The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 481 The Day of the Final Battle

April 11th, the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign.

The beginning of midnight, late at night.

Under the cover of night, the banks of the Fuhe River in the eastern suburbs of Jining are brightly lit.

The Jingnan Army's camp and the Qing Army's camp were located on the north and south banks respectively.

For three days, the two sides engaged in continuous artillery battles across the Fu River. The Qing army attempted to cross the river and launch several attacks, but ultimately failed.

The battle at Sunshipu had reached a fever pitch by the third day.

The Qing army used the corpses of more than 40,000 civilians and the earth and stones they transported to fill in the three moats outside Sunshipu.

Initially, the Qing army simply forced the civilians to carry earth and stones to fill the trenches.

However, as time went on and the situation became increasingly urgent, the Qing army completely abandoned their last shred of pretense.

Huang Taiji ordered Han soldiers and Mongolian cavalry to drive the civilians to the vicinity of the moat and carry out a bloody massacre.

How could these unarmed civilians possibly stand up to those thugs wielding weapons?
One by one, the corpses rolled into the trench, eventually filling the deep ravine outside Sunshipu.

Human life seemed so insignificant at this moment.

On the third day, the Qing troops who had crossed the river advanced along the filled-in ditches and began to engage the Jingnan army in close combat.

The battle continued until dusk, and after leaving behind a field of corpses, both sides tacitly agreed to cease fighting.

Neither side sent troops to pursue.

Pursuit was pointless, as both commanders were strictly controlling their troops.

Both sides' artillery positions were always poised for action, and the main cavalry forces constantly patrolled around their own infantry, giving the enemy no chance.

As night fell, bright campfires were lit one after another.

The Qing army's camp, which had crossed the river, advanced another three miles, almost reaching the maximum range of the Jingnan army's artillery.

Such an arrangement undoubtedly represents the Qing army's determination to advance.

When daylight arrives, a bloody battle awaits Sun Shipu's Jingnan army.

The night was as dark as ink, and the sky above was pitch black.

No starlight, no moon.

Outside Sunshipu, the twinkling lights, like fallen stars, stretched from north to south, all the way to the north bank of the Sishui River.

……

"The Qing army's right wing has already crossed the Sishui River by about five thousand troops."

"Sunshipu's defensive line must be abandoned."

Inside the Jingnan Army's central command tent in the martial arts hall, Dai Zhenglin, with a serious expression, reported to Chen Wang, who was staring intently at the sand table.

"The main force of the Qing army has also left the southern camp of Jining City and moved to the north bank of the Fuhe River."

Dai Zhenglin skillfully arranged the small blue flags on the sand table, analyzing the Qing army's deployment step by step.

"The Qing army deployed in large numbers and within three days mobilized the people to build pontoon bridges, many sections of which have already been completed."

"The Qing army's movements are exactly as predicted in the pre-war simulations."

Dai Zhenglin lowered the last small blue flag and then said.

"Huang Taiji led two Qing army units on the right wing. One unit launched a fierce attack on our army's Sunshipu defense line from the plains south of the Fuhe River, putting pressure on the Fifth Division of Henan Town. The other unit moved south across the Sishui River, intending to cross the river south of our army's defense line to force our army to retreat."

"At the same time, the Qing army's left wing, under the command of Hauge, also concentrated its troops to attack Aoguan."

Chen Wang's gaze lingered on Sun Shipu's defensive line.

Upon arriving in Jining, he had already chosen the eastern part of the city as the decisive battleground, so he had a complete grasp of the surrounding situation.

Huang Taiji didn't have many options left, and he didn't make any choices.

"Chen Yongfu has led two battalions of the Second Division of Henan Town forward and stationed them south of Sunshipu. The Qing army will not be able to easily cross the Sishui River for the time being."

"The Qing army in Jining also launched several probing attacks. One of them wanted to go out of the city and attack our positions via Mayi Bridge in the east of the city, but they were all repelled by our army."

"Another force attacked from the south, intending to come from the middle and outflank our army's rear, but it was repelled by our troops stationed at Ji'an Bridge and Xiaxin Pass and did not advance."

Dai Zhenglin lowered the last small flag and then continued to report.

"The current situation is favorable to our army. The Qing army has been completely blocked outside the defensive line, and our army can still hold on to the line at least..."

"Withdraw troops."

Dai Zhenglin was pointing towards the Fuhe River area, intending to slowly reveal the General Staff's deductions.

Chen Wang's sudden order surprised Dai Zhenglin and the staff officers of the General Staff Department.

