Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 201 Shaanxi Uprising
"What? Ganzhou, Liangzhou, and Didao Prefecture were all conquered by Ding Guodong!"

"Ding Guodong and Mi Ciyin have both rebelled. Their troops have even appeared in Longxi, and a large number of rebel forces are gathering in Didao. Weiyuan is in imminent danger!"

"With the fall of Didao Prefecture, Longxi will bear the brunt of the impact. Minzhou, Hezhou, Taozhou and other places are left with weak defenses and won't be able to hold out for a few days. We must immediately reinforce Gongchang Prefecture. Otherwise, within half a month, the rebels will reach Fengxiang, and the situation will become even more critical."

Yue Le had just received the military report and was completely caught off guard. The same was true for Wu Sangui and Meng Qiaofang beside him. They were all a little at a loss.

They had just quelled the Green Camp rebellion in the Ganning region and deployed troops to suppress the restless Green Camp troops of He Zhen, but they had not expected Ding Guodong to instigate another rebellion in Lintao so soon. Although Yue Le had the foresight to add three Niulu Eight Banners to the Longxi Prefecture, he had never expected Ding Guodong to be so quick.

You know, if it was just a siege, even if Ding Guodong ignored casualties, he would not have such a huge advantage in manpower and firepower. It would be impossible for the three cities to be captured in a few days. This must be due to the cooperation of someone in the city.

In other words, with the defenders rebelling and the rebels colluding from both inside and outside, the loyal Green Camp troops in the city and the Eight Banners soldiers supervising the battle had no chance to react at all. If it were not for the complex terrain and the mountains blocking the way, Ding Guodong's army would have achieved far more than this.

After Yue Le followed Prince Su Haoge in the southern expedition to Sichuan, he was promoted to Duolo Beile because of his bravery and strategy in battle. He led his troops to kill Zhang Xianzhong, the King of the Great West, and was left in Shaanxi by Dorgon to monitor Wu Sangui and coordinate the defense of southern Shaanxi.

"Wu Sangui, send a cavalry unit to reinforce Longxi first. At the same time, conduct scouting and harassment in the direction of Anding to distract the rebels. We absolutely cannot afford to be passive victims. Also, send someone to notify Aljin, Liu Fangming, and Zu Zerun to gather their troops immediately and rush to Longxi for reinforcements. No delay is allowed."

"Beile, what about the troops in Hanzhong?" Wu Sangui was a little hesitant. The Ming army's deployment had already been detected in southern Sichuan.

"Hanzhong's troops cannot be moved, but they must strengthen their reconnaissance and remain vigilant until the situation in Longxi stabilizes. Emperor Ming probably has no time to spare right now, and the chaos in Longxi should have nothing to do with the south."

"Zhe!"

As Yue Le's military order was announced, more than 2,000 Eight Banners troops and Pingxi cavalry stationed in Xi'an Prefecture, hundreds of battalions of Meng Qiaofang, and hundreds of Green Camp troops from Shanxi, immediately set out to reinforce Longxi.

The composition of this army is very complex. It includes the Eight Banners soldiers, the New Han Eight Banners reorganized from the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Camp, and the Green Camp soldiers from Shaanxi and Shanxi. Although they are all elite soldiers from various departments, it is enough to show that the Qing army is currently stretched thin.

But Yue Le could not tolerate the loss of Longxi at all, so he could only do so temporarily. Otherwise, he would not be able to gather so many troops.

However, the combat effectiveness of the Green Camp troops that revolted in Shaanxi and Gansu was not very strong. Yue Le led his troops to garrison in southern Shaanxi for half a year and put down nearly ten rebellions of varying sizes. The losses suffered by his Eight Banners Army were not great, and could even be said to be very slight.

Therefore, although the Qing army was very afraid of the Palace Army in the south, especially the rumored Palace Army cavalry formation, they simply disdained these rebellious Green Camp troops.

You know, the morale and faith of the army have always been maintained by victory. It was precisely because the Ming army was defeated repeatedly that the Ming army feared the "Manchus" like a tiger. Now, the Qing army suffered a series of defeats in the south, and naturally there was a culture of fearing the "Ming" like a tiger in the army.

