Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 95: Unexpected Night Attack

The combat effectiveness displayed by the Fengyang defenders far exceeded the expectations of the Qing army. Duoduo, along with veteran generals such as Tulai, stared at the battlefield the whole time, feeling very heavy-hearted.

They had not thought that the Ming Emperor would lead the army in person, which would surely boost the morale of the Ming army and greatly strengthen their will to hold on. However, subconsciously, their contempt for the Ming army never changed.

Not only that, Duoduo, Nikan and others even imagined that after seeing their true strength, Zhu Cilang would be frightened by the powerful offensive like Li Zicheng and would directly abandon the city and flee.

After all, before giving up Tongguan and Xi'an, Li Zicheng also acted very aggressively. He kept sending troops to launch provocative night attacks and fought again and again after repeated defeats. There was no sign that he was about to flee without a fight.

After this incident, Duoduo, Nikan and others naturally looked at Zhu Cilang, who was young and had no experience in leading troops, with contempt!
But at this time, these Eight Banners nobles and generals, including Tulai, were shocked by the performance of the Fengyang defenders in the exploratory attack just now.

They were so well-trained, they were not the Ming army they knew at all. When did the Southern soldiers become so strong?
It was not until the attacking soldiers escorted the remaining civilians back to the barracks and the smoke of the battlefield gradually dissipated that Duoduo had not left the watchtower. Looking at his serious expression with a frown and squinted eyes, even Bolo did not dare to say anything.

Soon, Duoduo heard the cheers of the Ming army's victory. He looked at the flying dragon flag on the Fengyang city wall in the smoke, clenched his fists, and seemed to have made some secret decision in his heart.

"Continue the attack tomorrow and send more soldiers and civilians. I will definitely capture this city and capture the Ming Emperor alive!"

In the Qing army camp, after the generals summarized the first day's siege, Tulai immediately ordered the army's craftsmen to improve the shield carts used for cover overnight.

By noon of the second day, at least 30% of the front guards of the Qing army's shield carts were fixed with movable pins, so that when the shield carts were hit, the force could be relieved in time, reducing damage to the shield carts themselves and casualties of the army.

The various Qing troops had become more alert after learning from the lesson of the previous day, but they never expected that last night, Zhu Cilang instructed Chang Denggui to mobilize thousands of civilians to dig up the potholes and horse-blocking ditches that the Qing troops had filled during the day.

When Duoduo received the report, he was so angry that he cursed Zhu Cilang for being shameless. The Manchu nobles around him also lost control of their temper and immediately became angry. They all used the most vicious words to curse Zhu Cilang.

But this is of no help to the battlefield situation.

However, the Qing army was an elite force that had fought in many battles. After the first day's experience, the siege troops composed of civilian laborers began to adjust their tactics of filling the pits. Casualties were greatly reduced, and the momentum of the attack became even greater.

On the fourth day, the Qing army even pushed two reinforced and thickened pointed wooden donkeys through the trench bridge and directly under the city wall, intending to dig up the earth wall and bury explosives.

But Chang Denggui was well prepared. He sent troops to attack with kerosene bottles, burning the Qing soldiers in the wooden donkey to death. The sparks even detonated the explosives inside the wooden donkey that the Qing soldiers had originally used to blow up the earth wall.

The Qing army finally had to abandon this plan and withdraw its troops. This process also consumed a large amount of artillery and ammunition of the Ming army defending the city.

After several days of fighting, the Qing troops attacking the city from the east, south and west had basically tested the strength of the Ming army defending the city. The latter's powerful firepower and vigorous combat effectiveness left a deep impression on those Qing army soldiers who had been extremely arrogant not long ago.

Duoduo saw all of this. As the strength of the Ming army was gradually tested, he felt more and more exhausted and began to re-examine the fact that Geng Zhongming's army was almost wiped out.

This Ming army is definitely not as simple as Geng Jimao said!
In fact, when Duoduo saw Xuzhou City for the first time, he felt the power of these fortifications and knew very well that a strong attack would only bring suffering to himself.

But he had no choice.

This is also the reason why he spent nearly a month capturing so many civilians from Huaibei before leading the entire army south.

