Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 215: The Qing Army in Despair

Amid the deafening shouts of killing, not only the Ming troops in the south, but also the other Ming troops lying in ambush in the valleys on the east and west sides of the north quickly rushed out. They became more and more courageous as the battle went on, and more and more Ming soldiers launched surprise attacks on the Qing troops in the valley.

While the Qing army's scouts were constantly scouting the surroundings, the Ming army's ambush hiding place was hundreds of steps away from the Qing army's formation. The Qing army certainly had time to form a battle formation, but such hasty preparations were certainly not enough to withstand the attack of the Ming army's elite. Even though Aljin fought hard at the front for a long time, he was unable to change the situation.

Zhu Cilang had sent out two field infantry battalions early in the morning to encircle the Qing army's rear. At this time, they were already in the north, on the route that the Qing army had to take to retreat. They formed a formation to block the enemy, and the black muzzles of their guns were exposed in front of the army formation.

The army that Yue Le had originally deployed in the rear was originally intended to stabilize the rear. Seeing this, they reacted quickly. Under the command of Alashan, the commander of the rear army, they immediately attacked, trying to defeat this Ming army that had just formed a battle line in the valley and had not yet gained a foothold, and open up a retreat route.

However, the Ming army had sufficient manpower, and the two wings of the infantry formation were directly deployed on the side of the hillside, which made it impossible for the Qing cavalry to attack.

You must know that the Ming army's military formation, under the cover of the dense forests at the foot of the mountains on both sides, has completely occupied the entire valley plain. Although there are gaps between the square formations composed of thousands of headquarters, the Qing army's cavalry would never dare to attack easily.

Moreover, under the command of Tian Jianxiu, the armored troops of the Palace Army, which encircled the Qing army's rear, also sent out engineers to build simple fortifications on the edges of the mountains on both sides. These fortifications were more than enough to deal with the Eight Banners cavalry, which were mainly composed of cavalry and had basically no preparation for sieges.

In the military formation, officers of all levels of the left army in front of the palace stared intently at the Qing troops that kept surging in front of them, calculating the distance of the enemy in their minds. These Eight Banners horsemen seemed fearless and were charging rapidly, getting closer and closer. The cavalry in the front row soon entered a distance of more than 100 steps from the Ming army formation.

However, the Qing cavalry did not stop a hundred or two hundred paces away as usual, waiting for an opportunity to break through. They rushed forward at full speed, fighting for time. As long as the Ming army had not yet stabilized its position, that would be the best opportunity to fight.

Looking at the Qing cavalry that had no intention of stopping and was rushing towards them, Tian Jianxiu couldn't help feeling a little nervous, but after swallowing, he quickly regained his original courage, and immediately waved his hand and ordered the army to prepare for the attack.

In the Ming army formation, the sounds of war drums and bugles rang out one after another. More than a thousand bird guns, Rumi guns and more than two hundred turtledove-foot guns roared at the same time. The orange-yellow flames instantly lit up, and thick white smoke rose up, quickly filling the Ming army position.

"Bang, bang, bang--"

Among the Qing cavalry, more than a hundred Eight Banners horsemen who were in the front quickly fell to the ground. The neighing of war horses resounded throughout the valley. Hundreds of weapons were thrown into the air amid the screams of men and horses, and then fell to the ground with a crackling sound.

However, at this time, the horsemen following closely behind the Qing cavalry were already in a very excited state. Although they noticed the casualties in front, they could not control the galloping horses under their crotch and continued to charge.

The Palace Army was not the loose Green Camp Army. The musketeers in the back row soon launched another volley.

"Bang, bang, bang--"

This time, the volleys of fire from the Palace Army's musketeers were still fast and accurate. Those Qing troops who took the initiative to charge or were pushed forward by the cavalry from the rear suffered another heavy blow. The front row fell one after another. Within seventy steps, the so-called shields and armor were almost vulnerable to the lead bullets and could not provide effective protection for the soldiers. The Qing army's originally unstoppable offensive finally came to an abrupt halt due to the sharp increase in casualties.

The Ming army's current level of firearms manufacturing is already quite high. Although the technological gap in firearms manufacturing has not yet been effectively converted into a force to change the battlefield situation on the battlefield at this time, it can no longer be ignored.

At this time, Zhu Cilang was on the distant mountainside, watching the changes in the battle situation in the valley through a "telescope", and his heart finally settled down.

The number of troops and strong combat power left by the Qing army in the middle and rear areas was actually somewhat beyond his expectations. This formed a sharp contrast with the number of troops and combat power of the Qing army's vanguard in the southern part of the valley. He even suspected that Yue Le had guessed his actions early on and made such deployments.

