Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 153 Jiujiang School and Changsha School

Li Laiheng moved swiftly, leading a cavalry unit south from Jingzhou, preparing to head straight for Jiujiang City. With the assistance of military post stations along the way, even though they had to travel through mountains and rivers, they were able to advance an average of nearly 200 miles per day.

He did not take the Liling-Pingxiang route, but went directly from Pingjiang through Mufu Mountain, which was several days faster than the former and also avoided passing through the dense river network in the Ganjiang River basin.

He had walked this road before under the guidance of Zhang Nai when he was ordered to escort Gao. It was along the mountain valley and was not very rugged, except that he had to cross a few high mountains along the way.

Zhu Cilang initially planned to repeat the same trick, move the imperial throne to Jiujiang, raise the dragon flag, and attract Dorgon to lead the main force of the Qing army to attack, but now the situation has changed suddenly. He has led the imperial camp and sailed directly to Nanchang.

The various armies heading for the Western Expedition now gathered in Nanchang and Yuanzhou prefectural cities. Even the Palace Front Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Camp had already entered Huguang through the Pingxiang-Liling passage.

The army needed to carry a large amount of baggage when it marched, and it was impossible for one person to have multiple horses. It still had to take a detour and pass through the low hillsides between Pingxiang and Liling.

Li Laiheng learned the news halfway, but he still chose to cross Mufu Mountain, and then continued on his way through Wuning, Jianchang, and turned to Nanchang.

Dorgon was about to lead his army south. The sooner the military intelligence from Jingzhou was delivered, the more initiative the Loyal Camp would have in the upcoming battle.

The ordinary postmen and Tangma were not aware of military intelligence and strategy, and they could not respond to the ministers' questions like Li Laiheng. Under Zhu Cilang's guidance, Li Guo had gradually understood the contradictions between the governors of Hunan and Jiangxi, as well as the factional struggles in the court.

Many times, things are neither right nor wrong, and most arguments are about people rather than things. Over time, all things will come to a standstill due to frequent and unreasonable political struggles.

This is the greatest and most direct harm of party strife!

In order to stabilize officials from all over the country and the efficiency of the entire court, Zhu Cilang has not yet started to "clean up the house". He is just using his prestige and the political interests of the newly established dynasty to buy and win over people, so as to prevent party disputes from affecting the deployment of military defense.

Of course, Li Guo’s worries were not limited to party disputes. After being persuaded by a group of generals, he was actually a little shaken. Sending Li Laiheng meant that the real commander-in-chief of the entire army, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty - Zhu Cilang, would make the decision.

Although Li Guo was worried about the Qing army rushing south and launching a surprise attack, he still felt that this was a rare opportunity. If he didn't seize it, he might not have the chance to take the initiative again before the main force of the Qing army retreated north.

At the same time, this was an important part of Zhu Cilang's strategy to block the Qing army step by step in the "Huguang Defense War".

As the commander of the Loyal Camp, Li Guo was naturally very familiar with Zhu Cilang's overall layout and strategy in Huguang. It was precisely because of this that he was very confident that his plan of taking the initiative would gain Zhu Cilang's support.

When Li Laiheng arrived in Nanchang, Zhu Cilang had already summoned Du Yinxi, Wu Jinxi, Hao Yongzhong and other civil and military ministers from Changsha. He Tengjiao, Yan Qiheng, Ma Jinzhong, Jin Shenghuan and other high-ranking civil and military officials from Jiangxi were also summoned from Jiujiang to meet the emperor.

Zhu Cilang once again led the army in person and arrived in Nanchang. Naturally, he had to summon the generals from the two provinces to deploy a defensive strategy, especially since the Qing army was coming with such a strong force this time, he could not take it lightly.

At this time, part of the troops of the Palace Front Central Army, the Palace Front Left Army, and the Tianqi Battalion had arrived in Changsha and stationed in the barracks. Some were preparing to go north to reinforce Jingzhou and Yuezhou. This was a strategic deployment adjustment made by Zhu Cilang based on the latest movements of the Qing army in Xiangyang and Wuchang.

However, due to the different order of troop mobilization, at this time in Nanchang City, the Palace Front Central Army, the Palace Front Right Army, and part of the Nanjing Beijing Camp were moving into the barracks newly built by He Tengjiao in the past two years. There were still many soldiers of the Palace Front Right Army floating on the surface of Poyang Lake.

