The civil servants and nobles were very curious about the strange army Zhu Gaoyuan talked about.
Then soon, they knew what this so-called cavalry was.
"Is this it?" Wang Guoxing, the commander of the Imperial Guard, pointed at the elephant in the elephant room and asked dumbfounded, "Is this the surprise weapon that the Holy One mentioned?"
Wu Linzheng and other officials also looked disappointed.
What good can dozens of elephants do? Elephant cavalry?
I heard that Burma, Siam and other countries really have elephant cavalry, and they charge into battle with unstoppable force.
But the problem is that training elephant cavalry is hundreds of times more difficult than training cavalry. Even a god would never be able to train dozens of elephants into war elephants in such a short period of time.
There is no driver or equipment to control the elephant.
"It's too late." Wu Linzheng sighed again, "It's too late."
"There's enough time." Zhu Gaoyuan said calmly, "Because I never thought of building an elephant cavalry to join the battle, but just wanted to use these dozens of elephants to launch a fire array to attack the three major camps!"
"Fire Formation?!" Wu Linzheng and others looked at each other.
In ancient times, there was a fire-ox formation in a field, but now the Holy One wants to make a fire-elephant formation, is that okay?
"Yes, the fire elephant formation." Zhu Gaoyuan said with a smile, "My dear friends, you may wish to imagine that when dozens of elephants with their buttocks and tails on fire rushed out of Zhengyang Gate, rushed into the military formation of the three major camps and rampaged
What will it look like?"
"What will happen when hundreds of barrels of gunpowder tied to dozens of elephants explode?"
"At this time, if you and I, the emperor and our ministers, swarm out of the Zhengyang Gate, there is no need to fight at all. We only need to charge forward with our horses and swords, and we can kill all the three camps that are helping the evildoers!"
"It turns out to be such a fire formation!" Wu Linzheng and others couldn't help but get excited.
Wang Jiayan and Jin Xuan, however, looked at Zhu Gaoyuan with surprised expressions. The Holy Lord actually knew the soldiers? I had never heard of it.
Zhu Gaoyuan began to give orders: "Wang Daban, immediately make a fire to make rice, and bring out the preserved meat, pickles and imperial wine from the imperial kitchen. I want to reward all the troops!"
"Old slave, I obey." Wang Chengen left in a hurry with dozens of eunuchs.
Zhu Gaoyuan added: "Captain Prince Consort, he led his men to collect wood to make a simple double-parallel harness, and tied the elephants in the elephant room in pairs with the simple harness."
"Then tie and secure several barrels of gunpowder to the equipment."
"Place a number of fuses in each barrel of gunpowder, and the appropriate burning time is half a stick of incense."
"Collect more linen cloth, grass cloth or cotton clothes, soak them in kerosene and wrap them around the elephant's tail and back."
"Yes." Gong Yonggu left in a hurry after receiving the decree, taking Liu Wenbing and several other noble servants and more than two hundred eunuchs with him because he had too few servants.
Seeing that Zhu Gaoyuan no longer assigned tasks, Wang Jiayan couldn't help but asked: "Your Majesty, what should I do?"
"You should seize the time to rest." Zhu Gaoyuan waved his hand and said, "If you really can't be idle, then seize the time to practice more equestrian skills. Although it is a bit late to practice equestrian skills now, but it is useless to sharpen the gun before the battle. If you are not quick, practice it.
It’s better than not practicing at all, otherwise it’s easier to fall off the horse when you break out.”
"Ah?" Wang Jiayan was stunned when he heard this. How about practicing equestrian at this time?
Zhu Gaoyuan said no more, got on a black horse and started trotting.
Chongzhen had obviously practiced equestrian, and his level was quite high. Zhu Gaoyuan could clearly feel this from the muscle memory remaining in this body.
After running for two laps, Zhu Gaoyuan made an even more surprising discovery.
Chongzhen is not only very good at equestrian skills, but also has excellent physical fitness. Whether it is endurance, reaction or explosive power, he is very good. He obviously received training in his youth.
This is also consistent with historical records.
According to historical records, there was no systematic practice when Chongzhen was King Xin. Because there was no master to teach him, Chongzhen in his teenage years could only spend his time on archery, horse riding and archery.
Chongzhen's physical condition is really good.
It's just that the muscles and bones all over the body are a little stiff.
This is probably caused by spending long hours at the desk reviewing memorials.
This is really an unexpected surprise. In this way, in the brutal breakout battle that follows, Zhu Gaoyuan's chance of surviving will be higher than previously expected.
It is thousands of miles away from Beijing to Nanjing, and it is very likely that you will have to face wind and snow and make circuitous journeys in between.
No one with a strong enough body would be able to withstand such intense marching and fighting. After all, in ancient times when medical treatment was scarce, a small cold could be fatal.
Zhu Gaoyuan beat his horse and galloped on the fence, but Wang Jiayan and other civil servants were unmoved.
During the Ming Dynasty, both civil and military skills were practiced, and even civil servants were mostly skilled in bows and horses. Civil servants such as Lu Xiangsheng and Wang Yangming could even carry swords to kill people in battle formations.
The broadsword used by Lu Xiangsheng to practice martial arts is said to weigh 140 kilograms!
Therefore, civil servants like Wang Jiayan disdain to sharpen their guns in battle.
Not to mention several nobles, military attachés and two commanders of the Royal Guards.
However, Liu Wenbing suddenly remembered something and reported: "Your Majesty, can the minister who broke out of the siege first go to the Chengguo Duke's Mansion to pick up the Crown Prince and Prince Yong and Prince Ding?"
