Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 147 Ajige is just a bait

Zhang Huangyan and Gan Xi inspected thirteen garrisons along the way from Huainan to Xuzhou. They even encountered Qing scouts who were heading south to spy on military intelligence to the west of the garrison in Pei County, Xuzhou.

However, these Qing scouts were capable of raiding in the wild, but it was impossible for them to break through these garrisons. Once their tracks were discovered, Gao Jie in Xuzhou would immediately send cavalry to encircle and expel them.

The garrisons in Xuzhou, Suzhou, Bozhou and other places are completely different from the small and medium-sized garrisons in Huainan. They are all large garrisons formed by refugees from eastern Henan and southern Shandong with two to three thousand households, or even nearly five thousand households. There are more than five thousand young and strong men in each garrison, or even nearly ten thousand. Even when facing harassment from Qing scouts, they are not afraid at all.

Because these garrisons gathered more people, the walls of the villages were built taller. The outer defensive earth walls were more than ten feet high, and outside the walls there were trenches more than ten feet wide and nearly ten feet deep.

Not only that, the outermost layer of these newly built earth walls were basically covered with bricks and stones to enhance defense. The earth walls were often equipped with several Portuguese cannons to deter the Qing army that wanted to attack by force.

After all, as long as the Qing army marches south, these places will inevitably bear the brunt. If the garrison is too small and does not have sufficient defense and counterattack capabilities, then the food and civilians in the garrison will all be spoils of war for the Qing army.

Zhu Cilang took these issues into consideration when designing the garrison system. The Jianghuai Plain has flat land and dense rivers, which enabled Lu Zhenfei, who was responsible for coordinating the matter, to deal with it calmly.

At the same time, under the arrangement of the Ministry of War, each of these garrisons often had nearly a hundred officers and soldiers who had retired from the army due to injuries in the "Battle of Fengyang" to command daily training.

The purpose of Zhang Huangyan's inspection this time was actually to communicate with them, and then replenish the supplies needed for the garrison to defend against the Qing army's attack based on their feedback.

As the chief instructor of the Palace Army, he possesses prestige far beyond that of others among these veterans, and it is through this method that Zhu Cilang gains control of the situation in the garrison.

After Zhang Huangyan finished his inspection mission at the Jianghuai garrison, he immediately returned to Nanjing.

Today, hundreds of military garrisons have been built along the rivers in the north and south of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, and the military farms have reached tens of thousands of hectares. Among them, there are more than 20,000 peasant soldiers who are undergoing intensive training, and there are more than 100,000 young and strong civilians, forming a solid line of defense.

Apart from cultivating the fields allocated to them, repairing the water conservancy projects in the garrisons and building forts, these peasant soldiers were no longer required to perform any other corvee labor. Therefore, they had ample time to practice phalanxes and long spears, making them completely different from the weak garrison soldiers of the past.

These thriving scenes made Zhang Huangyan see the hope of the Ming Dynasty's revival, but the threat of the Qing army in the north always weighed on his heart like a huge rock.

After returning to Nanjing, Zhang Huangyan immediately went to the palace and reported to Zhu Cilang in detail the situation of military farming and peasant soldiers, especially the performance of the peasant soldiers, which was truly amazing.

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang showed a relieved smile on his face and said in a gentle tone:

"Before, when I wanted to establish military farms in Jiangbei and integrate soldiers with farmers, there were voices of opposition in the court and the army. They all advised me that the garrisons were in disrepair and unusable. But they didn't know that this was only a temporary measure. Once I had trained 100,000 or 200,000 strong soldiers, why would I need farmers?"

Zhang Huangyan was also an eyewitness to this incident. Amidst the initial skepticism, he was the one who firmly supported Zhu Cilang. Zhu Cilang also told him that as long as capable officials were selected and the scale was controlled, the military farming and raising troops could achieve good results and would not be corrupted for at least ten years.

Now, seeing such results, he naturally understood Zhu Cilang's feelings. The money and food invested were not wasted, and even with minimal expenditure, a solid line of defense was formed. He was also very excited and said:

"Your Majesty is wise and wise. I know that General Lu has reorganized Xuanda. Your Majesty's talents far surpass General Lu's. The defense line of Jianghuai will definitely be far superior to Xuanda."