Not only that, due to the defeat of the Qing army in the south, the spoils and looting of the real Eight Banners, the Han Eight Banners who carried the banners, the baoyi soldiers, and the Green Camp soldiers recruited from the northern provinces no longer existed, and their willingness to march south, and even their will to fight, became increasingly weak.

This also made Dorgon no longer dare to mention the southern expedition. Not to mention Hauge, Jirgalang and others, even his trusted subordinates were unwilling to take the risk.

The Manchu princes and ministers had always been on thin ice because of the small population of Manchuria and the need for small clans to fight against large clans. Now, with the myth of the Eight Banners' invincibility shattered and the two southern expeditions drastically reducing the number of Bannermen, the loyalty of the Green Camp troops in the northern provinces had begun to waver.

As a result, even though Dorgon did not force people to shave their heads, a large-scale anti-Qing uprising broke out in Shaanxi earlier than originally expected in history.

After capturing the Didao Prefecture, Ding Guodong's army immediately divided its forces into four groups and quickly recaptured the entire Didao Prefecture except Weiyuan County. The situation in Shaanxi was shaken for a while, and the Qing troops everywhere were in danger.

At this time, the Qing government had almost lost the entire Hubei province that it had previously swallowed up. Rebel armies continued to emerge in most of Sichuan, Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong and other places. The area under the effective control of the Qing government was getting smaller and smaller, and its rule was in "precarious" condition.

Although the five princes Dorgon, Dodo, Ajige, Hauge and Jirgalang and a number of Manchu nobles and ministers were constantly fighting openly and secretly, they were all as anxious as ants on a hot pan in the face of such a situation. Dorgon had previously pretended to negotiate, but someone directly proposed to make the fake real and imitate the Song and Jin dynasties to seek a ceasefire.

However, when the news of Ding Guodong's uprising in Shaanxi and Gansu just reached Nanjing, Zhu Cilang was also very surprised. Although he had reorganized tens of thousands of new troops, the strength of the army had not yet been truly restored, and a large-scale northern expedition was not possible. Even if Ding Guodong made significant progress at this time, he would not be able to support him.

Although the Jinyiwei's intelligence system had long since infiltrated Shaanxi, it was mainly concentrated in Hanzhong and Xi'an. In just two years, although Zhou Shixian wanted to plant spies in Ding Guodong's army, he did not succeed.

Zhu Cilang knew that Yue Le was guarding Shaanxi, and Wu Sangui, Meng Qiaofang and others were also not easy to deal with, so Ding Guodong might not be able to hold on for long.

After all, in the original history, Ding Guodong and Milayin did not last long. Now he is facing such brave generals as Yue Le, Wu Sangui, and Meng Qiaofang. I am afraid that he cannot even reproduce the original historical records.

As the news of the two failed southern expeditions spread back to the north, the Qing army's rear had long been in turmoil. The rebel forces in various places that had been suppressed before soon revived. Although they were not a force to be reckoned with, their numbers were huge, affecting more than a dozen prefectures and causing serious damage to the Qing court's already difficult financial and taxation system. Dorgon had to send troops to suppress them.

The rebel forces in various parts of the north had been massacred several times by the Qing army before. Most of the veterans with rich battlefield experience were killed or wounded in previous battles. Without the leadership of these people, the rebel forces in the north lacked war horses, armor and firearms, and their combat capabilities could not be compared with the Green Camp soldiers reorganized by the border troops.

However, the Qing army had Green Camp soldiers stationed in all counties and prefectures. Although these soldiers had weak field combat capabilities, they were more than capable of defending the city with sufficient food and wages. Their presence caused the northern rebel army to be divided into various places, greatly reducing their mobility and making it impossible for them to obtain sufficient supplies.

In order to suppress these rebel forces, the Qing government even transferred nearly 10,000 elite Eight Banner troops from Beijing and the border areas outside the Great Wall, and also mobilized the Green Camp troops from Shaanxi and Shanxi to join the expedition. These elite troops were not easy to deal with compared to the rebel forces.

Ultimately, under the combined encirclement and suppression of the Eight Banners and Green Camp armies, dozens of rebel groups in northern provinces were quickly defeated. However, the Green Camp troops in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Shanxi, seemingly intent on avoiding further south, deliberately omitted the rebels, allowing many remnants of the rebel army to break through and retreat to various mountainous areas.

