The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 317 Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west
Upon hearing that Prince Wuying was about to arrive to take over military affairs on Pi Island, Prince Shuo Tuo felt a pang of anxiety.

Fearing that Huang Taiji would blame him for the slow progress in attacking the island, he hurriedly summoned Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi and others again.

After some discussion, the generals decided to do something before Ajige arrived, at least to produce some results to appease him, otherwise they would most likely be considered incompetent.

Therefore, they decided to first attack Shenmi Island, which is near Pi Island.

Shenmi Island is very close to the coast, with shallow waters and flat beaches, so even without large warships, it can be attacked by using light boats to wade across the water.

If we can take this island, it will be a satisfactory explanation to Ajige, and we won't lose face completely.

Back then, Mao Wenlong, the first general of Pi Island, fought against Amin's army during the Dingmao Rebellion because he insisted on defending Shenmi Island to the death, which resulted in heavy losses of soldiers and generals.

The lesson is profound.

However, the current commander-in-chief, Shen Shikui, did not learn from this lesson and still sent Bai Dengyong to lead a troop to garrison the island.

As expected, the Ming army on Shenmi Island was quickly defeated under the fierce attack of the Qing army's superior forces. Seeing that the situation was not good, Bai Dengyong fled back to Pi Island by boat with only a few personal guards.

The Qing army easily captured Shenmi Island, which can be considered a small victory.

Having just secured a minor victory, Ajige led his elite troops to the front lines.

Shuo Tuo and King Sam Soon hurriedly stepped forward to report the results of the battle and complained bitterly about the lack of ships and how difficult it was to attack the island.

The implication is that it was already quite an achievement for them to capture the island.

Upon hearing this, Ajige simply gave a few perfunctory replies before asking Shuoto and the others to take him on a survey of Pi Island's terrain.

No one dared to be negligent, and they immediately led Ajige to conduct a detailed survey of the surrounding terrain and waterways.

Ajige personally visited the coast of Shenmi Island. Looking out, he saw Pi Island standing far in the sea with steep shores. Ming warships were patrolling nearby, and fortifications were faintly visible.

Seeing the situation before him, Ajige couldn't help but feel quite troubled. How could he cross this vast bay, which stretched for hundreds of miles, without a large ship?
Just when he was at his wit's end, he suddenly remembered the strategy that Yue Tuo had used a few years ago when he attacked Lushun—a feint attack!
With this in mind, Ajige immediately summoned his generals and announced his battle plan.

He decided to split his forces into two groups, one of which would launch a feint attack from the front, starting from Sumeru Island.

The ships provided by Korea were gathered together, and the Koreans were sent as the vanguard to advance and land on Pi Island from the east, in order to attract and distract the Ming army defending the island.

The other group secretly selected elite Bayara soldiers, who used small boats and took advantage of fog or darkness at sea to quietly circle around to the west side of Pi Island and smuggle themselves ashore.

With the plan settled, Ajige pressured the Korean officials accompanying the army, saying that since they could not build the large ships that the Ming navy could build, they should win by sheer quantity and quickly supervise the construction of two hundred new ships.

At the same time, North Korean officials were instructed to recruit more musketeers and gunners to assist in the battle.

In addition, he ordered his Eight Banners to use local materials to build small boats that the Manchus were accustomed to operating.

On April 6, Ajige, as was customary, sent a messenger to deliver an ultimatum to the garrison on Pi Island and a letter of surrender.

However, this was met with a firm refusal from Shen Shikui and Jin Riguan, who had already rallied the soldiers and civilians on the island to fight to the death.

After the news spread, Bai Dengyong, who had just been defeated on the island of Shenmi, could no longer sit still. So he found an excuse and fled the island of Pi with a portion of his troops.

The garrison on Pi Island has been reduced to about 17,000 men, and the situation is becoming increasingly critical.

When persuasion to surrender failed, Ajige no longer hesitated.

