Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 118 Destroying the Qing Army's Morale
To the south of Fengyang City, there were constant sounds of explosions, horse hooves, and shouts of killing. Amidst the flickering flames, the sounds of soldiers and horses moving could be heard.

Hundreds of elite soldiers of the Palace Army had been quietly hiding in the dark earthen wall shrouded in the night, without making any noise. After the volley of rockets, they immediately launched a fierce attack while the Qing army relaxed its vigilance.

In fact, the Qing army generals had guessed Zhu Cilang's plan of continuous harassment and then sudden large-scale night attack, but even if they had guessed such a plan, it would have been useless.

Duoduo naturally wanted the soldiers on the front line to remain highly vigilant, but the Eight Banners soldiers were also human beings, and without sufficient manpower, such a request was simply impossible to achieve.

At this time, the Qing army was quietly withdrawing its troops from these positions. Zhu Cilang had already discovered this through the previous series of harassment.

The Ming army used the chaos caused by the rockets only to paralyze the Qing army, so that the Qing generals who were still stationed in the trenches would make wrong judgments in their numbness, and then the real surprise attack army would take advantage of the opportunity to attack.

Now, facing the Ming army's surprise attack, the Qing army's positions were in chaos. The Ming army's infantry and cavalry had launched attacks in many places in the east, south and west, and the fighting at the junction of the two armies was very fierce.

The cavalry deployed by Tulai on the periphery for early warning had no idea what was going on. These hundreds of horsemen could not stop the organized and planned raid of thousands of Ming cavalry.

“Beep, beep, beep~~~”

Zhao Zhengdong listened to the chaotic sound of horse hooves and shouts of killing coming from afar, and immediately blew the bamboo whistle and led his soldiers to rush towards the location where the cavalry was attacking.

"Kill! Kill! Kill—"

Dense groups of soldiers rushed out from behind the earth wall. The armored soldiers in the front held shields, and long spears and swords were held diagonally in a row behind them. They rushed forward very quickly, with no concerns at all except for the muddy and watery craters under their feet.

Chen Fu had previously sent out scouts, who, under the cover of night, basically eliminated the traps set by the Qing army and even killed several Qing army ambushes.

After the rocket salvo, explosions were heard from time to time in the darkness. These were caused by Ming army mines triggered by Qing army scouts, as well as Qing army traps stepped on by Ming army soldiers during their night shifts.

After such a long period of deployment, the Qing army's position defense was also very tight. Not only were pits and traps dug on the outermost earth wall, but also countless chevaux de frise, caltrops, and ghost arrows were laid. Half of the artillery in the position had been secretly withdrawn at this time.

Trenches were also dug in the passages between the trench positions. At night, the wooden boards on the trenches would be removed, and there would be chevaux de frise blocking the intersections. It was also not easy for the Ming army to break through quickly.

Soon, as the vanguard attacked, several torches were thrown out in panic from behind the earthen wall of the Qing army position. The Ming army soldiers rushing in the front were illuminated by the torches, and then there was a burst of sound and light from muskets and artillery fire, and more than a dozen Ming army vanguards were killed.

However, this was nothing to the Ming army that had already launched a full-scale raid. In many places where no flames were seen, there was already chaos, and the battlefield was filled with constant noise and screams.

Many Ming soldiers who had rushed to the edge of the earth wall immediately fought back. Following the light of musket fire and the shouting of the Qing army, they threw the mines in their hands and rushed towards the earth wall while shouting. Some of them were holding ladders in their hands.

Before they could rush there, several dazzling balls of light exploded behind the earth wall. If these powerful bombs hit the right spot, one of them could often render more than a dozen Qing soldiers behind the earth wall incapable of combat.

Before Zhao Zhengdong rushed to the edge of the earth wall, he saw several sparks rising into the air on the left side, followed by several loud bangs and explosions. Several dazzling flames flashed behind the earth wall, and then a burst of tragic screams were heard.

