Chapter 83

Dorgon was truly furious. How could his usually rather clever fifteenth brother turn into such a brainless rascal today? This shouldn't be the case, right? Today, his fifteenth brother didn't seem like a prince of the Later Jin at all; he was more like a stallion in heat... Wait a moment...

Suddenly, Dorgon's heart stirred, and his previously angry gaze immediately became alert. His sharp eyes once again focused on Dordei, and his heart skipped a beat as he inwardly exclaimed, "Not good."

He clearly saw that although Dordei appeared to be raging on the surface, his eyes were constantly fixed on Hailanju, who was sitting next to Dayuer. Coupled with his provocative, admiring, defiant, and stubborn expression, it was evident that he was a young man who had fallen in love.

Dorgon was an exceptionally intelligent person. As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he immediately understood the cause of the incident. It turned out that his good-for-nothing brother had fallen in love with Hailanju, whom he had only met for less than an hour. Then, upon hearing that her fiancé had arrived, he became upset and wanted to give him a hard time.

Thinking of this, Dorgon immediately shouted at Dordei, "Fifteenth Brother, remember, you are a prince, not a lowly slave! If you dare to act recklessly again, don't blame me for not sparing you as a brother and locking you up! Now, go back to your tent and reflect on your actions!"

Rationally speaking, Dorgon's actions were correct. Normally, Dordei respected his elder brother the most and would never disobey his words. However, Dorgon forgot one thing: his brother, despite his high rank, was still a nineteen-year-old teenager, and once a teenager acted foolishly, there was no reasoning with him.

Thus, as soon as Dorgon's words were out, Dordei's teenage foolishness immediately kicked in. His face turned red, his nostrils flared like bellows, and he sneered, "You wait, I will prove to you that those cowardly Han dogs are just a flock of lambs we keep. I can lead five hundred cavalry and slaughter them all... I will prove it to you!"

With that, Dordei stood up and ran out of the tent. Soon, a loud whistle was heard outside, followed by the sound of hooves in the distance.

Dordei left, leaving only a few people in the tent, staring at each other. Suddenly, Dayuer's face turned pale. She covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Not good, the fifteenth brother must be going to cause trouble. Fourteenth Brother, you must quickly lead people to stop him. We mustn't let my sister's fiancé get hurt!"

Dayuer's words made everyone tense up again. Zaisan also stood up, his face filled with anger, and he coldly said to Dorgon, "Prince Mergen Daiqing, you started this today. I'll say it here: if my good son-in-law is harmed because of Dordei, don't blame me for being unreasonable."

Although the科尔沁部落 (Khorchin tribe) relied on the Later Jin in many ways, and to strengthen ties with the Later Jin, Zaisan had even married his own sister and a daughter to Huangtaiji, this did not mean that Zaisan would unconditionally tolerate the Later Jin. Today, Dordei's actions had crossed Zaisan's底线 (bottom line). After all, today was the day his other son-in-law was coming to fetch his bride, but the Later Jin's envoy, who was supposed to come to congratulate, was now trying to intimidate his son-in-law on his own territory. This was a blatant slap in the face, and even if Zaisan were a reincarnated Bodhisattva, he would be furious.

"I... I..." Dorgon's mouth opened wide, but he found himself unable to say a word. After all, this was a very distressing matter, entirely due to his brother's sudden madness. What could he say? He couldn't tell Zaisan, "Oh, my brother also has a crush on your eldest daughter; he's just jealous. Just be magnanimous and ignore him."

If Dorgon dared to say that, Huangtaiji would deal with them both before Zaisan even had a chance. How could he dare to touch a woman that even he couldn't get?

At this moment, Hailanju, who had been silent, also spoke up. She looked at Dorgon coldly and said, "Prince Mergen Daiqing, we respect you as an envoy of the Later Jin and a subject of my brother-in-law and sister, but if you continue to make things difficult for my fiancé, do you really think our Khorchin warriors won't kill? Sister, let's go... I want to see who dares to touch my husband on our Khorchin grassland!"

With that, Hailanju stood up and walked out of the tent, followed by Dayuer, who glared at Dorgon and left. At this moment, Dayuer was also filled with hatred. Today, she had lost all her dignity. She had not even had a chance to speak to her father and sister, who she hadn't seen for years, when her own people were already threatening her future brother-in-law. Where could she put her face?

