Chapter 343 Breakthrough in the Center, Flying with Both Wings
Before Zhu Shuren went on this expedition, he had made a solemn promise to his wife:
Basically, I don’t personally supervise the field battles, so I stay in the city of Hefei. If I win the field battles and can counterattack, the most I can do is go to the city for a tour after Zhongdu Fengguang recovers, which is regarded as an inspection, but I will never cross the Huaihe River or go to Huaibei.
The first half of this guarantee had already been broken through by Zhu Shuren. He had personally supervised the entire battle of Feishui.
Fortunately, he still has a chance to comply with the second half of the promise.
No, on the third day after Fengyang City was recovered,
The Ming army simply gathered together the corpses all over the city, lit several huge fires, and used the broken beams and pillars of the dilapidated houses in the city that had been destroyed by the war as fuel for the fire, and burned most of the corpses.
They were concentrated and roughly incinerated, and then several large pits were dug outside the city and buried.
After they had improved the sanitation work to a point where they could barely pass the inspection and entered the city without being exposed to the plague with a high probability, Zhu Shuren entered Fengyang with simple clothes and held a simple military parade to inspect the newly restored city.
Zhongdu, Ming Dynasty.
"This city has been ruined like this. It's better to clean it up and build a new one. It's really too miserable." Seeing the broken walls and bloody ruins everywhere, Zhu Shuren couldn't help but hide his nose and frown.
In the final melee, the Qing army appeared extremely bloodthirsty and violent. After all, there were thirty to forty thousand men under Bolo and Yue Le at that time. After being provoked into internal strife in the city and the Manchus and Han slaughtering each other, the Qing army was unwilling to retreat.
Of course they will jump over the wall and kill like crazy.
In this kind of battle, it is difficult to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy. The two sides are at each other's throats. After the killing is red-eyed, the nerves are so tense that they go crazy, and they just kill everyone on sight.
Especially when he finally knew that he had to retreat, he even slaughtered an extra person to vent his anger. Fengyang was originally the central capital of the Ming Dynasty. Those Qing generals knew the significance of this place to the Ming Dynasty. They were definitely not willing to put an intact
The city was left to the Ming Dynasty.
In the Tatars' view, any important city of political significance to the Ming Dynasty, if it had to be abandoned and it could be abandoned through a breakout, would be reduced to scorched earth.
Cao Bianjiao and Huang Degong, who were standing next to them, knew that the prince was compassionate, so they could only try their best to say something to calm them down:
"The prince is kind, but the Tatars are ferocious, and some things are unavoidable. Fortunately, all Huainan has returned to the imperial court, and the sacrifices of Paoze and innocent people who died in the battle are enough to comfort them."
Zhu Shuren covered his nose: "How much is the final enemy annihilation? Is there any estimate?"
Huang Degong: "The number of people who finally broke out of Fengyang City and went to Huaibei was estimated to be 20,000 people. The Qing army died in battle and was captured and surrendered, about 26,000 to 7,000 -
In fact, at least more than 10,000 of them were caused by the Han army's Zhenghuang Banner who were forced to rebel, and the Manchus killed each other. Only a small half was caused by the imperial army chasing down the remaining enemies after entering the city.
This time, the last general did not dare to take credit. Geng Zhongming, the old traitor, was finally exposed. In order to protect himself, he was indeed very stubborn and jumped over the wall. Before Geng Zhongming died, most of his troops were killed or wounded, and he also killed thousands of elite Manchu soldiers.
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In particular, the Manchu Zhenglan Banner, which was closely controlled by the Boluo Yuele brothers, was the most violent among the troops sent by the Tatars. They were originally ordered to trap and kill Geng Zhongming, but in the end it was revealed in advance that it turned into a full-scale killing.
If these Tatar cavalry were fighting in the field outside the city, they would be able to exert a strong fighting force, but God blessed us, the Ming Dynasty. These troops were eventually held back by Geng Zhongming and consumed in the street fighting inside the city, which is really satisfying."
