Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 279 Entering the City
Duoduo and Handai led the remaining 2,000 Eight Banners soldiers to break out hastily. They were on more than 200 boats of various sizes. They had just left the bank of the canal. The river was shimmering and the boats were swaying gently in the water. It seemed that they were not out of danger yet.

In my ears, there were the sounds of tense breathing and the neighing of war horses, and the air was filled with the smell of blood and the afterglow of war.

However, just when they thought they had successfully escaped, a burst of noise and shouting came from Cangzhou City behind them, breaking the brief peace.

Duoduo's heart tightened and he immediately looked back.

On the city wall, countless torches were held high, and the flames danced in the night sky, like a long fire dragon winding along the outer city wall of Cangzhou City and spreading to the surrounding areas.

The fire dragon was like a ferocious beast, greedily devouring the tall and ancient city.

The noise continued to echo in the night and could be heard clearly. The Ming army soldiers shouted, and their voices shook the earth.

The firelight illuminated the soldiers' faces, making them look extremely determined.

The soldiers under Zhu Cilang's command were shouting and roaring on the city wall, announcing the defeat of the Qing army.

A hint of uneasiness flashed across Duoduo's eyes, but he immediately suppressed it.

He had just led his troops to break out, and seeing that they had escaped the control of the city, he felt a little relieved.

But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, suddenly, even more shocking shouts came from the battlefield west of Cangzhou City.

The sound became more rapid and violent, as if a new battle had broken out.

Duoduo's ears twitched slightly, and he had a sense of foreboding. Years of experience in battle told him that the movements on the western battlefield were unusual.

Zhu Cilang must have dispatched the main force to sweep away the Eight Banners soldiers who were responsible for blocking the enemy in the west.

Duoduo's face changed slightly. He realized that although he had successfully led his troops to break through, the Eight Banners' defense line in the west might be about to collapse.

If the western front was breached, the subsequent pursuing Ming army would likely encircle them from behind, forming a two-pronged attack.

He lowered his head and muttered to himself, with a hint of anger and unwillingness in his voice:

"Zhu Cilang, you're still a step too late. If you could have dispatched your main force earlier to sweep away Natak's blocking troops, I might not have been so decisive in ordering a breakout.

If your plan had been implemented earlier, you might have already caught me by surprise, leaving me trapped in this city, unable to move."

A hint of mockery flashed across Duoduo's eyes, and he continued to mutter to himself:
"In that case, you can send the navy to block the river mouth and completely block my escape route."

Having said that, Duoduo's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a slightly smug smile.

Although this breakout was awkward, it was ultimately successful.

Moreover, he finally won a victory in the contest with Zhu Cilang. Even if it was only an incomplete victory and not even glorious, it was of great significance to him.

He looked up at the sky and sighed softly:

"It's a pity that you are still a step too slow, Zhu Cilang."

There was a hint of deep regret and helplessness in this sigh. He knew that this might be his last duel with Zhu Cilang.

As a prince of the Manchu royal family, Duoduo had countless opportunities to make great achievements on the battlefield. Unfortunately, in the past three or four years, his glorious moments were crushed again and again by Zhu Cilang's iron hoof.

Duoduo was once extremely confident. When the Qing Dynasty was at its peak, he was young, strong and ambitious, and believed that he had the opportunity to lead the Qing Dynasty to greater glory.

However, in just a few years, the situation has changed dramatically.

From a once complacent general to the Qing Dynasty's current defeat, Duoduo's heart is filled with depression and anger.

Every defeat and every retreat left a scar in his heart, and behind these scars was Zhu Cilang.

This time, he finally won.

Although it was only a "small win", for Duoduo, this victory was hard-won and even precious.

Because he knew in his heart that the fate of the Qing Dynasty was already determined, and this breakout might only delay its inevitable demise.

Duoduo's pride and excitement did not last long. He suddenly came to his senses and his face became gloomy again.

He knew very well that even if he managed to escape now, the future would still be difficult.

He did not dare to indulge in the joy of victory for too long. After all, Zhu Cilang's army was still chasing him closely, and Liaodong was no longer a solid fortress of the Qing army.

After retreating to Liaodong, he would definitely not face Zhu Cilang himself, but those unknown generals.

He could imagine that in the days to come, he would continue to flee across this vast land and be repelled again and again by the Ming army's offensive.

Thinking of this, Duoduo couldn't help but clench his fists, and the anger in his heart finally burst out uncontrollably.

He could no longer remain calm, the flood of emotions completely overwhelmed his reason.

"Damn Zhu Cilang! Damn Nikan!"

