plumnovel Chapter 10 Setting Up a Dilemma, Entering Linqing
Chapter 10 Setting Up a Dilemma, Entering Linqing
Yes, the Ming Dynasty is not actually poor now; what is poor is the imperial treasury.
And he, the so-called emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was trapped in the imperial city, tightly bound and constrained by various forces, and could only beg for food while holding a mountain of gold.
If he were still confined to the capital, he would never have been able to control the finances, let alone invest in a new army and expand his military power.
But after stepping out of the capital city under the guise of resisting slaves and saving the people, the Grand Canal of the Ming Dynasty was a source of plenty for Chongzhen, who had a large army at his disposal.
Sun Chuanting was a smart man and naturally understood the meaning behind Emperor Chongzhen's words, but it was precisely because of his intelligence that he remained silent on the matter.
Fortunately, Emperor Chongzhen is now "mature," more considerate of his subordinates, and more capable of handling things. He did not force Sun Chuanting to express his willingness to share the blame and bear the pressure.
Instead, he offered words of comfort, telling Sun Chuanting not to worry and that he would take full responsibility for the matter.
After resting for more than two days, the army left behind in Julu was ready to set off again.
On December 15th of the eleventh year of the Chongzhen reign, 40,000 Ming soldiers, having eaten their morning meal, awaited the moment of breaking camp and parting ways in the north wind of Julu.
Wearing silver armor, Emperor Chongzhen looked first at Lu Xiangshan, who was standing bowing beside him, in front of Julu City, and once again gave him his concerned instructions.
"Minister Lu, you will lead your troops, together with the main forces of Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei, to continue to defend Julu City. Do not be stingy with the 50,000 taels of silver I have allocated. Use it to purchase food and supplies, provide relief to the wounded, and repair the city's defenses. You must keep a close eye on the movements of the Jurchen army for me."
Lu Xiang-sheng, fully armored, immediately knelt on one knee, his voice firm and resolute: "Your subject obeys the decree! We will defend Julu to the death, closely monitor the movements of the Jurchen chieftain's main force, and never allow the Jurchens to cross the border even a single step!"
"I trust you." Chongzhen bent down to help him up, his expression solemn, and he specifically instructed him, "The main forces of Dorgon and Yue Tuo are nearby. They suffered heavy losses in the battle of Jiazhuang and are still in shock and doubt. They will not dare to rashly attack the city in the short term."
You only need to hold the city firmly, use scouts to explore from afar, keep a close eye on the movements of the main force of the slave army, and slowly follow and contain them, but do not engage in a head-on battle with the main force of the Eight Banners!
If the situation turns unfavorable, immediately gather your troops and retreat to either Julu or Guangping, a fortified city, and hold your position. I will not allow you to repeat the mistake of being surrounded and cut off from supplies.
These words hit the nail on the head, and Lu Xiang-sheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He knelt down again to express his gratitude for Chongzhen's care and protection.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Lu Xiang-sheng, Chongzhen turned to Sun Chuanting and said...
"Minister Sun, I will also allocate 50,000 taels of silver to you to reorganize the Qin army's military preparations. Your troops should form a defensive alliance with Julu, jointly defending the important towns and passes in southern Zhili, and blocking the Jurchens' westward escape routes."
However, I will not give you the order to fight to the death; I will only give you the authority to harass the enemy.
Emperor Chongzhen paused slightly, then continued.
"Your elite Qin cavalry are skilled at harassment. Send them all out. There's no need to fight the main Jurchen army. Instead, target the scattered soldiers and auxiliary troops who are plundering the villages and transporting supplies."
Kill if you can! Burn if you can!
"Seize their provisions, cut off their intelligence, and disrupt their morale. The more the Jurchens try to march steadily and probe our movements, the more you must keep them constantly on edge, hindering their supply lines and marching pace, thus buying me enough time to advance south."
Sun Chuanting was a man skilled in military affairs, and he instantly grasped Chongzhen's overall strategy.
