Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 187 The main force appears
Fierce battles soon broke out on the east, south and north sides of Wuchang City. At Binyang Gate in the east, Wusheng Gate in the north, Baoan Gate in the south, and above the Wangshan Gate Tower, the originally dark night sky kept flashing with bright lights.

As the sky gradually brightened and visibility improved, the Qing army's artillery and muskets continued to fire from the top of the Binyang Gate and Wusheng Gate, and the dense sound of gunfire covered one another.

Tunqi not only deployed a large number of troops at Binyang Gate, Wusheng Gate, Baoan Gate, and Wangshan Gate, but also deployed thousands of troops and horses at the three city towers of Hanyang, Pinghu, and Wenchang in the west of the city, equipped with a large number of muskets and artillery.

At this time, Zheng Sen had led the Dongting Lake navy to the bank of the Yangtze River and bombarded the water gate west of the city several times, but failed to make a breakthrough. He only tied down the Tunqi garrison deployed west of the city.

Now, he was commanding the artillery on the warships to bombard the Qing army, forcing the garrisons in the city to continuously send reinforcements to these water gates and towers, or at least not dare to withdraw troops from these places.

The task assigned to him by Zhu Cilang was to tie down the main force of the Qing army stationed in the west of the city, and use fierce attacks to interfere with Tunqi's judgment of the overall situation.

At the same time, Zheng Sen also needed to continuously consume the firepower of the Qing army in the west of the city, and wait until Chang Denggui led his troops into Wangshan Gate or Baoan Gate, and then withdraw his troops to block the entire Yangtze River waterway to prevent Tunqi from breaking out by water.

"Lin Changfeng, you lead the Tianqi Army to set up a tight net outside the city. After all the floating bridges on the moat are built and the security gate is completely under control, send a cavalry into the city. We must not give these defeated Qing soldiers any chance to breathe." Zhu Cilang gave the order immediately.

"I obey!"

Upon receiving the order, Lin Changfeng immediately saluted Zhu Cilang, then pulled the reins with his right hand, quickly turned the horse's head, raised his whip, and with a "snap", he led the personal soldiers around him and galloped towards the Tianqi Army on standby in the rear.

Now, although Wuchang City had been breached by the Palace Front Army, the Qing army still controlled almost all the city gates and water gates except the Baoan Gate Tower, and had the ability to counterattack.

Of course, in the face of the Ming army's absolute superiority in manpower, the outcome of the "Battle of Wuchang" was actually no longer a matter of certainty for Zhu Cilang.

But he still had to deploy carefully to ensure that all the troops stationed in Wuchang City under Tunqi's command could be wiped out, so as to deal the greatest blow to the morale of the Qing army.

Soon, Zhu Cilang heard the rumbling sound of horse hooves. He turned his head and looked in the direction of the rumbling sound. Lin Changfeng had already commanded the Tianqi Army to split into several groups, and teams of cavalry quickly rushed towards the plains outside the three city walls.

When he turned around to look at the camp behind him again, a glimmer of light had already broken through the clouds in the eastern sky, and a dazzling light passed through the clouds and sprinkled on the earth.

The huge flag of the central army in front of the palace was fluttering in the cool morning breeze on the plain south of Wuchang City. Teams of fully armed infantry and cavalry were rushing towards Baoan Gate and Wangshan Gate.

Zhu Cilang saw that the army in the camp behind him, which had already made full preparations, was moving out according to plan, and he finally felt relieved.

"Your Majesty, we have breached the first and second earthen walls outside the Baoan Gate Tower. The Qing troops stationed there, who had been resisting stubbornly, have all been routed. Wang Tizhong and his retainers have mobilized the Green Camp troops stationed there and directly recaptured the second earthen wall."

After Chang Denggui received the military intelligence from the front-line horsemen, he rode his horse directly to Zhu Cilang and bowed.

"However, it seems something unexpected happened at Wangshan Gate. Although Wang Deren was the first to rebel and launch a surprise attack, he was defeated by the Eight Banners Army stationed there to supervise the battle. He is now leading his troops to retreat towards Baoan Gate."

