"Your Highness, Commander-in-Chief Wang Pu just entered Mashui Kou, Beizhili, and he said he had a splitting headache and it was really difficult to move forward, so he led his army back to Datong. His servants repeatedly tried to persuade him, but Wang Pu flatly refused on the grounds of headache!"
He went to ask Wang Pu's chamberlain to deliver "better" news to a certain prince. He had tried to persuade him many times on the way, but he had not seen any results.
Wang Pu was a general who commanded the army, but he could not use force. In desperation, the eunuch had no choice but to return to the capital to recover in an embarrassed and frightened mood. He could not find a place to "recuperate" like Wang Pu.
"Humph! I heard on the way that I wanted to ask him to accuse him, so I used the excuse of illness to hide in Datong! Get up, I don't blame you for this matter, I will handle it on my own."
This bastard thinks that the emperor travels to heaven, the prince oversees the country, and he can hide in Datong and be fine? Let’s have his spring and autumn dreams!
If the other general soldiers do what you do, then my plan to go south to encircle and suppress the bandits will not be implemented. Everyone will go back to their respective homes and be done with it.
"How do you two dear ladies think this matter should be handled?"
Yao Ji already has a countermeasure, but since both Du Shuai have heard this "exciting good news", let's listen to their suggestions.
The incident occurred suddenly, just when the prince was planning to mobilize heavy troops to encircle and suppress the bandits, and it was quite difficult to deal with it. If Wang Puming was stubborn and deceived the prince into being young and ignorant, the court would have to mobilize various people to attack.
However, nearly half of the troops in the north will go south to suppress the bandits, and the time and route for sending troops have been determined. At this time, sending troops to Datong will have the potential to drain the firepower. If the bandits really rebel in early May, Huguang and even the Central Plains will be in danger. middle.
Sun Chuanting thought for a moment, but still did not want the prince to send troops immediately, and cautiously advised: "I believe that the first task is to encircle and suppress the bandits at the moment. Your Highness can first appease Wang Pu. When the bandits in Huguang are gone, the army can go north and annihilate Wang Pu's troops in one fell swoop." .”
If we want to attack Datong at this time, the troops used to suppress the bandits may not be sufficient. If we want to wipe out all the rogue bandits, we must ensure that the official army has a superior position in military strength. Eliminating rogue bandits is an empty talk.
Hong Chengchou also did not agree to go to war first. At present, military strength is a big problem, and it is necessary to ensure the scale of the troops to suppress the bandits: "I reconsider what Mr. Sun said, the Huguang bandits are a serious problem for the court and must be eradicated as soon as possible. Wang Pu is now alone on the frontier, isolated. If there is no help, Your Highness can arrange troops to monitor it first, and after the army has strangled the bandits, it can then go north, and it will be easy to kill Wang Pu's subordinates!"
There are at least tens of thousands of bandits entrenched in the Huguang area, and Wang Pu's headquarters is said to have only ten thousand troops. This is still on the roster. With Wang Pu's nature, it is inevitable to have empty pay. In fact, it would be good to have six to seven thousand troops. .
I hope the prince can understand the priorities between the two. Although Wang Pu is close, he is a clown after all and should not be afraid. Although the bandits are far away, they are maggots that rot bones and must be eliminated. Given the lesser of two evils, Wang Pu could naturally let him live a little longer.
None of his right-hand men were willing to take action against Wang Pu at this time, but a certain prince also had his own choice: "In order to avoid long nights and many dreams, I intend to appoint Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, as the governor of Xuanda, and lead the soldiers of Jizhen as fierce as a tiger, and the general of Xuanda." Soldier Yang Guozhu, Deputy Commander Yanghe Jiang Xuan, the new Commander Gao Jie, and Deputy Commander Hu Dawei went to attack and give Wang Aiqing a good look at his headache, hum!"
The total number of men and horses under the command of the five people should be 20,000, which should be enough to deal with Wang Pu's troops of less than 10,000.
A certain prince wanted to let the shameless Wang know that the consequences of running away for the second time would be very tragic. If you extend your head, it will be a knife, and if you shrink your head, it will be a knife!
If the troops are insufficient, Tianjin's general soldier Ma Xu will be dispatched to lead his troops to support. I don't know if Ma Xu has blocked the soldiers from the Beijing camp who are running away from Tianjin.
"...Your Highness is wise!"
Now that the prince had made a decree and insisted on wiping out Wang Pu's troops as soon as possible, as a minister, Hong Chengchou could only agree.
As long as the troops who went south to encircle and suppress the bandits were not divided, it would be fine. According to the prince's arrangement of troops, it would be possible to use a two-pronged approach to strangle the bandits in two places at the same time.
"I have no objection!"
Sun Chuanting also understood that the prince was eager to send troops to conquer Wang Pu. Datong was one of the important towns on the nine sides and must not fall into the hands of thieves. If over time, Wang Pu colluded with foreign enemies and even offered the frontier to the Donglu, it would be a big disaster. .
When Wang Pu was worried and anxious, Yang Wenyue led five groups of troops to destroy Wang Pu. It was not impossible. As long as the soldiers were quick and fast, they could definitely win and regain the imperial court's control over the important town of Datong.
