Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 215 If too few of our troops die, how can we reflect the level of our general?

"Don't kill me, please spare my life."

The person who crawled out of the furnace turned out to be a child, to be precise, a boy about his own age.

The scribe's uniform was covered in dust from the hearth ashes, and his whole body was shivering like chaff.

Chun Shou felt compassion and wanted to let him go.

Throwing him a cold cake, he said fiercely:

"Go quickly, I will spare your life, and you are not allowed to come back again."

The young man rolled around and ran away.

The people who came after hearing the sound were armed with weapons and had no idea what was going on.

"Xiao Chunzi, what's going on?"

"It's okay, it's okay, I was startled by a weasel."

Everyone immediately put away their weapons and laughed:

"You can't fight Wong Tai Sin, that thing is very vindictive."

……

For some reason, Chun Shou's heart skipped a beat.

asked:

"What if I offend Wong Tai Sin?"

Zheng Jiuling, the adoptive father, picked up Xiao Jushun, who was still having hairy hair, and said:

"Then just kill him to avoid future troubles. Immortals and monsters are all powerful when they are alive, but they are nothing after death."

After everyone finished their breakfast, they loaded up on food and left.

Considering that we have to move it back and forth several times, if the food is discovered by others, the credit will be lost.

So Zheng Jiuling stayed with four infantry.

The rest of the people followed the car back to the camp, and the return trip was at least the day after tomorrow.

Steal half a day of leisure, away from the flames of war.

After eating and drinking, Zheng Jiuling simply taught Chunshou Archery.

Bow and arrow are a skill.

It is no exaggeration to say that there will definitely be a way out if you master it.

Whether among officers and soldiers or bandits, good archers are precious talents, much more valuable than infantry.

The adoptive father gave him a brass wrench, with faint blood stains on the inner ring.

No need to ask, it must have been seized.

"Stand firm, stagger your front and rear feet, and lean your upper body forward a little more."

"Take a deep breath and hold it. Hold the bowstring with your thumb and pull it open slowly."

Chun Shou felt very strenuous and his arms were not strong enough.

After practicing four times, the soreness and swelling became unbearable.

"Okay, let's go here first today. Let's add a hard vegetable for lunch, eat lamb!"

There was a flock of sheep raised in the manor, and Zheng Jiuling disappeared one of them quietly so that no one would know.

……

Sheep are beautiful when they are large.

The little sheep is envious.

BBQ is naturally extremely delicious.

A little goat was divided up by everyone.

Even the sheep heads and hooves were not wasted, and each of them developed a suitable way to eat them.

There is no need to mention the internal organs. If I waste a point, I am afraid I will be scolded for three years.

The people of the Qing Dynasty were very good at cooking, mainly because of their poverty.

Big chunks of meat are delicious, but they cost a lot of money.

It is heartbreaking to throw away any part, even the sheep bones, pry open and dig out the marrow inside.

Then put the dead dough pancakes on the fire and grill until golden brown and fragrant, one stack for each person.

Everyone laughed and chatted.

The topic is very pure, nothing more than food and women.

As for future plans, no one mentioned it.

Maybe it’s because I don’t have enough culture, maybe I feel like I won’t survive the future.

In short, everyone enjoyed this comfortable time that they had never enjoyed since they were born.

Even Xiao Ju was infected by this atmosphere.

Walking around among the people, enjoying the care of various hands.

The eyes are narrowed into slits, the ears are folded back, and the tail is raised high.

Stretch yourself into all kinds of weird shapes.

So much so that Chunshou blushed slightly, wondering why this four-legged beast was so enthusiastic today?

……

Two days later,

That evening became Chunshou's lingering nightmare.

The team transporting food hasn't returned yet, probably because of the light rain. Everyone was not in a hurry, and continued to eat, drink, and talk about common things every day.

Their family status, place of origin, how they joined the White Lotus Soldiers, what occupations they had before, and what strange things they had encountered were all brought out and discussed.

The bonfire was crackling, and there was only the last trace of the sun left.

One step soldier stood up and said:

"I'll go to the river and wash up."

Another person wanted to go with him, so they both left happily.

After a while, something unexpected happened.

A group of people who looked like country soldiers suddenly appeared outside the manor.

