In ancient times, there was no powerful lethality of high explosives, nor carpet bombing by aircraft and artillery. The efficiency of war was extremely low. The greatest casualties often occurred when the army was defeated and encountered a sheep-herding style of the enemy cavalry. But if two
When armies engage in battle, they will fight to the death with the mentality that they will suffer the same fate, and the number of casualties will be much reduced.
In history books, we often see a large-scale war involving tens of thousands of troops from both sides. After two or three hours of fierce fighting, only a few thousand casualties occurred. This situation may seem incredible to later generations, but in ancient times,
time is the norm;
This situation is still a confrontation between two armies outside the city. If it was a siege battle in ancient times, it was common for the two sides to remain in a stalemate for several years. There are countless examples;
It is not an exaggeration to say that some famous generals in ancient times still fought bravely to kill the enemy after being hit by dozens of arrows on the battlefield. In fact, the lethality of arrows in ancient times was too low. As long as the body wore a few layers of armor, the arrows would not hit the body.
Just scratched a layer of skin.
On this day, there was a brutal battle on the battlefield on the south bank of the Ogawa River. The battle loss ratio between the two sides was as high as about 50%, which was one of the few cases in the history of ancient wars.
Nowadays, the terrain of Yunluan Mountain is certainly not dangerous, but after Zhao Junchen's advance arrangements and the inefficiency of ancient warfare, it is by no means easily broken by the Mongolian army!
Therefore, the next two attacks by the Mongols on the mountain were still quickly repelled.
*
"Prepare fire cannons! Form a team of fifty, and fire volleys in turn! Give the Mongolian Tatars a head-on blow! The archers will pay attention to the fish that the Mongolian Tatars slip through, and must not let the Mongolian Tatars approach the defense line..."
As the Mongolian cavalry charged towards the mountainside defense line, Jiang Xiao shouted orders.
Under Jiang Xiao's order, the defenders on the defense line raised their firecrackers one after another and fired them in groups of two. One person was responsible for mounting and aiming, and the other was responsible for igniting and shooting. After the Mongolian cavalry approached the range of 200 steps,
, the soldiers immediately fired and launched!
"Bump! Bump! Bump!"
Suddenly, the sky was filled with gunpowder smoke at the mountainside defense line, and the sound of gunpowder explosions resounding in the sky was as dense as fried beans, continuous and powerful!
With the firing of more than two hundred muskets, the Mongolian cavalry were hit by lead bullets one after another. They were instantly knocked over and suffered heavy casualties. After the bodies of these cavalry fell to the ground, they even blocked the subsequent charge of the Mongolian cavalry.
the way!
In the end, the Mongolian cavalry who attacked the mountain quickly retreated in embarrassment again!
After Zhao Junchen saw this scene, he nodded slightly to express his satisfaction, and thought to himself: "If I really prepared any backup plan, it would be to equip each of the elite guards with the most sophisticated firecrackers...
The fire cannons of the Ming Dynasty were still very useful, but in actual combat they often failed to function as they should because the yield rate was too low. Two high-quality fire cannons of the same style could shoot at a distance of more than two hundred steps.
The shooting range of the inferior ones is only about ten steps, and the flames often go out and the barrels explode. Naturally, it is difficult to use the power of the fire blunderbuss when mixed together... But this time I will use all the good muskets in the army.
If the cannons are selected and used intensively, their power will naturally be incomparable!"
Just when Zhao Junchen was secretly summing up the gains and losses, the soldiers all cheered loudly when they saw the Mongols retreating again. Wu Qifan and Zhou Bo beside Zhao Junchen even danced with joy!
Wu Qifan said with an excited expression: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Envoy, you want to lure the Mongols to Yunluan Mountain. I originally thought it was too risky, but now I know that our army's sharp firearms are definitely not something the Mongols can withstand! I once thought it was too risky."
I have read "Illustrated Notes on Weapons" and there is a saying in it that "the only thing the barbarians fear from China is firearms". Today I saw that it is true! With these firecrackers, our defense line can hold on for at least two or three hours!
"
Zhou Bo suggested: "As far as I know, your Majesty the Imperial Envoy has also prepared three Hundred Tigers to fight against two ten thousand enemies on Yunluan Mountain. You might as well wait until the next time the Mongols attack the mountain to use them.
The result must be greater!"
Zhao Junchen still remained calm and just watched the movements of the Mongolian army at the foot of the mountain. He shook his head slightly and said: "The power of the fire blunderbuss is certainly good, but it is not as omnipotent as what you have seen. What you have seen is
These fire cannons are all of high quality and extremely rare in quantity. After screening by the entire army, only seven or eight hundred fire cannons were selected. Most of the fire cannons are just used to scare people! As for the hundred tigers running together to fight against ten thousand enemies,
Although it is more powerful, it is not the time to use it yet. It is not easy to operate these two kinds of ordnance..."
