Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 174: The Heroic Spirit
As soon as Wang Guangtai walked into the house, the person guarding the door immediately turned around and closed the wooden door that had just been opened with a "creak". Then silence returned outside the yard, with only the cold wind still howling unscrupulously.

After Wang Guangtai met Wang Guangen, Wang Chang and Li Shiying, he finally felt relieved. During this period of time, especially the two days when he was waiting for news from Wang Guangen outside the city, he had thought about all kinds of possible accidents. Now he finally returned to Yunyang safely.

As long as he entered Yunyang City, it would not be easy for anyone to kill him.

Wang Guangen immediately poured a bowl of hot tea for his younger brother who had risked his life to sneak back and was carrying the secret decree of Emperor Ming. After Wang Guangtai drank it in one gulp, he became more sober.

He then took out the secret decree written by Zhu Cilang to Wang Guangen and others, and explained Zhu Cilang's plan and when to send troops north to reinforce.

However, after reading the secret decree, the other three were worried. Emperor Ming did not intend to send troops to support them, but asked them to capture the city first and then send troops to help.

"The Emperor Ming is sending us to our deaths!" Wang Chang said indignantly, "He doesn't take us seriously at all. Doesn't he want Yunyang City anymore?"

"Third brother, His Majesty has absolutely no such intention. The reason His Majesty did not send reinforcements was actually to let the Qing army relax their vigilance." Wang Guangtai immediately explained:
"If His Majesty no longer wanted Yunyang, or if he didn't take us brothers seriously, why would he let me return to Yunyang without even sending a single soldier to monitor it?"

"The Ming Emperor truly possesses the aura of a heroic ruler." Wang Guangen remained expressionless as he spoke coldly, "He was so magnanimous as to release you directly. This is something not many people can do."

"His Majesty said that my elder brother will definitely make the right choice. As long as my elder brother raises the flag of rebellion, His Majesty will definitely not treat him unfairly." Wang Guangtai said immediately.

"It's hard to say whether empty words can be trusted!" Wang Chang still looked unconvinced.

"However, the Ming Emperor seems to be very aware of the situation in Yunyang. He is reluctant to send troops because he is probably worried that the Qing army will notice and that we will set an ambush."

Li Shiying immediately bowed and said, "Moreover, the Emperor Ming's decision not to send a single soldier to monitor the city may be a warning to us. Don't even think about defending the city. He doesn't care about us at all. It would be easy for him to destroy us and recapture Yunyang."

"How could the Emperor Ming be so arrogant?" Wang Chang had never expected this. He had been a bandit for a long time, and seeing that Zhu Cilang did not give anything in exchange for Yunyang in his hands, he felt very dissatisfied.

"Emperor Ming isn't arrogant; he's domineering!" Wang Guangen shook his head slightly, then suddenly smiled and said, "This is what a powerful ruler should be like. No wonder Dorgon couldn't defeat Emperor Ming!"

"But the Tartar reinforcements."

As Wang Chang spoke, he turned his head and looked at Li Shiying. The other party had been being wooed by Xu Qiyuan and was now pretending to surrender, while secretly exploring the Qing court's true attitude towards Wang Guangen and his brothers.

"That damn Dorgon is indeed sending troops to reinforce Xiangyang. I heard that the troops are led by the Tartar Beile Bolo. The army should arrive in the next few days."

Li Shiying paused, then bowed to Wang Guangen and said:

"Moreover, the Tartars in the city, as well as Xu Qiyuan, are being extremely cautious. I just received the news from Xu Qiyuan's retainers, but I still don't know exactly how many troops the Tartars will transfer from Xiangyang.

However, if Bolo personally leads the troops, there will probably be at least one or two thousand, or even more. What I am most worried about is that the Qing court will transfer us out of the city."

"Those damn Tartars have already suspected you, haven't they?" Wang Guangtai couldn't help but feel a little worried when he heard this. He then turned his head to look at Wang Guangen and asked:
"Brother, haven't you been in too close contact recently? Xu Qiyuan's spies should not be underestimated. When Li Zicheng attacked the city, the spies he sent were captured by him."

