Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 229 The Most Dangerous Journey Home

After Dorgon unified the opinions of the commanders of each flag at the military meeting, he immediately began to deploy various matters related to retreating to the north and breaking out. Seeing that things had come to this point, Ajige had to give in and began to cooperate with Dorgon.

However, he still tried every means to boost the morale of his army and successfully persuaded Dorgon to launch a surprise attack on the Ming army during the retreat. He did not seek to annihilate the Ming army completely, but both of them hoped to teach the Ming Emperor a profound lesson.

Dorgon actually had this intention a long time ago, but because Ajige had been too strong before, he did not dare to give in, for fear that the other party would go too far and disrupt his deployment.

Now, they must restore the army's combat effectiveness as much as possible before Zhu Cilang leads the main force to complete the pursuit deployment, especially to find a way to eliminate the growing fear of the Ming army among the entire army.

It was precisely because of this that Ajige personally led his troops out of the camp, escorting thousands of Green Camp soldiers and Baoyi soldiers to attack the Ming army camp at night. Ajige even brought the Eight Banners armored soldiers and took advantage of the troop advantage to launch attacks from multiple locations in the Ming army camp at the same time. Not only did he quickly break through the outer horse-blocking ditch, he even filled up several trenches outside the earth wall of the Ming army camp.

The Qing army's fighting style of not sparing lives was very effective. The Ming army stationed in the camp suffered heavy losses in the night attack. Although they relied on the cover of night and strong fortifications to eventually repel the Qing army, they also lost two positions. The results of this night attack quickly restored the morale of the Qing army.

However, the northern foot of Dahong Mountain is not far from Yicheng. As long as Zhu Cilang sends reinforcements, the central army in the camp and the remaining positions will soon receive the necessary reinforcements. Instead, Ajige will face an increasingly severe situation.

Although Dorgon and Ajige could spare no expense in order to restore the morale of the army, the costs could only be inflicted on the Green Camp Army and the Baoyi Soldiers. Therefore, they could only fight to the edge of the first earth wall outside the Ming army camp. After that, they had to send out the Eight Banners soldiers and charge into battle themselves.

In order to break through an earthen wall that was insignificant to the entire battle situation, precious armor and soldiers, the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, were sacrificed. This was the last thing the two men, as well as the commanders of each of the Eight Banners, wanted to see.

Thus, on the fifth day of Dorgon and Ajige's continuous harassment, the retreat deployment of the Eight Banners Army heading south was basically completed.

But it was at this time that Dorgon received news from Xiangyang City that Ming troops from Gucheng, Guanghua, Suizhou and other places began to appear around Xiangyang City, and even Ming cavalry appeared in the north of Yicheng, and it was very likely that they were going to raid Xiangyang City.

Among them, of course, were the Ming army's scouts, who soon appeared around Xiangyang City and carried out crazy destruction between Xiangyang City and Shuanggoukou, attacking the Qing army's grain transport convoys, which seriously threatened the Qing army's rear safety and logistical supplies.

Although Dorgon sent an elite force back to Xiangyang City in advance to strengthen the defense, the situation changed rapidly. He did not expect that Zhu Cilang would dare to launch an attack so quickly, and he was a little confused for a while.

At this time, under the influence of the sudden and unexpected behavior of the Ming army, the inexplicable fear caused by emotional changes has been sharply magnified and even affected the judgment of this veteran on the battlefield.

At this time, Dorgon had realized the seriousness of the situation. With the frequent actions of the Ming army around Xiangyang City, his confidence was inevitably affected. Even Ajige was the same. When facing the main force of the Ming army, the confidence of the two was not as firm as they once thought.

Of course, Ajige didn't lack confidence in the Eight Banners Army, but he was worried about Shang Kexi, Gao Di, and the Green Camp generals transferred from Shanxi, Northern Zhili, and other places. These people had no fighting spirit, but were afraid to speak out because of military law and discipline. He had already sensed this.

The two men then held an emergency military meeting in the army and finally decided to act according to the original plan, but retreat early and act cowardly to lure the Ming army into taking action early, so as to disrupt Zhu Cilang's more carefully prepared plan.

But Dorgon only expected half of it. He thought of the commanders of each flag in the Qing army camp in Lumen Mountain, who had no desire to fight. After reading the intelligence sent from Xiangyang City, they finally came to the conclusion that the Ming army's attack this time was most likely not a feint, but a full-scale attack.

