Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 79 The Qing Army Arrives
"Your Majesty, how should the cavalry deployed in Guide Prefecture proceed?"

After the officers dispersed, Chang Denggui, who was left alone by Zhu Cilang, bowed and asked.

"The scouts left behind in the Heavenly Cavalry Battalion will continue to gather military intelligence near Guide Prefecture. I will have Zhou Shixian make arrangements and have them act together with the spies from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Once we have confirmed that the main force of the Qing army is heading south, we will immediately withdraw south, and then find a way to catch the Qing army off guard when they are pursuing us, and launch a counterattack to test their strength."

Zhu Cilang paused after speaking, then continued to give orders:

"Also, while the main force of the Qing army is advancing westward, send more scouts into Kaifeng, Nanyang, and other prefectures to gather military intelligence and gauge the sentiments of people across Henan. Try to contact those gentry who are unwilling to surrender to the Qing, and let them act accordingly."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Upon hearing this, Chang Denggui immediately bowed and clasped his hands in response.

He understood Zhu Cilang's intentions and was well aware of the strength of the Qing army. Although he had already established three lines of defense in Jiangbei and had taken advantage of the Qing army's westward advance to fortify the city and clear the countryside, if he wanted to weaken the Qing army's determination to advance south, he would need the cooperation of the rebel forces in eastern Henan, southern Henan, western Shandong, and southern Shandong.

Chang Denggui had been with Zhu Cilang for so long, and through what he saw and heard, he also understood that in the current situation where the enemy was strong and we were weak, it was not enough to rely solely on military victory to repel the Qing army.

After all, if the Ming Dynasty could easily achieve a decisive military victory, it would not have fallen to such a state.

After Zhu Cilang personally arranged the military deployment of Guide Prefecture, he did not stay any longer. The next day, he immediately led his troops eastward to Xuzhou. After Xuzhou, there was Huai'an. Since he had finally come out, he naturally had to personally inspect these core hubs on the Jiangbei defense line.

At this time, the news that the royal army had won a great victory in the "Battle of Suizhou", annihilated tens of thousands of enemies, and put down the rebellion in one fell swoop had spread throughout the north of the Yangtze River, and was about to reach the south of the Yangtze River along with the Tangma who were heading south to report the good news.

Such exciting news should naturally spread as far south as possible!
Zhu Cilang brought the civil and military officials of the court and the palace troops to Xuzhou City with the power of a great victory. He was immediately warmly welcomed by the local military and civilians. The prefect Yan Yingyuan led a group of officials of all ranks from various prefectures and counties in Xuzhou out of the city to welcome him.

It was actually the first time that Zhu Cilang had truly seen this anti-Qing hero who had left his name in history. Looking at Yan Yingyuan, who had a plump torso, prominent eyebrows, a red face and a beard, and looked very much like the image of Guan Yu in his mind, he was even a little dazed.

The Jinyiwei spies arranged by Zhou Shixian in Jiangbei also kept surveillance on Xuzhou. They had a high opinion of Yan Yingyuan - he was a courageous and knowledgeable man, both wise and brave, and was deeply loved by the military and the people.

After all, in comparison, General Gao Jie's evaluation is that he is brave but lacks strategy, indulges his subordinates, and is not good at commanding the army. The only good thing about him is his absolute loyalty.

According to secret reports from the Imperial Guard, Zhu Cilang also knew that during his time as prefect, Yan Yingyuan was very fond of personally leading patrols of the city. During each patrol, he was accompanied by a man wielding a broadsword, giving him a sense of being like the reincarnation of Yun Chang.

Not only that, Gao Jie and Yan Yingyuan seemed to get along very well, even giving people a feeling that they had met too late and appreciated each other, and they also called each other brothers in private.

Yan Yingyuan was eloquent and proficient in both civil and military affairs, completely different from those officials of literary origin, while Gao Jie was a generous and straightforward person. The two almost became sworn brothers when they met. Even after Yan Yingyuan took office, he strictly enforced military discipline and beheaded several soldiers who violated military discipline, but Gao Jie did not say anything.

After all, although they are all brothers, the weight between brothers is still very different. Yan Yingyuan also knows who he can kill and who he cannot kill.