"That's good!"
I want Wang Pu to become a role model so that other commanders-in-chief understand that this is the result of not obeying orders. I want you to be the commander-in-chief, and you are the commander-in-chief. If I don’t let you be the commander-in-chief, you hide in the corner. It's useless.
"There is also Chai Shihua, the commander-in-chief of Ginsu. My father-in-law ordered him to come to serve the king at the beginning of winter. This guy actually walked back halfway and then turned back. He is really arrogant!"
If this guy was around Jifu and directly killed the sacrificial flag, but hid in Ginsu, which is further away, it would take more than a month to send troops to conquer.
But no matter how far it is, it still has to be conquered, because Chai Shihua finally begged for troops from Turpan, which borders Gusu, and attempted to counterattack and then came back. Fortunately, Lu Daqi, who was in charge of Gusu, sent troops to quell the rebellion, allowing this guy to play with fire and burn himself.
"After Sun Aiqing wipes out the Huguang bandits and returns to Shaanxi, he will go to Ginsu to eliminate Chai Shihua's troops and ensure the safety of our western Ming Dynasty!"
At this time, Yaoji no longer plans to use troops in three places at the same time. If he can eliminate Wang Pu as soon as possible and suppress the bandits in Huguang as planned, even if his work this year is not in vain, Chai Shihua will die sooner or later, and it won't be long before now.
"I obey the decree!"
Sun Chuanting, who was in a false alarm, hurriedly agreed. After hearing the prince's rather annoyed words, he thought that leaving the bandits in Huguang alone and first leading his troops to Ginsu to suppress Chai Shihua would be abandoning the original and chasing the last. Fortunately, the prince did not have the advantage to make him faint.
Chai Shihua was also daring. The emperor ordered all the troops to go to the Jifu area to serve the king. He dared to resist the imperial edict and disobey the court's orders. I'm afraid he had already turned against him, but it would not work if he "echoed the east and west" with Wang Pu. .
"This time we are going south to suppress the bandits, I have also prepared a firecracker for the two beloved ladies. Someone, bring it up!"
Yaoji proudly showed off to his right-hand man the heartless cannon that had been smashed to pieces in the Jingying camp. This weapon has been tested in actual combat, and it seems that the effect is pretty good so far.
"..."
The two princes did not see the expected fire gun, but saw two young chamberlains carrying a large-diameter iron bucket. Could this be the fire gun that the prince was referring to?
Zhang Luan, the eunuch of the armor factory, Liu Feng, the bureau officer, and Huang Degong, the commander-in-chief of the Yongwei Battalion, had all finished their beef ramen noodles and were digesting their food outside. When they heard the prince's summons, they came in to wait for orders.
Huang Deqiang knelt down and saluted first, and reported the battle situation: "General, please see your highness. The enemies attacking the inner city have been repulsed. Zhou Yuji is leading his troops to clear out the enemies in the outer city!"
After all, there is no guarantee that this posture will last too long, because just now Huang Degong ate three bowls of ramen, and he would easily burp if he held it in for a long time.
Yao Ji first thanked her verbally, but the actual benefits will be distributed after the war: "Thank you Huang Aiqing, please stay safe. I heard that Aiqing eats too much ramen, so I won't give you a seat to avoid abdominal distension. This is a service, The soldiers of the Yongwei Battalion fought all night to protect the safety of the Imperial City and the inner city. They have made great contributions and I will give you a reward. I wonder how effective this fire blunderbuss is in killing me? Has Huang Aiqing ever seen it with my own eyes?"
Judging from the shape of your stomach, the three of you have eaten a lot. It is estimated that if a few more generals come to the palace to eat, the ramen chef's arms will be so tired.
Huang Degong had seen the powerful power of the Heartless Cannon with his own eyes on the top of the city. It was not difficult to recall: "Your Majesty, this blunderbuss may seem simple, but its connotation is mysterious. Once the blunderbuss explodes, it will cover a radius of one foot, leaving no one alive." , within three feet, all the thieves fell. Poster Chang and Officer Liu had good command, firing several rounds of projectiles, killing and injuring hundreds of thieves, making them stay away from the city, and finally defeated."
First of all, we must affirm the powerful lethality of this weapon made by the prince to comfort the holy heart. Secondly, we should mention the merits of our colleagues who fought side by side, which can be regarded as reciprocating a favor. This is a qualified Forbidden Army general, otherwise he will come to an end sooner or later.
The actual situation is also the same. Huang Degong did not add any extravagance. At first, he didn't like these simple iron buckets at all. They were used to bathe the soldiers. Unexpectedly, the fire blunderbuss was used when it didn't go off. It was a blockbuster and its function was to wash the floor!
He used a telescope to witness with his own eyes a pack of gun bombs falling into the courtyard where the thieves were hiding. After exploding, he instantly killed more than a dozen thieves. This was something that most other gun bombs could never do.
If this sharp weapon had been deployed earlier and thrown out when the rebels launched an attack on the city, they would not have even had the chance to climb the ladder, and they would have been blown up dozens of meters in front of the city.