At this time, more frequent trumpet sounds were heard behind him. Hundreds of Ming army soldiers shouted in unison and rushed towards the Qing army positions one after another. As long as they broke through a little, the Qing army in the position would be in chaos and would find it difficult to withstand such a surprise attack.

In the swarming army, officers such as Zhao Zhengdong and Gu Defu rushed in front of their soldiers. Trumpets sounded in the Qing army's position at this time. At the same time, explosions and flames were heard continuously on the earth wall, and the sound of flying arrows came in waves.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!!!"

The Qing army was short of manpower and could not withstand such a fierce attack. Most of them had received orders to change guard the next day and were not prepared for the battle at all.

After Zhao Zhengdong led his soldiers into the Qing army's position, he continued to attack the Qing army skirmishers he encountered along the trench. He kept blowing the bamboo whistle to urge his soldiers to continue charging. At the same time, he was also contacting and coordinating with friendly forces not far away to avoid accidents and accidental killings in the chaos.

The Qing army's defensive strength behind the earth wall was very weak at this time. After they attacked and killed more than a hundred Qing soldiers at the earth wall, they did not encounter any strong resistance.

But as they went deeper, the dimly lit environment of the trench positions, the continuous rushing out of the Qing army skirmishers, the banging lead bullets, and the whizzing arrows caused considerable casualties to the Ming army.

Screams and shouts of killing continued to be heard from all around, and the echoing bamboo whistles around became more and more frequent. The soldiers under Zhao Zhengdong's command were scattered up and down the trenches, advancing while keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

Their ranks no longer followed a formation, but there were still some shadows of a military formation. The sword and shield soldiers were on the outside, and the spearmen inserted the spear heads between the shields. From time to time, there were scattered Eight Banners armored soldiers and Baoyi soldiers rushing over, but they would all be quickly killed without exception.

"Puff, puff, puff~~~"

Suddenly, more than a dozen arrows flew out from the darkness on the right side and hit the shields of the front row of the Ming army. Then, more than a dozen Eight Banners soldiers leaped out, followed by more than twenty Baoyi soldiers. Flying axes and short swords cut through the darkness and whistled towards them. Several screams were heard in the ranks of the Ming army.

Seeing this, Gudefu not only had no intention of retreating, but he seemed to be energized and immediately ordered his men to attack directly in the direction of the arrows.

The Ming army soldiers in the army were not afraid at all. They had been searching all the way, waiting for the Qing army to show up. Now that they saw the enemy, they all breathed a sigh of relief and followed the howling team to rush forward and fight.

The figures of those dozens of black shadows became more and more obvious. After a rapid sound of armor plates rubbing and vibrating, the soldiers of the two armies, who had already been nervous to the extreme, suddenly burst into earth-shaking shouts of killing in the trenches.

The Ming army soldiers held their spears horizontally and thrust continuously. The sword and shield soldiers were even more swift, charging forward with their waists bent, or charging against their shields with their bodies. The bang bang sounds even covered up the screams.

Gu Defu bent down and, under the cover of the sword and shield soldiers, quickly threw out the short axe hanging on his waist belt. The armored soldiers behind him did the same. More than 20 flying axes whizzed past his head and hit several Qing armored soldiers in front of him.

Then, he blew the bamboo whistle and issued three rapid charge orders, then rushed forward with a roar. The other members of the team also shouted in unison and rushed towards the dark shadow opposite. Long spears and blades quickly broke through the darkness and pierced out like the wind.

However, the Qing army on the opposite side showed no sign of weakness. They rushed forward with howls, and their courage was no less than that of Gu Defu's side. The two sides fought together in an instant, and a rain of blood was brought up by swords and guns, and screams were heard everywhere.

The dozens of black shadows were completely powerless to stop such a fierce enemy. Moreover, the Ming army, which had heard the noise, soon appeared behind them and rushed over. However, the surrounding Eight Banners soldiers were also attracted over.

