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Chapter 685 Meeting is not as good as being famous
"Your Majesty, do you really want to kill all those Ming troops?"

Perhaps it was because he was a bystander, or perhaps it was because he had no military accomplishment, that Wang Chengen understood the emperor's intention. This was not a test of the psychological quality of the army soldiers, but a pitfall for the southern infantry.

If they opened fire at a distance of 300 meters, the heavy cavalry would certainly not be able to slow down and turn around to retreat in a short period of time. Once they charged, they would have no choice but to go up even if there was a cliff opposite.

However, infantry phalanxes do not have such limitations. After suffering casualties, they may turn around and flee, but they only need to run a hundred meters or so to be out of the effective range, and will not cause massive casualties.

If the infantry could be allowed to get closer, the scene would be too tragic. Even if they knew that the road ahead was impassable, it would be difficult for them to turn around and run away in a short period of time. They would have to withstand at least three or four rounds of shooting, and casualties would increase exponentially.

"What's the point of keeping them?"

"I think the leader should be cut into pieces, and his subordinates should be killed along with their entire clans, but the soldiers under him probably don't even know who they are facing. Although they have violated the Heavenly Law, it is understandable. It would be better to capture them and hand them over to Minister Xu, and put them in the factory to do hard labor to forgive their sins."

Originally, Wang Chengen shouldn't have asked about such matters, but seeing thousands of Ming border troops about to be mowed down by muskets like wheat, he really couldn't bear it.

"I am not a mean king, but I have to kill at certain times. Being plotted against by my own generals, and there may be important officials in the court involved, would be too unpleasant to hear. It would be bad for me, the court, and the new policy. Do you understand?

Since I ascended the throne, I am no longer an individual, but an emperor. Before doing anything, I must first consider not only my own gains and losses, but also the gains and losses of the royal family, court officials, nobles, scholars, farmers, merchants, and even the enemies. I must calculate them clearly before I take action.

The same goes for you. Since the day you came to my side, you are no longer an ordinary person, nor an ordinary eunuch. In addition to your special status, the things you do and think about must also be special. You can no longer think about things with your old brain. "

In fact, after Hong Tao ascended the throne, he did not stipulate that the eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in state affairs, but he did not agree to Wang Chengen's request. Unless someone could come up with another better solution, it would be useless for anyone to say anything.

As for the border army generals, Hong Tao did not intend to use the methods used to deal with civil officials, but to appease them. Even if someone like Zhang Bingzhong, the general of Datong, plotted rebellion and attempted to kill the king, it would be best to find a separate crime to deal with him. As long as the mastermind was caught and killed, it would be better to keep it to a minimum.

This is not because he is afraid of the troops under the command of the generals, but because he does not want to disappoint the border generals. They have worked hard for the court for many years, sleeping in the open air and enduring hunger, suffering a lot of hardships and enjoying little happiness. If he can't show a little sympathy, then there will be no hope.

Desperate people are often unreasonable, and pushing people to the brink of despair is not the behavior of a mature leader. Although the border troops are no longer the backbone of the future military system, they are not completely useless like the guards. After giving them reasonable treatment, they can still recruit some soldiers.

"...What about these Mongols?" Wang Chengen blinked and thought about it, but still didn't fully understand.

"Reload your guns and continue the game. I don't believe I can't beat you!"

Hong Tao was too lazy to continue talking to such a dull-witted person. The topic of how to deal with Mongolian prisoners of war would be related to future immigration policies, so it was too early to disclose it. The performance of the Datong Border Army today taught Hong Tao another lesson. After being shot by muskets, these infantrymen holding shields and spears and wearing half-armored armor surged up layer by layer, stepping on the bodies of their comrades, and were knocked down layer by layer, but they still fought to the death.

On the other hand, the Mongolian heavy cavalry seemed to be less famous than they appear. Their appearance was indeed very impressive, and their running was even more powerful than thunder. Anyone standing on the opposite side would tremble along with the shaking of the earth.

However, with the dense rifle fire, the heavily armored cavalrymen did not show any defensive advantage. Instead, they became sitting ducks because of their lack of flexibility and large targets. They had just broken through the first ditch when they were stopped by the dense rain of bullets on the second line of defense.

This stop was disastrous, as the war horses were frightened by the gunshots and turned around in circles on the spot, instantly turning from moving targets into fixed targets, and the casualty rate more than doubled.

What was even more troublesome was that the Ming army was hiding in the trenches and shooting at close range. The first shot was shot at the horse, and when the rider, who was dizzy and dazed, got up, the second shot rang in his ear. It didn't matter if he was not killed, because the Ming army had another short gun on its waist, which was a double-barreled one.

I don't know which wicked person invented this thing, it's so shameless. With a flick of the finger, the wheel at the end of the gun turns to produce sparks, igniting the gunpowder, and a bullet shoots out. Twist the gun barrel, aim the other end at the wheel, and flick it again, and then fire.

He was skilled in riding and shooting since childhood, and after growing up, he had to go through years of training and battlefield tempering before he could wear heavy armor and become a warrior of the tribe. But now he was pinned to the ground by a one-foot-long short gun, and was not even given a chance to fight back. He really died with his eyes open!

"Blow the horn, all troops except the reserve force, counterattack!" Hong Tao put down the rifle he had just fired and gave a vicious order to the messenger.

He fired three shots in a row, but only hit a horse that was running around without an owner. The staff officers around him wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, and their faces turned black. If he continued to practice like this, the reputation of the Ming military god would be completely wiped out.

"Tick-tick... tick-tick... tick-tick..." As the sharp sound of the trumpet sounded, thousands of small mushrooms suddenly emerged from the three trenches, wearing huge iron helmets, and swept in all directions like layers of shock waves.

The charge of the army soldiers also has a formation. The squad is the smallest unit, and the squad leader leads four soldiers to search and advance in a group. If they encounter a lone enemy, if there is no order to capture prisoners, the squad leader will usually shoot himself, and the other four will stand guard.

When encountering a small group of enemies, they would first shoot with rifles, and then decide whether to continue charging or reload on the spot depending on the effect. In an emergency, they would use a short gun. If that didn't work, they would be forced to use an engineer shovel to fight the enemy in close combat. Regardless of winning or losing, the sergeant would be punished after the battle.

There is also a more serious situation, that is, if friendly forces are accidentally injured while marching, the sergeant or squad leader in charge of the command will definitely be dismissed from his post or even expelled from the army and sentenced to hard labor.

Although there are many rules that seriously hinder the speed of the army's charge and the scene does not look very exciting, when everyone follows the same rules, the efficiency will be greatly improved and the cost will be greatly reduced.

(End of this chapter)