Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 211 The Qing Dynasty has only one last way out
By midnight, the Jialing River Valley in northern Sichuan began to emit a freezing cold. The soldiers on duty of the left army in front of the palace were lying in the trenches. Each team of sentries had to endure the whistling cold wind in the valley and stand guard for nearly two hours.

After all, if they move in and out frequently, there will inevitably be confusion among the troops, and most soldiers will not be able to get enough rest. The Qing army is more likely to take advantage of this opportunity to seize the flaws and launch a night attack.

In the trench north of the left army camp in front of the palace, a small team leader turned his head to look at his subordinates. Everyone was in place, with musketeers, sword and shield soldiers, spearmen and archers all deployed. He then breathed a few breaths of relief to warm his hands which were already frozen.

In fact, in the trenches, most of the sword and shield soldiers and spearmen also carried hard bows. If they encountered a night attack, they would first fire the first round of counterattacks together with the musketeers to prevent the Qing army from attacking the camp at night.

But at night, the musketeers' greater role was to give warnings. Except for a small number of veterans, no one else could launch a second round of counterattack. The archers took on a more important blocking task.

The team leader was well aware of all this. In the evening, his immediate superior, the flag commander of his flag team, took the trouble to remind everyone of the precautions for their duty.

This was also the military's combat requirement. Their captain knew the night before that he would be on guard duty for the army the next night.

These soldiers on duty listened to the whistling wind and the howling of wild beasts coming from the mountains and forests around the valley. They all lost their previous high spirits and enthusiasm to destroy the invaders and bandits. Instead, they were all nervous, fearing that if they were careless for a moment, a Tartar would suddenly jump out and attack them.

You know, according to past battlefield experience, in this situation, if a large-scale night raid occurred, these soldiers who were on guard at the front line would almost certainly not be spared. Anyone who survived would receive a medal of honor and a special reward.

After all, the warning and buffer they provided with their lives would give other troops in the camp enough time to react, thereby thwarting the enemy's attack and even taking advantage of the chaos of the night raid to launch a counterattack.

War is not a game of house. Who can survive and who can win often depends not only on their ability but also on luck.

In this era, even a side that launches a night attack cannot guarantee victory. The variables in whether the army can carry out the designated combat mission in the dark are too great, especially since most soldiers have not undergone multiple night combat drills during the recruit training like the other units of the Palace Army.

Of course, in such terrain, the probability of a large-scale night attack is extremely small, but small-scale harassment is difficult to avoid.

However, Chen Fu was not worried about this. With the current strength of the Qing Dynasty's garrisons in northern Sichuan and Hanzhong, there were at most a few hundred Eight Banners ambushes in this mountainous area, which posed no threat to the expanded Left Army of the Palace.

He was even looking forward to a night attack by the Qing army, which would give him a chance to retreat and lure the main force of the Qing army to Baoning. In this way, he would have a chance to reverse the current unfavorable situation.

This time, Chen Fu only led a battalion of more than 2,000 soldiers northward. In fact, he did not have the strength to capture Hanzhong. He was just advancing to retreat and seeking a breakthrough.

Coming back to the present, all kinds of noises were heard from the dark mountains and fields around them from time to time. There were the crackling sounds of wild beasts stepping on branches and fallen leaves, as well as the endless chirping of birds and insects. Some seemed to be nearby, but some were coming from far away. These made the recruits terrified.

In the dark mountain path, there were only faint lights from lanterns hanging on temporarily erected wooden stakes. These lanterns slightly improved the vision of the guarding soldiers and eased their original tense mood a little.

"Captain, why is northern Sichuan so similar to our village? The sounds of those insects are so damn creepy!" A soldier heard the sound coming from outside the trench and kept swallowing nervously. The tense atmosphere on the battlefield kept his mind tense.

Now, all the soldiers in their entire squad were squatting in this shallow trench. There was another trench in front and on both sides, which was more than seven feet deep but less than five feet wide. The three outer trenches formed a flat-bottomed inverted V-shaped defense line, which could effectively slow down the speed of the enemy's night attack.

Of course, the defense outside the left army camp in front of the palace does not stop there. Outside these trenches, there are also caltrops, ghost arrows and ambushes. These are traps and secret sentries that are very easy to set up, and are not as time-consuming and labor-intensive as deep trenches.

But in such an environment, although it was not the first time for these recruits to be on duty, it was the first time for them to perform guard duties in a real battlefield environment. No matter how arrogant and confident they were, they could not help but feel extremely nervous.

After all, no matter how rigorous and thorough the daily training is, the combat experience on a real battlefield is irreplaceable. If you have not experienced a real battle, you cannot be considered a real warrior.

The value of veterans lies here. They will teach the new recruits truly practical combat skills and lead them in defense and attack on the battlefield, thereby greatly improving the survival rate of the new recruits.

