Chapter 706 People of the Ming Dynasty (please subscribe)
Facing Zhu Hongyu's questions, all the Ming army generals remained silent.
Because, they have no good way to deal with the Qing army making a fuss about the canal!
The canal was dug manually, and the water flow was not stable.
Throughout history, even if the canals were carefully maintained throughout the dynasties, blockages often occurred.
Now, as long as the Qing army uses some means, the canal will be blocked. It is really not a difficult matter.
In this regard, the entire Ming army was helpless!
At this moment, Wutuo knelt down on one knee and said to Zhu Hongyu.
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you to lead the cavalry to attack and escort our army!"
"Clean up the Qing troops along the canal and ensure the smooth flow of the canal!"
Facing Wu Tuo's invitation to fight, Zhu Hongyu nodded slightly.
"Can!"
"It's up to you, Wutuo, to lead the troops!"
"However, we must put caution first to avoid falling into the trap of marching or being surrounded by the Qing army!"
Zhu Hongyu persuaded him earnestly.
If he was Obai, since he had sent people out to make a fuss on the canal and hindered the Ming army's advance, why not send another ambush soldier out to try to ambush the Ming army?
No matter whether he can succeed or not, he just needs to hit three shots if he has dates or not!
If it doesn’t work, just withdraw to the capital!
There’s nothing to lose anyway!
Wu Tuo cupped his fists and said.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Wu Tuo will definitely not disappoint Your Majesty!"
After saying that, Wutuo turned around and left.
Not long after, a fine cavalry broke away from the main formation of the Ming army and headed north along the canal to escort the Ming army's transport fleet.
…
On the vast wilderness of Beizhili!
Wutuo galloped on his horse, and behind him were a series of elite cavalrymen of the Ming army.
Accompanied by the sound of hoofbeats, the cavalry roared and galloped.
"Brothers, the first battle to regain the capital begins with us!"
"We must win this battle beautifully, and we must not disappoint His Majesty!"
Wu Tuo said this to the people behind him.
When the people behind him heard this, they also let out bursts of excited screams.
These people are all Manchus or Mongols who surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. They betrayed their own nation and chose to side with the Ming Dynasty.
In order to prove that their choice was correct, and to show their loyalty to their new masters, they would only become more heroic in battle.
A large number of Ming army cavalry galloped along the canal, and the mud splashed on the riverbank trampled by the horses.
The red armor is very conspicuous, but it is also eye-catching!
The weapons made of fine iron reflect dazzling light in the sun, making people afraid to look directly at them.
Just then, a sentry rider came from a distance to report.
"Report to the general, Qing troops have been spotted ahead, destroying the canal embankments!"
When Wutuo heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, he tightened the reins and shouted loudly.
"Brothers, follow me!"
"Kill the enemy!"
"..."
The Ming army's cavalry moved suddenly, like a gust of evil wind, roaring towards the Qing army in front who were destroying the canal embankments.
Wutuo took the lead, his face full of cold killing intent.
…
With a snap, Zhou Tieshu slipped and fell into the mud beside the river embankment.
"Ouch, ouch!"
He held his waist and let out a series of screams.
That moment just now, he fell unconsciously.
He is fifty years old this year, which is definitely considered a long life in this era.
He's already this old, and although the fall won't kill him, it still hurts.
Zhou Tieshu's heart was full of despair. He was already at this age, but he was married by the Qing Dynasty. This old life may really have to be left on the battlefield.
The Qing Dynasty is now facing the sunset. How can these people, who were enslaved by the Qing Dynasty, end up in a good situation?
When the time comes, I'm afraid I won't be driven to fill Daming's wounds!
No, now they are sent out to destroy the canal embankments.
If the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty caught them, why don't they all have their heads chopped off?
Zhou Tieshu was hit so hard that he sat on the ground for a long time and couldn't get up.
Just when he rested for a while and struggled to get up, the Qing sergeant in charge of overseeing the work whipped him over.
"Damn it, if you dare to be lazy again, I will beat you to death!"
The whip struck the skin and made a crisp sound.
A bloodstain suddenly appeared on Zhou Tieshu's back, and blood oozed out.
"ah!"
