Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 349: Bombardment
At the same time, Dorgon stood in the tent, gazing at the deserted village in the distance, his heart filled with endless hesitation.

He knew very well that the current situation was extremely complicated and any wrong decision could put the Qing army into an even more dangerous situation.

Several deserted villages on the south side have now become a thorn in the eyes of the Ming army. If no measures are taken, they may become a breakthrough point for the Ming army's attack, causing the entire defense line to collapse.

If the reinforcements were successful, the Qing army would be able to effectively thwart the Ming army's attack, restore some of its morale, and make them realize that they are not without a chance of winning against the Qing army's counterattack.

Once the situation returns to normal, the Qing army's deterrent power will be quickly restored, and may even put tremendous pressure on the Ming army, forcing them to retreat temporarily.

However, if the reinforcements fail, the situation will get completely out of control.

Once the reinforcements are surrounded by the Ming army, chaos on the battlefield will sweep over like a flood. The Qing soldiers who are supposed to defend the entire army may become the breakthrough point of the Ming army's attack, causing the entire army to fall into an unmanageable predicament.

This was a risk that Dorgon could not tolerate. After all, the Eight Banners Army of the Qing Dynasty had only more than 10,000 people, and they were the fundamental pillars of the court. The death of one less person was a loss that could not be tolerated.

Since the war began, the Qing army's losses have become difficult to ignore.

Four to five thousand Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners soldiers had been killed in battle. Such casualties were enough to cause severe shocks to the power structure within the Qing Dynasty.

Even a commander as powerful as Dorgon understood that excessive losses would cause strong dissatisfaction among the top leaders of the court and might even lead to a series of political consequences.

Under such circumstances, every battle becomes more important, and every decision-making step concerns the future of the entire Qing Dynasty.

Dorgon's brow furrowed, his mind still undecided. If he didn't send reinforcements, the Ming army would likely not give up. A direct retreat would leave the enemy with a huge opening. If the Ming army chose to fight to the death, the retreating Qing army would be in an awkward position. Leaving the remaining troops behind would only lead to even more disastrous consequences.

At this point, the Qing army could no longer afford another major defeat.

Dorgon, who was standing in the tent deep in thought, suddenly heard Ba Ming's voice behind him.

"Your Highness, the Ming army's formation is completely different from before." Ba Ming said in a low voice, with a hint of vigilance in his expression.

"Oh?" Dorgon turned around and looked at Ba Ming with sharp eyes.

Ba Ming was always highly alert. If he sensed something unusual, then the problem was not to be underestimated. Ba Ming continued:

“This time the Ming army’s attack was extremely well-organized, especially the cavalry, whose numbers far exceeded those of previous attacks.

I have confirmed that the flag bearing the character 'Zhang' is indeed Zhang Huangyan, one of Zhu Cilang's generals. He was one of the most formidable generals under the Ming Emperor, skilled in sieges and breaking through enemy lines. He once slew a general under Hong Chengchou in Cangzhou and led his army to capture Beijing, earning him a great reputation.

After hearing this, Dorgon's heart tightened. Like generals such as Lor and Ajin, he was quite wary of Zhang Huangyan.

Zhang Huangyan not only had rich combat experience, but was also capable of both offense and defense. His appearance undoubtedly increased the threat of the Ming army's attack.

This time, Zhang Huangyan's attack method was different from before, clearly showing his in-depth analysis and precise control of the Qing army's defense line.

"Zhang Huangyan..." Dorgon muttered in a low voice, a serious look flashing in his eyes: "He is indeed not easy to deal with."

Bamin continued:

"I've observed carefully from outside, and the Ming army's phalanx remains neat and orderly. They even sent out hundreds of elite soldiers to harass us from all sides, constantly shooting arrows and firing guns at the village entrance to suppress our soldiers.

These soldiers are extremely experienced in combat, have strong individual combat capabilities, are agile, and often serve as the vanguard of the army. If they can get close to our camp, I'm afraid they will cause us considerable trouble."

Dorgon's heart trembled. This small force of the Ming army was obviously a carefully selected special forces. They were good at rapid maneuvering and harassment operations. They could quickly disrupt the enemy's formation and create chaos before the enemy could react.

If the Qing army's defense line was relaxed even slightly, they might tear a gap open and even cause a larger-scale rout.

