Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 313 Continue to attack
After Fuzhou City was captured by Zhang Huangyan, the Ming army finally gained a solid foothold in the Liaodong region.

As an important fortress in the southeastern Liaoning region, the fall of this strategic fortress into the hands of the Ming army was of great significance.

It not only greatly enhanced the Ming army's control over Liaodong, but also provided an excellent position for attack and defense for subsequent operations.

With the capture of Fuzhou, with the help of the navy, the Ming army's land supply line in Liaodong was consolidated.

The logistics transportation was no longer suppressed by the Qing army, and further attack on Gaizhou had a better chance of success.

In other words, even if the Ming army could not capture Gaizhou in one fell swoop, it could still rely on the solid foundation of Fuzhou and make a comeback the following year, advancing step by step.

Once Fuzhou City was stabilized, the Ming army in Shandong immediately crossed the sea to provide support upon hearing the news.

Zhang Huangyan quickly mobilized his main forces and took advantage of the situation to march north, preparing to join forces with Zhu Cilang's Gaizhou army to expand the Ming army's momentum in Liaodong.

At the same time, near Gaizhou Prefecture at the southern end of the Liaoxi Corridor, several Qing soldiers were crawling among the bushes, lurking silently under a hidden mound in the wilderness.

The shaved heads were faintly visible, and behind them was a group of Manchu Bayara soldiers who were as strong as bears.

Frontline soldier Wan Ming was in this team, staring sharply at the Ming army outpost ahead.

The night was dark. Wan Ming followed several Bayala warriors and lay in the darkness less than fifty steps away from the sentry post.

Whenever he saw the opponent's bald head flashing in the dim light, his hand would involuntarily press on the hilt of the knife, and the desire to fight would surge.

He has been fighting on the battlefield for many years. With his fierce skills and desperate charges, he was promoted to the rank of captain. He is also a rare tough guy in the Ming army.

As many as seven Qing soldiers had died at his hands, and in this Qing assault team, even the bravest Bayara soldier might not be his match.

However, the internal reorganization of the Ming army also caused veterans like Wan Ming to gradually lose their footing.

Zhu Cilang launched a massive anti-corruption storm. Not long ago, he carried out a "severe crackdown" rectification campaign for several months, using thundering force to eliminate corruption in the military.

The corruption among military bureaucrats at all levels was greatly curbed. Officials from all over the country restrained themselves and did not dare to act rashly, for fear that this wave of rectification would affect them.

However, due to the radical nature of the actions and insufficient preparation, a small number of unexpected situations occurred in the anti-corruption campaign.

Many officials and generals, fearing that the punishment would be too harsh, secretly encouraged their servants and close associates to escape; some even defected to the Qing army to avoid being implicated, posing a considerable threat to the Ming army.

These officials, who were deeply entrenched in their positions, were unwilling to surrender while fleeing, and formed interest groups of varying sizes, which further affected the morale of the army. The shock caused by the anti-corruption campaign within the Ming army was difficult to quell for a while.

Although Zhu Cilang and his confidants had deployed defenses as quickly as possible to block all the important roads leading to the outside of the Great Wall from Shandong and Northern Zhili.

However, under the lure of money and power, there are still a few fish that slip through the net and escape, secretly observing the current situation and intending to make a comeback.

Wan Ming is one of them. This soldier is a scoundrel who has been mixed up in the army. He is cruel and domineering and does not abide by military discipline. Instead, he regards his time stationed in Dengzhou as an opportunity to dominate the area.

During the short six months he was stationed in Dengzhou, he had forced three wives and concubines to marry. One family of villagers was unwilling to give their daughter as a concubine, so he killed the entire family on the charge of "collaborating with the Manchus and selling out the country."

As a result, Wan Ming became more and more unscrupulous. Not only did he allow his soldiers to plunder, he also extorted the people everywhere, targeting residents with a little wealth.

After killing people several times to silence them, he announced to the outside world that these people were spies planted by the Qing army, and used this name to claim credit and ask for rewards.

He even colluded with some military judges, and made his position in the army more stable by reporting merits, seeking rewards, and colluding with powerful people.

However, all this was finally exposed during Zhu Cilang's crackdown.

The once lawless Wan Ming failed to escape punishment. He was quickly arrested and used as a negative example, and was eventually executed by military law.

Wan Ming was in danger, but he resolutely took all the blame on himself. Finally, half a month ago, with the help of several loyal confidants, he was able to escape from Dengzhou prison.

His narrow escape from death was heartbreaking, but the price he paid was also tragic:

His family had long been exiled and their property had been confiscated, leaving him penniless overnight.

He had nowhere to go. Zhu Cilang's "household registration" policy and peasant-soldier training made it difficult for him to hide, and the surrounding villagers could expose him at any time, leaving him almost desperate.

