The unit Azig was waiting for was actually the firearms unit of the forward battalion just formed by the Qing army. There were a total of 10,000 gunmen and 3,000 artillery soldiers. There were a total of 150 artillery pieces of various types, including four
Ten red cannons, and fifty trebuchets.
Although this team has never demonstrated its combat effectiveness on the battlefield since its formation, judging from the experience of fighting against the merchant army summarized by Duduo, Hong Chengchou, Abate and others, the most effective way to deal with the merchant army is actually
It's still firearms, that is, using firearms to make firearms. Now Azig can only place his hopes on this team.
Therefore, as soon as this firearms unit arrived, it immediately entered the battle. The firecrackers and horses rushed to the river, replacing the Qing army's archers. They also formed three sections of continuous fire on the river bank and engaged in musketry exchanges with the merchant army.
, while other artillerymen were busy transporting the artillery to the city wall.
However, there are one hundred and fifty artillery pieces, including forty red cannons, each weighing at least three thousand kilograms. If you want to transport them all to the city wall, it will not be a task that can be completed in a short time.
At this time, the gunmen of the Qing army had taken the lead in fighting with the merchants.
The troops exchanged fire. Across the Qinhuai River, both sides loaded ammunition and opened fire at each other. There was a burst of "bang bang bang bang" shooting. The sound of gunfire suddenly resounded across both sides of the Qinhuai River, and it was more than twice as dense as before. The battle for Qinhuai
The battle on the river also became more intense.
Although in previous battles, the Qing army had used firearms on a large scale to fight merchant armies, they mainly used artillery. This was the first time that an organized musket unit like this had participated in the battle. And the Qing army's battle
The method was suddenly upgraded from the Middle Ages to the level of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It seems that Shang Yi's butterfly wings have stirred up a lot of storms, and the fighting methods of the army have actually begun to show leaps and bounds of development, and
This battlefield also has a bit of the real flavor of war in the firearms age.
Despite this, Shang Yi could see very clearly with a telescope in the position. Most of the muskets used by the Qing army were matchlocks, some were fuse guns, and there were also a small number of forged rifles. Of course, even though
The army uses the most old-fashioned type of fork.
But for China in this era, it is already a great progress. This is roughly in line with the current development of the world. Nowadays, European countries still mainly use matchlocks and forged guns.
Its popularity will have to wait until the next century.
Although they use the same firearms, the two sides are still not on the same level, because the Merchant Army already uses all fire-impact forged rifles, which are one level higher than the Qing Army in terms of range and rate of fire. Although Qinhuaihe is not
It is considered wide, but at such a distance, the Qing army only has the range of rifles and muskets, and fuse guns such as three-eyed muskets are simply not enough. Therefore, the actual Qing army only has more than 7,000 people.
Get into the fight.
As for the firing frequency, although both sides also fired in three bursts, the Qing army could only fire four to five times in one minute, while the merchant army could shoot nine to ten times. This was not only because of the
The gun reloads faster, while the merchant army is using muskets
The experience and battlefield adaptability are much stronger than those of the Qing army. After all, loading and shooting on the real battlefield is two different things from normal training. The current merchant army can basically perform 90% of the level of usual training on the battlefield, while the Qing army
The army can only perform at most 60%.
In addition, there are thirty-two organ guns in the merchant army. In addition to the weakness of slow filling speed, the organ gun can be regarded as the most powerful army weapon in this era. Therefore, although the Qing army's fire gun soldiers joined the battle, Although the momentum was very lively, there was still not much improvement in actual results.
But at this time, the Qing army's artillery finally began to show its power. Although not all the Qing army's artillery was transported to the city wall, most of it was completed. More than 20 red artillery pieces were also transported, so Azig also ordered , the artillery of Xianyun City Wall opened fire first, launching a bombardment on the north bank of the Qinhuai River.
The focus of the Qing army's attack was of course the V-shaped bottom area of the Qinhuai River defense line, and among the 150 artillery pieces, at least 100 had enough shooting range. And the 40 red-coated artillery pieces, of course, all had enough range. of artillery.
"Boom-boom-boom-boom-"
The Nanjing city wall made an earth-shaking roar, slamming the cannonballs hard on the north bank of the Qinhuai River. For the first time since the war began, the Qin army overwhelmed the merchant army.
Although the artillery of the Qing army used solid bullets and their accuracy was very limited, it was in this battle that they were finally able to pose a substantial threat to the merchant army. A shell whizzed past and landed on the The north bank of the Qinhuai River brought out huge force and smashed into the buildings and streets on the other side. It only smashed the tiles and bricks, splashed sand and gravel, broke the beams and demolished the eaves, cracked the walls and penetrated the windows. Of course, it also hit many businesses. Army soldier.
