Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 217 The way out
At dawn in Chaozhou City Government Office, Zhu Lang looked at the victory report that was hastily delivered to the city, his face was filled with joy, and he could not help but speak:

"Zhang Jiayu did a great job, great job"

Zhu Lang read the battle report in his hand again, and then handed it to Lu Daqi, Jiao Lian and others who hurried over from below.
Lu Daqi and others below read the battle report on the capture of Zhangzhou, and their faces were also filled with joy.

Zhangzhou was captured, and the Qing army in Fujian Province was cut in two. As long as this news spread, Zhao'an would fall without a fight. With their retreat cut off, would Bolo stay in Zhao'an and wait for death?
After Zhangzhou was occupied, Bolo and his men did not retreat to Yunxiao Zhangpu, but all the way to Zhangzhou. The Ming army could also pursue them and recover the lost territory.

When they arrived at the city of Zhangzhou and joined forces with the Zheng army, the Qing government would probably have to withdraw directly from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou before it could gain a foothold.

In other words, the imperial court was almost certain to recapture the two prefectures of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou without bloodshed this time. This was truly the lost territory that was taken back from the Qing invaders. Even if it was only the two prefectures, it was enough to boost the morale of the people.
Since Jiashen, the Ming court has been in a state of retreat, with only lost territory. When has it ever been possible to counterattack and regain lost territory?

The ministers were still immersed in the excitement of recovering the two prefectures, but Jiao Lian finished reading the battle report, thought for a moment, and a stern look flashed in his eyes. He suddenly stood up and said

"With Zhangzhou captured, Zhao'an has become an isolated force. Now is the perfect time to annihilate the Qing invaders in the city."

The Ming army is now digging trenches from west to north under Zhao'an City. The northern trench has been dug for the most part, which is enough to stop the Qing army from escaping north.

The purpose of the Ming army's previous actions was, on the one hand, to contain the Qing cavalry, and on the other hand, to dig trenches to besiege the city and force the Qing invaders in Zhao'an to retreat eastward, thus advancing step by step and approaching Zhangzhou.
But when Shi Lang seized Zhangzhou, the situation in Fujian Province suddenly changed.
The capture of Zhangzhou not only meant that the Qing troops in Zhao'an could no longer obtain food and money from Zhangzhou, but also meant that the Qing troops under Changtai could no longer come to Zhao'an for rescue.
If the Qing army in Changtai City wanted to come to Zhao'an for reinforcement, they had to first eliminate the defenders in Zhangzhou City. After Zhangzhou was occupied, the Qing army under Changtai City was also trapped in a situation of being surrounded on both sides.
The Qing army in Changtai City could not defend itself, which means that Zhao'an is now an isolated city.
Jiao Lian explained the situation of Zhao'an City to everyone in the hall. The ministers in the hall were also thoughtful, but Jiao Lian continued to speak.

"The surprise attack on Zhangzhou was successful. The Qing invaders in Zhao'an City must not know the situation in Zhangzhou. Now the trenches on the northwest have been built. Your Highness, please send troops to go around and cut off the Qing invaders' retreat to the east, and completely trap the Qing invaders in Zhao'an City."

Zhu Lang's eyes lit up when he heard this. The Qing army from Zhangzhou could no longer come to support them. If they could cut off Zhao'an's route to Zhangzhou, they could kill the Qing army in the city even if they did nothing. What's more, they still had red cannons.

Zhu Lang thought of this and stopped hesitating and said directly

"Send a letter to Zhangzhou, asking Shi Lang and Zhang Kentang in Changtai, Zhangzhou, to hold back the Qing army under Changtai City and never let them come to Zhao'an for rescue."

"Send the situation in Zhangzhou to Li Mingzhong, and ask him to find a way to cover Ma Bao's withdrawal from the battlefield. Let Ma Bao lead the Tengxiang Army to sail around to the rear of Zhao'an and block Zhao'an's retreat to the east."

"Master Lu and Master Su, you two should immediately requisition all the ships along the coast of Chaozhou Prefecture, regardless of whether they are government ships or commercial ships, as long as they are in the port, and immediately send them to Zhao'an to assist Ma Bao's troops in transporting troops."

After everyone in the hall finished discussing matters, they all hurriedly left to prepare. As everyone left, the army under Zhao'an City, which had been silent for many days, finally began to move suddenly.

In the morning, there was a rumble of cannon fire outside the city of Zhao'an

A few hundred meters away from the Zhao'an city wall, the Ming army general waved his flag, more than sixty Portuguese cannons roared, and dozens of projectiles smashed into the distant city wall.
The Portuguese guns used by the Ming army at this time were all solid iron bullets, but when these iron bullets weighing more than a pound hit the city wall, the wall remained intact.
The iron bullets hit the brick wall, some of them only made a shallow dent, while others were directly bounced off the wall and fell to the ground.

A few iron bullets flew over the top of the city wall and into the city, but the distance they flew was too long, and their power was greatly reduced after they flew into the city. They only damaged some houses near the city wall, and then they had no more power.

