Outside Zhangqiu City, soldiers and horses formed a ten-mile company camp along the river, with battle flags fluttering.
And the war is now.
In Zhangqiu City, the blacksmith shops in the blacksmith shops are still burning hot with charcoal furnaces, and the blacksmiths are hammering and forging non-stop. It’s not that these people are bold and love money.
But the emperor believed that this battle did not require the help of the common people. There were too many imperial camps, and the township regiments could only fight from behind, so the common people continued to do whatever they should do.
The emperor even made a point of visiting these iron workshops to see their products.
Many iron workshops are making Zhangqiu iron pots, and big hammers and small hammers are banging away.
Zhu Yihai observed carefully and found that these iron pots were indeed of real quality. No matter how many hammers were hammered, they would never be beaten less. The pots felt very heavy in their hands, especially the texture that was produced by hammering them hundreds of times.
He couldn't help but sigh, no wonder Zhangqiu's blacksmiths have been so famous and enduring for thousands of years. There is indeed a reason.
Those blacksmiths have been hammering all year round, and they all have muscles.
The old masters pointed with small hammers, but the boys smashed them with sledgehammers. Zhu Yihai even saw many women in these workshops.
There are aunts in their forties and fifties who can still swing a sledgehammer, young women in their twenties and thirties, and even some fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls.
They all have one characteristic, they are very strong.
Some young women even rolled up their sleeves and swung hammers with their bare arms. Their strong chest muscles and thick thighs showed that they were powerful.
They were sweating profusely, and although their faces were quite dirty, they made people marvel at the beauty of labor.
Zhu Yihai had to lament that the blacksmith heritage in Zhangqiu was indeed impressive, but many were just small family workshops. Although they looked solid in workmanship and made of real materials, they were still a bit behind.
He was even able to mention to Chen Hanhui, the state leader, that a government-run iron factory should be built here, using the iron ore and coal resources here, as well as the excellent blacksmith talents here, to integrate these resources and build an iron smelting and iron manufacturing center.
Just like Foshan Town in Guangzhou, it highlights the advantages of industrialization.
Although Zhangqiu is a major agricultural county, such a thousand-year-old brand cannot be wasted.
"Integrate these master blacksmiths and build a public-private iron factory. If these family workshops join the partnership, we can expand the scale, increase production capacity, and optimize management, and we will definitely achieve greater production efficiency and profits."
"With more orders and better efficiency, these blacksmiths can also make more profits. It's a win-win situation. Even Zhangqiu can get more tax revenue. Wouldn't it be great?"
Chen Hanhui didn't have much thought about these blacksmiths and shops. All he could think about now was that the Tatars, with more than 10,000 troops, were coming to kill here.
No matter how prepared you are, it's hard not to worry.
At this time, if I didn't study the formation of troops carefully, why did I think of building an iron factory?
"The Saint is really not worried about this battle?"
"Everything has been arranged. The Tatars have also slipped into our trap. There is nothing to worry about. We are just waiting to close the trap now."
"I believe in the soldiers in the imperial camp. Doesn't Mr. Chen believe in them?"
Chen Hanhui smiled bitterly, "I really cannot be as free and calm as Your Majesty."
"Waiting for the good news, Mr. Chen, let's make a good plan to build the Zhangqiu United Iron Works. Do you think this public-private partnership has taken off?"
Chen Hanhui really admired the emperor and had no choice but to cheer up and follow the discussion, but he was still a little half-hearted.
While we were talking, we suddenly heard a rumble.
"Are the cannons fired? Are the Tatars coming?" Chen Hanhui raised his head fiercely, and Zhu Yihai looked at the other ministers accompanying him, all looking to the west, although he couldn't see anything.
"Since everyone is so concerned about the war, let's go up to the top of the city and have a look. I guess you won't see anything."
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The first-class duke, Gu Shan Ezhen, led three thousand horsemen and finally arrived. They galloped all the way, passing through the wheat fields that had just been sown after the autumn harvest, and crossing the shallow Xiujiang River.
Kill towards the Ming Camp on the west right wing of Zhangqiu City.
In front of the Ming army camp was the Jixiu River, and behind it was the Luo River.
There is Girl Mountain to the west and Changbai Yuhuang Mountain to the east.
The location of this camp was chosen very well. Even if there is a drought in autumn and the water is dry, the Xiujiang River cannot stop the Qing cavalry, but the river water still has a good hysteresis effect.
Girl Mountain in the northwest of Xiujiang River.
The chief military officer of Shence Town, Gong Jin Gongyu of Changxing Kaiguo County, was wearing armor and wearing it with his hands, watching the Qing army roaring past the south side of the mountain like a tide, rushing towards the continuous camp.
