Chapter 60: Chen Mu's Skills - Ten Thousand Arrows
In ancient times, there was no gasoline, so firewood was usually used to light the fire during marches and battles.
The so-called firewood ointment refers to dry firewood, grass and animal fats.
Among the ointments, fish oil is the best, followed by other animal fats or vegetable oils. Many people have heard of the rumor that South China Sea shark oil will last for thousands of years.
In the Battle of Chibi recorded in "Three Kingdoms", the Sun-Liu alliance used fish ointment as fuel and placed a large amount of firewood and dead wood in the boat. After approaching Cao Jun's chain boat, they lit the boat and rushed towards Cao Jun, thereby burning Red Cliff.
Therefore, anointing items were actually very important strategic material reserves in the early days. They were used by people as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun came out this time and brought a lot with them, so the army already had some in stock.
However, Zhang Fei didn't quite understand why Chen Mu wanted a crossbow. After the soldiers, led by their commanders, followed the orders, he asked in confusion: "Fourth brother, we don't have any archers, why do you need so many bows and arrows?"
Chen Mu smiled mysteriously: "Be a good person."
"oh?"
Zhang Fei became interested: "What good thing?"
Chen Mu thought for a while and said, "Third brother, do you know what you would do if you attack with fire during marching and fighting since ancient times?"
Zhang Fei scratched his head: "What do you ask me to do? Where do I know where to go?"
"Look, let me tell you to study more."
Chen Mu laughed.
Zhang Fei said confidently: "As long as my fourth brother has a smart mind, if I continue to study, wouldn't I take away my fourth brother's job?"
Chen Mu: "..."
What you said makes so much sense, I am speechless.
Zhang Fei laughed loudly: "So fourth brother, if you want to do something, just say it directly, why don't you go around so many twists and turns."
Chen Mu rolled his eyes: "I want to be a rocket."
"Rocket?"
Zhang Fei wondered: "What is that?"
"We'll find out later."
Chen Mu smiled and asked a riddle.
Rockets work on the same principle as torches. The arrows are wrapped in cloth, poured with grease and ignited.
But what is very interesting is that there were no rockets in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The reason is very simple, people at that time had not invented this thing yet.
According to historical records, the first time rockets were used in history was during the Three Kingdoms period, that is, in 228 AD.
During Zhuge Liang's second Northern Expedition, his troops entered Chencang.
Chencang guard general Hao Zhao fired rockets at the Shu army's siege ladder, which set the ladder on fire. The Shu soldiers fell off the ladder and died, leading to the failure of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition.
This is also the first recorded use of ignited arrows in Chinese history.
Before that, according to "Sun Tzu's Art of War: Fire Attack", the commonly used fire attack technique was to rush into the enemy's camp with trains, fire ships, fire oxen, etc., and then throw tinder at close range.
For example, when Tian Dan regained the lost territory of Qi State, he used fire oxen to charge into the battle formation and win victory.
It is now 184 AD, which is 44 years before rockets first appeared in historical records. Naturally, there cannot be rockets.
Chen Mu remembered that before the time travel, there were some gangsters on the Internet who asked Zhuge Liang why Cao Cao didn't fire arrows when he borrowed arrows from his straw boat.
In order to defend Zhuge Liang, some people said that the oil at that time was too expensive and Cao Cao could not afford it.
In fact, the grease at that time was indeed expensive, but with Cao Cao's strong strength, he would not have a hundred thousand rockets.
The main reason is that there are no rockets now. Where can Cao Cao get them?
As for why people at that time did not invent rockets, it was probably because of range issues.
Before the Song Dynasty used rosin to make rockets, the rockets of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Tang Dynasty were all covered with a layer of cloth and then ignited.
The arrows of rockets made in this way cannot be recycled, and the cost is relatively high.
Secondly, it will affect the range of the arrow and make it unable to fly too far.
Therefore, the frequency of use is relatively small.
It was not until the Song Dynasty that smearing burning rockets with rosin became popular on a large scale.
