Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 177: Attack on Jingzhou
Four days later, on the morning of the seventh day of the second lunar month in Jingzhou, before it was fully light, more than a dozen large camps of the Qing army began to make fires and cook almost at the same time. Under the dim sky, amidst the twinkling firelight, wisps of smoke rose from the camp.

The Qing army camp, which stretched for more than ten miles, was filled with the noise of people shouting and horses neighing. The sounds of war drums and bugles from various units were endless, echoing across the plains, with a very powerful momentum.

At this time, under Duoduo's deployment, hundreds of Qing army scouts were roaring back and forth in the east, west and north directions of Jingzhou City, constantly provoking, but the Ming army on the city wall did not give any counterattack.

This greatly boosted the morale of the Qing army and even subtly strengthened the Qing soldiers' confidence in victory. It seemed that the Ming army in the city had lost its ability to fight back and could only sit and wait for death.

However, the Ming army on the city wall was not afraid, nor did their morale drop because of this. They were just used to the harassment of the Qing army and did not take it seriously at all, and did not want to continue wasting artillery shells and gunpowder.

Otherwise, they would have used the artillery on the city walls to launch a surprise attack on the Qing army scouts who were approaching and provoking them.

After the Battle of Jingmen Prefecture, the powerful combat capability of Emperor Ming's personal army had become famous. The defenders of the Loyal Camp in Jingzhou City were greatly encouraged and were also well prepared.

Therefore, at the critical moment when the Qing army of more than 100,000 was besieging the city, they were no longer afraid of the Qing army that they once feared like a tiger, and their morale was very stable.

The Qing army's attacking troops, especially those generals who had already thought of retreating to the north after seeing the military reports from the north, were once again shaken by the sight of the Ming army defending the city being as steady as a rock and deploying and counterattacking in a leisurely manner.

Yesterday at noon, the Qing army had already started artillery tests in advance in the north of the city. Dozens of artillery pieces fired in turn, with great momentum, which restored some morale of the army.

After all, at this time, the Zhongzheng Camp defenders in Jingzhou City had only more than 10,000 elite soldiers, but the Qing army outside the city was more than ten times their number.

In the eyes of the Qing army generals led by Dorgon and Duoduo, the Ming army had no hope of winning this battle and the fall of Jingzhou City was a matter of time.

The only thing they lack now is time. The only possible accident is Emperor Ming Zhu Cilang!
But what they didn't know was that Zhu Cilang had already planted the seeds of trust in the hearts of the soldiers of the Loyal Camp through his victories on the battlefield. No matter whether they were the lowest-level soldiers or the generals leading the army, they all believed that as long as Jingzhou City was in trouble, His Majesty would definitely lead reinforcements to rescue it.

At the same time, all the soldiers of the Loyal Camp, and even the people in Jingzhou City, knew very well that once the city was broken, all of them would die!
In contrast, in order to prevent the Green Camp troops from rebelling in various places, Dorgon not only dispatched the Eight Banners Army to supervise the battle, but also strengthened his control over the Green Camp troops by controlling the families of generals.

In order to capture Jingzhou City as quickly as possible and return to the capital, he had already laid a tight net outside Jingzhou City. If Zhu Cilang led his troops to support him, he would be walking into a trap.

After the city was broken, even if the defeated Ming army soldiers in Jingzhou tried to break out on horseback, they would not be able to escape. He deployed nearly 10,000 horsemen at the three city gates alone, and at the same time guarded against the Ming army's surprise attack.

To the east of the city, the elite Eight Banners under Duoduo's command and more than 5,000 Green Camp troops were concentrated. These were the main forces he had dispatched to attack the city, in order to consume the defensive strength of the Ming army and break through the outermost earth wall.

In the Qing army camp, after nearly 10,000 laborers worked day and night to build siege equipment, the ground was already filled with finished siege equipment and a large amount of wood for making the equipment.

