Shen Shuren set off in the early morning of April 17th and rode quickly to Jiangling to seek help. He arrived late at night on the 19th and only rested for one night before returning the next day. Due to lack of physical strength on the way back, the horseback riding would inevitably be a little slower.
Fortunately, the second half of the journey by boat was along the river, so the total time spent was about the same, and we rushed back to Xiaogan on the 22nd.
On the battlefield of Xiaogan, He Jin and He Yilong certainly would not wait in vain.
After their defeat in the early battle on April 16, they worked hard to build weapons to attack the camp and waited for the rear troops to gather one after another.
On the 18th, the main force of bandits on the front line officially exceeded 30,000, and two days later, the total number reached 40,000.
The last 10,000 people are expected to arrive in two days as planned, and then there will be an actual 50,000-strong army overwhelming the mountain - don't mind Erhe's troops marching slowly, mainly because they have to march through the Dabie Mountains. The mountain road is much more difficult than the plains, and the rear army has to carry heavy equipment and food and grass baggage, which makes it even slower.
In addition, after three days of rushing to build weapons for attacking the camp, the bandits have severely damaged the greenery within a ten-mile radius, cut down countless large trees, and made thousands of simple thick wooden shields that can be used as shelters for attacking the camp, allowing the soldiers to They were pushed closer to the front, while the long-range troops used to attack the camp hid behind and fired arrows.
In addition, there are dozens of simple rams for breaking down doors and walls, dozens of short ladders and trench bridge boards. As long as these things can be pushed close, they can be directly set up on the rammed earth foundation with a relative height of no more than one and a half feet. A slope was formed on the wooden wall, allowing the soldiers to rush up directly, which was much easier than climbing the city wall.
And the reason that made He Jin and He Yilong so confident was that at nightfall on the 19th, the artillery in their army was finally transported to the front line!
When Chen Shuren dealt with Liu Xiyao and Lin Chengcheng before, these weaker battalions among the five Ge Zuo battalions did not have cannons. However, the more powerful troops among the bandits had more or less cannons.
The form of war in the late Ming Dynasty was very different from what many people imagined. Especially five years after Chongzhen, artillery technology had already spread and was not unique to the Ming Dynasty's military.
In the last few years of Chongzhen, the force with the largest number of cannons was actually the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The Manchu Qing Dynasty, from Denglai soldiers to Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and other traitors, brought red barbarian cannons and cannon-casting craftsmen to surrender, and has always attached great importance to the crazy production of cannons.
By the time Chongzhen died, the Qing army had more than 200 cannons, the largest number in the world. That's why in history, Shi Kefa's defense of Yangzhou was so easily destroyed by the city wall. After hearing that Yangzhou was easily destroyed, the Nanjing defenders I was completely frightened and had no courage to stand firm.
Apart from the Manchus and Qing Dynasties, the second largest force in the world at that time was Zheng Zhilong of Fujian Province, and the third largest force was the Ming Dynasty.
Before its demise, the total number of Hongyi cannons owned by the imperial court was only over a hundred.
As for the two major forces, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, in the last two years, the total number of artillery pieces also expanded to dozens. The number of small bandits further down ranged from a few to more than a dozen.
At this moment, He Jin and He Yilong were not too wealthy, but they had spent all their money to gather two Qianjin Folang machines, seven or eight ordinary Folang machines, and no Hongyi cannon in front of the Suizhou army.
The weight of Hongyi cannons in the late Ming Dynasty generally ranged from more than 3,000 kilograms to 4,500 kilograms, corresponding to the 12-pound naval guns and 18-pound naval guns in the West.
The original Dutch goods can fully reach the above-mentioned pounds of powder and ammunition. The quality of the domestic imitations in the Ming Dynasty is worse, the gun body is still the same weight, but the ammunition should be reduced by a quarter or even a third, otherwise It is very easy to explode the chamber if it is loaded with the same strong explosive as the original imported one.
