Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 91: Troops Arrive at Fengyang
As both the Ming and Qing sides made every effort in their offensive and defensive preparations, time quickly came to late April. While Zhu Cilang was resting his army, he sent out scouts to continue investigating Huaibei in order to outline Duoduo's overall layout.

Under the coordination of Lu Zhenfei, Gao Jie, Huang Degong and Zheng Hongkui began to harass the withdrawing Qing troops.

However, Duoduo's actions were faster than originally expected. Lu Zhenfei coordinated three troops to launch a counterattack in Huaibei. Although it greatly boosted the morale of the army, the actual gains were not great.

In addition, under Zhu Cilang's order, Lu Zhenfei took advantage of the opportunity when the Qing army in northern Huai'an, Xuzhou and other places retreated westward, and quickly sent a large amount of military equipment and supplies to the dormant rebel army in Yanzhou Prefecture, Qingzhou Prefecture and other places, greatly enhancing their strength.

With the secret support of local people and gentry, these troops had no shortage of food and fodder, but they lacked firearms and armor, and even more so, officers with rich battlefield experience, making it difficult for them to form combat effectiveness.

Lu Zhenfei naturally had no officers to assign to them. If the "Yingtian Weapons Bureau" had not delivered new equipment, he would not even be able to get the armor, swords and guns that Huang Degong's troops had just replaced.

However, since the Shandong rebel army was in such a situation, Zhu Cilang would certainly not let them fight against the Eight Banners Army head-on, but it was more than enough for them to harass and restrain the Qing garrison troops stationed in Shandong and bluff.

Facing the harassment of the rebel army in Yanzhou Prefecture, Qingzhou Prefecture, Nanyang Prefecture, and the surrounding areas of Kaifeng Prefecture, Duoduo finally divided the troops left behind in Guide and Bozhou into two Jiala.

In fact, he did not take these so-called rebel forces seriously at all, but he could not completely allow them to harass the rear.

With an army of over one hundred thousand marching south, the food supply route and retreat route must not be lost, so Duoduo had to deal with it carefully.

Zhu Cilang, who planned all this behind the scenes, seemed to be much more confident. Although his existing military force could not compete with Duoduo, the latter would eventually have no choice but to sigh in despair when facing Fengyang City.

At the same time, Zuo Liangyu, who was originally stationed in Wuchang, finally settled down in Jiujiang, Hukou, Nankang, Nanchang and other counties. His troops were stationed in various cities to prevent bandits and resist the Qing Dynasty.

He Tengjiao now has two elite troops, Xu Yong and Li Guoying, as well as more than 3,000 soldiers from the governor's battalion and southern Jiangxi. His strength is not weak.

The generals under Zuo Liangyu were all people who knew how to treat others well. When they saw this, they started to throw a tantrum and complain bitterly. However, after receiving food and money, they stopped their actions.

As early as March, facing the main force of the Eastern Dashun Army led by Li Zicheng, Zuo Liangyu directly abandoned Wuchang and burned the city before leaving, leaving Li Zicheng with only a scorched city that could not be defended.

Li Zicheng's plan to sail eastward to seize Jiangnan and rebuild the Dashun Dynasty was ultimately shattered because Wuchang could not be defended and the Qing army pressed forward and launched a sudden attack.

In fact, after the Dashun Army lost the ships that they had worked so hard to gather to head south, the destruction of its main force was basically certain. Fleeing all the way to the south made its military morale plummet to the bottom.

By April, due to Zhu Cilang's advance deployment, the defenses of Jiujiang and Hukou were impregnable. Li Zicheng, who led his troops to the south bank of the Yangtze River, was unable to pass through Jiangxi and enter Southern Zhili, and was blocked in Xingguozhou and Jiujiang.

At this time, the Qing army, under the insistence of Ajige, quickly caught up and defeated the Shun army at Fuchikou between the two places, completely cutting off its way eastward to the south of the Yangtze River.

Seeing that it was impossible to move eastward, Li Zicheng turned around and marched southwest, intending to cross Jiangxi and enter Hunan to seek another way out. However, even at this time, the Qing army did not give up the pursuit.

With the assistance of Hong Chengchou, Dorgon had a clearer understanding of Li Zicheng's capabilities, so he kept forcing Ajige to kill Li Zicheng and annihilate the main force of the Shun army before the pursuit was completed.

Therefore, after Ajige defeated the Dashun Army in Xingguo Prefecture and Jiujiang, he saw that the Ming Army was well prepared and had no intention of attacking the city, so he led his troops to retreat.