Inside the central command tent, all the officers and soldiers of the Jingnan Army turned their heads and focused their attention on Chen Wang.

"This……"

Dai Zhenglin hesitated for a moment, as the operational plans formulated by the General Staff had all been approved by Chen Wang beforehand.

I just submitted the overall plan for tomorrow, as well as a series of deployments and mobilizations targeting the Qing army.

These orders have all been approved by Chen Wang's signature, and even stamped with Chen Wang's general's seal.

Dai Zhenglin even wondered if he had misheard the order.

"Withdraw troops."

Chen Wang ignored Dai Zhenglin's doubts and the gazes of the generals in the central tent. Instead, he repeated the order in a stern tone.

Chen Wang gave the order again, and this time Dai Zhenglin heard it clearly.

"Yes."

In the next instant, without the slightest hesitation, Dai Zhenglin brought his legs together, straightened his back, raised his head slightly, snapped the deployment document in his hand, and gave a clean and crisp military salute.

"Order."

Chen Wang rested his hands on the edge of the sand table, his gaze slowly sweeping across the dense red and blue banners on the sand table, and spoke calmly.

The staff officer in charge of recording immediately lowered his head, picked up his brush, and calmed himself down, waiting for Chen Wangjun's order to be issued.

"The four divisions of Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, Liu Wenxiu, and Chen Yongfu, in accordance with the original evacuation plan of the General Staff, withdrew from the banks of the Fu River at the fourth watch of the night today."

As Chen Wang's voice slowly echoed in the central command tent, the staff officer in charge of recording quickly wrote down his whereabouts.

"Another order."

"Zhou Yumao is in charge of the Balapu garrison, while Gao Qian and Cao Bianjiao's troops are heading north to provide support."

Chen Wang raised his head, looked at Dai Zhenglin who was standing straight to the side, and asked.

"Where is the Eighth Division of Henan Town?"

Dai Zhenglin lowered his head slightly and reported.

"Twelve thousand soldiers from the Eighth Division of Henan Town, led by Hu Zhili, have been stationed at Qiaoheji, east of Sishui."

The Eighth Division of Henan Town was originally a community militia in Kaifeng City.

Afterwards, they stayed in Xuzhou and recruited another 4,000 people, who were then organized into the First Division.

The person in charge was Hu Zhili, who had been sent there by Chen Wang.

Hu Zhili had been learning from Chen Wang for a long time and was no longer the same person he used to be. Taking command of a division was not difficult for him.

Qiaoheji is located east of Sishui and is an extremely important place.

If Qiaoheji is not defended, the Qing army can advance south all the way, drive straight in, cross the river from their east, and threaten the flank of the main force.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Chen Wang chose to let Hu Zhili guard Qiaoheji.

As the original Kaifeng militia of the Eighth Division of Henan Town, it was the earliest formed army compared to other units in Henan Town, and even earlier than the new army of Henan Town.

Each of them was a respectable young man from Kaifeng, and their literacy rate was even comparable to that of the soldiers directly under the command of Hanzhong Garrison.

During Chen Wang's campaigns in the south and north, this local militia, which originally existed only to defend Kaifeng, had long since become an elite force.

They were all equipped with the Hai Shi gun, making them the unit closest to Hanzhong Town among all the battalions and garrisons.

Although they were far from Lifeng and their hometown, their morale remained high.

When the order for the Northern Expedition was issued, troops from various garrisons volunteered for the campaign.

These militiamen from Kaifeng even submitted a lengthy petition requesting to fight, and everyone signed their names on a large banner to demonstrate their determination to die. Chen Wang's gaze did not linger on Qiaoheji for long.

He has complete faith in Hu Zhili's current abilities, and there shouldn't be any major problems entrusting the defense of Qiaoheji to him.

Not to mention, the current Qiaoheji has already become a huge military fortress after two months of construction by tens of thousands of laborers.

What Chen Wang cared about was still the frontal battlefield.

Even after issuing the orders to retreat and provide backup, Chen Wang still hesitated.

Chen Wang raised his head, looking past the huge sand table in front of him, towards the group of Jingnan Army officers and soldiers behind the sand table.

"Chen Gong".

"The end will be here."

Chen Gong stepped forward, straightened his back, and solemnly saluted Chen Wang.

The Battle of Jining was of paramount importance. Even though Chen Wang had no doubt about the victory, he still transferred Chen Gong from Nanjing to the front lines.

Currently, in his army, only Cao Bianjiao, a fierce general, commands the cavalry.

