Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 246 Pre-War
In fact, February and March every year were the most concentrated and critical times for spring plowing in the southern provinces under the Meiji era, and manpower was extremely tight.

Precisely because of this, Zhu Cilang would basically not mobilize troops on a large scale or conscript civilians for labor service before this, otherwise it would obviously affect the farming of the season and trigger a food crisis.

However, Zhu Cilang was also very clear that the Qing court also knew this, and the main force of the Eight Banners had recovered some of its combat effectiveness after a year of rest.

The combat effectiveness of the various Green Camp troops stationed in Shandong, Henan and other places was further enhanced under the training of the generals of various parties of the Qing Dynasty. Together with the Green Camp troops originally stationed in these places, the military strength can be said to be very strong.

In other words, under the current situation, the sooner Zhu Cilang sends troops and the sooner the decisive battle begins, the more obvious the Qing army's military disadvantage will be.

Back to the present, with the end of Chang Denggui's speech, the military meeting before the Second Northern Expedition also ended.

The various armies of the Ming Dynasty, more than 50 battalions, dozens of admirals and battalion officers, quickly returned to their respective bases after the meeting. Thousands of civil and military officials from all levels of the Ming Dynasty also took action at the same time.

Zhu Cilang's Northern Expedition was mainly divided into two stages.

The first phase of the operation aimed to weaken the Qing forces around Jinan and destroy its defenses. Meanwhile, they would contain the Qing forces in northern Shaanxi, Tongguan, and Nanyang. Once the Qing forces were dispersed and neared Jinan, they would have the opportunity for a decisive battle.

This time, Zhu Cilang was well prepared. Even the newly recruited soldiers in his army had already completed the running-in training and replacement of new weapons, especially mines, siege mortars, new heavy muskets and other battlefield weapons.

Behind this is the fact that over the past four years, the construction of the Ming Dynasty's military system and workshop system has been completed ahead of schedule.

The formation of the combat effectiveness of the army requires, on the one hand, the training of batches of new recruits, and on the other hand, the updating and equipping of weapons and equipment.

The two must be combined and carried out synchronously. No matter who is too fast or too slow, it is a manifestation of problems in the system coordination, and behind it is the efficient operation of the entire system.

Zhu Cilang's second-phase combat goal was a decisive battle with the main force of the Qing army. Zhu Cilang's plan was to encircle and attack the reinforcements, lure the enemy deep into the territory, lead the main force of the Qing army into the preset battlefield, and then concentrate superior forces to achieve victory in one battle.

Now, the Ming Dynasty has already gained the advantage in the overall situation. Even if it loses the battle of Jinan, it will only be completely at a disadvantage in the local battlefield.

Even if the Qing Dynasty won by chance, it would not be able to train enough troops, let alone eliminate its worries and change the harsh strategic environment.

However, Zhu Cilang had also received the information sent back by the Jinyiwei.

At this time, Jumala had been named "General Jingnan" by Dorgon, and he led his own army and part of the Manchu and Han Eight Banners soldiers, marched south to Shandong, and stationed in Jinan.

You know, Jumala is a brave general who has experienced hundreds of battles. He relied on his military achievements to rise step by step from the bottom of the army and fought in countless major battles.

By mid-March, all Ming troops had completed all preparations before the expedition. Except for leaving a battalion of soldiers to garrison in the strategic locations of Huguang, Jiangbei, and Jiangnan, Zhu Cilang assembled all the field troops that could be brought to the battlefield, preparing to launch a northern expedition from three directions.

At this time, Dorgon, Ajige, and Dodo no longer had the contempt they had for the Ming army.

They had all experienced the strength of the powerful army under Zhu Cilang's command.

With the gathering of armies from various parts of Jiangnan, the area outside Nanjing was soon filled with weapons and banners. At the ceremony where Zhu Cilang swore to go to war, both sides of the main road leading out of the city were packed with people.

At this time, Zhu Cilang was already wearing gilded armor and riding out of the city surrounded by dozens of golden-armored guards. The dragon flag above his head fluttered in the wind, showing the majesty of a king.

He personally reviewed the army before it went out to battle. He was in a very good mood as he watched his soldiers marching in neat and orderly formations out of the city gate and heading north.

Zhu Cilang was full of confidence in the Northern Expedition, which had been prepared for almost two years and was finally about to begin.

"Your Majesty, Gao Yigong and Chen Fu's 30,000 troops on the northern front, the 40,000 troops from the Zuozhen and Youzhen divisions on the western front, the 20,000 troops from the eastern front, Gao Jie and Huang Degong's 20,000 troops, and the four divisions of the Palace Front Army, totaling 63,000 troops, have all marched out from their designated positions."