As soon as Chang Denggui finished speaking, Zhang Huangyan also said:

"As long as the Baoan Gate is in the hands of our army, the Qing army will not be able to cause any major trouble. The horses in the north and east of the city have also sent back news that the Qing army has no intention of counterattacking in either direction.

If my guess is correct, Tunqi will likely launch their counterattack at the Baoan Gate. We can use this gate to deplete the Eight Banners soldiers' strength while simultaneously advancing along the city wall to capture the nearby towers, leaving the Qing army defenseless."

"Well, I have had this idea for a long time."

Zhu Cilang nodded, then turned to look at Chang Denggui and said:

"The troops originally attacking Wangshan Gate will be transferred to Baoan Gate for reinforcement. Once the vanguard army has secured the city walls, they will immediately launch attacks on both sides without stopping for a moment. With only a few thousand Eight Banners soldiers under his command, the more scattered his forces are, and the later he makes a decision, the less of a concern he will have."

"Yes!" Chang Denggui received the order and immediately sent a messenger towards the Wangshan Gate.

Although the Qing troops defending the towers of various places in Wuchang City had basically received reinforcements from Tunqi and their manpower was greatly increased, they actually had only more than 2,000 soldiers and horses.

Moreover, except for some Eight Banners soldiers who supervised the battle, most of these defenders were Green Camp soldiers. Aljin and Tunqi were reluctant to disperse the core combat forces in the city and deploy them to the front line early.

Now, facing the attack of the main force of the Ming army, which was several times larger than their own and had fierce firepower, many Green Camp soldiers lost their will to fight. If it were not for the Eight Banners Army on the city wall supervising the battle, they would probably have fled long ago.

The Green Camp troops at Baoan Gate and Wangshan Gate, under the influence of Wang Tizhong and Wang Deren, raised their flags, fled, or surrendered.

Although Wang Deren failed to grasp the opportunity and was unable to quickly defeat the Eight Banners Army and take control of the situation, he was able to quickly break out from Wangshan Gate because a large number of Green Camp troops directly fled and did not provide assistance to the Eight Banners Army.

This is a battlefield that changes rapidly. Zhu Cilang did not anticipate such a situation, and the same was true for Tunqi. Even Wang Deren could only accept his fate.

However, Zhu Cilang looked around with the telescope and finally looked away with satisfaction. Overall, this night attack went more smoothly than he expected.

Although Wang Deren's performance was not good, Wang Tizhong turned the game around and his strategic goal of capturing the Baoan Gate Tower was finally achieved.

Following Zhu Cilang's order, Lin Changfu immediately led the imperial army guarding him and rode towards the trench position.

At the same time, on the city wall of Bao'an Gate in Wuchang City, after Wang Tizhong and Ma Zhenfeng completely controlled the city wall, they, together with the Palace Front Army who had broken through the earth wall and entered the city wall, led their troops to urgently deploy two lines of defense on the city wall and below.

While they were organizing their troops to launch a surprise attack on the second earth wall, the Eight Banners Army sent by Tunqi had already made some preparations. Although those battle-hardened Eight Banners soldiers failed to recapture the city tower, a fierce melee broke out between the two sides under the tower.

Nearly a hundred servants under Wang Tizhong and the reorganized Green Camp Army were killed or wounded. In the end, with the support of the central army in front of the palace, they were able to repel the elite Eight Banners Army.

As a result, the main force of the Eight Banners Army that had been gathered in the city quickly noticed the abnormality of the Baoan Gate and was on the way.

After the central army in front of the palace took over the city tower, all the Green Camp soldiers under Wang Tizhong had withdrawn outside the city. Their combat effectiveness was not strong and they did not understand the situation well enough, so they naturally could not get in the way in the narrow city tower.

Of course, Chang Denggui also left behind Wang Tizhong and his servants. These veterans who were familiar with the city walls and streets would play a huge role in the upcoming battles.

