Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 310 Rescue
As Zhao Kui hurried on his way, he carefully recalled the route in his memory.

At the end of the street, a two-story building was engulfed in flames, and thick smoke billowed into the night sky. Farther away, from the northern city wall, the sound of artillery was deafening, mixed with the crisp sound of muskets.

As the battle raged around him, Zhao Kui's anxiety grew. He knew time was running out; any delay would mean his chance to save his master would vanish in an instant.

They ran quickly, and after more than two hundred steps, Zhao Kui finally saw the fork in the road in his memory. He waved his hand and led the team into the dark alley without hesitation.

They moved cautiously all the way until they quietly came out of the alley. Zhao Kui immediately caught sight of several Qing soldiers in front of him.

These enemy soldiers were scattered in the streets in groups of three or four, looking tired, and obviously unaware of the lurking Ming army.

After observing for a while, Zhao Kui had a solution.

He quickly retracted his head, gestured to the servants behind him, and said in a low voice:
"We'll split into two teams. The musketeers will fire directly at the Tartars in the middle of the street to attract their attention. The rest of you will follow me and sneak along the wall. Once the musketeers finish shooting, we'll attack together."

His tone was low but firm, which immediately convinced the servants around him and they nodded in agreement.

Although the surrounding Ming army soldiers were not familiar with this street, they were obviously convinced by Zhao Kui and followed his arrangements without any objection.

As the battle at the East Gate continued, gunshots rang out in the city.

The Ming army vaguely heard the footsteps of the Qing army gathering quickly towards the East Gate in the distance, indicating that the Qing army had realized that the East Gate was in danger and was rushing to reinforce.

Zhao Kui knew that this moment was crucial and there could not be a moment's delay.

He waved his hand again and quickly divided the more than 30 people into two teams.

A team of lightly armed and stealthy soldiers quietly followed Zhao Kui out of the alley, crouched down and walked slowly along the wall, gradually approaching the enemy's position.

The remaining eleven musketeers rushed directly to the center of the street south of the intersection, quickly lined up in a row, and raised their muskets in unison.

Following Zhao Kui's low command.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Thirteen gunshots broke out almost at the same time. Lead bullets flew out like raindrops, accurately knocking down several Qing soldiers on the street. Blood splattered everywhere and the enemy army was immediately in chaos.

"kill!"

Zhao Kui shouted, brandishing a heavy battle axe, and was the first to jump out from behind the wall and rush towards the enemy. The heavy axe shone sharply in the firelight, and his momentum was like a tiger descending from the mountain.

Before the Qing soldiers could react, they were knocked down one by one by Zhao Kui's axe. Their armor was torn like thin paper under his power, blood splattered, and screams were heard everywhere.

There was a fierce fighting spirit in Zhao Kui's eyes. He killed three people without mercy and in the blink of an eye he had broken into the Qing army.

Zhao Kui's surprise attack broke the balance at the crossroads.

Among the Qing troops who originally put up a stubborn resistance here, half were Han Eight Banners soldiers who were proficient in musket combat. Relying on their skilled shooting skills and dense firepower advantage, they were able to hold a stalemate with the numerically superior Ming army commandos.

However, Zhao Kui's sudden charge was like a sharp blade piercing into the Qing army's position, causing the Qing army squad stationed at the crossroads to lose their position in an instant.

Seeing this opportunity, the morale of the other Ming army soldiers was greatly boosted, and they followed closely and charged forward.

The Qing troops on both sides of the street fell into chaos in an instant, and Zhao Kui's subordinates quickly rushed into the enemy positions. The sounds of killing and shouting were intertwined, and the battlefield was filled with the flash of swords and the sound of fighting was deafening.

The Qing army, which was once high and mighty, found themselves trapped in a jar. In panic, they had no way to resist and could only barely raise their shields to resist.

But Zhao Kui's heavy axe took away a life almost every time it fell. The enemy soldiers were frightened and gradually lost their fighting spirit.

Gu Defu saw the results of Zhao Kui's charge from a distance and immediately seized the opportunity and shouted:
"Follow me!"

He led his soldiers forward and launched a fierce attack head-on.

The two sides were already in a stalemate, and the Qing army was thrown into chaos by Zhao Kui's flank attack and was unable to organize an effective defense.

The Ming army on the front advanced quickly and defeated the Qing army one by one. Several baoyi archers tried to resist.

But seeing that the situation was not good, they lost all their fighting spirit, threw away their bows and arrows, and fled to the west.

Zhao Kui swung his axe in pursuit, and the soldiers were like tigers out of a cage, constantly forcing the Qing army into corners.

The Ming army soldiers' combat qualities and cooperation abilities were fully revealed at this moment. They pressed forward step by step, not giving the enemy any chance to breathe.

Gu Defu was directing from the side, constantly adjusting the formation to ensure that the encirclement was gradually tightened.

The Qing army's formation had long been out of control, and now it was completely unable to regroup into a defensive line after being attacked by these baoyi soldiers.