Duoduo's voice suddenly rose, almost to a roar. He waved his fists, his face ferocious, and his eyes flashed with flames of hatred.

"What a crap navy! The Nikan navy is invincible! A bunch of trash, no match for them!"

He spoke viciously, with no place to vent the anger in his heart, as if he wanted to release all the humiliation that had accumulated over the years.

His voice echoed on the empty river surface. Upon hearing it, the Eight Banners soldiers turned to look at their commander, their eyes full of awe and confusion.

Duoduo stood at the bow of the ship, sweeping his soldiers with sharp eyes, as if at this moment, he had regained his former majesty.

"Go! Keep going!"

Duoduo waved his hand suddenly, ordering the boat to speed up and sail deeper into the river. Although the flames of the Ming army were still spreading behind him, he had no time to look back.

Faced with the current situation, he is aware of an unavoidable fact: the Qing Dynasty has really come to an end!
However, before he could be completely overwhelmed by this excitement, the Qing army fleet encountered an accident while crossing the canal at full speed.

As soon as they left the shore, countless Ming army warships suddenly appeared on the river like ghosts emerging from the darkness.

At that moment, the scene on the river seemed to be unveiled by a huge black curtain, and the vaguely visible warships were approaching at a terrifying speed.

The first to notice the unusual movement were the Qing army ships on the periphery, and the soldiers on the ships exclaimed one after another.

However, when this urgent news reached Dodo, it was already too late.

The entire Qing fleet of more than 2,000 Eight Banners soldiers fell into chaos in an instant, and the restless mood spread on the river like a plague.

Their eyes were filled with panic and helplessness. They were in chaos and had completely lost their sense of direction and control.

On the water, they were completely no match for the Ming army.

What's worse is that most of the ships used by the Qing army were simple and were not equipped with long-range weapons such as cannons.

In sharp contrast, although the Ming army's warships were not large, they were equipped with several cannons on their decks, which made their offensive on the river even more unstoppable.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Accompanied by deafening explosions, dozens of dazzling flames instantly streaked across the night sky across the river.

The Ming fleet's tower ships, like enraged beasts, unleashed a barrage of flames and iron bullets at the Qing fleet. Instantly, a massive shockwave surged across the water, capsizing several Qing vessels. Broken wood and the bodies of soldiers drifted in the surging water, a scene of utter devastation.

Those originally sparse splashes of water now became the prelude to death, and all the Qing troops on the river seemed to be shrouded in the shadow of death.

Dodo stood on the deck, staring at the tragic scene in amazement.

Although the warship he was on was large and sturdy, it would not sink immediately even if it was hit directly by an iron bullet.

However, other smaller vessels were not so lucky.

The small boats that could only carry twenty or thirty soldiers were overturned one after another. The terrified shouts of the soldiers on the boats came one after another, but were soon drowned out by the waves and explosions.

At this moment, Duoduo finally understood everything - Zhu Cilang's careful planning, everything was under control.

He suddenly realized that all the seemingly accidental events before were actually serving this moment:

The siege troops that had been slow to take action, the unpredictable deployment of the main force of the Ming army, the unexpected victory on the eastern battlefield, and the sudden arrival of the Ming navy.

It turned out that all of this was done to trick him out of the city and force him to cross the river in a hurry.

Duoduo's face turned pale, and a nameless fire rose in his chest. He clenched his fists, gnashed his teeth, and said in a suppressed but furious voice:
"Zhu Cilang...Zhu Cilang...Zhu Cilang!!!"

In this brief moment of ecstasy and anger, Duoduo, who has always been known for his calmness and self-control, finally lost control completely.

He realized that the situation he was facing was irreversible.

The sudden appearance of the Ming navy was a disaster for the Qing fleet.

There was almost no room for counterattack. They were within the bombardment range of the Ming army's artillery. The ships sank one after another and the soldiers had no way to resist.

On the surface of the river, flames continued to flicker and explosions sounded one after another.

Every loud noise seemed to announce the end of the Qing army's fate.

Duoduo's rage and despair were gradually swallowed up by the chaotic river.

Zhu Cilang stood on a high ground, his eyes fixed on the battle situation in front of him. In his ears were the thunderous sounds of explosions, intertwined with the shouts of killing coming from all directions. The sound was huge and shocking.

The corners of his mouth gradually lifted up, and he burst into a hearty laugh, which was full of confidence and joy of victory.

"Duoduo, you are still one step behind..."

He had anticipated all this, and the current situation was unfolding step by step just as he had planned.

