Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 210: Different Deployments
As the main force of the Ming army besieged Nanyang, the entire Han River basin, except for a few cities such as Xiangyang, had basically been recovered by the Ming army. The Qing court's rule in southern Henan also fell apart and was divided into two isolated islands: Nanyang and Xiangyang.

After Zhu Cilang led the main force of the Ming army to continue the Northern Expedition, Lekedehun and Shang Kexi actually sent troops out of the city many times to harass the Zhongzhengying army outside the city, but all returned in vain.

Although they did not lose many soldiers and horses, their morale was inevitably affected because they were unable to change the situation of the war.

Outside Nanyang City, the situation was even more peaceful. Zhu Cilang had no plans to attack the city immediately. He now had two troops under his command, the Left Town led by Ma Shixiu and Ma Jinzhong, and the Right Town led by Liu Tichun and Hao Xiaozhong. There were more than 100,000 troops near Nanyang, and they were all real combat soldiers.

Although Nanyang City has extremely strong political significance, Zhu Cilang has no intention of capturing it at all costs. He is waiting for Dorgon's main army and for his strength to accumulate further. That will be the time for the real decisive battle.

Not only that, as the main force of the Ming army besieged Nanyang and the Qing army gradually gathered and prepared to march south, the rebel forces in northern provinces such as Shandong, Shanxi, and Henan took advantage of the lack of troops in the Qing army's hinterland and became active again.

However, due to the lack of armor, swords, guns, muskets, artillery and other equipment and ammunition, as well as the equipment needed for siege, these rebel armies could basically only operate in the mountains and countryside. Although their momentum was huge, they could not shake the rule of the Qing court at all.

At the same time, as Chen Fu and Gao Yigong led their troops to take further action in Sichuan, Wu Sangui sent troops to investigate the true strength of the Ming army in Sichuan, while secretly contacting the Green Camp Army in Shaanxi and Gansu, actively seeking a better way out for himself.

After all, the momentum displayed by Zhu Cilang when he commanded the main army in the battles of Xiangyang and Nanyang had shocked the entire Qing Dynasty, especially those Han generals who were already lacking in confidence.

However, Yue Le personally guarded Xi'an, and with the constraints of Aljin and Li Guohan, Wu Sangui was quite wary and did not dare to contact any parties openly.

At this time, Wu Sangui was still quite young. He had not experienced the many life-and-death battles in history, nor the series of changes in the situation after the destruction of the Ming Dynasty. He did not have the courage and boldness before and after the "Three Feudatories Rebellion", let alone such prestige.

But Wu Sangui grew up in Liaodong after all, and had experienced many intrigues, both real and fake, and had escaped death many times on the battlefield. Now his political sense has become extremely sensitive, and he knows that he can no longer sit and wait for death.

However, the current situation is still very unclear. If Wu Sangui wants to remain invincible, he needs more chips. However, Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu are not cooperating, and Zu Dashou is not on the same page with him. All these force him to continue to wait and see the situation.

Therefore, when the news that Zhu Cilang personally led the troops to besiege Nanyang reached Hanzhong, Wu Sangui looked worried and sad in front of Aljin, Li Guohan and others, but he was secretly proud behind the scenes.

He was waiting for Yue Le's transfer order. After receiving the military intelligence from Nanyang, the Qing court would most likely immediately begin to replan the military deployment in Shaanxi and Gansu. This was a rare opportunity for him.

In Wu Sangui's view, the war that really affects the overall situation and determines the fate of the Qing Dynasty will not break out in the mountains and dangerous roads of northern Sichuan. Nanyang or Yanzhou is the place where the real decisive battle will take place.
However, the battle situation in northern Sichuan tied down a large number of Qing troops deployed in Shaanxi and Gansu. Now it was difficult for Dorgon to lead his troops south in a short period of time, so he turned his attention to Yue Le and Wu Sangui.

He even worried that Zhu Cilang would take the opportunity to capture Tongguan, and then the situation in the northwest would completely collapse.

At this time, Tongguan's defense was indeed weak. Even if Yue Le did not go south to reinforce Xiangyang and Nanyang, he would need to allocate part of his troops to garrison Tongguan, otherwise the gate would be wide open.

Zhu Cilang sent troops to attack the prefectures and counties north of Nanyang Prefecture, and even excluded the Jinyiwei from entering Luoyang, in order to release false information and induce Dorgon to think in these directions and make wrong decisions.

At this time, after sending troops to occupy the three major passes of Nanjin, Liangshan and Hexi in the surrounding area, Chen Fu had begun to organize artillery to attack Baoning Prefecture City. The Qing army in the city was simply unable to organize the same counterattack.

Although Baoning City had been reinforced and repaired for half a year under Yue Le's arrangement, and the soldiers and food in the city were sufficient, it could not withstand the continuous fierce attacks of Chen Fu's army of more than 20,000 and more than 30 thousand-jin cannons, and the outer city walls gradually began to be damaged.

