Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 229 The empire’s strongest army’s iron cannons clashed with each other, a two-phase stud
Liu Qian, who was born in a Qian family, was grateful to Li Yu from the bottom of his heart.

From a thief to the Director of the Intelligence Agency, he can be regarded as having great power.

Wandering on the edge of darkness for a long time has made him more indifferent and even cruel in his actions.

Returning to the temporary rented house,
An ordinary-looking man who couldn't be found in the crowd said respectfully: "Director, I'm back."

"How about it?"

"The weather is hot and the Eight Banners Firearms Battalion is unable to hold on. The number of injuries and illnesses under the lord's command has soared, and we are preparing to launch a general attack tomorrow. This is a personal letter from the lord."

Liu Qian took it, browsed it for a while and then burned it.

"Where is the right place to set fire to in Jiangning City? It needs to be so intense that it can be seen from a distance."

"Similar to beacon fire?"

"Correct."

Now, it is a big taboo to suddenly mobilize troops.

"First deceive the Eight Banners soldiers on the opposite side. If they don't take the bait, we will have no choice but to attack by force. If we delay it any longer, there will be endless troubles. There are people in both Su and Song Mansion who are ready to attack. In addition, if all the firearms fail in Tianyu, we will The army will suffer a big loss, because the Eight Banners opposite has the Xishan Jianrui Camp, an army that is good at fighting with cold weapons."

Bright hesitated for a moment and decided to be cautious.

Fucha Mingliang was woken up.

Suddenly, Li Yu asked:
"Is your name Huang Si?"

The more than 500 soldiers under his command are all armored soldiers, most of whom are sword and shield soldiers, and the rest are spearmen.

Yuhuatai is 20 miles south of Banqiao area.

Li Yu also laughed:
"Huang Si, your whole battalion of soldiers is almost becoming meat and potatoes."

The next day, the sun just emerged.

Mingliang climbed up quickly, quickly rushed out of the tent, and climbed up to a lookout tower.

"Yes."

The Li Jiajun was preparing for a strong attack. The healthy soldiers checked the bullets, especially to confirm whether the gunpowder was damp.

At the officers' meeting, Li Yu stated his plans for tomorrow.

"From now on, you will also be the commander of the first battalion. How about changing your name to Huang Si? The unscrupulous Si?"

"Lord, I'm afraid it's going to rain."

That night,

The man thought for a while and reported a place name - Willow Bay.

"Master, the thieves are probably going to fight Jiang Ning, right?"

"There will be 70% chance of no rain tomorrow."

I saw smoke and dust billowing in the distance.

This man hesitated for a moment and shook his head:
"I have heard that Jiangning City has high walls and thick walls, which are no less than the defense of the capital city. How can the thieves break the city?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Huang Si.

"Climb out all the scouts in the camp and make sure you understand the current situation in Jiangning City."

If one's own side attacks suddenly, the enemy's defense line is empty and it may not be possible to hold it. Judging from the experience of fighting these days, the thief chief is a cunning and knowledgeable person who is unlikely to make such low-level mistakes.

Suddenly, Mingming shivered.

"Thank you, Lord, for the name."

In this era without satellites, judging the weather relies on experience and some signs. It’s funny to say that the weather forecast was actually more accurate than before the crossing.

"Master, the thieves have begun to gather."

"Come to attack our camp again?"

"I know. I hope God will reward me and wait two days."

Huang Si chuckled, he didn't expect such a day to come.

He watched for a long time, and then sent some scouts to take a long detour to investigate.

The only difference in the tent was that he was dressed in armor.

In the past two days, the bandits attacked the camp twice, but were repulsed by the cannons of the Firearms Battalion. They did not gain any advantage at all.

……

"No, groups of soldiers retreated."

Mingliang didn't say anything. This was something he was worried about.

The humidity in the air is rising sharply. The dry heat of the past few days has turned into a damp heat.

He put down his telescope in a daze, turned around and asked an officer who was going up to the Three Flags:
"Is it possible that Jiangning City will be lost?"

……

……

"Everyone is wearing armor, and all units are ready to attack at any time."

Today, there are less than 9000 soldiers in the camp. Among them, there are more than 3000 remaining soldiers from the Firearms Battalion, 3000 from the Jianrui Battalion, and more than 2000 temporarily recruited Green Battalion soldiers from southern Anhui.

