Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 151 Emperor Ming Must Lead the Army in Person

“Woo, woo, woo—”

Inside the military camp of Pukou Military City, the resounding sound of military bugles pierced the tranquility of the early morning. As the first ray of sunlight from the eastern sky shone on the spacious parade grounds of the military city, well-equipped armies were gathering.

Since the right army in front of the palace set out early, Zhu Cilang directly ordered the Yangtze River Navy to transfer the ships originally defending Yangzhou and Zhenjiang. All 3,000 soldiers of the Tianwu Left Camp had to board the ships and set out today.

The military order had been urgently conveyed last night, and the soldiers were well prepared. As soon as they heard the bugle call, they immediately gathered at the training ground. Their movements were quick and skillful, and their formations were neat.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the originally silent barracks became bustling with activity, and countless soldiers in uniform gathered on the parade ground from the barracks on three sides.

Their steps were vigorous, their gazes resolute, each one like a sharp blade about to be unsheathed, radiating a fierce murderous aura. The Tianwu Left Battalion was truly the elite of the central army before the palace; their mere presence at the gathering revealed their impressive presence.

"All troops line up!"

Following resounding commands, three thousand soldiers stood in unison, their movements as one. Swords and spears gleamed in the air, their gleams gleaming coldly. Each soldier held their head high, their eyes gleaming, their faces etched with determination and confidence. High morale permeated the formation.

They have been waiting for this day for too long. Ever since the Battle of Jianghuai, everyone has been eager to go out to fight the enemy and achieve great things!

This is the army trained by Zhu Cilang using new methods. The veterans in the army are all elite field soldiers who won the Jianghuai Defense War and have rich battlefield experience. The new recruits are all excellent soldiers selected from ten miles away.

After six months of intensive training, no matter where they came from, whether they were garrison soldiers or local standard battalions, they are no longer the undisciplined soldiers of the past, but have been reborn and truly become a strong army with strict discipline and strict enforcement of orders.

Gan Xi looked at this well-organized army, thinking deeply. Thinking that he was about to go out with the army, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, and felt an indescribable excitement in his chest - he was actually a member of such a powerful army!
He had not been with Zhang Huangyan in Jiangnan for long, but when he was inspecting the garrisons before, he had noticed the strength and extraordinary qualities of those peasant soldiers.

If mere peasant soldiers have such combat power, how powerful is His Majesty's personal army - the famous Palace Army?

Therefore, Ganxi originally had high psychological expectations for the Palace Army, which had already become famous and powerful throughout the world.

But he never expected that the military appearance and discipline of the Palace Army were so strong. The peasant soldiers in Jiangbei were far superior to the garrison soldiers in Jiangxi, and the Palace Army was far superior to those in Zuozhen, even though those troops had been reorganized for more than a month under the joint efforts of Zhang Huangyan and Ma Shixiu.

You must know that Zuo Zhen's troops had been running rampant in Jiangxi and were a unique and powerful army. Although Ma Jinzhong, Jin Shenghuan, Zuo Menggeng and others took most of the elite troops with them and marched westward to Huguang, the remaining soldiers who had received more than a month of training had combat effectiveness far superior to He Tengjiao's standard camp.

When Gan Xi first arrived at the Tianwu Left Camp, he followed Zhang Huangyan and stood on the watchtower, overlooking the scene of the army gathering in the training ground below. He was extremely shocked - such momentum, this is the real royal army!

It wasn't long since he gave up the imperial examination and joined the army. However, because he was directly under the command of the Teaching Corps, he was promoted and cared for by Zhang Huangyan. He had seen the army of Zuo Zhen after training, as well as the so-called governor's camp and local garrison soldiers.

This was the first time he had seen the Palace Army look so neat and powerful!

A month ago, he was just a scholar who loved to study military tactics and firearms and called himself a "little prodigy". He was deeply disappointed with the corruption and incompetence of the imperial army and its successive defeats, but he could do nothing about it.

However, everything changed after Zhu Cilang ascended the throne in Nanjing. The originally extremely weak imperial officials and soldiers, who could not even deal with the refugees, took on a new look.

