novelSusiti Chapter 59 Generals Compete for Merit, Flames of Revenge
Chapter 59 Generals Compete for Merit, Flames of Revenge
The tent erupted in even more unrestrained laughter and applause, the air thick with blind arrogance.
Only in the shadowy corner of the tent, Nurhaci, dressed in old black leather armor and as silent as a stone, still sat there with his eyes lowered, stroking an empty silver bowl in his hand.
The flickering campfire cast shifting light and shadow across half of his face, revealing a silent undercurrent churning within his deep eyes.
Jin Taishi, the old leader of the Yehe tribe, who sat above Nurhaci and whose beard and hair were already gray, was known for his composure and steadiness.
Seeing the increasingly frivolous atmosphere inside the tent, he frowned slightly, slowly rose, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Helan Cangfeng. His aged but clear voice, carrying a warning, drowned out the clamor:
"General, esteemed leaders, please hear what I have to say. Our vanguard suffered a setback and heavy losses in the previous attack on Beique Pass. It is said that we fell into Tian Heng's trap and were attacked at night, ruining our plans."
Even several valiant warriors from the Aisin Gioro family perished in that chaos.
Although this child is young, his military tactics are so cunning and ruthless that he is not someone to be trifled with. In my opinion, we should be extra careful when crossing the river tomorrow.
Jin Taishi's words were like a bucket of cold water, temporarily extinguishing some of the heat inside the tent.
Many generals' smiles froze, and their eyes unconsciously drifted toward Nurhaci in the corner.
After all, Nurhaci was the commander-in-chief of the vanguard in the last disastrous defeat, and he was also the only senior general who escaped alive from that bloody night. His words carried the most weight.
Feeling the focus of countless gazes, Nurhaci slowly raised his head.
The deliberately tense muscles on his face relaxed, and a smile with a hint of "open-mindedness" and "disdain" even appeared at the corner of his mouth as he slowly stood up.
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jin Taishi and Helan Cangfeng respectively, his voice calm:
"I appreciate the care and concern of the old leader Jintai for the younger generation. However, the previous defeat was due to unfavorable weather conditions, coupled with the fact that our army was exhausted from repeated battles and our defenses were inevitably lax."
That brat Tian Heng is nothing but a coward who takes advantage of the darkness to steal chickens and dogs, and dares not show his face in the light! If it comes to a fair and square battle, have the warriors of the Eastern Barbarians ever been afraid of anyone?
His underhanded schemes were futile against overwhelming power, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—a laughable endeavor!
He spoke calmly, as if recounting an old story unrelated to himself, casually attributing the defeat to "exhaustion" and "sneak attack," and downplaying Tian Heng's role.
However, only he himself knew how, when he uttered the name "Tian Heng," the poisonous fire in his chest, which he had been forcibly suppressing, mixed with the pain of losing his son, the shame of defeat, and the humiliation of fleeing for his life, burned through his internal organs!
The horrific scene that night, the despair of his sons being either killed or captured, the cold stares and whispers he faced upon returning to the camp... especially the unspeakable "loyalty" he had to offer to Helan Cangfeng in order to save his own life and the remnants of his troops...
All of this made him hate the name "Tian Heng" to the core! But at this moment, in front of a tent full of proud and fierce soldiers, he must not show the slightest cowardice or hatred, as that would only make him more despised, and might even be completely eliminated by Helan Cangfeng.
Upon hearing this, Helan Cangfeng clapped his hands and laughed loudly, his voice echoing within the tent:
"Listen to this! This is the spirit that our Dongyi warriors should have! Chief Nurhaci is right! What kind of skill is a sneak attack? The wolves of the grasslands always tear their prey's throats apart head-on!"
If Tian Heng truly has the guts, then tomorrow, under the sunlight, he should set up his battle formation and fight my 300,000 iron cavalry in a fair and square battle!
"I'd like to see how many waves of attacks he can withstand!"
Upon hearing this, the generals in the tent immediately dispelled the slight doubts that had arisen in their hearts due to Jin Taishi's words, and their arrogance rose again. They all mocked Tian Heng for only resorting to tricks and schemes, calling it cowardly behavior and saying that he did not dare to face the Dongyi warriors head-on.