But he never expected that Ajige would become restless again at the military meeting, wanting to take advantage of this blockade to engage in a decisive battle with the main force of the Ming army.

Seeing this, Dorgon immediately changed his tone. If he couldn't retreat to Xiangyang smoothly now, it would mean that all his previous efforts and strategies would be wasted, especially his foolproof strategy of fighting and retreating, and ambushing along the way.

Ultimately, although Dorgon was not as radical as Ajige, he still harbored the idea of ​​inflicting heavy damage on the main force of the Ming army and reversing the defeat. However, he was also worried that this was Zhu Cilang's strategy of deceiving the enemy, and that if the army retreated too hastily, it would surely be pursued by the Ming army, which would also result in heavy losses.

Of course, this was just Dorgon's own idea. This theoretically foolproof plan was actually not the case when it was actually implemented. Whether Ajige could defeat the Ming army at the critical moment and then return north with the main force of the blocking army was a variable that Dorgon could not control.

In other words, the nearly 10,000 Eight Banners cavalry led by Ajige himself will ensure that Dorgon can act according to plan and are the key to the success of the plan. They do not know how many cavalry Zhu Cilang has, so they can only estimate the enemy's strength.

Of course, the terrain of the Han River Plain meant that there were no insurmountable obstacles between the two Qing army routes, allowing them to communicate with each other at any time and launch counterattacks against the Ming army.

Under the ever-changing battlefield situation, Dorgon and Ajige had actually unconsciously begun to make the worst-case scenario plans.

After all, Dorgon's plan not only required Ajige to lead his troops to return in time, but also required the other side to win. Otherwise, Ajige's army, that is, the blocking troops, would surely be defeated and collapse during the retreat.

As a result, the main force of the Qing army in Xiangyang City, especially the Green Camp Army whose strength has not yet recovered, will not be able to eliminate their fear of the Ming army in a short time. Even if they retreat with the Eight Banners Army, they will probably be defeated.

In this era of backward command system, soldiers in retreat are easily affected. Even a victorious army may suddenly collapse for some inexplicable reasons. This is the limitation of the organizational power of the era.

Zhu Cilang had almost guessed Dorgon's plan at this time. He knew that he was most likely facing Ajige, and he did not dare to take it lightly. Therefore, he pretended to besiege Xiangyang, and ordered several detachments originally deployed near Yunyang to launch a surprise attack on Nanyang and Henan. The purpose was to force Dorgon to retreat early and thus seize the initiative on the battlefield.

In the open cavalry decisive battle on the Han River Plain, the Ming army did not have the advantage and was short of cavalry. But if the Qing army was defeated and pursued all the way and only left a blocking force, the situation would be completely different.

Dorgon thought Zhu Cilang was targeting his main army, but he didn't realize that his only goal was to leave behind a blocking force. Zhu Cilang had previously gathered the Tianqi Army and Xiaoqi Army cavalry, as well as the elite troops of the Palace Front Army. Using them to pursue the Qing army would give the Ming army a greater advantage.

These tens of thousands of fierce troops, hardened by the "Watershed Battle," were the key to this pursuit. Furthermore, the nearly 10,000 fine war horses captured by the Palace Army during the "Watershed Battle" also gave Zhu Cilang's troops a powerful mobile combat capability.

On the morning of the third day after Ajige led his troops in a night attack, he was still on a fortress tower northeast of Yicheng. It was very safe here, and it allowed him to learn about the military situation from the north and east earlier.

Zhu Cilang stared at the northern sky, his brow furrowed. He had to hold off Dorgon for a while longer. Chen Fu and Gao Yigong hadn't reported victory yet. If Dorgon and Ajige successfully led their troops north, his previous deployment would be in vain.

However, he also knew that no matter how perfect the plan was, accidents on the battlefield were always unpredictable. Lumen Mountain was only more than 40 miles away from Xiangyang in the south, and more than 200 miles away from Nanyang. Zhu Cilang had to attack at the right time. As long as there was any hesitation, all plans would fail.

Zhou Shixian looked at Zhu Cilang's expression and knew that he must be worried about the worsening situation in Hanzhong. Ever since the military situation in Hanzhong was reported to be worse than expected, Zhu Cilang has often done so and asked Zhou Shixian to speed up the deployment of the Jinyiwei's infiltration in Shaanxi to prevent the Western Route Army from returning empty-handed.

Zhu Cilang naturally would not give up easily, but he was also preparing in advance for the worst case scenario.

