Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

"what's up?"

45 was having a great time fighting at the moment. It had been a long time since she had been like this. She was just using the target as a target during combat, and the targets were humans. It was so cool. Almost all the cavalrymen in front of her were beaten into a bloody mess. When she heard Jiang Han's words, she did not look back.

"Well, can we, that is, can we, try our best, ah, as much as possible, to save ammunition?"

As he spoke, Jiang Hankong raised his hand, put the tips of his thumb and index finger together, and made a dot-dot gesture.

"Eh...? Why?"

45 Asking even though you already know the answer.

"Sister 45, you know that the landlords don't have any surplus food. I have used up a lot of my resources to summon you before. Can you please be kind and use them a little more slowly?"

Jiang Han discussed with 45 in a low voice, and the four words of family status were clearly visible. In this regard, Jiang Han said, if you are facing a 45 steel who can easily break the bridge of your nose, you will be numb even if you stomp on him!

"Eh...? So you're so poor, Commander? What a pity~"

Although he was not forgiving in his words, 45 silently changed the gun mode to three-shot burst, and his happiness level dropped a lot.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes! Oh, I knew 45 that you really have me in your heart and will always think of me! You are indeed my virtuous and good wife!"

Jiang Han, feeling relaxed, started to speak without restraint again.

Hearing this, 45 at the side almost stumbled, and his gun even lost its balance. M4A1 also let out a dull laugh.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you off the carriage."

45 gritted his teeth and threatened viciously in a low voice.

Seeing 45's unfriendly look, Jiang Han's desire to survive made him quickly make a gesture of covering his mouth, indicating that he would not talk nonsense anymore.

"Even when you look tsundere, you're so cute~"

He muttered quietly in his heart.

45 had an unnatural expression on his face. He glared at Jiang Han fiercely, then gritted his teeth and attacked those gold-clad cavalrymen even more ruthlessly. On the other side, M4A1 raised the corner of his mouth and felt relieved.

In this social death contest, everyone is tied at 1-1.

More than ten members of the team were killed one after another, and they couldn't even get close to the enemy. The captain realized that something was wrong. The firepower of this group of people seemed to be a bit outrageous.

I can take advantage of them as long as the range is farther than mine. Anyone who is touched by their ferocious muskets will die, and anyone who touches them will die. I originally wanted to slowly approach them by reloading, but who would have thought that the muskets on the opposite side were actually continuous fire?

They had also seen continuous-fire weapons. In fact, the Ming Dynasty army also had continuous-fire crossbows, but their power was just average. They were fine for use at medium and short distances, but not very effective at longer distances. A weapon like this that had a long range and could fire continuously was simply unheard of.

He is not an iron-headed man. It would be stupid to fight when he knows he can't win. As he has no idea of ​​the opponent's situation, the team leader urgently called a timeout.

Something is wrong, the other side has a script! Retreat quickly!

No matter from which perspective, they could not continue chasing. For some reason, the enemy's ammunition seemed to be running out. If they continued chasing for a few horses, it would only increase casualties. The most important thing right now was to protect themselves and pass on the news that the Ming army might have new firearms to the upper levels. As for the carriage team, they could only let them go.

The Qing cavalry were reckless. When fighting outside, their momentum was the kind that showed no fear of life or death and was frightening. But facing an opponent that was almost impossible to defeat, the effect of momentum began to be minimal. No one was not afraid of death, and the huge gains on the battlefield made them put life and death aside. But here, killing that group of people would only get them a horse, without any military merit, and they would be killed like rabbits. This was very uncomfortable. The cavalry generally began to become a little cowardly, and their desire to pursue was not as strong.

The captain's order to stop the pursuit made them feel relieved. They were really afraid that their superiors would get angry and let them chase them to the end. To be honest, this pursuit was like a bottomless abyss of death for the cavalrymen. There was no hope of victory at all. Every gunshot made them silently pray in their hearts that it must not be them, it must not be them. It was a very unpleasant feeling to see their companions fall one by one.

"The enemy seems to have stopped chasing us."

Through the sight, M4A1 quickly observed the opponent's changes.

"Eh? You gave up so soon? What a pity~ I wanted to kill two more."

