Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 367 Internal Affairs
However, in his rage, Hermu did not realize that his charge had already entered the most deadly line of defense of the Ming army. The Ming army position did not collapse due to the previous losses. On the contrary, they were ready for this final decisive battle.

Not to mention that the Ming army's flanks were already without organized cavalry protection, and even the infantry had just been defeated, how could such an army withstand the charge of tens of thousands of Eight Banner soldiers? As long as these protective musketeers and archers were defeated, these thousands of defeated soldiers would only need a moment to disrupt the Ming army soldiers who were still urgently gathering behind them.

In this way, the Ming army would be completely annihilated, and Hermu's recent humiliation would be avenged instantly! However, these musketeers and archers, who had not heard the retreat call, had no intention of retreating at all.

Lin Changfeng looked at the cavalry that had rushed to within twenty steps, and then looked at the three rows of musketeers who had reloaded their weapons. Braving the Qing army's arrows that shot past him from time to time, he once again beat the war drum with all his might.

Encouraged by the commander's unyielding spirit, even more intense flames immediately erupted from the shields. Three rows of musketeers fired at the same time, delivering a final blow to the Qing cavalry that had already rushed to their front. Then the archers behind them also launched another fierce projectile.

The final blow of such concentrated firepower, at such a close distance, thousands of powerful lead bullets once again dealt a terrifying blow to the Qing army charging in the front, and slowed down the Qing army's offensive again.

Furthermore, while the Manchu Eight Banners were known for their bravery and strict military discipline, they were not gods after all. Faced with such a blow, how could they possibly remain the same as they were at the beginning? If this had been the case with the Southern Ming army, the Baoyi Green Camp would have been completely routed long ago!

The situation on the battlefield was ever-changing, and just when the Qing cavalry's charge seemed to have gained the upper hand, an unexpected turn of events crept in. Seeing the Qing soldiers in the formation falling to the ground under the continuous onslaught, the fallen horses and soldiers piled up in a chaotic heap, Chen Fu continued to prepare for the final encirclement.

At this moment, Lin Changfeng's patience ran out. He no longer cared about the possible consequences. His eyes narrowed slightly, and the two arrow marks on his armor barely faltered him. He suddenly dropped the drumstick in his hand, quickly thrust his hands to his waist, a hatchet in hand. With a roar, he charged forward.

"Kill!" His deep voice was deafening, like a bolt of thunder.

Seeing their leader so brave, thousands of musketeers and archers dropped their weapons, drawing their hatchets, maces, thick-backed knives, and hammers, and followed Lin Changfeng, charging forward with all their might. Not to be outdone, the two ambushes in the rear also raised their spears and joined the melee.

For Hermu, this should have been an easy victory. He had been convinced that the musketeers' final barrage would completely destroy the collapsing Ming army, and that he only needed to charge forward to secure victory. However, things went against his will. As he personally charged the enemy formation, bearing the banner, a lead bullet stole in and struck the horse's right leg.

The horse lost control, and Hermu was thrown off, falling to the muddy ground. Before he could fully regain his balance, Lin Changfeng leaped out of the battle formation like a tiger, swinging his axe. Almost instantly, with a "bang", the axe hit Hermu's head. Before his life was in danger, Hermu didn't even realize who his attacker was.

With Hermu's fall, the morale of the Qing army collapsed. The final Ming firearms attack hit the Qing army's main general, and Hermu's death marked the collapse of the Qing army's spiritual pillar. The Eight Banners army was already at a standstill due to repeated heavy blows.

At this time, the Qing army, facing these Ming troops who were acting in an unpredictable manner and charging straight at them, was completely thrown into disarray. Those Qing troops who had relied on their cavalry advantage to maintain their formation were now thrown into chaos by the Ming army's counterattack and were unable to fight back effectively.

If it weren't for the numerical advantage of the cavalry, they would have been completely defeated. At this time, Lin Changfeng, relying on his personal bravery and the action of leading the charge, quickly boosted the morale of the entire army.

His surprise attack bought precious time for the Ming army, and Chen Fu finally seized the opportunity and successfully completed the flanking attack on both sides. After careful planning, the Ming army's three-sided attack finally took effect, and the Qing army was completely besieged, and the rhythm of the battle was instantly reversed.

At the same time, the Changqingshan troops coming from another direction took advantage of the gap between the main force of the Qing army and the Ming army to successfully raid Dorgon's camp.

