Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 176: Frustration and Power Struggle

As Zhu Cilang sent troops north to Yunyang and launched an attack on the Qing army in Xiangyang Prefecture, Dorgon led the main force of the southern expedition across the river to the north in disgrace and turned to encircle Jingzhou. The entire war situation in Huguang underwent another earth-shaking change.

Not only that, the news of the Ming army's counterattack in Huaibei and harassment in Qingzhou, Leiden and other places in Shandong was quickly transmitted to Huguang via Beijing and Henan many times.

At the same time, as reports from the north arrived in Yuezhou City, Chen Fu's steady and calm voice rang out again in Zhu Cilang's temporary palace. He was reporting on the military situation from the north:
"Your Majesty, from Yunyang, the troops of the Tianwu Left Camp have reported the latest military intelligence. The Qing troops in Xiangyang Prefecture are being harassed by our army and are struggling.

But Bolo is very cunning. He is now gradually deploying his troops at key positions along the grain route. The Qing cavalry is powerful and if they continue to harass Xiangyang, the Tianwu Left Camp and the Tianqi Army will probably suffer considerable losses.

Wang Guangen proposed that the main direction of the harassment should be Nanyang Prefecture, especially the area east of Xixia, where the terrain is complex. The cavalry of the Tianqi Army could just detour to the vicinity of Nanyang Prefecture and attack the Qing Army's grain transport team. After succeeding, they could immediately escape the Qing Army's pursuit and counterattack with the assistance of the infantry.

However, according to the military intelligence reported by Li Guo from Jingzhou, after Dorgon led his troops to retreat north, he only surrounded Jingzhou. Apart from preparing to attack the city, the hundreds of thousands of Qing troops have not taken any action. Dorgon neither dispatched troops to reinforce Xiangyang nor sent additional scouts to the north.

The same is true in the direction of Wuchang. There are still two armies of Aljin and Tongyanghe there, and Dorgon has not shown any signs of sending reinforcements to strengthen the defense of Wuchang.

After listening to this, Zhu Cilang nodded slightly. In the lobby of the temporary palace, civil officials and military generals such as Chang Denggui, Lin Changfeng, Tian Jianxiu, Du Yinxi, Wu Jinxi, Liu Tichun, and Hao Yongzhong were also listening attentively.

Today, the Ming army has achieved new victories in Huaibei and Shandong, which are profoundly affecting the development of the Huguang war situation.

"I sent so many troops to Yunyang in advance to intercept and kill the Qing army's grain transport team. Bolo still can't figure out the true strength of the Yunyang army for a while. He only has a few thousand soldiers under his command now. Excluding those assigned to various places to protect the grain, there are probably less than 3,000 Eight Banners soldiers in Xiangyang City. Naturally, he dare not act rashly."

Zhu Cilang was not surprised by Bolo's performance. He was very familiar with this Manchu prince, and the other party seemed to be gradually losing his courage.

"Bolo was very cautious when he was in Jiangbei, so it's perfectly normal for him to behave this way now. However, he hasn't launched a counterattack in such a long time, so he's indeed been a bit too cautious."

"If we can defeat the Qing army once more, Bolo will probably be even less willing to attack in the future."

Chang Denggui is now very confident in the strength of his own army. He even feels that as long as the scale of the field battle is controlled, with the support of artillery and muskets, the Ming army has the strength to wipe out the Eight Banners Army's detachment again.

"I think Bolo, like Duoduo and the others, has been frightened by Your Majesty's attack. He probably thinks the troops dispatched from Yunyang are all bait, so he dares not act rashly."

"Dorgon withdrew his troops from Yuezhou to the north in order to avoid exposing any flaws and allow us to have another annihilation war with superior numbers against the smaller ones. The Tatars were originally a small tribe, and they have suffered nearly 10,000 casualties since the southern expedition. If a few thousand more of them are killed or injured, it will be a real blow." Lin Changfeng also analyzed.

"Well, that's right. Besides, we don't have the energy left to fight the Qing army in the field anymore. Let's continue our attack northward."

