Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 478 We have 1 warship and the enemy has 200, but it doesn’t matter!

"Brothers from the 2nd Legion, please go back. We from the 4th Legion got here first. Look at this fresh, hot seal and this cold cannon."

A warrant officer stood by the cannon,

Beside him, a squad of infantrymen squatted behind a roadblock with flintlock rifles in their hands.

The attitude is obvious.

Don't try to use force, otherwise there will be a fight.

After a stalemate for a while,
A platoon of light infantrymen belonging to the 2nd Corps left cursing.

They even divided their troops into four groups and ran until they vomited blood, but in the end they only occupied a county government office.
Once the message was passed back,
Brother Zheng is full of "Kang Niang"~
Everyone hung their heads, deeply hurt by the ending.

……

Inside the mountain gate,

Southwest corner of Wuchang City,

The 4th Corps finally sighted the Governor's Office.

The staff officer has run away.
Throw away the seal in your hand:
"Brothers, I can't do it anymore. I leave it to you."

After a while,
The two imposing copper-nailed red-lacquered doors and the two white marble lions at the door all had several more seals on them.

Jiangbei professional smugglers,
Second Lieutenant Gu Yidao pressed his hands on his knees, breathing heavily, and his vision went dark.
He quickly took off his military backpack and took out the brown sugar wrapped in oil paper from the interlayer.

He poured half the bag into his own mouth and threw the remaining half to the staff officer who was already lying on the ground.

Sugar,

It is key to the normal functioning of the body.

At a critical moment, nothing can quickly restore life-saving nutrients better than a bowl of sugar water.

……

The staff officer took two gulps of water and felt his strength gradually returning.

He struggled, leaning against the stone lion,
laughed:

"No wonder everyone says that your 4th Legion is extremely wealthy in Jiangbei. How dare you each of you own one of the cowhide backpacks that are exclusively provided by the Guards? This bag must be sold for 10 silver coins, right?"

"Rumors, absolutely rumors. It's just that the brothers' families have a little property, and their parents often send money to help them. This endorsement is good, and it only costs 12 taels of silver."

The staff officer curled his lips and did not continue the topic.

……

Gu Yidao tightened his belt.
He had in his hand a map of Wuchang that he had found in the Fansi Yamen.

It turns out that

Sharpening knives does not miss woodcutters.

Having a map can save a lot of time on your treasure hunt.

He pointed to the east:

"There is only one academic office left ahead. The commander-in-chief said that there will be a reward of 500 silver coins for occupying a provincial-level office."

"Keep up the work. Once you're done, I'll host a banquet in the city with the best wine, the most expensive dishes, and the most beautiful singers."

"start running!"

……

The Academic Affairs Office was located in the southeast corner of Wuchang City.

When they arrived, people from the 2nd Legion also arrived.

"We got here first."

"Fuck! Brothers, surround them."

Gu Yidao thought to himself that this was not good.

There are 6 people on our side and 50 on the other side, so the advantage is on Anhui.

confrontation,

Both sides had weapons in hand and the atmosphere was quite tense.

Although the possibility of shooting at each other is low, the possibility of fistfighting is high.

and,

There is no way to investigate afterwards~
The chief officer couldn't possibly take the lead in such a matter, so he could only say with regret:
"Next time we meet, if you win the fight, you'll get the first bowl of meat cooked in the kitchen. If you lose, you'll save a day's meal."

……

confrontation,

While both sides were thinking about countermeasures.

Someone shouted:

"Oh no! There's a fire in the Education Office."

really,

There was a fire in the backyard and it was quite big.

Both sides were dumbfounded, and the credit should go to God.

The 2nd Legion did not care about much else and rushed forward to remove the sign of the Education Administration Office as evidence that Zeng was in actual control.

……

Inside the east wall of Wuchang City,
There is a small hill called Meiting Mountain.

This mountain is unremarkable, but there is a famous place on the slope - Chuwangtai.

The name comes from Zhu Zhen, the sixth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, who was canonized as King of Chu. He often stood on the slope and looked north, hence the name.