Zhu Shuren nodded with satisfaction, having figured out the hidden story before and after the Fengyang battle.
Then, Cao Bianjiao added some additional explanations. In the past two days, after learning that Fengyang had been captured, the Qing troops in Huaiyuan and Linhuai also abandoned the defense of those two counties, which had no strategic value anymore.
Directly, the remaining troops hurriedly crossed the Huaihe River north, fled to Guibo, and met up with Boluo and Yuele.
After all the calculations, the Qing army's final force to escape in the Fengyang theater was only between thirty and forty thousand.
At the beginning, Abatai brought more than 150,000 to 60,000 main soldiers, plus a number of second- and third-line defenders and strong men. In the end, only a few people were left to return to Huaibei after a series of bloody battles. It can be said that it was miserable.
Only more than 20% of the troops returned, and 70% to 80% were destroyed.
In later generations, the Huainan part of Anhui was completely recovered by the Ming Dynasty! Not a single county was left behind!
The Qing army suffered such heavy losses, especially in the fact that its direct line of Manchu cavalry units suffered repeated heavy losses.
In the previous battle of Feishui, 9,000 people were killed. In subsequent pursuit battles and camp-breaking battles, a total of 2,000 to 3,000 people were lost.
In this melee in Fengyang, Zhenglan Banner, which still had a decent fighting capacity, suffered several thousand casualties in one fell swoop. All told, Zhenglan Banner's total casualties had exceeded half.
It's just that the Zhenglan Banner is not as good as the Liangbai Banner. After all, the active personnel of the Liangbai Banner were completely wiped out and rebuilt three years ago, and even the reserve population can hardly be raised. The Zhenglan Banner was not completely wiped out that year, and it can still be squeezed in this time.
Retired veterans in their 40s were recruited to fill the gap.
With all three banners of the Manchus added up, the cavalry troops who returned alive barely had just over 10,000 people left, which was quite miserable. The remaining 20,000-odd Han and Mongolian troops were also distraught.
Boluo fled to Shangqiu County, the seat of the Huide Prefecture, and refused to defend Shangqiu. He sent his brother Yue Le to station in Bozhou, trying to reorganize a new line of defense.
The distance between Bozhou and Fengyang County is said to be 2,780 miles, and there is Mengcheng County, which is undefendable, in the middle. Of course, the Qing army would not stop in Mengcheng, but chose to retreat directly.
scorched earth strategy,
Kill every village and city as soon as you see them. Kill all the people in Mengcheng who are unwilling to serve as soldiers and not to evacuate with the Qing Dynasty. Take away all the materials you can carry, and burn them all if you can't take them away, so as not to endanger the enemy.
Ming dynasty--
This is not because the Qing army suddenly became more brutal, but because Mengcheng and Bozhou were also nominally within Fengyang Prefecture. The Qing army could have taken the Ming Dynasty's central capital, and of course they hoped to use it as a springboard. But now they are
The Ming Dynasty's despicable and shameless instigation of internal strife and treacherous plots caused so much misery. Of course, they also wanted to vent their anger on the people of Zhongdu in the Ming Dynasty. If they didn't get what they wanted, they would destroy it.
For other state capitals that had no political significance, the Qing army would not be so ruthless.
So in later generations, the 200-mile road from Huaiyuan to Mengcheng to Woyang along both sides of the Wo River was almost turned into a semi-no man's land by the fleeing Qing army. This was obviously done to create logistical obstacles for the Ming army's subsequent pursuit, so that
The Ming army could not rely on the enemy for food and could not get anything along the way.
If the Ming cavalry had not been pursued and driven later, leaving them unable to take time to kill slowly, they would have had to rush to the northwest as soon as they saw the Ming cavalry approaching. I am afraid that this kind of killing would have continued for many more days.
When the pursuing Ming army officers saw the miserable state of the people along the way, they naturally shared the same hatred for the Tatars. They became even more hostile to the Tatars and pursued them relentlessly. They killed all the enemies they could catch and left no prisoners alive. Anyway, both sides were jealous.
