The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 423 How can he not die like this?
Li Chengjun had actually prepared a great many catapults, because catapults were the only weapon they could rely on for long-range combat against the Northern Song army.

However, adding one catapult to another will not double the range.

Once the puppet Qi army is overwhelmed by artillery fire from a distance and unable to retaliate, its morale is low, making it difficult for them to unleash its full power.

A few daring members of the puppet Qi army were still pushing the catapults forward, but most of them were only concerned with saving their own lives.

Cannonballs and boulders from the Northern Song army rained down, all aimed at the trebuchet array. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the trebuchet array was about to be destroyed.

Jin Wuzhu looked left and right, desperately observing and thinking on the battlefield.

He truly lived up to his reputation as a renowned general, immediately grasping a crucial point without any instruction: "Send a detachment of cavalry to assault the enemy's artillery positions and completely destroy them."

The artillery position was isolated behind the Northern Song army formation, and it was situated on a slightly elevated earthen slope.

Although there were guards nearby, they didn't seem to be many.

Jin Wuzhu astutely grasped this key point: as long as he could use his cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's artillery, he would surely achieve victory.

However, he also knew that the enemy was not stupid. If his cavalry charged the artillery openly, the enemy commander would definitely send reinforcements. Therefore, he had to send out two thousand-man squads of cavalry to harass the enemy's main force from the left and right, to restrain them and draw their attention. Combined with Li Cheng's army advancing from the front, this would create a huge suppressive effect on the enemy.

If we send out high-speed cavalry at this point to charge into the enemy's artillery positions, we might be able to turn the tide of the battle.

His command immediately intensified the battle. Two cavalry units of a thousand men each fired arrows wildly from the side of the battlefield, exchanging fire with the Northern Song army's smoothbore spearmen from a distance of forty meters. The cavalry were at a disadvantage, but they couldn't care less.

Li Chengjun was also being forced to advance desperately by the Jin army's supervising troops...

The battlefield was thrown into complete chaos!

Amidst the chaos, a thousand-man cavalry unit set off from the flank of the battlefield, feigning an engagement with the musketeers. They first swept past the flank, unleashing a volley of arrows at the main force of the Northern Song army, before suddenly shifting their position and flanking the small hill behind the battlefield.

Their feint successfully confused the Northern Song army; at first, no one realized they were targeting the artillery.

It wasn't until they began their rapid charge towards the hill that Gong Erniangzi suddenly realized: "They're going to probe the artillery positions."

Yue Wenxuan couldn't help but laugh: "Jin Wuzhu truly deserves to be called a great general of his generation."

However, no one panicked!

The generals in the Northern Song army all took turns attending classes at the Army Academy. Many of them were students of Napoleon. Napoleon's army was most skilled at using artillery in battle, and he naturally knew how to protect artillery.

Without any order from Lady Gong Er, all units related to artillery immediately and automatically entered "self-defense operations"...

At this moment, the fastest charging horse had already reached the foot of the hill.

Artillery positions are usually chosen in places with certain terrain features, such as hills, slopes, rivers, valleys, forests, and trenches. This location was no exception; although the hill wasn't very high, it still offered a slightly commanding view.

The steeds need to tilt their heads back and climb the slope...

As they were about to charge uphill, they suddenly discovered that a row of "breast walls" had been built on the hillside using rubble, soil, and sandbags. These breast walls were low walls that were only chest-high. Building such walls was easy; a few thousand soldiers could carry a stone each and set them up in the blink of an eye.

This thing is very useful for fighting cavalry.

Napoleon's military thought included: quickly constructing breastworks using mud, wood, and stones to provide cover for artillery and infantry; and digging trenches to hinder cavalry charges and serve as concealed passageways for artillery.

The moment the cavalry saw the breastwork, they knew the enemy was well-prepared and that this battle would be difficult.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring, and it had to be released!
Meng An, the leader, roared, "If we can't take the artillery position, we'll all die! Charge!" "Bang!"

A stragglers emerged from behind the breastwork and shot Meng'an to his death.

Mouk followed: "Charge!"

"boom!"

Another shot rang out, but this time the skirmishers missed their target. Mouke was unharmed and was still charging forward, while a large group of guerrillas behind him roared as they charged up the slope.

A row of heads popped up from behind the breastwork, all of them elite smoothbore musketeers, the kind who were very skilled at loading and had a very fast rate of fire.

This was also Napoleon's consistent idea: a unit of elite smoothbore musketeers should be retained to protect the artillery positions.

When these people started fighting, it was much more exciting than when the soldiers were scattered. The sounds of banging and banging were deafening, and a large number of bullets flew towards the cavalry. The cavalry at the front fell down in an instant.

But the Jin soldiers were proud and reckless, and continued their charge, not caring about any minor losses.

But after charging forward a short distance, they suddenly heard the sound of hooves, and a cuirassiers unit charged from their flank...

Napoleon's military strategy: Deploy a small number of cavalry to maneuver nearby, ready to support threatened positions or pursue enemy forces attempting to outflank.

The cuirassiers charged, their polished, gleaming armor blinding the cavalry.

This deliberately polished breastplate was designed to "make a preemptive strike," having a very good deterrent effect on the battlefield. When they charged sideways at the cavalry, the cavalry were somewhat surprised: "Heavy cavalry! The enemy's heavy cavalry are actually being used to protect the artillery?"

Their morale plummeted, and their charge became less fierce.

The cuirassier charged sideways, firing wildly with his short musket, leaving the crooked horse stunned.

Then the cuirassiers drew their sabers and continued their attack.

Since I'm wearing armor, it's a piece of cake to beat an unarmored cavalryman.

Many of the cavalry were thrown from their horses, while a few continued to charge forward. When they reached the breastwork, the cavalry leaped with all their might, and the rider and his horse became one, leaping over the breastwork and continuing their fierce charge towards the artillery.

Even the elite musketeers hiding behind the wall were astonished: "The Jin cavalry have such excellent horsemanship?"

But soldiers with such excellent riding skills and horses with such great jumping ability are ultimately few and far between.

In the end, only a few dozen riders managed to charge towards the artillery position!
Just as they reached the artillery position, the artillerymen suddenly pulled out a large-caliber musket.

Napoleon's military thought: Artillerymen should know "self-protection tactics." When enemy close-combat troops break through the defensive line, the artillery will use grapeshot (close-range shot) to bombard them directly and repel the enemy at close range.

A large-caliber musket, loaded with a small steel ball!

"boom!"

Dozens of artillerymen simultaneously fired grapeshot...

Although shotguns have a short range, they cover a large area, making them extremely effective in situations like this.

Almost all the horses that charged to the artillery position fell off their horses, leaving only one lucky one still on horseback, still charging forward!
His luck is incredible; he survived despite all that.

(End of this chapter)