Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 171 Dorgon's Collapse
On the surging river surface between Daorenji and Bailuoji, more than a dozen new warships of the Dongting Lake Navy and the Poyang Lake Navy were lined up. The rows of cannons on the right side of the ship quickly completed a new round of loading and were waiting for the flag order to fire in unison.

Under Zheng Sen's personal command, the bow cannons of these new warships, which were modeled after the Fujian Navy, and other traditional warships were ignited and fired at the same time. Hundreds of iron bullets weighing five or six pounds, or even more than ten pounds, flew out of the wall of smoke on the river surface with a thunderous explosion and slammed into the river bank.

The Green Camp soldiers who were building a pontoon bridge on the shore to help the Eight Banners Army cross the Yangtze River were the first to bear the brunt of the attack. More than a dozen shells flew over the earth wall built by the Qing army on the shore and hit a group of Green Camp soldiers who immediately dropped their bridging equipment and fled in panic, wading through several bloody paths on the flat ground on the shore.

As Dorgon led the Eight Banners Army, which had originally marched south to besiege Changsha, back north and arrived at Daorenji, the entire Dongting Lake Navy commanded by Zheng Sen also came out in full force to block the attack from the north.

Not only that, under Zhu Cilang's order, the Poyang Lake Navy also immediately dispatched half of its ships and troops to the west to provide support, which made the Ming army's naval power near Daorenji more powerful than ever before.

At this time, in order to block the Qing army's bridge-building operation, Zheng Sen not only dispatched all the large warships under his command, but also those small boats loaded with muskets and firearms, which were approaching the shore.

These small warships are equipped with small and medium-sized French cannons and hundred-shot guns on both sides of the hull. Most of them have a range of several hundred steps, and even more than one mile when the shooting angle is right. They will approach and attack the Qing army on the shore.

After all, the shells fired by those large warships in the center of the river were only extremely powerful, and the ultimate lethality was insignificant to the tens of thousands of Qing troops.

In other words, if Dorgon sent out the Eight Banners soldiers to supervise the battle and forced the Green Camp soldiers and civilians to build a pontoon bridge under the bombardment, Zheng Sen's sniper operation relying on the navy's gunboats would have failed.

Moreover, the Qing army also deployed artillery arrays on the shore. Dozens of red cannons were firing at the center of the river at the same time, but their accuracy was the same as those of the warships on the river - there was no accuracy at all!

But now, as those small warships approached, hundreds of French machine guns and muskets began to shoot at the Green Camp troops on the shore. Around the Daorenji Ferry, dozens of Green Camp soldiers who were risking their lives to build a pontoon bridge soon fell down with screams.

The Qing troops hiding behind the earthen wall were naturally safe and sound, but the soldiers and civilians who were standing at the end of the newly built pontoon bridge and wanted to continue building the bridge were shot and fell directly into the cold river water, with blood gurgling out.
Zheng Sen stood on the wheelhouse of the main ship, holding a telescope and staring at the Daorenji Ferry. After Dorgon led the main force to arrive two days ago, the Qing army had been trying to rebuild the pontoon bridge, but he had repelled them all.

Before that, he concentrated all the forces of the Dongting Lake Navy, and in the city of Yuezhou Prefecture, under the leadership of the garrison general Liu Tichun, he relied on a surprise attack, resulting in the casualties of more than 600 naval officers and soldiers, before successfully destroying the pontoon bridge.

Zheng Sen actually knew that with the arrival of the main force of the Qing army, especially the redeployment of the Qing army's artillery, he would be unable to stop the Qing army from rebuilding the bridge without the cooperation of the land division.

But from an overall strategic perspective, every day he successfully blocks the Qing army, Zhu Cilang's chances of winning will increase in the real main battlefield!
Moreover, for Zheng Sen, as long as Zhu Cilang had not said he could retreat, he would fight to the death with all his might. Even if he knew it was impossible, he still had to do it!
And his persistence was not in vain. Early this morning, the Tangma of the central army in front of the palace delivered Zhu Cilang's imperial edict, which contained the news of the great victory in the "Battle of Jingzhou" and the new orders issued to the Dongting Lake navy.

Zheng Sen immediately learned the good news that the "Battle of Jingzhou" had been won, and he was very excited. The morale of the Dongting Lake Navy was greatly boosted, and a number of generals requested to fight.