When Zhu Cilang learned that Li Laiheng had come in person to deliver military reports, he immediately summoned him. After asking about the situation in Jingzhou, he summoned civil and military ministers including Du Yinxi, Wu Jinxi, Hao Yongzhong, He Tengjiao, Yan Qiheng, Ma Jinzhong, and Jin Shenghuan to the Governor's Office in Nanchang City, which he had used as a temporary palace.

"His Majesty."

The commander of the Imperial Camp, Lin Changfu, hurried to Zhu Cilang's side, bowed and clasped his fists, saying:
"Commander He and Commander Du have already led their men outside the palace, waiting for His Majesty to summon them."

"Well, let them in." Zhu Cilang nodded, then turned and came to the side hall of this temporary palace.

Soon, Du Yinxi and He Tengjiao led their civil and military officials to Zhu Cilang. When they saw Zhu Cilang, they immediately saluted and said:

"I will see you, Your Majesty!"

"My dear friends, no courtesy!"

The situation was urgent. Zhu Cilang walked to the main seat, but did not sit down. Instead, he signaled Lin Changfu to hang the latest situation map on the wall on the side of the side hall, and then led a group of ministers to start discussing business.

On his way here, he had already received military reports submitted by He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi. He knew that the conflict between the two was almost public, and was now just covering up the so-called differences in defense strategy.

As the two commanders became more and more conflicted, the Jinyiwei also reported back the struggle between the two factions of officials headed by them. There were even many officials who called themselves the "Jiujiang faction" and the "Changsha faction".

This title was naturally derived from Jiujiang Prefecture City and Changsha Prefecture City, the core of the army's deployment before and after Zhu Cilang's adjustment of the defense and counterattack strategy.

He Tengjiao, the commander-in-chief stationed at Jiujiang Prefecture, the center of the northern Jiangxi defense line, and Yan Qiheng, the military supervisor, were naturally representatives of the Jiujiang faction. In contrast, Du Yinxi, Wu Jinxi, and others were representatives of the Changsha faction.

The origin of this matter is not long ago. The conflict between He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi began with Zhu Cilang's appointment and promotion and his attitude towards the peasant army. Now it is getting more and more intense. On the surface, it is because of their different judgments on the war situation and choices of defensive strategies.

Of course, behind this is the struggle for war resources and the struggle for power. Political struggle is never as simple as it seems.

"The Qing army in Xiangyang should have surrounded Jingmen Prefecture by now. Dorgon will surely march south to attack Jingzhou within a month. I have summoned you, my dear ministers, to Nanchang to discuss countermeasures with you."

Zhu Cilang's gaze swept across the ministers before him, finally resting on He Tengjiao. He was now adjusting the deployment of the war, focusing on Huguang, and He Tengjiao was the most resistant. Due to the strategic importance of Jiujiang, He Tengjiao had to cooperate with his deployment, otherwise the entire battle plan would be in trouble.

"The Tartars have been invading repeatedly. How can I sit idly by and wait for death? Commander He, I have carefully reviewed the military report you submitted to me a few days ago. Could you please share your thoughts on the current war situation?"

Upon hearing this, He Tengjiao immediately bowed his waist and clasped his hands, then replied:
"Your Majesty, I believe that our army should still prioritize caution at this stage, concentrating its forces to consolidate the defense line in northern Jiangxi, prevent the Qing army from making a surprise attack eastward, and safeguard the safety of Nanjing. Otherwise, if the Qing army breaks through northern Jiangxi, Jiangnan will be in danger, and the foundation of the country will be shaken."

"Well, what Mr. He said makes sense!" Zhu Cilang nodded and raised his eyebrows slightly, but then changed the subject and asked:

"But what if the Qing army's target this time isn't Nanjing, but Changsha? After the fall of Jiujiang, there are still Hukou, Pengze, and Anqing. Unless the Qing army can quickly sweep through these prefectures, they can't ignore their retreat. If they divide their forces too much, their offensive will inevitably be hindered. It's definitely not as safe as attacking Changsha, step by step."