Although Wu Guogui was a fierce general, he lacked Wu Sangui's ability and did not dare to take the initiative to attack and repel Chen Fu's troops. If there was no rescue, the fall of Baoning City would probably only be a matter of time.

Therefore, Yue Le, realizing that the situation was not simple, led his troops directly to Hanzhong City, intending to personally command the war in northern Sichuan.

"Have the Ming army's scouts already passed through Jiange and reached Lizhouwei?"

Yue Le looked at the abstract map hanging on the wall and asked Aljin, who had arrived in Hanzhong several months earlier than him, "How many Ming troops are there outside Baoning City? How long can Wu Guogui hold out?"

After Aljin glanced at Wu Sangui, he sighed slightly and said:

"Beile, the population around Baoning City is sparse, the conscripted laborers are insufficient, the rations for the farmland are scarce, and the city defenses are quite rudimentary. Without reinforcements, with the Ming army's bombardment, Baoning City will surely fall in two to three months at the shortest, and half a year at the longest. Once Baoning City falls, Hanzhong will be in danger."

"The Ming army is now strong and powerful. It is estimated that there are no troops left in southern Sichuan. The main force has all gone north." Wu Sangui said, handing the military report sent back by Wu Guogui directly to Yue Le, and then said:

"If the prince wants to concentrate his forces to defend Hanzhong, we must hurry. If Baoning City is captured, our morale will be severely damaged. If the Ming army gathers another 40,000 to 50,000 elite troops to attack Hanzhong from the north, the consequences will be truly disastrous."

Yue Le now has only more than 20,000 elite soldiers, including Wu Sangui's troops, of which only 30% are elite Eight Banner soldiers. Even if the Green Camp troops from all over Shaanxi are included, the total strength under his command is only more than 40,000. He is simply unable to divide his troops to fight for the gains and losses of a city or a pond.

Therefore, under the current circumstances, if Yue Le wanted to send troops to reinforce Nanyang, or simply defend Tongguan, he had to rescue the defenders in Baoning before it fell. If the Ming army pursued him relentlessly, he would also need to feign defeat to lure the Ming army into pursuit, and then ambush them in the valley northeast of Baoning.

Aljin had read the secret report sent by Dorgon. He knew what Yue Le was thinking. He thought about it, then stood up and said:
"But if we want to lure the Ming army into pursuit, we must first be defeated. Then we will definitely need bait. However, the Ming army is so morale is high, and any bait will probably result in heavy casualties."

Upon hearing this, Yue Le narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice:

"The one leading the troops in Baoning is Chen Fu, a fierce general under the Ming Emperor. If we want to trick the Ming army, how can we do it without spending a lot of money? Moreover, if our army has no fighting power, Chen Fu might even become suspicious."

"Beile, we don't have to ambush the Ming army. As long as we can rescue the defenders in Baoning City, everything will be fine." Upon hearing this, Wu Sangui hurriedly said, "Wu Guogui, it's no problem for you to hold Baoning for a few months. We have enough time to deal with the Ming army. There's no need to rush."

"The Ming army in Huguang has already marched north. There is no time left." Yue Le immediately denied Wu Sangui's words, but paused and said:
"Chen Fu is difficult to deal with. It would be great if we could avoid fighting him, but if we want to support the defenders in Baoning City, I'm afraid we will have to fight him."

To the south of Cangxi County, on the plains of the winding Jialing River valley, rows of red and black marching troops slithered like long snakes.

The soldiers of the left army in front of the palace still followed their usual practice, organizing themselves into flag teams, with a certain distance between each flag team to meet the combat formation requirements in case of attacks and encounters.

If they suddenly encounter the enemy, this distance can ensure that each flag team can respond immediately, form a combat formation, and counterattack the enemy's attack, rather than falling into chaos due to crowding and trampling.

After the army had marched for half an hour, several scouts suddenly separated from the queue and galloped towards both ends of the team, delivering orders to each flag chief to rest in place.

After receiving the order, the flag commanders passed it on to their three captains. Finally, the sergeants in each team received it. When it reached the last level, the order to rest in place spread throughout the entire combat camp.

After receiving the order to rest on the spot, most of the soldiers who were wearing chain mail and on guard secretly loosened their armor. At this time, the temperature in the valley was already very high, and they were all very hot marching in heavy armor.

In order to deal with emergencies and reduce unnecessary casualties, Chen Fu required that when the left army of the palace was led north to lure the enemy, some soldiers must take turns wearing armor during the march, but it was only one layer of armor to ensure the soldiers' physical strength.

You must know that the soldiers of the Left Army in front of the Palace have all undergone the most rigorous and scientific military training on the Eastern battlefield of this era. With sufficient energy supply, their physical condition is better than any other army of over a thousand people of the same period.

