Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 225: A sudden change in the universe
Chang Denggui's judgment turned out to be correct. At dawn the next day, before it was completely light, hundreds of Eight Banners soldiers, under the order of Ajige, quickly launched a surprise attack on the two Ming army camps on the northern foot of Dahong Mountain.

However, the Ming army camp was heavily guarded. With layers of trenches, pits, mines, and fortifications as defenses, Ajige's small-scale raid had no effect. The Qing cavalry of several hundred soldiers quickly retreated after leaving behind dozens of corpses.

Chang Denggui had detected the unusual movements of the Qing army early on, and his speculation about the Qing army's actions was directly recognized by the Ming army generals including Zhu Cilang. It would not be so easy for Ajige to succeed in a surprise attack.

But Ajige did not give up. Not long after this small-scale raid, or test, the Qing army stationed on the southern foot of Lumen Mountain immediately launched a larger-scale attack on the Ming army camp in the south.

In this attack, the Qing army started quickly, and even dragged in more than a dozen artillery pieces in the afternoon of the next day. There were also a large number of Green Camp troops and Baoyi soldiers lined up in the team. They were pushed directly by the Eight Banners Army to the front of the two Ming army camps on the northern foot of Dahong Mountain, serving as the main force of the Qing army's siege.

Chang Denggui, watching the attacking force sent by Ajige from a distant mountaintop, became more resolute in his judgment. If the situation in Hanzhong had not been unclear, he would not have remained silent.

Soon, dozens of artillery pieces from the two armies attacked each other on the mountain where the Ming army camp was located. The explosions caused by the artillery shells rang out one after another, and the shouts of the charging Qing army rose one after another, one wave higher than the other. The Ming army on the mountain also continued to fight back.

However, the situation on the battlefield did not change because of this. This is what the battlefield looks like most of the time - boring.

The two camps deployed by the Palace Front Central Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Army at the northern foot of Dahong Mountain were both very strong, and the most elite infantry and cavalry of the Palace Front Army were deployed on them. They had deep trenches and huge trenches, and were ready for battle. Even if the Qing army used more than a dozen artillery pieces, they could not shake them at all. They could only keep testing them by using the lives of the Green Camp Army and the Baoyi soldiers.

Although Ajige was quite disdainful of the Ming army's field combat strength, he was very clear that the other side had extremely strong defensive capabilities, especially on the surrounding mountains with the two camps as the core, where there were Ming army positions supporting each other.

Not only that, the Ming army's artillery even surpassed Ajigra in number, but was slightly inferior in firepower.

After witnessing with his own eyes the failure of several rounds of attacks by his own army, especially the heavy losses suffered by the Green Camp Army and the Baoyi Army, and even some defeated soldiers daring to resist the Eight Banners Armored Army who were holding the line, Ajige finally had to adjust his strategy and continue the bombardment.

At the same time, under the command of Tan Tai and Kakamu, the Qing army on the southern foot of Lumen Mountain suddenly sent troops to launch a surprise attack on the hills south of the battlefield and the surrounding deserted villages, catching the scouts deployed there by Chang Denggui and the covering cavalry off guard.

Under the swift attack of the Eight Banners cavalry, many of the cavalrymen who were originally on guard outside the battlefield were overwhelmed by the swarming Qing cavalry before they even had time to react, and had no time to retreat.

However, after crossing the plains in the north and entering the deserted villages and hills, the mobility advantage of the Eight Banners cavalry suddenly disappeared. Those Tianqi cavalry who reacted first or fled into the hills and deserted villages got a chance to catch their breath.

Under such circumstances, the Qing cavalry had no choice but to dismount and fight on foot. However, the cavalry of the Tianqi Army, most of whom were former combat soldiers, were elite and had a strong fighting spirit. In the complex environment of deserted villages and hills, they reacted very quickly and, relying on cover, repelled several rounds of Qing army attacks in succession.

Tan Tai and Kakamu fought very cautiously. They didn't know how many troops Zhu Cilang had deployed in the south. They were very worried that they would be ambushed like Duoduo, so they couldn't move their hands and feet, which directly led to the loss of the opportunity to fight.

However, this was just their overthinking. Zhu Cilang had no intention of engaging in a decisive battle with the Qing army in Yicheng. He also knew that the Qing army would be extremely cautious. Once they lost their initial contempt, it would not be so easy to ambush the Qing army.

Although Dorgon and Ajige concentrated so many troops and launched fierce attacks on both sides, they made no progress.

Faced with the solid defense of the Ming army camp, Ajige was unable to advance further. As the attack was unsuccessful, he readjusted his deployment and made it even more difficult to make any progress.

