Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 74: Emperor Ming is young but courageous
The civil officials in the Ming Dynasty court have always been "experts in internal fighting but amateurs in external fighting."

Although they were submissive to the Qing army, they were unusually united in their stance towards military leaders like Xu Dingguo who disobeyed orders. They all supported a heavy blow. Even Gao Hongtu only wanted a legitimate reason and peace of mind for the people!

In this way, things will naturally become easier.

Now the only thing Zhu Cilang needs to confirm is the whereabouts of Duoduo's army. As long as the latter leads his troops westward to Tongguan as in the original history, the initiative on the Jiangbei battlefield will be completely in his hands in the next three or four months.

At this time, the reason why the Qing court and Hauge showed rare prudence was that the two armies commanded by Ajige and Duoduo had been assembled by Dorgon with all his efforts. Even the hundreds of thousands of Ming court surrendered troops gathered from northern Zhili, Shanxi and other places had been mobilized long ago.

If these two armies moved westward, the Qing government's military strength in North China, including Beijing, would become extremely weak. And its rule in the capital, Shanxi, Henan, Shandong and other places was not yet stable. Naturally, Hauge, who stayed behind to guard the Yellow River, did not dare to send troops south again.

However, Zhu Cilang was not willing to miss out on his real cause for this small benefit. Instead of dividing his troops to recapture these places, he would rather let the army continue to train and strengthen the defense of Jiangbei City.

His strategic goal at this stage was to defeat the Qing army heading south in Jiangbei and gain a firm foothold in Jiangnan.

Zhu Cilang had been sending troops in eastern Henan who were still loyal to the Ming Dynasty southward because he was worried that they would be swept away and become the vanguard of the Qing army's southward advance.

Similarly, if Xu Dingguo did not lead his troops south, he would have sent troops to Guide to clear the way for the other side to prevent the troops gathered by the other side from eventually surrendering to the Qing army.

Of course, the most important purpose of Zhu Cilang's action this time was to test the strength of the Palace Army, and at the same time, he also wanted to let all the troops know that he was an emperor who could win battles.

This is crucial!
Soon, Gao Jie stationed in Xuzhou, Huang Degong in Huai'an, Liu Zeqing in Luzhou, Zhu Datian in Yangzhou, Shen Tingyang in charge of sea transportation and other civil and military ministers came to Fengyang to pay homage to the emperor. Zhu Cilang also issued new military orders to them based on the current situation.

Gao Jie, Huang Degong, Liu Zeqing and their troops must continue to ensure the reconnaissance of military intelligence in the north and west until the situation in eastern Henan becomes clear, and at the same time assemble an elite force to be on standby at any time.

Zhu Datian, the left vice-minister of the Ministry of War, continued to strengthen the defense of Yangzhou. Liu Zhaoji's troops affiliated with the Beijing Camp and Zhang Mingzhen's troops mobilized from Zhejiang were all under his command, and the navy under Huang Fei also assisted in the defense.

Shen Tingyang, who was highly valued during the Chongzhen period for his management of maritime transport, has now been reinstated as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He is currently leading a fleet to transport supplies to important cities such as Xuzhou, Huai'an, and Fengyang via the Yangtze River and the coastal routes of Nanzhili.

Not only that, after the autumn grain harvest in Xuzhou, Fengyang, Huai'an, Yangzhou and other counties, the militia that Lu Zhenfei had previously trained in various places also entered a state of preparation for war and began to renovate and strengthen the village fortresses.

Of course, even the peasant army that swept here in previous years could not withstand such a fortress. It was almost impossible to stop the Qing army. However, the peasant army could ignore casualties, but the Qing army could not.

Moreover, around the route that the Qing army had to take to the south, most of the people in the villages and towns had already begun to migrate into the vicinity of the villages and towns, or to seek refuge in larger prefectures and counties east of Huai'an Prefecture and south of Fengyang Prefecture.

These places are basically under the protection of the various armies in Jiangbei, especially Huai'an, Xuzhou, Fengyang, Luzhou and Yangzhou, where there are troops stationed there that can fight and effectively restrain the Qing army.

In this way, the Qing army heading south had to either split up its forces or collect supplies near the main base. Once a small group of troops far away from the main force appeared, the large armies stationed in Xuzhou, Huai'an, Yangzhou, Luzhou and other places had the strength to fight against them.

This is what Zhu Cilang called the initiative on the battlefield, and it is also the reason why he insisted on training troops. If the soldiers defending the city do not have the ability to go out of the city for small-scale field raids, then no matter how strong the city defense is, it will be meaningless.

At this time, the various armies that gathered in the Zhongdu Fengyang, as well as the armies stationed in various prefectures, counties and cities, continued to maintain a certain intensity of training.

If Zhu Cilang's estimate is correct, there are still more than three months before Duoduo leads his troops south. If these tens of thousands of troops are all resting for such a long time, many of them will probably become lazy again.

