Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 165: The Decisive Battle of Jingzhou
Chen Fu stood on the watchtower of the deserted village's earthen walls, watching the vanguard troops sent out by Zhunta. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised, especially when, on the plain ahead, the sound of mines exploding one after another, and puffs of white smoke rose. At the same time, the shouts and howls of the Qing cavalry rose one after another, one wave higher than the other.

Yesterday evening, when Zhu Cilang guessed that the Qing army was going to take the initiative to launch an attack based on the military intelligence reported by Chang Denggui, he was still a little hesitant, but now that the facts were before him, he had no choice but to believe it.

However, Chen Fu did not show much emotion except for being a little surprised at the fact that things were beyond his expectations, and he quickly adjusted his thoughts.

This is the case most of the time on the battlefield. Nothing can be accurately predicted all the time. Any military commander must learn to accept the unexpected.

After all, no matter how forward-looking and outstanding a military commander is, he must constantly adjust his judgment of the situation while strengthening his will and judgment.

Otherwise, it is easy to fall into defeat due to self-righteousness and even be unable to recover!
The two positions deployed by the Palace Front Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Army in the deserted village west of the main camp were both very strong. In addition, Zhu Cilang had been prepared in advance and strengthened the garrison troops and was on high alert. The second batch of vanguards dispatched by the Qing army also failed to make any progress.

Junta had guessed this long ago, so when he sent out the cavalry, he also sent out the artillery and the Green Camp Army. He planned to destroy the Ming army's defense line by concentrated fire from more than 20 artillery pieces.

At this time, Bahana, who had originally been quite disdainful of the Ming army's field combat strength, had already turned to support Junta's plan after witnessing with his own eyes that all the cavalry attacks in the previous three days had failed.

Under the personal command of Bahana, the cavalry sent by the Qing army launched a second round of raids on several deserted villages occupied by the Ming army to the east of the battlefield. The swarming Qing cavalry divided into several groups and pounced forward fiercely.

Although the garrisoned soldiers of the Palace Front Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Army had been well prepared, the cavalry on the periphery of the battlefield were quickly defeated by the swift offensive of the superior Qing army. In less than an hour, some Qing cavalry broke into the deserted village.

However, after the Qing cavalry crossed the plains and entered the deserted village, their original advantage of galloping and killing suddenly disappeared, and they had to choose to dismount and fight on foot.

The three thousand-man headquarters sent by the central army in front of the palace were all the elite among the elite. They not only had a firm will to fight, but also reacted very quickly. Relying on the earth walls of the deserted village and the mandarin duck formation, they quickly repelled several rounds of attacks by the Qing army's armored soldiers.

Bahana was very clear that the purpose of his battle was to cover the artillery and infantry in the rear. He did not underestimate the enemy and fought very carefully.

After all, he didn't know how many troops the Ming army had hidden in these deserted villages, and he was very worried that he would be fooled by the Ming Emperor like Ye Chen, so he couldn't move his hands and feet.

Although Bahana escaped the Battle of Jingmen Prefecture by going south to lure Li Guo into an attack, he was still frightened. However, he did not dare to show it openly because he was worried that he would be despised by all parties like Duoduo had been before.

Now, facing the Ming army's continuous defense, the Qing army was unable to advance further. As the attack became unfavorable, Bahana immediately adjusted his deployment. While restraining the offensive, he also prepared troops to guard against sudden attacks by the Ming army's cavalry and to protect the safety of those armored soldiers who were still attacking the Ming army's strongholds.

In fact, Zhunta did not necessarily have to capture the two Ming army positions on the east side of the battlefield at all costs. He just wanted to test the strength of the Ming army. If he could successfully repel the Ming army, the momentum for a decisive battle would be established. At the same time, the Qing army would be able to seize the initiative on the battlefield before the decisive battle.

Of course, if the attack fails for a long time, or if it takes a heavy price to break through the Ming army's defense line, then Zhunta will have to settle for the second best and defend his own position.

