Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 214 Ambush Breaks Out

Under the protection of hundreds of imperial soldiers, Zhu Cilang stood on a flat hilltop with dense vegetation, holding an exquisite telescope with a dragon and phoenix pattern in his hand, observing the cavalry battle that broke out in the valley ahead.

The Ming and Qing armies each had dozens of scouts lurking in the valley of the watershed. The two sides fought back and forth from the foothills to the plains, with both sides winning and losing, leaving more than a dozen corpses in the valley.

But the battle between the two sides did not end, and even the situation in the valley did not change.

After all, neither side knows the other's background and both are cautiously testing each other.

This is the only way for Ruzhou to enter Nanyang Prefecture. Even if there were no two large armies today, there would be dozens of scouts from the Ming and Qing armies lurking here, trying every means to detect each other's military intelligence.

Therefore, neither Zhu Cilang nor Yue Le dared to easily increase the number of scouts in this place, so as not to expose their own troop deployment.

The weather in Nanyang is mostly good during this season, and the air visibility is very high, so the "telescope" in Zhu Cilang's hand can see farther.

Soon, he discovered the extremely chaotic marching formation of the Qing army's vanguard. These strange behaviors were inconsistent with Yue Le's army, which directly confirmed Zhu Cilang's previous speculation.

In fact, the scouts he sent out also detected some military intelligence and discovered some clues, and knew that Yue Le had brought countless cannon fodder with him on his way south.

At this time, Zhu Cilang and the generals of his Palace Army already had many years of experience in marching and fighting, and Tian Jianxiu, Hao Xiaozhong and others were even more familiar with this method of recruiting cannon fodder.

Tian Jianxiu only watched through the telescope for a while, and he noticed something wrong from the actions of the Qing army vanguard in the valley seven or eight miles away, and directly confirmed the army's speculation about Yue Le's marching deployment.

Judging from the position, except for the rear army that fell behind, the main force of the Qing army has all entered the ambush circle of the Palace Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Army.

After all, at this time, Yue Le's troops had only 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers and horses, which was similar to the estimate of the Five Military Commandery. Everything was under the control of the Ming Dynasty.

But if we look at the specific deployment of troops, we will understand the ingenuity of Yue Le's marching sequence arrangement this time. The Eight Banners vests are basically in the middle and rear, and the two wings are most vulnerable to attacks from the vassal troops of Wu Sangui.

In other words, Yue Le used those cannon fodder soldiers and Wu Sangui's troops to ensure the safety of his Eight Banners cavalry, so that they could retreat smoothly even if they were attacked.

Although Zhu Cilang brought a full 40,000 troops this time, he could not exert his power freely in such a vast terrain facing 30,000 Qing troops.

In order to ensure maximum results, Zhu Cilang only planned to send more than 30,000 troops to directly participate in the ambush, and complete the surprise attack and division of the Qing army in the mountains on the east and west sides.

After the first round of raids was successfully completed and achieved the desired results, Lin Changfeng led the main force of the Tianqi Army to attack the Qing cavalry head-on and defeated the Qing army that was unable to form a battle formation smoothly.

As for the northern end of the watershed, Zhu Cilang also secretly deployed two field camps of troops to ensure that this Qing army could be completely trapped and achieve the goal of maximizing casualties.

Zhu Cilang had sufficient confidence in the combat effectiveness of his elite troops. In such terrain, the Qing army would probably not be able to hold out until sunset and would be completely defeated.

By then, the 40,000 victorious troops will be pursuing all the way, and there will be two battalions of soldiers blocking the way in the north. The Tianqi Army and the Xiaoqi Army will use cavalry to encircle the enemy, and they will surely be able to wipe out the main force of the Qing army here.

Although the Qing army's Bayala scouts were fierce, they were at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and were unable to break through the Ming army's last blockade line. Zhu Cilang was confident that his deployment had not been exposed.

In this way, as long as the main force of the Qing army led by Commander Yue Le enters the valley, no matter how cautious they are, they will definitely not be able to escape the fate of annihilation.