Dozens of Qing soldiers in the front row on the east side were killed instantly by the Ming army, and the two armies then engaged in a fierce close combat.

Amidst the flashing of swords and the shadow of sabers, blood splattered and wailing continued.

Although the soldiers behind the Qing army's position were almost collapsed, they were unwilling to retreat.

They dropped their muskets and bows and arrows, picked up swords and guns from their waists or from the ground, and rushed towards the Ming army led by Gu Defu and Zhao Kui with a fierce determination to fight to the death.

Being attacked from both sides, the Qing army, which had originally been in disarray, completely collapsed. Some of the baoyi soldiers took advantage of the chaos to flee, breaking up the original defense line and dragging down the Eight Banners soldiers around them in the chaos.

Although the Eight Banners soldiers fought desperately and resisted tenaciously, they were ultimately unable to withstand the fierce offensive of the Ming army.

Under the leadership of Gu Defu and Zhao Kui, the Ming army finally defeated the Qing army stationed here at the cost of more than 30 casualties. Only a dozen remnants escaped in the chaos.

Gu Defu looked at the fallen Qing soldiers and felt a little heavy in his heart. The soldiers had suffered heavy casualties, but he could no longer care about them.

Time passed by, and Deng Zhang's life or death was still uncertain, so they were urgently needed to rush to his support.

He left ten soldiers to take care of the wounded soldiers, and continued to move forward with the main force. Zhao Kui followed closely behind, disappearing into the dark streets ahead.

At the same time, Zhang Huangyan, surrounded by his personal guards, climbed up the east gate tower. The moonlight from high above shone down, making the outline of the entire Fuzhou city clearly visible.

Fires had broken out in many places in the city, the flames flickering in the night, as if the abyss of hell was swallowing up the city.

Everywhere you look, there is smoke and flames, interweaving into a tragic scene of war.

In the middle section of East Street, more than 400 steps west of the East Gate, street fighting was in full swing. The Qing army's resistance was still stubborn. They held their ground in the narrow passages of the streets and alleys, fighting desperately against the Ming army.

Zhang Huangyan's eyes were sharp, and he caught sight of the torches moving in the direction of the South Gate and the West Gate under the cover of night. He knew that these were reinforcements dispatched by Oboi, who intended to assist in the defense of Fuzhou City from both sides.

However, even though the Qing army gradually retreated, the battle was still extremely brutal. The soldiers of the Han Eight Banners were particularly tenacious, and their combat effectiveness was not inferior to that of the Manchu soldiers.

As the commander-in-chief, Aobai's command response was quick and his formation deployment was ingenious, making him almost impeccable. If Zhao Kui had not provided a detailed map of Fuzhou City in advance, the Ming army's progress would have been much more difficult and slow.

However, this time the Ming army deployed nearly 20,000 siege troops at the east gate, and the offensive was like wave after wave of raging waves.

After enduring a fierce attack, the Qing army had to retreat again and again. Its attempts to regroup and counterattack were repeatedly defeated by the Ming army, and it was even unable to maintain its pace.

The defense line of the East Gate gradually collapsed under the pressure of the Ming army, and the situation gradually tilted towards the Ming army.

Near the western gate of Fuzhou City, a raging fire was burning, and the flames illuminated half the sky red, like a red hell. The burning buildings and broken walls looked particularly hideous under the flames.

The roar of artillery and the loud noise of the shaking city walls continued to be heard from the north and south sides. The orange-red flames of the explosions illuminated the city walls, sometimes bright and sometimes dark, as if telling the story of the cruelty of the battle.

Zhang Huangyan stood on the city wall, listening to the sound of artillery fire from inside and outside the city, and staring at the battle situation.

The Ming army at the South Gate did not launch an effective attack, and the Qing army continued to stubbornly resist on the city wall, with each attack being quickly counterattacked.

The battle situation in the north was similar to that at the south gate. The Qing army defended the key areas tightly, which made it difficult for the Ming army to make any breakthrough.

Below the city wall, Lin Changfeng was riding a horse to supervise the battle, with a stern expression and calm command.

The scouts around him ran back and forth, constantly reporting the military intelligence they had discovered, and the orders were quickly conveyed to the various Ming army offensive fronts in the city.

Lin Changfeng's command and dispatch were smooth and stable, reflecting his control and composure over the overall situation.

Under the firelight, the outline of Fuzhou City gradually appeared dilapidated, and fierce street fighting was still going on. Zhang Huangyan's eyes were as sharp as torches, observing the situation on the entire battlefield.

Although the Qing army's resistance was strong and Oboi's reinforcements were gathering, Zhang Huangyan knew that their desperate fight would be in vain.

With the Ming army's relentless offensive, the fall of Fuzhou was only a matter of time.

Zhang Huangyan calmly scanned the battlefield, then gave an order to the deputy general beside him:

"Immediately send a message to the troops at the South and North Gates to launch an all-out assault. If their flags aren't hoisted atop the North and South towers within an hour, this General will show no mercy!"

