Xiao Ruxun predicted that the Northern Barbarians would run north, so he arranged his Zhennan Army's flintlock squad to the north. A thousand muskets were ready to fire, while a thousand gunners and a thousand shieldbearers were in formation.
Wang Hui watched as Li Rusong led the cavalry to kill to his heart's content, earning countless heads and meritorious deeds. He was very envious, but the person Xiao Ruxun had given him was also very good. He had him set up a formation to the north of Datong, ready to intercept and kill the Northern Barbarians who had escaped.
Wang Hui never doubted Xiao Ruxun's orders. This was an instinct he had honed as a bodyguard general. Bodyguards had a kind of instinctive obedience to Xiao Ruxun. Compared to the imperial court's troops, they were Xiao Ruxun's true private soldiers. Xiao Ruxun's orders were much more effective to them than the Emperor's edict.
In the Zhennan Army, Xiao Ruxun had constantly promoted outstanding soldiers to be his bodyguards. After a while, he would put them back into the army to take up low-level positions. On the surface, it was to stay by his side and gain experience, but in reality, it was to buy people's hearts.
He instilled the idea of loyalty to these soldiers, and then threw them back to the base of the army, making sure that he had control of the whole army from the bottom.
That was why Xiao Ruxun was able to use unconventional methods to command troops above his rank. The troops were already used to listening to Xiao Ruxun's orders, and not the general's orders. This was one of Xiao Ruxun's greatest achievements in the army over the past three years.
There was no other way. He was forced to do this. Xiao Ruxun was not Qi Jiguang. He could not fight back against the civil officials in the imperial court. Xiao Ruxun would not be like Qi Jiguang, waiting to be captured without a fight.
If the civil officials planned to do something to him, he would definitely fight back. Therefore, he must firmly control this rare army in his hands. They were the foundation of his resistance against the civil officials. With soldiers in his hands, he would not panic.
After receiving Xiao Ruxun's order, Wang Hui ordered the cannons to bombard the encirclement of the Northern Barbarians to open up a path for the cavalry. Then, he led his troops to the back of Datong City to form a formation.
After setting up the firearms formation, the soldiers loaded the ammunition, and then loaded the extra guns. Then, they prepared the packing paper bags and checked if there were no problems with their guns and ammunition. Then, they got into formation and waited.
When the scouts sent to the front came back and reported that the Northern Barbarians had fled with their families, Wang Hui immediately ordered the soldiers to light the fire.
A faint smoke and a subtle pungent smell filled the air. Wang Hui did not know how Xiao Ruxun knew that soaking the fire in urine and then drying it would increase the duration of the fire and make it burn slower.
Xiao Ruxun never explained it, but it was indeed the case when it was used. So, he did not care. Anyway, if it was a little pungent, then so be it. You don't need to pee much, right? They were all men, so who wouldn't pee every day?
The fire was smoking as the soldiers clamped the fire to the rack, aiming at the mouth of the fire. Once the Northern Barbarians appeared in front of them, and Wang Hui gave the order to shoot, they would use the three-stage attack that they were familiar with in training.
Wang Hui was staring straight ahead when he suddenly heard Xiao Ruxun's voice from behind.
"How is it? Are the Northern Barbarians here?"
Wang Hui turned around and saw Xiao Ruxun and Xu Guangqi standing behind him. He was shocked.
"Shiro? This … this is going to be a battlefield soon! It's very dangerous! "
Xiao Ruxun laughed. "It's alright. Mr. Xu wanted to see how our flintlock team fights, so I brought him here. Besides, I brought these three hundred flintlock musketeers with me. They can be of some help to you, right? Flintlock musketeers, listen up! Choose a suitable location and prepare to kill the leader of the Northern Barbarians! "
"Yes, sir!"
The three hundred musketeers under Xiao Ruxun shouted in unison and quickly spread out. Each of them chose a position that they liked and made their preparations.
Wang Hui could only order his own soldiers to protect Xiao Ruxun and Xu Guangqi.
"Governor Xiao, is this flintlock musket really more powerful than the fowling musket?"
Xu Guangqi asked curiously.
"I gave you that gun for so long, but you never tried to fire it yourself?"
Xiao Ruxun smiled.
"I'm preparing for the exam in the capital. If I suddenly fire it and alarm the neighbors, they will report it to the authorities. What should I do then?"
Xu Guangqi looked at Xiao Ruxun with a face full of resentment.
Xiao Ruxun was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. "Hahahaha! Yes, yes, yes. It's my fault for not thinking it through. Hahaha! The cost of this flintlock musket is more than three times that of a fowling musket. Naturally, it's better to use than a fowling musket. The reason is not only because of the flint and the flintlock, but also because of the rifling inside. "
Xiao Ruxun took a flintlock musket and pointed the muzzle at Xu Guangqi's eyes.
"The people I sent should have told you about this rifling, right?"
Xu Guangqi nodded. "The people Governor Xiao sent said that this rifling allows lead bullets to shoot further and more accurately. Fowling muskets can't do this."
"Yes. The lead bullet in a fowling musket is slightly smaller than the muzzle and can be easily stuffed in. After being compressed together with the gunpowder, the barrel can be ignited. However, the lead bullet is smaller than the muzzle. When it comes out of the barrel, you won't know where it will fly to. It could be north, south, east, west, and 30 to 50 steps. The accuracy can be slightly guaranteed, but beyond that, only God knows where it will fly to."
Xu Guangqi took the flintlock musket and nodded.
"So that's how it is. This rifling is for the lead bullet to fly forward and not randomly?"
"Yes, this rifling is a little bit. The lead bullet used in the flintlock musket is slightly different. It's slightly larger than the muzzle."
Xu Guangqi was stunned. "Slightly larger than the muzzle? Then how do we put the lead bullet in? "
Xiao Ruxun took out a small wooden mallet.
"Hammer it in."
"Ah?"
Xu Guangqi was dumbfounded as he watched Xiao Ruxun wrap a lead bullet in a small piece of cloth and place it at the muzzle of the gun. Then, she hammered the lead bullet into the barrel of the gun, and pressed it down with a steel rod.
"That's it. That's how it's loaded. Because the lead bullet is soft, it's much softer than a barrel made of fine iron. It can be hammered in to fit the bullet with the rifling. That's why the accuracy of the flintlock musket is high, but the firing speed is similar to that of a matchlock musket. Sometimes, it's even more difficult."
Xu Guangqi nodded.
"So that's how it is. Then … then why not directly make the lead bullet into the barrel? Wouldn't that save a lot of time?"
This time, before Xiao Ruxun could speak, Wang Hui spoke.
"What you can think of, Governor Xiao can't think of? How can Colonel Francis not think of it? Isn't it because the technology is not up to par? Even if we can make some, it won't be able to keep up with the soldiers' consumption rate. It's better to just hammer it! Moreover, some of the lead bullets may not completely fit the rifling. In the end, we still have to hammer it. Why not waste the money? "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
