Southern Ming Rebel Army

"Why did Shiqi say that?" Meng Jun looked at Lin Shiqi in confusion.

Lin Shiqi looked at the Qing army camp, a smile appeared on his cold face and he said, "It's just a feeling, sir, don't take it too seriously." After a pause, he said, "Li Chengdong failed in the siege today and cannot win the battle. He is trapped under the strong city. If it were me, I would withdraw my troops. The Suzhou defenders have just experienced a big battle today, and it is basically impossible to pursue them. Today's withdrawal is unexpected. Of course, this is just my feeling."

Meng Jun looked outside the city thoughtfully, and after a moment he said, "The Qing army has many wounded today, how can they withdraw overnight? If they abandon the wounded, how can the morale of the army be maintained? Although the Qing army suffered heavy losses and was unable to launch another siege, it will hold its defense on the spot and wait for support from Nanjing. I think Li Chengdong will never withdraw his troops," Meng Jun thought for a moment and said firmly.

After night fell, Meng Jun, Lin Shiqi, Meng Bizhi and other generals discussed the next battle plan. Although the Henggang Army had been reorganized, Meng Jun could only train his troops through battle due to the severe situation. This also meant that the rebel army would pay a huge sacrifice. Although the reorganized rebel army had no shortage of armor and weapons, a large number of soldiers lacked the tempering of war. If they faced the newly surrendered Green Camp soldiers, they could still fight with their courage. If they encountered the elite Eight Banners soldiers who had experienced hundreds of battles, they could still defend the city. If they encountered them in a field battle, it was estimated that they would be defeated.

In the lobby, a huge map of Jiangnan was hung in front of everyone. This map was found in the Suzhou treasury. Although it was a bit rough, the general distribution of major cities was correct. This map included all the cities of Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang in later generations. The specific proportions might not be correct, but the relative positions were clear at a glance. Major cities, mountains, rivers, and canals were all marked.

After everyone was seated, Meng Jun pointed at Suzhou City and said, "I don't need to describe in detail the battle on the Suzhou City Wall today. You all know that Li Chengdong has been killing people in Jiading. Today's battle on the city wall has weakened his edge. He is no longer able to launch a large-scale siege again. I have decided to attack tomorrow to defeat Li Chengdong's troops and lift the siege of Suzhou City." After Meng Jun finished speaking, he patted the table lightly.

Seeing that no one was willing to speak, Meng Jun smiled and said, "If you have anything to say, feel free to speak freely. There are no taboos."

Meng Bizhi said hesitantly, "Our soldiers can still fight to defend the city, but they have never experienced a field battle. If we lose anything, I'm afraid the defense of Suzhou will be lost."

"We are not good at large-scale field battles. If we lose Suzhou, we will lose it. I suggest that we take advantage of the Qing army's deep sleep tonight and launch a surprise attack on the Qing army camp. The 400 cavalrymen in the army did not participate in the battle to defend the city, so they still have combat power. We can also dispatch the brave men from each camp to attack the Qing camp at night. If we win, Li Chengdong will not be a concern. If we fail, Suzhou will not be in danger of falling." Lin Shiqi also spoke up to object.

Seeing that his two important subordinates were against tomorrow's decisive battle, Meng Jun couldn't help but frown. If he couldn't defeat Li Chengdong with his remaining soldiers, how could he face the Eight Banners Army that swept across the world in the future? However, the two's considerations could not be said to be wrong. After all, none of them had commanded a large-scale battlefield battle, so it was normal for them to be unsure.

Qian Biao, who was sitting at the bottom, spoke up at this time. Qian Biao was tall and strong, with a big round face covered with beard, and a forked beard. One arm was as high as an ordinary person's calf. "General, if it were me, we should send troops directly tonight. I saw today that the Qing army camp is very simple. If everyone rushed forward, we could kill the master with three punches. What about Li Chengdong? If I meet him, I will chop him in half with one axe."

As soon as Qian Biao finished speaking, Zhang Shun next to him echoed, "Yes, I think the Qing army is just so-so in defending the city today. Only the heavy armored soldiers can fight a little, and the other Green Camp soldiers are not as powerful as everyone says. I think whether it is a night attack tonight or a fair and open decisive battle tomorrow, we can win." Zhang Shun said confidently. As soon as Zhang Shun finished speaking, everyone around him expressed their agreement. It seems that today's battle has given them confidence, and the grassroots generals are no longer afraid of the Qing army. Of course, these people have not really encountered the Eight Banners Iron Cavalry.

Seeing that no one objected to the night attack on the Qing army, Meng Jun simply slammed the table and said, "Damn it, if that's the case, then we'll launch a night attack on the Qing army at Chou time tonight. Shiqi must do it. Go down and select people, pick those who don't have night blindness, select 2,000 elite soldiers, and after they have eaten their fill, raid Li Chengdong's camp. Everyone go and get ready."

"Yes, Governor," everyone stood up and clasped their fists in response.

...

In the tent of the Qing army camp, Li Chengdong waved his fan in annoyance. The hot summer weather made people restless and irritable. The Qing army suffered heavy losses in continuous sieges. After today's battle, Li Chengdong no longer had any confidence in breaking the city in three days. What he was worried about now was a team of banner soldiers sent by Jiangning tomorrow. He was originally afraid of the Eight Banners soldiers, and now his strength was seriously damaged, and he was even less confident. If this Fu Ni treated him as cannon fodder to climb the city and used him as a stepping stone to conquer Suzhou, then he only had this little wealth. If he lost it, who would take him seriously? As long as he had soldiers, he could surrender to whoever he wanted, and everyone would look up to him. If the army was wiped out, he would be a soft persimmon and anyone could pinch him.

Li Chengdong did not have any idea about the rebel army in Suzhou City. In his opinion, they were just a group of mud legs. He did not expect that these mud legs were as smelly and hard as the stones in the cesspool, and they just broke his teeth. Thinking of this, Li Chengdong's heart twitched. Forty percent of the elite troops were lost, and four to five thousand auxiliary troops were also killed. Now there were more than two thousand wounded soldiers lying in the camp. Li Chengdong thought bitterly that if he did not have artillery, he would have blasted open the gate of Suzhou and killed all these ants.

Retreat was not an option for Li Chengdong. After thinking for a long time, Li Chengdong decided to send out cavalry tomorrow to coerce the surrounding villagers and use them to climb the city walls. If 50,000 people were not enough, he could just capture 100,000 people. Jiangnan was densely populated anyway, unlike the declining population in the north. Why was he afraid that he couldn't capture enough people? Too many ants can kill an elephant, and he could flatten Suzhou City with just a pile of people. Then he could take over Suzhou's wealth and expand his army. By then, Wu Sangui might not be a big deal, and he might even be able to become a king.

Li Chengdong's mood gradually became calmer as he thought about it. The more he thought about it, the happier he became. The failure of the day was swept away. Although he felt better, it was just that it was very hot in summer and it was really hard to fall asleep. Then he shouted to the outside of the tent, "Go get me a pot of wine, and then go to the nearby village to find a woman."

"Yes, Marshal," a guard outside the tent responded after hearing Li Chengdong's words. Soon, dozens of cavalrymen at the gate of the Qing army camp headed towards the villages near Suzhou.

Soon after, loud cries were heard from a village. All the men from six or seven families in the village were killed by the Qing army, and the women in the families were raped by the Qing soldiers. Half an hour later, dozens of Qing cavalrymen took two beautiful women to the camp.