Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 374 Victory
The coalition forces entered at a distance of five miles and planted several small trees on the ground there. These were the mark trees that Zang Feiyu specifically requested to be planted.

Zang Feiyu was not in Mohachi City, but on a Tianlong airship.

"Pass the order, steam tanks charge!" He gave the order to the flag bearer.

The flag signalman sent out a flag signal, and the flag signalman on the city wall received the order and passed it to the steam tank through flag signals.

Two hundred steam tanks received the order to fight, and all of them started and accelerated forward.

Outside the city of Mohachi was a relatively flat area. Two hundred steam chariots accelerated from a slow speed and soon reached a maximum speed of fifty kilometers per hour.

At the same time, the gunner finished reloading and issued commands one after another.

Two hundred steam chariots were moving, firing their mounted artillery.

Since the coalition forces had not yet entered the effective attack range, their artillery was still being pulled forward by horses. Not to mention loading, they had not even placed the artillery.

The placement of artillery cannot be done by simply pulling it out and using it. The ground needs to be dug up at the artillery position and the gun mount needs to be fixed, otherwise the accuracy of the artillery attack cannot be guaranteed.

In fact, the command of the coalition forces was still very powerful. With the Pope as the link, several of the most famous generals in Europe discussed together, and then the Pope made the decision.

At least under the same conditions, this kind of command has reached the highest level in Europe.

But the problem was that the generals did not know the real data of steam chariots and vehicle-mounted artillery, and all their arrangements were based on their own artillery.

This caused them to run into trouble once the war started.

The artillery on the steam chariot was an improvement made by Li Qiang based on the artillery of later generations. Although it could not reach the power and distance of the artillery of later generations, it was definitely much stronger than the artillery of this era.

The steam tank's artillery launched an attack, and shells fell into the coalition forces.

The biggest problem the coalition forces faced at this time was how to deal with the attack of steam chariots.

If they retreated, not to mention an army of such a large scale, if an order was really issued to retreat, it would most likely lead to an unstoppable defeat.

If you stop moving forward, you will be bombarded with artillery fire.

The coalition forces' artillery is currently unable to attack the steam tanks. By the time the steam tanks reach the artillery's attack range, it is unknown how many artillery pieces will still be available.

The most terrifying thing is that the shells fired by Daqian’s artillery can explode. This large-scale explosion has exacerbated the losses of the coalition forces.

There is another option, which is to continue forward and get closer to the steam chariot.

This seems to be a good choice. The steam chariot's weapon is artillery, which cannot attack close-range enemies, but the steam chariot is not a dead object and it can turn around.

At this time, the consequences of many generals became apparent, and several generals continued to argue, each giving their own reasons.

Since this decision would affect the life and death of their respective armies, the generals were unwilling to give in even with the Pope's mediation.

In the end, there was no choice but for the Pope to adopt the majority opinion and stop the army from advancing.

All artillery pieces were immediately loaded and ready to attack the steam tanks.

The soldiers holding muskets continued to move forward and approach the steam chariot.

Every ten steam tanks have a commander, who determines the adjustment data of each artillery based on the flag signals of the Tianlong airship in the sky.

After the coalition forces stopped, the artillery mounted on two hundred steam tanks seemed to have eyes, and each shell flew accurately towards the coalition forces' artillery.

After only two rounds of attacks, most of the coalition's artillery was lost.

The frightened coalition forces immediately ordered the artillery to be sent to the rear army, so as not to allow any more artillery to be lost.

When the coalition artillery withdrew from the battlefield, the steam chariots also stopped advancing. The steam chariots only used the onboard artillery to attack the stopped coalition forces, making them sitting ducks.

Finally, the coalition forces fell into chaos, and the first to fall into chaos were the cavalry of the Tatar King and the Oirat King.

They didn't want to stay there and wait for the shells to fall from the sky.

This reminded them of what happened on the grassland, which was an indelible nightmare for them.

Instead of running away, they charged towards the steam chariot.

At this time, the soldiers holding muskets were the only organized army that was not in chaos on the entire battlefield. Under the command of drum beats, they were approaching the steam chariot.

"First row, raise your guns!" an officer ordered.

The soldiers in the first row raised their guns and aimed at the steam chariot in front of them.

