Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 207 Li Yu: I want to slaughter the whole city, but I don’t want to be morally wrong. What should I do?

Wei Zilong was ecstatic, and the position was successfully blocked.

Naval battles are different from land battles, and the execution of tactics is very difficult.

Wind direction, waves, sailor quality, ship characteristics, and a series of unexpected factors can cause the established tactics to become completely different.

Therefore, it tests the overall quality of the formation commander.

In addition, a little bit of luck is required.

If "the east wind does not cooperate with Zhou Lang", the invincible fleet will also be destroyed.

From this point of view,

It is easy to understand why sailing people are generally superstitious.

……

The red single ship began to turn, exposing its side to the Qing warship running towards it.

"fire."

At the same time as our own side opened fire, flames erupted from the side of the Qing warship almost at the same time.

White smoke billowed from the sea, and gunpowder filled the air.

In the cabin, the gunners were frantically repeating the loading action, and each gun was served by at least four gunners.

The four-wheeled gun carriage was fixed to the bulkhead with ropes.

This can relatively reduce the displacement of the gun due to recoil.

The powder bags are all fixed, which saves a lot of time compared to the bulk gunpowder used by the Qing army.

The quality of gunpowder is also much ahead.

The ratio of Li's gunpowder is top secret, and the data of gunpowder and gunpowder are very different.

The Qing army relied entirely on the ancestral experience of gunpowder craftsmen, and the quality varied.

Conscious science is far better than unconscious experience!

The biggest advantage is actually the caliber of the gun.

The so-called pounds refer to the weight of the cannonball.

One pound is about 450 grams, less than one kilogram.

The shell of a 6-pound gun is roughly a 5-pound lead ball.

红单船装备的36门炮中，仅有2门6磅炮，24磅炮有30门，另外有4门是36磅炮。

The 36-pounder gun is difficult and costly to manufacture.

And it has a heavy weight, so it is placed in the middle of the lower gun deck.

Light guns are given priority on the upper deck.

……

After several rounds of bombardment, Wei Zilong's ship was scarred.

Four guns misfired, and more than 4 gunners were injured or killed.

The besieging Qing warships were even more costly.

One ship was seriously injured, one capsized, and the other two were frightened and ran away.

The friendly ship wedged in the fourth position of the Qing fleet's battle line started a battle with the flagship of Zhapu Deputy Chief Tong Fengsheng who turned around.

Fengsheng looked at the broken ship planks on the sea and the struggling bannermen falling into the water, feeling anxious.

He didn't expect these four enemy ships to be so strong.

Through the telescope, I saw with my own eyes that several cannonballs were still embedded in the side planks of the enemy ship.

"My dear men, get closer and when the artillery fire is over, join us in hand-to-hand combat."

He tossed his braid to his neck coolly, his eyes widening.

The other bannermen immediately followed his example.

I don’t know who originated it, but the Eight Banners soldiers’ signature move before hand-to-hand combat is to flick their pigtails.

As the saying goes, with such a big braid, someone must die today.

The gunners held torches and stared at the turning enemy ship 100 meters away.

"fire."

A salvo was fired, and the cabin was filled with smoke.

Looking through the gunwale, the red single ship was also emitting black smoke.

Apparently, gunpowder was ignited in the cabin.

……

"Come forward and join the gang."

Fengsheng's eyes were red and his expression was ferocious.

He was quickly loading a flint-haired short-hand gun, which he bought from Guangzhou for 4 taels of silver four years ago.

He didn't recognize a string of foreign characters on it.

The Yi language is vulgar and there is no need to recognize it. But Yi Qiang is still good.

When joining the enemy in a gang-hopping battle, first fire a shot and then swing the big blade, which is particularly exciting.

But the enemy ship, the single red ship, didn't fire a single shot.

"Capital, they want to attack us if they get closer."

"Turn around, don't let his broadside point at us."

Some sailors rushed to the deck to help control the sail.

The warship circled the sea, and the enemy ships began to follow suit.

At this time, the sailor's sail control skills will be tested.

Beads of sweat flowed downwards in large numbers.

He didn't bother to wipe it and stared through the side of the gun.

From such a close distance, the enemy's gun muzzle can be clearly seen. If it is hit by a heavy artillery round, it may not be enough to feed the fish.

