Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 299 The ruby ​​first-class official hat that sank to the bottom of the lake

The Jiangnan-class artillery reloaded faster and fired the second round first.

If viewed from the air,
You will see this Qing army's flying boat trembling violently in the gunfire. Although it did not fall apart, the entire ship was slowly capsizing to one side until it hit the water hard!
The Wu army gunners burst into wild cheers.

The captain, who was in the command cabin at the stern of the ship, kept tapping the copper pipe. The sound of knocking spread along the copper pipe to the gun deck, and everyone immediately fell silent.

The vice-captain put his ear against the end of the trumpet-shaped copper tube and clearly heard the captain's voice above:
"Sail northwest, target, Yangtze Navy Admiral's ship."

on deck,
A messenger was repeating the same order loudly. The sailors quickly began to adjust the sail angle, and the helmsman also shook the rudder hard.

Because the performance just now was too amazing and fierce. No one dared to intercept the remaining warships in Yuezhou Town, and just watched the two Jiangnan-class ships sail away.

……

A Yuezhou town counselor ordered his ship to raise the flag and commanded the remaining warships to besiege the Wu army's transport ship.

"To avenge the commander-in-chief, enter the circle and bombard their transport ships. The two Wu Jun ships that slipped through the net are definitely no match for Lord Junmen."

All warships silently obeyed this "very sensible" order. The Chinese army in Junmen has more than a dozen large ships, as well as various small ships in Wuyangyang. The advantage is mine!

According to the Qing court's consistent concept of "ruling the country through military merit", such behavior will not be held accountable afterwards.

The general had another thought in his mind:
"As long as we can achieve the result of sinking a few Wu army transport ships and keep moving, the position of the commander-in-chief will probably belong to us in the future."

On the other half, the Qing army flagship ten miles ahead had a particularly tall mast and hung a banner with the title "Admiral of the Yangtze River Navy".

The correct way to understand it is:

It can be regarded as a kind of hidden benefit provided by the imperial court to soldiers who go to war.

In just half an hour, all the aggressive warships in the two towns were destroyed, capsized, caught fire, or took the opportunity to set sail and escape from the battlefield.

The court could give out less silver rewards, the soldiers released their grievances, and the local people were frightened.

But being too far away, he couldn't figure out why he suffered a loss.

……

It's not like going ashore to visit brothels or restaurants. It is impossible for a Shangguan to be so foolish as to reward the soldiers with his own money.

All Green Camp soldiers know what it means to be happy ashore.

……

He has already seen that half of the battle has been won!
Unified command language, unified battleships, and unified artillery are the keys to victory.

The three Qing warships at the front were hit by fire, and the formation behind them suddenly became chaotic.

It can only be said that among the factors that led to the defeat of the Qing army in the three towns, the backward tactics and the poor performance of the sailors even exceeded the generation difference of artillery.

Although the local officials were annoyed, they would not impeach him for fear of spoiling the emperor's interest.

"Whoo."

"The entire division is pressing forward and destroying these five main warships of the Wu army. The rest cannot stand a fight."

The general's heroic spirit said:

"The boat goes on first."

The Green Camp system will not turn your elbows outward.

Hanyang's water division, which was happily besieging Wu's transport ship, also quickly relented.

"Brothers, fight hard."

Taking advantage of the remaining power of the "Victorious Division", they landed and surrounded several villages in the name of "suppressing bandits".

After all, everyone in the government and the public thinks:
Once the tiger and wolf soldiers go out to fight, they will definitely bring disaster to the place and cause more or less evil. It's worth paying the necessary price to win. As long as the soldiers avoid cities and pass docks and go to the countryside to burn and kill, they are sensible.

After thinking about this, he suddenly felt a little relieved. Wu Jun's navy was still very discerning. When they came up, they grabbed the commander-in-chief and the deputy general and launched a fierce attack on them. They were well versed in the art of war.

The famous T tactic in naval battles, the Wu army is on the horizontal line, and the Yangtze River Navy is on the vertical line.

Some encouragement,
Morale immediately improved by several points.

"If you win the battle, you won't lose any silver reward. I will lead you ashore to have a good time."

The Wu army's battle line began to wrap around the Qing army like a snake. The battle line circled from the front to the left wing, and all warships opened fire freely, taking the advantage of firepower to the extreme.

If you don't run away, you will be entangled by a snake.

……

Peng Wenbing also looked at the black smoke in the distance, and felt a chill in his heart. Did he suffer a loss?

Triple win!

terrible!

"Junmen, what should I do?"

Then he kills the men he sees and robs the women he sees. Take away all the chickens, ducks and pigs in the village and make a tooth sacrifice. When he left, he burned the village to the ground, announced that the place was full of bandits, and the officers and soldiers imposed slight punishments.

Warships from Yuezhou Town and Hukou Town arrived at the battlefield almost at the same time.

Liu Wu stood at the stern of the boat and put down his telescope.

