Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Oh!"

At the Niuzhuang front, Huang Taiji, hearing the distant sounds of cannon fire, slammed his fist on the table and roared:
"The Ming army is going too far, underestimating us so much."

"Whoever has a way to defeat the Ming fleet will be richly rewarded by this Khan!"

The reward was offered, but no one dared to accept it.

It wasn't that they were afraid of the Ming warships, but rather that they had no other choice.

The Ming army's warships were too sturdy, and their firearms were too powerful.

They could not defeat them whether they used fire or water.

Even Huang Taiji once sent his subordinates, the Baturu, to seize Ming warships by sailing large and small sword-wielding ships.

However, those brave and fearless soldiers on land were killed in the river by the Ming army with cannons and muskets before they could even use their skills on the ship.

Even though Huang Taiji was prepared to risk casualties, he was so angry at the sight that he did not send anyone to seize the ship.

However, instead of seizing the opportunity, the Ming army became increasingly aggressive, even sailing into the Taizi River in recent days, attempting to force them to withdraw from both banks of the river through artillery bombardment.

Huang Taiji, of course, did not want to retreat and asked his generals what solutions they had.

But everyone was at a loss for what to do. Sahalian, who had succeeded the leader of the Bordered Red Banner, said:
"Your Majesty, the Ming army has strong ships and powerful cannons. To deal with them, we must use the Red Coat Cannon."

"It would be better to retreat for now and wait until the Red Coat Cannon is cast before making any further decisions."

Huang Taiji agreed with the previous statement, which is why he has never given up.

He disliked the last sentence and said with a gloomy face:
“If we retreat now, the Ming army at Niuzhuangzhai will build a fort.”

"If a wooden stockade is this difficult to attack, what would happen if they built a fortress?"

"They've set up a large camp in Niuzhuang to attack Liaoyang. How are we supposed to retreat?"

No one can answer this question, because since they raised their army, they have been attacking and seizing territory from the Ming Dynasty.

While there are some plans for defense, it's not something that's taken seriously.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has managed to force their way into the Liao River with its ships, they are forced to consider this issue.

Some people only realized at this point that if they withdrew from Niuzhuang, Liaoyang might become the front line, and Shenyang was not far away.

They couldn't help but feel relieved: thankfully, the late Khan had moved the capital from Liaoyang to Shenyang, otherwise their capital would have been in great danger.

Just then, a burst of heavy artillery fire erupted outside, and a soldier's voice shouted:

"The Ming army is using sorcery again!"

"Everyone, run!"

There were all sorts of opinions, which caused a great uproar among the generals.

Huang Taiji walked out of the tent with a livid face and saw the chaotic soldiers and people who had been killed by the Ming army's artillery fire.

He immediately ordered his men to reorganize the troops and then reprimanded Fan Wencheng, saying:
"Didn't I ask you to explain that the Ming army didn't have any demonic weapons, but only that their ships were strong and their cannons were powerful?"

"How can there be anyone claiming that military magic is being used to sow discord among our troops?"

Fan Wencheng failed in his duties and was reprimanded by Huang Taiji. He immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying:
"This servant has failed in his duty; please punish me, Great Khan."

“These past few days, I have risked my life to defuse bombs and have figured out what the Ming army’s arrows are.”

"As long as the right cannon is built, it can be fired."

"At that time, the claim of it being a demonic weapon will surely fall apart on its own, and no one will believe it."

When Huang Taiji was pleading guilty, he was so angry he wanted to whip him, but upon hearing the last few sentences, he immediately turned to joy and said:
"Good slave!"

"It wasn't for nothing that I promoted you."

"Send a message to the rear, instructing Tong Yangxing to work on casting cannons and producing these kinds of shells."

After Fan Wencheng disassembled the dud shells of the Ming army, he realized that the Jin Dynasty's current technology was simply incapable of producing such shells.

But the Khan was in high spirits at the moment, so he naturally dared not dampen his enthusiasm.

