Chapter 3032 The new shot of the Great Yellow Crossbow
There is no doubt that Zhu Ling is a person with a lot of gambling.
Zhu Ling bet on his life on the battlefield and on the political arena.
He is very smart.
He knew that he was a surrendered general, and Wei Yan might not have no intention of scrutiny when he came, so he spoke up as an old thief and made his attitude neatly.
He bets on the cavalry.
Wei Yan understood what he meant, so he said some of the subsequent matters.
In the chaotic times, everyone has already put their lives on the gambling table, and life and death are all things happen in a moment.
This time, Zhu Ling also bet on his own life.
The trunk passage is narrow and long.
When a large army flocks into this passage, there will inevitably be congestion.
This kind of congestion cannot be solved by just a little allocation of skills or coordination. Perhaps it is just a horse, a person paused for a moment, and then spread like a wave. Later, the entire army would be stuck in a certain place and unable to move. So if you delay in Hangu for one day, Cao Cao, at the other end of the Han channel, will be delayed at least three days in the overall speed of advancement.
And the benefits of delaying for one more day are far more than these...
Because Cao Cao also knows the principle that soldiers are more powerful than speed, what will Cao's army do when encountering obstacles?
Zhu Ling smiled, his smile as if he was staring at the wolf.
He drew nourishment and grew up in the martial arts lecture hall, so he longed for the opportunity to display his teeth and claws. Is there anything more exciting than hunting Cao Jun, the huge prey?
"Captain..." A low voice came from behind, like the rustling of bushes in the wind, "The four big yellow crossbows are all equipped..."
"Okay, you take half of the people, take two big yellow crossbows, go around here, and go a little further..." Zhu Ling raised his arm and pointed to the other direction of the earthen plateau under his feet. "Are you seeing it? There are some shrubs on that side... Be careful when igniting the shrubs and blocking some light... Remember what I said before leaving?"
"Understand. Remember, take your time, and play slowly as long as you are not discovered..."
Zhu Ling chuckled twice, then waved his hand.
The rustling sound behind him passed through the bushes, and then some small sounds gradually faded away.
The yellow crossbow is also called the yellow-shoulder crossbow. It is because when opening the crossbow, two people need to use the cowhide on their shoulders to spread it. Over time, the nitrified cowhide will dye the shoulders yellow with the help of sweat, so it is famous. Therefore, this kind of yellow crossbow is complex in making technology, with high requirements for parts, and slow shooting speed. It is similar to the single-shot sniper rifle in later generations. It shoots one shot at the top and one shot, which is almost contrary to the large-scale combat requirements of troops.
When large-scale troops fight, they pursue the best cost-effectiveness. Just like the rapid-fire Zhuge crossbow invented by Zhuge in history, it is a typical representative of this kind. It does not seek maximum damage, but requires firepower coverage. Moreover, there are a lot of bamboo in Sichuan and Sichuan, and it will not feel any heartache when consuming a large amount of bamboo crossbow arrows.
As for the big yellow crossbow, from crossbow machines to crossbow arrows, it must be built with meticulous work. The pursuit of extreme ultra-long-distance shooting weapons in some aspects gradually declined during the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Until Fei Qian picked it up again and blew away the dust covering it...
Fei Qian, who has the information of later generations, naturally knows that both needs are needed on the battlefield. Although most of the time, I hope to achieve a balance between the rate of firing and range, when the technical level is not complete, it is much better to keep one idea than to let future generations scratch their heads and lose their hair after they are cut off.
Now, Zhu Ling wants to use the big yellow crossbow to do something.
"Captain, the lieutenant is already in place..." A guard behind him reminded.
Zhu Ling said oh, "Don't hurry, eat something first..."
Zhu Ling took out some bacon from his arms, then stuffed one into his mouth, and handed the rest to the side, "It's all divided..."
Before the war begins, eating some bacon will help to accumulate strength and prevent loss of strength after the battle.
This is also the knowledge in the martial arts hall newspaper.
Sometimes, Zhu Ling would think that if this martial arts lecture hall was released one day, it would immediately attract countless heroes in the world!
