Chapter 60 Reunion

North of Shanhai Pass, atop Jiaoshao Mountain.

Li Zicheng stood high, looking out into the distance, taking in the entire battlefield. Shortly before, an arrow carrying a message had been shot from the city, warning him to be wary of the Later Jin, followed shortly by numerous gentry sending men to secretly pay their respects to Li Zicheng.

Although not entirely convinced, Li Zicheng nonetheless heightened his precautions against the Manchus, specially arranging for Liu Zongmin to lead ten thousand elite troops as a reserve force to handle any potential trouble.

To be honest, however, Li Zicheng remained half-doubting regarding the Manchus.

Just at that moment, a gale suddenly whipped up, sending sand and pebbles flying, blotting out the sky and obscuring the sun. Figures opposite were barely distinguishable. Standing on the elevated ground became impossible, forcing Li Zicheng and his men to temporarily retreat for cover.

When the wind finally subsided and he returned to Jiaoshao Mountain, Li Zicheng’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he was struck dumb with horror.

Unbeknownst to him, the battlefield had suddenly been flooded with countless soldiers dressed in white robes and bearing white flags. These men were fierce beyond compare, invincible wherever they swept. The Dashun army was completely incapable of resisting, slaughtered continuously. They were like the most efficient killing machines, endlessly devouring the lives of the Dashun troops.

Watching his most elite warriors being butchered, Li Zicheng felt as though he would grind his steel teeth to dust.

"Your Majesty, these white-robed soldiers are not the Guanning army; they must be the Manchu Tartars. Your Majesty should withdraw for now."

"No! The Tartars cannot scare Us! Send Liu Zongmin in; stop them for Me!"

Li Zicheng’s order was relayed, and Liu Zongmin led his forces charging toward the Manchus. The Liu Zongmin of the past could be called the fiercest warrior of the Chuang camp, but circumstances change.

Having lost half an ear to Gu Zhenhua’s arrow earlier, Liu Zongmin had been filled with hatred and rage, while simultaneously harboring a deep sense of dread. Having risked his life through years of bloodshed, finally fighting his way into the capital only for the good days not to even begin before losing his head—was it worth it?

Over the past month, Liu Zicheng had driven Liu Zongmin to frantically torture officials and extort wealth, and then snatched Chen Yuanyuan into his own mansion. After Li Zicheng ordered him to surrender Chen Yuanyuan, Liu Zongmin remained unreconciled, instead wildly plundering the daughters of officials and nobles, indulging in wanton pleasures, and holding banquets without restraint every day.

In truth, Li Zicheng had intended for Liu Zongmin to lead the troops in attacking Wu Sangui while he remained to anchor the capital. Who could have known that Liu Zongmin would talk back directly: "Why should you enjoy pleasures in the capital while sending me out to drink the northwest wind?"

Driven to no other choice, Li Zicheng had been forced into a personal expedition. Over the span of just a few dozen days, Liu Zongmin’s appearance remained unchanged, but inside, a completely different person had taken his place.

Leading his forces to charge the Qing troops, he was met by a Manchu officer wielding a saber who slashed fiercely toward him. Liu Zongmin hurriedly parried, but his once-sturdy body lacked any strength; his block completely failed to deflect the blow.

Sensing mortal danger, Liu Zongmin desperately dodged, but he was a split second too late. The enemy’s blade sliced into his shoulder, and blood instantly sprayed. Nearby personal guards fought to the death to rescue him, barely managing to preserve Liu Zongmin’s life, but his fighting spirit had been entirely hacked away. Leading his bodyguards, he took the initiative to rout. The Qing troops easily defeated Liu Zongmin, slicing the Dashun army’s "One-Word" long-snake formation right down the middle. The strategic situation abruptly reversed, and the Dashun army stood on the verge of collapse.

……

"From frugality to luxury is easy; from luxury to frugality is hard. The defeat of the Dashun army is now apparent; I fear things will only grow harder hereafter. Its rise was sudden, and its fall will be swift! General Li, I admire your talent. If you are willing to continue cooperating and join hands to resist the Manchus, would that not be a fine thing?"