Rosin is pine tree grease, which is applied to the arrow shaft. This makes the rocket very light and does not affect the range.
Therefore, during the Song and Ming Dynasties, rockets began to appear on the battlefield on a large scale. Even in the Ming Dynasty, due to the development of firearms, rockets of the Sky Monkey type appeared.
But Chen Mu doesn't need the rocket to fly very far, as long as it can ignite.
After all, it is not easy to train archers in ancient times. Just like training snipers in modern times, it requires a lot of effort.
It is much easier to shoot rockets at close range, and accuracy is not required. Just shoot in that direction so that the rocket can burn the grass, trees and tents. There are not so many requirements.
By the afternoon, soldiers from various places were gradually retrieving the needed supplies. Chen Mu ordered the soldiers to wrap the arrowheads with a large number of cloth strips, leaving only the tip of the arrow exposed, and then soak the arrowheads in a fish oil barrel to make an ointment rocket.
By evening, the soldiers had made 50,000 rockets. After all, this work is not a delicate job. A soldier can make one in a few minutes. With more than 2,000 people working at the same time, 50,000 arrows are only one or two.
It's just a matter of hours.
After the rockets were made, each of the soldiers put on a long bow and carried an arrow pot on their backs. The reason why Chen Mu wanted to use rockets was that it was easier to light the fire quickly, and it also cherished the lives of the soldiers.
After all, rushing into the enemy camp at close range to light fires would pose a great threat to soldiers. Those who light fires are equivalent to death squads. It is not an exaggeration to say that they will escape death.
And if you shoot an arrow from a distance of tens of meters, even if the enemy comes out, you still have room to escape.
Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun personally ran to Chen Mu's station and rode over. From a distance, they saw that Chen Mu's soldiers were arrayed in order.
Chen Mu greeted him: "General Huangfu, General Zhu."
"How prepared are you?"
Huangfu Song asked.
"Everything is ready, just wait until the third watch tonight to light the fire."
Chen Mu was full of confidence. He had just tried it. If the rocket traveled against the wind, it would be blown out by the wind. If it went against the wind or with the wind, the impact would be much smaller.
The Yellow Turban Army Camp was stationed at the foot of the west mountain, leaning against the grass.
Now that the wind is blowing from the southeast, they can shoot rockets under the hillside behind the Yellow Turban camp. This way, the wind will not blow, because the camp will block the wind. When the rockets are shot in, the fire will burn, and the fire will take advantage of the wind to form a terrible fire.
fire.
"Okay, this battle depends on you."
Huangfusong nodded with satisfaction. After spending more than ten days together, he found that Chen Mu was still very reliable and believed in his decision-making.
"I will live up to the general's trust."
Chen Mu responded seriously.
Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun left, and they also had to arrange combat missions.
Once Chen Mu's side successfully lit the fire, the entire army attacked, first attacking the main camp of Bocai, and then dealing with the three auxiliary camps in the east, west, north and west.
Second update at night.
The Yellow Turban camp was quiet.
Guard soldiers patrol in and around the camp according to their daily tasks.
A Yellow Turban patrol leader was a bit strange.
Because he saw that in the past, the Changshe City was full of torches, lighting up the surrounding walls, but this time the torches were actually extinguished.
The team leader said to a soldier beside him in confusion: "Why did the torches of the officers and soldiers go out today?"
The soldier thought for a while and said, "Maybe it was blown out by the strong wind."
"oh."
The team leader thought the same thing, it was indeed a windy day today.
He would not think that since there was no lighting on the city wall, it would be better to launch an attack at night.
The Yellow Turbans lacked talents for tactical invention, and even the generals did not think about this problem, let alone their small soldiers.
The team trained to the woods on the west side of the camp. The vegetation here is lush and basil is everywhere. It is about twenty or thirty feet away from the camp.
Next to it was the wooden fence of the Yellow Turban camp. According to the order, they had to circle the camp.