In other words, Zhunta had made two preparations early on. He planned to launch a fierce offensive and use artillery to bluff Zhu Cilang, making it difficult for him to judge the situation in a short period of time and delay the enemy's troop mobilization. He also planned to retreat and lure the enemy, waiting for Zhu Cilang to launch a strong attack.

After all, time is more urgent for Zhu Cilang in this battle. He must end the battle at all costs before Dorgon's reinforcements arrive north, otherwise the situation on the Huguang battlefield will immediately turn to the side of the Qing army.

However, Zhu Cilang was also very clear that if the Qing army could not win on the battlefield, Zhunta would most likely not directly attack those deserted villages, let alone take the initiative to fight a decisive battle with him.

Otherwise, even if the Qing army won, it would have lost thousands of soldiers. Zhunta had fought against the Ming army in Jiangbei and should not have been so careless.

Therefore, under the fierce attack of the Qing army, the Palace Front Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Army received the order to retreat after they held their ground for most of the day and the cavalry basically retreated and lost the outer earth wall.

In fact, at this time, the casualties of the Palace Front Army and the Tianqi Army were not heavy, and they could have continued to hold on, but Zhu Cilang did not want to force an attack on the Qing army's deserted village position.

Therefore, when Zhu Cilang learned that the Qing army was going to take the initiative to attack, the deployment of additional troops was entirely to confuse the Qing army and to prevent a surprise attack by the Qing army.

Zhao Zhengdong was quite puzzled by the order from Tangma. In his opinion, as long as they continued to send reinforcements, the position in Huangcun could be completely defended. Even the position that was lost due to the retreat of the cavalry could be counterattacked by sending elite troops at night.

Although the Qing army had an advantage in manpower and had even pushed up artillery, the earthen walls in the deserted village had basically been reinforced and many trenches had been dug, so they would not suffer much damage from the artillery fire.

But military orders are as heavy as mountains. As the captain, Zhao Zhengdong had to carry out the orders without fail. He immediately sent his personal guards to organize the retreat of his soldiers.

Zhao Zhengdong stuck his head out from the edge of the earth wall and looked at the Qing army outside who were preparing to launch a new round of offensive. He stood beside the rammed earth wall in the deserted village. The Qing army artillery on the other side had begun concentrated fire, and the ground was shaking slightly.

Gu Defu withdrew from the front line with a group of his soldiers and soon came to Zhao Zhengdong's side. He also stepped onto the earth wall and looked at the Qing cavalry that was coming in from the south. He whispered:

"Captain, the Tartars are about to fire, let's retreat first!"

Gu Defu was even less clear about the battle plan. After all, he was just a flag commander. If he wanted to understand the army's combat strategy, he had to at least reach the level of a hundred-man commander first. Moreover, he had to wait until the war was about to start before he would have the opportunity to understand it.

However, he was more resolute than Zhao Zhengdong in executing military orders, because he did not have a good understanding of the overall situation of the war and did not think about other issues.

After hearing this, Zhao Zhengdong nodded, responded with an "hmm", turned around and jumped off the earth wall, then followed Gu Defu and caught up with the retreating soldiers.

Amid the rumbling sounds of artillery fire, all the soldiers in front of the palace in the deserted village position quickly withdrew, and then retreated to the camp under the cover of the cavalry.

As the Palace Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Army withdrew from the deserted village positions west of the main camp before Zhunta sent reinforcements, the Qing army quickly occupied these places after several rounds of artillery fire. The cavalry even pushed the front line to within five miles of the Ming army camp and frequently harassed them.

Although the Qing army did not have a numerical advantage, they quickly achieved a phased victory after increasing their forces. Under such favorable circumstances, Zhunta and Bahana naturally chose to continue the offensive, especially since the east was still a vast plain, which was very conducive to the use of cavalry.

Facing the Ming army camp less than four miles away, the Qing army's scouts became more active and attacked boldly and frequently, but Zhu Cilang did not show any weakness. The armies of both sides fought each other in the wilderness, constantly exchanging deaths, and in the end no one gained the upper hand.

