Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 255 Ambush
In the valley of Gema Mountain, a huge army was slowly marching in the valley east of Jinan City.

Although the team's lineup is large, it seems disorganized.

The soldiers' uniforms were of different colors, and their flags were even more varied.

There were soldiers of the Eight Banners, namely the Zhenghong Banner, the Xianghong Banner and the Xiangbai Banner, as well as soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Green Camp, and even some Baoyi soldiers wearing simple cloth clothes, who looked like they were just coolies in the army.

Despite this, the army's march was not hasty, and the ranks seemed to deliberately maintain a certain neatness and order.

As soon as dawn broke, Dorgon ordered the army to march out.

He knew in his heart that he had to cross the valley before sunset, otherwise if Zhu Cilang noticed anything, his plan would fail.

However, Dorgon did not know that Zhu Cilang did not rush to the battlefield of Gemashan as he expected, but led a small force to besiege the city of Jinan.

Most of the 30,000-strong army in front of them were disguised as baoyi soldiers. In order to avoid exposing their flaws, they deliberately slowed down their marching speed.

Of course, in Chang Denggui's view, such actions made Dorgon seem particularly cautious, as if he was afraid of being ambushed.

This team also included more than 10,000 elite Green Camp soldiers and Eight Banner soldiers, with cavalry as the main force.

Their marching positions were carefully designed so that they could use the mobility of the cavalry to retreat quickly when suddenly attacked, or even lure Chang Denggui's army into pursuing them.

At the same time, the main force of this fake Qing army showed a high degree of vigilance.

Dorgon sent out a large number of scouts to patrol. Not only that, he also sent troops to occupy the high ground near the Daqing River to ensure that the Ming army's scouts could not approach.

He personally arranged night patrols and ambushes, and deployed mobile troops to take turns on guard, ensuring that the scouts sent by Chen Fu could only scout his camp and could not cross the Daqing River to obtain more valuable intelligence.

At the same time, the main force led by Jin Li had quietly ambushed in the mountains on both sides in the early morning, taking advantage of the cover of night and the help of Bayala scouts.

During this process, the main forces of the real and fake Qing army and the scouts formed by Bayala acted almost synchronously, forming a perfect cover for each other.

Dorgon and Jin Li had planned this ambush for a long time. They had controlled this area before and had sent scouts to survey it many times before. Naturally, they would not make low-level mistakes in tactical deployment.

Relying on the cover of Bayala scouts, they successfully blocked the reconnaissance troops sent by Chen Fu.

Chen Fu sent out a part of his cavalry to try to break through the blockade, but lost dozens of cavalry in the pursuit.

Although this mountain valley spans more than 20 miles from east to west and has an uneven width from north to south, Dorgon still faces considerable challenges in covering the movements of tens of thousands of troops.

He had to send some troops to occupy some key positions to attract the attention of Ming army scouts.

Based on previous intelligence, Dorgon and Jin Li estimated that the main force sent by Zhu Cilang was around 50,000 to 60,000, and no more than 80,000 at most.

In order to deal with an enemy force of this size, they planned to set up an ambush in the open area near the Daqing River and occupy a small hill in the valley in advance to contain the actions of Zhu Cilang's army.

Their ambush plan was to use the cavalry lying in ambush in the mountains to the north to cut off Zhu Cilang's army and divide it into two parts. The troops in the south would then launch a surprise attack, while the cavalry in front, who pretended to be defeated, would take a detour to counterattack.

On such a flat and narrow battlefield, if the Ming army was unable to deploy its formation or build fortifications, it would face a bloody massacre.

In this way, Dorgon and Jin Li were able to achieve their goal of almost completely annihilating Zhu Cilang's main force.

If this battle could successfully defeat Zhu Cilang's main force, then even if Zhu Cilang still had tens of thousands of troops in other places, it would be impossible for him to reorganize an effective defense in a short period of time.

The Qing army could take the opportunity to threaten the rich areas north of the Yangtze River, relieve the pressure on other battlefields, and even reverse the entire situation.

However, Chen Fu ultimately underestimated the enemy. After encountering strong resistance from the Qing army, he did not send more cavalry to forcibly break through the blockade to conduct reconnaissance, and therefore failed to detect the presence of tens of thousands of troops behind the main force of the fake Qing army.

Despite this, the cavalry sent by Chen Fu still effectively assisted the scouts' defense, making it impossible for Dorgon and Jin Li to further investigate the specific strength of the Ming army.