This was far from enough, which is why Chen Wangcai transferred Chen Gong from the south.

The one who succeeded Chen Gong in commanding Pingnan Town and guarding Nanjing was Tang Shiping, who had been left by Chen Wang to manage military affairs in Hanzhong Town.

Tang Shiping, who was the first to pledge allegiance to Chen Wang, was relied upon by Chen Wang as an important internal affairs officer due to his ability to handle political and military affairs, and was left to guard Hanzhong Prefecture.

Subsequently, various military equipment bureaus were established in different regions, and these bureaus were basically under the control of Tang Shiping.

In military affairs, Tang Shiping's abilities were not outstanding.

However, Tang Shiping's abilities in military affairs, logistics, and politics are beyond doubt.

The southern lands are currently at peace, in a strange state of tranquility.

The newly established Ming court was completely an empty shell.

It was many times weaker than the Southern Ming Dynasty in history.

The Wanmin Army nearly destroyed all the officials, gentry, and landlords in the entire southern country.

The power granted by Emperor Chongzhen to allow local militias and militias to be organized and trained has been completely revoked by Chen Wang in the name of the imperial court.

Under the powerful threat of the 80,000 troops in Pingnan Town and the hundreds of thousands of troops in Jingnan Army further north.

The officials, gentry, and noble families of the South Kingdom readily relinquished their power.

Neither the greater good nor military power is in their hands.

after all.

The People's Army, which once swept through the enemy lines and caused the government troops to suffer repeated defeats.

However, their entire army was wiped out in the Battle of Yangzhou.

Li Yan was defeated and beheaded, and his 400,000-strong army was wiped out.

It was utterly devastating, collapsing overnight.

When Chen Wang's proclamation arrived, the seven prefectures of Southern Zhili occupied by the Wanmin Army surrendered without hesitation, none daring to disobey.

The people of Jiangnan trembled at the mere mention of Chen Wang's name, and even crying children fell silent upon hearing it.

The Ming court today has no real power; it's just an empty shell.

Chen Wang selected the elite soldiers among the surrendered soldiers of the Wanmin Army and incorporated them into Pingnan Town.

Pingnan Town expanded its troops from the Fourth Division to ten divisions.

Unlike the Western Army and the troops of the Southern Garrison, the surrendered soldiers of the Wanmin Army did not form their own divisions, but instead mixed together with the troops of the original Pingnan Garrison.

At the same time, the junior officers and commanders were either officers from the original Pingnan Town or officers transferred from Hanzhong Town; there were basically no officers from the Wanmin Army.

Hu Zhiyi led two divisions to guard Hanzhong. The daily training of these two divisions was never based solely on the standards of ordinary soldiers.

After Chen Wang left Hanzhong, the soldiers in these Hanzhong towns were trained according to the standards of junior officers.

The purpose was to enable them to quickly take over the troops and form a certain combat capability after the expansion of the army.

Now is the time to use force.

The current tenth division of Pingnan Town, from the division commander to the battalion commander, and then to the captain and lieutenant, almost all of them came from Hanzhong Town.

An army of 120,000 men stood around Nanjing.

In the South today, there are no rivals at all.

The greater good is now in Chen Wang's hands.

Although Tang Shiping was not skilled enough to command 120,000 troops, he was more than capable of managing them.

Under the control of Pingnan Town, Nanjing was almost completely isolated from the southern provinces.

Without permission, government orders could not even leave the Nanjing palace.

Chen Wang looked at Chen Gong.

The sharp aura that once surrounded Chen Gong was long gone.

Although Chen Gong still retains his sharp edge, he has concealed it well and become much more composed.

Just like Cao Bianjiao after the Battle of Qiutou Town.

"I will give you ten thousand cavalry. We will prepare food at midnight and set off at the fourth watch, heading north along the Si River to meet Li Dingguo."

"Your subordinate obeys."

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Gong immediately accepted Chen Wang's order.

Without the slightest hesitation, his answer was crisp and clear.

Just like back at Qingshan Pass, when Chen Wang gave him a military order to lead his personal guards to fight against the most elite guard battalion of the Jurchens.

Without hesitation.

They are brothers.

Brothers who share the same bloodline.

From Guangning to Shanhaiguan.

From Shanhaiguan to Shaanxi.

Then from Shaanxi to Henan.

Traveling thousands of miles.

Throughout this journey, they have always supported each other.

It was always like this.

And so it will continue in the future.

Chen Wang lowered his head and continued to issue military orders.

As military orders were issued, one after another, military orders were stamped with seals.