"Xu Qiyuan is a very clever bastard. He noticed it a long time ago, but it's definitely not because of this." Wang Guangen shook his head and then said:

"Xu Qiyuan, a civil servant, can't control these old brothers of mine. Not only Lao Li, but also other generals in Yunyang City are still unaware of the reinforcement. Not only the specific number of troops, but also the time when the Tartars will increase their troops are unknown.

This matter shouldn't be kept secret from Old Li. The Tartars probably don't just distrust us. Even Xu Qiyuan probably doesn't trust us completely. We are Han Chinese, and they are Manchus. How could they possibly trust us? He only knows that the Qing army has sent reinforcements."

"The brothers in this city are all loyal to you, big brother. In order to avoid arousing your suspicion, Xu Qiyuan asked me to contact you more often. Although he knows I'm coming, he will definitely not doubt me." Li Shiying said calmly.

After all, although Xu Qiyuan had colluded with the Tartars, he was not particularly clear about the movements of the main force of the Qing army. In many things, he could not do too much before he had a falling out.

"Yes, big brother, Lao Li used to come here frequently. The problem definitely cannot be here." Wang Chang did not think that there was a problem on his side, and immediately said:
"Those damn Tartars didn't trust us in the first place, otherwise they wouldn't have sent any more troops to Yunyang secretly. It's not just Old Li; the other generals in Yunyang City don't trust us either."

Compared with Wang Chang's restlessness, Wang Guangen was very calm, especially after he talked about the difference between Han and Manchu, he became more determined in his heart. As a Han Chinese, he would sooner or later die a bad death if he followed the Manchu.

So, Wang Guangen quickly looked at Wang Guangtai again and said in a deep voice:

"The most important thing now is to determine the Qing army's movements and then immediately pass on the military intelligence to His Majesty. This attitude must be maintained, otherwise His Majesty may misunderstand our loyalty.

But it's probably difficult to send out our scouts right now, and we probably won't be able to get any news about the Tartars reinforcing their forces in Xiangyang from Xu Qiyuan either."

"Brother is right. The most urgent task now is to find out how many troops Bolo has mobilized. Xu Qiyuan is very cautious. If he intends to hide, I guess our spies in Xu's mansion won't be able to find out." Wang Guangtai frowned slightly.

Once Bolo sends more troops, the balance of power among the various parties in Xiangyang Prefecture, Yunyang Prefecture, and Yunyang City will change completely, and the Eight Banners Army will have an absolute advantage.

Although they had already had second thoughts, especially after learning that the Eight Banner Army was defeated in Jingzhou and the Tartar cavalry was defeated by Emperor Ming, they were even more eager to act, but they were also cautious and did not dare to act rashly.

After all, in this kind of situation, one wrong move could lead to a complete loss. Although they were encouraged, they were also very shrewd.

"Let's not talk about the distant consequences. If there are more than a hundred Eight Banner soldiers stationed on the towers, it will be difficult for me to guarantee that my retainers can immediately control the towers at a critical moment. If I don't kill all the Tartars who are watching, it's hard to say whether the other brothers in the city will follow suit."

Li Shiying also frowned, sighed and said:

"The servants under Li Jinshan, Su Mingbang, and Mi Guozhen should be useful when the battle comes. These men have served the general for many years and are fierce and bloodthirsty. They are experts in melee combat, sneak attacks, murder, and arson."

"Since Emperor Ming will not send troops to help, there is no need for us to wait any longer. The sooner we raise the flag and rebel, the better. Otherwise, accidents may occur."

Wang Guangen glanced at the three people in the room, then gave orders to Li Shiying, Wang Guangtai, and Wang Chang:
"Third brother, tomorrow you will take your capable servants and hide near the Tartar camp. Keep a close eye on their movements and take direct action when necessary.