Before Zhang Huangyan finished his report, Zhou Shixian hurried into the imperial study and reported with a serious expression:

"Your Majesty, urgent news from Shandong. Ajige has led a group of elite Eight Banners troops into Jinan, heading straight for Xuzhou, with a large group of Eight Banners troops following closely behind!"

Hearing the name "Ajige", Zhu Cilang and Zhang Huangyan's expressions turned serious. Ajige was a brave warrior, ruthless in his use of troops, and had inflicted heavy losses on the Ming army many times. Among the several princes currently in power in the Qing Dynasty, he was the most capable fighter.

After some confirmation, Zhou Shixian remained firm. From him to the spies deployed by the Jinyiwei along the canal, they all confirmed it again and again before reporting the military intelligence back to Nanjing.

"Ajige actually arrived in Jinan?" Zhang Huangyan asked in surprise, still seeming a little bit unbelievable. In his view, Ajige symbolized the direction of the Qing army's main attack.

"Not only that, the large group of Eight Banners troops who were originally resting in Beijing are now setting out one after another and heading towards Shandong. It seems that they are heading straight for Xuzhou. It is very likely that Dorgon will still want to take Jianghuai." Zhou Shixian said worriedly.

"I am also very surprised that Ajige actually led the troops to contain them."

Although Zhu Cilang said this, his tone was very calm, and his eyes were even more steady. He paused and then slowly said:
"But the more this happens, the more I worry about Huguang, not Jianghuai!"

However, Zhang Huangyan couldn't help but say:

"Your Majesty, if the Qing army of over 100,000 troops marches south to attack Huguang, without the canal, it will not only be difficult to transport food and supplies, but also Yuezhou, Jiujiang and other places, with the Yangtze River as a natural barrier, will be easy to defend but difficult to attack.

On the other hand, the Jianghuai region has flat terrain. Once they break through, they can directly capture Nanjing. Moreover, Duoduo was defeated here before, so the Qing army is at least familiar with the terrain, so a comeback is not impossible."

Zhang Huangyan did not dare to express his thoughts openly, but analyzed them in a roundabout way. After hearing the news that Ajige had gone south to Shandong, he became suspicious of the movements of the main force of the Qing army.

In fact, there has always been disagreement within the Ming Dynasty on this point. Zhu Cilang only judged based on the intelligence sent back by the Jinyiwei that it was more likely that Dorgon would go south to Huguang.

But in any case, this was just the judgment of Zhu Cilang and some generals. He was not completely sure, so a large number of garrisons were deployed between Jianghuai, and troops were deployed in the four cities of Xuzhou, Huai'an, Fengyang and Yangzhou.

If he led the main force to Huguang at that time, and Dorgon really attacked Jianghuai, these troops could delay for a while and wait for him to come to support.

"Xuanzhu, what you said is actually not without reason." Zhu Cilang smiled and then said, "But it is precisely because of this that I have concluded that Dorgon's real target is Huguang, not Jianghuai."

"Ah???" Zhang Huangyan and Zhou Shixian were surprised when they heard this.

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, he walked to the map hanging in the imperial study, pointed in the direction of Shandong, and said slowly:

"What happens on the battlefield isn't just affected by the battlefield situation. For example, Ajige, the Qing army's top general, led his troops to Jinan. Logically, this should indicate the movement of the main force. However, if we consider the power struggles within the Qing Dynasty, we can't see it that way.

Dorgon was not a man of great talent and strategy, and was often stubborn and self-willed. After his defeat in Jiangnan, the loss of his troops and generals, and the humiliation he suffered, he might have felt angry that Hauge, Jirgalang, and others had taken advantage of the situation to rise to power, but he must have also been secretly delighted.

Now is his golden opportunity to lead the troops and further establish his achievements. If Ajige is also in Huguang and leads the troops to capture Yuezhou and Jiujiang, wouldn't that steal his limelight? Then what is the point of him leading the expedition in person? Given Dorgon's character, how could he tolerate Ajige snatching the credit that should belong to him?

After hearing this, Zhou Shixian raised his eyebrows, as if he had suddenly realized something, and bowed to Zhu Cilang and said:

"I understand now. Dorgon must have been wary of Ajige's talent and worried that he would steal the credit, so he left him in Shandong while he led the main force to attack Huguang.