Dorgon was originally leading his army in a fierce battle with Zhu Cilang's army. The two sides were in a stalemate for a while, and the Ming army's three-sided attack greatly weakened the advantage of the Qing cavalry.

At this time, the Ming army relied on the coordinated operations of cavalry and infantry on both wings to gradually balance the power comparison between cavalry and infantry. The death of the Qing army's main general Hermu caused the morale to plummet, and the advantage of the cavalry could no longer be exerted.

However, when Chang Qingshan's troops broke into the camp, burned the Qing army's tents and set fire to the camp, the situation suddenly became more dangerous.

Flames shot up into the sky and thick smoke billowed. The entire Qing army camp seemed to have fallen into hell. The firepower of the Ming army and the shocking effect of the surprise attack put great pressure on Dorgon.

Seeing the camp burning, the momentum of the Changqingshan tribe was like a huge army, which made Dorgon realize that the game was over.

From the beginning, he knew he might have been ambushed by the Ming army, but he had not imagined that the situation would take such a sudden turn for the worse in such a short period of time. With the camp on fire and smoke billowing in the distance, even Dorgon could not continue his attack under such circumstances.

After all, as a seasoned general, he knew that staying would only lead to his own destruction. So, he decisively ordered a retreat, leading his troops to retreat quickly towards Liaozhong.

When the situation on the battlefield changed dramatically, the Qing army's defeat was almost instantaneous. At the moment when Zhu Cilang led the Ming army to advance steadily and defeat the Qing army one after another, the resistance of the entire Qing army camp collapsed almost in an instant.

The Qing soldiers who had been fighting fiercely just now seemed to have suddenly lost their fighting spirit. Their weapons were in disorder and their horses were galloping, with no organization or discipline at all.

On the battlefield, the Qing cavalry and infantry fled in all directions like a defeated army that had thrown away its armor and weapons. The Qing army, which had once been so powerful and mighty, became a defeated army in the blink of an eye. The speed of its defeat was jaw-dropping.

The turning point of this battle seemed to happen in an instant, which was consistent with Zhu Cilang's early judgment. The morale of the Qing army was unstable and its combat effectiveness quickly collapsed when faced with strong pressure.

Just as the Qing army's formation was torn apart, the morale of the Ming army reached its peak in an instant. Drums beat on the battlefield, soldiers cheered loudly, and morale was high. It was time to muster up courage and turn the tide.

Zhu Cilang, overjoyed at the Qing army's rout, unhesitatingly ordered his cavalry in pursuit. Hundreds of Ming cavalrymen pursued relentlessly, weaving through the fleeing enemy lines, hacking and slashing their way through. The fleeing Eight Banners soldiers were powerless to fight back, and those left behind were repeatedly cut down by the pursuing Ming troops, leaving rivers of blood. It was clear that the outcome of the battle would soon be determined, and the war in Liaodong would soon come to a temporary end.

In other words, as the smoke of war gradually dissipated, Zhu Cilang turned his attention to longer-term planning - domestic affairs.

This battle undoubtedly made him more deeply aware that only by combining government affairs with military affairs could he consolidate his rule. Therefore, the administrative team that had been stationed in Dengzhou, Shandong, immediately moved back to Nanjing and began to work on the new governance.

Liaodong, this vast wasteland, though rich in resources, also faces many daunting challenges. Reclaiming the wasteland, resettling the people, and managing grassroots administration all require massive manpower and resources.

In order to achieve this goal, Zhu Cilang turned his attention to managers who had been trained in Shandong, Nanzhili and other places, including the families of his old Ming army soldiers. These people were the foundation of his governance of Liaodong.

In Zhu Cilang's eyes, the families of the hundreds of thousands of Ming troops were the real source of his power. In addition to naturally absorbing some officials from the Ming court, he always adhered to his own management system, ensuring that these people were under his control rather than allowing them to form their own system.

In terms of tax adjustments in Liaodong, Zhu Cilang proposed some more practical policies. While carefully reviewing the memorials in his hand, he gave instructions to the officials around him in his study:

"The tax rate in Liaodong can be adjusted appropriately. The tax burden will be exempted for the first three years, and the tax rate will remain at one dou per mu for the next three years. If the army brings its own land for settlement, it will be exempt from tax for five years. If the land for settlement is insufficient, it will be supplemented by transportation from Shandong."