After all, although the Qing army didn't react immediately, overall, their performance was quite good. Yue Le had now deployed over 2,000 elite troops on both sides of the mountain, hoping to break through from the edge of the valley and attack the Ming cavalry, effectively containing the Qing army. The combat effectiveness of these troops was also very impressive.

Of course, none of this changed the situation where the Qing army was caught off guard, lost their armor and fled in panic.

Now, the only problem is that the elite troops of the Qing army have not suffered serious damage. The combat effectiveness of the Qing army entering the valley is very different, and the most critical part is that except for the cavalry that is attacking the right army infantry formation in front of the palace in the north, the others are almost unharmed.

However, Zhu Cilang was not worried. He now had the initiative on the battlefield. From the information and intelligence he had already obtained, Dorgon and Ajige could not be in Nanyang at this time, and Yue Le would not have any reinforcements. This was enough.

In other words, although Yue Le had a backup plan, it was futile in the face of the powerful combat capabilities of the Palace Army and the Heavenly Cavalry Army.

"Denggui, what do you think of the performance of the Qing army?" Zhu Cilang habitually asked the opinion of the admiral of the central army beside him.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Qing army is now powerless to turn the tide. Your Majesty can order the army to attack with all its strength." Chang Denggui was full of confidence. He paused and then said:
"However, we must immediately capture the mountains on both sides of the valley, otherwise the army's offensive will be hindered. We should also send out reserve troops to reinforce the right army formation in the rear to maintain the front line.

That is the most suitable place for withdrawal. If the Qing army cannot pass through smoothly, they must split into countless groups and break out from other mountain roads. At that time, the Xiaoqi Army and Tianqi Army can be dispatched at the same time to make up for the lack of pursuit by the infantry."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded, but did not give orders immediately. Instead, he raised the telescope in his hand again and quickly turned his gaze to the battlefields on both sides of the valley, where the Qing army was the strongest.

You know, there are too many factors that can affect victory or defeat on the battlefield, and the information received and the situations that occur at every moment are unpredictable. This requires the military commander on the battlefield to be able to make correct judgments and take decisive actions within an extremely limited time.

Otherwise, the fighting opportunity will be gone in a flash, and the victory or defeat may be reversed!

Zhu Cilang stared at the battlefield in the distant valley through the telescope. After confirming that the Qing army had no other ambushes, he immediately gave the order.

At this time, dozens of Tang horses were waiting nearby. With a single command from him, these nimble cavalrymen would gallop onto the battlefield, delivering orders that would determine the outcome of this great battle and the lives of countless men. However, Zhu Cilang opted for a more conservative approach and did not deploy all of his reserve troops. He was currently leading the main forces of the Palace Army and the Celestial Cavalry, the Ming Dynasty's most elite 40,000-man army, and absolutely no mistakes could be made.

Regardless of whether the troops commanded by Yue Le and Wu Sangui could escape from the desperate situation, it was actually just the difference between total annihilation and only one-third of them surviving. There was no need for him to take this risk.

On the battlefield, too many things are unpredictable. The reserve forces are not the key to victory now, but the key to ensuring that nothing goes wrong.

After all, the Qing army's 30,000 troops in the valley were actually only more than 20,000 troops to be precise, and a crushing defeat was certain. It would also be difficult for the most core and powerful 10,000 cavalry to escape unscathed.

Zhu Cilang did not forget the strategic goal of this ambush, nor the purpose of the entire campaign. His goal was not to destroy the Qing army, but to seize Shaanxi and Gansu, obtain war horses, and train a cavalry unit that could fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Qing army.

As for the troops on the mountains on both sides, although they are temporarily at a disadvantage, as long as more troops are sent, the Qing army will definitely not be able to outnumber them in the end. The more than 10,000 cavalry in the valley are actually the toughest nuts to crack. They are cavalry when they are on horseback, and heavy infantry when they are off their horses.

Zhu Cilang quickly analyzed the current battle situation in his mind and reaffirmed his judgment.

"The Tianwu Left Camp is divided into two parts. Attack from the mountains on both sides and eliminate the Qing troops above. The Cavalry will immediately join the battlefield and must intercept the Qing cavalry. The reserve troops will continue to stand by. The Palace Front Right Army must hold the north. There is no need to counterattack, just trap those Qing troops. The rest of the troops should proceed according to the original plan!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The dozen or so middle and senior generals behind Zhu Cilang bowed and clasped their fists, saying in unison.

After such a mobilization, Zhu Cilang increased the offensive to the maximum extent while basically maintaining the reserve troops of the last two battalions. This fairly safe offensive plan will greatly enhance Zhu Cilang's ability to deal with sudden accidents.

