Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The decision to replicate the Red-Clothed Cannon was one that Huang Taiji had made long ago.

It wasn't until the first month of this year that a replica was finally made.

Upon learning that the Red-Clad Cannons had been successfully cast, Huang Taiji was overjoyed. He appointed Tong Yangxing as the commander-in-chief, with Manchus as officers and Han soldiers as gunners, and formed an artillery unit.

When he set out on the expedition in March, he made a special inspection of the artillery and reviewed the newly formed Han soldiers.

Seeing that they had excellent equipment and were skilled in their drills, he immediately rewarded the soldiers and led the artillery unit into battle.

The reason why his main force was much slower than the two white flags was because the artillery unit slowed down the speed, and it was not easy to transport six cannons to the front line.

Upon learning that the two white flags' siege of Niuzhuang's temporary camp had failed and that many had even been wounded by artillery fire, Huang Taiji immediately ordered:

"The Ming army has cannons, but we don't?"

"Bring up the red-coated cannons and bombard the Ming army's camp."

They planned to test fire a few shots to boost morale among the troops.

Although Tong Yangxing felt it was too late for a proper shelling, he still ordered the gunners to bring up the six cannons.

Of these six cannons, three were domestically cast and three were captured. Their ranges were similar, and they could all fire at Niuzhuangzhai from a distance, across the river.

Niuzhuangzhai also had artillery, but due to weight considerations, most of them were tiger-squatting cannons, Weiyuan cannons, and breech-loading cannons suitable for field battles. The more modern artillery included Lügong cannons and mortars.

Regardless of the type, these cannons all had a shorter range than the Hongyi cannons. When Zhao Shuaijiao led his troops out, he was focused on attacking and did not think that the Jianzhou Jurchens had any strong fortified cities, so he was naturally unwilling to carry the heavy Hongyi cannons.

At this point, the remaining Ming troops at Niuzhuangzhai began to suffer this loss. They saw the Jurchens bombarding them with red-coated cannons from afar, but had no means to retaliate.

For a time, panic gripped Niuzhuang Village, and some people even showed unusual expressions—

Clearly, they were already somewhat afraid of the Jurchens, and they didn't even believe Tong Hanbang's claim that they could hold out for a month, and they began to consider surrendering.

Seeing the cannon fire penetrate the village wall and kill several people, some people were terrified and shouted that they wanted to surrender.

Tong Hanbang's expression immediately changed, and he immediately ordered Zhao Shuaijiao's servants to kill the troublemakers.

These soldiers, whose commander had died, were all eager to atone for their crimes and showed no mercy, killing dozens of people on the spot.

The commotion caused by the red-coated cannons was quelled by Tong Hanbang using force. He then instructed his soldiers:
"The red-coated cannon has a slow rate of fire and can't fire more than a few shots."

"All troops should take precautions, and those who are not in danger should take shelter in the artillery bunkers."

He ordered most of the soldiers to take cover in the artillery shelters, leaving only a few to defend the stockade walls.

At the same time, hot air balloons were launched to observe the direction from which the Jurchen cannons were fired.

With these measures in place, the number of soldiers dying from the cannons dropped sharply, with only a few unlucky ones being hit by shells.

The situation where a single shot killed several people has not occurred again.

The soldiers gradually overcame their fear of the red-coated cannons, realizing that the Jurchens couldn't kill many people with cannons alone.

However, looking at the stockade walls riddled with craters from artillery fire, many remained deeply worried. They feared the Jurchen invaders would breach the walls, forcing them to fight them head-on.

The previous battle had already terrified many people.

They had the courage to hide behind the stockade walls, but they dared not engage the Jurchens in close combat.

Tong Hanbang knew this, so he never considered sending anyone to attack the Jurchen artillery.

However, the threat of the Red-Clad Cannons must be dealt with, otherwise the camp will be breached sooner or later.

He could only wait anxiously until nightfall to bring up the spare parts stored in the camp, dismantle the bombed-out areas, and reinforce the camp with new timber.

