Madeng Yun observed from the tower that his wife, Malan, was wearing armor and brought a dozen maids with armors and swords, carrying food boxes to deliver breakfast to him.
"Master, let's have something to eat. It's cold in the morning and I'm in chaos. Eat it while it's hot to keep warm." Malan said with a smile.
Madengyun smiled, picked up the sea bowl, took the spoon, and began to eat with a loud slurp.
Chaos uses local mutton, which is very tender. The soup is also sprinkled with wild onions and leek flower sauce, which is very delicious.
"Eat slowly, don't burn it." Malan said and glanced outside the city. When she saw the murderous atmosphere outside the city, she couldn't help but take a breath of air. The troops and horses of the Mongolian tribes were overwhelming, and it was dark.
In a sneak attack last night, we killed more than 2,000 enemy people and suffered more than 4,000 casualties. Although there were results, it was a miserable victory. There are still about 70,000 soldiers and horses left in the city. Facing the enemy is still very stressful.
But at any rate, it dampened the morale of the Jiannu and Mongolian rebels. This is very beneficial to defending the city.
"Master, is that the carriage?" Malan asked, looking at the carriage moving slowly forward in the distance.
"Yes, it's that thing. When the old slave chief Nurhachi attacked Kaiyuan and Tieling, he used their improved carts to participate in the siege. This thing can effectively withstand muskets and bows, and it is difficult to deal with without heavy artillery. Yes. We successfully covered the soldiers to the city walls. The Eight Banners Army who arrived at the city walls either dug in and damaged the walls, or set up ladders to climb the walls. Eventually, the two cities fell one after another."
Malan looked at the backup carriages in confusion. She said: "Is this what my second uncle encountered during the Battle of Salhu?"
Madengyun nodded and said nothing.
This is a sad thing for the Ma family. One of the seven general soldiers of the Ma family, Ma Lin's two sons, died in the battle in Saarhu. At that time, Ma Lin's two sons, Ma Ran and Ma Yi, both died in the battle. "The dead were buried in the valley, and their blood flowed down the cliff, and the water turned red."
Marin later died in Kaiyuan. The hatred between the Ma family and Jiannu is as deep as the sea.
During the Battle of Sarhu, Ma Lin led the Kaiyuan Army on the North Road out of Sanchakou and arrived at Shangjian Cliff (in the northeast of Sarhu) on the first day of March.
After learning that Juniper's army was defeated, he did not dare to advance. He divided the army into three places and stationed them on the spot. He dug three layers of trenches and placed the firearms troops outside the trenches with the cavalry at the rear.
He also ordered his generals Pan Zongyan and Gong Niansui to camp several miles away from the main camp, forming a horn shape to form a "pin" shape.
"The Jianzhou soldiers formed a formation. The first layer used boards about five or six inches long and used machines to turn like chariots to avoid guns. The next layer used archers, the next layer used small carts to carry mud to fill the trenches, and the last layer still used Iron cavalry, both men and horses are heavily armored. When the artillery fires, they suddenly come out, and the left and right wings fight to the death. If the men are unable to resist, the officers and soldiers will not be able to support them." Malan read in a low voice.
This is what Marin's soldiers reported on the battle situation after they escaped.
"This shield car is really difficult. I have been thinking hard about how to solve it these years." Ma Dengyun said.
"Have you thought of a solution?" Malan asked sadly. This thing is something that the Ming army suffers big losses every time they encounter it. The white pole soldiers in the bloody battle of Hunhe were also forced to approach the position by this thing.
"I didn't think of a very good way. The only effective way is to have enough cannons and use spherical solid bullets to smash the wooden shields of the shield trucks from a long distance. Not only can it prevent the enemy from using the shield trucks to cover, but it can also use broken wood to cause even greater damage. The number of kills. Unfortunately, there are too few heavy artillery, and it is not convenient for field maneuvers. It is okay to defend the city."
Malan nodded, that's the truth, this method has harsh conditions.
