Nanjing is a prosperous place, and the soldiers who come there generally do not have a high fighting spirit, and they are more greedy for life and afraid of death. They used a lot of firearms but lacked training, and Liu knew that he could not expect too much from these miscellaneous soldiers. Letting Yao Guofu, the capital of Nanjing, take the lead, is just a test or two. The result of the trial is that the anti-thieves are sharp, but the number is limited. In this way, Liu Ling's heart is settled.

Yao Dusi retreated with his men, and they all ran faster than rabbits as if they had been amnestied. Most of the Zhejiang soldiers who came up behind were dressed in shabby clothes, but they were disdainful and despised these wastes. Zhou Beiyu, who commanded the Zhejiang soldiers, gave up his hand to Yao Dusi, and led the troops up without much to say.

As soon as the Zhejiang soldiers came up, the whole scene was very different. They also used a lot of firearms, but the formation was much looser, and they would not easily crowd a large number of people behind the formation to be targeted. Zhou Yiming, who commanded the battle, also divided his troops to attack the walls on both wings of the anti-thief, trying to climb up, but also to share some firepower.

Compared with the Nanjing soldiers who only fooled around with some exterminating artillery, the equipment of the Zhejiang soldiers was much more varied. More eye-catching are the Furlong cannons mounted on gun trucks, although these light guns loaded with sub-guns are far behind the times, they can also shoot shells hundreds of meters away, posing a considerable threat to the defenders. And there are more than a dozen of them as soon as they come up, and there are a lot of them.

With artillery, the Zhejiang soldiers also sent infantry forward. They don't go straight up and die, and they also use the cover of various battlefields. In order to increase the speed of the assault, the Zhejiang soldiers unloaded a large number of loads on the shield carts. After all, the shield car will definitely not be able to hold up against the cannons, as long as it can prevent some sputtering rubble. Lighter can rush forward quickly, but it can kill fewer people.

With such a simple arrangement, the whole front is very different. Zhou Qingfeng, who was watching the battle on the city wall, was touched. He ordered the artillerymen: "Now it is the enemy's main force that is coming up, don't leave any more hands, pour more firepower." At the same time, he gave an order to the female soldiers: "There are enemies coming up on both flanks, and the guns are waiting." ”

In front of the opening in the city wall, the two heavy guns had not completely cooled down. A gunner rested against the gun carriage, put a paper-rolled tobacco leaf on the hot barrel, and lit it in a moment. These gunners were actually from the surrendered Liaodong Ming army, and some people took advantage of a few minutes of rest and said with a smile: "If we also have this kind of cannon in Shenyang, the Tartars will look good if they want to capture the city." ”

Phew...... the gunner who lit the cigarette spat out. He wore dirty linen gloves, held the cannon brush with one hand, and said in a foggy voice: "If you don't eat or drink, what can you do if you have a cannon?" Who gave the official his life? It's not that there are no cannons in the city of Shenyang, but the Tartars are coming, and everyone hasn't run yet? No matter how good the cannon is, it is cheaper for outsiders.

It's better to be a 'revolutionary army'. I get ten taels of silver a month, I have a supply of grain and oil every month, my children go to school for free, and my family has fifty acres of land, and my life is free. If I die in battle, I will have a large sum of money and a field to receive. I know that this soldier is in danger, but I am willing to come. I told my mother-in-law that when I die, she will remarry and raise my cubs. ”

The gunner who lit the cigarette said lightly, and the other colleagues followed suit. After a while, the commander of the artillery company ran over and scolded: "Get up, get up, that group of officers and soldiers has changed." This time it's different, people also have cannons, which looks quite powerful. A platoon leader, you command the shelling. Second platoon leader, get our rockets ready. ”

The artillery company was created in a hurry, and the manpower was insufficient, and the establishment was a two-two system. The two breech guns actually belonged to only one platoon, and one platoon was deployed behind the artillery. This platoon is equipped with a slide-launched rocket. The rocket was invented in the Song Dynasty, spread abroad, and was even improved and widely used by the British army a hundred years later, known as the 'Congreve rocket'.