Second brother, you take a team of people to watch the South Gate. There are the most Tartars there, and they are all protecting Xu Qiyuan. Keep a close eye on him. If I start a rebellion on the city wall, attack and kill me immediately.

Li Shiying, you absolutely cannot make any mistakes on your side. Gather the brothers from all factions in the city. You absolutely cannot let any of your men waver. As long as they follow us, we won't be afraid of being unable to deal with these few Tartar soldiers in the city."

"Should we spread the news of the uprising to Emperor Ming immediately, or should we wait a few days to capture Yunyang City and confirm the reinforcements of the Qing army before making plans?" Wang Chang looked at Wang Guangtai again and asked, waiting for his answer.

"Of course the news must be spread in advance. Just send out scouts as usual to pass the message to the brothers outside the city. But it must be done quickly, otherwise the Tartars will be on high alert after they notice it, and the situation we face will only become more passive." Wang Guangen said immediately without waiting for Wang Guangtai to answer.

His mind was now constantly recalling the news he had received from Li Shiying. Worry became more and more obvious on his originally expressionless face. As Bolo led his troops north, the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for them brothers. He had no choice but to take a chance.

"Brother, third brother, don't worry. Since His Majesty has defeated the Tartars so many times, he must have the strength to repel Dorgon. We just need to recapture Yunyang, and everything will be fine." Wang Guangtai said immediately.

"We are afraid that the Tartars will come and destroy us before Emperor Ming achieves complete victory," Wang Chang said again.

"Hahaha, there's no need to worry about this. Attacking a city has never been a simple matter. We have sufficient food and military supplies stored in the city. Although the warehouses are guarded by the Tartars themselves, as long as we kill them all, all the food and supplies will be ours.

By then, no matter how many troops the Tartars have, as long as we can hold the city gates, the Tartars will be powerless against us. With Emperor Ming's strength, the Tartars won't be able to hold out for more than half a year, and Dorgon's 100,000-man army will be useless."

Wang Guangen chuckled softly, still looking calm, and said slowly: "As long as we do this, everything else will not be a problem."

Wang Guangen was actually very confident in Zhu Cilang, otherwise he would not have rebelled so quickly. The victory of the Ming army in the "Battle of Jingzhou" and the courage shown by Zhu Cilang in releasing Wang Guangtai made him believe that Zhu Cilang was a monarch worthy of serving.
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On the fifth day after Wang Guangtai entered the city, before daybreak, the eastern gates of Xiangyang City were already wide open. Braving the howling cold wind, a large group of Qing soldiers filed in through the gates, accompanied by thousands of civilians carrying food and supplies. The procession stretched for miles. The Qing general who remained in Xiangyang City was the Guard Commander-in-Chief, Du Erde. Upon receiving the news, he personally led the Manchu and Han troops out of the city to greet them.

However, from the outside, the troops led by Bolo were specifically responsible for transporting food and fodder, and did not look like an elite Eight Banners unit at all.

At this time, under the deployment of Dorgon, although more than 6,000 Eight Banners cavalry and tens of thousands of Green Camp troops had been redeployed outside Jingzhou City, the Han River grain route was still often attacked, and the Qing army had to send additional troops to escort grain and grass.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to escort food and grass, Bolo led thousands of troops from Linxiang to the north. After the army gathered in Yicheng yesterday, he sent Tangma to order Durde to meet them in the city and block the news to prevent the military information of the army's mobilization from being discovered by the Ming army's scouts.

At this time, many of the Qing soldiers who entered from the east gate of Xiangyang City were wearing tattered civilian clothes. In addition, it was dark, and even the Green Camp Army on duty could not judge for a moment how many reinforcements Bolo had dispatched, let alone the main composition of the reinforcements.

Dorgon had already realized that the number of scouts and spies deployed by the Ming Emperor in Huguang far exceeded his imagination. Bolo's actions were mainly to prevent the Ming scouts from spying and the Ming spies who might be lurking in Xiangyang.

