Dragon Sea Empire

The artillery positions of the Chinese Army are densely covered with hundreds of cannons.It is surrounded by three circles of trenches and earth barriers.Now.There are hundreds of black-clothed pirates driving dozens of cows and mules.It drags three huge cast iron mortars as thick as water tanks - this is the heavy mortar "Shocking Thunder".Under Beigu Mountain.There are ten mortars with muzzles as thick as a person's waist, "Booming Thunder".It is also being transported here under the haul of oxen and horses.

And this weird flying mushroom.It was the artillery observation hot air balloon used for the first time in the Southern Front War.

Xiong Tingbi had read the pond newspaper of Shen Yourong, the Fujian general.I heard that the Chinese Army has a weird cannon that can shoot gunpowder packets.Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but gasped.

"Not good. Who is the commanding officer here." He shouted.Look around.Seeing that most of the officers and soldiers are trembling behind the wall, they dare not look up.The brave soldier poked his head carefully to look at the weird hot air balloon.Xiong Tingbi shouted several times.A general ran over from the direction of the tower.Armor folded in disarray and said: "Lord Xiong. Li Nongping is the general in Suzhou. I..."

Xiong Tingbi interrupted him sharply: "The enemy is at hand. How can you retreat in the face of battle. What do you look like? Hurry up and form a team. Get ready to meet the enemy. The pirates are probably going to attack the city."

General Li Nongping's face turned livid.Involuntarily raised his hand.Pointing to the monster floating in the air, he said: "My lord, what is this, what is this, how can it fly."

Xiong Tingbi frowned and said: "Why are you panicking? I didn't see a fire burning under this thing. Is it empty in the middle? It's just a large Kongming lantern. There is nothing to panic about. There are no monsters in broad daylight. Hurry up and rectify Team. Prepare for battle." For a moment, Xiong Tingbi didn't understand the relationship between the large Kongming lantern (hot air balloon) and the artillery.He is, after all, a traditional civil servant.Although very knowledgeable about military affairs.But he knew nothing about natural science and the principle of cannon shooting.

At this time, there were officers, soldiers and soldiers making noise in the direction of Jinchuan Gate on the top of the city.Xiong Tingbi came to the battlement and looked out.I couldn't help being surprised: on the flat ground in the north of the city between Shence Gate and Jinchuan Gate.About 300 steps from the city wall.The Chinese army has dug out criss-cross trenches and earth barriers with a radius of about one mile.A surprisingly large bronze cannon is being dragged and pushed by hundreds of people.The cannon cart is put together using four flatbed carts.This giant cannon is being transported to the temporary soil fort at the forefront of the Chinese Army.

"This cannon must be three to five feet long. I'm afraid it weighs 5000 catties. How can the Taiwanese pirates have so many cannons." Li Nongping, a general in Suzhou, was stunned by the endless emergence of heavy firearms from the Chinese army.Forget that these cannons are going to hit yourself in the head later.Forget about being afraid.Curiously lying on the wall stack and looking down.

Xiong Tingbi's face turned from livid to pale.He shouted sharply: "General Li Shen. Prepare for battle immediately. The enemy is powerful. Don't be negligent."

Li Nongping trembled.Come to yourself.Tremblingly said: "Yes. Next..."

Xiong Tingbi turned around and went down the gate tower of Shence Gate.Go to the city.A soldier asked suspiciously: "My lord, your lord. Aren't you going to visit Zhongfumen?"

Xiong Tingbi snorted coldly: "What a fart to inspect. There will be a big battle soon. I will go to the city to send troops to reinforce. Hurry up."

……

The giant cannon in the direction of Jinchuan Gate is a copper-core cast iron cannon jointly cast by Chinese and foreign craftsmen from the weapons research department, firearms factory, and gun factory of the Chinese company.The world's first heavy copper core cast iron siege cannon.It weighs about 4500 kilograms.The stone bullets and lead bullets fired weighed more than 50 catties.

