Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 213 Zhu Cilang's Ambush
Dorgon and Hong Chengchou guessed correctly. When they led the main force of the Eight Banners Army in Beijing to the south, and Yue Le sent Li Guohan to attack from Hanzhong, successfully connected to Wu Guogui's army, and then led Wu Sangui's army and a large group of troops from the main force of the Eight Banners stationed in Xi'an into Henan, the defense of northern Zhili was empty, and Zhang Mingzhen suddenly led the main force of the navy and appeared at Dagukou.

Not only that, the navy of Huang Fei, which had been operating in Liaodong and Korea, soon commanded another main force of the navy to retreat from Liaodong and joined forces with Zhang Mingzhen's navy at Dagukou, giving Jirgalang a big surprise.

Originally, according to the plan of Zhang Mingzhen and Huang Fei, once they deployed their troops on the sea, the Green Camp troops in various parts of Northern Zhili would surely rise up and rebel.

By then, both Jirgalang and Hauge would have to hide in Beijing, and it would be easy for them to take over the three coastal prefectures of northern Zhili, or even western Liaoning and Liaodong.

After all, at this time, Dorgon had already led his army south, and a mere Dagukou and Tianjin City could only withstand their tens of thousands of naval forces for ten to twenty days at most.

However, the development of the situation was far from as smooth as Zhang Mingzhen and Huang Fei had imagined. Jirgalang had been prepared and handed over the tasks of guarding Beijing to Hauge. He personally brought his son to the new city of Dagukou to command the battle.

From Tianjin to Dagukou, Jirgalang had already disciplined all the Green Camp troops who were assisting in the defense. No one was willing to raise the flag of rebellion when the outcome was still undecided.

You must know that Zhang Mingzhen did not send troops directly to western Liaoning because he wanted to achieve his goal in one battle. He led the army to capture Tianjin first and directly wipe out the Eight Banners Army, the only army with field combat capability along the northern Zhili coast. Then the Green Camp Army in the entire Tianjin area would surely surrender.

In this way, he could not only save himself from the loss of many soldiers and equipment, but also recruit a large number of organized troops and directly seize the food and military supplies stored by the Qing army in various counties in Tianjin.

In other words, Zhang Mingzhen was actually very clear about his own and Huang Fei's strength. He knew that the navy was not good at field battles, but if he could lure the Qing army to the shore and then instigate the Green Camp army to rebel, he would be able to turn the situation around in one fell swoop and achieve immortal merit.

After all, if he and Huang Fei could capture Tianjin, the entire Qing army in northern Zhili would be shaken, and Dorgon would probably not have the mind to go south to rescue. Then the main force in the Nanyang-Xiangyang area would not have to fight that tough battle.

Who wouldn't be tempted by such a great feat and not give it a try?

But Jirgalang was a veteran of many battles. When he and Dorgon served as regents of the Qing Dynasty, he was in charge of military affairs. He had extraordinary composure and was able to seize the right opportunity to attack swiftly. He repeatedly resisted the surprise attacks of Zhang Mingzhen and Huang Fei and resolved many ambushes.

The naval forces of Zhang Mingzhen and Huang Fei were almost fully mobilized, with a total strength of more than 20,000 troops and nearly 10,000 combat troops. They were said to have an army of 100,000, but they were divided into different locations. For a full half month, apart from capturing some dilapidated towns around Tianjin, they failed to achieve any results worth mentioning.

In the two men's original plan, by this time, they should have recaptured the entire Tianjin Prefecture, and even captured parts of Shuntian Prefecture, and instigated several Green Camp army rebellions, with unprecedented momentum.

But now that things have come to this, the two of them had to start reconsidering their next plan in the face of Jirgalang's counterattack.

Zhu Cilang was not too surprised when he received the military intelligence command from Northern Zhili. He naturally thought that Zhang Mingzhen and Huang Fei could achieve results beyond everyone's expectations, but the current situation was the most likely.

Things developed along the most likely trajectory. There was nothing surprising or regrettable about it. It was just that the result was not most favorable to the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Cilang had more important things to do at this time. After learning that Yue Le had begun to mobilize troops and prepare to go out of the country, he quickly summoned the generals under his command, held an emergency military meeting, and then began to withdraw troops and redeploy them.

At this time, he had no spare energy to support Zhang Mingzhen's military operations in northern Zhili. Gao Jie, Huang Degong and other troops had to contain Duoduo, and Kong Youde's troops were even more powerless.

However, Zhu Cilang was not in a hurry. After the news of Zhang Mingzhen's military operations in northern Zhili reached the armies of Dorgon and Yue Le, it actually accelerated the actions of the two.

Dorgon originally planned to let Yue Le's army act with caution, especially to rest in Luoyang for a few more days so that the army could recover to the best combat condition.

