Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 306 Anyway
Deng Zhang waved his hand, and the servants immediately stopped what they were doing. He looked around, solemnly clasped his hands towards the east, and said in a deep voice:
"Brothers, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has promised that as long as we fully assist in conquering Fuzhou, we will all be heroes and will surely enjoy wealth and glory!

Zhao Kui has already led his men to open the east gate to welcome the royal army. As long as we hold out here for an hour or two, all the Tartars outside will surely be dead!"

In order to boost morale, Deng Zhang inevitably exaggerated some situations and made some unrealistic promises.

But if you don't do this, there will always be some people among your subordinates who will waver in morale out of fear.

After all, the current situation was extremely serious. It was almost impossible for more than 60 people to break through when the Qing army had already made preparations.

Deng Zhang knew clearly that Maca's sudden attack had put him in a desperate situation, and his original breakout plan was instantly shattered.

However, the situation has now reached this point, and he has no choice. The only thing he can do is to unite these servants tightly, resist the attack of the Qing army, and wait for Zhang Huangyan's army to enter the city.

Encouraged by Deng Zhang, the morale of the servants under him instantly rose. They responded to his call and retreated to the main room of Deng's mansion together. Fighting spirit flashed in everyone's eyes.

These servants were all elite warriors who had been through many battles. The musketeers and archers quickly climbed to the second floor, placed their guns and arrows on the railings, and were ready to fight at any time.

The sword and shield and spear soldiers relied on the buildings to build a defense line, trying to reduce the Qing army's military advantage.

Everyone was silently planning the next battle in their hearts. They knew that the enemy might attack at any time.

"Bang!" Just when Deng Zhang's servants had not yet fully deployed, the sound of banging on the door was heard in the distance.

Outside Deng's house, Niulu Ezhen, the Manchu who was in charge of arresting Deng Zhang, waved his hand, and the burly Bayala slammed into the door of Deng's house, and it opened.

Immediately, five Bayara soldiers led hundreds of Qing soldiers to swarm in, and the scene instantly became extremely tense.

The Qing army poured into the Deng Mansion like a tide and rushed into the three-courtyard house. There were no obstacles to hide here. The Bayala soldiers who were in the front undoubtedly became sitting ducks for the servants on the second floor.

"Shoot!" Deng Zhang shouted, ordering his servants to attack.

As a burst of gunfire and bowstring sounds rang out simultaneously, a flash of fire appeared in the darkness, and more than a dozen lead bullets were shot out at a rapid speed, hitting the Qing army's target directly.

Those well-equipped musketeers and archers are responding to the enemy's invasion with accurate shooting.

The Qing army suffered heavy losses in an instant. Several soldiers in the front fell down, and their blood dyed the ground red. They let out screams of pain and were then drowned out by the soldiers at the rear of the team.

Deng Zhang looked at this scene, feeling shocked but also a bit hopeful. His servants really lived up to his trust and displayed impressive fighting ability.

However, the number of enemies far exceeded their expectations, and the Qing army's attack did not stop because of a few corpses.

As subsequent soldiers poured in, the momentum of the attack grew stronger.

Deng Zhang's heart tightened, realizing that time waits for no one. He must react quickly and adjust his tactics to cope with the increasingly severe situation.

"Brothers, maintain your formation and don't panic! We have to block their attack and buy time!" Deng Zhang raised his voice and tried to calm himself down.

He knew that only by stabilizing everyone's emotions could he win this life-and-death battle.

While directing the musketeers and archers to fire more intensively, he also arranged the sword, shield and spearmen to more advantageous positions, striving to build a solid line of defense in the shortest time possible.

The Qing army swarmed in, and although their morale was hit for a time, they still formed a powerful offensive due to their huge numerical advantage.

Deng Zhang felt powerless. He knew that this battle would be very difficult and he might even face the danger of annihilation.

But he could never let this fear show on his face. After all, he was the leader of these servants and had to fight for their lives and dignity.

"Brothers, hold on, victory is at hand! We must never let the Tartars carry out their atrocities!" His voice echoed in the night sky, like a horn soaring into the sky, inspiring everyone's fighting spirit.

Although the road ahead is dangerous, at this moment, the flame of resistance is ignited in their hearts, and they vow to fight for their dignity regardless of life or death.

The Qing army was huge in number and came like a tide.

Deng Zhang knew clearly that this small-scale killing could not stop the magnificent offensive, and the brutality of hand-to-hand combat was inevitable.