As the army moved out, the newly built shield carts, wheelbarrows, pointed wooden donkeys, trench bridges and ladders were pushed to the open space in front of the Qing army formation.

Duoduo then issued specific arrangements for the siege to his subordinates, and after the commanders of each flag received the order, they summoned their generals and began to deploy.

His goal was to capture Jingzhou City at the lowest cost and fastest speed, and to withdraw the army before the situation in Huaibei and Shandong became uncontrollable. Therefore, it was impossible for him to be reluctant to suffer casualties.

This time, the Qing army's battle plan could be described as "simple and crude"—artillery bombardment followed by a charge with shield carts, followed by a trench digging, and so on. The Green Camp troops and the conscripted civilians were the basis for Duoduo's implementation of this tactic.

After half a month of reconnaissance and half a day of artillery testing, the Qing army's artillery has now discovered the weakest point on the east side of the city wall of Jingzhou, and made adjustments when deploying the artillery positions.

At this time, Duoduo's big flag was standing in the northeast of Jingzhou City. More than 500 cavalrymen of the guard were fully armed and lined up behind him. The generals had serious expressions.

In front of him, about three hundred steps away, on the artillery position, more than thirty red-coated cannons were lined up in three rows, most of which were large-caliber cannons newly built in Beijing.

"Your Highness, do you think the Ming Emperor still dares to come and rescue Jingzhou?" Tunqi withdrew his gaze from the huge military formation behind him and asked Duoduo.

"Hahaha, hundreds of thousands of strong Qing troops have gathered here. Whether the Ming Emperor comes or not, what will change?" Duoduo saw the siege army he had deployed, and his confidence burst out. He laughed heartily:
"Whether he comes or not, he can't stop me from conquering Jingzhou City. If he dares to come, it will only result in thousands or even tens of thousands more casualties among Nikan's troops."

Compared with the Ming Emperor in Yuezhou Prefecture, Duoduo was more worried about the situation in Huaibei and Shandong at this time, as well as Nanyang. Recently, a lot of military intelligence about Ming army attacks had also been received.

In Duoduo's view, as long as the Ming army did not have an advantage in military strength, the Ming Emperor would not be able to continue to make changes, just like when he and Dorgon led the army in Changsha and Yuezhou, the Ming Emperor did not dare to attack.

So as long as he captured Jingzhou and the army retreated north, the harassment from the Ming army in Huaibei and Shandong would be nothing to worry about.

"Tunqi, pass on my military order. All units should prepare. The siege will begin in two quarters of an hour." Duoduo then gave another order to Tunqi.

"Zhe!" Tunqi immediately accepted the order.
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On the top of the city wall of Jingzhou, Li Guo held a telescope in his hand, and his vision shifted from the vast Eight Banners Army formation to the artillery positions of the Qing army.

At this time, in addition to the continuous Qing army camps to the east of Jingzhou City, there were also many newly built watchtowers and earthen walls. These were built to prevent the Zhongzheng Camp from attacking, and even covered the Qing army's artillery positions.

Of course, since the Qing army was too powerful, Li Guo did not dare to attack rashly at this time. He knew that the Qing army was heavily guarded. The two trenches in front of each camp and the earth wall inside the second trench were not something that could be broken through by the few soldiers under his command.

Not to mention, there were countless traps inside and outside those trenches. If he had launched a night raid without understanding the situation, all the soldiers in the city would have died, and he would not have been able to break into the Qing army camp.

However, Li Guo did not care about not being able to launch a night attack. Jingzhou City was impregnable, and there were tens of thousands of soldiers stationed in the city, all of whom were elite troops under his command. Even if the Qing army had the advantage of artillery, it would be impossible for it to capture the city easily.

Moreover, there are also many artillery pieces in Jingzhou City. If the French cannons, general cannons, and second general cannons on the earth walls are all counted, the number may not be less than that of the artillery pieces in the Qing army's artillery formation.

Now, what he is most worried about is the connection between the army and the outside world.

