Three hundred and fortieth chapters meet on a narrow road
Finally, news of the dispatch of the army came, and a large number of troops from the Shenji Battalion slowly advanced westward from Jiujiang City. Zhu Heng sent a large number of scouts to inquire about the military situation, and the two armies encountered small-scale conflicts in various places.
The main force of the Shenji Battalion marched from the front. Each unit was deployed very close to each other and marched together to support each other. It was a regular marching formation method. There was nothing clever or risky about moving steadily. However, half a day later, Zhu Heng
After receiving the news, thousands of people on the right wing of the government army near the river protruded greatly from the linear deployment and broke away from the main camp.
Zhu Heng summoned the generals above from the posts to have a brief discussion with the Chinese army. Some people thought that it was a fighter plane that could quickly attack the northern protrusion of the army and obtain a successful start with local strength advantage. The reason was that there might be a problem with the coordination of the various departments of the army.
, the mistake caused the right wing to protrude. However, some conservatives believed that this move was too risky. If the main force of the Suzaku Army was slightly blocked from attacking in the north, it would most likely face the unfavorable situation of the enemy's main force in the center catching up and attacking from the flanks.
After Zhu Heng temporarily weighed the pros and cons, he decided to adopt a more conservative strategy. As a core member of the Consultative Department, he knew the strategic secrets of the Xiangwang Group well, and he had to consider the serious consequences if the Yongding Battalion was defeated; if the Suzaku Army
The elites were lost here, and the consequences would be even more devastating... He had considered before that if the Yongding Camp was really lost in Jiujiang Prefecture, he would not be able to bear the responsibility, and he would have to commit suicide on the spot to apologize.
So he ordered the Third Army of the Yongding Battalion to go ahead and attack the right wing of the official army to the north; the main force was deployed on the front and rear to monitor the actions of the central army. If the main force of the Shenji Battalion caught up and threatened the flank of the Third Army in a roundabout way, the Yongding Battalion would
The attack can also be advanced from the front as reinforcement and support for the third army. The arrangement of the encounter on the left wing (the right wing of the official army) was Zhu Heng's tentative consideration in the early stage. If the first battle is won, it can greatly improve the situation.
Morale, even if you can't win, you can still retreat with the reinforcement of friendly forces.
The Third Army, led by Zhang Chengzong, was already on war alert. After receiving the official written military order from the Chinese Army, it quickly dispatched to the left wing. The entire army had about 2,500 infantrymen, sufficient equipment and ammunition, and six-pound long-barreled artillery.
Twelve guns and several Franchise machine guns.
In the afternoon, Zhang Chengzong's troops encountered the oncoming Shenji Battalion with thousands of people. The two armies were nearly two miles apart and started to form their own formations. Enemies met on a narrow road and there was nothing to argue about. They all set up their postures to fight. Zhang Chengzong
He had no intention of actively approaching, so he chose a nearby position with higher terrain. He first unloaded the heavy artillery from the vehicle and set up an artillery position for static braking.
This is the first time that this kind of long-barreled heavy artillery has been put into actual combat. Although it has been tested many times on the school field before, the generals have a clear understanding of its range, performance, etc., but the actual effect of using it in battle remains unclear.
Unsure. The gun body weighs about eight or nine hundred kilograms, and its length is twenty times the caliber. The inner bore is made of copper, and the outer tube is covered with cast iron. The maximum range can exceed two miles; that is, the current formation of the army is at the maximum range of the cannon.
Within, but the other side didn't seem to know it... After all, it was still too early for the people of the Ming Dynasty to see the more powerful Hongyi cannon, and within the scope of people's knowledge, they never imagined that long-range weapons could hit two miles away.
From a distance, the formations and queues of the Shenji Battalion are not very attractive. In addition, the armor system may be relatively random and outdated. Many military households bring their own clothes and items, which does not look very neat from a distance. On the other hand, the men and horses of the Third Army
, but it is very different. Most of the soldiers in the Yongding Battalion belong to the standing army. Their whole bodies, from underwear to armor, are all custom-made by the public. Two to three thousand people in uniforms and armors of the same color stand together in a queue. It is quite shocking to watch. Some of them are uniformly customized.
The clothes and armor the people wear are brand new, and even the soldiers wearing old clothes and armor have just bathed and changed... The Suzaku Army has some small rules, such as drinking water with salt in hot weather; and washing the body and clothes before the battle, because Zhang
Ning believes that once he is injured on the battlefield due to too much dirt on his body, the wound will be more susceptible to infection, which will increase the mortality rate. In addition, the first training content for the Suzaku sergeants when they join the army is to queue up, and then the use of firearms, spear assassination, etc., so they
Neat queues are a basic requirement, and people have become accustomed to them in the military.
However, good looks on the battlefield are obviously secondary. The Yongding Battalion with its distinctive armor and civilized military appearance is not necessarily better than the Shenji Battalion.
There was a brief confrontation on the battlefield. The officers and soldiers first sent out scouts and rangers, who rushed towards this side in scattered directions. At this moment, there were sudden thunderous roars, the ground shook, and smoke billowed from the artillery array. Black powder weapons
The power is not great, but the amount of medicine used is large and the sound is very arrogant, and a dangerous atmosphere permeates the battlefield for a while.