On the one hand, he was reluctant to waste those precious armor and soldiers, but on the other hand, he had to devote all his strength to attacking the city.

But Zhu Cilang was well prepared. Seeing the Qing army intensifying their offensive again and again, from attacking the city from two sides at the beginning to attacking the city from three sides now, and sending more and more armored soldiers, he immediately ordered all the artillery in the arsenal to be pulled out to compete with Duoduo.

In this era, whether it was the Red Cannon, the French Cannon, or the General Cannon, their service life was not long. In such a fierce offensive and defensive battle, they would generally be scrapped in less than twenty days.

Of course, the Qing army did not have enough troops to continue attacking the city for three to five or twenty days. Otherwise, even if Duoduo managed to break through the two outer earth walls by chance, it would not be a big deal.

Now, Duoduo launched several powerful attacks, but all ended in vain. He had not even broken through the first earth wall, and thousands of the captured civilians had been killed or injured.

In order to reduce the casualties among the civilians, the Qing soldiers supervising the battle could no longer shoot the civilians who were standing still. Instead, they wrapped cotton cloth on the arrows and dipped them in red lime. After returning to the camp, they would whip the civilians whose clothes were stained with lime to death with eleven strokes.

At this time, Duoduo was standing on the earthen watchtower built by the civilians overnight. Although he had been watching for five consecutive days, he still couldn't help but tremble with fear when facing such city fortifications again.

This is definitely not comparable to the passes he saw in western Liaoning and Shaanxi.

Although those passes are tall and majestic, they only look intimidating. If they are really attacked, they are far less troublesome than this city with its layers of defenses.

Geng Jimao had also sent back the military intelligence of Yangzhou the day before yesterday. Although the scale of Yangzhou City’s defense was smaller, it also had several layers inside and outside, and the same jagged walls, making it absolutely difficult to attack.

Moreover, like Fengyang City, Yangzhou City also exudes an indestructible, strict and murderous aura. Duoduo could even feel the deep despair from the military reports sent back by Geng Jimao.

He was now looking at the appearance of Fengyang City after the bombardment, at the Ming soldiers standing guard on the two earthen walls, one tall and one short, and at the flags flying high as if protesting against him. He felt very annoyed, and even thought of the dragon flag that would appear in every fierce battle. He wished he could kill a few people to vent his anger.

How could this damn Emperor Ming be so difficult to deal with and so arrogant!
However, Fengyang City was heavily garrisoned, and Emperor Ming was personally in charge, so Duoduo had no way of bypassing it. Otherwise, he would have had to leave behind 20,000 elite troops to ensure the safety of the grain route.

As a result, Duoduo could only use the remaining 30,000 elite troops and tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers to attack Yangzhou City. He did not dare to take the risk.

In this situation, dividing the troops and advancing deep into the enemy's territory alone are both taboos in military strategy.

Moreover, the Qing army had almost no knowledge of Yangzhou City. Geng Jimao only took a small team to gather some information. He had not yet fully understood the general situation of the city defense and the garrison. Who knew if it was more difficult to attack than Fengyang?

"Your Highness, if we send more troops to continue the attack, the Ming army might not be able to hold on. They retreated at this point a few days ago. It would be better to fight a little longer. When the Ming army's artillery is no longer effective, we can push our shield carts and set up ladders to attack, and it will not be difficult."

Nikan looked at the first batch of shield carts charging today, which were still the same. They had made no progress and were already shattered by the fierce artillery fire of the Ming army on the earth wall. They were about to be defeated. He said anxiously:
"If we retreat like this again, it will be a blow to the morale of our army!"

However, although Nikan looked anxious, there was a hint of excitement on his face, and his tone was full of eagerness to try, which was in sharp contrast to Duoduo, Bolo and others who were silent for a long time and had grim expressions. He seemed to be very confident about this battle.

"Today we are just testing the strength of the Ming army and letting them relax their vigilance. We will let them withdraw immediately after this round of fighting." Duoduo hesitated for a moment and did not agree. He was very worried about heavy casualties.

"But wouldn't this just embolden the Ming army?" Nikan asked indignantly.