With Lu Xiang-sheng's fortified city defense as the main force, and his own Qin soldiers' guerrilla raids as a surprise force, Dorgon's main force was firmly pinned down in the southern part of the capital region.
Meanwhile, the emperor personally led his most elite mobile cavalry to seize the important town of Linqing, build a defensive line, defend the city, cut off the Grand Canal, and cut off the possibility of the Jurchens invading Shandong.
This tactic of avoiding the enemy's strength and attacking their weakness, seizing the key point, is a hundred times more skillful than the attrition and exhaustion caused by fighting the main Qing army force at Julu.
Sun Chuanting immediately stood at attention, hands clasped, and said solemnly, "Your subject obeys! I will do everything in my power to harass and exhaust the enemy, and hold back the main force of the Jurchen chieftain, so as not to fail Your Majesty's trust!"
The deployment of the two remaining armies was finalized. Lu Xiang-sheng would hold the core stronghold, while Sun Chuanting would use guerrilla tactics to contain the enemy. One force would be either orthodox or unorthodox, and the other would be unorthodox, supporting each other.
These 30,000 brave soldiers were enough to turn the Julu-Guangping line into a quagmire that would tie down the Qing army.
Once Dorgon was driven back, Sun Chuanting could then lead his troops to Xiangyang with peace of mind, joining forces with Hong Chengchou to block the bandits' escape routes from the south and north.
Seeing that the two senior officials were full of confidence, Chongzhen said no more and immediately ordered his personal guards outside the tent.
"Assemble the new army camp and, together with the 8,000 elite cavalry of the Guan Ning Army, immediately break camp, travel light, and follow me south at full speed!"
As soon as the order was given, the sound of armor clashing and footsteps echoed outside the tent.
Before long, the five thousand newly recruited soldiers, led by Huang Degong and Zhou Yuji, joined forces with the Guan Ning cavalry to break out of the camp.
The cavalrymen of the Imperial Guard were all equipped with two horses each. The other soldiers of the new army who could ride horses rode horses, while those who could not ride horses marched with the wagon battalion. Their mobility far exceeded that of the local troops of the Ming Dynasty.
Those eight thousand Guan Ning cavalry were the most elite border cavalry in the late Ming Dynasty. They fought against the Eight Banners for many years and were skilled horsemen and fierce fighters.
Now, the two armies combined form the most capable and fastest-moving elite force in the northern border region of the Ming Dynasty, bar none.
At this point, Chongzhen's objective was crystal clear—to divide his forces and march south before Dorgon's army could make a decision, and to be the first to occupy Linqing, a key town on the Grand Canal.
As long as they hold Linqing, the vital waterway for grain transport, and cut off the canal supply line, they will completely block the Qing army from entering the heart of Shandong.
Dorgon wasn't stupid; he wouldn't risk having his rear cut off by forcibly dividing his forces to plunder Shandong.
He will either have to pay a heavy price and fight another major battle with Chongzhen in Linqing, launching a full-scale attack.
Alternatively, they should honestly consider withdrawing their troops ahead of schedule.
However, Chongzhen was no longer interested in how Dorgon would ultimately choose.
Emperor Chongzhen, who was nearly driven mad by poverty, had nothing but Linqing in his eyes at this moment.
Using the pretext of imperial command and the righteous cause of defending the territory during wartime, they took control of the grain depots and official silver warehouses in Linqing.
Listen to this, what a perfect plan!
By occupying Linqing, Emperor Chongzhen could bypass the constraints of the Beijing civil service group and obtain the financial and logistical resources that truly belonged to him, paving the way for subsequent wartime military expansion and training...
At the same moment that Chongzhen led more than 10,000 elite troops away from Julu and embarked on the official road south, Dorgon was in the Qing army camp outside Handan, feeling unprecedented anxiety and distress, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
The Battle of Jiazhuang was the biggest surprise he had encountered since leading his army into the border region.
The Ming emperor personally led an army to rescue a besieged minister.
This is something that even Dorgon finds hard to believe to this day.