So, seeing the two of them like this, Zhu Cilang didn't find it strange at all. They were clearly two "jianghu men" in the officialdom, no wonder they worked together so well.

Yan Yingyuan brought a group of officials to welcome Zhu Cilang into Xuzhou City with a grand ceremony. The city was bustling with people and the scene was very grand.

At this time, the city had already taken in more than 80,000 people who had taken refuge from the surrounding countryside. Even Pei County and Dangshan, the two cities that Gao Jie and Yan Yingyuan finally chose to defend, each took in 20,000 to 30,000 people.

However, Zhu Cilang did not care about these empty formalities. He was no longer the impoverished crown prince and had long possessed the capital to treat people with respect.

Amid the enthusiastic cheers of the soldiers and civilians, Zhu Cilang first began to inspect the city defense fortifications. He led a group of ministers directly to a platform beside the moat outside the city. Before their eyes was the renovated city defense of Xuzhou Prefecture.

Ma Shiying, Shi Kefa, Gao Hongtu, Chen Zilong and others also climbed up the platform which had just been built a few months ago. The scene before them was so shocking that they were speechless.

They had indeed known before that the imperial court was going to rebuild the city defenses in Fengyang, Xuzhou, Huai'an, and Yangzhou, and this was even something they discussed together with Zhu Cilang.

But more than a month ago, when they just entered Fengyang, the outer city wall of Fengyang City had not been renovated yet. In addition, none of them paid attention to these "unimportant" things, so they had no idea that the new city defense fortifications would look like this.

Now, in front of them was a wide and thick earthen wall that stretched for more than ten miles and was more than ten feet high. This earthen wall directly surrounded the Xuzhou city wall, which was originally three feet and three feet high, along with the moat.

What is different from the past is that the outer layer of this earth wall is actually in a sawtooth shape. There is a watchtower every hundred steps on the wall, and between the watchtowers is a breastwork half a person's height to serve as a cover for the stationed soldiers.

Whether it was the watchtower or the breastwork, a large number of firearms were deployed on them. Gao Hongtu could not see clearly what those things were. Based on his experience, Ma Shiying probably guessed that they were firearms such as the French cannon, the general cannon, and the second general cannon. There were also several eye-catching red cannons on the top of the Xuzhou city wall behind.

These firearms would be the key to defending the city. Even with artillery, it would not be easy for the Qing army to knock down such a thick earthen wall. However, with muskets and artillery at a high position, it would be easy to repel the attacking Qing army.

Not only that, there are countless ditches crisscrossing the plain outside the earth wall. The outermost area is densely packed with pits, which are used to prevent the shield carts from advancing quickly. Then there are several horse-blocking ditches and a trench that doesn't look narrow at all.

Because the distance was too far, no one could see the depth of the trench clearly. Zhu Cilang personally participated in the design of the new city defense. He knew that the trench was two zhang and three chi wide and one zhang and one chi deep, the same as an earth wall.

This means that on the surface the Qing army only had to deal with an earthen wall more than ten feet high, but when they braved artillery shells and arrows and tried their best to cross the ditches and potholes and arrived in front of the trench, they would find that the wall they had to climb was actually twice as high.

Furthermore, behind the earthen wall, there was a trench. Otherwise, the excavated earth wouldn't have been enough to build such a high and wide earthen wall. Furthermore, the trench was filled with sharp wood.

It is not easy for soldiers in armor to break through such fortifications. It is even a fantasy if there are not enough people to fill the trench.

As for the Yellow River in the northeast direction, there are several newly built towers and forts more than three and a half feet high, which echo the Wuning Gate in the north. This ensures the smooth flow of waterways north of Xuzhou City and connects the entire Xuzhou defense fortifications into one.

Gao Hongtu looked at the colorful flags flying in the wind above the earth wall without saying a word. Lu Daqi, and especially Chen Zilong, couldn't help swallowing and felt dry in the mouth.

He had been in the Ministry of War for quite some time. He had always boasted of his knowledge of military affairs and looked down on those who were only good at verbal disputes. Now, for the first time, he felt ashamed to face the imperial court.

At this time, Ma Shiying also did not speak, but when he saw the scouts of Gao Jie's troops still galloping outside the field, he felt a lot more at ease. No matter how strong the Qing army was, they would probably not be able to break through such a city defense.

