Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 381 March
Four days later, at 12:30 PM, Li Xiaolin and Zheng Hongkui led their troops to Jingnan County, northwest of Zhangzhou Prefecture. However, Jingnan City was deserted. Hong Xu's garrison of over a thousand soldiers had fled the previous day. The deserters scattered, looting and pillaging along the way. Many wealthy merchants and civilians were plundered.

Many soldiers in Hong Xu's army took advantage of the chaos to flee, and the scouts sent by Lin Changfeng alone intercepted more than twenty deserters.

"The information these deserters said about Hong Xu has provided us with a lot of valuable clues." Li Xiaolin frowned and whispered to Zheng Hongkui.

A tacit understanding had already formed between the two of them. Zhang Mingzhen did not say anything, but listened quietly, but he was also thinking about the future situation in his mind.

Today's Jingnan City is no longer what it used to be. Hong Xu, who is surrounded by enemies on all sides, has obviously lost the ability to control the situation. The next question is how to control these turbulent forces.

"We must seize the opportunity and make sure to eliminate the remaining enemy forces as soon as possible and clear out the surrounding rebel forces." Li Xiaolin's eyes became more determined. Only by stabilizing the situation as soon as possible can we buy more time for the next battle.

Intelligence indicates that Hong Xu's troops appear to have assembled at Hua'an, a crucial transportation hub between Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. This location has long been a strategically important point; controlling Hua'an is equivalent to controlling the artery leading to central Fujian. Hong Xu's concentration of forces here clearly indicates a well-prepared strategy.

According to the existing military intelligence analysis, Hong Xu's total military strength has exceeded 5,000, and a large part of these troops are local armed forces that Hong Xu recently temporarily recruited.

Most in the army were not optimistic about the quality of these soldiers. After all, most of them were newly recruited from the civilian population and had not received systematic training. Their weapons and armor were extremely crude. Most of the soldiers only had simple swords and guns, and almost no one had a complete set of armor. The deserters were precisely those who slipped away from this vulnerable mob.

However, Hong Xu's troops also included well-trained and combat-capable backbone forces. With a total of over 2,000 elite soldiers, these soldiers possessed relatively sophisticated armor and weapons, and were the core of this massive army's combat effectiveness.

Meanwhile, Hong Xu had accumulated a large amount of food and fodder within Hua'an City. Following the news of Zheng Hongkui's treacherous plot, Hong Xu began strengthening the city walls, conscripting numerous civilians to repair and reinforce them. For him, all of this preparation was in preparation for a potential war.

After all, Hua'an's geographical location was extremely important. If they could hold it steady for a while, relying on the terrain's advantages, it wouldn't be impossible to hold the city. As long as they could use this time to find an opportunity to counterattack or conduct an effective retreat, Hong Xu would be able to maintain his hope of survival.

However, the situation remained complex and full of uncertainty. Zheng Hongkui's main force was being held up by Zheng Zhilong in western Fujian and could not come to support him in the short term, which made Hong Xu seem to have the initiative in the short term.

But if Zhang Mingzhen leads the army with all his strength, Hua'an's defense line may not be able to hold out for too long. Even if Hong Xu puts up a stubborn resistance here, there is a high possibility that it will be broken through in the end.

Hong Xu knew that he could not pin all his hopes on Hua'an's defense. He was not prepared for the noble sentiment of "dedicating himself to the greater cause" and had already left himself enough flexible means of response.

At the same time, Zheng's scouts were not there to do nothing. With the help of these people, Hong Xu had already obtained some intelligence about the Ming army and understood the general situation of the enemy's main force heading north.

Zheng Hongkui's army has already rebelled. The support force originally sent by Zheng's army was only 2,000 soldiers and horses, which added up to only more than 3,000 people. Although these troops seemed strong, they were only a response to a part of the enemy forces.

The mountains and rivers in northern Zhang are complex and intricate, the terrain is dangerous, and there are obstacles from the mountains and rivers. He is also familiar with the geographical environment of this area, which undoubtedly gives Hong Xu an advantage in the terrain.

In this situation, a bold idea arose in Hong Xu's mind: Why not take the initiative? Perhaps he could seize the initiative in this battle and inflict a heavy blow on the Ming army. But the risk was too great. Although Hong Xu currently held the defensive advantage of Hua'an, Zheng Hongkui's numbers, though small, could not be underestimated.

