Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 222 Breaking through the Defense Line
The two large armies of the Ming and Qing dynasties were divided into several parts. They confronted each other for more than ten days along several main tributaries on the west side of the Baihe River Basin. After fighting each other more than thirty times, Zhu Cilang finally waited for Ajige's action.

In the northeast of Neixiang County, Ajige personally led more than 2,000 of the most elite Eight Banners guards, and under the cover of night, quietly completed a secret crossing in the upper reaches of the Tuan River, and quickly hid in the mountains southwest of Neixiang.

Zhu Cilang had already deployed scouts to monitor the middle and upper reaches of the Baihe River. Ajige thought he had concealed his true intentions and secretly mobilized troops, but his actions had actually been under the surveillance of the Palace Army scouts. Zhu Cilang did not take action immediately in order to let things develop naturally, so as not to alert the Qing army and arouse suspicion.

After Ajige's Qing army successfully crossed the river, they did not launch an offensive against the Ming army around Neixiang City, but waited for the main Qing army in Nanyang City on the east bank of Baihe River to start. He knew that his current military strength was insufficient, and he was also wary of such easy success.

After all, his opponent was Emperor Ming. Although he was very confident in himself, he also knew that the other party was a ruthless character who had defeated Dorgon.

After receiving the latest military intelligence from Ajige, Dorgon immediately took action and sent out his most elite 3,000 Eight Banners cavalry in an attempt to replicate Ajige's smuggling miracle.

However, this time, Zhu Cilang did not turn a blind eye.

After all, thousands of soldiers and horses were able to sneak across the river near Neixiang County without anyone noticing once, but if the same thing happened a second time, it would seem that the Palace Army was too incompetent.

Moreover, the Qing army under Ajige had only more than 2,000 cavalrymen, which was not enough to fight. But if the cavalry sent by Dorgon was included, there would be more than 5,000 cavalrymen. Even without the cooperation of the main force, they could gallop around on the plains.

They would soon be able to gain a foothold in Neixiang County, or even around the northern part of Dengzhou, at a location suitable for a forced crossing on the west bank of the turbulent river, and meet the main Qing army on the east bank that was ready to cross the river. This was extremely dangerous for the main Ming army gathered in Dengzhou at this time.

Therefore, he could not let this happen. Once the Qing army gained a foothold on the west bank of Tuanhe River, the situation would be completely different.

At the same time, in order to deceive the enemy, Zhu Cilang and his generals had to garrison on the west bank of the Tuan River. The various armies, which had been on high alert, responded immediately.

When the reinforcements sent by Dorgon quietly arrived at the northeast of Duantan River in Neixiang, Zhu Cilang immediately ordered Lin Changfeng to intercept them and sent the navy up the river to make a gesture to cut off the Qing army crossing the river.

However, such an interception was naturally a step slower and ultimately failed. The "heroic" performance of the Eight Banners vests was also a key step in Zhu Cilang's lure of Dorgon and Ajige to lead their troops south.

Moreover, because the Eight Banners cavalry who had sneaked across the border from the northeast of Neixiang County attacked swiftly and the Ming army was unable to react in time, coupled with Ajige's decisive decision, Lin Changfeng even had to lead his troops to temporarily withdraw into the city and lost more than a dozen watchtowers guarding the upstream.

Of course, during this process, the Ming army received reinforcements from various places, but they were unable to react in time and were unable to withstand the Qing army's surprise attack, and even had no time to counterattack. Later, due to the slow mobilization of the infantry and the limited attack range of the navy, they were unable to successfully stop the Qing army's actions.

In other words, by the time Zhu Cilang finally reacted and sent thousands of cavalrymen up the river again to try to stop the Qing army's surprise attack, the situation was already out of control.

Dorgon was very excited when he saw the battle report sent back from the front line.

Although his raiding vanguard was blocked, they eventually managed to cross the river and, under the command of Ajige, they successfully defeated the Ming army several times. However, due to insufficient manpower, they were unable to completely defeat the Ming army. The two sides engaged in a melee on the west bank of the turbulent river, and neither side could quickly win.

In fact, this was the outcome Dorgon most hoped to see, and the situation he was most eager to lead his troops south. If everything went smoothly for Ajige, or even if he won consecutive battles, his position would probably be in jeopardy.

As Dorgon led his troops south, Ajige and Lin Changfeng fought many times in Neixiang. Zhu Cilang began to deploy Dengzhou's army south and retreated to Qixian Mountain at the junction of Xiangyang and Nanyang under the escort of a team of imperial cavalry without any flags.

