Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 381: Infantry, cavalry and artillery take turns suppressing, Hailancha gets anxious

Hamamu, the general of Liangzhou Town, wore a white riveted cotton armor with red edges.

Draw the sword:

"Brothers from Liangzhou Town, follow me and charge. Target: Wu's artillery formation."

The sound of horse hooves gradually became heavier, and the horse speed gradually increased.

Miao Youlin, who was already in command of the battle, immediately put down the telescope:

"Three square formations on the right side of the 2nd Corps, repel the Qing cavalry and protect our artillery."

"As ordered."

Following the order, the three battalions slowly moved northwest.

In the sunlight, only the bayonets of the square formation were shining brightly.

……

White smoke was belching out from the Wu army's artillery positions.

This round is all solid bullets.

"Change shotgun shells~"

As the officer roared at the top of his lungs, the small green flag in his hand shook violently from side to side.

The gunners understood.
Take out a cylindrical shotgun bag from the ammunition box, which contains 80 little cuties.

The Ordnance Department adhered to His Majesty's instructions that the types of ammunition should be as few and as universal as possible, and shotgun shells were round lead bullets for flintlock rifles.

As for the bullets used in flintlock rifles, we have to emphasize them.

The Wu army's smoothbore flintlock rifles currently have two types of standard ammunition.

The first was a round lead bullet, and the second was a hollow conical bullet (a reference to the Nessler projectile used by the French army in the mid-18th century).

【Mini bullets are for rifled guns, while Nessler bullets are for smoothbore guns. The two are 7% similar in appearance. They are hollow, have skirts, and are tapered cylinders, but shorter than Mini bullets. According to documents published in Europe in 1866, at a distance of 200 meters, shooting at a 2m x 1m target, the hit rate of round bullets is 35%, Nessler bullets is 60%, and Mini bullets is 78%. At a distance of 300 meters, using the same target, the hit rate of round bullets is 25%, Nessler bullets is 43%, and Mini bullets is 63%. 】

……

Li Yu originally wanted to give an order for all personnel to switch to hollow conical projectiles.

But after some investigation, grassroots officers and soldiers felt that it was necessary to retain round bullets.

The reason is,
When the bullets were used up, soldiers could use simple tools to melt the lead and make round bullets during breaks in the battlefield.

This more advanced conical bullet cannot be produced by an individual. At least it can only be produced in small batches by the army's repair workshop with the help of molds.

Therefore,
Currently, Wu army soldiers have two types of fixed ammunition in the ammunition boxes on their waists.

"Brothers, load the cone bombs."

The battalion commander shouted, and the soldiers obeyed silently.

The cavalry from Liangzhou Town rumbled towards them.

Then the shotgun blast was deafening.

Under the barrage of gunfire, the cavalry group, a huge target, soon couldn't bear it, and the casualties were too heavy~
Looking at the Qing army cavalry running away like rabbits, Lin Huaisheng smiled with relief.

……

"Taiyuan Town, Daming Town. Attack the Wu army's flank artillery array."

Hailancha responded quickly.
The Green Camp soldiers of the 2nd Town held green pennants and recognition flags and strode forward.

In general,

In today's battle, the Qing army's morale is good.

There are many reasons.

For example, they had never suffered any losses at the hands of the Wu army, the silver and reward silver were in place, and they were rewarded with wine and meat for several consecutive days.

Huai'an Prefecture also has a large number of reinforcements~
The morale of the Jiangbei camp was visibly high.

1 quarters of an hour later,
The two towns detoured to the flanks and began firing musketry at each other.

Hailancha issued another military order:
"The Suzhou garrison cavalry will charge towards the location of the Wu bandit's banner."

"Tell Li Jiulin to push the cannon forward! He will bear half of the responsibility for today's success or failure."

"Whoo."

……

Li Jiulin was excited after hearing the messenger's original words.

Standing on a gun carriage:
"Brothers, push the mountain cannons and sub-cannons forward and bombard the Wu bandits. Commander Hai said that whether we can win this battle depends on our cannons."

