Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 258 After Numbness
Inspectors are at the lowest level among the military officers in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The reason why Zheng Yaozu joined the White Lotus Sect is very simple: he has been exploited too harshly by his superiors in the past few years.

Another reason was that the female members of the White Lotus Sect were too charming. After just a few rounds, Zheng Yaozu completely became a thief.

In just one month, Zheng Yaozu transformed from a low-level officer to a vanguard general under the White Lotus Sect, with 3,000 soldiers under his command. After breaking into Jining City, the first thing Zheng Yaozu did was to charge into the Jining government office.

It was a pity that the prefect hanged himself with his wife and daughter, and was unable to kill the official who had insulted him in person. To vent his anger, Zheng Yaozu took in all the concubines and maids in the prefect's family, causing these trembling women to cause several major chaos.

At that time, Zheng Yaozu felt that his previous life was wasted. In the days that followed, Zheng Yaozu was not so concerned about snatching the wives of officials, and spent more energy on winning the hearts of the army. This is also the reason why he was able to stand out from the surrendered officers. Of course, Zheng Yaozu also contributed to the internal struggle between the White Lotus Sect's East Sea Venerable and the North Land Venerable.

This phenomenon of internal strife just after achieving initial success cast a shadow on Zheng Yaozu's heart.

At present, most of his 3,000 men were former officers and soldiers, so they had a certain foundation. Even so, the process of lining up was not so satisfactory. On the other hand, the officers and soldiers in front of him changed very smoothly from waiting in a strict battle array to advancing at the sound of the drum, and they were elite at first glance. When the officers and soldiers pressed forward in a neat formation, the sense of oppression as if they were one body was suffocating.

Hundreds of cavalrymen under his command advanced to harass the enemy, but were intercepted by the enemy cavalry. After a shootout, neither side was hurt, but the action failed to disrupt the formation of officers and soldiers and buy time for their own side to line up.

The more experienced you are, the more you understand how difficult it is for the various formations of officers and soldiers in front of you to press forward as a whole.

After trying his best to restrain himself and barely forming a battle array, the other side suddenly stopped and started to raise their guns. Zheng Yaozu was confused and felt a strong sense of uneasiness. The distance was 150 steps. Even with the Rumi gun, it was unknown where the bullets would fall. According to the military drill manual, an officer who did not fire at 70 steps was unqualified.

From the flag, it was impossible to tell the origin of this army. The uniforms were no different from those of ordinary soldiers, but why were their eyelids twitching? "Beep!" A sharp whistle sounded, and the red flag was raised and then lowered.

"Bang bang bang...!" Continuous gunshots roared.

Zheng Yaozu was stunned. The front line of the army was cut off in an instant, like cutting a watermelon.

Shooting at this distance is outrageous, but the results are even more outrageous.

Before Zheng Yaozu could think about it, the loud banging sounds came again. It seemed that there was a devil hiding in the rising smoke, collecting souls.

"Pass the order, shoot, shoot!" Zheng Yaozu was so anxious that he spoke without thinking. He felt like he was doomed today.

Jia Lian had been paying close attention to the battlefront. He was very worried at first, after all, the enemy was mostly government troops, and many of them were equipped with muskets. Although they were all matchlocks, many people were constantly blowing the matchlocks. After seeing this scene through the telescope, Jia Lian knew why matchlocks were replaced by flintlocks in the West.

Although the firing rate of the matchlock gun is guaranteed, the matchlock itself is the biggest hidden danger. Not to mention the operation, in the Western environment, everyone's technological level is similar. If you use a flintlock gun, even if the firing rate is a little lower, the convenience of operation can make up for it by firing one more round, and the safety is greatly improved.

The Great Zhou is not the Ming Dynasty. Gun barrels will not explode, civilians are prohibited from owning firearms, and there are no strong enemies around. Therefore, on the premise that it can be used, the military will definitely do what it can. Wouldn't it be nice to use the money to buy a few more concubines?
It can only be said that the former officers and soldiers in the rebel army became another group of victims of Jia Lian's improved rifle.

Looking at the rising smoke, Jia Lian did not have much joy. This was just the vanguard of the rebels, with only a few thousand people. After the encounter, the other side was not in chaos and could quickly form a battle array, but he did not dare to ask for instructions from the opponent.

As the volleys of gunfire continued, veins popped on the back of Jia Lian's hand as he held the telescope.

Trouble, the enemy is very strong, after three rounds of shooting, all the formations have not collapsed. When the enemy launched a round of counterattack, Jia Lian's heart was also in his throat. Every soldier in the Shenji Camp was precious to Jia Lian. These soldiers were experienced veterans, and Deputy General Yang spent a lot of effort in training them.

Hmm? The opponent's counterattack seems to have no effect!