I thought silently in my heart, hurry up, hurry up.

……

The two ships were spinning in synchronized circles like this.

The Qing warship wants to seize the "T" position, while the red single ship wants to seize the "Two" position.

The magic of love goes round and round!

People who spin feel dizzy, nervous and dizzy.

Until, Wei Zilong also discovered the funny scene here.

He desperately rushed out of the chaotic sea, endured two shots, and sailed to a fleeting position.

He pushed aside the gunner and grabbed the torch.

He stood firmly on his feet and stared intently.

He was feeling the rise and fall of the waves, causing the boat to rise and fall.

In the previous rounds of artillery battles, he discovered a big problem with aiming.

The hull of the ship rises and falls, and the muzzle position naturally rises and falls accordingly.

That's why there are situations where the cannonball is fired high or low and falls into the sea even though the aim is perfect.

My brain gradually adapted to this fluctuating frequency.

As the muzzle tilted down, he suddenly lit the fuse.

Sparks flew into the gun barrel, and after a delay, the ship returned to its right position.

A 36-pound shell stably penetrated the side of the enemy ship.

Interrupting the magic circle of love.

……

Fengsheng was in the cabin, and suddenly the bulkhead behind him broke.

An artillery piece was bounced, and the gunner was beaten to pieces.

He was also knocked over by the air wave, and when he got up, he only felt a ringing in his ears.

A bannerman shouted in front of him.

He only saw one picture and one fold, but could not hear what was said.

Soon, this worry will be gone.

Three shells penetrated the cabin one after another, and the shouting flagman was beaten into a rotten eggplant.

Blood covered his face.

He stumbled to the deck and heard a heart-wrenching creak.

The main mast is broken!

The mast weighing over a thousand kilograms, and the hard sail weighing several hundred kilograms, slowly fell down.

The direction of the tilt was towards him.

He was overturned by the air wave, his mind was still in a state of chaos, and he felt that he couldn't escape.

"Master, be careful."

A loyal house slave pushed him away eagerly.

Fengsheng fell down and fell into the sea.

A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise.

He flopped in the sea and grabbed a plank.

When we surfaced, we saw a spectacular scene.

The fierce red single ship sailed next to his own ship that was emitting black smoke.

A volley fired from dozens of meters away.

……

The seawater shook, and the scene of destruction was extremely spectacular.

It cannot be said that it was destroyed, it can only be said that it was torn apart.

The boat broke into two pieces and sea water poured in.

It even caused a whirlpool and swept away some fleeing sailors.

"It's over, the Qing Dynasty is over."

Fengsheng whined, and his tears mixed with the sea water.

The battlefield slowly became quiet.

Eleven ships of the Zhapu Navy were destroyed, and the rest fled in panic.

Li's navy also gave up pursuit because it was really powerless.

Four warships were seriously damaged, and one even had its main mast broken.

Wei Zilong's ship was also riddled with scars.

There was also a slight problem with the tail rudder, which seemed to be stuck.

"Find a small island nearby for repairs."

Off the coast of Zhapu, there are many scattered islands.

Most of them are uninhabited, with only fishermen stopping occasionally to repair their boats and take shelter from the wind and waves.

……

Nanwan Fort, the gunners were shocked to discover

The flag camp navy was like a lost dog, coming back in black smoke.

Lieutenant General Ma looked in disbelief:

"Failed?"

No one dared to answer the phone until half an hour later, the fleet sailed into the Bay Area.

Everyone felt like they had fallen into an ice cave, and their morale was extremely low.

Looking at the sea again, I felt a huge fear in my heart.

What kind of enemy can easily defeat the powerful Zhapu Navy?

There was a cry in the city.

The bannermen, women and children were eagerly looking for their men.

From time to time, someone would collapse on the ground and cry heartbroken.

After the naval battle, those who did not come back could only set up a memorial tomb.

In this battle, more than half of the 1600 bannermen were lost.

2% of the remaining people are injured. With today's medical level, most people will still die.

Science: “The local tissue and systemic inflammatory response caused by bacteria and viruses invading the human body.”

Metaphysics: "Fate." Every veteran who returns from injury is a lucky one.

In the military, you are proud of your scars.

