Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 163 Zhu Cilang's True Intentions
On both sides of the Yangtze River, the sounds of war drums and military bugles rose and fell. On the wilderness along the shore, waves of different colors continuously poured out from the various camps on the north bank, flowing to the ferry, crossing the pontoon bridge, and heading towards Daorenji on the south bank, which was already under the control of Tan Tai.

The Qing army of more than 100,000 and nearly 100,000 conscripted civilians braved the harassment of the Dongting Lake navy and completed the transfer of the entire army from north to south in just five days. All large and small military equipment and supplies, including soldiers, artillery, food, fodder, tents, etc., were withdrawn to Linxiang City, north of Daorenji.

Not only that, Dorgon also ordered the organization of tens of thousands of laborers to expand the original ferry terminal at Daorenji, and planned to build several sturdy camps.

As long as the troop transport ships and grain ships being built in Wuchang and Xiangyang cities are sent south, he will have enough transportation capacity to ensure the smooth flow of grain routes and to ensure that he can withdraw his army heading south at any time.

But at this time, Linxiang City had already been burned down by the retreating soldiers and civilians under the order of Zhu Cilang. Not only the food supplies and houses, but even the originally broken city walls had long since disappeared.

When Dorgon and Dodo were organizing troops to force a crossing on the north bank, they even saw the flames rising from the city of Linxiang under the cover of night.

They naturally understood Zhu Cilang's intention. Seeing this, Dorgon personally came to the front line of Bailuoji and commanded the army to force a crossing.

By the time he led his troops to force a crossing and reached the south bank, the Ming troops that had been harassing and blocking him had all withdrawn, leaving him with only a few ruined camps and a city that was burning fiercely and continuously emitting black smoke into the sky.

Seeing this scene, although Dorgon was angry, he did not lose his mind. Instead, he immediately deployed defenses and sent troops to pursue the Ming army in the southwest direction of their retreat.

At this time, he had gathered tens of thousands of troops on the south bank, and his manpower was very sufficient. The Ming army that abandoned the city and fled, even including the reinforcements, had less than 10,000 people. Under Tan Tai's attack, they would certainly not dare to ambush and block the attack.

However, although there were dense river networks south of Daorenji, the Ming army had already made a plan and retreated very quickly, while Tan Tai's pursuit was not fast enough and he had no chance to catch up with the Tianqi Army.

During the five days that the army was crossing the Yangtze River, Dorgon sent Tangma scouts to the southwest to investigate military intelligence, and at the same time sent Duoduo to Linxiang to see if there were any brick and stone materials that could be used to build a camp at Daorenji.

But Zhu Cilang not only burned the city, the bricks and stones had already become the construction materials for the new fortifications outside Yuezhou City. In order to ensure the effect of clearing the countryside, not only Linxiang City, but also the small towns around Yuezhou City, Du Yinxi directly ordered local officials to organize laborers to demolish them.

As a result, the Qing army, lacking strong camps, could not gain a firm foothold in the key hub where the army was moving south in a short period of time. Once they suffered heavy losses, it would be difficult for them to gain a foothold in the countryside.

However, in order to stop the Qing army, dampen the morale of these Eight Banners, and especially slow down their actions, Zhu Cilang made more preparations than just that.

Besides, Yuezhou City faces a lake and a river to the west and north, and rolling hills and mountains to the east. Except for the plains to the south, none of these areas are suitable for the deployment of large troops.

But even in the plains south to Changsha, there are still many hills and slopes, and the plains are densely covered with rivers. The original wide official road extending all the way to Changsha City, which was used for the army to march, has long been destroyed. Now, once the snow melts, it becomes muddy.

However, neither Dorgon nor Duoduo were surprised at the damage Zhu Cilang had done to Yuezhou and Changsha. Duoduo was especially surprised, as he had already experienced this situation once before in Jiangbei.

After all, this is just what any commander with basic military skills will inevitably do when facing an attack from a powerful enemy.

Of course, this requires a strong bureaucratic system as support, otherwise it would be impossible to accomplish such a thorough "fortification and clearing of the countryside".

In a sense, Zhu Cilang's destruction in these places actually put himself in a very unfavorable position. If the Qing army did not continue to move south and repair the official road, it would be difficult for the Ming army in the south to move north to reinforce.