As several Eight Banners soldiers rushed towards him, with their spears flashing coldly, they suddenly thrust forward. Deng Zhang did not retreat. Under the protection of his servants, he quietly waited for his opportunity.

When the Qing army entered what he thought was the best attack range, his figure suddenly flashed and his spear stabbed out like a rainbow.

The tip of the spear mercilessly pierced through the opponent's cotton armor and penetrated deep into the abdomen of a man in Baoyi. The man immediately let out a heart-wrenching wail, the spear in his hand fell powerlessly, and he knelt on the ground in pain.

Deng Zhang disdained this and took advantage of the momentum to use his spear to push the body of the baoyi, suddenly pushing him backwards and crashing him into the Qing army attacking from behind.

The Qing army was caught off guard and several of them were knocked over, causing chaos.

This move was indeed effective, and the Qing army's formation was torn apart in an instant.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the other servants under Deng Zhang rushed out like tigers descending from the mountain, carrying knives, axes and spears.

Amidst the flashing of swords and sabers, the sound of spears piercing chests rang out, and muskets and bows and arrows were continuously released. In an instant, the courtyard of the Deng Mansion turned into a battlefield with a river of blood, and screams resounded all around.

However, despite Deng Zhang's bravery, the Qing army's superior numbers were still their greatest reliance. Faced with the strong counterattack from Deng Zhang's servants, the Qing army began to gradually change its tactics.

Their frontal attack was initially ineffective, so some soldiers began to climb up with ladders and surround Deng Zhang on all sides, intending to launch a surprise attack from the house he was defending.

The musketeers and archers who once had the advantage on the second floor were now forced into this brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Deng Zhang shouted loudly, holding the red blade tightly in his hand, and fought hard.

He had participated in armed fights since he was young and had received military training. He had great martial arts skills and was agile. He could rush to the front of the Qing army in a few steps, swing his sword and slash, often achieving success with one strike.

But even so, he could feel that the Qing army's offensive was coming like a tide, and the numerical advantage made him feel powerless to resist.

The number of servants under Deng Zhang's command was constantly decreasing, and the originally stable battle line gradually shrank back into the house.

At the same time, as night fell, in the wilderness outside the east, south and north gates of Fuzhou City, noises and horse neighings rose and fell, and tens of thousands of Ming soldiers advanced like a torrent.

Dense torches lit up the night, like a golden river flowing across the battlefield.

Determination and anger were written on the faces of every Ming soldier as they desperately pushed their ladders and battering rams, charging towards Deng Zhang. Despite the chaos surrounding him, Deng Zhang's heart grew stronger. He was no longer the coward who had bowed his head and resigned himself to his fate, but a man who fought for his dignity.

Every time he swung his sword, it was not only to kill the enemy, but also to awaken the fighting spirit of every servant around him.

As the battle intensified, an invisible force ignited in Deng Zhang's heart. He encouraged the servants around him and shouted:

"Brothers, we must not retreat! For the sake of our lost dignity, kill the Tartars!"

His voice was like a war drum, stirring everyone's heart. The servants responded one after another, with determination flashing in their eyes. Under his encouragement, they became more courageous.

However, the pressure from the Qing army continued to surge like a tide. Facing the endless enemies, Deng Zhang was secretly worried, but he would never allow himself to show any sign of retreat.

He continued to fight against the enemies with his spear, sword and axe. Although his strength was gradually exhausted, the indomitable fighting spirit still burned in his heart.

At this moment, Deng Zhang heard a loud noise, which seemed to be the sound of a ladder falling to the ground. The morale of the Ming army was instantly ignited.

They began to push forward, hoping to join up with Deng Zhang and form a siege.

Deng Zhang's eyes lit up, and the despair in his heart was replaced by hope. He knew that this was a chance for him and his servants to fight back!
"Brothers, follow me! Don't give the Tartars a chance to breathe!"

Deng Zhang shouted, faced the enemy, waved his spear, and rushed towards the Qing army's formation with all his strength.

He knew that this was the moment for him and his servants to show courage and dignity, and they must not let hope for the future be extinguished.

Zhang Huangyan's army was divided into four main directions, with the main force commanded by Lin Changfeng, responsible for attacking the east gate of Fuzhou City.

The other three divisions attacked the west gate, south gate and north gate respectively. Li Xiaolin also sent his subordinates with a thousand soldiers to support the north gate.

The outcome of this battle not only concerns the life and death of the soldiers, but also the future of the entire Liaodong.

The west, south and north sides of Fuzhou City are all plains. Zhang Huangyan's troops could not take into account the siege of the city gates at the same time while advancing, and there was no internal support at the three gates, so he could only adopt a feint attack strategy.

