Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 140: Reputation Defeats Strong Enemies
In Wuchang City, inside the governor's office, Tong Yanghe sat in the hall with a solemn expression, holding the newspaper sent by Dorgon from Beijing in his hand, and remained silent for a long time.

"Sir, tell me...what exactly does this regent mean?" Wang Tizhong was the first to break the silence in the hall, his tone filled with deep uneasiness.

"Reinforcements, are the reinforcements really coming?"

Tong Yanghe had a stern face. After sending away everyone except Wang Tizhong, he threw the newspaper on the table and snorted coldly:

"What else could it mean? It's just asking us to defend Wuchang to the death! Reinforcements? Oh, I'm afraid we won't even see them until we die!"

The content of the report was very simple. Dorgon asked them to withdraw their troops and defend Wuchang, Xiangyang and Jingzhou when necessary, and then wait for reinforcements from the north to come south.

But Tong Yanghe and Wang Tizhong both knew very well that after the Battle of Northern Jiangxi and the Battle of Fengyang, the Ming army was unstoppable and the Qing army retreated northward. Where could they find reinforcements near Huguang that were capable of fighting?
"When Zheng Siwei and Li Qifeng were besieged by the Ming army in Jingzhou, we also asked them to defend the city and wait for reinforcements..." Wang Tizhong said, and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
"I never thought, I never thought, that now the situation has changed and it's our turn."

"Eh," Tong Yanghe said, shaking his head and frowning, "If I had known this would happen, I should have let them break out earlier. That way, we could at least gather more troops and defend Wuchang!"

A few days ago, they had received news that Jingzhou City had been breached by the Ming army, and Zheng Siwei and Li Qifeng had failed to break out and were both captured and eventually died at the hands of the Ming army.

This caused the entire Huguang Qing army to fall into panic. They had not expected that the originally weak Huguang Ming army would suddenly burst out with such a powerful force and recover a large area of ​​lost territory in just a few dozen days.

Now, whenever they heard any news about the Ming army, they would be on edge. Tong Yanghe even sent out several batches of Tangma just to find out whether Zhu Cilang was really in the army and whether he really led the army to attack Wuchang.

Zhu Cilang commanded a series of battles in Jiangbei, especially during the Battle of Fengyang, where he repeatedly defeated the main forces of the Eight Banners under Duoduo. The impact of these military victories outside the battlefield was growing with the passage of time.

Now, the image of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty as invincible in all battles spread rapidly as the news that he had personally led the army for only half a month and subdued 400,000 rebels and captured the important military town of Jingzhou Prefecture spread rapidly.

At this time, the Qing troops in Wuchang City and even the entire Huguang area were all terrified when they heard Zhu Cilang's name and mentioned the dragon flag. No one dared to underestimate the young emperor of the Ming Dynasty anymore.

Zhu Cilang didn't even know that if he had not chosen to stay in Jingzhou this time and let Li Guo, Tian Jianxiu and others to gain military achievements, the entire Chengtian Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, and even De'an Prefecture might have been recaptured in one fell swoop.

However, if that were the case, there would be many things he would not be able to do when rewarding people based on their merits in the future, and it might even cause dissatisfaction among other generals under his command who had also made contributions.

After all, the generals of the Chuang Army were originally rebels of the Ming Dynasty. Although they have now become subjects of the Ming Dynasty, if you really think about it, their active acceptance of the amnesty and the capture of Jingzhou City only offset their merits and demerits.

Just when the two were worried and complaining about the situation but didn't know what to do, a horseman delivering military reports suddenly ran in hurriedly from outside the yamen.

"Report! Sir, the Ming army has marched out from Jingling and Qianjiang and has already conquered Hanchuan and other places. They are now gathering troops and are very likely advancing towards Hanyang Prefecture!"

"What?" Tong Yanghe and Wang Tizhong's faces changed drastically when they heard this.

If Hanyang was also captured by the Ming army, Wuchang would become an isolated city. At that time, the Ming army in northern Jiangxi would definitely go up the river and attack Wuchang together with the Ming army in Hanyang and Yuezhou.

"Sir, Hanyang City is in ruins. Even if we strengthen the city defenses, I'm afraid it won't be enough to withstand the enemy!" Wang Tizhong didn't expect the Ming army to be so strong. He immediately bowed to Tong Yanghe and said:

"We are currently short on manpower. Hanyang City has gathered a number of defeated soldiers from Chengtian Prefecture. It would be better to train them well and bring them to Wuchang City to aid in the battle."

