The second wave of "rain of stone bullets" from the Ming army followed.
With the "boom boom boom" explosion and deflagration, more grease spattered, fell onto more tents, and started to catch fire. The number of tents on fire expanded to dozens.
Not only tents, but many side vans also caught fire.
The grain and grass placed on the side carriage ignited a raging fire.
"The sidecar is on fire, rescue the food and grass!"
"Damn it, go put out the fire!"
Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming reacted at the same time.
In addition to grain and grass, these sidecars also carried a large amount of baggage.
These baggage included gunpowder, lead bullets, stone bullets, cart components, in addition to a large number of arrows, armor and spear weapons, which could not be missed.
Especially gunpowder. Once the gunpowder is destroyed,
The red cannon they carried immediately became a decoration.
If this were the case, Duduo would never spare them both.
"Quickly put out the fire!" Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming rushed to the southwest corner of the military camp.
"Go and get water quickly!" Geng Jimao shouted, "Only by getting water can we put out the fire!"
"Yes, yes, yes, hurry up and get water!" Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming just woke up from a dream, and quickly stopped and shouted, "Send troops to the river to get water!"
As soon as the military order was issued, the entire military camp became noisy.
Groups of Eight Banners Han troops rushed to the valley outside the camp with various instruments.
However, it was already November in winter, and the valley water had already frozen, but fortunately the ice layer was not thick, so the Eight Banners and Han soldiers found hammers, stones and other blunt objects to break open the ice.
However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred.
While the Eight Banners and Han troops were busy fetching water, the rumble of horse hooves suddenly sounded in the night sky, and then the Eight Banners and Han troops felt the ground beneath their feet shaking slightly.
"It's the Ming Army cavalry!"
A Han soldier suddenly roared.
"There is a Ming army cavalry charging over, run!"
Someone took the lead, and the other Eight Banners Han soldiers also threw away their wooden barrels, earthen jars and even sheepskin bags filled with river water, turned around and ran towards the military camp.
At this time, the Eight Banners Han troops in the military camp also discovered the movement outside the camp.
The next moment, rows of cannons were set up on the fence of the military camp.
There were even two groups of Eight Banners and Han troops carrying several red cannons on horse-drawn carriages.
However, this was of no use, because only the rumble of horse hooves was heard, but no Ming cavalry was ever seen, not even a ghost.
A group of Eight Banners Han troops fired randomly outside.
There were also many musketeers firing cannons into the darkness outside the camp.
But the cannonballs and muskets flew not far before disappearing into the darkness.
As for whether it hit the Ming cavalry, only God knows.
At this time, the fire in the southwest corner of the military camp became more intense and was about to get out of control.
Because the Xiangyang artillery of the Ming army kept firing burning stone bullets, creating more fires in the barracks of the Eight Banners and Han troops, but the Eight Banners and Han troops could not find enough water to extinguish the fire for a while.
When Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming saw that this was not going to work, they immediately split up.
Kong Youde led the Han army with the red flag to transfer the baggage, while Geng Zhongming led the Han army with the white flag to dismantle the tents outside the southwest corner of the camp, trying to clear a firebreak as soon as possible. In addition, he also asked the Han army from the other two flags to
The soldiers were divided into two groups, one flag was responsible for covering, and the other flag was responsible for fetching water and extinguishing the fire.
After being busy for almost two hours, the Ming army finally stopped and stopped firing.
Because the "Xiangyang Cannon" of the Ming Army could only hit more than a hundred steps, no matter how far it was, it could not reach it.
So after burning the southwest corner of the Eight Banners Han Army camp, the Ming Army had no choice but to rest.
After the Ming army withdrew, almost all the burnable objects in the southwest corner of the military camp were burned, and the fire was quickly extinguished.
However, this corner of the military camp has been completely reduced to ashes, including more than 50 tents, more than 50 sidecars and all the food and grass baggage loaded on them. This wave of losses is huge.
…
On the top of a hill in the distance.
Zhu Cijiong asked with some confusion: "Father, our army's night guard has blocked the battlefield. The Han army who founded the slaves now dare not leave the camp to fight with our army. Even so, why can't the catapults continue?
What about advancing forward? If we advance another fifty steps, we can burn at least half of the slave camp."
Chongzhen shook his head and said: "You forgot that Jiannu and Hongyi cannon were there."
"I have not forgotten it," Zhu Cijiong said, "but it is night now, and the red barbarian cannons of Jiannu cannot aim, and the lethality will be greatly weakened, so there is nothing to fear."
"The weakened lethality does not mean that there is no lethality." Chongzhen shook his head.
