Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 371

1643年10月26日，刚刚抵达烟台要塞的第三天，莫茗就趁着天气放晴，带着部队离开了营地向南进发。随他出发的部队包括陆军第2连240名官兵、挺身队第3中队260名库页岛土著兵以及小半个连的炮兵（携2门轻型火炮），总战斗兵力五百余人。

And the personnel who provided them with logistical services even exceeded the number of combat soldiers.Due to the poor road conditions, everyone did not bring a large cargo carriage during this dispatch. The entire army's luggage was carried by a large number of horses captured from Jeju Island to speed up the march.Ammunition, armor, water, medicine, fuel, tents, barbed wire and other materials were all packed and fixed on horseback, and were taken care of by the civilians accompanying the army.In order to ensure the supply of various materials necessary for the troops to march in the field in winter, the size of this pack horse team is as high as more than 600 people and nearly [-] horses.Of course, in fact, quite a few of them are empty horses, which are used to transport the looted supplies.

After the troops went out, they turned to the southwest and headed for the nearest Fushan County.When the Tartars ravaged Terengganu at the beginning of the year, Fushan County was not captured due to its strict defense, so it suffered less trauma.After the Tartars retreated, the people who fled into the city returned to the land to cultivate. Therefore, Fushan County is also one of the areas where the economy and order of Denglai Sanfu were restored the fastest after the war.However, although Fushan County was less affected by the disaster, the lives of ordinary people are just as difficult.Their property was either exhausted in the process of fleeing, or they stayed at home and were robbed by the Tartars or others. Therefore, it is not easy for them who are penniless to resume farming!

Maybe you still have to borrow money from the big gentry in the village, and those big families are easy people?The methods used by these so-called scholarly families to lend and collect loans are simply chilling. If ordinary people get involved, they will be stripped of their skins. If they are unlucky, their families may be destroyed.But what can we do now? There is no other way but to borrow farm tools, seeds, and cattle from them. Many people can only borrow money from them in order to survive.

In any case, the economic and production activities in Fukuyama County started to run stumblingly under such circumstances, and got a harvest before winter came.However, after paying off their debts, many people found that the food left by their family was only enough to last until the beginning of next spring. At that time, everyone might have to drag their families out to flee famine.However, there were also some people who were so cruel that they simply took their land and put it under the family of a certain gentry, and became their tenants from then on, so as to avoid the increasingly heavy tax burden on them.

In this way, the number of self-cultivating farmers who were not many in the countryside was once again reduced, the land and wealth were once again concentrated, the country's tax sources were once again reduced, and the foundation of the entire country was once again destroyed.Therefore, Mo Ming's targets this time are those relatively wealthy gentry families - in fact, there is no one to rob but them. For this reason, he also brought a few people from Fushan's native place in his team Ming people are exiles.These people either had their fields occupied by others, or they sold their sons and daughters to the gentry because they couldn't pay their debts. There was a natural conflict between them and those gentry families.Mo Ming doesn't care who is right and who is wrong between them, and he is not interested in judging who is more reasonable among them, he just needs these people to lead the way.

I don't know whether it's the ability of these leading parties to distinguish directions, or they are not familiar with this land at all. In short, they wandered around the muddy land for a whole day before they found their first target - a certain family named Jishen Zhang .It is said that Master Zhang was born as a scholar, so he is nothing special in itself.However, several generations of his family's ancestors have people who went to school to become officials, and they are also a well-known scholarly family within a hundred miles.Since the Zhang family has been an official for several generations, they have naturally accumulated considerable wealth in their hometown. No, their family not only has a lot of land in the countryside, but also has several businesses in Fushan County and Dengzhou City that operate grain and sesame oil. And silk shops, the annual income is not a small number.Although it can't be called a rich family, it is also a well-known wealthy family far and near.

At the end of Ming Dynasty, the social order collapsed, and bandits were rampant in the countryside.As fat sheep in the eyes of bandits, these gentry families naturally built fortresses in the countryside and trained a considerable number of village braves to protect their property.You must not underestimate their armed forces. After Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he sent many officials to Shandong to take over the local government. Later, they were all beheaded or expelled by the Xiangyong commanded by these gentry.

Therefore, when people from the east coast braved the severe cold and arrived in Zhangjiazhuang in the early morning of October 10, the first thing that caught their eyes was the high blue wall and the brave men walking back and forth on the wall.Naturally, these village warriors also discovered this huge troop, and each of them became highly nervous, because not to mention that these people are well-armed, but just to mention their numbers and the endless cavalry, we can know this The partner is definitely not an ordinary robber.