As for Xu Yong and He Tengjiao in Jiujiang City, they did not dare to really pursue them. They just sent troops out of the city to rob the corpses of the Shun army on the battlefield, preparing to report their merits to Fengyang.

At this time, since the situation was not as bad as it was in history, Zuo Liangyu was still hanging on to his last breath and had not died of illness yet. He still had a certain control over the troops under his command.

He knew very well the character of his army, otherwise he would not have run away as soon as he saw Li Zicheng, so he did not command the army to pursue the Qing army.

Moreover, after witnessing He Tengjiao's series of deployments in northern Jiangxi, he also realized the power of the emperor who was currently leading the army in Fengyang.

Based on his understanding of He Tengjiao, this guy doesn't have that ability. This must have been planned when Zhu Cilang ascended the throne a year ago, and Li Banghua was probably also contributing his advice.

From Jiangbei to northern Jiangxi, as well as Yuezhou, Changsha, and even Zunyi, such foresight and courage to bet everything actually happened to a new emperor who had just ascended the throne. It is really terrifying to think about it!
But the more this happened, the more afraid Zuo Liangyu became - after this battle, the new emperor had a firm foothold in Jiangnan. If he wanted to settle accounts with him later, then for the crimes he had committed before, the execution of his entire family would probably be the least of his worries.

But in the current situation, he had to rely on the power of the court to gain a foothold in Jiangxi, otherwise he would not be able to solve the problem of food and wages.

Now, the imperial court has food and money, and has even become solid and reliable. However, Zuo Liangyu lost Wuchang and was blocked in Jiujiang. He was like a stray dog. The few troops under his command would probably be dispersed soon!
Zuo Liangyu was already terminally ill at this time, and he knew that he didn't have much time left. How to preserve the last bloodline of his Zuo family, and even seek glory and wealth, was what he cared about most before his death.

Zuo Menggeng, that waste, is really good for nothing!

What was beyond his expectation was that He Tengjiao did not hide anything, but directly took advantage of the opportunity of distributing military supplies to blatantly divide and disintegrate his troops.

The five outer battalions of the left army were not his direct subordinates, but their strength was better than the five inner battalions. First of all, they were treated well by He Tengjiao. Not only were they generously allocated more than seventy French cannons and general cannons, but also a batch of swords and guns in the arsenal, more than nine hundred muskets, and three thousand kilograms of gunpowder.

He Tengjiao may not be an expert in fighting, but when it comes to the intricacies of officialdom, when it comes to painting a beautiful blueprint for his subordinates, and when it comes to manipulating people's hearts, there are really few people in the Dingwu court today who can compare to him.

The generals gathered under Zuo Liangyu's command, when he lured them with food, wages and promised official positions, simply rushed forward and expressed their loyalty.

After all, Xu Yong and Li Guoying, two brilliant and outstanding representatives, are right there!

However, Ma Jinzhong, Jin Shenghuan, Zhang Yong and others are all masters of pulling people's strings. It is impossible for He Tengjiao to completely buy them over with just this little bit of information.

Ma Jinzhong, who came from a peasant army, was nicknamed "Hun Shiwan", and Jin Shenghuan, who started out as a bandit, was nicknamed "Yidou Su". They were never the kind of loyal ministers who were willing to obey the court.

Moreover, the two men had powerful troops, especially Ma Jinzhong, who had hundreds of cavalry under his command. Naturally, they used Zuo Liangyu's title as Marshal Zuo to bargain well.

He Tengjiao had Zhu Cilang's secret order and could act at his own discretion. Naturally, he had to express his opinion at this time. He immediately promised to hand over Hukou and Nankang Prefecture to Ma Jinzhong for garrison, Jin Shenghuan to Nanchang, and Zhang Yong to Jianchang.

As a result, the troops under Zuo Liangyu were formally divided into spheres of influence - those who surrendered to He Tengjiao and were stationed in the three prefectures in northern Jiangxi, while several battalions of troops still under Zuo Liangyu were transferred to Raozhou Prefecture.

At this time, the Qing army had retreated and continued to pursue Li Zicheng. With the city walls and navy, they were not afraid even if they had to hold on to the front line. Instead, they regarded it as an opportunity to make meritorious service.

After all, as long as the Qing army is unable to attack the city and finally retreats on its own, it will be a great achievement and there is no need to kill the enemy at all!
He Tengjiao did not think about a decisive battle with the Eight Banners Army that could easily defeat the Dashun Army. He understood the performance of these soldiers and generals very well, and even had a high tolerance for them. The two sides were simply made for each other.

