Late Ming Dynasty: Conquering the world starting from riding and cutting

It was the sixth day of May in the second year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty. It was sunny and windless.

This day in history is destined to become a nightmare for the Kumamoto family, an eternal nightmare!

Looking three miles to the west from the monocular telescope in Kumamoto's hand, soldiers of the Keelung Army were pushing several artillery pieces into the gun positions in front of the formation amidst the sound of bugles.

However, in his eyes, after carefully counting several times, he only saw three artillery pieces.

"The enemy only has three big guns, not many!" Kumamoto loudly encouraged the surrounding Hatamoto samurai, and the huge roar seemed to make him forget the fear in his heart.

However, if Kumamoto has read Chinese classics, he will know that the ancient sages once said, "How can the sharp weapon of the country be shown to others!"

These three artillery pieces were just a cover up in front of the formation. On the artillery formation behind the camp, ten 8-pound steel cannons were neatly placed. The artillerymen were busy adjusting the angle of the muzzle, trying to hit the target with one shot.

In front of the two armies' positions, there was originally a sharp bamboo formation that Kumamoto had put in place with great effort. However, just last night, it had been cleaned up by Zhao Dahai with Fuso Ashigaru, and the remaining debris was also It was hit by artillery and was completely destroyed.

"Finally we can go into battle!"

The camp was full of soldiers who had just finished breakfast and were nervously arranging their weapons and equipment.

The battalion officers used whetstones to sharpen their green steel knives so that they would not get stuck between the neck bones when beheading. A large number of musketeers lined up in front of the baggage officer to receive fixed paper cartridge ammunition.

Since Qin Hao implemented the land distribution system and vigorously developed the economy within his jurisdiction.

Today, large tracts of wasteland have been opened up on one-third of an acre in Keelung and Hsinchu. So far, more than 5 million acres have been cultivated, of which more than 3 million acres are paddy fields, and the rest are mostly mountainous and dry fields.

On average, these lands can produce about four stones per mu per season.

Compared with three stones per acre in Huguang, the richest city in the Ming Dynasty, it was also a reasonably high yield.

Moreover, this is only an average value. According to statistics from the Keelung Household Affairs Department, most of them include mature wasteland that has just been reclaimed. If you only count those that can be harvested normally, this number almost quadruples.

According to the public grain payment standard of one out of ten taxes set by Qin Hao, the public grain collected almost every season can meet the one-year ration consumption of the non-agricultural population such as the army, craftsmen, and merchants, with a slight surplus.

As Keelung Shipyard's business shifted from government-owned to privately owned, some people began to buy it.

If your personal financial resources are limited, you can also form a joint venture with multiple people; if you want to operate alone, you can get a loan from the Banking Department if you have no money.

As a result, a large number of fishing boats trawled in the offshore and offshore waters, bringing a large amount of fish and shrimp to the people of Keelung and providing rich marine protein;

At the same time, the ranch veterinarians on Ryukyu Island also made innovations in their medical skills. They bred pigs and capons to remove the worldly desires of these farmed animals, allowing them to focus on growing meat and provide people with a large amount of meat and eggs.

The rich variety of food and sufficient supply made Qin Hao's army soldiers shiny on their faces and with bulging muscles, able to withstand high-intensity military training.

Inside the camp, Zhao Dahai and several camp officers were eating breakfast. Luo Dayou still couldn't get rid of his careless temper. He swallowed heavily while yelling and cursing loudly.

Soon, a steaming bowl of sour rice noodles covered with red chili peppers was delivered to Luo Dayou's bulging belly.

"Lao Luo, eat less. After you kill Kumamoto, the Lord will reward you when you return to Keelung. There will be plenty of good food to eat! Don't always act like a starving ghost reincarnated!" Liang Zhan chewed a piece in his mouth. Spicy chicken nuggets, teasing his colleagues vaguely.

"Haha, why don't you pee? Look at what you look like. You're no better than me!" Luo Dayou scolded back, patted his belly, turned around and picked up a big bowl again, and started drinking the sour food. Rice noodles fight unremittingly.

After the meal, it was a life-and-death battle.

Perhaps in Fuso, Kumamoto, a native of the city, had the protection of the gods. He unexpectedly ordered the entire army to rush out of the city and set up a battle array.

This allowed him to avoid the newly adjusted artillery elevation, but even so, Kumamoto's mood was not much better.

Looking at the fierce and strong soldiers under the flags on the opposite side, and then at the thin and weak Ashigaru soldiers beside him, Kumamoto became angry and beat him. He grabbed the Ashigaru next to him and beat him all over the face. : "Trash, trash, they are all trash. If you cannot defeat the enemy this time, you will all commit suicide and apologize!"