Although the Ming army's bombardment of dozens of artillery pieces was impressive, under the defense of the city walls, the actual results achieved were few.
The Qing soldiers on the city wall, who were still somewhat panicked, saw that the artillery fire outside the city could not do anything to the city wall, so they calmed down again.

On the city wall, Boro looked at the roaring artillery below the city, sneered, and said

"These Ming troops finally couldn't bear it anymore"

"Defend the city as planned, and have the cavalry in the city ready. If there is an opportunity, go out of the city and defeat the Han soldiers attacking the city."

The Ming army besieged the city for several days, and the Qing army in the city was well prepared for the attack by the Ming army.
After the Ming army fired several rounds of artillery, a burst of artillery fire was heard on the top of the city wall. The Ming army had artillery, and the Qing army naturally had artillery as well. Thirty or forty iron bullets roared out from the top of the city wall and fired at the Ming army artillery outside the city.

The artillery brought by the Qing army was the same as that of the Ming army, also several hundred pounds of small artillery. The two sides fired several rounds at each other, but neither side could do anything to the other.
The artillery of this era had little accuracy, and it was almost impossible to accurately hit the artillery carts of the Ming army. The iron bullets flew up and down the city walls, which sounded amazing, but after a fight, these shells almost all hit the air and did not cause much actual damage.

The Ming army outside the city seemed to see that the artillery was ineffective, so they finally withdrew the artillery and began to formally attack the city.

The Ming army gathered in the rear, and several tall siege ladders were pushed to the front. The siege ladders were different from the flying ladders. The flying ladders were similar to ordinary ladders. They could be carried by a few people, but they were also very easy to be pushed down by the defenders on the city.

The siege ladder is huge in size. It is basically as high as the city wall or higher than the top of the city wall. There is a thickened wooden board in front to block the attack, and there are wheels at the bottom. One siege ladder is enough to shelter dozens or hundreds of soldiers. The soldiers can hide behind the siege ladder and push it to the bottom of the city.
If the soldiers defending the city are unable to destroy the ladders midway, once the ladders reach the bottom of the city, the soldiers behind the chariots can immediately climb up the ladders and attack the soldiers defending the city.
The ladder is the best siege weapon of this era. The only problem is that it is difficult to make and takes a long time. At present, the Ming army has only made two or three ladders.
The ladders and battering rams moved forward slowly, and the Ming army also formed a battle array and surrounded Zhao'an City.
After the Ming army assembled, they were divided into three parts, guarding the north, south and west sides respectively. They could not stay outside the three city walls and formed chariots. The cavalry of the Ming army also assembled and waited for orders.
Hundreds of Ming cavalry passed behind the South Gate infantry formation, galloped eastward, and cruised outside the East City, looking like they were about to launch a massive attack on the city.
The Ming army surrounded the enemy on all sides, and after setting up their battle formation, they began to attack.

The western wall was attacked first. Hundreds of soldiers hid under a ladder and pushed it towards Zhao'an City. Around the ladder were dozens of teams of siege soldiers pushing shield carts and carrying ladders.

The Ming army outside the city launched a massive attack, and the Qing army inside the city did not dare to neglect it. The four gates of Zhao'an City were closed, and all kinds of defense materials were transported to the city wall like water.
The people on the top of the city saw the ladders coming. When the ladders approached, the artillery on the top of the city immediately fired. The ladders were so large that they could not avoid the shells and were constantly hit by the whistling Qing army shells.

The ladder had just reached a hundred meters below Zhao'an City when it was destroyed by Qing artillery and could no longer be moved. After the Qing artillery destroyed the ladder, it turned its guns and bombarded the rest of the Ming army.
The cannons on the city walls roared, and when the cannons turned their muzzles to fire, several shield carts were immediately shattered. At this time, the Ming army attacking the city seemed to be unable to endure it any longer. After several shield carts were destroyed, they simply abandoned the shield carts and fled to the rear.
But the strange thing is that these soldiers have a very good grasp of the distance. They just abandoned the shield carts and fled. In the blink of an eye, they were out of the range of the artillery. The Qing army fired a few rounds of artillery on the city wall, but the Ming army only killed and injured a dozen soldiers who rushed too far.

The Qing army on the top of the city wall saw that the Ming army was so aggressive, but they didn't even touch the edge of the city wall in their first siege, so they fled away. Their morale was immediately boosted, and they laughed at the Ming army fleeing outside the city.
The Ming army outside the city was obviously a little angry. Several generals rushed out from the rear. The fleeing soldiers were quickly organized and driven back to the city.
However, the Ming army's siege this time was even more unbearable. As soon as the attacking Ming army entered the 300-meter range of the city wall, they were once again bombarded by artillery and fled to the rear. The Qing army on the top of the city wall cheered again.

The siege began in the morning, and the Ming army spent the entire day in a child's play siege. After attacking the west, they attacked the south, and after attacking the south, they attacked the north.

