Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 259: The Qing Army's Ambush
With more than a dozen artillery shots firing, the Qing army ambush received the signal and launched a fierce attack in an instant.

The ground on the hillsides on the north and south sides shook, and dust flew up, as if the whole valley was trembling.

More than 20,000 Qing troops hidden behind the hillside, with the cover of dense trees and mountains, rushed out from dozens of hidden mountain roads. The sound of horse hooves gathered like a tide, rolling towards the valley, like thunder rolling and roaring on the earth.

The Qing army's ranks showed more than a dozen different colors, and the cavalry's flags fluttered in the wind, like a surging torrent rushing towards the Ming army that had just completed half of the formation.

The Ming army was caught off guard and could not anticipate such a swift attack.

This scene seemed to be a replica of the previous ambush of the Qing army by the various units of the Palace Army. However, this time, Chen Fu's army was obviously a beat slower to react.

Although the previous pursuit had enabled Chen Fu's army to achieve considerable victory, the long march and pursuit also consumed their physical strength, and the soldiers in the army also suffered varying degrees of losses.

The army suddenly stopped organizing its formation, which caused chaos in part of the array.

Faced with the 30,000 elite troops of Ajige and Jin Li, the Ming army was hit by a fierce attack from the Qing army like a tide before it had time to readjust its fighting posture.

As for the hundreds of Ming soldiers responsible for defense and vigilance, they were quickly overwhelmed by the tide of Qing troops and were instantly defeated.

The shouts and cries of killing in the valley were deafening again, and the Ming army's line quickly shrank under the Qing army's surprise attack.

Fortunately, when the Ming army was reorganizing its troops, they had already kept some distance between themselves and the enemy, which avoided a stampede in the chaos of the fleeing soldiers and preserved room for a counterattack.

However, the elite Qing troops before them were so aggressive and powerful that Chen Fu's troops had to disperse to deal with them.

At this time, Chen Fu's army had been divided into four parts: three to four thousand people on the mountains on both sides, more than ten thousand people in reserve, thirty thousand troops inside the valley, and thousands of cavalry who were chasing the Qing cavalry.

Although the Ming army on the mountains on both sides had an absolute advantage in manpower and was gradually suppressing the Qing army, the rugged mountain roads and complex terrain limited their advance speed, making it difficult to quickly support the battle in the valley.

In the valley, nearly 10,000 of the 30,000 Ming troops were assigned to besiege the Qing troops in the middle mountains, and the remaining 20,000 soldiers were struggling to resist the Qing army's surprise attack.

The confrontation between the two sides became increasingly fierce, and the battle situation became extremely stalemate.

The Qing army's tactics were flexible. They continuously sent small teams to break into the Ming army's positions that had not yet been fully formed, extending in all directions like tentacles, breaking down the Ming army's defenses.

As the battle progressed, the contact area between the two sides gradually expanded. The Qing army gradually infiltrated into the core area of ​​the Ming army, forcing the Ming army to retreat again and again.

At the same time, the Qing army's attack showed a trend of oppression. The dense helmets and armor on the battlefield shone in the valley. The Qing army seemed endless. More and more troops swarmed forward, forcing the Ming army into danger.

In this battle, the Ming army's retreat appeared passive and chaotic, and the soldiers struggled to maintain order.

But faced with such a swift and powerful Qing army, they seemed stretched to the limit.

Although Chen Fu realized the seriousness of the situation, he was powerless to stop the Qing army's advance at this moment.

The Qing army's attack direction was extremely precise. Tactically, they dispersed the siege and pressed hard on the weak points of the Ming army's positions, attempting to completely crush the Ming army in one fell swoop.

The Qing cavalry attacked like lightning. They were extremely fast, armed with spears and bows and arrows, and constantly weaved in and out of the Ming army's formations.

Faced with such a swift attack, the Ming army's infantry seemed helpless, sometimes trying to hold their ground and sometimes being forced to retreat.

The shouts and roars of firearms filled the air, mixed together. The entire valley seemed to have become a huge battlefield storm, and the battle was extremely brutal.

Although the Qing army was equal to the Ming army in terms of manpower strength, they cleverly took advantage of the ambush and exerted great combat effectiveness.

Especially in the special terrain of the valley, the Qing army's dispersed assault tactics were effective and quickly disintegrated the Ming army's line.

This meant that despite Chen Fu's army having an advantage in numbers, it was unable to quickly organize an effective counterattack.

Whenever the Ming army attempted to counterattack, the Qing army was always able to quickly gather and nip the local counterattack in the bud.

