On March 19, the second year of Chengshun in the Great Chu Empire, Luo Zhixue stood outside Linxiang City, looking at Linxiang City where fires and rumbling sounds appeared in front of him from time to time.
This is already the second day since the attack was officially launched yesterday, the 18th.
In the past two days, the Chu army had only one thing to do, and that was to gradually eliminate the Ming army's defense nodes outside the city.
The Ming army in Linxiang City did not choose the traditional way of defending the city and huddled directly behind the city wall. Instead, they chose to actively dig trenches outside the city wall and built them on several relatively high hills outside the city. There are several small fortresses on the protrusions, with general cannon and other small artillery deployed on them.
If the Chu army did not pull out these protrusions and rashly dispatched a large number of infantry to attack directly, they would be intercepted by fierce firepower from these protrusions, resulting in heavy casualties.
In yesterday's battle, the Chu army had successively conquered three salient nodes of the Ming army. Not only did they conquer these three salients, they also annihilated more than a thousand Ming troops stationed in these places.
However, there were also some casualties of their own, with about two hundred casualties.
Through this comparison of casualties, it can actually be seen that the Ming army in Linxiang City chose to build a large number of fortifications to great effect.
The attacking Chu army clearly has an absolute firepower advantage, but among the Chu army's artillery, field artillery is very ineffective against such a trench-based fortress.
Only mortars can cause damage to the Ming army in these trench fortresses, but due to the power of the explosive shells emitted by the mortars these days, the overall killing effect is also very limited.
In fact, for this kind of trench-type fortifications, even the howitzers of later generations can hardly be said to have caused a fatal blow to the defenders, let alone the current artillery of the seventeenth century.
To really conquer these places, infantrymen often need to rush forward and fight hand-to-hand.
At this time, the importance of armor is also reflected. When the infantry of both sides are close and a melee breaks out, the side with more equipment and better armor can often gain a greater tactical advantage.
The three protrusions were finally captured by the Chu army relying on their absolute firepower advantage to cover the heavy armored soldiers in the Chu army's assault force who rushed forward to kill them.
After taking out three salients on the first day, the battle continued the next day.
The Chu army continued to suppress it through artillery bombardment and infantry advance, gradually encroaching and capturing the Ming army's fortress outside the city.
After a day of fighting, the Chu army also learned more experience, and the front-line officers also came up with many new tactics and methods for fighting.
For example, there were frontline soldiers who, in order to hide in the trench while killing the Ming army in the opposite trench, specially took out all the grenades from the 18-pound mortar, and then selected soldiers with huge arms to throw them out.
Later, they simply made gunpowder packets and threw them.
This is the most primitive grenade.
After seeing this, Luo Zhixue directly ordered the officers of the Ordnance Department to immediately start research on grenades and come up with usable grenades as soon as possible.
Then he ordered the Ministry of Military Affairs to select hundreds of soldiers with strong bodies, excellent arm strength, and excellent psychological quality to train a unit dedicated to throwing grenades.
Luo Zhixue did not say that he would mass-produce grenades and then distribute them to ordinary soldiers on a large scale.
This is not very realistic.
First of all, gunpowder is expensive these days, and grenades are also expensive because of the charge. The cost of equipping them in large quantities is too high, and it is simply impossible to equip them in large quantities.
Thirdly, the power of gunpowder these days is average. If the power of the grenade is to be ensured, the size and weight of the grenade will not be too small. Once this weight increases, ordinary soldiers may not be able to throw it too far.
In the end, the grenade will definitely be triggered by directly lighting the match rope. At the same time, the grenadier cannot throw it directly after lighting the match rope, because it takes time for the match rope to burn. If it is thrown too early, wouldn't it be necessary if the enemy picks it up and throws it back? Finished...
Therefore, it needs to be thrown at the right time, which means that the operation risk is very high, even higher than the current mortar operation risk, and the psychological quality of the grenadier is very high.
Therefore, it is very necessary to select some soldiers with strong bodies, good arm strength and excellent psychological quality as specialized grenadiers.
As for using it for ordinary soldiers, it is not worth mentioning. Moreover, it is easy for the enemy not to be hit by the explosion, but a large area of oneself is killed.
Making hand grenades and grenadiers was Luo Zhixue's impromptu idea. It didn't matter whether it would be useful in the future. Let's do it first.
However, he is not prepared to invest too many resources and thoughts in this area!
The weapon of war must be artillery, especially large-caliber artillery.
Grenades are tactical weapons at best, while artillery is strategic material. The importance of the two is not at the same level.
The fierce battle in Linxiang City on the 19th continued until the afternoon. When the Chu army began to withdraw its troops, all the protruding fortresses of the Linxiang Ming army outside the city had been lost.
The Ming army previously built a total of nine large and small protruding fortresses outside the city, mainly in the east, north, and south directions.
Each of these fortresses is connected by trenches and can communicate with the city.
However, after two days of fierce fighting, these nine protrusions were captured one by one by the Chu army.
More importantly, the Ming army lost not only nine protrusions, but also 3,000 soldiers and a group of light artillery deployed outside the city.
In Linxiang City, Huguang Commander-in-Chief Yu Xiuwen had a gloomy face!
In two days, only two days, all the fortresses outside the city were destroyed, with the loss of 3,000 soldiers and more than 50 large and small artillery pieces.
How can we fight this battle?
Next to him, Wang Xinghuai, the right councilor of Huguang, also said with sadness: "Oh, these Chu thieves have more guns and thick armor than we previously expected!"