In fact, after confirming that the main force of Commander Dorgon was still in northern Zhili and that the Qing army heading south had only 20,000 to 30,000 combat-capable soldiers, Zhu Cilang was already confident of victory.

He even had the confidence to fight the Qing army head-on. Given that the Qing army only had 20,000 elite soldiers and 10,000 cavalry, Yue Le would certainly find it difficult to exert the so-called cavalry advantage, let alone stop the attack of the Palace Army.

Of course, Yue Le and Wu Sangui were no pushovers either. The Qing army had once controlled this area, and this time they were heading south, they had sent troops to conduct reconnaissance in advance and were already very familiar with the surrounding terrain. Naturally, they would be careful everywhere and not make low-level mistakes.

The watershed valley is dozens of miles away from east to west, and from ten to twenty or thirty miles away from north to south. It is impossible for Zhu Cilang to cover the approach of tens of thousands of troops. Therefore, this ambush was actually just to catch the Qing army off guard.

His plan was to use the infantry and cavalry ambushed in the mountains on the east and west sides to cut off Yue Le's army and divide it into two parts. The troops in the south would then launch a surprise attack, while the infantry battalion in the north would, after entering the preset positions, rely on the terrain to block the defeated Qing cavalry.

Fighting in a place like this, where there are obstacles everywhere and troops cannot be assembled quickly, but there are valleys through which the army can pass, if the army cannot deploy its battle formation, it will face a one-sided massacre.

Of course, this is only the most ideal result. Neither the Tianqi Army nor the Xiaoqi Army has experienced large-scale mobile warfare. In such terrain, they are also hindered and it will be difficult to achieve the strategic goal of completely annihilating the Qing army.

But in this battle, as long as he can defeat Yue Le's main force and kill thousands of the latter's cavalry, the Qing army in Henan will find it difficult to organize for a while, and Dorgon will be more eager to move south, which will directly reduce the pressure on the Shaanxi battlefield and create an opportunity for Chen Fu to fight.

However, by this time, Zhu Cilang was actually a little nervous. Such a large-scale military operation would be difficult to avoid being discovered. As long as Yue Le was cautious enough and his troops were slow to react, the entire ambush might ultimately fail.

"Your Majesty, the vanguard of the Qing army has completely entered our ambush circle!" Chang Denggui withdrew his gaze from the valley and clasped his fists.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang turned his head and looked towards the valley. The Qing army in the telescope had a rather chaotic display of flags. Under the flying banners, one could even see some oxen and horses pulling baggage. He looked at the approaching Qing army vanguard and immediately gave another order:

"Pass on my military orders. Use the sound of cannons as a signal. All units attack simultaneously!"
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At the rear of the Qing army's vanguard, Aljin was riding on his horse with an extremely gloomy expression. He had been feeling uneasy since he led the vanguard army into the valley.

The mountains on the east and west sides of the watershed are of varying heights and covered with lush vegetation, so a large number of ambushes can be easily hidden without much disguise. There are also many small hills scattered around these mountains, and the low bushes on the slopes are very suitable for ambushes.

Although he was not sure that the Ming army would ambush here, looking at the terrain in front of him, years of battlefield experience told him that this watershed was definitely not simple.

Now, Aljin is pretending to be Yue Le, and the flag flying in the wind above his head is Yue Le's flag, so as to confuse the Ming army and make them think that Yue Le is in the vanguard.

Moreover, if the Ming army really had an ambush here and launched a sudden attack, he could not retreat immediately. He had to follow Yue Le's words, stabilize the morale of the army, and even organize troops and wait for an opportunity to resist before he could defeat them.

In this way, he could buy time for the army behind him to prepare for war, and even buy time for the main force of the Eight Banners Army led by Yue Le to retreat if the situation collapsed.