As time went on, Zhu Cilang's series of arrangements began to take effect, and the situation in Jiangxi gradually deviated from its original historical trajectory. In Jiangbei, which he personally controlled, the situation underwent earth-shaking changes.

On the Xuzhou-Huaian front, under the organization of Lu Zhenfei, Huang Degong and Gao Jie began to counterattack.

The two men gathered almost all their cavalry and more than 2,000 elite infantry. After Duoduo led the main force south, they began to harass Guide, Bozhou, Suzhou and other places, and even accidentally recaptured Suzhou City.

However, neither of them sent heavy troops to garrison Suzhou. At this time, there were no civilians available to be recruited around Suzhou City. Given the current level of damage in Suzhou City, once Duoduo sent troops to attack, the Ming army would not be able to hold on.

Of course, this did not affect Gao Jie and Huang Degong's claim to Fengyang for credit. Lu Zhenfei also regarded this battle as a good opportunity to boost morale and personally wrote a victory report for the two of them.

However, apart from the initial blitz victory, Gao Jie and Huang Degong did not gain any further advantage when facing the Eight Banners general Junta.

Although Zhunta only has more than 2,000 cavalrymen under his command, Guide and Bozhou are not far apart. He personally led the mobile troops to garrison in Shangqiu. No matter where Gao Jie and Huang Degong attacked, he could intercept them in time.

The 1,800 bannermen were enough to roam across the vast lands of the Central Plains, unrivaled. The people Zhunta was bullying were the Han people, who lacked powerful cavalry!

Moreover, there were still thousands of Ming troops who had surrendered in the main county towns of Guide and Bozhou. With the Shun army assisting in the defense and holding their ground, Gao Jie and Huang Degong had no choice.

However, under such continuous harassment, it became very difficult for the Qing army to continue to import food, fodder and laborers from Henan to support the war in Jianghuai.

Although Zhunta dared to attack, he did not dare to chase too far. His most important task was to defend Guide and Bozhou and ensure that Duoduo's retreat was unobstructed.

This created the possibility for Lu Zhenfei, after arming the Shandong rebels, to support the anti-Qing rebels in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Lu Zhenfei's plan envisioned that the resistance forces in Cao County, Shandong, after receiving military support, could enter Kaifeng, open up new battlefields, and continuously harass the weak Qing troops stationed there. This would mean that if the Qing army wanted to mobilize troops to encircle and suppress the rebels, they would first have to coordinate with the two provinces. By the time the Qing government had completed this coordination, the war in Jianghuai would likely have already ended.

Zhu Cilang was calculating the time. As long as Duoduo led the army across the Huai River and began to besiege Fengyang, he would have to consider carefully whether to withdraw or divide his troops.

As time goes by, the increasingly fierce harassment and guerrilla warfare in southern Shandong, western Shandong, Kaifeng and other places will definitely weaken his determination to continue the offensive.

Even Liu Zeqing, who was stationed in Luzhou at this time, became active and began to send his confidants to contact local gentry and powerful people in Runing Prefecture to encourage them to resist the Qing Dynasty.

However, Liu Zeqing had no prestige at all in the hearts of the local tyrants in the west of Runing Prefecture and the eastern foot of the Dabie Mountains. Even if he relied on the banner of the Ming Dynasty court, almost no one paid attention to him.

But he actively promoted this matter in order to prevent Zhu Cilang from transferring him north to face the Qing army directly. Therefore, even if he was met with a cold reception, he was still happy to do it.

Liu Zeqing knew that a great battle was about to break out in Fengyang City, and he also guessed that Duoduo might lead his entire army south. At that time, even if Luzhou was not in Duoduo's attack sequence, Zhu Cilang would definitely order him to send troops to harass the Qing army heading south to Yangzhou.

In comparison, Runing Prefecture is much safer.

Now, although Duoduo has not crossed the Huai River yet, Liu Zeqing's "utter loyalty" will not allow him to stay out of such a dangerous situation.
In order to show his loyalty, he also wrote many letters requesting to fight in Runing and march into Nanyang and Kaifeng. He also proposed some suggestions such as increasing troops to contain the enemy and building forts to advance, which seemed old-fashioned, but there was nothing wrong with them. It was just that at present, there was no practical or feasible suggestion.