The battle continued, and the confrontation between the Ming and Qing armies on both sides of the valley remained fierce.

Although the Ming army had the advantage in numbers, the mountain roads were narrow and the troops could not be deployed, so they could only advance slowly.

The Qing army relied on the cover of the terrain and used a small number of troops to delay the attack of the Ming army, making it difficult for Chen Fu's reinforcements to quickly enter the main battlefield.

This gave Ajige and Jin Li more time to consolidate their position in the valley.

In the Ming army, a lieutenant general waved the battle flag, trying to regroup the scattered soldiers.

He shouted orders to boost morale:
"Don't retreat! Reorganize the ranks and prepare to meet the enemy!"

However, panic had already spread among the soldiers.

The Qing army in front of them surged like a tide, and every surprise attack made the Ming army's line more unstable.

Even the most resilient soldiers could not help but feel a sense of despair at this moment.

The Qing army's advantage gradually emerged, and Dorgon's careful planning enabled him to take the initiative on the battlefield.

Dorgon stood high on the mountain, looking down at the battle situation below with cold eyes, a cold smile flashed in his eyes.

He knew that as time went on, the Ming army's resistance would gradually weaken, while the Qing army's offensive would become more fierce.

Victory in this battle is in sight.

Chen Fu stood at the entrance of the valley, watching the battle situation in front of him, and a layer of gloom gradually enveloped his heart.

How could he not see that he had fallen into an ambush by the Qing army?
If he had not been on the battlefield for a long time and had not seen many storms, he would have been anxious, angry, and even lost his mind by now.

But the biggest question in his mind was why the Qing army suddenly increased its troops so much?

Where did these ambushes come from? Could it be the troops of Ajige and Jin Li from Henan coming to support them?
Or was it Dorgon from Northern Zhili who personally led the army? Did the Qing court mobilize all its forces?

These thoughts flashed through his mind rapidly, becoming increasingly heavy.

However, after thinking about it, Chen Fu immediately denied the possibility that Dorgon personally led his troops south.

If Dorgon really gave his all, how could he leave Beijing alone and travel thousands of miles to Jinan?
This was obviously impossible. The only remaining explanation was that Ajige led his troops to reinforce, and the other one must be Jin Li's troops.

After all, the Qing army only had these three elite troops left in the north, and the others simply did not have the conditions for a surprise attack.

I think the ambush can only be them, it is impossible for them to fall from the sky.

This is also the most reasonable judgment made by Chen Fu based on the intelligence he obtained.

However, although the increase in the enemy's military strength was unexpected, Chen Fu was not panicked.

The soldiers under his command are not those empty-headed people who see enemies everywhere.

After the initial panic, the Ming army quickly restored order and, with their superb tactical skills, organized themselves into solid military formations in the valley.

The soldiers and cavalry cooperated well and withstood the first wave of fierce attacks from the Qing army.

But as the casualties among the soldiers continued to increase, Chen Fu became more and more anxious.

He stood at the edge of the valley, brow furrowed, his eyes watching the fighting within, a hint of unease in them. His 30,000-plus troops had temporarily stabilized their position, but the situation remained precarious.

If the Qing army launched another fierce offensive, they might be defeated at any time.

As his thoughts raced through his mind, he knew that at this moment he could only rely on a few reserve battalions in the central army, and this elite force was his last trump card.

However, he knew very well that if these combat battalions were deployed now, there would be no backup forces later.

In addition, there are 10,000 troops in the reserve, but these recruits have just been trained and their combat effectiveness is far inferior to that of veterans.

Chen Fu knew that they could only hold on for a while and could not sustain the war for a long time.

Although he could withdraw half of the troops from the Jinwu Camp, this force was also his last line of defense and he did not dare to use it easily.

In other words, whether to send reinforcements depends on the battle situation in the mountains on both sides.

Since the Qing army had arranged an ambush, they must have also deployed strong troops on the mountains.

It is still unknown whether the troops sent to reinforce the mountains are sufficient and whether they can withstand the offensive of the Qing army.

At this moment, he urgently needed a clear answer.

"What's the situation on the mountain?" Chen Fu turned to look at the deputy general and asked anxiously.

The deputy general was holding the latest military report sent from the scouts.

Chen Fu knew that the mountains were high and the forests were dense, so he could not see the battle situation with his clairvoyance and could only rely on the intelligence from the scouts.

The deputy general glanced down at the military newspaper in his hand, a relaxed smile appeared on his face, and he answered excitedly:
"General, the Qing troops on both sides of the mountain have been repelled by our army, and the soldiers of the Wu'an Camp are pursuing the remaining Qing troops.