As time went by, the news that Duoduo led a large army into Zhangde was quickly conveyed to Fengyang by spies sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. At this time, Chen Qianfu, Sang Kaidi and others also brought the transfer order issued by the Ministry of War to Suizhou.

In Suizhou City, Xu Dingguo frowned and threw the transfer order from the Ministry of War to Xu Er'an with a stern look. Because the Qing army was moving south, the situation was temporarily unclear, and because of the previous conflict with Gao Jie, he was still hesitating whether to obey the order and lead the army south to Fengyang.

"Dad, Zhang Jinyan has also sent orders, asking us to defend the line from Ningling west to Lanyang. If the Qing army moves south, we must report to Zhongdu immediately."

Xu Dingguo's son, Lieutenant General Xu Er'an, read the transfer order and immediately bowed and asked:
"Should we ask Lord Shi to mediate? Lord Shi is a favorite of His Majesty now. Perhaps if he can mediate, we won't have to go south."

"Shi Kefa is nothing but a popular figure. If Your Majesty really listened to him, you probably wouldn't be leading the army in person right now." Xu Erji, another son of Xu Dingguo, sneered after hearing this.
"That bastard Shi Kefa is no different from those high-ranking masters, except that he doesn't covet money. He looks down on us. It's better to beg the Tartars than to beg him!
Zhang Jinyan told us to defend Ningling, but he himself disappeared. Which of the Henan troops can he command? Why should we listen to him?

The situation suddenly changed. Xu Dingguo listened to the argument between his two sons and became upset for a moment. He looked up at the sky and sighed:

"Shi Kefa is truly untrustworthy. Your Majesty's tough stance this time may be due to his instigation. Furthermore, Shi Kefa is indecisive and indecisive. I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to say a single useful word in court, let alone plead for us."

Don't look at your majesty's young age, but he is a man of his own ideas and courage. He dares to lead the army in person. His courage is a hundred times stronger than his father's. If it weren't for the fact that there are no soldiers in the south, he would die if he went there. "

Xu Dingguo had actually considered heading south, but how could the soldiers in Nanzhili stop the Tartars? Rather than shaving his head and surrendering to the Qing army in Nanzhili, it would be better to go directly to Guide. Perhaps then he could take advantage of the situation to gather the surrendered soldiers and expand his strength.

"But now that the rebels have fought a battle in Huaiqing, the Qing army will most likely not march directly south. With our current strength, if Your Majesty were to send troops to suppress them, Suizhou would be completely undefendable."

After hearing what Xu Dingguo said, Xu Erji said anxiously, "If we keep waiting like this, I'm afraid the situation will become even more unfavorable. Gao Jie and our family have a deep blood feud, and he will definitely not let us go!"

"Chen Qianfu and Sang Kaidi are just outside the city. Judging from their tone, we have to give them a definite answer today no matter what we say." Xu Er'an also looked embarrassed.

"If you want accurate information, then just give them accurate information first!" Xu Dingguo said angrily. He narrowed his eyes, then looked up to the north. After a while, he seemed to have finally made up his mind and said in a deep voice:
"Send someone to tell Chen Qianfu and Sang Kaidi that I'm packing up my troops and will be heading south with Suizhou's troops in five days. Tell them to prepare food and fodder for the 3,000-strong army along the way, or else don't blame me for having to find food on my own."

"Dad, the battle in the north hasn't started yet." Xu Erji heard this and said anxiously:

“Although the rebels managed to win a round last time, I have inquired clearly. There were not many real Tartars that time, and the rebels’ strength was more than ten times that of the Qing army. They had an army of 20,000 or 30,000, claiming to have 100,000, but they defeated the Qing army of 2,000, and they still forced hundreds of them to flee.

But those who came this time are almost all real Tartars. It is said that they have more than 100,000 soldiers and horses. The rebels are absolutely no match for them. Otherwise, they would not have retreated to Shaanxi in less than half a year, and even Shanxi and Henan are almost completely lost."

"I'm not confused yet, I can see that, but the Tartars can't take care of us right now. As for His Majesty, I have to find an excuse to delay for a few days."

Xu Dingguo glared at Xu Erji, then smiled sinisterly and said:
"Otherwise, why would I let them prepare food? If the situation turns bad, we can grab the food and run north. I don't care if they are the front troops or the rear troops. I want to see who dares to chase us.
Your Majesty is indeed courageous, but a kid and a group of mediocre ministers who only know how to fight for power and profit would never guess that I have this ability. The soldiers under his command have never fought a battle. Even if they catch up with us, they will definitely be in chaos.

I'm worried about Gao Jie now. If His Majesty sends him, it will be difficult for us with only a few hundred soldiers to defeat him. But if we can lure the Tartars here, Gao Jie will definitely not dare to act rashly."