Zhu Cilang saw through Liu Zeqing's little thoughts at a glance. He no longer had any hope for this general who was afraid of fighting. While rejecting his proposal, he ordered him to hold on to Luzhou Prefecture and send troops to strengthen the scouts in the north of Luzhou.

In comparison, Huang Degong and Gao Jie led all their servants north, and even the elite infantry were dispatched. The difference in the three people's will to resist the Qing Dynasty was obvious.

At this time, the aftermath of the "great victory in Huaibei" continued to influence the political situation of the Dingwu court, and even the civil servants in Fengyang City almost no longer avoided fighting.

Gao Hongtu, Lu Daqi, Shi Kefa, and Ma Shiying were all extremely busy. Officials who accompanied the emperor to Fengyang and gentry and nobles who sent food and military supplies from the south came to visit and flatter them, and discuss post-war matters.

For the first time, they seemed to be full of confidence in the situation, and then they began to secretly connect with each other and plan the top priority after the war - scientific research.

This is a great opportunity for civil officials to form cliques and consolidate their power. Now that the Dingwu court is in a period of reconstruction, there are too many places to recruit people and too many opportunities to accumulate power.

Zhu Cilang did not leave them in Nanjing because he was worried that these people would affect Li Banghua's preparation of military supplies and food in the rear. Now it seems that he was right.

When they first went north, they avoided fighting and were afraid of fighting, and tried to seek peace. Now that the situation has improved slightly and the morale of the army has stabilized, they began to think about how to form gangs and factions so that they can defeat their opponents and fight for power in the future.

Not to mention these cabinet ministers, the ministers who hold real power in the court, even those who are not interested in fame and fortune like Lu Zhenfei, and newcomers like Yan Yingyuan, have people trying to curry favor with them.

After all, not everyone inside or outside the Ming court could get in touch with the ministers in Fengyang City. For many people, officials stationed in important places at this time were very popular.

If they were left in Nanjing, Li Banghua, the chief minister of the cabinet, would probably be the target of public criticism. Who knows how many people would try to trip him up behind his back!
But no matter what the people in Fengyang City think, the pace of war will not stop, especially when these civil servants in Fengyang City have basically no influence in the two armies.

In fact, no matter how loyal and united these officials seemed to be in the temporary court in Fengyang City, and how undercurrents were surging behind the scenes, many civil servants and gentry in places like Xuzhou, Huai'an, and Yangzhou began to make connections and plan for promotion and wealth. As Duoduo's army swept south, many trivial matters were quickly drowned out by the increasingly urgent war preparations.

The real strategic decisive battle between the Ming and Qing armies is about to begin in the blink of an eye!

This time, Duoduo led the main force of the Qing army and did not waste time anywhere. The vanguard army led by Tulai rushed directly to Huaiyuan and set up a large camp on the plain south of Jingshan.

Excluding the troops of Zhunta who stayed behind and the few soldiers who were lost recently, Duoduo commanded a total of nearly 30,000 Manchu and Mongolian Eight Banners, 20,000 Han Eight Banners, and nearly 3,000 troops under Kong Youde, with an elite force of more than 50,000. The baoyi soldiers who followed the army were not included in this number.

Shandong and Northern Zhili surrendered to the Ming army brought by Zhunta, and the Shun army conquered by Duoduo from Henan. The total strength of the Ming army exceeded 50,000, of which nearly 10,000 were armored and fully equipped with swords and guns.

In addition to these troops, Duoduo not only brought civilians captured from various cities in Huaibei, but also captured tens of thousands of civilians from southern Shandong, western Shandong, and eastern Henan as supplementary forces. These people were also on their way south at this time, transporting baggage, food, artillery and military supplies.

After the Western Expedition against the Dashun Dynasty, Dorgon became more cautious in facing the Dingwu court. After suppressing the Zhunta faction, the Qing Dynasty could be said to have done its utmost.

Nikan, who originally led an army alone and stationed in Wuhe, joined forces with the Qing army that had harassed Qinghe and other places, and also led his troops westward to the north of the Huai River opposite Fengyang City.

Before this, Duoduo was hoping for luck and didn't want to fight a hard battle, so he ran around trying to find loopholes. Now that he has taken Zhu Cilang seriously again, he naturally moves forward honestly and steadily.

Not only that, although the Qing army was temporarily unable to advance outside Fengyang City due to the transportation of supplies and the obstruction of the river, the two armies of Tulai and Nikan still relied on their cavalry advantage to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of the area around Fengyang City south of the Huai River before the main army arrived.

