Anti-Qing: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 102 Artillery Battle and Crow’s Mouth (12)

The shells pierced the air, making a low sound.

It fell straight towards the east bank of the Xijiang River, leaving only an obvious trace in the sky.

The black cannonballs rolled and rotated in mid-air. After landing on the beach, they smashed up balls of sand, soil and rocks, and then continued to bounce forward.

Under the concentrated fire of artillery shells, the Qing army's artillery array was substantively threatened.

Although the remaining power of several artillery shells was exhausted, they rolled to the front of the Qing army's artillery array.

Altai stood there and directed the Qing army's artillery array to fight back.

Boom!Boom!
In my ears I heard the roar of heavy artillery fire and the shouts of Qing gunners.

However, at this moment, he saw before his eyes the Ming army's artillery array on the other side of the river, bursts of fire, and thick smoke quickly filled the air.

Immediately afterwards, there was a dense rain of bullets coming towards the Qing army's array!

With a bang, a cannonball passed by Altai and hit a Hongyi cannon behind him.

The body of the Hongyi cannon deformed instantly, and then was thrown away. The huge kinetic energy directly swept away several Qing soldiers next to the cannon body, vomiting blood, and breaking bones and tendons.

"Mother, the Ming thief's cannon is really accurate and poisonous!"

"It's life-threatening, it's life-threatening, ah..."

"Help me, come and help me..."

"..."

For a while, the screams and shouts of the wounded continued.

Altai was also frightened by the shells that just whizzed past him, and his legs and feet became extremely weak.

He just stood there blankly, his face was covered with stiffness and cold sweat, and his crotch had become wet and hot without knowing it.

Fortunately, he is now wearing cotton armor. The thick cotton armor covers the traces on his crotch. Otherwise, Altai would be dead.

Altai took a deep breath, suppressed the fear in his heart, and said tremblingly.

"Pass... pass the order, fight!"

"Give me a hard beating so that the Ming thieves can see the power of my Qing artillery."

"Avenge my brothers!"

Facing the Ming army's heavy artillery attack, Altai knew that he could not remain passive and had to fight back.

Otherwise, our side's morale will collapse sooner or later!
boom!Boom!

The Qing army's counterattack began, and each Qing army gunner began to do his best to deliver firepower to the other side of the Xijiang River.

The artillery shells from both sides flew back and forth over the Xijiang River!

But it is very obvious that during the heavy artillery bombardment between the two sides, the Ming army had the upper hand.

And the reasons are many!
The first is the quality of the gunners. The gunners in the Ming army are commanded by experienced foreign officers.

The gunners on the Qing army's side are a bunch of amateurs who may not be able to touch artillery a few times throughout the year.

In this era where the accuracy of artillery fire is almost entirely based on experience, the quality of the Qing army's gunners is really poor.

Second, there are differences in the artillery used by the Ming and Qing armies.

The heavy artillery of the Ming army was either heavy long artillery purchased from foreigners. Although most of them were second-hand, they were well maintained and of reliable quality.

Or it was built by the Ming army. Because it was brand new, its power and range were even better than foreign cannons of the same caliber.

As for the Qing army, since Guangzhou was not a border area, it did not face the threat of war.

Therefore, artillery is rarely updated.

Regardless of whether it is the Eight Banners or the Green Camp, the artillery equipped is at least that of the grandfather's generation.

Especially those Hongyi cannons, some of which were even antiques passed down from the late Ming Dynasty.

Even the newer powerful and invincible general cannon was forged during the reign of Emperor Kangxi when he was at peace with the Three Feuds. It must have been over a hundred years ago.

After so many years, coupled with poor maintenance, I can only say that I understand the quality of the Qing army's artillery!

Faced with such artillery, no matter how courageous the gunners of the Qing army were, they would not dare to fully charge the gun.

It is normal to pretend to be [-]% to [-]%, or even [-]% to [-]% to carry out bombardment.

Coupled with the quality problems of the Qing army's gunpowder.

Therefore, one can imagine what the Qing army's shelling was like.

The heavy artillery from both sides exchanged blows. It was often seen that the artillery shells fired by the Qing army flew halfway in the air, and then fell into the middle of the Xijiang River, stirring up a column of water.

But almost all of the artillery shells fired by the Ming army could reach the vicinity of the intended target.

Even if there is an error, it is within an acceptable range.

No matter how bad it is, it won't hit the cannonball into the river!

How innocent the fish is!

Boom!Boom!
The roar of heavy artillery continued.

The artillery shells from both sides came back and forth, delivering firepower.

Old Pete was beaten hard because Zhu Jing'an spent so much money on him.