, there is nothing to be spared against those enemies who massacre innocent people.
The senior Ming army generals at the rear, after understanding the situation at the front, also had high morale and called for battle one after another. They hoped that Zhu Shuren would further command the troops to cross the Huaihe River in an all-round way, seize the opportunity to pursue the victory, capture Guide Mansion, and officially advance the battlefield into Henan Province.
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However, this overly optimistic plan was slightly poured cold water on by Zhu Shuren:
"Don't be reckless! Our army is winning consecutive battles, but the material loss has reached the limit due to continuous battles. Since the Qing army has retreated 2,780 miles in one breath, it has also created a 200-mile wide gap in the middle.
In the scorched earth no man's land, how can we ensure the logistics for our all-out attack?
Now that the Qing army's massacre and scorched-earth troops have been driven far away, and the Qing army has temporarily stopped killing, there is no question of rushing in to save the people, so it is better to take a breath for now.
Our army has many firearms, and its supply requirements are very high. Once the battle advances, the guns, artillery shells, gunpowder and firearms cannot be supplemented and maintained, and the combat power will plummet by several percent!
Especially in order to take advantage of the enemy's internal dangers, they pretended to attack Huaiyuan and other places, but actually made a roundabout attack on Fengyang. Our army's firepower preparations for the sheep attack on the Huaiyuan front line were all actually consumed. How long will it take to resupply the artillery shells?
The logistics conditions and canal water conservancy of the Huainan battlefield were built by our army after two or three years of rest and recuperation. Therefore, the logistics supplies for the Huainan battle were at our fingertips.
Once they arrive in Huaibei, there are rotten areas that have been destroyed by the Qing army for many years. Moreover, the Qing army is poor in the rear and has no hope of transporting supplies from the north to the south. The food and grass for the Qing army in Huaibei are all provided on the spot, so they do not need to improve it.
The water transportation system has not been built at all in recent years.
Our army's strategy of relying heavily on supplies cannot rashly form a protrusion from here, otherwise it will be a big deal to frustrate the imperial court's spirit."
People in later generations will definitely understand Zhu Shuren's reasoning. The more advanced the troops are, the more they suffer from logistics.
And generals who are good at fighting also know that laymen look at the battlefield, while experts look at the logistics.
In particular, the play method similar to "Van Fleet's Ammo Amount" has been tested, but you can't wait for the mana to return slowly.
Of course, the ancients were not so impressed by these principles, so Zhu Shuren had to change his perspective and strengthen the evidence from the side:
"Even if you have little education, you know the allusions of Yue Wumu in the former Song Dynasty, right? When Yue Wumu wanted to march north to Heluo and regain Bianliang, how did Zhao Gou and Qin Hui frame him?
Why not let the other armies of the Southern Song Dynasty retreat, and then say that Yue Wumu has become a lone army in Huaixi and is going deep behind enemy lines, and will be surrounded by Jin soldiers, and then twelve gold medals force him to withdraw his troops in one day?"
When Zhu Shuren mentioned Yue Fei, Cao turned into a dragon and gained success, the generals and other tiger generals naturally became energetic, but they were also indignant:
"The monarchs and ministers of the former Song Dynasty were just a group of shameless people who framed Zhongliang. The Holy Emperor of Ming Dynasty is now in the court, and he has no doubts about the prince's employment. According to the saying in "Three Kingdoms", it is that 'the king and his ministers are the same in mind and spirit'.
', so why worry about it?"
It is true that Cao Bianjiao and others did not read much, but they still had a few lines from the popular "Three Kingdoms", so they all compared Emperor Longwu's trust in Zhu Shuren to Liu Bei's trust in Zhuge Liang.
Seeing that these powerful generals had not yet figured out what the prince meant, the aide next to him, Gu Yanwu, spoke for him:
"Generals, please be patient and carefully consider what the prince means: Although Zhao Gou and Qin Hui are shameless, they cannot recall Yue Fei for no reason. They have first created the established fact that 'Yue Fei has become a lone army'. This shows that the formation of
Being alone is indeed very dangerous.