He had originally thought of waiting a little longer and placing bets on both sides before the outcome of the battle in the north was decided, but when his son reminded him of this, he made up his mind.

Xu Dingguo has always been very clear-headed and has a very clear understanding of the current situation. Otherwise, he would not have stayed in Suizhou and Ningling to observe the situation and would not have gone south.

Now, his most urgent task was to lure the Qing army from the north, and then he would lead the Qing army southward as a guide. If the Qing army could defeat the Ming army in Jianghuai and even capture the Ming emperor, he would surely have made an indelible contribution.

"Should we contact the Qing army north of the Yellow River? Otherwise, if we go north rashly, I'm worried that misunderstandings will arise!" Xu Er'an asked immediately.

"Well, regardless of whether the Qing army wins or loses in the end, we should contact them first. It would be best if the Tartar army could send troops south to support us. That way, Gao Jie would definitely not dare to act rashly."

Xu Dingguo nodded. He was not afraid of Zhu Cilang, but he was afraid of Gao Jie who commanded a large army.

After all, at a time like this, an emperor without a strong army couldn't possibly make waves. If your military leaders obeyed, you were the emperor; if they disobeyed, they were just bargaining chips for merit and reward. "Dad, my eldest brother and I will go together. The Tartars will definitely require someone to stay as a hostage. That way, we'll have someone to report back," Xu Erji said.

"Okay, let's do it!" Xu Dingguo nodded in agreement without any hesitation.

He didn't believe that the troops in Nanzhili could stop the Qing army, but he was also unsure how much benefit the Qing army could bring him. He insisted on staying in Suizhou and Ningling because he wanted to have more bargaining chips and take the initiative.

"When we meet Duoduo, no matter how few there are, even if it's just a hundred or so cavalrymen, we must find a way to get him to send a Tartar army south."

"Yes!" Xu Er'an and Xu Erji answered in unison.

Afterwards, Xu Er'an left the city and conveyed Xu Dingguo's original words to Chen Qianfu and Sang Kaidi.

Chen Qianfu and Sang Kaidi had always distrusted Xu Dingguo's loyalty. When they heard this, they immediately guessed that the other party was deliberately delaying time.

However, the two did not make it public. Instead, they took advantage of the situation and bargained for a while, demanding that Xu Dingguo pack up his troops within three days and then march south immediately. They had already prepared food, fodder, and horse feed.

Xu Er'an had no choice but to return to the city to report. After hearing this, Xu Dingguo was so angry that he scolded the two of them, but after weighing the pros and cons, he finally agreed - to lead the troops south three days later.

Anyway, if the situation is not right at that time, he can just delay for a few more days on the pretext that there is a problem with the food and horse fodder.

After receiving Xu Dingguo's letter of approval, Chen Qianfu and Sang Kaidi finally left satisfied and agreed with each other to meet outside Ningling City three days later.

After Chen Qianfu and Sang Kaidi left, the brothers Xu Er'an and Xu Erji, escorted by a dozen personal guards, headed north to look for Duoduo's army.

Because Zhu Cilang flapped his butterfly wings several days earlier than originally expected in history, Duoduo had just led his troops to Xiuwu County, which was on the border of Huaiqing Prefecture and Weihui Prefecture, when Xu Er'an and Xu Erji arrived at the camp of the Qing army in the south.

However, they did not get to meet Duoduo. After receiving an order to march north quickly to surrender, they were sent away.

The sons of two defeated generals only had a dozen soldiers under their command. How could Duoduo take them seriously?

Moreover, Duoduo had already received orders from Dorgon at this time, and was ready to lead his troops westward, first to take Huaiqing, then attack Shanzhou, and then seize Tongguan, attacking Li Zicheng in Xi'an from both sides, and had no intention of paying any attention to Xu Dingguo in eastern Henan.

"The rebels in Huaiqing now only have a few thousand men and horses left, and the city has not been repaired yet. It seems that the rebels are not planning to hold out!" Qingjin Duoluo Beile Bolo paused, then said:
"In addition, besides Xu Dingguo, Li Jiyu, the Ming general in Henan Prefecture to the west, has also sent envoys to surrender. Besides Zhang Youzeng's troops in Lingbao County, Henan Prefecture, and Ma Shiyao's troops in Tongguan, there are no major rebel forces in the prefectures and counties of western Henan."

During the war, the Qing army always attached great importance to collecting military intelligence. Duoduo had long known not only the deployment of the Shun army in the west, but also the news that Zhu Cilang personally led the army to the south but did not take any action.

"Li Zicheng has already withdrawn all his troops from Henan. It seems Dorgon's guess was correct. The Shun bandits really intend to concentrate their forces northward and encircle and annihilate Ajige in northern Shaanxi."

