Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

Li Chengming initially wanted to refuse Huang Daozhou's request to borrow troops to go north and resist the Qing, but then he thought of the historical Huang Daozhou, who was eventually defeated and captured by Zhang Tianlu, the Qing general guarding Huizhou, in Wuyuan.

"Wuyuan, Huizhou..." Li Chengming recalled the history he knew. Wuyuan had been occupied by the Restoration Army. If the traitors Zhang Tianlu and Zhang Tianfu hadn't been blind, they would have clashed with the Restoration Army sooner or later.

In Li Chengming's strategy, there has been hesitation about whether to send troops to Fujian or Zhejiang first, or rather, a decision has not yet been made.

If we only consider expanding our power and influence, then naturally we should choose to conquer Fujian first.

However, Li Chengming could not convince himself to stand idly by and watch the Qing army march south. In the past, when faced with the threats of Zheng Zhilong and Jin Shenghuan, he did not have enough strength to send troops north. Now that he had a certain amount of strength, if he still insisted on "pacifying the country before resisting foreign aggression," Li Chengming would find it difficult to convince himself to watch the people be slaughtered by the Qing army again.

However, the various forces in Zhejiang were complex and intertwined. The military leaders in Zhejiang were divided into two factions: one claimed to be loyal to Prince Lu, Zhu Yihai, and the other claimed to be loyal to Emperor Longwu, Zhu Yujian. However, each faction had its own agenda and was actually waiting for the highest bidder to be loyal to. It was not impossible for them to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty if they were willing to pay a high price.

In short, these military leaders who came from the Ming army had even less of a bottom line than the generals who came from peasant armies!

If Li Chengming rashly sends troops to Zhejiang, lacking both righteousness and legitimacy, he will easily be besieged by the Zhejiang forces first.

You say you've come to resist the Qing? I'd say you've come to seize territory!

We are either loyal to Prince Lu or Prince Longwu. Whom are you loyal to?

You say you're not loyal to anyone? Then you're definitely here to seize territory. I'd be a fool to believe you're here to resist the Qing!

Therefore, even if Li Chengming wanted to send troops to Zhejiang to resist the Qing, he would have to fight against the Zhejiang forces first before he could fight the Qing army.

Now that Huang Daozhou has requested to borrow troops, Li Chengming has an idea: could he also take advantage of Huang Daozhou's reputation and then send troops north?

The more Li Chengming thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Although their ideas differed, Huang Daozhou had a strong sense of righteousness in serving the nation, and so did Li Chengming.

This northward expedition is not for expanding our power, but solely to deliver a heavy blow to the barbarians when China is on the verge of collapse!

Therefore, in response to Huang Daozhou's request to borrow troops, Li Chengming said, "If Scholar Huang wants to borrow troops, I can consider it."

Seeing that Li Chengming had relented, Huang Daozhou was secretly pleased, but then Li Chengming continued, "Scholar Huang, from where do you plan to launch your attack? What is your route of advance? What is your strategic objective? What kind of enemy might you encounter? How strong is the enemy?"

Hearing Li Chengming's five questions, Huang Daozhou felt guilty. Apart from his patriotic heart, he hadn't thought of so many things.

Huang Daozhou knew he was unfamiliar with military affairs, so he cupped his hands to Li Chengming and said, "I would like to ask General Li for guidance."

Li Chengming said, "I know Scholar Huang is eager to recover our lost territories, but military campaigns are not easy. I can lend you two thousand troops and assign you a general to lead the army from Wuyuan, into Huizhou, then through Ningguo into Zhejiang, and finally to the gates of Hangzhou, with the goal of capturing the city. What do you think?"

Li Chengming was thinking of December of this year, less than two months later, when the Lu Prince regime assembled tens of thousands of troops under Fang Guoan and Wang Zhiren, attempting to capture Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang. However, they were easily defeated by the Qing army in three routes, and the Ming army suffered countless casualties, which is known in history as the Battle of Hangzhou.

The defeat in the Battle of Hangzhou meant that the Lu Prince's regime had completely lost its ability to counterattack. From then on, the Lu Prince's forces lost the initiative and could only passively take hits from the Qing army. They fled all the way and soon the whole of Zhejiang fell into the hands of the Qing army.