After all, these rebel armies were weak in combat and had no strength for field battles. After being encircled and suppressed, they had basically lost the ability to disrupt the rule of the Qing army. The Green Camp soldiers from Shaanxi, Gansu, and Shanxi who were originally transferred to suppress the so-called "bandits" were directly transferred to the front lines of the battlefields in North China and Central Plains, except for a few who were stationed on the spot.

As for the new recruits of the Eight Banners, Dorgon transferred them all back to Beijing.

Of course, the real elite Eight Banners are basically still on the front lines in Shaanxi, Henan, and Shandong. Many of the Eight Banners soldiers left behind are tribal soldiers captured from the Northeast. Most of them have just been trained and enlisted. Although they have excellent combat skills and are extremely brave, they lack organization and discipline, and do not understand military formations and combat. Their combat effectiveness cannot be compared with that of the old Eight Banners.

Moreover, because these soldiers from the northeastern tribes in the Heilongjiang River basin found it difficult to adapt to the climate of the Yangtze River basin, the Qing court did not dare to send them directly to the south, for fear that a plague would take them all away once the temperature rose.

In order to make up for the huge losses of bannermen in the two southern expeditions, Dorgon not only raised the banners of Han and Mongolian people and added them to the Eight Banners system, but also urgently sent thousands of Eight Banners out of the country to search for people from the northeastern tribes such as Solon, Guercha, and Xibe. After great efforts, he finally collected more than 10,000 able-bodied men who could fight.

For the Qing court, these tribal soldiers still had their wildness, and most importantly, they had no fear of the Ming army. They fought extremely bravely. If they were properly trained, they would definitely be a strong army that could effectively make up for the huge population losses caused by the Eight Banners' two defeats.

However, because the main force of the Qing army was basically in the south, these tribal men who had just been incorporated into the Eight Banners were only integrated into the Eight Banners system in terms of organization. In fact, they were still similar to the stragglers who temporarily participated in the war in Outer Mongolia.

In other words, the Qing court needed enough time to allow them to fully integrate into the Eight Banners system and form a strong combat capability, but Zhu Cilang would not give them this time.

Now the balance of war has tilted towards the Ming Dynasty. If the Qing Dynasty is defeated again, it will no longer have any hope of conquering the world.

You know, after experiencing two consecutive defeats, the elite troops that the Eight Banners of the Manchus could now mobilize were actually less than 50,000. If people like Hong Chengchou, Wu Sangui, Zu Dashou, and Shang Kexi had not been still watching, the rule of the Qing Dynasty would probably have been on the verge of collapse.

Of course, the uprisings of Ding Guodong and Mi Layin were also extremely beneficial to Zhu Cilang's "Shaanxi first, then Shandong" strategy, significantly limiting the Qing army's strength in southern Shaanxi. After all, the terrain in western Shaanxi and Gansu was extremely rugged. Once Ding Guodong and Mi Layin controlled the important passes west of Didao Prefecture, Gongchang and Ningxia were already under their threat. The Qing army was forced to move westward, but this would certainly not lead to a quick victory.

At this time, what Zhu Cilang had to do was to order the Jinyiwei and Gao Yigong to contact Ding Guodong and Milayin as soon as possible, and let them find ways to hold on until the next year.

At the same time, he continued to send orders to lead his troops westward to Chongqing. Chen Fu in southern Sichuan, together with Gao Yigong, Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu, stepped up military training and accelerated the construction of military farms, villages and forts, and economic recovery in southern Sichuan and Chongqing.

The geographical situation of Sichuan and southern Shaanxi meant that the Ming army would most likely have to collect grain and conscripts directly from southern Sichuan and Chongqing in the subsequent wars. To this end, it was necessary to take advantage of the spring plowing season to establish a systematic grassroots civil affairs and military farming system in these two places to provide material support for the army's northern expedition.

The remaining troops of the Western Army and nearly half of the soldiers and families of the Loyal Camp, more than 100,000 families accompanying the army, and hundreds of thousands of remaining civilians in southern Sichuan and Chongqing made it possible to implement this strategic plan.

Today, the large-scale military struggle between the Ming and Qing dynasties has ended. Apart from the occasional cavalry scout battles that broke out at the junction of the two sides' controlled areas such as Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Guide, Nanyang, and Shunqing, there are basically no more conflicts.