This is the advantage of standardized camps: all parts are standardized and can be easily replaced.

In the message sent back to the Front Committee, he also emphasized that they needed to find a way to deal with the threat of the "Red-Clad Cannons" and to replenish more spare parts.
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Sun Chengzong, the leader of the Liaodong Front Committee, attached great importance to Niuzhuangzhai, the vanguard stronghold, and sent carrier pigeons to deliver messages every day.

Upon learning that the Jurchens had used red-coated cannons, his expression changed drastically, and he addressed the other members of the Front Committee:

"His Majesty rejected our proposal to build a fortress because the Jurchens have forged the Red-Coated Cannons, and instead ordered us to build a small fortress." "But judging from the situation at Niuzhuang Fortress, a small fortress simply cannot withstand the Red-Coated Cannons. What should we do?"

You Shilu also looked solemn, because this matter concerned the outcome of the battle.

He carefully examined the battle report and addressed Sun Chengzong and the others:

"The reason why the emperor did not allow the construction of fortresses was that ordinary fortresses could not withstand the cannons of the Red Coat Army."

"It's better to use a temporary camp, where spare parts can be used for repairs."

"Judging from the situation at Niuzhuangzhai, it makes little difference whether the Jurchens have red-coated cannons or not. General Tong is confident that we can continue to defend it."

"We must have the means to counter the Red Coat Cannons, otherwise if we just take the hits without fighting back, the morale of the troops may be unstable."

Sun Chengzong examined it carefully and found it to be true. His expression relaxed, and he said towards the capital:

"It seems that His Majesty had anticipated this matter. We can proceed with the construction of the fortress as instructed by the court."

"As for countering the Red-Clothed Cannon, I'll leave that to the Navy."

Yu Zigao is full of confidence that the navy has added many large ships and cannons in recent years.

However, Hou Shilu, who was in charge of repairing the stockade, looked troubled and said:

“Building a fort is different from building a stockade; officers and soldiers must be re-selected.”

"It was previously said that it was fortification, and although there is danger, it is not great."

"But the village can only hold out for a month at most, and all the soldiers guarding the village must be prepared to die."

"Otherwise, the morale of the troops will waver, which will be detrimental to the defense of the camp."

"Such officers and soldiers are probably extremely rare in Liaodong."

This matter left Sun Chengzong and You Shilu looking at each other in bewilderment.

They originally planned to transfer the weaker soldiers to guard the fort, but now they realize that it is no longer feasible to switch to building fortifications.

The soldiers guarding the stronghold not only need to be elite, but also need to be fearless in the face of death.

They had no confidence that the Guan Ning Army could select these people.

Yu Zigao then said:

“The families of the Dongning Army are all on the island; they would never have any intention of surrendering to the enemy.”

"These people dared to come to war with the determination to risk their lives for meritorious service."

"Eight thousand soldiers to guard the stronghold are more than enough!"

Sun Chengzong and the others were now embarrassed, because if they really did this, it would be tantamount to admitting that the fighting spirit of the Guan Ning Army was inferior to that of the Dong Ning Army.

This made Sun Chengzong, who had trained the Guan Ning Army, lose face, so he refused again:
"Without the Dongning Army being mobilized, the Guanning Army can select eight thousand men."

“If no one dares to go up, I, Sun, will go and guard the stronghold myself.”

In his anger, he even said he would take action himself, and You Shilu and Hou Shilu hurriedly tried to stop him.

They all said they would find a way to select a suicide squad of eight thousand men.

Yu Zigao dared not compete for the opportunity any longer and said that the navy would help with the transport and rescue the people if the village could not be defended.

This requires advance planning and choosing a good evacuation route.

This would lower the requirements for soldiers and would not necessarily require a suicide squad.

However, Sun Chengzong still decided that all the generals guarding the stronghold must be prepared to die for their cause.

Only in this way can they withstand the Jurchen artillery bombardment without collapsing, like Tong Hanbang of Niuzhuangzhai, stabilizing morale and holding the camp. (End of Chapter)