"Standing by and watching others die!"
As soon as Jirgalang uttered these four words, everyone from the Emperor, Fulin, down to the eunuchs at the doorway nodded slightly in agreement. The Eight Banners and the Ming Army had been fighting in Liaodong for decades; they knew each other inside and out. Unlike the Eight Banners, who were united, the Ming Army was riddled with internal conflicts.
First, there was the friction between the southern and northern troops. The two sides looked down on each other, and it went beyond mere brawls—it escalated to the point of firing artillery at one another. Second, the "host" armies were notorious for sabotaging their "guest" counterparts. In the Liaodong theater, the local Liaodong troops were the host, while reinforcements from other regions were the guests. If they won a battle, the Liaodong troops would claim the credit for their allies. But if they encountered a tough opponent, the Liaodong troops would either be the first to retreat or simply stand by and watch their allies die. Countless friendly troops had been betrayed by them in this way.
Chapter 709