Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 184 The Fighter Has Arrived
After several days of repeated attacks, tens of thousands of soldiers in front of the palace finally dug a trench on the edge of the moat, rendering almost all the artillery deployed by the Qing army on the earth wall ineffective.

Although Wang Tizhong and Wang Deren had not been transferred from the southern city tower for the time being due to Zhu Cilang's siege, Tunqi also strengthened the defense of these two places.

If Zhu Cilang could not provide reinforcements quickly after they raised the flag of rebellion, they would not be able to hold out for long with only their servants, and would be suppressed by the Eight Banners soldiers on the city wall.

After all, for the two to raise their flags and turn sides in the middle of a battle, the only people who could instigate and mobilize them at the beginning were their respective retainers and confidants. If they could not quickly gain an advantage in the surprise attack on the city wall, it was still unknown whether those large-scale soldiers would follow them under the intimidation of the Eight Banners soldiers.

Therefore, before the two men raised their flags to rebel, Zhu Cilang had to first send troops to attack the first outer earth wall and destroy the sheep and horse wall inside the moat so that the army could make rapid progress in the subsequent operations.

The complex defense system of Wuchang City made the so-called "internal and external cooperation" extremely difficult, and both sides also faced huge difficulties in intelligence exchange, so many things had to be done on a case-by-case basis.

However, under such circumstances, Tunqi dared not launch any other offensive except relying on the Sheep and Horse Wall to kill the Palace Army, which made the Palace Army advance quite quickly.

After a few days of testing, hundreds of soldiers from the central army in front of the palace braved the rain of lead bullets and arrows shot from the earth wall, built several trench bridges on the edge of the moat, and began to cross the river with shields raised.

At this time, on the earth wall, the Green Camp soldiers of the Qing army were on high alert and had already made preparations. They continuously shot lead bullets and arrows at the attacking Ming army to slow down their speed of crossing the river.

The first group of Palace Army soldiers who crossed the moat, except for the armored soldiers who provided cover, were basically engineers responsible for laying explosives. After crossing the moat, they hid on the south side of the Sheep and Horse Wall, and the Qing army's lead bullets and arrows could not hit them at all.

At this time, the Palace Army did not launch further offensives. Although Zakana had been prepared, he did not dare to act rashly when he saw that the enemy had not gone deep into the ambush, and could only continue to wait for the opportunity to fight.

After all, it was highly likely that the Ming army was deliberately slowing down their offensive to expose his weakness. The Ming Emperor was always cunning and did not play by the rules. Since he was ordered to march south, he had heard Tunqi and others say many similar things.

But Zakana waited for a long time, but still did not see any large-scale attack from the Ming army. Even after the first batch of troops crossed the river, no further troops were sent out from the Ming army positions along the moat. This made him confused for a while.

Just when Zakana began to hesitate whether to lead his troops to attack, more than a dozen loud noises suddenly erupted in the Sheep and Horse Wall. The explosives buried under the base of the wall by the engineers in front of the palace quickly blew down more than a dozen walls in the middle. Amidst the explosions, countless holes of various sizes were soon blown out of the Sheep and Horse Wall.

But things were far from over. The soldiers of the central army in front of the palace took advantage of the dust and smoke inside and outside the sheep and horse wall to evacuate quickly, and the engineers immediately detonated the outer sheep and horse wall.

Soon, loud noises erupted one after another from the sheep-horse walls surrounding the Baoan Gate and the Wangshan Gate. The originally stacked sheep-horse walls had obvious gaps due to the blasting of the central army in front of the palace.

All these made it possible for the army to directly attack the earth wall outside Wuchang City from the trench position outside the moat.

After watching the entire action of the Ming army, Zakana was slow to react. He wanted to lead his troops to set up a big ambush, but he did not expect that the Ming army did not intend to attack the city directly, and he did not expect that the Ming army would retreat after blowing up the Sheep and Horse Wall.

The Qing soldiers on the earthen wall did not dare to attack without the order of their officers. They just stared blankly at the smoke and dust rising from the bottom of the city.

After all, on the battlefield, shooting without permission will cost you your head.

However, as the engineering corps of the Palace Army withdrew, the siege troops quickly began to move out, taking cover from the thick smoke produced by the explosion. A large group of armored soldiers carried ladders and raised shields and rushed towards the earth wall.