Moreover, the task of manufacturing cannons and ammunition was assigned to Tong Yangxing, so why should he take responsibility for someone surnamed Tong?
Upon hearing the Khan's order, he hurriedly left to write a letter to Tong Yangxing.

Huang Taiji's current happiness will ultimately prove to be nothing but a fleeting joy.

Even though they forged the Red Coat Cannon, which could fire arrow-shaped shrapnel shells, they were simply unable to produce similar shells.

They could only pick up some duds from the Ming army and try to launch them.

As for whether these duds will successfully explode after being fired, they are not sure.

After all, they didn't have mercury fulminate, so they couldn't make a fuse.
-
Moreover, the Ming army had already considered this possibility.

They would never allow their duds to be returned by the enemy.

The observer sent to the front lines by the Equipment Department addressed the generals in the Liaohe camp:

"The new Arrow-type shrapnel shells have been manufactured and are being transported to Liaodong."

"Not only is it more effective at penetrating armor, but the fuse also has a higher firing rate, and a secondary ignition device has been added."

Even if it doesn't explode in the air, it will self-destruct upon landing.

"Even if the power is not as great as an explosion in the air, it can still kill a group of people with shrapnel and arrows."

The generals burst into laughter upon hearing this, and the naval officers were especially delighted.

These days, they've been quite aggressive, relying on their Arrow-type shrapnel shells.

The navy's ability to control both banks of the Liao River relied on the power of these shells.

If the Jurchens dared to send troops close, they would be met with a hail of arrows. Unable to withstand such casualties, they would simply retreat.

With the help of naval guns, the construction of the eight camps along the Liao River proceeded very smoothly. They were built one by one with almost no harassment from the Jurchens.

The docks at each camp made the Liaohe Fleet's navigation and anchoring smoother, and even arranged for soldiers from the eight camps to do simple dredging of the river.

Zheng Zhihu dared to send ships to break into the Taizi River because the Liaohe Fleet had a dock on the riverbank, allowing them to launch a surprise attack at closer range.

Although no results have been seen yet, he believes that the Jurchens will definitely not be able to hold out.

Hou Shilu, who was in charge of the defense of the eight fortresses, had heard a lot about how the navy fought, and said enviously at this moment:
"The Navy has acquired the Arrow-type shrapnel shells, that's amazing!"

"Could we have some of these shells?"

"With it, it will be even more difficult for the Jurchens to get close to the camp."

Yu Shilu also made this request, believing that such shells could also exert great power in land warfare.

The equipment department observers, facing the two high-ranking officers, immediately felt the pressure. Observation team leader Wu Aheng said:
"The two generals are unaware that this type of arrow-shaped shrapnel shell can only demonstrate its power when used on 125mm artillery."

"The small cannons they use have too few arrows; they can't form a rain of arrows at all."

"I have heard that the Equipment Department is researching 150mm cannons in order to create a larger rain of arrows."

Such a large caliber was only achievable by some of the Red Coat Cannons in the Guan Ning Army, and firing cylindrical arrow-shaped shrapnel shells was extremely troublesome.

The Lu Gong Cannon would be even heavier, and currently only naval warships and some fortresses are equipped with it.

Therefore, their idea of ​​using arrow-type shrapnel rounds naturally came to nothing.

Even Sun Chengzong, after learning that each of the arrow-type shrapnel shells had a time fuse equivalent to a clock, could only secretly gasp in astonishment, realizing that it was simply unaffordable for small cannons.

The number of cannonballs needed to create a rain of arrows was far too many. Even if the Ming Dynasty could produce that many clocks, the court simply couldn't afford them.

So he had no choice but to put that matter aside and raise a new question:

"Niuzhuang held out for more than half a month, but supplies gradually ran out."

"When will the Navy be able to provide them with supplies, or rescue them?"

Naval Admiral Yu Zigao looked at Zheng Zhihu, who said confidently:

"The navy is currently short of ammunition, and these past few days have only been for test firings."