Everyone, including myself, firmly believes that this is a tough fate, and God will reward him.

Therefore, it is easy to become a junior officer, and no one will be unconvinced.

……

In Zhapu City, the doctors are still busy.

Saw the moon to retreat, stop bleeding, bandage, and decoction.

A flagman with a face like gold paper also knows that his life is not long.

Facing his crying wife and children in front of the bed, he quietly arranged the funeral arrangements.

Being able to die at home, surrounded by family, is also a blessing.

Compared with the miserable neighbors who can only burn paper outside the door to shout for their souls, they are contented.

That day, six of the injured died.

The next day, five more died.

In fact, the Li Navy was not much better.

Most of the casualties in naval battles were caused by shelling.

If it is hit by a cannonball, it will lose parts.

Only those splashed by splintered wood spikes were slightly lighter.

The bottom of the cabin carried high-purity spirits.

The wounded man was carried to the beach of a deserted island, where he drank a large bowl of liquor and then cut off his limbs with a big axe.

Set up a large pot, put the dagger in it and boil it for a while, then take it out, dig out the wound, and cut off the rotten flesh or remaining foreign matter.

Finally, rinse the wound with strong alcohol and bandage it with cotton cloth.

This process was indescribably tragic.

The screams soared into the sky, frightening flocks of seabirds to flee the island.

Wei Zilong said nothing and looked at the busy sailors.

These rescue measures were drawn up by the Lord himself.

I don’t know why, but just do it.

The Lord is wise and martial, he knows astronomy and art, and he also knows a little bit about medicine.

……

"Master Wei, what should I do?"

"Cut down the trees, build some simple sheds, throw away the injured brothers, leave five people to take care of them, and leave some food and muskets."

"As ordered."

Not far away, sailors who repeatedly dived to observe the stern rudder finally discovered the fault.

It was stuck by a broken plank from an enemy ship.

It took half an hour to cut the board.

The damaged hard sails of each ship were briefly repaired and then masted again.

The advantage of the Chinese hard sail is that even if it is damaged, it will only lose part of the wind power.

As for Western-style soft sails, if they are broken in one place, they will completely lose their function of utilizing wind power.

In terms of use cost, maintenance cost, and complexity, they are inferior to Chinese hard sails.

There is fresh water on the island, so I quickly took it and stored some.

After that, it set sail to carry out the task of blockading Zhapu Port.

The next day,

At the Nanwan Fort of the Qing Army, everyone was surprised to find 4 large ships, quietly moored in the open sea.

Because it is out of range, no one can do anything to anyone.

When warships challenge forts, they generally lose.

Because the fort will not sink.

Therefore, Wei Zilong did not dare to take risks. He was not sure how powerful the fort's artillery was.

It would be troublesome if there were a few heavy cannons weighing 5,000 kilograms.

It is better to be more prudent and block it for changes.

……

The lord's military order is very clear. He will lead the Guards Corps to attack from the land and break through Zhapu City.

By then, the Nanwan Fort will not need to be attacked at all.

Climb up from the back and capture it.

The fort only faces the sea, not the inland.

During the design and construction, no one could have imagined that one day, the enemy would come from the land.

In the afternoon, Zhapu City was besieged.

On the city wall, the green soldiers and flag soldiers all looked solemn, silently looking at the enemies outside the city.

The red and black military flag is weird, and the red and black military uniform is even weirder.

The most terrifying thing is that these people are an army of all firearms.

"The Capital Firearms Battalion is only so capable."

"Yes. Where did the thieves get so many guns?"

Lieutenant General Ma of the Green Camp Navy and General Tian Qian of the Green Camp Infantry also gave up their prejudices at this time, put aside their conflicts, and faced the enemy together.

The highest official in the city, Deputy Dutong, did not return even with his people and his boat.

At this time, there was a council leader in the city, with the highest official position.

He stood on the city wall with a dead look on his face.

After witnessing a naval battle and narrowly escaping with his life, his spirit was gone.

He could not say anything except repeating "Eight Banners, one should die to serve the imperial court."

Before going up to the city wall, he also warned the female relatives at home.

"If the city is destroyed, don't hesitate and throw yourself into the well quickly. If it doesn't work, you can also take poison to kill it."

He didn't want to tell the reason for this warning.

But the wife knew it.