Seeing this, Jin Taishi sighed inwardly. Although he was still uneasy, seeing the general opinion and Helan Cangfeng's obvious bias towards Nurhaci, he feared that if he said anything more, he would only incur resentment.
Furthermore, his own forces do indeed have an overwhelming advantage, so perhaps... he was just overthinking it? He slowly sat back down and said no more.
"General!" Timur, the tall and rugged leader of the Khorchin tribe, could no longer contain himself and abruptly stood up, his voice booming like a drumbeat.
"This humble general is willing to personally lead 40,000 men of Khorchin as the vanguard of the army! Tomorrow morning, we will build bridges and pave roads, and be the first to cross the river!"
"We must twist the head off that brat Tian Heng and use it as a drinking vessel for the commander-in-chief! This great achievement should rightfully belong to our Khorchin tribe!"
"Bullshit!" Before Timur could finish speaking, Bayan leaped up like a bear whose tail had been stepped on, his massive body nearly overturning the low table in front of him. He glared at Timur, his voice booming like thunder.
"Temur! Your Khorchin tribe's cavalry and infantry are a mixed bag; when you charge, you're like a flock of sheep running wild!"
When it comes to breaking through enemy lines and overwhelming enemy forces, nothing beats the pure iron cavalry of my Ula tribe! I'm determined to have this vanguard seal! Twenty thousand Ula iron cavalry are more than enough; within half a day, they will flatten the south bank and show you what a true wolf pack charge looks like!
"Bayan! Don't be so arrogant!" Timur's face instantly darkened, and his hand rested on the hilt of the curved sword at his waist.
"Last time, when Su Han was killed, the men of my Khorchin tribe beheaded the most, and blood flowed like a river! That credit should have been mine! This time, it's not your Ula tribe's place to steal the lead!"
"Bah! Without my Ula cavalry piercing through Su Han's central army head-on, what advantage would your Khorchin tribe have gained?" Bayan laughed angrily, gripping the handle of his battle axe.
"I'm going to take this vanguard! Anyone who dares to challenge me will have to ask my axe first!"
The two men fought like wolves vying for food, neither willing to yield. Their beards bristled, their eyes gleaming with ferocity, and the atmosphere inside the tent suddenly became tense, thick with the smell of gunpowder. Seeing this, the other tribal chiefs also became restless.
"General! Our Chahar tribe is willing to be the vanguard!"
"The warriors of my Jarut tribe are already parched with hunger!"
"And my Ongniud tribe..."
Amidst the commotion, a slightly hesitant but determined voice rang out:
"I...I, the Wanyan tribe, am also willing to serve like dogs and horses, striving...striving for this greatest merit!"
The speaker was a centurion of the Wanyan tribe. He felt the surprised or scrutinizing gazes from all around him, and his scalp tingled. But remembering the secret order from the tribal chief Aguda, he gritted his teeth and played his part.
The tent erupted in chaos.
The leaders of the various tribes argued fiercely over this seemingly easy "first merit" and the resulting advantage in the distribution of spoils.
Some people exposed each other's shortcomings, mocking the other tribe for their cowardice in the last battle; some slammed their fists on the table and drew half of their swords; and some even started rolling up their sleeves, preparing to "persuade" the other side using the methods of the grasslands.
What was originally a solemn military council instantly turned into a noisy marketplace, filled with greed, vanity, and utter chaos.
Nurhaci watched this ugly farce with a cold eye, a chilling sense of contempt and sorrow welling up in his heart.
Is this the so-called 300,000-strong "mighty army" that swept through Youzhou? With a formidable enemy at hand, they only know how to fight for credit and profit, each harboring their own ulterior motives!
He picked up the wine bowl that his personal guard had refilled, tilted his head back, and drank the spicy liquid in one gulp. The strong liquor burned his throat like flames, but it could not extinguish the ever-burning fire of hatred in his heart.
Tian Heng! Tomorrow, right here on the banks of the Onon River, I will personally witness you and your army being torn apart by these greedy fools! I will wash away my shame with your blood!