45 expressed regret for the opponent's quick surrender. Jiang Han broke out in a sweat when he heard this. My goodness, you are addicted to target shooting, right?

"Anyway, it's a good thing they're not chasing us anymore. We can retreat with peace of mind."

Jiang Han was not enthusiastic about fighting, and he was relieved that the Qing army could see the current situation. Unlike M4A1 and 45, he had not been fighting on the line between life and death for many years. As an ordinary otaku, he was always nervous when facing a life-and-death conflict, and his hands holding the reins were a little numb.

"By the way, do you know how to get to Jiangnan?"

"Of course I don't know. Isn't that right? We should find a place to rest right now. Look at us, our horses are running so hard that they are foaming at the mouth!"

Watching the carriage leave, the captain felt unwilling. Being held down by someone and being beaten without fighting back, when had they ever been so cowardly since they left the border? The huge losses in the battle made his heart bleed. Facing the upcoming accountability, the captain was a little afraid.

"Collect the bodies and report back to Shichang."

Looking at the messy battlefield, he calmly gave orders, and began to feel a little gloomy about the future battles. Since the Ming army here has this kind of firearms, then the people in Anping City...

Volume 30: Chapter Chapter : More outrageous rumors

The refugees were actually full of fear towards the landlords and gentry. The tyranny of these people over the years had seeped into the bones of every refugee who was once a tenant farmer.

When one's life and property are in the hands of others and one can only let them manipulate them, no one will not be afraid. In order to survive, they swallow their anger and make all kinds of concessions just for the thought of being able to live. The greatest resistance they can make is to escape from here and seek a way to live somewhere else.

But this fear only applies when the landlord is still alive.

The high and mighty master was like a flag, a symbol. As long as he was alive, an invisible black cloud would always hang over the hearts of the refugees. This made them do a lot of psychological preparation when they made up their minds to enter Cao's mansion.

Although there was a rebellion, the refugees were unsure whether or not to enter Cao's mansion. It was not until the two carriages rushed out and the gates of Cao's mansion were wide open that they knew something must have gone wrong.

In ancient times, there was often a screen wall in front of the houses of wealthy families to block the view of outsiders so that they could not see what was going on inside the house. This was mainly because of the saying from the Feng Shui perspective that "straight air coming in and going out will harm the population." The external airflow cannot go straight into the hall, and if the external airflow goes straight in, the owner will not be able to gather wealth, so a screen wall is used to block the evil spirit and coordinate the internal and external energy.

The existence of the screen wall made many people still hesitant. No one was sure what was going on inside the high wall. But with a question, the situation changed a little: "Isn't that the silly young master in the carriage? Why is the silly young master driving Master Cao's carriage?"

The name of the Foolish Young Master in Anping City is known to everyone. This man has a weird personality and abnormal behavior. Although he has a wealthy family, he likes to go to the abalone and vegetable market, as if there are some treasures there. He is always cheerful like a fool. What's even more weird is that he looks like a scholar, but he never looks down on refugees like them. He is not like those masters who want to cover their noses on the spot and let the servants beat them to death. After buying vegetables, if the Foolish Young Master has extra ones, he will often give some to the refugees. They don't say it, but they are actually kind to this Foolish Young Master in their hearts.

The main thing is that the silly young man is very good at fighting. On the first day he arrived in Anping City, he picked up dozens of thieves at home and sent them all to jail. It made people wonder how that delicate-looking man could have such strong martial arts?

The conflict between this silly young man and the Cao family was almost out in the open. After all, Mr. Cao treated his dog very preciously. He would definitely not let it go after being beaten to death in the street by the silly young man. But at this moment, this man drove out of the Cao Mansion in the carriage. What did that mean? And the loud noise coming from the Cao Mansion before, could it be...?

Some people reacted quickly and rushed into Cao's mansion. Those who reacted a little slower saw someone leading the way and also ran in. When they entered the house, they saw bags of grain everywhere and chickens, ducks and other livestock running around.

The carnival has begun.

In the middle of such a carnival, the bodies of Cao Sheng and Erde were discovered, along with those of dozens of servants. Combined with Jiang Han's previous action of rushing out of Cao's mansion, it was self-evident who had done it.