One day in the 20th century,
The gunshots from Chuwangtai pierced the night sky, shattering the Qing Dynasty's dream of lingering on.

From then on, his fame spread far and wide.

Its popularity is comparable to that of the Bronze Sparrow Tower.

……

Chessboard Street

The residential area for the families of the new army was in chaos at this time.

They are all fleeing~
A new army captain rushed into the alley where his family lived and saw his family just leaving the house with large and small bags.
"Dad, Mom, take your brother and sister and run south."

"Son, are you going to run away?"

"Did you bring the ancestral tablets?"

"Bring it."

"Did you bring the title deed?"

"I can't find you. I don't know where you are hiding."

……

The captain rushed in like a whirlwind, pulled out a wall brick, found the house deed wrapped in multiple layers of oil paper, and stuffed it into my father's hand.

With red eyes, he warned:

"Keep it well. When the imperial court returns to Wuchang in the future, our Sun family can get the house back."

"Hey, hey."

Daddy with tears in his eyes,
Watching his eldest son stop a group of fleeing soldiers of the New Army,
Shouting:

"Brothers, go to the Chuwangtai armory and fight the Wu bandits to the death."

More than 200 new recruits followed suit.

……

The city of Wuchang was in chaos.

The fleeing civilians were running, and the Wu army that had broken into the city were also running.

Part of the defeated new army fled out of the city, while part of them held their ground under the command of the backbone.

It turns out that

The farmers' army has a stronger fighting spirit than the slippery Green Camp soldiers.

especially,

These people originally came from the same village or township.

The Chuwangtai armory was opened.

The remaining soldiers pushed out five mountain-splitting cannons from inside.

The leader, General Sun Qian, roared angrily:

"Brothers, I am unwilling to accept the fall of Wuchang. Are you willing to accept it?"

Everyone's eyes turned red and they roared:

"Not reconciled."

……

Although they still didn't know how to aim the gun, these people at least knew how effective shotgun shells were in killing infantry.

The area around Wusheng Gate was showered with shotgun shells like rain, and blood flowed like a river.

deep impression.

The farmers never thought that there would be such an efficient killing weapon in the world.

Not far away in the alley,

A vague figure in red and black uniform appeared.

"fire!"

After three consecutive shotgun bombardments, an infantry platoon of the 3nd Corps that happened to pass by finally realized that they had encountered diehards.

While concentrating their rifles to fire back from a distance,
While seeking reinforcements, they also dispatched artillery to help.

……

Zheng Hean looked at the smoke from Chuwangtai and wished he could pull Wang Jie out and tear him into pieces.

He had reason to suspect that this old man was not from Shaanxi, but from Jiangnan. How could he do such a farce, giving away the entire provincial capital and his own head to the guys of the 4th Legion in just half a day?
After this battle,

How should the 2nd Corps, which has always been known as a sharp knife, position itself in the Wu army's sequence?

I'm so embarrassed.

"Commander-in-chief, the artillery is in position."

"Then what are you waiting for? Blast down Chuwangtai."

Under the cover of the infantry, a 1-pound cannon and three mortars were maneuvered into position.

The officer reported a series of data.

The 6-pound iron ball accurately hit the new army's artillery position, and the earthen obstacles and cannons were bounced away together. The scene was very exciting.

……

After several rounds of bombardment,

The mortars fired forward in a volley.

The first round all landed on the armory roof.

Broken bricks and rubble flew everywhere.

The officer was shocked and quickly ordered the gunners to move the mortars back 20 feet and fire again.

The armory is fat meat,

Don't want it to be destroyed in war.

The grenades that fell from the sky one after another left the new troops who were defending the armory with sandbags piled up at the door with nowhere to hide.

……

"Brothers, bayonets."

Two infantry platoons of the 2nd Corps raised their gleaming bayonets and prepared to charge.

suddenly,

Two explosions in succession.

A black mushroom cloud rose from Chuwangtai, surprising everyone present.

It turned out that the remnants of the New Army, in desperation, took the initiative to ignite the gunpowder in the armory and commit suicide.

This is just great.