"But these defeated soldiers..." Tong Yanghe was at a loss and didn't know what to do.

In fact, he initially hoped that Dorgon would send a large army south as soon as possible to repel the Ming army's counterattack, but now it seems that Dorgon may not send troops to reinforce in time.

"Sir, the Ming army is powerful and our army can hardly resist. Please make a decision as soon as possible!" Wang Tizhong spoke again and advised that they must find a way to deal with the Ming army's offensive as soon as possible.

After hearing this, Tong Yanghe suddenly thought of something and said quickly:

"Wang Tizhong, recall Wang Deren and his troops immediately. Puqi and Xianning are of no concern. Concentrate all your troops and defend Wuchang to the death. We may still have a chance of survival."

The last time Wang Deren led his troops to raid Yuezhou, he took away more than 2,000 elite soldiers under Wang Tizhong, and also had nearly 10,000 soldiers from various units. This was the strongest force they had except for the defenders of Wuchang City.

"Yes, my lord!"

Upon receiving the order, Wang Tizhong immediately sent Tang Ma to recall Wang Deren and intensify the deployment of Wuchang's city defense.

At this time, the city of Wuchang was already in a state of panic, and the defenders were even more frightened. Soldiers took turns patrolling the city walls and streets, and tens of thousands of civilians who were captured and forced to do hard labor in the city were working day and night to repair the city defenses.

Soon, after failing to harass Yuezhou, Wang Deren, who retreated to Puqi, led his army hurriedly back to Wuchang City.

He originally wanted to wait for news from Jin Shenghuan, but after hearing the news that Zheng Siwei was beheaded by Emperor Ming, he was frightened and dared not stay any longer, fearing that he would suffer the same fate.

"General Wang, you are finally back!" Tong Yanghe and Wang Tizhong came to the city gate, saw Wang Deren, and immediately went to greet him.

However, after Wang Deren exchanged some pleasantries, his expression became solemn. He looked around and confirmed that the people around him were all Tong Yanghe and Wang Tizhong's trusted servants. Then he said in a deep voice:

"Sir, the Ming army is too strong now. Not to mention the army led by the Ming Emperor himself, the Ming army in Yuezhou is also very powerful. I have led my troops to fight against them several times, but I have never been able to gain an advantage.

The situation is critical now. The Ming army is in high spirits and is about to lay siege to the city, while our army is demoralized. I'm afraid our plan to hold on to Wuchang will be difficult to achieve."

"Then...what should we do?" Tong Yanghe and Wang Tizhong felt a sinking feeling in their hearts after hearing this. They had been waiting for the so-called reinforcements for a long time and were extremely panicked.

Wang Deren was silent for a moment, a trace of struggle and hesitation flashed in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and finally said in a low voice:
"The Ming army is too powerful for our army to resist. Rather than sit and wait for death, why not... why not... march north to defend Xiangyang!"

"No!" Tong Yanghe and Wang Tizhong refused directly upon hearing this.

If they had directly abandoned Wuchang and led their troops north, Wang Deren might not have been in danger of his life and might not even have been severely punished, but the two of them would certainly have died.

At this moment, a horse came running out of the city. Soon, a horseman carrying military reports ran up to the three of them and reported to Tong Yanghe:

"Report, sir, Aljin and Gaodi have led the Qing troops from Shaanxi and Henan to Xiangyang and will soon be heading south to reinforce Wuchang!"

"Aljin?" Tong Yanghe and Wang Tizhong looked at each other, a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

Among the Eight Banners generals, Aljin was considered a brave and skilled general, and had even been praised by Huang Taiji many times. Tong Yanghe was well aware of the enemy's strength, and his arrival was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the defenders of Wuchang.

"Hahaha, Aljin came at the perfect time. We are saved!" Tong Yanghe said excitedly:
"Aljin is a skilled warrior. Gao Di was previously the general commander of Shanhaiguan and is quite capable. As long as they arrive with their elite troops, the Ming army will no longer be as arrogant as it is now, let alone attack everywhere!"

Wang Tizhong was instantly relieved when he heard this, but he still felt very uneasy when he thought that his opponent was Emperor Ming.

After all, Oboi was defeated, and Zhuobutai didn't escape. How many soldiers did Aljin have? Could he stop the Ming Emperor?
However, Wang Tizhong was frightened by the Ming army's fierce offensive!