In the Han Dynasty, a book worth a thousand gold, is it really the material used in this book, or the ink is very special, or some lonely ancient book, which has its value? No, it is because of the value of the knowledge recorded in the book. Most of the reasons why some people in later generations disdain for knowledge are because they have nine years of compulsory education, which is free, and it is not enough to not learn, so they feel bored and disdainful.
In the Han Dynasty, I wanted to learn, but I often couldn’t learn it, and I didn’t know where to ask for it!
The "tactics" that Zhu Ling used now, or the method he thought of at once, was exactly what he learned in the martial arts lecture hall, "the purpose of combat."
This may not seem to be strange in the leverage spirit. It may take ten or twenty years for most generals of the Han Dynasty to understand it...
Even a general who led the military academy had been fighting for his whole life and died on the battlefield might not be able to understand why his last battle was fought. It was not for the country and the people. This simple idea can only exist at the grassroots level. When it comes to the level of the martial arts lecture hall, he must understand what battle can be fought, what is not necessary to fight, what purpose is, and wherever he goes.
Just like Zhu Ling is attacking at night now, it is really just to kill some Cao's soldiers?
No, the fundamental purpose of Zhu Ling's night attack was to disrupt the Cao army's camp and prevent the Cao army from resting well. It would be best that the next day, each of the Cao army was exhausted, listless, and delayed another day...
To achieve such a messy goal, you can lead hundreds of suicide squads to kill him like an ordinary night attack.
But it can also be like Zhu Ling, who is now using the big yellow crossbow to set off "fireworks" from afar...
It is indeed a large "firebuchet".
Because there was a Tanyuan ditch between them, Zhu Ling didn't know how Cao's army arranged the opposite earthen plateau. The road he had touched was stuck on the Danzi Mountain again, and it must have been firmly controlled by the Cao army. Even if he forced his troops to attack, it might not have much effect. It would be better to lay some "firecrackers" for Cao's army on this side of the earthen plateau.
The sound of the big yellow crossbow winding is quite big.
The two of them used their shoulders to press the bowstring and used the power of their waists to pull the bowstring open and creaked.
The improved version of the Rhubarb crossbow uses animal tendons and mixed steel wire with hair and mixed bowstrings. It is very tough and extends the life of the bowstrings, but the problem is that it is even more difficult to wind.
At the beginning, there was an attempt to change to machine gear winding, but the strength of the yellow crossbow was several times stronger than the slash crossbow, which made the mechanical winding mode of using ratchet mechanical winding either caused the gear to get a lot of wear or the torque was insufficient and it was still difficult to save the torque. If the torque was saved, the gear conversion ratio must be increased or the additional auxiliary devices were added. This eventually led to either the winding speed was really unacceptable, or the volume of the yellow crossbow became larger and more unfavorable to carry. So after going around, it finally returned to the method of winding the strings with the double shoulders.
But these attempts are not meaningless...
The method of mechanical ratchet winding is just not suitable for big yellow crossbows, but it is very practical for slashing crossbows and large crossbows.
Because of the severe wear of the gears, some craftsmen began to develop higher-strength alloy steel to provide them with the slash crossbow, which could also be turned into a hand-cranked crossbow.
Because the larger mechanical structure of the yellow crossbow is not suitable and is inconvenient to carry, some craftsmen simply load the mechanical structure on a large crossbow that does not require much movement...
Only the big yellow crossbow, who is not up or down, can only work hard on the bowstrings, crossbow machines, and crossbow arms, update some new materials and use new steel structure triggers.
The crossbow arms of the big yellow crossbow bent little by little, accumulating strength.
Although the sound of the winding string is not small, as long as the distance is more than thirty steps, the sound will almost ripple in the night wind. On the earth plateau, the gap between the above and below is more than thirty steps, and more than fifty steps!
The distance from the opposite earthen plateau is even further away, about seventy or eighty steps.
For ordinary strong crossbows, there is no problem with a hundred steps, but if you have to tie a hand laser to shoot it, the range will definitely be greatly reduced. You may fall into the ditch and will not cause any shocking effect to the Cao army. Of course, if you use a crossbow cart, you will naturally shoot further, but the problem is that a crossbow cart is not something that can be moved by a few people and can move quickly.