The noble officials around him were slightly moved.
Of course they hope to take over the crown prince, Prince Yong and Prince Ding.
In this case, they can naturally bring their own children.
Zhu Gaoyuan has integrated Chongzhen's memory, so how can he not know what everyone is thinking?
At that moment, Zhu Gaoyuan flatly refused and said: "No, how can we break out of the siege with our children? Let the prince, Yong Wang, Ding Wang and all the parents, wives and children of you who love you have their own destiny."
"Isn't this... bad?" Liu Wenbing said.
Wang Jiayan even questioned loudly: "The prince is the foundation of the country..."
"Who is more important, the prince or the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Gaoyuan said seductively, "If the matter is urgent, you must obey the authority. There is no need for you to say more."
If possible, Zhu Gaoyuan would certainly like to bring Zhu Chong and his three brothers with him. After all, he has now completely integrated Chongzhen's memory, and he also has feelings for Zhu Chong and his three brothers.
But the problem is that Duke Cheng Guo did not leave behind the three Zhu Cixi brothers.
Now the three brothers no longer know where they were taken by the eunuch.
And if you bring Zhu Cixiang and the others, you can't refuse the ministers to bring their wives and children. You can't just allow Chongzhen to reunite his father and son alone, but let the ministers abandon their wives and children? Doesn't that mean he is a single husband?
But if you bring your wife, children, and children with you, that's a big deal.
Therefore, no one should take care of his wife and children, and everyone can only settle down with their destiny.
Zhu Gaoyuan ran more than a dozen laps in the grass field, then dismounted and rested for a while. After half an hour, Wang Chengen and others had already prepared the meal.
Gong Yonggu also armed more than 20 elephants.
The so-called double-parallel equipment is actually a wooden frame without mortise and tenon joints, just tied with hemp rope.
Twenty-eight elephants were divided into fourteen groups. The tails and backs of all elephants were wrapped in cotton cloth. These cotton cloths were dipped in kerosene, and the scent of the oil could be smelled from a long distance away.
Eight sealed powder barrels were bundled on each equipment.
In addition, all the elephants' eyes were blindfolded, and Gong Yonggu was quite careful.
Zhu Gaoyuan is very satisfied with being able to do this in such a short period of time.
Zhu Gaoyuan patted Gong Yonggu on the shoulder and said: "Captain Prince Consort, if you and I, the emperor and our ministers, can break out of the encirclement this time, I will be credited with your first contribution."
"This all depends on the great blessings of the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty and the saints."
Gong Yonggu quickly declined: "How dare I be greedy for God's merits?"
Zhu Gaoyuan smiled slightly, waved his hand and shouted: "Eat first!"
Wang Chengen immediately brought the meals up with a group of eunuchs.
After having had enough wine and food, Zhu Gaoyuan personally led more than 600 "cavalry" in front. Wang Jiayan led more than 500 infantry and drove 28 elephants behind, and went straight to Chaoyang Gate.
The person who was ordered to guard Chaoyang Gate was Zhu Chunchen, Duke of Chengguo.
Zhu Chunchen's ancestor is the famous Jingnan general Zhu Neng, but this guy has long lost the integrity and bravery of his ancestors. Just last night, this guy secretly signed the "open the door to welcome thieves" agreement with Zhang Jinyan, the Minister of War, and other officials.
, just wait until the first day of the new year is over, and then open the city gate at the same time to welcome the thieves into the city.
The bandits stopped attacking the city early this morning, and it was also because of this.
It was almost the beginning of the day, and when Zhu Chunchen was about to give the order to open the door,
Behind him, the sound of horses neighing and people suddenly heard coming from Chaoyangmen Street.
Zhu Chunchen looked back and saw a large group of cavalry rushing towards Chaoyangmen Street.
What is going on? There is such a cavalry in Beijing city? Zhu Chunchen couldn't help but be a little confused.
Just when Zhu Chunchen was confused, a large number of cavalry had already rushed to the top of the city along the horse road. The leader was actually Wang Chengen, the eunuch Bingbi, the eunuch in charge of etiquette and the eunuch in charge of the capital camp.
"There is a will." Wang Chengen shouted sharply.
Zhu Chunchen glanced outside the city, and finally bowed down at the top of the city honestly.
Wang Chengen looked down at Zhu Chunchen and said in a sharp voice: "Zhu Chunchen, Duke of Chengguo, immediately open the Chaoyang Gate, and then rectify the troops and horses of the headquarters to protect the holy driver from the encirclement!"
"Ah? Protecting the Holy Driver to break through?" Zhu Chunchen was stunned when he heard this.
"Mr. Cheng Guo, don't be stunned." Wang Cheng'en said, "Hurry and open the city gate."
"Ah? Oh, okay, okay." Zhu Chunchen woke up from a dream and shouted urgently, "Open the door, open the city gate!"
Accompanied by Zhu Chunchen's roar, the suspension bridge hanging on the moat slowly lowered, the thousand-pound gate of the outer gate of the urn city was slowly twisted, and the double-open inner city gate was also slowly pushed open.
Zhu Chunchen subconsciously looked outside the city gate.
Outside the Chaoyang Gate, hundreds of bandits and cavalry were lined up in neat columns, waiting to enter the city.
Not far behind these hundreds of rogue cavalry, there were three major battalions of Beijing soldiers. They were a large area, at least hundreds of thousands of them, but their formation was in a mess.
Suddenly, the roar of elephants came from behind.
Zhu Chunchen looked back in surprise,
I saw a group of elephants coming along the street.
What is going on? Zhu Chunchen was even more confused.