"Your Majesty, the defense of Xuzhou city has been basically repaired. With such deep trenches and huge trenches, as long as the Qing army dares to come, I will make sure they never return!" After Yan Yingyuan introduced the defense of Xuzhou city to Zhu Cilang and the ministers accompanying him, he made a firm guarantee.

"After six months of training, I have eliminated all the old and weak soldiers in the army. Now we have more than 11,000 elite soldiers. In addition to the more than 2,000 soldiers stationed in Peixian and Dangshan, there are still 6,000 elite soldiers in Xuzhou City and more than 20,000 young and strong civilians. There will be no problem in resisting the Qing army." Gao Jie also vowed.

"Your Majesty, this city is so strong and impregnable, and with loyal soldiers like General Gao and Prefect Yan stationed there, even if a million Qing troops march south, they will never be able to capture Xuzhou."

This time, Ma Shiying spoke first before anyone else could react. He hadn't been able to seize the initiative last time, and he had always remembered it.

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers who were stunned by the city defenses of Xuzhou and almost speechless also spoke up, but it seemed that they had not yet figured it out, and their performance was not as good as Ma Shiying's.

But what was beyond Zhu Cilang's expectation was that this time, Gao Hongtu actually praised the defense of Xuzhou city. One could even see from his eyes that he was really shocked by such a grand defensive fortification.

Zhu Cilang looked at such a magnificent city defense and couldn't help but feel proud. He then painted a few big pictures and encouraged the civil and military officials of Xuzhou City. Then he took this group of officials, big and small, to inspect the civil affairs management in the city.

After all, a city is defended by people. Without the morale of the soldiers and the people, even the strongest city defenses will be useless.

The shape of Xuzhou City is not square, but like a triangular rice dumpling, and the several city gates around it are naturally not opposite to each other.

Inside the city, the government office and the Confucian Temple occupied the northeast corner. Except for the Daoist office, the Wei office, and the City God Temple, the main government offices and temples were mostly in the northern half of the city. The advantage was that the streets were relatively straight, and there was a large built-up area in the south of the city, which could be directly converted into a military camp or a residence for refugees.

Hubu Mountain, a highland south of the city, was once home to wealthy families, but now served as a warehouse for the defenders. Reinforced and elevated, it would allow the city to hold out for a while longer, even if the Qing army flooded the city. Taking advantage of this inspection, Zhu Cilang spoke cordially with the civilians, who had been completely placed under military control and were now undertaking various construction tasks within the city. He expressed concern for their diet and rest, and encouraged them to remain on the front lines of the city defense, protecting their homes and country until the Tartars were defeated.

Of the more than 80,000 people in the city, more than 50,000 young and strong men and women were finally selected. They participated in all aspects of the construction of Xuzhou city. Many men among them also began to train with simple pointed wooden spears. Even the squad leaders and captains of the civilian laborers were equipped with old swords and guns found in the armory.

After Xuzhou City, Zhu Cilang went south to Huai'an. The city defense here had been repaired and reinforced, and a huge earth wall was built on the periphery, exactly the same as that of Xuzhou City.

However, when Zhu Cilang came to Huai'an, in addition to inspecting the city defense, the most important thing was to review the Zheng family navy in Hongze Lake. Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Sen, uncle and nephew, had also been heading north for some time.

On the third day after Zhu Cilang arrived in Huai'an, hundreds of ships of all sizes came towards the rising sun in the lake west of Huai'an City, covering the sky and blocking out the sun. It was a spectacular sight.

This time, after the fleet brought by Zheng Sen from Fujian joined with Zheng Hongkui's original detachment, there were a total of more than 400 ships of various sizes.

In addition to the Zheng family navy's main warships, the large-scale ships and bird ships, this navy also includes a series of small armed ships with different functions, such as water boats, plow boats, sand boats, bird tail boats, black tail boats, gun boats, and quick sentries, as well as more than 30 merchant ships specially used for transporting grain.

The Dahuan ship is actually a general term for all kinds of large gunboats equipped with cannons. It has a tall hull, a high bow and a raised stern, and can sail quickly without fear of wind and waves. It is one of the main warships of the Zheng army navy.