Constrained by the terrain, Tan Tai and Kakamu had to moderate their offensive. At the same time, they also had to be wary of Ming cavalry attacking from the south, protecting Ajige's troops in the northeast who were still storming the Ming stronghold.

They could naturally stop their fierce offensive and send out cavalry to bluff, making it difficult for the Ming army to judge the situation in a short period of time and delaying the enemy's troop mobilization until they cleared the deserted villages around the surrounding hills.

But Ajige had no choice but to continue attacking at all costs and use guns and artillery to tie down the defending Palace Army.

If the Qing army wanted to gain the initiative on the battlefield, they had to seize the Ming army camp. This was the remnant of Dahong Mountain, with steep terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If the main force of the Qing army moved south, they could cut off the connection between the Qing army and Xiangyang at any time.

However, the Ming army seemed to have been operating in this place for a long time. Looking at the current situation, Ajige estimated that even if he captured the Ming army camp, the cost would be huge and it was not worth it at all.

Zhu Cilang was actually very clear about this. If the Qing army could not occupy a certain geographical advantage, they would not be stupid enough to go to war with him immediately. Neither Dorgon nor Ajige would take this risk. This was why he was still as steady as a rock at this time.

As time went by, Chen Fu and Gao Yigong finally passed the latest military intelligence from Hanzhong to Yicheng and into the hands of Zhu Cilang.

Furthermore, Dorgon also received the latest military reports from Meng Qiaofang, Li Guohan, and others, and learned about the formidable strength of the Ming army in northern Sichuan. He knew that the Ming army had made some moves in northern Sichuan, but he had not expected that the other side had actually assembled tens of thousands of elite troops.

Now, the Palace Front Left Army commanded by Chen Fu, the Loyal Camp Right Army commanded by Gao Yigong, and the Western Town Left Army commanded by Li Dingguo, the three armies gathered at the junction of Hanzhong and Baoning prefectures. Together with the troops of Liu Wenxiu who stayed in Baoning, the total strength reached more than 50,000, with more than 30,000 elite soldiers.

Hanzhong City has very important political and geographical significance. Wu Guogui and Li Guohan led a large group of Qing troops to garrison there and firmly guarded all the passes. Although Ding Guodong launched a new offensive in Ganning and other places, he has not made any progress for the time being.

Chen Fu had previously dispatched troops to issue letters of surrender, which did have some effect, but it did not change the situation. Cavalry from the Left Army in front of the palace used kites to drop letters of surrender into fortresses such as Liupan Pass and Pingyang Pass. Soon, a bloody storm ensued within the passes, with hundreds of Green Camp soldiers killed in the process of suppressing the rebellion, causing panic throughout Hanzhong.

However, due to the persistence of Wu Guogui and Li Guohan, the progress of the Western Route Army fell far short of Zhu Cilang's expectations, which made him lose the initiative in his current deployment in Xiangyang.

After all, in such a situation, whether Dorgon would lead his troops back north was too uncertain. The other side might even make a feint to lure Zhu Cilang into pursuit, but in fact it was an ambush.

But things like attacking a city can never be rushed, not to mention that Hanzhong City is located in the mountains and rivers, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. This is not a simple city at all, so it cannot be rushed.

Moreover, after years of management by the Qing army, all the passes in Hanzhong have been reinforced, and there are countless cannons on the city walls. Even if the coalition forces of Chen, Gao and Li attack by force, it will probably take three to four years to capture it.

After all, Hanzhong was different from ordinary cities in that it was self-sufficient, and the Qing army could easily cultivate land while holding on, so it was difficult for them to run out of food. However, the Ming army had limited food and fodder, and could not sustain a strong attack.

For this reason, the three main generals Chen Fu, Gao Yigong and Li Dingguo had to convene a military meeting again to discuss new countermeasures.

Gao Yigong was most familiar with the geographical situation of Hanzhong. He immediately volunteered to lead a detachment to cross Hanzhong and fight back to Shaanxi, especially to join forces with the rebel army led by Ding Guodong in Longxi.

One of the core ruling areas of Dashun was Shaanxi. Gao Yigong himself and most of his subordinates were also from Shaanxi. Once they returned to their hometown, they were familiar with the place and knew that it was a vast land with great potential for them to do great things.

Chen Fu directly agreed to this strategy, and Li Dingguo's troops were transferred to the northeast to contain and block the raiding forces sent by the Qing army. The terrain there was complex. Li Dingguo had led his troops to counterattack Hanzhong and was quite familiar with the terrain.

The main force of Chen Fu's left army is naturally still deployed in the south. In addition to leaving a combat battalion as a reserve force, the main force will cover the actions of Gao Yigong's troops and support Li Dingguo's troops to prevent the troops from being dispersed and defeated by the Qing army.

