"Listen up, I believe you have heard of King Mu's Three-Section Round Shot. Ever since King Mu used it, Emperor Cheng's five expeditions against the Mongols also used it. However, since the invention of the blunderbuss, the firearms in our army have changed a lot since the beginning of the dynasty. Now, the blunderbuss are much faster and more powerful than the blunderbuss at the beginning of the dynasty. Therefore, King Mu's Three-Section Round Shot should also be improved. Now, I will personally demonstrate it to you. You, you, step forward."
Xiao Ruxun decided to demonstrate the Three-Section Round Shot so that every soldier could see it clearly. He called for two soldiers to step forward and demonstrate with him.
The target was a wooden sign eighty steps ahead.
Xiao Ruxun first took a blunderbuss and began to load it. He asked the other two soldiers to line up behind him, separated by two body positions. He first aimed at the wooden sign and lit the match.
"Chief Wang Qian, you shout the firing command!"
Xiao Ruxun ordered. Wang Hui nodded, raised his hand, and then waved, "Fire!"
Xiao Ruxun pulled the trigger and closed his eyes. With a bang, the lead bullet shot out. Xiao Ruxun opened his eyes and saw that there was a hole in the wooden sign.
"General is mighty!"
The gunners shouted in unison.
Waving his hand with a smile, Xiao Ruxun picked up the blunderbuss and said to the gunners behind him, "After I finish this shot, I will quickly circle around to the back to load the ammunition. You will step forward the moment I leave and stand in my original position. I will retreat to the back to load the ammunition and prepare to fire. You will step forward, take aim, and fire. Because the Three-Section Round Shot is to rotate on the spot, the whole formation does not need to move forward or backward. Therefore, after the front row retreats, the back row must immediately follow. There can be no slacking, otherwise, the formation will be messed up, and we will lose without a doubt. In a battle of infantry, the most important thing is the formation. On the battlefield, no one can survive without a formation.
Everyone, remember this! "
The gunners shouted in unison.
"Alright, I will now move back to the third position. You will move forward, and I will also move forward. I will be the last to load the ammunition. When I load the ammunition, you will move forward after you finish firing. Even if I haven't finished loading the ammunition, I will still move forward to maintain the formation. Of course, when you enter the battlefield, I will arrange for auxiliary soldiers to be responsible for loading the ammunition. However, if the auxiliary soldiers are unable to keep up with the firing speed, you will all need to know how to load the ammunition yourselves. A soldier that doesn't know how to load the ammunition cannot be considered a qualified soldier.
"Yes, sir!"
The gunners shouted again.
Xiao Ruxun nodded and retreated to the third row. The second and third rows had been moved to the first and second rows.
"Raise your guns! Release! "
Wang Hui gave the order and the soldier pulled the trigger. The bullet fired and hit the wooden sign from eighty paces away.
"Retreat!"
Wang Hui gave the order once again, and the soldier immediately retreated. The second row of soldiers moved forward, and Xiao Ruxun, who was reloading his ammunition, moved forward to maintain the formation. The last soldier quickly reloaded his ammunition and prepared to fire.
"Release!"
Wang Hui gave the order once again, and the soldier raised his gun and fired, hitting the wooden sign.
"Retreat!"
Xiao Ruxun had not finished loading, but he had already occupied the first position. The soldier behind him had not finished loading either, but he had also moved forward to occupy the first position. Approximately ten seconds later, Xiao Ruxun raised his gun. Wang Hui waved his hand. "Release!"
Another shot struck.
Xiao Ruxun put down his musket and said to the observing gunners, "This is the most basic three-stage attack. According to my estimations, with your current standards, you can only fire three to four times in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, which is far inferior to bows and crossbows. However, if you use the three-stage attack, your shooting efficiency will increase by three times and you will be able to fire three times in a row, creating an uninterrupted attack. In fact, according to my estimations, if you want to create an attack like an arrow, you will need at least six to nine rows.
