Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty
Chapter 101 Recruiting Surrenders and Rebellions
Chapter 101 Recruiting Surrenders and Rebellions
At the end of May, in the Ministry of War government office in Nanjing City, Shen Tingyang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was reporting to Li Banghua on the latest situation of grain and salary collection and transportation.
"Lord, the grain and military supplies destined for Xuzhou and Huai'an have been successfully loaded onto the ships. There are 25 large and small vessels, including 12 transport ships of various types and 13 escort warships.
If the wind and waves remain normal, the fleet will set sail from Songjiang Prefecture tomorrow morning. The navy that will provide the escort will be the Zhoushan Navy, which was dispatched from Zhejiang and will be commanded by the newly promoted Zhoushan General Huang Binqing."
“Are there enough ships for transport?”
"As you can see, we are indeed short of a number of ships needed for transportation. I'm afraid the Ministry of Revenue will have to continue to collect them from the public. Otherwise, if there is a storm, the ships will be damaged and we may miss out on important matters."
After listening to the report, Li Banghua nodded, then stroked his beard and chuckled softly:
"I will immediately send someone to deal with the issue of ships. If the war drags on, the food reserves in the cities north of the Yangtze River will be exhausted, and the number of ships needed for transportation will exceed the current number.
Now, the anti-Qing sentiment in southern Shandong, western Shandong and eastern Henan has far exceeded previous expectations, especially since Your Majesty has defeated the Qing army in succession, which has greatly boosted the morale of the people in various places. Now there is a shortage of food and grass in Xuzhou, and Huai'an can no longer supply it.
Ji Ming, after you finish transporting this batch of food and weapons, I'm afraid you'll have to continue transporting more. Tens of thousands of volunteers are waiting for these food and weapons. The Tartars have been plundering so hard before, and the local gentry can't supply so much food and weapons."
"The grain and fodder shipped from western Guangdong has been unloaded at the dock in Suzhou Prefecture. As long as the war can end in July or August, there will be no shortage of grain and fodder for the time being." Shen Tingyang paused, then continued:
"Zheng Zhilong still has no news of the rice he procured from Tonkin (Vietnam) and Siam. I wonder what this man's intentions are. His son and brother, as well as several thousand naval officers from Fujian, are all in Jiangbei!"
"Zheng Zhilong should have received the news of the great victories in the Battle of Jiangbei and the Battle of Fengyang. Your Majesty even specifically counted the military merits of Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Sen in the Battle of Wuhe, the Battle of Hongze Lake, and the Battle of Huai'an. This is already very lenient. If he is still self-righteous and does not know when to advance or retreat, there will be no place for the Zheng family in Fujian in the future." Li Banghua snorted coldly.
For the sake of the Zheng family's vinegar, Zhu Cilang specifically counted the naval battle in which dozens or even a dozen Qing troops were annihilated as a victory and a military achievement. The meaning of this was naturally clear.
However, Li Banghua actually didn't care about Zheng Zhilong's attitude. The successive victories in Jiangbei also gave him full confidence. If the court let Zheng Zhilong go, he would be confiscated and prosecuted in less than a year.
He knew Zhu Cilang. These so-called military achievements and rewards could be a gesture of goodwill or a deception, or even a pretext for taking action against the Zheng family in the future.
"This man was originally a pirate. He received favors from the court, but he has no intention of repaying His Majesty. It's simply hard to change his nature!" Shen Tingyang said with a stern face.
Six years ago, he made suggestions as a secretary of the Secretariat, and was subsequently valued by Chongzhen. He made great progress in maritime transportation and believed that he was definitely not comparable to those good-for-nothings in Nanjing City. In addition, he actually did not understand maritime trade and looked down on the Zheng family.
Not only that, in the current Dingwu court, the officials who stayed in Nanjing, the officials who went south from the north, and the local factions such as He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi, etc., each small group is planning to fight for power.
At this time, Shen Tingyang was no longer willing to be a minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Huang Fei, who had led the army south and had become the commander of the Nanjing Navy, and a large number of officials in Zhejiang who also thought they were good at naval warfare, all disliked the Zheng family.