Now, as the Left Army of the Palace surrounded Baoning Prefecture, they began to send troops into the northern part of Baoning Prefecture to lure the Qing army to attack. The rugged mountainous terrain around them made it difficult for the various troops to coordinate with each other, which undoubtedly gave the Qing army scouts and small troops an opportunity to take advantage of.

Chen Fu knew that Yue Le and Wu Sangui were definitely not the kind of people who would passively take a beating. They would most likely take advantage of the special terrain in the north of Baoning Prefecture, send troops south, ambush and attack in the mountains, and interfere with the actions of the Palace Army.

You must know that many of the armored soldiers in the Eight Banners Army were newly captured from outside the Great Wall. They may not be good at fighting in formations, but they are top-notch masters in individual combat, especially in sneak attacks in mountains and wilderness. This is their survival skill.

When a large army marches, it will inevitably deploy scouts in front to scout the situation, especially in mountainous areas where the environment is complex and it is even more necessary to find out the latest situation in advance.

However, this mountainous area is vast, and the Eight Banners soldiers from outside the Great Wall are well-adapted to life in the wild. They can even maintain their fighting capacity without a fire for ten consecutive days. The Left Army of the Palace Front can't send troops to search the mountains and drive them out, so they can only order all troops to strengthen their vigilance.

This also gave the Qing army ambushes that had been hiding in the mountains an opportunity to take advantage of.

From Baoning to Hanzhong, there are mountains everywhere. The left army in front of the palace was hindered by the terrain, and the military operations in these places did not go smoothly. Moreover, the large group of troops was a huge target and difficult to hide.

These river valleys were already difficult to march through, and the originally flat and solid official roads were destroyed by the Qing army. This was undoubtedly a further blow to the soldiers of the Left Army in front of the palace.

But this is also a good opportunity for Yue Le to tire out the left army in front of the palace and consume its combat effectiveness. Chen Fu is sure that the other party will not give up such a good opportunity easily.

After the army rested for a quarter of an hour, the soldiers replenished their water and ate some dry food, then they started their journey again. They had to reach the mountain pass north of Cangxi City before tonight, and then continue their journey the next morning, with their destination being Jiange.

Chen Fu was eager to get the Qing army to move south. He could neither easily defeat the Qing army and show his strong strength, nor show too much weakness, otherwise Yue Le and Wu Sangui would definitely become suspicious, and his plan would be difficult to achieve.

Of course, if Yue Le marched his army south, Gao Yigong could stop the enemy at Lizhouwei, which would be the best. However, judging from the current deployment of the Qing army, Yue Le was very cautious, so this plan might be difficult to achieve.

Under such circumstances, Chen Fu had to adapt to the situation and determine his own battle plan based on the performance of the Qing army in order to achieve his original strategic goal.

In order not to alert the enemy, he had sent Tang Ma to call back Gao Yigong and Li Dingguo. The two troops went directly from Jinzhou to Baoning via a detour. This also allowed Chen Fu to escape from the military affairs in Baoning City and lead his troops north to provoke the Qing army in Hanzhong.

"Admiral, the scouts who passed through Jiange and were investigating military intelligence near Lizhouwei have sent back information to the front line. Thirteen of our scouts sent to the front line were robbed and killed by the Qing army. Yue Le may have arrived in Hanzhong now. He also sent a lot of elite Eight Banners soldiers, all scattered in the mountains. Our scouts are hard to defend against." Chen Fu's deputy general held a copy of the Tangbao and reported with a bow.

After hearing this, Chen Fu frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Yue Le's ultimate goal in sending these scattered soldiers was definitely to launch a surprise attack on our main army, seize the opportunity to destroy our supplies, and undermine our morale. This shows that he still cares deeply about the safety of Baoning and Hanzhong.

"Immediately pass down the order that all units must be on high alert at night and absolutely not camp in dangerous areas. In addition, cavalry must occupy good terrain in advance and absolutely not allow the Qing army to exploit any loopholes. If the Eight Banners soldiers come to attack, they will surely try to escape."

"Yes, Admiral." The deputy general responded and continued:
"Yue Le currently has less than 40,000 elite troops in Shaanxi. With the rebel army still in Longxi, he certainly wouldn't dare march his entire army south. He probably wouldn't be able to cause any major waves in Baoning."

"Without the main force, this little skirmish really doesn't matter, but we still have to be careful. The most taboo in marching and fighting is to underestimate the enemy."

Chen Fu paused and continued:
"Our troops along this route must not encounter any problems, otherwise, Your Majesty's strategy will fail."

Now, Zhou Shixian has sent the information about the Qing army's deployment in Shaanxi and other places to Baoning through the Jinyiwei, but the information is very vague. Chen Fu does not know the plans of Yue Le, Wu Sangui and others, so he is naturally very worried.

(End of this chapter)