Anhui's Green Camp troops are very weak.
To the south of the Yangtze River, there are only Ningguoying, Huizhouying, Chizhouying, Guangdeying, and Wucaiying~commonly known as the 5th Wannan Camp.

There is not even a general military jurisdiction. Instead, it was loosely under the control of the governor of Anhui, because the governor of Anhui was also the admiral.

Mingliang took out his identity as a senior Manchu official, and directly transferred the nearest Ningguo Camp, Guangde Camp, and Chizhou Camp without even going through the Anhui Governor's Yamen.

Some green battalion soldiers who were originally in the baggage camp were upgraded and incorporated into the combat soldier sequence.

Taiping Prefecture temporarily recruited 2000 civilians to be responsible for logistics and supplies.

The military personnel in the supply camp also temporarily built more than 500 shield vehicles, which have been quietly idle.

Mingliang looked at these slightly thin shield vehicles,
He also ordered: "Send people to carry soil, put it into bags, and pour water on it. Strengthen the defense of the shield car."

……

Around Banqiao, gunfire rang out sporadicly.

This is the scout fighting for his life!

Qing army scouts wanted to slip through the gap and get closer to investigate Jiang Ning's situation. However, they were constantly intercepted and killed by Wusimai's light cavalry, resulting in heavy casualties.

The terrain south of Jiangning City is flat, and it is not easy to completely block it.

Especially the Qing army scouts rode in groups of two or three and ran quickly.

After Li Yu heard this, he waved his hand:
"Pull up a dozen 3-pound guns and go to support Wusimai."

"When you see the Eight Banners scouts, just blast them."

"The 3-pounder may not be mobile enough, so we'll reinforce it with a gun team."

"Tell Wu Simai that you must use the momentum of a tiger to fight a rabbit and kill all the Qing army scouts."

Li Jiajun's 3-pound shotgun was so light that a pack horse could drag it across the field.

Behind it is an ammunition cart with four wheels. The long, narrow and low carriage can be covered with a raincloth, making it look like a caterpillar. The advantage is that the center of gravity is low.

Drawn by mules and horses, follow the artillery action.

For this battle, Li Jiajun collected more than 700 strong and large animals from his territory.

Half of them were mules and the other half were pack horses.

Mules are an animal that combines the advantages of horses and donkeys.

They eat little, work a lot, have a docile temper, and are unable to give birth to the next generation. It is truly an ideal animal.

The Li Jiajun has roughly figured out the breeding and feeding process of mules, and is preparing to use them on a large scale in baggage trains and artillery brigades to replace pack horses.

……

Wu Simai finally regained his composure. From a distance, he saw the Eight Banners scouts lying on their horses, cracking their whips as hard as they could, and circling around to avoid his own team.

"Go to a team of people to intercept them head-on."

"3-pounder gun, unload and load."

As a result, the Eight Banners scouts instinctively avoided the enemies blocking the route and prepared to pass between the cavalry and artillery.

As long as the horse speed is fast enough, it is theoretically feasible.

However, the flying shot from the 3-pounder gun made them unfortunately injured and fell off their horses, and death awaited them.

The scout war never stopped throughout the morning.

Although the sound of gunfire was not intense, it came and went.

It was so bright when I left the camp to investigate that my heart kept sinking. Because our scouts are almost not equipped with firearms, only bows, arrows, swords and spears.

The sound of gunfire could only be the thieves killing their own scouts.

"Master, why don't we save Jiang Ning?"

"Shut up."

The personal loyalty of the captain of the personal soldiers to his master was much higher than that of the Qing Dynasty.

He thought for a while and whispered again:

"The emperor's secret decree did not mention our duty to assist Jiangning City. Jiangning City is so big, and it is the governor's responsibility if it cannot defend it. We might as well retreat to Dangtu County to escape the summer heat. Wait until the weather cools down, and then Picture Jiangnan."

For a moment, Mingliang was almost tempted.

In the battle situation in front of him, he was indeed riding a tiger with no advantage. It's a bit similar to the dilemma of the Battle of Burma.

……

However, Qianlong's mean face suddenly appeared in his mind, cold and ruthless. If he avoids the battle, Jiangning City will really be lost.