Facing the punishment from the family leader, the caught Ashigaru had to endure it silently with tears in his eyes.

It seemed that he was tired of scolding and felt relieved. Kumamoto began to pay attention to the military formations of the two armies.

Both the Kumamoto Army and the Keelung Army put their main forces on the front line. The Kumamoto Army had 3,000 ashigaru troops, while the Keelung Army had 600 musketeers from the Shuntian Camp. Both sides tried to accomplish their success in one battle.

Not only are the formations similar, but both sides rely on what they consider to be a very solid rear formation. The Keelung Army has its back to the camp, and behind the camp is artillery in ravines; , relying on the city to fight with the Keelung Army in the field.

"Start the war!"

"The battle begins!"

The commanders of both sides issued the same order almost at the same time.

On the Keelung Army's position, following an order, Zhao Dahai waved the flag in his hand, and ten trumpeters blew the bronze trumpets in their hands.

Liang Zhan, who heard the sound of the bugle, directed the gunners on the artillery position to load gunpowder, and then grinned widely, "Warriors, have you had enough to eat this morning?"

The surrounding gunners immediately responded loudly in unison, "I'm full!", the sound was deafening.

"Then use all your strength and give me a hard beating! Kill those fusang dwarfs and scraps of metal on the other side for me!"

In an instant, the artillery roared, and dozens of artillery shells crisscrossed in the air, falling near each other's targets according to their respective trajectories.

Iron balls roared into the Kumamoto military formation, and blood and flesh flew everywhere in the military formation in an instant.

The sound of artillery sounded, and the only artilleryman of the Kumamoto family immediately discovered the gap between himself and his counterparts on the opposite side.

For the same 8-pounder cannon, if your own artillery can only fire one mile at most, the shells will lose their power. This can only be achieved by loading a large amount of gunpowder at the risk of exploding the barrel.

The 8-pound cannon on the opposite side was not only suppressed in terms of quantity, but also outmatched in technology. They easily sent the shells to their own military formation, turning dozens of shells into a horde of hundreds of people.

Thanks to the production of industrial saltpeter, all artillery and artillery pieces of the Keelung Army now use millet-colored gunpowder as propellant. This kind of gunpowder is the pinnacle of pyrotechnic powder. It is powerful and durable, and can propel cannonballs farther distances.

Within this distance, all artillery equipped by the Keelung Army are within the effective range and have a very high hit rate.

In order to form a deterrent, Kumamoto's army arranged the ashigaru very closely. For other soldiers of this era, such a formation is not excessive, and it can be seen that the general is not a mediocre person.

But using this dense formation on Suncheon Camp is like swatting a fly on a tiger's head - seeking death.

In such a dense military formation, if a solid artillery shell rushed into it, it would be a bloody mess. However, fortunately, there are not many Kumamoto soldiers wearing bamboo armor, especially iron armor. (Mainly because I am poor and cannot afford armor)

If you are wearing iron armor, the armor leaves will turn into fragments under the action of solid bullets, causing more and greater casualties.

After the Keelung Army's artillery fired a salvo, Liang Zhan proudly ordered the gunners to temporarily stop shooting. He asked the observers to use the short time when the smoke cleared to observe the opponent's position. For this round, The artillery strike effect is evaluated.

Broken limbs and bones can be seen everywhere in the Kumamoto Army's formation, and blood is everywhere on the ground.

Those thin Ashigaru soldiers were holding their hands and feet that had been taken away by the shells and howling loudly. The people next to them avoided them like ghosts. Such terrifying artillery was no different from ghosts and gods.

Kumamoto's face was pale, and the sweat on his forehead wetted his temples. He murmured to himself and kept holding his palms that were twitching with fear.

All this was completely beyond his expectation. The big cannon on the opposite side was an 8-pounder like his, but it hit so far and so hard, causing such a big blow to his own soldiers.

Behind him, the usually wolf-like Hatamoto samurai have fallen into a state of madness, either spinning around like headless flies, or seeming not to know that the enemy is far out of range and have no idea that the enemy is far away. Pointlessly raising the spear in his hand and throwing it at the Keelung Army on the opposite side, he screamed and even screamed and fled to the rear.

This is the samurai-sama, and he has simply lost the majesty of the samurai family!

Several military commanders jumped out of their horses, waving the iron swords in their hands. The light of the swords flashed, and a dozen warriors who were running around in despair were chopped down to the ground. Led by Jun Mufu, the leaders of each team also drew their swords to prevent the ashigaru and samurai teams from collapsing.

After a brief period of confusion, Kumamoto's army's formation returned to calm. For this reason, the Kumamoto family paid the price with the lives of nearly a hundred people.