"Over 400 soldiers have been deployed to the first line of defense below the city. They are using bunkers outside the city gate and buildings around the streets to block the enemy's advance. The defense line is approximately 100 steps from Baoanmen Street."

Ma Zhenfeng pointed to the streets below the city wall and said to Wang Tizhong:

"General Wang, these soldiers are not familiar with the streets of Wuchang City. I will have to bring your servants to guide them.

There was no need to defend the place to the death. If the Qing army's attack was too fierce and they could not hold it in the end, they would ignite the tung oil and firewood stored by the Qing army to defend the city. In this way, they could at least hold off the Qing army attacking head-on for two or three quarters of an hour.

As long as we wait until the army advances along the city wall and captures the towers on both sides, then the Tunqi's attempt to block Baoanmen Street, restrict our army from entering the city, or even recapture the towers, will be thwarted."

The main force of the Ming army is still being mobilized. In order to avoid being detected by the Qing army, each unit has basically made preparations in advance in the camp, and the mobilization will take a lot of time.

Moreover, the space in the Baoan Gate Tower is limited, and the streets in the city have been controlled by the Eight Banners Army sent by Tunqi to reinforce. Chang Denggui is currently unable to free up troops to launch an active attack.

Of course, he also didn't want to engage in a decisive battle with the elite Eight Banners soldiers of the Qing army on Baoanmen Street, as that would surely result in heavy casualties.

"The troops sent by Tunqi this time are all elite Eight Banners soldiers, as well as the elite Green Camp from the north. Their combat power should not be underestimated."

Wang Tizhong frowned as he spoke. The Eight Banners Army was quite formidable. Wang Deren's defeat made him somewhat concerned about whether the Palace Army could defeat them in close combat.

"We have already missed the best time for deployment. The main force of the Tartars will arrive soon. The first line of defense will not last long."

Ma Zhenfeng smiled inwardly after hearing this. He knew what Wang Tizhong was worried about, but just as he was about to speak, Wang Tizhong continued:

"However, we still have a second line of defense. If we hold the city, the Tartars will definitely not be able to attack us. Tunqi doesn't have many soldiers and horses, and we have to defend everywhere, so we probably can't send many soldiers and horses. No matter how strong those Eight Banners soldiers are, without the siege equipment prepared in advance, they won't be able to do anything to us even if they attack from inside the city."

After hearing this, Ma Zhenfeng nodded. He glanced at Wang Deren, who had just retreated to the security gate in a panic, and said to Wang Tizhong:
"The Central Army in front of the Palace is the most elite force in His Majesty's hands. With more than 400 armored soldiers, it is absolutely no problem for them to hold off the Qing army for half an hour. Once the defensive deployment on the city wall is completed, it will be wishful thinking for the Qing army to retake Baoan Gate.

The most important thing now is to hurry and move the artillery originally deployed on the outer walls to the entrance of the city ladder. If the Qing army wants to break through there, we can just set up three or five French cannons and we won't have to worry about whether they are elite Eight Banners or just the rest of the Eight Banners."

After hearing this, Wang Deren seemed to want to say something, but swallowed it back in the end. He led his elite servants to launch a surprise attack, but was defeated by the Eight Banners soldiers. His fighting spirit was long gone.

However, he has always been a man with a lot of thoughts. Although he has lost Wangshan Gate, he is still useful. He is still needed to surrender the Green Camp Army in Wuchang City.

Therefore, he could not say a word that should not be said, lest it eventually affect his reputation and ruin his future.

However, the strength of the Eight Banners soldiers did cause him a huge psychological shadow. Now he actually did not dare to believe that the soldiers in the central army in front of the palace could defeat the enemy in close combat.

"General Wang and I are now leading our troops to rebel at Baoan Gate and Wangshan Gate. Once the troops receive the news, they will no longer dare to trust the Green Camp soldiers who came from the Chuang Army in the city."

