Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 131 Emperor Ming is coming
On the west bank of the Xiangjiang River, a tall city has been erected to the north of Yuelu Mountain. The city is full of newly built workshops and warehouses. Most of the food, cotton, clothing, iron and timber transported from all over Hunan are stored in it. Countless recruited craftsmen are now working hard to build military equipment.

When Du Yinxi was inspecting the artillery workshop in the new city, he received an imperial edict sent by Zhu Cilang on horseback over an 800-li express route. He then instructed his entourage to summon Qin Yiming, who had recently been promoted to the commander-in-chief of Hunan, to the government office, and at the same time accelerated the pace of the inspection.

Like northern Hunan and northern Jiangxi, they are both core defensive positions in the middle section of the Yangtze River defense line. Yuezhou is the front line. Once the Qing army moves south, it will be the first to bear the brunt of the attack. It is not suitable for stockpiling supplies. Therefore, Du Yinxi chose to build Changsha into a transit station for Huguang's anti-Qing resistance.

Zhu Cilang's positioning of Changsha was not only to supply military supplies to the Huguang battlefield, but also to provide logistical support to the battlefields in southern and eastern Sichuan.

In his plan, after the Ming Dynasty pacified the rebel army and the remaining Western Army, Huguang would become the most important material supply base for the two.

Therefore, most of the food and military supplies collected from the Guangdong and Guangxi regions were transported directly to Changsha, except for those transported north to Nanjing to meet the needs of the Ming court. Jiangxi was only able to supply the Zuozhen Army and a few battalions, and was still self-sufficient.

The area is protected by rivers and mountains, which can effectively prevent the Qing army's reconnaissance. Du Yinxi trained troops and stored strategic materials here, and the Qing army was basically unable to detect accurate information. This was very important for Zhu Cilang to hide his strength in Hunan and plan a counterattack in the future.

At this time, Du Yinxi had been in charge of Hunan for nearly a year, and Changsha, a vital strategic hub, had regained its vitality under his construction.

Since he took office as the governor of Huguang last year, he has organized various departments and offices to recruit a large number of civilians from southern and western Hunan to enter the city to fill the manpower gap in central Hunan caused by the long-term war.

Changsha has a very advantageous geographical location. It was originally the water and land transportation hub of Hunan. At the same time, the Xiangjiang Plain has fertile land. Although many fertile fields have been abandoned due to years of war, it is not difficult to reclaim them.

Nowadays, inside and outside the main city of Changsha, there are laborers working everywhere. The river is covered with masts like a forest, and large ships are entering and leaving the dock. The ships docked at the shore are discharging large quantities of cargo. Simple pulleys play a huge role, increasing the efficiency of loading and unloading cargo by several times.

This was one of the small innovations brought by Zhu Cilang, but it brought great shock to everyone who saw it. When Du Yinxi saw it for the first time, he was also deeply moved.

However, after these goods are unloaded from large transport ships, they often need to be transported by small flat-bottomed boats through the Xiangjiang River tributaries to warehouses in the new city.

On the plain northeast of the main city, countless soldiers were training intensively, with the sounds of war drums, bugles, horse hooves, and shouts rising and falling one after another.

After Du Yinxi had inspected the weapons workshops and cotton clothing workshops in advance, he quickly led dozens of personal guards out of the city on horseback. The group rode on their horses and galloped along the newly built official road.

On the official road, countless teams of laborers were carrying things on their shoulders and pulling things with their hands, walking in a staggered manner. In the river beside the official road, hundreds of flat-bottomed boats were being towed by trackers, coming and going continuously. The closer to the new city, the more trackers there were.

Not long after, Du Yinxi returned to the main city of Changsha. Qin Yiming had been waiting for a long time. He quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and asked:
"Futai, does His Majesty have a new decree?"

Du Yinxi nodded, then bowed and clasped his hands towards the east where Zhu Cilang was standing.
"Your Majesty will arrive in Changsha in three days, and General Wu will soon return with some troops. During this time, you must closely monitor the movements of the rebel forces in Pingjiang and Liuyang. There must be no accidents."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yiming immediately understood that Du Yinxi was going to set off early to Jingzhou to meet Li Jin and Gao Yigong of the Chuang Army. Du Yinxi had already planned this, and now that he was taking action ahead of schedule, it was most likely an instruction from His Majesty. He then asked:

"Your Majesty, do you have any further instructions?"