Zhu Cilang deployed tens of thousands of troops to garrison Changsha and Hengzhou Prefectures, which made their defenses foolproof, especially since Changsha City had already been reinforced. The army of Hengzhou Prefecture could also support the attacks and complete the task of restraining and blocking the Qing army from moving south to obtain supplies.

Of course, once the Dongting Lake naval forces had all returned south, the Ming army could deploy some troops northward via water. However, the Qing army would certainly not overlook this fact, and any Ming army operating through the Xiangjiang River would inevitably be blocked by the Qing army.

In previous military meetings, Dorgon and a group of generals had already analyzed the possible actions of the Ming army under various circumstances.

At the same time, based on his previous experience in the battle in Jiangbei, Duoduo also predicted that the Ming army would do everything possible to fortify their defenses and clear the fields, and would not send out their main forces, let alone set up ambushes along the way, otherwise they would be courting death.

And things turned out just as Duoduo had expected. The pursuing army sent by Dorgon had only a few hundred cavalrymen in the vanguard. When they passed Chenglingji, they were finally blocked by the Ming army that came to support them.

After encountering an ambush from the Ming army, Tan Tai did not retreat. Instead, he relied on the hundreds of elite guards he was leading, especially the main cavalry that was about to arrive from behind, and continued to attack the Ming army.

As the Qing army's reinforcement cavalry continued to arrive, the supporting Tianqi Army gradually revealed its flaws under the repeated attacks of these battle-hardened Eight Banners elites.

In the early stage, they were still able to deal with the Eight Banners Army, whose strength was not much different from that of the Qing army, on the plains. However, as the subsequent troops of the Qing army arrived in batches, they soon could not hold on and immediately retreated to Yuezhou City according to the original plan.

Tan Tai pursued the enemy all the way and defeated the Ming army's support troops. He was already very inflated at this time, so he naturally would not stop there. Instead, he ordered his cavalry to continue the pursuit all the way to the city of Yuezhou.

He had been in Huguang for more than a month, and had repeatedly simulated the situation with Dorgon, Dodo, Bolo, Nikan and others, and finally finalized the strategy of besieging Changsha City.

Tan Tai knew very well that it was far from enough to force the Ming army back to Yuezhou. Although he did not want to have a decisive battle with the Ming army in Yuezhou, he still wanted to greatly intimidate the Ming Emperor in the city.

However, Dorgon did not let down his guard. Although he had finally made a major breakthrough and things were basically as expected, he was not so arrogant as to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly without first gathering military intelligence.

Zhu Cilang did not let Tan Tai get his wish. As soon as the enemy's pursuing troops entered the plains outside Yuezhou City, they were immediately counterattacked by the Tianqi Army.

Although Dorgon delayed Tan Tai's action, the first Qing army to arrive at Yuezhou City were more than a thousand vanguards, and Tan Tai's experience in leading troops was actually not rich.

As a result, due to the huge disadvantage in troop strength and immature command, the Qing army's vanguard was completely unable to withstand the counterattack of the Tianqi Army. It was not until the subsequent reinforcements arrived that the situation was barely maintained.

But by this time, Dorgon was no longer willing to withdraw his troops. He quickly sent more troops eastward to reinforce Tan Tai.

After the subsequent reinforcements arrived, Tan Tai organized two more attacks with over a thousand cavalrymen. However, as expected, both were quickly repelled by the Heavenly Cavalry, relying on the cover of the city walls.

This was not because the Eight Banners cavalry under Commander Tan Tai were not strong, but after chasing for dozens of miles and crossing countless rivers and canals on the way, the Qing army was not at all at an advantage when facing the Tianqi Army, which was well-rested, had the advantage in troops and horses, and was protected by the city.

After all, under the command of General Tan Tai, whose cavalry command level is indeed not strong, it is naturally difficult for these Eight Banners cavalrymen to perform exceptionally well against a strong army.

The Qing army did not launch a large-scale siege on the city, but instead sent out cavalry to harass and attack. Zhu Cilang naturally had to fight back resolutely. On the one hand, it was to boost his own morale, and on the other hand, it was to allow Dorgon to leave more troops and reduce the pressure on Changsha to hold on.

