Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 230 A high-intensity war that will go down in history

The light artillery deployed by the First Army Group behind the low wall spewed out white smoke one after another, and the artillery fire was accurate. The Qing army's shield vehicle fell apart immediately after being hit.

The Eight Banners soldiers supervising the battle crouched on their waists and raised their swords, threatening the civilians not to be afraid of the battle and to continue pushing forward to protect the artillery behind them!
The firearms battalion, with more than 190 artillery pieces, slowly advanced behind the shield array.

Light artillery in front, heavy artillery in the rear.

Especially several Wucheng Yonggu General cannons, with mules and horses in front and a dozen people pushing behind them.

Liangming looked up at the sky, glad that it hadn't rained during this period and the ground was dry.

Otherwise, once the heavy gun carriage gets stuck in the mud, it will never be pushed out in a short time.

"Hurry, faster."

He looked at the rising smoke ahead, the broken boards and broken limbs blown away by the shells, and felt very anxious.

Until the artillery enters a distance of 2 and a half miles from the enemy, it can only be beaten. Most of the damage caused by the shelling was silently borne by the shield array.

Clamp the iron pin, sprinkle some gunpowder powder on the fire door and quickly take two steps back. The gunner holding a torch immediately ignited the gunpowder powder.

He wiped it with his hands several times in annoyance:
"Ask your husband to serve and build fortifications. The general's artillery must be protected."

……

He saw a solid round from the Qing army roaring over the low wall and knocking down two gunners who were busy carrying the shells. The person lost his breath in an instant.

"Whoo."

A 6-pounder gun next to it immediately adjusted its direction.

Diagonally ahead, more than ten feet away, there were two destroyed shield vehicles. The gap in the middle is just enough for an artillery piece.

Hundreds of flag-bearers became fierce, rolled up their braids and joined the ranks of pushing the cannon carts.

At this distance, a 6-pounder gun is just enough.

The mother-child cannon is actually an improved version of the Frangi cannon. It is mounted on a four-wheeled flatbed truck and weighs only a hundred kilograms.

Half an hour later,

Another gunner picked up the new cylindrical cannon, put it into the open charging chamber, and rotated it to the right.

The people living around Marco Polo Bridge all knew that the roaring sound of cannons was the military officers practicing.

An officer shouted:

After half a stick of incense, the Qing army had dozens more artillery pieces in place. The Eight Banners gunners were shirtless, with their braids rolled up, and they were operating the artillery crazily.

……

When a cannon was fired, the gunner didn't care about the heat.

……

One mother cannon, equipped with 4 sub-cannons. The rate of fire is fast, and the shotgun can kill people.

The most brutal artillery battle finally began.

Many of the musketeers of the First Corps behind the low wall were hit.

"Continue to push the cannon forward and push it between the two shield vehicles."

The cannon, which was less than 2 miles away, bounced off the spot.

I couldn’t help laughing:
"Frangi is gone. There is a shield car 100 meters to the right, with a group of Eight Banners soldiers hiding behind it. Shoot them."

A member of the artillery armor shouted:

In addition to the conquest of Jinchuan, the firearms battalion has always been the main force. Therefore, the tactical level and armament level are at their peak.

Therefore, when firing, the accuracy is greatly improved.

A cloud of death bullets was sprayed out, thrown high and then fell into the Li family's formation. Most of the Qing's artillery pieces were projectiles at this time.

In addition, in the past few days, the artillerymen had already measured the necessary distance and roughly knew it well.

"Quickly, knock out that frangi."

The Capital Firearms Camp conducts artillery training every fourth and ninth day of every month.

Bright's back was covered with sweat, as was his forehead.

The Qing army's heavy artillery was all in place and began to bombard. The psychological pressure caused by a solid iron ball weighing about ten kilograms is not comparable to that of a double-shot cannon.

Then, a solid bullet came out.

Boom, flames erupted from the muzzle.

After suffering 6 rounds of artillery fire from their own side, paying hundreds of shield vehicles and hundreds of casualties, the Qing army's counterattack finally came.

Each one of them had a ferocious expression and used all their might.

The observer of the artillery team can see clearly through the telescope.

Lin Huaisheng put on an iron helmet and squatted behind a circular fortification.

Pull out the iron pin and take out the empty cylinder.

The gunners manually raised the tail of the gun, rotated it 10 degrees on the spot, pointed the direction at the powerful twin-carton gun, adjusted the shooting angle, and aimed visually.