In the Palace Army, these new formations, new drill manuals, new tactics, and even unheard-of weapons all made Gan Xi's confidence continue to grow.

Although he was well-versed in "The Art of War" and loved to study firearms, he still seemed very immature in front of a truly professional field army.

Moreover, like many civil servants and scholars, he often prefers grand and abstract strategies and all kinds of strange and even fantastic artillery, rather than complex and tedious basic practical books such as "Jixiao Bingshu".

"This time, Your Majesty will definitely be able to defeat the Qing army again!" Gan Xi said secretly in his heart as he looked at the soldiers gathered in front of him.

“Woo, woo, woo!!!”

"Boom, boom, boom--"

Following the officer's order, the soldiers of the Tianwu Left Camp began to march towards the dock. The soldiers marched in step, their slogans resounding, and they marched in a mighty procession, with countless family members seeing them off along the way.

On the flat ground beside the dock south of the military city, the black, blue and red marching columns were like streams flowing into the Yangtze River, constantly surging. Combat soldiers and musketeers were marching together with flag teams as the basic unit. Officers such as Zhao Zhengdong and Gu Defu were commanding in the column.

The soldiers of the Palace Army looked very relaxed and cooperated with each other tacitly. They had no idea how many times they had practiced going to the battle before, and now they were acting completely according to the habits formed by day-to-day training.

The soldiers of the Tianwu Left Camp boarded the ship in flag groups, and each flag group maintained a certain distance in front and behind to meet the needs of simultaneous action of all units.

Such queues and formations actually have the function of defending against the enemy. If they suddenly encounter the enemy, the appropriate distance allows each flag team to respond immediately, form a combat formation, and launch a counterattack against the enemy's attack, rather than falling into chaos due to crowding and trampling.

This is also one of the most frequently trained items in the army. The training of the Palace Army is detailed in all aspects, not only the weapons and techniques of individual soldier training, but also the marching regulations are very comprehensive.

At the edge of the queue, several scouts suddenly separated from the middle of the marching army, then galloped towards both ends of the team, and delivered orders to each captain in turn to speed up and board the ship.

After receiving the order, Zhao Zhengdong immediately passed it on to his four centurions. By the time the flag commander Gu Defu finally received it, the order to speed up had basically spread throughout the entire Tianwu Camp.

As the Tianwu Camp set out, Zhu Cilang also led the imperial camp onto the dragon boat. Under the escort of the navy, he headed to northern Jiangxi to command the impending war.

At the same time, Tian Jianxiu has also assembled his troops and boarded ships one after another. They will take the boat directly across Poyang Lake, enter Nanchang, and then pass through Pingxiang-Liling and enter Huguang.

The Right Army of the Palace Front was formed from the remnants of the Chuang Army. Due to insufficient training time, like the Loyalty Battalion, they were still unable to fight in the field. However, if they remained in Huguang, He Tengjiao would undoubtedly cause them trouble. After weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Cilang deployed them in Changsha ahead of time.

He had no doubt about Tian Jianxiu's loyalty. The remaining troops of the rebel army had now been divided into three parts by Zhu Cilang, and there was no subordinate relationship between them, so they could not support each other at all.

The relationship between the Zhongzheng Camp led by Li Guo and Gao Yigong and the Right Army of the Palace led by Tian Jianxiu was relatively harmonious, but between them was the Standard Camp and the Tuanlian Camp led by Hao Yongzhong and Liu Tichun, which was an insurmountable barrier.

Before experiencing a real life-and-death battle, Zhu Cilang was never completely confident in these troops. His deployment was to keep the situation completely under his control.

While the main forces of the Ming army in Jiangnan were moving westward one after another, the Qing army's military operations in Jiangbei and Huguang showed no sign of stopping.

Ajige and Gong Adai's actions in Xuzhou, Huai'an and other places were not smooth, and it could even be said that there was no progress at all.

The two men wanted to send troops to the south to harass and create greater military pressure on the Ming army, but they could not get any supplies along the way. Some of the harassing cavalry even penetrated deep into Qinghe and Hongxian areas, but what awaited them were not only impregnable garrisons but also strong cities that were easier to defend and more difficult to attack.