Although he is only a Beile, he is older than Duoduo. He has been fighting a frustrated battle these days. The Emperor Ming in the city has no sense of being surrounded and has repeatedly raised flags to provoke him. How can he bear it?
However, Nikan joined the army later than Duoduo and was one generation younger than him. Naturally, his status in the army was incomparable to the other's. He also had no outstanding military achievements, so Duoduo looked down on him.

"Kong Youde, you have learned in Dengzhou before and are good at using artillery. Tell me, can Fengyang City be conquered with such fierce artillery fire?" Duoduo did not answer Nikan's question, but turned his head to look at Kong Youde.

He had brought Kong Youde with him today in the hope that he could make a more accurate judgment and unify the opinions of the generals. Nikan represented not only his own views, but also the views of a large number of generals in the army. Otherwise, he would not have dared to question Duoduo in public.

"Although Fengyang City is strong and seemingly impenetrable, it is not without solutions."

Kong Youde paused, as if thinking about something, and then said:

"What Baylor said does make sense. The red cannon has to stop and cool down after firing three rounds. In an hour, it can only fire a dozen times. The power of those Francois cannons will also be greatly reduced after firing for a long time.

"But the Ming army is well-equipped with guns, cannons, and gunpowder. A rash attack would be difficult to achieve. Apart from a prolonged siege to lure the enemy into attacking, any other strategy is definitely not the best."

After hearing what had been said before, the others had been extremely alert, thinking that Kong Youde would have some unique insights, but they did not expect that what he said in the end was nothing more than these things that had already been concluded. For a moment, they could not help but feel a little disappointed.

Duoduo actually knew that for such a strong city, the best way was to use a stupid method, and besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements might be the key to breaking the deadlock.

After all, if one really wants to break the city, relying solely on the more than 100,000 captured civilians now seems far from enough. Even if 100,000 people are used to fill up the pits and trenches, people are still needed to attack the earth walls, and these have to be elite armored soldiers.

"No matter how strong this city is, the food supply is limited. Moreover, there are not only tens of thousands of soldiers inside, but also tens of thousands of civilians, mules and horses. With so many people and horses to feed and drink, no matter how much food there is, it will eventually run out. Once the food supply is low, the army will lose its morale."

Kong Youde was actually beginning to feel scared. If Emperor Ming could deal with Geng Zhongming, he would definitely be able to deal with him as well. He didn't want the Eight Banners soldiers to be wasted too much, or even to be wasted in a siege. He then continued:
"Since Emperor Ming has fortified our walls and cleared the countryside, why don't we use our own methods to fight back, using war to support the war and obtain supplies from Huainan?
Moreover, if this happens and the other Ming troops in Jiangnan really come to rescue us, we can destroy their main force in one battle. Fengyang, Yangzhou and other places will become defenseless, and we will be able to take them without a fight."

Before arriving at Fengyang, Kong Youde and other generals had some ambitions, but Fengyang and Yangzhou were both too hopeless. Putting everything else aside, just filling the trenches alone would have cost tens of thousands of civilians and thousands of soldiers the lives of countless soldiers. The battle had barely begun, and the fortified resolve they had forged on the battlefields of years had been sapped by the impenetrable Fengyang before them. Many even felt a surge of fear.

Now, only in the decisive battle on the plains can they have the confidence they once had.

In other words, at this time, only a general like Nikan, who is eager to achieve success, does not regard the civilians and soldiers as human beings, and does not care about the losses, would think that one or two rounds of charge and filling the ditch can solve the problem.

"Retreat to advance, exchange time for an opportunity to fight, this is a good idea." Duoduo had to speak after all. Regardless of whether to fight or not, as the commander-in-chief of the army, he had to reassure his subordinates.

"If we follow the old method to capture this city, we will not be able to achieve any success. Zhu Cilang is so vicious that he is probably planning to delay the war with us until June or July, or even August or September, and force us to withdraw.

The most crucial thing now is to find a way to lure out the Ming army, or perhaps to surprise them and strike them hard, severely defeating them and shaking their morale."

"Looking at the look of that dog emperor of the Han people, I'm afraid he will never take the initiative to attack." Nikan snorted coldly.

"That's right, that dog emperor is extremely timid. It's absolutely impossible to ask him to take the initiative to attack!" As soon as Nikan finished speaking, another Eight Banners general responded immediately.