Even though the crossbow cart carried the wheels, it was so big after stumbled all the way at night...
The big yellow crossbow is different. It just so happens that two people can shoot the bow, then one person ignites the fire, and one person shoots the fire, plus two people as backups, carrying crossbow arrows and grenades, a perfect four-person group!
It’s a discount, and it’s almost like a howitzer within 300 steps!
Zhu Ling signaled the guards beside him to fill in the crossbow arrows for the big yellow crossbow.
A grenade was tied to the middle part of the crossbow arrow.
The long gunpowder lead was unbuttoned and hung below.
Zhu Ling wagged his head and signaled the guard to ignite the fire.
This kind of launch method does not ensure that every launch can be detonated smoothly. After all, it may be that the lead is blown out by the wind in the air, or the lead is hit when it lands, etc., which will not be able to ignite the gunpowder smoothly, but seven out of ten can still be detonated eventually...
The sound of the big yellow crossbow is crisp and loud, but compared to the sound that sounds after a moment, it is a slight witch.
The grenade sounded loudly, and in the quiet night, it was like the earth shaking!
The development of grenades has reached the fourth generation.
This relatively small object will naturally be updated faster.
In history, grenades appeared at the end of the Tang Dynasty. There were records of being equipped in the army during the Song Dynasty. Then, with the Yuan Dynasty Mongolian soldiers spread to Western Europe. Don’t think that the Yuan Dynasty Mongolia could only ride and shoot. Yuan Mongolia was more open-minded in military terms than the later Jianzhou Jurchens, or prefer the use of new weapons and technologies. Of course, Yuan Mongolia was even more serious in terms of civil affairs and the Jianzhou Jurchens, and they were all very bad. If the Jianzhou Jurchens had a magical artifact, sweet potatoes, and they continued their lives...
It’s a pity that it didn’t last for a few years at the end of the Ming Dynasty. But then again, in the political environment of the late Ming Dynasty, sweet potatoes were difficult to promote on a large scale.
Nowadays, the craftsman system, technology research and development, etc. under Fei Qian's rule are relatively at a historical high. At least it is much ahead of the artisan system in Shandong. Moreover, this kind of advancement is recorded and unified standards, which can be traced and copied.
Huang's workshop has established a complete set of standard processes, with corresponding records from raw materials to final products. Unlike the previous craftsmen who did things based entirely on experience, this allows relatively smooth communication and handover between craftsmen and craftsmen, and R&D can naturally be carried out in a team manner, rather than being single craftsmen to get into the bride's stubbornness.
The grenades have now become forged iron sheets from the original bamboo and wood structure. The black gunpowder filled with grenades is difficult to ensure the stable quality of each batch of black gunpowder due to the limitations of the raw materials and basic chemical technology. Therefore, the biggest difference between the fourth-generation grenade and the third-generation grenade is not a major improvement in the manufacturing process of grenades, but a further step in the selection of black gunpowder. Only black gunpowder with greater power and better effect is provided for the fourth-generation grenade filling, so strictly speaking, it should be three or five generations?
The quiet night, the sweet dream, and the movement of the sky and the earth suddenly made Cao Jun’s camp look like a hornet’s nest that was poked hard, and it was buzzing and messy!
The military system of Cao's army was still the original model of the Han Dynasty. The elite generals' private military department had the first class, and the auxiliary soldiers of various counties were second class, and the third class was ordinary civil servants' labor service, with one level over the next. The lowest-level civil servants accounted for more than half of the labor service. These civil servants were usually responsible for the heaviest labor service, but they had the least food and rest.
The body was exhausted and not sufficient energy to replenish, the human spirit was naturally extremely fragile. So, the first chaotic area in the Cao army camp was the labor force of the civil servants who had finally fallen asleep. After Zhu Ling shot the first grenade, Zhu Ling's subordinates on the other side also followed the same gourd and shot the grenade towards the opposite earth plateau. The huge sound echoed on the earth plateau. The explosion without warning caused the labor force of the civil servants who came from the counties, who had never seen or knew about gunpowder, to panic and instinctively began to avoid and escape!
