Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 227 The Green Camp Army is Ready to Move
Under the cover of night, south of Yicheng, the camps of the various Palace Army units were brightly lit. Fire plates and lanterns dotted the surrounding areas, and teams of patrolling soldiers were moving around. Looking down, it looked like a sea of ​​stars on the ground, brilliant and dazzling.

The main force of the Qing army led by Dorgon and Ajige was at this time in Xiangyang City and south of Lumen Mountain, a certain distance away from Yicheng. On the west bank of the Han River and north of Yicheng, there was a dense network of rivers and high mountains to the west. The Eight Banners could not move quickly and could not directly threaten the Palace Army.

However, now on the east bank of the Han River, in the dark areas of the hills and deserted villages between Lumen Mountain and the northern foot of Dahong Mountain, sounds of fighting, roaring and screaming can still be heard from time to time. This is because the scouts sent by the Qing army encountered the ambush troops of the Palace Army, or the scouts of the Palace Army were ambushed by the ambush troops of the Qing army.

The sounds of fighting were becoming more and more intense. Although the Qing army was about to withdraw, Dorgon did not show it at all. Instead, he continued to follow the original plan and sent a large number of scouts to fight against the scouts of the Palace Army, which put the scouts of the Palace Army on the east coast at a complete disadvantage.

At the same time, Zhu Cilang had already started to take Chang Denggui to patrol the military camp at night. This was his habit before the war. He would never feel at ease unless he saw the army under his command with his own eyes.

The various units of the Palace Army and the Loyalty Battalion maintained extremely strict wartime discipline, especially at night. To prevent surprise attacks, even the patrol calls were different for each unit and changed every night. If a sentry detected anything amiss, they would immediately sound the alarm, and the soldiers on duty would immediately go into battle.

If a false alarm occurs during this process, the current on-duty officer and the soldier who made the mistake will all have their pay docked and be demoted.

However, all units of the Palace Army were well-trained and had strict military discipline. In the months since they marched north, there had been almost no such unexpected situations.

After Lin Changfeng personally answered the "night call" of the Tianwu Right Camp, Zhu Cilang and his party immediately arrived at the camp gate. They needed to undergo a badge inspection by the on-duty officer in accordance with military law.

Of course, as the king of a country, Zhu Cilang was different after all. He entered the barracks amid the salute of all the soldiers on duty at the camp gate, and briefly reviewed the military judges on duty tonight.

Inside the camp, military judges and trained soldiers were constantly patrolling and inspecting. Now that they were facing a powerful enemy, they patrolled much more frequently than usual, mainly to prevent fires, gatherings, spies, raids and other unexpected incidents.

Zhu Cilang quickly arrived at the commander's tent of the Tianwu Right Camp, and continued the topic he and Chang Denggui had just been discussing. He slowly said:

"Deng Gui, when do you think Dorgon will make a clear response?"

"Your Majesty, I believe we must wait until Admiral Chen defeats Wu Guogui and Li Guohan in Hanzhong, or until Ding Guodong and his men approach Xi'an. Meng Qiaofang currently has almost no reliable troops under his command. It's only a matter of time before he's deserted and his entire army is defeated."

With Admiral Chen and General Gao, along with the troops of Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu, the outcome would likely remain the same even if Wu Guogui, a fierce general under Wu Sangui, was the defender of Hanzhong. Dorgon was simply waiting to see the outcome of the Tongguan battle.

Zhu Cilang thought about Meng Qiaofang's performance in the original history, and couldn't help feeling a little worried. Wu Guogui should not be as strong as he was during the Three Feudatories period in the original history. He had fought fewer wars for so many years, so the situation was different after all.

"When the battle in Hanzhong will have a clear outcome depends on the choices made by the Green Camp Army in Shaanxi, or even generals like Wu Guogui and Li Guohan." Chang Denggui continued:

“Those Green Camp soldiers may seem united now, but after Yue Le’s defeat at the watershed, they have actually started to have their own agendas. Now, even the Tartar Eight Banners soldiers can’t defeat us. They simply don’t have the guts to compete with us.

As long as Wu Guogui and Li Guohan are defeated, the Green Camp troops throughout Shaanxi will immediately surrender and will never dare to negotiate with the court as they did before. Meng Qiaofang has only so many men under his command, and he has to divide his forces into many different areas. He definitely won't be able to hold out for long."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded. Although Meng Qiaofang, Wu Guogui and Li Guohan were all capable people, in the face of the real trend, their so-called abilities were actually of no use at all.