Although the Qing army was beginning to fear the Ming army because of the defeat and the morale was unstable due to the impending withdrawal, they still dared to fight, especially those veterans who had experienced hundreds of battles and defeated the Ming army countless times.

There was no formation on the battlefield at this time. The two sides quickly evolved from a relatively clear-cut confrontation to a melee. Soldiers kept breaking into the opponent's formation, causing greater chaos. One after another, soldiers vomited blood and fell heavily into the muddy trenches.

“Beep, beep, beep~~~”

Zhao Zhengdong quickly came to support, blowing a bamboo whistle for help while continuing to charge. However, the constant sound of the whistle also attracted many Qing soldiers to attack him. The cover and fighting of the surrounding soldiers prevented him from being attacked by the Qing army.

Countless long and short weapons attacked each other, and soldiers were constantly killed, screaming and falling down. However, the fierce battle made no one bother to check whether the fallen enemies were dead or not, and they immediately joined the melee.

"Kill all the Tartars, kill all the Tartars, kill!"

Gu Defu shouted as he fought with a Qing army spearman. After some probing, they both knew that the other was experienced and skilled in combat, and was not an opponent that could be easily defeated. They immediately began to test each other cautiously, trying to seize the opponent's flaws and launch a fatal blow.

Gu Defu leaned sideways, deliberately revealing a flaw. The Eight Banners soldier was fooled and attacked immediately, but as the spear stabbed out, he also revealed a flaw.

Gu Defu immediately killed the enemy with the lance in his hand. The lance tip pierced through the gap in the armor of the Eight Banners soldier. When it was pulled out, it brought up a rain of blood and a shrill wail.

But at this moment, a Qing army sword and shield soldier suddenly appeared behind him, and rushed towards him at the sound of a whistle. He caught a glimpse of it with his side eyes and instinctively dodged to the side. At the same time, another armored soldier beside him skillfully thrust out his spear, the sharp tip of the spear piercing the Qing soldier's chest.

On the battlefield, life and death are at stake in a flash. The Qing soldier was so flustered that his steps became disordered. Before he could adjust himself, the sharp tip of the flagpole was pierced through his chest. He dropped the weapon in pain, grabbed the tip of the spear, and spat out bright red blood from his mouth.

But the spearman was soon stabbed in the thigh by a Qing soldier who suddenly rushed out. He screamed and fell to his knees, splashing a cloud of mud. Gu Defu ignored the mud and blood that splashed on his body and stabbed the Qing soldier with the sharp tip of his spear. The strong and tall Qing soldier soon fell to the ground. Under the attack of the Ming army's superior forces, the Qing army gradually lost its support. The Ming army's offensive became more and more rapid and fierce. The Qing troops were quickly defeated. Gu Defu led his team to continue to fight and charge, like an erupting beast, frantically attacking all the Qing soldiers around him, while blowing the whistle vigorously.

“Beep, beep, beep~~~”
.
On the city wall of Hongwu Gate, Zhu Cilang, who was still watching the battle on the front line, quickly received the military information sent back from the battlefield. He had a slightly surprised expression on his face, and then he looked towards the battlefield in front where a fierce battle was going on under the cover of night.

The Qing army was defeated so quickly, which was completely beyond his expectations. The Eight Banners soldiers who should have fought bravely retreated much faster than he had imagined. Even Chen Fu, who was commanding the night attack tonight, suspected that this might be a trap set by the Qing army.

After all, the small-scale harassment in the previous few days did not detect any signs of a large-scale withdrawal of the Qing army.

However, Zhu Cilang was very clear that this was most likely because the previous harassment was not strong enough, and the Qing troops behind the earth wall were retreating one after another, and the remaining troops were enough to deal with such harassment.

Many times, the military intelligence transmitted back from the battlefield is deceptive, which puts a great test on the commander's judgment. If the same military report is given to ten different commanders, they may make seven or eight different decisions, or even more.

Chang Denggui, Hu Maozhen and others, who heard the battle reports from the front line, also became agitated and wanted to go to war. The victories in recent days had greatly boosted their confidence, and they were all waiting for Zhu Cilang to speak.