Under the threat of the steel knife, the green camp soldiers and civilian husbands came together. Carrying the earth bags that had been prepared long ago, they rushed to the heavy artillery and set up defense.

"Add another batch of shield vehicles and gradually push the front line forward."

Mingliang was quite cautious in this battle and took a step-by-step approach.

Firearms versus firearms!
To be honest, he couldn't figure it out. Was there any army in the Qing Dynasty that was better at playing with guns than the firearms battalion?

This is an army that has been smelling smoke for a long time, fully paid and fully staffed, and has fought all over the empire.

……

Lin Huaisheng took a look and found that the low wall had been damaged in many places and had been blasted away by the Qing army's heavy artillery.

The artillery groups arranged on both wings remained silent.

Mingliang also discovered it and felt a little worried.

He rode around on horseback and saw the silent cannons, and became even more vigilant. Although he had never seen this tactic before, he still guessed that it was to severely kill the infantry.

As if I heard his heartfelt voice,

The artillery on both sides suddenly began to bombard, and a continuous stream of shells fell. However, only one tenth of the shells hit the Qing army.

The rest fell to the ground midway due to lack of range.

Mingliang smiled:

"Cleverness leads to misunderstanding. The thief's cannon is too far out of reach."

So, he went back to take command confidently and boldly.

After the artillery established its footing 3 to 2 miles away from the enemy position, it was the infantry's turn to push forward and attack.

The collapsed shield car could be moved forward as long as it could be lifted up, acting as a moving obstacle.

"General, are the archers and bird shooters ready to go?"

"Wait a little longer and blast away some more of the enemy's artillery."

He was a little afraid of the artillery placed behind the low wall. Once it fired shotgun shells, it would cause a fatal blow to his own infantry.

Every life of the Eight Banners is precious.

However, the Green Camp Soldier is not a valuable item.

"Where is the general of Wannan Green Camp?"

"Ning Guoying, here."

"Guangde camp, here."

"Chizhou Camp is here."

"Deploy all the archers, each equipped with 2 pots of feather arrows to get close to the enemy's formation, and throw them behind the shield cart. If you are afraid of the enemy, kill them."

……

Hundreds more shield vehicles advanced along the open space, followed by the dark green soldiers.

The people on both sides held shields, and those in the middle were all archers.

Behind it is Xishan Jianrui Camp.

The soldiers of Xishan Jianrui Battalion had just finished fighting Jinchuan, and they were still bloody. When it comes to fighting with cold weapons, they don't fear anyone.

In order to cover this well-organized attack, all artillery pieces of the Qing army took risks and accelerated their bombardment frequency, and even directly covered the barrels with water-soaked clothes to cool down.

In half a stick of incense, 500 shells were fired.

The First Army's defense line was full of loopholes, and when hit by a shell, the wall fell down and people flew away.

Especially the artillery placed on the front line was taken care of. More than 50 doors were destroyed, with more than half of them destroyed.

The entire defense line was filled with smoke and dust.

At this time, the black smoke in Jiangning City did not become smaller, but became larger and larger.

Willow Bay is a gathering place for Jiangning government-run craftsmen, with densely packed warehouses.

Liu Qian's men set a grease warehouse on fire. The whole street was on fire, especially the leather, and the smoke was billowing.

Li Shiyao, the governor of Liangjiang, guessed that someone was sabotaging it.

I also heard reports from the soldiers guarding the city wall that a large number of thieves had gathered outside the city, and it looked like they were going to attack.

So he allocated 200 soldiers to remove the unburned houses around Willow Bay to physically prevent fires.

No one is allowed to enter the fire scene, otherwise they will be killed.

Let the entire Willow Bay burn quietly to the ground.

At the same time, the government officials were ordered to beat gongs throughout the city.

"People in Jiangning are not allowed to go out, otherwise they will be treated as thieves."

"The people are strong, the archers are all performing their duties, and they are not allowed to leave without permission."

Each neighborhood has temporarily added fences to prevent the thieves from attacking and causing chaos.

400 cavalry teams were mobilized from all over the city and were on standby quietly around the Confucian Temple. Once someone gathers a crowd in the city, they will be killed without asking the reason.

In a word, there can be no chaos in Jiangning City!

……

Li Yu stood on the top of Yuhuatai, opened the telescope and looked north.

Jiangning City was filled with black smoke. There were no people in the city, only soldiers mobilizing. For a moment, they actually admired Li Shiyao.

It is quite similar to the style of our ancestor Li Yongfang, who is both bad and good.