However, the Ming army only managed to reach the edge of the city a few times during their attack that day. The rest of the time, the Ming army would flee as soon as the cannons on the city walls fired.
The Qing troops in the city saw the appearance of the Ming army, but they did not have the slightest doubt. In their experience, this was the true level of the Ming army.
The Ming army's chariot camp was powerful, but they all had one or two elite troops. After eliminating these elite troops, the true colors of the Ming army were revealed.

While the Qing army was defending Zhao'an City with ease, a large number of boats gathered on the shore behind Zhao'an.
More than a hundred large and small ships gathered on the coast. Thousands of Tengxiang soldiers boarded the ships under the leadership of Ma Bao, and then without stopping, they quickly circled to the rear of Zhao'an.
Zhao'an City is located on the coast. The Ming army came from the west. The west and north of Zhao'an City were cut off by the trenches dug by the Ming army.
The coast is not far to the south of Zhao'an, and it is surrounded by several mountains and hills such as Dongshanling and Fengshanling to the east. The road for Zhao'an to retreat eastward is a gap from Fengshanling to the coast.
At dawn, thousands of soldiers in military uniforms were digging trenches with shovels and hoes at the Fengshanling Pass.
Yesterday, the soldiers of the Tengxiang Army sailed around Fengshan Ridge and began to dig trenches frantically.

The Tengxiang Army arrived here at noon yesterday. Until dawn today, the soldiers in the army took turns to work, almost all night long, digging trenches non-stop.
Chen Qi Ce was sweating profusely. He took a shovel and dug out the dirt in the trench and piled it outside the trench.

He glanced at the exhausted soldiers around him, thought for a moment, and then shouted:
"Brothers, we only have one mile to go before we can dig the trench all the way to the seashore. If everyone works harder and digs through the trench, the Tartars in Zhao'an City will be unable to escape."

The soldiers of the Tengxiang Army around heard this, but no one responded. Some of them dug the earth and rocks silently, while others stood in the trenches with shovels to rest. However, these soldiers who paused often only stood there for a moment. The BGM was scolded by the officers beside them, so they had to continue digging the trenches while cursing.
Everyone looked exhausted. They had been digging for almost a day and just wanted to finish and rest. They had no time to care what Chen Qi Ce was shouting.

Liu Wang, who was leaning on a shovel and panting, looked at Chen Qice who seemed to be unaware and was still shouting encouragement, and couldn't help but say:

"Military Envoy Chen, we brothers are here to serve as soldiers, not to dig soil. We dug in Zhao'an and we dig here again. Are we here to dig soil or to kill the Tartars?"

The soldiers beside him all nodded in agreement when they heard this.

They followed the expedition this time, and they just followed to dig the soil without fighting a single battle. If it weren't for Chen Qice and other military envoys and generals who also followed to dig the soil, they would have quit long ago.

Seeing everyone's gaze, Chen Qi Ce also said loudly
"We are here to kill the Tartars. Digging trenches now is killing the Tartars."

"Brothers, do you know why we have to take a boat to dig trenches here?"

All the soldiers looked confused when they heard this. How could they know what the generals above were thinking? The army provided them with food and pay, and they just followed the orders. That was all.
Chen Qice glanced at the soldiers around him, and without waiting for their response, he continued speaking.

"Why do we need to dig trenches here? Because the imperial army has surrounded Zhao'an, and the Tartars in Zhao'an City only have this way to go.
"If the Tartars in Zhao'an City can no longer hold out and want to retreat, they can only leave from us. The court sent us here to cut off the Tartars' retreat."

"As long as we can stop the fleeing Tartars here, our Tengxiang Army will have made a great contribution and everyone will receive a reward."

"Military Envoy Chen said that the Tartars will definitely come to us," an unknown soldier in the crowd asked.

"Yes, if the Tartars want to evacuate, they can only pass through us."

"That's great. We have dug the trenches, and the Tartars will come charging at us. Aren't they just waiting for us to kill them?"

Another voice in the crowd shouted

"exactly"

"Everyone, work harder. If we sweat more now, we will bleed less when the Tartars come."

"We have dug the trenches. When the Tartars come, we will guard the trenches and easily defeat them and win the battle."

"If we dig a little more soil now, we can chop off one more head of the Tartar when they come. One Tartar head is worth ten taels of silver. This is a rare bargain in the world."

Chen Qi Ce kept speaking encouraging words, and the soldiers were also moved when they heard it. Since the Tartars must evacuate from here, they should dig through the trench as soon as possible.

The swords and guns are blind on the battlefield. If they can defend themselves by the trenches and fight the Tartars, they will have a better chance of survival. If it is true as what Chen Jianjun said, the Tartars will come and they can chop off a few more heads and get the reward by leaning against the trenches.

After Chen Qi Ce's encouragement, the resentment among the soldiers was reduced a little

Everyone saw Chen Qice start digging the earth and rocks again, and a group of soldiers followed behind Chen Qice and continued to dig trenches.

Chen Qice dug until dawn. Suddenly, a soldier came running from a distance and whispered something to Chen Qice. Chen Qice wiped the sweat from his forehead, put down his sleeves, followed the messenger soldier, and walked towards the central army camp.
(End of this chapter)