"After Ding Guodong captured Didao Prefecture, he also seized important passes such as Wushu Mountain and Shouyang Mountain. Currently, this group of rebels has over 20,000 troops in Didao Prefecture, equipped with dozens of large and small cannons. However, most of them are small cannons and cannot be used to break through a fortified city."

After Jirgalang finished speaking, he paused, looked around, and continued:

"According to the scouts sent by Yue Le, the main force of the rebel army in Lintao Prefecture is currently gathered in Didao Prefecture to rest and recuperate. There are constant carriages and horses transporting equipment and supplies on the official roads. However, in Ganzhou, Hezhou and other places, there are basically only a few hundred people, at most a thousand armored soldiers, guarding them, and the rest are civilians.

However, Ding Guodong has already deployed a large number of troops in the area. The scouts Yue Le sent were underpowered and could only gather a rough overview of the situation. Their actual deployment remains unknown until the actual battle begins."

After all, the terrain around Lintao Prefecture is very complicated, and Ding Guodong and others have been in the area for many years. Basically, all the key passes have been controlled by them. Although Yue Le can still send spies to lurk there, facing the blockade of the rebel army, he is unable to find out very detailed information.

This made it impossible for the Qing Dynasty to make an accurate judgment for a while. If Ding Guodong put all his efforts into sending troops, he could still mobilize 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and horses, but it was still difficult to judge whether he would attack Longxi or not.

"There's nothing to know. I think Ding Guodong is really planning to continue attacking Longxi!" Ajige sneered and rejoiced in his heart.

"It's hard to say. Although Ding Guodong has more than 20,000 soldiers and horses under his command, there are only one or two thousand cavalrymen, and the troops left behind are not enough. He has just rebelled, and the soldiers and horses under his command are a mixed bag. It is not certain that they have the power to take the initiative to attack." Dorgon shook his head with the same disdainful tone.

"That's right. Ding Guodong and Milayin are just a group of rebellious soldiers after all. Yue Le has already sent reinforcements to Longxi, and the situation in the city is completely under control. It's not so easy to capture it." Duoduo said immediately.

Today, although the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty have lost their former sharpness, except for the Palace Army in the south, they are also in high spirits and fearless!

"So, apart from the Ming Emperor in the south, the rebels and insurgents in other places are just minor fights and not worth mentioning." Ajige then said:

"But even if it was Emperor Ming, he had already lost hundreds of soldiers and horses in Nanyang Prefecture alone, and more than a hundred in Yanzhou. Even if Ding Guodong attacked Longxi at this time, he would not dare to go north to help, otherwise the losses would only be greater."

"The Emperor Ming is most likely preparing firearms. Guangdong, Fujian, and other places have always been well-developed in firearms, and there are many craftsmen skilled in making guns and cannons. As long as the money and food are in place, they can be easily recruited. With the Emperor Ming's current financial resources, he will probably build hundreds of cannons this time."

After Hong Chengchou finished speaking, he glanced at everyone in the room and continued:
"However, as Prince Ying said, Emperor Ming's troops are currently in the south. He has no chance of taking Longxi. Ding Guodong launched a rebellion at this time. It is obvious that the two sides have no connection, otherwise they would never choose this time.

The Ming cavalry was on the offensive just a few months ago, but it quickly fizzled out. The reason for this was that the cavalry wasn't strong enough. Ding Guodong raising an army now would be courting his own destruction. Yue Le Beile can definitely hold Longxi and put down this rebellion within six months."

Dorgon had actually guessed this based on the current situation. He also tended to believe that after the Ming army was repelled, there would be no new offensive in the short term. However, after the successive defeats in the Battle of Huguang and the Battle of Wuchang, his prestige was greatly damaged, and he could not say many things directly.

You know, in political issues, facts are often not important at all. Dorgon is well aware of this. A person who cannot win is wrong no matter what he does.

"But Emperor Ming is so cunning. Maybe he instructed Ding Guodong to start a rebellion at this time. He is doing it on purpose to deceive us and then launch a surprise attack." Duoduo shook his head. He couldn't believe that Zhu Cilang was not involved in such a thing.

Hong Chengchou listened and nodded, but then changed the subject and said:

"Your Highness's worries are not without reason, but even if Ding Guodong takes Longxi, with his strength, I'm afraid he won't be able to seize any strategic initiative in Shaanxi. As long as he continues to attack, he will definitely reveal his weaknesses.

