Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 254 Menacing
When Ajige and Jin Li's armies entered Shandong and the Qing army's defense line in southern Henan became empty, Tian Jianxiu suddenly ordered the main army to turn around, as if to return immediately and give Gao a surprise attack.

According to Tian Jianxiu's original plan, no matter whether Gao Di's subordinates surrendered sincerely or it was a delaying tactic secretly manipulated by Ajige, as long as Ajige and Jin Li went north, it would be as easy as taking candy from a baby for him to capture the three prefectures in southern Henan and even the entire Henan and Shanxi.

As for Gaudí, it was only a minor obstacle that delayed him for two or three months.

However, Tian Jianxiu did not know that Ajige's real target was Zhu Cilang.

The Jinyiwei's intelligence system in the north was still weak and difficult to infiltrate the Qing army.

But just as Tian Jianxiu's army had begun to withdraw the first unit and the second unit was about to set out to return to Xiangyang Prefecture, important information came from Liu Tichun: His Majesty has ordered our troops to assist and go north to recover the entire Henan Province.

After learning the news, Tian Jianxiu could no longer sit idly by. If he could not recover Henan and Shanxi, how would he gain a place in the new dynasty, or even in the palace army, in the future?
Tian Jianxiu was reluctant to attack Shanxi first because he planned to occupy Nanyang Prefecture, Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan Prefecture and other places first. After wiping out the main force of the Qing army in Henan, the Green Camp Army in Shanxi would surrender.

In this way, he could not only reduce the loss of troops and equipment, but also incorporate a large number of organized troops and directly obtain food and military supplies from various prefectures in Shanxi, which would be a great achievement.

However, from another perspective, if Tian Jianxiu could take Shanxi, the Qing army in Henan would be surrounded on both sides, and he might not even have to fight that tough battle.

When Tian Jianxiu was in Huguang, he originally chose the former.

He was not afraid of a tough battle, but in comparison, he was unwilling to divide his troops, cross the Qinling Mountains, and expedition to the various prefectures in Shanxi.

If an accident occurs, whether he can hold on to these territories or whether he will repeat his previous mistakes are questions worth discussing.

But if Liu Tichun, Hao Yaoqi and others led the main force, he would have no choice but to occupy several prefectures in Henan as a base in order to keep at least half of Henan.

Therefore, Tian Jianxiu's army, which had originally planned to turn back, took advantage of the situation and launched a surprise attack on the Green Camp Army in Song County, which had relaxed its vigilance. The latter was caught off guard, and Song County was quickly captured in an unexpected battle.

At this time, Tian Jianxiu mobilized all his 30,000 troops, including more than 13,000 combat troops, claiming to be an army of 50,000. They pursued the victory and divided their troops into various places. Within five days, they recaptured the entire Luoyang Prefecture except for the city of Luoyang. For a time, their momentum was huge.

At the same time, after obtaining Du Yinxi's consent, Liu Tichun and Hao Yaoqi also began to mobilize troops and prepare for new wars in order to continue advancing military operations in Henan.

However, it was not them who really felt the pressure, but Tian Jianxiu's rapid progress in Luoyang Prefecture.

When this news reached Dongchang Prefecture, it actually accelerated the actions of Dorgon and Ajige.

They originally planned to rest for a few more days and wait until Ajige's army had fully recovered its combat effectiveness before setting off again, but the current situation forced them to speed up.

Once Tian Jianxiuzhen occupied the entire western Henan, Nanyang would be difficult to defend.

By then, the main force of the Qing court in the Central Plains will be attacked from both sides. It will be difficult to sustain supplies relying solely on the tens of thousands of troops in northern Zhili and Shanxi, together with the baoyi soldiers and the Green Camp soldiers. I am afraid that they will collapse without a fight.
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On the mountain road dozens of miles southwest of Changqing, the Qing army's troops were winding like a long dragon.

The soldiers were dressed in uniforms of various colors, and horses and vehicles were interspersed between the ranks, stretching for miles, like a giant snake swimming in the mountains.

This Qing army was less than fifty miles away from Shahe. After crossing the Daqing River and marching about thirty miles, it would enter the ambush site carefully set up by Dorgon and Ajige.

Although the marching speed was not fast, the scouts of Dorgon and Ajige performed excellently and almost cut off all the spies of the Ming army.

Even if a few Ming army scouts managed to break through the blockade, they would find it difficult to obtain useful intelligence, and the success or failure of the ambush depended on this.

It is difficult to get a full picture of an army of tens of thousands with just the eyesight of a few scouts. The intelligence fragments they can provide are limited and need to be verified by multiple parties before they can be confirmed.

