Chapter 237: Bombardment of the Embassy (Part II)

Originally, the Wuwei Central Army had no artillery, and the artillery team was all built on the Wuwei Right Army, thinking that after the artillery of the Wuwei Right Army was formed, it would be mobilized. Pen | fun | pavilion www. biquge。 info But later, Han Rong wanted to build a completely Jurchenized military guard, and the artillery naturally had to use all Jurchens. Moreover, Zhao Guanhou's troops were self-contained, and there was great resistance to mobilizing him, so they simply started from scratch and organized another artillery team.

It is a benevolent and favored minister, and when he changes the law, he has made great contributions to protect it, and it is a very convenient way to use the money. Although there was no artillery in the Chinese army, there was no shortage of artillery, and a total of eight 12-pounder cannons and 12 six-pounder cannons were purchased, with more than 1,000 shells. In terms of firepower, it is only stronger than the Shandong artillery, not weaker.

Those cannons have not been used since they were purchased, and the rear army of Wuwei wanted to do so several times, but Han Rong found a reason to block them back, and then they couldn't push it back, and they were allocated to the rear army, but they blew up two. Zhao Guanhou and Zhang Huai had already given an order, and after the cannon was launched, it was first inspected, and then the position was determined, and the artillery position was constructed.

The work of these sappers has never been seen by the Wuwei Rear Army, and they can't understand what they are doing at all. I just saw that the positions were built one by one, the cannons were pushed into the gun positions, and I saw that I was holding various instruments to compare and measure. They didn't pay much attention to how they operated the earthen cannons, but they had seen foreigners fire the cannons. In the embassy, the foreigners also have artillery, and these days they have suffered a great loss in artillery fire by attacking the embassy. Seeing that the foreign soldiers were doing similar work before firing the cannons, they also felt that they had a way, and the heart of siege gradually let go first.

After all, compared with besieging the right army, attacking the embassy is the most important thing, and besides, the rear army of Wuwei does not want to mutiny now, and it can't really be unscrupulous and kill people. Seeing that these people really have the means, they are afraid.

Dong Wuxing pointed to a few of his subordinates who were in charge of earthen cannons and said: "Learn from others well, you are also old soldiers, but you are not as good as a group of recruits, and you also have the face to say that you are good soldiers?" I've learned this foreign cannon, and we'll get a few of them ourselves in the future. ”

Most of the two or three-pounder light guns in the embassy were there, and the six-pounder guns were limited. The firing range was inferior to that of heavy artillery, and Zhao Guanhou's position was well chosen, and the shells of foreign soldiers could not fall on his position, but his artillery could bombard the embassy. Although the Minnie guns in the foreigners could hit the artillery, these gunners turned a blind eye to the guns and bullets, and with the help of fortifications, they still placed the guns and arranged the gun emplacements as usual.

The ministers of several countries were afraid, and Sir Dou Nale could only draw a cross on his chest repeatedly and pray. The defenders of the embassy were all solemn, and some people suggested that they should take advantage of the lack of artillery to fight a round of counter-assault. But as soon as this suggestion was made, it was rejected. There were too few troops in the embassy, and the counter-assault was purely a death sentence.

Only the Fuso Minister Komatsu Shotaro had a fearless face, "Their court also sent us fruits and ammunition not long ago, and in my opinion, they dare not do this." You don't have to worry about anything, it's just their trick, and the cannonballs will definitely not fall on our heads. ”

Artillery fire calculation is obviously a troublesome thing, and it took more than half an hour to finally have an eyebrow, but Zhao Guanhou still said, "The ruler of this cannon has been damaged by you, and the cannonballs are not accurate." The first few rounds can only be test firing and school shooting, and it is difficult to say whether the hit will be accurate or not. If you want to be accurate, you have to correct the ruler before it is possible. ”

Dong Wuxing also knew that his subordinates were all old and rough, and it was not strange to break Jin Gui's weapon, so he nodded and said: "As long as you can blast through the outer wall, our people will do the charge." With such a big wall, you won't be unable to hit it. I don't care how many shots you have, as long as you blast open the embassy, you do that in front of you, let's do it. ”

At this moment, only to hear a rush of marching footsteps, accompanied by bursts of drums, this is a ceremony only for foreign soldiers, many of the rear army of the military guard only when the foreigners copied the back road, and when they looked, they saw that a large number of soldiers of the right army of the military guard drove here.

The leaders are Cao Zhongkun and Li Xiushan. Their two battalions had already arrived first, and they joined Zhao Guanhou's troops and horses, and the troops had reached four battalions of 2,000 people. formed a defensive position on its own, and confronted the rear army, but it was no longer inferior.

Wang Dexian and Duan Xiangyan had two battalions, one battalion was ordered by Han Rong to press the ground, and the other battalion was transferred to guard Xiyuan. The right army's great use has been achieved, and Zhao Guanhou's strategy to delay time has also been declared successful.

Dong Wuxing's face was gloomy, and he only looked at the artillery of the right army, but he saw that Zhao Guanhou adjusted the ruler of the cannon one by one, and then the artilleryman loaded the gunpowder into it and tamped it, and then lifted the solid cannonball into it. As for the powerful grenades and shrapnels, none of them were released.