With the early defeats, Dorgon, Dodo and other Manchu nobles also reacted and dared not take risks easily.

Their confidence had been bolstered by their successful crossing, but after being dealt a heavy blow by Zhu Cilang, they all calmed down, especially Dorgon. He now had to consolidate the hard-won success of the southern crossing and further enhance his prestige within the army.

As the Qing army began to deploy steadily and prepare to march south to Changsha, Zhu Cilang also began to deploy the war in Jingzhou and sent orders to Chen Fu and Li Guo to determine the actual strength of the Qing army left outside Jingzhou City.

It was extremely difficult for the Qing army to cross the river to the south, and it was equally difficult to cross the river to the north. This made it possible for Zhu Cilang to use the natural barrier to intercept the main force of the Qing army at a very low cost.

But this requires sufficient land and sea forces to defeat the Qing army guarding Bailuo Ji, and then quickly destroy the Qing army's pontoon bridges and troop transport ships to achieve the goal of blocking the Qing army.

Of course, all actions can only be carried out when Dorgon leads the main force of the Qing army south to Changsha and focuses all his attention on Changsha City.

At the same time, Dorgon's actions were also very quick. A large number of Qing troops moved south and arrived at Changsha City. Some troops were sent to the south to connect Changsha City with Xiangtan, Hengzhou and other places.

Although the pursuit previously deployed by Dorgon did not achieve the effect of a direct advance, the Qing army's offensive was fierce in the process of moving south to Changsha. Tan Tai, Dorgon's confidant, was once again reused and made meritorious contributions while serving his sentence.

After all, this was the person he promoted. If he was eventually proved to be unworthy of being reused, it would actually be a blow to Dorgon's reputation, which was naturally not what Dorgon wanted to see.

Moreover, Tan Tai was young at that time and had no rich experience in leading troops. Even if he performed a little poorly when he was blocked by the Ming army earlier, it was understandable.

Under Dorgon's care, Tan Tai quickly regained his face and expressed his unreserved support for Dorgon's decisions on military affairs. At this time, other Manchu nobles who also wanted to advance themselves naturally understood what they should do and expressed their opinions on those important military and political matters.

After the military meeting, Dorgon, Duoduo, Bolo, Tan Tai and other core generals of the southern expeditionary army arrived at the north bank of Liushui River. The main force of the Qing army had already begun to cross the river to the south early this morning.

"Your Majesty, the Ming troops in the outer watchtowers are vulnerable to our fierce attack. Three of them have already been blasted open by the red cannons.

But those Nikans were truly despicable. When they broke out, they actually burned down the watchtower, along with the military supplies and fodder that hadn't been removed. Furthermore, some artillery pieces that hadn't been removed in time were also destroyed.

However, the Ming army probably didn't expect our red cannons to be so powerful, and they retreated in such a hurry that they didn't have time to set traps in the fortress, and they also didn't burn all their weapons and supplies."

Tan Tai reported to Dorgon the latest military situation of the Qing army outside Changsha City. The defenders in Changsha City lacked cavalry and were not very aggressive, but the watchtowers were basically deployed outside the fortifications outside the city, or on the riverside, which greatly hindered the Qing army's siege operation.

"The Ming Emperor has limited cavalry, and now all of it is concentrated in Yuezhou. Changsha, both inside and outside the city, can only rely on infantry and these defensive fortresses. It's no different from the Ming army in western Liaoning."

Dorgon said, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, he smiled coldly:

"This is why I strongly advocate marching south. Even if Emperor Ming is trying to lure the enemy deeper into our territory, he is only seeking his own death. Although we are temporarily blocked now, once the army gathers and the red cannons arrive, these so-called fortresses will be vulnerable.

"When that time comes, I will see whether the Emperor Ming's infantry is stronger or the Qing's cavalry is more powerful. Hahaha, does Zhu Cilang have the strength to fight against me?"

After hearing this, Duoduo did not refute as usual. He looked at the situation which was gradually improving and nodded in agreement. Now that the situation had developed to this point, Emperor Ming had definitely made a mistake.

Moreover, Duoduo was very confident that his experience in siege fighting with Zhu Cilang in Fengyang would enable him to win the Battle of Changsha at a speed that Zhu Cilang could not imagine.