Inside the tent, Duoduo smiled contemptuously, then poured himself another glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. Since entering the Pass, the Qing army had won victory after victory, which made him very proud.

"This time, Ajige will have to wait for me to rescue him. Let's see if he dares to look down on me again in the future!"

"Humph, with the strength of Nikan's army inside the pass, it's simply a daydream to want to encircle and annihilate Prince Ying. Now that the prince is leading his troops westward, Li Zicheng probably has no choice but to turn around and defend Tongguan."

Bolo also smiled coldly. He had followed Duoduo, Jirgalang and others to conquer the Ming Dynasty many times. He had a full understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Ming army in western Liaoning, and he knew Ajige's strength even more.

Of course, in comparison, Duoduo, who was repeatedly ambushed and repelled by small forces from Liaozhen, had an even lower level of combat ability. This also affected Bolo, who had participated in many campaigns and was not very strong himself.

Therefore, after entering the Pass, facing the Ming army and the Shun army, which suffered repeated defeats and was almost unable to stop the Qing army, Bolo and Duoduo were overjoyed and even a little too proud of themselves.

Bolo thought of the military intelligence that the scouts had gathered earlier, and suddenly said:

"However, I heard that the new emperor of the Ming court in the south has reorganized hundreds of thousands of troops and has already reached the Huai River. If we march west, they might take advantage of the situation and march north. The situation in the Central Plains would then be dire!"

"With Haoge staying in the Central Plains, what's there to be afraid of?" Duoduo said unfazed. "If the Ming troops in the nine border areas are this bad, why should we be afraid of the Ming troops in the south? It would be a waste to send all our nearly 100,000 troops south to fight!"

"Your Highness is right. Jiangnan has no Tusi troops, and the Zhejiang troops were completely wiped out by the Qing Dynasty long ago. The Emperor Ming is simply overestimating his own capabilities by leading the army in person this time."

When Boro heard this, he agreed in his heart, but he was still a little worried, so he suggested:

"But after all, hundreds of thousands of Ming troops have been gathered in Jianghuai and other places. Haoge's troops are so weak that he can only defend the north and will not be able to take care of the many prefectures south of the Yellow River.

Although the Ming Emperor is young, he is quite courageous. If he sends troops to attack the north and Hauge sits idly by, our army will probably encounter considerable obstacles when it moves south. Those who can lead the way, such as Xu Dingguo, will probably be eliminated by the Ming Emperor.

However, the Ming army has always been afraid of our Qing army. If they want to intimidate the Ming emperor, leaving Baiyintu to lead the two Niulu should be able to deal with it with ease."

"If Emperor Ming really had the courage to launch a northern expedition, he would not have sat idly by and watched our dynasty take over Shandong, nor would he have stayed in Jianghuai and allowed Xu Dingguo to go south.

The so-called Northern Expedition was probably nothing more than a bluff by those Nikan ministers of the Ming court. I think the Ming Emperor was not very courageous, but had no self-awareness at all!

Besides, Xu Dingguo only has a few hundred men, so I can destroy him. As long as I defeat Li Zicheng, all the prefectures and cities in Jiangnan will be mine. Without Xu Dingguo, can I not conquer Jiangnan?"

Duoduo was not persuaded, and instead had no regard for the Dingwu court. He was so excited that he even drank another glass of wine, his face flushed, and then he continued:

"My great Qing cavalry has entered the Great Wall many times. Except for the year of Yisi, has the Ming army ever dared to fight us in an open battle? Now, half of the elite troops of the nine frontiers of the Ming court have surrendered to my great Qing, and half are in the hands of Li Zicheng. Destroying Li Zicheng is the top priority.

As for the chaotic, defeated, and weak armies in the south, they are not a threat at all. Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing, these useless people, which one of them was not defeated by Li Zicheng?
Li Zicheng is no match for me, so what are they? The young emperor of the Ming court, who is still wet behind the ears, is probably as bad as Fulin, so why should I be afraid? "

After Duoduo said this, Bolo did not insist any more and immediately talked about the strategy of marching the army westward to capture Tongguan.

In fact, he also looked down on the so-called Ming army in the south, and looked down on the Ming emperor who was said to have just met the selection criteria. He was just more cautious than Duoduo.

Duoduo looked at Bolo's expression, then remembered the military intelligence in the south that the scouts had gathered, and smiled again:
"I heard that after Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he selected countless concubines from Jiangnan and often had sex with six women at night. I imagine that the Han women in Jiangnan must be extremely beautiful. When the time comes, Bolo, you and I will try them together and see what kind of woman can make this young man who has just experienced the world of love so linger."

After hearing this, Bolo's expression, which was originally serious but mixed with a little worry, instantly became obscene, and the two of them even raised their heads and laughed obscenely.

"Ha ha ha ha."

　Thanks to the book friend "Yuekenlu Dazhuang" for the reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)