Their orderly steps did not stop, and with a burst of gunfire, bullets flew towards the steam chariot.

Then came the second row of soldiers, and then the third row of soldiers, and rounds of bullets flew out.

Due to the backwardness of the musket, these bullets were actually not very accurate, so many soldiers had to fire them together to create a barrage effect.

Unfortunately, these rounds of attacks landed on the metal shell of the steam chariot, only making a series of impact sounds but unable to break the armor of the steam chariot.

Two hundred steam chariots restarted and rushed towards the gun-wielding soldiers.

At this moment, the Tatar and Oirat cavalry rushed towards the steam chariot from the left and right directions, but before they got close, an army of 500 people appeared from the edge of the battlefield.

This is the artillery corps, an artillery corps of 500 people, with 250 artillery pieces alone.

Its firepower was so strong that it even exceeded that of two hundred steam chariots.

Of course, this is only a short-term attack power comparison. Since steam chariots can carry more ammunition, the artillery army is not as good as two hundred steam chariots in a long battle.

The most terrifying thing about the artillery corps is that they use more than just artillery attacks.

They controlled the artillery to attack the Tatar and Oiran cavalry. Large shells fell and the number of cavalry was visibly reduced.

The Tatar and Oirat cavalry were stunned by the artillery, and it was not easy for them to shift their targets during the charge.

Without a commander, if you want to shift the target to attack the artillery corps, but the cavalry around you are still thinking about the original target, a collision may occur during a high-speed charge.

More than 100,000 Tatar and Oirat cavalry suffered a severe blow.

At this time, the order to retreat came from behind. The Tatar and Oirat cavalry no longer thought about fighting, turned their horses around and fled in the same direction they came.

During the escape, artillery shells kept falling, taking the lives of many cavalrymen.

The Tatar King and the Oirat King looked extremely unhappy at this moment. They agreed to join the coalition forces in attacking Daqian because they saw the coalition forces' artillery and muskets.

In their opinion, the coalition forces, which also possessed artillery and muskets, could definitely defeat the Daqian army with their support, even if there was still a gap between them and the Daqian army.

But they never expected that the coalition forces were so fragile. The Daqian side only sent out 200 steam chariots, but the coalition forces were unable to hold on.

After seeing their own cavalry falling one after another, the Tatar King and the Oirat King no longer cared about the alliance. Their only thought now was to preserve their strength.

Without strength, they would not be able to survive anywhere. On the other side, the steam chariot rushed into the soldiers holding muskets. These soldiers did not even have armor. Under the impact of the steam chariot, the army collapsed instantly.

The steam tanks' artillery attacks never stopped, and they fired shells one after another into the Allied forces.

The Tatar and Oirat cavalry fled back. The coalition army, which had been able to slow down its collapse thanks to the efforts of several generals, could no longer hold out after being charged by this force of cavalry.

"Let's go!" The Pope looked at the situation on the battlefield and shook his head bitterly.

As the command center, his position has always been in the safest place, and even artillery cannot attack so far away.

But if he delayed any longer, once the steam chariot reached the distance where he could attack, the three hundred knights beside him would not be able to withstand the shells.

"God, what is that?" a church knight pointed behind him.

Behind the coalition forces, an army in armor appeared.

This army, all armed with long muskets, advanced towards the coalition forces in a five-row formation.

"It's the Daqian Fire Gun Army. How come they are here!" The Pope could no longer remain calm and said in disbelief.

According to his intelligence, this was a musket army composed entirely of knight-level warriors.

The Church Knights under the Pope have only 300 church knights, which is enough to ensure the church's superior status.

"Stay away from them!" the Pope ordered loudly.

Three hundred church knights protected the Pope, and as the coalition forces were attacked from both sides, they could only break out to one side.

But they were too conspicuous and were targeted by four Tianlong airships.

There are five powerful archers on each Tianlong airship. With twenty powerful archers targeting the enemy from high altitude, and without any obstacles, the enemy's fate will not be easy.

"Be careful with the sky!" A church knight issued a warning after seeing his companion being shot through the helmet by an arrow and falling off his horse and dying.

The Pope looked up at the sky and saw four Tianlong airships flying above his team.