Therefore, for the current plan, if Ming Dynasty wants to avoid the formation of a lone army in the middle, it must hope that the east and west routes will also take the opportunity to advance together, thicken the strategic depth of the Lianghuai Theater as a whole, and push the entire front together to the north. Isn’t it better than attacking directly?
Shangqiu, Bianliang?
What's more, Shangqiu, Bianliang and other places have no special significance to our Ming Dynasty. We are not as eager to restore the old capital as the former Song Dynasty, so it is better to take it slow and steady.
Besides, have the generals forgotten what happened when the former Song Dynasty tried to advance and recover twice? Before Jingkang, Tong Guan was known as Fu Yan, but it only lasted for a year, which made the Jin people see through the decay and weakness of the Northern Song Dynasty.
More than a hundred years later, when the Song Dynasty and Mongolia destroyed the Jin Dynasty, Song Lizong was eager to "bring peace to Luo". As a result, he only recovered Bianliang for less than a year, but the Mongols saw through the weakness of the Southern Song Dynasty. This kind of thing should not be done for a certain strategic goal.
All-or-nothing.”
Gu Yanwu's help in explaining in this way completely convinced everyone of their eagerness to continue making meritorious deeds, allowing everyone to be patient and wait for their comrades on other fronts to catch up.
Huang Degong was unwilling to give up and asked angrily: "Please advise me, the next step for the imperial court, which troops should be the first to attack? If the general stays in Fengyang, will there be other opportunities to fight?"
If not, can the troops and horses of the headquarters be transferred to other battlefields to assist in the battle? It’s not that the general refuses to obey orders, he just wants to have more fighter planes and make more contributions to the country!"
Zhu Shuren raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down and said, "Don't worry, I will be able to calm down a bowl of water if I have the chance. Are you afraid that we won't be able to fight?"
As for the specific arrangements, our Hefei War Zone originally had three routes in the middle, but now it has achieved a breakthrough first. According to the original plan, the next step should be for the East Route Army to attack and suddenly cross the Huaihe River from Huai'an north.
Completely capture the territory of Huai'an Prefecture located north of the Huaihe River, then proceed north from Pizhou along the Sishui River, and drive straight to Xuzhou on the east road, which is the strategic hub of the three provinces of Henan, Shandong, and Nanzhi!
After capturing Xuzhou, we can push the front all the way to the sea in the east to the border of Shandong. In the north, we can also cooperate with Liu Zeqing who is running around in the Denglai Mountains to completely connect the East China Sea front.
Moreover, compared with the Tatars, our Ming Dynasty has absolute naval advantages. If we attack from the west, our naval advantages cannot be brought into play. If we attack from the east, we can cooperate with the water route. Finally, we can be slightly more aggressive and penetrate deeper, and we are not afraid of being defeated by the Tatars.
Cut off and surround them, and if it fails, they can retreat to the coast of Haizhou (Lianyungang), so that they will be in an invincible position."
As Zhu Shuren said this, he asked someone to bring a map and made some drawings on it.
Now that Fengyang has been recaptured, a section of the middle section of the Huaihe River turned north near Fengyang, forming a protrusion. If the Ming army in the east can be as powerful and advance north quickly, this protrusion can be wiped out.
Level it out and pull it eastward to the sea.
Moreover, Xuzhou can be regarded as a key point between the north and the south. If we fight all the way to Xuzhou, it will be slightly more dangerous to defend. From then on, heading northeast, we can rely on the mountainous areas of southwest Shandong, including Mount Tai, Mount Meng, and the swamp areas of Juyeze.
If we can't fight all the way to Xuzhou, there will be no danger to defend Suzhou and Pizhou on the way. Even if we cross the Huaihe River from Huai'an, there will be loopholes everywhere.
