Nanjing was a bustling place. The soldiers from there generally didn't have much fighting spirit and were rather afraid of death. They used firearms in large numbers but lacked training. Liu Gu knew that he couldn't place too much hope on these miscellaneous soldiers. He had Nanjing City Head Yao Guofu take the lead just to probe them. The result of the probe was that the rebels' artillery fire was sharp, but their numbers were limited. Thus, Liu Gu was greatly reassured.
City Head Yao retreated with his subordinates, all of them running faster than rabbits as if they had been granted amnesty. Most of the Zhejiang soldiers that came up were dressed in shabby clothes, but they had disdainful expressions and looked down on these useless people. Zhou Beiyu, who was in command of the Zhejiang soldiers, raised his hands to City Head Yao and led his troops forward without saying much.
Once the Zhejiang soldiers came up, the entire situation changed. They also used firearms in large numbers, but their formation was much looser. They wouldn't easily squeeze a large group of people behind the carriages and use them as targets. Zhou Yiming, who was commanding the battle, split up his troops to attack the rebels on both sides of the walls in an attempt to climb up and share some of the firepower.
Compared to the Nanjing soldiers who had only brought out some annihilation cannons, the Zhejiang soldiers had much more variety in equipment. What attracted the most attention were the Francon cannons that were mounted on the artillery carriages. These light cannons that were loaded with sub-cannons were far behind the times, but they could still fire shells several hundred meters away and pose a significant threat to the defenders. In addition, there were more than a dozen of them at once.
With the cannons, the Zhejiang soldiers also sent infantry forward. They wouldn't charge straight up to their deaths, so they also used the cover of the battlefield. In order to increase the speed of the assault, the Zhejiang soldiers unloaded a large amount of weight from the shield carriages. After all, the shield carriages couldn't withstand the cannons, so it was fine as long as they could protect themselves from some flying rubble. If they were lighter, they could charge forward faster and fewer people would die.
Such a simple arrangement made the entire battle line look very different. Zhou Qingfeng, who was watching the battle from the walls, was moved. He ordered the artillery soldiers, "The enemy's main force is coming up now. Don't hold back and pour out more firepower." At the same time, he ordered the female artillery soldiers, "Enemies are coming up from the two flanks. Line up and wait."
In front of the gap in the wall, the two heavy cannons had not completely cooled down. A gunner was leaning against a gun rack to rest. He used a paper roll of tobacco to touch the hot barrel and lit it up. These cannoneers were actually from the surrendered Liaodong Ming Army. Taking advantage of the few minutes of rest, someone joked, "If we also have cannons like this in Shenyang, if the Tatars want to seize the city, they will have a good look."
Ptui … The gunner who lit the cigarette spat on the ground. He was wearing a pair of dirty linen gloves and holding the brush of the cannon in one hand. He puffed out a cloud of smoke and said, "I don't have anything to eat or drink, so what if I have a cannon? Who would work for an official? It's not like there are no cannons at the top of Shenyang's city walls, but when the Tatars attack, don't they still have to run? No matter how good the cannon was, it would only benefit outsiders.
This' Revolutionary Army 'is still the best. I get ten taels of silver a month, and I also get a monthly supply of grain and oil. My child goes to school for free, and my family gets fifty mu of farmland. If I die in battle, I can still get a large amount of compensation money and land. I know that this is a dangerous battle, but I'm willing to come. I've already told my wife at home that if I die, she will remarry and raise my children. "
The gunner who lit the cigarette said it lightly, and his other colleagues also laughed. After a while, the artillery company commander ran over and scolded, "Get up, get up, that group of officials has changed. This time it's different, they also have cannons, and they look very powerful. Platoon Commander, you will command the artillery. Platoon Commander, prepare our rockets. "
The artillery company was newly established and lacked manpower, so the organization was two by two. Two heavy cannons actually belonged to one platoon, and there was another platoon behind the artillery. This platoon was equipped with rockets that could be launched on a slide. Rockets were invented in the Song Dynasty, and were even improved and widely used by the British army a hundred years later. They were called 'Congreve Rockets'.
This thing was a technology that was easy to learn but difficult to master. If it was poorly made, it would be a large firework, but if it was carefully made, it would be a weapon on the battlefield. When Zhao Ze ordered the manufacture of cannons, he inevitably invented this relatively simple but practical weapon. He made the design, and the Ministry of Engineering worked on it. The difficulty of this thing was lower than that of cannons. Its advantage was that it had a long range, but its disadvantage was that it consumed too much gunpowder and had poor accuracy.
Relying on the higher processing level of the Revolutionary Army's Ministry of Engineering, Zhao Ze designed a rocket that was improved according to the later generations. It had a tail, could spin, and had high accuracy. Its effective range could reach 1,000 meters, and the error was within 100 meters. Each rocket weighed about 10 kilograms, and it contained five kilograms of black gunpowder. There were also prefabricated stone fragments to increase its lethality.
In order to save materials, this thing used a wooden shell. Compared with cannons, it had its advantages and disadvantages. It was a light and efficient weapon that could be mobile with the army.
The rocket platoon of the artillery company was equipped with six slide rockets, and the soldiers adjusted the angle of the slide to determine the range. It was also because of this that this kind of rocket could only attack fixed targets in the distance, and the minimum range was more than 200 meters. It had to be coordinated with other units to play its advantage.
The rocket platoon had already set up their positions, and according to the company commander's orders, they orderly adjusted their range. They set up observation posts on the high city walls to determine the effect of the attack. However, before the rocket platoon began to show its power, the observation post equipped with binoculars shouted, "Company commander, the government not only has cannons, but it seems like they've also taken out rockets."
If the rebels had rockets, how could the government not have rockets?