Duoduo's main force had already left the city, and the Qing army on the eastern battlefield was successfully intercepted, and the Ming army siege force in the south was able to successfully break into Cangzhou City.

At this moment, even if Duoduo realized that he had fallen into a trap and wanted to lead his troops back to provide support, it was already too late.

On the western battlefield, the moment Zhu Cilang ordered the main force to launch a general attack, the failure of the Qing army was doomed.

At this moment, if Duoduo wanted to land by water and get close to the shore, he would be in a dilemma.

With a large army pressing in front and pursuers following behind, any choice he makes will push him into a dead end.

What's more, if the Qing army wanted to break through the blockade of Zhang Mingzhen's navy and land on the north bank of the canal.

Little did they know that there were thousands of elite soldiers waiting there!

If they can get through this level, there will be layers of rivers waiting for them ahead.

Zhu Cilang sneered in his heart: No matter how clever Duoduo's calculations were, he could not have predicted that he had been completely trapped in this trap.

The tens of thousands of troops under his command now have a firm control over the entire battlefield situation, and any subtle movement is under his control.

In addition to the thousands of soldiers sent to nearby prefectures and counties to maintain order, Zhu Cilang now has 20,000 to 30,000 elite troops as support.

Even though the military strength on the eastern battlefield was slightly weak, with less than 10,000 troops deployed, this was exactly the puzzle set by Zhu Cilang, giving Duoduo the illusion that the battle was in a stalemate.

In fact, the siege troops on the southern battlefield have already deployed more than 10,000 people, and there are nearly 10,000 soldiers lying in ambush on the west. In addition to the two combat battalions stationed in the southern camp and the thousands of reinforcements that have just arrived, Zhu Cilang still has tens of thousands of troops behind him to deploy.

It was precisely with such an overwhelming military advantage that Zhu Cilang laid this impenetrable net, waiting for Duoduo to fall into it.

Right now, the Qing army on the western battlefield is at the end of its strength.

They had been fighting with Zhu Cilang's vanguard for a long time, their physical strength was exhausted, and their formation was in chaos.

Soon, the Qing army began to retreat under the fierce attack of the Ming army, and retreated step by step along the river bank. Some Qing soldiers even had no way to escape and had to jump into the river in panic.

However, most of the Qing soldiers wearing heavy armor were not good at swimming, and jumping into the river was just an instinctive reaction to escape from the battlefield.

Before long, these fleeing soldiers sank to the bottom of the river due to the weight of their armor, or floated up due to the impact of the water flow. As the river pushed them forward, the bodies of the Qing soldiers gradually piled up on the shore, which was a horrific sight.

Zhu Cilang calmly observed the battle, his gaze sweeping westward. Fire there was spreading toward the east bank of the canal, its dazzling light illuminating the night sky red.

The shouts and cries in the distance had gradually weakened at this moment, which clearly showed that the Qing army in the west was no longer able to resist under the absolute superiority of the Ming army. They were forced into a dead end by the Palace Army with a five or six times greater number of troops.

Zhu Cilang smiled and looked around, convinced in his heart that victory was certain and there would be no more surprises.

He raised his head and looked at the river in the distance again.

The night was deep, and the boundary between the dark blue river water and the sky seemed to be outlined by a thick black line with clear lines.

Just at the end of the line between water and sky, clusters of orange-red flames flashed from time to time. The artillery fire of the Ming army burst into the dark night, resounding through the sky and deafening.

Every time the fire lit up, it was accompanied by the wailing and despair of the Qing army. All of this made Zhu Cilang's heart surge.

The battle situation is firmly in his hands.

At this moment on the river, the defeat of the Qing army was like a drama slowly unfolding before his eyes, and he was the director of this drama.

"Enter the city!"

Zhu Cilang finally withdrew his gaze. His mind was clear of any doubts, and the outcome of the battle was now completely clear. He turned to the guards around him and gave orders in a steady and powerful voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Lin Changfu immediately clasped his fists and bowed, responding respectfully. He then turned around and waved his hand, and the guards around him quickly waved the imperial flag.

The flags fluttered in the wind, as if heralding the coming victory.

As the flags were waved, Zhu Cilang's personal guards all mounted their horses, and the neatly-organized team moved forward as fast as the wind.

Soon, a cavalry team of more than a thousand people galloped swiftly from the west of Cangzhou City, bypassing the military camp in the south and the ruins beside the moat. The iron hooves of the war horses made a low roar on the muddy ground.

Under the orange-red flames, this cavalry was like a surging torrent, unstoppable.

Zhu Cilang took a deep breath, rode his horse in front, and led his army slowly into the city.

(End of this chapter)