Zhou Tieshu let out a shrill scream, and the severe pain caused the expression on his face to twist slightly and his body to tremble slightly.
When the other civilians around saw this scene, their expressions changed.
The speed of work has sped up a bit!
"Fuck, have you seen everything?"
"This is what you get for being lazy!"
The Qing army overseeing the work roared hysterically and spat wildly.
His eyes were ferocious and scary, but there was deep fear hidden in them.
These Qing troops led their troops out of the capital and destroyed the canal embankments without any protection.
If this was hit by the Ming army, the consequences would be unimaginable!
He didn't believe that if he fell into the hands of the Ming army, the Ming army would be able to spare him!
Therefore, he can only urge the civilian workers to finish their work quickly, and then they can evacuate quickly.
To avoid being blocked by the Ming army on the bank of the canal.
Zhou Tieshu was whipped, his face kept shaking, and he spoke miserably.
"Master, Master, please tell me to slow down!"
"The fall just now was so hard that I really can't stand up!"
Zhou Tieshu pitifully begged for mercy to the Qing army supervisor.
But the Qing army supervisor was unmoved at all, and with a snap, he whipped up again.
The whip hit Zhou Tieshu directly in the face!
A bloodstain instantly appeared on Zhou Tieshu's face, and bright red blood continued to seep out.
One of his eyeballs was almost blown out!
"Damn it, don't you want to take a break, you old man?"
"Come on, I'll let you rest. You can rest for as long as you want. I'll beat you for as long as you want. As long as you can bear it, you can rest as long as you want!"
As he spoke, the supervisor used all his strength to whip the whip in his hand towards Zhou Tieshu.
Snapped!
Snap!
Bang bang bang!
The sound of whips continued one after another, Zhou Tieshu was beaten and rolled to the ground, and the sounds of wailing and screams continued one after another.
Seeing this, other civilians around him fell silent and continued working, destroying the river embankment.
When the Qing army supervisors saw this, they whipped harder.
He knew that Zhou Tieshu might have really fallen, but was it important?
it is not important!
The supervisor just wanted to whip Zhou Tieshu to scare the monkeys, warn other people, and force them to work harder.
As for whether Zhou Tieshu was wronged or not, the supervisor didn't care!
He wanted to finish the work here quickly and then take people back to the capital to prevent himself from being caught and killed by the Ming army.
For his own safety, if a civilian is beaten to death, he will be beaten to death!
The rest of the Qing army knew this very well.
If they didn't go up and help, it would be considered kind, so how could they dissuade him?
Of course, the common people dare not speak even more!
It was with the tacit consent of everyone that Zhou Tieshu was whipped continuously.
As time goes by, more air begins to come in and less air comes out.
He was about to die, but this Qing army supervisor had no intention of holding back.
Just whipped harder!
The whip kept hitting Zhou Tieshu's body, causing blood and flesh to fly everywhere. Zhou Tieshu fainted from the pain.
After a long time, the supervisor finally stopped whipping.
But it was not because he showed mercy to Zhou Tieshu, but because he was tired from the beating.
The supervisor casually threw the whip on the ground, spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm towards Zhou Tieshu, and then began to rest on his waist.
After resting for a while, the Qing army supervisor saw Zhou Tieshu lying on the ground without any movement. He thought he was dead and smacked his lips.
"Oh, I can't help but beat him!"
"You died in just a few strokes, why don't you rest?"
After saying that, he took out the saber from his waist and walked towards Zhou Tieshu.
Raising the knife, he was ready to chop off Zhou Tieshu's head!
Just as the Qing army overseer raised his sword, everyone suddenly felt the earth shaking.
Looking southward!
The sound of horse hooves, like thunder, sounded from the end of the line of sight.
Just to the south, a large plume of smoke appeared on the plain.
A large red flag of the Ming army was hunting in the wind, which was quite eye-catching.
"kill!"
"Kill the prisoners!"
"..."
An elite knight in armor and armor rushed out of the smoke. His red armor was like a ball of burning flames, making people unable to take their eyes away.
"Kill the prisoners!"
Wutuo took the lead and rushed to the front, with his cloak fluttering in the wind behind him.
He was riding on horseback, but he released his hands, bent his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming in the direction of the Qing army.
His eyes are sharp and aggressive!