How big is the camp with more than 100,000 people? The length of the outer fence alone reaches four or five miles. The camp is also overgrown with weeds. The tents are pitched in the grass without any fire prevention measures.
According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Huangfu Song Biography", Bocai's army did not have any tactical literacy. June is when the grass grows and orioles fly, and the vegetation is dense. They did not realize that the enemy would set fire, putting the entire army in flammable danger.
Down.
The patrolling soldiers slowly left, and from the haystack not far away, a leopard's head with ringed eyes poked out.
It was dark all around, except for the bonfires in the Yellow Turban camp, and only the torches in the hands of the Yellow Turban patrols who were walking further and further away.
Zhang Fei looked at the patrol team's back and said to Chen Mu beside him: "Fourth brother, are you going to let them go like this?"
Chen Mu looked at the sky and saw that it was already the second watch and the third watch was about to begin. He said, "Wait a little longer and wait until all the Yellow Turban soldiers are asleep before taking action. Now go out and be careful to alert the enemy."
"All right."
Zhang Fei could only endure it secretly.
The howling wind became stronger and stronger, making the mountains and forests behind them roar.
The clouds were blown over by the wind and blocked the moonlight.
This is good news for Chen Mu.
The darker it is, the easier it is for them to move.
Three thousand men, five hundred of them cavalry, hid in the distance waiting for the signal.
More than two thousand people carried bows and arrows on their backs and hid in the jungle.
Time passed bit by bit.
There is no inscription on the outside, so it is difficult to tell the time. Chen Mu came out at the second watch, around 11 o'clock, and now he can only count the time silently in his mind.
About half an hour later, a person came from the direction of Changshe, walking along the mountain forest.
This man is Hu Zhi, who was sent to contact the city.
Hu Ping went to meet his father. After Hu Zhi came over, he said to Chen Mu: "Zhonglang, General Huangfu said that the third watch has arrived and it is time to light the fire."
"good!"
Chen Mu's eyes lit up and he shouted in a low voice: "Light the fire."
Hula la.
In the nearby trees, more than two thousand people stood up instantly, holding bows and arrows.
More than two thousand people stood in three rows, each row was divided into ten arrays, with ten people standing in each array, and eighty queues, with thirty people in each queue.
Classic three-part shooting!
After Chen Mu ordered the ignition, the captains of each array lit the torches in their hands almost simultaneously, and then lit the bows and arrows in everyone's hands one by one.
"Nike an arrow!"
The second order was given, and everyone put their arrows on their bows.
"shooting!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Eight hundred arrows were shot at the same time. Since these people were not professional archers, their shooting accuracy was very poor. The arrows flew randomly, and many of them hit the wooden fence outside the Yellow Turban camp.
But it doesn't matter, they are close enough. Chen Mu's purpose was just to use rockets instead of torches, and not to throw them at close range.
Torches can only be thrown close to each other, but rockets can be fired from fifty or sixty meters away. Of course, rockets have the advantage.
"Shoot, shoot, shoot!"
Of course, eight hundred arrows is not the end, it is just the beginning.
In the three-stage shooting, after the first team finished shooting, the second team had already fired and set up arrows, and immediately connected. The third team continued to follow, and the first team retreated to light the fire.
Such a cycle can ensure that a steady stream of rockets are shot out. In just a moment, the Yellow Turban camp near the west burst into flames.
Not only that, the cavalry troops lying in ambush in the distance got the signal and immediately waved their torches and launched a charge.
For a time, the entire Yellow Turban camp was in chaos. The southeast wind was howling, and weeds were everywhere. The fire spread extremely quickly.
In less than twenty minutes, countless smoke rose into the sky, and the fire illuminated the sky for half the sky, and even began to burn into the mountains and forests to the west, posing a threat to Chen Mu.
"withdraw!"
Seeing that the task was completed, Chen Mu shouted.
After all 50,000 rockets were fired, the soldiers ran away. Not long after the retreat, the trees where they had been hiding were swept away by flames, and the Yellow Turban camp was already a sea of fire.