At the same time, he also received the latest order: the Dongting Lake Navy and the Poyang Lake Navy only need to block Dorgon at Daorenji and Bailuoji for two to three more days to buy time for the main army to retreat. The Poyang Lake Navy will temporarily withdraw to the Dongting Lake Navy camp after the war.

In this way, Zheng Sen no longer had any worries and began to kill the Qing army without restraint. Even if Dorgon spared no effort, it would take him a day and a night to cross the river from Daorenji and then to the outside of Jingzhou City.

He even wanted to ask Zhu Cilang to mobilize troops after Dorgon led the main force of the Qing army west to Jingzhou, advance both by land and sea, directly attack Bailuo Ji and Daoren Ji, or even recapture Linxiang City, and completely cut off the retreat of Dorgon's army.

At this time, Zheng Sen no longer had any doubt that the Ming Dynasty could ultimately defeat the Qing Dynasty.

There were less than 10,000 Qing troops in Linxiang City, most of whom were Green Camp troops. As long as the main force of the Eight Banners of the Qing army crossed the river, Zheng Sen was not worried about the former leaving the city for a surprise attack. Instead, he would have welcomed it.

You must know that while he was blocking the Qing army here, Zhu Cilang had already led his troops to return to Yuezhou City. The cavalry under Lin Changfeng's command was extremely mobile. Once the Qing army in Linxiang City left the city, they would have no chance of retreating.

However, there are nearly 10,000 Qing troops stationed in Linxiang City. If Zheng Sen wants to capture the city by force, it will be quite difficult. He must obtain the support of Zhu Cilang and at the same time find ways to lure the Green Camp troops in the city to surrender.

At this time, Dorgon was standing on the watchtower of the Qing army camp in Daorenji. He looked at the smoke that almost covered the surface of the river, and the Ming army navy ships that were looming in the smoke, and couldn't help but gasp.

A navy and ships of this scale far exceeded Dorgon's expectations, and were not what he had seen when he broke through the Yangtze River and headed south. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed it.

And those warships equipped with more than a dozen, or even twenty or thirty cannons on one side of the ship, which could fire dozens of shells at a time, were beyond his cognition.

“BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!!”

On the river, there was another round of fierce artillery fire. Hundreds of shells flew out from the thick white smoke on the river surface, crashing towards the river bank, sweeping across the Qing army on the shore like a whirlwind.

In the blink of an eye, countless pieces of gravel and soil flew around on the river defense works that had already been severely damaged, and then fell down with a loud noise. Many of them flew onto the river surface, splashing waves of water.

Not only that, under the fierce artillery bombardment of the Ming navy, the river bank was now full of panicked and fleeing Green Camp soldiers, and even some Eight Banners armored soldiers who were supervising the battle subconsciously dodged.

Dorgon looked down at the chaos before him from his high position. Years of battlefield experience had enabled him to hear the shrill screams from the terrified expressions of the soldiers. Especially at the bridgehead, those soldiers who had been hit by the dense artillery fire, their armor and limbs flying everywhere, and blood splattered everywhere.

Faced with such a fierce attack, the Qing army was completely unable to fight back at the beginning. Many soldiers fled directly, while others hid in the fortifications on the riverside and tried to survive.

After the initial confusion, the Qing army's artillery finally began to counterattack under the command of officers at all levels. They kept firing at the river surface, and after several rounds, they finally curbed the offensive of the Ming army's navy.

But it only curbed the Ming army's offensive. The Ming navy's artillery bombardment continued. Although the Qing army still wanted to continue building a pontoon bridge, the progress was very slow.

Dorgon had no choice but to mobilize soldiers and civilians to set up obstacles on the remains of the original pontoon bridge to block the actions of the Ming navy. He ordered the organization of artillery to block the attack and sent a detachment to build a pontoon bridge upstream.

Today, the soldiers stationed near the river defense fortifications are almost all Green Camp troops from Shaanxi, Henan and other places. Although their combat effectiveness is not weak, they are simply helpless against the Ming navy.

However, even if all these Han soldiers and horses died, Dorgon would not feel sad. In his eyes, the Han people were just bannermen of different ranks.

But he was very worried about the battle situation in Jingzhou. Zhu Cilang actually led the main force of the army to the north to raid the Junta tribe that remained in Jingzhou. This was far beyond his expectations.

When Dorgon just received the emergency military report from Zhunta Paitangma, he was still hesitating whether to lead his troops north.

He could naturally see that this was Emperor Ming's strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao, but the Changsha city was finally surrounded. If he withdrew his troops like this, all his efforts would be wasted.