The Tartars have always been barbaric, and even brothers often fight for power. Ajige previously pursued Li Zicheng and won consecutive battles. I'm afraid his reputation is now at its peak, and Dorgon will definitely not tolerate it."

"That's right." Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded.
"The more Dorgon fears Ajige, the more he sets traps for Duoduo, Haoge and others, and the more opportunities our Ming Dynasty will have. In the current situation, Ajige is very likely just a bait thrown by Dorgon. What we need to do is to remain unchanged in the face of change.

Jianghuai and Huguang are both the gateways of the Ming Dynasty and must not be lost. As long as we hold these two key areas, the Qing army will be helpless and will eventually have to retreat.

I have thousands of warships and tens of thousands of naval forces. Our speed in transporting troops through the inner Yangtze River is not much slower than that of the Qing army. Dorgon is not actually at an advantage. He knows very well that he cannot deceive me in the end. He just wants me to allocate more troops to the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhang Huangyan and Zhou Shixian said in unison.

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, he planned to call Zhang Huangyan to go with him to inspect the Yingtian Weapon Bureau. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked Zhou Shixian:
"Where are the weapons and firearms that Zheng Hongkui transported now?"

"If the sea conditions are normal, the fleet led by Zheng Hongkui should be able to reach Nanjing in five days. The report he sent back earlier said:
Over 3,000 bird guns and over 700 turtledove-foot guns were produced by weapons workshops in Guangdong and Fujian, as well as over 1,700 muskets of various types purchased from Annan, Japan, and other places. In addition, there were over 290 hundred-shot guns, 19 thousand-jin cannons, 20,000 jin of gunpowder, and lead bullets.

Zhu Cilang listened and nodded with satisfaction. "Once the muskets and artillery from Guangdong and Fujian arrive, the Palace Army and the Beijing Camp should be fully equipped."

This time, under the joint persuasion of Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Sen, Zheng Zhilong stopped waiting and the Zheng family finally made a real effort, not just sending a hundred ships and several thousand naval troops north to support the emperor as before. However, Zhu Cilang did not rely entirely on the Zheng family; it was only a strong support during his preparations for war. The equipment for the 50,000 soldiers of the Palace Army and the Beijing Camp still relied primarily on the weapons workshops in Jiangnan.

Now, these weapons workshops are all running at full capacity, with several shifts of craftsmen taking turns, and the banging and crashing sounds coming from the workshops almost never stop.

Dorgon delayed launching the second round of southern expedition. Firstly, the Qing army needed to rest and replenish equipment and supplies. Secondly, he wanted to wait until winter when the water levels of rivers in various places dropped and there was less rainfall, which would facilitate the movement of cavalry. At the same time, the drop in temperature would also make it less easy for epidemics to breed in the army.

In other words, Zhu Cilang does not have much time. He must do his best to distribute the military equipment to various departments before the end of autumn. This is why he has to compromise with the civil officials and give benefits to the Zheng family in exchange for their support.

Six days later, in the deep dusk, the lights in the study of Zheng Mansion in Nanjing City were brightly lit.

Zheng Zhilong paced restlessly in his study, his brow furrowed, his face filled with anxiety and uneasiness. Zheng Sen and Zheng Hongkui stood nearby, watching Zheng Zhilong like this. After looking at each other, they also frowned.

"Brother, His Majesty really won't let you return to Fujian. Is he going to put you under house arrest in Nandu? Then what Da Mu just said about the maritime trade and money houses are also true?" Zheng Hongkui asked anxiously, and he even felt a little happy in his heart.

Of course, Zheng Zhilong being under house arrest did not mean that he would have the opportunity to take over the Zheng family. After all, Zheng Sen's status in front of Zhu Cilang was much higher than his.

But as long as Zheng Zhilong is under house arrest in Nanjing and can no longer cause trouble, the Zheng family will be safe. He and Zheng Sen are both loyal to Zhu Cilang. As long as they are in charge of the Zheng family, there is no need to worry that the Zheng family will make the wrong choice at a critical moment.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong turned his head and glanced at Zheng Hongkui, then stopped, sighed, and said:
"Your Majesty has been very kind to our Zheng family. Not only has he promised to promote our sons and daughters to official positions, he has also shown us endless favors. However... the matter of maritime trade and banks..."