There could be no living people around Chuwangtai, and it was impossible to seize any supplies.

……

These crazy new troops were not fighting for the Qing court.

Instead, they fought for Wang Jie's kindness, for the families who had escaped from the city, and for the possibility that the imperial court would return one day so that their families could return to Wuchang.

Even the ferocious Zheng Hean was frightened.

He thinks Wang Jie still has something.
If this old guy is given another two years to slowly save up some money, he might be able to train a good new army.

but,

That's what war is like.

If you make a mistake by even a millimeter, you will be severely abused.

Victory belongs to Wu Jun!

……

Wuchang City is too big.

The Wu army could only focus on attacking the city with its limited strength, but could not lay siege.

In order to seize the credit, the 4th and 2nd Legions failed to control the city gates at the first opportunity, leaving loopholes everywhere.

Zhao Zhuangwen ran away.

He kidnapped half of the Qianzong Corps and took in the families of the new soldiers who were fleeing the city along the way.
This act of kindness won him the hearts of the troops.

The team grew larger and larger, and many people who did not know the truth followed them and ran towards Yuezhou (Yueyang).

At one point the number of refugees even reached 5000.

……

As soon as the city was broken, Wang Lin, the commander-in-chief of the Dongting Lake Navy, seized horses and galloped south.

He gathered his brothers, hoisted the sails and fled southward.

Huang Si, who had just climbed the Wenchang Gate, witnessed a lively scene with thousands of sails competing with each other.

Anxious and jumping:
"Quick, signal the navy to give chase."

Huang Si finally met Zheng Hean.

"Commander-in-Chief Zheng, long time no see."

"What's up~"

Huang Si was born as a yamen runner and was very good at observing people's words and expressions.

Knowing that Lao Zheng was extremely angry,

But still patiently suggested:
"Now that Wuchang has been conquered, I suggest you divide the troops. The eastern half of the city will be yours, and the western half will be ours, except for the government offices and treasuries that we have occupied. Each of you will clear out the remaining troops. What do you think?"

"alright."

then,

The two sides parted unhappily.

……

Go south from Wuchang City.
There is a place called Tangjia Bay in the suburbs, where Zheng Hean deployed an infantry company and an artillery platoon.

The purpose is self-evident.

Intercept the fleeing troops in Wuchang and block the road to the south.

"Lieutenant, in the Yangtze River to the west, our navy is fighting fiercely with the Qing navy."

"How's the battle going?"

"The Qing army has many ships, and we have few. The fight is fierce~"

The lieutenant hesitated for a second.

He shouted sharply:

"Leave one infantry squad behind, and the rest of you go to the riverside to provide support."

……

now,

The sound of artillery fire rumbled across the Yangtze River.

Hundreds of large and small ships of the Dongting Lake Navy fled southward in a huge mass, followed by a ferocious ship - the Hell.

Captain Wei Sen remembered his wife Zhang Xiaomei's instructions before she left:
"The slave (worked hard) to make military achievements~"

Work hard! Work hard!
The slave is working hard.

Naturalized sailors from the former Royal Navy took advantage of the sails.

The ship was moving very fast and the distance between the two sides was getting shorter and shorter.

……

Wang Lin climbed up the mast, looked back, and suddenly felt palpitations.

Yell:

"Discard useless materials and speed up the ship."

Wesson also climbed up to the crow's nest and stood higher.

Also ordered to do so:
"Throw away the bottles and cans, and only have enough food and drink for three days."

"Change to the triangular sail and move forward in a Z shape."

The two sides were biting each other tightly.

This kind of boat racing on the Yangtze River is rare in a century.

……

The First Law of Deserters:

You don't have to run fast, you just have to run faster than your companions.

At this time, more than 200 small boats fully demonstrated their superiority.

because,

In addition to sails, they also have long oars.

Life and death,

The Green Camp soldiers were particularly united and performed at the level of dragon boat racing.

One person shouted,
The rest of the people took turns rowing, and the boat was moving very fast and soon surpassed the big ship.

now,

Looking down from the air, the first formation was a cluster of more than 200 small boats, the second formation was a cluster of more than 40 large ships, and the last formation was the lonely Hell.