Of course, if there were generals among the Green Camp defenders of Xiangyang City who were traitors who secretly defected to the Ming court, then the strength of the troops he eventually mobilized would not be hidden.

But as long as he can hide for a while and wait for reinforcements to enter Yunyang City, Bolo can let go and there is no need to worry about Emperor Ming finding out about the military situation.

Dorgon was no pushover. He naturally knew the importance of Yunyang and guessed that Emperor Ming was likely to take action there to force him to withdraw his troops.

If Yunyang City changed hands, Xiangyang would be in danger, and the Qing army's food supply route would be difficult to preserve. Therefore, when the situation in Jingzhou and Yuezhou was still unstable, he sent Bolo to lead the troops north.

Moreover, Dorgon was increasingly distrustful of the Green Camp Army, and Bolo's march northward was actually intended to intimidate the Green Camp Army within Xiangyang City. While the political impact of the Battle of Jingzhou wasn't earth-shattering, it was certainly significant.

Bolo naturally knew all this, but he could not think of any other solution for the time being. He could only obey Dorgon's orders and increase surveillance by strengthening the Eight Banners Army in Xiangyang City.

He also did not trust the Han people, but in the current situation, the Qing court had to make use of Han generals and ministers, otherwise it would be absolutely difficult to control the entire Central Plains and the vast land of Shaanxi and Gansu.

"Li Guo is now surrounded in Jingzhou City again. Aside from the harassing troops he previously deployed in Chengtian Prefecture, he can no longer influence the situation in Xiangyang and Yunyang. It's even more impossible for him to move north for the time being. However, Wang Guangen and his brothers are likely to take advantage of the opportunity to take action. Although their strength is no longer what it was before, they still have over 2,000 troops."

On the city wall of the east gate of Xiangyang City, after several days of rapid march in the wind and snow, Bolo, with bloodshot eyes, was looking at the moat outside the city and said lightly.

"Jingzhou City was besieged once before, and Li Guo probably won't be afraid now. Emperor Ming is now victorious and his momentum is stronger than before. Li Guo might take the initiative to attack. If something happens in Jingzhou again, I'm afraid we won't be able to continue this war." Durd looked at Bolo and couldn't help but worry.

"If only that were the case!" Bolo smiled coldly, then shook his head.

"The Ming Emperor is currently able to mobilize only 40,000 field troops. Those so-called 100,000 and 200,000 troops that Nikan claims are nothing but bluffs and are completely unreliable.

With this small number of troops, the Regent Prince hopes that the Ming Emperor will take the initiative to attack, so that we can destroy them in one battle and save our army from having to continue fighting the Ming army in these rivers and lakes."

But after saying that, he sighed slightly. He saw the current situation more clearly than Durde and knew that this was simply impossible. The Ming Emperor was very cunning and would not be easily fooled.

"But the Ming Emperor will not be fooled. The situation in Huguang is now in favor of the Ming army. Unless we can launch a new offensive and reverse the situation, Jingzhou will be in danger and must be rescued." Bolo continued.

Upon hearing this, Durd was speechless for a moment. After hesitating for a long time, he said with a smile:
"Don't worry, Beile. With the food and ammunition we have stored for this battle, the Ming army's Jingzhou City will definitely not be able to hold."

"Finally, taking Jingzhou shouldn't be a problem. But if that's the case, our southern expedition, which has mobilized all our national strength, will actually end in failure."

After Boro finished speaking, he took a deep breath and suddenly changed the subject:

"What's the current situation in Yunyang? If Yunyang falls into the hands of the Ming army, the army's food supply will be in danger."

"Don't worry, Beile. Yunyang is very safe now. Wang Guangen and his brothers dare not act rashly. As long as Beile brings reinforcements north, even if those Nikans have tens of thousands of troops, they dare not act rashly." Durde looked down on Wang Guangen and his brothers, or he should say that he looked down on the Green Camp Army.

