northernbook Chapter 106 Encounter
Chapter 106 Encounter
In order to reach Shandong as soon as possible, the troops heading north were divided into two groups.
Shi Kefa and Yan Yingyuan led 4,500 cavalrymen and set off first, galloping all the way. Although the People's Army was also cavalry, they had to carry a large amount of baggage and supplies, so their marching speed could not match the former, so they followed slowly as the rear guard.
Yan Yingyuan was well aware of Chongzhen's cherishment and high hopes for this army. In order to prevent any unexpected accidents along the way, he deliberately left behind 500 elite cavalrymen as a guard. Yao Er was ordered to lead this cavalry unit and shoulder the important task of guarding the rear.
The purpose of this northern expedition was to recover lost territory, so Shi Kefa and his entourage marched with great fanfare and prestige. When the counties and prefectures along the way heard that General Shi Kefa was personally leading a large army, they surrendered one after another.
Shi Kefa tried his best to win over these people. No matter whether they had previously defected to the Dashun or accepted appointments from the Qing court, Shi Kefa did not pursue any of them.
At that time, in Yanzhou Prefecture, Jining Prefecture, Caozhou Prefecture, and even Mengyin County under Yizhou Prefecture, peasant armed forces, led by heroes such as Gong Wencai, Ma Yingshi, Li Wensheng, Song Eryan, Yang Hongsheng, Yang Zhihua, and Yan Qingyu, were active. Their forces numbered tens of thousands. After the Dashun Army withdrew westward, they continued to hold high the banner of Li Zicheng and defended their territory.
When heading north to Shandong, Chongzhen summoned Yan Yingyuan alone and talked about the problem of these peasant armies. The reason why these people still fought under the banner of Li Zicheng after the withdrawal of the Dashun Army was not because they were really loyal to Li Zicheng, but because they were thinking about the tax exemption policy proposed by Li Zicheng. For these people, Chongzhen asked Yan Yingyuan to clearly inform Shandong that all taxes would be exempted within five years.
Following Chongzhen's instructions to Yan Yingyuan during his private visit to Shandong, Yan Yingyuan actively dispatched personnel to contact these peasant armies. Chongzhen had previously stated that their continued use of Li Zicheng's banner after the Dashun Army's departure was not entirely out of loyalty to Li Zicheng, but rather a desire for his proposed tax exemption policy. Therefore, Chongzhen instructed Yan Yingyuan to explicitly announce that all taxes in Shandong would be exempted for five years, demonstrating the court's sincerity and favor.
Inspired by this sincere gesture, numerous rebel forces, both large and small, responded and readily accepted reorganization. Yan Yingyuan retained only 3,000 elite cavalrymen, and the remainder were disbanded and assigned to the newly reorganized Restoration Battalion, serving as junior military officers. In a short period of time, his Restoration Battalion rapidly expanded to its full strength of 12,000 men, and after initial training, they had already developed considerable combat capabilities and fighting prowess. As for the few rebels who refused to accept reorganization, Yan Yingyuan refrained from coercion, allowing them to proceed on their own to avoid unnecessary conflict and chaos.
Shi Kefa and Yan Yingyuan rode non-stop all the way, sleeping in the open air. Except for leaving necessary personnel to take over the counties along the way and reorganize the rebel army, the two did not stop for too long and advanced straight to Jining Prefecture. Finally, they entered Jining Prefecture before Yang Wanxing, the general sent by the Qing court, and successfully occupied the strategic location, laying a solid foundation for subsequent military operations.
During this northern expedition, Chongzhen also specially summoned Jiang Xuefeng, the commander of the People's Army's reinforced battalion.
Chongzhen was filled with anticipation for this army, upon which he placed great hopes. The most important purpose of dispatching the People's Army was to train the troops through combat, allowing them to grow and transform through the test of war. An army without the rigors of actual combat could never become a truly powerful force. Only in the smoke of war could one accurately discern the army's problems and shortcomings, allowing them to be targeted and improved in future training.
Therefore, unlike Shi Kefa's anxious march, Jiang Xuefeng strictly followed the training requirements and advanced steadily and unhurriedly, so his marching speed was relatively slow. This situation made Yao Er, the cavalry leader, quite dissatisfied. He was anxious but helpless.
According to the carefully formulated battle plan, the troops led by Shi Kefa and Yan Yingyuan served as the main force, heading north and attacking Jining and Jinan; Yao Er and Jiang Xuefeng led a detachment to the Jiaolai line to support the main force.
During their march, they encountered many remnants of the defeated rebel army. Through communicating with these people, they gained a certain understanding of the situation in the Jiaolai area.
