Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 567 The Blockade Plan

Liang Xiaoming carefully examined the coastline on the map. North of Changyi lies Laizhou Bay, where the Shandong Peninsula forms a concave angle. Both Dengzhou and Changyi are coastal, and the straight-line distance between them runs right along the coastline. Just as Xia Tiannan had said, the shortest route for the Tartars traveling overland from Dengzhou back to Beizhili before reaching Changyi was along the coastline. Once past Changyi, heading north by land would take them further and further from the sea, making it difficult to catch up on foot.

He nodded in agreement: "Theoretically, it's feasible. I agree. If fighting a battle can kill more Tartars, then let's fight!"

After the incident of the Tartars instigating the people to attack the city, Liang Xiaoming gained a deeper understanding of the brutality and cold-bloodedness of the Later Jin army. Such an inhumane army was contrary to the development of civilization. Although he had never advocated violence against violence, he had no objection to killing more Tartars.

Liu Ye asked him, "With Abatai's withdrawal, there are no other significant hostile forces in Shandong. Dengzhou is safe, so I plan to bring the Independent Regiment with me. Do you want to go?"

Liang Xiaoming might not have been interested in going to fight other forces, but he didn't hesitate when it came to fighting the Later Jin army. He nodded and said, "I'll go. After all, I'm nominally the General of Dengzhou, so I should count myself in killing the Tartars. However, the Independent Regiment doesn't have an artillery battalion and isn't equipped with 10-pound field guns. Our firepower is insufficient!"

"I arrived first aboard the 'Far Voyage,' and the main force shouldn't be much slower. They should arrive in the next few days as well. There's no need to worry about firepower," Liu Ye said. "My only concern is that the sea conditions will delay the fleet's journey. If we only reach Shandong after passing through Changyi in Abatai, then this plan will be meaningless."

The next day, Liu Ye returned to Dengzhou City, summoned Yan Guang and others to conduct simulations, assess the possibility of intercepting the Tartars, and formulate a detailed battle plan.

Yan Guang said, "General, all the battle plans we formulated before were based on lifting the siege of the military camp. Now that we are going to intercept the Tartars by sea, all the previous plans have to be scrapped and started over."

"It's alright, let's start over. The battlefield situation is constantly changing and must be adjusted. This is a great opportunity to hone your military intelligence staff. Great generals are made through battles, there are no shortcuts. You must make plans in advance and start acting as soon as the main force arrives."

Yan Guang said to one of the staff officers, "Liu Heizi, among these staff officers, you are a bit older and have experience as a pirate. You should have a lot of experience in coastal warfare. Tell me your thoughts."

This Liu Heizi was once a minor pirate leader on the Guangdong coast, ruling Tuoni Island like a king. His stronghold was eventually destroyed by Gao Jie and Shi Ying, leaving him with no other option but to defect to the Qionghai Navy. Because he was a scholar, a rare breed among the many illiterate pirates, and possessed a sharp mind, he was noticed by Yan Guang, who was establishing the Military Discipline Staff Office. After studying at the Bofu Naval Academy, he became a staff officer.

Liu Heizi was overjoyed. This was an opportunity for him to show off in front of the general, and he had to seize it. He quickly organized his thoughts, then stood up and pointed to the simple map, saying, "According to the brothers in the cavalry battalion, it's about 300 li from Dengzhou to Changyi. The Tartars carrying supplies and civilians can't travel fast, at most 80 li a day. So, excluding yesterday, we only have three days left. At the speed of our ships, if we don't disembark in Dengzhou and sail non-stop to Changyi, it will take about a day if the wind is favorable. So, according to this calculation, our ships must arrive by the evening of the day after tomorrow at the latest, otherwise we will miss the best place to ambush them."

Yan Guang nodded: "The analysis is good. However, we must prepare for the worst. The fleet may not reach Dengzhou the day after tomorrow, so we must find a way to delay the Tartars' march."

Liu Heizi looked troubled: "How can we delay them? The Tartars entered Dengzhou from Beizhili without any obstacles along the way. Does anyone dare to stand in our way on the way back?"

Liu Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Within the three eastern prefectures, my father-in-law's words are effective. We can take the waterway and get ahead of the Tartars to issue the governor's orders to the various prefectures and counties. However, as Staff Officer Liu said, no one along the way dares to fight, so I'm afraid the orders will be useless even if they are issued."

The other staff officers also racked their brains, but none of them could come up with a good solution. Faced with overwhelming power, all strategies were futile; the Ming army was simply too weak to withstand a single blow.

Yan Guang pondered for a moment and then said, "General, I have a method, but I don't know if it will work."

Liu Ye's eyes lit up, and he encouraged him, "Tell me about it."

"Actually, my subordinates were inspired by the general's scorched earth policy. Since seizing all the grain within a 20-mile radius of Dengzhou could force the Tartars to retreat, wouldn't it be possible to slow down their advance by seizing the grain along the way before they do? The Tartars never bring provisions when they invade; they rely entirely on plundering for supplies. With so many people and horses, plus the captured civilians, their daily consumption of food and horse feed must be staggering. Once they run out of food, they will definitely plunder along the way. If there is no grain to plunder within a few miles, they will have to spread their men further out to find food. In this way, the speed of the entire army will naturally slow down."

"Brilliant!" Liu Ye clapped his hands and exclaimed, "This idea of ​​applying what we've learned to other situations is excellent. Let's repeat the same trick and play the scorched earth tactic again. Along the straight line from Dengzhou to Changyi, let's seize all the grain along the way before the Tartars arrive. Unless the Tartars can travel on an empty stomach, they definitely won't reach Changyi within three days."

Yan Guang said, "In that case, we should act sooner rather than later. We should immediately ask the governor for a warrant and send men by boat to collect grain from the Tartars."

Liu Ye cautioned, "Collecting grain is a double-edged sword. While it's causing trouble for the Tartars, it's also inflicting considerable losses on the people. We can't ruin our reputation. Even with the governor's order, we still need to compensate the people for their losses. In Dengzhou, we forced officials to contribute money, but now that Laizhou and Qingzhou are involved, there's no time to solicit donations from local governments. Let's pay for it ourselves! As long as we can successfully intercept Abatai's army, spending some money is worthwhile."

Yan Guang agreed: "I know, I would never tarnish the reputation of the Qionghai Army for such a small amount of money."

After finalizing the plan, the Military Staff acted swiftly, dispatching a man with the governor's order to travel by sea to Laizhou and Qingzhou aboard the "Far Voyage." To ensure the mission's success, the escorting soldiers also went along, to prevent local officials from disobeying orders and refusing to comply, and to allow for the use of force if necessary.