"If the rebels from Pingjiang and Liuyang disobey our advice and gather north without authorization, we can unite with Hao Yaoqi and Wang Jincai to stop them. However, we cannot fully trust these two forces and must use them with caution."

Du Yinxi paused, then whispered:
"In addition, Your Majesty will enter Changsha from Liling. The movements of the rebel army stationed in Liuyang require special attention. We should send out scouts and detectives in advance to keep watch, and also station patrol boats in the Liuyang River.

This time, His Majesty is personally leading an army of 50,000 from northern Jiangxi, crossing mountains and rivers to support us. You also need to pay attention to the supply of food and grass, as well as the deployment of the support.

If my arrangements differ from the actual military situation, you can discuss with Supervisor Wu and adjust them accordingly. If there are any disagreements, you should follow Supervisor Wu's arrangements."

Qin Yiming has been fighting with his father Qin Bangping and aunt Qin Liangyu since he was a child. He participated in the suppression of the Chongming Rebellion, the third anti-Qing campaign, and the encirclement and suppression of the peasant armies of Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others. He has rich battlefield experience and has defeated powerful enemies many times. He is one of the few military talents in Hunan. Du Yinxi has basically handed over the troops in Changsha and Yuezhou to him for command.

However, Du Yinxi also did not completely trust military men. If there were reliable civil servants, he was still accustomed to handing over the highest power to them.

"How many troops does the governor plan to take to the bandit camp?" Qin Yiming asked again.

He was not surprised by Du Yinxi's assignment and the fact that he had to obey Wu Jinxi's orders. Du Yinxi had already planned to go to the Chuangjun camp to persuade Li Jin, but he had never determined the time.

"A few dozen cavalrymen are enough. The rebel army currently doesn't seem hostile. If I bring too many people, it would appear to be insincere."

"Governor, those are bandits after all. They bully the weak and act according to the situation. I am worried that they will have evil intentions." Qin Yiming clasped his hands together and advised solemnly:
"I've participated in the Central Plains encirclement and suppression campaign before, and I've dealt with the rebels myself. Among all the bandits, they were the most difficult to deal with, and they surrendered the least. Li Jin and Gao Yigong are both seasoned thieves, full of cunning schemes."

"I understand." Du Yinxi sighed. He was actually not sure whether Li Jin and Gao Yigong would put him under house arrest. After all, they were all traitors.

"I'm going to say something I shouldn't say."

Qin Yiming thought about it, and seemed to have made a considerable decision. In the end, he advised:

"Before, the Qing army was pressing forward, Yuezhou was in danger, and Hunan really had no troops to send, so we were unable to encircle and suppress those bandits. But now that His Majesty is personally leading reinforcements into Hunan, Hao Yaoqi, and Wang Jincai is willing to accept the surrender, why don't we first destroy Tian Jianxiu and his troops, and then surprise attack Li Jin and Gao Yigong, then we will surely accomplish great things.

The Tian and Li factions actually rely on each other. As long as we can eliminate one of them, the other might accept the offer. The Governor-General must show no mercy to these bandits!"

But after hearing this, Du Yinxi still shook his head and said:
"Now, the country is newly established, with such elite soldiers and generals, and they have a deep blood feud with the Qing army. We cannot suppress them, otherwise we will surely force the righteous men to surrender to the Qing, which will be a great harm to the country."

"Can"

"No more words!"

Du Yinxi raised his hand to stop Qin Yiming. The other party still did not understand the current serious situation, and did not understand how many troops were needed to stabilize the Yangtze River defense line. If they could not subdue this rebel army and quickly build a strong army, once the Qing army broke into Hunan with its main force, the situation would be out of control. Then he said resolutely:

"If this thing succeeds, it will be a blessing for the country. If it fails, it will only be the end of my life. If it benefits the country, I will do it!"
.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

"Crack, snap, snap"

To the west of Jingzhou City, beams of whistling stone bullets hit the bricks and stones of the city wall. Many of them were directly embedded in the craters left by previous artillery shells. Dirt flowers appeared on the city wall, and broken stones fell on the surrounding moat, making a sound like bricks and stones collapsing.

