Da Wei Chun

Chapter 684 The Arrow Tower Collapsed
It is not a little time-consuming to watch the flowers on horseback.When a group of ten or so rode out of the warehouse in the north of the mountain, it was around You hour (five o'clock in the afternoon).

Although the sun has moved to the west, it is still as fierce as a fire wheel, and the scorched earth is as scorching as fire.Even if there is a wind blowing, it is like uncovering a steamer, only to feel hot and stuffy.

The willow trees on the shore were sun-dried, and the branches fell limply to the ground, swaying with the wind.I came across a big fat dog lying weakly under a tree, sticking out its tongue, panting like a bellows.

When seeing a stranger, not to mention barking, he even lazily raises his eyelids.

After walking for another half an hour, I felt better when I crossed Heli Mountain from the river and arrived at the school ground in Shannan.

One is that the weather is getting late and the heat is getting less and less.The second is that the school ground is next to the river, and willows are planted all over the vicinity, which has become a forest, so it is gradually getting cooler and more comfortable.

Li Chengzhi took Liu Fang and others to Beiying, which is the artillery camp station.

Now that all the armies are going abroad, the artillery of the two guards has also been split up and sent to various ministries.Only Li Zhang, the general of the guard, stayed in Xihai.

With nothing to do, Li Chengzhi ordered him to prepare a new army and focus on training artillery soldiers.

Although he only practiced for less than a month, the victory lies in Li Zhang's personal actions, precepts and deeds, and meticulous care of everything, so the soldiers are very quick to learn, and now they are quite good.

Before Li Xiao was ordered to confess, when Li Chengzhi entered the camp, Li Zhang had already made preparations.

It was getting late, and it was only an hour before nightfall, and once the sun went down, vision would be compromised.As soon as Fang entered the camp, Li Chengzhi took Liu Fang and others to Beishan.

This is not only the place where the artillery battalions test their artillery, but also the training place for each battalion.Almost every half a day, each guard sent a battalion of recruits, and then mixed them into a guard, and came here to practice siege.

Since it is a place for practice, there is no need to actually build a city, it is just a single wall.However, it is about five feet high, and it is covered with red bricks inside and out.

Walking to the bottom of the city, Yuan Yuan raised his eyes and couldn't help but let out a "huh": "It's just a short two-mile city wall, why are there new ones and old ones?"

Good eyesight?
Li Chengzhi praised secretly, and then replied: "Every five days, each guard will send a battalion of new troops here, the six guards are the sixth battalion, and then they will be mixed into two guards, and they will train here.

Since it is for practical training, it is necessary to go to the city, so before every battle, the artillery battalion must bombard it, until the city is broken, then we will divide the enemy and ourselves, one attack and one defense... After that, the rear battalion will be called to repair, So there are old and new walls..."

Yang Shu asked curiously: "If you want to attack the city, you must go to the city. If you think about it, it will inevitably lead to casualties?"

"With just a dozen or so cannonballs, most of the city can be blown down, and the rest is only six or seven feet. Even if you stumble and fall into the city, you will not fall to your death. Most of them are just scratches, and occasionally some bones and muscles are broken...

But those who are really seriously injured are naturally rewarded with military merits, because soldiers rarely fear difficulties, but all of them fight bravely to be the first..."

Li Chengzhi sighed leisurely, "Sun Tzu said: thick can't be forced, love can't be ordered, chaos can't be ruled, for example, if you are a proud son, you can't use it...the so-called kindness does not command soldiers. This is the reason. Therefore, you spend a lot of time training Only by sweating can we bleed less in wartime..."

Even though he had expected it long ago, and was shocked to the point of numbness, Yuan Yuan still couldn't help shrinking his pupils and trembling slightly.

It is the central army of the imperial court, at most it is training once every three days (collective training), training once every ten days (cohort), and practicing once every month (similar to small-scale exercises).And when practicing, at most it is to practice changing formations, changing formations, and to the sky is to have the riding battalion perform riding and shooting in the school grounds.

Fortunately, Li Chengzhi, it's fine if he doesn't train day and night, and one exercise for five days can also be said.But when I practiced, what I practiced was attacking and defending the city?
This is no different from actual combat...

"Are you actually using the cannon for the drill?"

Even Yang Shu couldn't help feeling sorry for Li Chengzhi, "How rich are your firearms in Xihai?"

Li Chengzhi smiled slightly: "I dare not say that it is inexhaustible, but it is like at the beginning of spring, when the battle between Rouran and Tuyuhun was defeated, it will be no problem to deal with it more than ten times..."

A battle of hundreds of thousands of people, to deal with it more than ten times?
Seeing him calm and calm, Liu Fang only thought that he was telling the truth, and her face turned pale involuntarily.

Little did they know, the more Li Chengzhi lied, the calmer he became.

Regardless of whether it is soldiers or food, there is still a little room for change, only gunpowder, and it has really come to the end of the mountain, when there is no way to continue.Otherwise, why did Li Chengzhi want to go down the slope and temporarily suspend his troops when the situation was so overwhelming?

Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of battles, no matter which of Cui Yanbo, Xing Luan, or Yuan Yao dared to break the boat and burn the boat, Li Chengzhi would just sit there.

Either retreat, or take real swords and guns, and take human lives to fill it.

In Li Chengzhi's own words, today's Xihai is already strong on the outside and capable on the inside, like a paper tiger, and it will fall when it is blown...

While speaking, Li Chengzhi got off his horse and led a few people up the city wall.This is to prevent Liu Fang from thinking that he is a fake, and to let a few people see if the city is tall and strong.

After climbing the city wall, how many people know that the city is more than two feet thick, and the city roads are wide enough for two cars to ride abreast.

Both inside and outside are covered with bricks and stones. In terms of sturdiness, it is not too much compared with Luojing Outer City.

On closer inspection, it looks like the cold clothes of poor peasants are covered with patches, and many places seem to have been burned by fire.

Seeing that the sun was westward and approaching the top of the mountain, Li Chengzhi only took everyone to have a cursory look, and then returned to the front of the formation.

Li Zhang had already ordered the soldiers to take off their cannon coats, and the ten squatting cannons stood in front of the formation, polished and shiny, reflected in the setting sun, reflecting a frightening cold light.

If you come here specifically for this thing, you naturally have to see what happened.Liu Fang dismounted immediately, rushed to the front of the gun body in two or three steps, and looked at it carefully.

With just one glance, he knew that the object was made of refined iron, and it weighed three to four hundred catties just by squatting down.

However, both the front and rear are equipped with gun mounts and iron wheels, so they are extremely flexible when moving.

Yuan Yuan tried it, and found that he could pull it with only his own strength?
There is no shortage of horses in the West Sea, so the long-distance march is not enough. It is nothing more than building more carts and bringing in more livestock.

The most important thing is, can it be moved by manpower?
Doesn't it mean that if you want to move this thing as close as you want when you start a war, you can get as close as you want, even if you fight against the city wall, there will be no problem?
While being surprised, he heard a strange "creaking" sound beside him. Yuan Yuan looked sideways, but saw Yang Shu shaking something like a wheel.

As it turned, the cannon body was gradually raised, pointing obliquely to the sky.When he couldn't turn anymore, Yang Shu called out another direction, only to see the cannon body fall down again.

When there was no way to drop, Yang Shu stopped, pointed to the scale with numbers engraved under the wheel, and asked pantingly, "What's the use of this thing?"

"It's just a measuring tool, just like the ink ruler used by craftsmen, the grain bucket used by storekeepers, and the steelyard used by traders..."

Li Chengzhi pointed to the cannon, and then pointed to the city wall in the distance, "At this time, if you hit the fake city two miles away, how far is the cannon head from the ground? Should it be taller or shorter, it is all measured by this thing..."

Yang Shu's eyes popped: "In this way, it means that there is a certainty. Isn't it true that a child or a woman can use this thing to attack the enemy just by following a cat or a tiger?"

Li Chengzhi hesitated for a moment, then nodded again: "Although it is not so easy, it is not difficult."

Compared with other arms, the biggest feature of artillery is that it does not need to kill the enemy in close combat, so the safety factor is much higher.

And after many improvements, all tiger crouching guns (weighing [-] jin) and above are equipped with steerable gun mounts, and there are many livestock and vehicles in Xihai, so the gunners do not need to be strong and strong.

Regardless of loading, direction adjustment, angle adjustment, etc., there are fixed rules, and it is not complicated. It is almost a fool's operation throughout the whole process. Therefore, it only needs a little training for the rear army to be recruited as artillery.

Therefore, for Li Chengzhi, among all the arms in the West Sea, the artillery is the easiest to train, the easiest to use, the easiest to fight, and the safest arm.

Of course, this is only for ordinary soldiers.But all the corporal leaders and above are all carefully selected and trained thousands of times.

After replying, Li Chengzhi smiled again, "If Mr. Yanrong wants to, can you light the first shot?"

Yang Shu smiled openly: "I can't ask for it!"

After he answered, Li Chengzhi turned his head again, smiled at Liu Fang, and said, "Siqing can point to any place at will, and try the power!"

Liu Fang was impatient for a long time, took the binoculars from Li Cong, searched for a while, then pointed to the arrow tower on the left side of the city wall: "That's it!"

Li Chengzhi was kind and kind, and nodded towards Li Zhang.

Seeing the nearly seven-foot tall man who looked like an iron tower, he turned around and turned the barrel of the cannon, and the eyes of several people naturally focused on him.

The process of loading the cannon is actually very simple: first stuff the fixed paper bag into the barrel, then use a long rod with a wooden plug at the front end and wrapped in soft cloth to hold it firmly, and then load the iron bullet.

The tail of the lead wire is connected with a wooden thorn, which can directly pierce the medicine bag, and then ignite it.

I saw that Li Zhang was orderly, the whole process took only twenty breaths, and then he blew on the fire and lit the coal stove.