If Zheng Hongkui attacked the city, he would most likely suffer heavy losses in a short period of time, especially when the subsequent support of the Ming army arrived, the changes in the battle situation would be more difficult to predict.

Therefore, Hong Xu planned very carefully. Once the Ming army made any movement, he would be ready to lead his elite troops to launch an ambush at the right time.

If he could successfully defeat the main force of the Ming army, or even force Zhang Mingzhen to retreat, he would buy himself valuable time. If the situation turned unfavorable, he planned to quickly withdraw with his elite troops to Chaozhou to preserve his strength. For Hong Xu, this battle was not just a matter of life and death, but also a gamble on his future political career.

If the battle ended in failure, it wouldn't matter. At least he could gain some sympathy and understanding by "taking the initiative and sacrificing himself." Most importantly, if such an action could achieve certain results, it would also prove that he had certain military talents and would not make him appear too weak.

Of course, Zhang Mingzhen had no idea what Hong Xu was thinking. He had never expected his opponent to be so flexible and changeable. He had already decided to bring only a thousand elite soldiers in order to avoid alerting Hong Xu and making him overly defensive, which would affect subsequent actions.

However, he did not realize that Hong Xu was not so easily defeated. Zhang Mingzhen knew that his opponent was not a pushover, but he still had a lucky glimmer of hope, thinking that he could use this quick attack to take advantage of the situation and ultimately defeat the enemy.

As for Zheng Hongkui, he did not have many elite soldiers in his own army, and most of the remaining soldiers were weak in combat. They had been left in towns across Zhangnan, led by his son and confidant Wang Xin to guard the local areas.

Zheng Hongkui's emotions were mixed. On the one hand, he was fully aware of his role in this war, but on the other, he was also quietly thinking about how to use this opportunity to gain more benefits for himself. At this critical moment, whether it was Hong Xu's proactive attack or Zheng Hongkui's careful layout, it would affect the future of the war.

In other words, Zhang Mingzhen was not worried that Hong Xu would dare to fight him, but rather that Hong Xu would not dare to confront him. You know, although Hong Xu was a famous general in Fujian in the past, he had already considered retreating. How could he dare to act rashly in the face of the overwhelming Ming army?

If Zhang Mingzhen really wanted a quick victory, Hong Xu's remaining troops were clearly not a concern. Therefore, he decided to pretend to exert great effort in the confrontation with Hong Xu, displaying a "strong rivalry" to slow down his offensive, and then slowly pursue Hong Xu's remaining troops into Zhangbei.

The purpose of all this was to create an opportunity for Zheng Zhilong to misjudge the situation in the future, making him mistakenly believe that Hong Xu still had the strength to resist, and thus make the wrong decision. However, what will be the final outcome of this battle in Fujian? Will Fujian be completely recovered, or even Zheng Zhilong's main force be completely wiped out? Or will it fail at the last moment and directly declare the plan a failure?

All this depends not only on Zhang Mingzhen's strategic planning on the battlefield and the courage of the Ming army soldiers to fight, but also on the decisions made by Zheng Hongkui and Deng Lilei.

If they had made a fatal mistake at a critical moment, or lost their composure under the pincer attack of Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zhilong, the outcome of this battle might have been beyond everyone's expectations.

Zhang Mingzhen is well aware of this, and because of this, he is more willing to agree with the strategy of steady progress - first stabilize Zhangzhou, and then slowly unfold the overall situation, so as to avoid acting too hastily and letting all previous efforts go to waste.
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Li Xiaolin rode his horse to the east bank of Sanhe Town, Zheng Hongkui standing beside him, his gaze scanning the floating bridge on the other side of the river. The Zheng army had already dismantled all the bridges on the river, and the navy had built a makeshift floating bridge consisting of more than a dozen small boats.

Although this measure seemed temporary, it provided a vital guarantee at a critical moment in the army's march. After several days of arduous marching, the construction of the pontoon bridge, although complicated, was gradually nearing completion.

As the pontoon bridge was gradually completed, the thousand-man headquarters under Commander Li Xiaolin in the front had already formed up at the riverside, preparing to cross the river. At the same time, his scouts had already penetrated five miles ahead, alert for any possible enemy movements.

However, contrary to his expectations, apart from a few scattered Zheng army fleeing soldiers, no enemy movements were detected. This made Li Xiaolin slightly relieved, but his eyes remained as sharp as a hawk, not daring to slack off.