The leader was the young man in scholar's uniform whom Chun Shou had let go. He shouted sternly:

"Uncle Clan, it's them."

Several rural soldiers carried large guns and aimed them into the river. Iron filings flew everywhere and blood surged on the river~

"Don't be afraid, my dear nephew, I will definitely help you seek justice for these damn cult bandits."

"Thank you, Uncle Clan."

The moment Chun Shou heard the gunfire, he bolted the thick wooden door.

Later, Zheng Jiuling and two infantrymen also arrived.

Just by looking out, he was almost hit by a gun.

"broken."

"I met a local group training. They have firearms."

"There are quite a lot of people, at least dozens of people."

……

"Chunshou, don't be in a daze, run from behind." Zheng Jiuling slapped him in the face and yelled.

He suddenly stood up and fired an arrow outside.

One person screamed and fell to the ground!

Immediately, smoke and dust filled the wall where the lead had been struck.

Chun Shou moved his steps mechanically and took a few steps back.

The moment he closed the door, he saw the boy.

I regretted it endlessly. It was my soft-heartedness that had harmed my adoptive father and several uncles.

Thinking of this, he suddenly drew out his short sword, turned around and rushed under the courtyard wall.

"Is your brain broken? Why are you back?"

"If you want to die, die together!"

Seeing that Chun Shou was so determined and fierce, everyone stopped asking questions and concentrated on dealing with the approaching country soldiers.

Just one bow and arrow, and the other two people threw stones to help.

Soon, the village soldiers saw the truth.

The leader, the man in black silk clothes who was called Uncle Clan, laughed loudly and gritted his teeth as he offered the reward:

"I will reward you with two taels for each head."

"When the imperial army comes, we are all meritorious officials, and you will all be paid by the county government."

……

When Zheng Jiuling showed up to shoot an arrow again, he was hit by the gunman who had been waiting for him.

A shot of lead penetrated his cheek, and he fell straight to the ground.

Another pawn picked up his bow and arrow and fired back, but unfortunately it was not accurate. Bows and arrows are not easy for laymen to master.

The rural soldiers rushed to the courtyard wall and began to smash the door.

"Xiao Chunzi, run quickly."

"No, Uncle Zhou. Let's fight to the death."

Uncle Zhou had no time to be moved, so he grabbed a spear and stared at the crumbling thick wooden door.

The bolt broke and the door was smashed open.

He thrust out a spear suddenly and stabbed to death the country soldier who was charging at the front.

Chun Shou also grabbed the short knife, rushed over with his waist bent, and took advantage of the chaos to chop it off.

However, as more rural soldiers poured in.

Uncle Zhou was hacked to death with random knives, but he relied on his flexibility and hid in a room.

I heard a young man outside say loudly:

"Gather firewood and burn him to death."

"The young master is indeed a young scholar, wonderful."

The village soldiers complimented him and blocked the door with firewood.

Chun Shou threw the bag on the ground:

"Xiaoju, run away from here."

There were cracks in the adobe wall of the utility room, making it impossible for people to escape, but the cat was fine.

……

Suddenly, a loud shouting of murder came from outside.

Reinforcements are coming!

In order to move all the grain and grass at once, hundreds of large trucks and 200 small people were sent from above.

When they saw the manor on fire, they rushed to help.

The rural soldiers immediately collapsed, some were killed, and the rest fell to their knees and surrendered.

Duang, the broken door of the utility room was smashed open.

A familiar head stuck out, it was a fellow villager of Zheng Jiuling.

"Xiao Chunzi, are you not dead yet?"

Chun Shou rushed out and found his adoptive father who was still alive.

Tears fell heavily, and he was extremely annoyed. Why did he let that damn boy go?

Zheng Jiuling suddenly became very clear-headed and said softly:

"Chunshou, your surname will be Zheng from now on. It's good for me to bury you here. If you survive in the future, remember to set up a plaque for me. If you marry another wife and start a family, the incense of my Zheng family will not be cut off."

"Father, I remember."

"Call me Dad."     "Dad~"

Chun Shou burst into tears, while the other holy soldiers who were watching shook their heads in regret.

If Zheng Jiuling was unconscious, he might be able to be saved if he was carried back.