Jia Lian was obviously stunned, and only then did he realize the range advantage. Shooting outside the effective range of the musket was no longer a shooting of faith, it was simply no shooting.

Jia Lian had read in a book that the lobster soldiers would carry their casualties and walk about thirty meters before opening fire, and then charge with bayonets.

The British are not crazy about shooting people in the face with their guns, it's just that the accuracy of the smoothbore muskets is too impressive.

The battle was still going on, and Jia Lian did not have much time to sigh. In just a moment of thought, the tenacious opponent whom he had silently praised in his heart just now suddenly fell into chaos in the front row.

Countless soldiers cried and dropped their weapons, then turned around and ran away.

After hearing another round of gunfire, Jia Lian finally understood something.

It wasn't that the enemy was tough, but the firing rate of the fixed charge + Minié bullet + flintlock rifle was so fast that the enemy's reflex arc could not react. After three rounds of shooting, looking at the fallen companions around and under their feet, and seeing that their own shooting did not hurt the enemy at all, these rebel soldiers at the forefront collapsed.

Looking at his collapsing opponent, Jia Lian suddenly thought of a place name, Baliqiao.

Just as Jia Lian was daydreaming, the artillery team was finally ready and Lieutenant General Yang came over to ask for instructions.

"Sir, the enemy's front line is scattered and the rear line is loose. If there is another round of artillery fire, the enemy army will be scattered."

Jia Lian raised his eyebrows slightly: "Then what are you waiting for?"

Lieutenant General Yang turned around and gave orders, and the flag bearer waved the blue flag.

Boom, boom, boom. The three-pound solid bullet, propelled by gunpowder, quickly turned into small dots and smashed into the enemy's formation.

The solid bullet was like a plow, easily plowing a bloody groove in the neat formation.

Zheng Yaozu, who was trying his best to suppress the fleeing soldiers, felt like crying. The formation was already severely loose, and after this artillery bombardment, two more phalanxes collapsed. Even though his personal soldiers hacked and killed more than a dozen deserters, he was still unable to contain the situation.

Zheng Yaozu had never fought a battle like this where he was completely passive.

Jia Lian also understood how Shengbao + Senggelinqin, with more than 30,000 troops, lost to the 8,000 British and French troops at Baliqiao. When people are shrouded in fear, the first thing they think of is not to fight but to escape. You don't need to run too fast, just run faster than your companions.

Among modern armies that can be called steel if they sustain 50% casualties, the army that fought to the last man on a battlefield in a foreign country, knowing that they would die in battle, was the only exception in the long history of human civilization. After five rounds of volleys and two rounds of artillery fire, the enemy army on the opposite side was completely defeated, and the officers were dragged back by the defeated soldiers.

The East Sea Venerable in the central army was dumbfounded. What kind of battle was this? No, weren't the officers and soldiers all weak? Since the uprising, the rebel army has won victory after victory, crushing the enemy with ease. It was as smooth as a dream. If it wasn't so smooth, the contradiction between the East Sea Venerable and the North Land Venerable wouldn't have increased, let alone internal fighting.

I can handle such weak officers and soldiers by myself, so why should I bring you along to share the spoils?

This is a popular saying, and the underlying logic is simple: everyone wants to be the boss.

If you can reach an agreement, then cooperate; if you can’t, then kill the other party.

The front army was in disarray, the central army was wavering, and the rear army was still on the march. The rhythm was completely messed up and the situation was out of control.

Especially at this moment, the enemy army was beating drums and holding bayonets, pushing forward little by little. The cavalry that had been on both wings were also outflanking. The central army's formation had not yet been deployed when it was broken up by the front army. The East Sea Reverend himself was also forced to retreat and had no chance to organize a counterattack.

This is what it means to be defeated like a mountain. This is what it means to be a poor leader.

If the enemy army had stayed in the city and waited for the officers and soldiers to attack, the battle would not have been so simple.

But this was a field battle, and once one side collapsed, defeat was inevitable. If the army was mainly cavalry, they could still flee in all directions. This time, the religious army was mainly infantry, so it was easy to imagine that a thousand cavalrymen had already caught up with them. If they didn't run away, they would have no chance.

Like an avalanche, the collapse of the front army directly brought down tens of thousands of bandit troops. The East Sea Venerable was confused and had no idea how it turned out like this. The team that was full of murderous intent just now was now a group of headless flies running around everywhere.

Jia Lian was confused and thought it was too absurd. Didn't they say that a large number of officers and soldiers surrendered to the enemy? How could the entire army collapse just because the front troops were scattered? Jia Lian didn't think much about it and ordered a pursuit. Out of caution, Jia Lian strictly ordered: the fire gun soldiers should not pursue too far and must maintain their formation.

Looking at the fleeing enemy troops, Jia Lian remained calm and tried to maintain his character.