The Fo Lang machine is nearly a hundred years behind the Hongyi cannon and is a Portuguese cannon from the 16th century.
An ordinary Fran machine weighs three to four hundred kilograms and can hold one kilogram of gunpowder and one kilogram of iron bullets. It is only five times larger than the heaviest muskets such as the Turtle Dove Gun. It can only be regarded as somewhere between guns and cannons. between.
The Thousand Jin Fo Lang machine is the largest of the Fo Lang machines, it can reach one thousand kilograms, and the ammunition capacity can also reach more than three kilograms of gunpowder and shells each, which is equivalent to a Western 4-pound gun - so the strongest Fo Lang machine can also It only has one third of the firepower of the weakest Hongyi cannon.
With these weapons, Erhe would of course launch an all-out general attack on Zuo Zixiong's camp immediately!
…
So, April 20th, two days before Shen Shuren came back.
This new offensive and defensive battle broke out at Xiaogan Camp at the mouth of Sheshui River and Hanshui River.
The bandit who got the cannon felt that he was capable again and was very excited.
Early in the morning, the soldiers were given a feast to boost their morale. All the soldiers were given a full meal, and everyone was even given some fish soup to drink - the fish was caught from the nearby Han River, and the harvest was not much, only a total of There were hundreds or even thousands of fish. It was not possible to feed tens of thousands of soldiers with fish, so they could only cook hundreds of large pots of thin fish soup.
After eating hot fish soup and rice, everyone in the bandits felt warm, and they lined up out of the camp in high spirits. After walking for more than ten miles, they arrived in front of the official camp.
Thousands of large wooden shields used in building formations were pushed in front, and two thousand-jin Folang machines and seven ordinary Folang machines were also pushed to places ranging from one and a half miles to more than 300 steps away from the official and army positions.
Then, at least three layers of wooden shield formations were arranged around each franc machine to build a good defense. If Chen Shuren saw this scene, I am afraid he would also sigh:
These thieves were quite self-taught. Cannons in this era generally did not come with built-in shields, but they unexpectedly thought of erecting large wooden shields on the left and right sides, exposing only the front angle of firing to maximize the protection of the gunner.
Of course, many gunners in the bandit army, and even the officers in charge of the artillery team, felt that this was a bit unnecessary - the Folangji was at least three hundred steps away from the enemy camp wall, and crossbows and muskets were absolutely not necessary. It may threaten targets so far away, so these wooden shields probably have no chance of being put to practical use. The most they can do is make the gunner feel more at ease and not be nervous during operation.
After forming the formation, He Jin seemed to be preparing to damage the morale of the officers and soldiers, and sent out scolding soldiers, preparing to fire artillery demonstrations and then persuade them to surrender again, making the officers and soldiers firmly realize that they had no chance of winning!
…
Zuo Zixiong, Zhang Mingzhen and Yang Jinjue carefully guarded the camp for more than three days, and the Hongyi cannons left to them by Chen Shuren had already been deployed.
The six Hongyi cannons were all deployed a little later in the camp in order to pursue concealment, higher visibility, and better shooting angles. In the past three days, the soldiers dug earth and piled up rammed earth forts. Cannons stacked high.
In addition, in order to better protect the cannon, and to allow the cannon to use the tactics of switching between long-range single-point shells and melee shotshells, Zuo Zixiong dug a second trench and rammed earth wall in the camp during the past three days. Just along the front of the cannon emplacement.
In this way, when the cannon needs to fire cannonballs, the musketeers and pikemen can retreat under the cannon without worrying about being accidentally injured by the cannonballs.
The Hongyi Cannon originally did not have a gun carriage, because in this era, guns over 12 pounds were naval guns, and there was no need to consider the movement of the artillery on the Galen gunship.
But Chen Shuren had seen how to set up retreating cannons, and of course he would not take such detours. So when he got these cannons from Zheng Chenggong, he drew a sketch, discussed it with the carpenters, and made It doesn't take much to get a gun carriage.
