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Chapter 1410 Shooting Army Heavy Firepower
"...So all we did was travel over a thousand leagues just to help the Tsar seize machines and artisans?" The reason Tatarinov didn't make it into the aristocratic circle was because he wasn't smart enough, or rather, he lacked understanding.

Even with such a thorough and meticulous explanation, I was still quite confused, but at least I got the gist of it. If it were Katoskin or Rodionov, they probably wouldn't have understood it at all.

Do you think you can snatch it?

Marshal Buturlin hadn't been smoking cigars for long, but he had a strong addiction, finishing a large cigar in less than half an hour. He threw away the cigar butt, clapped his hands, raised his riding whip, pointed at the city of Turkestan, and humbly asked for guidance.

"...After seeing the Polish offensive, we'll have pretty much the answer."

Tatarino wasn't particularly adept at politics, economics, and international affairs, but he did have a good eye for judging which army was stronger. Unfortunately, appearances alone weren't enough; you had to put them to the test.

At this moment, the Zaporozhye Cossacks' third feint attack was coming to an end. Most of the riders had returned to their own lines, leaving behind only a dozen or so corpses of men and horses about 100 meters from the city walls, and a dozen or so wounded warhorses wandering nearby.

Overall, the losses from these three feint attacks were not significant. The brave Cossacks proved with their lives that the Ming Dynasty's defensive firepower was not very strong, at least not very accurate at a range of 100 meters.

If the Polish army could indeed get to this distance, they would pose a significant threat to the Ming troops on the city walls. Effectively suppressing the firepower on the walls was crucial for the subsequent work of breaching the city gates and walls.

"Order the firing corps and artillery to attack, and the winged hussars to move to the flanks and prepare to meet the enemy!" With three feint attacks as a foundation, Marshal Konetspolsky felt more confident.

In his view, the Ming army was at most Crimeans who used more firearms and cannons, and the Crimeans and the nobles of the Golden Horde conquered by Russia were Tatars from the East.

Zongma Chi and his ilk were all skilled warriors, but when it came to siege warfare, especially after the large-scale use of firearms, these herdsmen from the East quickly declined.

Take this city of Turkestan for example. It was rumored to be a large and fortified city in Central Asia. But seeing is believing. When I arrived, I found that it was hardly a fortified city. The city walls were just layers of rammed earth, neither high nor thick enough, and far inferior to the European cities built with large stone blocks.

The Ming troops defending the city were equipped with a considerable number of muskets and a small number of cannons, but their method of use was clearly flawed. They were too scattered; one could guess from their demeanor alone, without even seeing it firsthand, that they hadn't undergone rigorous training. Some soldiers loaded quickly, resulting in a high firing rate; others loaded slowly, resulting in a slow firing rate—there was absolutely no discernible pattern.

The most ridiculous thing was that the defenders actually lit many lanterns on the city wall, illuminating the entire area around the city wall.

In the era of warfare dominated by cold weapons, doing this would have been perfectly acceptable, but in modern times it's foolish. It's like exposing yourself to enemy shooters, becoming a target, offering no help in accurately hitting the enemy, and instead making your own side easier to hit.

The Polish army's siege tactics were quite ordinary and simple: light cavalry would charge the city walls, but this was still a feint, mainly to cover the approach of the rangers behind them.

The difference between rangers and musketeers lies primarily in their weaponry. European musketeers mostly used muzzle-loading smoothbore rifles, a mix of matchlock and flintlock, with calibers generally below 0.7 inches (18 mm), weighing around 10 pounds, and an effective range of 100-200 meters, though actual combat distances were typically within 100 meters. Another type of musketeer was converted from traditional cavalry, using carbines. Don't be mistaken, the carbine isn't a modern term; it appeared roughly in the 16th century and was essentially a short, light lance suitable for mounted fire.

The shooting corps primarily used heavy firearms, also known as siege guns. These had a large caliber, reaching 1.5 inches, weighed nearly 20 kilograms, and were over 2 meters long. The purpose of such a long and heavy barrel was solely to launch lead bullets further and with greater power.

The effective range of the siege gun can reach over 300 meters, and if it is launched by a projectile, it can reach 500 meters. The actual combat distance can also reach about 150 meters, and it can penetrate the wooden shield carts commonly used in this era.

There are always trade-offs. The long, heavy siege gun with its enormous recoil is difficult for one person to operate; it requires two trained soldiers to use it together. And it's not simply held upright and fired; it needs to be propped up like a camera tripod.

As long as a sufficient number of ranged troops set up their siege rifles within 200 meters of the city wall, they can suppress most of the firepower on the city wall. Then, whether to send men to blow up the city wall or use cannons to blast open the city gate, it will all fall into place.

The initial offensive of the Bolivian Federation army went smoothly, with the Zaporozhye Cossack cavalry advancing to within about 100 meters, and the firepower from the city walls was still not very dense.

This got the Cossacks a little carried away, and they actually started galloping across the city walls on horseback. Even when several of them were hit, they didn't care at all. Instead, they became even more excited, shouting and yelling as they ran, more happy than if it were a festival.

Seeing the Cossacks' audacity, the Polish musketeers grew bolder. One man held a wooden shield, another carried a siege rifle, and they ran for their lives. They covered 200 meters in one go without stopping, and only after about 150 meters did they set up their shields and stands and aim at the city wall.

"Thump, thump, thump..." Before long, gunfire erupted below the city walls, and smoke billowed from above. Not only was the scale immense, but the power was also visible to the naked eye; some battlements were even shattered.

"Squad leader, squad leader... Shall we fight or not? If this keeps up, the city walls might fall, and the brothers won't be able to look up and see anything!"

At this point, the 31st Guard soldiers defending the city could only squat behind the crenellations, letting the debris rain down on their heads. Several who insisted on firing their guns were hit by bullets and were on the verge of death.

"What are you yelling about! It's not like this is your first time on the battlefield. Don't you know this? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, come on, raise your guns like I do!"

The platoon leader was over forty years old and looked like a veteran. He sat down with his back against the battlements, a half-smoked cigar dangling from his mouth, unmoved as bullets whizzed past him.

Seeing that his young soldiers were really struggling, he decided to give them a demonstration. He sat on the ground, raised his rifle with both hands, extended it beyond the barricade, and without aiming, roughly found the direction and angle before pulling the trigger. Then he put the rifle away, reloaded, and fired another shot.

His orders were not to aim at the enemy and not to fire too quickly. As long as he did that, whether the city walls would be breached was the job of the centurions, commanders, and the general. They should not worry about it or make decisions on their own.

(End of this chapter)