"These Tatars have been starving in Jinan for a long time, but they still have such momentum."
"So what, today is the end of the world."
The military headquarters of Shence Town is on Girl Mountain, and there are many troops on the mountain.
The emperor's deployment had already made good use of the terrain, and he had chosen to camp on a plain several miles wide between the Xiujiang River and the Luohe River. Behind the two rivers were Lady Mountain and Yuhuang Mountain. Although the mountains were not high, they could be used as a base.
Advantages of terrain.
The Ming army deliberately set up a company camp on the several miles of land between the two rivers and the two mountains. Here they deployed an alliance of the Shence Army, plus half of the auxiliary troops, more than 3,000 troops.
Then there are the auxiliary soldiers from Yulin Town, more than a thousand.
So in total, there are more than 5,000 people in the camp.
On the Girl Mountain and Yuhuang Mountain on both sides of the camp, Yulin Town's five thousand soldiers, plus thousands of regiments for training and deployment, are hidden in the mountains.
Obviously, this is a trap within a trap.
The Ming army advanced into Zhangqiu with its divine strategy army, creating the illusion that it was out of touch with its friendly forces and was alone in the depths. Then it deliberately divided its troops into three groups, one inside the city and one on each side of the city.
The Shence Army of five to six thousand men and horses is divided into three locations, so each location is only about two thousand.
Each camped about ten miles apart, deliberately luring the Tatars to defeat them one by one.
But in fact, to the north is one association of the Shence Army plus a town of Yulin Town, and then to the south is another association of the Shence Army plus a town of Qianniu Town, and tens of thousands of regiments are allocated to the two wings.
Therefore, no matter which side the Qing army attacked first, the actual two wings had to face a town and a half of the main imperial camp, plus thousands of local warriors.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! There is a city in Zhangqiu City in the middle, so it is impossible for the Qing army to attack Zhangqiu City first. Of course, if they insist on attacking Zhangqiu City, then Zhangqiu City will be behind
There are also the cavalry from Jinwu Town.
This is all calculation.
After Shence Town arrived at Zhangqiu, they deliberately used themselves as bait, and then the cavalry blocked them and blocked the intelligence. Zhu Yihai personally led the elites of the three towns and rushed to Zhangqiu at a speed of 200 miles a day to strengthen the defense of Zhangqiu. They laid layers of traps and waited for work.
I thought there were only about 2,000 troops in the north wing, but in fact there were nearly 20,000.
Tu Lai led three thousand cavalry and charged towards the camp with wrong intelligence.
The commander of the northern camp is Shence Left Assistant General Wen Hu.
He had two thousand soldiers and more than three thousand auxiliary soldiers.
However, they had trenches dug in advance, fences erected, and horses-repelling walls. They even sprinkled caltrops outside the fences, dug many horse traps, and planted deer antlers.
There is even a trench inside the fence.
In those tents, there were actually many artillery and military forts built with sandbags.
Wen Hu was given the task of holding on to the camp. Jin Gongyu clearly told him that the more than 10,000 men and horses deployed in ambushes on the two mountains would not come out until the main force of Bolo arrived.
Zhangqiu City will send a group of troops after the battle begins, but in order to avoid alerting the enemy, it will not exceed a thousand people.
The trick must be done well and the Tatars cannot be scared away.
Of course, we must also be able to withstand the first wave of Tatar attacks, and we must not let the acting be ruined.
On the watchtower in the camp, the Ming army blew the warning horn.
Actually, there was no need to blow. The violent shaking of the earth had already told the soldiers in the camp that the Tatar cavalry was coming.
From a distance, it looks like a tidal wave rushing in.
Wen Hu is from Huzhou. He has seen the Qiantang River tide in Hangzhou before. The scene is so spectacular that many tide watchers are swept away every year because they did not expect the tide to be so strong and powerful.
At first glance, the tide was still far away, which seemed quite ordinary.
But soon you will rush closer, and then you will realize that the wave is so high and the tide is so fierce.
"The battle camp is at the front, and the auxiliary camp is at the back to cooperate."
"The musketeers must get closer before firing. They must fire in a team of twelve. Random firing is prohibited."
Wen Hu shouted loudly.
For this battle, the battalion has practiced several times, and everyone is familiar with the battle plan. However, looking at the overwhelming cavalry coming, they are still very nervous.
······
Zhao Xiaolou followed Captain Li Baoquan and Lieutenant Liu to their designated positions, and Captain Liu lit the match for them.
Zhao Xiaolou wrapped the match rope around his waist and the other end around his wrist, and used the tiger's mouth to clamp the nodding end of the match rope.
The match rope made from hemp rope burned very slowly, and the little red flames were in the hands of each musketeer.
Everyone is stepping up to check their equipment.