The Ji Kang-class and Su Song-class escorting the transport ship no longer circled. Instead, they set up a battle line and attacked the leading warships of the two towns head on.

After receiving the signal, nearly 200 small boats launched into action.

There are whistle boats, centipede boats, and arson boats. In short, there are many kinds of boats. The green battalion soldiers carried bows and arrows, shotguns, lime jars, hooks and sickles, large axes, and rattan daggers.

Liu Wu looked at the boats rushing over in the telescope.

He patted the caron gun on the bow of the ship:
"Brothers, try shotgun."

……

The shotshells used in carronade guns are actually ball lead bullets used in infantry flintlock muskets. This is in line with the consistent style of Wu Jun's military industry. If it can be unified, it will be unified, and if it can be concise, it will be concise.

"Commander-in-Chief, should we return to the command cabin?"

"it is good."

Liu Wu did not try to be brave and quickly left the dangerous deck and sat in the relatively safe aft command cabin, where the bulkheads were reinforced with thin iron plates.

He also put on an iron helmet to protect himself from stray arrows and bullets.

This location is the highest on the ship.

There is a 1-finger-long gap in each of the front and rear bulkheads for observing the battle situation. Ensure the captain’s safety to the greatest extent!

boom,
The carronade gun on the bow of the ship spurted out flames, and half a bag of shotgun shells was thrown out, spreading over a wide range.

More than 100 feet away, the numerous small boats of the Qing army suddenly screamed.

Hundreds of shotshells fell like raindrops, causing heavy casualties to the unprotected soldiers.

……

The four gunners on the bow of the flagship Jiangnan class ship were elated.

Quickly reload and reset.

Another shot of the goddess scattering flowers.

Almost all the dozens of Qing army boats directly ahead were wiped out.

Those who were shot fell into the water, and those who were not shot also jumped into the water. After all, if you take another shot, you will die, but if you dive into the water, you will survive.

A gunner shouted excitedly:

"Long live the King of Wu, long live the Caron Pao."

The sailors took control of the sails and changed the direction slightly.

Aimed at the right front and cracked, killing a lot again. It is a grand event that can be seen with the naked eye.

The water quality of Poyang Lake has dropped again!
A Jiangnan-class ship with its main mast damaged circled around and destroyed the remaining small boats. The remaining four ships rushed towards the Qing admiral's flagship.

Peng Wenbing was furious, and he could already predict his own fate.

After this battle, Agui must kill himself. If he died more heroically, he might be able to save his family.

He slowly drew out his sword and cut off the braid.

"Military Gate?"

Everyone screamed in surprise and turned pale.

Cutting off braids is not an ordinary act.

……

However, Peng Wenbing did not respond.

Cut off his robe, cut his fingers, and wrote dozens of words in a hurry.

Then he smiled sadly:
"Brother, you have been with me for 20 years. Please give me the braid and the blood letter. If you are willing, take care of my family."

As he spoke, he knelt down on the deck with a bang. "please!"

The captain of the guard also knelt down with tears in his eyes.

Bang bang bang, three bangs, which is considered as kowtow to the dead person in advance. He took the braid, the blood book and the admiral's golden seal, and left on a small sampan that was put down.

Peng Wenbing watched him leave,

Looking around sadly at the familiar faces, he cupped his hands and said:

"My army wants to die in Poyang Lake. Will you all follow me?"

Half the people were impassioned, the other half silent.

……

Peng Wenbing took off his warm hat and tossed it casually.

The ruby ​​​​top rose and fell with the waves on the lake, but did not sink immediately.

After a while,
The sound of cannons rumbled on the lake, and a melee broke out.

The two Jiangnan-class ships are eyeing Peng Wenbing's 3000-material flagship. The fierce gunfire made the sailors on the deck frightened.

There are no tricks, just silent side-to-side bombardments.

It is not only a contest of artillery technology, but also a contest of gunner technology.

All the gunners on the bow of Liu Wu's flagship were killed and were later replaced by sailors.

Even if the sailor who controls the sail is not a professional gunner, he can also control the carronade. If it were replaced with a long-barreled ship-borne gun, he would definitely not be able to handle it.

The Caron cannon has a short barrel and can be fired by just plugging it in.

Shotguns also have very low aiming requirements.

A ball of flames spurted out, and the deck of the Qing army's flagship 15 feet away was like a hell on earth, and the main sail was knocked off.

……

Peng Wenbing squatted behind a slightly thick side of the ship, holding up his shield and saber.

His eyes were blood red and he shouted:

"Lean closer and start a gang fight."

Liu Wu's flagship also realized the opponent's purpose and rushed out of the cabin.

Order loudly:

"Back off and blast them."

"For the bow of the ship, use a long pole to support it."

With the joint efforts of the helmsman and sailors, the two ships, which were originally parallel to each other, became T-shaped.

However, the distance between a horizontal line and a vertical line is about 2 feet.

Liu Wu's Jiangnan-class ship had its sides pointed at the stern of Peng Wenbing's ship.