As the Qing army tightened its blockade, his scouts were unable to fight against the Qing army's cavalry. Apart from maintaining a tenuous connection with Yuezhou City, he basically gave up trying to probe the military situation outside.

"General, the watchtowers in the north, west, and east of the city have all been confirmed. The Qing army will soon launch a strong attack, using at least 110 cannons, thousands of shield carts, and ladders."

As Liu Rukui spoke, he couldn't help but sigh. Although he was mentally prepared for the Qing army's siege of Jingzhou this time, he still couldn't help feeling a little worried when he saw the other side's formation.

"The main force of the Qing army has once again surrounded Jingzhou. Dorgon and Duoduo are both in the army. It is normal to put on such a display. There is nothing to be surprised about."

Li Guo was very calm. He chuckled softly and said:
"Your Majesty has already deployed a large army to launch an offensive in Huaibei and Shandong. The bigger the display Dorgon and Dodo make, the more anxious and insecure they are."

"Dorgon and Dodo are both very sinister and cunning. Your Majesty is the only one in the world who can force them into a corner." Ma Chongxi suddenly laughed when he heard this.

"Now, as long as we can hold Jingzhou for three months, or even two months, the Qing army will not dare to stay any longer." After hearing Ma Chongxi's words, Li Guo put down the telescope in his hand, squinted his eyes and said:

"This is also what Your Majesty meant. The Qing army has suffered several defeats, and their morale has long been in tatters. The Green Camp troops are even more frightened and discouraged."

"However, the Qing army is strong after all, and Dorgon and Dodo are indeed capable in fighting. We'd better be careful," Liu Rukui reminded.

"I've fought for decades. Can't I tell whether the Tartars' troops are strong or not?" Li Guo paused, then said confidently:
"But the Qing army is only good at field battles. Such troops will be useless in attacking the city, unless Duoduo's artillery can blow through our three city walls. Otherwise, he and these hundreds of thousands of Tartar troops can only sigh in despair."

"Hahaha, if the Qing army's artillery was really that powerful, they should have captured Fengyang City a year ago, instead of now, relying on their large numbers of soldiers and artillery to show off their power."

Ma Chongxi laughed heartily with immense confidence and said, "I think the Qing army will never be able to capture Jingzhou City, let alone three months. Even in a year or two, we have plenty of soldiers and food in the city. We just need to hold on and see what these Tartars can do!"

"With the addition of the battlements and the outer earthen walls, this city wall is already indestructible. The mines sent by His Majesty are even more lethal." Li Guo nodded in agreement after hearing this, but he changed the subject and said:

"Back in Shaanxi, the Qing army also deployed hundreds of artillery pieces, but we were simply unprepared, so we withdrew. If we had really held on, the Qing army wouldn't have been able to break through Tongguan even if they bombarded us for months."

As soon as these words were spoken, the other generals of the Loyal Camp on the city wall also sighed. This had been a knot in their hearts for a long time.

Therefore, defending Jingzhou, especially at a critical moment, defending this important military town and preventing the Qing army from achieving its strategic intentions, has extraordinary significance for all the soldiers of the Loyal Camp.

In this matter, Zhu Cilang gave them enough confidence - the Battle of Fengyang City was the best example.

"Your Majesty, the situation you faced in Fengyang was not much better. But in the end, thanks to patchwork, the Qing army didn't even break through the second earth wall. However, Duoduo destroyed dozens of artillery pieces alone." Liu Rukui also supported.

Li Guo listened and nodded in agreement again. In fact, the Qing army's artillery did make him a little worried, but Fengyang City also used this method to strengthen its defenses. Duoduo only had a little over a hundred artillery pieces this time, so there was no reason why he could quickly capture Jingzhou.

"As long as we don't send out a large army and fight outside the city easily, there's nothing else to worry about."

Li Guo seemed confident that he would win. He looked at the Qing army's artillery positions outside the city and then said:

"Pass the order down. All units must defend according to the original plan without error. This general wants to see the effectiveness of Duoduo's cannons!"