"It seems we must be prepared." Dorgon finally made up his mind and said firmly: "Send reinforcements and stop the Ming army's attack."

He turned to the military advisors and generals beside him and said, "Starting from the four deserted villages on the south side, we must quickly dispatch troops to suppress them. Even if it means paying a certain price, we must not let the Ming army break through the defense line."

However, Dorgon still had some doubts in his heart. If the Ming army was really as fully prepared as Ba Ming said, then this blocking battle would not be just a simple reinforcement operation, but a decisive battle.

But he also knew that if he did not send reinforcements, it would not only be a loss of manpower, but also a collapse of morale.

If the Ming army were allowed to capture the south side and take the lead in breaking the formation, it would have a huge impact on the morale of the entire Qing army, and might even trigger a chain reaction, leading to the complete collapse of the entire battle situation.

"Send the order! Prepare reinforcements and stop the Ming army's attack at all costs." Dorgon finally gave the order.

Although he was still in a heavy mood, he had no way out at this moment.
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A burst of horse hoofbeats came from afar, fast and hurried. Ba Ming raised his head suddenly, looking through the position and looking forward. Soon, he saw the sent out scouts coming at him like flying, and the speed clearly showed the urgency of the matter.

The scout dismounted not far from the camp and climbed onto the roof in a few quick steps. He then quickly walked up to Ba Ming and reported respectfully:

"Beile, there are approximately three to four thousand Ming troops in the left village, and roughly the same number in the right village. The cavalry on the flanks are estimated to number six to seven thousand, and we also spotted more than a dozen artillery pieces."

After hearing this, Ba Ming frowned slightly and turned his gaze to the Ming army positions in the distance.

Looking over there, as expected, according to the information reported by the scout, he could see the densely deployed artillery in the Ming army formation in the distance, and several cannons had been concentrated in the center of the formation.

Although the distance was far and Ba Ming's eyesight could not clearly see the specific type of cannon, but judging from the arrangement of the cannons and the speed of their mobilization, this Ming army was undoubtedly carefully deployed and displayed a momentum that should not be underestimated.

What shocked Ba Ming was not only the rapid assembly of artillery, but also the efficiency of the Ming army's phalanx.

Just now, the Ming army's formation was still marching in a hurry, but now, in such a short time, they have stopped in an orderly manner, only about 150 steps away from the village.

This efficiency and rapid formation adjustment made Ba Ming feel a little apprehensive, and he couldn't help but take a breath.

"Quick, send someone to tell the Regent to send troops to support the defense of the village, especially the Ming cavalry. We must successfully block them from the outside of our position and never let them get around to our rear."

Ba Ming's brows were tightly furrowed, and he had obviously realized that the Ming army was about to launch an attack. His own military strength was extremely limited, and he had to be prepared to deal with the fierce battle that might come.

He only had 2,000 men left, 1,000 of whom were baoyi soldiers, not good at regular combat. Once the Ming army broke through the front, the village's musketeers would be unable to play a role.

The deserted village was narrow and surrounded by ruins on all sides. The advantages of muskets were almost completely eliminated here. All that remained was the courage and personal fighting ability of the soldiers. Those once majestic phalanxes were almost useless.

Ba Ming was well aware of the difficulties of fighting here. His eyes were burning, and his command was even more decisive:

"Order the artillerymen to prepare and fire immediately!" He paused, then turned and ordered, "But the musketeers must wait until the Ming army is within sixty paces before opening fire. Remain calm and hold the village steady. We don't need to interfere with other matters; holding our position is the most important thing."

At the moment Ba Ming gave the order, the vanguard of the Ming army had already reached a position seventy steps away from the village and began to harass the Qing army positions.

The intention was to force the Qing army to reveal its weaknesses through provocation and fire suppression, so as to further undermine the morale of the Qing army and consume their ammunition.

This tactic was both clever and dangerous. If the Qing army was not prepared, it would probably be put on the defensive.

However, Ba Ming was not impatient and remained calm.

He knew that the Ming army's harassment was just a test, and his Qing army's positions had been strictly arranged. As long as they held steady and did not attack easily, the Ming army would find it difficult to shake them.

As Ba Ming's order was issued, the command flags in the village were quickly waved, and the command signal spread throughout the entire position.

In Youcun where Bamin is located, the gunners have already taken their positions and are ready to go.

With an order, the artillery in the village roared suddenly, and two iron bullets weighing more than ten pounds cut through the sky and whizzed out.

