After a while, Yunxi said: "I have had a brief understanding of the current method of casting cannons in the imperial court. It is similar to what you said. It is about the same. Afterwards, you can discuss with the officials of the Ministry of Industry whether there are any improvements."
After that, Yunxi casually asked him about his opinions on the use of firearms. Liu Mingzhao recommended Li Cheng to be an official in the Hanzhiwei Yulin Left Guard at that time. In addition to saying that he was good at making firearms, it was also because he was also unique in using firearms to fight.
Yunxi asked as usual. However, Yunxi didn't think Li Cheng really had any insights.
But Li Cheng gave Yunxi a surprise. "Your Majesty, I think that the cannons are just fine. The method of use is not much different from the catapults used many years ago. You can still use it; but the firecrackers cannot be regarded as a simpler method."
crossbow."
"The range of the hand crossbow is not as good as that of the fire blunderbuss. You have to use a very complicated foot-operated crossbow to shoot farther than the fire blunderbuss; but the hand crossbow is more accurate than the fire blunderbuss. After the fire blunderbuss's projectiles fly out, you don't even know it."
Where will it fall?"
"So the method of using fire blunderbuss cannot be the same as that of hand crossbows. To use fire blunderbuss, the soldiers must line up in a neat queue, crowded together, and when facing the enemy, walk forward until they are within the range of the fire blunderbuss.
Stop and let the generals give orders with the help of gongs and drums, and at the same time fire projectiles at the enemy. Only in this way can the fire blunderbuss be used."
"Even when facing enemy infantry and archers attacking, it is the same. Projectiles must not be fired before the enemy reaches the range of the fire cannon. Violators must be severely punished. Projectiles can only be fired after the enemy enters the range of the fire cannon.
Facing a volley of fire and cannons, few armies in the world can continue to charge, and they will inevitably retreat. At this time, dispatching cavalry to pursue them will definitely lead to a complete victory."
"If you are facing cavalry, since the reloading of the muskets is very slow, the enemy troops will rush to the front of the formation before the second round of volleys can be reloaded. Therefore, they must be used in conjunction with spearmen or spearmen to form a square formation. Grassland people
Although I have never used it, I have roughly drawn up a square array." As he said that, he described the square array in his mind and took out a piece of paper to draw it.
The more Yunxi listened, the more surprised he became. Isn't this a type of phalanx composed of pikemen and musketeers used by the Fufu people in history? And the formation mentioned before, isn't it just lining up to be shot?
He suddenly took a different look at Li Cheng. The phalanx at the back was nothing more than that. Since ancient times, various phalanxes have been used against cavalry whether useful or not, but the lining up to shoot in front can be regarded as an invention.
At the same time, Yunxi also had some doubts in his heart: If Li Cheng was so capable, he would be very famous in history. Why has he never heard of this person?
What he didn't know was that after being captured by the Ming Dynasty, Li Cheng was also reused by Zhu Di because he was good at making firearms. He later became an official and became the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. However, there is no biography of him in the history of the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty Records
There are very few records about him, so his reputation is not obvious.
Li Cheng continued: "It's just that if the firecrackers are to line up to meet the enemy or form a large formation with the spearmen, the training of the soldiers must also be stricter. The firecrackers must be trained to face the enemy when they are marching.
You should not be afraid of the enemy's crossbows, stones or even cannonballs, and your ranks should be neat and even your steps should not be messed up. If someone is killed by the enemy, the people in the back row must step forward to catch up, until they are within the range of the fire cannon, and follow the general's orders.
Order to fire projectiles."
"The requirements for forming a square formation will be looser, but we must also train diligently so that the soldiers can quickly and accurately change formations and not be disrupted by the arrival of enemy cavalry."
Li Cheng finally said with some regret: "If the soldiers are to be trained in this way, they must know their righteousness and their kindness, and reward them with generous rewards, so that the soldiers will serve their lives. When my father tried to usurp the throne, he did not have any righteousness.
, and the poor people of the country cannot give generous rewards to the soldiers, so except for the elite guard in the hands of my late father, it is impossible for the other soldiers to be trained in this way. If there was such an army in Annan last year, the number would not be more than 5,000. Even if
In the end, we will still lose to the Ming Dynasty, but we will definitely leave a deep impression on the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty."
Because he admired Li Cheng, Yunxi couldn't help but joke: "There is no need to have such an army. Annan's army blocked the army in Duobang City for more than a month and prevented it from going south. It has already left a deep impression on the army."
Li Cheng didn't know that Yunxi was joking. He immediately mistakenly thought that Yunxi was dissatisfied with what he said. He immediately knelt down and said, "The common man is in trouble."
"Li Aiqing is dead." Yun He said: "I don't mean to blame you. You are right. If there is such an army, it can deal with tens of thousands of people by surprise, causing heavy casualties to the army, comparable to that of Ping Zhang.
war."
"In the battle of the army to conquer Annan, Annan's soldiers performed very well. If it were not for the defense adjustment, I am afraid it would have taken two more months for the army to capture Duobang City, and the battle would have been delayed for many more days."
Yunxi briefly commented on the performance of Annan's army and brought the topic back: "What you said about the firecrackers lining up alone and forming a square formation with the spearmen is very reasonable and worth a try."
"I allow you to join the Yulin Zuowei as a general, and temporarily join the guard staff's duties to assist the commander and other generals in training the army according to your ideas."
Yunxi has long wanted to promote queuing and shooting in the army. Last year, he changed the training methods of the Imperial Guards and accelerated the equipment of firearms to prepare for this. However, the training had not been completed at that time, so there were no changes for the time being. Now it is just right
Promote it through Li Cheng's method.
Of course, in the future, the Ming army may fight in many complex terrains, and many places may not have room for firecrackers to form formations, so they must continue to study other combat methods.
'In the future, there will be eleven direct guards, one of whom will be artillery guard, one or two will be cavalry guard, and the rest will be infantry guard.' Yunxi thought.
"In addition, Li Aiqing also went to the Ministry of Industry to discuss the method of making firearms with the officials who supervised the making of firearms. If there is any merit, I will add you as the head of the Ministry of Industry to help make firearms." Yunxi said to Li Cheng again.
said.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Li Cheng immediately knelt down and said.
"Li Aiqing, although you were once from Annan and even led troops to fight against the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty is the kingdom of China. I am not a narrow-minded person and will not care about the past. What's more, you have become a citizen of the Ming Dynasty. Now
You are a true citizen of the Ming Dynasty. As long as you serve the Ming Dynasty with peace of mind, I will never be biased."
"Your Majesty has such a broad mind that ordinary people will definitely serve the Ming Dynasty wholeheartedly and will never dare to hide any personal secrets." Li Cheng added.
Yunxi smiled because of his flattery, said a few more words, and let him go.