"Gu Zhenhua, are you trying to persuade me to surrender to Great Ming?"

Gu Zhenhua laughed heartily. "From the very moment the Manchus passed through the pass, there has been no Dashun and no Great Ming; there are only Han Chinese. We fight among ourselves while outsiders reap the profits, usurping our rivers and mountains. Is this lesson not profound enough?"

Li Yan’s face remained dark and expressionless. He fell silent for a full half-minute before finally shaking his head. "Lord Gu, the King of Chuang treated me with the grace of a discerning master, and moreover, the Dashun has not yet reached the point where our banners fall and our soldiers scatter. Let us join forces to defeat the enemy today, and past grievances will be wiped clean. I must go and save the King of Chuang; Lord Gu, please do as you see fit!"

Having spoken, Li Yan spurred his horse away. Gu Zhenhua watched their retreating backs and also shook his head.

Riding back to the military formation, he waved his hand to everyone and said loudly, "Brothers, our Battle of Shanhai Pass is over! Follow me southward; a magnificent realm awaits us!"

With that, Gu Zhenhua galloped away wildly, closely followed by his soldiers. When they had marched out of the city, they numbered fewer than three thousand men. After a fierce battle with the Manchus, Gu Zhenhua’s force had lost over a hundred brothers, but during the retreat, quite a few Dashun soldiers had chosen to join them, swelling the entire troop to over three thousand.

Furthermore, they possessed over ten thousand warhorses and nearly three hundred carriages. This scale was ten times larger than when they had fled the capital, and the fire in Gu Zhenhua’s heart burned brightly. The most important task now was to find a stronghold, properly reorganize the army, and digest all these spoils. When that time came, they would have the capital to maneuver against the Manchus.

Tartars, just you wait! Sooner or later, we will return to slaughter you!

Gu Zhenhua rushed southward at high speed, while the Battle of Shanhai Pass reached its final climax. Ajige led the Plain White Banner to break through Liu Zongmin’s defense line, severing the Dashun army into two segments.

The Qing troops mowed down the Dashun army like cutting melons and vegetables, constantly crushing them. Unable to hold out any longer, Li Zicheng could only flee frantically under the protection of his loyal retainers.

The decisive battle had begun in the morning and concluded only as dusk approached. The lingering sun resembled blood; bathed in its glow, Shanhai Pass was shrouded in gore.

In this life-or-death struggle, of the one hundred thousand elite troops of the Dashun army, over forty thousand were hacked down, and another thirty to forty thousand routed. Li Zicheng’s elite forces were virtually wiped out in an instant!

As the victors, the Guanning army and the Qing forces fared no better. Before the battle, Wu Sangui possessed over fifty thousand men; more than twenty thousand were cut down in the fighting, Gu Zhenhua took away over two thousand more, and others surrendered to Li Zicheng. By the final tally, Wu Sangui had fewer than twenty thousand men left in his hands. Moreover, his cousin Wu Sanrong, Shanhai Pass commander Gao Di, and others had died, reducing the combat effectiveness of the Guanning army by more than sixty percent!

The Manchus fared no better either. Thanks to Gu Zhenhua’s warning, the Dashun army had made preparations, and with Gu Zhenhua and Li Yan joining forces to eliminate around a thousand Banner troops, the Manchu casualties in this battle exceeded three thousand.

This far surpassed the losses of any previous incursions through the pass, and considering the Manchu population base, this loss was even more fatal. Despite the frequent victories of the Manchus in recent years, their core fighting strength had not increased much—and had even diminished.

The reason was simple: while battle casualties might not have been overwhelming, non-combat attrition was also crippling, especially given the constant warfare and low birth rates. Had it not been for the support of the Mongol and Han Eight Banners, the Manchu military strength would have experienced a drastic reduction.

Therefore, when Dorgon received the report, his eyebrows instantly stood on end. He summoned Dodo and Ajige, cursing them soundly. Dodo, in particular, received two heavy slaps that loosened his back teeth.