"Your Majesty, General Gao should be leading his troops across the Qinling Mountains and into Shaanxi by now. He's leading thousands of elite cavalry north. Once he reunites with Ding Guodong, he'll undoubtedly recruit a significant number of Green Camp troops along the way. Meng Qiaofang's small garrison in Xi'an will absolutely be unable to stop him."

Zhu Cilang nodded after hearing this and said, "The biggest problem now is to stop Dorgon. If he successfully retreats north, he will definitely send troops to reinforce Hanzhong. He is afraid to send troops north now because he is worried about the collapse of morale among the troops."

"Dorgon has made many stupid decisions in recent years, and his prestige in the army has been greatly reduced. I'm afraid the commanders of the Eight Banners Army will not all listen to him now." Zhou Shixian flattered.

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang shook his head, but he did not continue to ask about the situation in Hanzhong. Instead, he asked about Zhou Shixian's military situation at sea.

"Over in Liaohai, is there any new news about Zhang Mingzhen?"

Today, the Qing Dynasty is facing not only the collapse of the situation in Hanzhong, but also the complete and gradual collapse of the northern Zhili and Shandong coastal areas with the absence of the main force of the Qing army.

Therefore, Dorgon could not withdraw his troops in batches, otherwise whether he returned to support Northern Zhili or Hanzhong, it would be a drop in the bucket. At the same time, for political considerations, he had to go to Beijing first and then to Hanzhong, which was putting the cart before the horse for the war situation.

Although the development of the situation in northern Zhili was unexpected, the Qing army had currently sent heavy troops to guard Dagukou and Tianjin City. Although the Ming navy was not yet able to break through these fortifications, it still posed a constant threat to Beijing City.

There are a large number of Green Camp troops in these two cities. If there is suddenly an insider in the city one day, then these cities will basically be in the hands of the Ming Dynasty. How can Dorgon not be afraid?
"Zhang Mingzhen is currently in the Liaohai area. He has been secretly communicating with Green Camp generals and local gentry along the coast. He has also received supplies from some of the gentry. His strength has been greatly enhanced, and he should be able to recover faster than originally planned."

Zhou Shixian paused, then continued:
"They have recently made numerous moves near Dagukou, landing and launching surprise attacks in Denglai, Hejian, Shuntian, Yongping, and other places. The Qing troops in coastal towns simply dare not leave their cities to respond."

"Well, this is beyond my expectations. I thought that after the defeat at Dagukou, it would take some time for the people of Northern Zhili and Shandong to gather their hearts and minds."

Zhu Cilang's originally furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and he said calmly:
"Once those Green Camp generals and gentry have made their choice, they are now tied to us. Next year's Northern Expedition landing plan will definitely be smoother than it is now."

Zhu Cilang had just finished speaking when he seemed to remember something and then ordered:

"Also, the Jinyiwei in Shanxi must be infiltrated as soon as possible. If Jiang Xiang and others can rebel, half of the Qing army's deployment in Shanxi will be directly abandoned. Send capable people to lurk around him as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhou Shixian responded and immediately bowed and clasped his hands.

"Da da da"

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from afar, and a messenger scout team composed of several Tang horses galloped quickly towards the direction of the watchtower where Zhu Cilang was.

After seeing these Tangma coming from the north, Zhu Cilang immediately withdrew his gaze. He knew that the Tianqi Army that had been sent out earlier had brought important military information from the north, and it should be that the Qing army in Xiangyang City had made new movements.

And things turned out just as he expected. After reading the military report sent back by the Tianqi Army, Zhu Cilang immediately understood Dorgon's deployment and overall plan.

The main force of the Qing army should have split into two major armies, one in the south and one in the north, and their retreat was extremely urgent, at least half a month faster than the normal retreat of a large army of 100,000. However, because the Eight Banners Army was highly equine, and Xiangyang City was in Qing hands, most of their baggage and artillery could be left inside the city as supplies for the defense.

Of course, under Zhu Cilang's deployment, the Tianqi Army and the troops of the Zuozhen and Youzhen will continue to launch night attacks and destruction in the next period of time. If the Qing army transports these supplies, there will probably be nothing left when they reach Nanyang.

However, the deployment of Dorgon and Ajige, one in the south and one in the north, to personally lead the charge was completely within Zhu Cilang's expectations. He knew very well that the enemy hoped to complete the first, and most dangerous, part of the northern retreat through careful planning and effective blocking.

(End of this chapter)