Chapter 770 Prayer, Dragon Flag
The Mohist base outside the capital was originally inconspicuous, but since the advent of the flintlock rifle, some people have suggested moving the base back to the city.
But Jiang Qingzhi firmly opposed it.
He said that if the Ming army was incompetent and allowed the enemy to approach the capital, then even if the Mohists could create more powerful weapons, it would be in vain.
These words stung many people's hearts sharply.
——Therefore, when Jiang Qingzhi led his troops north, some people were keeping an eye on the Mohist base.
Everything in the base is still proceeding as planned.
In a heavily guarded workshop, a group of craftsmen were arguing over a blueprint.
"My uncle has already said that sealing is of utmost importance. If it is not sealed tightly, the gas from the expansion of the gunpowder will leak out, shortening the range of the projectile and greatly reducing its power."
"I think gunpowder is the key. If gunpowder can be improved to be more explosive, then all problems will be solved."
The aircraft manufacturing of later generations is based on this principle: if the engine thrust is strong enough, even a piece of iron can fly at supersonic speed!
"Stop arguing." Feng Yuan coughed dryly and said, "You guys are talking about range and power, but you forgot one thing."
"What's the matter?"
"If the gun barrel isn't strong enough, it will explode as soon as it's ignited!"
Everyone was startled.
"Don't think about it." Feng Yuan said, "I think we can divide them into several groups. One group will work on the seal, one group will work on the gunpowder, and one group will work on the gun barrel..."
Everyone thought this was a good idea.
Before the meeting ended, someone asked, "Old Feng, does this thing have a name?"
Feng Yuan said, "What did Uncle say... That's right, the truth!"
……
"The baby is coming out."
From the delivery room came the voice of Granny Wang encouraging Li Tian.
"Amitabha, may Buddha protect us!" The Duke's wife prayed devoutly.
Chang had already knelt beside him, chanting the names of all the gods and Buddhas.
Huang Jin stood there for a long time, motionless.
He knew that if there were any problems with Li Tian's delivery, it would be a huge blow to Jiang Qingzhi.
In this era, anyone with a bit of status would take a concubine. From the rich and powerful to small landlords, and even to poor scholars...
What lifetime? Come on!
In the eyes of people of this era, women, especially concubines, were playthings of their male masters.
Or a tool for reproduction.
This was the case with Xu Wei's biological mother. After his father passed away, his biological mother became a plaything of his stepmother. Fortunately, his stepmother showed mercy and only expelled his biological mother from the house.
Damn!
You used to compete with me for my favor, but now that man is gone, how can I still tolerate you?
But Jiang Qingzhi only has this one woman, and even though Li Tian has never been pregnant, Jiang Qingzhi still does not change his original intention.
This friendship is so touching that people outside are speculating whether Jiang Qingzhi is capable.
The Taoist priest once said: Qingzhi is a sentimental boy, just like me.
If something happens to Li Tian and the child...
When the general returned from the battle, he found that his wife had passed away.
Huang Jin shook his head and asked the imperial physician, "How is it?"
The imperial physician did not answer, Huang Jin was furious, and turned around to see the imperial physician clasping his hands together, praying devoutly...
……
Tuotuo was also praying.
He whispered: "May the gods and Buddhas protect us and let the left wing defeat the Ming army!"
This adopted son of Altan, who was known for his fairness and strictness, now had a look of nervousness in his eyes.
"Great Khan, the Ming army has launched a counterattack."
Altan saw that the right wing of the Ming army was launching a frantic counterattack.
Altan was not afraid of this, he firmly believed that his men could stop the opponent.
but!
The Ming army in the middle is also launching a counterattack!
Do not!
More like a surprise attack.
The sound of explosions never stopped since the assault began.
The battlefield was filled with gunpowder smoke and the autumn wind was blowing continuously. Altan even thought he could smell it.
The speed of the Ming army in the middle road does not seem fast, but it is extremely stable. Every time the smoke is filled, the autumn wind blows away the smoke, and the opponents will find that they have taken a big step forward.
Moving forward step by step, the Ming army in the middle actually broke through the entire battle line.
The Ming army on the left wing could still barely keep up, but the Ming army on the right wing was clearly lagging behind, so that the right side of the Ming army in the middle was exposed to the enemy.
"Great Khan!" Meng Xian found the opportunity, and Altan, who was charging on horseback, also found it. He shouted sternly: "Attack the right side of the Ming army's center from the left! Immediately!"
The sound of the horn could not carry out such a complicated military order, and several riders galloped away.
Du He also noticed this crisis, "Master, center right wing!"
"I saw it." Jiang Qingzhi remained calm.
"I'll go provide reinforcements!" Du He asked.
"No need." Jiang Qingzhi shook his head and shook off the cigarette ash. "I believe in silence!"
An Jing had become a bloody man at this moment, his whole body was washed with blood. He saw the crisis of the Ming army in the middle.
"Commander." A captain stumbled over, "The enemy is counterattacking!"
An Jing grabbed his collar, pointed to the right side of the Ming army in the middle and said, "See? There... Never mind, I'll go there myself!"
An Jing raised his sword and said, "Let the Tiger Guards see my courage. Brothers, drive the enemy out!"
"kill!"
An Jing rushed forward again.
"Commander!"
Someone shouted.
"My military order is just two words: move forward!"
Roaring quietly, marching forward courageously! Behind him, the Ming army soldiers shouted wildly.
"Today, I am invincible!"
"Go forward!"
"Kill the enemy!"