Therefore, when commanding the artillery of the Ming army, his performance was quite outstanding.

In just half an hour, he knocked out six or seven artillery pieces on the Qing army's artillery array.

Killed and wounded dozens of Qing gunners.

While causing great shock to the Qing army's gunners, it also successfully suppressed the Qing army's artillery firepower.

After his own artillery fire successfully suppressed the Qing army's artillery fire, Zhu Jing'an decisively ordered the Ming army's infantry to try to launch a cross-river operation.

The flag of the Chinese army was waved, and the Ming army's crossing troops began to row toward the other side.

"kill!"

"Cross the river, cross the river!"

"Kill the prisoners, rebel against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, long live the Ming Dynasty!"

"..."

There were many sails on the broad Xijiang River, and the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty rowed desperately towards the other side.

Everyone was extremely excited.

Because they know that as long as they can defeat the enemy in front of them, Guangzhou, the first city in the south, will open its arms to them and let them do whatever they want.

The encouragement brought by the victory boosted the morale of the Ming army!
……

Jin Rong kept pacing under the banner of the Guangdong Admiral, with a serious look on his face visible to the naked eye.

In the recent shelling, the Qing army's artillery was suppressed by the Ming army until it misfired.

Immediately, the Ming army launched an attack towards the east bank of the Xijiang River under the cover of artillery fire.

Looking at the Ming army ferries on the water of the Xijiang River, Jin Rong could feel the huge pressure coming towards him.

He couldn't help but feel a flutter in his heart, but he still ordered.

"Send the order and mobilize Dongguan troops to the beach to prevent the Ming army from landing."

"The invading Ming army must be severely damaged and cannot be allowed to invade Guangzhou."

The ordering soldier clasped his fists and left.

At random, a Qing army rushed towards the beach, preparing to block the Ming army's landing.

But for some reason, Jin Rong feels a little uneasy now...

Always feel like something is going to happen!

……

On the other side, the Ming Navy was crossing the Dongping Waterway.

Looking at the narrow valley terrain on both sides of the waterway, Zhang He stood on the deck of his ship and spoke with a tone full of sighs.

"Fortunately, the Qing army failed to set up an ambush on both sides of the river valley. Otherwise, it would not be so easy for our army to make a detour and attack the Qing army's flanks."

Zeng Yao on the side also nodded when he heard the words and spoke in agreement.

"Who says otherwise? The Dongping Waterway has such a narrow terrain that one man can block it and ten thousand men cannot open it."

"If the Qing army sets up an ambush here and deploys naval forces to block the attack, then our army will probably be able to fight this battle easily."

Liu Mingyou also spoke.

"If our army sets up several forts along the river here in the future, our army's supply line will be as stable as Mount Tai..." Several people discussed the use of the topography of the Dongping Waterway.

However, at this moment, a speedboat quickly rowed over and approached the ship of several people.

A Ming army sailor boarded the ship and reported to Ming Dynasty's naval battalion commander Zhang Hehui.

"General, our sentinel ship encountered the Qing navy fleet in front. It is moving upstream and coming towards the East Pingshui Channel."

Hearing this, Zhang He and Zeng Yao subconsciously took a breath of air.

Liu Mingyou on the side also looked at the two people with a faint look, and couldn't help but complain in his heart.

These two crow's mouths are really good but not bad.

However, before he finished complaining in his heart, he heard the sailor of the Ming Army reporting again.

"Moreover, the Qing army also deployed a fort five miles ahead, which can be used to cooperate with the naval fleet to block the river."

"Prevent our army from moving eastward and crossing the Dongping Waterway."

After hearing this, the expression on Liu Mingyou's face also froze.

Well, it turns out that he himself is also a crow’s mouth…

That's alright...

Several people looked at each other and saw the speechlessness in their eyes.

However, I am speechless, but no matter how speechless I am, the war must continue.

Suddenly, Zhang He laughed and said cheerfully.

"Hahaha!"

"Since my navy brother joined the Ming Dynasty, he has only done some work of transporting logistics supplies. I really feel sorry for the favor shown to us by the Governor."

"Now God is wise and has finally given me a chance to repay the Governor."

"Send the order and prepare the entire army for war. Even if you risk your life, I will annihilate that Qinglu navy!"

Facing the Qing army that came to block the attack, the Ming army showed no cowardice.

For such a long time, the Ming army had won one victory after another after facing off against the Qing army, which gave Ming soldiers a natural sense of psychological superiority after facing off against the Qing army.

Well, you can call it arrogance!

