Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 276 Dilemma
In the current war situation, if Subai faced an enemy with much greater strength, he might be able to maintain the situation or even achieve some results with his rich experience in land warfare.

However, the current situation is completely the opposite.

The Qing army was not facing an opponent that could be easily defeated, but a Ming navy that was far stronger than their own.

Su Bai and the Qing army completely underestimated the strength of the Ming navy under the command of Zhang Mingzhen. In fact, they had almost no idea of ​​the details of the Ming navy.

Zhang Mingzhen's Ming navy was not only well-equipped and tactically flexible, but also had rich experience in maritime combat.

The Qing army knew very little about this powerful naval force, and misjudging the enemy situation became almost commonplace.

In Cangzhou City, the Eight Banners soldiers sent from the east and west successfully blocked the Ming army.

Duoduo was full of confidence, believing that he had tied down enough Ming army forces, so he decisively ordered Su Bai to lead the Qing navy in a surprise attack.

Their plan was to have the navy leave the city through the moat and head towards the canal not far away.

At this season, the canal was also very turbulent, with the river being hundreds of steps wide, becoming a natural barrier for the Qing army to break through.

The Qing army prepared hundreds of small boats, each loaded with gunpowder and ignition fuel, and manned by Eight Banners soldiers.

Once these ships approached the Ming army's fleet, they would immediately detonate, intending to perish together with the enemy and create chaos.

Others took advantage of the chaos on the river, and the remaining Qing troops broke out by boat.

This was the Qing army's breakout strategy. Although the plan was not brilliant, relying on the desperate spirit of these death-defying soldiers, Duoduo hoped to at least disrupt the Ming army's deployment and win a chance to break out.

However, this plan was not revealed to the Green Camp Army in the city, and Kong Youde and others did not pass the information on, but Zhang Mingzhen had already anticipated the Qing army's intentions.

The generals under Zhu Cilang, especially famous land warfare generals such as Zhang Huangyan, Chang Denggui, and Chen Fu, had keenly analyzed the possible actions of the Qing army during the military meeting.

Zhang Mingzhen and the naval commanders also expressed their opinions immediately. Based on the current predicament of the Qing army, these commanders almost accurately predicted their action strategies.

Faced with this situation where he had foreseen the enemy's actions but still had to fall into danger, Zhang Mingzhen felt extremely pressured.

In order to complete Zhu Cilang's combat deployment, they not only had to win the battle, but also had to deliberately show weakness and pretend to be defeated when the Qing army's small boats attacked.

If they had fought with all their strength from the beginning, Duoduo might have changed his breakout plan, chosen to defend the city, or even engaged in street fighting with the Ming army in the city.

In that case, the war would become more complicated and time-consuming, and Zhu Cilang's strategic goals would not be achieved smoothly.

Zhu Cilang's battle strategy was very clear. He hoped to annihilate most of the Qing army's main forces on the water, and then end the battle on land with minimal losses.

The water was the Qing army's weak spot, while the Ming army had an absolute advantage in this area. Therefore, Zhu Cilang tried to set the main battlefield of the decisive battle on the water to quickly weaken the Qing army.

In order to implement this strategy, Zhang Mingzhen requisitioned hundreds of large and small merchant ships and fishing boats in advance to form a force disguised as a civilian fleet.

These ships were manned by skilled sailors from Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River.

These sailors have lived by the water since childhood and have long been adept at controlling rivers, lakes and seas.

When the Qing army's death squad's boats approached, they drove these merchant ships and fishing boats to interfere, pretending to be defeated, and attracting the Qing army's death squad to launch suicide attacks.

Whenever the Qing army's small boats were set on fire or exploded, the Ming army sailors would immediately jump into the water and swim back to the shore with amazing swimming skills.

For these water athletes, swimming back to the shore from the center of the river is not difficult.

Such actions can not only effectively avoid casualties, but also capture Qing soldiers who fall into the water in the chaos.

Under harsh interrogation, these captives often revealed the Qing army's further plans and provided valuable intelligence to the Ming army.

Through this roundabout tactic, Zhang Mingzhen's main naval force was able to remain hidden, avoiding unnecessary damage in a head-on confrontation with the Qing army.

The real moment of decisive battle will come when the main fleet of the Qing army penetrates into the middle of the river.

By then, the Ming army's tower ships hidden on the north bank would suddenly rush out, and whether by ramming or artillery attack, they would completely sink the Qing army's ships in the river.

Faced with these tall and sturdy ships, the Qing army's small boats were powerless to fight back and would be crushed in the river.

Zhu Cilang's plan seemed meticulous and cruel.

He knew very well that only by completely defeating the Qing army on the water could he ensure that the battle on land would no longer become a war of attrition.

Zhang Mingzhen and his navy not only had to win, but also had to accurately lead the Qing army to destruction.