Zhu Cilang had deployed troops in these places and seized more than 2,000 horses from Geng's army. Although a systematic cavalry team was not formed quickly, the number of cavalrymen increased a lot, and he continuously organized cavalry attacks to intercept the Qing army scouts crossing the river.

Although the Qing army's cavalry was powerful, they were at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and found it difficult to deal with the harassment of the Ming army. Tulai was also worried that if he attacked rashly, he would be ambushed by the Ming army and his army's morale would be shaken, so he was very cautious.

As for the fields and forests outside Fengyang City, the Ming army had already completed the harvest and felling, and the people in the countryside had already moved into the city to assist in the defense. Apart from figuring out the surrounding terrain, the Qing army had basically no results.

Tulai and Nikan tried their best but finally realized that it was all in vain.

Moreover, once the Qing cavalry passed Fengyang and entered the mountainous area to the south, they would be attacked from both sides by Ming scouts from Luzhou and Fengyang. There were even organized mountain people nearby who took advantage of the terrain to block their advance.

The complex hilly terrain, coupled with the obstruction of surrounding rivers, made it impossible for the Qing army to move forward in these places. They originally wanted to investigate the situation in Luzhou and Yangzhou, but they could not cross the Haotang Mountain at this time, and they could not even reach Dingyuan County.

For a while, the Qing army's vanguard was in a state of panic.

In this situation, unless Duoduo arrived with the main force and launched a large-scale offensive against Luzhou, Chuzhou and other places while besieging Fengyang, otherwise, reconnaissance to the south would only result in wasted troops.

Tulai was a veteran after all. Facing the counterattack of the Ming army, he quickly adjusted his strategy. While fighting with the enemy scouts, he focused his reconnaissance on the area around Fengyang. He even persuaded Nikan. The two of them waited quietly for the main force led by Duoduo to move south.

In fact, if it weren't for those artillery and baggage, and more than 100,000 civilians, Duoduo would have moved south very quickly, but these are the key to capturing Fengyang City. If Duoduo didn't bring them, his trip would have been in vain.

Under the pressure of the Qing army, more than 100,000 civilians, countless mules and horses, and nearly 100,000 Qing troops, traveled in groups, at a speed of more than 60 miles a day, heading south along the west bank of Woshui River. It took them a full seven days to reach Huaiyuan.

This marching speed was already quite fast, but thousands of civilians still fell on the road due to the continuous journey. Many bodies floated directly to the river bank north of Fengyang City along the flooded river.

In the last three days of April, various Qing troops arrived in Huaiyuan County from the northwest.

Along the banks of the Woshui River, flags were visible, smoke and dust were billowing, and there was an endless stream of people and horses. Red cannons weighing thousands of pounds were slowly moving forward, pulled by oxen, horses, and laborers. However, many of them still crushed the wooden carts used for transport, or the wheels were stuck in the mud, blocking the way for the army in the rear to advance.

Countless cavalry, infantry, and civilians had to take detours. On the dusty road, the entire marching team became tortuous and densely packed like ants, making it look even more chaotic.

After the main force of the Qing army arrived, they immediately set up tens of thousands of tents around Jingshan and Huaiyuan County. Hundreds of small boats sailing south from Woshui also gathered at the intersection of the river mouth. Thousands of Eight Banners soldiers were stationed around them, and there were also many artillery pieces directly facing the river.

At this time, the navy in Fengyang City had already been dispatched. Those small boats with strong firepower and fast speed continued to attack the Qing army near the river bank. They had already set their sights on this small fleet of the Qing army that had almost no combat power and could only transport supplies, and were ready to attack at any time.

Duoduo did not dare to joke with the navy he had worked so hard to assemble, so he immediately ordered the fleet to temporarily retreat north and enter the narrower Woshui main stream, and set up obstacles and deploy artillery at the confluence of the river mouth to provide heavy defenses.

Crossing the Huai River with more than 200,000 troops would not be accomplished in a day or two. He had to be careful enough before the pontoon bridge was built.

With the arrival of the main force of the Qing army, Tulai and Nikan were finally able to let go and sent out thousands of cavalry to harass Fengyang from all directions, and even went south to Dingyuan and other places.

On the one hand, this was to clear obstacles and prepare for the main army to cross the Huai River; on the other hand, this was also because Duoduo wanted to use this to intimidate the Ming army and demonstrate to Zhu Cilang that he had a strong army and was fully capable of taking Fengyang City.

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)