Without waiting for Altan's military order, after discovering the opportunity, hundreds of enemy cavalry rushed straight to the right side of the Ming army in the middle.
The quiet death charge came a little late.
Those fierce enemy soldiers couldn't help but rejoice.
At this moment, Yan Xu glanced to the right and said, "Expel!"
A formation of the Ming army on the right side of the center suddenly moved right.
"Raise the gun!"
"Boom!"
Bang bang bang bang!
In the smoke, Jiang Qingzhi said calmly: "Although firearms guards must be assisted by cold weapons, many times, they alone can also frighten the opponent!"
When the smoke cleared, 30% of the hundreds of enemy soldiers were killed.
rotation.
Open fire!
Bang bang bang bang!
The dense volleys of gunfire forced the enemy troops to retreat again and again.
"reinforce!"
The enemy general discovered the problem: there were too few troops for the attack.
But the Ming army’s formation just now seemed unable to cope with it!
The array changed so rapidly that it was impossible, and the right side instantly turned into a hedgehog.
What is the most important thing for a firearms soldier?
formation!
The formation must be neat so that the firepower can be impenetrable.
Change formation quickly, the faster the better.
The battlefield situation changes rapidly. Only by being faster than your opponent can you gain the upper hand.
Just as the enemy general gathered a large force to prepare for another surprise attack, silence came.
He led his men in a charge, cut a bloody path and drove the enemy out.
The right wing of the Ming army in the middle!
Safety!
"Tell Yan Xu! I'm here, don't worry about the right road!"
The quiet roar greatly boosted the morale of the Ming army on the battlefield.
Yan Xu glanced at the right wing and said, "Tell the soldiers that Lord Bo is watching us, and the whole army is watching us. I, the Tiger Guard Left Guard..."
"assault!"
Chen Bao roared.
"assault!"
Zhu Shitai was roaring.
The volleys of gunfire became more and more intense, and the rotation speed became faster and faster...
No matter how exciting the drill is, it is not as good as an actual combat on the battlefield.
From being unfamiliar and even a little flustered at the beginning to being familiar and calm now...
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "After this battle, the Beijing Guards have been completely transformed!"
"My Lord, I'm willing to fight!" Du Bao's blood boiled and he couldn't help but volunteer to fight.
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head, "No need to worry, your chance to kill the enemy is not far away."
Yan Song asked: "But now the opportunity has come?"
Jiang Qingzhi pointed to the front and said, "Altan's food and grass were burned, and the uprising in the city failed. Now the only thing he can rely on is his own military advantage."
Du He said, "My Lord, if this battle is fruitless and the sky is dark, our army must return to the city. Along the way... the enemy is cavalry, they can attack from all directions, and once they find an opportunity, they can break in... I'm afraid this journey will be difficult."
Several generals looked worried.
Yan Song asked: "Why didn't Altan delay the attack and wait until dark?"
Altan on the other side said coldly: "We must exhaust the strength of the Guangming Army and drain their courage. Jiang Qingzhi must return to the city before the afternoon. The troops are exhausted on the way, and what we have to do is... follow them like a pack of wolves, surround them, and harass them from all sides..."
Everyone then understood why Altan ordered his men to attack with all their might.
Zhao Quan whispered, "If we don't attack with all our might now, by the afternoon, the warriors will worry about whether they will have food to eat tomorrow. The later it gets, the lower their morale will be."
"Jiang Qingzhi was too cruel in cutting off the food supply." Ma Tianlu sighed.
"The point is, the Khan hesitated."
"Hmm? What is he hesitating about?"
"There is no need to attack so frantically. I think he is afraid of the Ming army's firearms." Zhao Quan looked at Altan and said softly, "From the beginning of this battle to now, all the means prepared by the Khan have been calmly resolved by Jiang Qingzhi.
Each time the situation was resolved, it would inevitably deal a heavy blow to the Khan. Lin Siyuan was defeated and killed. Two detachments were repelled. The army was defeated at Luanling Pass, and Biji was captured..."
"Yes. This was especially true during the decisive battle. The morale and courage of the Datong defenders were shocking. Otherwise, Jiang Qingzhi would have been forced to mobilize the Beijing Guards earlier, and the battle would have been a different story."
"To be honest, I can't believe the firearms of the Ming army in the middle." Zhao Quan smiled bitterly, "What I am most worried about now... and probably what the Khan is most worried about is whether Jiang Qingzhi has other means."
Ma Tianlu said: "Could he have invited the gods to come down to earth?"
"It's hard to say." Zhao Quan sighed, "Since we marched south, the Ming army has been at a disadvantage from the beginning. We seemed to be proactive, but later we found out that Jiang Qingzhi had been prepared. So we went from being proactive to being passive. After being passive so many times, to be honest, I no longer have confidence in this battle."
Ma Tianlu raised his eyebrows, "This is frustration."
"When you are beaten again and again by your opponent and are powerless to do anything, you will also doubt yourself," said Zhao Quan.
"But what other means does Jiang Qingzhi have?" Ma Tianlu frowned and looked at the opposite side, "Does he have reinforcements?"
"There are at least 6,000 to 7,000 troops in Datong City," Zhao Quan said, "but Jiang Qingzhi dare not use them. Otherwise, if he fails, Datong City will change hands in an instant."
"What is that?" Ma Tianlu suddenly asked, pointing to the left.
A flag suddenly appeared behind the right side of the Ming army.
“It’s the dragon flag!”
(End of this chapter)