Zhao Xiaolou's heart was pounding. He always did very well during live-fire training and shotgun training very well, but he was still nervous at this time.
He had been training for more than a year since the auxiliary troops were transferred to the battle camp. He only fought once in actual combat under Zichuan City. That time he only fired one shot, and the defenders surrendered.
So now, he feels that he is still the first brother in the battlefield, and he can't help but feel nervous.
The shotgun was loaded, and he checked the passage again.
On the battlefield, it is most likely to insert the purge rod into the barrel of the musket due to nervousness and forget to take it out. As a result, when the gun is fired, the purge rod disappears without a trace. Without the purge rod, the ammunition cannot be loaded, and the combat effectiveness is directly lost.
Li Baoquan lit the fire for everyone, and then went around to encourage everyone.
"Please listen to my order before firing. It is forbidden to fire guns indiscriminately and must fire in volleys. We will send gunners from each team to fire guns in turn. We have memorized them all. Remember the order when loading. Load the gunpowder first and then load the gunpowder.
Lead, don't load it without pouring the gunpowder, and don't forget to take off the purge rod. You usually train well, don't give me diarrhea at the critical moment!"
"When fighting, just fire your guns. Don't take even a step back without an order to retreat."
"Even if the Tatars fall under their feet, they are not allowed to cut off their heads."
"Okay, that's all I have to say. Don't panic, everyone. There is a fence in front of us. We have horses and spearmen in front of us. As long as we don't run away, we will be safe.
We are really rushing forward. You still have a bayonet on the barrel of your gun, just stab it. You have all learned the stabbing technique, so you are afraid of the eggs."
This mobilization by the team leader actually made Zhao Xiaolou feel a little less nervous.
He checked his gun again, making sure that he had not forgotten to load the gunpowder, that he had not loaded more lead bullets, and that the purge had been put away.
Lieutenant Liu also encouraged everyone, "Don't panic, we still have a lot of artillery hidden in those tents. When the tents are lifted, the cannons will fire a volley of damn it. The Tatars will rush forward and a few rounds of volleys will be enough."
Just blow them up and scatter them, and let's fire cannons through the fence,"
Li Baoquan returned to his position and stood still, tapping his helmet and pointing to the small flag on the helmet.
"Remember to keep an eye on me. If the higher ups give the order to retreat, and you see me move, follow me and retreat to the second line of defense, which is the position we held during the previous exercise. You are not allowed to run anywhere except there, otherwise by then
Killed as a deserter.
I usually live on a few silver dollars a month, but at critical times it’s time to show off what I can do. Don’t look at me playing around with you, but if anyone acts as a deserter for me on the battlefield, I don’t need the military police to kill you, I will just take it.
A cannon shot at your mother."
"Even if you die gloriously, you cannot be a deserter. If you die, you can be regarded as a martyr and enter the Heroes' Temple. You will also get three years of salary and pension. If you have an old mother, wife and children at home, you can also receive a ration.
But if anyone is a deserter, he will die in vain if he is chopped down. Not only will he not get any compensation for being burned or buried, but his family’s land will be taken back, so don’t let others look down upon you!"
"Do you understand?"
Zhao Xiaolou blushed, puffed up his chest and shouted loudly, "I understand."
Almost every sentry team is making final mobilization.
There were soldiers everywhere shouting slogans, and morale was very high.
When the Tatar cavalry rushed through the Xiujiang River, their speed slowed down, and they were crowded after crossing the river.
At this time, the artillery deployed on the open side of the camp made deafening noises amidst the sound of horns. The firelight shone, white smoke rose in clouds, and the artillery mounts retreated violently.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! There are about hundreds of small cannons fired at the same time.
Cannonballs ranging from a few liang to several kilograms roared out, jumped over the camp fence, and blasted the Tatar cavalry on the river bank.
The Ming army was very particular about the location of their camps.
We deliberately chose the east bank of the Xiushui River. Although it was some distance away from the river, it was within the attack range of the artillery. The purpose was to wait for the Tatars to be halfway across the river and launch an artillery attack.
Moreover, it is calculated that crossing the river will inevitably affect the rhythm of the offensive, and may even gather together to increase the density.
This is exactly the half-crossed attack.
The war horses brayed.
The cavalrymen who had just crossed the river and had not yet started running were crowded together, and then they were shot hard by a cannon, spraying blood mist, and dozens of cavalrymen were killed or injured in an instant.
The sound of cannons, the screams, the scene of blood mist and flesh flying everywhere are just around the corner.
The soldiers of the Shence Army behind the numerous fortresses had been trained for a long time, but they could not help but be greatly shocked.
Zhao Xiaolou's heart was beating fast when he saw it. Even after the cannon went off, he felt his ears were buzzing and he couldn't hear anything.