After a short pause, he handed the torch to Yang Shu again: "I'm afraid that sparks will splash out and detonate the gunpowder in the car, so I usually don't use torches, just burn the iron brazing red to ignite the fire. If Mr. Yanrong doesn't Please wait, you can use this thing to ignite the fire..."

Yang Shu received the torch, his thoughts moved slightly, and he pointed to the cart behind him: "What if you set a fire in that cart?"

Li Zhang choked suddenly, rolled his eyes, and stared at Yang Shu.

Whether it's wartime, training, or drills, what Li Zhang is most afraid of is that his subordinates will be absent-minded and sloppy, which will cause catastrophe.

Didn't it happen?
In the past, due to the gunner's misoperation, the bombing of the gun or the ignition of the medicine box happened from time to time, so Li Zhang became more and more dignified, and his command was even more severe.

For example, the medicine box must be three feet away from the artillery, and the gunners who carry the medicine must not bring any fire starter, and must not directly face the muzzle when charging, reloading, or even clearing the gun, etc., all of which are accumulated with blood. experience.

Seeing that his face was as black as the bottom of a pot, Li Chengzhi laughed suddenly, and couldn't help cursing: "You bastard, Mr. Yanrong just said something carelessly, and he didn't really want to light the car, why do you need to be angry?"

He then explained to Yang Shu: "If the car is really ignited, there will be no grass within three feet..."

Yang Shu couldn't help being startled, and felt his hair stand on end: This thing is actually a double-edged sword, which can not only hurt the enemy, but also hurt himself?

The surprise in his heart disappeared in a flash, and he regained his composure, blowing the fire away: "But can you light the lead wire?"

"Nothing is impossible!"

Li Chengzhi replied, and then reminded, "When the fuse is ignited, please ask Rong Yanrong to cover his ears to avoid deafness!"

He had heard rumors that Xihai firearms sounded like thunder, and Yang Shu followed suit: "I will save it!"

Then he lit the fuse and retreated to Li Chengzhi's side.

The cannon is heavy, and there are spikes under the wheels to stabilize the cannon body, and sandbags are pressed on the tail of the cannon. Moreover, the cannon is cast in steel, so there is no need to worry about hurting people when the chamber explodes.

Only because he was afraid of too much dust, Li Chengzhi reminded them to back off.

I only heard the sound of "嗤嗤", and saw that the fuse became shorter and shorter, and finally the sparks did not enter the eye of the thread, and then I heard a loud "咚".

Even though she had been prepared for a long time, Liu Fangyi felt numb in her ears.Suddenly, she felt her feet swaying again, as if the mountains were shaking and the ground was shaking. Liu Fang was startled, and subconsciously took two steps back.

If it weren't for Yuan Yuan's sharp eyes, he would have almost sat on the ground.

Liu Fang didn't care about the embarrassment, so she quickly picked up the binoculars and looked towards the arrow tower.

He practiced in some places every day, accumulating over time, at least thousands of times, Li Zhang can hit with his eyes closed, how could he miss it?
So seeing a puff of smoke rising from the watchtower at the east end, although Liu Fang was surprised, it was still reasonable.

But in the blink of an eye, the smoke and dust were blown away by the wind.When Liu Fang saw a big hole in the half wall of the watchtower, Liu Fang's heart trembled.

Just as he was in doubt, he listened to Li Chengzhi's order: "There is no need to ask for orders, just blow down that arrow tower..."

Then he invited Liu Fang and the others: "Just now we only fired one cannon, so there wasn't much smoke and dust. After all ten cannons are fired later, the sky will definitely be full of smoke and dust. Therefore, I invite you all to go upstairs and look carefully." some……"

A few people are absolutely necessary, and they followed Li Chengzhi to the watchtower behind the artillery formation.

After several people entered the building, Li Zhang began to give orders.Just listen to how high his guns are, and move to the left for a few moments, with just a few words, the gunners start to move.

At this time, Liu Fang and the others had a glimpse of the whole picture: every ten people squatted down on the cannon, six people were responsible for moving the cannon frame and stabilizing the cannon body, and the other four people adjusted the angle and height, one carried the medicine, one filled the medicine, and one filled the cannon. bomb, and finally ignited by the director responsible for adjusting the angle.

This time, ten cannons were fired in unison, and naturally the sound was louder.Without Li Chengzhi reminding, several people covered their ears early.

The gunpowder is fixed, and the packaging lead wires are of the same length, so the ten squatting guns are fired almost at the same time.

Several people felt their feet shaking violently, and then saw smoke and dust billowing on the city wall in the distance.

Before the smoke and dust cleared, Li Zhang gave another order, and the artillerymen started loading again.

This time the barrel needs to be cleaned, so it will take a little longer.After about half a word (3 minutes), there was another chorus.

Seeing that Li Zhang no longer gave orders, but waited and watched with a binoculars, a few people came to their senses: That archway...has collapsed?
(End of this chapter)