"Yes, General!" The deputy general bowed and accepted the order, then turned around and whispered a few instructions to the messenger behind him, and the order was quickly conveyed.

At this time, the main force of the Qing army in Fuzhou was almost all concentrated in the area of ​​the East Gate to deal with the fierce attack of the Ming army.

The troops at the South Gate and the North Gate had been drawn down to a very thin extent, and could only barely maintain the defense, and they also had to divert manpower to resist the Ming army attacking along the city wall.

As long as the Ming army sacrificed a few more people, it would be very likely that they would break through the north and south gates.

Under this situation, the outcome of the battle is not the key issue. The key lies in whether someone dares to charge decisively and execute orders.

Zhang Huangyan sneered in his heart. He wanted to take this opportunity to see how well the two armies allocated to him by His Majesty could execute orders in an emergency.

This will be an important basis for determining their status when rewards are given after the war.

The deputy general pondered for a moment and asked solemnly:
"General, should we send people to seal the South and North Gates now? The Qing army seems to be collapsing. If we don't seal them properly, there might be some fish that slip through the net."

Zhang Huangyan shook his head slightly, his eyes as calm as torches, and said decisively:
"No need. There are still thousands of Eight Banner soldiers in the city. If they break out, there will be at least hundreds of men and horses. It's too late to send people to block them now. Besides, if they really want to escape, can we stop them?

Their soldiers are soldiers, and our soldiers are soldiers too. There is no need to risk the lives of our own people to stop them."

After hearing this, the deputy general nodded silently, understanding Zhang Huangyan's intention.

At this moment, he knew that the general had already made a detailed plan, so he said no more and turned his gaze to Lin Changfeng who was busy directing the battle not far away.

Lin Changfeng has repeatedly performed outstandingly and made many achievements since the Battle of Huaihe River. Now he is even more valued and entrusted with important tasks by Zhu Cilang to command the most elite new army.

Lin Changfeng commanded with confidence and courage.

Many generals in the army envied his achievements and abilities, but Zhang Huangyan was not jealous at all. Instead, he admired Lin Changfeng's talents even more and had already planned to keep him under his command.

Zhang Huangyan knew clearly that he had followed Zhu Cilang for many years and had made numerous military achievements. In addition, he was calm, good at strategy, and able to handle things in a flexible manner, and had long won the trust of generals at all levels.

Lin Changfeng was also quite impressed by Zhang Huangyan's talent and character, and obeyed his command.

However, Zhang Huangyan had some concerns about this idea. After all, the final power to decide whether Lin Changfeng stayed or left was still in Zhu Cilang's hands.

Zhang Huangyan withdrew his gaze and continued to pay attention to the battle situation.

At this moment, Lin Changfeng was planning and directing his men to divide their forces to block the Qing army that was trying to reinforce from the north and south gates.

The north and south gates were the last retreat routes for the Qing army. In order to ensure that the retreat routes were unobstructed, the Qing army had to dispatch reinforcements many times.

However, Lin Changfeng saw through the enemy's intentions and divided his troops into several routes to continuously intercept the Qing army's reinforcements, making it impossible for the Qing army's reinforcements to approach the east gate.

Lin Changfeng not only set up blockades, but also sent troops to carry out multiple roundabout attacks to disperse the enemy's defensive forces.

In Fuzhou City, there was war everywhere. The Ming army attacked like a gust of wind, dealing a heavy blow to the Qing army's defense line.

The Qing army suffered many defeats, the defensive line gradually collapsed, and order in the city fell into chaos.

In the light of the fire, the soldiers could not see each other's directions and had difficulty distinguishing friend from foe. Many Qing soldiers died in the chaotic conflict.

The Qing troops at the north and south gates were facing multiple attacks, suffering continuous casualties and gradually becoming unable to resist.

Lin Changfeng calmly observed the situation on the battlefield, sometimes ordering artillery to aim at the enemy's gathering points and bombard them, and sometimes sending out musketeers to carry out precise shooting to disrupt the enemy's formation.

The Qing army was unable to hold on and many of them had even retreated, but some stubborn elements still defended the city gates and refused to retreat until their death.

At this time, Zhang Huangyan turned his head to look at Lin Changfeng again, and a feeling of relief emerged in his heart.

Lin Changfeng's ability to command on the battlefield and his calm judgment of the overall situation made Zhang Huangyan more determined to keep him. If he could recruit such a talent, he would be able to achieve great things after the Battle of Fuzhou.

However, Zhang Huangyan also knew in his heart that since Zhu Cilang assigned Lin Changfeng to him, he might not transfer him away easily.

Furthermore, Zhu Cilang was strict in military discipline and would not be easily shaken, so the arrangement of generals was by no means a rash act.

Zhang Huangyan thought for a moment, but there was no hesitation between his brows, as if everything was already in mind.

In the Battle of Fuzhou, breaking through the north and south gates is an inevitable trend. The defeat of the Qing army is imminent, and it is time for me to start preparing for the post-war arrangements.

(End of this chapter)