"...I could marry ten without any problem."
"Then, if you dare to lie to me, I'll twist your head off."
"I am the emperor, and the emperor does not lie."
"Fine, I'll believe you this once. Don't forget, you owe me ten wives."
After speaking, Lu Xuan released his arm. Nurhaci, finally free, quickly moved his stiff head. However, as soon as he moved it, he immediately felt that something was wrong.
What happened? I just turned my head and it felt like I flew out!
No, it didn't fly out; its body is still in the same place.
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Chapter 114 A Desperate Sprint (Please Subscribe)
It wasn't me who flew away, it was my head. These were Nurhaci's last thoughts. Before he could even figure out what it meant for his head to have flown away, his consciousness was engulfed by boundless darkness.
What he couldn't see wasn't that his head had flown away. Rather, Lu Xuan was carrying his head and running away.
Lu Xuan dragged Nurhaci along, talking as they backed away. Before they knew it, they had reached the foot of a small hill. The hill was somewhat steep, covered with trees, most of which were not very tall.
This was naturally a pre-selected location. The moment Nurhaci relaxed his guard, Lu Xuan decisively struck, severing his head with a single stroke.
Even he couldn't escape carrying a living person weighing nearly 200 pounds. But a head is a different story.
Before any of the Tartars could react, Lu Xuan, like a leopard, leaped into the woods behind him.
Countless angry roars erupted behind them, followed by the sounds of cavalrymen in pursuit. However, the forest was dense, interspersed with various bushes, making it extremely unfavorable for cavalry.
The general leading the troops immediately split into three groups. One group stayed close behind Lu Xuan, while the other two groups bypassed him by going around the hillside to intercept him.
The most elite Tatar cavalry, relying on their superb horsemanship, galloped through the woods in pursuit. However, these weary warhorses were beginning to struggle on the steep uphill slope.
In contrast, Lu Xuan, running at full speed, treated the steep slope as nothing. The bushes and trees became his allies. He moved back and forth through the woods like a tireless machine, even widening the distance between himself and his pursuers.
In the dense forest, a group of knights drew their bows and fired arrows. But most of the arrows were simply blocked by the trees, and Lu Xuan didn't even need to dodge them.
After crossing the hillside, the situation improved considerably. On the other side, the trees were much sparser. The knight was finally able to gallop freely. Moreover, since it was downhill, it saved horsepower.
But the knight who had just accelerated suddenly fell, flying more than ten meters away. He was motionless on the spot. Not only him, but the entire group of knights at the front fell like dominoes, one after another, men and horses tumbling over.
If you look closely, you'll notice that Lu Xuan is constantly leaping and running ahead. This is because a large number of tripwires have been set up in the grass and bushes beneath his feet.
This was the work of Shen Lian, Lu Wenzhao, and Guo Zhen. Lu Xuan had previously instructed them to collect various equipment, including a large number of ropes. Now, they were all being used. Dozens of tripwires transformed a small area into a no-go zone for cavalry. Lu Xuan, relying on his superhuman senses and inhuman reflexes, was able to traverse this trap zone without slowing down at all.
In a moment of inattention, the leading fifty or sixty knights were instantly killed on this path. The knights behind roared in anger, but there was nothing they could do. On this downhill slope, it was impossible to stop their horses. It was difficult to avoid these tripwires. The only option was to send men ahead to cut the ropes before the cavalry behind could proceed safely.
In this round trip, Lu Xuan had already created a distance of nearly a mile. Suddenly, four horses sprang out from the woods at the foot of the mountain. These were the three-person team that had come to meet Lu Xuan, along with a warhorse that Lu Xuan had prepared.
"This way!" Shen Lian shouted.
The warhorse didn't stop for a moment. This was something Lu Xuan had specifically instructed him to do. The galloping horse swept past him in an instant. In a flash, Lu Xuan placed one hand on the horse's back and mounted it.
At the same time, he raised the severed head in his hand and waved it around.
