Qinglong was nothing more than a small county town, surrounded by a scattering of tiny frontier forts that looked more like abandoned sheds than military defenses.
For years, Qing troops and Mongol riders had been sweeping across this place again and again, like someone mindlessly grinding the same map in a game. After being trampled so many times, most of the forts were already deserted. The garrison soldiers had long since lost any will to fight. The moment they sensed even the slightest disturbance, they would hide inside the county walls together with the magistrate, trembling like leaves in the wind.
So when Dorgon arrived, nothing changed.
The gates shut. No one came out.
He passed through Qinglong as if he owned the road.
Ahead of him lay the Mongol pasturelands of Jianchang.
Dorgon turned his head slightly. "Is Lu Xiangsheng still behind us?"
"He is," the deputy replied. "Yang Guozhu from Xuanfu and Wang Pu from Datong have joined him. Their forces are combined now, around nine thousand strong. They are still chasing us. Fortunately, they are infantry, so they are slower. There is still distance between us."
Dorgon let out a breath. "Good. Then listen carefully. We are about to cross Jianchang. That is Mongol territory. If we encounter those iron beasts, do not engage. Run east. Run with everything you have. Do not stop. Do not fight."
The soldiers answered in unison, "Understood!"
But after the shout, a heavy silence lingered.
Just a few years ago, they had been the ones riding over the Mongols, treating tribes like the Khalkha, Khorchin, and Tumed as if they were obedient hounds. A command to go east meant east, a command to go west meant west.
And now?
Now they had to sneak through Mongol lands like thieves, afraid of encountering those terrifying iron machines.
It was humiliating.
But humiliation did not win battles.
Strength did.
"Move!"
At Dorgon's command, the cavalry surged forward onto the grasslands.
The plains stretched endlessly. Herds of cattle and sheep dotted the land, and Mongol herders rode lazily among them.
The moment they saw a large cavalry force approaching, the herders panicked, abandoning their flocks as they galloped away shouting, "Qing troops! A lot of Qing troops!"
Under normal circumstances, Dorgon would have smiled at such a sight. Free livestock, easy spoils, a chance to return home with full bellies and good stories.
Now he did not even glance at them.
All he wanted was to get back to Shengjing alive.
The cavalry thundered past the scattered sheep, racing eastward.
Behind them, the herders spread the alarm. Mongol riders quickly mobilized, light cavalry pouring out from their camps and cutting diagonally toward Dorgon's path. At the same time, messengers were sent to inform the armored cavalry unit stationed in Jianchang by Gao Village.
In terms of horsemanship, the Qing troops were never superior to the Mongols. Everything they knew had originally been learned from them.
It did not take long before the Mongol riders caught up.
They stayed at a distance, neither too close nor too far, trailing like wolves testing their prey. They had fewer numbers, so they did not dare charge directly, but shadowing was more than enough.
Dorgon glanced back, irritation flashing across his face. "Those damn Mongols are sticking to us."
"I will go deal with them," the deputy offered.
"Do not," Dorgon snapped. "You cannot catch them on the grassland. You will waste time chasing ghosts. Ignore them. As long as they do not come close, leave them be."
The cavalry continued forward.
Then, from the northern plains, a deep mechanical roar rolled across the land.
Dorgon's heart sank.
"Damn it. Run! Do not engage. Run!"
The entire force burst into full speed.
Behind them, the Mongol riders cheered. "The armored cavalry is here. Now we can actually work."
They drew their bows in one smooth motion.
The masters of mounted archery had arrived.
The Mongol riders accelerated, closing the gap in an instant. Arrows flew.
A Qing soldier at the rear cried out as an arrow pierced his back, falling from his horse.
"I got one. The horse is mine!" a Mongol rider laughed.
Another arrow flew. Another soldier dropped.
"That one is mine!"
They were not even trying to wipe out the enemy.
They were looting horses.
Dorgon's jaw tightened so hard it felt like his teeth would crack, but he had no choice. The iron beasts were approaching from the north. Turning back now would be suicide.
"Run!"
The Qing cavalry pushed themselves to the limit. One by one, soldiers at the rear were picked off by arrows.
Then the armored cavalry closed in.
Gunfire erupted.
A shot rang out, and another rider fell.
More shots followed.
The iron beasts advanced steadily, firing as they moved.
Dorgon gritted his teeth. "Unbelievable… this is just unbelievable…"
It turned into a race against death.
Like characters in a nightmare that refused to end, the Qing soldiers kept running, and one after another, they fell. No one looked back. No one stopped.
The hunters behind them were merciless.
The Mongol riders and the armored cavalry had become the reapers of this battlefield.
Dorgon felt his entire body burning. His mind screamed as adrenaline flooded every vein.
Bullets whistled past his head. Arrows brushed past his shoulders.
A single thought roared inside him.
I will not die.
I carry the Mandate of Heaven.
I am destined to rule.
I will not die here.
And somehow, as if the heavens themselves were listening, he broke through.
The bullets did not claim him.
The arrows did not stop him.
With barely five hundred riders left, he burst out of Jianchang.
Ahead, a narrow river appeared.
He urged his horse forward with all his strength. The horse leaped, clearing the water in a single bound. Even the legendary leap of Liu Bei's mount over Tanxi would pale in comparison.
He landed on the other side and did not dare slow down.
Bullets could still cross the river.
He kept riding.
Behind him, the pursuers halted at the riverbank.
"Jinzhou… that is Jinzhou ahead!"
"We made it!"
The surviving riders cheered weakly.
Dorgon finally exhaled, his entire body loosening at once.
"We are alive."
A faint smile crept onto his face.
"Jinzhou belongs to Zu Dashou. He may be ambiguous in his loyalties, but he will not dare attack us."
"We are safe now."