"Up, up, up."

Thousands of shirtless gunners gritted their teeth and shouted slogans as they pushed the cannons.

Li Jiulin, who came from a literary family, tucked his robe into his belt and joined the ranks of those pushing the cannon.

Mountain-splitting cannons and sub-cluster cannons weigh hundreds of pounds.

Some strong gunners tied a hemp rope to the gun carriage and pulled it from the front.

"One, two, three, blast the Wu thieves, take the reward, be loyal to the Qing Dynasty~"

The slogan of labor is quite realistic.

In fact, these gunners thought that being a soldier and getting paid was better than farming, and it wouldn't be a loss to sell their labor.

……

The rattan shield soldiers of the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Camp went into battle again.

Because the friendly firepower was clearly no match for the 1st Legion.

The decline is obvious~
The Qing army believed that
Once hit by a lead bullet, a person will die.

They didn't know what lead poisoning was, but word of mouth in the barracks was that no one would survive more than three days.

"Brothers, charge forward and fight closely. There are no cowards among the men of Gansu."

Encouraged by the officers,
The reorganized Xining and Ningxia towns launched another fierce attack. [Note: At this time, both places belonged to Gansu.]

Still the musketeers were in the front;
Get within 30 feet, squat down and fire a round, then throw away the gun and draw the sword to fight hand-to-hand.

There were more rattan shield holders behind them, holding round rattan shields to block their faces and rushing forward with their heads down~
……

More than 50 Wu army musketeers finished loading their weapons and formed a temporary formation.

A captain held up his sword.

As he looked coldly at the enemy rushing towards him with his teeth clearly visible, he pressed his sword down.

"put."

The violent bullets flew out of the chamber~
The rattan shield soldiers of Xining Town fell down in an instant, and the rest drew their swords and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Wu army.

Old Mai, who ate 12 bowls of oil-splashed noodles in one go, looked at the battlefield where people kept falling down around him.
An illusion is created:
When he was harvesting wheat in Guanzhong, the wheat stalks fell down one after another wherever his sickle went.

The scene then was just like the scene now.

"Old Mai, what are you standing there for? Kill him."

My companion yelled,
He suddenly woke up, picked up a spear from the ground, and waved it vigorously.

The Wu army soldiers were caught off guard and were knocked down by him. One unlucky soldier had his neck cut by the spear tip, and blood spurted out.

at this time,

Old Mac found a feeling.

He was wielding a sickle fan in his hand, reaping the harvest furiously in the wheat field. With his abundant physical strength, the sickle fan he was waving looked like a windmill.

……

The fighting between the Qing and Wu armies became more and more chaotic, and their formations gradually became blurred.

Looking at the Suzhou Town cavalry that was galloping towards them after making a big circle, cavalrymen kept falling off their horses and raising dust under the interception of flanking artillery fire.

Lin Huaisheng remained serious:
"They are coming towards the banner."

"Order the two middle battalions of the Guards to move forward to support the First Army. The rest of the troops will form a hollow square formation on the spot, with each hundred people forming a formation."

The Suzhou Town cavalry that broke through the artillery fire blockade encountered a strange hollow square formation of infantry that they had never seen before.

Each square has a bayonet pointing outward.

The gaps between each square formation range from ten to twenty feet.

The cavalrymen had no time to think and rushed in through the gaps between the phalanxes.

gunfire,

Keep ringing.

The warhorse that was shot fell to the ground wailing.

After charging for a while, the general of Suzhou Town was surprised to find that there were almost no soldiers left of his own army, and half of them had fallen in the open space between the square formations.

Diagonally in front,
There was a small square formation of only a few dozen people.
He wanted to rush in, but was forced back by the forest of bayonets.

Warhorses are not stupid creatures, and it is impossible to let them run headlong into the blade.

unless,

Blindfold the warhorse.

……

The Imperial Guards were the elite troops of the Wu State and were not deployed easily.

Moreover, they never recruit new soldiers, but only select veterans.