While he was pondering the details of the policy, his eyes kept scanning the officials standing beside him. Zhang Mingzhen and Zhou Shixian were listening respectfully, while an official in the study was silently recording these decisions.

Zhu Cilang seemed to have thought of something, and turned to Zhang Mingzhen and said, "By the way, Hou Fu, how many Guanzhuang have been sent to Liaodong now?"

Zhang Mingzhen was stunned by this, but he quickly responded, "Your Majesty, approximately fifty Guanzhuang have already arrived in Liaodong, and the rest are expected to be completed next month."

Zhu Cilang nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to the official taking notes and said, "Continue to arrange the farming work to ensure the people have a stable livelihood. This is especially true in areas like Liaodong, which haven't been fully cultivated yet. We must ensure adequate food and fodder reserves. If there are any problems, report them immediately."

He paused briefly, then turned to the two important officials beside him and said, "In addition to reclaiming wasteland, the priority for Liaodong is to ensure the resettlement of the people. We must not allow the people to fall into hardship, nor can we allow these reclaimed lands to become barren. What we need to do is not just to conquer this land, but also to establish a stable regime that can develop over the long term."

Zhu Cilang's tone was firm, his gaze penetrating. This wasn't just a military victory; it was the beginning of his far-reaching plan for the future of Liaodong. Through effective administration, taxation policies, and local governance, he wanted to ensure that Liaodong wasn't just a battlefield, but the cornerstone of his rule.

"In reply to your majesty's order, the first and second batches of 350 officials have arrived in Shenyang safely. The third and fourth batches of 600 people have already set off and are currently on the way." Zhang Mingzhen bowed and spoke in a steady tone, but his words inevitably revealed a bit of caution.

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "How is the farmland inventory in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian progressing in the south? Are there any concrete results?"

"Your Majesty, the land inventory in Fujian has been largely completed, and approximately 140,000 hectares of cultivated land have been identified. As for Guangdong and Guangxi, especially Guangxi, the situation is slightly more complicated. We estimate that approximately 400,000 hectares of land can be inventoried, but in reality, the inventory of more than 100,000 hectares of land remains unfinished.

This is mainly due to the long distances to some of the remote counties and prefectures in southern Guangxi, and the lack of cooperation from the chieftains in western, southern, and central Guangxi, which has led to very slow progress in these areas. Currently, less than 40% of the counties and prefectures in Guangxi have completed the investigation.

After Zhang Mingzhen finished speaking, he lowered his head and waited for Zhu Cilang's reaction.

Zhu Cilang frowned slightly upon hearing this, but did not show too much dissatisfaction. He nodded and continued to ask:
"So, how is the water conservancy repair work being arranged? Does Houfu have a specific plan?"

"Your Majesty, I have already begun to arrange the water conservancy repair work, but the project is huge and urgently requires a lot of manpower and material support. At present, some of the water conservancy infrastructure in Fujian and Guangdong and Guangxi has been partially repaired, but large-scale repair work still requires more time and resources." Zhang Mingzhen replied with a hint of caution in his tone.

Zhu Cilang gently waved his hand, signaling Zhang Mingzhen not to worry too much about these details. "Leave the water conservancy repairs to Hou Fu. You are experienced in this area. If anything is needed, I will promptly dispatch new soldiers to assist. As for the land inventory, Shixian, your Jinyiwei must take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate the specific conditions in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Guangxi, especially the use and allocation of land. Ensure that it is accurate and correct."

"Your Majesty is wise, I obey your command!" Zhang Mingzhen bowed again and agreed.

While this task may seem simple, once it involves the division and distribution of power, things become incredibly complicated. Especially in these places, where local forces and gentry are deeply intertwined, a single move can have a ripple effect on the entire system. The slightest mistake could lead to further disputes and discontent.

Zhu Cilang's gaze grew penetrating, and he spoke in a deep voice, "Except for those remote areas in southern Guangxi, I will reward all officials and gentry who actively apply for land elsewhere. Those who deserve promotions will receive them, and those who deserve more land will receive more."

"I deeply admire your Majesty's foresight." After hearing this, Zhang Mingzhen already had a rough plan in mind.

He understood that Zhu Cilang's strategy wasn't simply about rewards or promotions, but rather a political incentive mechanism to encourage officials and gentry to consciously work for the benefit of the nation, while also using their power to further consolidate his rule. While this seemed like a gradual process, in practice it was a complete reshuffle of the entire local order.

(End of this chapter)