At the same time, several cannons weighing over a thousand pounds, placed on sturdy gun carriages, proudly crossed the city gate. Zhang Huangyan stood behind Zhu Cilang and continued to report softly:
"All armies have now completed their final checks before setting out. Armaments and weapons are complete, ammunition is sufficient, and the food, fuel, mules, and vehicles needed for the march and battle are also largely sufficient. The Five Armies Commandery has already made contingency plans and has sufficient ships to transport food, fodder, military supplies, and soldiers."

At this time, under the deployment of the Five Military Governor's Office, most of the troops in Huguang and Nanzhili had been deployed to the military strongholds on the north bank of the Huai River and in northern Hubei. The military parade held in Nanjing was actually just to boost morale and inspire the military spirit.

"Currently, the vanguard of Lin Changfeng's Heavenly Cavalry has passed through Xuzhou and entered the territory of Yanzhou Prefecture.

According to the messenger he sent back, the Qing army seemed to be retreating urgently. Except for a few major cities, all the other county towns that had been fought for by our army had been abandoned.

However, most of the people in these cities have already been relocated by my army."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded. This was all within his expectations.

Dorgon's goal was to defend the city. As long as he could defend Yanzhou, Jinan and other transportation hubs heading north from Shandong, his strategic goal would be achieved.

Therefore, in order to delay the marching speed of the Ming army, it is naturally necessary to build strong defenses and clear the fields. The Tartars will never show mercy to the people.

However, before Zhu Cilang sent Lin Changfeng into Yanzhou for a surprise attack and to seize the initiative, Zhang Mingzhen's harassment fleet had already harassed Leiden again, attracting the attention of the Qing army, which created an excellent opportunity for Lin Changfeng's surprise attack.

"In Nanyang, is there any movement from the Qing army?" Zhu Cilang withdrew his gaze from the fluttering military flags and asked lightly.

Zhang Huangyan cupped his hands and then said:
"The Qing army seems to have continued to dispatch heavy troops to Nanyang Prefecture City. That place was originally the defense zone of Gao Di, a general of the Qing army's Green Camp. He has thousands of troops under his command and their combat effectiveness is not bad. After Ajige's reinforcement, the armies of the two towns on the left and right can only serve as a diversion.

Furthermore, the Imperial Guards have not yet discovered the specific deployment of the Qing army within the city."

"What about the Qing army's actions in Shanxi?" Zhu Cilang pondered for a moment before asking. "According to the Jinyiwei's reconnaissance, Jirgalang is stationed in Shanxi. He seems to have no intention of actively attacking, just like Dorgon. Furthermore, there aren't many Qing troops stationed in Shanxi."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang's face darkened and he remained silent for a while. This meant that the harassment from northern Shaanxi would hardly achieve greater results.

In fact, with the change in strength, Zhu Cilang is now very eager to fight the Qing army in the field. The soldiers under his command have been recuperating for so long and have won consecutive battles. He did not engage in an offensive and defensive battle with the enemy.

Zhang Huangyan saw this and knew what Zhu Cilang was worried about. He then bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, those Tartars have suffered so many defeats that they must have been frightened and would not dare to fight us in the open."

"Well, Xuanzhu, you have some truth in what you said."

After hearing what Zhang Huangyan said, Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, then turned his head to look at the other party and said:
"Pass on my military orders. Have Huang Degong and Gao Jie step up their guard. Lin Changfeng is now marching north alone, and nothing can happen to our flanks."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Cilang paused, staring at the endless marching army below the city. He then turned to look at the ministers and trusted generals behind him, and said confidently:
"Let's go, follow me to Xuzhou now!"

At the same time, after regrouping the army in Teng County, Yanzhou Prefecture, Lin Changfeng did not stay any longer, but left behind hundreds of soldiers to wait for the subsequent main army, and continued to lead his troops to march rapidly along the official road leading to Yanzhou Prefecture City, and soon arrived at Zhou County, the only way to Yanzhou Prefecture City.

However, by this time, Zhou County was already on high alert. There were more than 3,000 Qing Green Camp soldiers stationed in the city, and an Eight Banners soldier from Niulu was supervising the battle from behind. Facing Lin Changfeng's army of only more than 3,000 cavalry, they seemed not afraid at all.

After all, Lin Changfeng led his troops to march lightly and quickly, and the army did not have the ability to attack. He sent cavalry to drive back the dozens of Qing scouts scattered outside the city, and then ordered the army to set up several camps outside the city to surround Zhou County.

The Qing troops in the city did not dare to engage in a field battle with the aggressive Ming army. After the scouts were driven back to the city, the defending general immediately asked for instructions from Niulu Ezhen, who was sent by Duoduo to supervise the battle, and then ordered all units to strengthen their vigilance and defend the city with all their might.