Cao Hong, the commander of the Cao army's vanguard, rolled down from the couch with a striking sound amid the initial explosion. Then he subconsciously thought that Fei Qian's subordinates had sneaked into the camp and grabbed the sword and shield beside the couch and crossed it in front of him, and then he calmed down slightly.
『What happened?!』
Cao Hong came to his senses and shouted, but the next moment, countless sounds surged and poured into his ears!
"The thief attacked at night!"
『Protect the General!』
『Please general…』
"boom!"
"boom!"
『Oh my god...』
"Called...
『Run quickly…』
It seemed that everyone was yelling, but everyone couldn't hear, or they didn't listen to what others were saying, just yelling and venting the fear in their hearts.
The entire Cao Jun camp was suddenly in chaos!
『Form a formation! Form a formation!』 Cao Hong rushed out of the tent, then slapped his guard, approached his ear and shouted, "Roll the gong immediately, form the formation!"
Cao Hong showed off his banner almost the first time and began to gather soldiers.
The sound of gongs sounded, and the drums roared, covering up all the panic shouts.
At least temporarily...
Cao Hong knew about gunpowder, and he also carried some gunpowder himself. After the initial panic, Cao Hong also reacted and asked the guards to go to the rear camp to check the gunpowder situation. Then he found that the sound of the explosion was coming from the direction of Hangu in front, so he took a breath and felt a little relieved.
But the problem is that Cao Hong and Cao Hong's elite Cao army more or less know about gunpowder, but most of the auxiliary soldiers of the county and ordinary labor-serving civilians do not know what gunpowder is!
In the cognition of these people, this is the sound that only when the sky collapses and the earth breaks!
The policy of fooling the people is indeed very easy to use at some point, but at present, its disadvantages appear.
Implementing the policy of fooling the people is actually very convenient for Shandong officials. Although some Shandong officials will also lament the stupidity of the people, when they are asked to do things, they will still habitually choose to deceive, deceive, and fool the people, because it is so simple and effective, and the most important thing is to save trouble.
People without knowledge and information sources do not mean they are not curious. So once they start explaining, they will find that there are 100,000 whys waiting. In this case, even some Shandong officials occasionally have whims or are very compassionate, they can't hold on for long.
And now, the consequences are in front of Cao Hong.
When Cao Hong gathered elite soldiers and county soldiers with golden drums, he found that the large number of civil servants were not calmed down. These civil servants either rushed out of the camp and fled to the distance, shouted, and ran around in panic, or stuck out their butts, knelt on the ground and kowtowed and prayed...
Cao Hong's face was as deep as water, "quickly..."
"Boom! Boom!" Before he finished speaking, another continuous roar and explosion sounded in the distance!
The civilians who finally settled down and became more secure in labor, became panicked again!
"Tell me the order!" Cao Hong yelled, and the blue veins on his forehead jumped around, "Those who are in chaos, behead them!"
Killing is the easiest, who can't?
The soldiers under his command immediately responded and went to the civilians and men in the camp with murderous intent.
It was chaotic all night, and when it was dawn, the Cao army settled down again.
Blood filled the earthen plateau.
The grenades thrown by Zhu Ling's side actually did not kill many people directly. They were just used to blow up the ambush Cao Hong's ambushing under Danzi Mountain and Tanyuan Gully, making these ambush unable to catch up. However, the number of Cao's army's own labor service far exceeded the number of casualties caused by Zhu Ling and others.
After dawn, Cao's soldiers scattered and searched everywhere, and naturally found some remaining crossbow arrows and grenades that had not yet been detonated and presented them to Cao Hong.
Cao Hong was quite surprised because he had never thought that the combination of these two things would have such an effect.
How to prevent this?
Send someone to block the soil plate opposite?
How to block such a large plateau?
Then did the Hussar soldiers come around from other directions?
More ranger guard posts are added at night?
So how do soldiers rest?
Cao Hong looked at the grenade that removed the lead and frowned for a long time. In desperation, in order to avoid the chaos at night, he could only order the camp to retreat five miles, find a new area that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and send people to Cao Cao's place to hurry up.
The original plan to attack Hangu Pass quickly was naturally forced to postpone it...
Chapter completed!