for Your Majesty and the Great Qing!"
With that, he cupped his hands towards Hong Taiji and, without waiting for his permission, turned and walked out of the tent.
"Dorgon, you are insolent!"
Before Hong Taiji could speak, Dai Shan stood up and yelled at his retreating back.
Dorgon's steps paused for a moment, but then he continued to leave.
Hong Taiji angrily waved his sleeve, "Let him go~"
His backbone broken by the Ming, he was useless here anyway!
After sitting back down, he turned to Jirgalang and said, "Prince Zheng, tell me properly how this battle was fought and why we suffered such a great defeat!"