In his memory, Chongzhen was a suspicious, cowardly, and incompetent ruler who changed his mind frequently.
Normally, he wouldn't even dare to step out of the capital city gates easily, but now he's personally on the front lines, and his decisiveness in using troops is completely different from the rumors.
The current military situation is unclear, which is a major taboo for military strategists.
Dorgon was by nature suspicious and cautious, and he never fought a battle unprepared. When he went to war, he would first send out scouts and sentries to find out the enemy's troop strength and movements before formulating a strategy for advance or retreat.
After the defeat at Jiazhuang, what he wanted to do most was to thoroughly understand the Ming army's strength and weaknesses in Julu City.
How many elite troops did Emperor Chongzhen bring to southern Hebei?
How many more troops from within the pass will arrive to support the emperor?
Did the Ming army intend to hold Julu, or to divide its forces to harass and find an opportunity to launch another attack?
Too many questions popped into Dorgon's head.
However, in the following days, wave after wave of elite Eight Banner scouts he sent out dealt him heavy blows, plunging him into a predicament where he was completely blind and unable to move an inch.
What Dorgon didn't know was that Emperor Chongzhen had already given the Guan Ning Army a death order when the main army retreated to Julu.
He ordered the most elite night scouts of the Guan Ning army to launch an attack, in small teams of thirty or fifty men, each with two horses, taking turns day and night.
In this way, layers of sentry posts can be set up within 30 miles of Julu, completely obscuring the battlefield.
Any Qing scouts discovered must be killed without exception; not a single one shall be spared and no message shall be sent back to the Qing army camp!
Later generations all say that the Eight Banners cavalry were invincible in the world, but few people know that the border guerrillas of the late Ming Dynasty were the real kings of border skirmishes.
These night scouts were all veteran soldiers selected from the old border troops, seasoned warriors who had fought countless battles and fought alongside the Qing army and Mongol scouts along the Great Wall year after year.
They were skilled in archery, horsemanship, combat on horseback, ambushes in the forest, and stealth. Their small units were no less capable in close combat and wilderness survival than the most elite scout cavalry of the Eight Banners.
They are even superior in close combat in complex terrain and in stealthy interceptions.
The Ming army's repeated defeats in the past were not due to a lack of fighting strength in the night guerrillas, but rather because the court had no money or rewards, and the soldiers had no will to fight to the death, so they could only go through the motions.
Just as later generations of people, angered by the Ming dynasty's lack of ambition, often used the sarcastic saying "The Ming army is invincible when its pay is not full, but when it is, it is invincible" to describe the corruption of the Ming officialdom and the collapse of the political situation.
It wasn't that the border troops at the end of the Ming Dynasty were incapable of fighting; it was simply that the imperial court was too poor to provide rewards, ultimately forcing the most capable border troops to join the bandits and the Manchus.
But the situation is different now.
Because Emperor Chongzhen personally issued an edict: "A reward of ten taels of silver will be given for each Qing army scout killed!"
A reward of thirty taels of silver will be given to anyone who captures the prisoners alive and brings back military intelligence!
The entire team successfully completed the cover mission without anyone slipping through the net, and the whole team received an extra month's salary!
The promise of a great reward always attracts brave men. These already fierce Guan Ning Army night scouts were immediately tempted by the reward money that Emperor Chongzhen was actually giving them.
They were all willing to risk their lives, divided into countless small teams, forming an impenetrable net that covered all the official roads, paths, and forest passes around Julu.
On the first day, Dorgon dispatched three waves of Eight Banners scouts, each with twenty men, all of whom were carefully selected armored scouts skilled in stealth and reconnaissance.
Before they had even gotten within ten miles of the outskirts of Julu, these scouts were ambushed by a Ming army night patrol.
The Guan Ning Army's night scouts did not engage them head-on. Instead, they used the forest and snow slopes for cover, first using powerful bows and arrows to shoot down the horses and disrupt their formation, and then using their numerical advantage to engage them in close combat on horseback!
Within half a day, all three waves of Jurchen scouts were annihilated, and not a single messenger escaped.