Xiong Tingbi was in doubt.He couldn't figure it out; how did a group of pirates have such powerful energy.It was actually able to cast thousands of cannons.And there is such a huge monster-like heavy artillery.He is now completely unsure about defending Nanjing.

but.The setting of these cannons takes a long time to adjust the firing position.While waiting for the siege guns to set up their positions.There was a strange silence in the north of Nanjing.The hot air balloon rose higher and higher.Finally, it rose to an altitude of about 70 feet.Almost half of the people in Nanjing can see it.Panic and uneasiness spread throughout the city like a plague.

during this time.Yin Feng, who has been visiting the beautiful scenery of the Yangtze River accompanied by two beauties.I had to receive a large group of staff from the company's trade department and a large number of businessmen who came from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

These people are under the leadership of Han Jing.A businessman who came to Jiangnan to grab business.Silk, silk, tea and other goods in the past.They were all purchased by local businessmen in Jiangnan.Resold to Huaxing United Branch.Or there are intermediaries who transship them to Taiwan and Hong Kong and sell them to Chinese companies.now.The company's board of directors decided to take the Chinese army into the south of the Yangtze River.Send your own merchants directly to the place of origin to purchase silk and tea.At the same time, promote the company's excellent clean white sucrose, self-ringing clocks, goldware and jewelry.Several shipments of food were also brought in.

After all, the Chinese company is an armed business group.Never forget to do business.

Yin Feng is spreading out the map in the cabin.Pointing to the map, he said to Han Jing: "From here, go southward to Wuhu, Taihu, and Suzhou. Most of the imperial court troops of the Ming Dynasty have been dispersed. Or they are trapped in the prefectures and counties and dare not come out. This area in the south of the Yangtze River is almost empty. Yes. Of course. Our Chinese Army does not have that many troops to occupy. Therefore, you go to Jiangnan to do business. There is still a certain risk. Those Ming army officers and soldiers have extremely poor military discipline. The rout is even more like bandits..."

Han Jing rubbed his hands and said, "Master, this is an opportunity to make a fortune. The goods we purchased in Taiwan this year are not as good as one-third of previous years. Overseas customers are rushing to urge the goods. The price has skyrocketed. And if we We can skip the middleman and get the goods directly from Jiangnan. Then our profit will be hard to say. The owner..." Han Jing's eyes lit up.Staring at Yin Feng, he said: "This is an opportunity. In the past, we could only be second-hand dealers. Now we can buy directly from the place of origin. Even if our price is higher than that of local merchants, it is still much lower than the price we buy in Taiwan. Our profit It can be doubled."

Yin Feng laughed at himself.I remembered that I was still the largest shareholder of Zhonghua Company.Nodded: "Okay. I'll let the newly transferred Sailors and Musketeers assign people. As the caravan's bodyguards. You can do it boldly. Remember the purpose of our company: fair trade, credit first. If anyone in the middle The merchant or the merchant is the secret shareholder of my company. Then don’t try to grab his business.”

Han Jing stood up excitedly.He patted his chest and said, "Master, the owner. I will try my best to protect the interests of shareholders. Don't worry. This year's trading profits will be doubled. I promise."

Yin Feng bid farewell to all the businessmen.However, the risky behavior of the company's businessmen was not expected.It brought a good reputation to the Chinese Army.

After those businessmen started to act.Some were under the protection of ten sailor musketeers.He went deep into the fields and villages and households in various places in the south of the Yangtze River.Buy all kinds of goods at high prices everywhere; some set up markets near Chinese military camps.Attract a large number of people to buy and sell various goods.In Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, Wusong, Wuhu and other Chinese army-occupied areas.Within a few days, trade suddenly boomed.Those merchants, weavers and even farmers who planted mulberry and sericulture were affected by the war.Suddenly it was discovered that the Chinese Army was not a pirate.It was a group of businessmen who came to do business.Even brought cheap rice to the poor.The emergence of the Chinese Army.It doesn't seem to affect the people's living and working in peace and contentment.And it also benefits them.

in this case.The official army of the Ming Dynasty who has been planning to accumulate troops to counterattack.It seems to be redundant.