All these made Duoduo feel expectant. He also wanted to avenge his previous defeat and prove his strength.

"Tomorrow, after the army has advanced into the plains south and east of Changsha City and taken down a few watchtowers and secured a foothold for each flag, within ten days, as soon as the artillery is in place, we will immediately begin our assault on Changsha City.

Breaking through these earthen walls inside and outside Changsha City is not easy, but as long as you follow my instructions, within three months, you will definitely be able to break through the first outer earthen wall, and even the two outer earthen walls."

"As long as we can capture Changsha City within half a year, Emperor Ming's deployment in Yuezhou and Jingzhou will no longer be a threat." Bolo also said immediately.

"By then, Emperor Ming will have to break out from Yuezhou. He may be able to escape to the east by water alone, but those Ming troops in the city will not be able to escape even if they get on the boat!" Tan Tai said proudly.

"Hahaha, hahaha——"

As Dorgon, Duoduo, Tan Tai and Bolo were talking, they all burst into laughter at the same time, and then turned their heads to look at Changsha City across the river. Outside were vast plains, which was where the Eight Banners Army would be stationed.

After they entered Huguang, although it only took them more than a month to travel from north to south, they encountered many twists and turns along the way and encountered countless difficulties and obstacles. Now that they are finally about to succeed, they are naturally full of confidence.

In less than three days, the main force of the Eight Banners army led by Dorgon had set up more than a dozen solid camps on the plains to the north, east and south of Changsha City. In addition to more than 50,000 Eight Banners troops, there were more than 15,000 armored soldiers and more than 40,000 Green Camp troops.

Dorgon left only more than 6,000 Eight Banners Army and armored Baoyi Soldiers, and more than 15,000 Green Camp troops stationed outside Yuezhou City, including Daorenji in Linxiang and Bailuoji in Jiangbei.

On the outskirts of Jingzhou City, more than 8,000 Eight Banners soldiers and armored baoyi soldiers, as well as more than 10,000 Green Camp soldiers were left behind. In addition, Dorgon also deployed more than 3,000 Eight Banners soldiers and nearly 10,000 Green Camp soldiers in Chengtian Prefecture and Xiangyang Prefecture to maintain the food supply route, although only a few hundred soldiers were left behind in some areas as a symbolic gesture.

Of course, the troops in these four areas included troops distributed everywhere to maintain the smooth flow of food and logistics. Even the main force of Changsha Prefecture City, Dorgon could only concentrate about 80,000 for the siege.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the siege, he needed to send troops to defend in the south to guard against the Ming army from Hengzhou and Xiangtan. In addition to blocking the more than 5,000 troops harassing the Ming army in the south, he also needed to deploy troops in the north, especially at the mouth of the Xiangjiang River, to block the actions of the Ming navy.

Zhu Cilang abandoned almost all towns in northeastern and central Hunan, with the exception of Yuezhou and Changsha, and withdrew his army to the city strongholds. However, in southern Hunan, a different deployment was adopted. Mountains and rivers blocked the way there, preventing the Qing army from launching a rapid attack. They could only rely on their superior military strength to threaten these areas.

From the first day the main force entered the plains outside Changsha City, the Qing army's scouts began to continuously harass and scout southward, testing the strength of the Ming army in Xiangtan, Hengzhou and other places.

However, the strong city, sufficient supplies, and Zhu Cilang's victory in Jiangbei not long ago all enabled the Ming army to maintain its morale despite its continuous decline.

The Ming army was well prepared for the Qing army's harassment, and the scouts sent by Dorgon were repeatedly repelled. The Ming and Qing sides did not engage in fierce scout battles in Yuezhou and Changsha. Instead, there were more than a dozen casualties every day in southern Hunan, and the bodies of cavalry soldiers on both sides continued to fall in the wilderness.

You know, those rolling hills, the bushes growing on the hills, and the abandoned and dilapidated villages scattered on the river valley plains are all excellent environments for scout combat and ambushes.

Since Zhu Cilang took great pains to lure the Qing army into Changsha Prefecture, he must have been prepared in advance. When Dorgon focused his attention on Changsha Prefecture and Hengzhou Prefecture, Chen Fu started a new operation in Jingzhou Prefecture.