"General Yu, now that the fortresses outside the city have been captured, what should we do next?"
Wang Xinghuai turned to look at Yu Xiuwen, and Yu Xiuwen took a deep breath and said: "We will rely on the city wall to defend, no matter what, we must hold on for at least ten days, so that we can wait for enough reinforcements!"
"We have sent an emergency letter for help before. With the reinforcements gathered and the rush, they will arrive in about ten days."
"No matter what, we must hold on for the next ten days."
Wang Xinghuai did not ask what he would do if reinforcements did not come after ten days.
Because even he himself knew that according to the fierce attack of the bandits outside the city, if reinforcements did not come after ten days, their Linxiang City defenders would definitely be doomed.
Now there are 50,000 to 60,000 bandit soldiers outside the city, and hundreds of artillery pieces.
With just their 20,000 defenders in Linxiang, they were able to hold on for more than ten days. It was already very good. It was impossible to hold on longer.
Thinking of this, Wang Xinghuai couldn't help but regret, why he foolishly agreed to come to guard Linxiang last year.
Last year, Wuchang city was destroyed, and all three divisions were brought under the same blame. Officials at all levels died, escaped, and were imprisoned.
However, the imperial court was also rebuilding the Third Division of Huguang at the same time. First, Yang Sichang was appointed governor of Huguang, and then a group of officials were assigned to serve as chief envoys and participate in political affairs.
At that time, Wang Xinghuai was promoted to Huguang Right Councilor because of this, but as soon as he was promoted, he was sent to Linxiang to take charge.
It is said that he is sitting in charge, but in fact he is serving as a supervisor. This is also the chief secretary's left and right counselor in many places in contemporary times. According to the regular appointment of deputy chief minister, it can be regarded as a shortcut to become a governor.
If you do well, you will be promoted to governor step by step.
Previously, Shi Kefa was promoted from the right council to supervise the army in Jiangbei, then promoted to deputy envoy to guard various places in Jiangbei, and then promoted to governor of Anlu.
However, the path to promotion seems to be smooth, but the premise is that you can achieve results and survive.
In the past few years, many counselors, deputy envoys and other civilian officials and supervisors have died on the battlefield, and Wang Xinghuai felt that he was afraid that he would become the next...
Wang Xinghuai was worried, and the commander-in-chief Yu Xiuwen was also in a very bad mood.
He originally commanded his colleagues to do well in front of the capital of Huguang, but the rebels rose up and swept across Chubei.
Since last year, he has been leading troops to fight against the rebels in Northern Chu, and has been defeated one after another...
The journey from Xiangyang to Hanyang was miserable. After Hanyang fell, he took several hundred of his remaining troops to flee south across the Yangtze River, and finally arrived in Yuezhou.
After arriving in Yuezhou, a group of people wanted to arrest him and put him in jail...
After losing thousands of troops to only more than 300 people, and losing them again and again, the imperial court naturally wanted to deal with him.
But Yang Sichang soon came to power.
At this time, he had reached a turning point. Yang Sichang did not dislike his repeated defeats, thinking that this was because he was too strong to protect the thieves, and Yu Xiuwen's defeat was excusable.
At the same time, Yang Sichang also appreciated a series of opinions put forward by Yu Xiuwen: avoid fighting in the field with the Chu thieves. At the same time, you should not defend the city as stupidly as you did. A large number of fortifications must be built, especially the ring-shaped sandbags used by the Chu thieves. Fortifications are even more necessary to protect against artillery.
This was in perfect agreement with Yang Sichang, who advocated following the Chu bandits in organizing and training the new standard army, so Yang Sichang not only stepped forward to protect Yu Xiuwen, but even continued to reuse him.
Let him first assume the title of deputy general and take charge of Linxiang's defense.
After Yu Xiuwen came to Linxiang to support the defense, as the Linxiang city defense system gradually took shape, the defenders also increased from a few thousand to more than 10,000.
Yang Sichang once again wrote to the court and recommended Yu Xiuwen as the commander-in-chief of Huguang.
At that time, after the Huguang General Soldier died in Wuchang, this position had been vacant for several months.
Well, after all, this was the general promoted by Yang Sichang, and he already had more than 10,000 troops under his command. He couldn't justify his name and his words. In the end, the court recognized Yu Xiuwen as the new Huguang Commander-in-Chief.
But Yu Xiuwen himself was not very happy about becoming the Huguang Commander-in-Chief. On the contrary, if possible, he would rather not be the Huguang Commander-in-Chief and stay away from Linxiang.
He understands the horror of this Chu thief better than ordinary people!
If possible, he would not face the Chu thief!
But there was no way, Yang Sichang appreciated him, put him in high regard, and protected him despite his repeated defeats in the past, and also strongly recommended him, a defeated general, to be the commander-in-chief of Huguang.
After Yu Xiuwen took up command in Linxiang, Yang Sichang tried every means to raise food and grass for him in the rear and mobilize soldiers. Even the right counselor Wang Xinghuai who was sent to supervise the army was someone Yu Xiuwen knew and was close to.
What can Yu Xiuwen do when he encounters such an immediate boss?
He can only bite the bullet and carry on!
Now, Linxiang City is in danger!
Moreover, Yu Xiuwen knew very well that there was a high probability that the city would not be able to be defended, and he would most likely die after the city was broken.
But Yu Xiuwen still has no idea of escape!
Yang Sichang's kindness is too heavy, he must pay it back!
