Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 73: Diverting Trouble to the West
On the first day of December, after lunch, the officers of each unit immediately began to follow the usual drills, emphasizing marching discipline, precautions during the march, and the daily destinations to be reached.
The Tianwu Left Camp of the Palace Army served as the vanguard and set out first from the Xinpukou Camp. They will follow the official road, pass through Chuzhou, and head north towards Fengyang Prefecture.

Afterwards, the Palace Army, the Beijing Camp, and the Navy, a total of seven battalions inside and outside the Nanjing city, with more than 20,000 soldiers on land and sea, as well as more than 37,000 civilians and more than 9,000 mules and horses recruited from various prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River, all set out one battalion after another according to the route planned long ago.

Several water gates on the Nanjing city wall were suddenly overcrowded with fully armed soldiers everywhere. Thousands of boats were competing on the river, and the official road to the north of the river was a mixture of people and horses, stretching for dozens of miles.

The various armies will gather in Fengyang Prefecture City, where Zhu Cilang will review his troops again and hold a military meeting to determine the army's next attack and defense plan based on the latest military intelligence and complete the army's final deployment.

With the war approaching, Zhou Shixian has been continuously sending additional personnel over the past two months, and his Jinyiwei's military intelligence gathering work in Henan has finally made positive progress.

At this time, not only the situation regarding Xu Dingguo, but also the situation regarding Duoduo's army heading south, the Jinyiwei had also heard some news.

But we only know that after leaving Beijing, the latter stopped for two days on his way south and then continued his march. We still don’t know any other military information.

As for the "Battle of Huaiqing" that took place in October, the Jinyiwei had basically found out that the Shun army defeated the Qing army and retook Huaiqing. All the civil and military officials of the Dingwu court speculated that this would inevitably have an impact on the overall situation.

At least, after the Shun army regained control of this transportation hub north of the Yellow River, Shandong, northern Zhili and other areas currently controlled by the Qing army were directly threatened, and the latter could not turn a blind eye.

However, Zhu Cilang's current deployment in Jiangbei is completely different from that in history, and the Qing army is very likely to have known about it.

He did not dare to be sure that Dorgon would directly let Duoduo lead the entire southern army westward as in the original history. This required more accurate military information to make a judgment.

In addition to news about the main force of the Qing army heading south, military intelligence about the rebel troops under Xu Dingguo of Guide Prefecture also continuously reached Zhu Cilang's desk.

Xu Dingguo had already begun to contact the Qing army at this time, but seeing that the Dingwu court in the south was gradually getting back on track and even bursting with vitality, Gao Jie, Huang Degong, Liu Zeqing, Liu Liangzuo and others surrendered to the new emperor one after another, and the Qing army was defeated in the Battle of Huaiqing, he couldn't help but think of betting on both sides.

However, Zhu Cilang repeatedly asked Li Banghua to issue a transfer order and lead his troops south, but Li Banghua refused for various reasons and even repeatedly attacked the counties and prefectures in Guide Prefecture that had returned to the Ming Dynasty.

Guide prefect Sang Kaidi was unable to resist, and finally, under the order of the Ministry of War, he led the Guide camp troops south to Bozhou.

Although Zhu Cilang also appointed many governors and generals in eastern Henan, he had no intention of relying on them to stop the Qing army. Most of these troops were vulnerable. Not to mention the Qing army, they could not even defend the city against the thousands of defeated soldiers gathered by Xu Dingguo.

In the original history, most of the governors and generals appointed by the Hongguang court directly surrendered to the Qing court. Li Jiyou, who was in charge of defending Henan Prefecture, even took the initiative to surrender when Duoduo advanced westward, leading the Qing army to attack westward.

In order to confuse the Qing army and reassure the people, Zhu Cilang rewarded these local forces, but at the same time he also asked them to lead their troops south in the name of enriching the local areas.

The final situation was exactly as expected. These people were basically fence-sitters who were watching the situation.

In fact, it was not just Xu Dingguo who was afraid of the Qing army. In the original history, when Shi Kefa commanded Gao Jie to march north, he specifically asked the other party to write a letter to Prince Su Haoge, who led a small number of Qing troops to stay along the Yellow River.

In his letter, Gao Jie repeatedly emphasized that he led the army north to "join forces to suppress the rebels" and to "enter Qin in different routes" to attack the Dashun army together.