As Aljin and Gaodi led thousands of elite infantry and cavalry into Xiangyang, Li Guo quickly withdrew his troops to the west and asked Zhu Cilang for help. His troops were too dispersed, and after fighting with the Qing army's vanguard, he did not dare to take the initiative to attack the Qing army again.

As Aljin and Gaodi led their troops into Huguang, the brothers Wang Guangen and Wang Guangtai, who had been watching the situation, immediately sent a large army south to assist in the battle with Xu Qiyuan's permission.

At this time, Yunyang, located to the west of Xiangyang and north of Jingzhou, bordering Henan, Shaanxi, and Sichuan, and enjoying a commanding position, became extremely strategically important.

Although Yunyang Prefecture City was only a small city at that time, due to Lu Xiangsheng's previous governance, its important geographical location, and especially Zhu Cilang's intention to develop Jingzhou into a frontline position to resist the Eight Banners Army, every move of this small prefecture city was involved in the entire war situation.

But Wang Guangen was originally a bandit under Zhang Xianzhong's command. Now, under the deception of Wu Sangui and the appeasement of Ajige, he was highly valued by the Qing court and was appointed as the "General of Xiangyang". He was actually controlled in Yunyang. He and his two brothers were actually hesitant about Zhu Cilang's appeasement.

Xu Qiyuan had previously disagreed with Wang Guangen sending troops to Xiangyang to help, fearing that he might defect. Now that Aljin and Gaodi had arrived with reinforcements, he was finally relieved.

Although Wang Guangen was deceived by Wu Sangui and accidentally surrendered to the Qing, he changed his attitude after seeing the powerful strength of the Qing army. In fact, he would not easily turn sides. What's more, the one who led the troops to the north to attack Xiangyang was Li Guo, who had just arrived, so he was not afraid at all.

At this time, Zhu Cilang had neither captured Xiangyang nor recaptured Wuchang, and was unable to send troops to Yunyang to resolve this sword hanging over his head. You must know that Li Zicheng had established his government in Xiangyang and had repeatedly sent troops to conquer this small city in the 16th and 17th years of Chongzhen. The main reason for his insistence on conquering this small city was to consolidate his base.

As long as he could capture this strategic hub, Li Zicheng would be able to connect several prefectures in western Hubei, northern Hubei, southern Henan, and western Henan, thus building a stable rear base and threatening the three provinces of Shaanxi, Henan, and Sichuan.

However, before Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong had also attacked Yunyang many times, but all failed. Zhu Cilang certainly would not fail to learn from the lesson, especially since Li Guo, Gao Yigong, Tian Jianxiu and others had specially reminded him.

Now, although Gao Doushu has lost his power, Xu Qiyuan and Wang Guangen are still in power. One of them is good at making plans, and the other is brave and good at fighting. They are even honored as "Little King of Qin". Neither of them is easy to deal with. A rash attack on Yunyang will only result in heavy casualties and the loss will outweigh the gain.

In the original history, Xu Qiyuan and Wang Guangen defeated the remnants of the Shun army many times, especially repelling Liu Tichun in Kuidong. Xu Qiyuan was promoted step by step because of this, from the right deputy censor-in-chief of the Censorate to the left censor-in-chief, and in the sixth year of Shunzhi, he was added to the prince's grand tutor.

However, Wang Guangen's original history was much more miserable. Because he was at odds with Pan Shiliang, the Yunyang Fuyuan appointed by the Qing Dynasty, he was falsely accused of being involved in Chen Jiaoyi's anti-Qing activities and was arrested and taken to Beijing.

These are all opportunities that Zhu Cilang can take advantage of in the future, but they require the right opportunity. At this moment, he ultimately chooses a safe tactic.

He knew very well that the Qing army was strong in cavalry and was very good at fighting on the plains, while the Ming army in Huguang could only gain advantages in defensive battles, especially when relying on the dense rivers in the Han River basin for defense, the advantage was more obvious.

Therefore, he decided early on to adopt the strategy of "defense instead of attack", using the natural barrier of the Han River and the recovered cities to build a solid line of defense to block the Qing army's westward advance.

Although the reinforcements led by Aljin and Gaodi were not many, they included three to four thousand elite cavalry and several thousand combat soldiers. If they fought a head-on battle, they could easily defeat the 10,000 to 20,000 Ming troops.

