Even if he talks about war on paper, Zhu Houzhao knows the war.
Twenty Fran cannons were arranged in a row. Zhu Houzhao walked over and looked at it again and again. He patted the barrel and said: "It is about the same size as the 'Little General Gun', but this gun is more beautiful. The 'Little General Gun' is five short in stature and similar in shape."
Wu Dalang: Your Fo Lang cannon is Pan Jinlian, tall and thin, with a very graceful figure."
It is simply shocking to judge the differences in artillery in this way.
Wang Yuan explained: "Your Majesty, the advantage of this gun is its fast rate of fire. It can fire at least sixteen shots in a quarter of an hour (14 minutes and 24 seconds). A skilled gunner can even fire more than twenty shots!"
The ancestor of modern artillery is recognized as the Yuan Dynasty mortar. Europe learned it from the Mongols, and Zhu Yuanzhang also learned it from the Mongols.
When Zhu Yuanzhang competed with Zhang Shicheng, he used forty artillery pieces in his attack on Suzhou. He also used artillery pieces in his Poyang Lake water battle with Chen Youliang.
At that time, both China and the West had the same pursuit of artillery. The thicker the better, the bigger the better. They were mainly used to attack fortified cities. But after the Mongols were driven back to the grasslands, heavy artillery had no place to use. The Ming army's artillery began
Rapid miniaturization, paying more attention to the maneuverability of the artillery.
As a result, there are "general guns" of various calibers, which are small and medium-sized field mortars. You can understand them as enlarged versions of Yongle hand guns.
In the Chenghua period alone, the Three Bureaus of the Central Committee produced "three hundred generals of various types." At that time, each Shanxi garrison had 600 "big and small general guns" - note that the "general guns (guns) of the Zhengde period"
)" is not the same weapon as the "general cannon" of the Jiajing and Wanli years.
Zhu Houzhao asked carefully how to use the Fo Lang machine gun, and said with itch: "Quickly fire a few cannons and try."
Wang Yuan immediately asked his gunners, with the assistance of the Fo Langji gunner, to fire five shots from the same cannon.
Zhu Houzhao was overjoyed: "Sure enough, he can shoot fast and far!"
This is certain, the Folang machine gun is a rear-loading cannon, and the Ming Dynasty general gun is a front-loading mortar.
The mortar has a short range and high power, and is more useful for destroying city walls, but it is obviously not suitable for use as a small field cannon.
When the Ming army fought with the Mongols, they did not shoot with artillery in advance. Instead, they waited for the Mongols to break through the fire net of muskets and crossbows, and then suddenly fired mortars at close range, often firing iron sand, iron flakes, stones, etc.
A shotgun blast is a big fucking piece.
The timing of the attack is earlier than the javelin throw.
From a certain perspective, the Ming Dynasty's various general muskets are actually more useful than Fran cannons. Because the Mongols mainly rely on cavalry, and most of them are light cavalry in loose formations. The mortars that fire shotguns can instantly
Cause more damage!
Wang Yuan suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, I wonder if the Shenji Camp has ever been stationed together?"
Zhu Houzhao shook his head and said: "They are scattered among the various capital camps and have not been concentrated."
Wang Yuan suggested: "The Shenji battalion can be used together, and the cavalry should also be concentrated."
The Shenji Battalion in the Ming Dynasty initially numbered three thousand, but after Yu Qian reformed the Beijing Camp, the number of thousands actually exceeded three thousand. However, it was rarely used intensively on the battlefield, but was dispersed among various battalions for coordination with multiple arms.
In combat, the same goes for artillery, which is either used to defend the city or dispersed among various troops.
Only Zhu Di's personal campaign could focus on using blunderbuss, artillery and cavalry.
In the Battle of Hulanhu, 30,000-horse cavalry charged against the Ming army. Zhu Di gathered the Shenji battalion and fired five rounds of firecrackers. Various large and small general cannons fired in volleys, instantly disrupting the enemy's formation. The Ming army
The cavalry on both wings took the opportunity to rush out and defeated tens of thousands of Mongolian cavalry in one fell swoop.