Dorgon should have still been in Xiangyang City, but after receiving the urgent military report sent by Meng Qiaofang, he immediately rushed to the Qing army camp on the southern foot of Lumen Mountain and directly recalled Ajige to discuss countermeasures.

"The Ming Emperor has actually concentrated 40,000 to 50,000 troops in northern Sichuan. Li Guohan and Wu Guogui are probably no match for them. Wu Sangui is now a lost dog and cannot handle such a big responsibility." Dorgon put his hands behind his back, glanced at Ajige, who was staring at the military report with a frown, sighed, and said:
"But now, Jirgalang and Duoduo have no extra troops, and we haven't made any progress in Huguang yet. The situation is... eh."

"We can't retreat now. We absolutely can't. We've been preparing for so long and finally reached Xiangyang. If we retreat like this, Yue Le's death will be in vain, and all our preparations will be wasted!"

Ajige naturally understood what Dorgon meant and immediately objected:
"Furthermore, given the current situation, if we want to retreat north smoothly, we must first deal with those restless Green Camp soldiers. Otherwise, they will definitely turn against us, and our deployment will be ineffective."

"If we retreat north, most of the Green Camp soldiers will naturally be useless. However, people like Gao Di and Shang Kexi are trustworthy. The bond soldiers accompanying the army have served the Qing Dynasty for more than ten years, and their families are all in Beijing, so they can also be used."

Dorgon did not directly face Ajige's words. He frowned, gritted his teeth and said:
"Given the current situation, if we don't retreat north quickly, Hanzhong will be truly undefendable. Xiangyang City is in our hands, even across the vast plains of Huguang. Most of Emperor Ming's troops are holed up in Yicheng, but if we seize the opportunity, we'll be able to take most of them with us by retreating north."

"We can't worry about that right now. If Hanzhong is lost, Shaanxi will certainly be lost too. The Mongols outside the Great Wall are already restless. If they unite with Emperor Ming, we will be attacked from all sides."

Kakamu was also the one who did not dare to continue to entangle in Huguang, fearing that the situation in Shaanxi would worsen. As he spoke, he changed the subject and looked at Ajige and asked:
"Your Highness, if we continue to stay in Huguang and Emperor Ming doesn't decide the outcome, how long will the standoff last? If we force an attack, can we withstand the losses?

Once we reach the plains, even with only 10,000 or 20,000 cavalry, let alone our current 40,000 or 50,000, the Qing Dynasty will be invincible. Your original plan was to send 5,000 Green Camp soldiers and 3,000 bannermen, with 3,000 to 5,000 cavalry supervising the battle. We would attack from the east, using the terrain to evade Ming spies, and perhaps even directly penetrate the Ming defenses and advance on the main Ming army in the south. What are the results so far?"

Zhu Cilang never expected that Dorgon and the Qing Dynasty's relatives and generals were far more timid and fearful than he imagined. They had already lost their composure before Hanzhong was captured.

After all, Dorgon and the Qing nobles and generals were well aware of Shaanxi's importance to the entire north, as well as its unique geographical location connecting them to the Outer Mongolia. Furthermore, they had already begun to suffer psychological trauma from repeated defeats.

"Those Green Camp soldiers and Baoyi soldiers were originally sent to deplete the Ming army. With the current strength of the Ming army deployed in the camp, it is impossible to break through their defenses. However, the Ming army dare not rashly send reinforcements. The Ming Emperor must be wary of our powerful Eight Banners army."

Ajige was suddenly attacked by Dorgon and his confidants, and had to explain himself quickly. Then he said:

"We absolutely cannot retreat now. The most crucial factor in this battle lies here, and in the south, with the Ming Emperor. Hanzhong is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the Ming army won't take it so easily. This is even just a bluff by the Ming Emperor. We absolutely cannot be fooled. Otherwise, once we retreat, the Ming army will start pursuing us, and we'll probably suffer further casualties."

Under the current situation, Dorgon, Ajige and others no longer dared to trust Han generals easily, but they could not express any distrust openly, otherwise it would very likely disrupt the morale of the army.

You must know that the Qing army in Xiangyang City is now in an extremely delicate balance relationship - the Manchus do not trust the Han people, but they have to show that they trust the Han people. Under the control of Dorgon, the Eight Banners generals and soldiers have been quite restrained, and it can even be said that they have maintained extreme restraint, so as not to anger the Han generals and cause direct fighting. The Han people feel that the Manchus may be defeated at any time, but because of their insufficient combat power, they dare not directly rebel.

(End of this chapter)