By the time the Qing army completely controlled the western side of the battlefield, especially the deserted villages that had just been captured, it was already afternoon. The artillery in the rear had not yet been transported up because the snow had melted and the roads were muddy due to the actions of the cavalry.

Under such circumstances, neither Junta nor Bahana asked the army to continue the attack, but instead asked each unit to stabilize the front and guard against the counterattack of the Ming army. In fact, they also had some doubts that such an easy victory was a trap set by the Ming Emperor.

Of course, compared to this, they are also willing to believe that the Ming army is still the familiar army that is strong in small-scale battles but collapses at the first touch in large-scale battles.

Such things have happened countless times outside the Great Wall. Especially when the Ming army suffered a defeat or fell into a state of food shortage, they would collapse during the retreat.

That night, Zhunta, Bahana, and Wang Guangtai stood together at the spot where Zhao Zhengdong had been. However, they were looking in completely opposite directions.

"If nothing unexpected happens tomorrow and the weather is clear, this Ming army will be wiped out here!" Junta said, turning his head to look at Bahana, his face full of anticipation.

"By then, the Ming Emperor will have no one to rely on to defend the city. Even if he flees back to Yuezhou City, it will be useless. The Ming army will surely collapse, and the entire Huguang region will belong to the Qing Dynasty."

"Hahaha, by then, not to mention Jingzhou, even Yuezhou, Jiujiang, and Changsha will be easily within our grasp. The Regent will even most likely seize the opportunity to pursue the victory and capture the entire south in one fell swoop. General Zhunta has made an indelible contribution!"

"The Ming Emperor has now lost these barriers in the east, and his cavalry is no match for our Eight Banners in field battles. He is actually at a disadvantage." Zhunta nodded slightly. He was actually very excited listening to Bahana's flattery, and he was also looking forward to this battle.

"However, the Ming Emperor has at least 5,000 cavalrymen at his disposal. We must be careful of this, especially the Ming army's cavalry formation. We are short on manpower and it will be difficult to break through.

The power of the Ming army's cavalry charge should not be underestimated. It is completely different from our usual cavalry charges. We must not underestimate the enemy, otherwise our fate will definitely not be much better than Ye Chen's."

Zhunta changed the subject, his confidence instantly vanishing. He narrowed his eyes as he spoke, looking worried. This was actually what was worrying him most. "The Ming cavalry formation here might not be effective. We can completely avoid it! The plains here are vast, not valleys. Our cavalry can easily flank them and cut them in half."

Although Bahana almost participated in the battle of Jingmenzhou, he was very confident at this time:
"The Regent has specifically sought out the guise of a soldier who escaped from the battle in Jingmen Prefecture and has already inquired thoroughly. If the Ming Emperor attempts to use the same tactics again, we can certainly handle it. We can even break through directly from the center, giving the Ming army no chance to attack."

After the deserted village defense line outside the Ming army camp was captured, the Qing army could not sit back and relax. It could only be said that they had gained a local advantage and had the conditions for a decisive battle.

Zhu Cilang currently has no obvious disadvantage in cavalry, which forces Zhunta and Bahana to allocate thousands of cavalry to contain the flanks. Otherwise, Wang Guangtai's Green Camp Army would be full of loopholes in defense, let alone taking the initiative to attack.

However, Bahana had absolute confidence in the Eight Banners under his command. He even subjectively felt that such a situation was very beneficial to them.

After hearing this, Zhunta nodded, as if his last concerns had disappeared, and then he said:

"That makes sense. No matter how many cavalrymen he has, if we engage in a brazen battle, those Nikan cavalrymen will be nothing compared to the iron cavalry of the Qing Dynasty. When have our Eight Banner warriors ever been afraid of bloody and bitter battles? Over the past few decades, which major battle outside the Great Wall wasn't won this way?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Guangtai also bowed his waist, clasped his hands together, and said flatteringly:
"That's right. The east is flat and the Ming army has no chance of stopping the Qing cavalry. If the tens of thousands of troops deployed by the Ming Emperor on the plains are defeated, even if the defenses of Jingzhou City are strong, the Ming army will have no choice but to surrender!"

