Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 272 The fight between trapped beasts
"Be sure to bring more silver tomorrow night. I will kill anyone who dares to stop me."

Wang Zhong secretly glanced at Kazakhtai beside him, and he had made up his mind to make another plan when breaking out.

He and Kazakhtai took advantage of the chaos in Cangzhou City to plunder. In just a few months, they had accumulated more than ten taels of gold, more than one hundred taels of silver, and several bags of jewelry.

This wealth was enough for him to live a rich life and he didn't need to return to the bitter and cold Liaodong.

He planned to take advantage of the chaos to escape from Northern Zhili with his family, find a remote place to settle down, become a rich man, and stay away from the war.

Kazakhtai was a Manchu, but Wang Zhong was not. He had already made a plan to escape.

Most of the people in Cangzhou City fled before the war, but this big city in northern Zhili still retained a lot of wealth after hundreds of years of accumulation.

As a result, even in the final chaotic moment, a large amount of property fell into the hands of these bandit-like soldiers.

Kazakhtai and Wang Zhong are among the beneficiaries.

Wang Zhong knew very well that Kazakhtai asked him to act together not out of any friendship.

He was just a tool of Kazakhstan, a "packhorse" used to transport property, and the best person to block the knife during the breakout.

Not to mention, after returning to the outside of the Great Wall, he would continue to be treated as a servant.

In Kazakhtai's eyes, Wang Zhong was just a useful bondservant, and he would never be abandoned easily until the last moment.

For Kazakhstan, Wang Zhong's value lies in his loyalty and controllability.

In this war, the Manchus lost a large number of resources and servants, and bannermen like Wang Zhong were particularly important.

If the situation in the Qing Dynasty was very good, Kazakhtai might get rid of Wang Zhong without hesitation.

But now, he can't take the risk.

At the same time, the Manchus and bannermen in the city were busy preparing for the upcoming breakout, and the senior generals of the Green Camp Army were also making plans for their own future.

Hong Chengchou and the Green Camp generals all understood that after breaking out, they would face even bigger choices.

"If we surrender now, will Zhu Cilang really not hold us accountable for what we did in the past?

He agreed so readily now, what if he turns against us later?"

Nan Yikui asked Kong Youde worriedly.

"What are you afraid of? I, Kong Youde, am not afraid, so what else do you have to worry about?"

There was a hint of impatience in Kong Youde's eyes, and his voice was lowered a bit, but still with a strong sense of confidence.

He smiled coldly and continued:

"During the battle of Xuzhou City, I personally charged into Zhu Cilang's main camp. You only killed a few Ming soldiers. How could your crime be as serious as mine?"

Kong Youde did not feel too much psychological burden about surrendering.

He has defected many times, and with his military ability, he has been able to escape danger every time and be reused again.

This time, he planned to join Zhu Cilang's army again, and even wanted to win over more people to join him in order to enhance his political capital.

"Li Guo and Gao Yigong, who have grudges against us, are currently dealing with Jiang Xiang in Shanxi. How could they possibly care about the affairs of Northern Zhili?"

Kong Youde looked around at the Green Camp generals around him and spoke with more confidence:

"The Ming Emperor's current enemy is the Tartars. After defeating them, who knows what the Ming Emperor will do in the future?

Zhu Cilang's men cannot do without veterans like us. Even if Li Guo wanted to take action, Zhu Cilang would not allow it."

The generals in the Green Camp Army seemed to have seen the situation clearly.

The world situation will never be as stable as before, and all forces are secretly calculating their own interests.

They chose Zhu Cilang, the most powerful one at the moment, believing that this was the best option to protect themselves.

Nan Yikui also nodded in agreement:

"Indeed. In my opinion, the situation in the world will eventually be firmly under the control of Emperor Ming.

He has already controlled the north and south of the Great Wall, as well as many rich areas. Northern Zhili and Shandong will soon be under his control.

In the future, the most fertile land in the country will all be in his hands, and the world will belong to him alone."

Kong Youde continued his analysis:
"Military leaders like Li Guo and Gao Yigong only rose from peasant armies and have limited strength. They don't have the experience and foundation we have. We, former Ming Dynasty officers, can naturally win Zhu Cilang's trust."

Nan Yikui agreed with this and gradually felt at peace.

These Green Camp generals may have betrayed the Ming Dynasty, but in troubled times, loyalty has always been the least valuable thing.

As long as they can stand on the side of the victor now, they will still have the opportunity to regain military power in the future and even receive greater rewards.