Are the Tartars coming again?Just as they were circling this terrible idea in their heads, they could only hear the neighing of the horses, and the two cannons were dragged out.Seeing this scene, Captain Xiangyong on the top of the wall almost lost his legs and fell off the wall.There are even cannons!No, I have to report to the master quickly!Captain Xiangyong stumbled down the city wall and ran towards the backyard.

Mo Ming, who was riding on a pony, took out a binoculars from his pocket, took a leisurely look at the wall, and found that these village warriors were generally equipped with wooden spears, not even leather armor, and few bows and arrows. It doesn't look like an opponent of the same level at all.But the lion fights the rabbit with all its strength, so of course I have no intention of underestimating them.Therefore, following his order, more than 102 officers and soldiers of the 200nd company raised the vulture flag, played the "Victory Belongs to the Army" march, and then marched forward in a neat three-row line.

Xiangyong on the wall looked at them stupidly. Is this a show or a war?They thought this group of thieves were really stupid. Could it be that they were really not thieves but a theater troupe invited by the master from the capital?But they soon came to their senses, because the group of thieves wearing yellow uniforms and carrying bird guns under the wall quickly marched to a place more than 60 meters away from the top of the wall, and then they were busy under the command of several leaders holding sabers. stand up.

They... Are they reloading the guns? !Soon the well-informed Xiangyong recognized their movements, but most of the people around were only slightly disturbed when they heard his screams. These people who may have never been in the city in their entire lives did not know that the bird gun What the hell, so they are still standing there stupidly.

"The first row is squatting, the second and third rows are staggered in sequence, and the whole volley is fired! Get ready... release!" As Xiao Xi slammed down the saber in his right hand, there was a burst of gunshots like popping beans, followed by a loud burst of gunfire. A puff of smoke occupied the entire position, but was quickly blown away by the bitter northwest wind, leaving only a faint smell of gunpowder smoke.

The effect of the volley was quite ideal, and the townspeople on the wall suffered heavy casualties.According to the visual observation of the combat staff, at least 15 people were shot and killed, and about seven or eight of them fell under the wall. Xiang Yong shouted, and they all jumped off the wall.

After the volley was fired, the soldiers immediately loaded the rifles with ammunition skillfully, but at this time no one dared to show their faces on the wall, so they could only stand where they were, quietly waiting for the commander's order.

A four-pounder and an eight-pounder were pushed up by the artillerymen.The musketeers pushed their artillery very close to the gate, as the enemy above the wall was swept away.At this time, there is no need to aim, just shoot directly with the strong charge!

"Boom! Boom!" Two cannons stuffed with strong charges were fired one after another, and the solid iron balls whizzed away one after the other, severely blasting a large piece of the wooden door.

"Damn it, the door of the rich man in the country is so thick! Come again!" Li Wenchang, the artillery company commander, took off the military cap on his head, and said a little depressed.

The artillerymen immediately started the work of resetting the artillery, cleaning the barrel, and charging the ammunition. Due to the need to train gunners, there were a few newcomers in the artillery crew, so their movements were relatively slow, but it didn't matter, everyone can wait!Soon, when a few prying figures appeared on the wall again, the two cannons roared and fired the second round of shooting today. Two solid iron balls almost hit the same place, smashing the broken Half of the rotten wooden door was knocked off, and the remaining half was crumbling!

"Kulhan!" Mo Ming, who was riding on a horse, shouted loudly.

Hearing a "huh", a burly man in heavy armor like a black bear walked up to his horse and looked up at him.

"Seize this Zhuangzi for me. Be careful, don't kill or injure people unless necessary!" Mo Ming ordered.

Kurhan, who already knew a little Chinese, nodded hesitantly, and then rushed towards the gate without saying a word, leading more than two hundred Sakhalin soldiers also in heavy armor.They all use cold weapons, that is, bows, spears, and sabers. However, their combat effectiveness must not be underestimated as they have been fishing and hunting in bitter cold places all year round.

Sure enough, there was no suspense in the ensuing battle. These Sakhalin soldiers cooperated with each other, shooting with precise archery from a distance, stabbing with spears from a distance, and quickly captured this Zhuangzi. Four people were injured and no one was killed, which made Mo Ming very satisfied.

Soon, after ordering Xiao Xi, the commander of the 102nd company, to take a small number of people outside to maintain the packhorse team, Mo Ming and several staff officers led the rest of the team into the captured village.

(End of this chapter)