Therefore, in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River, it is enough not to cross north. As long as it crosses north, it must advance to at least Xuzhou in one go.
All the generals know how to fight. After looking at the map and thinking about it for a moment, they had to admit that the prince's view was correct.
Gu Yanwu, who was standing next to him, saw that everyone had unified their opinions, so he continued to explain: "Moreover, our army originally deployed heavy troops on the West Road. In the past two months, Governor Zhang and Azig have been in a stalemate.
The west route must also be well prepared. Even if Governor Zhang is forced to organize a counterattack, there will be no surprise.
On the east road, the Tatars did not attack, and our army had been very quiet and showed no threat. In this way, if we attack suddenly, we can catch the enemy by surprise.
At present, the enemy's vigilance on the east road has been reduced to the extreme. According to the confessions of prisoners of war compiled and summarized by our army, before the war, the Tatars had Mandahai, Shangshan, Geng Zhongming, and Kong Youde stationed in the direction of Huai'an.
Before the Battle of Feishui, Shang Shan and Geng Zhongming were transferred, leaving only Man Dahai and Kong Youde. This time, Geng Zhongming directly turned the entire army and fought with the Tatars until both sides were injured. Other Tatar tribes also suffered heavy losses. The Tatars also suffered heavy losses.
In the future, I will definitely be worried about our march north to Guide, and may continue to mobilize troops from the rear and Huai'an to reinforce Guide.
If the troops in Huai'an and Xuzhou become further weakened, a sneak attack from the east will be easier to succeed."
After listening to this explanation, the generals couldn't help but their eyes lit up. Huang Degong reacted the fastest and immediately called for battle:
"So... Fengyang is no longer attacking, just saying that it is no longer the main attack? But the sheep attack still has the task of luring the enemy? Otherwise, how can it be returned? The Qing army will be put under greater pressure, forcing them to attack more Xuzhou defenders
Draw it over? The general is willing to take on the task of attacking Bozhou! Please give me your permission!"
This time, Zhu Shuren did not refuse: "It's okay to attack the sheep, but you must not be impulsive or greedy for merit. You must always think clearly in your heart what you are going to do.
At present, Fengyang and Huaiyuan have been captured by our army, which can block the waterway of the Huaihe River and Woishui, one of the main tributaries of Huaibei. If General Huang wants to go, he will start from Huaiyuan County, enter the Woishui from Huai, and advance along the Woishui to
Bozhou, Luyi, but there must not be too many branches.
The troops and horses I send to you are mainly warships, sailors, cavalry, and light cavalry artillery. I will not give you a cumbersome attack force. This way, I can maneuver the enemy with you and use bluffs, but there is no need to actually attack the fortress.
If you build up the momentum, you will be considered a success."
"I will obey the order!" Huang Degong quickly accepted it all.
…
The Ming army on the middle battlefield, under Zhu Shuren's control, quickly entered a state of "continuing the sheep attack and building momentum, but not really attacking the enemy".
Huang Degong's acting skills are good. He came and went like the wind on the battlefield hundreds of miles across the river, harassing everywhere, and once besieged Bozhou and Luyi. At the same time, he used this complete encirclement on all sides to cut off the communication between the Qing troops inside and outside the city.
Method to create panic and suspicion among the Qing army.
For example, when Huang Degong's light division arrived in Bozhou, he actually did not have the strength to launch an all-out attack on Bozhou, which had more than 10,000 elite troops, as well as several second-line green battalions and strong men defending the city, and his supplies could not keep up.
However, because Bolo's brother Yue Le, the commander of the Qing army in the war zone, was besieged in Bozhou City, the relationship between Bolo and Yue Le brothers was relatively strong. After cutting off his brother's message, he was inevitably afraid and exaggerated the enemy.
The army threatened and further asked for help from the rear.
Whether it was Dorgon in Beijing, the Qing military governor in nearby Shandong, or Man Dahai in Xuzhou, they all received Bolo's request for help, which caused panic within the Qing court.