Dorgon refused to believe the evil omen and the next day sent out five waves of scouts, each with thirty men, to spy from different directions. The result was still disastrous.
Some squads were ambushed on the trails and wiped out, while others were surrounded and killed as soon as they reached the edge of the sentry line. When they fled in panic, they were chased for dozens of miles and more than half of them were killed or wounded.
Some squads were ambushed and killed silently by night scouts before they could even see the outline of the Ming army camp, without even making a sound.
For three consecutive days, nearly half of the nearly two hundred elite scouts sent out by Dorgon were lost; the rest either fled back in disarray or disappeared completely.
The military intelligence they brought back was all useless nonsense:
The Ming army maintained a tight perimeter, making it impossible for them to approach.
The number of troops inside the city is unknown.
No signs of movement of the main Ming army force were observed...
Apart from that, there wasn't a single useful piece of information.
Inside the Qing army's main tent, Dorgon gripped his riding whip, his knuckles white from the force. He paced back and forth, his face ashen, his agitation and suspicion almost overflowing.
He had fought in many years and had never encountered such a situation.
In the past, Ming scouts would always flee at the mere sight of the Eight Banners cavalry, not even daring to confront them head-on. When did they become so fierce and difficult to deal with?
It was as if the Ming army had laid a net around Julu, completely cutting off their eyes and ears, and they had no idea what the other side was up to!
He didn't know how many elite Ming troops were in Julu City, whether Chongzhen intended to hold out for reinforcements or had secretly divided his forces, or how many reinforcements were on their way from various parts of southern Hebei.
If we rashly advance, we risk being ambushed by the Ming army, repeating the mistake of the Battle of Jiazhuang.
However, remaining stationary would waste the opportunity to plunder.
After all, the Eight Banners soldiers entered the pass to plunder money, grain and people. It was fine when they were winning, but if they suffered setbacks in many places and stayed for a long time, their morale would inevitably collapse.
Unfortunately, the right-wing commander Yue Tuo has been ill for the past two days, suffering from a persistent high fever. After being examined by the military doctor, he looked grave and said it was just a cold.
Several soldiers in Yue Tuo's army also contracted the disease and developed fevers, which alarmed Dorgon.
Winter marches are most vulnerable to disease; if it spreads, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Moreover, Yue Tuo's troops were one of the two main forces that entered the pass this time. If he fell ill, the right-wing army would be leaderless, and his own troop deployment and strategy would be greatly restricted.
With the general inside falling ill and morale low, and the Ming army outside obscuring their plans, the true situation was difficult to discern.
Dorgon was caught in a dilemma, full of doubts. He could only order the entire army to temporarily halt their advance and rest on the spot, while waiting for Yuetuo's condition to improve, and gritting his teeth to continue sending out scouts.
But each time they sent out scouts, it resulted in another round of losses and setbacks.
And he never dreamed that while he was trapped in an intelligence blind spot by the Guan Ning guerrillas and was hesitant to make a decision, Chongzhen had already led more than 10,000 mobile troops away from Julu and was heading south at full speed day and night along the official road along Guangping and Guantao.
This elite corps did not carry heavy supply wagons; each soldier was only equipped with three days' worth of dry rations, sufficient arrows, and simple tents. The entire army moved lightly and with astonishing speed.
Emperor Chongzhen personally commanded the central army, maintaining strict discipline. The army marched a hundred li a day, undeterred by wind or snow, taking only two brief breaks along the way to feed the horses and change their saddles, never stopping for a moment.
Emperor Chongzhen knew the importance of speed in warfare. Once Dorgon understood the military situation and made up his mind to march south, the Eight Banners cavalry could reach Linqing within three days.
This was a consequence he could not accept, so he had to enter Linqing City before Dorgon and seize all power in this important town.
The two-day and night-long rapid advance allowed Chongzhen to once again seize the initiative on the battlefield.
On the afternoon of December 17th, Emperor Chongzhen personally led over ten thousand elite troops to the walls of Linqing!