The Qing army generals defending the city heard the charge horn of the Palace Army and reacted quickly. When the Ming army emerged from the thick smoke and dust of the Sheep and Horse Wall, they immediately ordered to shoot.

In an instant, flames flickered on the earthen wall, strings rang, and countless lead bullets and arrows shot out from the battlements of the earthen wall. Fierce shouts and screams broke out in the thick smoke.

However, due to poor visibility and the fact that the charging army in front of the palace was only making a tentative attack, many soldiers directly hid behind the sheep and horse wall and exchanged fire with the Qing army, and the Qing army's attack had little effect.

After all, with the Sheep and Horse Wall blocking the way, the Ming army should have had a very difficult time and had to go around in circles before they could reach the wall. Just as they broke out of the Sheep and Horse Wall, they were hit head-on by the Qing army.

As a result, the Ming army directly blew more than twenty gaps in the Sheep and Horse Wall, allowing the soldiers to pass through easily and quickly disperse to both sides during the advance.

Zhu Cilang was quite excited when he saw that the army was about to attack the earth wall. He had been commanding the army to attack for so long, waiting for this moment.

Now, the Palace Army was just rehearsing in advance so that they could quickly attack the earth wall in support of Wang Tizhong and Wang Deren's actions.

After the reserve siege troops have completed their rehearsal, the speed of the army's siege can be increased to another level.

On the city wall of Bao'an Gate in Wuchang City, the generals of the Qing army looked at the scene at the Yangma Wall, all of them frowning and whispering to each other.

Upon seeing this, Aljin immediately gave the order:
"As soon as the Ming army reaches the wall, immediately beat the drums and have Zakana lead the ambush troops inside the earth wall to attack. We must kill all these Nikans without a single survivor!"

"Zhe!"

As the armored soldiers of the central army in front of the palace filed out from the hole in the last sheep and horse wall with their shields raised, the Qing soldiers on the earth wall saw this and immediately launched a fierce attack under the command of the officers.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang..."

Under the orders of their officers, thousands of Qing army musketeers and archers on the earth wall formed two columns and took turns firing at the Ming army that was swarming under the wall.

Amidst the fierce volley of musket fire, thousands of lead bullets and arrows fell like raindrops. The iron shields held by the central army in front of the palace were quickly broken by the lead bullets within a distance of dozens of steps. The central army soldiers in front of the palace under the city wall suffered considerable casualties.

When the central army soldiers in front of the palace rushed out of the sheep and horse wall, they also lost this excellent cover. Under such a blow, the soldiers in the front row were like wheat blown by the wind. Dozens of people fell down in an instant, but such damage did not successfully stop their attack.

Soon, thousands of central army soldiers in front of the palace set up ladders on the flat land outside the trench under the earth wall, and countless soldiers began to climb up the ladders while braving the attacks of lead bullets and arrows.

Of course, the central army in front of the palace had already formulated a complete siege strategy before attacking the city, so they would naturally not be so rigid and just take the beating.

The thousands of soldiers attacking the city had been divided into two groups under the command of officers at all levels. One group climbed the city walls to test the strength of the Qing army, while the other group attacked the Qing army on the earth wall under the cover of the sheep and horse wall, thus covering the army climbing the city walls and reducing casualties.

Zhu Cilang did not have the delusion of taking down Wuchang City in one battle. Moreover, he knew very well that Tunqi, Tong Yanghe and others would never sit and wait for death. This siege was just a test of Baoan Gate and Wangshan Gate with thousands of troops.

Soon, most of the thousands of soldiers in the central army in front of the palace, who had just joined the battle, withdrew back to the Sheep and Horse Wall and began to retreat under cover.

At the same time, between the earth wall and the moat, behind the remaining sheep and horse wall, the musketeers and archers of the central army in front of the palace also opened fire and shot arrows, attacking the Qing army on the earth wall to cover the soldiers retreating under the city. The Qing army's originally swift firepower was quickly interrupted.

Soldiers from both the Ming and Qing dynasties engaged in fierce battles in their respective positions, using long-range weapons such as muskets and bows and arrows. The battlefield was filled with smoke, and the sounds of explosions from muskets, the vibrations of bowstrings, the screams and wails of wounded soldiers, and the sounds of heavy objects falling to the ground mixed together, creating a noisy scene.