If these people were taken out individually, they would indeed be far inferior to the Zheng family. However, if they worked together and cooperated with each other, Zheng Zhilong, who was far away in Fujian, would not be their opponent at all.
Li Banghua was very clear about these factions in the court. After so many years in the court, he was already accustomed to such things. Anyway, even if these people were to connect with each other, as long as His Majesty said a word, they would immediately fall apart.
However, after hearing what Shen Tingyang said, he couldn't help but worry that the other party would conflict with the Zheng family when arranging food and grass in the future, so he immediately appeased them:
"Once the battle is over, Zheng Zhilong will know your majesty's methods. Ji Ming, the Qing army is now at the gates of the city, and the situation in Fengyang is far from easing. We can't hold your majesty back!"
After hearing this, Shen Tingyang naturally understood that Li Banghua was reminding him, and immediately clasped his hands and said:
"Don't worry, sir. I will do my duty conscientiously and will not make any mistakes."
Li Banghua nodded after hearing this, and then said:
"The war should be over in July or August. Your Majesty has already made all the arrangements. Even if the Nu Chieftain can survive July, he definitely won't make it through August. As for Jiujiang, I wonder if He Tengjiao can hold on!"
"Your Majesty is a formidable figure, with a thousand-mile vision. Since that's the plan, He Tengjiao will surely be able to hold on. He might even be able to rely on the navy's strong city defenses to inflict heavy damage on the Qing army!"
Shen Tingyang had full confidence in Zhu Cilang. The great victory on the front line had gradually established the image of a sage monarch who was both wise and brave, and unparalleled in martial arts and civil affairs, in the minds of these civil servants.
Li Banghua did not doubt this at all, but laughed heartily:
"Your Majesty always manages to turn decay into magic. Chu Yang also built those bizarre fortresses in Liaodong, but they were no match for the Qing army. He also trained his troops using Western methods, but in the end, they benefited the Tartars.
Liaozhen also defended Jinzhou and Ningyuan by clearing the fields and holding the city, but each time it was surrounded, it always failed. The Qing army even repeatedly took a detour through the grassland and entered the Great Wall from the north, but Liaozhen had no power to harass Liaozhong.
Not to mention your majesty's advance deployment in Huguang and Jiangxi, the proactive attack in Guide, and the anti-Qing uprisings in southern Shandong and eastern Henan. If this continues for a long time, the Qing army's rear will definitely be lost."
Shen Tingyang also deeply agrees with this, which is actually the reason why he is eager to show off and improve.
Now, with Jiangbei's several big victories, the situation has become increasingly clear in his view, and victory is just around the corner.
"Your Excellency, I feel that if the time comes for a counterattack, the troops gathered from all over Jiangnan to support the king should also be mobilized north.
This army of nearly 100,000 is now stationed in various cities south of the Yangtze River. Every day, the cost of food for the men and horses is enormous. If we don't let them fight, wouldn't that be a waste of food?"
"These troops really need to go to the battlefield, but the time has not come yet!" Li Banghua shook his head and said:
"The weapons produced by the Yingtian Weaponry Bureau are now all shipped north to equip the frontline troops. The captured and replaced weapons and armor are all used to arm the local militia or shipped to southern Shandong, eastern Henan and other places.
Although Jiangnan has many soldiers and horses, without military equipment, they are ultimately unable to fight. Moreover, most of these soldiers and horses are local troops and their combat effectiveness is not strong. Your Majesty means that they need to be trained for a period of time before they can be deployed to the battlefield.
Shen Tingyang actually knew nothing about military affairs and originally wanted to refute, but when he heard that Zhu Cilang also had some implications, he dared not say anything.
Li Banghua actually did not tell him that the real purpose of Zhu Cilang's training of the army in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi was actually to select reserve troops and to initially equip the elite among them.
This was done to ensure they could defend the cities south of the Yangtze River during critical moments, and also to reserve troops for future military expansion. These southern troops were not generally afraid of the Qing army, and they had been fighting with weapons for years and were fierce in nature. As long as they were well trained, they would definitely be a strong army.
Li Banghua looked at Shen Tingyang, who seemed to be hesitant to speak, and then said with a smile:
"Your Majesty will make the final decision on military matters. A few days ago, Fengyang sent a cavalryman back with many requests for weapon modifications, especially for making bombs to counter the Tartars in surprise attacks."
