Chapter 87

The battlefield was constantly echoing with the deep sound of horns, interspersed with the clear and loud calls of military bugles. Two armies were slowly approaching each other, both baring their sharp claws, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the other.

"Everyone, form up! No whispering, no leaving your posts, violators... will be executed!"

"Check your ammunition, load your guns!"

The officers were constantly shouting in the ranks. Many faces were blackened by the smoke from the muskets, a result of the gunpowder not fully burning and sticking to their faces.

The musketeers, who had just experienced a battle, were showing signs of fatigue, but most were still in good spirits. They had experienced things they had never encountered in their daily lives. The roar of the muskets, the cries of the enemy, and the sounds of swords and spears piercing flesh—many new recruits vomited when cleaning the battlefield, the sight of bloody corpses and severely wounded Jurchens made these first-time soldiers understand the cruelty of war.

The sound of galloping hooves grew louder. The infantry, who had just experienced a battle, stood in neat rows on the grassland, quietly waiting for the enemy to arrive.

Finally, the two forces approached. They came at a rapid pace, one after the other, toward the formation. The front was a group of soldiers dressed in various fur coats and a few pieces of armor.

As the enemy approached, Yueyang, who was observing from the center of the formation, gave the order: "Command the troops to beat the war drums!"

As mentioned earlier, due to the inconvenience of horns and war drums, Yueyang's army generally used bugles to convey orders while marching. However, in the field, war drums were still indispensable. They played an irreplaceable role in regulating the speed and actions of the troops. Now, the drumbeats began to sound again.

At this moment, the group of cavalry that had been galloping suddenly slowed down. Then, a rider galloped toward Yueyang's formation. As he got closer, everyone in the front could see his face. However, everyone was greatly surprised because the rider was a woman, a stunningly beautiful Mongolian woman. This discovery stunned all the soldiers in the formation. What was going on? Why was a woman coming over?

"What? Why is she here!"

Yueyang, who had been commanding from behind the formation, almost dropped his telescope when he saw the rider's face. He could see clearly that the person who had suddenly appeared was his intended bride, Hailanzhu.

"Damn it, why did she come to the center of the battlefield!" Yueyang's first reaction was not joy but a cold sweat. Hailanzhu was now less than three hundred meters from the formation. If any soldier in the formation accidentally aimed his musket at her, his bride would be in grave danger.

Thinking of this, Yueyang didn't waste any time. He quickly whipped his horse, and the horse, in pain, neighed and galloped forward. Dozens of guards behind him followed.

Yueyang ran at top speed for several hundred meters and reached Hailanzhu. Without a word, he grabbed the reins of Hailanzhu's horse and galloped back to his own formation. Dozens of guards tightly surrounded and protected them.

With the protection of the guards, Yueyang and Hailanzhu safely returned to their formation. Only then did Yueyang have the time to turn and scold Hailanzhu: "Are you crazy? Do you know where you are? If any soldier had made a mistake just now, you wouldn't have ten lives to spare!"

Although scolded, Hailanzhu felt a sweet warmth in her heart when she saw Yueyang's sweaty face and the worry in his eyes. It was the first time she had experienced the taste of love, and she felt that everything she had done was worth it.

She said boldly, "What are you afraid of? Do you think your men would shoot at me? I was worried that Dodo would suddenly attack you and catch you off guard. I didn't expect you to hold your ground, you're really amazing!"

"Hmph, so the one who came to cause trouble was Dodo. What's his background? Why would he come to trouble me for no reason?" Yueyang was still a bit confused. He was in a bad mood, as anyone would be after being attacked for no reason.

"He is one of the two princes escorting my sister for a family visit. One is Dorgon, and the other is Dodo. The one who came to cause trouble is the fifteenth prince, Dodo."

"Dodo... Dorgon!" Yueyang repeated the names, and his expression suddenly stiffened. He was very familiar with the name Dorgon, as it appeared frequently in historical dramas. Although Dodo was not as famous as Dorgon, Yueyang, who had studied history, was not unfamiliar with him. He was Dorgon's younger brother. Why did he come to cause trouble?