Soon, the cavalry who were the first to cross the river raised small square flags of various colors on the ridges and other conspicuous places beside the river. Black indicated that there might be swamps or rivers ahead, while cyan meant that there might be obstacles such as mountains and forests. This marking method was not only simple and clear, but also quickly conveyed key information, ensuring that the army could quickly adapt to any complex terrain it was about to face.

The Ming army's military laws had extremely strict regulations regarding "marching." At all times, scouts had to be deployed several or even dozens of miles in advance to ensure the army would not be suddenly attacked by the enemy during its march.

Once encountering difficult terrain, enemy ambushes, or sudden changes in the battle situation, scouts would use flags of different colors to deliver timely information to ensure that the army could respond quickly and avoid getting into trouble.

This highly organized and standardized military command system is one of the reasons why the Ming army was able to maintain a high level of mobility in such a complex situation.

For a well-trained and highly capable regular field army, unless the terrain is extremely complex and difficult to reconnoitre, or if they accidentally fall into an enemy ambush due to their hasty pursuit, even if the enemy forces come at them like a mountain torrent, it is almost impossible for them to be surrounded by tens of thousands of enemy troops with a loud bang.

Every soldier has undergone rigorous training and knows how to deal with various complex situations and how to obtain intelligence and pass it to the command center as soon as possible.

Li Xiaolin knew that his troops were able to advance so orderly in such a complex environment thanks to their long-standing military discipline and training. Yet, at this moment, his eyes remained fixed on the intelligence ahead, his fingertips gently stroking the saddle, the tension in his heart still undiminished.

"Once we've reached Sanhe Town, we're only about a hundred miles from Hua'an." Zheng Hongkui stood beside Li Xiaolin and whispered, "Our baggage is safely on board, so the army won't be burdened. If we continue at our current pace, we'll definitely reach Hua'an by tomorrow evening."

Li Xiaolin nodded, his eyes never leaving the queue in front of him. Although everything was proceeding step by step, he was still quickly calculating every next step in his mind.

"Okay, proceed according to your judgment and ensure the stability of the military morale." Li Xiaolin instructed softly, with an indescribable determination and confidence in his tone.

Zheng Hongkui nodded, his gaze fixed on the distant river. He said thoughtfully, "Seven of Lord Wei's men are still lurking among the Zheng army. It will be difficult for them to come out and pass on information after entering the city. However, as long as Hong Xu doesn't entrench himself in Hua'an, they still have a chance to return and promptly report the latest deployment of the Zheng army to us."

Wei Xian scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze and added in a low voice. As the leader of the Jinyiwei, he was well aware of the importance of intelligence to war. If these spies lurking within the Zheng army could provide effective information at a critical moment, it would directly affect the course of the battle.

In Zhang Mingzhen's strategic layout, although these Jinyiwei spies temporarily lost their role after Zheng Hongkui decided to welcome Zhang Mingzhen into the city, their mission was not over.

On the contrary, with the impending war, these spies lurking within the enemy forces would play a huge role. They could quickly transmit enemy movements and deployments to Zhang Mingzhen, providing valuable intelligence support for the upcoming battle. With these insiders, the Ming army's strategy would be more thorough and its troop deployment more precise.

After hearing Wei Xian's words, Li Xiaolin turned his head to look at the army behind him, deep in thought. He knew the map of Zhangzhou Prefecture by heart. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he said softly:

"The terrain around here is complex, and there's no sign of Hong Xu's army. We don't need to rush forward for now. Let's cross the river first, then find a suitable place to camp at the northwest foothills of Yinna Mountain. We'll camp here temporarily tonight and rest our troops."

In his opinion, although Hong Xu's troops were not small, they were still far away from their team. If Hong Xu did not take immediate action, he might not be able to arrive in time to reinforce them.

The Zheng army was currently in a relatively weak position, and they urgently needed to stabilize their morale and prepare for the upcoming battle. However, upon hearing this, Zheng Hongkui smiled disdainfully, "General, your suggestion is indeed a good one, but I think we can slow down a bit."

He paused briefly, a cold look flashing in his eyes. "We don't need to send too many scouts out front. Since Hong Xu's intelligence relies entirely on his spies lurking within our ranks, we should let them get the real news, lower their guard, and wait for us to reveal a flaw. After all, we still have the Jinyiwei's insiders, so even if there's an ambush, we can grasp the movements in advance."

(End of this chapter)