If nothing unexpected happens, we will soon be able to annihilate the enemy and completely control the mountain!"

Chen Fu felt a little relieved when he heard this, but he did not completely let down his guard.

He understood that although the mountain was temporarily captured, the battle situation was changing rapidly and any negligence could lead to a reversal of the situation.

While dispatching troops, he calmly thought about the next action strategy.

Standing above the valley, the current situation is still very dangerous.

Although they had achieved a temporary victory on the mountains on both sides, the main force in the valley was still facing fierce attacks from the Qing army.

The battlefield before him was filled with smoke and killing, the sounds of fierce fighting came one after another, and the sounds of fighting between the two sides were like thunder.

He knew that the key to the next decisive battle lay in whether he could mobilize troops in time and stop the Qing army from advancing further.

In order to achieve overall victory, it is necessary to firmly hold the commanding heights on both sides of the valley and tear a hole in the Qing army's ambush circle.

Otherwise, even if the situation is stabilized temporarily, it will only be a struggle to survive.

At this critical moment, Chen Fu cannot be careless at all.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then turned to the messenger beside him and gave a decisive order:

"Continue to strengthen the defense of the mountains on both sides. At all costs, we must control those two commanding heights.

At the same time, the central army is ready to attack at any time. If the enemy makes any unusual movement, we will immediately engage in battle!"

As long as the mountains are in hand, there is a chance to turn the situation around. It is this area with complex terrain that determines the initiative on the battlefield.

Although the Qing army had an ambush, it would be ineffective if it could not quickly break through the mountain defense line.

Our elite troops are still on high alert and can launch a counterattack at any moment.

Time passed minute by minute, and the fighting in the valley was still fierce. The Qing army tried to break through several times, but the Ming army soldiers relied on their tenacious will and solid military formation to hold their positions tightly.

Chen Fu narrowed his eyes, watching every change on the battlefield, constantly calculating his next move in his mind.

"If we can break the enemy's right wing now, we will have hope of counterattacking!"

Chen Fu calmly analyzed the situation in his mind, his eyes fixed firmly in the direction of the enemy.

His belief never wavered, but he had to make the most correct decision at the critical moment.

Ajige and Jin Li had never expected that Chen Fu would mobilize such a large force so quickly.

Although they urgently sent hundreds of reinforcements and barely resisted the Ming army's offensive for a while, this amount of troops was obviously far from enough when facing the Ming army that was several times larger than their own.

"Pass on my military order!" Chen Fu gave the order calmly, his eyes sharp.

"Wu'an Camp will immediately detach a portion of its troops to continue pursuing the remnants of the Qing army. The remaining troops will raid the rear of the Qing army along the mountain road. This must be carried out swiftly and without omission!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he put down the Clairvoyance in his hand, jumped on his horse, and shouted in a voice as loud as a bell: "Soldiers of the Palace Army, where are you?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The generals at all levels of the Palace Army responded in unison, bowing and clasping their fists. Their voices echoed in the air, and their momentum was like a rainbow.

Chen Fu raised his arms and shouted: "Soldiers, follow me and kill all these Tartars!"

He personally led the troops, prepared to charge into battle, and also deployed the last reserve troops into the battlefield.

Now, the battle situation is extremely tense, and this is the critical moment to decide victory.

After ensuring that the mountains on both wings were basically under the control of the Ming army, Chen Fu decisively decided to lead his troops to reinforce the front line.

However, he still did not mobilize the Jinwu Camp troops that were besieging the mountains in the middle of the valley.

The terrain in this area is complex and intricate. If the Qing troops on the mountains try to break out and take advantage of the chaos to attack the Ming army's front-line troops stationed at the eastern entrance of the valley, the consequences will be disastrous.

If they were not careful, the Ming army might be surrounded by the Qing army. Once the situation got out of control, the formation of the front-line troops would likely collapse, leading to the defeat of the entire front.

Therefore, Chen Fu was cautious and would not allow himself to be careless on the battlefield.

Chen Fu knew clearly that he had already fallen into the ambush circle of the Qing army. He had originally planned to ambush the enemy, but was instead tricked by the Qing army.

However, even so, he was still full of confidence and believed that he could defeat the Qing army ambush in front of him.

Chen Fu is no ordinary man. He is the most powerful general under the command of the Ming Emperor. How could he admit defeat easily?

As for retreating to preserve strength, this has never appeared in his dictionary!

For him, no matter how dire the situation, he would never give up. He was determined to personally lead the army to turn the tide, defeat the enemy, and reverse the situation.

(End of this chapter)