Somehow, by the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the artillerymen and artillerymen of the Shenji Battalion were actually dispersed to various units.
The same is true for cavalry, because there are fewer and fewer horses, and it is difficult to form large-scale cavalry units. The generals of each guard station regard the cavalry under their command as treasures, and are not willing to use them for centralized command by others.
But this time is different, because the general in command is the emperor!
"If Erlang has any idea, just say it directly." Zhu Houzhao said.
Wang Yuan said: "Your Majesty, I want to take command of the Shenji Battalion. When it comes to battle, all cavalry units should be united together, and I will provide unified command."
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and said: "Yes, you are a man who knows the troops. I can transfer the Shenji Battalion immediately, but there is nothing the cavalry can do for the time being. We will wait until all the ministries gather."
Part of the Shenji Battalion was led by Zhang Yong and stationed at the Datong vanguard; the other part of the Shenji Battalion was led by Zhu Houzhao himself and was stationed at Yanghewei.
According to this kind of military deployment, Zhu Houzhao still cherished his life.
Even though he was at the forefront of the Great Wall, with the Beijing camp led by Zhang Yong to the west and Wang Yuan leading troops to the east, it was not too dangerous if the emperor was surrounded - provided that he could hold on for a while.
He collapsed before reinforcements arrived.
After the exchange between the monarch and his ministers, Wang Yuan's military strength was expanded again.
Eunuch Zhang Zhong led the Shenji Battalion to move to Tiancheng Guard for Wang Yuan to dispatch at will. There were 3,500 fire muskets in total, and 30 small general cannons (field mortars).
The eunuch Wei Bin led three thousand battalions to move to Tiancheng Guard for Wang Yuan to dispatch at will. There were a total of two thousand armored cavalry (wearing only mail armor).
Zhu Houzhao had five hundred cavalry beside him, all of which were heavy cavalry, expanded from the two hundred leopard room cavalry. One-third of these five hundred heavy cavalry were Mongolians. Zhu Houzhao often trained in Mongolian clothing himself.
Emperors of the Ming Dynasty, as long as they liked to fight, especially liked to wear Mongolian clothes. Even Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty had a portrait of him wearing Mongolian clothes.
In the next month, Wang Yuan spent time training his troops, mainly training on the cooperation between various arms.
Zhu Houzhao was getting more and more anxious, because the eighth month of the lunar calendar was already the mid-autumn season, and the little Mongolian prince might arrive at any time.
But in September, there was no sign of the Mongols. Zhu Houzhao was afraid that he would wait a year in vain!
Zhu Houzhao ordered the Nine Border Guard Station to send out scouts every day to inquire about the military situation. If there is any enemy situation, they must report immediately.
Time passed little by little, and it was October in the blink of an eye. Wang Yuan had been training troops in the border areas for more than forty days.
finally come!
"Report!"
"Reporting to the mighty general, the Mongolian army has been discovered in Yulin. The enemy invaders crossed the Great Wall in three ways. The exact number is unknown, but they are at least tens of thousands. They have now bypassed the Yulin Guards and are burning, killing and looting everywhere!"
"Finally here," Zhu Houzhao complained with joy and anger, "This little Mongolian prince is too disrespectful. I personally guard Yanghe, why doesn't he join the invaders from Yanghe?"
The Mongolian army did choose to attack Datong Town.
However, Zhu Houzhao and Wang Yuan were stationed in the northeast of Datong Town, while the little Mongolian prince entered from the northwest of Datong Town.
The little Mongolian prince did not attack the guard at all. Instead, he bypassed the border guard and burned, killed, and looted property and people everywhere.
In the past, as long as the Mongols did not attack the Acropolis, the border guards would be too lazy to attack. When the Mongols had plundered enough, they would leave. The border troops would then go out of the city to "recover the lost territory", or follow them across the Great Wall and kill some Mongolian herdsmen as military merit and report them to the court.
.
The Mongolian herdsmen on the border between the two countries were also miserable. They were not qualified to accompany the Ming army to rob them. Instead, they were often killed by Ming officers for taking credit.