But the gunners who had just fired the gun didn't care about this. Under the orders of their respective gunners, they quickly picked up the gun brushes and started to clean the gun barrel. The wet foam brush swept through the hot gun barrel, and the gunfire emitted from the gun barrel.
The sound of evaporating water vapor.
The loader has quickly filled in a package of prepackaged propellant and then inserted a solid shell.
Other soldiers reset the displaced gun carriage's mount.
Their movements were well prepared, and they were fully focused at this time, following their usual training day after day, and had no time to care about anything else.
When the loading is completed, the gunner takes aim, and when the bugle sounds again, he fires.
The second salvo started again.
Smoke rose from the gun emplacement again, obscuring the view.
The air was filled with a strong smell of whistle smoke, but the artillerymen felt extremely familiar and intoxicated when smelling it, even making people feel elated.
They were so stimulated that they quickly completed the third round of cleaning and loading, and then launched again.
On the river beach, a large number of the captives who crossed the river first fell down. Although the artillery did not seem to be very lethal, the scene was still very scary when they were packed there and fired.
The casualties of hundreds of cavalry, and the blood and flesh everywhere, were far more tragic and astonishing than those in close combat.
Some Manchu Eight Banners were even frightened and disoriented by these three rounds of bombardment.
After three rounds of volleys, those copper cannons and iron cannons had even become hot to the touch, and they could not even continue to fire continuously. They could only be allowed to cool down slightly.
The gunners have already taken advantage of this opportunity and started to give orders, asking the gunners to prepare the next round of modified shotgun shells and fire them closer.
Li Baoquan watched the Tatar cavalry continue to charge and shouted loudly, "It's our turn. All of us should prick up our ears and listen to the order."
"When you hear the iron whistle, fire the gun,"
"You have to move closer to hit."
There have been signs and distances marked in advance outside the camp.
Every ten steps, there are several obvious marks.
Seeing the captive cavalry charging within a hundred paces, the troops in the camp raised their muskets and fired, followed by blowing long trumpets.
Hearing the long horn sound, Li Baoquan, who was at the front of the queue, shouted loudly, "Get ready!"
They usually trained to shoot at a distance of 41 bows, which was about 60 meters away. The range of the bird musket in Chongzhen was about 120 meters. However, the bird musket of the Shao Tian Dynasty was an improved type, and the range was greatly improved.
But in daily training, I still shoot at a distance of 40 bows.
The enemy is nearly a hundred steps away and is already within shooting range. However, at such a distance, precision cannot be required. However, during the confrontation, the gunman emphasizes volleys and rounds. What he wants is the volley of muskets to strike, rather than the precision of a single weapon.
Zhao Xiaolou heard captain Li Baoquan shouting to fire, so he quickly opened the fire door and fired.
After firing a gun, he didn't even bother to check whether it hit or not. He quickly started cleaning the gun and cleaned the chamber with a purge. Then he quickly took out a fixed paper ammunition bag from the fire pocket at his waist, tore it open and filled it with propellant.
Then use a poke to compact the gunpowder, and then take out a lead bullet from the lead bullet bag on the other side.
Because the lead bullets are uniformly cast, they are slightly smaller than the barrel. He also has to take a piece of oil paper to wrap the lead bullets and then stick it into the bottom of the gun to ensure air tightness.
Then he quickly opened the fire door cover, poured the initiating powder into the fire door, then closed the fire door and installed the match rope.
A set of movements was completed nervously and quickly.
He raised his gun again and listened quietly to the captain's orders.
At this time, several other musketry teams also opened fire in turn. There were eight teams of sentry posts, four teams of gunners, and two teams each of small artillery and heavy gunners.
Their four teams of gunners were divided into four rows and opened fire one after another.
Because we were fighting in a camp, we didn't have to alternately advance or retreat, which made it a lot easier.
At this time, Zhao Xiaolou listened to the shooting sound of his teammates and had time to look at the battlefield. He saw the Tatar cavalry charging much closer, but a continuous row of firecrackers was fired from the camp, and bursts of smoke rose.
The Tatars who rushed to the Hundred Steps were shot and fell one after another, screaming in agony for a while. The casualties were actually greater than the three rounds of artillery salvos just now.
"Prepare!"
Captain Li Baoquan's roar rang out again. It was their team's turn again. The four rows finished one round and the second round began. Zhao Xiaolou quickly picked up his gun and prepared.
"put!"
Following the captain's roar, Zhao Xiaolou opened the fire door and fired the second shot!
The acrid gunpowder smoke rose in front of him. Zhao Xiaolou couldn't help but take a sip. He felt that he was no longer so nervous. He even thought that it would be nice to have a Xinanjiang stick in his mouth.