On April 8, after taking inventory of all the ships, he decisively ordered a halt to shipbuilding and decided to launch a general offensive that very night.

However, he made minor adjustments to the plan before the battle, further strengthening the feint attack on the front lines.

He ordered the North Korean troops to sail turtle ships, equipped with muskets, and serve as the first wave of cannon fodder;
The Eight Banners army and the Tianyou and Tianzhu troops of the Three Shun Kings followed closely behind in slightly larger ships, marching with drums beating, creating the appearance of a main force crossing the sea to launch a strong attack.

As for the actual surprise attack, Ajige ordered the best swimmers from the Bayara Guard to form a vanguard suicide squad.

Commanded by generals Samushka, Ashan, and Yechen, they boarded small, man-made boats and quietly set off from the north coast of Shenmi Island, circling around to the northwest corner of Pi Island to land.

Meanwhile, Shi Tingzhu and Ma Futa led the follow-up troops to stand by, ready to follow up and expand the victory as soon as the vanguard succeeded.

Just as Ajige and his men were selecting the vanguard, two young and valiant generals suddenly jumped out from the ranks and volunteered to be the vanguard.

Seeing this, Ajige was very satisfied and said loudly:

"Good! You've got guts!"

"Send your name!"

One of them stepped forward, his voice booming:

"Your Highness, this humble general, Naidarhan, is the fourth son of Huerhan, Zhunta!"

Immediately afterwards, another person also stepped forward with their head held high and chest out.

This man was six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back, extremely sturdy, with a square face, raised eyebrows, and a resolute appearance.

"Eighth Prince!"

"I am Ao Bai, the nephew of Fei Yingdong, the chief minister of the Zhong'ezhen clan, and the third son of Wei Qi!"

"Currently a squad leader at the Bayala Military Academy, holding the rank of Inner Jiala Zhangjing!"

Ajige looked the two of them over and nodded in approval.

"Excellent!" "They are all sons of generals, descendants of heroes!"

"If you two are the first to land on the island and make the greatest contribution in this battle, I will surely recommend you both for the title of Baturu!"

Upon hearing this, Ao Bai and Zhun Ta knelt on one knee in excitement and solemnly swore an oath:
"If we do not obtain this island, we will not come to see the king, and we will surely conquer the island and return!"

On the night of April 8th, at the first watch of the night, the battle to cross the sea began in full force.

On the main battlefield, the Korean soldiers, driven to the front lines, drove turtle ships and fired their muskets haphazardly as they cautiously rushed toward the east coast of Pi Island, serving as cannon fodder and human shields for the Qing army.

The Eight Banners army and the troops of the Three Shun Princes followed closely behind, waving flags and shouting, advancing with great fanfare, creating the appearance of a major offensive.

In an instant, artillery fire roared from the east coast of Pi Island, and smoke filled the air.

In the darkness, the sea was dotted with firelight, and shouts of battle and the sounds of gunfire mingled together.

The Ming army, relying on its coastal fortifications and warships, opened fire fiercely on the approaching Korean fleet.

The shells fell into the sea, creating bursts of water. Some North Korean ships were hit directly by the cannons, splinters of wood flew everywhere, and the soldiers on board cried out as they fell into the sea.

Arrows and lead bullets swirled in the air like locusts, and North Korean soldiers fell one after another, their blood instantly staining the shallows red.

Despite suffering heavy casualties, these Korean cannon fodder soldiers had no choice but to charge forward under pressure from the Qing army, resulting in utter chaos.

Just as the battle raged on the east coast, Ao Bai and Zhun Ta led their elite Bayara vanguard, taking advantage of the night and mist, and silently approached the west coast of Pi Island in their simple boats.

Because of the immense scale of the main battle, both Shen Shikui and Jin Riguan focused their defense efforts on the east coast, leaving the garrison on the northwest side of Pi Island severely understrength.

Ao Bai and Zhun Ta took the lead, being the first to jump into the knee-deep seawater, braving the sporadic arrows and musket fire, roaring as they charged toward the beach.

