Ajige fled in utter disgrace.
He galloped far away before daring to glance back over his shoulder, and what he saw nearly scared his soul out of his body.
Several of those enormous iron vehicles were still chasing him.
The sight made him feel like one Buddha had died and another had ascended to heaven.
At the start, the iron vehicles were actually slower than warhorses. Their initial acceleration could not compare to a trained cavalry mount. But once they picked up speed, they seemed to possess a terrifying advantage.
They never got tired.
The speed stayed constant.
The iron machines continued rolling forward relentlessly, clinging to the pursuit like hunting wolves.
Ajige's horse, on the other hand, was beginning to reach its limit.
Its breathing grew heavy.
Its strides were no longer as light and swift as before.
Ajige's heart sank.
This is bad.
Just as panic began to creep into his mind, a cavalry unit suddenly appeared ahead.
The leader at the front waved his arm and shouted loudly.
"Follow me!"
Ajige squinted and immediately recognized the man.
"Dorgon? What are you doing here?"
Dorgon shouted back without slowing down.
"I came to save you. Stop asking questions and keep up!"
Ajige did not dare hesitate. He kicked his horse's belly and hurriedly joined Dorgon's cavalry formation.
The group raced forward with everything they had.
Behind them, the iron vehicles continued their relentless pursuit.
Only after they had run some distance did Dorgon shout over the thunder of hooves.
"When I heard the Emperor sent you to deal with the Mongols, I immediately requested permission to come reinforce you."
Ajige blinked in shock.
"You already knew they had these monster vehicles?"
"Yes," Dorgon replied loudly. "The last time I was defeated by them, this was exactly what they used. The moment I heard you were heading here, I rushed over as fast as I could."
Ajige felt a spark of hope.
"So you have a way to deal with them?"
Dorgon shook his head immediately.
"I cannot destroy them."
Ajige nearly fell off his horse.
"But I know how to stop them from advancing."
Ajige stared at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Before Dorgon could explain further, the terrain ahead suddenly changed.
A wide stretch of marshland appeared before them.
Only then did Ajige understand.
Dorgon had deliberately led them into the swamp.
The grasslands often contained such areas. A winding clear stream would snake across the plains, and the surrounding land would turn into muddy, uneven ground full of soft patches.
Warhorses could cross this kind of terrain quite easily.
Their hooves splashed through mud and water, and in the blink of an eye they were already on the other side.
But the iron vehicles were different.
Hundreds of meters before reaching the swamp, the pursuing vehicles came to a halt.
They did not dare move forward.
Only then did Ajige finally understand.
"So that is how it works. These iron vehicles are too heavy, and they need relatively flat ground to move. In swampy terrain they cannot operate at all."
Dorgon smiled faintly.
"You should thank me. I discovered that through personal experience. Nearly died figuring it out."
The two of them remained in the middle of the marsh area and looked back toward the distant iron vehicles.
One of the machines released a long whistle.
"Woo."
A hatch opened on top of the vehicle.
Zao Ying popped her head out.
She pointed at the two men and burst into laughter.
"So the Jianzhou dogs aren't so mighty after all. Where did all that arrogance go? Why are you hiding in the mud?"
Ajige's face instantly turned red with fury.
Dorgon quickly grabbed his arm.
"Do not be impulsive."
Ajige clenched his teeth and forced down his rage.
"Let's go."
Just as they prepared to leave, Zao Ying shouted again.
"You're not planning to run away, are you?"
Ajige exploded with anger.
"I am going to chop that woman into pieces!"
Dorgon held him tightly.
"Do not go. You will die."
Zao Ying laughed loudly from the iron vehicle.
"Hahaha! Ajige is scared! Scared to death!"
Ajige howled with rage.
"AAAAAA!"
In a fit of anger, he became extremely angry for a moment.
Then he immediately turned his horse and ran away even faster.
Zao Ying clearly had no intention of letting him leave peacefully. She pulled out a metal loudspeaker and began mocking him in a voice that perfectly imitated Ajige's earlier arrogance.