"When the new batch of shells arrives, I will personally lead my troops to bombard the Jurchen camp."

"When the time comes, the Jurchens will surely retreat, and whether the soldiers of Niuzhuang stay or leave is entirely up to us."

Upon hearing this, Sun Chengzong was overjoyed and immediately praised Zheng Zhihu, saying:
"As expected of the tiger general praised by the Emperor, General Zhihu is truly brave."

"If this battle is successful, I will personally recommend you for credit, so that the whole world will know General Zhihu."

Zheng Zhihu couldn't hide his joy and laughed heartily, declaring that he would definitely save Niuzhuang Village.
-
Three days later, the shells transported from Tongzhou via Tianjin arrived at Yingkou Wharf.

After sending men to receive the cannonballs, Zheng Zhihu immediately led the Liaohe Fleet northward.

After resting at No. 8 Village, we drove into Taizi River again.

The original three warships still led the way, with more ships left behind.

The Jurchens thought that the Ming warships would only fire a few shots to harass the enemy again, but they never expected that the cannons would not stop firing after that.

Many people, caught off guard, were killed by a rain of arrows falling from the sky.

Seeing that the Ming Dynasty's warships were increasing in number, Huang Taiji and his generals had no choice but to order their army to retreat.

Zheng Zhihu led eighteen warships, each firing two hundred cannonballs. Seeing the Jurchen army vanish without a trace, he ordered a halt and gave the following command:

"The lookout observed carefully, and the signalman signaled to Niuzhuangzhai with flags."

"Tell them to send people to receive the supplies immediately and bring the wounded over first."

In Niuzhuang Village, the vanguard soldiers, seeing the Ming warships displaying their might, cheered loudly.

Upon receiving the signal from the ship, Tong Hanbang immediately ordered his men to carry supplies and transport the wounded soldiers there.

They even crossed the river under the protection of naval guns, looting all the supplies left behind by the Jurchens and killing the wounded soldiers who remained.

The garrison and navy of Niuzhuangzhai were overjoyed to receive more than a thousand heads.

Tong Hanbang was now completely confident in holding Niuzhuang. He even considered relying on the remaining soldiers to continue repairing Niuzhuang Fortress.

The soldiers of Niuzhuangzhai also had great faith in him and were willing to stay with him to defend the area.

Upon learning of his plans, Sun Chengzong immediately organized the elite troops of the Guan Ning Army to replenish the soldiers. He also intended to continue building the fortress at Niuzhuang as previously planned.

He planned to build a large camp in Niuzhuang as well, pushing the Ming Dynasty's battle line to the Niuzhuang-Haizhou line.
-
Upon receiving news of the successful rescue of Niuzhuangzhai in the capital, Zhu Youjian was overjoyed.

Upon learning that Tong Hanbang intended to continue building fortifications at Niuzhuang, he praised the assembled officials, saying:
"Such fighting spirit is no less than that of the Iron Wall Battalion of Dalinghe Fortress."

"Imperial decree: The garrison at Niuzhuang is hereby granted the title of Tongbao Battalion, and Tong Hanbang is promoted to Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Brigade Commander."

"The Liaohe Fleet that rescued Niuzhuangzhai is hereby granted the Fierce Tiger Flag."

"Zheng Zhihu was given the courtesy name Huchen and was also promoted to deputy commander-in-chief, and was additionally granted the honorary title of Dragon and Tiger General."

"The remaining meritorious soldiers will be rewarded accordingly. The Ministry of War should finalize and announce the list as soon as possible."

He firmly held the power of reward and punishment, and was generous in rewarding the soldiers who made meritorious contributions.

At the same time, Zheng Zhihu was specially granted the honorary title of Dragon and Tiger General to provoke the Jurchens.

It would be even better if the Jurchens attacked the Liao River fleet in their anger, allowing the Ming navy to wait in ambush and inflict further casualties on them with cannon fire. (End of Chapter)