Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 65: Battle and Defense (First Order)

Zhu Cilang was not in a hurry about the issue of the national foundation. He just needed to follow the steps and let nature take its course in selecting the concubine. He would work harder every night to ensure that everyone would benefit equally. Naturally, he would be able to successfully plant a batch of dragon seeds before the expedition next year.

In comparison, he is now more concerned about the situation in various places, especially the decision of Dorgon, the regent of the Qing Dynasty in the north, to go south. This is related to how much time he has to prepare for war, and even more to the survival of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhou Shixian continued to send the Jinyiwei to Shandong and Henan. At the same time, Zhu Cilang also sent officials with reward edicts to appoint a large number of governors and officials in southern Henan, eastern Henan, southern Shandong, Jiaodong and other places where the Qing army had not yet fully controlled, so that they would lie dormant for a while and wait for an opportunity to act.

Although these fence-sitters did not have the strength to resist the Qing army's southward advance, most of them pretended to obey the Dingwu court, and even accepted the titles bestowed by both the Dingwu and Shunzhi dynasties. They had no loyalty at all.

However, after the news of these rewards spread, the Qing court, which had already doubted the loyalty of these people, would certainly not dare to trust them easily, and its ability to control the local areas would be further weakened.

As long as the situation changes in the future, these troops will be able to cause considerable damage to the Qing army's logistics, weakening the Qing army's military strength and determination to continue fighting southward.

But if he wanted to defend Jiangnan and lead his troops to the north, Zhu Cilang had to rely on his own deployment, especially the repair of city defenses in various prefectures in Jiangbei, which was the top priority.

The two ministers, He Yingrui, the Minister of Works, and Lu Zhenfei, the Governor of Huaiyang, had been preparing for this matter and had recruited a large number of laborers from south and north of the Yangtze River. Zhu Cilang also asked the Ministry of Revenue to allocate financial support.

However, apart from the huge expenses for training troops and the basic operation of the Dingwu court, the remaining money and grain in the Ministry of Revenue was not enough to fully repair the city defenses of the prefectures in Jiangbei.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the city defenses of the various prefectures in northern Jiang can be repaired slowly and without haste. The Tartars and the rebels are currently engaged in a fierce battle in the north, and they certainly won't have the resources to march south anytime soon."

In the Nanjing court, under pressure from all sides, He Yingrui finally came up with a comprehensive compromise plan together with Lu Zhenfei.

"Since the imperial court is currently short of money and grain, and the people in Jiangnan and Jiangbei are exhausted from military training and excessive conscription, and the city defenses everywhere have to be repaired, why not first conduct a simple round of repairs, and then expand and strengthen them when the imperial court has more money and grain next year?"

"To act this way is like trying to cover one's ears and steal the bell, deceiving oneself and others." Upon hearing this, Gao Hongtu immediately stepped out and said to Zhu Cilang:

"Your Majesty, I don't think it's necessary to build any city defenses. With so much money and food, why not use it to train troops? The Tartars and the rebels are currently fighting fiercely in the north. This is the perfect time for the imperial court to launch a northern expedition and engage them in a decisive battle.

The Palace Army, the Beijing Camp, the Three Jiangbei Camps, and other units have hundreds of thousands of troops. In just a few months, they have spent millions of money and food. They must have become a powerful army. It is just right to march north to fight a battle and boost morale."

"The Northern Expedition should be planned slowly. What Mr. Gao said is really too hasty and even seems to be disrupting the formation." Shi Kefa, upon seeing this, immediately stepped out, bowed slightly to Zhu Cilang, and said with his hands folded in his sleeves:
"In fact, the money and food used for military training is so excessive that it has caused an imbalance in the imperial court's finances. I think it can be reduced appropriately and used to strengthen the defenses of Jiangbei City."

Just as Zhu Cilang had expected, he and Gao Hongtu had already been at odds with each other due to their different political views. Every time Gao Hongtu suggested a Northern Expedition to restore the country, he would refute him and criticize him for being too radical. At the same time, he continued to insist on his own strategy of building more cities and defending the Huai River and the Yangtze River.

Shi Kefa's political view was supported by many officials from Jiangnan. They did not have a strong desire for the Northern Expedition and restoration. They hated the increased taxes due to military training in various places and the increasingly powerful military men. They hated the favored military ministers and even wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.

"It's not that I'm too hasty. It's that you, Lord Shi, are content with enjoying yourself and have lost the spirit of progress. The Tartars have always been barbaric. Trying to use them to quell the rebellion is tantamount to trying to get the skin of a tiger. Thinking of living in peace in a corner is a waste of effort and extremely ridiculous!" Gao Hongtu immediately refuted.

Like Shi Kefa, he was a strong-willed person with a high opinion of himself. One was a staunch supporter of the Northern Expedition and a decisive battle, while the other was a supporter of holding on and waiting for war. The two of them were now incompatible.

Ma Shiying is now wholeheartedly flattering Zhu Cilang, and the important positions in the court are basically held by "upright people". Without the so-called treacherous ministers in power, these two former political allies have now turned against each other.

As for Ma Shiying, with his clever words and the same political attitude of not supporting the immediate Northern Expedition, he became closer and closer to Shi Kefa and won the recognition of many officials. Although Shi Kefa still disliked this "traitor", his attitude was no longer as resistant as before.

"Lord Gao, this is wrong!"

Ma Shiying once again offered help. Although he was attached to and flattered Zhu Cilang, he also felt that Zhu Cilang did not really trust him, and he did not think that Zhu Cilang really had the strength to launch a northern expedition. If he angered the Qing army, the Xin Dynasty would probably face a devastating disaster, and his dream of wealth and glory and becoming the prime minister of the cabinet would probably be shattered.