On the ground at the base of the wall, fallen stone bullets and soil were piled up layer by layer. Every time the Shun army bombarded, the ground and the wall would vibrate together, and broken stones would continue to fall from the newly repaired earth wall.

On the smoke-filled artillery position of the Shun army, more than 20 large general cannons immediately began to prepare for a new round of salvos. The gunners began to clean the barrels. The wet cotton cloth was quickly heated in the hot barrels, and a hissing sound of water vapor evaporating continuously appeared.

As soon as the cleaning was completed, another gunner quickly filled a shovel of new gunpowder, and then the soldier who had just cleaned the barrel loaded the stone shells into the muzzle, and then skillfully compacted the shells with the thick wool stick.

Before the Shun army was established, they had almost no large-scale use of artillery due to their constant wandering. Even well-made muskets were a minority. Most of the so-called musketeers still used fire guns, or even three-barreled guns.

However, during the short period of the founding of the country, the Shun army absorbed a large number of Ming troops from the Central Plains and the Shaanxi-Gansu border troops. Although the artillery was not strong, it was still in good shape.

However, such strength is far from enough to attack Jingzhou City. Li Guo and Gao Yigong tried their best, but Jingzhou City was still not damaged.

At the artillery position, after the artillerymen finished loading the ammunition, several artillerymen quickly adjusted the angle and position of the artillery. They had already made preparations and only waited for the commanding officer to ignite and fire.

But at this time, a team of armored soldiers suddenly came forward. The two soldiers in front of them were holding shields in their hands and guarding the front. They walked all the way to the edge of the moat of Jingzhou City before stopping.

Looking at the soldiers coming forward, Li Guo nodded with satisfaction to Li Laiheng. Li Laiheng had already led his troops from the camp in Songzi to support them yesterday and offered a strategy to persuade them to surrender.

After more than ten days of siege, Li Guo, Gao Yigong, and a number of generals in the army gradually lost confidence in capturing Jingzhou City.

At first, Li Guo wanted to lure the Qing army out of the city and set up an ambush, but in the end, he failed to achieve his goal. In the previous offensive, the Shun army suffered heavy losses and repeated setbacks, which greatly affected his prestige.

In the original history, Li Guo, as the nephew of Li Zicheng and with the support of Gao Guiying, still failed to integrate the remaining Shun army. Even after the Shun army from the east and west joined forces, there were two major exoduses. This was due to his own lack of initiative and the constraints of the Ming court system after he accepted the amnesty.

But the most crucial thing is that he was never able to win a great victory, which would have convinced the Shun army, which was not originally under his command, and made them willing to follow him.

After all, if a military commander can't even win a battle, everyone except those who have been following him for years will gradually distance themselves from him. This is a matter of life and death, and no one wants to entrust their life to a defeated general!
In this era, it was not easy to capture a fortified city without internal support and heavy artillery. Field warfare also required war horses and armor, which the Shun army also lacked at the time.

In other words, without logistical support and replenishment of supplies, Li Guo would not have been able to achieve the same results as before in northern Shaanxi.

At this time in Jingzhou City, Zheng Siwei could no longer sit still facing the siege of tens of thousands of Shun troops. Within just a few days, he sent Tangma to ask for help from Tong Yanghe in Wuchang City three times.

However, Tong Yanghe had to guard against the Ming army from both Yuezhou and Jiujiang in Wuchang at the same time, and Wang Tizhong's troops were also distributed in Wuchang, De'an, Huangzhou, and Xiangyang, and could not be assembled in a short period of time.

Of course, this is the public statement. In reality, Wang Tizhong did not dare to fight Li Guo in the field. He was well aware of the opponent's strength, and he definitely could not defeat him with his limited troops.

Anyway, Jingzhou was Zheng Siwei's defense zone. Even if it was lost, at most it would be blamed on Tong Yanghe. It had little to do with him. Even if Zheng Siwei died in battle, it would be beneficial to him.