Shi Kefa's move was naturally to show the Qing court that the Hongguang court was not guilty of the "three sins" as the other side accused it of - not sending a single soldier, hoping to gain some bargaining chips in future peace talks.

This is why Zhu Cilang led the army in person with the Palace Army and the Beijing Camp. If he did not take charge personally, the defense line in Jiangbei would probably collapse due to the emergence of a large number of rebels.

In other words, he not only stood behind the army, but also served as a banner. As long as he did not fall, most of the non-direct troops in Jiangbei and local militias would not easily surrender to the Qing army.

Now, as the civil and military ministers of the Dingwu court and the main force of the army gathered in Fengyang, the central capital of the Ming Dynasty, the situation in the north suddenly changed. In the Fengyang government office, which was temporarily used as a temporary palace, a fierce debate broke out again between the pro-war and pro-combat ministers.

"Your Majesty, the rebels launched a surprise attack on the Qing army, and the slave chieftain hesitated to advance. This must be because his forces are limited. Our dynasty should seize this opportunity to explain the pros and cons to the Tartars and lure them to march west. Then we will surely reap the benefits!"

"Chuang Ni is the mortal enemy of the Ming Dynasty. If we can get rid of him through the hands of the Tartar Qing, it would be a great thing. If the two of them kill each other and both suffer losses, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime event!"

"That's right. The Tartar army is marching southward with great force. If we can avoid their sharp edge and then sit back and watch the tigers fight, when the time is right, our army will march north and will be able to recover the lost territory in the Central Plains like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves!"

"Your Majesty, what Mr. Shi said is correct. To defeat the enemy without fighting is the best strategy!"

"Rebellion is a national enemy. Your Majesty is marching north this time, not only to drive out the Tartars, but also to annihilate the rebels and avenge the late emperor!"

After learning of the great victory of the Shun army in the "Battle of Huaiqing", Shi Kefa immediately contacted a group of ministers and nobles who were accompanying the emperor and tried to persuade Zhu Cilang to show goodwill to the Qing army and seek cooperation, in order to divert the disaster to the west and then take slow action.

Although the four words "ally with the Qing to suppress the bandits" could not be said directly, these officials who were afraid of the Qing as much as a tiger and were determined to avoid war and seek peace were implementing this policy in their every word and action.

However, in the court, as long as Gao Hongtu, the radical advocate of war, had not spoken, Shi Kefa, Ma Shiying, Zhao Zhilong and others would remain worried.

"Your Majesty, absolutely not! If we beg for peace with the Tartars, where will the dignity of the Ming Dynasty be? Your Majesty is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the ruler of the world. You must never do such a thing that is beneath your dignity!"

After Gao Hongtu, Chen Zilong, the military official, also spoke immediately:

"Grandmaster Gao is absolutely right. The Qing Tartars have always been barbaric. Reasoning with them will never work. To deal with such a ferocious enemy, we must be strong enough to intimidate them. Even if we want to lure the Qing Tartars westward to destroy them, we cannot initiate peace."

"That's wrong. As the saying goes, all is fair in war. Since this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it's not impossible to actively seek peace." The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Lü Daqi, also took the opportunity to step forward, clasped his hands, and said:

"In my opinion, Your Majesty should take advantage of the opportunity presented by the Qing Dynasty's westward advance and fierce battle with the rebels to launch a northern expedition. By then, Shandong will be completely empty and the people will be on the side of the Ming. With a proclamation, the situation will be settled. Your Majesty can then march directly to Yanjing and achieve your goal in one fell swoop!"

"Talking about war on paper is a disaster for the country and the people. The Tartars will definitely leave troops north of the Yellow River. If we are blocked, the Tartar soldiers advancing west will definitely turn back. Should our army then advance or retreat?"

When Ma Shiying saw his sworn enemy Lu Daqi, who had impeached him several times, speak out, he immediately refuted him harshly:

"North China is a vast plain, and now is the dry season for rivers and lakes, making it the perfect time for the Tartar cavalry to operate. Our army is primarily infantry, and the canals have long since dried up, making it difficult to transport rations. With such a large baggage train heading north, how can we defend ourselves against the Tartar cavalry, and how can we successfully launch a surprise attack?"

Ma Shiying was an expert in military affairs, and he immediately understood the problem in Lu Daqi's words.