The world situation is changing rapidly, and only by following the strongest can you ensure your future.

Compared with the plans of the Green Camp generals, soldiers like Kazakhtai and Wang Zhong are just minor characters in this drama. No matter how the situation changes, their only goal is to save their lives.

The night of the breakout is approaching. Although Kazakhtai seems full of confidence, he is actually full of anxiety.

He had long since stopped believing in the so-called Manchurian invincibility. This time, he just hoped to escape back to the outside of the Great Wall alive.

Wang Zhong, on the other hand, was thinking about his own little plan. He hoped to take this opportunity to break free from years of oppression and find his own way out.

As night falls, the flames in the city flicker in the darkness, foreshadowing that a thrilling battle is about to break out.

Various forces in the city were fighting openly and secretly, while outside the city was tightly surrounded by the Ming army.

Who will survive this chaos? Who will gain power in the new post-war situation? Nothing is known yet.

But what is certain is that the breakout will be an action full of blood and sacrifice.

The Manchus, Green Camp generals, and bannermen in the city were all making final preparations for tomorrow.

No matter what the final outcome is, they can only struggle to survive in the torrent of this war.

"Yes, that's right. Now, except for that old fellow Hong Chengchou, anyone who rebels will have a way to survive if they go out." Nan Yikui said in a firm tone, and it was obvious that he had determined that rebelling was the only way out.

Following Nan Yikui's statement, other Green Camp generals also whispered in agreement.

The generals' trusted subordinates were initially hesitant, but when they saw that Nan Yikui and others agreed with this decision, their doubts gradually dissipated.

In fact, at this point, they no longer have any other choice.

The defeat of the Qing Dynasty was certain, the Ming army was approaching, and the city of Cangzhou was in chaos. They were just looking for psychological comfort for their impending betrayal and to consolidate their beliefs.

At this moment, as long as they still have a desire to survive, they can no longer follow the Manchus back to the outside of the Great Wall.

In fact, they clearly understood that the Manchu nobles might not intend to take them back with them.

As Han people, the Green Camp soldiers were always regarded as aliens in the eyes of the Manchus, and were even more insignificant cannon fodder in times of crisis.

Kong Youde calmly scanned the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"Tomorrow night, those Tartar dogs will definitely send soldiers to supervise the battle behind us, forcing us to serve as cannon fodder in the front and block Zhu Cilang's powerful army. We must be prepared." He pointed to the map on the table and continued:
"Put the elite troops in the rear, and when we are at least two miles away from the main force of the Tatars, we will immediately begin the movement.

Remember, you must quickly distance yourself and react quickly. Although these Tartars are strong, they are only about the same strength as our elite troops.

If we can launch a surprise attack, they will definitely not be able to stop us."

His tone was decisive and cold, full of sober judgment of the future situation.

He understood that this was not only their only way to survive, but also their chance to escape the oppression of the Qing Dynasty and regain the dignity of the Han people.

After deploying the plan for rebellion, Kong Youde and the Green Camp generals left the place of secret talks in batches.

Although the situation was clear, Kong Youde did not return directly to the military camp, but turned and walked towards Hong Chengchou's mansion.

He knew in his heart that Hong Chengchou's support was no longer important, but he still pretended to be submissive.

At this moment, the last thing he wanted was to arouse the suspicion of the Manchus.

After all, the Manchu soldiers under Duoduo might detect their movements at any time.

The defeat of the Qing Dynasty was already irreversible, but Hong Chengchou still lived in the fantasy of the past.

As a representative of the traitors of the Manchu rulers, Hong Chengchou was superficially regarded as a "Han minister."

But he understood that neither princes like Duoduo nor other Manchu nobles had ever truly regarded him as a fellow human being.

To them, he was nothing more than a useful tool, a chess piece that could be discarded when necessary.

Even so, Hong Chengchou still could not face his failure.

Admitting his mistake was an unbearable humiliation for him.

As a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty, his stubbornness has led him into an incurable state of paranoia.

More importantly, Zhu Cilang had already cut off the possibility of Hong Chengchou rebelling in a previous edict.

Zhu Cilang's attitude towards him was very clear - no forgiveness, and he even announced to the world that whoever could kill Hong Chengchou would receive a huge reward.

This also completely blocked Hong Chengchou's way to survival.

In contrast, Jiang Xiang still had at least tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. Although the internal alliance was loose, he still had a certain ability to resist.