*
At the same time, Yasida and Amul at the foot of the mountain gritted their teeth and became furious when they saw that the Mongolian cavalry's attack on the mountain was repelled by the Han army again.
Yasida said loudly: "Damn it! When did the Han army's firearms become so powerful! They are no less inferior to the pro-army guards of Galdan Khan! But the firearms of the pro-army guards were all purchased by Galdan Khan from Tsarist Russia.
Bought at a high price, it only equips a mere 1,500 people!"
Amul shook his head repeatedly, as if he was trying to convince himself, and said: "It is impossible for all Han people's firearms to be so powerful. Otherwise, how could the Mongolian right-wing tribes have the courage to go south to plunder every year? Only a small number of these firearms must be equipped.
Han army! This also shows that the status of the Han imperial envoys on the mountain is extremely valuable, otherwise there would not be such elite guards!"
Yasida looked ferocious and said: "With these sharp firearms, the Han army will definitely not be able to break through the defense line in a short time. The situation on the rear battlefield is urgent and cannot be delayed, so..."
Amul nodded heavily, gritted his teeth and said in a cold voice: "Set the mountain on fire! Burn all the Han people on the mountain to death!"
Following the orders from Yasida and Amul, the Mongols began to take action!
*
At this time, Yunluan Mountain.
Seeing that the Mongolian cavalry had not taken action again, Zhao Junchen was a little surprised at first.
However, before Zhao Junchen could figure out the reason, Jiang Xiao, who was commanding the defense line, suddenly changed his expression and said loudly: "No! The Mongols are going to burn the mountain!"
Hearing Jiang Xiao's exclamation, Zhao Junchen's expression also changed, and he quickly raised his eyes to the foot of the mountain to observe carefully.
I saw that the Mongolian cavalry had collected a large number of fire starters, lit them and threw them on the mountain one after another. At this time, the autumn wind was drying, and the Yunluan Mountain was covered with dense vegetation. The fire soon started, creating a billowing fire.
Thick smoke!
"Damn it! The Mongolian Tatars want to burn us to death!" Wu Qifan also saw this scene and suddenly said in shock: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Envoy, we can't just sit back and wait for death. Before the fire spreads, we still lead the defense.
Soldiers, rush down the mountain!"
On the other side, Jiang Xiao also quickly expressed his determination and said loudly: "Now is the time when the autumn wind is dry, the fire will spread very quickly, and we must not stay here for a long time! Please rest assured, your Majesty, the imperial envoy, even if the brothers risk their lives, they will definitely
I want to escort you safely out of this dangerous place!"
Zhao Junchen was also a little flustered, but perhaps because he had experienced so many things these days, he could still remain calm. After carefully observing the situation at the foot of the mountain, he slowly shook his head and said with a sinking face: "The Mongolian cavalry is now
The battle formation has been arranged and waiting for us. The power of firearms is naturally of great use when guarding the mountain, but it is of little use when the two armies are fighting against each other. The Mongolian troops are two or three times ours. If we rush in panic
Going down the mountain is just throwing yourself into a trap, and I'm afraid your chances of survival will be even lower!"
Zhou Bo said in shock: "Are we going to let the Mongols burn the mountains?"
Zhao Junchen said in a deep voice: "Now we can only resort to tricks! After the order was passed, everyone prepared wet cloths to cover their mouths and noses. Now the wind is in our favor. As long as we are properly prepared, at least we will not be poisoned to death in a short time! In addition, we will not die in a short time!"
, everyone takes action, choose a place with a water source, and build a fire barrier before the fire spreads here! As long as there is a fire barrier, the fire will not be able to burn us. The Mongols are just wasting their efforts.
That’s it! If this fire wants to spread throughout the mountain, it will take at least two hours. Such a long time is enough for the frontline soldiers to return for reinforcements! As long as we persist for a while, we will definitely be rescued!"
"Firebreak?"
When hearing this new term, no one quite understands its meaning due to limited vision.
Zhao Junchen explained quickly: "It means destroying all the burning things around you. Without the things to ignite the fire, the fire will naturally not burn!"
After saying that, Zhao Junchen turned around and walked quickly towards the west side of the mountainside.
In Zhao Junchen's memory, there is a small pool on the west side of the mountainside. Because the geology near the pool is mainly rocky, the vegetation is not too lush, which is the best place to set up a fire zone!
Seeing Zhao Junchen's actions, Wu Qifan, Zhou Bo and others had no better way for a while and had no choice but to follow them.
However, the two of them still had doubts about Zhao Junchen's order.