The purpose was to tie down the Qing army's forces in the city, thereby ensuring that Lin Changfeng's main force could break through the east gate first and open up the situation for subsequent offensives.

When fighting on external fronts, transporting food and fodder has always been a problem. Zhu Cilang faced the challenge of not only winning the war, but also balancing the situation within the Great Wall and avoiding the waste of resources caused by surprise attacks.

In this case, caution must be exercised.

Originally, this raid should have been successful as the Qing army was completely unprepared.

Although Zhao Kui's thirty servants alone could not completely control the city wall of the East Gate, it was enough for Zhao Zhengdong to lead his troops to climb the city wall.

By then, the two armies would meet, and Deng Zhang could take advantage of the chaos to set fire to the city, attack left and right, command the Green Camp soldiers to revolt, disrupt the Qing army's defense line, and prevent them from effectively supporting the city walls. The entire plan would then be successful.

However, although the plan is good, its implementation is full of variables.

Here, although everything went smoothly for Zhao Kui, the dozen or so servants sent by Deng Zhang to the Green Camp barracks were intercepted and killed by the Eight Banners soldiers on the way, and almost all of them were wiped out.

The more than one thousand Green Camp soldiers were also trapped in the camp. They were leaderless and at a loss, and the situation became increasingly serious.

At the same time, Deng Zhang himself was trapped in Niu Mansion, struggling to resist the enemy's attack. The situation was very critical.

The troops that Maca originally sent to the four city gates to intercept and kill the Green Camp soldiers unexpectedly strengthened the city defense of Fuzhou City, offsetting the surprise attack advantage of the Ming army's siege troops.

Zhao Zhengdong's troops quickly crossed the suspension bridge. It was already dark outside the city gate. Arrows flew from both sides of the city wall from time to time and hit the armor of the Ming army. Although no serious casualties were caused, the soldiers became more and more nervous.

Under the cover of Zhao Kui, Zhao Zhengdong held the knife in his mouth and bravely took the lead in climbing up the ladder to the tower of the East Gate Moon Tower.

Immediately afterwards, three Ming army soldiers also jumped onto the city wall.

At this time, the situation at the East Gate had reversed.

On both sides of the city wall, support from the Eight Banners soldiers and the Baoyi soldiers came like a tide. Zhao Kui and the remaining dozen or so servants were forced to the outside of the city wall, and the space was constantly compressed.

Everyone was injured to varying degrees, and there were even a few arrows stuck in their armor. The cruelty of the battle made them feel despair.

But as Zhao Zhengdong's troops climbed onto the city wall, the situation reversed again.

He charged into battle with swiftness, instantly boosting the morale of those around him. Zhao Zhengdong's arrival was like a shot in the arm, giving every soldier present a glimmer of hope.

At this time, they were not only fighting for survival, but also fighting to restore the dignity of the Ming Dynasty.

With Zhao Zhengdong's command, the pace of the battle began to accelerate.

Zhao Kui took the opportunity to lead his men to concentrate their firepower and launch a counterattack against the Qing army. The powerful attack dealt a blow to the morale of the Qing army for a time.

The two sides engaged in a brutal close combat on the narrow city wall, with swords and guns clashing and clanging, and the air was filled with tension and blood.

"Brothers, don't retreat! We must defend this city gate!" Zhao Zhengdong roared loudly, his voice penetrating the noise of the battle and striking the hearts of every soldier.

Under his encouragement, Zhao Kui and his servants also cheered up, gritted their teeth, and fought back fiercely against the enemy.

At this time, although the pain in their bodies continued to worsen, they had no time to care about it. They had only one belief in their hearts: never retreat!
Seeing this, the enemy troops retreated one after another, and the morale of the Qing army was shaken at this moment.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhao Zhengdong decisively commanded a counterattack. The Ming army soldiers increased their offensive strength and repelled the besieging enemies. The situation finally gradually tilted in their favor.

However, the battle was far from over, the main force of the Qing army had not yet arrived, and the situation remained precarious.

Zhao Kui and Zhao Zhengdong understood that they must seize this rare opportunity, expand the results of the battle as soon as possible, and strive to completely occupy the east gate before the reinforcements arrived.

The battle on the city wall intensified, the fighting spirit of the Ming army soldiers was as high as fire, and the sounds of swordsmanship and killing were heard one after another.

Zhao Kui and Zhao Zhengdong constantly commanded and dispatched troops during the battle, leading the soldiers to fight bravely.

(End of this chapter)