Aljin looked at the thick white smoke rising from the earth wall, frowned, and muttered to himself:

"The firepower of these Nikan soldiers is much more powerful than expected!"

But he quickly suppressed his outward emotions, then waved his hand and ordered the officers around him:

"Send a message to Zakana, have him lead the ambush troops immediately and drive back those Ming troops!"

Not only that, after Aljin finished speaking, he immediately turned to look at Wang Tizhong and ordered: "General Wang, you must also quickly take a troop and prepare. Once the Ming army reinforces, you will immediately lead the troops into battle. We must not let the Ming army gain the upper hand in this battle."

"I obey your command!" Wang Tizhong received the order and immediately took his personal guards to the city to gather troops.

On the inside of the earthen wall, thousands of elite Eight Banner soldiers were on high alert. Under the leadership of Zakana, they put on their armor and went into battle, attacking from more than a dozen hidden small doors in the earthen wall.

This was the first battle between the Ming and Qing armies since the official war in Wuchang. The Qing army was eager to defeat the Ming army and boost morale, and Tunqi made great efforts to this end.

If the Ming army continued to send troops to fight regardless of casualties, he would never retreat. Under the earth wall, the Qing army had the advantage of terrain and could fight to the end.

As Zakana led his troops to charge out, the Ming and Qing sides engaged in a fierce battle under the earth wall, with casualties constantly exchanged.

The narrow terrain under the earth wall made it impossible for the Ming and Qing armies to deploy their military formations. In this situation, the Qing army's cavalry was completely useless, and all of them had to fight with infantry armor.

The Ming army occupied the Sheep and Horse Wall in advance as a cover, and even the Eight Banners cavalrymen, who were wearing heavy armor and became heavy infantry when dismounted, could not make a breakthrough in close combat.

So, Wang Tizhong quickly led his elite Green Camp soldiers to attack. They attacked the central army in front of the palace from the side and quickly replenished the battlefield under the command of the officers.

However, the number of troops deployed by the Palace Army on the front line was also considerable. Soldiers kept falling down and being replaced in front of the two armies. Both sides were well-trained and strong armies, and neither side had any loopholes due to casualties.

"General, this Ming army under the city is not easy to deal with. While the Ming emperor has concentrated his troops outside Baoan Gate and Wangshan Gate, we can attack from the north and east of the city to shake the morale of this Ming army." Wang Fuchen looked at the tense battle situation under the city and immediately offered a suggestion.

Tunqi's expression was a little solemn at this time. He had thought of Wang Fuchen's plan a long time ago, but Emperor Ming already had the advantage in terms of military forces. If he sent troops to the other two places, he would not actually have an advantage. He might even be caught in a loophole and defeated one by one.

But he was also very clear about the current situation - if Emperor Ming continued to invest troops like him, then this battle would be endless and would continue to consume troops, making it difficult to determine the winner.

Except for some elite Green Camp troops, the rest he sent out were all Eight Banners infantry, who could not withstand such consumption.

Tunqi originally wanted to use the sheep and horse wall to divide the attacking Ming army, and then take advantage of the earth wall and terrain to consume the Ming army's offensive, quickly defeat the Ming army, and force it to retreat.

But now, the situation obviously did not develop in the direction he expected. What he regarded as the final trump card to kill the Ming army on a large scale was directly disintegrated by the Ming army.

However, Tunqi narrowed his eyes and looked up at the earthen platform outside the city with Zhu Cilang's dragon flag. After thinking it over again and again, he finally considered Wang Fuchen's opinion.

"Wang Fuchen, you will personally go to the north of the city and lead the troops to attack, but absolutely do not linger in the battle, and do not advance rashly!"

"I obey your command!" Wang Fuchen immediately bowed and clasped his fists.

At this time, on the earthen platform outside Wuchang City, Zhu Cilang was holding a telescope and watching the fierce battle below the city. The development of the entire battle situation was within his expectations.

Due to Tunqi's strict precautions, Zhu Cilang had no way of learning about Tunqi's latest troop deployment and defense plan in the city. In order to support Wang Tizhong and Wang Deren's rebellion, he could only send a large army and be on high alert.

There is a city wall, two earth walls, a trench outside the city, a moat blocking the way, and countless soldiers patrolling in between. All these make timely and effective internal and external intelligence transmission a luxury.