Not only did the Ming Army have rockets, but they also had a lot of different types. Swarm of Bees, Godly Machine Arrows, Hundred Tigers Stampede, and so on. In the Ming Army, the Zhejiang soldiers were known for being good at using firearms. For targets that needed to be attacked from afar, the Franco cannon was only a means of attack, and rockets were also a good choice.
However, compared to the standard manufacturing and use of the Revolutionary Army's military system, the Zhejiang soldiers could use firearms as they pleased. Zhou Yiming, who commanded the Zhejiang soldiers, did not want to rely on numbers to fill the muzzle of the rebels' cannons. If a little more firepower could exchange for less casualties, he would be very happy.
The rebels' heavy cannons could reach 500 meters, and this had been proven. Therefore, after Garrison Zhou set up more than 10 Franco cannons, he immediately took out the Hundred Tiger Rush, which had the longest range. The Revolutionary Army's rockets boosted explosives to cause damage, while the Ming Army's rockets shot out arrows to cause damage. Its range was about 300 meters, which was a little short.
In order to bring the rebels' position into their shooting range, hundreds of Zhejiang soldiers listened to the order and carried the Hundred Tiger Rush. They stepped on the minced meat on the ground and used the various chariots that had been pushed out as cover to approach. The Nanjing soldiers did not push the chariots forward very far. The Zhejiang soldiers had to continue to push forward after reducing the burden on the shield chariots.
The Franco cannon at the back was carried by the cannon chariot and fired 500 meters away to provide cover. The whistling shells were all aimed at the rebels' heavy cannons behind the ruins of the city wall in an attempt to suppress them. The Zhejiang soldiers took the opportunity to advance. They ran very fast and the distance was getting closer. They only fired one round of solid bullets, but the effect was not very good. The platoon commander who commanded the artillery decisively ordered, "Change to chain bullets."
The artillery company built the artillery position in the ruins of the city wall. They actually dug half a meter into the ground and left a few meters thick mound of soil in front of the artillery position. After watering, it would be used as a chest wall. The firing range of the artillery position was only 45 degrees. The mound of soil on the left and right also formed a cover for the artillery position.
The Franco cannon of the Ming Army was very light. Each cannon was only 100 kilograms. It was loaded with sub-guns. The airtightness was poor, the long-range power was not enough, and the accuracy was not good. Its advantage was that it could fire very quickly, and the sounds of gunfire were non-stop. But unless the shell hit the artillery position, it could only hit the mound of soil.
In the artillery position behind the mound of soil, the cannoneer of the Revolutionary Army took out the chain bullets. The chain bullets were two hollow semicircles. They were connected by a one-meter iron chain and combined to form a ball that was stuffed into the barrel. Due to the light weight of the chain bullets, there could be less propellant. This was also good for slowing down the temperature of the barrel and greatly increasing the firing rate.
The Zhejiang soldiers on the opposite side pushed the shield chariot and accelerated. They roared as they moved forward. Soon, they were within 400 meters from 500 meters. The two heavy cannons on the opposite side were already ready to fire. After the platoon leader waved his hand and gave the order, all the cannoneers turned their heads and covered their ears. A cannoneer with earplugs grabbed the ignition rod and inserted it into the firing hole of the cannon.
With a boom, the back seat of the cannon charged up the slope of the artillery position. The chain bullets that were ejected from the cannon quickly separated due to air resistance. The two half spheres were connected by the iron chain in the middle and spun for hundreds of meters.
The chain bullets were usually used to destroy the opponent's sails at sea. The chain bullets fired by the large-caliber naval cannon were extremely terrifying. They could easily tear the masts and sails into pieces, making the warship lose the ability to sail. On land, the chain bullets were also a terrifying existence when dealing with mid-range targets.
Compared to the solid bullets that had a long range but could only hit one line, the chain bullets that spread out could hit one direction. The two spinning hemispheres danced in the air and whizzed over. A soldier behind a shield chariot was trying to see the road ahead. The spinning hemispheres flew over his skull and smashed his skull into a funnel. His brain juice poured out like tofu.
The chain bullets whistled and the momentum didn't stop. It whipped out another carriage. The thin wooden board was like a layer of paper in front of the chain. The soldier hiding in the carriage was cut in half by the chain and died miserably. The 'Hundred Tigers Rushing Together' that they were carrying was even set ablaze as a result, and it shot out in all directions.
The lethality of this chain bullet was only average. It flew out a few hundred meters and landed on the ground. The hemispheres and iron chains were already covered with bloody meat with a scarlet color. The Zhejiang soldiers who ran past were horrified but still gritted their teeth and ran forward. In their view, only by rushing forward could they survive. Stopping was just a target.
The chain bullets with reduced charges could burst out at a rate of three rounds per minute. The two spinning hemispheres had a much higher hit rate than solid bullets. After nine rounds, the number of damaged chariots was even more than when they faced the Nanjing soldiers. Six or seven of the shield chariots at the front had been shot down. The side chariots at the back had suffered secondary damage and many people had died.
The dozen Francon cannons responsible for suppressing the chariots were useless. They fired quickly but the shells were soft and powerless. None of them posed a threat to the rebel cannons. After three minutes, their barrels also became boiling hot and couldn't continue firing.
However, after suffering a lot of losses, a large number of Zhejiang soldiers had closed to within three hundred meters of the artillery position. The Zhejiang soldiers who had been gritting their teeth and enduring death didn't need orders. They all set up their 'Hundred Tigers Rush' and fired.
One 'Hundred Tigers Rush' was a hundred arrows. At least forty or fifty 'Hundred Tigers Rush' began to show their power under the cover of the chariots. This meant that thousands of arrows were fired at the rebels in a short period of time.
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.