"Damn Nikan, could he really have ambushed us in the mountains?" Aljin looked around, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Before he could finish muttering in his heart, three thunderous roars suddenly rang out, and the huge sound of gunpowder explosion echoed in the valley.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Aljin was startled and instinctively reined in the warhorse under his crotch. Then, almost as a conditioned reflex, he looked in the direction of the explosion. Sure enough, thick white smoke was rising from the hillside in front of him.

In such a mountainous and densely forested environment, it is not realistic to rely on flags to convey military orders, and it is difficult to command the scattered ambushing troops at the same time. Using the roar of empty guns as a signal to launch an attack is obviously a more appropriate choice.

As soon as the cannon sounded, the Qing army's vanguard, which stretched for several miles, immediately became a commotion. After slowly marching for hundreds of miles, this army was already in a mess, and now that they encountered a sudden war, their true colors were exposed.

Moreover, they had not known that there would be an ambush here. Although most of them had been trained, facing such an unfamiliar environment, the performance of those civilians and local Green Camp troops was indescribable. The originally marching column broke out into chaos and great panic.

Upon seeing this, Aljin immediately began to organize his troops to defend on the spot, shouted orders, and sent Bayala scouts to inform Yue Le and Wu Sangui.

The area that the Qing army entered was actually a relatively narrow place in the entire valley. The ambushing Ming army was well prepared and charged extremely swiftly, while the Qing army could only rely on the weapons in their hands and form a simple military formation on the spot for defense.

The false vanguard under Aljin's command moved very slowly. Although the entire team moved quickly, with the sound of shaking armor, there was more chaos and escape, and it was impossible to organize an effective counterattack or defense. Of course, with the support of the Eight Banners armored soldiers in the military formation, most of the Qing army's vanguard troops still formed a military formation on the spot, but their combat effectiveness was not strong. Only with the support of the powerful Eight Banners armored soldiers on both sides, they barely held off the Ming army's vanguard's surprise attack.

In the valley, the troops of the two armies moved quickly, raising dust everywhere. Aljin took advantage of the fact that the Ming army in the front had not yet attacked, and placed the more combat-effective Eight Banners armored soldiers and Green Camp troops in the middle of the vanguard, forming a relatively solid military formation.

The Eight Banners soldiers in the Qing army cooperated with each other and formed simple chevaux de frise in front of the formation with their long spears. In this way, they could resist the cavalry for a longer time without the help of fortifications.

But Aljin was also very clear about the combat effectiveness of these soldiers. Those forcibly recruited Green Camp soldiers had not received rigorous training. Once they were defeated, the soldiers in the front would surely retreat quickly. He directly gave up both wings and defended with a solid formation in order to prevent his own soldiers from collapsing directly and then trampling on each other, making the situation irreversible.

Countless Ming troops quickly poured into the valleys of the mountains to the east and west, their helmets surging like a tide, their heads agape, and flags flying everywhere. This surging tide of soldiers continued to spread into the valley, quickly branching out, and the front became wider and wider.

At the same time, the muffled thunder-like roar produced by the galloping of thousands of cavalry quickly came from the exit of the valley in front of the Qing army. From far to near, elite cavalrymen from the Tianqi Army and the Xiaoqi Army rushed out continuously on the dirt road.

Although Aljin was a veteran of many battles, he had only participated in a few large-scale battles involving tens of thousands of troops. He looked at the increasing number of Ming troops before him, almost endlessly, and couldn't help but swallow nervously. His hand holding the reins even trembled slightly.

Soon, with the sound of more than a dozen explosions, the Ming army's artillery on the mountain fired dozens of shells, flying towards the Qing army that was forming a battle formation, causing considerable chaos to the Qing army.

Although Aljin was stunned for a moment, he quickly came to his senses. The fear in his heart was dispelled by the sound of war drums and bugles one after another, and his eyes moved quickly as the group of soldiers ran.

The Qing army also moved swiftly, quickly establishing simple formations on the west, south, and north. However, the uneven terrain of the valley restricted the movement of the Ming army's troops, especially since the ambush range was not just a hundred steps, making it difficult for the Ming army to launch an effective attack before the Qing army had completed its formation.