Although Ajige had received reinforcements, his attack was still blocked. He had only a few thousand soldiers and could not attack the city or move south quickly. Under the control of the Tianqi Army led by Lin Changfeng, he did not dare to move south to Dengzhou recklessly.

However, Ajige still sent his troops south. Zhu Cilang's foresight in withdrawing his troops in advance once again convinced the generals in the army. He knew Ajige too well, and he was not a man who would fight with his hands tied.

Zhang Huangyan was standing beside Zhu Cilang at this time, holding a military report in his hand, and quickly reported:

"Dorgon and Ajige acted very quickly. The entire Qing army in the Baihe River Basin has now been mobilized. It should be the entire army that has been dispatched."

"The cavalry that Ajige personally commanded to sneak across the border must have been his guard, otherwise their fighting power wouldn't be so strong. These are veteran soldiers who have seen years of combat, and the troops sent by Dorgon are also such elite. It's clear that they really invested a lot of money."

Zhu Cilang smiled, then shook his head, and said with some regret: "If it weren't for the purpose of luring the enemy south, I would have taken advantage of the opportunity a few days ago to swallow up Ajige's more than 2,000 elite horsemen in one gulp. By then, Ajige would probably not be able to escape."

After hearing this, Zhang Huangyan immediately responded, "Your Majesty's strategic determination is truly unmatched!"

"Is there any new news from Dorgon?" Zhu Cilang asked again.

"The Heavenly Cavalry scouts just brought back urgent news from the front lines: Dorgon used his fire ships to quickly repel our feint attack. Then, using fishing boats as a base, he quickly built a pontoon bridge necessary for a forced crossing of the Lao River. He's already begun transporting the army's supplies across the river."

"Most of the Qing army's main cavalry forces are taking a direct detour. If it's the army's baggage, they should be able to transport the weapons needed for nearly 10,000 soldiers across the river in one day and one night. Dorgon and Ajige should have made up their minds now. I'm afraid they will start trying to force a crossing of the turbulent river in two days." Tian Jianxiu also analyzed.

"I'm helping them make up their minds right now." Zhu Cilang paused, then continued, "Tell Chang Denggui to deploy another battalion to defend Qixian Mountain. Let's make a strong defense, Prince. We have such a strong military force, we can't be defeated too quickly, otherwise Dorgon will definitely be suspicious."

"The Tianqi Army is in Neixiang," Zhang Huangyan asked anxiously. "If Admiral Lin wants to fight, a draw, or even victory, is possible, as long as the navy can hold off the Tartar reinforcements." "It's not that simple. Ajige is not so easy to deal with. Also, don't underestimate the strength of the Tartar guards. They are the elite of the Eight Banners Army. The Tianqi Army's numerical advantage is not significant, and a field battle is not easy."

Zhu Cilang shook his head, thought for a moment, then turned to look at Zhang Huangyan and said:
"Inform the navy: organize a new attack tomorrow morning and find a way to threaten the city of Nanyang. We must disrupt Dorgon's plan to transport troops to the west bank of the Tuan River. Show sufficient combat power so that the Qing army will not suspect us!"

Dorgon naturally set up artillery positions and deployed fire attack ships at key locations on the main stream of the Baihe River in advance. These did play some role. During the past ten days, five warships of the Dongting Lake Navy were sunk, and three patrol boats and seven bird boats were burned.

However, this only damaged the Dongting Lake Navy superficially; the latter was not damaged at all. Zhu Cilang now planned to take advantage of the navy's advantage and launch a surprise attack to strengthen the Qing army's confidence in a decisive battle.

"In this way, Dorgon and Ajige will probably be even more determined." Zhang Huangyan said with a smile.

"When the various divisions and battalions urgently retreated, in Dengzhou City, Xinye City, and along the way, all the artillery pieces that were about to be scrapped were left behind, but they were all burned together with the remaining food and supplies. Let Ajige see how I fled in such a hurry this time."

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, he turned to look at Li Guo, who had just gone north to report on the military situation yesterday, and slowly asked, "Are the Xiangyang and Yicheng camps ready?"

"Your Majesty, both camps have been arranged, especially the Yicheng camp, which is fully prepared. Furthermore, I have also prepared the ships necessary to transport artillery and supplies, which will ensure the speed of the army's southward advance.

However, we may find it difficult to defend Fancheng Pass to the north of Xiangyang and Lumen Mountain to the south. But we can send a combat battalion to garrison the mountains to the north of Yicheng to contain the actions of the Qing army.