The complete fall of the tax-rich Jiangnan region into the hands of the Manchus meant that, in the face of anti-Qing forces, the Manchus not only possessed military advantages but also economic advantages, making it difficult for anti-Qing forces to gain significant influence.

If the Restoration Army could capture Hangzhou and hold it, it would be like driving a nail into the Jiangnan region, firmly locking the Qing army's southward advance and preventing the vast land from falling into the hands of the Manchus, as well as preventing the Qing army from continuing to slaughter Han people.

Li Chengming suddenly shook his head, feeling that his idea was somewhat naive. He thought that it would be enough to capture Hangzhou and eliminate the Qing army entrenched there; there was no need to hold out.

If the Restoration Army wanted to occupy Hangzhou, it would be surrounded by enemies. Not only would the Qing army see the Restoration Army as a thorn in their side, but Prince Lu would also likely regard the Restoration Army as an enemy. Moreover, the Restoration Army was isolated and its supply lines were too long, making it difficult to obtain support and replenishment. It was uncertain whether it could hold Hangzhou for a long time.

In short, it's not worth it to hold out in Hangzhou.

Upon hearing Li Chengming say that troops could be sent north to attack Hangzhou, Huang Daozhou immediately said, "General, it will not be easy to take Southern Zhili and enter Hangzhou with only two thousand troops."

Li Chengming smiled noncommittally. Although there were Qing troops in Huizhou, and the traitors Zhang Tianlu and Zhang Tianfu who captured Huang Daozhou in history were in Huizhou, Li Chengming did not take them seriously. Two thousand restoration troops could easily deal with them.

Li Chengming didn't want to explain too much to Huang Daozhou, saying, "Scholar Huang, don't worry, my Restoration Army has its own way of easily passing through Huizhou and Ningguo and entering Zhejiang!"

Huang Daozhou seemed to have something to say, nodded and didn't ask any more questions, then suddenly said, "General, do you want to use my name to attack Hangzhou?" Huang Daozhou thought that the Xingfu Army had sent troops and generals, while he was alone and couldn't command the Xingfu Army. Wouldn't the Xingfu Army be the one to make all the decisions? Could Li Chengming be trying to take advantage of the situation to occupy Hangzhou?

Li Chengming shook his head, suddenly realizing that Huang Daozhou wasn't entirely foolish. He explained, "Scholar Huang is overthinking it. The Restoration Army is a lone force; how can it possibly gain a foothold in Hangzhou amidst a multitude of enemies? As for the Eastern barbarians, I also deeply hate them, wishing I could drink their blood and devour their flesh. That's why I had the idea of ​​sending troops to Hangzhou to resist the Qing!"

It was unclear whether Huang Daozhou believed Li Chengming's words. Huang Daozhou took a deep breath and said, "If, as the general says, we can capture Hangzhou, what should we do?"

Li Chengming had already thought about this matter, and he spoke frankly: "Let Prince Lu occupy Hangzhou and let the Xingfu Army withdraw."

Huang Daozhou said, "Wouldn't this be doing all the work for someone else? Is the general willing to do that?"

Li Chengming said, "The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen!"

Li Chengming not only disapproved of the brutality of the Manchu Qing dynasty and wanted to help the Lu Prince's regime by allowing Zhejiang to hold out for a longer period, but also wanted to buy himself more time to conquer Fujian.

Only by occupying Fujian could the Restoration Army have the strength to wage a full-scale war against the Manchus and other forces, and only then could it be said that it had truly gained a foothold in this chaotic world!

Huang Daozhou thought about it carefully. He had no money, no food, and no soldiers. Being able to persuade Li Chengming to send troops was already the greatest success. Moreover, he was quite satisfied that the army could be affiliated with him. As long as the Restoration Army was willing to resist the Qing, everything else could be put aside.

Ultimately, Li Chengming and Huang Daozhou reached an agreement: the Xingfu Army would provide troops and generals, while Huang Daozhou would contribute his reputation and influence, allowing the Xingfu Army to march north to Hangzhou under the banner of the Ming army to resist the Qing.