Looking towards the Banqiao battlefield in the south, we can only see a little smoke, but nothing else.

"Father, do you want the main force to return to Banqiao?"

"Wait a little longer. I hope to be able to leave none of the Eight Banners of the Capital behind. All of them will stay in Jiangnan and lie quietly in the big pit I prepared."

All the light cavalry under Wusimai's command have been assembled. The war horse was fed fine food and drank light salt water.

The knight sat aside and was eating quietly. On the saddle hung two days' worth of food and weapons, as well as a bag of water.

Suddenly, Wu Simai looked up,

He saw a V-shaped flag hanging on the top of the Yuhuatai.

He immediately jumped up and shouted:

"Brothers, mount your horse. Slowly circle back to the enemy's right wing and maintain your power."

……

At this time, the fierce battle between the Eight Banners of the Capital and the First Army had reached its peak.

A large number of archers began to fire arrows from behind the shield cart, and the arrows rained down like rain. The musketeers of the first legion were suppressed and did not dare to show their heads.

The soldiers of the Capital Firearms Battalion also lined up and rushed out of the shield car, preparing to break through the low wall and avenge the bloody shame.

Intensive gunfire rang out, and the two armies began to shoot at each other from about a hundred meters away.

The Qing army's artillery stopped bombarding for fear of accidentally injuring one of its own men, and the hot barrels were afraid of exploding the barrel.

……

The two armies entered into a musket shooting session!
Needless to say, the accuracy of the First Legion's mini bullets at this distance was extremely accurate and powerful enough. There is no difference between the cotton armor worn by the Eight Banners and the cloth uniform worn by the Green Camp.

"superior."

After reloading, the firearms battalion soldiers did not fire.

Instead, he picked up his musket and strode forward, preparing to fire a volley at close range before breaking through the low wall.

The green battalion archers hiding behind the shield chariot also gathered their courage and joined them.

Out of concern for avoiding enemy artillery fire on both sides.

When the Qing army charged, they concentrated in the middle, and the frontal width of the formation was about 1 mile.

According to the experience of the firearms battalion, it is impossible to reach enemy artillery three miles away. There may be a few lucky shells that can barely hit our own side.

With this concern, they instinctively gathered in the middle.

Fucha Mingliang also drew his sword and was eager to try it. The mount also felt the owner's emotions and paved its hooves from time to time.

He ordered loudly:
"Xishan Jianrui Camp, attack them all."

"All the gunners and servants picked up their swords and spears and followed."

"I, an athlete of the Eight Banners, will make great achievements today. I will build a temple with Nanmanzi's head."

"Follow me and rush forward to kill the thief."

Thousands of people roared wildly, holding their swords and spears high and striding forward.

Even Mingliang himself urged his horse forward, preparing to take the lead.

But the captain of the personal soldiers pulled the reins:

"Master, the military situation is dangerous. It's better not to rush into the formation. If you get stuck, you won't be able to get out."

"Go away."

Then he whipped his war horse hard and rushed towards the place shrouded in white smoke.

……

There is no wind today, and the gunfire has been bombarded for so long. The vision was already extremely poor, and there was choking smoke everywhere.

The First Corps behind the low wall fired a round of volleys, cutting down the charging Qing army by one level.

Almost at the same time, a thunderous sound of artillery broke out.

The artillery groups on both wings fired in unison without even testing.

Mainly 12-pounder guns, firing solid bullets at a maximum firing angle of 12 degrees, can hit about 4 miles.

If you don't worry about exploding the barrel and reducing the life of the barrel, adding a few more taels of ammunition can increase the range by a hundred meters.

Shells fell from the sky and cut through the smoke. Falling into the Qing army's formation, the effect was astonishing.

Xishan Jianrui Camp suffered particularly heavy casualties.

Because they happened to be on the path of the charge. Instead, he thought that the Firearms Camp flag-bearer at the front was much luckier.

Before Mingliang had time to regret, he was hit by the exploding wooden planks around him and fell off his horse.

He watched helplessly as a cannon barrel flew up and hit next to him, and the splash of mud blinded his eyes.

When he regained his sight, the surroundings were like hell.

The First Corps concentrated a small number of 200 artillery pieces. Their positions were calculated and calculated in advance, and they even secretly fired a few rounds at night.

Just to ensure sudden and accurate coverage of artillery strikes! Saturated killing!
……

Lin Huaisheng drew out his saber and pointed at the front shrouded in gunpowder smoke:
"Huang Si, it's your turn."

"As ordered."