It's just that two-wheeled artillery carts are still relatively difficult to make and unstable. In the initial stage, Chen Shuren first listened to the carpenters' suggestions and made four-wheeled ones.
However, the size of the front wheels and the rear wheels are different, and the vehicle plate on which the gun body rests has a certain inclination angle. Coupled with the curved surface of the earth slope on the fort, it is easy to control the pitch angle of the shelling - this design is actually a bit advanced. Because in this era, more than 90% of the Ming army gunners' use of Hongyi cannons were direct fire, and almost no one fired in a straight direction, and no one knew how to calculate the ballistic parabola.
At this moment, Zuo Zixiong, who had been waiting for the enemy for a long time, suddenly saw Erhe making a big move. He had already used binoculars to closely monitor the situation, clearly investigated the enemy's situation, and then called his generals to work together.
Zuo Zixiong himself didn't know much about artillery, but Zhang Mingzhen had fought with pirates for many years and was used to seeing artillery in coastal areas. After scanning the enemy's positions, he immediately analyzed the situation and reported to his superiors:
"Reporting to Zuo Guerrilla, this bandit should have used the Folang Machine and the Qianjin Folang Machine - I have been fighting pirates in Ningshao Guard for many years, and I am used to seeing all kinds of Folang Machines. The range of ordinary Folang Machines is three to four hundred paces. , Qianjin Folangji can reach five to six hundred steps, which is close to one and a half miles.
Now looking at the distance between the positions deployed by the bandits, it should be exactly these two. Why not let our Hongyi artillery counterattack first! We can reach far and deploy on the high soil platform behind the formation. We can hit the enemy. Can't hit us!
If the bandit has to use the Folan machine to counterattack after being beaten, he will have to push forward at least two hundred steps, and then he will be within the range of our fire guns and crossbows!"
Zuo Zixiong nodded, feeling more and more calm, and calmly ordered: "It's good to know that the enemy can't hit our cannons. In that case, give them some time to deploy, and wait until they have more soldiers lined up and ready to charge. , let’s fire again and put them in a dilemma! We’re exposed now, why don’t we just scare them away!”
Zhang Mingzhen frowned: "But what if the enemy makes a desperate move and really rushes in? Although the Folangji will definitely not be able to defeat the Hongyi cannon, as long as there is a chance to fire three or five rounds of artillery, it can blast the rammed earth fence outside us. There are many gaps, and then the bandits can rush in directly through the gaps."
Zuo Zixiong smiled coldly: "Have you forgotten that our army dug a temporary ditch and built a low earth wall under the fort? Although there was no time to deploy a second wooden fence, this low wall combined with the firearms battalion is also Enough to kill the thieves who rush into the gap!
Our sergeants have never been shelled before. If the situation lasts for a long time, their morale will inevitably be low. In this case, it is better to be mentally prepared from the beginning for the enemy to break through the first fortification with wooden walls!"
When Zhang Mingzhen and others heard that it made sense, they didn't try to persuade him any more and just went ahead and implemented it.
The Ming army originally saw that the rebels had cannons, and their morale, which had been high for three days, was inevitably low. They were afraid that the leftist guerrillas would keep them from retreating, and that if they were called out by cannons behind the wooden wall, they would die in vain.
Now listen to the orders from the left guerrillas and ask all the spear teams to retreat to the vicinity of the second earth wall in advance. The firearms battalion only squats behind the rammed earth part of the first wall, with their bodies exposed above the height of the earth mound. Don't stand on it. Behind the wooden board, only two sentries were left in each team to stand and look out.
The soldiers suddenly regained some confidence, and their fear was driven away. Everyone knew that it was impossible for the Franco machine to directly blast through a mound of more than ten feet on the ground and hit someone. It would either sink in or ricochet, so as long as you don't hide,
Behind the wooden pile, it's basically safe.
Soon, more and more bandits were gathering at the front, and they were ready to fire. At this moment, Zuo Zixiong put down his telescope and waved his hand, signaling Zhang Minzhen to fire.