If you suddenly wake up like this, it's really hopeless.

Because this is called - returning to the light!

"Son, when you build a house in the future, you must plant two persimmon and persimmon trees in the yard~"

"Dad, I remember."

……

Zheng Jiuling, the tenth commander of Bailian's protective army, died in battle in an unknown manor dozens of miles west of Wuchang City.

Zheng Chunshou lost his entire family for the second time!

After burying the body, he seemed to be a different person. He walked to the room where the prisoners were guarded and said to the guard:

"I'm going to go in and find someone."

"Which one?"

"It's the boy in the scribe's uniform."

The manor was full of holy soldiers, busy loading the cars, and the guards took the people out nonchalantly.

Their eyes met, full of hatred.

The young man in scholar's uniform knew that he was going to die, so he yelled crazily:

"Do you want to ask me why?"

"You ridiculous White Lotus thief, you killed my whole family and took away my homestead, and you actually think I will be grateful to you? I can't wait to eat your flesh and drink your blood to relieve the hatred in my heart."

"Do you know who I am?"

"I am the youngest junior student in this county. I am proficient in the classics and history, and my calligraphy has reached the level of enlightenment. I am only 11 years old!! Even the county officials praised me as a child prodigy in person and poems. I could have passed the imperial examination, won the Jinshi, and achieved great success. A good story."

"But all of this! It was ruined by you thieves!"

……

The young man roared like crazy, with hatred in his eyes like a lone wolf.

It attracted the attention of many people, and some people had already come over and wanted to teach this country squire's son a lesson.

Zheng Chunshou suddenly drew his sword,

With precision and speed, he cut off the young man's head with one strike, causing red mist to fill the sky.

The body shook and fell to the ground.

He walked over, kicked the head away, walked to the room where the prisoners were kept, and said coldly:

"Go away."

The 30-year-old guard didn't dare to say anything and stepped aside with his tail between his legs.

Zheng Chunshou walked into the house like a murderer.

Just swing the knife and cut, the knife is ruthless.

The prisoners screamed, begged for mercy, and resisted, but it was all meaningless.

When the centurion leading the team arrived, everything was over.

I saw blood forming a stream flowing out from under the threshold, and Zheng Chunshou, dressed in blood red, walked out with a knife.

"Baby, are you okay?"

"The knife is sharpened."

The centurion laughed and waved his hand boldly:

"I'll pick a good knife for you when you go back."

"From today on, you are a soldier who protects the pro-religious army."

"My father is a good man, and my son is also a good man. He is very, very good."

……

Outside Wuchang City, a fierce battle is raging.

The White Lotus infantry surrounded them in circles, preparing to smash Wuchang's first line of defense.

Guishan Fort originally had 10 artillery pieces, one of which was broken.

Later, Agui ordered the temporary addition of 13 artillery pieces, as well as shotguns, rifles, and bows and arrows, which played a big role.

"Brothers, save your energy."

"Whenever you fight, you just listen to me."

The new guard Zhang Jiulao is indeed a craftsman, and he is very calculating.

If the enemy does not get together, the artillery will not fire.

This thing consumes several kilograms of gunpowder in one blast, enough to fire dozens of shots with a shotgun.

The sporadic sound of gunfire made the Bailian infantry who were attacking from behind feel ecstatic and felt that victory was in sight.

Hong Dachang, who was a few miles away, should be called Emperor Hong Sheng at this time.

Also said with a smile:

"Zhang Aiqing, what do you think of the Guishan Fort?"

Zhang Liyong, the former deputy general of Wuchang Governor and now the White Lotus Commander, gritted his teeth and said truthfully:

"The Guishan fort is strong and the defenders are calm. I'm afraid there will be a lot of casualties."

"Oh?"

Emperor Hong Sheng was confused and did not continue to express his opinion.

Whether it is made of iron or paper, we will know later.

……

The besieging Bailian infantry were poorly equipped.

Many of them were armed only with spears, and their swords and shields were considered slightly better.

Archers and gunners are relatively elite.

On the top of the mountain, rocks rolled down from time to time.

Some people were forced to dodge to both sides, which invisibly increased the density of the crowd in several places.

Immediately afterwards, the crowded crowd was attacked by concentrated fire, and covered with guns, shotguns, and bows and arrows.