A huge roar was heard in the air, and two iron bombs drew a long arc in the air with billowing smoke, and flew towards the Ming army position at a rapid speed.

Amidst a violent explosion, one of the shells hit the center of the Ming army's phalanx accurately and exploded instantly, raising a cloud of fire and dust and emitting screams.

More than a dozen Ming army soldiers were injured on the spot, and several were unfortunately killed. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, and the scene was tragic.

Ba Ming stood on a high ground in the distance, staring intently at the battlefield in the distance.

He saw that after the explosion, the Ming army's position was suddenly in chaos, some soldiers retreated, and a panic scene appeared before his eyes.

A glint of pride flashed in Ba Ming's eyes, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth:
"Han dogs, it's time for you to see the power of our Qing Dynasty artillery."

He knew very well that although the Ming army was prepared in terms of firepower, it was completely at a disadvantage when facing such high-powered artillery.

The formation of the Ming army camp began to loosen under the attack of artillery fire. The originally orderly team became disorganized and the morale suffered a serious blow.

For Ba Ming, this was a successful blow and an effective deterrent to the Ming army camp.

However, he did not let down his guard as the situation remained complicated.

Even if the artillery was successful, the Ming army was still an experienced enemy and could not be taken lightly.

Ba Ming calculated the time silently in his mind, and then gave the order:
"Continue firing, keep the pressure on the Ming army, and prevent them from easily recovering their formation.

At the same time, the musketeers must remain alert and wait for the Ming troops to advance within sixty steps before suppressing them in one fell swoop."

At this time, although the chaos in the Ming army was difficult to quell for a while, they were an army that had been tested by many battles after all, and they quickly restored their formation.

The Ming army began to reorganize the counterattack, watching the surrounding soldiers return to their respective positions.

Ba Ming took a deep breath, adjusted his sitting posture, and continued to calmly direct his subordinates in every detail.

At this time, the morale of the Ming army was like a surging torrent. Although the Qing army in front of them was so powerful that they felt under great pressure for a time, they firmly believed that these "Tartars" were only strong in appearance and would eventually be defeated.

Especially after seeing the enemy's attack come to a temporary halt, the Ming army soldiers became more convinced that the balance of victory would tilt towards their side.

The various phalanxes of the Ming army remained firmly arranged on the battlefield, with high morale, and were not shaken at all by the powerful momentum of the enemy.

Even if soldiers on some positions were killed or wounded in the exchange of fire, the vacant positions were quickly filled.

The artillery positions were still in good order, the artillery was ready, and the gunners moved quickly and skillfully to ensure that every shell was fired accurately.

The commander in the queue shouted: "Ready, fire!"

Following the commander's order, the Ming army's artillery fire broke out in an instant, and the shells tore through the air like beasts and rushed towards the enemy positions ahead.

The roar of artillery was deafening and continuous. Dozens of shells whistled out, carrying thick smoke and the smell of gunpowder, and fiercely bombarded the deserted village where the Qing army was stationed.

"Boom, boom, boom..." Each artillery bombardment was like a thunderclap, bombarding the buildings in the deserted village.

As the shells exploded, dust, gravel and soil flew everywhere, and the entire village was instantly reduced to ruins.

The scattered rocks, soil and wood chips danced in the air like snowflakes in a storm, the sound was deafening, and the huge force of the explosion even made the Ming army soldiers several miles away feel the violent shaking of the ground.

In the midst of this intensive artillery fire, an old thatched house was hit directly by a ten-pound iron bullet and instantly shattered into pieces. The roof collapsed, thick smoke billowed, broken bricks and tiles flew everywhere, and the air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder and dust.

The buildings in the village were almost completely destroyed in the artillery fire. Deep pits were blown out of the ground, with thick smoke rising from the pits. The flying dust made the air seem particularly heavy.

However, despite the fierce artillery fire from the Ming army, the Qing army in the deserted village did not panic.

On the contrary, they found some cover in the ruins, and the Qing soldiers ducked, trying to avoid being injured by flying rocks or falling tiles.

Although their positions were in a mess, most Qing soldiers remained calm. Some soldiers even bent down to avoid the fire while carefully observing the trajectory of the Ming army's artillery fire, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

What really made things difficult for the Qing army was that the Ming army had an advantage in firepower.

(End of this chapter)