Gaowengui’s mission was to disguise himself as Eight Banners soldiers and raid Dorgon’s supply lines. After leaving Guangning, he first headed rapidly north, shook off his pursuers, and then looped halfway through the grasslands. Led by defecting soldiers and officers, he eventually arrived near Zhenjing Fort, intending to strike into the grasslands along Dorgon’s supply route.
After traveling a few miles, he encountered a Jiannu supply convoy just north of Zhenjing Fort. The convoy never expected to encounter Ming Army troops behind their front lines, much less a unit disguised as Eight Banners soldiers. Caught completely off guard and guarded only by the old, weak, sick, and injured, the convoy’s personnel were either killed or fled. Part of the escorted grain became Gaowengui’s supplies, and the rest was burned.
Having succeeded in his first strike, Gaowengui continued north along the supply route and entered the grasslands. He carried seven days’ worth of rations. If he encountered a Jiannu supply convoy, he would use the captured supplies to sustain his march; if he didn’t, he would take a detour and return after three days.
Chapter 1047