"Firebolt?"

Biyun looked at Saihan, who was covered in blood and fled back in a hurry, and he couldn't believe it was true for a long time.

Obviously, the city wall has been attacked, and with the combat strength of a thousand cangtou troops, those Ming troops on the city wall cannot compete at all. However, who would have thought that the change would happen so quickly, just in the blink of an eye, the Cangtou army was driven down from the city wall by the other party, and it was crushed. After Saihan ran back with his people, a rough calculation showed that more than 200 soldiers of the Cangtou Army were killed, and those who ran back were also somewhat wounded.

What is even more unacceptable is that the Cangtou Army paid so many casualties without causing any losses to the other party. In other words, the firecrackers on the other side inflicted heavy losses on the most elite private army in Bibai's hands at the cost of zero casualties.

"General Bi, you don't know, the firearm in the hands of the Ming army is different from what we are used to. Their firearms are particularly fast and powerful. You see, the thick armor on my arm has been pierced. Saihan pointed to his injured arm and said to Biyun, thanks to the soldier who shot at him, otherwise Saihan would not have had a chance to stand here and report something to Biyun.

"When did the Pingyu Institute be equipped with this new type of firecracker?" Biyun was surprised, "Why haven't we ever heard of it?" ”

"General Bi, those musketeers may not be the sergeants of the Pingju Prison." A rebel soldier of Ningxiawei, who had also just escaped from the Pingyu city wall, said.

Biyun said: "You said that they are not the sergeants of the Pingyu Station, could it be that the reinforcements of the imperial court have arrived?" ”

The soldier said, "No, I don't think they are dressed like border soldiers, so I remembered something." Some time ago, a team came from the capital, called the survey camp, in the villain's opinion, those fire guns should be the soldiers of the survey camp. ”

"Survey the Camp?" Biyun vaguely remembered such a thing, but he didn't take the survey camp to heart at all before. "Do you know, how many people are in this survey camp?"

"I've heard there should be more than 2,000 people." The soldier said that this gentleman is also a gossip person, and he likes to listen to nonsense in teahouses and wine shops, and he actually inadvertently grasped the relevant information of the survey camp.

"So, in addition to the more than 2,000 military households in Pingyu City, there are also more than 2,000 people in the survey camp, so isn't there four or five thousand people?" Biyun Road.

"It must be so!" Saihan said, "When the last general was in the city, in addition to seeing the Ming army on the city wall. I also saw that there were some other people in the city who had not moved. The Ming army has four or five thousand people, which is equivalent to our strength, plus the city wall as a basis, and this sharp firearm, we have no chance of winning. ”

"Come on, go back to Ningxia City and report to the prince, just say that the strength of the Ming army in Pingyu City is far beyond what was expected, please ask the prince to increase his troops quickly." Biyun ordered.

A failed siege cost the rebels nearly a thousand casualties. Biyun didn't dare to launch a new attack rashly. He ordered his troops to set up camp on the spot, and sent sentries to closely monitor every move in Pingyu City, waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

In Pingyu City, it was a day of laughter at this time. Morale is high. In the first round of the rebels' siege, the sergeants of the Pingju Station lost more than 100 dead and wounded, which was able to withstand the rebels' offensive. After Biyun threw himself into the Cangtou Army. The power of the Pingyu Institute was no longer able to resist, and at this time, the Kanyu Camp appeared brightly. The rebels were easily routed with firearms, and the city was recaptured, winning a great victory.

After this battle, the soldiers of the city, whether they were in the Pingfu or in the survey camp, were more confident. When the sergeants of the Pingyu Camp talked about the firearms in the Kanyu Camp, they were all full of admiration, and they no longer felt that their border troops were much more proud than the inland army.

In Xiao Ruxun's general's mansion, Xiao Ruxun held a banquet to entertain Su Hao and his party, and the guests and hosts were staggered and drank very happily.

"Changed it, brother, I opened my eyes today, it turns out that the fire gun can still be used like this, brother, why didn't I think about it in the past?" Xiao Ruxun said while saluting Su Hao's wine.

Xu Guangzu interjected on the side: "General Xiao, this is what you have less knowledge, this kind of three-stage attack was first created by Mu Wangye in Yunnan, and later Qi Junmen also used it when he was fighting against the Japanese in the southeast, and it was not original to our department." ”

Xiao Ruxun already knew that Xu Guangzu was a veteran who even dared to refute the face of the Ministry of War, so he didn't mind these words, he said with a smile: "It seems that the frogs and rats at the bottom of the well have lost their eyes. After this battle is over, Ben will also ponder it to see if this method can be used in the battle between our army and the Tatars. ”

Chen Dao said: "General Xiao Shen doesn't have to blame himself, in fact, he can use this method to break the enemy, because the firecracker equipped by the survey camp is different from the ordinary firecracker, the real name of the firearm they use is called the flintlock pistol, which is fired with flint, and the firing speed is much faster than the ordinary firecracker. Without this flintlock pistol, with the original firearms of our army, even with these three blows, it would not be able to withstand the onslaught of the Tatar cavalry. ”

"I see." Xiao Ruxun thought about it for a while, and then understood what Chen Dao was referring to. The traditional fire speed is slow, and this three-stage attack method has a certain effect against the infantry, but it is not enough to deal with the Tatar cavalry who come and go like the wind. After figuring out this section, he was a little relieved in his heart, but then a new thought came to him: "Chen Langzhong, since there is such a sharp weapon, why doesn't the military department distribute it to our border army?" Isn't that a bit biased? ”

Chen Dao said with a smile: "This is not partiality, but the cost of this flintlock pistol is extremely high, and the military department cannot afford to purchase it in large quantities." These guns in the survey camp were purchased by General Su out of his own pocket, is General Xiao willing to follow suit? ”

"What the military department can't afford, I can buy it out of my own pocket. Instead, you're a rich country. Xiao Ruxun said half jokingly and half jealously.