"Defending Jiangbei and preparing for war is the strategy Your Majesty set before he ascended the throne. The South certainly has troops, but without more than a year of training, they will be unable to fight. We must hold our cities firmly in order to resist the Qing army.

As for a hasty northern expedition at this time, plotting a decisive battle would only waste money and food. What's the point?"

"How many cities did the imperial court build in Liaoxi?" Gao Hongtu was unconvinced. He then angrily asked, "Did these cities contribute to the revival of Liaodong?"

"But it did stop the Eastern Tartars, and Liaozhen wasted countless money and food." Ma Shiying immediately retorted.

"The result was six times of entering the Great Wall, every time."

"What if we use the money and grain we provide to Liaozhen to build a dozen strong fortified cities north of the capital?"

"Building a strong city? I'm afraid someone might be using it for their own selfish purposes, hoping to enrich themselves!" "Lord Gao, what do you mean by this?"

"."

"enough!"

Zhu Cilang shouted loudly. He really didn't want to listen to the endless arguments of these three ministers who either knew nothing about military affairs or had their own ulterior motives.

Moreover, every time such a debate occurs, it will eventually turn into a dispute over personal morality, and then into mutual attacks, completely deviating from the original political differences.

"Li Banghua, tell me, how should we repair the Jiangbei city defense?"

Upon hearing this, Li Banghua stepped out immediately. He cupped his hands, gathered his sleeves, bowed his waist, and said slowly:

"Your Majesty, I believe that what Minister He, Governor Lu, and the three elders have said all have their merits. We should integrate the essence of all opinions and learn from their strengths."

"Oh?" Zhu Cilang's frown relaxed slightly after hearing this, and he asked excitedly, "How do you learn from the strengths of others?"

Although he already had a basic strategy in mind, it was not easy to persuade those who had different opinions, especially to force those ministers in the court who only wanted to maintain a safe haven, to get things done smoothly.

Many of the ministers and nobles who had been neglected in the court were now very opposed to the Northern Expedition, and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make a decision to attack their political enemies and regain power.

"What Minister He said refers to all the cities north of the Yangtze River, without omission. If this is the case, even if the Qing army marches south, they will inevitably run into obstacles everywhere and gain no advantage.

What Gao Gelao said was an aggressive strategy, but it required strong troops. Similarly, if a city was not defended by strong troops, even the strongest defenses would eventually be breached.

What Lord Shi and Lord Ma have said is a prudent strategy: to accumulate strength and proceed gradually. This not only aligns with the current realities of our dynasty, but also forms the foundation of the Jianghuai defense strategy that Your Majesty, with foresight, established long ago."

Li Banghua seemed to have been prepared. After praising the merits of several people, he changed the subject and continued to talk:
"But the court's money and food are indeed insufficient, and the Qing army may march south at any time. If we wait until next year to plan to repair the city defenses, it will probably be too late. Defending everywhere is wonderful, but it will also lose the initiative. If we divide our forces too thinly, it will be bad."

"Go on!" Zhu Cilang raised his eyebrows, and finally a look of joy appeared on his face.

“Therefore, I believe that we should concentrate our forces and focus on building the five cities of Xuzhou, Huai’an, Fengyang, Yangzhou, and Luzhou, while also stockpiling heavy troops. This way, even if the Qing army sends its main force south, it will have to worry about its flanks and send troops to provide cover.

If the army was not divided into a large number, the troops in Xuzhou and Luzhou could harass the Qing army's flanks and disrupt its food supply. As for Fengyang and Huai'an, if the Qing army wanted to successfully cross the Huai River, it would have to capture one of them first. Yangzhou was the key to defending the capital.

In this way, facing these five strong cities in Jiangbei, the Qing army would have to divide its forces everywhere, and the initiative on the battlefield would be in the hands of our dynasty.

"But if that happens, how will the people in the other cities protect themselves? The Tartars are brutal by nature, treating the people like prey. They will surely massacre every city and take their food. I'm afraid they'll head straight for Yangzhou and Jiangpu."

After hearing this, Lu Zhenfei frowned and immediately raised his doubts. He was not against Li Banghua, but he felt that the other party's consideration was inappropriate.

"But if we fortify the city and clear the fields, dispersing the people from all over Jiangbei, it will be impossible to achieve, and it will inevitably cause countless refugees. Your Majesty has just restored military farms in Jiangbei and rewarded farming, and millions of people have just breathed a sigh of relief. If we destroy it like this, who knows how long it will take to recover!"

"The key here is whether our Ming army has the power to counterattack." Zhu Cilang spoke immediately after hearing this. Li Banghua had said so much and also pointed out the key issue. Now it was his time to make the final decision.

"Without strong troops, we can only retreat to the city and naturally be unable to protect the people. Defending the Huai River and the Yangtze River, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack, is even more ridiculous. The so-called battlefield initiative must be supported by strong troops, otherwise it is just empty talk.

Therefore, money and food for training troops must not be saved, and building cities should also be focused on. At key hubs, strong troops should be used to contain the Qing army, making it unable to take care of both ends and gradually revealing their flaws. This is the correct strategy to resist and defeat the enemy.

Furthermore, Jiangbei is densely populated by rivers and lakes. To defend it, we must rely not only on infantry and city defenses, but also on the navy. Money and food for military training cannot be saved; instead, we must continue to raise funds."

　I am very grateful for the suggestions made by book friends. The author has read them carefully and sorted out his own problems. If there is any structural imbalance in the subsequent plot, the author will make adjustments based on the original outline. Please rest assured, book friends.

　　PS: I already have a draft of the second chapter, but it wasn’t finished last night, so I’ll post it later, before 2 o’clock.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)