"Now, the rebel forces in Shandong, northern Zhili and other places are acting very quickly, and they are all fighting under the banner of anti-Qing and restoration of Ming. This is thanks to the support of the Jinyiwei. Zhang Mingzhen and Huang Fei are also winning victory after victory at sea." Chang Denggui saw Zhu Cilang nod in agreement, and then said with a smile.

Zhu Cilang was very excited when he thought of these good news. The defeat of the Qing Dynasty had actually exceeded his imagination, especially the victory in the "Watershed Battle", which was a complete surprise.

You must know that the Qing Dynasty's use of a small tribe to resist a big country was itself an accident with no room for error. Once it lost its military support and was unable to deter tens of millions of Han people, this semi-slave and semi-feudal regime was not far from collapse.

"Is there any new development on Duoduo and Jirgalang's side?" Zhu Cilang thought for a while and asked again.

One of these two people is in Shandong, and the other is in Beijing and Tianjin. Their actions will actually affect Dorgon's judgment, especially Jirgalang.

"Zhang Mingzhen hasn't recaptured Tianjin yet, but he's currently gathering his troops. Most of his men are sailors. Although they annihilated two Green Camp armies in the previous landing battle, they also suffered heavy losses in their core combat forces. They should have just reunited with Huang Fei at sea."

Chang Denggui paused and continued:

"As for the Shandong Duoduo direction, Gao Jie and Huang Degong are making relatively smooth progress, but they lack the strength to capture a large city and engage in a battle with the Eight Banners. Duoduo is no match for Your Majesty, but it's not something they can easily deal with."

"Zhang Mingzhen's troops suffered setbacks in Tianjin, and the losses are probably not small. They cannot recover in a short time. We should not rely on these two armies for the time being. Jirgalang should not be underestimated!" There was some regret in Zhu Cilang's tone, but this is war, there are winners and losers.

However, the current army of the Ming Dynasty has basically achieved a standardized and systematic training model. Even the navy has inland sailors as a reserve force. The reintegration between different teams does not require a period of training and running-in like traditional armies before they can exert their due combat effectiveness.

In other words, as long as Zhu Cilang is given one year, he will be able to build a new navy. Zheng Sen actually saw this and then obediently returned to Fujian to deal with his father.

After all, in this era of professionalization of soldiers, extremely complex training, and the need for coordinated operations of multiple arms, Zheng Sen knew that even at sea, he could not confront the imperial court.

"No matter which of these places, as long as a breakthrough is achieved, Dorgon will definitely retreat." Chang Denggui paused, and then said, "I think he will definitely see this clearly, and he should be able to lead his troops to retreat north very quickly." "Yes!" Zhu Cilang nodded. He actually thought so too, but the battlefield situation was complicated and changing rapidly, and his judgment also needed support to be firm. And now, after listening to Chang Denggui's words, he squinted his eyes, smiled, and said:

"If Dorgon wants to retreat, he will definitely make some moves. It's impossible to hide it until the last moment. But he will definitely be wary of me. He will be very cautious and will definitely find ways to prevent my sneak attack. Among them, Xiangyang must be the top priority. Keep a close eye on it."

"Your Majesty is wise!"
.
"boom!"

In the darkness, on the plain at the southern foot of Lumen Mountain, a ball of fire suddenly flashed, but quickly went out. The remaining phantom of a human eye, accompanied by shrill screams, spread in all directions. Another Qing army scout stepped on a mine buried by the Palace Army.

However, this didn't happen all the time. Aside from the occasional murmurs, the vast, flat plain was completely silent. To the north, several Qing army camps were also ablaze with lights and bonfires scattered across the wilderness. The Qing troops were also wary of a possible nighttime attack from the Ming army.

Of course, neither army had any such intentions, so aside from a few elusive scouts, neither side, Ming or Qing, made any rash moves given the other's tight defenses. Most nights passed with the occasional, unremarkable sound of explosions.

At the same time, neither the Qing army nor the Ming army could rely on a small number of ambush troops and scouts to block such a wide front, so both sides were able to detect a lot of intelligence about the other side through scouts and night patrols.

However, it is hard to say whether such information will be useful in the end!
At this time, in Xiangyang City, the Green Camp army generals nominally led by Hong Chengchou were also in a state of panic. Like Shang Kexi, they were all thinking about their own retreat.