No one wants to go to hell, or get close to hell.

……

Wesson was extremely excited.

He skillfully lowered the mast and shouted:

"Bow gun."

The voice has not fallen,

White smoke rises from the bow~
A 2-pound shell drew a beautiful parabola and unfortunately landed on the stern rudder of the last large ship.

Witnessing this scene,

There was thunderous cheering on the deck.

So crazy,

Those who knew thought that the missile had hit the enemy ship's stern rudder, while those who didn't thought that it had hit the Forbidden City.

This is always the case with these naturalized sailors. Happiness and money cannot be saved and must be spent immediately.

therefore,

They greatly boosted the economy of the Taicang naval rest area.

For this,

Your Majesty has no objection, why should you change the nature of others?
Isn't it good to actively kill enemies on board and boost the economy when you get off the ship?

……

The caliber of the bow gun is not large, only 2 pounds.

But the shooting angle is very wide.

The gun mount is special and can rotate freely up, down, left and right. It is generally used to bombard enemies that enter the blind spots of the ship.

The Qing army's silk-chasing ship lost control and ran aground after its stern rudder was damaged by a cannon.

The Green Camp sailors on the ship jumped into the water and swam across like a hornet's nest was blown up.

When the Hell was level with the stranded silk ship,
Broadside fire~
The ship was completely destroyed.

Then he continued to chase without stopping.

……

Wang Lin saw the yellow-haired and red-haired barbarians busy controlling the sails on the deck of the Hell.

I just feel a bitter taste in my mouth.

He had been to sea in Fujian, had suffered from foreign guns and cannons, and knew that the foreigners were good at naval warfare.

I just don’t understand how he became Wu Jun?

How can we continue this war?
Surrender?
It's not impossible.

But now is not the time to surrender, we are being hunted.

If you want to get a good bargaining chip, you have to negotiate several rounds repeatedly and show your strength appropriately.

……

"Send a flag to signal the small boats to return to defend. It's really unlucky to have hundreds of ships being chased and attacked by one ship."

The warship waved flags, struck gongs, and fired cannons, and finally succeeded in regaining some of the morale of the troops.

More than 20 galleys changed direction and attacked from the left and right wings.

Three large rice boats hit the main force in the middle.

"Fight, fight."

Wang Lin raised the general's flag, took off his official robe, and wrapped his braid around his neck.

Holding a saber in his left hand and a long axe in his right hand, he showed the true nature of a pirate to the fullest.
Seeing that the Dongting Lake navy was getting anxious,
Wei Sen immediately ordered:

"Pull the boat sideways and blast them."

"All Marines, get on deck."

……

The huge three-level sailing battleship quickly pulled sideways, facing the oncoming Qing warships.

The firing order is in order~
First, the small-caliber shipborne guns on the upper gun deck,
Then the middle gun deck,

Finally, there is the bottom-level heavy artillery.

The deck guns and marines also took the opportunity to bombard the small boats approaching from both wings.

The results were impressive.

Like a crab dumped into a pot of boiling water.

At least 13 Qing warships were seriously damaged and scrapped.
however,
Wesson still had a tense expression, staring at the large cloud of smoke that blocked his vision.

Although the Dongting Lake navy suffered heavy casualties, the remaining intact ships still broke through the smoke, sailed with the current and wind, and sped up at a very fast speed.

He didn't hesitate for a second.
Shouting:

"Turn around and go back to Wuchang."

The four veteran sailors at the stern immediately adjusted the stern triangular sail and completed a 4-degree turn at the fastest speed and with the smallest turning radius.

……

"Raise the fore-mainsail and fore-topsail."

The sailors at the bow executed the order very quickly.

The boat's speed increased significantly, and it sailed smoothly with the wind and waves.

1 quarters of an hour later,
They shook off the wolf pack of Dongting Lake navy that was chasing them.

……

In this situation, both sides breathed a sigh of relief.
Wesson:

"Don't chase poor bandits."

Wang Lin:

"Retreat, quit while you're ahead."

(End of this chapter)