Zhu Cilang looked at the overflowing arrogance in the hall, and especially felt that these generals under his command had developed a path dependence and wanted to repeat the victory of the Battle of Jingzhou. He immediately warned:
"Except for the Left Front Army, the strength of the other armies has not yet recovered. Although the new recruits of the Left Front Army, Changsha Battalion, and Yuezhou Training Battalion have all completed their training and met the standards for formal enlistment, it is still unsafe to let them take charge on the battlefield alone.

After all, training on the parade ground and the real battlefield are not the same thing. Before the decisive battle with the main force of the Tartars, they still need to be tempered and fight a few real small battles.

Moreover, Dorgon is not a fool, nor is Duoduo. They will not fall so many times in the same place in a short period of time. The battle of Jingmen Prefecture and the battle of Jingzhou were all based on the Qing army's contempt for us. Now such an opportunity will no longer exist. "

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. There are too many Qing troops in Jingzhou, Chengtian, and other places right now. It is indeed not appropriate to go to war. Especially now that the Tartars are extremely vigilant, they will not give us the opportunity to defeat them one by one."

Upon hearing this, Du Yinxi clasped his hands and said to Zhu Cilang:

"However, when Dorgon leads the main force of the Qing army to retreat, the number of garrisons left behind in Wuchang, Chengtian, Xiangyang, and other places will certainly not be too large. Moreover, the Tartars cannot tolerate the scorching heat, so these places should be guarded by the Green Camp Army, which is a good opportunity for training.

The Green Camp soldiers aren't particularly strong, which is perfectly adequate for our army. Each unit can practice all wartime requirements in real combat before launching an attack. Officers at all levels can also test their deductions in actual combat, verifying the accuracy of the Five Armies Commandery's analysis of the battlefield situation, and thus improving their ability to react in real-time.

"Du Qing is right. I am waiting for Dorgon to withdraw his troops. We are not strong enough yet, and some battles cannot be fought. I took the initiative to attack before because I saw that Dorgon was ambitious. But the situation is different now, so I can't use the same tactics again."

Zhu Cilang nodded to Du Yinxi and said approvingly with a smile:
"Furthermore, we must take a long-term view. Instead of fighting for temporary success and continuing a decisive battle with the Qing army, we should seize this opportunity to train our troops while retaking Wuchang and completely turning the tide of the war in Huguang."

Du Yinxi is indeed a rare strategist in the late Ming Dynasty. He looks at problems more profoundly than Chang Denggui, Lin Changfeng and others, and can see the essence of the problem.

In his eyes, Chang Denggui and Lin Changfeng were both born soldiers, having risen through the ranks step by step, relying on their own abilities. Through actual combat and their own understanding, they were now capable of leading an army and taking charge of a region, but they still lacked a lot in terms of grand strategy, which required sufficient accumulation.

Of course, Chen Fu is much better than them in this regard, and people like Liu Tichun and Hao Yongzhong, who often have no say in such military meetings, lack the ability to conduct strategic analysis.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Using warfare as training is the best way to increase military strength. However, besieging Wuchang, Chengtian, and other prefectures and counties won't be enough to train the army for joint operations on the plains, which is what we lack most right now."

Chen Fu naturally had something to say at this time, and he immediately grasped the key point. After a pause, he said:

"When my army marches north, it may seem like a series of sieges, but the most crucial thing is actually to besiege the enemy and attack their reinforcements. The most important thing is to fight a series of battles with the main force of the Qing court on the plains outside the city."

"Hahaha, well said!" Zhu Cilang nodded in affirmation, revealing a pleased smile as he praised:
"We don't have enough battle-hardened veterans, which is one of the shortcomings of our army. But often, things can't be perfect. It's enough to let the soldiers experience the battlefield in advance and participate in actual combat.

As for the rest, it still depends on hard training on the training ground. I have said before, if the sweat shed on the training ground is not enough, then more blood will be shed on the battlefield to make up for it.

After hearing this, all the generals in the hall voiced their support, including the two civil officials Du Yinxi and Wu Jinxi. They all agreed to increase the intensity of soldier training to prevent the various units from becoming weak and chaotic soldiers who were inexperienced in foreign wars but good at civil wars.

In fact, many people here do not have enough understanding of the entire military training system. The reason they think it is feasible is simply because they choose to believe in Zhu Cilang, the king who leads them to victory.

