When the fleet first appeared, it looked fierce and imposing, the kind of formation that made any defender believe a full scale landing was imminent.
Yet just as quickly as it arrived, it turned and sailed away, disappearing dozens of nautical miles from the southern waters of Dandong.
On board the ships, the generals of Gao Village were grinning from ear to ear.
Shi Lang, being the youngest and least able to contain his excitement, burst out laughing. "Toying with those three Han traitors like that really feels great. Right now they must be stomping their feet in rage. They took a full round of our bombardment and suffered heavy casualties, and we did not even land a single soldier."
Zheng Sen laughed as well, though despite being younger than Shi Lang, his temperament was noticeably steadier. After the laughter faded, he added thoughtfully, "Even so, we mocked them quite thoroughly, but we still did not actually land."
At that moment Cheng Xu spoke.
"There is no need to rush a landing. Tactics must serve strategy. Our attack on Dandong right now is merely harassment. Even if we captured the city, we would not be able to strike directly at Shengjing. We must wait until the main forces are gradually redeployed from all directions before the strategy advances to the stage of attacking Shengjing. Until then, harassment is our main objective."
The two young commanders immediately bowed slightly in acknowledgment.
Cheng Xu smiled. "All right, we have taken a leisurely spin at sea and had enough rest. By now the Qing troops must have relaxed their guard. Let us go back and take another look."
Shi Lang and Zheng Sen brightened at once.
"Excellent idea."
The fleet turned around again and headed back toward Dandong.
---
Meanwhile, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi stood staring at the calm sea, still struggling to steady their breathing after the humiliating bombardment.
The enemy fleet had behaved shamelessly, firing a round of cannon and then fleeing.
The three commanders worried the fleet might suddenly return for another strike, so they dared not withdraw their defenses immediately. The giant crossbows on the city walls remained on alert, cavalry kept their armor on, and soldiers stared nervously at the horizon.
They watched for a very long time.
Nothing came.
Finally Kong Youde spat angrily, "Damn it. Order the entire army to stand down and rest."
Geng Zhongming asked, "Should we return to supervising the construction of the Willow Palisade?"
Shang Kexi shrugged. "What else can we do? Stand here all day staring at an empty sea?"
Orders were given. Cavalry lowered their guard, soldiers on the walls relaxed their grip on the massive crossbows, and many troops began removing their armor.
The three commanders mounted their horses and rode back toward Fenghuang City to oversee the laborers building the Willow Palisade.
They had barely returned and warmed their seats when a subordinate burst in, shouting breathlessly.
"Bad news. They are back. The fleet has returned."
All three men shouted at once.
"I curse them!"
They immediately leapt onto their horses again and galloped back toward Dandong.
By the time they arrived, the fleet had already opened fire.
This time the bombardment was even more outrageous.
The cannons were aimed directly at the walls of Dandong itself.
Who could blame them when the city had been built so close to the shoreline?
The walls sat comfortably within artillery range, and truth, as the saying goes, always lies within the range of a cannon.
The fleet from Gao Village had switched ammunition, now firing solid iron shot that slammed relentlessly into the city walls.
Boom. Boom.
Great iron balls smashed into the masonry, carving deep craters into the surface. Bricks loosened and tumbled down in showers of dust and rubble.
The defenders inside the city could do little except crouch behind the walls and tremble.
"Having no navy is truly disgusting," Kong Youde shouted in frustration.
Geng Zhongming frowned. "If they keep doing this, coming and going whenever they like, sooner or later it will turn into a real siege. Once their cannons open the way and their muskets advance behind them, we may not be able to hold the city. We must request reinforcements from Shengjing."
Shang Kexi nodded. "Send for help immediately."
---
Shengjing, Imperial Palace.
Huang Taiji sat casually on the dragon throne with one leg crossed over the other, flipping through a copy of the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
This was the thirty second time he had read the book.
He could practically recite large sections from memory, yet he still felt he had not studied it carefully enough. Many details seemed worthy of deeper reflection.
At the moment he was pondering a particular scene.
The young warrior of Qu'a single handedly blocking twelve of Sun Ce's generals.
"That man is suspiciously powerful," Huang Taiji muttered, frowning deeply. "Perhaps he is truly the strongest warrior in the world. Even Lü Bu might only be fit to carry his shoes."
Just then a minister rushed into the hall.
"Your Majesty. The garrison of Pi Island, under Cao Wenzhao and Shen Shikui, has dispatched a fleet that is harassing Dandong and threatening a landing at any moment. The Three Shun Kings defending the city have no navy and cannot pursue the enemy at sea. They are suffering constant harassment and request reinforcements."
Huang Taiji frowned.
At the mere mention of Pi Island, his heart began to ache.
The last naval battle there had inflicted devastating losses, and ever since then the name Pi Island stabbed at him like a knife.
Pain.
Real pain.
He clutched his chest and exhaled slowly.
"Summon Ajige. Have him lead troops to reinforce Dandong."
But before the words had fully left his mouth, Ajige himself strode into the hall.
Huang Taiji blinked. "You arrived at a perfect moment. Were you lurking outside the door waiting for me to call you, planning to reenact the story of 'Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears'?"
Ajige was a straightforward, rough soldier who had no patience for such jokes. He looked bewildered.
"Your Majesty, I came to report urgent military intelligence."
Huang Taiji raised an eyebrow.
Ajige continued, "There is movement on the Mongolian steppe."
"What kind of movement?"
"That child khan Erzh'e, who was taken away by the Ming, has issued a proclamation, most likely under Ming instruction. He accuses us of bullying the Khalkha tribes and dishonoring the legacy of the Great Yuan. He is calling on all Mongol tribes to support the Khalkha. Large numbers of Mongol cavalry are now pressing toward our borders."
Huang Taiji was genuinely startled.
"So the Ming are playing a strategy of 'driving the tiger to devour the wolf' as well. There must be clever people advising them. Have they seriously studied Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"
Ajige scratched his head. "That book was written by a Ming author."
Huang Taiji fell silent.
Now he had to weigh priorities.
After a moment of serious thought, he spoke.
"Our losses at Pi Island were too heavy. We do not currently have the strength to deal with both fronts at the same time. The Mongol tribes are clearly the greater threat. The harassment from the sea will have to be ignored for now."
Then he looked at Ajige with a firm expression.
"Ajige, go and pacify the Mongol tribes. Bring them back under control. If they refuse, then keep beating them again and again, just like Zhuge Liang capturing Meng Huo seven times. Strike them repeatedly until they finally submit."
He paused before adding with a faint smile.
"The codename for this campaign shall be 'Capturing Meng Huo Seven Times.'"