Upon hearing this, Junta and Bahana both burst into laughter. They were very satisfied with Wang Guangtai's performance. What they wanted was to defeat Emperor Ming in a field battle and have Jingzhou City surrender!

However, despite Wang Guangtai's words, he still felt a little worried. Today's victory of the Ming army gave him confidence, but his intuition, cultivated from years of battlefield experience, told him that things were not that simple. He was also deeply impressed by the strength of this Ming army.

In fact, his troops were not weak among the Green Camp Army. They were certainly not comparable to the Eight Banners Army, but they were not weaker than the Green Camp Army in Henan, and could even compete with the Green Camp Army in Shaanxi.

After all, many of the soldiers under his command were originally from the Shaanxi border army, but they became deserters and bandits, and later accepted the amnesty and became the Ming army.

Now, although these deserted villages have been captured, he is still worried about his future. If the Ming army really wants to lure the enemy, then he, as the vanguard of the decisive battle, will be the first to bear the brunt!
"Boom! Boom!"

Just as Wang Guangtai was trapped by all this mess, on the plain ahead shrouded in darkness, two balls of fire suddenly flashed by, accompanied by violent explosions, and then quickly went out. Sharp screams and howls followed. It was the scouts sent by the Qing army who stepped on the mines planted by the Ming army outside the camp.

Seeing this, Junta and Bahana's faces turned gloomy. They quickly issued orders to send more troops to guard against the Ming army's scouts.

Under the cover of night, noisy sounds were heard from time to time in the dark wilderness east of Jingzhou City. The originally quiet wilderness was filled with noise from the two large camps standing in the east and west, and bonfires were spread all over the wilderness. Both the Ming and Qing sides were carefully guarding against possible night attacks.

However, in the vast and flat plains, apart from those elusive scouts, neither side of the Ming army sent troops to cross several miles of wilderness to launch a night attack.

After all, with the enemy on high alert, such an action was far too dangerous. If not prepared in advance and there were opportunities to exploit, the probability of a successful night raid on the battlefield at this time was extremely low, and there was even the possibility of revealing a flaw, giving the enemy an opportunity to exploit.

So, on the night before the decisive battle between the Ming and Qing dynasties, the soldiers on both sides passed by amidst the occasional explosions that no one cared about anymore.

But as soon as the hour of Mao arrived the next day, the cooks of the Ming and Qing armies started to light fires and cook almost at the same time. In this season, it was still more than an hour before dawn, but because of the cold weather, the soldiers' movements and lighting of fires to cook were slower than usual.

More than half an hour before dawn, vanguard troops set out from the camps of both the Ming and Qing armies. They would be deployed one step ahead to the place where the two armies would form their battle array.

Just as the sky was getting light, a series of drum and trumpet sounds were heard from the military camps on the east and west sides. The originally silent earth and the dark wilderness quickly became noisy and bright.

The two huge armies woke up one after another, and then finished their breakfast one after another. The troops quickly began to line up for inspection. The rules and regulations of the Palace Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Army in this regard were much clearer and more detailed than those of the Qing Army, while the Zhongzheng Camp was a little worse.

However, their training and equipment strength have now surpassed that of the Green Camp Army. In this battle, Wang Guangtai's troops were obviously the weakest among all the troops.

In the Ming army camp, nearly 30,000 soldiers were organized into battalions. Following the sound of military bugles, the battalion officers, captains, battalion commanders, flag commanders, and squad leaders; combat soldiers, musketeers, artillerymen, and cavalrymen all quickly completed the equipment inspection and returned to the team at the same time.

Amid the deafening sound of military bugles, Zhu Cilang quickly put on his armor and mounted his horse. He touched the soft mane of the warhorse under his crotch, then looked up at the teams of soldiers leaving the camp. These marching teams were like alternating streams, flowing out continuously.