However, if you are not proficient in the three-stage attack, how can you talk about six or nine rows? Even this method requires hard practice in order to be able to coordinate with each other. In a battle formation, there is not just one row, but hundreds and thousands of rows firing muskets at the same time. Therefore, you must be proficient in the coordination of your formation. This general will emphasize once again that in a battle formation, the military formation is the guarantee of your life! "
The soldiers shouted, "Yes, sir!"
Xiao Ruxun nodded his head and handed the musket to his bodyguard, saying, "Now, the entire army will be divided into ten small groups of thirty people. Each group will be divided into three rows and begin training."
After these orders were passed down, Xiao Ruxun leaned against the observation platform and watched the soldiers train. Wang Hui personally went down to supervise the soldiers' coordination. At the beginning, the soldiers were in a flurry. There were always soldiers who did something wrong, forgot to advance, or did not load fast enough, causing them to miss the overall formation. Only after being scolded and beaten by Wang Hui did the situation gradually improve. They continued training until noon. After eating lunch in the barracks, the soldiers continued training in the afternoon. With the help of his bodyguard, Xiao Ruxun ascended the city walls.
A horseman returned from the west and reported that the majority of the bandits had appeared five hundred miles west of Pinglu. They would arrive in about two days and begin the attack.
Xiao Ruxun arrived at the western city wall, the side facing the enemy. He saw twelve Francon muskets lined up in a row, mounted on the muzzles of the walls. The walls were covered with all kinds of armaments and supplies, as well as the Second General's Cannon, or bamboo cannons, that had not been mobilized. Compared to the Francon muskets, these cannons made in Daming were not as stable and airtight as the Francon muskets. Therefore, they were not used as frequently as the Francon muskets. Moreover, the Great General's Iron Cannon was too heavy. Although it was more powerful, it was not easy to use and was not the first choice.
Zhao Hu was a former subordinate of the Xiao clan and had once followed Xiao Ruxun's father into battle. He knew that Xiao Ruxun had just recovered from his injuries. Seeing that Xiao Ruxun's complexion was not good but still insisted on inspecting the city, he admired him but was also a little worried.
"The general has just recovered and should rest. You should not walk around. The general is responsible for the safety of the entire city, you should pay more attention to yourself."
Xiao Ruxun only smiled and said gently, "I understand Bo Wei's concern, but in front of the enemy, I cannot ignore the public for personal reasons. Moreover, the wound has already healed and is starting to scab. Even if I move a little, it will not be a problem as long as I do not touch the wound. The bandits have appeared on the west side, and their numbers must be greater than the previous time. My army only has two thousand five hundred men, and they have already split up and regrouped. Our coordination might not be as good as before, so you must pay more attention to them."
Zhao Hu cupped his fists and acknowledged.
"In addition, our army has sufficient rations, but we are short on men. We do not seek to defeat the enemy in this battle, but to be stable. It will be enough to repel the enemy and wait for reinforcements. Without my orders, do not leave the city to pursue them."
Zhao Hu acknowledged once again.
Xiao Ruxun nodded and looked at the distant horizon. Suddenly, she recalled a thrilling battle in the eighth year of the apocalypse. Her heart skipped a beat and she frowned.
"Bo Wei, if you were the general of the bandits, after the first attack was thwarted, would you continue with the previous strategy or look for a different strategy in an attempt to break through?"
Zhao Hu frowned and thought carefully, "If I knew that the enemy's city was sturdy and that it would be difficult to take it by force, he would not use brute force. Instead, he would try to use other methods to attack the city. Besieging the city is the last resort and is not recommended by military strategists."
"That's right. With the cunning of Bo Bai and his son, after being defeated by us the first time, would they send more men to besiege the city the second time? Unless they are at their wit's end, attacking by force is the last resort. If there were any other way, they would not choose to attack the city by force. Our city is already isolated. If the bandits knew about the army, they would know that their main enemy is not us, but Wei Zhitai at the southern bank of the Yellow River. Splitting the army to fight is a taboo for military strategists, and besieging the city is even more so. Would Bo Bai do that? "
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