Ajige had no choice but to order the north to transport artillery as soon as possible while the Yellow River was flooding. He wanted to use these artillery to break through the Ming army garrison in Xuzhou.

Xuzhou City and Huai'an City were both too big. When Ajige and Gong Adai saw them, they knew they could not break them, so they turned their attention to those garrisons that seemed to be just for show.

Ajige did not forget the purpose of his march south. As long as he could capture several Ming army garrisons in Xuzhou, he would be able to obtain the supplies and civilian laborers needed for the army to besiege and harass the city, and then force the Ming army in the south of the Yangtze River to go north to support, and then besiege and attack the reinforcements, just like he did in western Liaoning.

In fact, he and Gong Adai were able to make quick judgments and choose the right course of action instead of trying to besiege a big city like Xuzhou and waste their strength. This was because of their many years of experience in attacking cities and strongholds in western Liaoning.

But Zhu Cilang was not Chongzhen, and he was well prepared for this. The Ming army was also different from before. Both Gao Jie and Huang Degong's armies showed extremely strong aggressiveness. While the Qing army harassed Huaibei, they also continued to harass the Qing army.

Moreover, the two often led hundreds of cavalrymen and went out in batches, even one in the south and one in the north, to cooperate with each other. Although Ajige won almost every battle, he was also quite troubled by this.

Meanwhile, in Huguang, Ye Chen and Aljin were also counterattacked by Li Guo, Hao Yongzhong, and Liu Tichun. Although they were at a disadvantage in the field battle, they were still aggressive. Such harassment did not cause many casualties. On the Han River Plain and the Xiang River Plain, with careful planning, it was not difficult for cavalry to escape pursuit. This was the same for both the Qing and Ming armies.

Moreover, the cavalry under the command of Li Guo, Hao Yongzhong, and Liu Tichun all came from the Shaanxi border army. As long as their equipment and training kept up, they would not be inferior to the Qing army that came from the Liao army in small-scale battles.

As a result, Aljin's reconnaissance in the direction of Yuezhou and Ye Chen's attack on the Han River Basin inevitably progressed slowly and were unable to achieve the established strategic goals.

As time passed, this military information quickly spread to the north. Dorgon had already led the main army to Kaifeng Prefecture. Tan Tai, who had originally led the troops to attack eastern Henan and Bozhou, had already secretly withdrawn, leaving only a small number of troops in Huaibei to bluff.

On the banks of the Yellow River, endless marching columns were like long snakes, shuttling through the official roads of the North China Plain, with flags fluttering in the wind. At this time, the cold air had swept south, and all around was withered and yellow.

At the edge of the Qing army, many Eight Banners scouts and horses were drinking water by the river. The Yellow River had not yet frozen. However, such weather actually made these excellent horses and Eight Banners soldiers from outside the Great Wall in excellent condition, and the abundant supplies also boosted the morale of the Qing army.

But such a cold climate would probably be unbearable for the Ming army in the south. Dorgon even hoped that major rivers such as the Han River and the Huai River would freeze, so that it would be more convenient for him to march.

Of course, he also knew that was unlikely, but as long as he could avoid the hot weather and eliminate the hidden dangers of disease in the military camp, the war situation would be favorable for him.

The roads on the plains were very spacious, but many official roads had been destroyed due to frequent wars and the large number of people lost in Henan due to the Ming-Shun, Shun-Qing, and Ming-Qing wars. The Qing army needed to advance southward while leveling the roads, and they often stopped and started.

In order to ensure the safety of the baggage in the rear, especially the siege cannons, Dorgon had to order part of the army to slow down the march, while he led part of the cavalry to speed up.

For the Qing army, the cost of attacking Huguang was much greater than that of attacking Jiangbei. Due to the lack of a canal, the food and supplies needed for the army of hundreds of thousands, as well as the heavy artillery weighing thousands of pounds needed for attacking cities, all needed to be transported by mules, horses and laborers.

Therefore, Dorgon had to try every possible way to quickly gain an advantage on the Huguang battlefield. It would be best if he could replenish food and grass locally and forcibly conscript civilians, otherwise the Qing court would not be able to accept a full-scale war that lasted more than a year.