In the end, in order to survive, Wan Ming had to surrender to the Qing court.

At this time, except for those brothers who shared hardships with him, everyone thought he was dead.

Riots broke out one after another within the Ming army, and even news of officers defecting to the Qing army reached the Qing court.

Dorgon became more alert and personally met with Wan Ming and several grassroots Ming army generals who had escaped from various places.

However, he was not in a hurry to disclose the matter to the outside world, but chose to strictly block the news and act cautiously.

This secretive strategy gave Dorgon and his advisers ample time to understand the truth of the situation.

As Ming court officials, military officers and local gentry successively defected and surrendered in Shandong, Northern Zhili and other places, the number of people gradually increased to dozens, and the situation became turbulent for a time.

Dorgon and Fan Wencheng were able to sort out the cause and effect relationship behind the incident and gradually grasped the deployment of Zhu Cilang's troops in Shandong and northern Zhili.

The exposure of the defense details in these places put the Ming army at an information disadvantage when the two armies confronted each other, making Zhu Cilang's strategic deployment shaky.

Ming army generals such as Zhang Huangyan and Chang Denggui quickly adjusted the defense deployment in Shanhaiguan and Jiaodong areas, trying to make up for the gaps caused by the leakage of enemy information.

However, since the Qing army already had control over most of the troop deployment and equipment, the Ming army was still inevitably at a disadvantage.

What is even more troublesome is that these rebellious civil servants and military officers were originally the backbone of their respective groups, and their network of relationships spread throughout the military and local areas.

Once the news of their escape spread, many of their former subordinates and local gentry became dissatisfied and were secretly won over by the Qing court.

If the two were secretly colluding, it would be enough to trigger a larger rebellion and even threaten the overall stability of the Ming army.

Wan Ming not only escaped successfully, but also secretly contacted his old subordinates under the cover of the Liaodong garrison, and successfully found out Chen Fu's defense situation near Shimen Pass.

This important information finally made Dorgon decide to lead the army to launch a night attack. He drew up a detailed plan to attack Shimen Pass. The plan was to cooperate internally and externally to deal a heavy blow to the Ming army, and even hoped to cut off Zhu Cilang's retreat.

Now, Dorgon has been stationed in Gaizhou with his troops for a whole month. He originally wanted to test Zhu Cilang's defensive forces around Gaizhou. The intelligence provided by the insider this time happened to be a stepping stone for him to spy on the deployment of the Ming army.

The situation was now in turmoil, and Dorgon had such a golden opportunity that he could not easily give it up. He knew that once Shimen Pass fell, the Qing army would have complete control of the initiative, and Zhu Cilang would be forced to concentrate heavy troops on the plains west of Gaizhou to prevent his defense line from being cut off.

In this way, the Ming army's future offensive in the Gaizhou area will be greatly weakened, and the Qing court will be able to take advantage of the situation to advance, and may even reverse the situation in one fell swoop.

After the Battle of Fuzhou, Zhang Huangyan successfully recovered the lost territory, forcing the Qing army to strategically switch to a defensive position and completely lose the initiative.

It was this reversal of the situation that made Dorgon anxious since he left Shenyang. He wanted to reverse the disadvantage and regain control of the situation.

At this moment, the leader of the Bayara soldiers of the Qing army waved his hand, and Wan Ming, who was hiding in the dark, understood.

He took two former Ming army generals who had defected from Dengzhou with him and quietly moved towards the location of the Ming army's secret outpost.

The three men were dressed in Ming army uniforms and had long hair, just to lurk and wait for an opportunity. They had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

Dorgon once secretly ordered them to lurk in the Ming army until today.

Wan Ming and the two rebel generals looked at each other for a moment, and the three of them nodded in tacit understanding, then crouched down and walked around to the back of the bunker.

Wan Ming swiftly approached the Ming soldiers on guard at the rear and slowly approached from the side.

In an instant, he thrust out his right hand and grabbed the man's neck, locking it tightly like an iron clamp, leaving him no chance to breathe.

The Ming army soldier on guard was caught off guard and only had time to open his eyes wide, his eyes filled with fear, and his face gradually turned blue.

After a few breaths, his limbs began to struggle weakly, the struggle gradually stopped, and finally he collapsed silently.

At the same time, Wan Ming's two companions quickly stuck to both sides of the back door of the bunker, concentrating and holding their breath, ready to act at any time.

As soon as they gave the signal, more than ten Bayala soldiers of the Qing army quickly approached the rear of the bunker. Each of them was wearing iron armor, holding a light and sharp Shundao, and was ready to go.

The leading Bayala leader waved his hand without hesitation, and Wan Ming decisively broke open the back door of the bunker and rushed in with a murderous aura.