After hearing this, He Tengjiao replied firmly:

"The Qing army would be courting their own destruction. Changsha, Jingzhou, and Yuezhou are impregnable. To the south, Hengzhou, Yongzhou, and other prefectures and counties are located in high mountains and dangerous roads, making them easy to defend but difficult to attack."

As soon as He Tengjiao finished speaking, Yan Qiheng immediately stepped out and said,

"Your Majesty, what Lord He said is absolutely right. Northern Jiangxi is the most important area in this battle. Dorgon cannot be unaware of the importance of this matter, and he would certainly not attack Changsha by force.

Moreover, if the Qing army attacks northern Jiangxi, our army can concentrate its forces and take the opportunity to harass and counterattack, continuously depleting their forces. Your Majesty, please do not listen to the advice of one party and be deceived by the selfish and incompetent ministers.

"If there are no strong troops stationed there, what good is it, no matter how strong Changsha, Yuezhou, or Jingzhou are, or how high their walls are?"

Du Yinxi could no longer bear it after hearing what Yan Qiheng said, and immediately retorted: "By then, I'm afraid we can only hold on for a while."

"If this is true, we can adopt the strategy of 'encircling Wei to save Zhao' and send a large army from Jiujiang to attack Huangzhou, De'an, Chengtian, and even Xiangyang and other prefectures, forcing the Qing army to return to rescue."

He Tengjiao raised his head slightly and said with a smug look on his face, "This is another way to deplete the Qing army's strength. If all the troops were inside the city, how could they be deployed freely?"

"Lord He." Du Yinxi narrowed his eyes and looked at He Tengjiao. For a moment, he didn't know what to say to him. This was not the style of fighting they could use when facing the main force of the Qing army.

"If the Qing army remains unmoved and instead attempts to outflank our army, wouldn't the army we send out be walking into a trap? How can two legs outrun four on such a vast plain like the Han River?"

After hearing this, He Tengjiao couldn't help but frowned, but then he retorted:
"Jingzhou and Yuezhou are both under the control of our army. If the Qing cavalry comes, we can just retreat directly into the city. What's the problem? Besides, our army can still fight the Qing army!"

"Does Commander He really think that two legs can outrun four legs?" Du Yinxi asked with a wry smile.

When He Tengjiao was about to refute, Zhu Cilang suddenly said:

"Lord Du is right. The 'encircle Wei to save Zhao' strategy is theoretically feasible, but our army lacks that many cavalry. If we want to take the initiative, we can only act before the main force of the Qing army moves south. Otherwise, we can only lure the Qing army's small forces to a specific terrain and then ambush and annihilate them. On the plains, with no cover on all sides, if we divide our forces to attack De'an and Chengtian, we will definitely be defeated one by one by the Qing army."

"Your Majesty." At this time, Wu Jinxi also stood up and said:
"I believe our army should quickly strengthen the defenses of Jingzhou and Yuezhou. These two places are the gateway to Hunan. If they are lost, the consequences will be disastrous."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded and said:

"I have this intention as well. After reading the military reports sent back from Jingzhou and Yuezhou, I have already decided to send some of the elite troops originally scheduled for Nanchang and Jiujiang to Jingzhou and Yuezhou to strengthen the defenses of these two places and ensure that the defense strategy is foolproof."

Du Yinxi listened, then smiled and agreed:

"Your Majesty is wise. Strengthening our garrisons in these two locations is a wise move. As long as we hold the two military fortresses of Jingzhou and Yuezhou firmly in our hands, our army can continuously disrupt the Qing army's food supply routes without having to worry about the Qing army intercepting and ambushing them along the way."

Upon hearing this, several civil and military officials of the Changsha faction nodded in agreement. Wu Jinxi even directly agreed:
"Your Majesty is wise. Jingzhou and Yuezhou are two strategic locations. If we can control them, we can control the situation in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and tie down most of the Qing army. This is the true offensive and defensive strategy."

Zhu Cilang looked at the ministers and continued:

"Our previous deployment was ill-considered due to the lack of clarity in the military situation. We wanted to lure the Qing army into attacking Jiujiang, and then, after the Qing army suffered a setback, we would attack Changsha head-on. It was as if the Qing army was our puppet.

Moreover, the two places are hundreds of miles apart, making it difficult to mobilize troops and transport food. Many strategies are practically impossible to implement, and we have overlooked the possibility that the Qing army will not advance again."