As the battle continued, the clashes in the valley had spread to all parts of the country, especially those wide and flat areas. The shouts and cries of killing on the battlefield shook the heavens and the earth, and the sounds of horse hooves and artillery roars rose and fell continuously.
The Palace Army in the valley pursued all the way. Although Zhu Cilang had sent Tang Ma to order all the troops to slow down the offensive, these soldiers who had already fallen into fanaticism on the battlefield could not resist at all. When Tang Ma saw the defeated and retreating Qing army, he was like a wolf seeing a fat lamb to be slaughtered, and he completely lost his mind.

But what they didn't know was that their seemingly powerful and invincible pursuit had actually lost its organization to a certain extent, which was quite dangerous on the battlefield.

In addition to sending troops to the north to open up a retreat, Yue Le had been concentrating his truly elite troops and preparing for a counterattack. Looking at the Ming army soldiers who were charging and pursuing in a chaotic formation, he knew that his chance had come.

Although this Ming army was capable and daring to fight, it was obvious from the army's actions and offensives that nearly half of them were new recruits. If they formed a formation and held on, they would naturally be very stable, but once they switched to pursue the enemy, they would be full of loopholes.

Zhu Cilang did not adopt Chang Denggui's reckless strategy, but chose a safe offensive method. In fact, this was also his consideration.

But now, the situation was somewhat beyond his expectations. If it were not for the thousands of cavalrymen of the Tianqi Army who were already chasing the Qing army and biting the troops deployed by Yue Le on both sides for cover, I am afraid that the front line of the infantry's pursuit troops would have been unable to be maintained.

Of course, Yue Le was not in a much better situation at this time. After the melee just now, there were only less than 10,000 cavalrymen under his command. The cavalrymen on both wings suffered heavy losses, but they still had the strength to fight and could send out troops from time to time to entangle the Ming army's raiding cavalry.

But these are not what Yue Le is most worried about. The Ming army's formation has begun to become chaotic at this time, and the offensive will surely ease greatly soon. He only needs to stabilize the situation and launch a counterattack later, and the situation will still be under control.

The chaos in the Ming army gave Yue Le a lot of confidence. This was the Ming army he was familiar with!

However, the Ming army soldiers that emerged from the mountains on the east and west sides gave him a headache. The new soldiers who had just joined the Eight Banners had a hard time fighting against these Ming army soldiers. Often, they had no chance to catch their breath before they had to deal with the Ming army's attack again.

Although they have superhuman endurance and are brave and good at fighting due to the harsh living environment, they are still human beings. Under such circumstances, their combat effectiveness will naturally drop sharply and their front line will gradually collapse.

Yue Le knew very well that the foothills on both sides were important strategic fulcrums of the entire valley battlefield. If he could control them in his own hands, then when the Ming army's offensive eased, he would be able to attack or defend on the battlefield.

Now, the war has just begun. Although the situation is unfavorable, Yue Le does not think he will lose. He still has great hope for the battle situation, especially after seeing that the Ming army has become chaotic during the pursuit.

As soon as he thought of this, he immediately sent out the three Niulu guards who were guarding him, and ordered the leader of the Bayala under his command to lead the troops to provide support.

These troops were originally used to ensure his safety, but Yue Le had no choice but to send them out in order to ultimately win the battle. Compared to his own safety, he hoped to seize the initiative in this battle, so that he could truly ensure his safety.

However, in addition to guarding the foothills on both wings, Yue Le must also find a way to open up a retreat route.

But at this time, the military formation formed by the right army in front of the palace on the north side of the valley had been completely stabilized. The Qing army had been unable to capture it for a long time. The thousands of Ming troops who were holding on relied on the geographical advantages on both wings. Their fighting will was extremely tenacious, and they had no intention of retreating at all.

After several fierce charges, the Qing army's cavalry had suffered heavy losses. The originally spacious valley and even the foothills on both sides were now covered with the bodies of fallen soldiers and horses, and blood flowed into streams along the terrain.

Faced with such a situation, Yue Le had to order a change in strategy, trying to lure the Ming army to attack, but Tian Jianxiu did not fall for it and attack rashly. Instead, he ordered the engineers to build more solid fortifications around the foothills, as if he was planning to strengthen his defense.

After all, if the right army in front of the palace could take advantage of the terrain and the firearms in the formation, even if it was infantry against cavalry, it could completely repel the charging Qing cavalry group. If the latter had no room to maneuver, they would not be a threat at all.

"Send a message to Wu Sangui immediately, and have him lead his cavalry to charge and break through the Ming army's blockade." Yue Le looked up at the mountains in the north. Wu Sangui's troops were not far away from there, and it was perfect to use them to charge into the Ming army's phalanx.

(End of this chapter)