Now, the fact that the idiot young man could fight dozens of people alone has completely turned from a rumor into a reality, but what is even more surprising is the characteristics of Cao Sheng's body.

The tall hat he had been wearing had been taken off, revealing his shiny forehead, and behind his head, there was a short, small rat tail.

Before the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the whips of the Manchus were relatively small, with only a small tuft of hair left behind the head. They were thin enough to pass a copper coin through the braid, hence the name "Golden Coin Rat Tail". The half-head cover and big braid like those in Qing palace dramas were the product of the mid-term reform.

Every Ming Dynasty person knows what this hairstyle means. Mr. Cao from the Cao Mansion is actually a rare dog!

And when this news spread, every penny of Cao's income was regarded as a betrayal by the refugees. The refugees were filled with righteous indignation. They stepped forward, grabbed the long sword in the servant's hand, chopped off Cao Sheng's head, and hung it high on the door beam of Cao's mansion so that everyone passing by could see the appearance of Master Cao's head. They had no psychological burden to rob the things in Cao's mansion. I am fighting against the Tartar spies!

It is no longer known what the facts really happened, but people can't help but imagine it. After some artistic processing and combined with Jiang Han's previous behavior, the image of a knight who hated evil and chased the murderer for thousands of miles, found Cao and came to Anping City to kill him, and did not take a penny, but gave it all to the poor, has emerged in front of people. Jiang Han's previous behavior was weird, but that was the style of a master. He did not despise the refugees at all. That was a noble sentiment and he cared about the people. He was the savior of the people and the death warrant of the wicked. The name of the righteous hero Jiang Gongzi became more and more famous and spread more and more widely.

The original hatred towards the government turned into anger towards Cao. Such a traitor actually lived in Anping City so openly. If he didn't agree, he would rob him!

Almost the entire Cao Mansion was plowed clean, and the bodies of the family members and Erde were hung up. Everyone was spitting, and those who had whips could go up and whip them twice.

"My Lord, the tide has finally turned."

A servant reported the results to Wang Ji.

"How is the situation now?"

"Now... the Cao family has aroused the anger of the refugees. Everyone has gathered in front of the Cao mansion, wanting to eliminate the traitors for the country. The refugees have hung the corpse of the Cao family on the flagpole at the Caishikou, and their heads have been cut off and hung on the plaque at the door of the Cao mansion. The refugees passing by can go up and spit at them. The Cao family's internal belongings have also been robbed..."

"Okay, okay, there's no need to go into these details."

Wang Ji waved his hand, interrupting the servant's long speech.

"The first step has been taken, and the next step is the second step. Have you sent the message to the general?"

"Reporting to the Lord, it has been delivered. General Zhao said that he will send troops immediately, but..."

The servant looked embarrassed

"but?"

Wang Ji looked surprised.

"Sorry, sir, General Zhao said that there are Tartars outside the city who are leading an army to attack the city. Most of the soldiers in the garrison are on the city walls to defend the city. I'm afraid that not many of them can be spared to quell the rebellion..."

The servant cautiously reported this not-so-good news to Wang Ji.

"So... the plan has changed. Zhang Quan, go and send someone to pass on the message. The turmoil in the city right now is caused by the Tartar spy Cao, who has contacted the Tartars to attack the city from outside. He caused turmoil in the city and took the opportunity to open the city gates to cooperate with the outside forces. As long as the refugees in the city lay down their butcher knives and surrender, the court will forgive them for their past actions."

"Yes! Your lord!"

The servant Zhang Quan received the order and left in a hurry, leaving Wang Ji alone in the room.

"Since you've already committed an open traitor, you don't care about a few more charges... Humph, Cao family, I'm going to skin you alive this time!"

Wang Ji was stroking a folding fan in his hand. It was a gift given to him by Zhao Pu when he took office. The two had been friends for many years and had cooperated very well in official circles. Now that he had been killed, it was almost unnecessary to think about who did it. Wang Ji had an almost indelible hatred for the Cao family.

"The chivalrous Mr. Jiang? Interesting..."

There was a murmur in the hut.

Jiang Han and his companions knew nothing about everything in Anping City at the moment. They were now resting by a river, washing their horses' noses and letting them eat some grass, and taking a short rest themselves.