Once the Qing army crosses south, it will be immediately blocked by the Han River. Even with the support of Xiangyang City, it will be difficult to quickly launch a new offensive. The river network south of Xiangyang Prefecture is dense and the terrain is flat, which is not enough to form a barrier. By then, we will not be able to make concessions.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded and said, "Have the Five Military Commands re-examine the execution of each unit's plan. If everything is correct, proceed as planned and withdraw the army directly to Yicheng. As long as the main force of the Qing army enters Xiangyang, it will be difficult for Dorgon and Ajige to retreat."

He knew that Dorgon and Ajige also wanted a decisive battle and would definitely send a force around Neixiang and into Dengzhou by tomorrow evening at the latest. And once they reached Xiangyang, and the Qing army's movement became more convenient, if he made concessions, the situation of a decisive battle would probably be immediately formed.

In other words, on such a plain and wild land, two powerful armies would face many difficulties, whether Zhu Cilang wanted to continue withdrawing his troops or Dorgon and Ajige wanted to cross countless rivers. Once there was any mistake, the army would suffer heavy casualties or even be wiped out.

"Now it depends on whether Dorgon and Ajige have the determination to leave their main forces in Xinye and Dengzhou." Zhang Huangyan said with some concern.

"This is the best battlefield for the Eight Banners, but not for us. Ajige once won more than a dozen battles in Huguang, and he will definitely not miss such an opportunity." Tian Jianxiu said in a deep voice, recalling the defeat four years ago.

However, after hearing this, Zhu Cilang smiled and then said quietly:
"This is what I need to see. Since Ajige thinks Xiangyang is our burial place, there is no way he won't come. Things are different now. My preparations in Huguang are beyond the expectation of Ajige, not even Dorgon and Hong Chengchou."

Soon, as the order from the Patrol General was announced, the generals of the Palace Army, the Heavenly Cavalry Army, the Left Army, the Right Army and the Dongting Lake Navy also began to take action.

In the evening of that day, the main force of the Dongting Lake Navy began to move north, preparing to organize another offensive.

At the confluence of the Baihe, Tuanhe and Laohe rivers, the artillery positions of the Qing army deployed by Dorgon were still powerful, continuously firing shells to cover the surface of the river. Although they had no accuracy, relying on dense volleys and the obstacles deployed in the river, they could still play a significant role.

The Dongting Lake Navy's warships were indeed equipped with artillery, but their number was small and their power was not strong enough. Such a bombardment would obviously put them at a disadvantage, so they naturally did not do such a stupid thing. Instead, they took advantage of the gap between the Qing army's artillery firing and dissipated heat to directly rush through the river mouth area.

As for the damage caused by the Qing army's artillery bombardment and the Qing army's fire attack ships, they were not worth mentioning at all in front of the main force of the Ming army's navy.

However, this also made Dorgon more convinced that Emperor Ming really failed to react in time this time, but it was too late to make up for the loss and rely on the navy to organize a counterattack.

Because, at this time, the main force of the Qing army had already relied on the built pontoon bridge to transport most of the baggage across, and tens of thousands of cavalry had also bypassed the turbulent river. As long as there was a large army to support them, if the pontoon bridge collapsed, they could just build another one, and there was no way to stop their actions.

The Eight Banners cavalry sent by Ajige broke through the Ming army's defenses and moved south. They launched a night attack under the cover of darkness, which the Ming army was completely unable to defend against. Under Zhu Cilang's orders, the retreat became faster and faster.

In the eyes of Dorgon and Ajige, it was certainly their surprise attack that worked. After Dorgon received the military report sent by Ajige, he even issued three urgent military orders to urge the front-line troops to speed up their actions.

On the third day, when Dorgon led the main force of the Qing army to build a pontoon bridge and prepare to force a crossing of the turbulent river, the main force of the Ming army in Dengzhou, and even the troops on both wings in Neixiang and Xinye, had basically moved their camps.

However, the Ming army was still holding the west bank of the Tuan River. Lin Changfeng even led the Tianqi Army to repel Ajige's insufficient raids twice in a row. The relocation of the camp in the rear did not affect their morale at all.

Although Ajige had received further reinforcements from Dorgon, the latter did not send enough troops, making it impossible for Ajige to exert his strength. This was also the reason why Lin Changfeng dared to fight with the Eight Banners Army.

Although Ajige was quite dissatisfied with this, he was powerless to do anything. Dorgon was clearly worried that Ajige would make too many achievements and affect his authority.

In the battles with the Tianqi Army in the past few days, his prestige in the army has been greatly enhanced, and he is also confident in his own abilities - these Nikans are indeed not as good as the Eight Banners!
At noon on the fourth day, Dorgon finally succeeded in sending a main force across the turbulent river, and sent several thousand cavalrymen south, intending to go around to the north of Xiangyang to block the Ming army's retreat to the south, and even cut off the Ming army's retreat route to the south.

(End of this chapter)