As for the embassies, the ministers of various countries have already lowered the wall and moved into the embassies. However, in the face of such fire, the embassy may not be safe. The parishioners and foreigners who took refuge here were all curled up, some sobbing quietly, others praying sincerely. At the Fusang Embassy, there were people who were fearless and chanting, "Seven lives to serve the country!" ”

As the red flag waved, Zhao Guanhou shouted, "Fire!" The cannon rope pulled, and a roar sounded, and those who approached the cannon blocked their ears with their hands, and their hearts seemed to jump out.

The cannonballs whizzed out, sending out a sharp whistling sound in the air, like an angel of death with folded wings. Draw a perfect arc in the air and skim over the embassy.

For a moment, many people thought that the shells would fall, hit the roof of the embassy, or land on some warehouse. Some soldiers were even ready to extinguish the fire, but they found that the round elves did not intend to inhabit here, and did not stop over the embassy, but crossed the embassy without hesitation and fell towards the rear.

"Ulla!" The first to react was the guard soldiers of the Tiele Embassy, and many Tiele soldiers shouted excitedly. Subsequently, the embassies of several other countries also woke up to the fact that this round of shelling had not caused any damage to the embassies, and they all shouted excitedly.

Dong Wuxing was shocked by the sound of the artillery launch, and only put his hand down after a while, but then looked at Zhao Guanhou with a tiger face, "What's going on?" Why is there nothing at the embassy? ”

"I said it, test shooting, school shooting. This cannon was damaged by your rear army, I fired it according to the drill code, but I couldn't hit, if it weren't for the warrant in the middle hall, I would have left it now. Whoever likes to wear this lice padded jacket wears it, I don't wear it anyway. These broken cannons should be called falling into my hands and letting me bombard foreigners. That's it, who's banging? Besides, if this cannonball falls on which minister's house, I can't afford to take responsibility, since Xing Shuai thinks that my cannon is not good, then good, the next cannon, you send it! ”

Seeing that he was going to pick a son, Dong Wuxing was in a hurry, but his people didn't even have these two hits, and these foreign cannons couldn't be turned at all. Moreover, now that the soldiers and horses of the four battalions of the right army have been lined up, they are well-equipped, and their positions are intact, even if the rear army is really united, it will not be able to win quickly.

If Han Rong gets caught with an excuse, that's a disaster. He had no choice but to suppress his anger, "Guanhou, I am a short-tempered person and speak impulsively, don't take it to heart." Fighting the embassy is the will of Lafayette, and none of us can resist the will. You said that this cannon is broken, so you have to find a way to fix it. ”

"Yes, it must be repaired, but it's troublesome to repair this thing, Dong Junmen, you don't understand, this foreign cannon is not like an earthen cannon, it takes at least seven days to repair it. So, I can't fix it for the time being, so I can make do with it, but I can't say where it goes. Maybe if I'm not careful, I will open the breech, I can't hide from this bowl of rice. You flash far away, I'm afraid that the cannon will blow up and hurt you. ”

Zhang Huaizhi also deliberately came over with an anxious face at this time, and threw the top on the ground, "My lord, this official can't do it!" This cannon can't be used at all, and it was obviously adjusted, but it didn't work well, and it also fell into the embassy, but how did it go to the sky. If this is to blame, the little head will not be able to withstand it. You, change people as soon as possible, I'll quit. ”

"Look, if you're gone, who am I counting on? Don't do it, dare not do it, don't say that I use the military to rule you! ”

"Whatever, even if you kill me, I can't shoot it. Now I don't know what kind of basket I will fire again. ”

These two people quarreled on the position, and the artillerymen did not clean the chambers, but only watched the commander quarrel. Not long after, someone came from the palace and passed on the decree of the Queen Mother, which inevitably injured the innocent, and ordered the foreign artillery to suspend firing, withdraw from the position with the artillery, and fire the artillery after resting.

Dong Wuxing saw that Zhao Guanhou proudly ordered his subordinates to push the artillery cart and leave, leaving only the artillery base, and couldn't help but be furious: "Only one cannon was fired, and they were withdrawn, is this foreigner fighting for me Dong Wuxing?" surnamed Zhao, don't go, I'm going to the Queen Mother to sue you. ”

"Whatever you want, if you don't sue me, you're a grandson! The master is in the Chinese military camp, waiting for you. ”

Zhao Guanhou was not afraid of the formation, got on the mount and went forward, and the troops pushed the cannons and advanced towards the camp of the Wuwei Zhongjun. Walking not very far, more than a dozen people on the opposite side escorted a mule over, and the livestock in the capital at the moment were almost exhausted by the Flying Tiger Regiment, and those who could have mules to ride were not idle people. Zhao Guanhou watched it, but recognized it as Siheng's Shaodong Dong Jun.

As soon as the two fell in love at first sight, especially if they were shareholders, they were even more family, and after a little greeting after meeting, Dong Jun said: "Lord Zhao, I'm looking for you in a hurry, let's find a clean place to talk." ”

The capital is now depressed in the market, and it is extremely difficult to find a teahouse to open, and it took a lot of effort to find a very inconspicuous second meat shop. After taking a seat, Dong Jun first asked about his family, and then took out a silver ticket from his sleeve and handed it over

"My lord, this is a little bit of the owner of the Baichuan Pass, please be sure to laugh."