The final victory of this battle was not only due to the outstanding performance of the Ming navy, but also to Zhu Cilang's exquisite strategic layout and precise control of the enemy's psychology.

In this way, the Qing army's water breakout plan was doomed to fail, and their land forces would be encircled by the Ming army and suffer a devastating disaster.

In this battle, Zhu Cilang not only has to win, but also has to end the battle at the lowest cost and keep the victory firmly in his own hands.
.
Duoduo and Handai stood on the city wall of Cangzhou, watching the flames lighting up one after another on the river and the continuous sounds of gunpowder explosions, unable to hide the joy on their faces.

The surface of the river was originally pitch black, but now hundreds of fires had been lit, and the flames illuminated half of the river surface red.

Explosions rang out one after another. After the roar, the surface of the river was covered with flames and the waves were rolling. It seemed that the entire battlefield was in chaos.

"Handai, the time has come!"

There was a hint of uncontrollable excitement in Duoduo's tone. He tried to remain calm and continued:
“Immediately give the order for the remaining people to quickly board the boat and leave the city.

While the Ming navy is in disarray, we must rush across the Daqing River. Only then will we have a chance of survival!"

His voice was firm and decisive, leaving no room for doubt.

The current situation is very favorable for Duoduo. This moment is the breakthrough he has carefully planned for a long time.

The Ming army in the east has been tied down, and the battlefield in the west is still in fierce fighting.

Rivers crisscrossed the land and darkness enveloped the city, despite the Ming army's superiority in manpower.

However, due to the complex terrain and cover of night, the advantage is difficult to fully utilize.

He understood that this opportunity was too good to be missed. If they missed this chance, they might never be able to escape.

After receiving the order, Han Dai immediately turned around and walked towards the city.

His steps were hurried and urgent, and he couldn't wait to leave the long-besieged Cangzhou City.

Han Dai knew that once the Ming navy restored order, the situation would take a turn for the worse and there would be no chance of escape.

The Qing army had limited understanding of the true strength of the Ming navy.

But during the siege, they had already witnessed the power of Zhang Mingzhen's navy.

The Ming navy held two large gatherings, each time with large numbers of ships gathered and a mighty momentum that made the Qing army shudder.

Although the Qing army was not so naive as to think that this surprise attack could completely destroy the Ming navy, they knew it.

Now is the best time to break through - the section of the canal north of Cangzhou City is the narrowest crossing point nearby, and the distance between east and west is less than a few hundred steps.

As long as they could cross the river quickly, there would be hope of escaping. Dodo stood on the city wall and took a last, deep look at the battlefield below.

Natak was leading more than a thousand Eight Banners soldiers to fight against the fierce attack of the Ming army, and some baoyi soldiers also joined the battle.

The sound of horse hooves, screams, explosions and gunfire mixed together.

Flames were everywhere on the battlefield, and dry grass and branches were ignited in the explosion, illuminating the dark night sky.

Duoduo knew clearly that Natak had sacrificed many men in order to stop the Ming army's attack.

He sighed helplessly. In front of this royal prince, Natak had no right to retreat first.

Instead, because of his rich combat experience, Duoduo left him behind to be responsible for blocking the Ming army.

While Duoduo was thinking, the leader of his personal guards came hurriedly and reported in a panic:
"Your Highness, hurry! Nikan has begun attacking the city from the south, bringing with him no fewer than ten thousand men! If we don't retreat now, it will be too late!"

Duoduo was shocked when he heard this and quickly sorted out the entire battle situation.

Why did the Ming army in the east and west fail to demonstrate the expected strong combat power?

Now we finally have the answer - it turns out that Zhu Cilang had already made a backup plan and retained a large number of troops for siege.

Zhu Cilang obviously anticipated that the Qing army might return to the city, so he was determined not to give them any chance to retreat and vowed to annihilate them in one fell swoop.

Duoduo's face looked heavy. He realized that the Ming army's strategy was to advance step by step and press forward relentlessly.

Not only did they tie down the Qing army on the eastern and western fronts, they also secretly assembled a large army behind the scenes, preparing to launch the final offensive against Cangzhou City.

At this moment, he was in a dilemma:

If they continue to hold on, Cangzhou will be in danger of falling completely;

If they retreated hastily, they would be surrounded and attacked by the Ming army on the way, and would be attacked from both sides.

The battle situation is becoming increasingly tense and time is running out. Duoduo knows that a moment of hesitation may mean life or death.

He turned around abruptly and gave a stern order to his guards:

"Retreat immediately! Everyone prepare to board the ships. We must take advantage of the chaos in the Ming navy to break through the Daqing River!"

His voice sounded particularly urgent in the night sky.