As a result, Zheng Siwei's three requests for help fell on deaf ears and did not cause any ripples. Tong Yanghe always asked him to hold on a little longer, saying that reinforcements would be here soon.

Li Guo was not aware of all this, and he had no intention of giving up yet. If the artillery bombardment failed, he would dig tunnels and use ant-like methods to attack the city.

Before that, he had to carry out a final round of disintegration against the traitor Zheng Siwei and the defenders in the city to ensure that the resistance was not so fierce.

The defenders in the city were previously Shun troops, and there were even soldiers from the old camp who stayed in Huguang. Even if Li Guo broke into the city, the people he really wanted to kill were only Zheng Siwei and his confidants.

"Brothers in Jingzhou City, don't fire, don't fire. I'm also from the old camp. Don't be impulsive. Listen to me first."

A nervous voice came from behind the shield. The middle-aged officer hiding behind it looked quite nervous. At such a close distance, if a cannon was fired from the top of the city wall, the shield would not be able to block it.

"We are all Han Chinese. There's no need to fight to the death. Previously, we were forced to surrender to the Qing because of the situation, which was understandable. But now that the Marquis has returned, you don't have to be afraid of that ballless coward Zheng Siwei anymore."

There were shouts from the front, but what followed was still the Qing army's artillery fire. However, the artillery of that era was not accurate. The Qing army on the top of the city fired two rounds, but did not kill or injure a single person until the Shun army retreated three miles away.

Li Guo looked at the situation in front of him with a frown. Although he planned to attack at all costs, it was only the last resort and he didn't want to use it unless he had no other choice.

The Shun army artillery positions outside the city soon began to bombard again. Li Guo listened to the rumbling sound of the artillery and sighed in his heart. Li Laiheng watched from the side and didn't know what to say.

However, just when the new round of shelling ended, Gao Yigong suddenly rode his horse to the front of the formation, looking quite anxious. He went straight to Li Guo and handed him a newspaper.

Li Guo took it and looked at it, his eyes widened, and the emotions of surprise and sadness kept changing on his face, and he seemed to be stunned.

This report was sent by Tian Jianxiu and Gao Guiying. It only mentioned three things. The first was that Li Zicheng died in Jiugong Mountain, the second was that they would soon find an opportunity to move the army north, and the third was that Emperor Ming would soon come to Changsha.

Gao Yigong saw this and waved his hand, signaling Li Laiheng to clear out all the soldiers around him. This news must not be spread out now, otherwise the morale of the army will definitely be greatly affected.
"Your Majesty, it's impossible for you to just do this." Li Guo still couldn't believe it and choked up for a moment, but then he suppressed his sadness and said angrily:

"Tian Jianxiu, Zhang Nai, these incompetent officials, commanding a large army, couldn't even protect His Majesty. They deserve to be executed!"

Gao Yigong had the same reaction when he first saw the newspaper, but he had calmed down and knew that now was not the time to be sad. Gao Guiying was still in Changsha, and Emperor Ming was about to come again. The situation was very critical.

"In addition to these three things, Du Yinxi will be here soon. Before receiving the Queen's secret order, Du Yinxi's messenger delivered the news."

"Du Yinxi wants to recruit us before Emperor Ming does?"

Upon hearing this, Li Guo quickly calmed down. After all, he was used to seeing life and death. After Du Yinxi had told him many times before, he was actually mentally prepared for Li Zicheng's death.

"This old fellow must be crazy about making a contribution. Does he really dare to come?"

"A provincial governor naturally needs 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers and horses to escort him," Gao Yigong said, frowning. "He won't dare to risk his life until we truly accept the offer."

"This is a good opportunity." Li Guo suddenly thought of something and said in surprise:
"If Du Yinxi leads a large army, Yueyang's defense will be vulnerable. Then it will be much easier for the Queen and Tian Jianxiu to lead the troops north."

"But" Gao Yigong hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question that Li Guo had never dared to answer directly. He knew that Gao Guiying was not the kind of person who could get attention.

"I'm afraid the Queen won't interfere in government affairs. We will have to decide for ourselves whether to continue resisting the Qing or Ming, or accept the amnesty."