In the valley, the war drums roared and the bugles sounded like thunder. Countless Ming troops surged forward like an overwhelming force, and the armor shining in the sunlight rolled forward like a tide, showing the posture of a powerful army.

At the same time, Zhu Cilang sent thousands of soldiers and horses to come from the mountain roads on both sides, trying to cut off the Qing army's retreat before the Qing army could react, so as to wipe out the main force of the Qing army in the valley in one fell swoop.

Accompanied by the deafening roar of gunpowder explosions, thick white smoke rose into the sky in front of the Qing army's formation assembled in the valley, and hundreds of lead bullets were fired in a fan shape towards the dense and wide Ming army's charging formation.

Under the first round of volleys from the Qing army's musketeers, teams of soldiers in front of the Ming army's surprise attack fell down like grass blown by the wind. The lead bullets hit the armor with crackling sounds, and the army's charging formation even fluctuated.

But the Ming army's offensive continued unabated. With officers at all levels shouting and leading the charge, the armored soldiers behind them quickly filled in and the charging formation was restored. In contrast, the Qing army's second round of musket fire seemed extremely slow, and the Green Camp soldiers and civilians began to panic again, unable to organize an effective blocking attack.

However, the narrow environment of the valley forced the Ming army to charge quickly in a dense formation, which made Aljin organize the Qing army's musket fire, causing considerable casualties to the Ming army, and the charge formation soon became somewhat chaotic.

"The Qing army's vanguard will surely suffer heavy losses in this battle. Yue Le thought that this would prevent the annihilation of the entire army, but he underestimated my Palace Army and Heavenly Cavalry Army." On the mountain, Zhu Cilang was holding a telescope, staring closely at the battle situation in the valley, and then a smile appeared on his face.

The Qing army's response was actually quite quick, but it was still too late, and the Qing army's cavalry did not play its due role when the raid first broke out.

This enabled the Palace Front Army's main force to launch an unstoppable surprise attack and achieve rapid success. After the Huguang Campaign, the Palace Front Army had not fought such a large-scale decisive battle with the main force of the Eight Banners for a long time, and now it is as powerful as ever.

However, because the cavalry's rapid assault was more hindered than expected in such a narrow terrain, the Ming and Qing armies had to fight on foot for the time being.

Chang Denggui looked at the battle situation in the valley, and immediately bowed to Zhu Cilang and reminded him:
"Your Majesty, the fighting power of this Qing army seems quite strong. Although the cavalry in the center and rear may not have reacted impressively, they are well organized and should be able to launch a counterattack soon..."

Zhu Cilang had already been alert before, and now that his trusted general reminded him, he nodded and said:

"Indeed, I have noticed that the Eight Banners troops under Yue Le's command are not to be underestimated. Although they are facing the strongest elite troops of the Ming Dynasty and the attack was a surprise attack, with so many cavalrymen and such a chaotic situation, the final outcome is still hard to predict."

After hearing what Zhu Cilang said, Chang Denggui continued:

"However, Your Majesty has personally led a powerful army. A mere 20,000 to 30,000 Qing troops, a considerable number of whom are Green Camp and civilians, are simply unable to withstand the attack of our Ming Dynasty's strongest army!"

At this moment, the sound of war drums rang out again in the valley. The Ming army rushed forward suddenly with a roar like a tsunami. The offensive was like a rainbow. The vanguard of the Qing army had begun to lose strength and was in a state of decline. The cavalry in the middle and rear were waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Pass on my military order. The Tianqi Army and the Xiaoqi Army should intensify their offensive and let the cavalry charge faster. At the same time, immediately send orders to the soldiers on both sides to speed up their actions!" Zhu Cilang looked at the battle situation in the valley and gave the order immediately.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The vanguard of the Qing army simply collapsed after the two armies came into close combat. In the face of the military battle that most tested the soldiers' organization and combat effectiveness, they were defeated step by step and were no match for the main force of the Palace Army.