After all, whether it was the training booklet for new recruits that was improved and designed based on the "Military Training Minutes", or the reconstruction of the "Five Military Commandery", as well as the "Cavalry Phalanx" training that had been implemented and achieved great results, the entire court, both civil and military officials, and the entire army, were extremely impressed by the Holy Emperor of this year.

Of course, Chen Fu, Chang Denggui, Lin Changfeng, and even Du Yinxi and others, after being influenced by Zhu Cilang's half-baked modern military knowledge for more than a year, their knowledge and vision had actually been greatly improved.

However, because they have received unsystematic knowledge and concepts and lack complete theoretical guidance, some things are still vague.

In fact, Chen Fu, Chang Denggui, and Lin Changfeng, the three generals who had always been by Zhu Cilang's side, all felt the same way. However, due to their own cultural and cognitive levels, they were unable to express it.

After all, Zhu Cilang's accumulation in this area is very limited, and he cannot promote the leapfrog development of the Ming Dynasty's military by his own efforts.

Of course, many things have already been accumulated and have prototypes, and often only need an introduction or a victory to achieve a breakthrough, just like the "cavalry formation".

After confirming that the situation was basically under control and even the mobilization and deployment of the Qing army were normal, Zhu Cilang immediately issued a new military order.

He looked around at the ministers in front of him and said in a deep voice:

"I have issued my military orders. In the direction of Xiangyang, the Tianwu Left Camp and the Tianqi Army are to continue their harassment and disrupt the Qing army's food supply routes. At the same time, be vigilant against any Qing army reconnaissance or counterattacks. If a large Qing cavalry counterattack is encountered, do not engage in prolonged fighting. Instead, seek to ambush them in the mountains. Ideally, capture some prisoners and pry the latest Qing army intelligence from them.

In addition, regarding Jingzhou, tell Li Guo to be very careful in the battle and to focus on defending Jingzhou City. I will send troops to harass the Qing army from the periphery to delay the Qing army's offensive.

However, the most important thing is that Huang Fei and Zhang Mingzhen led the navy to harass Huaibei and Shandong. They hope to shake Dorgon's resolve and create public pressure within the Qing army to retreat north. How well they fight depends on their performance.

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Shixian and said to him:

"As for Wang Tizhong, we must reconnect with him as soon as possible. If Dorgon wavers and retreats north, I will immediately besiege Wuchang. If he rebels, I will not only forgive the past, but also promote him and reward him according to his merits!" As the war situation in Huguang turned around, Zhu Cilang's ambition and strategy also changed rapidly. He has now placed the focus of his strategy on retaking Wuchang.

As long as Wuchang City was recaptured, the Qing army would be at a disadvantage throughout Huguang, and the gap in the Yangtze River defense line would be plugged. As for the progress made by the Qing army in Sichuan, Zhu Cilang was not worried as long as Chongqing was in his hands.

After all, marching south from Sichuan to unify the country was a last resort, as the difficulty and cost of the march far exceeded those of the eastern and central routes. Zhu Cilang had already made arrangements in Yunnan and Guizhou.
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On February 3rd, east of Jingzhou City, near dusk, a cold wind was blowing across the plains on the north bank of the Yangtze River. Dorgon was leading a team of horsemen on patrol.

Seeing that the situation was not right, he had already begun to mobilize troops to the north. Now, a large group of armored soldiers and civilian laborers were escorting armored vehicles, ammunition, tents and equipment to Qianjiang in the east.

The Yangtze River waterway was still controlled by the Dongting Lake Navy. The Poyang Lake Navy had already moved north to Hanyang and Wuchang areas, harassing and disrupting the communication between the Qing troops on both sides of the strait, but did not penetrate deep into the Han River.

This meant that Dorgon, like Jungta, was unable to use the Yangtze River to transport food and supplies and mobilize troops. He could only use civilian laborers to transport the supplies to Qianjiang first.

At the same time, in order to ensure the safety of food and supplies, Dorgon had to arrange a large number of guards to prevent accidents.

Chang Denggui was right. The reason why the Qing army had not taken any action yet was actually because they had lost their nerve. No matter what they saw, it seemed like Zhu Cilang's trick or conspiracy.