Chen Fu, standing on horseback at Hudukou, gazed northward at the Qing army camp. As soon as Dorgon led the main force of the Qing army south, Li Guo began harassing and testing the Qing troops outside the city.

Dorgon left nearly 20,000 troops outside the city, in fact, he was also preventing Zhu Cilang from concentrating his troops to attack Jingzhou while he was heading south. The troops he left outside Yuezhou City also served the same purpose.

However, he still underestimated Zhu Cilang's military strength, especially the strength of the Dongting Lake Navy. Zhu Cilang had previously divided the navy into two parts and had not given his full strength.

Chen Fu held up the "telescope" in his hand, and in his field of vision, at the northern gate of the Qing army camp, dozens of flags were flying high. There were more than 3,000 Qing troops stationed in that camp, mainly the Green Camp Army.

The terrain outside Jingzhou City was very flat. The nearby trees had already been cut down by the Ming army and transported into the city as fuel. The Qing army could only cut down trees from afar, so building the camp took a long time, especially in winter when the soil was hard.

Perhaps having learned lessons from the Battle of Jingmen Prefecture, the Qing army dug two trenches outside each camp, and the inner one was particularly deep.

In addition to digging trenches with soil, the Qing army also used soil and rocks from nearby deserted villages as building materials to construct camp walls, which were very strong. Without the use of artillery, the Ming army had almost no chance of breaking through.

By the time Chen Fu was waiting for the news sent by Li Guo, it was already evening and the sky had darkened. Through the telescope, he could only see the golden halo emitted by the Qing army camp in the north.

Li Guo had already ascertained the actual strength of the Qing army. Including the Green Camp, it was no more than 20,000 men, with the Eight Banners Cavalry likely numbering nearly 10,000. The Green Camp also had some cavalry. With the support of the Palace Front Army and the Celestial Cavalry, this battle could be won.

Thinking of this, Chen Fu looked up at the halo in the north again, and couldn't help feeling a little emotional. The wonderful experience brought about by the changes in the situation and his personal circumstances made him feel a little dizzy.

Two years ago, he met His Majesty, who was then a fugitive prince, in Northern Zhili. Fortunately, he made the right choice and became a member of the army that protected His Majesty. After making the right choice, he rose to prominence in the days that followed.
By now, Chen Fu was the commander-in-chief of the Left Army of the Palace, second only to the emperor and above all others. His official rank in the Five Military Commandery was even higher than Chang Denggui. He had received countless rewards for his military exploits. In Yingtian Prefecture alone, he had three mansions and three thousand acres of fertile land. He now commanded an army of over ten thousand.

Of course, the most important thing is that he obviously won the favor of Zhu Cilang. This is what made Chen Fu most proud of all the events, but also what made him most frightened.

After all, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. If you are not careful, you may go from being a rising star to being a prisoner!
Whenever Chen Fu thought of this, he would think of the scene two years ago when the Ming Dynasty was completely unable to defeat the Tartar soldiers and suffered repeated defeats. At that time, he fled the capital, not even knowing why he was fleeing or where to escape to...

The ever-changing situation and personal identity made him feel as if he were dreaming. Everything seemed so unreal, especially when he thought about how high his status would rise if His Majesty succeeded in the Northern Expedition, recovered the Northern Capital, and revitalized the Ming Dynasty.
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out. Two horses galloped out from the darkness and soon came in front of Chen Fu. The "clattering" sound of horse hooves pulled him back from the dazed state of a "nouveau riche" who was at a loss as to what to do.

"Report, Admiral, this is the military report sent by the Five Military Commandery!"

Chen Fu was excited when he heard this. He had been waiting for Zhu Cilang's military order for a long time. Especially after Li Guo found out the strength of the Qing army outside Jingzhou, he became even more impatient.

"Go back and report to His Majesty immediately. The left army in front of the palace is already ready. Once His Majesty's reinforcements arrive, the left army can immediately cross the river and launch an offensive against the Qing army on the north bank." After reading the military report sent by Zhu Cilang, Chen Fu immediately drafted a report and then gave instructions to the two guards.

The two horses took their leave immediately after receiving the order, and then rode off. The black shadows soon disappeared into the night, and the sound of horse hooves gradually faded away.

(End of this chapter)