But now, the serious situation made Dorgon and Yue Le dare not wait any longer, and even Hong Chengchou was a little panicked.

After all, although Zhang Mingzhen's actions in northern Zhili were temporarily unsuccessful, Beijing was still in danger. If the enemy's surprise attack succeeded one day, Tianjin would certainly not be able to be defended. At that time, their main force fighting in the Central Plains would probably collapse directly.

On a dirt road in the mountains about ten miles south of Longmen Pass on the Yi River in Luoyang, several Eight Banners troops under Yue Le were marching, winding like snakes. Soldiers in uniforms of various colors were crowded forward, pushing and pulling vehicles carrying supplies, stretching for more than ten miles.

This place is very close to Ruzhou, less than a hundred miles away from the Ru River. After crossing the Ru River, going south for dozens of miles, you will enter the Luyang Pass on the watershed. It is the gateway for Ruzhou to enter Nanyang, and it is also the battlefield of the Ming army ambush that Yue Le is most worried about.

Yue Le and Wu Sangui's current marching speed was not fast. Before the army moved south, they sent out a large number of scouts, which were very effective and almost blocked all the scouts of the Ming army. The few who were able to break through the blockade and go north for reconnaissance were unable to obtain effective intelligence.

You must know that if the Ming army only relied on the observations of these few scouts, they would not be able to get the true situation of their tens of thousands of troops. The intelligence obtained by each scout was very limited, and the intelligence they detected on the battlefield needed to be adopted and verified with each other, otherwise it would be difficult to believe.

Outside Longmen Pass, Yue Le was riding on a warhorse covered in silver armor, standing in an open area on the mountainside, looking at the army marching below.

He was well aware of Zhu Cilang's power and was about to lead his troops south, which made him very nervous.

Moreover, although Yue Le was confident in the Eight Banners, he had no confidence in defeating Zhu Cilang when he did not have an advantage in military strength. However, if the Ming army took the initiative to fight when they went south this time, he would have to fight.

Under the busy military affairs, tense spirit and multiple pressures, he felt very irritable and even tired.

When they received the news that Li Guohan and Wu Guogui had successfully withdrawn from Baoning, the troops of Yue Le and Wu Sangui marched at an extremely fast speed when they set out from Hanzhong. They advanced at a speed of more than 100 miles a day until they left Tongguan.

This was not only to avoid the reconnaissance of Ming army spies, but also to move south as quickly as possible to relieve the pressure on the defenders in Nanyang and Xiangyang.

Luoyang is actually very close to Nanyang. If he marches at full speed, he can enter the valley north of Nanzhao in just two days of marching south. After the main force crosses the Shashui River, it will be only one or two days' journey away from Baihe.

Soon, Bayala Banner Commander, who was in charge of the Bayala scouts under Yue Le, rode back from the front and came directly to the mountainside to report the latest military situation in the south:
"Beile, the vanguard and scouts heading south have eliminated a total of seventeen Ming scouts on the road over the past two days, and we have lost nine people. So far, we have only discovered three Ming scouts who have broken through our blockade.

Although they also failed to successfully conduct close reconnaissance, they should have guessed our army's actions. Once the news reaches Nanyang, the Ming army will definitely take action."

After hearing this, Yue Le nodded slightly, then squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then immediately ordered:
"The Ming Emperor is so astute that he would surely not be unaware. Henan's terrain is not suitable for hiding people, let alone the movement of tens of thousands of troops. You continue to lead Bayala in the search and defense. I will send another thousand horsemen to reinforce the vanguard. They are best at fighting on plains. If they encounter the Ming army, just pursue them relentlessly without worrying about being exposed."

After hearing Yue Le's words, the Bayarahu Zhangjing immediately agreed. They had been worried that the Ming army would notice something unusual in advance, so they had been acting cautiously. Now that it was finally time to let go, they naturally felt a lot more relieved.

You know, as the most elite Bayara army in the Qing army, they are no longer tired of such timid fighting style and want to compete with the Ming army's cavalry!

Then, Yue Le continued, "Pass on this Beile's military order. The Aljin tribe must reach the Ru River tonight and build a floating bridge for the army to pass tomorrow. Tomorrow morning before dawn, I will lead the army to quietly cross the river to avoid being discovered by the Ming army."

"Beile is wise. The Ru River is less than a hundred miles away from the valley leading to Nanzhao City. After our army crosses the river, we only need to rest there for half a day to recover our strength. The next day we can march quickly and rush to Luyang Pass.