By the time Dorgon returned to the camp, Tan Tai had already led the cavalry to greet him, and personally reported to Dorgon the latest movements of the various units of the Loyalty Camp in Jingzhou City, especially on the city walls on all four sides, where in recent days, there had suddenly been more than a dozen red cannons and dozens of small cannons.

As Dorgon's confidant, Tan Tai basically coordinated the war in Jingzhou. In addition to sending an entire cavalry of Jiala to garrison and guard the plains north and west of Jingzhou City, he also deployed more than 500 cavalry to the east of Jingzhou City, and he personally led the troops.

During this period, these Eight Banners vests naturally could not help but constantly provoke and insult the Ming army on the city wall, trying to lure the other side out of the city to counterattack, but they were all forced back by the artillery shells fired from the top of the city.

The soldiers of the Loyalty Camp defending the city were very calm and did not take the bait easily. If they attacked, they would usually catch the enemy by surprise. However, on the battlefield, when the troops were at a disadvantage, such opportunities for surprise attacks were rare.

Dorgon had already anticipated this. He brought an army of over one hundred thousand, including tens of thousands of Eight Banners cavalrymen. How could the Ming army in the city dare to come out and fight?
To take a step back, even if Li Guo still had a lucky mentality before and sent out Tangma scouts and even ambush cavalry, they would probably have withdrawn by now.

As for the so-called "artillery shooting", it did have some effect in dispersing the provocative cavalry, but the effect was very limited and was only used to boost morale.

After listening to Tan Tai's latest report on the movements of the Ming army in the city, Dorgon nodded slightly. Except for the sudden appearance of the red cannon on the top of the city wall, everything else was within his expectations.

At this time, the Ming Emperor in Yuezhou City remained silent on his troops, and Li Guo in Jingzhou City did not attack either. The Qing army gathered in Jingzhou, but had no place to use its troops. Instead, the Ming navy began to act again, and even used cannons on warships to bombard the cities of Wuchang and Hanyang.

All these things put Dorgon under increasing pressure. He had to take into account the entire war situation, and the military intelligence coming from Huaibei and Shandong made him gradually lose his prestige in the army. Now Dorgon's prestige was getting higher and higher.

However, Dorgon can still control the current situation, but he is also very clear that if he wants to completely reverse the current unfavorable situation, he must capture Jingzhou.

Naturally, there were also several experienced gunners in the Qing army. After a few days of reconnaissance, they roughly determined the range of the red cannons on the city walls.

As a result, the main force of the Qing army finally set up a dozen sturdy camps about eight miles from the city. Having fully learned the lessons of the Battle of Jingmenzhou, they dug two deep trenches around the camps, filled with sharp wood. Behind the trenches was a thick earthen wall, on which were placed French cannons and sentries.

Furthermore, each Qing army camp had watchtowers and arrow towers on either side of the gate. Opposite the gate, there was an earthen wall with two Francois cannons mounted on it. Before each gate, chevaux de frise and trenches were also essential, and the wooden planks in front of the gate would be removed at nightfall.

Around the camp, the Qing army would also place caltrops, ghost arrows, and traps and deep pits to prevent night attacks by the Ming army.

With such a strong camp, even if Zhu Cilang led the main force of the Ming army in Yuezhou City and launched a surprise attack without anyone noticing, just like he did in Jingmen Prefecture, there was no possibility of a successful sneak attack.

After all, Zhu Cilang would have needed hundreds or even thousands of soldiers to fill just the two trenches around the camp, but he simply did not have such a strong force.

You know, if the Qing army had the advantage in military strength, if the surprise attack failed, the Ming army would be the clowns, and they might even suffer a devastating disaster.

Looking at these fortified camps, Dorgon's restless heart gradually calmed down. After nightfall, the Qing army's dozen camps were all brightly lit. The conscripted civilians were working overnight to build the equipment needed for the Qing army's siege: trench bridges, ladders, pointed wooden donkeys, and carts—hundreds of them.

Except for some armored soldiers and ambush troops who were on guard outside the camp, most of the soldiers in the Qing army camp were resting in the barracks at this time. They wanted to conserve their energy for the siege that would begin in a few days.