Moreover, the terrain of Longxi is also complex. The army's supplies can only be transported over mountains and ridges, which is huge. There are also many mountains to the south. Unless Ding Guodong can capture Xi'an, it is impossible to defend any place.

Judging from the current situation, Ding Guodong has absolutely no chance of attacking Xi'an. As for the Ming army still in southern Sichuan, Xiangyang and other places, blocked by mountains, it is impossible for them to rush to support him. "

After Hong Chengchou said this, all the Manchu nobles in the room stopped refutation. After all, what Hong Chengchou said was absolutely right. If they were still worried, how cowardly would they be?
"That's right. If that's the case, then his purpose must have been laid out long ago. And he's probably doing all this so that he can finally send troops north before winter. Otherwise, Ding Guodong has been fooled by him."

In the main hall, Zu Dashou suddenly sighed:
"If that's the case, Ding Guodong must have seen that he's no fool to be able to muster so many troops. Even though Emperor Ming has charisma, no one would really be willing to be cannon fodder for him. That's 20,000 to 30,000 troops!"

The Manchu and Han kings and generals in the hall were all moved upon hearing this. Like Zu Dashou, they were willing to believe this statement. Otherwise, they wouldn't have to fight this battle at all.

"The Emperor Ming's Palace Army had previously suffered setbacks in their advances northward, being completely outmatched by our Eight Banners cavalry in field battles. While they possessed a large force, they were primarily infantry and naval forces, lacking much elite cavalry. Therefore, considering all factors, the probability of the Emperor Ming advancing north before winter arrived was low.

However, even so, the two important cities of Nanyang and Hanzhong must continue to strengthen their vigilance and cannot afford any mistakes. Emperor Ming will definitely not go north from Yanzhou. If he wants to break through my defenses, Nanyang is the most likely target."

With the help of Hong Chengchou and Zu Dashou, Dorgon finally set the tone for the rebellion in Shaanxi and the debate about it, and then continued:
"Right now, the most important task for each army is to retreat to the rear to rest and train new recruits. The Green Camp troops from Shaanxi, Gansu, and Shanxi have already been heading south in batches and will soon arrive in Nanyang, Kaifeng, and Jinan, where they will rest and recuperate in batches. They all come from frontier armies, and their combat effectiveness is no less than that of the Ming army.

Furthermore, you need not worry about a shortage of troops. I have already transferred over 20,000 Eight Banners cavalrymen from outside the Great Wall. They are all brave and experienced warriors. Those southern troops are no match for them. The Qing still has hundreds of thousands of troops in the north. Once all are in place, our forces will be no less powerful than the Ming army.

Since Emperor Ming has realized that his cavalry is weak, he will certainly find ways to replenish it. As long as I can wipe out the cavalry he has assembled, what else can he use to fight the Northern Expedition? "

As soon as these words were spoken, the Manchu and Han generals in the palace cheered in awe. They knew full well that even the most elite Green Camp soldiers could not defeat the Ming Emperor's Palace Army, and that the combat effectiveness of the so-called Eight Banner reinforcements from outside the Great Wall was questionable, but the fact that the Ming cavalry was no match for the Eight Banners cavalry was a fact, and it was their only psychological comfort at the moment.

Otherwise, why would Dorgon try to negotiate peace? How could they be happy when the situation has deteriorated to this point?
Upon seeing this, Hong Chengchou immediately clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the Ming army is so powerful, largely because their muskets and artillery are more powerful. Now we have successfully imitated them, and the workshop is producing them at full capacity. The Ming army will never be able to rely on these weapons to wreak havoc again!"

"Hahaha, good, the Ming Emperor's cavalry was no match for our Qing Dynasty, and now its artillery is also beginning to lose its edge. How similar is this to fifteen years ago? When we make artillery in the future, we must use the latest artillery-making methods to make the most powerful artillery." Dorgon said confidently.

After experiencing so many major battles, especially those fought on the plains, the soldiers wearing triple armor suffered heavy losses in the face of the Ming army's firearms volleys, which made the Qing court attach even greater importance to firearms.

In the Palace Army, the large-scale small cannons equipped with the army were very effective in close combat, which attracted the full attention of the Qing army. Relying on missionaries in Beijing, they successfully cast a four-pound cannon that could be used in actual combat.

(End of this chapter)