"You have really offended me today. You just had to squeeze the soft persimmon. I, Ajige, will prove through my actions that offending me will result in absolutely nothing happening. Because I have no ability to fight back at all. The consequence of provoking me is watching my back while you run away in panic."
Ajige screamed in fury.
"AAAAAA!"
His blood surged violently. His vision suddenly went dark.
With a loud thud he fell straight off his horse and landed face first in the mud.
Dorgon quickly turned his horse around, grabbed Ajige by the arm, and hauled him back onto the saddle before galloping away again.
Ajige was shaking with anger.
"I am so angry. I am going to die from anger."
Dorgon sighed.
"Stop being angry. We should think about what to do next."
He looked toward the vast grasslands stretching endlessly around them.
"The Mongolian steppe is flat and open. There are no natural defenses here. We cannot stop that iron vehicle army."
He paused before continuing.
"But inside our own territory the terrain becomes more complicated. We can take advantage of the landscape. At important strategic locations we dig trenches, pile up rocks, build earth walls, and dig pits. In short, we must make the ground uneven and difficult to traverse."
Ajige immediately understood.
"If we do not do that, those things could charge straight to Shengjing."
Dorgon nodded.
"And if that happens, we are finished."
Ajige's spirit snapped back to life.
"Right. Quickly gather the scattered troops and start building defenses. Otherwise the Great Qing will be finished."
Neither of them dared wander around the Mongolian grasslands any longer.
They immediately dispatched cavalry units to gather the remnants of the Eight Banner troops who had been scattered by the iron vehicles.
Then they moved to the nearest cities and began organizing massive construction efforts.
The terrain of Liaodong was mostly flat, but south of Zhangwu County there were forests and hills. The land began to rise and fall more unevenly.
Especially near Shengjing.
To the south lay the Changbai mountain range, where the terrain was naturally complex. With a little artificial modification, it might be possible to block the advance of the iron vehicles.
The two princes focused entirely on building defensive fortifications as quickly as possible.
Neither of them had any interest left in playing games on the Mongolian steppe.
---
Meanwhile.
At the mouth of the Yalu River, where it flowed into the sea, lay a tiny island called Silk Island.
The island was extremely small, less than one square kilometer in area.
Across a narrow stretch of water stood the city of Dandong, visible from the island's shores.
The fleet of Gao Family Village was currently anchored beside this island.
Soldiers from the Gao Family Village militia had already landed on the island.
They set up cooking pots and stoves, and soon smoke rose from their campfires as they calmly began cooking meals.
Their relaxed attitude made the Three Shun Kings inside Dandong city furious.
"The enemy has landed on the island right in front of us."
"They even lit fires and started cooking."
"They have set up tents too. It looks like they intend to stay there overnight."
"They are not even returning to their ships. They are openly provoking us."
Listening to the reports from his subordinates made Kong Youde feel like his lungs were about to explode.
Yet there was absolutely nothing he could do.
The distance across the water was short, but it was still an island.
To reach it, ships were required.
And trying to use ships in front of the Gao Family fleet was basically asking for death.
Kong Youde had never felt so humiliated in his entire life.
"Has Shengjing still not sent reinforcements?" he roared angrily.
A subordinate lowered his head.
"No. Apparently the fighting on the Mongolian steppe has become very intense. Shengjing does not have spare troops to send."
Kong Youde blinked in confusion.
"What? The Mongols are capable of putting them under pressure?"
The subordinate hesitated.
"The messenger did not explain clearly. Or perhaps... he was too embarrassed to say. He kept stammering when he spoke."
Kong Youde frowned deeply.
A bad feeling was forming in his chest.
If the Pi Island army launched an assault on Dandong and Shengjing refused to send reinforcements, then the situation would become extremely troublesome.
At the same time.
On Silk Island.
Cao Wenzhao tossed a piece of luncheon meat into his mouth and chewed while shouting orders to the soldiers around him.
"Just now, Dao Xuan Tianzun delivered a divine message to me."
He raised his voice so everyone could hear.
"The Jianzhou army has already been tied down and cannot send reinforcements to Dandong."
He grinned broadly.
"So eat your fill. Get a good night's sleep tonight."
"At dawn tomorrow..."
"We attack the city."