However, veterans are also afraid, but in the army, no one will take the initiative to show their cowardice.

Even the team leader, although a little scared in his heart, still showed his usual indifference and ferocity to maintain his image. When he heard the complaints from his team members, he still pretended to be indifferent.

He exhaled hot air from his mouth again and blew it towards his frozen and stiff fingers, which relieved the pain for a while, and then he quickly put his fingers back on the bowstring.

The new recruits around him were actually even more nervous.

However, the daily training and the instructors' sticks had already caused his body to develop mechanical memory. Even if his mind was blank, he could still make corresponding tactical moves based on what he saw. Although they were a little panicked in their hearts, they did not show any outward expression.

This is the result of the training of the new recruits of the Palace Army, and it is also the strength of the new army that Zhu Cilang expects!
Time passed minute by minute, and the team leader looked up at the waning moon in the sky. He estimated the time in his mind and knew that the next team of soldiers would be on duty soon. He prayed in his heart that nothing would go wrong in the last few moments.

You must know that this is the time when things are most likely to go wrong. If the Qing army wants to succeed in the night attack, they have to find the time when the Palace Army is the most slack or the most chaotic, so as to increase the chances of success of the raid.

Soon, several teams of soldiers came out of the camp, and they began to change guards on the other side of the trench.

The positions of the two groups of soldiers in front and behind are naturally different. This is to prevent the enemy from observing secretly, finding out the army's alert position and launching a surprise attack, and to avoid confusion when changing guards, but the final defensive effect is the same.

The experienced squad leader immediately noticed the movement in the position on the left, and his originally nervous mood suddenly relaxed - nothing happened, and he was ready to withdraw his troops.

This is the real battlefield. Even veterans cannot resist the fear of the unknown.

"Swoosh, whoosh, whoosh whoosh"

Suddenly, a burst of arrow sounds was heard in the darkness. More than a dozen arrows were shot from the darkness of the mountains. More than a dozen lanterns hanging on the wooden stakes in front of the Ming army's outer guard position went out almost at the same time. In the end, only two were left. The vision of the left army soldiers in front of the hall suddenly fell into darkness.

"The Tartars are coming! The Tartars are coming!"

In the trenches, several soldiers shouted loudly in shock. Each soldier quickly picked up the musket and bow in his hand and shot towards the location where the sound came from in the dark. The flashing and explosive sounds of the muskets instantly alarmed the entire Ming army camp.

At the same time, in the dark mountains, more than a dozen sharp arrow sounds whistled. These were the whistling arrows used by the Qing army to send messages. The appearance of more than a dozen such sounds basically meant that the Qing army's night attack troops were about to launch a large-scale attack.

"Cum! Cum! Cum!"

The three musketeers in the trench heard the order and mechanically pulled the trigger. A bright flame suddenly burst out in front of their eyes, and they couldn't help but close their eyes. An expected recoil rushed to their shoulders, and the familiar smell of gunpowder rushed into their nostrils, and two screams came from in front of them.

However, in the darkness, it was impossible to complete the complicated loading and reloading operations, and the bright light from the musket fire had exposed their position. If a large number of enemy troops attacked, they would have almost no chance of survival.

At the same time, the two teams of sentries in the trenches quickly raised their bows and arrows and aimed at the possible positions of the Qing army in front of them. After firing, the musketeers immediately threw away their muskets, lit the torches prepared in the trenches early in the morning, and threw them out with all their might.

The rigorous training they received on a daily basis enabled them to remain calm at this time. Even without the captain's orders, their bodies could act in an orderly manner according to their muscle memory.

On the other side of the camp, the armored soldiers on duty did the same. After a few explosions from musket fire, they threw out torches, and at the same time, the archers drew their bows and arrows, waiting for the enemy to come to their door.

If, during a large-scale battle, musketeers fired a volley without orders, it would be a grave mistake, as the musketeer formation would likely lose its attack power, leading to annihilation of the entire army. According to military law, the corresponding soldiers and officers could be executed on the spot. However, the situation was different now. The musketeers' goal was to fire a warning shot and then throw out torches so that the archers could see the enemy charging in from the darkness.

Soon, there were several muffled "bang bang" sounds and screams from the front. The Qing army's night attack soldiers fell into the trenches and traps set up by the left army in front of the palace in the dark, and then the order to shoot arrows sounded loudly.

Seeing the Qing army rushing up quickly, both the musketeers and archers put down their torches and bows and arrows, picked up the long spears, swords and shields that had been prepared in the trenches early in the morning and rushed forward.

The soldiers in the trenches saw the figure in front of them swaying constantly, and then they formed a simple semicircular formation with the other members of the team. Six sword and shield soldiers and four spearmen rushed out with howling.