In fact, once the South had a strong army capable of fighting, it would be wishful thinking for the Qing army to achieve victory in one battle, especially since the Qing court had not yet completely absorbed the North.

Dorgon was initially skeptical, eager to achieve his goal in one fell swoop. However, under the pressure of the unpredictable loyalty of the Green Camp Army in the north, the restless Mongols outside the Great Wall, and the emerging strength of the Ming army in the south, he finally chose to trust Hong Chengchou.

You know, this is not a difficult thing to judge. Dorgon certainly has this strategic level.

In the north, there was the North China Plain. Once the Qing army gained a foothold, especially after capturing Shanxi, they could use their cavalry's mobility to quickly sweep across the country. In the south, the Yangtze River Plain connected the various regions, but the dense network of rivers here always hampered the Qing army's movements.

Not only that, the navy was also a huge disadvantage for the Qing army, not to mention that even if it controlled the Yangtze River Plain, the Qing army still had to face the mountains in the south and could not quickly capture Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou, and even southern Zhejiang, southern Jiangxi, western Hunan and other places were equally difficult to control quickly.

Once he understood this, Dorgon knew that even if he captured Jiujiang, his eastern expedition would still be full of difficulties as long as he could not annihilate Zhu Cilang's main force.

The main force of the Qing Dynasty was fully deployed and could not continue fighting in the south for more than a year. It only chose to attack Changsha and capture the entire Huguang area to prepare for the next stage of attacking Jiangxi, stabilizing the north, and then attacking Jiangnan from both sides. This was the truly safe way.

Dorgon also wanted to use these wars to completely eliminate the forces of Hauge, Jirgalang and others. Dorgon's previous defeat and the large-scale expansion of the Eight Banners of Han meant that he no longer had such prestige.

Seeing that the civil and military officials in front of him were silent, Zhu Cilang continued:

"Not only that, I also intend to seize the opportunity when the main force of the Qing army has not yet moved south, and take the initiative to attack, inflicting heavy damage on the Qing army attacking Jingmen Prefecture, catching them off guard. The Qing army is so rampant, daring to constantly harass us, we must decisively counterattack.

This will certainly force Dorgon to leave more troops behind to guard against our army's harassment, further weakening his forces to attack Changsha or Jiujiang."

"Your Majesty." Yan Qiheng heard this and said with a worried look on his face:

"Jingmen Prefecture is merely a detachment of the Qing army. Why should Your Majesty lead the charge in person? Moreover, Dorgon is cunning and treacherous. If our army were to attack rashly, we would risk falling into his trap. This move is truly too risky!"

Zhu Cilang had long anticipated that He Tengjiao, Yan Qiheng and other so-called Jiujiang faction officials would persuade him, but he did not expect Yan Qiheng to get ahead of He Tengjiao and said:
"It is precisely because this is a detachment of the Qing army, and the main force has not yet moved south, that I want to lead the army in person and win a great victory to boost the morale of the army and the people.

Since Dorgon personally led the army, I must lead the army myself. Could it be that I am inferior to this so-called slave chieftain?"

"Your Majesty, you must not act on impulse!" He Tengjiao also advised immediately. He knew that if Zhu Cilang was allowed to lead the army north, the main forces of the Palace Army and the Beijing Camp would not be able to stay in Jiujiang.

"Lord He, you're worrying too much." Zhu Cilang shook his head and explained slowly:

"I absolutely do not intend to fight a decisive battle with Dorgon. If his main force has already moved south, this battle cannot be fought. This proactive attack is to tie down his forces in Jingzhou, Yuezhou and other places in the future, so that he dare not move south with all his strength.

Li Guo had already gathered accurate military intelligence in Jingzhou. The Qing army attacking Jingmenzhou this time consisted of only Ye Chen and Bahana's troops, with no more than 5,000 cavalry and only a few thousand infantry. As long as the Heavenly Cavalry Army marched north, they would surely be able to fight.

"Your Majesty is wise. This time, heading north, we will surely inflict heavy damage on the Qing army and recreate the glory of the Jiangbei Campaign!"

When Du Yinxi, Wu Jinxi and other Changsha officials saw that He Tengjiao was defeated, they immediately sang in unison.