…
"ah!"
"The thieves are coming!"
"Line up, prepare to meet the enemy!"
"Run away, the thief is coming!"
"..."
Just the moment they saw the Ming army's banner, the Qing army fell into chaos.
Some people wanted to form a formation to resist, but more people just wanted to escape.
Moreover, those Qing soldiers who were fleeing for their lives were not stupid. They knew that on land, people would definitely not be able to outrun war horses.
Therefore, they jumped into the Grand Canal one after another, hoping to wade across the bank and escape to the other side to avoid the Ming army.
The same was true for the Qing army supervisor who raised his sword to chop off Zhou Tieshu's head. He casually threw his sword aside, turned around and jumped into the Grand Canal as if he was dead.
At this moment, the Ming army's elite cavalry suddenly arrived.
The first thing that came to the heads of these Qing troops who destroyed the canal was a dense rain of arrows.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The arrow flew in, carrying a strong inertia, and easily penetrated the Qing soldier's body.
The sound of the arrow breaking through flesh and blood is extremely clear!
Although the Ming Dynasty equipped these cavalry with muskets, they still preferred to use bows and arrows to kill enemies because of their outstanding cavalry shooting abilities.
To a certain extent, for cavalry, muskets are really not as useful as bows and arrows.
For a skilled archer, regardless of physical strength, he can shoot more than ten arrows per minute.
And what about the musket?
It was too difficult to complete the reloading on a bumpy horseback, and I could only fire one or two rounds per minute at most.
This must be a skilled musketeer!
As for the revolver gun that can fire several rounds with one load, its range and power are not as good as those of bows and arrows due to its processing accuracy and air tightness.
Therefore, the current Ming army cavalry uses bows for those who can use bows, and crossbows for those who cannot use bows. Only those who cannot use bows and crossbows will consider muskets.
Before the invention of breech-loading guns that used metal fixed bullets, bows and arrows were easier to use than muskets for cavalry. This is a fact that does not need to be argued.
The rain of thrown arrows had just ended, followed by sharp sabers and spears.
The saber chops, and with the speed of the charging horses, the cavalry can easily cut off the enemy's head with just a few seconds.
The sharp spear can easily pierce through several people at the same time!
The Qing troops sent out to destroy the river embankments were massacred wantonly. In front of the elite cavalry of the Ming army, the Qing infantry had almost no power to resist.
Before surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, these Manchus and Mongols saw their combat effectiveness drop off a cliff.
After surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, it actually had a bit of the invincible style of when the Eight Banners were less than ten thousand and the people were ten thousand.
When facing these Qing troops, their fierce fighting power was fully demonstrated!
Come and go suddenly, unparalleled in riding and shooting, brave and good at fighting!
Those Qing troops who jumped into the canal in an attempt to escape were not spared. The elite cavalry of the Ming army sat on the bank and fired arrows at the Qing troops floating in the canal.
Collapse! Collapse!
Arrows fell like rain, constantly shooting towards the Qing troops floating in the canal.
The arrow penetrated the flesh and entered the human body. Blood oozed out from the wound, dyeing the water of the Grand Canal blood red.
"Ouch! Ouch!"
"..."
Seeing this, the elite knights of the Ming army let out strange screams of excitement.
Only a small number of Qing troops successfully escaped to the other side. Most of the Qing troops who wanted to wade across the river were shot to death in the canal.
Bodies floating on the river!
After the battle, Wutuo glanced at the battlefield, looking at the large number of kneeling prisoners of war and civilians on the battlefield, and then looking at the corpses lying on the battlefield, his heart was filled with joy.
"Quick, send someone to report the victory to His Majesty!"
"Let's just say that our troops encountered a Qing army in the wild that was destroying the canal, and wiped them out in one fell swoop!"
"Beheaded 130 people, captured 210 prisoners of war, and 1,200 civilians!"
A soldier next to Wu Tuo heard this and hurriedly said:
"twitter!"
However, as soon as such a soldier finished speaking, Wu Tuo whipped him.
"Damn it, who asked you to chat with Qianying!"
"Do you understand if you have to clasp your fists?"
"We are now the Great Tomorrow Soldiers and the King's Division of the Han Family. All the bad habits in the Qing Dynasty Army must be eradicated!"