Wu Qifan couldn't help but ask: "Then if the frontline soldiers cannot rush back in time to support us, won't we be trapped and die in the fire?"
Zhao Junchen turned to look at Wu Qifan and said coldly: "Now, the only choice is to take a risk and leave it to fate! According to my method, there is at least a glimmer of hope, but if we rush down the mountain in a hurry and encounter the siege of the Mongols,
But it’s a dead end, and there is no better way to choose from!”
After hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Wu Qifan, Zhou Bo and others all turned pale.
It is really a terrible situation to leave one's life and death to be decided by an unknown fate, with no ability to interfere at all.
In fact, not only Wu Qifan, Zhou Bo and others felt panic, but Zhao Junchen, who was calm on the surface, was also a little panicked in his heart.
Apart from the panic, I was also more helpless and self-blame.
Zhao Junchen secretly vowed that he would never intervene in directing specific military arrangements in the future!
The smooth sailing after entering Shaanxi-Gansu has made Zhao Junchen subconsciously believe that he is omnipotent in some respects. Although he has encountered many twists and turns in the recent period, he has always saved the day, and Zhao Junchen has not received much success.
Learned a profound lesson.
But this time, when the Mongols set fire to the mountain, Zhao Junchen truly felt the threat to his life, but he finally woke up!
A layman commanding an expert is really the stupidest thing in the world! In the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were many examples of civilian officials and military supervisors indiscriminately commanding and interfering, resulting in war defeats. These examples were also strongly criticized by later generations, and Zhao Junchen is now
There is no actual difference between the methods!
After all, Zhao Junchen is just a civil servant, and may have more advantages in strategic arrangements, but after all, he has never read a few military books. It is really difficult for him to personally command such a large-scale important battle!
I originally thought it would be a good idea to attract some Mongolian cavalry to the foot of Yunluan Mountain, which could reduce the pressure on the frontline soldiers on the main battlefield. There are many successful examples of defending against mountains in history, and even Zhao Junchen himself had a successful experience.
, after the defenders easily repelled the Mongolian army attacking the mountain at the beginning, Zhao Junchen thought that his plan was successful. Who knew that the Mongols just set a fire and easily defeated all Zhao Junchen's ideas!
In history, there are indeed many successful cases of defending against mountains, but Zhao Junchen ignored the dense vegetation of Yunluan Mountain and the climate and wind direction at that time. He also completely ignored the possibility that the Mongols set fire to the mountains. In the end, he naturally died on his own.
Eat the bitter fruit!
"...Actually, I didn't want to get involved in the specific military arrangements. It's just that there are too few reliable generals under my command, either due to lack of ability or lack of courage, such as Qi Bin, He Zhang, Mao Jiadong, etc. who can take charge of their own affairs.
Everyone had other plans, so I had no choice but to reluctantly take on this heavy burden. But now it seems that I am not a talented person like Wang Yangming or Yu Qian, so such a heavy burden is beyond my ability.
This arrangement is all self-defeating... If I am lucky enough to survive this time, I will definitely find some capable generals in the army to take as my confidants and arms. I will leave the future war arrangements to professionals. I will definitely
I will never get my hands on it myself again!”
Just when Zhao Junchen secretly made up his mind, the mountainside defense line was already in chaos. Although it would take some time for the fire to spread throughout the mountain, everyone was already panicking.
At this moment, Zhao Dali suddenly ran quickly from the top of the mountain.
But it was completely different from the panic of Zhao Junchen and others. Zhao Dali had been staying on the top of the mountain to observe the overall situation. He did not know about the Mongols setting fire to the mountain. At this time, his expression was full of joy, as if he had encountered something good.
information!
In fact, Zhao Dali did bring some great news!
"Master Imperial Envoy! Good news! The villain saw on the top of the mountain that the war on the north bank battlefield is finally over! The soldiers on the north bank have now crossed the Xiaochuan River and rushed to the south bank battlefield to support! We will win this battle soon
Got it!"
After hearing what Zhao Dali said, Zhao Junchen's body shook slightly and he was unable to react for a while.
After being stunned for a moment, Zhao Junchen quickly confirmed to Zhao Dali: "The reinforcements from the north bank are coming? Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Zhao Dali nodded repeatedly and said: "I saw everything with my own eyes. The reinforcements from the north bank should have entered the battlefield to fight the remaining Mongolian soldiers on the battlefield. With their support, the battle on the south bank will surely be won soon.
We will get support here soon!"
After hearing Zhao Dali's answer, Zhao Junchen's expression changed for a long time.
Then, Zhao Junchen slowly exhaled and whispered to himself: "It seems that there is no danger this time. God will not destroy me! God will not destroy me!"