Su Hao said: "Compared to the lives of soldiers, what is the money for these equipment?" Brother Xiao, you have now witnessed the power of the flintlock pistol's three-stage shot, what do you think our army can have if it goes out of the city to engage the Bibai rebels? ”

Xiao Ruxun pondered for a while and said, "I'm really a little unsure about this. In today's battle, the opponent is infantry, and there is no room for maneuver on the city wall, and the survey camp is suddenly attacked, the other party is caught off guard, and it is a bit of a big victory. If you go to the field, the cavalry of the rebels is also very strong, and I don't know if the three stages of the change can withstand the impact of the cavalry. ”

"How do you know if you don't give it a try?" Su Hao said.

Xiao Ruxun said: "This is too risky, the duty of our current wait is mainly to defend Pingyu City and drag down Bibai." If you want to break the worship, you should wait for the arrival of reinforcements from the imperial court. If we rush out of the city, in case we can't win, the loss of troops will be small, and the loss of Pingyu City will bring us endless trouble to break the enemy in the future. ”

"If that's the case, let's forget it for now." Su Hao was helpless. Xiao Ruxun's caution is also reasonable, and Su Hao doesn't want to spoil a big deal because of his impulsiveness.

Next, it is to discuss the strategy of defending the city for a period of time in the future, and after realizing the role of firearms, Xiao Ruxun proposed that the soldiers on both sides of the Pingyu Station and the Survey Battalion be mixed to jointly assume the responsibility of defending the city. In the event of an enemy attack, the soldiers of the Heikusho were responsible for fending off the enemy who had ascended the castle with cold weapons, and the soldiers of the Kanyu Battalion were responsible for long-range strikes with flintlock muskets. Xiao Ruxun also emphasized that when reporting his military exploits to the imperial court in the future, Su Hao will be equal to himself.

Full of wine and food, Su Hao and the others said goodbye to Xiao Ruxun and returned to the residence of the Kanyu camp. Su Hao asked Chen Dao and Xu Guangzu to go back to rest, and he came to the meeting hall of the Kanyu camp, where Li Zhen and Xu Guangqi were waiting for him. Li Zhen didn't go to Xiao Ruxun's banquet because he was wearing a hat of a prisoner, so he didn't go to Xiao Ruxun's banquet, but as Su Hao's brainstorm, at this time, he had to keep abreast of the situation.

"How's it going?" Li Zhen asked Su Hao.

Su Hao said: "I got the news from General Xiao Shen that the imperial court has appointed Wei Xuezeng, the governor of Shaanxi, as the commander to lead the soldiers and horses of the four towns of Shaanxi to surround Ningxia. At the same time, the imperial court was preparing to mobilize troops and horses from Liaodong and other places to quell the rebellion, but the time for the arrival of these reinforcements had not yet been determined. ”

Li Zhen asked again: "Regarding the matter of taking the initiative to go out of the city to find the enemy, how did Xiao Ruxun reply?" ”

Su Hao said: "He doesn't approve. ”

"Why?" Li Zhen asked.

Su Hao repeated Xiao Ruxun's words to Li Zhen, Li Zhen thought about it and said: "Xiao Ruxun is so cautious, but it is also the way of the general. ”

"Does Mr. Li also approve of General Xiao's approach?" Su Hao asked rhetorically.

Li Zhen shook his head and said: "Today, the enemy is strong and I am weak, and it is most appropriate to hold on and wait for reinforcements from the perspective of the art of war. But from the perspective of my Daming Sheji, it would be more advantageous if we could go out of the city to break the enemy and share the pressure of the imperial court. ”

"What do you mean by that?" Su Hao said.

Li Zhen said: "The Ningxia rebellion is a major event, and in the past, the imperial court had already raised troops to fight at this time. But judging from what Xiao Ruxun said, the imperial court has not yet decided how to crusade, what does this mean? ”

"I don't know, boy." Su Hao said frankly.

Li Zhen said: "If the old man is not mistaken, the imperial court wants to solve the change in Ningxia at the lowest cost, and the reason is that the financial resources of the imperial court are overwhelmed and it is difficult to transfer a large number of troops. In this case, we are stubbornly waiting for help, and the imperial court has no choice but to reluctantly send troops. In this way, although there is no suspense in pacifying the worship, the common people will inevitably have to bear more taxes for this battle. ”

"War is about logistics." Su Hao said, "In Mr. Li's opinion, what should we do that is most beneficial to the community? ”

Li Zhen said: "Look for a favorable opportunity, take the initiative to attack the rebels, and consume the strength of the rebels. In this way, the number of troops that the imperial court needs to send can be greatly reduced, and the cost of military funds can also be saved. ”

"I understand, I'll go and explain it to General Xiao again." Su Hao said. (To be continued......)