At this time, most people's minds were actually blank, but after hearing the order, their muscle memory made them pick up their weapons and rush forward. Even though they knew they might die, military orders were like mountains, and being cowardly and not advancing would also mean death.

Soon, the sound of bowstrings rang out again, and the sound of weapons clashing spread soon after. The early warning troops in the front had already started fighting with the Qing army in the dark. Soon, soldiers and cavalry rushed out of the barracks, and the sound of fighting continued.

In the darkness of the night, on the bank of the Jialing River, shouts of killing and killing were heard, mixed with the dense sounds of footsteps, horse hooves, and howling.
These new Eight Banners armored soldiers lurking in the mountains and fields had very strong individual combat capabilities. In the melee, the military formation of the left army soldiers in front of the palace was unable to play a role, and the combat skills of the Eight Banners armored soldiers gained the upper hand.

Moreover, half of the battalion led by Chen Fu were new recruits. Although they were brave, they lacked battlefield experience. They suffered heavy losses in the night battle the previous night, with more than 80 people killed or wounded. In the end, only six people were left in the two early warning teams, and they had basically lost their combat effectiveness.

However, the Qing army also paid the price of dozens of people. There were more than 40 corpses found outside the military camp alone. The traps and the warnings of the Palace Army made their surprise attack a failure.

Chen Fu watched the auxiliary soldiers carrying the corpses on the ground to burn, and he didn't feel anything in his heart. He had experienced the annihilation of the entire army and witnessed thousands of casualties. Numbness was inevitable, and naturally he didn't care about these things.

But the new recruits were deeply shocked. Their comrades, whom they had been with day and night, had turned into stiff, cold, unresponsive corpses overnight.

They had seen too little of the life and death on the battlefield, and were quite sensitive at this time. This was also one of the reasons why Zhu Cilang wanted to lead the entire army to the Northern Expedition. There were still too many new recruits in his army, and he had to lead them through some experience before they could truly march north.

Chen Fu confirmed overnight that there were no main trenches of the Qing army in the surrounding area, and then ordered all units to reorganize their troops and rest in place until dawn, waiting for new instructions. He then comforted the surviving soldiers in the two flag teams that had suffered heavy losses.

The left army in front of the palace did not suffer heavy losses in this night battle, but after realizing that the Qing army's surprise attack in the north would intensify, Chen Fu did not plan to continue marching north. After sending troops south to notify Gao Yigong for support, he ordered a withdrawal early the next morning.

The Qing army deployed such a powerful force in the mountains and fields of the Jialing River. The main force must have been in Hanzhong. He risked going north to lure them, but it would be difficult for him to escape in the end. He might even become a bait for Yue Le and Wu Sangui to encircle and attack the reinforcements.

Thinking of this, Chen Fu naturally would not continue to move north. Instead, he would move south to gain the initiative and lure the main force of the Qing army in Shaanxi to move south to support the garrison in Baoning Prefecture, or to relieve Baoning.
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At this time, on the watchtower of the newly built fortress at Dagukou in Tianjin City, Dorgon, Jirgalang, Hong Chengchou and other important members of the Qing royal family and ministers were looking at the Ming navy warships appearing on the sea with gloomy faces.

"Five days ago, Zhang Mingzhen began dispatching fleets from Changshan Island, north of Dengzhou Prefecture. There are three fleets, totaling over 500 large and small boats, including 15 warships equipped with red cannons. The number of troops is estimated to be over 10,000, and the number of soldiers capable of landing and fighting should be around 2,000."

Jirgalang clasped his hands together, looked down at the ground, paused, and then continued:
"However, apart from this, Duoduo's secret sentries on the islands surrounding Dengzhou Prefecture have not observed any other Ming naval fleet movements. The Ming navies that harassed Liaohai, Liaoxi, and Korea have probably not returned yet."

"Things aren't that simple. This is most likely a trap set by Zhang Mingzhen. He may have already suspected Kong Youde. If that's the case, then this is most likely a deliberate bait to reassure me that I can lead my troops south."

Dorgon shook his head, but after thinking for a moment, he turned to look at Hong Chengchou standing beside him, sighed slightly, and asked:

"Hong Chengchou, what do you think?"

Hong Chengchou naturally knew what Dorgon wanted to hear, and he also knew why Jirgalang added that last sentence. However, he did not want to participate in the power struggle between the Manchus, nor was he willing to participate. He only wanted the Qing Dynasty to win and he could survive. Then he clasped his fists and said:
"Your Highness, Zhang Mingzhen may indeed not trust Kong Youde, and he may indeed have guessed that Prince Yu had deployed secret sentries on the surrounding deserted islands, so he stationed naval forces on Changshan Island and even Beichenghuang Island. However, he is deliberately avoiding our reconnaissance. The ocean is so vast that you can't even see the end at a glance, so this is not difficult for him to do."