If Bayala is dispatched ahead of time, the Ming scouts will have a hard time gathering detailed information. Without accurate intelligence, the Nanyang Prefecture Ming army will not dare to set up an ambush. Furthermore, as long as we're fast enough, the Ming army won't have time to prepare." "Aljin must first send troops to occupy the mountains near Luyang Pass. It will take only a thousand cavalrymen to stabilize the situation. The Nikan cavalry may not be as strong as our elite Eight Banners, but their firearms should not be underestimated. It's absolutely impossible for them to deploy artillery in the valley and ambush our army from a high position," Yue Le continued.

Although the terrain of the watershed is not steep, it is not suitable for cavalry to perform. The cavalry under Yue Le's command cannot move freely in such terrain, so he sent scouts south to investigate early.

He did not dare to underestimate Zhu Cilang at all now, and all his deployments were made with great caution. The valley near the watershed suitable for ambushes was dozens of miles long. The Ming army could deploy ambushes and there were too many places to set up ambushes. Yue Le was not sure where Zhu Cilang would choose.

However, if they were to go around Fangcheng, there would be many rivers crisscrossing the area, with six major rivers worthy of mention, a distance of thirty or forty miles, making it very difficult for cavalry to pass through. If the Ming army set up an ambush, they could easily be defeated one by one, which was also very dangerous, and there was no concealment at all.

After the Bayalahu official retreated, Yue Le looked up to the south again. He had no idea about the battle to the south to tie down the main force of the Ming army!

"Wait a moment!" Yue Le suddenly stopped the Bayala Bannerman who was about to leave, then turned his head to look at the army marching to the south, and said in a deep voice:
"But I also want to remind Aljin not to fight too hard. Emperor Ming will become suspicious no matter what. We don't have many troops. If he leads the main force north directly, we may not be able to fight back. Then this march south will be a waste of effort.

Sometimes, not only can we not fight too hard, but we should also show weakness. This time, you should lead half of the Bayala to the south to reinforce and block the Ming army's scouts as much as possible. Even if a few Ming army scouts occasionally approach for reconnaissance, it will not affect the overall situation."

"Zhe!"
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At the same time, outside the city of Nanyang, Zhu Cilang was mobilizing troops. He had naturally determined long ago that Yue Le and Wu Sangui's army would march south. In order to fight this ambush, he recalled the elite troops of the Tianqi Army, the Palace Front Central Army, and the Palace Front Right Army.

He didn't dare to attack the main force of the Eight Banners led by Dorgon, and he certainly couldn't defeat them on the plains. But he would not let Yue Le and Wu Sangui's 20,000 to 30,000 troops, of which less than 20,000 were elite soldiers, go.

For the Ming army, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they waited until Dorgon led the main force south, there would be no such chance again.

In this battle, Zhu Cilang gathered 40,000 elite soldiers and was determined to win.

The Nanzhao City, which he had previously sent troops to recapture, was very close to the ambush valley, only twenty or thirty miles away. The army could arrive quickly and enter the ambush circle.

If the Ming army could take advantage of the favorable terrain near the watershed and launch a surprise attack on the passing Qing army, and the various armies could quickly divide and encircle the Qing army before the Qing army could react, the Qing cavalry would find it difficult to escape.

In order to let the Qing army relax their vigilance, Zhu Cilang did not lead his troops in advance. Instead, he only sent out some scouts and ordered the army outside Nanyang City to speed up the siege, giving Yue Le the illusion that the main force was still in Nanyang.

"Your Majesty, the scouts I sent out a few days ago suffered heavy losses, and almost no scouts were able to break through the blockade of the Qing army. Yue Le seemed to have made full preparations, and we have hardly found any useful information about the Qing army these days." Lin Changfeng reported in a rather disappointed tone.

"Dorgon's army can't arrive that quickly. Yue Le and Wu Sangui's troops are no more than 30,000, and their elite cavalry may only be a little over 10,000. I have mobilized 40,000 elite troops from the Heavenly Cavalry, the Central Palace Army, and the Right Palace Army. This is more than enough to deal with them."

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, he looked around at the generals in front of him and said:

"The scouts Yue Le sent out are so fierce. If I'm not mistaken, they must be the most elite Bayala among the Eight Banners. It seems that Yue Le must be very afraid of me, but military orders are as heavy as a mountain, and he cannot but lead his troops south, so he is so timid."

"The terrain of the valley near the watershed is not complicated, but it is enough to hinder the actions of the Qing cavalry. Our infantry and artillery can fully play to their advantages. As long as we deploy dozens of four-pound cannons and tiger squat cannons and bombard them from a high position, the Tartars will have no defense." Chang Denggui added upon hearing this.

Zhu Cilang nodded after hearing this, and then deployed:

"When the time comes, we'll ambush the troops on the north and south ends of the mountain pass and block the Qing army. We need to bring ten four-pounders and tiger squat cannons. With these defensive weapons, I'm afraid that with only one battalion of soldiers, I can block the Qing army in the valley."