"Your Majesty will personally review these trivial matters?" Shen Tingyang was a little surprised.
After all, many people thought that the problems with these artifacts were so unacceptable that they could be left to the craftsmen. However, having been in charge of maritime transport for so long, he knew that this was definitely not the case.
"I can't say I've personally reviewed it, but His Majesty attaches great importance to it and has specially arranged for military officers to handle it." Li Banghua looked at Shen Tingyang, and then said meaningfully:
"But Your Majesty has been keeping a close eye on the dispatch of the army north to support the king. After Jiangbei achieved several great victories, many people in Yingtian Prefecture are eager to make a move. Your Majesty must have been watching every move and every word."
When Shen Tingyang heard this, he suddenly felt a chill running from his spine to his forehead. He swallowed and looked at Li Banghua. He didn't know what to say for a moment, but he knew that he had talked too much.
.
"Your Majesty has won consecutive battles in Jiangbei, including three major victories in Suizhou, Huaibei, and Fengyang. Lu Zhenfei has also won successive victories in Xuzhou, Huai'an, southern Shandong, and eastern Henan. The Qing army has suffered repeated setbacks and will probably collapse soon."
Yuan Jixian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Censor-in-Chief, was very excited when he saw the victory report sent via Nanjing. He kowtowed in the northeast direction of Fengyang and said:
"As long as we wait for the rainy season to arrive in Jianghuai, the Qing army will definitely retreat without a fight. Now we just need to hold the key passes of Jiujiang, Hukou, and Pengze, and Ajige will be unable to move east. In June or July, he will also have to retreat north."
He Tengjiao nodded. Although he did not quite believe the report of three victories in three battles and eight thousand beheadings, he knew very well how timely and important this news of victory coming from the north was for him to stabilize the morale of the army.
Ajige advanced rapidly, seemingly having already defeated the rebels. He was now leading a large army towards Jiujiang, with several thousand vanguard troops expected to reach the city walls tomorrow. A major battle was imminent, and the entire northern Jiangxi region was in a state of panic. "According to intelligence gathered by Xu Yong and Ma Jinbao, Ajige had gathered tens of thousands of rebels from Xiang and Jing provinces. Zheng Siwei, Wang Tizhong, and others had long been entrenched in Huguang, commanding tens of thousands of naval forces. He had also intercepted tens of thousands of ships that Li Zicheng was preparing to advance eastward."
He Tengjiao frowned. Although the good news from Fengyang made him feel relieved, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst after all.
"The Qing army now has both a navy and warships, and they have a hundred thousand strong soldiers under their command. If we only defend these few cities along the river, I'm afraid we won't be able to stop them!"
"All of these soldiers and generals under Zuo Liangyu are cowards. They didn't dare to fight Li Zicheng and simply abandoned Wuchang and fled to Jiangxi. Now if they are asked to fight the Tartars, they will probably be even more reluctant."
Yuan Jixian sighed. He recalled the performance of these troops after they entered the cities in northern Jiangxi, and he became furious.
"Now, we must take advantage of Your Majesty's great victory in Jiangbei and strictly discuss the pros and cons with them. Jiangbei is safe, and Jiangxi must not be in trouble. As long as we hold on, glory and wealth, official titles and promotions for our sons are not empty talk."
"Those Tartars all came from Liaodong. They probably don't know how to fight on water. I just don't know how many troops Zheng Siwei, Wang Tizhong and other bandits brought to surrender to the Tartars." He Tengjiao frowned, looking solemn.
The Qing army was about to arrive at the city, but he had not yet obtained accurate military intelligence. He could only infer the Qing army's troops based on previous military intelligence. He had no idea about the specific details of the battle that broke out between Ajige and Li Zicheng, and how many troops the Qing army had lost.
The troops he could rely on were almost all hastily assembled, and the battalion had never seen actual combat. The army under Zuo Liangyu could fight against the Shun army in Huguang, but could not defeat the army led by Li Zicheng. Even in a naval battle, he had no idea whether he could defeat the Eight Banners soldiers.