Upon hearing this, Bolo withdrew his gaze from the moat and nodded.
"Well, that's beyond doubt, but we still have to be careful of those Han people. Yunyang City is easy to defend but difficult to attack. As long as there is no internal support, the Ming army will definitely not be able to capture it."

"Beile means that the Wang brothers will become the accomplices of the Ming army?" Durde said in surprise. Although he had always been wary of the Green Camp soldiers, he never thought that they would be so bold as to rebel when the Eight Banners Army was in the city.

Bolo did not answer after hearing this. After the Battle of Jingzhou, the answer was already obvious, but Durd was not on the front line and did not know it.

He looked up at the gloomy sky in the east. There was already a glimmer of light in the sky, but it was blocked by thick clouds, just like the haze that was covering his head.

Now that he has successfully led his troops into Xiangyang, he should be relieved. However, looking at this gateway to Huguang, the key city for the southern expedition, Bolo still feels uneasy.

Duoduo's plan to lead his troops to retreat north from Changsha and march south to Huguang was basically declared a failure, but Dorgon still wanted to save the situation. During this period of time, he had made some deployments against the Ming army in Yuezhou, Jingzhou, Chengtian and other places.

However, despite the Qing army's fierce counterattack, the Ming army basically did not respond, which made Dorgon's heavy blows seem to hit cotton. His prestige in the army also declined further.

When Bolo saw the military reports, he realized that this must have been planned by Emperor Ming in advance. He was amazed by the other party's far-reaching layout, sophisticated style, and decisive actions.

Because of all these things, he couldn't help but fear continuing the battle with the Ming Emperor in Yuezhou. After all, there was the Yangtze River between them, and the Ming navy was so powerful that he always felt unsafe.

At this time, Duoduo chose to wait and see, and began to instigate the generals in the army to withdraw the troops to attack Jingzhou, and then make long-term plans.

Bolo actually also supports Duoduo. He no longer believes that his army can capture Yuezhou, but if all efforts are concentrated, Jingzhou is not impossible to capture.

And it was precisely because of this that he was sent to Xiangyang by Dorgon as a dissident, nominally to entrust him with an important task, but in reality to make an example of him and weaken the strength of the Jingzhou faction.

Durd couldn't guess what Bolo was thinking for a moment. He recalled what had happened since he took charge of Xiangyang, but he didn't find anything unusual.

However, the more this happened, the more uneasy he felt. If something serious really happened in Xiangyang without his knowledge, it would make him seem incompetent.

"Beile, Xiangyang City has been guarding its defenses relentlessly for a single moment. As long as Xiangyang City is in place, the army's food supply will be secure. As for Yunyang City, the terrain is quite treacherous if we go north from the south without passing through Xiangyang. Even if Emperor Ming wanted to send troops north, he wouldn't be able to mobilize tens of thousands of troops."

After hearing this, Bolo was about to say something when two horses came galloping from the northwest. Seeing this scene, he suddenly thought of the scenes when he was in Fengyang and Changsha when the bad news came, and his heart couldn't help but tremble.

But things turned out just as he expected. What came from Tangma was the news that Wang Guangen led the Green Camp Army in Yunyang City to rebel, killing Xu Qiyuan and other Han officials, as well as the news that the Eight Banner Army was left behind in the city to monitor.

When Durd saw the news, he was stunned and couldn't react for a while.

"Those Nikans can no longer be trusted. Durde, immediately arrest all the families of the Green Camp generals in Xiangyang City. If anyone disobeys, kill them directly to serve as a warning to others. If the Ming army really marches south from Yunyang and besieges Xiangyang City, they will definitely join in the rebellion."

"Zhe!" Durde said with a fist clasped.

However, just as he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something and immediately turned back to ask Bolo: "Beile, what about Yunyang City?"

"Don't act rashly for now. Yunyang City can't be taken easily." Bolo shook his head and then said:

"Let's hide our strength first. If those Nikans come south to attack Xiangyang, we can deal with them and then pursue them. Then the problem will be solved easily."

(End of this chapter)