Wang Deren analyzed to Ma Zhenfeng with a flattering look:
"This way, Tunqi will have even fewer troops available, not to mention the need to station troops at each city gate. While those so-called elite Eight Banners soldiers are capable of fighting, the elite troops Your Majesty personally brought with him are definitely no worse than them."

Ma Zhenfeng was very satisfied with Wang Deren's attitude and said immediately:

"As long as we can withstand this round of counterattack by the Qing army and wait for the reinforcements outside the city to arrive, both Tunqi and Aljin will be doomed."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tizhong immediately came to his senses, changed his tone, and summoned his servants.

Ma Zhenfeng, accompanied by ten servants and two night guards who had been following him, swarmed down from the city wall. The doors of the shops on both sides of Baoanmen Street had already been smashed open by the soldiers of the Palace Army. After preparations, large quantities of firewood and tung oil were already piled inside.

Before Ma Zhenfeng could catch his breath, a dense cluster of lights appeared at the far end of Baoanmen Street, and a large number of Eight Banners soldiers were pouring down the spacious street.

Wang Tizhong and Wang Deren stood on the city wall of Baoan Gate. The city was in chaos, with fires breaking out in many places. The Ming army's siege from all sides forced the Qing army, which was already stretched thin, to further disperse its forces.

After Ma Zhenfeng left the city, there was no need for the two to pretend anymore. They were actually very worried about the close combat strength of the Palace Army.

"If your Majesty's reinforcements don't arrive soon, I'm afraid we won't be able to defend the security gate." Wang Deren frowned and finally sighed.

"It seems that Tunqi has personally led his troops to attack the Baoan Gate." Wang Tizhong pointed to the bright lights of torches on the north street.

Wang Deren looked in the direction of his finger and saw three golden tides composed of countless torch lights rushing towards the Baoan Gate and the city walls on the east and west sides of the Baoan Gate.

"There are at least two to three thousand Eight Banners armored soldiers among them, or even more. There are only more than four hundred Ming troops under the city. I'm afraid they can't hold out for long." Wang Deren said worriedly.

Wang Tizhong felt the same way. He narrowed his eyes and cursed, "That son of a bitch Tunqi is definitely not a pushover. We need to prepare early."

"Make preparations early?" Wang Deren was shocked when he heard this, and seemed to have thought of something.

Wang Tizhong paused, then said:

"No matter what, the security gate must be guarded. In addition to the tower, the walls on both sides must also be guarded more strictly. While Ma Zhenfeng is watching from the front, we must move the cannons on the ladders to the sides and the ladders. Maybe we can hold out for a while longer."

When Wang Deren heard this, he suddenly became nervous, but he immediately nodded and agreed.

Although his troops were unable to fight against the Eight Banners, it was impossible for him to jump around and surrender to the Qing army at this point.

But if he had fought a fierce battle with the Eight Banners Army at the Baoan Gate Tower before retreating, Emperor Ming should not have been able to punish him.

After all, most of the defenders on the city wall at this time were soldiers from the central army in front of the palace, and they were just helping in the battle.

Wang Deren glanced at Wang Tizhong secretly, convinced that he thought the same thing. How could he not know what kind of person Wang Tizhong was?
"The city tower must be defended at all costs. There must be no mistakes." Wang Tizhong no longer believed Wang Deren at this time, and he couldn't say it directly.

He knew Wang Deren was unsure, worried that reinforcements wouldn't arrive in time. On the battlefield, anything could happen, and he was equally worried.

While the two were discussing, Tunqi had already led the Eight Banners Army to attack. He knew the geographical environment around Wuchang City. Even if he broke out, he would have no way to retreat. Now he could only make a last stand.

As thousands of Eight Banners soldiers rushed forward, the streets of Baoanmen Street were filled with the sound of killing and the flashing of swords and sabers. More than a thousand soldiers from the Ming and Qing armies were divided into two groups in the north and south, hacking and killing each other in the streets, with their battle lines intertwined.

Although the Qing army had a strong force, it was unable to exert its strength due to the restrictions of the streets. Where the two armies were fighting fiercely, soldiers kept falling down and blood was flowing all over the ground.