Ajige, riding on a silver-armored warhorse, stood halfway up the mountain, overlooking the army marching below. This ambush was carefully planned by him, but Ajige was well aware of Zhu Cilang's power and still felt uneasy.

In fact, Ajige knew that he was not sure of defeating Zhu Cilang without the advantage in military strength.

But he had to fight this battle, especially under the supervision of Dorgon. He could not show any cowardice, otherwise his prestige would suffer a severe damage. These pressures made him feel upset.

Ajige and Dorgon's army carried more than fifty small cannons imitated from the Ming army, ready to use in close combat after the ambush.

The army's flags were flying high, and they marched thirty miles a day. At noon the next day, they finally arrived at the west bank of the Daqing River.

This place is very close to the valley near Jinan Prefecture. The main force must disperse and hide immediately after crossing the river to prevent the scouts sent by Zhu Cilang from noticing anything unusual.

After Ajige and Jin Li arrived at the Daqing River, the commander of the Bayala scouts came to report the military situation:
"Your Highness, we eliminated a total of 32 Ming scouts along the way, and we lost 21. Currently, only three Ming scouts have broken through the blockade, and two of them have been killed."

After listening to the report, Ajige and Jin Li nodded. Seeing that Ajige did not ask any questions, Jin Li paused for a moment. Then Ajige ordered:
"You continue to lead Bayala to search the mountains and maintain vigilance. I will send you 500 new soldiers. They are best at field combat. If they encounter a fierce attack from the Ming army, don't let Zhu Cilang suspect that we are the main force."

After receiving the order, Hu Zhangjing immediately withdrew and began to carry out his mission.

The army stationed here should have been on high alert, especially when the actual troop strength far exceeded the apparent strength. Their task was to cut off all Ming army scouts, which was extremely difficult.

But as the most elite Bayala in the Qing army, they were well prepared for this.

"Wait a moment!" Jin Li suddenly stopped Hu Zhangjing who was about to leave, turned around and said to Ajige:

"I think we should relax our guard a bit and not act too nervous. If we act too abnormally, Zhu Cilang will become suspicious.

Besides, he may have sent too few scouts to lure us into an ambush, so if we send too many people to blockade him, it would be futile."

Ajige thought for a moment and nodded in agreement:
"You only need to take half of the Bayala to block them. It's okay to let a few Ming army scouts go occasionally."

After Hu Zhangjing left, Jin Li continued:

"We will build a pontoon bridge tonight. Tomorrow morning, before dawn, I will lead the army to quietly cross the river. We will camp on the other side of the river tonight to avoid Zhu Cilang noticing anything unusual."

Ajige nodded in agreement:
"That's exactly what I was thinking. The Daqing River is still nearly forty miles from the valley leading to Jinan City. After the army crosses the river, we can rest for half a day to recover our strength and then continue the march tomorrow. After sending Bayala, Zhu Cilang will definitely not dare to set an ambush that night, and we can also catch him off guard."

Jin Li added, "We must first seize the hilltop to the north of the valley, send three Niulu and a thousand elite Green Camp troops up there, and then deploy seven or eight small cannons. Even if Zhu Cilang sends his heavenly soldiers and generals to attack, they won't be able to break through."

This hilltop connected to the towering mountains to the north of the valley. While it wouldn't completely block the retreat route to the Daqing River, controlling it would prevent Zhu Cilang's pursuers from pursuing further attacks, making it crucial. Ajige had already anticipated this: "This is inevitable. If we don't capture it, Zhu Cilang will doubt whether we are truly the main force."

Ajige knew very well that Zhu Cilang should not be underestimated, so he was very cautious in his deployment, as if he was really preparing to support Jinan.

The entire valley is ten miles long, and there are many places suitable for ambushes. Ajige is not sure where Zhu Cilang will choose to attack.

A military genius like Zhu Cilang, who has won numerous battles at such a young age, will definitely make decisions based on the latest intelligence.

If Ajige and Jin Li's disguises were not convincing enough, their plan would fail. They knew this, and it was a strategy approved by Dorgon.
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Outside the city of Jinan, Zhu Cilang was nervously mobilizing troops and making final preparations for this carefully planned ambush.

In order to ensure the success of the plan, he even recalled Huang Degong who was staying in Qingzhou and gathered all his powerful generals.

In this battle, Zhu Cilang gathered 70,000 elite troops and gave full command to Chang Denggui, Lin Changfeng, Chen Fu and others, determined to win.

The city of Jinan was only fifty miles away from the valley where the ambush took place. The terrain was steep and extremely suitable for an ambush.

Zhu Cilang knew very well that if he led his troops into the valley ahead of time, it would certainly alert the Qing army.

