Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 71 I have eight hundred heavy cavalry, and I intend to launch a night raid on the Jurchens tonight. What do you think?
"Old Yuan, how can this continue?!"

With only ten thousand soldiers on the island, we have to divide them up to guard all four sides, taking turns in two shifts. Even so, we are struggling to keep up and can hardly sustain the effort. Today, we have lost several hundred more men, making the situation even more dire.

"Our battle formation is already loose and unstable today. It's fortunate that Amin spared his own troops; otherwise, we might have been routed. If he continues this strategy of wearing us down a few more times, we may not be able to hold Pi Island!" Mao Wenlong came over, scooped a bowl of thin porridge from the jar, and said as he ate.

"Will the other garrison troops on the island come to its aid after seeing that Pi Island has been attacked?" Yuan Keli asked.

Mao Wenlong shook his head and said, "I have already strictly ordered the troops stationed on the other islands not to come to our aid. The elite troops of my Dongjiang Town are all on Pi Island. The other islands are barely able to protect themselves. If they rashly come to our aid, they will surely fall into the enemy's trap of besieging the islands and attacking the reinforcements."

"What brings you here? Do you expect the imperial court to send troops to rescue you?!" Yuan Keli said, glancing sideways at Mao Wenlong.

Mao Wenlong chuckled and said, "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't dare to presume to ask the court for help. My men in Dongjiang Town, to put it nicely, are acting expediently; to put it bluntly, we're just bandits in the mountains! I know the reasons perfectly well. The court may not actually want us to survive, but today is different. Isn't it because you're here? How could the court bear to see you, the newly appointed Liaodong Military Commissioner, suffer?"

"Am I, an old man, a coward who fears death?!" Yuan Keli was so angry that his beard bristled. He still had his pride; being surrounded here was already humiliating enough. If this got out, he'd be laughed at to death. His appointment was originally the emperor's doing, and there were plenty of people who were dissatisfied with him. This matter could very well lead to his removal from office.

"Oh, oh, oh! My Lord Yuan, please calm down! I'm begging you, please! Even if we don't consider our relationship, you must think of the hundreds of thousands of lives on this island!" Mao Wenlong said in a humble voice.

Yuan Keli sighed and pointed to the icy and snowy landscape outside, saying, "In normal times, we could send the Dengzhou and Laizhou naval forces to provide reinforcements, but now that the water is frozen, even if the reinforcements have the will, how can they cross?"
Furthermore, only a strong army can defeat the enemy. If a weak force is sent to reinforce, it will likely fall into the same trap of the Jurchens, who would try to besiege the point and attack the reinforcements.

If manpower is insufficient, then recruit local militia to defend the island! Amin is currently constrained and unwilling to deploy all his elite troops. He has already achieved great merit by conquering Korea; Huang Taiji will not send more troops to assist him. He only needs to grit his teeth and endure this period. When the weather warms and the ice thaws, things will turn around.”

Mao Wenlong frowned deeply. Having fought his entire life, he knew all too well that Pi Island, isolated and without support, was bound to be deserted. He was merely hoping for a lucky break, intending to take a shot even if there was no chance of success.

Previously, the Ming Dynasty had troops stationed at Cheolsan in Joseon. Although the former king, Gwanghaegun, feared the Jurchens and was unwilling to send troops to help him, he would not send troops to help the Jurchens attack the Ming Dynasty either. At that time... unfortunately, Cheolsan has now fallen!

"Is our only option to fight to the death and hold out?" Mao Wenlong said in despair. He took a deep breath and said, "Old Yuan, I have eight hundred heavy cavalry. I plan to launch a night raid on the Jurchens tonight. What do you think?!"

Yuan Keli did not answer, but just looked at Mao Wenlong as if he were a fool.

Mao Wenlong, enraged, said, "Why are you looking at me like that! Do you expect us to just sit here and wait to die, letting the Jurchens slowly wear us down?!"

"A night raid is out of the question. We can set up an ambush tonight!" Yuan Keli shook his head and said, "The western side of Pi Island is mountainous and treacherous, making it difficult for cavalry to maneuver. Although it is closest to Korea, it is illogical for the Jurchens to attack from this direction, relying on their cavalry. In my opinion, this is nothing more than a feint. Tonight, the Jurchens are very likely to launch a surprise attack from the northeast! If we set up an ambush in advance, we can definitely inflict a heavy blow on them."

Mao Wenlong curled his lip and said, "The terrain in the Northeast is flat, and most of our troops and civilians are stationed there. Who doesn't know that the Jurchen cavalry will definitely attack from the Northeast? Although the attack from the west is a feint, if our defenses are not strong, it is hard to guarantee that they will not turn into a feint! How can you be so sure that the Jurchens will launch a surprise attack tonight?"

"Today, our artillery positions were scattered by the Jurchens, which should have been a good opportunity for them to land on the island. However, they retreated unexpectedly, which is not normal. They must be devising another strategy to reduce their losses and try to break through the island at a lower cost. In this battle, both sides exerted their strength. If they give up now, the thousands of men and horses lost during the day will have been lost. Although I cannot say for sure that they will launch a night attack tonight, I am 70% sure that it is worth the gamble!" "Although the northeast is a flat road, it is surrounded by mountains on three sides, like a pocket. We can first deploy our cavalry on the outer perimeter and set up artillery positions on the two sides. When the Jurchens are trapped, we can surround them from all sides and trap them!" Yuan Keli slammed his fist heavily on the topographic map on the table and said.

“It’s difficult to fire accurately with artillery at night…” Mao Wenlong said.

"No need to aim accurately, just make the Jurchen cavalry panic and break their formation."

"If we lure the enemy deep into our territory, we might end up in a complete rout!"

"That depends on how well you lead your troops."

"A lot of people will die."

"If we don't do this, even more people will die!"

"Damn it, let's do it! I'll personally lead the cavalry to set up the ambush, and you'll sit in the central army and command the troops. Old Yuan, do you still remember how to lead troops? After all these years of farming at home, have you become rusty?" Mao Wenlong teased.

"Don't talk nonsense! Who said I stayed home to farm? How dare you look down on me? I was the one who trained you back then!" Yuan Keli said angrily.

Mao Wenlong then beat the drum to summon his generals, gathering all officers of battalion level and above. Among these people, apart from a few who were sent by the imperial court to monitor Mao Wenlong, most were his adopted sons and grandsons whom he had taken in over the years.

Mao Wenlong introduced his generals to Yuan Keli, instructing them to obey his commands that night, or face military law if they dared to disobey! Then, the two began assigning tasks to the generals and discussing the details of the ambush:

Mao Wenlong personally led 800 heavy cavalry, while Mao Chenglu, Liu Xingzuo, and Shang Kexi each led 1,000 light cavalry. They would ambush the Jurchens in the northwest bay of Pi Island, and when the Jurchens attacked, they would circle back to the northeast to attack the Jurchen rear guard, trapping them in a trap.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Shen Shikui was responsible for dealing with the feint attack from the west, but three thousand of his original five thousand troops had to be transferred away, leaving only two thousand. He was under great defensive pressure, so he was allowed to retreat appropriately and resist step by step, as long as the Jurchens from the west did not rush to the northeast battlefield to launch a pincer attack on our side.

Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming were in charge of the artillery positions on the east and west sides, respectively. When ambushing, they were to fire first, without requiring lethality, only to make a big enough commotion.

All the remaining infantry and naval commanders without ships were placed under the unified command of Yuan Keli to face the enemy head-on and withstand the Jurchen's attack.

Meanwhile, all other troops in the entire battle, including Mao Wenlong himself, had to obey Yuan Keli's orders.

(End of this chapter)