If it weren't for the more than 10,000 main forces of the Eight Banners Army under Yue Le and Wu Sangui and the Pingxi Cavalry in the middle and rear to provide cover, the entire battle situation would probably have been out of control.

Although Aljin was mentally prepared, he had never expected the Ming army to be so powerful. Now he could only lead his army to fight and retreat.

He actually didn't want to be defeated so quickly, but the situation had come to this point and he was powerless to do anything. After all, these were all forcibly conscripted local Green Camp soldiers and civilian laborers. If he hadn't led some of the Eight Banners Army to hold the line, the defeat would have been even more shocking.

Looking forward, Aljin saw that the Ming army had reorganized its formation, which had become chaotic due to the musket fire and charge, and then quickly launched a second round of offensive.

However, the situation had not yet completely collapsed. The Ming army chose to launch a surprise attack in a narrow valley, which naturally greatly shortened the charge distance, but this also made it impossible for both the Ming and Qing armies to deploy their troops effectively.

This is actually more disadvantageous for the attacking Ming army, which has an advantage in military strength.

At the same time, fierce battles also broke out in the mountains and forests on both wings. Zhu Cilang wanted to send troops to occupy these places to gain complete geographical advantage over the Qing army in the valley. Yue Le also thought of this problem and also sent a detachment to fight.

These Eight Banners armored soldiers that Yue Le sent to the two wings were truly elite soldiers. Some of them were "wild Tartars" with strong individual combat skills and were very good at mountain warfare. This made it impossible for the Palace Army's flanking troops to advance, and they could only fight with the Eight Banners Army in the narrow mountain roads and dense forests.

The dense woods and complex terrain in the valley made it impossible for the Ming army to gather heavy troops. With almost equal forces on both sides of the formation, these natural warriors who had just been transformed from tribal soldiers into Eight Banners soldiers were obviously more powerful, and the Ming army suffered heavy losses.

However, the Ming army must occupy these places in order to establish absolute advantage. Yue Le is still quite capable. It is not so easy for Zhu Cilang to wipe out the main force of the Qing army.

Faced with the endless stream of Ming troops, the defeat of the Qing army's vanguard had become a foregone conclusion after less than half an hour of fighting.

Yue Le and Wu Sangui also took action immediately. Aljin retreated too quickly, so they could only order the more than 10,000 cavalrymen who were supposed to leave the battlefield quickly as planned to attack and tie down the Ming army's offensive to prevent those chaotic soldiers from getting out of control.

In addition, Yue Le also quickly dispatched 2,000 Eight Banners cavalrymen to the mountain ridge at the northern exit of the valley, leading to Luyang Pass, as a precaution. Wu Sangui's troops also began small-scale mobilizations, using the cover of the front battlefield to seek opportunities to stabilize the defeat in front.

However, under the swift offensive of the Ming army, even with the cover and restraint of more than 10,000 Qing troops, these weak soldiers were unable to resist at all.

Aljin's solid military formation did work at the beginning, but it inevitably caused a serious stampede among the chaotic Qing army. A large number of soldiers were chased and killed by the Ming army, and fell down in rows after rows, with screams shaking the sky.

However, many places in the valley were indeed narrow, and the dense corpses of the Qing army's vanguard quickly blocked the speed of the Ming army's attack, and the Ming army's continuous charge also caused chaos in the front line.

Zhu Cilang, looking through his telescope, could only see the area where the two armies' lines were constantly colliding. A dense mass of heads huddled together, countless weapons wielded constantly, and streams of blood flew up in the air. The heavy losses had left the Qing army in complete disarray, and the entire formation was littered with corpses.

Aljin, who was supposed to be commanding the battle, had already left the front line under the escort of dozens of personal guards. He was riding on his horse and turned his head to look. Behind him was the retreating Qing army line. Between the flags of the two armies, countless swords and guns were waving, and blood and flesh were flying.

　I don't know why there was a power outage today, but luckily I finally caught up.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)