Although Dorgon tried his best to avoid fighting with the Ming army, he still sent a lot of troops to defend the major cities before the main force of the Ming army moved north. He planned to block the Ming army's vanguard step by step before the main force of the Ming army arrived. He wanted to use these blocks to hit the morale of Zhu Cilang's army and slow down the opponent's northern expedition.

In previous harassment wars, the Qing army had gradually regained control of many cities in southern Shandong.

However, although he has always emphasized concentrating troops to defend Jining, Dongchang, Yanzhou, Jinan and other cities to consume the combat effectiveness of the Ming army, this does not mean that he will passively take the beating and rigidly defend the city.

If Dorgon was only at this level, he would not have been able to sit on the throne of the Qing Dynasty for so long.

Facing the imminent attack of the Ming army, he had already thought of various response strategies. Fortifying the city and clearing the fields, and blocking the enemy at every step were only the first layer. The subsequent battle to defend the city was the key.

After Lin Changfeng took the lead in the attack, the Qing army in Yanzhou Prefecture and even the entire Shandong and Henan provinces quickly took action and began to send out a large number of scouts to conduct reconnaissance and guard against sudden attacks by the Ming army.

The Qing army in Zhou County was defending very tightly. Lin Changfeng originally wanted to send out elite troops to launch a surprise attack at night and then capture this fortified city, but he was unsuccessful.

At the same time, the navy under Zhang Mingzhen continued to attack, and launched surprise attacks on Aoshan, Jinghai and other places at a speed unexpected by the Qing army. The defenders of various Qing army strongholds along the Jiaodong coast were on high alert.

Not only that, the Qing troops in Dengzhou, Laizhou and other places were also frightened and saw enemies everywhere.

Zhang Mingzhen quickly led his troops to occupy the large and small islands along the coast. The tens of thousands of naval troops were like landmines, always buried under the feet of the Qing defenders in various city strongholds in Jiaodong, and could explode at any time.

It can only be said that although Dorgon's strategy of "fortifying the city and clearing the fields, and blocking the enemy at every step" played a certain role, it did not affect the morale of the Ming army at all. On the contrary, the morale of the Ming army was low because of the continuous defeats.

In the direction of Nanyang Prefecture, Ma Shixiu, Liu Tichun, Hao Xiaozhong and others remained inactive and only sent out scouts for reconnaissance, which made Ajige, Chen Tai, Gao Di and others always in a state of fear, fearing that they would give the Ming army any opportunity to take advantage.

In other words, at this time, compared with southeastern Shandong, the line of northern Hubei and southern Henan seemed unusually calm, which made Ajige dare not act rashly in southern Henan.

After all, an enemy that does not take action is often more terrifying than an enemy that has already taken action.

Before it was confirmed what actions the troops under Zhu Cilang would take, Ajige could only make the most prudent deployment just in case.

As Zhu Cilang led the main army northward, on the official road north of Zhou County, groups of soldiers and horses were flowing on the official road leading to the city of Yanzhou. The dirt road was filled with the noise of people and horses, the sound of dense footsteps, and the creaking sound of wheels mixed in with the dense footsteps, and at the same time, smoke and dust billowed.

At this time, the main force of the Palace Army had all passed through Teng County, and all the troops gathered together, heading straight for Yanzhou Prefecture.

Inside the central army tent, Zhu Cilang, Zhang Huangyan, Chang Denggui, Chen Fu, Huang Degong, Gao Jie and other generals were looking at the map of Yanzhou Prefecture on the table.

The Ming army was well prepared for this battle. The vanguard of the army was only forty miles away from Yanzhou City and would arrive soon. With the efforts of more than 100,000 civilians, various artillery and military supplies also followed.

"Now, the Qing troops south of Yanzhou City have basically been driven out or eliminated by our army. The canal waterway to the west and Jiaodong to the east have also been basically controlled or contained by the navy. We have almost completely isolated Yanzhou City!"

Chang Denggui pointed to the map on the table and then said:
"Your Majesty, Dorgon has deployed a large number of troops in Jinan, north of Yanzhou Prefecture. The situation in Dongping and Tai'an, adjacent to Jinan Prefecture, is not very clear. However, the mountains there make it difficult for the army to advance."

"Yes, I think so too. Those places are blocked by mountains, making it difficult for our army to pass through, but the same is true for the Qing army. We only need to send a small number of troops to guard them and the overall situation will be fine."

Zhu Cilang nodded, then pointed at the map and said:
"Chang Denggui, starting tomorrow, you will lead your troops to clear out the Qing army strongholds outside Yanzhou Prefecture. Strike a decisive battle, leaving a small number of troops to guard the key roads. Then, immediately return to Yanzhou to assist in the battle. Once the main force of our army arrives, the defenders of many cities will immediately break out and retreat."

(End of this chapter)