Ma Zhenfeng and the captain of the central army in front of the palace commanded more than 400 elite soldiers. They were not afraid of the Eight Banners armored soldiers sent by Tunqi. Even without the supervision of military law soldiers, they fought to the death.

The servants sent by Wang Tizhong had long been afraid of the Eight Banners soldiers. They were unable to cooperate in battle with the soldiers of the Palace Army, so they all retreated behind the front line.

The armored soldiers of the Palace Front Central Army and the Eight Banners armored soldiers fought fiercely in close combat, and the battle was extremely tense. The Eight Banners armored soldiers were very strong in close combat, and even the veteran soldiers of the Palace Front Central Army found it difficult to crush them.

However, the Qing army had a huge advantage in military strength. Soon after the battle, the soldiers in the central army in front of the palace gradually fell into a disadvantage and could only barely maintain their front line.

After dozens of soldiers were killed or wounded and they held out for two quarters of an hour, Ma Zhenfeng and the captain of the central army in front of the palace could only command their troops to fight and retreat.

They quickly led their troops and retreated to a position only fifty steps away from the city gate. It was a barricade built with stone slabs and earthbags, and equipped with three French cannons.

Wang Tizhong and Wang Deren were watching the melee on the street from the top of the city wall and were a little surprised. They didn't expect that the armored soldiers in front of the palace were so powerful. It seemed that their servants were no match for them.

After all, the Eight Banners Army had a huge advantage in manpower, and their advantage in manpower was more than twice as great, yet they still had a hard time fighting.

Moreover, although Wang Tizhong won the battle in the end, he knew very well that it was because of Wang Deren's influence that the Eight Banners Army failed to exert its true combat effectiveness.

In other words, if the Eight Banners soldiers had exerted their full combat power, the situation would have been completely different.

Now, the Eight Banners soldiers were well prepared, but despite their superior numbers, they were still no match for the central army in front of the palace. The strength of both sides was obvious.

"That bastard Tunqi seems to have spent a lot of money, otherwise he wouldn't have sent out thousands of soldiers at once. He values ​​the lives of those Tartars very much." Wang Tizhong said with a dark face.

However, Wang Deren did put on a smile and said, "Ma Zhenfeng, before we retreat, just set fire to all the firewood. The Tartars will definitely be unable to continue their attack. We can hold the city wall for an hour or two without any problem."

He looked at the army withdrawing from the barricade on Baoanmen Street, and his previous worries disappeared in an instant. The armored soldiers in front of the palace were so powerful that the Tartars were no match for them. What else did he have to worry about?
The captain of the Palace Army and Ma Zhenfeng, who were leading the troops to block the attack at the foot of the city, blocked the Qing army in the barricade for more than a quarter of an hour, and then they heard the sound of the retreat bugle from the top of the city. They both sighed inwardly.

Tunqi personally commanded the attack, and the Qing army's offensive was extremely swift. In addition to the frontal assault, the Qing army also sent armored soldiers to climb over the houses on the street and attack from the side. They were attacked from multiple sides and it was difficult for them to defend the makeshift barricade.

Not only that, their strategy of setting fire to stop the enemy was also unable to play its original role because the Qing army was familiar with the streets and surrounding houses, and directly dividing the troops to attack could not play its original role, and there was even a high possibility that they could be exploited by the Qing army.

Soon, a fierce burst of artillery fire was heard from the Baoan Gate Tower. The French cannons on the top of the city wall were firing at the Qing troops pouring in from the streets. At the same time, the sound of musket fire and the whizzing of arrows could be heard from the tower facing inward from the Baoan Gate. The vanguard reinforcements of the central army in front of the palace had already entered the city.

Hundreds of arrows shot "ding ding dang dang" into the ranks of the fully armed Qing army. The Qing army, which had been attacking fiercely and chasing closely, quickly stopped its attack under the threat of muskets, artillery and arrows, and some even retreated.

(End of this chapter)