But Zhu Cilang is not just a general. He obviously has more things to consider. The Battle of Fengyang has been fought until now, and so many results have been achieved. Victory is at hand, and now is not the time for any accidents.

In fact, he also wanted to seize this opportunity to further expand the results of the battle and deal a heavy blow to the main force of the Qing army that was marching south.

After all, this night attack was inherently risky - Zhu Cilang did not have the strength to guarantee victory against the main force of the Qing army, and every action was like walking on a tightrope, full of dangers.

If the Palace Army and the Beijing Camp were 70% or 80% stronger, Zhu Cilang's decision-making could certainly be bolder, but the current situation is not so good. He needs to consider more, not only preserving his strength, but also the future anti-Qing situation and internal balance.
After this night attack, Duoduo will not only suffer heavy losses in soldiers and weapons, but the morale of his army will also be much lower than before. He will definitely speed up his withdrawal, which is also one of Zhu Cilang's strategic goals.

In other words, compared to the outcome of this night attack, Zhu Cilang was more concerned about things outside the battlefield. As the monarch of the Ming Dynasty, responsible for the people and the country, he had to be cautious and make a trade-off between risks and benefits.

"Chang Denggui, do you think this could be an ambush set by Duoduo, waiting for us to send troops?"

"Your Majesty, I think it's unlikely." Chang Denggui clasped his hands together and pointed in the direction of the Qing army camp.

"If the Qing army were to move out, there should be fires outside the camp by now. The trenches dug by the Qing army are not suitable for large-scale military operations. As long as we don't attack deeply, even if Duoduo is well prepared, he won't be able to do anything to us."

"If, like before, the Qing army is ambushed outside the trench position," Zhu Cilang was still a little worried. "In that case, the Qing army will move very quickly. Now there is chaos everywhere. It will not be so easy to withdraw the troops then."

"That's unlikely. The bomb craters around the perimeter are mostly filled with water, so no one can hide there. Besides, the Qing army wouldn't set up an ambush like this every night, and they certainly wouldn't guess we'd launch our first large-scale night raid tonight. The Tartars are human too, and they wouldn't be able to withstand such a torment."

Chang Denggui shook his head and then continued:

"If they had been lying in ambush for several nights, the Tartars' retreat would have been delayed. However, from what we've observed over the past few days, the Tartars have indeed retreated northward, even moving a large amount of baggage."

"Your Majesty, I also feel that Duoduo is not prepared for an ambush, and the Qing army has long lost the arrogance it had when it just besieged the city." Hu Maozhen also spoke.

"Just in case!" Zhu Cilang frowned.

At this moment, both Lin Changfeng and Tian Xiong sent people to report back the latest military information. The Qing army was also quickly defeated. The number of troops left in the trenches was far less than usual. Even most of the firearms and supplies in the trenches had been withdrawn.

When Zhu Cilang heard this military intelligence, he became even more hesitant. This made him feel that the matter was increasingly suspicious. However, what Chang Denggui said was not wrong, and Hu Maozhen's analysis also made sense. This was indeed a rare opportunity.

However, just when he was still worried and hesitant, Chang Denggui noticed something unusual in the Qing army camp:

"Your Majesty, look, the Qing army camp has begun to move."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang immediately turned his head and saw signs that the Qing army camps in the south and east were sending out large groups of troops. There had indeed been chaos in the Qing army camp just now, but it was far from this.

"Chang Denggui, lead the cavalry immediately, focusing on the west. The Qing army's retreat route is there, and their deployment must be the most rigorous. Hu Maozhen, lead your troops to support the east and expand the offensive."

Chang Denggui and Hu Maozhen received the order and immediately led their troops to attack. As they took away the last two reserve troops of cavalry and infantry, only the local garrison soldiers were left on the city wall besides the hundreds of imperial camps.

Once these soldiers leave the army, they basically have no ability to fight in the field even on the plains, let alone in the more complex environment of trenches.