They naturally understood the meaning behind this move and knew that Zhu Cilang had made the decision long ago. He just wanted to see the opinions of these frontline ministers to ensure that his judgment was correct.

This was a game between the so-called "Jiujiang faction" and the "Changsha faction," but it was also a game between the emperor and his subjects. As long as the ministers were not united, most of the time, Zhu Cilang, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, would have the upper hand and the final say.
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At this time, Ye Chen and Bahana had already built three large camps on the plains in the southwest, southeast and north of Jingmenzhou City.

Under the surveillance of thousands of Qing cavalry, the Ming army in the city did not dare to act rashly. Even the Green Camp soldiers sent by the Qing army to collect wood and firewood did not dare to rush out of the city to harass.

A few days ago, when the Qing army's vanguard just arrived at the north bank of the Quan River, the Ming army still launched an effective counterattack. Finally, after the Qing army's vanguard army gained a foothold, the Ming army retreated calmly from the pontoon bridge with the support of infantry and artillery on the city walls.

Not only that, while they were retreating, they quickly removed the pontoon bridge on the river, completely cutting off the Qing army behind them from pursuing them, and set up artillery on the other side of the river to bombard them.

But as Bahana led another cavalry to rush over, nearly two thousand Eight Banners cavalry quickly formed a battle formation on the plain north of Jingmenzhou City and began to try to cross the river from many places.

Faced with the Qing army's absolute combat power advantage, the Ming army quickly withdrew back into the city and did not dare to go out of the city to counterattack.

When the main force of the Qing army arrived, thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians came in a mighty and continuous stream. The Ming army in the city no longer dared to talk about launching a surprise attack.

This was an absolute crushing defeat. Although Li Guo had strengthened the military strength of Jingmen Prefecture, there were only more than 2,000 infantry, 200 cavalry, and more than 3,000 civilians in the city. They simply did not have the strength to fight a field battle with Ye Chen's Qing army.

Liu Rukui stood on the wall of the south gate of Jingmen Prefecture, looking at the Qing army camps stretching east and west, silent and gloomy. He was surrounded by his old comrades who had come south together.

At this time, he had already received the military order from Li Guo, and knew that the other party would soon lead a large army north to provide support, and even His Majesty would lead troops to come. He only needed to hold on for half a month, or even less than ten days.

Therefore, facing the current situation, Liu Rukui naturally chose to wait and see, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Li Guo always kept his word, and the generals in the city had almost no doubts about this.

However, looking at the artillery being set up outside the city, He Lan was still a little worried. Even though Jingzhou City was so strong and tall, it could not hold out for many days. He was actually a little worried whether Jingmenzhou could hold out for half a month.

During the two days when the main force of the Qing army surrounded Jingmenzhou City, the Ming army in the city had completed its defensive deployment under the command of Liu Rukui.

Ye Chen and Bahana also acted quickly. While deploying their troops to set up camp, they also dispatched civilians to build artillery positions. Yesterday, they had successfully set up more than 20 red cannons on the positions.

After half a day of artillery tests, the Qing army's artillerymen had discovered the weakest point in the southern wall of Jingmen City, and quickly concentrated most of the artillery fire on that area.

Ye Chen was very contemptuous of the Ming army in the city. Bahana had already asked the vanguard army and learned that this Ming army had only 200 cavalrymen. He also did not think they posed any threat.

As long as the artillery destroyed the city wall, they had no doubt that the Ming army in the city would be immediately defeated. The consequence of breaking out would be that they would be hacked to pieces outside the city. Even the 200 Ming cavalrymen could not overcome the huge gap in military strength between the two sides.

Ye Chen and Bahana's flags were now standing in the southwest of the city. A group of Eight Banners generals gathered here with serious faces, watching the artillery barrage that was about to begin.

In front of them, about two hundred steps away, more than twenty cannons were arranged in two rows. Dozens of artillerymen were preparing, some holding ignition forks, and some artillery officers were holding some tools and making final measurements, as if preparing to adjust the shooting angle.

Soon, as the central army flag waved, a loud military bugle call sounded from the Qing army's artillery position. The gunners who had adjusted the angle of their artillery raised their ignition forks, and the artillery officers all looked towards the position of the command flag.

(End of this chapter)