Huang Si, who was wearing cotton armor, should be called Huang Si, picked up the sword and shield beside him:
"Brothers, come on."

All members of his battalion were wearing armor, and many even wore double armor. They lined up in neat formation and strode forward.

In the front row are the 40-sword shield bearers.

The second row was spearmen, as was the third row.

There are sword and shield players in the back, but they are very different from the first row.

The first row is a large shield. The soldier holds the shield in both hands and carries the sword in the sheath on his waist.

The sword and shield hand behind him holds a small curved shield in his left hand. The right hand holds a thick-backed thin-edged straight knife.

On the back of each person's waist were two small hatchets.

The ax head is small and small. If you hold the wooden handle and throw it out, it will most likely break through armor and shields. This is equipment that has been adjusted based on many experiences.

When we first fought on the Huangpu River,
Li Ergou concluded that this method was very good for hand-to-hand combat. Later, after testing, he found that it was indeed very fragrant, so he promoted it.

……

around the low wall,

The musketeers of the First Legion and the bannermen of the firearms battalion had already started a hand-to-hand battle.

After the flagmen emptied the barrels of their guns, they drew their sabers. They were not equipped with bayonets, so they wore armor and fought in close combat with knives.

It was obvious that the First Army was at a disadvantage, with a much higher casualty ratio.

but,

As Huang Si's battalion came forward, the battle situation soon changed.

The big shield pushed forward like a wall, and the spear thrust horizontally.

The flag ding was no match and was stabbed to death layer by layer.

The steel spear heads produced by Xishan Gun Factory are slightly longer. The shape is somewhat similar to a sharp blade, and the cotton armor cannot stop the assassination.

A group of soldiers from the Jianrui Battalion, who had managed to survive the artillery fire, came forward.

They were more experienced. They rolled around and avoided the spears above their heads.

The blade swept across, cutting off the plate in the gap, breaking the shield formation.

A brave Jianrui camp flagman seized this golden opportunity and slashed repeatedly.

Kill two spearmen in a row and break into the military formation.

Then, he saw several axes flying from the opposite side.

He blocked one, but another ax knocked his helmet off.

His forehead was scratched and blood was flowing everywhere.

Immediately afterwards, another ax flew towards him, hitting the middle of his forehead, and the man fell straight backwards.

Huang Si yelled:

"Axe-throwing."

The sword and shield soldiers in the back row put away their knives, pulled out their axes and threw them over the heads of their companions in front, and were greeted with screams~
……

The Eight Banners of the Capital were defeated;

The defeat was complete and embarrassing, and everyone was running southward desperately.

How could the musketeers of the First Legion miss such a good opportunity? They must hunt them down.

Rifled guns use Gamini bullets, and they can be killed even if they are 200 meters behind. 300 meters is actually within reach.

But the marksmanship may not support it.

Lin Huaisheng smiled happily. As a general, he could not fight in person. Watching the chase north through a telescope is quite exciting.

He suddenly felt a cool breeze, which he thought was an illusion.

The guard next to him said softly:

"The wind is picking up, thank God."

In the distance, the sound of horse hooves sounded.

The leading knight holds a large flag fluttering in the wind.

Wusimai's light cavalry finally launched into action, their blades sharp and gradually accelerating.

Lin Huaisheng was relieved and said: "The mission of the First Army has been completed, please withdraw your troops."

The musketeers returned to camp one after another, many of them staggering and their uniforms stained with blood.

Before the war began, there were 5 and a half battalions of 3000 troops.

After counting, more than 500 people were killed and more than 800 were injured. The rest looked relieved, proud or confused.

……

Half an hour later, the smoke from the battlefield had not yet dissipated.

There are broken knives and broken spears everywhere, overturned artillery carts, and large and small artillery pits everywhere~
Even the cool breeze was mixed with the smell of blood.

Surrounded by his personal guards, Li Yu also came to this Shura hell-like battlefield.

After taking a few steps, he caught a glimpse of a military cap that had fallen into a shell crater.

The large-brimmed hat and copper cap badge indicate that it once belonged to an officer. Half of it was stained with blood, which meant that its owner had most likely been killed!
Li Yu picked up the big-brimmed hat and gently dusted it off~
Suddenly, a large raindrop fell on the top of the hat, and blood slowly spread out.

The guard looked up and saw that the sky was starting to darken.

"My lord?"

Li Yu wiped off his hat badge, put the hat on his head, and said softly:
"It's raining, let's go home."

(End of this chapter)