With Li Shiyao's simplicity in the emperor's heart and the lives of thousands of people stationed at the Eight Banners, could he escape the emperor's wrath?
impossible.

The last clan that did this was delayed. He became the only Manchu in the Qing Dynasty who enjoyed the official treatment of three thousand knives.

Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and said firmly:
"No."

The soldier captain sighed and stepped aside.

He whispered with others and asked them to prepare a dozen good horses and enough fodder to maintain their strength. We still have to find a few small wooden boats.

Don’t worry about winning, think about defeat first.

Mingliang did not punish him because this slave was indeed loyal and flawless.

And it was like this every time, I was beaten with a military stick and scolded. People still go their own way, no way!

Later, even the old lady in the mansion knew about it, but she didn't say anything and asked her servants to quietly tell her: Forget it.

……

"The red sun is scorching like fire, and the fields and rice fields are half withered. The farmers' hearts are like boiling soup, and the princes and princes are shaking their fans."

Li Yu untied the style button and shook a big cattail leaf fan.

After drinking a large bowl of sour plum soup, I felt inspired and uttered this sentence.

"My lord recited a good poem."

Lin Huaisheng gave a rare compliment. He thought the poem was so good and he actually understood what the poet wanted to express.

Hu Xueyu, who had just arrived, looked at him in surprise and thought, Liu Xiang really doesn't study.

"Old father-in-law, please have a bowl quickly."

"Thank you, Lord."

Hu Xueyu knows etiquette, and there is no son-in-law in the emperor's family.

He slightly arched his hand and took the bowl.

Gudugudu, I felt much better after drinking it.

Quickly report the matter:
"There are rumors in many states and counties that our army has been defeated and that the imperial army will set foot on Jiangnan soon."

"Let the Ministry of the Interior investigate. The Intelligence Agency is very busy recently and cannot be distracted."

"Yes." Hu Xueyu thought for a while and added, "My daughter made a temporary order to lower the price of salt by 5 cents to calm the people."

……

Li Yu was surprised, thought about it, and smiled.

"Madam has such a plan, wonderful!"

"In this way, a large amount of tax revenue is lost for no reason."

"It doesn't matter, it can always be made up for. Now that the war is in full swing, the stability of the morale of the military and the people is more important than anything else."

"How's the war going?"

"Father-in-law, you came just in time. If nothing happens, we will see the outcome today."

Hu Xueyu stood up excitedly and said hello repeatedly.

At noon, the sun is fierce.

Both armies huddled in the camp, seeking shelter from the sun.

The scout war also gradually subsided. The Qing army's scouts were outnumbered, which was brutal. But there are still a handful of tenacious guys who have arrived at Jiangning City.

Yuhuatai's heavy artillery still fired from time to time.

There are many scars around the Jubao Gate.

The Qing army doesn't care anymore, just let them attack you. Even if the explosion lasts until the Chinese New Year, it will be fine. The outer city wall has collapsed, but there is still a three-story urn inside!

Just picking up cannonballs every day can be sold for a few taels of silver to drink.

Slowly, the guards guarding the treasure gathering gate turned out to be fat men, and many people rushed to get there.
During the day, I hid in the Wengcheng Hidden Soldier Cave and played cards, getting used to the loud noise of the cannonballs hitting the wall, and memorizing the approximate impact point of the cannonballs.

At night, pick them up and sell them to the blacksmith shop in the city.

The blacksmith said that the iron was of high quality, and it was perfect for making farm tools and kitchen knives.

If this battle lasts for a year and a half, the defenders of the treasure gate will be able to make a small fortune!

……

Li Yu inspected the defense line again.

The low wall has been reinforced again, and lead bullets will definitely not be able to penetrate it.

All 3-pounders and some 6-pounders were reinforced behind the low wall to enhance infantry firepower. The rest of the large-caliber guns were on the wings.

If the artillery is placed directly behind the infantry, it will disturb the infantry's normal loading action during bombardment. Moreover, the barrel of the cannon will randomly spray out some hot stuff and fall on the heads of your own infantry.

If the artillery is placed in front of the formation, it lacks sufficient defense. Since the number of cannon shots is limited, the infantry and cavalry must charge forward. This is how the Qing army usually played.

The artillery on both sides fires obliquely, and the trajectory of the solid projectiles can affect more enemies.