"Since Emperor Ming won't take the initiative to attack, I will take advantage of his unpreparedness and strike him by surprise!"

Duoduo turned his head and glared at the generals who were secretly dissatisfied with him, and said:
"Over the past few days, I have only been testing the strength of the Ming army and figuring out the traps and traps on the periphery. The reason I didn't send more troops to attack was, on the one hand, because I considered that the Ming army still had sufficient firearms and ammunition, and on the other hand, to paralyze the Ming army and let the Ming emperor down!"

"Paralyze the Ming army?" Tunqi asked in surprise.

Not only him, but also a group of Manchu and Han generals, except for several veteran generals such as Bolo and Tulai, showed surprised expressions. They were all unaware of the inside story and had been fighting very seriously in the past few days.

"That's right!"

Duoduo smiled, then turned back and looked towards Fengyang City in the distance, looking determined to win, and said triumphantly:

"The Ming army has been successfully defending repeatedly, so the soldiers and generals will definitely let down their guard. Tonight, I will launch a night raid on Fengyang and catch those Nikans off guard. The Ming Emperor will never expect this!"
.
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

To the east of Fengyang City, in the direction of Chaoyang Gate, more than a dozen torches were thrown down from the battlements of the earthen wall by the Ming army soldiers on duty. They whizzed across the dark night sky, and the golden flames flashed by, reflecting the gullies on the ground.

In the bumpy ditch outside the earthen wall, Etuhun was lying on the ground, motionless. The torches thrown from time to time posed a great threat to them.

Behind him were dozens of Eight Banners armored soldiers, who were hiding in the darkness. These were the vanguards of Duoduo's night attack.

Under the cover of night, on the earthen wall less than two hundred steps to the north, the sounds of rustling footsteps and the friction and collision of armor plates could be heard from time to time. They were made by the patrolling Ming army soldiers.

In front of Etuhun was the hateful earth wall that was full of artillery and blocked their way. When he was supervising the battle two days ago, he was almost hit by the artillery shells fired from above.

After several days of continuous attacks, the Qing army failed to make any progress and suffered heavy losses. His originally high morale was greatly dampened, and he no longer dared to underestimate the Ming army.

Now, Duoduo placed his hopes on these elite soldiers who had excellent combat skills and were proficient in various battles, especially Bayala. Etuhun was the commander of this operation.

They are the vanguard of the assault, responsible for clearing the obstacles and traps outside the barrier. There are hundreds of Eight Banners soldiers behind them, who will charge collectively after they have explored the passage and sent out the signal.

There was another very subtle rustling sound of footsteps, which ordinary people could not hear at all. Etuhun moved his ears and then judged that the Ming army soldiers patrolling on the opposite wall had gone far away.

He immediately waved his hand, signaling the soldiers behind him to start preparing, then signaled a soldier next to him with his eyes, asking him to go back and report the situation. Then he immediately stood up, was the first to jump out of the horse-blocking ditch, and ran forward quickly with his body hunched.

Following his black figure, seven or eight people quickly followed. These were his most capable armored soldiers. When they were in Tongguan not long ago, they had discovered several night attacks by the Shun army in advance.

Now, as long as they can successfully pass through the pits and gullies in front of them for more than a hundred steps, they will be able to reach the edge of the moat of the earth wall. At that time, as long as they set up ladders, they can directly attack the earth wall that has caused them countless casualties and made no progress after four or five days of attack.

The Qing soldiers carefully cleared the caltrops and traps on the road, while also being wary of the Ming soldiers lying in ambush. Etuhun had just quietly killed three people, all of whom had been located during his previous reconnaissance.

After Duoduo made no progress in the siege on the second day, he continued to attack the city to paralyze Zhu Cilang, while planning a night attack. He sent out scouts every day to scout, resulting in dozens of casualties.

The group of more than a dozen people were skilled and experienced. They quickly cleared out the caltrops set up by the Ming army along the way, marked the locations of the traps, and cleared a passage.

The armored soldiers behind them who are responsible for the night attack will be able to use this "smooth road" to cross the distance of more than 100 steps with minimal casualties and the fastest speed, and then launch a surprise attack, climb the earth wall, and eliminate the Ming army stationed there.