Zhao Guanhou was stunned, "Baichuan Tong? I don't have a relationship with this ticket number, what does he mean by sending me money? ”

"The two of you don't have a relationship, but your cannon has a friendship with him. Today's row of cannons, a few ticket numbers next to Baichuantong were blown away. Almost, Baichuantong also went to the sky. Now, the ticket numbers on that street want to move elsewhere, and the shopkeeper of Baichuantong thinks it's an opportunity, and he stays when everyone else leaves, maybe the deal will be done. But if your shell falls again, he will lose his life. So please raise your noble hand, bring friendship with the cannon, and don't fall to Baichuantong. ”

Zhao Guanhou smiled: "I got the letter in the palace, and the ticket number is also hard, right?" They are very powerful and admired. You reassure him that he should not be firing the cannon in the past few days, and when the cannon is fired again, I will naturally be sure. I said, "Is this silver ticket okay now?" ”

Dong Jun looked around, leaned forward, "We are our own people, and I won't hide it from adults." In addition to the 1 million official funds, Siheng actually buried 800,000 cash in the capital, even if the furnace room was burned, it would not be impossible to operate. But if we don't take the initiative to close down, the Flying Tiger Regiment will dare to set fire to Lao Deji today, and dare to come and rob our money tomorrow. After borrowing the official money, if there is any alarm, the official money can only be asked by the Flying Tiger Group. For the sake of this money, the Queen Mother also has to keep our business. Therefore, your silver ticket is guaranteed to be redeemed in Siheng, if you use the money now, I guarantee that you can get the money, but you have to withdraw it yourself. My buddy didn't dare to send it, for fear that someone would rob it. This is also a way to do it, and now the Flying Tiger Regiment has no royal law. ”

He sighed, "Since I returned to Beijing, my family began to complain about me, saying that I shouldn't have given you shares, but later they all praised me for my vision." In my room, the seal is connected. ”

"You mean? Everyone agrees that you have transferred your family members and taken out a semicolon. ”

"No, these Martial Guards are simply lawless, and they were expected to protect the ground, but they turned out to be worse than the Flying Tiger Regiment. These days, I can't get into Dongjiaomin Lane, so I turn my head and grab the door of the mansion. Others don't mention it, and the home of the university scholar Sun Jiading and Sun Changshu was snatched up. Sun Weng fled in short clothes and took refuge in the Anhui Guild Hall, and his son was stripped to only a pair of foreign cloth shorts, which is a good thing done by the military guards. Dong Wuxing himself made a fortune of nearly one million in the capital, and prepared more than 20 carts to pull the property he robbed. They even dare to rob scholars, let alone us, merchants? Therefore, everyone has silver, but they can only hide it, and the female relatives send it outside. It's a pity that it was delivered late, and it was too late. That is, we are four constants and have foresight. ”

The rear army of Wuwei has been guarding the northwest for a long time, which is a place of bitterness and poverty, because these rear troops are poor and ruthless. As soon as you enter the capital, you will see the world of flowers and flowers, and rich businessmen will gather, and you will inevitably have a covetous heart.

His background was a thief, untamed by banditry, and he did not attack the embassy, so it was inevitable that he would shed his own blood and sacrifice, why should a rich man sit on an imbalance of furniture and other unbalanced ideas. In addition, there is no strong army in the capital to balance them, so they have no scruples, and it is a matter of time before they plunder. At the beginning of the Flying Tiger Regiment, the rear army of the Wuwei Army followed, and even the Tiger God Battalion and the Shenji Battalion may not be much better. The inability to attack the embassy was of course due to the lack of equipment, and the soldiers' minds gradually shifted to robbery, which was also an important factor.

Dong Jun said again: "I came here today because I have something to tell Brother Zhao. You asked me to take care of the jade girl for you, I listened to your words, entrusted favors, and hired the dart master of the Li family's dart shop, so that the jade girl did not suffer. But there is a letter today that the jade girl is going out of the cabinet today. ”

"What? Out of the cabinet at this time? ”

"Yes, I heard that if it was made by a big person, the bustard's mother in Fengyi's class couldn't stand it, our Siheng is a businessman, I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist. But when it comes to money, it's easy to say. I will give you a banker ticket of 300,000 yuan, even if you fight for money, you can smash the other party and lie down. It's a hands-on thing, and you have to do it yourself. ”

Zhao Guanhou gave a salute to Dong Jun, "Brother Dong, I have written down this favor." In the future, there will be a supplementary report, and I will figure out how to deal with the money myself. You don't have to get involved, go back and do a good deal, I suggest you run quickly, don't dig out the 800,000 silver, you will lose it if you dig it out. In this capital, if there is going to be a big mess, you can leave early. ”

He strode outside and shouted at Huo Qiu, "Huo Qiu! Ask someone to copy the guy, follow me to Rouge Alley, and rob someone! (To be continued.) )