But if he didn't lead 10,000 or 20,000 horsemen north, what was the point of his going north? Although Zhunta still had thousands of Eight Banner horsemen under his command, how long could he hold out under the siege of the main force of the Ming army?

If it was before the "Battle of Fengyang" or even before the "Battle of Jingmenzhou", Dorgon would still be full of confidence and would not even be in a hurry to directly withdraw troops from outside the Yuezhou city and head north to rescue.

But now, the situation is completely different. The army under Emperor Ming is no longer the Nikan soldiers who collapsed at the first blow!

After Duoduo volunteered to remain in Changsha and continue the siege, Dorgon finally weighed the pros and cons and headed north with Tan Tai and over 10,000 Eight Banners soldiers. He was unwilling to abandon his long-planned southern expedition. In fact, Dorgon still held onto a hope that even though the main force couldn't cross the river, it would be much easier for the Tangma to do so. He desperately hoped to receive news of victory from Zhunta.

This was a veteran general of the Qing Dynasty. Previously, during the southern expedition to the north of the Yangtze River, Junta led a large army alone to assist Duoduo in the battle. If he had not achieved any results in the end, Dorgon would have definitely promoted him.

However, there had been no news from Junta's Tangma for two days. The last military intelligence he received was that he was preparing for a decisive battle with the main force of the Ming army commanded by Emperor Ming, which made Dorgon worried.

Now, seeing the Green Camp soldiers in front of him looking so miserable under the artillery attack of the Ming navy, he couldn't help but feel worried.

On the battlefield, confidence has always been the most important thing. Sometimes, it is even more important than armaments. It is not difficult for him to imagine what the other generals around him, especially those from the Green Camp and the Han generals, are thinking.

After nearly ten rounds of artillery bombardment by the Ming navy, the river finally quieted down for a while. The Qing army's artillery positions on the shore also stopped after two new rounds of salvos.

But the Ming army's small boats still did not stop. They drove their warships closer to the shore and the wreckage of the Qing army's pontoon bridge, and used the boats' muskets, Portuguese cannons, and even muskets and rockets to attack the Qing army who took the opportunity to set up obstacles and repair fortifications in the river.

Countless small boats carrying Ming soldiers approached rapidly. The morale of the Ming army officers and soldiers was very high. Many of them had already heard the news of the great victory in the "Battle of Jingzhou" and became more and more courageous as the battle went on.

In this situation, from the perspective of the Qing soldiers, especially those of the Green Camp, the Ming army's offensive was already unstoppable. They were often attacked by artillery shells and lead bullets fired by the Ming army as soon as they rushed out, and even rockets were fired from the Ming army's ships.

Seeing this, Dorgon had no choice but to order the Eight Banners soldiers to advance. As he waited for no military information from Junta in Jingzhou in the north, his impatience became increasingly difficult to suppress.

"I never thought that in just two years, the strength of the Ming army has become so strong!" Tan Tai looked at the battle situation in front of him, then turned his head to look at Dorgon. His Adam's apple couldn't help but shrink up and down a few times. He swallowed and said in horror.

However, Dorgon remained calm after hearing this. He watched the fierce battle on the river bank and sneered at Tan Tai:
"The Ming army has always had an advantage on the water. These Nikans are only showing off their power on the water. If they reach the shore, they will definitely be vulnerable.

This round of Ming army offensive seems fierce, but in reality, how many casualties can it cause to our Eight Banners Army? Moreover, the Ming Emperor put all the cannons on the ships, which is basically a trap for himself. Apart from helping to block our army from crossing the river by water, what other use can they have?

Upon hearing this, Tan Tai did not say anything. He had completely lost the arrogance he had when he first went south, especially after seeing the powerful firepower of the Ming navy with his own eyes. This was definitely not something that could be described as a show of force on the water.

It's not like he had never seen a navy before. He had even offered his opinions on the two navies that Tong Yanghe and Ye Chen had previously planned to build in Wuchang and Xiangyang. However, this was the first time he knew that the navy's firepower could be so strong.

After all, in Tan Tai's knowledge, there were no more than two cannons on a warship, but the Ming army's current warships had more than a dozen or even more than twenty cannons on one side alone, which was simply incredible.

"The Regent is right. If we were on land, these Nikans would be no match for us. We have tens of thousands of armored soldiers. Even if the Ming Emperor himself led the so-called main force of the Ming army to a decisive battle, they would surely collapse at the first touch."