The arrows of the fierce archer cannot be blocked by armor.

Although some church knights reacted quickly and blocked the arrows with their weapons, more church knights were shot and killed.

Every time the Pope saw a church knight being shot, he felt so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.

The training of these church knights consumed a huge amount of resources of the church, and each church knight was a pillar of the church.

The Pope does have some tricks up his sleeve, but his attacking tricks are simply not enough to reach the Tianlong airship in the sky.

His attack range is only within ten meters, which is beyond the ability of ordinary people to resist.

On the battlefield, his role was almost zero.

The appearance of the 5,000 brave generals of the First Guard of the Beijing Camp plunged the coalition forces into a nightmare.

After seeing the Daqian army, the Tatar and Oirat cavalry desperately wanted to get away from it.

Therefore, many allied soldiers did not die at the hands of the Daqian army, but instead fell under the iron hooves of the Tatar and Tatar cavalry.

At some point, a general raised a white flag, and then more and more white flags were raised.

Some soldiers did not have a white flag, so they took off their outer trousers and used their white underwear as a white flag. They did not care about anything else in order to save their lives.

A lot of Tatar and Oirat cavalry escaped, and the Tatar king and the Oirat king also left with them. When it comes to escaping, they are indeed professionals.

The battlefield fell into silence, with only the roar of steam tanks.

Zang Feiyu did not kill them all, and accepted the surrender of 5,000 brave generals.

The number of coalition forces this time was about 52,000, and in the end about 20,000 surrendered, and the rest fell outside the city of Mohaci.

The surrendered coalition forces distinguished between civilians and nobles. The nobles were treated specially and lived in prisons with better facilities in the city of Mohaj, while the rest of the civilians were locked up in several large warehouses.

Li Qiang watched the entire war. When he saw that there were only 20,000 soldiers left out of more than 50,000 coalition troops, he knew that Europe probably didn't have much combat power left.

Europe has not yet reached a period of great development and does not have many troops.

The number of 50,000 troops, and 50,000 elite soldiers at that, is almost the number of troops of most countries.

After this battle, Europe had no power to resist.

Li Qiang entered the hall of the City Lord's Mansion. Wherever he walked, wearing a dragon robe, everyone knelt on the ground.

Especially the knights who were originally from Mohachi City, when they saw the Daqian officers all kneeling on the ground, even though kneeling on the ground was against their custom, they still knelt on the ground like the Daqian officers.

In the hall, Zang Feiyu was checking the battlefield statistics. When he saw Li Qiang, he hurriedly stepped forward and paid his respects.

"The battle of Mohachi Castle was great!" Li Qiang praised with a smile.

"I don't deserve your majesty's praise. It is your majesty who gave me powerful weapons, which is the main reason for our victory!" Zang Feiyu replied quickly.

"What are your plans next?" Li Qiang asked Zang Feiyu to stand up.

"I will follow the emperor's orders!" Zang Feiyu replied.

Although he won the battle, he would not be complacent.

"There are quite a few muskets among the spoils of war on the battlefield. We can select some civilian soldiers from the prisoners of war, promise them benefits, and then have them lead the captive knights to serve as the vanguard to attack various countries!" Li Qiang said as he had a plan.

His spiritual perception was extremely strong, so he could sense that several knights in Mohachi City had surrendered.

This is the case with Mohachi City. There are still many knights in the occupied area, and we will select those who are willing to completely surrender to Daqian.

As for the soldiers, it would be better to say that they are soldiers who receive salaries, and their salaries are very meager.

As long as they are promised benefits, it is not difficult to make these soldiers join Daqian's army.

This is also related to the geography of European countries. The territories of European countries are not very large. Although the people in them belong to a certain country, their families or relatives, or even themselves, are actually from another country.

This situation is common, which makes people in European countries feel that they do not have a strong sense of belonging to their own country.

With the constraints of knights, it is feasible to form an army.

Li Qiang did not have to worry about this army rebelling. The combat power of the army formed could not threaten the Daqian army at all. Even if they rebelled, they could be easily destroyed.

Once this army is formed, Daqian's control over the occupied areas will be strengthened. With this model, it is entirely possible to completely stabilize the occupied areas in a short period of time.

(End of this chapter)