"The shame of Jingkang has not yet been avenged. When will the hatred of the ministers be extinguished? Drive the long chariot and break through the gap in the Helan Mountains—"

At this time, the sky was already bright. Inside and outside the Ming army camp, the sounds of drums and military songs came one after another. The morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted by the loud military songs. They formed a strict marching formation according to their respective organization, looking like a strong army.

"With great ambition, I will eat the meat of barbarians when I am hungry, and drink the blood of Xiongnu when I am thirsty. I will start from the beginning, rebuild the old mountains and rivers, and face the sky."

The Central Army in front of the Palace, the Left Army in front of the Palace, the Heavenly Cavalry Army and the Loyal Camp were all marching according to the formation requirements for the decisive battle. The vanguard army had already planted guiding flags on the road. They only needed to follow these flags to reach their position.

This was to avoid the possible confusion of formations caused by tens of thousands of troops marching at the same time, and to better deal with the harassment of the Qing army and maintain the high morale of the soldiers.

Thirty thousand Ming army soldiers marched simultaneously in a strict formation across the flat wilderness, with the Tianqi Army providing cover from the front and back. Tens of thousands of horse hooves trampled on the ground, making a rumbling sound. Countless flags in the formation fluttered in the wind, pointing the way forward, like surging waves, magnificent and imposing.

Zhu Cilang, protected by the imperial camp, galloped across the plains and soon passed through one phalanx after another. He looked at the marching troops in front of him and the densely packed weapons raised slanting upwards in the formation, reflecting the morning sunlight, and the excitement in his heart was difficult to suppress.

This was the army that he had painstakingly trained in the two years since he ascended the throne. It was a powerful army that was about to have a decisive battle with the main force of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty on the plains.

Chang Denggui, Zhang Huangyan and others followed closely behind Zhu Cilang. After passing through the marching army formations, they all jumped on their horses and finally arrived at a lookout tower built of earth and wood. This was where Zhu Cilang was about to command the army to fight.

At this time, the vanguard cavalry of the Ming and Qing sides had already started small-scale fighting, and as the main armies of both sides entered the battlefield, more and more cavalry were heading to reinforce.

When the main army was lined up, both the Qing army's vanguard and the Ming army's vanguard needed to completely keep the enemy out of the army's position, otherwise their main force formation would likely be disrupted by the enemy.

"It's been two years. This is the first time we've fought a big battle with the Qing army. I've been waiting for this day for a long time!" Zhu Cilang's face was full of smiles and his tone was excited, as if this was a battle that was sure to win.

"Your Majesty is a master strategist and a military commander. We will definitely defeat the Tartars today!" Zhang Huangyan was extremely excited. He even dreamed of the scene after this great victory last night.

"Once we win today's battle, the Tartars will never dare to look down on us again. Dorgon will definitely not dare to keep his main force in Changsha and may even withdraw his troops directly to the north!" Chang Denggui said with a firm expression.

Although his ability to analyze the situation was not as good as Chen Fu's, it had also been significantly improved in the past two years, and he had a very clear understanding of the significance of this battle.

"In this battle, if we can defeat the Eight Banners Army before us, I will be able to prove to the world that the Ming Dynasty has regained its former strength and that the Qing army is at the end of its rope!"

Zhu Cilang held his head high and spoke with high spirits. He paused and turned back to look at his own army that was entering the position behind him.

"By then, our army will shift from its current defensive counterattack to a strategic offensive!"

On the vast plain east of Jingzhou City, soldiers and armor covered the field. Under the command of drums and trumpets, the tight and orderly Ming army formations marched faster and faster, and soon entered the battlefield one after another. It seemed that the Ming soldiers could not wait for the decisive battle.

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, he turned his head and looked to the south. He saw that in the wilderness to the south, the Qing army, as dark as a tide, had emerged from the horizon and was growing taller.

The ensuing sound of horse hooves and footsteps made the entire ground tremble slightly. Some frightened war horses in the two armies raised their hooves and neighed in fear.

(End of this chapter)