But Lu Daqi is not a waste. He was able to become the Minister of War in Nanjing because of his solid experience in local military administration. It’s just that he has never competed with a truly strong opponent.

"Since we want to launch a surprise attack, we should wait until the Tartar army advances westwards and becomes entangled in a fierce battle with the rebels." Lu Daqi was not afraid at all and immediately retorted.

"Besides, who says that the main force of our army must advance from North China?"

"If we don't go through North China, is it possible for tens of thousands of troops to fly to Yanjing?" Ma Shiying snorted coldly.

"Shandong and Henan have been pacified by the edict, and a small force has been sent out to bluff and lure the main force of the Tartar army south. The main force of our army will go directly north by sea and head straight for Yanjing. We will definitely be able to kill the Tartars by surprise." Lu Daqi held his head high and chest out, and responded in a loud voice.

“If we march north from Nanzhili, even if we prepare in advance, we will need thousands of ships, and we will also need to establish forward positions on the islands around Bohai Sea in advance. Otherwise, we will be stuck.

"Marching by sea is not comparable to the canal, and our army is mostly infantry. If we drift on the sea for dozens of days, I'm afraid that by the time we reach Tianjin, the fighting power of each unit will be almost gone!"

Zhu Cilang raised his hand to stop Ma Shiying who was about to refute, but he directly rejected Lu Daqi's fantastic proposal to march north by sea.

Shi Kefa, Ma Shiying, Zhao Zhilong and others were about to frown, but when they heard this, their expressions seemed to change. They all nodded in agreement and looked expectant.

"Your Majesty is wise. It is simply nonsense to attack from the north by sea." Ma Shiying was very proud and then added:
"Besides, if we march north by sea, we won't need ships or food. We don't even have any skilled naval commanders. The sea will be windy and rough, and if something unexpected happens, we might be wiped out.

By then, even if God blesses the royal division and the army heading north successfully lands, Tianjin is still a flat land. Without troops to support it, tens of thousands of troops will be isolated and helpless, and the consequences will be equally disastrous. "

Seeing this, Shi Kefa immediately spoke again: "Your Majesty, the current situation is unclear. We must be cautious in everything we do. Rather than risking a sudden advance and putting the Jiangbei army in danger, it is better to wait and see what happens and proceed steadily."

"Although this is an old-fashioned view, it does fit the current situation. I think it is feasible." Xincheng Earl Zhao Zhilong quickly came out to express his support.

"I think they are just waiting to die!" Gao Hongtu couldn't stand the fear of these people and immediately refuted them:
"This is a great opportunity to advance north into Shandong. If the Qing army still insists on marching south, we should follow our original plan, fortify our defenses and clear the fields, and lure the enemy deep into our territory. Even if we have to fight hard, we will be able to force the Qing army to retreat.

If the Tartar army advances westward, we will take advantage of the opportunity, march north to recover southern Shandong, and west to recover eastern Henan. At least we can create momentum, boost morale, and let the world see that the Ming Dynasty's national fortune is not declining."

"The most crucial thing now is that the various tribes in Jiangbei are not under the same command, and there is no general in the court who can lead an attack. If the Tartars wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, a rash attack will inevitably worsen the situation." Shi Kefa frowned coldly, paused, and then directly questioned:

"Could it be that Lord Gao still wants Your Majesty to lead the troops directly north and put himself in danger?"

Without Li Banghua's help, Gao Hongtu gradually fell into a weak position in the court. Zhu Cilang had anticipated this, so he brought all these people with him so that Li Banghua could be unconstrained in the rear and smoothly dispatch troops and food.

He had no intention of heading north rashly. Except for the regular battalions under Gao Jie, Huang Degong, Liu Zeqing and Chen Fu, the Palace Army and the newly formed Beijing Camp were all new recruits. Letting these troops and the Qing cavalry fight mobile warfare on the vast North China Plain would definitely be courting death.

"Since we've already agreed to rely on the rivers, lakes, and cities north of the Yangtze River to defend against the enemy, I won't change it lightly. Given our army's current strength, a hasty northern expedition would be inappropriate. If the Qing army discovers something's amiss, they'll likely be overtaken before they even reach Zhending."

"Your Majesty is as clear-sighted as seeing through fire, and what you said is absolutely right!" Shi Kefa, Ma Shiying, Zhao Zhilong and other ministers responded in unison.