More than ten Qing soldiers followed closely behind and rushed into the bunker in an instant. The Ming soldiers in the bunker were completely shocked by the sudden attack and had no time to react.

Among the eleven Ming army soldiers, three were standing on observation posts, looking into the distance vigilantly, but the other soldiers were either exhausted or dozing off, and had not anticipated the enemy's surprise attack at all.

Wan Ming rushed into the bunker at lightning speed, quickly approached a Ming army soldier, and knocked him to the ground with a shoulder. The soldier stopped crying before he could even utter a cry.

Then, he turned around and slashed the knife like a meteor towards the neck of another Ming army soldier. The blade cut through the flesh and blood flowed down the blade, which was actually a bit warm.

The knife in Wan Ming's hand was embedded in his cervical vertebra and was difficult to pull out.

The other Qing soldiers in the bunker did not stop, and immediately rushed towards the Ming soldiers. Their light swords cut through the enemies in the dim bunker like sharp blades cutting wheat.

Each blow was delivered with pinpoint precision, ruthlessly harvesting lives. Muffled cries of death and the thud of blades piercing flesh intertwined within the bunker, and the air quickly filled with a thick, bloody smell.

The armored Bayara soldiers moved swiftly, swinging their swords or stabbing with their spears, each move deadly.

In just a moment, the Ming army soldiers in the bunker fell to the ground one after another, and blood spread from the floor, staining their boots red.

The Ming army soldier guarding the observation post tried to resist, but he was caught off guard and was cut across the chest by a knife. Blood splattered, his eyes widened, and he fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Wan Ming was originally a ruthless character, but at this moment, in order to perform well in front of his new master, he tried his best and killed four Ming army soldiers by himself.

He reacted extremely quickly on the battlefield. Before the Ming army could fully react, he kicked away a Ming soldier who was rushing towards him.

Then he drew out the sharp tiger-tooth knife from his waist, turned around and pounced on the Ming soldiers on the other side who had just reacted.

Wan Ming's movements were quick and decisive, his eyes revealed a fierce murderous intent, and every swing of his knife was full of power.

The Qing soldiers following behind him were not willing to lag behind. They rushed into the bunker and launched a quick and fierce attack while the Ming army had not yet reacted.

The Ming soldiers in the bunker had no time to see the enemy's movements before they were killed one by one by the sharp blades of the Qing army. In an instant, blood rained down and the earthen walls of the bunker were stained red with blood.

The ferocity and swiftness of the Qing army plunged the Ming army into despair. In just a few breaths, the Ming soldiers in the bunker fell to the ground one after another, and blood flowed on the ground, dyeing the entire small space red.

After a round of bloody fighting, all eleven Ming soldiers in the bunker were eliminated, and only one Qing soldier was slightly injured, and they completely cleared out this stubbornly resisting stronghold.

The leading Bayala looked around calmly, and after making sure there were no remaining enemies, he nodded to a Qing soldier beside him and whispered a few words.

The Bayala immediately understood, put away his knife, turned around and walked out of the bunker, and quickly sent out a signal of success.

Several Ming army bunkers not far away lit up three circles of torches on each side almost at the same time, indicating that the Qing army had occupied various strongholds and the attack was going smoothly.

After this fierce fight, Wan Ming was already panting like a cow, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and breathing heavily.

He still had a grim smile on his face, his murderous intent still lingering, his eyes flickering with excitement and satisfaction. For him, killing the enemy was a way to demonstrate his strength and win the appreciation of his superiors.

The leading Bayala turned around and looked at Wan Ming, obviously quite satisfied with his ruthlessness and outstanding performance.

He nodded and said in a deep voice:

"You, Nikan, have lived up to expectations. These four heads are yours. I will personally commend you for your achievements when we return!"

After hearing this, Wan Ming showed a flattering smile on his face and quickly bowed and replied:
"Thank you for your appreciation, Master. I will serve you till death!"

Although he was once a surrendered general of the Ming army, he has now long since integrated into the environment of the Qing army. His words and deeds gradually reveal the habits of Manchu soldiers, and he appears humble and submissive.

Just as he was expressing his loyalty to Bayala, a burst of neat and dense footsteps suddenly came from outside the bunker.

Along with the sound of weapons rubbing against each other, the leading Bayala shouted loudly in Manchu, asking everyone to gather quickly.

Upon hearing the order, Wan Ming and other Manchu soldiers in the bunker immediately walked out of the bunker and joined the marching Qing army.

At this moment, Ba Ming came galloping on his horse. He had an upright posture and a stern expression. It was obvious that he was the chief general of the Qing army who personally led the attack.

Behind Ba Ming, Shuosai and Shen Zhong walked side by side, serving as Manchu and Han deputy generals respectively, commanding their soldiers in an orderly manner.

(End of this chapter)