The elite Bayara soldiers behind them followed suit and quickly landed.

As soon as they landed, they lit torches to signal the troops behind them, and then charged at the island's defenders, engaging them in fierce combat.

Seeing this, the defending troops on the northwest bank fought desperately while sending messengers to report to General Shen Shikui:
"Oh no! The Tartars have sneaked in from the northwest!"

Upon learning that the Qing army had deliberately avoided the main force and landed from the northwest, Shen Shikui was both shocked and furious.

He was well aware of the fighting strength of the Eastern Barbarians; if the Qing army were to land a large force, everything would be over.

He immediately issued a general mobilization order to the military and civilians on the island, calling out with all his might:
"Brothers! The fate of Peel Island rests on this battle! If the island falls, we all perish!"

"Women, children, the elderly, and the weak, protect our homes and the island!"

At this time, all the able-bodied men on the island had been sent to the front lines, leaving only the old, weak, sick, and disabled.

Upon hearing the news of the Tartars landing on the island, they picked up their firearms and rushed towards the northwest coast without hesitation.

Most of these soldiers and civilians fled from Liaodong. Through the efforts of Liu Xingzuo, Huang Long, and others, many of them had received basic military training and knew how to operate muskets.

After they arrived at the northwest front, the Ming army suddenly increased its firepower, and lead bullets rained down on the Qing army that was landing.

In a short time, a large number of Qing army boats were sunk, and Aobai, Zhunta, and others were also caught in a fierce battle.

Hundreds of Bayara soldiers, unable to wear multiple layers of heavy armor due to the sea crossing operation, were exposed to Ming army firepower.

As soon as the Qing army's small boats reached the shore, and the Bayara soldiers disembarked, they were greeted by lead bullets fired from behind the reefs and from the fortifications.

Gunfire roared, smoke filled the air, and Qing troops fell in droves as they landed, turning the sea crimson.

On the sea, the Qing army's small boats were like targets under the cannon fire, with ships constantly being hit by cannonballs and instantly disintegrating.

The Bayara soldiers on the ship screamed as they fell into the water. When they finally got close to the shore, they were met with a hail of bullets and arrows.

Jin Riguan led his generals to the front line, and the Ming army fought bravely, successively killing Qing generals such as Namida, Bayartu, Bingtu, Baiyintaizhu, and Zhangjitai.

Seeing their offensive falter, Kong Youde's subordinates Hong Wenkui, Zhang Guoliang, and Shang Kexi's subordinate Li Jigong, among others, sailed their Korean ships and charged forward despite the Ming army's artillery fire.

These traitors were quite diligent after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty. Instead of following the pre-arranged plan to have the North Korean army draw their fire, they launched a frontal assault and directly charged into the east coast of Pi Island.

Meanwhile, Kong Youde and his men also boarded warships and launched a fierce attack on the northeast corner.

Jin Riguan, who was at the front line, was both shocked and furious when he saw that most of the attackers were Han Chinese. He was so angry that his eyes turned red.

Without hesitation, he led his personal guards and rushed forward, attempting to kill these treacherous villains who were committing perverse acts.

Jin Riguan was incredibly brave. In the chaos of battle, he killed several Qing generals, including Hong Wenkui and others.

However, in this brief delay, Ao Bai, Zhun Ta, and others in the northwest gained a precious respite.

After suffering heavy losses of more than two hundred elite Bayara soldiers, the Qing army's follow-up troops, led by Shi Tingzhu and Ma Futa, finally managed to occupy the northwest coast of Pi Island and breach the Ming army's flank defenses.

With the breach of the northwest defense line, the entire Ming army's defense system began to falter.

Meanwhile, the main Qing army force on the front line took the opportunity to intensify its offensive and finally successfully landed on the east bank.

The defenders of Pi Island were attacked from both sides and gradually became overwhelmed, causing the battle situation to deteriorate rapidly.

(End of this chapter)