Chapter 49: Fan Wencheng: The Dongjiang Garrison Must Be Taken

"What makes you say that?"

Looking at his leading general who had stepped forward to object, Hong Taiji's expression grew solemn.

"Master, I have received definitive intelligence from the Ming Dynasty stating that their new emperor, having ascended the throne merely days ago, has already executed hundreds of court officials."

"Regardless of the emperor's underlying motives, this demonstrates that he is no mediocre ruler."

Strictly speaking, the subordinate was praising the Ming emperor right to his face, but Hong Taiji naturally felt no displeasure whatsoever.

He nodded and said, "Go on."

After a brief pause, the general continued, "Master, even if our Great Jin were to bypass the border through Mongolia, it would still take at least a year to accomplish."

"And that amount of time is more than enough for the Ming emperor to accomplish a great deal."

"If he uses this period to train an army and reform the state administration—"

"Then once we rashly cross the border, the Ming emperor is highly likely to deploy troops to ambush us. By then, under the command of the Ming sovereign, the military generals backed by the noble families will have no choice but to ambush us from the rear, even if they are reluctant to do so."

"Should we fall into a pincer trap within Ming territory, our Great Jin will be in grave peril!"

As the general finished speaking, Hong Taiji cast his gaze toward a Han Chinese official seated near the front of the room.

The latter nodded slightly in return, signaling that the analysis was sound.

This prominently seated Han Chinese official was named Fan Wencheng, currently one of Hong Taiji's most trusted Han officials.

Hong Taiji fell silent. After a brief pause, Fan Wencheng looked around at the gathering and began:

"Had it not been for the variable of the new Ming emperor, taking a detour through Mongolia to march south would indeed have been an excellent choice. I never anticipated that the Ming emperor, having previously been an idle prince, would possess such methods."

Hearing this, the Han general who had earlier proposed the detour sneered, "The Ming emperor is nothing special."

Without arguing with him, Fan Wencheng looked toward the others in the room: "While the situation in the Ming Dynasty is far from optimistic, is our Great Jin not likewise beset by difficulties?"

Hearing this, everyone present nodded inwardly.

Though young, Fan Wencheng held immense prestige, and many of the plans orchestrated by the Great Khan Hong Taiji had been devised behind the scenes by him.

A general with a braided queue stood up, cupped his fists toward Fan Wencheng, and said, "Does Mr. Fan already have a strategy in mind for our Great Jin's deployment over the coming years? Please enlighten us!"

Fan Wencheng rose, turned to face Hong Taiji, and said, "Great Khan, I believe the most pressing task for our Great Jin is to strike while the iron is hot!"

"What do you mean by striking while the iron is hot?" Hong Taiji seemed to have guessed what Fan Wencheng was about to say.

"Strike the iron of Dongjiang Town while the heat of Joseon is still fresh!"

Fan Wencheng's voice carried a confident certainty, and the room fell silent, with everyone awaiting his elaboration.

Taking a deep breath, Fan Wencheng said, "Dongjiang Town is one of the crucial military garrisons the Ming Dynasty uses to keep our Great Jin in check."

"In recent years, Mao Wenlong, the garrison commander of Dongjiang Town, has taken advantage of the region's geographical position to repeatedly raid our Great Jin's heartland. This has forced the Great Khan to divide our forces for defense, leaving us restless and sleepless—it is truly a thorn in our side!"

The generals in the room nodded in agreement.

Dongjiang Town and Mao Wenlong were as vexing to them as an immortal fly.

It could not inflict catastrophic damage upon Great Jin, yet Great Jin was forced to divert its attention to defend against it.

Moreover, Mao Wenlong was craftiness personified, relying on a tactic of secretly landing small-scale raiding parties.

The moment Great Jin mobilized a genuine force to crush him, he would slip right back out to sea.

Pausing briefly, Fan Wencheng continued, "Not only that, Dongjiang Town connects the Ming Dynasty's Dengzhou in Shandong with the Kingdom of Joseon, serving as a vital maritime supply line for the Ming."

"If Great Jin can capture Dongjiang Town in one fell swoop, we can leverage this geographical advantage to turn the tables on the Ming."

"From then on, it will no longer be the Ming frequently harassing the heartland of our Latter Jin; rather, it will be our Great Jin launching offensives into the Ming's Liaodong heartland at any time."

"Furthermore, with Dongjiang Town in our possession, we can use it to control the Kingdom of Joseon and bring Joseon entirely into the territory of our Great Jin!"

Fan Wencheng's words sent a surge of excitement through the hearts of all present, yet no one voiced immediate support.

The generals, military strategists, and Hong Taiji alike were waiting for him to continue.

The necessity of attacking Dongjiang Town had been established, and everyone deeply agreed with it.

Now came the question of its feasibility.

War was no trifling matter.

A single flawed strategic decision could easily send tens of thousands of lives to their graves in the blink of an eye.

Knowing full well that everyone awaited his next words, Fan Wencheng picked up his teacup and took a sip to steady his mind before continuing:

"Since the War of the Dingsi Year, because Mao Wenlong failed to provide effective rescue to Joseon, many high-ranking officials in Joseon harbor deep resentment toward him."

"We can exploit this resentment to secretly mass our troops along the Joseon border. When the bitter cold of winter arrives, we can request passage through Joseon and strike directly at Dongjiang Town. This is point one."

"Secondly, the Ming Dynasty's maritime transport routes are entirely controlled by powerful noble families, and Mao Wenlong himself does not enjoy the support of these noble clans."

"He lacks extensive avenues for gathering wealth, leaving him with no choice but to engage in petty smuggling and merchant-ship plundering. These meager earnings are barely enough to keep Dongjiang Town functioning."

"Consequently, Dongjiang Town has long suffered from a shortage of grain and provisions. Every winter, numerous soldiers and civilians starve to death within Dongjiang Town—a fact well known to everyone here."

The crowd nodded repeatedly.

Military Strategist Fan's analysis was indeed exceptionally reasonable.

"Thirdly, and in my view, the most crucial point:"

"Whether our Great Jin focuses its strategic center of gravity on the two cities of Ningyuan and Jinzhou or takes the detour through Mongolia, both require a massive accumulation of time to achieve results."

"Now, with the variable of the new Ming emperor, the longer the delay, the greater the likelihood of complications arising."

"However, if we concentrate our efforts on capturing Dongjiang Town, within a mere three months, when the bitter cold of winter sets in, our grand army can set out directly."

"In three months' time, the new Ming emperor will utterly be unable to extend his reach a thousand miles away to Dongjiang Town."

"Besides, Mao Wenlong himself is frequently subjected to accusations and suspicion within the Ming imperial court, making it impossible for the Ming emperor to employ him lightly."

Having finished, Fan Wencheng said no more, turning and returning to his seat.

The dozens of men in the room remained silent, deep in frowning contemplation.

A moment later.

After careful and thorough deliberation, Hong Taiji slowly nodded, effectively approving Fan Wencheng's military strategy.

Analyzed from his perspective,

this truly was the optimal choice.

Seeing Hong Taiji give his consent,

a Jurchen general named Borjigit Wunage stepped forward.