……

Yin Feng had just sent the group of businessmen away.From the north of Jinling City, there was the dull roar of Zhentianlei.

Li Kuiqi's artillery observation battalion has a total of five hot air balloons.Two were assigned to Chen Zhongji's troops on the northern front.He has three on hand.After the hot air balloon is heated by a large fire on the ground, it is lifted into the air.The sphere is woven of silk with a heat-resistant lacquer.It is heated by high-quality coal and charcoal fire in the hanging basket.Basically, it can stay in the air for more than an hour.It took half an hour to reheat and lift off after landing.so.He used three hot-air balloons to take turns to maintain continuous observation.

The huge Thunderbolt first fired a stone bomb.Slowly, it landed behind the Urn City of Shence Gate.The next stone bomb landed in a corner of the urn.Dozens of artillerymen struggled to push the capstan.Use a set of gear transmissions on the Zhentianlei cannon car.Adjust the pitch angle of the Thunderbolt's muzzle again.Then another stone bullet landed accurately outside the cave of Tibetan soldiers behind the gate tower of Shence Gate.

Xiong Tingbi had just walked into the south gate of Wengcheng with the "Guerrilla Battalion".A metal explosive bomb weighing more than a hundred kilograms fell down.There was a bang.Gunpowder smoke filled the air, and flames scuttled around.Most of the more than 100 Ming soldiers in the Tibetan Cave were killed by the shock wave of the iron sheet after the explosion.The other two thunderbolts were also launched.The huge flowering shells blasted the outside of the cave, causing gravel to splash, walls and houses toppled.The officers and soldiers of the Ming army who hid in Wengcheng and waited for the Chinese army to attack the city suffered heavy casualties.

subsequently.Ten "Booming Thunder" also began test firing.After a few wild shells fell.Immediately afterwards was the bombardment of very accurate flower bombs.There was fire and smoke inside and outside Shence Gate.The officers and soldiers of the Ming army suffered heavy casualties.They never expected that the curved gun could be so accurate.I also don't understand the power of the Blossom Explosive Bomb.Therefore, a large group of soldiers concentrated in the urn city behind the city gate.After waiting for the Chinese army to bombard, go to the city to defend.Now.They didn't even have the chance to fight in the city.Thousands of soldiers were either killed or injured in the Wengcheng.

Not long.The tower of Shence Gate was bombed and collapsed.Suzhou General Li Nongping, who hid there to observe the enemy's situation, was blown up into the sky.

Xiong Tingbi was knocked down by the shock wave of the thunder bomb at the gate of the Wengcheng.The official hat was blown to nowhere.His forehead was broken by a stone.After he was in a coma for a while.Rescued from the rubble by personal soldiers.Gradually woke up.He jumped up and stood up.Seeing the officers and soldiers on the left and right, they fled to the city one after another.Shouted sharply: "Don't go. The enemy has not yet entered the city."

"Boom." The gunpowder depot in Urn City was detonated by Chinese army shells.A huge fireball rose into the sky.The shock wave made the hot air balloon wobble a hundred paces away.on the ground.Everything that can move is carried by the explosion shock wave of the powder magazine.Xiong Tingbi hadn't had time to react yet.He was hit in the shoulder by a wooden beam.Turn over and fall.Buried again in a pile of rubble.

Li Kuiqi was busy directing his soldiers to reload.A second lieutenant from the observation battalion stopped him.

Cannons rumbled all around.Human voices were completely inaudible.Li Kuiqi saw the second lieutenant pointing to the balloon in the sky.Then hand over a note.

The hot air balloon and the ground can be connected by signal flags.Can also be contacted by a note in a basket tied to a string.The note was scribbled by the balloonist.Li Kuiqi struggled to identify it for a while.Haha laughed: "What. There is no one guarding inside and outside the Shence Gate. It's true or not. Ask that guy in the sky. Is the situation true."