This thing is a technology that is easy to learn and difficult to master, and if it is shoddy, it is a large firework, and it is a battlefield weapon if it is built with heart. Zhao Ze ordered the manufacture of artillery, and it was indispensable to reinvent this relatively simple but practical weapon. He did the design, and the engineering department tackled the problem. The difficulty of this thing is lower than that of artillery, the advantage is that it has a long range, and the disadvantage is that it consumes too much gunpowder and has poor accuracy.

Relying on the high processing level of the engineering department of the 'Revolutionary Army', Zhao Ze designed a rocket that was improved according to later generations. With a tail, it can spin, has high accuracy, and the effective range can reach 1,000 meters, and the error is within 50 meters. Each round weighs about 10 kilograms, contains 5 kilograms of black powder, and there are prefabricated crushed stone fragments to increase the lethality.

To conserve materials, a wooden shell is used. It has its own advantages and disadvantages compared to artillery, and is a lightweight, highly effective weapon that can be maneuvered with troops.

The rocket platoon of the artillery company was equipped with six slide rockets, and the soldiers determined the range by adjusting the angle of the slide. Because of this, this rocket can only attack fixed targets at a distance, and the minimum range is more than 200 meters, and it must be combined with other arms to give full play to its advantages.

The rocket platoon had already arranged its position and methodically adjusted its range with the orders of the company commander. They placed observation posts on high walls as a way to determine the effectiveness of the strike. But before the rocket platoon could start to wield its might, the observation post equipped with binoculars shouted loudly: "Company commander, the officers and soldiers not only have artillery, but also seem to have taken out rockets." ”

Anti-thieves have rockets, how can the officers and soldiers not have rockets?

The Ming army not only had rockets, but also a lot of them. What 'a swarm of bees', 'magic arrows', 'a hundred tigers running together', everything. Zhejiang soldiers in the Ming army is known for their good use of firearms, for the need to attack the target, the Fran cannon is only a means of attack, rockets are also a good choice.

However, compared with the standardized manufacturing and use of the 'revolutionary army' military industrial system, the Zhejiang soldiers can use firearms as they please. Zhou Yiming, who commanded the Zhejiang soldiers, didn't want to rely on more people to fill the guns of the anti-thieves, if a little more firepower could be prepared for fewer casualties, he was still very happy.

Anti-thief heavy artillery can hit 500 meters, this has been confirmed. Therefore, after Zhou Shoubei arranged more than a dozen Franc machine guns, he took out the 'Hundred Tigers Running Together' with the largest firing range as soon as he made a move. The rockets of the 'revolutionary army' were booster explosives to cause damage, while the rockets of the Ming army fired arrows to cause damage. Its range is about 300 meters, which is a bit short.

In order to bring the anti-thief position into the firing range, hundreds of Zhejiang soldiers listened to the order, carried the 'hundred tigers running together', stepped on the ground with minced meat, and approached forward with the cover of various chariots that had been pushed out before. The Nanjing soldiers did not push the chariot much forward, and the Zhejiang soldiers had to continue to push forward after reducing the burden on the shield chariot.

The Furlong cannon at the rear was carried by a gun truck and fired fire from a distance of 500 meters to cover it, and the whirring shells were aimed at the anti-thief heavy artillery behind the ruins of the city wall, in an attempt to suppress it. The Zhejiang soldiers took the opportunity to advance, running fast and getting closer and closer. The solid bullets only hit one round, but the effect was not very good, so the platoon commander who commanded the artillery decisively ordered: "Change the chain bullets." ”

The artillery company built an artillery position in the ruins of the city wall, and they actually dug half a meter into the ground, and kept a pile of earth several meters thick in front of the gun emplacement, which was used as a breast wall after watering. The firing range of the gun emplacements was only 45 degrees, and the mounds on the left and right also formed a cover for the gun emplacements.