After Li Zicheng's retreat from Beijing, the Dashun regime in Jiaodong collapsed and fell into chaos. Many areas were seized by local rebel forces, including Zeng Hualong, the former Ming governor of Dengzhou. However, upon hearing the disastrous news that the Qing army had occupied the capital region, Zeng Hualong immediately abandoned his position and, along with Jiaozhou Governor Guo Wenxiang, hastily fled southward, plunging Jiaodong into anarchy.
Seizing the opportunity, the Qing court appointed Ke Yongsheng as the commander-in-chief of Jiaozhou, where he led his troops to easily seize control. Meanwhile, rebel forces in the Jiaodong region, including Han Jiben of Jiaozhou, Shan Zhishang and Zhang Yu of Gaomi, Huang Zongxian, Zhou Liu, Qiu Shangzuo, and Wang Erxi of Jimo, and Da Mao, Zhai Wuheshang, and Zhang Guang of Pingdu, totaling over 100,000 men, were brutally annihilated by Ke Yongsheng's Qing forces, their unstoppable momentum a terrifying sight.
In contrast to Shi Kefa's successful campaign, where the enemy surrendered at the first sign of war, Yao Er's gains were limited. The reasons for this were, firstly, their prestige wasn't enough to convince the enemy to submit, and secondly, their forces were too small to create a strong deterrent. Furthermore, by then, Jiaozhou General Ke Yongsheng had established a firm foothold in the region. With his fierce fighting prowess, he had successfully defeated a rebel force said to number 100,000, raising his profile. This, in turn, made Yao Er and his men realize the gravity of the situation and the difficulty they faced.
After learning about these situations, Yao Er and Jiang Xuefeng discussed and decided to find a place to stay temporarily. If their 1,500 people encountered Ke Yongsheng's army in the wild, it would not be easy to fight them.
As the sun was at its zenith, on a dilapidated official road that had been neglected for a long time, the team led by Yao Er and Jiang Xuefeng marched forward like a long dragon. The soldiers all had tired but resolute expressions and hurried steps.
"We are about to reach Yishui County. In my opinion, why don't we capture this place first and then make long-term plans?" Jiang Xuefeng looked ahead, then looked at the long marching team behind him, turned to Yao Er and said.
"Okay." Yao Er nodded slightly, agreeing with it.
The complex situation in Jiaozhou area at the moment is by no means something that their small number of men can easily deal with and resolve. The most urgent task is to first seize a county town as a foothold, so that they will have the opportunity to plan the next strategic action and reverse the current unfavorable situation.
Yishui is named after the Yi River that runs through the entire area. It is about 300 miles away from Jiaozhou.
The most formidable opponent they faced now was Jiaozhou General Ke Yongsheng. Capable of defeating a hundred thousand rebels in a single blow, his troops were undeniably formidable and formidable. Yao Er, Jiang Xuefeng, and the others dared not slack off or underestimate the enemy, knowing they must exert all their might and respond with caution. Settling here, while offering temporary shelter from the enemy's attack and maintaining their position, was a wise choice.
With the army on the march, the 500-plus cavalrymen led by Yao Er were naturally responsible for reconnaissance and surveillance along the way. Just as they were preparing to seize the opportunity to speed up their march and capture Yishui County in one fell swoop, suddenly, the scouts responsible for reconnaissance in the distance galloped back like arrows, their faces full of panic and fear.
"Report! A large group of cavalry has been spotted ahead!" the scout shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice revealing a hint of nervousness and uneasiness that was difficult to conceal.
"What?" Yao Er was shocked when he heard this and asked hurriedly, "Can you see clearly where this unit is from and how many people are there?"
"From afar, judging by their attire, I see they must be Qing Dynasty cavalry." The scout's expression was extremely solemn as he slowly said, "Their number should be no less than 5,000!"
"Five thousand!" Yao Er couldn't help but gasp, groaning inwardly. Yao Er had originally been quite confident in the combat effectiveness of his cavalry. He believed that even against the powerful Qing cavalry, as long as the two sides were of similar strength, he would be fully confident of defeating them head-on.
But now the situation is 1,500 men against 5,000 cavalry! Moreover, 1,000 of them are new recruits who have only been formed for a month. These new recruits may be able to deal with the ragtag rebel army, but how can they win against the Qing cavalry?
As they were talking, smoke and dust rolled up on the distant horizon, like dark clouds covering the sun, and a huge black cavalry army appeared in their sight like a tide.
"Prepare for battle!" At this point, there was no possibility of escape or retreat. Yao Er took a deep breath, calmed himself, and decisively passed on the order.
"General Yao, we will be the main force in this battle. You are responsible for guarding our flanks." Jiang Xuefeng looked calm and determined at Yao Er, speaking in a steady and confident tone.
"What? You're the main force?" Yao Er's eyes widened upon hearing this, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief. He blurted out, "Just relying on your thousand infantrymen?"