The large-scale ship is generally about two zhang wide and eight zhang high. The important parts of the hull are wrapped with iron leaves and equipped with long-range cannons. It has strong endurance and offensive capabilities. The largest type can accommodate more than 500 people.

In addition to a large cannon at the bow and stern, the ship is often also equipped with light firearms such as the Shenji gun, Qianhua gun, chain rockets, squirt guns, and fire pots.

Of course, there are also several modified super-large ships in the Zheng family navy. The main mast is four zhang high, the ship is more than twenty zhang long, and has five decks. It is as tall as a city and can accommodate three to four hundred soldiers and sailors. Each ship is equipped with eight red cannons and forty thousand-jin Portuguese cannons.

Among them, the most famous is the large warship equipped with a cannon called "Dragon Cannon". Only a warship equipped with this kind of naval gun that can fire 32-pound shells can be considered a true main battleship.

In fact, Zheng Zhilong had previously built more powerful warships based on the galleon, but unfortunately they were attacked by the Dutch before they went out to sea, and most of them were eventually burned in the bay.

In addition to these standing ships, Zheng Group merchant ships active in the waters of the Far East also became part of the warships participating in the war.

In the original history, Zheng Jing had deployed merchant ships from various places in every large-scale battle with the Qing army, the battle to retake Taiwan, and Zheng Jing's subsequent western expedition to Xiamen.

However, Zheng Zhilong is still the one in charge of the Zheng family. He does not trust the young emperor in Nanjing and feels that with the arrival of the Manchus, he can gain more by replacing him with an emperor who is less familiar with the south, so he did not provide greater support.

"Your Majesty, from Jiuxian, upstream of Sizhou, to Shuanggou, north of Suqian, as long as there is wind, most of the navy's ships can reach it. Even if there is no wind, they can still sail slowly relying on human power."

Zheng Hongkui bowed slightly, and facing Zhu Cilang, who was caressing the red cannon on the bow with a doting look, he clasped his hands and said:
"If, in a critical moment, the gunboats and scout boats are unable to stop the Qing army, we can also send in the centipede boats. The centipede boats are flexible and lightweight, and can be equipped with multiple falconets. The heavy ones weigh a thousand pounds, and the small ones are only a hundred and fifty pounds. Even in the absence of wind, they can be rowed at high speeds. Even if they are besieged by the enemy and the oar slots are damaged, the soldiers can still rely on cannons and muskets to quickly break through."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded, but his hands did not stop moving. This large ship was nearly seven feet wide, with three cannons on the bow. The main gun in the middle was extremely large. When he just looked at it from a distance, he had a sense of déjà vu of a modern battleship. Now, when he touched it, the rough feel made him even more fascinated.

Of course, this did not affect his listening to Zheng Hongkui's report. He had heard of the centipede ship, which was a medium-to-large warship modeled after the Portuguese trophy ship. The centipede ship had a pointed and wide bottom, was not afraid of wind and waves, sailed quickly, and could be used against the wind. The ship was equipped with a Portuguese naval gun weighing a thousand pounds, and was equipped with fireballs, rockets and other firearms, which could also be used in large lakes and rivers.

"I am not an expert in naval warfare, so I will naturally have to listen to your opinions on the specific combat and blocking arrangements."

Zhu Cilang smiled, finally removed his hand from the cannon, and then said:

"However, I am well aware that sailing ships cannot freely navigate the Huai River. The defense of Sizhou to Zhongdu still relies on small boats, but they should be enough to deal with the Qing army."

"Your Majesty is wise. The Qing army is coming from the north. As long as we collect all the ships in the north of the Yangtze River, it will take tens of days for tens of thousands of troops to cross the river to the south to collect materials and build ships. There are no firearms on the ships, so they will definitely not be able to withstand the attack of our Ming navy." Zheng Sen bowed and said proudly.

"But without big ships, it will be difficult to stop the Qing army from crossing the river to the south, especially west of Zhongdu. Many sections of the river are only forty or fifty feet wide. As long as the Qing army sets up artillery cover on the shore, it will not be difficult for them to cross the river." Zheng Hongkui was an experienced man after all, and he did not make promises easily like Zheng Sen.