Same military rank,

Their military pay is 5% higher than that of the other five legions, and their equipment is also better.

They stood shoulder to shoulder.
The officers were calm and the soldiers were brave. They lined up in two rows and went to support the 2st Legion which was in the middle of a chaotic battle.

……

Hailancha was a little nervous.
He had already seen that the cavalry on both wings had suffered setbacks. They were unable to destroy the Wu army's artillery formations, nor were they able to force the Wu army's main banners to retreat.

The front battlefield, an area as wide as 3 miles, was in chaos.

Our own decline is already apparent.

In less than 3 quarters of an hour, the entire front would collapse. "General, send more troops. There are still tens of thousands of soldiers in the camp."

"General, let the Soran cavalry go."

"Commander-in-chief, lead us in the charge."

Hailancha shook his head:
"hold on."

Since the coach was so determined, it was natural that the subordinates could not say anything.

Actually,
None of them understood Hailancha's intention.

Today is not a decisive battle. Although both sides have large numbers of troops, it is by no means a fight to the point of risking everything.

Seeing is better than hearing,
Through today's battle, Hailancha gained a very deep understanding of the true strength of the Wu army, the changes in formations, and the courage of the soldiers.

……

The Guards Corps moved very quickly and had already reached the effective shooting range.

The battlefield was in chaos.

They need a point of entry.

Soon, an entry point appeared, and a battlefield more than 30 feet wide was broken through by the rattan shield soldiers of Ningxia Town.

"Big stride forward~"

"Prepare, release."

The sudden volley of fire drove back the Qing army.

They left behind dozens of corpses and retreated in a hurry.

then,

The officers of the Guards Corps seized the opportunity, charged into the battlefield forcefully, and used their still dense formation to maximize the advantages of the flintlock rifles.

Fast reloading and accurate shooting.

Within 30 feet, the veterans of the Guards Corps can even guarantee a hit rate of up to 8%.

……

The infantry of the four towns in Shaanxi and Gansu could not hold on any longer and retreated one after another.

Northwest men are tough, but not stupid.

It is impossible to charge under bullets.

Looking at the defeated friendly forces, Li Jiulin quickly ordered:
"Quick, set up the guns. Fire right here."

The gunners hurriedly got to work, removing ropes, finding flat ground, loading, adjusting, and aiming.

The Green Camp soldiers of the 4th town were still sober, as if they had encountered the Dragon King's water-repellent beads, and they all separated to both sides to make room for direct shooting.

"fire."

More than a dozen submachine guns took the lead in firing, spraying out dense shotgun shells.

after that,

More than thirty mountain-splitting cannons began to bombard with solid bullets.

Hundreds of Wu soldiers who pursued the enemy were killed or wounded.

"Get out, get out."

Wu Jun decisively gave up the pursuit~
So when the Qing army fired the second round of artillery fire, the results were minimal.

……

Hailancha keenly seized the opportunity:
"Sauron's cavalry, prepare to follow me in the attack."

The 800 Sauron soldiers took out their carefully protected bows and strings and strung them directly on horseback.

It seems to be a show of skill, but in fact it is helpless.
Before the battle, there is only one word: poor~
To extend the life of the bowstring and maintain the power of the bow and arrow.

Some people also adjust the sling bag on the side of the waist to the position behind the shoulder. Good archers can understand at a glance that this is to prepare for horseback rapid shooting.
Hailancha watched his tribesmen rein in their horses and gather together.

Said loudly:

"Since I joined the army, Hailancha has led the charge in every major battle, with my robes stained with blood. From a small vest, I rose to the rank of commander of the Eight Banners and the first-class guard in front of the emperor. The emperor has never treated us, the Solon people, unfairly."

"Are you willing to follow me to kill the general and seize the flag?"

"Kill, kill, kill."

The Sauron soldiers raised their bows and cheered, wanting to fight from the bottom of their hearts.