At the same time, the Qing army camp was already in chaos. The Qing army was busy retreating northward and had not expected that the Ming army would suddenly increase its offensive.

In the pitch-black night, in the howling north wind, shouts, horns, the sound of armor plates rubbing against each other, as well as the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps all mixed together. The burning fires and torches held by the soldiers everywhere illuminated most of the camp.

Kong Youde's artillery position was located behind the trench, which was quite far away, and the Ming army's night attack could hardly reach him, but it was dark and he could not provide artillery support.

Of course, Kong Youde was already panicking when he saw that the Ming army had launched another large-scale night attack. He still remembered clearly that the last time the Ming army launched a night attack, the well-prepared Eight Banners soldiers fled in panic, and he was still frightened. What's more, this time, the defenses in the trenches were already empty.

However, there was nothing he could do at this moment except organize his troops to be on alert and ready for battle, just in case. These artillery pieces were his life, and they were also one of the most important supplies that Duoduo was going to evacuate. If they were lost, he could not afford it.

At this time, Duoduo was also organizing troops to counterattack. He had received countless military reports from the front line. A large number of soldiers encountered the fierce attack of the Ming army and actually retreated directly, and could not be stopped.

Under the repeated harassment of the Ming army, the Eight Banners soldiers became more and more afraid of fighting. Many soldiers and officers now only wanted to withdraw to the north. Duoduo felt very helpless about this.

The north wind howled past, and the fire in the trench position caused by the chaotic battle grew bigger and bigger. Soon, several more horses returned to the camp and reported the latest military information on the battlefield.

The military information reported back by Tangma of the Qing army was as confusing as that of the Ming army. The actual battlefield situation still needed to be carefully judged by Duoduo and a group of generals.

This made the situation even more serious. After the Ming army's successful night attack, the Qing army greatly strengthened the trench positions outside Fengyang City, and even further expanded the depth of the trench positions. A number of bunkers were built in them for soldiers to rest and store ammunition and supplies.

This certainly enhanced the defensive capabilities of the position, but as the Qing army gradually withdrew from the trenches, the huge fortifications made it difficult for the Qing army to counterattack.

With a "bang" sound, Duoduo hit the wooden board of the long table in the middle of the tent hard and roared:
"We must repel this night attack by the Ming army, otherwise the subsequent withdrawal will incur even greater losses."

The most difficult part of retreating an army of nearly 100,000 is the excessive baggage. They cannot easily abandon everything, otherwise the withdrawal will turn into a total rout. Duoduo still needs to buy more time.

This time, although Bolo and Tulai were worried about the situation and were personally in the front line and were not in the central army camp, everyone agreed with Duoduo's decision and immediately led their troops to carry it out and quickly attacked.

The fierce fighting continued, and military reports were constantly transmitted through Tangma to the hands of the commanders of the two armies. At the same time, orders to attack were issued one after another.

In the trench position, the Ming army attacked swiftly and the Qing army was defeated repeatedly, but the latter did not try to occupy the entire trench position. After attacking for most of the time, they began to clean up the battlefield, especially burning and destroying the pits, bunkers and artillery in the position that the Qing army used as residences.

However, even so, this night attack was the most fierce offensive launched by the Ming army after the Qing army sent additional troops and strengthened its positions. The remaining Qing army was almost completely discouraged, and most of them directly withdrew from the trench positions.

By the time the Qing army launched a full-scale attack, the Ming army, which had succeeded in the surprise attack, had already retreated one after another. Even the cavalry led by Chang Denggui was no exception. What Zhu Cilang wanted was to launch multiple attacks to gradually destroy the morale of the Qing army.

In the trench positions outside Fengyang City, a large number of tents and bunkers supported by wood were set on fire, and flames were everywhere. At the same time, due to the influence of the north wind, the fire showed signs of spreading further, blocking many places that were originally passable. A large number of Qing troops were stuck on the periphery and could not be dispatched in a short time.

(End of this chapter)