Ming Zuo

Zuo Menggeng had already proposed the concept of a firing pin gun when the Minie rifle was just being developed.

When the Minie rifle was equipped with troops on a large scale, Bi Maokang had already invested in the research and development of the firing pin gun.

Today, more than ten years have passed.

Under Bi Maokang's persistent research, the firing pin gun can finally be mass-produced.

This is also the reason why Bi Maokang has been unknown in recent years, but he is still canonized as Shao Guogong.

Only the upper echelons of the empire will understand how much this old man has contributed.

It's just that Bi Maokang is not very satisfied with the current research results.

As long as the spring is used more than two hundred times, its elasticity will decay and it has to be replaced.

But in so many years of research, constantly changing materials, constantly adjusting the ratio, and constantly researching the manufacturing process, this is already the best result he and his team can produce.

But for Zuo Menggeng, these are not problems.

Although the spring has to be scrapped after being used two hundred times, it seems to greatly increase the cost.But for the military, a musket that can fire bullets two hundred times is really a bargain.

As for the so-called cost issue, it is not a problem at all in today's empire.

The empire discovered several super-large iron mines in Jilin, Luzon and other places, and the quality of the ore was very good.

The iron ore transported from these two places to the mainland is as high as 50 tons every year, which greatly eases the pressure on mineral resources in the process of industrial development.

Naturally, it also fully satisfied the military's consumption.

And because of the paper shells used, the firing pin gun had to stop every eight bullets fired to clear the chamber to avoid clogging.

Can it be concluded that the firing pin gun is not as good as the Minie rifle?
The victory of the German army in the Battle of Bohemia is enough to prove that the firing needle gun crushed the Minie rifle.

Especially the statistical statistics, in fact, in a battle, few soldiers can finish eight bullets in one go.

Therefore, when the firing needle gun could be manufactured and equipped on a large scale, Zuo Menggeng decisively ordered the arsenal to upgrade its technology.

It coincided with the beginning of the unified war of the empire, and the first batch of 5 firing needle guns manufactured was equipped to the [-]th Regiment of the Second Division.

The 5th Regiment was the first to be close to the water, and became the first regiment-level unit in the entire army to be equipped with new-style muskets on a large scale.

As a result, in the Battle of Datong, the firing needle gun showed its power.

Even if Haug has made adequate preparations in defensive operations, the various fortifications are even sufficient to deal with the artillery of the National Defense Forces.But in the face of the strike of the firing pin gun, the Qing army still couldn't stand up.

After five days of fighting, Haoge had to give up Yangyuan and retreat to the Yunzhou area to re-establish a defense line.

But Hauge is very clear that such a defense is of little significance.

When the second division attacked again, he still couldn't stop it.

He could only growl helplessly.

"Ten days! I have been waiting in Datong for ten days. Where are Prince Ying and Prince Yu? When will they arrive?"

No one can answer, everyone is a little desperate.

Obviously, they all felt in their hearts that Azig and Duoduo might never come.

Thinking that all the essence of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was about to be buried in the Central Plains, and Guozuo would perish, many people couldn't help feeling sad and weeping bitterly.

"Master, three days at most. We can only wait for another three days at most. If Prince Ying and Prince Yu don't arrive by then, we can only retreat first."

Fan Ji reported the situation cautiously, for fear that Hauge would take his anger out on him.

Little did they know that Hauge at this time had no energy to punish the slaves.

Hauge is very clear about the current situation and knows that Fan Ji is right.

"Father has spent more than ten years fighting in the north and south, and the foundation he has worked so hard to lay down, is it ruined in one day? Even if we withdraw to Liaodong, what can we do?"

Yes.

The 10,000+ Eight Banners army was completely wiped out in the Central Plains. Even if they returned to Liaodong, what they faced was nothing more than an imperial encirclement and suppression.

Everyone understands that there will be no second Salhu.

Duoduo, who was still trekking hard in the Hengshan Mountains, could not hear Hauge's words of grief and indignation.

Azig in Shikou needs to take the lead in solving his own troubles.

"What did you say?"

Seeing Wu Keshan who fled back in embarrassment, Azig really wanted to draw his sword.

Damn Mongols, you can never count on critical moments.

But Wu Keshan also had something to say.

"The Chinese army suddenly appeared and caught me by surprise. My Mongolian warriors are only good at horse fighting, and I can't use them in the mountains, so I have to retreat."

When attacking Shikou desperately, Azig arranged an easy task for Wu Keshan, considering that the Mongols had mediocre foot combat ability.

That is to be stationed in Xi County in the rear.

There is a small road in Xixian County that can go directly north, from here to Shilou, and then to Luliang through mountains and ridges.

From Luliang through the Luliang Mountains to Shuozhou, as long as you don't startle the snake, there is still hope to cross the Great Wall.

As a result, with such a safe rear and solid city defense, Wu Keshan actually lost Xi County.

Now Azig's [-] to [-] troops are all trapped in the narrow mountain road from Xi County to Shikou.

There are interceptions in the front and enemy troops in the back, and the food and grass are about to be cut off.

Thinking of his own situation, Azig's eyes suddenly went dark, and he fainted on the spot.

Who attacked Xi County?

It was Hei Yunlong's 24th division, and it also got the help of the 25th division.

After confirming that Azig attacked Shikou, the 24th and 25th Divisions were thinking about how to join the battlefield.

Originally, according to Hei Yunlong's intention, the two divisions moved over to cooperate with the 26th division to strengthen Shikou's defense.

But after Gu Zhiqi was injured and retired from the front line, he received their letter and immediately made a bold plan.

He asked the 24th and 25th Divisions to ignore Shikou's defense, but to move forward from the existing positions, attack Xixian County, and block Azig's retreat.

Although it is a second-line security force, Gu Zhiqi's ambitions have also risen when the battle has come to this point.

If the three security guards were gathered together to wipe out Azig in the mountains of western Shanxi, it would definitely be an extraordinary feat.

As for the front Shikou, after Zhang Sanming's arrival, the Qing army was no longer able to break through.

In the next two days, the follow-up troops of the 26th Division arrived one after another, making this place even more impenetrable.

The next focus, instead, is whether Azig can be retained.

Hei Yunlong and Che Liliang, the commander of the 25th Division, were also bold, and they were all excited by Gu Zhiqi's plan.

The two of them acted decisively and went straight to Xi County as quickly as possible.

In the end, they were overjoyed that Xi County was guarded by Mongols who could not defend the city at all.

The 24th Division and the 25th Division drove the Mongols off the city wall with a fierce artillery fire.

Then the infantry went to the city, and after a period of less intense street fighting, Wu Keshan ran away with the Mongolian troops who had not lost much, and told Azig the bad news.

Azige suddenly crossed the Yellow River and came to Shanxi, wanting to cooperate with Duoduo to rescue him.

Unexpectedly, he was also surrounded now.