In fact, Jia Lian's heart was beating very fast. This was not Yunyang. In Yunyang, it was a group of illiterate peasants who rebelled and had poor organization. This was an organized rebellion with a large number of officers and soldiers.

Jia Lian, who originally planned to retreat and set up camp after repelling the enemy, changed his mind as he looked at the sky dyed red by the setting sun and the trembling General Qi in front of him: "Master Qi, lead the troops to stay and clean up the battlefield, and leave some people to supervise. The main force will continue to move forward and stay overnight in Pingyin County."

After an unexpected victory, the morale of the front troops was high, fatigue was almost non-existent, and they continued to attack along the official road.

Before Jia Lian was about to continue with the team, the Thunder Camp brought a man, a distraught enemy general.

"This guy used to be an inspector and a vanguard general of the religious bandits." He has already been interrogated, so he reported the results directly.

Jia Lian stepped forward to take a look. The fellow muttered to himself, "This shouldn't be happening. This shouldn't be happening. One hundred and fifty steps!"

Zheng Yaozu couldn't understand why. His command was clearly correct, but the opponent did not follow common sense and opened fire at a distance of 150 steps, causing heavy casualties.

Jia Lian had no intention of sympathizing with the other party, nor did he have any intention of abusing him. He said, "Take him into custody and treat the prisoners well."

Jia Lian had a profound understanding of the absurdity of the imperial era. The records in history books and personal experience were completely different things.

Dozens of Japanese pirates were able to hold the city of Nanjing, and tens of thousands of officers and soldiers in the city did not dare to fight. The relevant records in the history of the Ming Dynasty were regarded as absurd dramas at the time. It was absurd beyond imagination. The Qing government, with a population of 400 million, chose to kneel down and surrender after the British broke into a few cities. After all, as a foreign ruler, they were more worried that the majority of people would take the opportunity to rebel. Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Nian Army, the Small Sword Society, etc. inevitably emerged.

As a modern person, when we read about this in history books, we are so angry at the lack of resistance.

But in this real world, Jia Lian found it absurd when he saw General Qi fleeing without a fight. After he personally led his troops to defeat the religious bandits, Jia Lian became numb, thinking that they were all a makeshift team.

On the official road to Pingyin, there were discarded weapons everywhere, some discarded by religious bandits, and some discarded by General Qi who had not had time to collect them. Among them, dozens of large and small artillery pieces were directly thrown on the road. The livestock were gone, but the carts loaded with baggage and ammunition were still there. The things on the carts had not been moved, and they were in the same state as when they were loaded.

Jia Lian looked at all this and was not happy at all. If all officers were like General Qi, how could you expect the soldiers below to fight bravely? Isn't this ridiculous?
After nightfall, Jia Lian, holding torches, led the army to Pingyin County. Seeing the wide-open city gate, Jia Lian did not dare to enter immediately. Instead, he sent someone to investigate first. He found that all the thieves had fled and there were still several fires smoking in the city. Only then was he certain that the enemy army had abandoned Pingyin County.

It was late, and after entering the city, Jia Lian settled in the county government office, which had been looted. The county magistrate's body was still hanging on the beam in the backyard. The blood on the ground had not been cleaned up, and several naked bodies were carried out.

These people who rebelled because they could not survive in normal times were as cowardly as they were in the past, and they were as brutal after the rebellion.

The Ming History records that Liu Zongmin killed his concubine. Jia Lian did not believe it at first, thinking it was a smear campaign by scholars. From Yunyang to Pingyin, seeing the tragic scenes after the city was broken, Jia Lian believed it. Although there was no necessary logic between the two, he believed it. How can I put it? Once a person's animal nature is unleashed, he can no longer be considered a human being.

Jia Lian's officers and soldiers entered the city and continued to make trouble until the third watch of the night before Pingyin County finally returned to its normal tranquility.

The soldiers should rest, but Jia Lian did not have time to rest. He needed to urge the General Staff Office to quickly count the results of the battle and send the battle report as soon as possible. At the same time, Jia Lian also had a secret report to send to the emperor, which was the request of Emperor Chenghui.

The original text is: "I only believe half of what the officials below say, no more."

When it was daybreak, Jia Lian lay down, but he could not fall asleep.

After experiencing the tragedy of war again, Jia Lian's inner world underwent great changes.

I used to think that no matter how chaotic the outside world was, it was none of my business. I could just hide in the Rongguo Mansion and have fun.

What I am thinking now is that similar tragedies will happen many times in the future, so what should I do?
In any case, we cannot just sit there and do nothing. We must actively promote change, even if the change is small, as long as it can benefit people's livelihood, we should try to avoid similar tragedies. Just do good things and don't worry about the future, isn't that right?

(End of this chapter)