Dorgon's situation had become… uncomfortable in a very practical, very immediate sense.
This raid had never been meant as a full invasion. He had brought only a thousand cavalry, far too few to take cities or hold territory. The goal had always been harassment, nothing more than a sharp thorn stabbed into Ming lands to force them to divert attention away from the Mongols.
Against someone like Gao Qiqian, that had worked beautifully. The eunuch had collapsed at the first sign of pressure, crying and fleeing in panic, turning what should have been a minor skirmish into a farce.
But the moment Dorgon ran into real commanders like Yang Guozhu of Xuanfu or Wang Pu of Datong, the game changed entirely. Those men did not panic, did not scatter, and did not give him easy openings. They held firm, forcing him to withdraw again and again.
Then came the worst development.
Lu Xiangsheng's Tianxiong Army returned from Jinzhou and joined the hunt.
At that point, every competent Ming general reached the same conclusion. Dorgon did not have enough troops. He was not a vanguard for a larger force. There was no Hong Taiji behind him ready to descend with overwhelming strength.
He was alone.
Reports flooded back to the capital, and finally, Zhu Youjian understood.
"Wang Pu, stop guarding my estates," the emperor ordered, rare clarity cutting through his usual hesitation. "Join Lu Xiangsheng and pursue Dorgon."
"And Gao Qiqian," he added with visible irritation, "you will advance as well."
Thus, four forces began to converge from different directions, tightening the net.
Dorgon's space to maneuver shrank, then shrank again.
By the time he reached the northern outskirts of Yongping Prefecture, he was already feeling the pressure closing in.
He camped near the edge of a forest, keeping a wary eye on the fortified city to the south. Yongping was a stronghold. With only a thousand men, attacking it was out of the question.
Yet the irony was obvious.
The Ming troops inside the city did not dare come out.
Years of being beaten by Qing forces had left them deeply cautious. Even facing only a thousand cavalry, they preferred to hide behind walls rather than risk open battle.
Dorgon stared at the city for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
A deputy approached. "Commander, what now?"
Dorgon exhaled slowly. "We cannot operate in North Zhili any longer. Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, and that useless Gao Qiqian are all closing in. We have no room left to maneuver."
"So we retreat?" the deputy asked.
"We retreat," Dorgon confirmed. "Back to Shengjing."
"Which route?"
Dorgon spread out a map.
"To the east lies Shanhai Pass, guarded by Wu Sangui. That path is closed. If we approach, he will intercept, and once we are pinned, the pursuing forces will catch up. That would be the end."
The deputy nodded grimly.
Dorgon's finger moved across the map. "We go through Qinglong, then Jianchang, then circle north of Jinzhou. Zu Dashou is unlikely to intercept us."
Qinglong was manageable, little more than a neglected garrison. But Jianchang…
That was another matter entirely.
It had once belonged to the Ming, but over time it had effectively become Mongol grazing land. In other words, foreign territory.
And worse.
Dorgon's expression darkened slightly.
The memory of the Great Iron Cart lingered like a bad dream.
The deputy hesitated. "If we encounter that… thing… in Jianchang?"
Dorgon rolled his eyes. "Then we run."
He tapped the map with a finger. "It is powerful, but not fast over short distances compared to cavalry. We outrun it, find rough terrain, cross narrow streams or ravines. It cannot follow everywhere."
The deputy relaxed slightly.
"As long as we reach Jinzhou, we are safe," Dorgon concluded. "So keep moving."
Before they could proceed further, a scout rushed in.
"Commander, Ming reinforcements have arrived at Yongping."
Dorgon immediately climbed a nearby slope and looked south. In the distance, a Ming force approached the city, a large banner with the character "Gao" fluttering above them.
Gao Qiqian's troops.
Dorgon let out a cold laugh. "The most useless army of all has arrived."
He mounted his horse in one smooth motion. "We scare them."
The cavalry assembled in moments.
"One charge," Dorgon ordered.
The thousand riders surged forward like a wave.
Meanwhile, Gao Qiqian was leading his pampered capital troops toward Yongping, relaxed and cheerful, expecting nothing more than a safe entry into the city.
Then came the thunder of hooves.
He turned his head.
And his soul nearly left his body.
Qing cavalry were charging straight at him.
His first instinct was to retreat into Yongping, but one glance told him the truth. The enemy was faster. They would cut him off before he reached the gates.
"Retreat south!" he screamed.
And just like that, Gao Qiqian performed another flawless demonstration of tactical withdrawal without combat.
From the walls, the Yongping defenders stared in disbelief. They had been preparing to open the gates and coordinate a pincer attack, but before the gates even moved, their supposed ally had already fled.
"What the hell?" the city commander muttered.
Gao Qiqian did not stop. He fled south at full speed, sparks practically flying behind him, then veered east, and finally dashed straight into Shanhai Pass to seek protection under Wu Sangui.
Dorgon pursued briefly, cutting down a few stragglers, his confidence rising again.
Then he saw another force approaching from the west.
Lu Xiangsheng.
Inside Yongping, a soldier asked, "General, more reinforcements have arrived. Should we prepare to sortie again?"
The commander rolled his eyes. "Let them do whatever they want. We hold the city. Those court officials are useless."
He had barely finished speaking when the Tianxiong Army roared forward like a storm, charging directly at Dorgon's forces.
Dorgon's expression changed instantly.
"Damn it. It is Lu Xiangsheng. Run!"
The situation flipped in an instant.
Moments ago, Qing cavalry had been chasing Ming troops. Now Ming troops were chasing Qing cavalry.
The Yongping commander stood there, stunned, before letting out a long sigh. "Times change. Do not underestimate the Ming army."
"Should we still go out?" a subordinate asked.
"Of course we go out," he snapped. "Open the gates!"
But by the time they moved, it was already too late.
Dorgon's cavalry had vanished into the northern mountains, moving with astonishing speed along the narrow paths toward Qinglong County.
"Damn it, they got away," the commander muttered with regret.
But Lu Xiangsheng, watching the direction of their escape, showed a faint smile.
"They are heading to Qinglong," he said calmly. "Next comes Jianchang, and after that, Jinzhou."
His gaze sharpened.
"We continue the pursuit. When we reach Jinzhou, we join with Cao Wenzhao and strike from both sides."
He paused, then added with quiet certainty.
"Let us see where Dorgon can run then."