Once the city is captured, these banner women will definitely be humiliated by the thieves.

With tears in her eyes, she asked for a wrist knife.

And told him: "You can go to the city with peace of mind. I will take care of the family affairs and will not insult your Guo Luoluo family's pure name."

……

Outside the city, Li Yu was riding on a horse.

Carefully observed the surrounding terrain and city wall defenses.

Then he smiled and said: "As usual, I'll persuade you to surrender."

Li Ergou was puzzled: "I'm afraid the bannermen are stubborn and won't accept it."

Li Yu shook his head: "Killing them without teaching them is against morality. If they refuse to surrender, it is natural that no matter how tragic things will happen after the city is broken. This is called unforeseen."

"Ah, I see."

In sight, two dogs rode horses and ran one mile below the city.

He shouted: "Surrender and avoid death, otherwise after the city is broken, no chickens or dogs will be left behind."

He didn't wait for the people in the city to react.

He galloped back on his horse, cupped his hands and said loudly:

"My lord, Zhapu City would rather die than surrender."

Li Yu resisted the urge to whip him and said quietly:

"Wait for one more stick of incense."

Taking advantage of this moment, the artillerymen just happened to push the artillery further forward.

The auxiliary soldiers carried bags of soil and built a crescent-shaped defense to protect the artillery positions.

Miao Youlin sat down on the spot and waited for military orders.

After taking Jiaxing City, he took out 200 sets of cotton armor from the arsenal and gave them all to his subordinates.

The Miao tribe is mainly composed of hand-to-hand combat soldiers and does not have many firearms.

Although it is not a good armor, it can still give people a solid sense of security.

……

Li Yu brought a battalion of artillery.

Most of them are 3-pounder and 6-pounder guns, the rest are 12-pounder guns, and there is only one 24-pounder gun.

The main reason is that marching with heavy artillery is too strenuous.

Even if the cities and towns in Jiangnan are developed, the construction of official roads takes a lot of material resources.

It is also difficult to drag heavy artillery on the march.

24-pounder gun, with a total weight of about 2 tons.

It takes 20 mules to drag it.

It sounds a bit exaggerated. After all, two men can push a car (1.5 tons) that cannot start and move forward slowly.

But those are paved roads, rubber tires, and precision industrial bearings.

If it were replaced with poor iron-clad wooden wheels, squeaky bearings, potholed stone roads, or even dirt roads, it would be a different situation.

If you want to fight, build roads first!

……

In terms of usage,

The 24-pounder was a siege gun, the 6-pounder and the 3-pounder were field guns.

As for the 12-pounder, it can be used on both sides.

Slightly less powerful as a siege gun. As a field gun, its power is great, but it is too laborious to carry around.

Along the way, Li Yu kept shaking his head.

They even exhausted several mules and killed them for meat.

The transformation of the army into a mules and horses is one of his goals.

However, the transformation of mules and horses needs to be based on the improvement of road transportation.

He muttered silently: "Cement, use cement to lay several horizontal and vertical lines in the south of the Yangtze River, and pave a thoroughfare."

Land transportation is expensive.

Water transportation is low-cost and can be supplemented.

For example, artillery was all transported by water. After arriving near the destination, unload and then walk on the cement hard road.

……

Li Yu was immersed in his imagination until he was brought back to reality by the sound of a cannon.

A 12-pounder gun, test firing!

In full view of everyone, a solid bullet hit the Zhapu city wall.

The artillery battalion commander turned around and ordered:

"Angle of fire 10 degrees, salvo."

The sound of the cannon was crisp, and the shells roared towards the city head.

The crenels, enemy towers, and city gate towers were suddenly filled with smoke and dust.

The shells hit and the masonry shattered.

Under the huge kinetic energy splash, the broken bricks are like shotguns, and they will be injured if they hit them.

The 24-pounder gun also fired one test round.

The cannonball hit the ground in front of the city wall, bounced a few times and fell into the moat.

The commander frowned and glared at the gunner.

"Angle of fire, raise to 9 degrees."

Having the past as a reference makes it much easier.

The gunner adjusted the angle calmly.

The barrel is heavy and it is very laborious to raise it one degree.

It requires the cooperation of several gunners and the use of special tools.

……

(End of this chapter)