Hong Chengchou had lost the protection of the Qing Dynasty's power and was basically an old man with no power or influence. The so-called title of commander-in-chief had long been an empty name.

Hong Chengchou stood in front of the window, gazing at the ruined Cangzhou City, feeling endless desolation and despair in his heart.

The deserted streets and broken city walls all foreshadowed the end of the Qing Dynasty's rule.

He turned back into the room, looked up at the low beams, and made a decision in his heart.
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Outside the city, the Ming army had already set up a tight siege.

Under the leadership of Zhu Cilang, the Ming army had strict discipline and high morale.

On the other hand, inside the city, the Qing army was in chaos and its morale collapsed.

The Manchu Eight Banners soldiers were originally the main force of the Qing army, but now they were unable to suppress their inner fear and despair.

Thousands of Eight Banners soldiers were on the verge of collapse in the isolated city of Cangzhou.

Faced with the impending breakout, they knew that returning to Beijing was their only hope of survival.

However, the chance of breaking out is extremely slim, and Duoduo's plan is full of risks and uncertainties.

Manchu generals such as Duoduo and Subai gathered together to make the final combat deployment with Green Camp generals such as Hong Chengchou, Kong Youde and Nan Yikui.

On the surface, there seemed to be a consensus on the breakout plan, but everyone knew in their hearts that this plan was full of uncertainties.

No one could guarantee whether the cooperation between the Green Camp soldiers and the Manchu soldiers would be smooth during the breakout.

What's more, the uneasiness and rebelliousness in the hearts of the Green Camp generals have long been no secret.

As night fell, outside Cangzhou City, the Ming army’s camps on the east, south and west sides were brightly lit.

The fire pots and lanterns swayed and flickered in the night, like stars scattered on the ground, forming a magnificent "sea of ​​stars", which was particularly eye-catching in the silent night.

However, the dark area between the camp and Cangzhou City is full of danger and murderous intent.

Occasionally, a few short sounds of fighting could be heard from the shadows, followed by shrill screams.

These sounds pierced the tranquility of the night and echoed across the vast wilderness.

The Qing army's scout teams tried to cross this area from time to time, but the Ming army had already set up ambushes, and every Qing army scout team had to face deadly ambushes.

Although the sounds of fighting could be heard from time to time, they did not last long.

The Qing army was short of manpower and could not send out a large number of scouts to fight the Ming army at night. Especially when facing the large number of Ming army ambushes, they appeared particularly passive.

The Qing army not only lacked manpower, but also did not have enough troops to stop the Ming army forces outside the city, and was destined to be at a disadvantage in such a battle.

At this time, the supreme commander of the Ming army, Zhu Cilang, did not stop.

As usual, he took Zhang Huangyan on a night patrol.

There were only two people accompanying him this time, plus more than a hundred elite personal guards, who moved cautiously throughout the camp.

They checked checkpoints along the way to ensure that the military camp's defenses were impenetrable.

The Palace Army under Zhu Cilang was known for its strict military discipline, especially in nighttime defense, which was impenetrable.

In order to prevent sneak attacks by the enemy, the Ming army would change the night patrol call every night to prevent the enemy from disguising themselves and sneaking in.

All sentries have undergone rigorous training, and the night signal can only be issued by a specific secret sentry. Any slight mistake will immediately trigger an alarm for the entire camp.

There is an iron rule in the army: if a night sentry fails to respond to the code word correctly, the alarm will be triggered immediately.

At that time, all the soldiers in the camp will enter combat status in an instant.

Even if it is later discovered to be a misunderstanding, the officer in charge will not escape the punishment of deduction of salary and demotion, and the soldiers will face corresponding punishment.

This strict regulation ensures the absolute safety of the troops when stationed in the wild.

The soldiers are already familiar with military regulations, so it is almost impossible for a false alarm to occur.

Although the night patrols seemed quiet, they were actually filled with murderous intent. All soldiers remained highly alert at all times and did not dare to relax at all.

Zhu Cilang walked slowly in the camp with a sharp gaze, and whispered to Zhang Huangyan from time to time.

The two men walked with steady steps, and although they were in a dangerous situation surrounded by war, they looked calm and composed.

They stopped from time to time and looked at the dark outline of Cangzhou City in the distance.

The Ming army had already set up a tight net around Cangzhou City, and victory seemed within reach.

But Zhu Cilang knew very well that the enemy was often more dangerous when fighting in a cornered state and should not be underestimated in the slightest.

(End of this chapter)