"If the Jiannu were really pushed into a hurry and arranged more than 180 red cannons in a row and fired at our catapult position at the same time, then it would not be a matter of just a few deaths."
"My father only has these three thousand fine knights."
"If one dies, one will be lost. We can't afford it."
After a pause, he said with a smile: "Besides, the war has just begun, and there are still many opportunities in the future. After all, there are still four to five hundred miles from here to Tongguan. We have plenty of time and opportunities to defeat Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming."
There are more than ten thousand Eight Banners and Han troops who are killing them one by one, so why bother?"
"But..." Zhu Cijiong frowned and asked, "Will there be such a good opportunity in the future?"
"Of course." Chongzhen smiled slightly and added, "Unless Jiannu can fly over from the sky or give up his plan to go to Tongguan, they will have no choice but to be beaten, haha."
…
The sky finally brightened.
The Eight Banners Han Army sent a force of 3,000 infantry to occupy the hilltop in the southwest corner.
At this moment, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and Wu Shojin and other four Gushan'erzhen were on the back of the hill, looking at the Xiangyang cannon in front of them, which had been abandoned by the Ming army, with dark faces.
This Xiangyang gun is really... extremely crude.
Except for a bracket and a long swing arm, there is nothing else.
However, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and the others were veteran generals on the battlefield after all, and it was immediately obvious that the Ming army should have removed the drawstrings and throwing blues at both ends of the swing arms.
This is a hand-pulled Xiangyang cannon.
Through a dozen or even dozens of soldiers pulling the pull rope at the same time, and then using the lever principle of swinging the arm, the "incendiary bomb" tied to the throwing basket at the other end is launched.
No wonder it can only be thrown more than a hundred steps away.
If this were replaced by the hinge-type Xiangyang cannon built by the Mongols in the past, it could throw a 150-pound stone bullet more than 300 steps away, and the stone bullet could hit the ground to create a seven-foot-deep pit!
[In the Ming Dynasty, 1 step = 1.6 meters, and each step of the left and right feet is one step]
Thinking of this, Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming both felt happy secretly.
Fortunately, the Ming cavalry only carried the crudest Xiangyang cannon. If they had carried hinged Xiangyang cannons, their losses would have been even greater last night, and they might have lost a quarter of their food and baggage.
Even so, one-tenth of the food and baggage was lost last night.
The two traitors are deeply aware that the situation is serious and cannot continue like this.
Kong Youde said: "We have to think of a way, otherwise we may not be able to reach Tongguan."
Geng Zhongming sighed: "Well, it would be easier if the Eight Banners and Mongolia were here."
"Aren't you talking nonsense?" Kong Youde said angrily, "Now let's think about how to remedy this."
Geng Jimao suddenly interjected: "Dad, uncle, I think it's better for us to return to Luoyang and stay there. King Yu will naturally send people back to investigate if Hongyi Cannon can't wait. Then he will know that we are in trouble, and then
They will send Eight Banners Mongolia and even Eight Banners Manchuria back to support them."
"Get out!" Geng Zhongming kicked him hard again.
"Do you really think that fighting is a child's play? Just retreat when you say retreat?"
You cannot go back to Luoyang even if you die.
If the Hongyi cannon and grain and grass baggage could not be transported to Tongguan in time, and Duduo was defeated in Tongguan, it would be the death of the Kong and Geng families.
Kong Youde said: "It's better to send someone quickly to ask for help from King Yu."
Geng Zhongming said: "There is no problem in sending people to ask for help, but I am afraid that as soon as we go out here, we will be hunted by the Ming army over there. As you know from last night's battle, this group of Ming soldiers are very good at riding and shooting."
"Then send a few more couriers." Kong Youde said, "One of us can always escape."
Geng Zhongming nodded and said: "Then send all our servants out."
Before Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi surrendered and became slaves, they had at least a thousand servants. However, after they surrendered and became slaves, these servants were stripped by Huang Taiji and turned into slaves.
But Huang Taiji didn't take away all of them, and still left fifty for them.
At that moment, Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming summoned all fifty servants under their command.
Geng Zhongming even called Geng Jimao over and said with a dark face: "Boss, you go too."
"Ah?" Geng Jimao's face turned pale with fright when he heard this, and he thought to himself, "Dad, I am not your biological child, am I? You want me to go out and die at this time? Do I still have humanity left?"
"Ah, what?" Geng Zhongming said in a low voice, "You have good riding skills and a clever mind. I'm worried that the other servants will be intercepted and killed by the Ming army. At this time, I can only rely on you."