During the artillery bombardment approaching Erlidi, the artillery could only increase the elevation angle, but the accuracy was extremely low. Several cannons were fired but none of them hit the target, but some of the iron eggs had already flown farther. The huge sound stopped for a while, and the observation post shouted
After shouting, the artilleryman readjusted his angle. The second explosion was a salvo of twelve heavy cannons, which was even louder. Several cannons hit the enemy camp, but it didn't seem to have any impact.
The army infantry began to advance in a straight line, and then suffered a second round of artillery fire, which also did not cause too many casualties. At this time, the elevation angle of the long-barreled artillery at a range of more than one mile was too high, which was not conducive to bouncing and killing.
The strength is naturally greatly reduced.
As time passed, when the forward troops of the army advanced a mile away, all the loaded heavy artillery was already waiting for them. Amidst the thunder and lightning, all the heavy artillery roared loudly, and the solid iron ball weighing six or seven kilograms rushed rapidly.
Flying towards the army camp, some shells hit the ground in front of the crowd, bouncing up like tiles and continuing to fly; others directly hit the crowd. It was like a blood stain was torn open in the dense crowd, and splashes of
Flesh and limbs, broken arms and even brains were mixed in a blood-red mist, and flew across the surface of the rice fields like sharp arrows, falling to pieces along the way. The army's camp was obviously shaken.
Even the commander-in-chief Zhang Chengzong was stunned for a while when he saw the scene in the distance. This inexplicable power was beyond recognition when it was first displayed in front of people. But as the Shenji Camp, one of the three major battalions of the capital, Daming
The elite of the dynasty really deserved their reputation. After their camp was torn apart, they showed no signs of collapse, and no one even retreated; it only temporarily stopped their overall march, and they had to reorganize their troops.
Zhang Chengzong soon realized that he had made a serious mistake. The wall of the long-barreled heavy gun was too thick, and it was front-loaded with a sealed breech. After three consecutive firings, it could not dissipate heat in time, and it had to be stopped for a period of time before it could continue to be used; otherwise it would shrink.
The life of the artillery is small, and the gunpowder loaded may spontaneously ignite and injure one's own people. Now the artillery array has fired three consecutive volleys, and the heavy artillery is temporarily unusable... Zhang Chengzong wasted two opportunities to kill a large number of enemy troops, but used the opportunity to
He used a long-range blind projectile. He had not realized that heavy artillery could exert such great power. This was also the consequence of failing to adapt to the new weapon.
No one on the battlefield criticized his mistake, but Zhang Chengzong's heart was unconsciously filled with a trace of regret.
Sure enough, the Shenji Battalion's forwards could not be repulsed, and after a brief reorganization, they continued to advance; then the army's artillery was also set up in front of the formation. The artillery's fury sprayed out again, and a large number of stone and iron bullets flew towards it from the opposite direction.
In the Suzaku Army camp, the official artillery was still weak, and its hits were worse than those of the Suzaku Army's artillery. It was estimated that half of the artillery shells fired from a mile away did not hit anything. The artillery shells tilted down from mid-air, and suddenly hit the crowd.
, very scary; stone bullets will shatter and explode when they fall on hard ground, which can also make soldiers panic... It seems that the court still does not understand the principle of artillery bouncing. The long-range artillery bombardment of the official army all flies down from the air, imitating bows and arrows.
Projectile experience and damage range are therefore very limited.
However, judging from the vehicles and horses used by the army to carry artillery, it seems that they are not using the "general" guns of the past; because the general's artillery is too heavy to be able to hit a mile away, it is not so easy to transport and set up. It looks like a
The "Tiger Zun Cannon" in this less detailed information was probably a new field cannon built by Nanzhen Fusi after studying the Suzaku Army's mortar cannon to replace the heavy general with poor performance.
The former troops of the Yongding Battalion did not disperse after being bombarded. Although there were many casualties, their position was as stable as Mount Tai. The Yongding Battalion has been the oldest army of the Suzaku Army since it launched its troops in Shimen County. There are many veterans who have experienced all the bloody battles. These
They have seen all kinds of guns, artillery battles, and a lot of blood; and as Zhang Ning's trump card, they have always had sufficient military expenditures. They have been doing nothing for many years, they have trained for a long time, and they are determined and will not be easily defeated.
At this time, the distance between the officers and soldiers was getting closer and closer, and they could roughly see the faces of the people in the front row, as well as the armor and equipment on their bodies. Most of the soldiers in the front were tall and burly, with rough facial skin and tanned faces.
It was as if the accumulated dirt had never been washed away, and the shabby burlap and ragged threads under the armor were faintly visible... The so-called Jingying actually looked like this. Many people thought that the Jingying's permanent residents in the capital city were like dandies, but
The image of the main battle army in the capital left by Emperor Yongle was completely different.
Zhang Chengzong ordered the first linear formation in front to reorganize and counterattack. At this time, the scattered cavalry of the official army had rushed within fifty steps in front. The cavalry running away were far and near, and they shot arrows here from time to time. Occasionally, there were some unlucky people.
Those who were shot in weak armor areas fell down or screamed; the soldiers of the Suzaku Army all held loaded matchlocks in their hands, but no one fired without permission. People just silently filled in after the brothers in front fell.
in position.
The dense army of officers and soldiers had already marched a hundred steps away, and the rangers gradually withdrew to the two wings. Suddenly someone shouted, and an earth-shattering cry rang out from the oncoming officers and soldiers: "Tiger!" A group of burly black men glared angrily.
The sight, the frightening sound is simply frightening.