"Boom, boom, boom——"

As soon as Li Guo finished speaking, bursts of artillery fire suddenly came from the plain outside the city. He immediately raised his telescope to look and saw that Duoduo had already begun to attack the city.

However, neither Li Guo, Ma Chongxi, nor Liu Rukui were overly surprised. Instead, they seemed to have finally waited for this moment.

"Duoduo has finally begun the siege!" Li Guo said coldly. Although his voice was low, he was very confident. "There were only a few shots. It must be the Qing army testing their artillery. Quickly deploy them."

"Yes!" Ma Chongxi, Liu Rukui and other generals responded.
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On the other hand, after the Qing army's "gun test" was successful, more than one hundred thousand-jin cannons on several artillery formations were quickly adjusted one after another under the operation of those professional gunners.

At the three artillery positions in the west, north and east of Jingzhou City, loud bugles sounded, and hundreds of gunners raised their ignition forks almost at the same time, waiting for the final order from the officers.

Duoduo looked at the Jingzhou City in front of him with a firm and cold gaze. He needed this victory very much, and even had the idea of ​​returning to the court after winning and seizing power from Dorgon.

"Boom! Boom! Boom——"

More than thirty thousand-jin cannons roared like thunder at the same time, orange-red flames flashed in the rising white smoke, and more than thirty shells whizzed towards the wall of Jingzhou.

However, except for a dozen shells that hit the earth wall, the remaining shells all hit the wide moat of Jingzhou City directly, splashing water several feet high.

Duoduo reined in the frightened, neighing warhorse beneath his crotch, his expression remaining calm. Meanwhile, within the Qing army's main formation, the Green Camp soldiers and civilians about to charge, upon feeling the terrifying power of the thousand-jin heavy artillery, all experienced a slight commotion, but were quickly suppressed by the Eight Banners' armored troops.

Before the smoke on the position could dissipate, a violent roar was heard from the Qing army's artillery position. The entire artillery position was now shrouded in thick smoke, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

These gunners were the elite of the Eight Banners Army. Their operations were swift and precise. They cleaned the barrel, loaded the gunpowder, compacted and adjusted the position, all in one go.

After several rounds of bombardment, the earthen walls outside Jingzhou City were shaking, and countless pieces of stone and soil fell down with a "dong dong dong" sound, splashing water continuously, just like dense raindrops hitting the moat.

Before the Ming army on the city wall could even recover, after the artillery had cooled down, a new round of artillery fire soon broke out from the Qing army's artillery positions.

“Boom boom boom woo woo woo—”

As soon as the artillery bombardment ended, the sounds of war drums and bugles for a charge were heard in front of the Qing army. Hundreds of shield carts were lined up in five rows and, pushed by thousands of laborers, rushed towards the east of Jingzhou City.

These shield carts advanced rapidly with the sound of "creaking" friction and dense footsteps. Behind the fourth and fifth rows of shield carts were thousands of Qing army musketeers and archers, who would attack the Ming army on the city wall from a distance to cover the movement of the shield carts.

The two rows of shield carts were used to counterattack the Ming army, while the first three rows were used to consume the Ming army's firepower and cover the trench digging and filling teams in the rear. Under the cover of the shield carts, the crossbows and muskets fired from the city walls would be ineffective against them. The only thing that could cause casualties was the powerful artillery on the city walls.

With the assistance of the generals who led him on the southern expedition, Duoduo has summarized a complete set of methods to deal with bastion-like fortifications after the test of the Battle of Changsha.

Of course, under the bombardment of the artillery on the city wall, even with the cover of the shield carts, casualties were inevitable. But as long as they rushed fast enough and entered the blind spot of the artillery, they could escape danger.

As the Qing army began to charge, the Ming army on the city wall no longer remained silent in the face of the Qing army's fierce attack. Soon there were deafening explosions, and dozens of artillery shells weighing several to more than ten pounds flew towards the charging shield carts.

