mtl008 Chapter 760 Even Our Own People Are Participating in New Releases
Chapter 760 Even Our Own People Are Participating in New Releases
Although the Baoding troops could not be called a strong army, they were much stronger than the government troops that Liu Zongmin encountered in Henan. Several thousand cavalrymen charging into a group of refugees whose numbers were not much greater than their own was naturally no problem. Moreover, the fate of infantry without formations against charging cavalry was a foregone conclusion.
Despite his advanced age, Liu Guozhu was still vigorous and took the lead, charging ahead with his personal guards. All the cavalry formed a cone shape, creating a large opening in the chaotic crowd of refugees. The refugees, wielding spears and clubs, were either knocked away by the galloping warhorses or cut down, unable to stop the cavalry's charge.
The Baoding cavalry skillfully gripped their sabers horizontally, and with the help of their horses' speed, easily slit open the throats and chests of the refugees. Blood flowed in mid-air, and wherever their iron hooves went, corpses littered the ground.
After breaking through the refugees' ranks, Liu Guozhu turned his horse around and led his men back in the opposite direction.
Accompanied by the sharp, thudding sounds of blades piercing flesh, interspersed with sporadic clashes of weapons, Liu Guozhu led his troops once again into the crowd, reaping the lives of the refugees like harvesting weeds. Waves of refugees collapsed to the ground. Occasionally, cavalrymen were struck by spears or clubs and fell from their horses, but overall, the slaughter remained one-sided.
In the distance, Liu Zongmin watched the battle unfold before him, showing no distress over the deaths of the refugees. It was as if the dead were not living people, but a group of ants with no connection to him. He simply clicked his tongue and said, "These soldiers from Baoding are quite capable; they are more difficult to deal with than the soldiers from Henan."
Some panicked around him, and they all suggested, "General, let's go to the main camp!"
“No, the morale of our officers and soldiers is high right now, there’s no need to let the old camp fight a direct battle.” Liu Zongmin rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “Someone, bring up those cannons. It’s time for these cannons to show their skills. Let the General of Baoding taste the cannons.”
They looked at each other, and someone asked, "But our people are on the other side too, wouldn't bombarding them...?"
"Woman's compassion!" Liu Zongmin glared at the man. "With this kind of trash, as long as we capture a few counties, we can have as many as we want. What does it matter if he dies?"
Several "simplified" mountain guns were carried up and set up in front of the troops, aimed at the thousands of people fighting fiercely.
Liu Ye "generously sponsored" Li Zicheng with over a dozen mountain cannons. After being tested in actual combat, they proved to be far superior to the captured imperial cannons, including the Hongyi cannons. The Shun army treasured them, rarely using them except in major battles. Although they were simplified versions, and the white cast iron material could not compare to the gray cast iron used by the Qionghai Navy, their performance was still excellent due to the use of iron mold casting technology. They only had a short lifespan, but were more than enough to deal with ordinary officers and soldiers.
Liu Zongmin enjoyed Li Zicheng's deep trust and was assigned several mountain guns as part of the vanguard. Because they were lightweight, a few men could carry them, so he kept them with him for emergencies. Now, facing a tough opponent like Liu Guozhu, he activated this powerful weapon. He ordered, "Aim ahead and blast them to smithereens! Remember, use the cannons sparingly. We can't manufacture these things; if we run out, we'll have to ask Guangdong for more, which is too much trouble..."
The artillerymen of the Da Shun Army, trained by Liu Yanzi and others, scooped out an appropriate amount of gunpowder from the powder barrel and poured it into the muzzle. Then they took out smooth and round solid bullets, carefully placed them into the muzzle, slowly slid them into the bottom of the cannon, and then inserted the fuse from the ignition port, ready to fire.
This firing procedure was more complicated than that of the Qionghai Navy, but it was intentional. Liu Ye deliberately concealed the gunpowder packs, wooden trays, and scientifically designed aiming techniques used in loading the cannonballs, all to create a gap in military skills and avoid being shot in the foot by his own cannonballs in future battles. Because the Ming army's cannons followed a similar procedure, no one in the Da Shun army suspected anything. No one knew that their rate of fire was several times slower than that of the Qionghai Navy, and that the amount of gunpowder directly had a fatal impact—too little gunpowder meant the cannonball wouldn't travel far; too much gunpowder could cause the barrel to explode.
With everything prepared, the gunners lit the fuses. Meanwhile, the battle on the opposite side had reached its climax. Liu Guozhu led his cavalry in repeated breaches, slaughtering the refugees until their blood flowed like a river. Many refugees had lost their will to fight and began to flee. The remaining refugees, clinging to their will, endured the cavalry's carnage—according to custom, sufficient merit would grant them a chance to join the main camp, where they would live a life of luxury and comfort. They were terrified of poverty and did not want to endure hunger and hardship any longer.
"Boom boom boom!"
The muffled thunder of artillery fire echoed across the battlefield, and scorching shells flew like meteors toward the two sides entangled together.
The first to suffer were the fleeing refugees, who were pierced by the immense kinetic energy of the 6-pound solid shot. The shell passed through the scattered deserters almost without hindrance, penetrating into the crowd and splattering sprays of blood.
The Baoding cavalry never expected the bandits to possess such sophisticated cannons, much less that they would launch an indiscriminate attack and ruthlessly harm their own men. Caught off guard, many cavalrymen, like the refugees, were struck by the whistling cannonballs and fell, their bodies mangled and bloodied. For a moment, both sides were stunned by the barrage of cannon fire, unsure of what to do.
Liu Guozhu reacted quickly, shouting, "Go through! Get behind the bandits!" The cavalrymen, regaining their senses, desperately pushed their way through the crowd, using the refugees to form a human barrier.
Even so, some shells with treacherous trajectories still grazed the heads of the refugees, knocking down the running cavalrymen and their horses. These shells were unlike any other; if they hit, death was almost certain.
Fortunately, after passing through the crowd of refugees, the chaotic crowd became a natural barrier, blocking most of the shells, and Liu Guozhu and his men were able to catch their breath.
In this way, neither side cared about fighting; surviving the artillery fire was the most important thing. The Baoding cavalry and these cannon fodder quickly formed a tacit understanding: they would not attack each other and would try to spread out to avoid being hit by cannonballs.
Liu Guozhu ran to a relatively safe distance, grabbed the reins of his horse, looked back at the enemy's artillery position, and said with lingering fear, "The bandits actually have such methods. No wonder the Henan troops could not stop their advance..."
Just as he was wondering how to deal with the shelling, something unexpected happened.
With a deafening roar, a cannon exploded—whether due to overloading or a cracked barrel! A bent cannon barrel flew into the air amidst billowing flames and smoke before crashing heavily to the ground. The explosion triggered a secondary detonation of the gunpowder, even affecting nearby gun emplacements, throwing two or three cannons and their operators to the ground and rendering them immediately silent.