"Right, how is Dodo now? You didn't kill him, did you?" Suddenly, Hailanzhu remembered that if her beloved was safe, it meant Dodo had suffered a loss.

"Over there... he's still there. He's fine for now, but he won't be for long!" Yueyang nodded toward the nearby, swaying golden dragon banner.

Because Hailanzhu and Akdun's reinforcements arrived in time, Wu Chengfeng had slowed his attack on Dodo. He only surrounded them and dispatched a cavalry unit to keep watch, not wanting to be ambushed by a sudden enemy.

Seeing her beloved safe, Hailanzhu's heart, which had been in suspense, finally relaxed. She thought for a moment and then said softly, "Yueyang, you should let Dodo go. Although he was the one who started it, he is a prince of the Later Jin and an escort for my sister's visit. If anything happens to him, it will be difficult for me and my father."

"Let him go?" Yueyang hesitated and looked around. At this moment, his father-in-law, Zaisan, had led several thousand Mongolian cavalry to the scene, stopping less than five hundred meters away. Another group of less than a thousand Later Jin cavalry had also arrived, staring at him with hostility. Yueyang was sure that if he continued to order the cavalry to attack, the Later Jin cavalry would not stand by and watch him kill their prince. If another battle broke out, it was hard to say who would win.

After weighing the pros and cons, Yueyang finally nodded. "Alright, since my bride has pleaded for him, I can't refuse. So, today he gets off easy."

As he spoke, Dodo, who had just disengaged from the Ming cavalry, quickly galloped to Dorgon's side. Dodo no longer looked like the proud prince of the Later Jin. The golden dragon banner had been lost during his escape, his white, gold-embroidered armor was askew, and his face was covered in dust, sweat, and someone else's blood. He looked extremely disheveled.

The first thing he said to Dorgon was, "Fourteenth Brother, you must stand up for me!" Tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke.

Seeing his brother's face, which was a mess, Dorgon was both angry and heartbroken. His already dark complexion became even darker.

Glaring at Dodo, Dorgon scolded, "Do you still have the nerve to ask me to stand up for you? You've disgraced our Aisin Gioro family!"

Dodo, knowing his brother's face was as black as a pot bottom, dared not speak and stood silently in front of Dorgon.

Dorgon, looking at his brother who was bowing his head, felt both hatred and pity. After Nurhaci's death, their mother, Abahai, had been forced to commit suicide by Huangtaiji. The three brothers had become orphans. Recently, his brother Ajige had been stripped of his command of the Plain White Banner by Huangtaiji. After a fierce struggle, Dorgon had finally, with the support of his old subordinates, taken command of the Plain White Banner. Now, Dodo had caused such a farce, and it was uncertain how Huangtaiji would deal with him when they returned to Shenyang.

Thinking of this, Dorgon felt a headache. He glared at Dodo and said, "Say nothing now. Follow me quietly to meet Hailanzhu's fiancé."

"What? We have to meet him?" Dodo exclaimed, then became furious. "Fourteenth Brother, he just killed hundreds of our Plain White Banner warriors. He is our mortal enemy, and you want to meet him?"

"What do you want to do?" Dorgon finally exploded, pointing at Dodo and scolding him. "Didn't you boast that you could kill them all with five hundred warriors? Where are your five hundred warriors now? Where are they?"

"I... I..." Dodo stammered, unable to continue. He knew all too well how dangerous the situation had been. His guards were already dead or wounded, and if Dorgon had not arrived in time, he would have been a corpse.

"Hmph..." Dorgon glared at him and rode his horse toward Zaisan, who was not far away.

At this moment, Zaisan and Wudamu had also led their troops to join Yueyang's forces. Looking at the ground covered with corpses, Zaisan's heart raced.

Zaisan dismounted and walked to a blood-soaked corpse. Although the face was unrecognizable, the armor on the body clearly indicated that the deceased was a battalion commander. The armor, which was almost bulging, was clearly triple-layered cotton armor, with a bright chest plate. Such armor was impervious to most arrows, but now there was a hole the size of an egg in his chest.