The gunners in the artillery deck would naturally not miss such a good opportunity.

Five consecutive solid bullets penetrated the stern plank and entered the cabin.

One of the 24-pound guns knocked over four artillery pieces and dozens of Green Camp soldiers in one go, achieving the ideal damage effect.

The path is full of enemies!
……

Peng Wenbing no longer cared about the situation below the deck.

He just wanted to die heroically, and rushed out, trying to step on the side of the ship and jump onto the nearby enemy ship.

Click, the side of the ship broke.

As a result, his take-off leverage failed to reach maximum power.

The whole person hit the side of the Jiangnan class, and then fell into the water.

Perhaps because there was no way to release the regret in his heart, when he fell, he slashed the side of the ship with the sword in his hand, leaving a 3-foot-long scratch.

Is this the last damage he inflicts on his enemy?
“The hardwood hull is 1 foot thick, so why not add 3 feet of thickness?”

Peng Wenbing is dead!
He was pinched by a slight collision between two ships caused by the waves of Poyang Lake, and died instantly. The body even sank to the bottom of the lake one step ahead of his ruby ​​warm hat.

……

One hour later,

Poyang Lake returned to calm, and the Yangtze River Navy escaped with more than 10 large ships. The rest either sank, caught fire, or surrendered.

Liu Wu gathered all the prisoners on three relatively intact Qing ships, leaving no food behind. They destroyed the jib mast and extra sails and ordered them to sail to Raozhou Prefecture on their own.

A Ji Kang-class ship escorts the ship along the way, and can be easily sunk if it is dishonest along the way.

after that,

People boarded the capsizing Qing warships and set fire to them, wiping out the entire Yangtze River naval system.

"Commander-in-Chief, we have won."

"Find an island, repair and supply supplies, and treat the wounded."

There are dozens of islands of various sizes in Poyang Lake, some of which are quite large and where fishermen live. Trees can be cut down for repairs, food can be found, and the wounded can be housed.

The old guide witnessed the whole process of the water battle with his own eyes and knelt down:
"General, the villagers like us are willing to join the navy and obey orders. Please take us in, general."

Liu Wu had no objection and just told him seriously:
"Military law is strict, and those who disobey orders will be executed."

"The old man understands and will warn them when he gets back. He will never dare to mess around."

……

On the third day, Li Yu received the good news in the camp 30 miles west of Pengze County.

"In the Battle of Poyang Lake, our army won a great victory and destroyed the entire main force of the Yangtze River Navy."

"Okay, okay." Li Yu said, "The most critical part of this battle has finally been successful. Send the order, prepare dry food, distribute ammunition, and attack Hukou."

On the same day, Li Xiaowu's military report also arrived. He had taken actual control of Raozhou Prefecture and built a complete defense line.

This is another joy!
Everyone in the big tent was beaming with joy.

A huge encirclement finally formed a closed loop. Inside the encirclement is a county area with an unknown number of Qing troops, at least 5 and at most 10.

Agui was like a hard-working worker bee, constantly recruiting, training, and casting cannons in Jiujiang, and then transported them to the mouth of the east bank of the lake through the water of Poyang Lake.

The intention was good, but it was the Yangtze River Navy who was so wrong.

They underestimated the combat effectiveness of the Wu Army's navy. The Qing army only knew that the Wu Army's infantry was powerful, but they did not expect that the navy was even more capable!
……

70 mile away,

A team of 1,000 people with the word "Wu" on them is marching in full force.

The 3st mixed battalion of the 1rd Army Corps has a size of 1200 people. Among them, there are 1000 soldiers and 200 baggage. Among these 1000 soldiers, there are 150 cavalry, and most of the rest are musketeers!

The team included 10 light artillery pieces drawn by mules and 40 four-wheeled baggage vehicles.

Because there were cavalry to explore the road, the marchers did not have to worry about sudden attacks.

At least a quarter of an hour of reaction time is available.

Suddenly, a flying monkey jumped up from about 3 miles away on the right front, and then exploded.

Everyone immediately lowered their guns and formed a formation.

With the baggage vehicles behind them, the four 4-pound cannons were quickly decoupled from the mules, and pushed by the gunners, they were deployed in the middle of the musketry team.

After a while,
10 cavalrymen came running, bypassed the front and retreated behind the infantry formation.

……

After a while, the ground began to tremble.

The 1000 Torgut cavalry had thunderous hooves, holding bows and arrows, and kept making wailing sounds typical of the grasslands. It looked like it was rushing straight forward, as if it was about to rush into the crowd in one breath.

Li Ergou sneered and shouted:

"Brothers, hold on tight, the cavalry is just loud and intimidating."

"Skirmishers, prepare the gunners."

A hundred feet away, a burst of white smoke rose.

It's hard to miss a target as big as a war horse with shotgun and gamini rounds. Even if you miss, someone else may be unlucky enough to hit the bullet themselves.

After firing a round of guns, the 20 or so skirmishers quickly returned to the musket formation.

(End of this chapter)