Inside Dorgon's central military tent, a fierce discussion on the siege was underway:

"After a few days of investigation, we have basically confirmed that in addition to the Ming army armored soldiers stationed on the north and east gate towers of Jingzhou City, there are at least thousands of civilians on each tower. Although they are not equipped with armor, they are basically armed with wooden sticks, swords and guns.

If these young men had received training from the Ming army, they would have caused considerable trouble for our siege. Furthermore, the Ming army, in addition to artillery, also had wooden slings, stones, battering rams, wolf-toothed maces, and yaksha slings on the city walls and towers. They were very well prepared.”

After Tan Tai finished describing the preparations of the Jingzhou City defenders, he glanced calmly at the reactions of the two brothers, Dorgon and Duoduo, and immediately continued:
"And to the south of Jingzhou City, the distance between the moat and the Yangtze River is too small. If we attack from there, we will easily be attacked from both sides."

"The Ming navy cannot fully demonstrate its strength in this battle. The situation in the south does not affect the overall situation. My main attack will be on the east and north of the city. The Ming army should have more than 20,000 soldiers and horses inside the city, and tens of thousands of civilians. This is the most disadvantageous area for us."

In the past few days, Nikan has been investigating the defense situation of the Ming army on each city wall. Even in normal times, there are more than 2,000 Ming army soldiers on the east, west and north city walls, and the manpower is very sufficient.

"Now, if we still want to attack the city, the best way is to concentrate in one place and continuously bombard it with artillery. If the Regent does not care about lives, we can break through the two outermost earth walls of Jingzhou City within two months." Duoduo said immediately.

After the aborted siege of Changsha, he was now very confident in his siege capabilities. He even felt that as long as he set up artillery and bombarded for two or three months, he would be able to capture Jingzhou.

"Prince Yu, you have the most experience in sieges. When do you think the city of Jingzhou can be captured at the earliest?" Dorgon asked immediately. The situation was becoming more and more tense, and he could not care less.

Although Duoduo wanted to seize power from Dorgon, he did not hide it at this time. This was related to the destiny of the Qing Dynasty, and he had to do his best.

Duoduo's expression remained normal upon hearing this, but his slightly raised brows still revealed the joy in his heart. He then said with full energy:

"The defenses of Jingzhou City are very complex. They are not traditional city walls, but rather strong fortresses like Fengyang. You have all seen this. Now you understand the situation I faced in Jiangbei, right?
With a wall like this, there's no shortcut to breaking through the entire city by simply destroying a section. Three sections of the wall must be destroyed in succession to achieve the goal of breaking through the city. But with three walls and so many artillery pieces on top, breaking through them is practically impossible."

"How many days will it take to capture Jingzhou City? Prince Yu, please give me an accurate answer!" Tan Tai asked immediately when he saw Duoduo still talking big and noticed the increasingly ugly expression on Dorgon's face.

"That depends on who's leading the battle. If someone doesn't know the ropes, it might take them half a year to capture the city. If someone is experienced, they might be able to complete the task in two months, or at the latest three months!"

Duoduo then revealed his true intention and directly stated his purpose. He wanted to personally command the capture of the city and seize the only great achievement of Dorgon's southern expedition to Huguang.

The situation is getting worse and worse, especially in Huaibei and Shandong. The unfavorable military information has shaken the determination of many generals in the army. He is very confident that Dorgon will compromise.

And things turned out just as he expected. After hearing this, the Qing generals in the big tent had no objection, but they asked for careful discussion on how to allocate troops during the siege.

Faced with Duoduo's request, Dorgon had no choice but to cooperate. After personally determining the distribution of siege tasks for each unit, he immediately ordered Duoduo and his generals:

“Within three days, all artillery pieces needed for the siege must be deployed in all artillery formations, and after noon on the second day, testing of the artillery must begin.

Prince Yu, you are fully responsible for the detailed arrangements for the siege and artillery bombardment by all units. If any unexpected situation occurs on the battlefield, you can make adjustments based on the latest military information, and then I will make the final decision. Jingzhou City must be captured as soon as possible, the sooner the better."

(End of this chapter)