Hailancha nodded with satisfaction and instructed his personal soldiers:

"When I go out to attack, you must issue two military orders. First, Li Jiulin's artillery camps must merge into one. Do not move. Stay on guard and prepare to support me. Second, the soldiers left behind in the Jiangbei camp must not attack without authorization. If you see the head of the bandit chieftain or the flag falling, all the soldiers left behind must go out, even the cooks, grooms, and sick soldiers, pick up their swords and charge forward."

"Whoo."

……

Lin Huaisheng saw it as soon as the Sauron soldiers started to move.

He did not hesitate for a second and began to adjust quickly:
"Order the 1st and 2nd Corps to shrink their defenses and protect the artillery. Leave it to Miao Youlin for command."

The messenger rushed out on horseback.
after that,

Lin Huaisheng sent out the officers around him one after another, commanding the four battalions of the Guards Corps around him and the commander-in-chief's guards to perfect the hollow square formation again.

There may be as few as dozens or as many as hundreds of people.

The hollow square formation does not need to be horizontal and vertical like a chessboard like in a military parade.

in contrast,

Dozens of square formations were not aligned at all and were distributed in a staggered manner, so as to limit the speed of the cavalry.

The veterans of the Guards Corps quickly switched formations before the Soran cavalry arrived.

The officers stood in the middle of the square and gave orders.

Lin Huaisheng and Da Di were also in a hollow square formation.

……

The sound of horse hooves rolled in like a violent storm.

The Saurons all stepped on the stirrups and drew their arrows.

The oppressive feeling from the cavalry can easily cause the infantry to collapse psychologically, leaving the formation and fleeing.

however,
The Guards will not.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, crowded together, holding flintlock rifles with bayonets, and looked coldly at these ferocious savages.

1 li~
Half a mile
Until they were within 30 feet, the officer shouted: "Shoot."

The soldiers in front then opened fire in unison.

Almost at the same time,
A bunch of arrows also fell from the sky.

There were casualties on both sides, causing a little chaos.

The soldier of the Guards who was hit by an arrow was dragged into the square by his companions.

The rest of the men quickly filled the gaps in the formation, bayonets raised high.

The soldiers in the last row took a few steps back and reloaded bullets in a safe position in the middle of the hollow square.

……

Hailancha locked onto the Wu army's banner with his hawk-like vision.

His extreme confidence in his own martial arts and the martial arts of his clan gave him a bold idea - to kill the general and seize the flag.

He had never seen the hollow square formation of the Wu army.

But his hunting instinct told him that this might be similar to a herd of reindeer and bison in Siberia?
When facing wild wolves, they huddle together with their horns facing outwards. If a wolf rushes forward without thinking, it will be lifted up by the horns and thrown far away.

but,

The wolves have their own way.

"Come in."

Hailancha took the lead and broke into the gap between the two phalanxes.

He didn't even need to look closely, he held the bow in his left hand and drew the arrow with his right hand, shooting three arrows in a row.

Fast arrows are enough to deal with unarmored units.

In the square formation, three musketeers fell down with screams.

……

The Sauron cavalry followed their spiritual totems and followed their example.

Short distance, short time,
The output advantage of bows and arrows is too obvious.

Excellent musketeers reloaded one shot, while archers fired at least 5 arrows.

On both sides where the Sauron cavalry passed, the hollow squares suffered heavy losses.

In some square formations, people can still stand in a row.

In some square formations, there were only a dozen people left, standing back to back with bayonets raised.

The arrows of the Sauron people were raining down. Even though the Guards had been through many battles, they were still a little nervous.

Fortunately,

The cavalry couldn't stop, they needed to maintain speed.

Charge, charge!
Therefore, it was the turn of the hollow square arrays on the second and third layers to suffer losses.

Hailancha controlled the reins and turned a corner angrily, and the horse's speed dropped significantly.

no way,
The Wu army's phalanx was just so awkward.

After crawling through the gap between adjacent square formations, I found another square formation blocking the way ahead.

You either crash head-on into it or force a 30-degree turn and lose some speed.

……

(End of this chapter)