"Your Majesty, a report has arrived from Admiral Tian that the Qing troops east of the city have not launched an attack and are currently holding the city firmly."

Zhang Huangyan handed the Tang newspaper to Zhu Cilang and asked:
"Should the Left Army in front of the Palace launch a large-scale feint attack in the east of the city to put more pressure on Tunqi?"

Zhu Cilang took the military report and took a closer look. His brows raised slightly, and then he nodded.

"Pass on my military orders. The left army will conduct a feint attack as planned. The effectiveness of the siege is not important; the important thing is to make a big noise."

For Zhu Cilang, the most important thing for him now is to support the two Green Camp armies in the south of the city to rebel. Everything else is secondary, and he must let the troops relax their vigilance.

That's why he asked Tian Jianxiu and Chen Fu to bluff. Only in this way, the Palace Army, which had retreated on its own after seeing the disadvantages of the siege, would be confident in holding on to Wuchang City.

Half an hour later, from the north of the city, two horses with flags on their backs galloped to the earthen platform, then quickly dismounted and handed the Tangbao to Lin Changfu through the hands of the soldiers in the imperial camp.

Zhu Cilang saw the news from the north of the city and without hesitation, he immediately gave the order:
"Send a message to Chang Denggui to prepare for a withdrawal, fighting and retreating at the same time. Ideally, we can draw the Qing army away from the moat. Also, have Lin Changfeng lead the cavalry out immediately to cover the flanks of the main army, ready to outflank the pursuing Eight Banners."

"Yes!"

Chen Fu's feint attack in the north of the city also achieved no results, but he observed the Qing army's actions in the north of the city. After seeing this, Zhu Cilang immediately knew that Tunqi was beginning to get restless.

The central army in front of the palace and the Qing army had been fighting intermittently for nearly two hours around the Sheep and Horse Wall. The two most elite troops in the army had already practiced, and Zhu Cilang's goal had been achieved.

What he had to do next was to withdraw his troops and wait for dark, waiting for Wang Tizhong and Wang Deren to send out the signal of rebellion, and then immediately launch a night attack, with internal and external support, to capture Wuchang.

In the south of Wuchang City, the soldiers of the Palace Front Army, who were still fighting with the Qing army, began to fight and retreat after receiving the order to retreat, barely maintaining their front line. The barrier of the Sheep and Horse Wall made the Qing army's pursuit slow.

By this time, the chaos and noise on the battlefield made it difficult for war drums and flags to effectively convey military orders. The soldiers could only follow the flag-recognition actions of their leading officers or generals.

Thousands of Ming troops fought and retreated, but during the retreat, some soldiers were still left behind, and the Qing army chasing them from behind kept chasing and killing them all the way.

As a result, two irregular black torrents sometimes merged and sometimes separated inside and outside the Yangma Wall south of Wuchang City, presenting a "jagged" appearance. The two armies fell with various flags and hundreds of soldiers' bodies.

Due to the obstruction of the sheep and horse wall and the obstruction of the musketeers and archers in the Ming army's position on the other side of the moat, the Qing army's pursuit was quickly interrupted, casualties continued to occur, smoke filled both sides of the moat, and blood dyed the ground red.

Seeing this, Wang Tizhong did not dare to continue the pursuit. Zakana originally wanted to hold on to the Ming army, but under the attack of the Ming army's muskets and Wang Tizhong's intimidation, he was also worried that if he pursued too far, he would be ambushed by the Ming army.

Wang Tizhong naturally did not want to fight anymore, but Zakana was not so easy to fool. It was not until the rumbling sound of horse hooves rang out on both wings of the Ming army's trench formation and the dust was flying in the distance that he realized that it was useless to pursue.

As all the soldiers of the Palace Army who had crossed the moat withdrew, in less than half an hour, the shouting and killing sounds officially subsided on the plains south of Wuchang City.

After suffering hundreds of casualties, the central army in front of the palace basically understood the troubles and obstacles that would be encountered in the process of storming the earth wall.

After seeing the powerful combat capability of the Palace Army, Wang Tizhong's determination to rebel became even stronger.

Now, the Ming army has already attacked the city and destroyed the sheep and horse wall. As long as he provides support, he can attack the earth wall at any time and break through Tunqi's defense line.

(End of this chapter)