"."

Li Guo was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and ultimately did not give a direct answer. The news that Li Zicheng had actually passed away was a huge shock to him.

At this time, not only Li Guo, but all the generals of the Western Route Army were also confused, as if they could not find a way out at all.

They had more or less heard the news of Li Zicheng's death from Du Yinxi and Zheng Siwei. Although they did not believe it, they were suspicious.

Over the past year, Dashun suffered defeat after defeat. From vying for the throne, being granted titles of nobility and appointed as prime minister, it all happened in less than a year before it became a bandit again. Many people still cannot believe it. Their ambitions have suffered an unprecedented blow.

During this process, neither Li Guo nor Gao Yigong could make a quick decision. The current situation of the Shun army also made it difficult for them to make a decision easily, just like Tian Jianxiu.

In fact, Li Guo still has at least 20,000 to 30,000 strong troops, and Tian Jianxiu's current strength is not even as good as Hao Yaoqi's, which is simply terrible.

"In any case, this matter has to wait until the Queen arrives before we can discuss it." Li Guo finally chose to delay. This sudden news made his brain temporarily lose the ability to make decisions.

"What about Emperor Ming?"

"Wait for him to come and see what tricks he can come up with!"
.
"It seems that Du Yinxi did not lie to us. Emperor Ming will arrive in Changsha soon!" Tian Jianxiu said with a gloomy face as he looked at the report sent back by the scouts under Zhang Nai.

"Not only that, there are thousands of cavalrymen escorting the Ming Emperor alone. The Ming army in Changsha City has also taken action, with at least tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. In addition, the actions of Hao Yaoqi and Wang Jincai have been somewhat secretive in recent days. The Ming army's envoys have been in and out many times. They may have been bribed." Zhang Nai then said.

"Wu Jinxi has also started to act." Tian Jianxiu sighed, and finally said quietly: "I'm afraid we have to prepare for the worst!"

"My Lord, are you saying that Emperor Ming is going to attack us?" Zhang Nai was a little surprised, but then he asked doubtfully, "Just relying on the thousand-odd cavalrymen he brought with him and the 10,000 or 20,000-strong battalion from Changsha?"

"There are still tens of thousands of troops under Zuo Liangyu in northern Jiangxi. They were able to stop Ajige before, perhaps because they received supplies and equipment, otherwise it would have been impossible."

Tian Jianxiu couldn't help but tremble in his heart when he recalled the disastrous defeat at Wuchang City, but his face remained calm as he analyzed:
"It's impossible that the Ming Emperor only brought that few troops with him on this westward march. He should have brought all of Zuo Zhen's tens of thousands of troops. The Ming Emperor actually traveled all the way from Nanjing to northern Jiangxi, personally led the army, and then went to Changsha. This kind of perseverance alone is definitely not easy to deal with.

We must head north as quickly as possible, cross the river and join Li Guo and Gao Yigong. Otherwise, once Emperor Ming's army enters Changsha, we won't be able to escape even if we want to!"

Tian Jianxiu was very hesitant about whether to accept Du Yinxi's enticement. After Li Zicheng's death, the army was leaderless, and what to do next became a question that could never be decided.

Du Yinxi was not a good guy either. It was true that he generously supplied food and fodder to the Shun army, but he had been pressing forward step by step recently, especially mobilizing troops and showing a tough attitude.

But what Tian Jianxiu didn't know was that Li Guo and Gao Yigong were also thinking of waiting for Gao Guiying and Tian Jianxiu to go north, and then form an overwhelming opinion so that the generals of each camp would obey.

They did not know that Tian Jianxiu had lost his military power at this time, and thought that he and Gao Guiying had taken control of the eastern army after Li Zicheng's death.

The same was true for Tian Jianxiu. He wanted Li Guo and Gao Yigong to make the decision, and then he would rely on their strength to integrate the eastern army and at least maintain his position.

"Zhang Nai, immediately go gather Yuan Zongdi, Liu Fangliang, Liu Tichun, Wu Ruyi, Hao Yaoqi, Wang Jincai, and Niu Wancai, and bring them to the Queen's camp. Tell them you have something important to discuss."

(End of this chapter)