"But we absolutely cannot seek peace with the Tartar Qing. Otherwise, it will definitely encourage their arrogance in moving south." Zhu Cilang said firmly:
"Liaodong has been plagued by chaos for decades. I hope you all understand that when dealing with a greedy and brutal beast like the Tartars, if you can't hurt and scare them, it's absolutely impossible to make them retreat.

The situation has indeed changed, and it is very likely to become favorable to our dynasty, but the most important point has not changed: a tough battle is absolutely inevitable. Anyone who harbors luck will pay the price of losing troops and territory! "

"Your Majesty," Gao Hongtu immediately realized. Li Banghua had told him this several times. "The Tartars have long coveted Jiangnan's grain and money. Are they determined to take it this time?"

"That's right. Just based on this point, the Tartar Qing will absolutely not be willing to negotiate, unless I can lead the army to repel them and make them realize that plotting against Jiangnan is not worth the cost!"

Zhu Cilang nodded, and then said expressionlessly:

"The Tartars have poured their entire clan's strength into entering the Pass this time, and I'm afraid they have no intention of retreating back to Liaodong. Even if their army, originally heading south, temporarily moves westward due to the distraction of the rebels, they will surely move south again soon.

Otherwise, where would the money and food for these hundreds of thousands of troops come from? My dynasty spends tens of millions of silver to maintain its troops, but the Tartars don't need food to maintain their troops?
Dorgon sent Ajige to lead the Western Army and Duoduo to lead the Southern Army. This shows that he despises me. Since he despises me, I will definitely not let them go. How can a wolf let go of the meat that is right in its mouth?

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of Shi Kefa, Ma Shiying, Zhao Zhilong and others changed drastically. This meant that there was absolutely no room for negotiation. They had just heard Zhu Cilang refute Gao Hongtu's Northern Expedition theory and thought that the other party had come to his senses, but they did not expect this result.

As a result, the focus of the court discussion immediately returned to how to defend against the enemy, rather than peace talks.

"As for the method of defending against the enemy, I still plan to advance steadily, lure the enemy deep into our territory, and engage the Qing army in Jianghuai. The enemy is strong and we are weak, so we should not rush into anything rash. The people in eastern Henan and southern Shandong do need to be appeased, but that is all I can do."

But Gao Hongtu saw this and did not seem to want to give up this great opportunity to march north, and wanted to fight for it again:
"Your Majesty, I believe the Qing army's current movements are unclear. Your Majesty's strategy of luring the enemy deep into our territory and then waiting for battle is indeed brilliant. However, if you could simultaneously fortify your defenses and clear the countryside, gathering your troops, while simultaneously exploring the Central Plains and seizing fleeting opportunities to launch surprise attacks, you would be able to advance and retreat more freely and seize the initiative on the battlefield!"

Zhu Cilang was slightly surprised when he heard Gao Hongtu's words. He had said this word before, but he didn't expect Gao Hongtu to imitate him.

However, he thought of what the other party had said before, and looked at the other party's expression. For a moment, he was unable to determine whether the other party did it on purpose, or really felt that as long as the Qing army moved westward, it would be a good opportunity for the Northern Expedition.

After this period of contact, he has gained a clearer understanding of these self-righteous civil servants. Too often, they are too self-righteous and often fail to distinguish between priorities.

"Chen Fu, Chang Denggui, you have been in the military for many years and have experience fighting the Qing army. Tell us what you have to say!"

Zhu Cilang did not answer Gao Hongtu directly, but instead let the two generals in the army, the warriors who really knew military affairs, speak.

Chen Fu received the order and immediately bowed his waist, clasped his hands together, and spoke first:

"Your Majesty is very perceptive. The Qing army is indeed very powerful. Before our army has sufficient cavalry, relying on the Jianghuai River to hold on is the best strategy.

Otherwise, we could easily be attacked by the Qing army. If we lose the first battle, the people in Jiangbei will be shaken, and the strategy of blocking the enemy at every turn along the Jianghuai River will also be affected."

"I agree. Your Majesty has repeatedly told us that when making military decisions, we must maintain strategic composure. I believe that not rashly launching a northern expedition, not exposing any weaknesses, and advancing steadily and cautiously are the strategic composures we must maintain in this battle against the enemy in Jiangbei."