He Tengjiao was not an expert in military affairs, but he was able to organize a team, especially after Zhu Cilang's deployment. Now, all the people in Jiangxi were his old subordinates, and the civil affairs and military preparations were completely under his control.
Yuan Jixian was actually in the same situation. He was known for his knowledge of military affairs, but he was far from being able to lead the army in battle. When he heard that Ma Jinzhong, Wang Yuncheng and others were no match for the vanguard of the rebels, and that the rebels' army of more than 100,000 were being chased all the way by Ajige, he became very worried.
Fortunately, Zuo Liangyu had achieved good results in his previous battles against the bandits in Huguang, and most of the troops gathered by the Qing army at this time were from that group of bandits.
"I'm afraid the two bandits have brought with them quite a few soldiers and horses, probably as many as 30,000 or 40,000. However, before this, the bandit general Bai Wang commanded a full 70,000 troops, yet they were no match for Zuo Liangyu's forces. Now, relying on only these few remnants, they will surely find it difficult to cross the river.
The Qing army is not accustomed to naval warfare and will certainly send them as the vanguard. As long as we can defeat them and seize their ships, the Qing army will definitely not dare to continue advancing eastward."
"If that's the case, we can still fight this battle." He Tengjiao breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haven't Ma Jinzhong and Jin Shenghuan been clamoring for pay?" Yuan Jixian looked at He Tengjiao, his brows raised slightly, and then continued:
"Before Ajige arrives, we should discuss countermeasures with them. No matter what, we must have them send troops to fight and intercept Ajige's army. It would be best if we could lure the enemy deep into our territory. Once the Qing army enters Poyang Lake or crosses the lake mouth and separates from the main force, we can defeat them in one fell swoop."
"Let the Qing army go downstream and ambush them? What kind of character are these guys? Ji Tong, don't you want to know clearly? I'm afraid they really dare to let the Qing army go. If that happens, I'm afraid something big will happen."
As He Tengjiao spoke, he suddenly paced around the room. Yuan Jixian was speechless for a moment. He saw Zhu Cilang fight a beautiful ambush in Huaibei and wanted to follow suit.
After a long while, He Tengjiao thought deeply and said slowly:
"It's not enough to rely on just Xu Yong, Li Guoying, Ma Jinzhong, and Jin Shenghuan to stop Ajige this time. They only have 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and horses combined. We must ask Zuo Liangyu to lead them. Otherwise, these troops will fight on their own and will be defeated by the Qing army sooner or later."
Facing the hundreds of thousands of Qing troops led by Ajige, He Tengjiao did not dare to slack off at all, but he also faced a series of problems such as his generals demanding pay and difficulty in commanding, which would seriously affect the future military command.
Fortunately, he had no shortage of money or righteousness. Zhu Cilang's victory in Jiangbei greatly boosted the morale of the army, making their persistence in Jiangxi meaningful.
"But Zuo Liangyu is now..." Yuan Jixian was very worried. He had a good relationship with Zuo Liangyu and knew that he didn't have much time left.
"Then it's up to you, Ji Tong, to persuade him. At least ask him to take charge, or even just issue a military order." He Tengjiao looked at Yuan Jixian and then said:
"Now, the only one who can command the armies in northern Jiangxi is Zuo Liangyu!"
.
"Zuo Liangyu's army is said to be 400,000, but in reality it is less than 40,000, and only two or three out of ten are elite soldiers in armor. They are nothing to be feared. Your Highness only needs to send 3,000 to 5,000 Eight Banners armored soldiers to assist in the battle. I will definitely be able to capture them alive and bring them to you, Your Highness, and let you do whatever you want with them."
On a high hill next to the Qing army's temporary camp, Wang Tizhong bent his waist, clasped his hands and fists towards Ajige in front of him, and signed a military order.
"As for the other Ming troops in Jiangxi, they were all temporary gatherings of local militiamen and were simply not up to the task of fighting. He Tengjiao and Yuan Jixian were both civilian officials and probably didn't understand military affairs."
Although he killed Bai Wang and annexed almost all of the enemy's troops, his position became less important as Li Zicheng died in Jiugong Mountain not long ago. He was even about to face the separation of Ajige, and was now eager to show his loyalty.