Upon hearing this, Jirgalang's face darkened. He was deeply worried that after Dorgon and Hong Chengchou left, the main force of the Ming army in Jiangnan would use its powerful navy to march directly north to besiege Beijing. After all, Zhang Mingzhen's army alone had nearly a thousand warships.

By that time, Dorgon was in Nanyang fighting a decisive battle with the Ming army. It was a long journey and it was absolutely impossible for them to rush back to rescue him. Even if he had three heads and six arms, he would not be able to defend the huge Beijing. Once the city fell, he would be a sinner of the Qing Dynasty that day.

After getting the answer he wanted, Dorgon nodded slightly and said to Hong Chengchou and Jirgalang:
"You're right. If Zhang Mingzhen had sent his troops north with great fanfare, I wouldn't have believed that all the Ming navy in Denglai had actually gone north. But the current situation shows that he's carefully avoiding us. His goal is probably to launch a surprise attack on Beijing."

In fact, Dorgon doesn’t care what will happen to Zhang Mingzhen and the so-called Ming navy. He doesn’t take those navy seriously at all. No matter how strong they are at sea, they will be of no use on land.

In other words, he was not worried at all about any mishaps happening in Beijing. He even used this as an excuse to keep Jirgalang and Hauge in Beijing in order to sideline them and further consolidate his power.

This time, he would lead Ajige to the south to defeat the main force of the Ming army and monopolize all the military merits. Naturally, he would not give Jirgalang and Hauge any chance to lead the troops.

"After the Ming Emperor led his troops to besiege Nanyang City, the Ming army from all over Huaibei concentrated its main forces in the coastal cities. The troops originally used to harass southern Shandong and eastern Henan have now almost all withdrawn. Now Zhang Mingzhen is quietly leading his troops north. Although it is a full-scale army, it is probably just a bluff. Otherwise, the alternating advance and retreat will only disrupt their own formation."

Seeing this, Hong Chengchou immediately followed Dorgon's words and analyzed seriously:

"Once Zhang Mingzhen's navy lands, even thousands of soldiers and horses won't be able to capture a small garrison town. Earlier, when they attacked Weihaiwei, they were directly defeated by the Green Camp defending the city. Zhang Mingzhen will definitely learn from this lesson. If my guess is correct, he won't really plan to storm Tianjin or Beijing with such a small force."

"The Ming Emperor is besieging Nanyang, and Chen Fu is in northern Sichuan, about to capture Baoning. The situation in the Central Plains is of paramount importance!"

Dorgon sighed again, and suddenly turned to look at Jirgalang, frowning and saying:
"Given the strength of Emperor Ming's main army, if I don't rescue them, Xiangyang and Nanyang will most likely be captured by the Ming army within the next two or three months."

"The Ming Emperor has not yet taken action, probably because he is afraid to fight a tough battle!" Jirgalang understood the meaning of Dorgon's words, but was still struggling. He hoped to gain more power for himself. He was also the regent and was not willing to be sidelined like this.

Seeing that the other party still refused to surrender, Dorgon continued:

"Emperor Ming is extremely cunning and his actions are difficult to predict. He is also not lacking in tenacity. It's probably not that he doesn't dare to fight, but that he doesn't want to fight for the time being. He wants to preserve the strength of his army, or even to confuse us, so that we will underestimate the enemy and lose the opportunity to fight.

"Prince Zheng, have you forgotten that Emperor Ming sent envoys to negotiate with our dynasty? On the surface, he seemed sincere, but in reality, he only cared about the real benefits. In the eyes of this shameless villain, everything else was not worth discussing."

"This..." Jirgalang was speechless for a moment and could only lower his head in silence.

Dorgon was indeed the regent of the Qing Dynasty. His ability far surpassed that of Jirgalang. Seeing that the other party was forced into a dead end by him, he immediately said:

"Prince Zheng, rest assured. Zhang Mingzhen doesn't have the strength to take Beijing. By the time he captures the fortress of Dagukou, I will have already reached Nanyang and defeated the main force of Emperor Ming's army. By then, he will be even more afraid to act rashly."

"The Regent is absolutely right. Zhang Mingzhen's navy has absolutely no strength to conduct landing operations." Hong Chengchou continued.

At this point, Jirgalang naturally knew what was going on. He had no choice but to clasp his hands and agree. He and Hauge were no match for the three Dorgon brothers, who controlled the army, especially since Dorgon also controlled most of the Han officials in the court.

"Since Prince Rui is so determined, I will not say any more about the southern expedition!" Jirgalang said helplessly.

Zhu Cilang had to lead his troops to the north with great fanfare, but contrary to the Qing army's expectations, he stopped in Nanyang for a while. Now he was eyeing Tongguan in Shaanxi. The situation in the Central Plains was imminent. He actually knew that the only way for the Qing Dynasty was to go south and defeat the Ming Emperor.

(End of this chapter)