"Your Majesty is wise. I will make arrangements right away." Upon hearing this, Chang Denggui immediately gave the order.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the main force of the Qing army should reach the north bank of the Sha River before this evening. Yue Le will definitely not dare to cross the valley overnight and will definitely rest on both sides of the Sha River for a night. We must seize this opportunity and sneak into the ambush site quietly before Yue Le's troops enter the valley."

After Zhu Cilang finished his deployment, he turned to look at Lin Changfeng and then added:

"Nanyang is now almost entirely under the control of my army. There's no need to act with restraint, or Yue Le will become suspicious. Starting tonight, the Heavenly Cavalry will dispatch cavalry to drive out all Qing scouts that cross the watershed and enter Nanyang. We absolutely must not allow the Qing army to learn of my deployment."

"I obey!"
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A few days later, in the early morning, a disjointed but continuous army appeared in the valley north of Nanzhao County, preparing to cross the watershed and enter Nanyang Prefecture.

The vanguard of this army was in very chaotic uniforms, and their flags were of different colors, including the Red Banner, the Yellow Banner, the Green Camp soldiers, the Baoyi soldiers, and even some militiamen. They walked very slowly, and some of the soldiers did not even have any military appearance or formation.

With so many intelligence sources at his disposal, Zhu Cilang's predictions about the Qing army's movements were naturally accurate. As he expected, Yue Le led his troops to rest overnight on both sides of the Sha River, and then ordered the army to march out at daybreak.

According to Yue Le's plan, the Qing army would walk out of the valley that stretched for thirty or forty miles along the watershed before sunset to avoid being ambushed by the Ming army.

To this end, he specially brought the Green Camp troops from Henan Prefecture, Ruzhou and other places, and even some forcibly conscripted civilians, and sent Wu Sangui to lead the troops to escort them and walk in front to prevent his Eight Banners Army from being ambushed by the Ming army.

Now, the total strength of this army heading south is close to 40,000, of which nearly 20,000 are newly recruited from prefectures along the way in Henan. In order to avoid too much chaos during the march, Yue Le also ordered to slow down the march.

Of course, among these more than 20,000 soldiers and horses, they were the elite Eight Banners Army, the vassal troops and the Green Camp Army of Shaanxi. Among them, the Eight Banners Army and Wu Sangui's personal guards were mainly cavalry. Their marching positions were very clever. Even if the Ming army launched a surprise attack in the valley, they could use the mobility advantage of the cavalry to retreat calmly, or even serve as bait to lure the Ming army to pursue and seek a counterattack.

At the same time, after entering the watershed, the main force of the Qing army showed extremely high vigilance. Yue Le not only sent a large number of scouts to deal with the Ming army's scouts, but also left a group of troops to stabilize the rear defense and occupied several mountains near Luyang Pass.

Last night, Yue Le personally arranged all the scouts and ambush troops, and deployed mobile forces to take turns on guard to ensure Bayala's blockade of the surrounding area, making it impossible for the scouts sent by Lin Changfeng to get close to his camp, let alone find out the specific strength of the troops.

Yue Le and Wu Sangui relied on the scouts composed of the most elite Bayala in the Qing army to completely intercept the Ming army's reconnaissance. Wu Sangui was not idle either. He also sent cavalry to pursue the Ming army's scouts. However, because the pursuit was unsuccessful, he also encountered the cavalry sent by Lin Changfeng to assist, and lost more than a dozen cavalry.

However, the Bayara and the personal cavalry sent by Yue Le and Wu Sangui were all elite soldiers, and the scout teams they formed almost always moved one in front and one behind, or at the same time, forming an excellent cover for each other, so the Tianqi Army was unable to pursue the victory.

Lin Changfeng strictly followed Zhu Cilang's military orders. He did not easily send out more cavalry to attack just because he encountered strong obstruction from the Qing army. He tried to break through the blockade of the Qing army and conduct close reconnaissance. Although he failed to obtain more military intelligence, he had completed his mission and blocked the Qing army's further reconnaissance.

In this way, Yue Le would not be able to detect the tens of thousands of main forces of the Ming army that were moving behind the watershed.

After all, Zhu Cilang also sent a large number of cavalry to assist the scouts in the defensive operations. Naturally, Yue Le and Wu Sangui could not conduct further reconnaissance, let alone determine the strength of Zhu Cilang's troops near Nanzhao, but this also made Yue Le more cautious.

However, no matter how cautious he was, he could not have guessed that Zhu Cilang's main force had already taken quick action and hidden in the mountains on both sides in the early morning of that day, taking advantage of the cover of night and the Tianqi Army to drive away the scouts sent by him and Wu Sangui.

(End of this chapter)