Chang Denggui is worthy of being the commander of the Palace Army and a thoughtful deputy. He remembers very clearly what Zhu Cilang said.

"If the rebels can draw the Qing army westward, it will be of great benefit to our army. This is not because of how many Tartars the rebels can kill, but because the climate in the south of the Yangtze River is hot and humid. If the Tartar army advances westward, it will be March or April by the time it moves south again.

By then, the temperature will rise and diseases will swell. Even if the Qing army wants to besiege Zhongdu, they won't be able to hold out for more than a month and will have to retreat north to rest. Otherwise, our army will continue to harass and counterattack, and they will undoubtedly be defeated."

After hearing this, Chen Fu immediately added:

"The rebels and the Tartars are at loggerheads. We cannot intervene, nor should we rashly send troops and create complications. Your Majesty is leading the troops north and personally leading the expedition with the sole purpose of forcing the Qing army to withdraw. The time for a northern expedition is not yet right."

Therefore, I believe that the most urgent thing at present is to strengthen the defense of various places, especially in Xuzhou and Guide. If we can force the Qing army to pause or split up in these two places, it will definitely make the situation more favorable for our army. "

The two men already had rich battlefield experience. During this period, they were exposed to military secrets and read a lot of military strategies and books. They grew very fast, especially Chang Denggui, who led his troops to station outside the city of Nanjing. It can be said that he was the first to see the moon because he was close to the water.

"That's not bad!" Zhu Cilang nodded in agreement and said immediately:
"In addition to the defense of various places, the current priority is to stabilize people's hearts, reorganize the various armies in Jiangbei and eastern Henan, and build a strong defense and clear the fields.

The biggest fear for this fortress is its internal collapse. If the people inside are unstable, then once the Qing army attacks, it will be impossible to defend against it. Ultimately, this city is defended by a large army."

"Your Majesty is right. Xu Dingguo and his ilk in eastern Henan have repeatedly disobeyed the Ministry of War's orders. They must be strictly disciplined. Otherwise, they will not be able to deter the other forces and stabilize the morale of the army."

After Shi Kefa understood Zhu Cilang's meaning, he immediately spoke out. He was afraid of the Qing army, but he was very tough towards Xu Dingguo and his ilk.

"This man was originally highly valued by the late emperor, but he had no intention of repaying the emperor's kindness. He fled from Shanxi to Guide, repeatedly plundering the local area and harming the people. Such an arrogant general must be disciplined."

Ma Shiying did not care about Xu Dingguo's performance, but since Shi Kefa supported him, he would definitely help him:
"Master Shi is right. Only by combining kindness and severity can we control these arrogant and domineering military leaders. Otherwise, once these rebel soldiers surrender to the Qing Dynasty, they will surely be forced to move south. At that time, these rebel soldiers will undoubtedly become accomplices of the evil and lead the Qing Dynasty on its way."

But at this time, Gao Hongtu disagreed. He immediately cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with the rectification, and Guide should indeed have a heavy garrison. However, Xu Dingguo is, after all, the general appointed by Your Majesty himself. If you want to punish him, you must have solid evidence, otherwise it will only cause unrest among the people.

"I believe we should issue another imperial decree and dispatch a minister to personally summon him to Zhongdu. Then, any trial or punishment will be justified. In extraordinary times, the most taboo is to arbitrarily kill or remove people, causing panic."

"Mr. Gao is right." Zhu Cilang was somewhat surprised by Gao Hongtu's performance. He was indeed a reasonable person.

"Then I will issue another transfer order and have Chen Qianfu and Sang Kaidi deliver it. If Xu Dingguo and the others are still loyal, they will definitely lead their troops south. Otherwise, I will definitely send troops to wipe out this chaotic army in one fell swoop!"

If Xu Dingguo still refused to obey the transfer order as in the original history, Zhu Cilang would definitely seize this opportunity to see the training results of the Palace Army and at the same time take the opportunity to boost morale.

Whether fighting against the Qing army or Xu Dingguo, the armies in Jiangbei are now in urgent need of a victory to strengthen their confidence in defending. Zhu Cilang must also let the armies outside Fengyang see the strength of the Palace Army and the Beijing Camp.

You know, the mentality of "fearing the Qing as if they were a tiger" was not only found in civil officials such as Shi Kefa, Ma Shiying, and Zhao Zhilong, but also in military generals such as Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing.

(End of this chapter)