Amidst the sound of "bang bang bang", the artillery shells fired from the top of the Ming army's city wall hit the Qing army's shield cart formation. Dozens of Green Camp soldiers and civilians pushing the shield carts were directly knocked to the ground, spitting blood from their mouths and letting out miserable wails. Broken wood chips flew out, causing even greater casualties.

However, under such a fierce attack by the Qing army, the shield cart formation did not stop at all. After a slight fluctuation, it continued to rush forward. The Eight Banners armored soldiers who were leading the formation raised their swords and guns and shouted loudly. The Green Camp soldiers became accomplices and also followed to monitor the civilians pushing the carts.

The Qing army took advantage of the gaps in the artillery fire on the city wall, and in the midst of fear, they mustered up their remaining courage and continued to rush forward, howling and shouting.

After the Ming army's artillery on the city wall fired three rounds, the Qing army's shield cart formation had rushed to a place about 500 steps away from the moat. Twenty shield carts were destroyed or damaged by artillery shells, and nearly a hundred soldiers were killed or wounded.

At this time, the Qing army's shield car formation had become quite chaotic. The armored soldiers supervising the formation were shouting and scolding loudly in the chaos and fear, trying to maintain the formation. They also killed many Green Camp soldiers who were shrinking back and dodging everywhere.

As the Qing army advanced, the artillery positions in the rear finally stopped firing, but a series of artillery fire immediately erupted from the earthen walls outside Jingzhou City. Dozens of French cannons, large general cannons, and second general cannons on the walls fired at the same time. The shells were of different sizes but extremely powerful and slammed towards the Qing army's shield car formation.

Within a distance of about one mile, those red cannons naturally could no longer be used, but these small and medium-sized artillery pieces were able to show their prowess.

Faced with the dense array of shield carts of the Qing army, the power of the French cannon was well exerted, and the impact of insufficient accuracy could even be ignored. At the same time, due to the use of sub-cannons, the heat dissipation was fast and the firing rate was very fast, causing greater casualties to the Qing army.

Fire flashed continuously in the smoke on the top of the city wall. When the Qing army's shield carts entered a position about 300 steps away from the moat, dozens of them were knocked over by shells fired from the earth wall. Seven or eight of them could no longer move because of broken wheels.

At the same time, most of the Qing army's shield carts began to be hindered by potholes on the ground after entering two hundred steps. Their progress was very slow and they basically stagnated in place.

The Ming army's artillery on the city wall would not be affected by the trajectory at such a distance. Instead, it had excellent attack power and shooting angle. However, the Qing army's musketeers and archers could not rely on their muskets and bows to suppress the Ming army's attack because of the range problem.

If the French cannon and the general cannon were to fire shotgun shells, they could fire dozens to hundreds of stone bullets and lead bullets at a time, with extremely high firepower density. Under the bombardment of the Ming army's artillery, the fifty or so Qing army shield carts parked at the edge of the pit for cover were instantly hit and wood chips flew everywhere.

Such an attack was extremely lethal to the Green Camp soldiers and civilians who were filling the holes in front of the shield carts. They quickly drove back the Qing soldiers who dared to show up. Even the Eight Banners soldiers who were supervising the battle were very cautious.

But things were far from over. The French cannons, general cannons and second general cannons that were sticking out from the battlements and cracks in the earthen walls quickly completed preparations for a new round of volleys. They fired a volley at the Qing army's shield cart line outside the city, and thousands of shotgun shells hit the wooden boards of the shield carts.

The Green Camp soldiers and civilian laborers of the Qing army in front and behind the shield car line immediately burst into earth-shaking screams. The Green Camp soldiers and civilian laborers who were urgently carrying soil to fill the pits in the gaps between the Ming army's artillery fire fell down in a large number in an instant. The effect of the shotgun attack was "immediate".

(End of this chapter)