"Emperor Ming wouldn't dare come, nor would he lead his so-called main force to a decisive battle with me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to raid Zhunta and Bahana in Jingzhou. Instead, he should have headed straight for Changsha and defeated me openly."

Dorgon had actually just seen the look of horror on Tan Tai's face, but he didn't say much. Instead, he continued to encourage him:
"If the Ming army comes ashore for a decisive battle, this battle will be much easier to win. Naval warfare is not the Qing Dynasty's strong suit. If our army can successfully cross the river, the Ming Emperor will definitely not dare to stay in Jingzhou any longer and court his own destruction!"

"Then we will march a hundred miles overnight. Before dawn, we will launch a simultaneous attack from several directions. Those Nikan soldiers will be caught off guard and will be unable to continue their rampage!"

Tan Tai actually thought so in his heart. Although the situation at that time was somewhat unsatisfactory, he was still very optimistic. The belief that the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty were invincible and that victory in the field battle was inevitable was still a truth in his heart that could not be denied or questioned.

"Hahaha, maybe Junta and Bahana have already defeated Emperor Ming!" Dorgon laughed.

"Zhunta and Bahana have four to five thousand horsemen under their command, and more than two thousand armored baoyi soldiers. Wang Guangtai's Green Camp Army is also quite powerful. Although the Ming Emperor has assembled tens of thousands of troops, it is still hard to say who will win in the end!"

Tan Tai immediately agreed, "Seven or eight thousand cavalrymen, if it were in the past, even if the Ming army had thirty or fifty thousand soldiers and horses, they would definitely be defeated."

While the two were talking, as a large group of Eight Banners soldiers went into battle, the small boats of the Ming navy that had been approaching the shore and continuously attacking were quickly repelled.

Immediately afterwards, the Green Camp soldiers and civilian laborers immediately began to move forward according to the plan prepared early in the morning and continued to build a pontoon bridge. Some fire attack ships were also launched at the ferry, but they were often hit by the French cannons and muskets, or even musketeers and rocket launchers, on the Ming army warships as soon as they left the shore.

Furthermore, the Tangma, Dorgon's long-awaited spies, finally delivered intelligence on the Jingzhou battlefield. However, this was not sent by Zhunta, but rather by him, who had been waiting impatiently yesterday afternoon to gather intelligence in Jiangbei.

Looking at Tangma's embarrassed and anxious expression, Dorgon felt an inexplicable surge of intense uneasiness in his heart. He immediately ordered away all the generals who had surrounded him, leaving only Tan Tai.

And his feeling was not wrong. As Tang Ma reported the military intelligence he had obtained, the faces of both Dorgon and Tan Tai immediately turned gloomy. Tan Tai was even frightened to the point of losing his mind, and his mouth opened unconsciously.

However, compared to Tan Tai, although Dorgon was also surprised, he quickly calmed down, thought for a while, and immediately ordered the Tangma to retreat. Then he turned his head to look at the shore. The situation there had begun to reverse, and the Qing army gradually gained the upper hand.

After the Eight Banners soldiers he had just sent out took action, the Ming army on the river put up a brief resistance, but then retreated to the center of the river to avoid the Qing army's counterattack because the artillery and muskets on the warships overheated.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, more Eight Banners troops re-formed into strict and orderly square formations on the shore. Even the Green Camp troops, under the supervision of the Eight Banners vests, quickly recovered from the chaos.

Seeing that his army was so well-trained, Dorgon seemed to have some confidence restored. The unexpected news that Junta was defeated in Jingzhou and even his entire army was annihilated also made his confidence, which had never changed, begin to waver.

In this regard, Dorgon and Tan Tai were the same. Before hearing the news of Zhunta's defeat, he was full of confidence in the field combat strength of the Eight Banners Army.

After all, in his subconscious, even if Junta could not defeat the Ming Emperor in one battle, he would definitely not be defeated. At most, they would be mutually restrained. Junta could not defeat the Ming army, and the Ming Emperor could not escape.

But the reality slapped him hard in the face. Zhunta was defeated and his entire army was wiped out. This was not only the loss of several thousand soldiers, but also a fatal blow to the morale of the army and the entire Huguang war situation!

Dorgon saw the situation much further than Tan Tai and others, which was why he had a mental breakdown at this moment!

"Tan Tai, go call them all over!"

"Regent?" Tan Tai was stunned for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end his lips trembled and he didn't say it.

Seeing this, Dorgon frowned immediately, as if he could no longer control his anger. He roared impatiently:
"Go!"

(End of this chapter)