Among them, Nan Yikui, Dong Xueli, Zhang Dayuan and others are all generals who hold military power, and they are all among them.

However, although they now nominally respect Hong Chengchou, the so-called head of the Han officials, they directly excluded him from this conspiracy.

After all, in this chaotic world, holding military power is the real thing. Dorgon was also wary of Hong Chengchou. He only gave him the title but not the real power. In essence, he still needed this Han official to give him advice.

"If we surrender like this, will the Ming Emperor really not hold us accountable for what we did before? I'm worried that he will kill us in the end to establish his authority." Dong Xueli still felt uneasy after listening to Nan Yikui's instigation. He was originally a Ming army, then a Shun army, and now a Qing army. If his crimes were counted, beheading him three times would not be enough.

However, the situation of other people present was not much better. Nan Yikui was originally a deputy general of the Ming army. After Li Zicheng conquered Shaanxi, he immediately surrendered and became a lieutenant general of Dashun. He then defected to the Ordos tribe and later welcomed the surrender of Ajige and assisted in recruiting the Yansui East Road.

When Ajige marched north from Shaanxi to Yan'an, Nan Yikui acted as a guide and served the Qing army. Together with another Ming army surrendered general Yang Zhenbang, he cooperated in the Qing army's attack on Yan'an in the south. Only then was he promoted to the position of Ningxia General and raised the flag in the following year.

"I'm just like you. I've been going back and forth, voting for all parties, and I'm not afraid!" Although Nan Yikui's words were filled with anger, he still tried his best to control his voice. He looked around at everyone in the room and said sternly:

"The Tartars are much weaker now. We are indeed a little late, but the Ming Emperor hasn't finished defeating the Tartars yet, so he won't attack us now. Moreover, the Tartars still have so many cavalrymen. Whether the Ming Emperor can win in the end is still uncertain!"

"That's right. If we can turn things around now, we'll still be of some use. Emperor Ming won't kill us easily. I heard that Wang Fuchen didn't die after he surrendered." Zhang Dayuan also agreed.

"However, I do think that the Ming Emperor will definitely win in the end. He managed to handle the situation four years ago. Now, the fertile lands of Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Huguang are all in the hands of the Ming court. A Northern Expedition is only a matter of time."

After hearing this, Dong Xueli agreed, saying, "The world will definitely still belong to the Ming Dynasty. Even if we shave our heads and wear pigtails now, we have made the wrong choice."

At this time, Nan Yikui saw Dong Xueli was so pessimistic and continued to analyze:
"Damn it! I don't believe I have any soldiers under my command. They will be killed anyway. No matter how you look at it, Emperor Ming will definitely keep us here, and even give us important positions."

"Yes, now except for that old fellow Hong Chengchou, anyone who rebels can find a way to survive if they go out." After hearing this, Zhang Dayuan also supported.

He was originally sent by Dorgon to monitor Hong Chengchou, and he also received instructions from other Manchu nobles. But now that he sees that the situation is not right, he has already intended to turn against him.

After all, the Qing dynasty was about to be defeated, and it seemed almost impossible to save the situation. As long as there was a shred of hope, they, the Han people, would not follow the Manchus back to the outside of the Great Wall. Moreover, they all knew that the Manchus might not even intend to take them with them.

In other words, at this point, they actually have no choice. When discussing the outcome now, the most critical issue is not how to do it, but whether there is a way to survive after the outcome.

"Besides, if we don't rebel, those Tartar dogs will definitely send their armored soldiers to supervise the battle behind us, leaving us as cannon fodder to block the powerful army of Emperor Ming. Isn't that a death sentence? We must gather our elite troops, preserve them as much as possible, and then act according to the situation."

Nan Yikui frowned, then said:

"Dorgon should be sending out his troops in a few days. If a battle breaks out, we won't have to deal with the Tartars alone. There's definitely a way out. Those so-called Tartar armored soldiers are no better than our elite troops. If we launch a surprise attack, they will definitely be no match for our troops."

After Nan Yikui's review, his trusted officers, as well as Dong Xueli and others who were originally skeptical and worried, were all convinced and nodded, with most of their doubts eliminated.

But now, the most important thing for them was to find the right opportunity. Otherwise, under the surveillance of tens of thousands of Eight Banners, any rash action on their part would be a dead end.

(End of this chapter)