"As long as we can stop the main force of the Qing army north of the Huai River for a month, this battle will be greatly beneficial to our dynasty. Besieging a city, attacking a city, and building weapons all require time to prepare, and the Qing army does not have that much time."

Zhu Cilang naturally understood the meaning of Zheng Hongkui's words. This old fox was afraid that he would be like Chongzhen, looking for a scapegoat when something went wrong and shirking responsibility in advance.

"I want you to ensure that the main force of the Qing army cannot easily cross the river in the three defense lines of Sizhou, Huai'an, and Suqian, and ensure the safety of the people in these places.

"The Qing army only has 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers. Even if they include the rebels from the north, they only have 120,000 to 130,000 men. With so many cities in Jiangbei, they can't capture any civilians, so it's impossible for them to launch a strong attack. The longer they delay, the more favorable the situation will be for me. Do you understand?"

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The Zheng family will do everything we can to ensure that the Qing army cannot threaten Huai'an." Zheng Sen quickly bowed and made a promise. After hearing the good news of the great victory in the Suizhou battle, he became even more loyal to the Emperor who had always intended to promote him.

Zheng Hongkui couldn't help but sigh when he saw this, but he could only say:
"This is my opinion. No matter how difficult it is, even if we fight to the last boat and board, the Zheng family will not let Your Majesty down."

"Don't worry, Zhenjiang and Yangzhou still have the Nanjing Navy under Commander Huang Fei. You just need to hold your own defense line. The Qing army is not good at naval warfare, so there is absolutely no need for your Zheng family to fight to the last ship or board."

As Zhu Cilang spoke, he stepped forward and walked to the edge of the bow, holding onto the wooden board of the side. The morning breeze gently blew his thick long hair, and the lake was sparkling at this time, looking very magnificent.

"Follow me, you will never lose. I will lead you to repel the Qing army and protect this beautiful land!"

Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Sen were stunned when they heard this. Then they looked at each other and immediately knelt down together, saying, "Your Majesty, since you have received the mandate of heaven, you will surely be invincible. Expelling the Manchus is just around the corner!"

"What is the name of this ship? Has it been decided before?" Zhu Cilang turned around, with the vast blue sky behind him, and looked down at the two of them and asked.

"Your Majesty, please give me a name!" Zheng Hongkui immediately rushed to answer as Zheng Sen was about to speak.

"Then let's call it Dingyuan!" Zhu Cilang said loudly.

"On behalf of the 573 officers and soldiers of Dingyuan, I would like to thank Your Majesty for the name. All the officers and soldiers of Dingyuan will never forget the emperor's grace and will fight the enemy to the death!" Zheng Hongkui shouted in thanks.

"Okay, once we defeat the Qing army, I will definitely reward not only the Dingyuan, but all the officers and soldiers of the navy handsomely." Zhu Cilang waved his hand, and then said:
"I have handed over the defense of the river north of the Huai River to you two, uncle and nephew. Lu Zhenfei will also fully support your actions. You must do your best to stop the Qing army.

The Xuzhou section of the canal is severely blocked due to the floods during the Tianqi era, and the silt has not yet been cleared. It will probably be unavailable for navigation until April or May. By then, we must send ships north to support Xuzhou."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the uncle and nephew said in unison.

After this back and forth tug of war, Zheng Hongkui finally took charge of the entire northern river defense, including the Huai River. He was indeed an old fox, but Zhu Cilang was not someone he could easily evade.

After reviewing the navy, Zhu Cilang did not take a boat upstream in the dry season of the Huai River, but chose to return to Fengyang on horseback. By this time, it was already January 15th, one day later than the original historical record. Tongguan had fallen two days ago with the surrender of Ma Shiyao.

The final decisive battle between the Qing Dynasty and Shun lasted only fourteen days and ended when Li Zicheng led his main force to withdraw to Xi'an due to unfavorable situation.

As the main force of the Shun army retreated without a fight and hastily retreated south at an astonishing speed, Shaanxi was captured by the Qing army in a very short period of time and in an extremely absurd manner.

After receiving the victory report in Beijing, Dorgon did not hesitate at all and immediately ordered Duoduo to gather his troops and march south immediately to capture Jiangnan!

　Thanks to book friends "Yuekenlu Dazhuang" and "Tangled Kaka" for their rewards.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)