The cannon is made of fine steel, and the bore is polished very smoothly. The shotshells for infantry have been loaded for a long time. They are all densely packed with sharp iron triangles in the round shells. When the gun rope is pulled, the firing pin hits the bottom of the propellant.
Mercury fulminate ignited gunpowder and shot out the cannonballs. The cannonballs fired by gunpowder were much more powerful than the cannonballs fired by steam power. A burst of iron rain poured over in the form of a fan. Suddenly, the sky was filled with blood and broken limbs were flying everywhere.
The weather was hot, and most of the left army went into battle shirtless. Without any armor protection, they became the best prey for pneumatic machine guns. This relatively backward weapon is still unique in dealing with unprotected groups. Wherever the machine gun hits, a burst of
There was a muffled "Puff" sound of the formation steel nails penetrating into the flesh. The soldiers of the Left Army had never withstood such a blow. They immediately cried for their fathers and mothers and fled in all directions. The cavalrymen of the Red Shirt Army mounted their horses to attack, holding a knife in one hand and a blunderbuss in the other.
, blocking the retreat of the rebels. Although the left army was brave, they were stunned by the big weapon and there were no officers to organize resistance, so they knelt down in groups and asked to surrender. They were born as bandits and were very accustomed to surrender.
The thing is, when we were fighting with the army in the past, they would play the trick of recruiting soldiers every now and then. After receiving food and salary, they would rebel again, and if they rebelled, they would recruit soldiers again.
Of course Liu Ziguang was aware of this style of the Zuo Army. They were now going on a killing spree, and there was no turning back when they fired their bows. If these people were allowed to run back to Wuchang to report the news, the mission would be in vain. With only 500 of his own men, he could carry out an assault.
He might have a slight chance of winning in occupying Ezhou, but if he could alert the enemy and start a formal face-to-face battle, he had no chance of winning.
The scene was chaotic. There were three to four thousand leftist troops on the dock. Except for those who were killed and wounded, the rest threw their weapons on the ground and asked to surrender. However, when the people in Ezhou City saw the fighting, they immediately closed the city.
After opening the gate, war drums sounded in the city. Hou Xun beat his chest and complained about Liu Ziguang's reckless behavior. Liu Ziguang was furious and ordered him to shut up. At the same time, he ordered artillery to attack the city immediately.
"What to do with these prisoners?" one of his subordinates asked, pointing to the left army soldiers on the ground. Although these guys were lying on the ground and shouting surrender, their eyes were wandering around, and their hands were secretly touching the weapons thrown aside.
, there were so many prisoners, and there was no manpower to guard them in front of the two armies, so Liu Ziguang waved his hand and shouted: "Kill!"
The gunfire sounded again, and the prisoners were turned into bloody dregs. They immediately fled. The red shirt regiment let them go to Ezhou City. However, the people on the city wall were afraid that the imperial army would take the opportunity to enter the city, so they did not open the door.
Firing arrows fiercely, these people walked around the city howling like ghosts. At the same time, Liu Ziguang's artillery was also loaded with live ammunition for siege. Ten cannons were placed on the pier, and eight-pound cast iron balls were fired towards the city wall.
, the pneumatic machine gun also raised its elevation and fired at the soldiers on the city wall. The left army soldiers held up their shields and fought back. The machine gun's nail bullets hit the shields like rain. Fortunately, they were not strong enough to shoot through the shields, but the hundreds of fire guns
Guns were different. The bullets roared towards them and could penetrate the wooden shields covered with cowhide. When they hit the city bricks, stone fragments flew everywhere. The left army was unable to bear the blow and could only hide under the crenellations and tremble.
The recoil of the cannon is very strong. Every time a shell is fired, it must move backwards violently. Fortunately, the cannon body is fixed on the carriage. When the back seat is in the back seat, the wheels move backwards to reduce part of the recoil force. The horses pulling the carriage also pass by.
People who are trained are used to this kind of deafening cannon sound, otherwise they would be shocked.
Ezhou City is a fortress in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The Song Dynasty general Lu Wenhuan held the Yuan army here for many years. The current city wall is still repaired on the basis of the Song Dynasty. Over time, it cannot withstand the bombardment of artillery. The city wall collapsed and the gate was beaten into pieces.
The cavalry swept in like a violent wind and chopped down the people holding weapons. Along the way, Liu Ziguang repeatedly instilled in them that Zuo Liangyu's army was powerful and could not be ignored, so these people must be very alert.
Starting to kill, in fact, the left army is just a gang of ruffians and thieves. They are no match for these refined soldiers. The biggest strength of the ruffians is not fighting but saving lives. Seeing that the situation is over, who has the intention to fight these vicious cavalry?
One by one they took their weapons and fled, leaving the city to become bandits.
Five hundred elite soldiers quickly entered the city and took control of the government offices, warehouses and Ezhou Station. The streets were filled with rioters and hungry people, and the scene was extremely chaotic. Ezhou Station connected Huangshi and Wuchang. There was still a lot of pig iron transferred from Huangshi in the station's warehouse.
The station defenders were the real elite of Zuo Liangyu's men. The battle between the two sides was extremely fierce. The red shirt regiment used artillery to close in and shoot at the stubborn enemy. There was also a train filled with coal and water parked at the station that had not had time to leave.
Liu Ziguang personally went into battle with his sword and killed Ezhou City with blood all over his body. The refugees outside the city also took advantage of the chaos to enter the city and plunder. It was difficult to control the overall situation with only 500 troops. Liu Ziguang thought that Ezhou had been captured, so he might as well take advantage of the situation.