Etu had been through hundreds of battles, and he no longer dared to underestimate the Ming Dynasty defenders in Fengyang City. Naturally, he would not have the unrealistic idea that he could climb the earth wall without being noticed.

But if they wanted the raid to be successful, they had to reach the edge of the trench and set up ladders, otherwise the effectiveness of the night attack would be greatly reduced.

If he hadn't taken advantage of the cover of night, he couldn't think of any other way to capture the earth wall under the strict security of the Ming army.

However, he still underestimated the Palace Army and the Beijing Camp fighting on the front line. At Zhu Cilang's request, Chang Denggui, Chen Fu, Hu Maozhen and others have always attached great importance to preventing night attacks and often patrolled in person.

Etuhun had just led his troops to retreat halfway when suddenly a dozen torches were thrown down from the battlements of the earthen wall. A panicked shout instantly broke the peace.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Along with the shouts from the earth wall, several watchtowers threw out dozens of lit torches, illuminating the ravine fifty or sixty steps in front of the trench. Many of the Eight Banners soldiers who sneaked up were directly illuminated by the firelight.

"Charge! Charge quickly!" Etuhun made a quick decision and gave the order with a loud roar.

At this time, they had been exposed, but the situation had reached this point and retreating was impossible. They could only launch a fierce attack while the Ming army had not yet fully reacted, and storm the earth wall dozens of steps away at all costs.

Etuhun was now lying in the ditch outside the earth wall. His front-most armored soldiers were only fifty or sixty steps away from the trench under the earth wall. There was still hope if he rushed over.

He knew that the Ming troops were not easy to deal with, but as long as the two sides engaged in close combat, Etuhun was fully confident that he could defeat these Ming soldiers. Without the support of muskets and artillery, the Han people would be absolutely vulnerable.

The Ming army on the earthen wall had roughly determined the direction of the night attack on the Qing army by relying on the torches thrown out. Suddenly, the sound of war drums and bugles rang out on the top of the wall. It was the defenders calling for reinforcements.

In the dark night, gunshots and bowstring sounds rang out one after another, flames flashed, and hundreds of lead bullets and arrows were instantly fired from the earth wall. The dozen or so people rushing in the front were reflected by the torches, and they had almost no time to dodge, and were immediately shot to the ground by guns and arrows.

"Woooooo~~~"

The military bugle sounded behind Etu, and hundreds of Qing troops who had been lurking in the plains behind him immediately charged forward with howling. A series of even more violent roars erupted on the earth wall, and shining red fireworks flickered. The smell of burning gunpowder instantly filled the air.

As Etuhun listened to the thunderous sound of gunfire, the terrifying moment of the previous two days suddenly flashed through his mind. An inexplicable fear surged in his heart, and he leaned down to the ground as if by reflex.

He was worried that the Ming soldiers on the earth wall would notice his position by the light produced by the gunpowder explosion. At such a close distance, if he was discovered, he would not be able to escape.

On the battlefield, the only way to win is to save your life first!
Soon, taking advantage of the opportunity when the firepower on the wall was attracted elsewhere, Etuhun quietly crawled to a place more than 20 steps away from the trench. He used an iron stick to sweep away all the caltrops laid by the Ming army along the way. Now he no longer had to worry about making any noise.

At the same time, the five people who were still following behind him did the same, but their speed was not as fast as Etuhun.

Then, loud shouts of Ming army officers were heard from the earth wall, and the French cannons and general cannons were flaming and making a rattling sound.

The incident happened suddenly. They had not actually seen how many Qing soldiers were below, but in panic they ordered all artillery to attack. Amidst the continuous explosions and smoke filling the earthen walls, thousands of artillery shells flew out.

These artillery pieces fired at an extremely fast speed. Many Qing soldiers who had just rushed out of the ravine and advanced to a distance of seventy or eighty steps were hit by the shells. In an instant, they fell to the ground like grass blown down by the wind, screaming in pain.

At such a distance, those seemingly solid shields could not even stop the powerful Red Cannon, let alone the shells fired from the French Cannon and the General Cannon. The shells flying out of the darkness easily broke through the front shields, and then penetrated the bodies of these Eight Banners soldiers, and a shower of blood flew out.

(End of this chapter)