This made Dorgon more cautious. He certainly hoped that Zhu Cilang's main force was here, otherwise this ambush that involved the main force of the Qing army in the Central Plains would be meaningless.

However, the disparity in Ming army strength that he estimated also meant different combat deployments and strategies.

If the troops sent by Zhu Cilang exceeded 60,000, even if the ambush was successful, Dorgon would not be sure of winning the battle completely.

After all, the combined forces of his and Jin Li's armies consisted of no more than 30,000 core Eight Banners soldiers and no more than 10,000 vassal soldiers. Moreover, these troops were not the most elite core troops such as the Zhengbai, Zhenghuang, and Xianghuang, making it difficult to completely swallow up such a large number of Ming troops.

For Dorgon and Jin Li, even now, they are still very nervous.

After all, the opponent is Zhu Cilang. An operation of such a large army cannot go completely undetected. As long as the opponent is cautious, their ambush plan may fail.

At this moment, standing outside the battlefield, overlooking the battle that is about to break out, it is like opening a blind box, full of unknown surprises and accidents.

Whether it is Zhu Cilang, Chen Fu, Dorgon, Ajige and Jin Li, everyone is constantly responding to changes on the battlefield, adjusting strategies and making new judgments.

Dorgon stood on the mountain that was going to be used to contain Zhu Cilang's army, his eyes following the royal flag moving towards the exit at the other end of the valley.

The royal flag had been taken away by Ajige. Although Ajige was quite dissatisfied with this decision and even knew that this was Dorgon's demonstration against him, he had no choice but to obey the order of the supreme commander on the battlefield.
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Chen Fu held his precious "clairvoyance" in his hand and stared closely at the scout battle ahead.

He stood on the mountainside, looking down from above, his gaze sweeping across the rolling hills and out across the plains. The battle had already entered its fiercest stage, with hundreds of cavalrymen fighting and grappling across the vast expanse of land, each giving their all, neither yielding.

The Ming and Qing armies alternated in gaining the upper hand, sometimes attacking successfully, sometimes being forced to retreat. By this time, the ground was littered with over thirty bodies in various uniforms, stained with blood. The fighting was incredibly fierce.

However, overall, there has been no clear breakthrough in the war situation.

The weather is excellent today, with clear skies and an extremely clear view, which allows the "clairvoyance" in Chen Fu's hand to play its maximum role and take in a clear view of the distant scenery.

His eyes were fixed on the Qing army formation in the distance, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

With years of battlefield experience and intuition, Chen Fu sensed something was amiss. Although he observed some unusual signs in the Qing army's movements through his "clairvoyance," he could not put these anomalies into concrete terms.

This inexplicable feeling, like the intuition honed by years of military experience, sent a sense of alarm through him. Chen Fu knew the Qing army had already entered his carefully laid ambush. Dorgon's army numbered over 30,000 men, which was almost exactly as he had predicted, with incredible accuracy.

Chen Fu couldn't help but feel a surge of pride, as if everything was under control. Now was the perfect time to establish a glorious military achievement and solidify his position as the top general in the army.

Although Chen Fu had an army of nearly 70,000, he did not plan to attack with all of them.

Faced with 30,000 Qing troops, he only decided to send an equal number of troops to ambush them.

His plan was thorough and bold: taking advantage of the terrain of the mountains on the north and south sides, he used ambushes to harass the Qing army from both wings, and then launched a rapid frontal cavalry attack, catching the Qing army, which had not yet formed a battle formation, off guard, and eventually forming a three-sided pincer attack.

In Chen Fu's opinion, with the combat effectiveness of his elite troops, the Qing army would not even be able to hold out until sunset in this complex terrain and would collapse across the board.

By then, the Ming army could pursue the enemy to the banks of the Daqing River, use cavalry to surround the Qing army, completely annihilate the enemy's main force, and eliminate the threat of the Qing army in one fell swoop.

Chen Fu knew very well that although the Qing army's scouts were brave, they were also unable to break through the Ming army's last blockade line.

He was confident that his deployment had not been exposed. As long as the Qing army entered the valley, they would be trapped, no matter how cautious they were, they would be annihilated.

Now, after confirmation from many sources, the Qing army had only more than 30,000 troops, which gave Chen Fu more confidence.

Even if the ambush was not completely successful, he was confident that he could defeat the Qing army in a head-on battle.