Hailanju walked out of the tent, went to her white horse, untied the reins, and leaped onto the horse, galloping westward, leaving only a white figure behind.

When Zaisan ran out, he saw that Hailanju was already out of sight. He shouted, "Wudamu, quickly... quickly blow the horn to gather the warriors. We must catch up and ensure that my daughter and son-in-law are not harmed! Bumbutai, come with me..." After a commotion, Zaisan also led his people in pursuit.

At this moment, Yueyang was completely unaware of what was happening dozens of miles away. He was riding his warhorse in the middle of the convoy. Around him were large carts loaded with goods, with five hundred infantry at the front and back, and foot soldiers on both sides. He never imagined that on his father-in-law's territory, a group of Later Jin cavalry was charging towards him.

The March sun shone on Yueyang's face, and a faint, fragrant scent of grass wafted to his nose, making him feel lazy and content. Looking at the vast convoy, Yueyang felt a sense of satisfaction. This time, he had truly experienced the feeling of a tycoon. The dowry for his bride filled hundreds of carts, and in the entire Ming Dynasty, there were probably few families who could afford such a grand dowry. More importantly, he was marrying Hailanju, the legendary figure who could only be admired in history books. He was proud and honored!

Thinking of this, Yueyang felt a warm glow in his heart. Just as he was about to turn his head to order the convoy to speed up, a sharp military bugle sounded from the front.

"Di-di-da... di-di-da..."

"Hmm... What's going on?" Yueyang was a bit stunned. In this era, the army usually used the sound of a buffalo horn or drums to transmit information, as these sounds could travel far. Initially, Yueyang also used buffalo horns and drums to transmit information, but he found that while buffalo horns could travel far, their sound was too low, and drums were too cumbersome, as not everyone could carry a heavy drum.

Later, Yueyang thought of the military bugles used in modern armies, which were simple in construction, loud, and had good range. He tried purchasing a batch of bugles for the troops, and the results were good, so he ordered the bugles to be used throughout the army.

"Sir, the scouts have reported that a group of Later Jin troops is charging towards us from ten miles ahead," Feng Xiaoming, who had just returned from Wu Chengfeng, galloped over.

"Later Jin troops? Are you sure?" Yueyang's eyebrows furrowed when he heard about the Later Jin troops.

"Sir, it is indeed Later Jin troops. According to the scouts, they are all wearing Jurchen armor. I believe they come with ill intentions!" Feng Xiaoming reported, his face showing a hint of tension. It was understandable, as although he had been a military household for nearly twenty years, this was the first time he had encountered the legendary Jurchens.

"Damn, what kind of situation is this!" Yueyang was almost ready to curse. He had visited the Khorchin tribe twice, and each time, something happened, and each time, it involved Later Jin troops. Was this fate?

Yueyang didn't have time to think about it. He immediately gave orders, "Shunbao, order the troops to stop and form a defensive circle with all the carts. Divide the cavalry into two groups to protect the formation. Everyone, prepare for battle!"

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, Yueyang's orders were relayed. In the midst of shouts, the long convoy of carts stopped and then moved in a panic. Under the shouts of the cart drivers and officers, hundreds of carts formed a large oval circle. Inside the circle were hundreds of cart drivers and a thousand infantry. Wu Chengfeng led a thousand cavalry to patrol around the circle, ready to engage the enemy at any moment.

Soon, with the sound of hooves, a group of Later Jin troops wearing pure white armor appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Damn, it's the Plain White Banner? Do I have a grudge with the color white?"

Yueyang saw the uniforms of the cavalry through his telescope and couldn't help but laugh and sigh. Last time, Dai Shan brought the Bordered White Banner troops, and this time, it was the Plain White Banner. Was white his lucky color? With his good mood ruined by this sudden appearance, Yueyang quickly said to the approaching Shunbao, "The rest is up to you. If those Tartars dare to charge, give them a good beating!"

"Yes, sir, I won't let you down!" Shunbao nodded fiercely, looking at the dust in front.

"Everyone, form three rows, load your muskets."

"Load your muskets... aim!"

The orders of the officers echoed throughout the circle...

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