At this time, Ye Chen had advanced to the middle and lower reaches of the Han River and basically recaptured half of the cities that had been lost due to Zheng Siwei's defeat.

However, as the strength of the Ming army's cavalry gradually increased, Ye Chen's army of thousands of people was actually unable to support it, and their actions were not concealed at all.

However, Ye Chen was a veteran after all. Even though his troops were dispersed and his military operations were basically exposed under the eyes of the Ming army, he still performed exceptionally well on the battlefield. He fought fiercely with the Ming cavalry on the plains, competing for the initiative on the battlefield.

In the whistling cold wind, Dorgon read the military report that Ye Chen had sent back at full speed, and said in a cold voice:

"The Ming army's strength in Huguang is much greater than we estimated, and their combat effectiveness is much stronger. The garrison inside and outside Jingzhou alone may have more than 20,000 troops. Otherwise, the defenders inside the city would not have been able to send so many cavalry to stop the attack. The Ming army does not have that many horses."

As soon as Dorgon received the latest battle report from Ye Chen on the Huguang front, he immediately summoned all the princes and beiles to his side. Upon hearing this, Duoduo immediately said:

"The Emperor Ming has a lot of cavalry under his command. Since Ye Chen and Aljin went south, they haven't received any replacement horses for a long time. Now they are facing the elite cavalry under the Emperor Ming, so naturally they won't gain any advantage."

During the Jianghuai Defense War, Duoduo had at least 10,000 war horses seized by the Ming army due to his wrong command and strategy. When he talks about this now, he actually feels a little guilty - the Ming army's cavalry was expanded, and he was the main contributor!
"The Ming Emperor is not easy to deal with. He dared to lead the army in person during the last Jiangbei War, and he will definitely do so this time. Judging from the Prince Ying's recent probing in Jiangbei, the Ming Emperor has most likely already led the main force of the Ming army to Jiangxi and Huguang.

Places like Jingzhou City, Yuezhou City, and Jiujiang City must be hiding large armies, especially Yuezhou City and Jiujiang City, which definitely have more than the tens of thousands of troops Tangma observed."

Bolo frowned slightly, then further analyzed the entire battle situation in Huguang:

"With the 70,000 troops we've transferred from Shaanxi, our total for the southern expedition is only about 150,000 to 160,000. We'll also have to leave some troops behind to guard important strongholds and maintain food supply routes. Ultimately, the total number of troops capable of participating in the siege will probably be just over 100,000. By then, we won't have much of an advantage."

"Except for the river blocking the way, places like Jingzhou and Yuezhou have the most suitable terrain for cavalry combat. As long as we pass Nanyang, transporting food and grass will not be difficult. Emperor Ming has so many soldiers hidden. Does he still want to take the initiative to attack and fight us in the field?" Nikan asked with some confusion.

"Emperor Ming is not someone who only knows how to defend a city. The Battle of Fengyang was his greatest lesson. A man like him, who also likes to lead his own troops, how could he not take the initiative to attack?"

Boro shook his head, as if recalling a painful lesson, then smiled bitterly and said:
"The plains to the north of Huguang, and the plains to the south that Hong Chengchou mentioned, are indeed good battlefields for our Majia field battles, but there are so many fortified cities between them, just like the Jianghuai area. With so many obstacles, it is difficult for us to exert our advantages in field battles.

The Ming army, however, could concentrate its elite forces and launch a desperate attack when we besieged the city. Even if we were defeated, we could retreat back to the city and defend it. We could move forward and backward freely."

Bolo was referring to the predicament Duoduo had faced in Jiangbei. He was deeply worried that Zhu Cilang would resort to the same tactics again. Although Dorgon claimed to have come up with a solution, he could not rest assured until he saw the actual results of the battle.

"Then I will make Emperor Ming admit defeat with conviction. If Emperor Ming dares to deploy like this, he will court his own destruction."

Dorgon's eyes were fierce. He looked around at the Manchu nobles who all seemed a little worried about the situation, and said fiercely:
"The Ming Emperor certainly sent more troops to Huguang, but the Ming army's combat effectiveness is actually just that. Even if they added tens of thousands of more troops, what would that do? They can't cause much trouble."