You know, the value of traitors is often earned through heroic deeds. If it weren't for the heroic deeds of the people of Jiangnan, the remnants of the Shun army, the remnants of the Xi army, and the Zheng army, who fought one after another for nearly twenty years, Wu Sangui, Kong Youde, Shang Kexi, Geng Zhongming and others would probably have been abandoned in Liaoxi by the Qing court long ago.
However, at this time, after learning of Li Zicheng's death, Ajige, who had already been complacent, seemed to have no motivation to continue fighting. He only wanted to return to the court as soon as possible.
At this time, it was already May, and he thought that he would never be able to capture Nanjing before Duoduo. All the good things were taken by Duoduo, and Ajige was holding his breath!
You know, Duoduo had already taken the credit in Tongguan and Xi'an earlier. Later, he took a detour to Soma of the Ordos tribe of Mongolia, which delayed him again. He was also scolded by Dorgon from a thousand miles away.
The Ming army in Jiangbei seemed to be a complete mob, a group of defeated soldiers and generals. Li Zicheng could not defeat them, let alone the eastern army led by Commander Duoduo.
However, he did not nod directly to Wang Tizhong's suggestion, but asked Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi and others to express their opinions, so as to avoid being nitpicked by Dorgon and being disgusted.
After Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi and other Ming generals confirmed that Zuo Liangyu was indeed vulnerable, Ajige nodded and said slowly:
"If that's the case, what's the point of fighting? Just send someone to surrender. Wang Tizhong, didn't you say that Zuo Liangyu has many old acquaintances under his command? Recruit them, and Jiangxi will be under your joint management from now on."
Wang Tizhong was stunned when he heard this, but he soon realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and immediately agreed.
You must know that once Li Zicheng died, the remaining troops of the Shun army no longer had the strength to fight back, and even many of the soldiers who had been defeated before voluntarily surrendered.
He now controlled most of Bai Wang's troops. If he could recruit a group of old brothers who had joined the Left Camp, his strength could be further expanded. At this time, it would not be difficult to obtain the position of Governor of Jiangxi.
Seeing Wang Tizhong's straightforwardness, Ajige agreed and then said:
"Handle this matter as quickly as possible. I must advance eastward as quickly as possible. By now, Duoduo might have already crossed the river and even invaded Nanjing."
However, before Ajige could finish his words, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves. A Bayara Banner soldier who was delivering military intelligence rode his horse hurriedly in front of him. He looked up and instantly had a bad feeling in his heart.
When he received the military report from the chief of Bayala under his command and opened it, a layer of gloom instantly covered Ajige's originally smug face, but soon he grinned and laughed heartily:
"That useless guy Duoduo was actually stopped in Fengyang by Emperor Ming with a group of defeated soldiers. Hahahaha!"
As soon as these words were spoken, expressions of surprise appeared on the faces of the Manchu and Han generals. They looked at each other and did not dare to speak.
Ajige quickly calmed down. He glanced at the generals in front of him and finally fixed his gaze on Wang Tizhong, Shang Kexi and Zheng Siwei. He said:
"Zheng Siwei, Shang Kexi, prepare the boats immediately, the sooner the better. Wang Tizhong, lead your men and go immediately to surrender the Ming troops in Jiujiang and Hukou. You can give them all of Jiangxi. I will march eastward immediately and capture Jiangnan!"
(End of this chapter)
You'll Also Like
-
This villain is extremely cautious.
Chapter 635 3 hours ago -
In Douluo, the Pope's Palace was blown up at the beginning
Chapter 247 3 hours ago -
Rebirth of the Most Powerful Tycoon in Hong Kong
Chapter 829 3 hours ago -
System: Stand up straight!
Chapter 185 3 hours ago -
Perfect World: Supreme Ruler
Chapter 319 3 hours ago -
I make games to scare players to tears
Chapter 239 3 hours ago -
After rebirth, it's normal to be pursued by someone.
Chapter 474 3 hours ago -
I, Chen Tian, am the boy who brings wealth to the ancient times!
Chapter 471 3 hours ago -
The rich man started signing in at the canteen
Chapter 607 3 hours ago -
Douluo: Undercover Spirit Hall Who Asked You to Marry the Pope?
Chapter 291 3 hours ago