"Prince Regent, please calm your anger. I believe that after the Battle of Shanhai Pass, the rebel Chuang's elite is entirely spent; there will be no such brutal battles hereafter. Furthermore, we can easily use Wu Sangui as our vanguard, making him the running dog for the Great Qing!" Fan Wencheng advised earnestly.

Dorgon finally suppressed his rage and said angrily, "Summon that bastard Wu Sangui here! The warriors of the Great Qing helped him fight; shouldn't he reward them? Tell him to prepare rations, provisions, livestock, and sheep, properly reorganize his troops, and pursue Li Zicheng as swiftly as possible."

Fan Wencheng wore a troubled expression. "Prince Regent, I am afraid that will not be possible. The granaries at Shanhai Pass were entirely burned down, and Wu Sangui cannot produce any grain. We will likely have to transfer some from beyond the pass."

"What?" Dorgon flew into a rage. "Is Wu Sangui an utter fool? How could he fail to protect the grain stores?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, I hear there was a man named Gu Zhenhua who originally escorted the Zhu Ming crown prince out of the capital and arrived at Shanhai Pass. When the battle broke out, he led a revolt against Wu Sangui, taking away several thousand men and burning the city's warehouses clean to the ground."

"The crown prince?" Dorgon’s eyes bulged as if they might bleed, and he cursed violently, "That idiot Wu Sangui! I ordered him to kill the crown prince, and he manages to bungle it into this situation. Scholar Fan, immediately have Wu Sangui lead his men to pursue this fellow Gu Zhenhua and bring back his head at all costs."

"Elder Brother, grant me a chance as well; your younger brother shall redeem himself through meritorious service!" Dodo interjected at this point. He also harbored a deep, bone-deep hatred for Gu Zhenhua, who had twice used explosives to send their formations flying and stripped them of every shred of dignity. If he didn't kill him, it would be impossible to soothe the hatred in his heart.

Dorgon looked at him, frowned, and said, "Shanhai Pass has just been pacified, and matters are numerous; you must assist me here. Just dispatch two thousand brave warriors to accompany Wu Sangui; that will be more than enough to deal with this Gu Zhenhua!"

With Dorgon’s order given, Wu Sangui led his deputy general Yang Kun and two thousand Banner troops, rapidly departing Shanhai Pass to chase down Gu Zhenhua.

Gu Zhenhua was completely unaware that danger was approaching. Leading his massive army away from Shanhai Pass, he marched under the cover of night, pressing forward for over a hundred *li* before finally drawing a breath.

"Lord, where do you say we should go?"

"Tianjin," Gu Zhenhua replied without hesitation. "When I previously had only a few hundred men, I lacked the certainty to capture Tianjin. Now, with several thousand troops, Tianjin is within our grasp. Li Zicheng returns to the capital, the Manchus hold Shanhai Pass; once we reach Tianjin, we will stand as one of a tripartite division!"

Just as Gu Zhenhua was speaking, a scout came galloping over in a panic, dismounting hastily before him to report, "Lord Gu, a group of men has arrived ahead, claiming they wish to see you!"

Hearing this, Gu Zhenhua sprang up instantly. "Did they say who they were?"

"No, they only said that once the Lord sees them, you will recognize them."

Gu Zhenhua’s eyes lit up. Without a second word, he vaulted onto his warhorse and bolted like a wisp of smoke.

"Lord, wait for us! Be careful of a trap!" Yue Pulu hurriedly led his personal guards in pursuit.

After galloping furiously for about five *li*, Gu Zhenhua spotted several hundred men ahead, peering anxiously in their direction. Seeing Gu Zhenhua approaching from afar, a few riders immediately broke away from the crowd and charged straight toward him.

"Fourth Brother, your older brothers have missed you to death!"

"Lord, we’ve finally laid eyes on you again!"

Sun Cheng, Lu Yong, Xue Biao, Xie Bin, and the others greeted him with beaming smiles.