"Yes, let the other servants cover you." Kong Youde also patted Geng Jimao on the shoulder twice, and then said earnestly, "My eldest nephew, the prosperity and wealth of our Geng and Kong families are all tied to you. I believe you can do it, and you will definitely be able to convey the news to King Yu."
Geng Jimao smiled bitterly.
…
Duduo has chased him to Xia Shiguan at the northern foot of Mount Wei.
The remnants of the Dashun Army of Yuan Zongdi and Chen Yongfu were finally overtaken by Jiannu, and the two sides fought another battle at Xia Shiguan. Needless to say, the final result was that the Dashun Army suffered another defeat.
Moreover, this failure at Kip Shek Pass was different from the previous two.
In the first two times, whether in Weihui Mansion or Huaiqing Mansion, the losses were not big.
But this time, the Dashun Army suffered a decisive defeat. The more than 20,000 old soldiers could not withstand the strong attack of the Eight Banners Manchuria. When they retreated, they could not escape the pursuit of the Eight Banners Mongolia. The entire army was almost destroyed.
Even Yuan Zongdi, the founder of the business, was shot dead by the Eight Banners Mongolia.
In the end, less than 300 remaining soldiers followed Chen Yongfu and fled to Tongguan.
But even so, Dodo still has no intention of slowing down.
"Send the order, don't give the bandits a chance to breathe, they must rush to Tongguan within three days!" Duduo even had a vague ambition in his heart. According to the current momentum, maybe there is no need to wait for the Hongyi cannon, just With the Eight Banners of Manchuria and the Eight Banners of Mongolia, we can take Tongguan in one go and then march into Xi'an!
If this is the case, hypocrisy is not far from destruction.
After destroying the puppets and shuns, they will turn around and head south to attack Hanzhong and Huguang, and then move down the Yangtze River from Huguang to Nanjing. By then, Nanming will be wiped out with one blow. In this way, both the puppets and shuns and the south and the Ming will be under his control. After defeating him, with such unparalleled achievements, the fourteenth brother will be crowned emperor one day. Maybe he will have a chance to become the emperor's younger brother.
Thinking of this, Duduo couldn't help but feel very good.
…
Duduo was in a good mood, and Chongzhen was in a good mood too.
Although I don’t know the specific results of the battle, judging from the intensity of the fire, the losses suffered by the Eight Banners and Han Army last night were definitely not small. According to this strategy, the Eight Banners and Han Army would have to fall apart if they could not reach Tongguan.
The only drawback is that I spent a lot of money last night.
The Ming army was too excited to control their ammunition consumption.
Before coming to Henan, Chongzhen specially prepared two thousand gunpowder cans and eight thousand kilograms of animal fat. Because of this, almost all the pigs and sheep in Xuzhou were sold out.
These two thousand gunpowder jars and eight thousand kilograms of grease were carried on packhorses, along with two months' worth of dry food.
This time when he went deep into western Henan, Chongzhen was really fully prepared. Not only did he bring enough dry food for two months, but he also prepared gunpowder cans and animal fats in advance.
But last night, four hundred gunpowder jars were knocked out in one go.
"This won't work." Chongzhen said to Jin Xuan, "Jin Qing, you have to let the soldiers save some money. We only brought a total of two thousand gunpowder cans. When we use them up, we can only use the empty city strategy."
Jin Xuan said with some shame: "Your Majesty, it's all my fault for my carelessness."
"I don't blame you, I didn't think of it." Chongzhen said with a smile, "But just be careful in the future. Let's do this. You directly give the order to the whole army. You can only shoot a hundred gunpowder cans at most every night. So, They had better think carefully about how to make good use of these hundred gunpowder jars to damage the slaves' baggage as much as possible."
"Yes, I will give the order." Jin Xuan nodded and said, "But Your Majesty, I still have something that I don't understand."
Chongzhen smiled and said: "Do you want to ask me if you can't destroy the Hongyi cannon even if you continue like this?"
"Yes." Jin Xuan nodded and said, "Last night Jiannu was not prepared, so the loss was a bit bigger, but from tonight onwards Jiannu will be careful, and the loss will not be that big. What's more important is that
, this method of attack will at most burn some of the baggage of the slave builders, but it will not cause much damage to the slave builders' personnel and the red barbarian cannons."
"No, Jin Qing, you have overlooked one point." Chongzhen's expression became serious, "It takes a process to move from quantitative change to qualitative change, and it does not happen overnight. What we are doing now is this accumulation process."
"What does it take to move from quantitative change to qualitative change?" Jin Xuan seemed to have a clear understanding after hearing this.
Quantitative change? Qualitative change? Why haven’t I heard this before?