However, the Merchant Army obviously did not shrink back because the artillery of the Qing Army entered the battle, and still defended the Qinhuai River defense line. At the same time, some artillery also adjusted its angles to shoot at the city wall, but due to the lack of heavy artillery, the effect was not significant. At the same time, it also fired at the city wall. Several Thunderbolt rocket boxes were launched, but because the accuracy of the Thunderbolt rockets was not high, they either landed on the city wall or flew over the city head and landed outside the city. There were not many that could accurately land on the city head, so for The killing power of the enemy troops was not great either.
It was only then that Azig's face softened slightly. In any case, the Qing army finally began to save the situation. Although it had not yet overwhelmed the merchant army, it was at least a good start. It seemed that firearms were indeed needed to deal with the merchant army. It is an effective means.
As the artillery of the Qing army was moved to the city head, the weakness of the Qinhuai River defense line, which was that the Zhenhuai Bridge area was too close to the city wall, began to be slowly exposed. More and more The artillery shells fell on the north bank of the Qinhuai River, and their destructive power against the merchant army was gradually increasing. Especially after fifty trebuchets participated in the battle, the effect became more obvious. Of course, the trebuchets threw not stones, but The grenades made by the Qing army were actually hollow balls with wooden handles. After lighting the fuse, they were thrown out with a trebuchet. Five or six such grenades could be thrown at a time.
Although some grenades fell into the river, and some landed on the other side, the fuses were extinguished. Less than half of the grenades successfully exploded, but this achievement was already quite impressive for the Qing army, because The Qing army was finally able to launch explosive weapons to the north bank of the Qinhuai River. And as more and more grenades were thrown across the Qinhuai River, the casualties of the merchant army began to increase, and the defense line finally loosened.
Moreover, the artillery of the Merchant Army was more accurate, and it was mainly aimed at the Qing Army's lines and boats and rafts in the river. It did not deliberately attack buildings. However, the grenades still fired by the Qing Army did not have any accuracy at all. It can only be said that They were thrown wherever they were, so many of them fell into buildings. After the explosion and damage, they also caused many fire points. At this time, the merchant army certainly did not have the energy to put out the fire. Although the current fire was not big, However, most of the buildings in this era were made of wood. Once they spread, it would be difficult to clean up.
Fortunately, urban design in ancient China has reached a very high level. The planning of capital-level cities like Nanjing will fully consider fire prevention issues. When designing streets, buildings are also intentionally divided into countless In a small area, a fire in one area will not spread to other areas under normal circumstances. If you want to cause a city-wide fire, unless you set off fires in multiple locations at the same time, you don't have to worry about this problem.
But at this time, Shang Yi also realized that the Qinhuai River defense line could no longer be defended. The Qinhuai River was not a key defense area in Nanjing anyway, so it was time to retreat.
However, retreat is not just about picking up weapons and turning around. Shang Yi first gave the order to launch a fierce attack on the attacking Qing troops from all directions, firing all the artillery and organ guns, and at the same time fired at the south bank of the Qinhuai River. More than thirty Thunderbolt rocket launch boxes, this violent attack, really pushed back the Qing army's attack. Moreover, after the Thunderbolt rockets fell on the south bank of the Qinhuai River and exploded, they caused many buildings to catch fire, which also caused the Qing Dynasty to attack. The troops retreated one after another, and at the same time a lot of gunpowder smoke erupted. At this time, Shang Yi gave the order to retreat.
First, the defenders guarding the river bank retreated first, and then the soldiers guarding the bridgehead followed in sequence without any disorder. At the same time, Shang Yi also ordered Duan Peng, who was on the river defense line, to retreat immediately.
However, Azig, who was watching the battle at Jubaomen, saw it very clearly, and soon discovered the intentions of the Merchant Army, so he immediately ordered all Qing troops to pursue the Merchant Army quickly, and could no longer calmly arrange defense lines for them. Strive to defeat the merchant army in one go and fully occupy Nanjing City. At the same time, Azig also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. It was not easy to break through the Qinhuai River defense line.
Although Azig's order was passed down, due to the different distances of other fronts, the troops who received the order first were naturally the troops attacking Dinghuai Bridge. Therefore, the Qing army who received the order did not dare to neglect it, despite the smoke. He couldn't clearly see the situation on the other side, but he still raised his weapons and charged to the Qinhuai River. Of course, there were musketeers and other soldiers who charged.
After rushing to the Zhenhuai Bridge, the Qing army did not find the Merchant Army shooting. Moreover, the smoke was also thinner at this time. It could be seen that the Merchant Army soldiers guarding the bridgehead had turned around and fled deep into the city of Nanjing. And in On the north bank of the ridge, only the defensive fortifications previously built with furniture remained, and there were no more defenders.
Seeing that the Merchant Army had really given up on the Zhenhuai Bridge, the Qing soldiers immediately became energetic. They stepped up one by one and quickly rushed across the Zhenhuai Bridge. Of course, these simple defenses could not stop the Qing army. The Qing army was armed with swords and guns, pushing and kicking with hands and feet, and in a short time they were all overthrown.
And Azig, who was watching the battle at Jubaomen, finally showed a smile.