However, he also understood that there were too many variables in a head-on confrontation. If a large number of Qing soldiers escaped, the battle situation from Jinan to Dongchangfu would become more complicated and time-consuming.

"General, the Qing army's vanguard has entered the ambush circle!" the deputy general reported with a fist salute.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fu turned around and looked at the Qing army's route in the valley.

He used his "clairvoyance" to see more clearly. The flags of the Qing army fluttered in the wind, becoming clearer and clearer. He could even see the carriage pulling the cannon clearly.

This situation made his doubts even deeper, and with his many years of battlefield experience, he felt a little uneasy.

Although everything was going smoothly, this excessive smoothness made him alert.

Therefore, he made a decisive decision and adjusted the original deployment: "The Tianwei Left Camp will remain on standby, and the Tianqi Army will also stay behind as a reserve force."

Chen Fu's decision was not without reason. Although the Qing army's march was as he expected, everything seemed too smooth, which in turn aroused his strong vigilance.

Therefore, he left behind more than 3,000 of his most elite central troops, the Tianwei Left Camp, and 5,000 of the Tianqi Army as reserve forces, and did not deploy them to the main battlefield along with the more than 5,000 reserve troops originally planned.

"Pass the order down, all units prepare, use the sound of artillery as a signal, and launch the attack on time!" Chen Fu gave a clear order, with a determined light in his eyes.

In the valley, the wide road gradually became narrow, and the marching Qing army gradually entered Chen Fu's ambush circle.

Ajige rode on his horse, his brow furrowed, his heart filled with anxiety. The mountains on the north and south sides were undulating and covered with dense vegetation, and the low bushes at the foot of the mountain were an ideal place to hide troops.

At this time, Ajige was pretending to be Dorgon, with Dorgon's royal flag hanging high above his head.

Once the Ming army launched an attack, he had to pretend to resist before retreating.

According to Dorgon's plan, only by making Zhu Cilang mistakenly believe that the Qing army is vulnerable would he fall into the trap they carefully set.

This situation is extremely challenging even for Ajige.

If you are not careful, the battlefield situation will change rapidly and any wrong decision may lead to irreversible consequences.

Especially when the Ming army discovered that the Qing army in front of them was not the real Dorgon army, Zhu Cilang's cunning opponent would inevitably see through their plan, and the entire plan would be in vain.

For Ajige, he took a huge risk.

If the plan fails, he will be blamed. Even if everything goes well and Zhu Cilang is defeated, all the credit and glory will belong to Dorgon, and he himself is just an executor and cannot share much credit.

Just as Ajige was lost in thought, he heard the voice of his general beside him:

"Your Highness, the noise in the valley is getting louder and louder. The Ming army may be preparing for an attack."

Upon hearing this, Ajige looked up at both sides of the valley. The dense bushes obscured the view of the mountains, and there was not a single soldier in sight. However, this silence made him even more uneasy.

At the same time, Chen Fu stood on a high place and continued to observe the movements of the Qing army.

He gripped the "Clairvoyance" tightly, his eyes gleaming with a cold sternness. After a long period of observation, he was completely certain that the Qing army's marching route and rhythm were just as he had expected. However, this did not make him relax his vigilance, but instead made him even more cautious.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the faint sound of horse hooves and weapons clashing seemed to be heard in the valley.

Chen Fu's ears moved slightly. He knew that these sounds might be small groups of Qing troops moving through the mountains, or they might be deliberately created to disrupt the Ming army's judgment.

"Pass the order down, all units should wait for a moment and take action after my order!" Chen Fu gave the order again. He decided to observe for a while longer to make sure that everything was foolproof.

At the same time, Ajige was also constantly thinking. He knew in his heart that once the Ming army launched an attack, his troops must respond in time, but they must not appear too tough, otherwise they would arouse Zhu Cilang's suspicion.

Just as the two generals were preoccupied with their own thoughts, a crisp cannon shot shattered the silence of the valley. Chen Fu's order was finally issued.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Suddenly, three thunderous explosions were heard, and the huge sound of gunpowder explosions echoed in the valley.

Ajige immediately stopped his horse and looked in the direction of the explosion. Sure enough, a cloud of white smoke rose from the hillside in front.

The Ming army's ambush troops began to emerge from all directions. Ajige's eyes flashed with fear, knowing that battle was inevitable. He quickly ordered his troops to prepare for battle.

(End of this chapter)