But what you need to know is that on the battlefield, the more arrogant and arrogant you are, the more it shows that the morale of the army is high.

It is naturally more beneficial to the war!

Many times, it is only the high-level generals who are responsible for directing operations who need to stay rational, keep a clear head, and deal with the enemy cautiously.

The more arrogant and arrogant the soldiers at the bottom are when facing the enemy, the better.

Because if an army is proud enough, it will involuntarily have a psychological advantage when facing the enemy.

In this case, the morale of the army will naturally become higher and higher!

On the battlefield, morale is one of the most important factors that affects the situation of the battle.

The party with high morale has a much higher chance of final victory than the party with low morale.

As the military order was issued, the Ming army's naval fleet accelerated its march and took the initiative to kill the Qing army's navy that came to block it.

Soon, the navies of the Ming and Qing Dynasties met on the not-so-wide river.

The first thing to express greetings to the other party is the rumbling sound of cannon.

Bursts of artillery fire roared.

The river was filled with gunpowder smoke, and cannonballs were fired at the other side's ships.

But it is a pity that due to the influence of wind and waves on the water, the shelling on both sides did not achieve any substantial results.

The only ones who are really harmed are the fish in the river!

The person responsible for commanding the Qing Navy was Zhang Benzhen, the Qing Admiral of the Guangdong Navy, who was a veteran in water warfare.

Usually he often commands troops to fight against foreign bandits on the sea.

Therefore, it is quite experienced in water warfare.

After his own artillery fired the first round of shelling, Zhang Benzhen gave instructions in an orderly manner.

"Proceed with the order, keep a proper distance between our navy and the Ming thief's navy, and continue to fire and deliver firepower."

In the past, he used this kind of tactics when leading troops to deal with foreign bandits.

First, let your own navy ships maintain a distance from the foreign bandit ships, and use artillery fire to deliver long-range firepower.

When the foreign bandit's small boat was hit several times by the imperial navy's large ship's cannon, it was about to lose its hold.

The Imperial Navy quickly pressed forward, first getting close and bombarding them, and then joining forces to fight.

If this is done, the foreign bandits will be defeated.

This is Zhang Benzhen’s experience accumulated over the years.

However, the Ming army would not fight according to Zhang Benzhen's rhythm.

Zhang He saw that the Qing army was trying to keep a distance from the Ming navy, and then launched an artillery battle.

He knew very well that his ships were small, and most of them were civilian boats. They were incomparable to the Qing army's specialized warships, and they were no match for the Qing army in artillery battles.

If the artillery of both sides is bombarded, even if the Ming army's artillery has the advantage, there is a high probability that the Ming army will lose in the end.

Therefore, Zhang He gave the order decisively.

"Send the order, and the entire army will press forward. We will launch an assault with my ship as the frontline, and prepare to engage in a battle with the Qing prisoners."

Since there is no advantage in the artillery battle, then close the distance and engage the ship. This is Zhang He's response.

In this case, the advantages of the Ming army's small, flexible and maneuverable ships can be better utilized.

After a round of shelling, the Ming Navy quickly pressed forward and charged towards the Qing Navy fleet.

Get ready to join forces with the Qing army!

……

When Guangdong Navy Admiral Zhang Benzhen saw this, he did not panic and just gave orders in an orderly manner.

"Keep the artillery fire consistent and suppress the enemy navy's approach!"

After his order was issued, the Qing army's shelling intensity increased significantly.

Boom!Boom!
Amidst the deafening shelling, projectiles flew and smoke filled the air.

On the water surface, water columns shot up again.

The moisture in the air is getting thicker.

"Kill!"

"Put it on, put it on!"

"Serve the Ming Dynasty, long live the Governor!"

"..."

Facing the Qing army's bombardment, the Ming army sailors were not afraid.

They drove the small boat, flexibly, shouted loudly and continued to stick to the Qing army's large ship.

"Damn it, brothers, kill me!"

"Kill the Tartars and restore Ming Dynasty!"

"Expel the Tartars and restore China!"

"Be careful of Qing Ta's shotguns, bows and arrows, and be careful to avoid bullets and arrows."

"Shield, lift the shields for me..."

"..."

The Ming army's small boats were so flexible that it was difficult for the Qing army's shelling to achieve effective damage.

In addition, the Ming army went down the river, while the Qing army went upstream, so that the mobility of the Ming army's navy far exceeded that of the Qing army, and it was difficult for the Qing army to block the Ming army's navy.

Therefore, the navy of the Ming Army quickly became close to the navy of the Qing Army.

The two sides began to engage in battle!

　I’ll update one chapter first, and there will be another chapter later tonight.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)