"What do Liu Aiqing think?"
After all, Huang Degong is a general, and Liu Feng is the one who commands the artillery unit, although this temporarily formed "artillery unit" is not a regular technical force at all.
Although Liu Feng, the director of the armor factory, had made military exploits, he still had to say respectfully in front of the prince: "The blunderbuss made by your highness is simple in structure, easy to make, extremely light in weight, and easy to transport. According to what I saw, a medicine bag Usually more than ten people, or even dozens of people, can be killed. Even if the thieves are not killed on the spot by the medicine pack, they will be bombed to the point where their mouths and noses will bleed, their ears will become deaf, and they will lose their combat effectiveness."
Liu Feng glanced at Huang Degong next to him with his peripheral vision. The commander-in-chief watched the grand event with his mouth open almost the entire time.
As an expert in the industry of manufacturing fire guns, he initially did not believe that an iron barrel could be transformed into a fire gun. Then the armor factory could hire some blacksmiths and carpenters to produce weapons that could defeat the enemy.
But facts speak louder than words. A mere four fire guns killed and injured hundreds of bandit soldiers. Countless people fled in panic. Internal strife even broke out among the bandit soldiers. If this gun could be put into battle earlier, it would definitely have contributed to the settlement. great.
In the era when enemy soldiers were fighting in armor, it was very difficult to kill dozens of people with one explosive bag, but with hundreds of steel balls tied outside, it was possible to achieve this goal. As long as the steel balls hit the face, the person who was hit would be It’s so exciting...
Bureau officer Liu Feng, who personally directed the artillery loading and firing, continued: "Your Highness, although the range of this gun is relatively short, less than three hundred steps, the power of the bullet is amazing. As Mr. Huang said, after the explosion, within three feet, There is no one left standing. If the thieves are approaching our army, ten bullets can kill hundreds of thieves in one shot. This gun is quick to load, easy to transfer, and easy for the gunner to familiarize himself with the shooting skills. It can be said to be a large weapon. As a killing weapon, equipping the officers and soldiers in batches will definitely make them even more powerful and frighten the enemy!"
If it weren't for the short range of this iron barrel fire gun, it would be enough for the armor factory to only produce this type of fire gun in the future.
Yaoji was basically satisfied with this subordinate's account, and turned to Zhang Luan, the eunuch of the post factory: "Zhang Aiqing, in your opinion, can a blacksmith and a carpenter make a qualified 'Longqing' mortar in one day?"
There is no point in building it quickly, the important thing is to ensure the quality, don't blow up the barrel of the gun before you can do anything to the enemy.
After Zhang Luan thought quickly, he quickly answered: "Your Highness, in my opinion, if a blacksmith and a carpenter work together, they can definitely build a mortar in one day, with a quality exceeding the four used today. It is not difficult." . If the situation is urgent, you can also order him to build one door in the morning and one in the afternoon!"
Yaoji knew that the batch of experimental products he asked the craftsmen to rush out were all products that were born after a heavy hammering session. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were crudely made. In order for frontline soldiers to use it with confidence, the quality of the artillery must be guaranteed.
It is completely acceptable to slow down the production speed. It is probably enough for a group of craftsmen to build one cannon in two and four hours, so that two can be built in one day, and fifty groups of craftsmen can build one hundred cannons in one day.
The two commander-in-chiefs had to wait six days in the capital before they could each take away 300 "Longqing" mortars and distribute them to their general soldiers. Each group of troops could have at least thirty mortars.
When we were facing the rogue bandits, we threw thirty explosive packets at once, and then used other weapons to assist in the killing. We were able to kill and injure four to five hundred people. It was really pointless for the rest of them to dare to charge forward. Dead.
As long as the troops from all walks of life maintain their positions and avoid being ambushed by rogue bandits, with the help of "Longqing" mortars, the officers and soldiers no longer need to be afraid of confronting the enemy when suppressing bandits, and the defense of the city will be as simple as It's just as easy to hit a grandson.
"Well, that's good. The two commanders will stay in the capital for six days. Zhang Aiqing is responsible for summoning the craftsmen. Starting from tomorrow, he will have the craftsmen build 600 mortars. They must ensure that at least 100 qualified mortars are produced every day. Fire cannons, and the quality must be guaranteed. I will let the Anmin Factory produce the necessary powder packages and propellants, and the armor factory can do what it can according to its own conditions. Liu Aiqing is responsible for training the gunners under the command of the various commanders. Let them master the skills of mortar shooting, and avoid shooting directly without knowing what is going on."
It is too late to prepare the airship for the right and left armies. The only thing that can be deployed in large quantities at the moment is the heartless cannon.
The money and wages have been collected, the food and grass are also sponsored, the military strength has exceeded that of the bandits, and there are new weapons that can be used in the battle. It will be damned if they can't win again.
There is also Wang Pu who is hiding in Datong. In a few days, I will ask Yang Wenyue to bring tens of thousands of people and hundreds of mortars to treat you. I guarantee that the medicine will cure your illness!
A medicine bag weighs ten kilograms. The quantity is sufficient, and all of them are free. I can eat you alive!