Therefore, he only sent a small number of scouts to investigate and ordered the army to intensify the siege to create a sense of urgency and force Ajige to respond hastily.

Although this valley is limited in width and not suitable for large-scale frontal attacks, it is a natural ambush site.

If you can take advantage of the terrain, launch a sudden attack, and cut off and surround the enemy, the chances of success will be greatly increased.

However, in recent days, many scouts sent out have suffered losses, and few have been able to break through the Qing army's blockade and bring back valuable intelligence.

Zhang Huangyan frowned and reported to Zhu Cilang:
"Your Majesty, the Qing army's scouts were extremely fierce. Our scouts suffered heavy losses and were unable to gather much useful information. We only know that the Qing army brought a large number of small artillery pieces to this battle, and their strength exceeded 30,000."

Zhu Cilang nodded, looked into the distance, and said in a deep voice:
"Tian Jianxiu's army had already broken through several strongholds in Nanyang Prefecture. The situation in Nanyang City and Runing Prefecture was critical. Ajige was anxious to rescue them, so he led his army north.

I have waited for so long, and finally Ajige was forced here by Tian Jianxiu."

He looked around at the generals present and continued:
"The scouts sent by Ajige are extremely fierce and must be Bayala's elite troops. It seems that he is very afraid of this battle, but he has to come, so he has delayed until now.

However, according to military reports, Ajige's troops numbered no more than 30,000, of which the truly combat-capable Eight Banners, Green Camp, and Baoyi soldiers combined totaled no more than 20,000. Their chances of winning this battle were extremely slim."

Zhu Cilang paused, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes:
“However, if the artillery brought by the Qing army occupies the dangerous terrain, it will indeed cause us considerable trouble.

This point must be reminded to Chang Denggui, so that he can act with caution and avoid unnecessary losses to the army."
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"That kind of small cannon is also on the walls of Jinan City. It's the Tartars who copied ours. It's really powerful, and from a high vantage point it's impossible to defend against."

Chen Fu stood aside and added with a serious expression.

His eyes were fixed on the vaguely visible mountains in the distance, as if he was pondering the threat posed by the small cannon.

He knew in his heart that if this imitation cannon was used in defending the city, it would indeed be a headache, but if it was used for attacking, the situation would be very different.

"However," Chen Fu changed the subject.
"Our battle strategy this time is to surround the enemy and attack their reinforcements. The one who should be really anxious is Ajige.

Although these small cannons in his hands can play a certain role in attacking the city, they are cumbersome and inconvenient when assaulting the valley."

There was a calm analysis in his tone, and he had obviously considered various situations that might arise on the battlefield.

After listening to Chen Fu's analysis, Chang Denggui pondered for a moment and nodded slowly.

He had already begun to think about how to use this information to deploy the army's defense.

He waved his hand, signaling his men to come closer, and whispered:
"When an ambush occurs, the troops guarding the mountain pass must carry ten small cannons. With this defensive weapon, combined with a combat battalion, we can firmly hold the entire mountain pass and not give the Tartars any chance to break out."

"Understood, General." His deputy general nodded immediately, quickly took out the bamboo slips and charcoal pencil he carried with him, and wrote down the order.

He moved swiftly and his pen flew quickly, as if he wanted to turn this momentary decision into a real tactic.

Chang Denggui turned his gaze to the eastern sky. It was almost afternoon and the sky was gradually darkening. He knew that time was running out and he had to be prepared before the Qing army took further action.

He said in a deep voice:

"According to spies, the main force of the Qing army arrived at the Daqing River at 2:00 PM today. Ajige dared not pass through the valley overnight and would definitely rest nearby for the night.

We must act before they do, and set out before dawn tomorrow. We must reach the ambush site before Ajige's troops enter the valley."

Chang Denggui's words revealed his determination; he was ready for tomorrow's battle.

He then turned to look at Lin Changfeng and added:

"Starting tonight, send out cavalry to drive away the Qing scouts, but do it slowly. We must not let them notice we are testing them, and we must not let them gain any intelligence on our army."

"Yes, General!" His deputy general responded again, and began to plan in his mind how to deploy the cavalry.

Driving away the scouts seemed simple, but doing it without leaving any trace was not easy. He knew that tonight's actions would determine the success or failure of tomorrow's ambush.

Chang Denggui stood there, gazing at the rolling hills in the distance, his thoughts gradually sinking into the layout of the battlefield.

He knew very well that Ajige might have anticipated that he would set an ambush here, but as long as the other party had to come to rescue, as long as they could not find out the location of his ambush, it would be useless even if they knew it.

(End of this chapter)