If the enemy spreads out to evade, this will play into their own ambitions, and the formation will easily become chaotic.

The only drawback is that the artillery positions are easily attacked by enemy cavalry. It was such a coincidence that the Eight Banners Army did not have an organized cavalry this time!
……

Li Yu looked around and was very satisfied and said happily:
"Huai Sheng, although this battle is 3000 versus 9000, the advantage lies with me."

"My lord, please move north quickly."

"well."

To prevent bullets from catching sight, Li Yu braved the bright sun and moved to the vicinity of Yuhuatai with the main force moving north.

In the plains, it is difficult to use deception. Therefore, Li Jiajun's large-scale deployment of troops is serious.

Fengzhou, a scout from the Lower Five Banners, witnessed the whole process from a distance.

Large numbers of musketeers stationed at Yuhuatai, including the bandit chieftain's banner.

Then, Yuhuatai increased the density of shelling.

Soon, Wusimai's light cavalry came again, driving away the scouts under the bright sun.

There’s no cat and mouse game this time.

They directly carried guns with a range of nearly 1 mile. When they were bombarded, both men and horses bled.

……

Fengzhou fled in panic, and all his companions were shot and fell from their horses. When he lay on his horse and evacuated 4 miles away, he suddenly heard cheers like a mountain roar and a tsunami.

Looking back, I saw a fire burning in Jiangning City, with black smoke rising into the sky.

He reined in his horse and stood in the saddle observing for a while. In fact, nothing could be seen, only the black smoke rising into the sky.

No wind today!

Half an hour later, he finally arrived at the camp after racing his horse to death.

"General, Jiangning City is on fire, and the thieves are cheering loudly. The rest of the targets are really undetectable."

"Go down."

There was no need for him to report, and the black smoke rising into the sky to the north could already be seen in the camp.

Fucha Mingliang put on his ancestral armor, his face expressionless, and he no longer sweated. It seemed that the temperature had nothing to do with him at this moment.

After Fengzhou returned to camp, he was surprised to find that of more than 200 scouts, only 5 came back alive.

For a moment, everyone looked at each other in silence.

They are not rookies and know common sense on the battlefield. If the enemy army goes all out to hunt down the scouts and shield the battlefield, there is only one reason~
……

Mingliang was already convinced that the thieves chief was about to capture Jiangning City.

Advancing on both land and water, the troops are extremely sharp.

I was shocked and frightened in my heart, why did such a capable bandit army break out in this gentle country of Jiangnan? The court was probably wrong when they said the bandits were ruthless, as these were clearly ruthless bandits and rebels.

"The shield vehicle is in front, and the artillery follows closely behind."

"Let the civilian men push the cannon as hard as they can."

The Battalion Artillery Company in the Firearms Battalion was intact and this was their first time in action. There are many types of artillery and there are many of them.

Large caliber ones such as the Wucheng Yonggu General Cannon and the Victory General Cannon~
Small calibers such as mountain-splitting cannons and nine-section ten-percent cannons~
The fast-firing Zimu Cannon, Baizi Cannon, and Wind Chasing Cannon~
It can be regarded as the elite of the Qianlong Dynasty, with more than 190 artillery pieces carefully produced under the supervision of the Ministry of War.

At this moment, no one dares to waste the ordnance and equipment of the Eight Banners in the capital.

The main reason is that Qianlong killed him too harshly and the ministers below him were afraid.

If you want to make money, you don't dare to make money in fields related to military and national affairs. Instead, we should engage with small people and businessmen to make money in fire damage, disaster relief, and river embankment repair.

……

Lin Huaisheng looked at the Eight Banners soldiers who were slowly approaching.

He took out a handful of fried peanuts, stuffed it into his mouth, and spit it out immediately. Taking a closer look, they were all moldy.

He complained helplessly: "The weather is crazy."

The First Army had 2000 kilograms of gunpowder dampened by water vapor, which was transported back for reprocessing.

"Commander Lin, the officers and soldiers have entered 4 miles, do you want to fight?"

"Wait a little longer. The artillery teams on both wings will fire again when I order them. The small artillery deployed on the defense line will fire after entering 3 miles."

After a while, a 5-pound solid iron ball flew out with a roar. After bouncing on the ground twice, it hit a shield car and broke into pieces instantly.

A bloody battle began~
(End of this chapter)