He seemed to be hesitant to speak, his face full of confusion. The many negotiations in recent days with officials from the Ministry of Revenue, the Maritime Customs and other officials, as well as merchants from Jiangnan, made Zheng Zhilong feel very uneasy.

"Brother, is there anything that cannot be said between you and me as brothers?" Zheng Hongkui looked at Zheng Zhilong and asked again.

Zheng Sen had just revealed very little information to him, and he was actually still very confused and didn't know exactly what was going on.

Although Zheng Hongkui knew that the Ming Dynasty had already established a firm foothold in Jiangnan and Zhu Cilang was definitely the leader of the revival, he would never support it unconditionally if the matter damaged the interests of the Zheng family.

After all, he, like Zheng Sen, is a member of the Zheng family. He is loyal to Zhu Cilang simply because he sees that the Ming Dynasty is still there and he has the opportunity to get promoted, make money, and achieve success.

Zheng Sen might still have some so-called loyalty to the imperial court, but Zheng Hongkui, the veteran pirate, had fully seen Zhu Cilang's strength and knew what choice would be most beneficial to himself.

Zheng Zhilong took a deep breath, then turned around and sat down on the chair, rubbed his eyebrows, and said slowly:

"Your Majesty summoned me to the capital this time to discuss matters concerning maritime trade and banks. The imperial court is currently recruiting troops everywhere, with hundreds of thousands of troops, and the daily expenditure on food and fodder is tens of thousands of silver. Your Majesty wants my Zheng family to fill this shortfall.

"Zheng Jiatian?" Zheng Hongkui was stunned when he heard it.

This was something he had never expected. If the profits from maritime trade were used to cover the food and wages needed to support the army, there would probably not be much left for his Zheng family.

"That's right!" Zheng Zhilong's face was gloomy, and then he said:
"Your Majesty wants to redistribute the benefits of maritime trade. On the surface, the gentry and merchants of Jiangnan and my Zheng family are working together, uniting and helping each other, and ultimately sharing the profits to mitigate the risk of sinking at sea. In reality, everything has to go through the hands of the imperial court. I'm afraid that by then, the imperial court will plunder all the maritime trade profits of my Zheng family and the gentry and merchants of Jiangnan."

"Isn't the Maritime Customs Office run by the descendants of our Zheng family and several other families?" Zheng Hongkui asked in confusion. "And the tax on banknotes is only 20%. While it's not low, the profits from maritime trade are often one or two times higher, so this tax is not much."

"But the court still needs to set up a bank. When the time comes, all the silver we earn from overseas will have to be counted by the bank first." Zheng Zhilong shook his head, a hint of fear in his tone.

"If this silver passes through the hands of the imperial court, can we ever get it back? Your Majesty is trying to return control of maritime trade to the imperial court. If nothing is done, I'm afraid the maritime business that my Zheng family has painstakingly built will be handed over to others!"

Hearing this, Zheng Sen fell silent. He now controlled a small part of the Ming Dynasty's navy, and often followed Zhu Cilang to participate in military discussions. He also knew something about the army's pay gap.

Although Zhu Cilang had promised him on the way back to Nanjing from Changsha that the court would not encroach on the Zheng family's legitimate profits from maritime trade except for commercial taxes, he was not sure whether he could believe the emperor's words.

Zheng Hongkui looked at Zheng Sen's expression, frowned, and asked, "Damu, you've been with His Majesty for so long, is this true?"

"Second Uncle, at a time like this, does it matter whether it's true or false?"

Zheng Sen shook his head, then slowly spoke:

"Your Majesty's move is not targeting our Zheng family, but for the greater good. The Ming treasury is now empty and in urgent need of money, food, and military training. As long as the imperial army can resist the Qing army and Your Majesty can revive the Ming Dynasty, our Zheng family will be the ministers of the revival, and wealth and prosperity for generations will be within our reach."

As he spoke, he looked at Zheng Zhilong and said, "Father, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, let alone a wise ruler like Your Majesty. No matter how we speculate, it is all in vain. Your Majesty has now taken control of the government. Ma Shiying and others dare not act rashly. What can our Zheng family do to us?
If Your Majesty wanted to take action against us, there would be many people willing to be the culprit. Now Your Majesty has no intention of taking advantage of us, he probably just wants to collect taxes."