The casualties continued to roll down, causing great trouble for the follow-up.

Zhang Jiulao hid behind the shield and observed carefully.

In just one stick of incense, the White Lotus infantrymen could no longer withstand the attack. As the attackers, the casualties they suffered were too great, so they all turned around and ran down the mountain.

Zhang Jiulao did not care about the face of fellow Hubei fellows at all. He stood on the fortification and shouted:

"If you're not afraid of death, charge at me."

"The gunners are not allowed to go out to fight. We will retreat later under cover."

After that, he raised his saber, wore a brand new fifth-grade military attaché robe, and went to kill.

An unexpected counterattack actually knocked Bai Lian's morale into a tailspin.

When they were approaching the foot of the mountain, Zhang Jiulao whistled.

Everyone accepted it and stopped pursuing it.

This made the protective cavalry team in the distance who were eager to take action very crazy and failed to block the retreat of these officers and soldiers.

If they chased another 1 mile away, they would not want to go back today.

Zheng Chunshou, who was already a protective soldier, pressed his hand on the handle of the knife.

He didn't care about the setbacks ahead. Whether it was his own blood or the enemy's blood, the color was the same.

He just had a doubt,

Before his death, his adoptive father said that he must plant two persimmon trees in front of his house. What did he mean?

He turned around and asked:

"Centurion, are there any persimmon trees around here?"

"You're stupid, you can only eat persimmons in autumn. You can't even eat them now."

……

"Kill, the infantry will charge again."

An old brother Bailian, the captain cursed fiercely.

As a result, the chaotic defeated believers began to form a team.

The second wave of attack consisted of 5000 people, preparing to launch a concentrated attack and drown the fort using the human sea tactic.

Due to lack of training, it took a little longer to complete the team.

The time was seized by several winning general cannons from Guishan Fort. After adjusting, they bombarded the phalanx from a high position.

A ten-pound iron ball fell into the crowd.

Although only 6 of the 2 shots hit, it completely destroyed morale.

Mainly because the visual impact is too great.

In front of the iron ball with huge kinetic energy, people are as fragile as window paper. Just blow it away or tear it apart.

The Bailian infantry lacked basic battlefield experience and did not know how to reorganize their formation and must avoid the range of artillery.

The Guishan Fort is located high up, and the red cannon, which originally could only shoot 3 miles, can now hit at least 4 miles, or even more.

The attack was frustrated and could only be suspended.

Zhang Liyong had already guessed this ending, but he was secretly happy.

If the army does not suffer losses, how can it show its preciousness?

During the period after the surrender, he had figured out Bai Lian's military strength.

Except for the two armies of the Guardian Guards and the Musketeers, the rest are just scraps.

In terms of combat power, it is probably lower than the green camp and higher than the chaos.

The only thing worth worrying about is the quantity!

……

If there are too many ants, they can kill an elephant, let alone a living person?

After a few battles, many people died, and the small number who survived naturally became elites.

He, who has been a general for three generations, knows this truth very well.

His grandfather even wrote down military training methods and forced him to recite them.

and told him:

"As a general, it is not your ability to lead an elite group to win. It is your ability to refine the rabble into elites, and to accumulate sand into a tower."

While Zhang Liyong was sighing with emotion, a cold look came from the side:

"Zhang Aiqing, what are you thinking about?"

"I lost my mind. It is a capital offense."

"Have you returned to your old place? I have so many thoughts."

"I don't dare to deceive the Holy Emperor, that's right."

Emperor Hong Sheng's expression softened slightly, he raised his whip and asked:

"Is there any good strategy to break the Guishan defense line?"

"Have."

"I have given you full authority. How many troops and how many days are needed?"

Zhang Liyong looked up at the sky and whispered:

"Whether the attack can be postponed, it will probably only be two or three days. We will definitely be able to capture the fort. It depends on God's will."

"Hehehe, wait for the heavy rain, right?"

"The Holy Emperor is wise, and I bow to the ground."

Emperor Hong Sheng smiled happily. He was definitely not a fool to be able to get to this point. A fool would not be able to pass the provincial examination.

Zhang Liyong only mentioned it briefly, and he had an epiphany.

(End of this chapter)