The other three cheered. They spurred their horses and galloped away. The pursuing cavalrymen dodged the tripwires, but the distance between them was widening. Their horses were exhausted. Meanwhile, the remaining horses of Lu Xuan and his companions were those that had rested for a day. The difference in horsepower was becoming apparent.
But then, the sound of hooves came from the side. It was a cavalryman who had taken a detour and caught up.
Lu Xuan and his companions' original goal was to head south to Qinghe Fort and then continue south to Liaodong. However, they were intercepted by the Tartars on their flank, so they changed course and raced northwest towards Fushun.
By this time, Fushun had already fallen. However, Nurhaci did not occupy the city; instead, he completely destroyed it and prepared the city's entire stockpile to transport back to the Later Jin capital.
At this time, the Sarhu region was basically under the control of the Tartar army. Ming troops were scattered everywhere, and small groups of Tartar cavalry were chasing and killing them.
It's worth mentioning that the person in charge of looting Fushun was none other than the later Huang Taiji. (This is my speculation; after Nurhaci conquered Fushun, he naturally wouldn't have personally engaged in the looting and escorting. However, I haven't found out who actually cleaned up the mess. But it seems it was probably Huang Taiji, the lowest-ranking of the Four Beile, yet the most valued.)
The already chaotic battlefield was thrown into further disarray by the sudden intrusion of the four-man group. A portion of the Tatar cavalry, upon learning that Lu Xuan and his companions had killed Nurhaci, were enraged and launched a furious pursuit. Lu Xuan and his group were forced to change course once more.
But many of the Manchus, or rather, their high-ranking officials, had much more to think about. Nurhaci was in his prime. His four chieftains had been utterly loyal, with virtually no disloyalty. But Nurhaci's sudden death, without leaving any explanation, created a major problem. The issue of succession was always a bloody and unavoidable topic for feudal dynasties.
Huang Taiji was Nurhaci's favorite and most favored son. His intention to cultivate him was evident to all. Historically, Huang Taiji initially ascended the throne smoothly. However, this was only possible more than a decade later, after Nurhaci had paved the way for him.
No matter how much importance Huang Taiji received, he was ultimately the last of the four great Beile (princes). At this time, Anba Beile (the eldest Beile) Daishan, in terms of both prestige and support from the court, was superior to Huang Taiji.
In reality, Huang Taiji, upon receiving this news, wasn't thinking about hunting down Lu Xuan and his men to avenge his father. Instead, he was wondering what his brother, Daishan, would do. In fact, he didn't need to think about it at all.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Huang Taiji made his decision. He would abandon everything he had, travel light, and return to the capital as quickly as possible. Of course, he also had another option: to pursue Lu Xuan with all his might, and then, with the prestige of avenging Nurhaci, compete with his brother.
However, allowing his opponent to calmly return to his stronghold and make preparations while he himself relied on hollow prestige to compete was not Huang Taiji's style. Of course, he still had to put on a show. He also sent a team to hunt down Lu Xuan. But he himself led the main force and quickly headed back to his hometown.
The battle situation changed rapidly. The Tartars were still rampaging around Sarhu in the morning, causing the Ming army to be routed. In the afternoon, they suddenly began to retreat.
Of course, Yang Gao, the Liaodong military commissioner, was unaware of all this. He was currently studying a map, imagining how the Ming army would rout the Later Jin forces once the battle began. Little did he know that the fighting at the front lines was already over. And the situation was completely the opposite of what he had imagined...
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Chapter 115 Li Rubai Turns the Tide (Please Subscribe)
A dozen or so Tatar cavalrymen charged up from the right. They weren't the initial pursuers, but these small groups of cavalry were everywhere in this area, clearing out scattered Ming soldiers, capturing slaves, and collecting spoils of war.
They might not even know what Lu Xuan and his companions had actually done. But killing Ming soldiers on sight was certainly no problem for them.
Lu Xuan put Nurhaci's head into a leather strap and carried it on his back. He then took a lance that Shen Lian threw to him.