Han Dai's pace quickened, and the Qing troops under the city had begun to assemble and board ships according to orders. Although most of them were exhausted, the desire to survive made them grit their teeth and act desperately.

The Ming navy's artillery fire was still roaring on the river, and the river surface was dotted with flames and explosions like a chaotic battlefield, and this was the last hope for the Qing army to break through.

At this moment, Duoduo's eyes swept across the distance, and he saw that several main warships of the Ming navy began to regroup, and the chaos on the battlefield was gradually suppressed.

Obviously, the commander of the Ming navy had realized the Qing army's intention to break out and began to respond quickly.

Time is running out. If they delay any further, they will be caught in a full-scale siege by the Ming army.

Duoduo knew that the situation was dangerous and thought to himself that this was their last chance and their only hope of escaping.

Duoduo looked at the movements of the Ming army from afar, feeling anxious and complicated.

He knew that his situation was not optimistic, but he still believed that there might be a chance to break through Zhu Cilang's siege.

Although Zhu Cilang deployed heavy troops around Cangzhou, his manpower was limited and it was impossible for him to gain absolute advantage in every direction.

Especially in the east, the Ming army failed to make substantial progress due to unfavorable terrain.

This gave Duoduo a sense of luck, thinking that the west might be the best way to break through.

He comforted himself in his heart that although the Ming army was strong, its forces were too dispersed and could not concentrate its strength to launch a fatal attack on him.

As long as they could seize the opportunity to break through, successfully break out from the west, then cross the moat and head north to the river bank, they would have a chance to escape.

However, he did not realize that all this was just a trap carefully laid by Zhu Cilang.

The Ming army's apparent division of forces was actually intended to guide the main force of the Qing army in a specific direction and finally surround and annihilate it in one fell swoop.

Zhu Cilang knew very well that the Qing army would choose to break out from the west, so he deliberately showed weakness and led Duoduo to this road that was already full of ambushes.

Even if the Qing army successfully crossed the canal, the Ming army had already secretly set up an ambush on the west bank of the river, ready to cut off their retreat at any time.

Duoduo had no idea that no matter which direction he chose, he would ultimately not be able to escape Zhu Cilang's control.

All paths and all decisions were actually within Zhu Cilang's expectations.

The delay of the war in the west was precisely to make Duoduo believe in the possibility of a breakthrough, but in fact, Zhu Cilang was waiting for the most appropriate opportunity.

Once the main force of the Qing army was dispatched, Zhu Cilang would immediately order the two mixed battalions and two cavalry battalions that had been ready to launch a full-scale attack and completely surround the Qing army in a narrow area.

Duoduo thought he was carrying out a clever plan, but he didn't know that every step he took was under the control of Zhu Cilang, and this breakout was destined to be a hopeless struggle.

“God bless the Qing Dynasty!”

Duoduo muttered to himself, even though he knew the situation was dangerous, he still held on to the last glimmer of hope.

He led his personal guard Bayala down the city wall, ready to personally lead the breakout. He believed that with the bravery of the Qing army and their experience in breaking out of sieges, he might be able to lead some troops out of the encirclement.

However, what he did not expect was that Zhu Cilang's ambushes had already been prepared at various key locations, waiting for their arrival.

At the same time, in the south of Cangzhou City, the Ming army's siege was proceeding extremely smoothly.

Encountering almost no effective resistance, the Ming army soldiers quickly climbed the city wall with the help of ladders and quickly occupied the two southern city gates and their surrounding facilities, including the sluice tower, moon tower, urn city and city tower.

The main force of the Ming army then entered the city smoothly through these gates and launched a full-scale attack. The Qing army's defenses in the city were extremely weak and they could hardly organize an effective counterattack.

In order to further compress the Qing army's space for activities, the Ming army mobilized thousands of elite palace troops, who advanced rapidly along the city wall, aiming to quickly control several key city gates on the west side.

The purpose of this action was very clear: to prevent the main force of the Qing army in the west from trying to retreat back into the city in order to protect themselves after failing to break out.

Zhu Cilang chose this moment to launch the siege, not just to capture Cangzhou, but to force Duoduo to make a quick decision. He knew that the Qing army in the city was at its weakest and had to choose between breaking out and defending.

By capturing the city gate on the south side, Zhu Cilang put Duoduo under tremendous psychological pressure, making him mistakenly believe that a full-scale attack by the Ming army was about to begin, and thus forced to speed up his breakout.

But no matter which path he chooses, the outcome is already determined.

In this battle, Zhu Cilang had already secured victory, and Duoduo was just fighting desperately like a trapped beast.

Under the cover of night, the Ming army acted swiftly and decisively, and the Qing army's defense line gradually collapsed.

Duoduo finally made up his mind and chose to break out from the west, but his uneasiness was gradually increasing.

(End of this chapter)