Let's not talk about others for now. Jiang Han couldn't bear it anymore. The road conditions in the Ming Dynasty were so bad that it was appalling. Even with the springs acting as a buffer, he felt that his butt was going to be numb. At this moment, he was holding his butt and groaning on the ground.

"Ouch.....Please put more bedding in the carriage next time, or my butt will be torn apart sooner or later"

Jiang Han muttered to himself, planning to modify the carriage.

Traveling nowadays is not like that of later times. It takes five hours to get from Shanghai to Beijing, and you may miss your stop and end up in Urumqi in a blink of an eye. In an era when transportation basically relied on horse-drawn carriages, it would take at least several months to travel from Hebei to Jiangnan.

Now it is almost winter, and Jiang Han even specially ordered a few cotton-padded jackets, but he could still feel the cold wind blowing straight into his body. The climate in the late Ming Dynasty was really ridiculously cold.

The impact of the Little Ice Age was not only cold, but also drought. The long-term cold caused most precipitation to occur in the form of snow, and the low temperature and snowfall would freeze the surface of the land, which was also part of the reason for the reduction in crop yields.

The carriage is mainly made of wood. If it is too big, the power will be greatly reduced and the horse will not be able to pull it. At present, when steam engines are not popular, the size of carriages is generally not very large. This means that Jiang Han and his companions cannot put heating objects such as stoves in the carriage. However, this does not pose a problem for him. In fact, the ancients also knew how to keep themselves warm in the absence of a stove, which is a small object - a thermos.

In later generations, this thing is often in the form of a rubber hot water bag or a plastic kettle, and is used relatively rarely. Because of the widespread popularity of small suns and air conditioners, this little thing is gradually fading out of the public's sight. But at this time, this thing is simply a magic weapon.

Due to material reasons, thermoses in the late Ming Dynasty were generally made of iron or copper. Since copper was a strategic resource and was used to make money, most of them were made of iron and wrapped with a layer of cotton cloth to prevent burns from direct contact with the iron sheet. You only needed to boil two pots of water when cooking at night to ensure a continuous heat source for at least ten hours. It was so comfortable to put it in the quilt of the carriage.

At this moment, Jiang Han started a fire and boiled water in a large iron pot, preparing to eat something and drink some hot soup to warm up his body before continuing on his journey. They still had a long way to go and a lot of walking to do.

Volume 31: Chapter Chapter : Repair

"It seems boring to just drink water, how about getting some fish and having some fish soup?"

Jiang Han is a person who is very afraid of having a bland taste in his mouth. He always feels that it is a bit strange for five people to gather around a big iron pot and just drink water. There is no happy water or juice. Isn't it a bit shabby for such a group of people to gather around a pot just to drink a sip of hot water?

Jiang Han turned his head and asked for opinions from the people around him.

"I don't care."

Sister 45 doesn’t care much about this. After all, to her, whether she drinks fish soup or boiled water, it’s equally bad.

“I don’t have big dietary needs”

M4A1 also has no opinion on this matter.

"Okay! That's three votes in favor, let's go get some small fish!"

Jiang Han simply ignored the opinions of the other two people and forced them to reach a consensus on the life goal of getting some fish.

"I don't think you took a fishing rod with you when you went out...M4A1, do you have anything I can use to catch fish?"

When Jiang Han was ready to take action, he realized that he didn't have a fishing rod.

"this?"

M4A1 took out a grenade from his waist.

"......Take it back, you are a person of very low quality"

He shouldn't have any excessive expectations of them. How could they do something as low-class as frying fish with such an innocent look?

"Well...if we just want to catch fish, my youngest can help."

The youngest son volunteered.

"Hmm? You have an idea? Tell me now!"

Jiang Han didn't expect that this would bring unexpected gains?

"Well, my father taught us when we were wandering outside. The fish basket he made can catch a few small fish with just a little bait. I didn't do it very well... but I still managed to catch a few."

It was the first time for him to show himself in front of outsiders, and he felt a little shy.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes! You can do all this, you're awesome! When I was five years old, I was still peeing and playing in the mud with my childhood friends."

"Oh, you were so disgusting when you were a kid."

45 looked at Jiang Han with disdain.

"I pee and he plays with mud, what's the problem?"