"Understand?"
Although the soldier was whipped, he didn't complain at all and hurriedly clasped his fists and said.
"Here, I understand, little one!"
"Promise you won't do it again!"
Seeing this, Wutuo nodded slightly with satisfaction and spoke.
"Go and report your victory!"
"..."
…
Zhou Tieshu struggled to open his eyelids that seemed to be stuck with glue, and felt a tearing pain all over his body.
It was the pain from the wound left by the whip after it was struck on his body.
"ah……"
Smelling the smell of disinfectant and the faint smell of blood in the air, Zhou Tieshu moved his body slightly, then tore the wound and let out a hysterical scream.
"It hurts!"
Zhou Tieshu's screams attracted the doctor's attention.
A face wearing a mask came up to Zhou Tieshu and asked.
"woke up?"
"How do you feel about your injury now?"
The doctor asked.
Zhou Tieshu opened his eyes and looked at the gauze wrapped around his body. He felt the pain radiating from all over his body, and his heart was full of confusion and panic.
I couldn't help but ask.
"This...where is this!"
"What's wrong with me?"
Zhou Tieshu's current memory fragments still show that he was whipped continuously by Qing army supervisors until he lost consciousness.
Now when I open my eyes, I have arrived in a strange place.
Naturally, confusion and panic are inevitable!
The doctor took off his mask and explained to Zhou Tieshu.
"This is the Ming Dynasty military camp outside Tianjin. You are currently lying in the Ming Dynasty's wounded soldiers camp."
After Zhou Tieshu heard this, he became more and more confused.
How could he, a common man from the Qing Dynasty, end up lying in the wounded soldiers camp of the Ming Dynasty?
"Why am I here?"
Zhou Tieshu asked again.
The doctor didn't hide anything and told Zhou Tieshu the whole story.
"You were brought back from the canal by my army of the Ming Dynasty King after General Wutuo defeated the Qing troops who destroyed the canal!"
"When he was brought back, he only had one breath left!"
"In order to save you, we military medical officers have worked hard to save you!"
Zhou Tieshu heard this and asked.
"Why do you want to save me? I'm just a civilian husband, a civilian husband of a dog Tatar..."
Zhou Tieshu did not feel that he was worthy of being rescued.
When the military medical officer heard this, he said solemnly.
"You are not a citizen of the Tatars, you are a citizen of the Ming Dynasty!"
"His Majesty has told you personally that we in the Wounded Barracks must do our best to treat you wounded civilians."
"To use His Majesty's exact words, it was my Ming Dynasty's incompetence that led to the Qing Dynasty's invasion of the country, the fall of China, and the fall of the world into chaos, which made the people of the world suffer."
"The purpose of Wang Shi's Northern Expedition now is to save the people who are suffering under the Manchu rule!"
"In His Majesty's eyes, you are not slaves, but my subjects of the Ming Dynasty!"
"It's just because of the incompetence of the imperial court and the loss of troops and territory that you fell into enemy-occupied territory!"
"In the final analysis, you are still the people of Ming Dynasty!"
"Since I can save you, why can't I save you?"
When Zhou Tieshu heard this, tears wet his eyes instantly.
People of Ming Dynasty!
Now there is only one sentence left in his mind, I am a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, not a slave-owning citizen!
The doctor checked Zhou Tieshu's wound recovery again and said.
"Have a good rest. The imperial court is not short of food and medicinal materials to support a wounded man like you."
“The imperial court’s purpose in this Northern Expedition is to regain its homeland and restore the Ming Dynasty’s rivers and mountains!”
"When the imperial court finishes this battle and the slaves are driven out of the country, without the oppression and exploitation of the slaves, good days for the people of the world will come!"
Zhou Tieshu nodded vigorously, tears filling his eyes.
He just said silently in his heart.
"Good times are coming!"
"As long as we defeat the Jian slaves, good times will come!"
This is where the sense of belonging comes from!
Zhou Tieshu, who used to be indifferent to the change of dynasties, now has a sense of belonging to the Ming Dynasty.
…
ps: A big chapter of 5,000 words, please be patient~
Ahem, what the heck, it’s the beginning of the month, so I’m asking the author for a monthly pass.