Six Hongyi cannons, four of which were 12-pounders, were aimed at the two Qianjin Fo Lang machine positions of the Liu bandits, and two were aimed at the flag formation of the Liu bandit generals in the distance.
There was a loud bang, and six 12-pound solid iron balls flew out under the pressure of gunpowder explosion gas of the same weight, followed by a shrill sonic boom scream.
"Boom! Click!" Wood chips flew six to seven hundred steps away, and the thick wooden shield Erhe deployed to protect the cannon was self-defeating.
The artillery shells of this era were all solid bullets. They relied on direct hits or ricocheting to penetrate and kill people. It was impossible to hit accurately even from a distance of more than a mile. They could only randomly hit places with dense crowds of people.
None of the four cannons fired at the Qianjin Folang machine's position directly hit the Qianjin Folang machine, but two of them hit the wooden shield. For a moment, the sawdust flew away, forming countless shrapnel, and instead killed and injured many people.
The gunners, as well as some unlucky ordinary rogue infantrymen in the back row, were caught by the ricocheting bullets and turned into flesh directly. The death situation was quite horrific.
As for the two shells that flew towards the bandit general's flag formation, there was no doubt that they could not have deceived the general. One shot was fired directly high and flew all the way to waste, while the other one somehow hit He Jin's personal cavalry.
The crowd, after killing one man and one horse, rebounded and cut a bloody path.
"Xilulu——" He Jin's war horses were neighed by the loud noise, and some of the ordinary officers' horses nearby, which were of inferior quality, stood up and threw the people on their backs off.
He Jin was stunned for a long time and did not react for a long time. When the army was about to fire the second round of artillery, he roared at the top of his lungs: "Hurry up and fire! Fight back! Shoot towards the back of the army camp! Knock out their Franc machine too."
!”
In the second round, both sides opened fire almost at the same time. The bandits' artillery shells only flew out for three to five seconds before the army's artillery shells arrived again. It was at this moment that He Jin and He Yilong realized that the army's equipment might not be
Fo Langji, but the legendary Hongyi Cannon - because it feels a little different based on the momentum.
However, they were not sure. After all, the sound of the army's artillery came from nearly two miles away, and it was already very light. No one knew how loud the sound was near the cannon, and there was no way to compare.
The bandits' temporary change of target, from bombarding the village walls to counterattacking with artillery fire, was obviously self-defeating again. If they wanted to hit the army's camp defense facilities, they could still hit them quickly.
I just want to hit the Hongyi cannon at such a distance. With the hit rate of the Folang machine, the Mongolian gun may not be able to hit it even if it is dozens of rounds. The officers and soldiers do not bother to place a defensive shield next to it, so they want to smash the protective facilities and use wood chips to kill the gunner.
Unlikely.
The officers and soldiers also built high forts very viciously. This caused the projectiles aimed at the forts to miss the left and right directions and fly directly into the sky. There was no chance for the ricocheting bullets to kill a few people.
Both sides opened fire wildly, and the soldiers on both sides endured a struggle as if they had been hit hard. Both sides were trying their best to prevent themselves from retreating and escaping under the sound of gunfire.
After five or six rounds, Zuo Zixiong's artillery results became more and more successful, blasting the wooden gun shields of the bandits to pieces, killing dozens of gunners, and damaging a Qianjin Folan machine.
Two-door Xiaofang machine.
He Jin finally recovered from his initial confusion, made an emergency plan with He Yilong, and gave the order again:
"The artillery team should ignore the official Hongyi cannon and continue to blast open the camp walls and gates as planned! Let the infantry prepare! As long as you see two or three holes in the enemy camp being blasted, you can prepare to charge!"
By this time, Erhe had completely figured it out: There are more than 40,000 people here. When the fortifications are blown up and they rush in on the ground, no matter how big the enemy's artillery is, they will be captured! It's just more dead people.
That’s it!
You must know how to endure casualties! If you are reluctant to let go of your children, you will not be able to trap the wolf!