Over the years, the Zheng family has accumulated huge wealth through maritime trade and also has a powerful navy. Now they have to hand it all over to others, and Zheng Sen is actually unwilling to do so.

But he saw further than Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Hongkui, and knew what to do to truly maintain his wealth and prosperity forever, while giving himself the opportunity to realize his ambitions and leave his name in history.

"Brother." After hearing Zheng Sen's words, Zheng Hongkui finally came out of the dead end of worrying about the Zheng family's wealth being embezzled by the imperial court. His thoughts suddenly became clear. He walked up to Zheng Zhilong and said:

"Think about it, since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have worked diligently to govern the country, eliminated bad policies, and rectified the government. Not to mention, you personally led the army to the battle, and ultimately turned the tide and repelled the Qing army. What a great ability is this?
Now, Your Majesty is vigorously developing firearms and training new troops. The Ming Dynasty already has hope of revival! If Your Majesty can still win the Qing army's southward advance this time, then this half of the country in the south will definitely be preserved. Even if the Northern Expedition ultimately fails, the Ming Dynasty still has hundreds of years of national destiny.

But if the Northern Expedition succeeds, then Your Majesty will be worthy of being called the greatest emperor of all time! If my Zheng family can contribute a little, it will surely bring blessings to our descendants for generations to come."

"Yes, Dad, think about how the Taizu Emperor drove out the Mongols and founded the Ming Dynasty. What a hero he was! Now, Your Majesty is so talented and capable that he will surely revive the Ming Dynasty. This opportunity is definitely something that only comes once in a century!"

Zheng Sen listened, and his heart was moved. For Zheng Zhilong, the idea of ​​making great achievements and leaving a name in history might not be very attractive, but for Zheng Sen, it was a fatal temptation. He immediately advised:

"Your Majesty has a far-sighted vision, far superior to ours. The current need to regulate maritime trade and establish a bank should only temporarily alleviate the immediate crisis. Since our Zheng family has been given important positions, Your Majesty should not mistreat the Zheng family."

Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Sen, like Zheng Zhilong, were originally worried about the damage to the Zheng family's wealth and interests. However, when they thought that Zhu Cilang could lead a large army to repel the Qing army, preserve the Ming Dynasty, and even restore the northern mountains and rivers, they could not resist the temptation of the big pie that Zhu Cilang painted for them.

In fact, it was not just the two of them who thought so. The wealthy gentry in Jiangnan and even the important officials in the court all thought so.

Otherwise, how could they compromise so easily on issues such as recruiting the remaining troops of the rebel army and establishing the Five Military Commandery?

This is how Zhu Cilang reduced his ruling costs through victory on the battlefield. He is now a king who can lead the Ming Dynasty to victory!
Zheng Zhilong looked at Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Sen, and listened to their heartfelt persuasion, and couldn't help but feel a little shaken. Since his last meeting with the emperor, he actually felt that Zhu Cilang had the ability to revive the Ming Dynasty, otherwise he would not just be complaining here.

"If the Tartars devote all their main forces to the southern expedition, can Your Majesty truly win? The hundreds of thousands of border troops in the north have now been incorporated into the Qing army. Even Li Zicheng has been defeated."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Sen and Zheng Hongkui looked at each other at the same time. Only then did they finally understand what Zheng Zhilong was really worried about.

Originally, both of them thought that Zheng Zhilong was reluctant to give up his money, and at the same time they were worried that after the Zheng family handed over all their chips, they would lose their foothold in the court and eventually become abandoned pawns.

Now, they understood that Zheng Zhilong had no confidence in the Ming Dynasty, or more accurately, in Zhu Cilang. He was worried that the Ming Dynasty would eventually be defeated, and if he fully supported the Ming Dynasty in its fight against the Qing Dynasty, he would lose both his wife and his troops, and even provoke revenge from the Tartars.

"Father, no matter how many troops the Qing army sends south, Your Majesty will surely win."

Zheng Sen's eyes narrowed, and he said confidently:
"If my guess is correct, the Qing army will launch an offensive in Huguang around mid-November, and we will be hit head-on. Your Majesty has already deployed 100,000 troops in northern Jiangxi and along the Jingzhou-Yuezhou line, and the Qing army will be unable to break through. I trained the naval forces in Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, and the Tartars will definitely not be able to cross the river easily."

(End of this chapter)