"The Regent is right." Upon hearing this, Tan Tai immediately flattered him:
"This is not a bad thing, but a good thing. We have been waiting for the Ming Emperor to come out and fight a battle. Now, not only do we not have to rack our brains to come up with strategies to break the city, but the Ming army will come to our door on their own.

These Nikans are only somewhat capable of defending the city. If they encounter those who don't understand fighting, they can act violently. But this time, when we encounter the main force of the Qing Dynasty marching south, the Ming Emperor will undoubtedly be defeated."

This was actually the idea of a number of Qing army generals. They hoped to defeat the enemy at a speed unexpected by launching a surprise attack. This was the tactic that Ajige had used to win countless times inside the Great Wall.

Of course, if the Ming army was willing to fight in the field, they would not have to brave the wind and snow and gallop hundreds of miles day and night, but no one, including Duoduo, believed that the Ming army had the courage.

After hearing this, Dorgon nodded and said:
"This king thinks the same. Otherwise, if we just attack those cities head-on, it will not only be time-consuming and laborious, but it will also occupy a large number of people's manpower and waste food, fodder and ammunition in vain.

"The Ming Emperor won so many great battles in Jiangbei just six months ago, so he must be incredibly arrogant now. As long as I wait for an opportunity to lure him in, I'm not afraid he won't fall for it. By then, even if the Ming Emperor leads an army of 200,000, let alone 100,000, I can easily defeat him with just 30,000 horsemen."

When Duoduo heard Dorgon's insinuating thoughts, he could not help but feel angry. He did not care that Dorgon was the regent and immediately poured a basin of cold water on him:
"Haha, this idea is certainly good. If it succeeds, the Ming court will surely collapse. But the Ming Emperor will probably not be so easily fooled, otherwise he would have been defeated by me back in Jiangbei.

The Ming Emperor is no fool, nor is he as easy to deal with as you all imagine. Just think about what Jingzhou, Yuezhou, and Jiujiang were like before, and what they are like now. You won't think the Ming Emperor is easy to deal with if you think about it for a moment."

"Whether the Ming Emperor will be fooled or not depends on the means used. Prince Yu, you still need more experience."

Dorgon did not give in either, sneered, and then said:

"From the very beginning, I never thought of storming the so-called fortified city. The military intelligence gathered by Aljin is correct. Since the Ming Emperor has stationed a large number of troops in Jiujiang, I will go straight to Huguang, surround the city and attack the reinforcements there, and see if the Ming Emperor will come to the rescue.

As long as it's a battle on the plains, no matter what tricks Emperor Ming uses, it will only bring humiliation upon himself. If he doesn't have 100,000 war horses, he can forget about fighting this king's army."

In fact, Dorgon also wanted to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, and tried every means to lure the Ming army to attack, so as to achieve the greatest results with the least casualties and ensure the Qing Dynasty's rule within the Great Wall.

Moreover, due to the erroneous military reports sent by Aljin in Wuchang and Hong Chengchou's analysis and persuasion, Dorgon had almost given up his plan to attack Jiujiang and take Nanjing directly.

Making correct judgments based on the latest military intelligence, and then adjusting strategies and tactics in a timely manner to seize opportunities, is what Zhu Cilang is most wary of as the regent of the Qing Dynasty.

Now, Zhu Cilang’s fear has come true, and Dorgon did not follow the original plan!
However, since the battle had to be fought slowly, Dorgon had to find ways to win while maintaining the strength of the Eight Banners Army and consuming the Green Camp Army in Shaanxi.

Although the Eight Banners Army possessed the strength to fight in large groups and a relatively complete organizational system, due to the shortage of men, from a certain perspective, it was essentially a disposable army, and the tribal savages captured from outside the Great Wall were not enough to replenish it.

If the population cannot be replenished, once the current Eight Banners veterans in the army are all defeated and the children in the Eight Banners have not yet grown up, the Qing Dynasty will be finished!
By then, it is hard to say whether the Han people who have surrendered now, or even the so-called Eight Banners of Han, will still be as obedient as they are now.

　Thanks to the book friend "Yuekenlu Dazhuang" for the reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)