The casualties from the shelling and the roar of the camp left the Kumamoto Army with only 2,000 men left.

However, another round of artillery fire from the Keelung Army came.

"Master, this won't work!" A confidant yelled at Kumamoto eagerly. At this time, he had forgotten that Kumamoto was his master, and he was just a small executive officer.

"If the enemy's artillery fires round after round, our army will be destroyed by their artillery fire, or it will be dispersed! They have many more cannons than we do!"

Kumamoto was also frightened by the endless rounds of artillery fire from the opposite side. Amidst the rumbling sound of artillery, he felt as if his three souls and seven souls had been shaken out of his body.

Only then did he realize that the big tube in front of the opponent's formation was just to deceive others, and that the real weapon was actually hidden behind the formation.

After realizing it later, he regretted it endlessly, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Then what do you think our army should do?"

"Master, if we retreat to the city, maybe we can still defend it!"

Hearing this, Kumamoto was greatly disappointed, but there was no other way at the moment but to ask his cronies to issue military orders to retreat.

All military officers, flags, and samurai retreated to the city to defend themselves. As for the Ashigaru, Kumamoto did not mention it at all, and his close followers naturally forgot that this Kumamoto family had the largest number but was the weakest team.

"Yamaguchi!" Looking at the returning cronies, Kumamoto struggled to find his name in his mind.

"Master!" Yamaguchi's face turned red, not sure whether it was the fire or the excitement that Kumamoto remembered his name.

"The future of the Kumamoto family depends on you." Kumamoto looked at Yamaguchi solemnly, "When the Tokugawa Grand Palace was defeated by the Western Army and was about to be captured, a warrior..."

Yamaguchi's face was ashen. Hearing this, he didn't know where he found it or it was just a newly made up story of heroic deeds. Anyway, there was no trace of it.

He only knew that he couldn't leave today, he would be used as cannon fodder.

Yamaguchi's family members were all in the Kumamoto family, and he had no choice. Thinking that he only had one daughter and could not inherit his own mantle, he reluctantly walked to the front of the battle and began to collect skirmishers.

"Yamaguchi, I will definitely take good care of your son." After saying this, Kumamoto sped away without looking back.

Not long after, after another round of shotgun blasts, a round of solid shells, and two rounds of artillery fire, the Kumamoto army's formation had become dilapidated. The large square formation that was neat and tidy just now is now in a mess.

"It's our turn!"

Zhao Dahai was very satisfied after seeing the other party's situation through the telescope.

He smiled at Qu Wan beside him, "Order the front camp to line up and attack!"

"Order the artillery team! Continue artillery to suppress the enemy!"

There was a wave of red flags and several blasts of brass horns. The bugler of the front camp quickly responded with the wave of flags and the sound of brass horns.

The artillery team responded to Zhao Dahai's order with the continuous roar of the cannon.

After three rounds of continuous firing, the artillery fire stopped temporarily to allow the slightly heated barrel to cool down. If it continued to fire, even the steel artillery might explode. .

Taking advantage of this gap, the soldiers of the front battalion, led by the officers, adjusted their pace according to the whistle, and slowly pressed towards the Kumamoto Army's position.

At this time, Kumamoto's army could hardly be called an army.

"Kill! Keep these fearful ghosts honest!" Yamaguchi shouted loudly, waving the iron sword in his hand, and began to win over the ashigaru with a few samurai who were still awake and willing to stay.

After beheading dozens of bloody heads in a row, the defeated soldiers finally calmed down. Following Kumamoto's orders, they began to regroup. They formed a team, picked up the swords and guns discarded on the ground, and looked into the distance tremblingly.

All Yamaguchi thought was that it would be impossible to turn defeat into victory with such an ashigaru team, but his mission was to delay time. When the head of the family entered the city, his mission would be completed.

At this moment, a series of frightened screams came!

"They're coming up!"

The Ashigaru people looked at the magnificent Keelung Army in front of them in fear. At this time, they all had a question in their hearts.

Why should we fight with such an army? We are just farmers in the fields and should not suffer such pain.

Looking at the dead and disabled people on the ground, most of the Ashigaru have only one thought: put down their weapons and surrender!

No more fighting!

But there were always people who wouldn't let them go. Kumamoto, who returned to the city wall, regained his previous majesty and shouted: "If you see anyone laying down their weapons, the whole family will be executed!"

This is the tragedy of the times and the tragedy of these Ashigaru people.

Their lives are not their own, and the lives of their families are not theirs.

The Kumamotos let them live as long as they lived and die as they died.

Unable to get rid of the servility in their hearts, they helplessly clenched the swords and guns in their hands.

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