After all, they are not Yang Fan. Yang Fan's infantry has a large number of three-pound guns, which are light enough to follow the infantry. For a 500-meter-long carriage, artillery can penetrate it. Carrying a chariot in front of Yang Fan's infantry would mean death.
"However, Governor Yuan's method of defending Ningyuan City can be used as a reference. Jinzhou, Ningyuan and Dalinghe City in Liaodong Town have repeatedly repelled Jiannu's attacks. Their methods are also very effective."
Ma Dengyun said: "That is an enemy of ten thousand people. Pour firewood on it, wrap it with quilts, tie it tightly and sprinkle gunpowder. When the cart is pushed to the bottom of the city, light it and throw it down, which can effectively burn the cart."
While the two were talking, they suddenly heard the sound of a cannon.
The Mongolian army formation under the city began to move, and Jian Nu was there
The armored heavy cavalry behind them suddenly ran out of a group of about a hundred heavy cavalry.
They first rushed in front of the Mongolian infantry, then passed them, ran to a hundred meters away from the city wall, and began running around the city, whining at the same time. At the same time, he picked up Jianzhou's heavy bow and arrow and kept shooting arrows at the battlements outside the range of the Ming army.
These cavalry were very skilled in horsemanship and archery. Every time the bowstring sounded, it was almost accompanied by a scream from the defenders. The defenders were protected by the battlements, with only a small head exposed and wearing iron helmets. But even in this situation, many people were still shot in the face and neck.
On the crenel in front of the city tower, a small flag screamed and was shot backwards before hitting the ground. He was shot in the collarbone. The shovel-shaped arrow directly cut off the collarbone, forming a huge wound. Blood spurted out and he was dead.
"Iron man, as soon as Jiannu comes up, he will give us a showdown." Malan gritted his teeth and cursed.
The so-called "iron head" refers to "the most powerful and invincible one among the Hou Jin cavalry, who is twice armored with iron". The Marin Division was completely defeated after being bullied by the carriage, and then the Iron Head charged desperately.
"Pass the order, all troops and horses shall take shelter for the time being and shall not fight back." Ma Dengyun ordered.
Jiannu's archery skills were unmatched by the Ming army. The Ming army only had spearmen who were relatively skilled in archery.
The spearmen of the Ming army also served as archers part-time. "The sergeants each held a weapon such as a spear or knife, but they all must also use bows and arrows." On the battlefield, spearmen had to stab each other and fight desperately with the enemy array. Before the enemy reaches the combat range, bows and arrows must be used for long-range shooting.
This is an old tradition that has been passed down since the Tang Dynasty's military system period.
This is a special place for the use of spearmen in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the more famous spearmen, whether they were the spearmen in Shandong or the Mao Gourd Soldiers composed of shantymen in the mountainous areas of western Henan, these arms known for their spears were all good at using bows and arrows.
Ma Dengyun didn't have many spearmen in his hands, so there were very few soldiers who were good at archery, so they were at a disadvantage in shooting. It's better to avoid the edge for now. Wait for the enemy troops to reach the bottom of the city wall, and then attack the enemy troops climbing the city wall.
"Send the order, each horse faces the enemy platform, and the Fran machine cannon and the general cannon open fire, aiming at the shield truck behind the Mongols to delay their movement. Let the ministries bring up the rolling logs and stones." Ma Dengyun ordered.
As the order was conveyed, the artillery positioned on the horse's surface opened fire.
Boom boom boom! For a moment, the artillery on the fort spewed out thick smoke and flames, and spherical solid bullets roared past the Mongolian army formed on foot and flew towards the shield vehicle.
It's a pity that Madengyun's firearms are too poor and the caliber is still small. Gunpowder was also extremely poorly made. The men at the Ministry of Industry received too many kickbacks, the ammunition was very weak, and many of them were expired. There are many squibs.
At a distance of more than four hundred meters, the power of the artillery shells is greatly reduced.
One is inaccurate, and the second is difficult to penetrate.
The weight of most of these shells was about three kilograms. Five of the carriages in the distance were hit, and one was hit in the wheel, which directly shattered the wheel. The car suddenly tipped to the left.
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