This is why he had previously rejected Du Yinxi's proposal to expand the victory and asked all the troops to strengthen their defense. Otherwise, once the Qing army launched a counterattack, the troops that had been marching forward in triumph would immediately be exposed to loopholes.

In Zhu Cilang's plan, most of the tens of thousands of Ming troops gathered in Huguang at this time would be concentrated in several cities on the west bank of the Han River to form a tight defense system to block the Qing army at each step.

During the stage when Aljin and Gaodi took the initiative to attack, he directly ordered all units to avoid direct confrontation with the Qing army, but to adopt harassment as the main approach. At the same time, he organized local militia to relocate civilians, clear the countryside, and send out cavalry to consume the strength of the Qing army.

In order to better implement this strategy, Zhu Cilang sent the Zuozhen camps to garrison in Nanzhang, Yicheng, Jingmenzhou, and Qianjiang cities to strengthen the defense capabilities of these places.

What he wanted was that the Qing army would be unable to attack the city and its morale would gradually decline. At the same time, the defenders of each city, with sufficient manpower, could still carry out harassment operations, making the Qing army exhausted and constantly consuming the enemy's food and manpower.

Du Yinxi also agreed with Zhu Cilang's strategy.

Although he did not understand the specific combat operations, he also knew that the Qing cavalry was powerful and good at fighting on the plains. It was only natural for the Ming army to play to its strengths and avoid its weaknesses, take advantage of the natural barrier of the Han River, launch harassment operations, and make it difficult for the Ming army to play to its strengths.

Chen Fu had originally participated in the formulation of this strategy, so he naturally implemented it with all his strength at this time. He even proposed to move the people along the Han River into the city, to build strong defenses and clear the fields, so that the Qing army would have no food to rob and no place to live.

In addition, based on the experience of resisting the Qing in Jiangbei, Zhu Cilang ordered Li Guo and Tian Jianxiu to organize local gentry and powerful people early in the morning, distribute the captured Qing army weapons, and let them form their own militia to cooperate in combat.

The importance of these organized gentry and powerful people, as well as the militia, in reconnaissance, reporting, and counterattacks against the Qing army is secondary. The most important thing is that once they are organized, it will be much more difficult for the Qing army to plunder at will, and it will also be much more convenient for Zhu Cilang to relocate the people in the future.

Li Guo, Tian Jianxiu and other generals who led the expedition were well aware of the troubles of these local militias and forts. When they had taken a large number of refugees with them, they could attack them at all costs, but the Qing army would never do that.

The Qing army's cavalry was indeed powerful, and they would only suffer losses in a head-on confrontation, but when dealing with local forts, they could only slowly wear them down.

Li Guo even suggested that Zhu Cilang transfer the navy that Ma Jinzhong boasted about. On the one hand, he could use the Han River to transport food and supplies to the cities along the coast. At the same time, he could also use the waterway to carry out harassment operations and continuously attack the Qing army.

When Aljin and Gao Di first realized that their opponents were Li Guo, Tian Jianxiu and others, they underestimated the enemy and began to lead their Qing soldiers to attack continuously, trying to inflict heavy damage on the Ming army in Huguang.

Although the Eight Banners Army was still wary of Zhu Cilang at this time, they completely ignored the Chuang Army. Not to mention that Aljin had several thousand cavalry at this time, even if there were only one or two thousand, he would dare to take the initiative to attack.

However, the various Ming armies strictly followed Zhu Cilang's strategic deployment and launched a defensive and harassing campaign along the Han River. Furthermore, they used the cover of darkness and, under the guidance of local militia, repeatedly attacked the Qing camps and besieged isolated Qing cavalry.

At this time, local people also took action, either hiding food and supplies, or demolishing houses and destroying crops that had just been planted in the fields, making it impossible for the Qing army to obtain effective supplies.

Aljin had never expected that the Ming army would act so quickly and get the support of local gentry. When they were in North China and Shanxi, it was clearly them who gained the support of local gentry.

This is because he did not understand the situation in Huguang. Li Zicheng arrived in Huguang where the people were loyal to him, but he still fled all the way south. He was simply scared to death!

The morale of the Eight Banners led by Aljin was very low due to the double blow of harassment and scorching of the Ming army.

At the same time, he soon received the news that Emperor Ming was in charge of Jingzhou. He immediately gave up his plan to attack Jingzhou Prefecture and retreated to the east bank of the Han River, preparing to march south to Wuchang.