The Ming army's Furlong cannons were very lightweight, only about 100 kilograms each. It is loaded with a sub-gun, which has poor air tightness, insufficient power at long distances, and poor accuracy. It has the advantage of firing extremely fast and banging non-stop. But unless the shell happened to hit the artillery company's gun position, it could only hit the mound of earth.

In the gun emplacements behind the mounds, the shells outside were allowed to fly, and the gunners of the 'revolutionary army' took out the chain shells. Chain bullets are two hollow semicircles, which are linked to each other by iron chains of about one meter, and together they form a spherical shape and are stuffed into the barrel of the gun. Due to the light weight of the chain projectile, there can be less propellant, which is also beneficial for slowing down the heating of the chamber and greatly increasing the rate of fire.

The Zhejiang soldiers on the opposite side were speeding up with their shield carts, striding forward with shouts and shouts, and soon entered from 500 meters away to within 400 meters. The two breech guns opposite them were ready to fire, and after a platoon leader waved the order, all the gunners turned their heads to cover their ears, and a gunner with earplugs grabbed the ignition rod and poked into the gun's ignition hole.

With a bang, the back seat of the gun carriage jumped up the slope of the gun emplacement. The chain projectiles ejected from the breech quickly separated due to air resistance during the flight, and the two hemispheres were connected by the iron chain in the middle, and flew over a distance of several hundred meters in a whirlwind.

Chain shells are generally used to destroy the sails of opponents by sea shelling, and the chain bullets fired by large-caliber naval guns are extremely terrifying, which can easily tear the mast and sail to pieces, making the battleship lose the ability to sail. On land, chained projectiles are also terrifying against medium-range targets.

Compared to solid bullets that have a long range but can only hit one line, chain bullets that are unfolded can hit one face. The two swirling hemispheres danced in the air and roared. A soldier behind a shield cart was trying to see the road ahead when a spinning hemisphere flew past his skull, smashing his skull into a colander with a snap. The brain pulp is poured out like tofu brain.

The chain bullet whirred, and the remaining momentum was inexhaustible, and another side van was pumped. The thin planks of wood were like a layer of paper in front of the chains, and the soldiers who were hiding in the car were cut in half by the chains, and died a miserable death. The 'Hundred Tigers Running Together' they carried were even lit up because of this, and they shot outwards indiscriminately.

The lethal effect of this chain bullet was only average, flying a few hundred meters before landing on the ground. The hemispheres and chains were already filled with bloody flesh foam with a scarlet color. The Zhejiang soldiers who ran past him were all shocked, but they still gritted their teeth and ran forward. In their opinion, they can only live if they rush up, and stopping is nothing more than a target.

Chain shells with reduced charges can burst rapid-fire at a rate of three rounds per minute. Spin has a much higher hit rate than solid bullets. After nine rounds, the destroyed chariots were even more than when they had just faced the Nanjing soldiers. Six or seven shield carts in front were knocked out, and the side vans in the back suffered secondary injuries and also killed people in one place.

The dozen or so Fran cannons responsible for suppressing them were useless, they fired quickly, and the shells that could be fired were weak and weak, and none of them posed a threat to the anti-thief heavy artillery. And after three minutes, their barrels were also piping hot, and they could not continue firing.

However, after suffering considerable losses, a large number of Zhejiang troops still managed to within 300 meters of the artillery position. The Zhejiang soldiers who had been gritting their teeth and bearing death did not need an order, and they set up their 'Hundred Tigers Running Together' one after another, ignited and launched.

A 'Hundred Tigers Running Together' is a hundred arrows, and at least forty or fifty 'Hundred Tigers Running Together' began to exert their might under the cover of the chariot. These were thousands of arrows shot at the thieves in a short period of time.

Seeing that the Zhejiang soldiers were suppressed, Liu Zhaosun, who was riding a horse behind, immediately shouted loudly: "The anti-thief artillery must be hot and cannot be used, it is a good opportunity for us to rush and kill." Soldiers, kill me with me. ”