Victory attacked Wuchang, and the imperial army could also enter from Ezhou. The plan had changed. It would definitely not work to continue according to the original plan. He immediately sent an order to leave a group of troops to control the ferry, and the rest took the train to attack Wuchang. At the same time, he sent a telegraph
Contact Wu Sangui's army and ask him to take over Ezhou quickly.
The Red Shirt Army abandoned Ezhou City, and a group of men and horses occupied the ferry, gathered all the robot boats, and waited for the army to cross the river. The remaining three hundred people got on the train, lit a fire and cooked pots, and headed straight for Wuchang. The speed of the train was fast, and it must be
Able to reach Wuchang before the rebellion in Ezhou.
At this time, Zhong Shouyong and Da Wenxi's Nanchang special forces had sneaked into Wuchang. Wuchang is known as the thoroughfare of nine provinces and has extremely developed transportation. There has been no war in recent years, so the access control is not very strict. They managed to get away with a few silver coins.
Come in and check into the inn in the city. Near the inn is the yamen of Huguang Governor He Tengjiao. At the gate of the yamen is the school ground of the Zuo Army, called Yuemachang. An elite cavalry unit of the Zuo Army is stationed nearby. The guard general is named He Renlong, who is in charge.
Guarding Wuchang, Zuo Liangyu has official residences in Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang. It is the so-called cunning rabbit's three caves. These three cities are horns to each other. Even if one is destroyed, the other two can still be defended according to the natural dangers.
There are 100,000 soldiers in the Zuo army, 10,000 in Ezhou, 10,000 in Huangshi, 30,000 in Changsha, and the remaining 50,000 in the three towns of Wuhan. There is a shipyard in Wuchang, an iron factory in Hanyang, and many shops in Hankou.
, the wharf, the business is developed, Zuo Liangyu has been here for six years, and the business is pretty good. There are hundreds of thousands of stones of grain in the granary. There are hundreds of warships parked on the wharf. Floods have flooded countless fertile fields along the river.
Hundreds of thousands of victims are living in simple shacks outside the city. It is impossible not to panic. After all, these people and fields are their foundation. However, Zuo Liangyu does not want to release grain for disaster relief, because his stock of grain is for
Food for the army is not for charity. With the army these days, everything is available. It doesn’t matter if Huguang is hit by a disaster. I can march into Jiangxi and Guangdong, so there are countless hungry people under the city of Wuchang.
, but there are only a few porridge shacks opened by civilians. The refugees are hungry and there is a possibility of explosions at any time. People are dying every day. The weather is hot and the plague can break out at any time.
Zuo Liangyu acted very calmly. The more critical the situation was, the less he, the boss, could not mess up. Floods caused traffic interruptions in several nearby states and counties. The railway from Ezhou was also washed away by the flood from Liangzi Lake, resulting in
A batch of pig iron could not be transported, and no news came from the craftsmen stationed in the capital and other places. It must be that the roads are difficult to travel and the inns are closed. In the past two days, He Tengjiao has been sending messages to him, saying that the warehouse must be opened.
Otherwise, he would be a sinner through the ages. Zuo Liangyu was very impatient and scolded He Renlong who was delivering a message for He Tengjiao.
He Renlong was from the frontier army and was very senior. He was very unhappy after being reprimanded by Zuo Liangyu. In addition to being in charge of the cavalry unit of the Zuo Army, he also had the task of looking after He Tengjiao, He Renlong and Zuo Liangyu.
Liangyu was different. He was a military official and was considered a serious military officer. When he met a court official like He Tengjiao, he naturally felt a sense of intimacy. After being in contact with him for a long time, he couldn't help but accept some of He Tengjiao's ideas. Now Zuo Liangyu
He was reprimanded in public and couldn't help but feel resentful.
In the evening, at Yuemachang, under a noodle shop under the guise of Cai Linji, Da Wenxi and Zhong Shouyong were eating noodles from large bowls. The gate of the Huguang Governor's Yamen could be seen from here. After capturing Huguang, He Tengjiao must be used, because of this
Although he had no real power, he had a good reputation in the Huguang area. He argued several times with Zuo Liangyu to reduce taxes for farmers and demanded that the ruffians who harmed the people be punished. The people knew that even Zuo Da, a murderer,
The commander-in-chief is afraid of Governor He. Now the imperial team is about to arrive in Wuchang. According to the plan, the issuance of the imperial edict should be held at the Governor's Mansion, so it is necessary to say hello to He Tengjiao in advance.
Also sitting in the shop was a fan who was stationed in Wuchang from Nanchang. He was a local and familiar with the situation in the city. When he saw a general in military uniform walking into the Governor's Mansion, the fan lowered his voice and said, "This man's name is He Renlong.
Nicknamed Madman He, he has excellent martial arts. He is a general under Zuo Liangyu and is in charge of the tenth battalion of cavalry. If we can kill him, Zuo Liangyu will lose his arm."
"Why is he looking for Governor He so late?" Da Wenxi asked.
"I don't know what kind of tricks he is up to, but let's not go in if he's inside. Let's wait and see." Fanzi replied, obviously very worried about He Renlong.
After a meal, He Renlong came out of the Governor's Mansion. After he left, the two of them put down their soup bowls, tidied their clothes and walked towards the Governor's Mansion. Zhong Shouyong was too big and had a fierce face, which was too attractive.
Pay attention, so I left a lookout. The Governor's Mansion is guarded by a small banner under He Renlong. He Tengjiao has no soldiers, only a few servants and maids. There is no need to keep a close watch, so the soldiers are very lazy.
His disguised identity was that of a dung dealer, who specialized in cleaning the toilets of rich families in the city. All the soldiers knew him, so they said hello and went in. Da Wenxi pretended to be a new dung picker and was not subject to any interrogation.