He originally thought that this was just Tong Yanghe and others lying about military intelligence, but he didn't expect that Emperor Ming would really lead the army in person again!
Aljin's most important task during this trip south was to support Wuchang and ensure that this important military town was in the hands of the Qing Dynasty. Chasing Li Guo and crossing the river westward was just an attempt to gain an advantage.

Now, when he saw the actions of the Ming army, especially after he soon learned that the Ming Emperor was in Jingzhou, he immediately understood why defeated generals like Li Guo and Tian Jianxiu were so powerful.

In fact, Aljin had also suffered defeats with Dodo. He knew that Dodo could not fight as well as Ajige, but Tulai, Zhunta, Baiyintu and others were good at fighting.

Now, Emperor Ming, who had defeated the main force of the Eastern Route's Southern Expedition Army in Jiangbei, was personally in charge of Jingzhou. He did not want to repeat Duoduo's mistakes.

Aljin knows his own limitations and doesn't dare to take any risks!

As the Qing reinforcements retreated, Zhu Cilang's strategic deployment achieved initial results, and the Ming army quickly regained the initiative on the battlefield.

Of course, the Ming army did not immediately pursue the victory as they did in the Battle of Jingzhou, but instead quickly took over the hastily organized militia from various places. This was the key to controlling the local area.

After Aljin and Gaodi led their troops south and crossed the river into Wuchang City, Zhu Cilang finally recalled the generals he had previously sent to various cities on the west bank of the Han River to Jingzhou.

With the end of the Huguang War, Zhu Cilang immediately began to ask Du Yinxi and Wu Jinxi, who was leading a group of Huguang civil servants to Jingzhou in the north, to prepare a celebration banquet and to receive the gentry of Huguang.

He knew very well that people's hearts and morale were also one of the key factors that determined the outcome of a war. In order to boost morale and unite people's hearts, it was necessary to hold a grand celebration banquet, entertain the newly conquered soldiers of the rebel army, and meet with local gentry.

This celebration banquet was not only a reward, but also a political declaration, in order to send a clear signal to the soldiers of the recovered army - they were no longer rebels regarded as "bandits" by the court, but officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, an indispensable and important force in the anti-Qing struggle.

However, Du Yinxi now has a more important task. Before officially rewarding the generals of the Chuang Army, the "troop count" must be completed quickly, otherwise Zhu Cilang cannot ensure that he can control these troops.

As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he could be lenient at this time, but he must not be too soft-hearted, especially on the key issue of military control.

There is nothing wrong with respecting the wise and humble, but anyone who dares to challenge his imperial authority must be severely punished and pay the price.

Du Yinxi stepped up the work of counting the troops. Although the various units in Chuangying had supplemented some of their armaments, overall, the combat effectiveness of the soldiers in each camp was uneven, and most of the soldiers' equipment was relatively simple. They had to be reorganized and strictly trained to become a truly strong army.

At the same time, the generals of each camp tried their best to retain their troops to the maximum extent, which forced Du Yinxi to send more people and strictly formulate standards for eliminating the old and weak.

These generals actually knew what Zhu Cilang meant by setting the reward after the "counting of troops". After the "Battle of Jingzhou", especially after the aggressive Eight Banners Army retreated, they no longer dared to challenge Zhu Cilang's authority.

After all, the Palace Army and the five battalions of the Left Town brought by Zhu Cilang were not just for show. He would suppress any general who dared to disobey and rebel without hesitation.

Moreover, there were actually many factions within the rebel army. Although Li Guo and Gao Yigong were the most powerful and prestigious, many generals who had surrendered to the Ming Dynasty at this time were not completely convinced by them, and there were even many contradictions and disagreements behind the scenes.

In other words, under the current situation, it is difficult for the two to command the generals of each camp privately, let alone organize them secretly to jointly resist the reorganization of the court.

Of course, the two did not mean this. Instead, they actively cooperated, which made Zhu Cilang very satisfied.

As a reward, he will also grant them official official positions and titles in the subsequent rewards, make personnel adjustments to the various units of the rebel army, so as to establish a unified command system and ensure the smooth flow of military orders for this new army.

However, Du Yinxi couldn't help but frown when he looked at the number of soldiers in the rebel army confirmed by the first round of inventory. He had to transfer some of them into local garrison troops and absolutely could not pay them military pay and food according to the standards of a field army, otherwise the finances would definitely not be able to support it.

(End of this chapter)