Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 798 His Snare and My Trap

When the two squadrons of armored soldiers were dispatched, the snow was already falling harder and harder. Half a foot of snow had accumulated on the ground, shrouding the stone city, which contains ten miles of Qinhuai and countless towers and pavilions, in chaotic feathers and thousands of flowers. . And because no one was cleaning it, the Suiyuan house with pink and blue tiles was also covered by snow, leaving only its white outline.

Including Wu Ni and Lan Chun who led the team, more than 60 people wore iron helmets, large thick cotton hats, and heavy cloth-covered armor. The cotton armor, which is two to three inches thick, weighs more than forty pounds, and each one is as bloated as a bear.

There was no way around it. Wu Ni and Lan Chun, who had been to the battlefield outside the customs, knew very well how powerful the Bei Navy's rapid-fire rifles were, so neither of them felt it was enough. However, for these elite Jingkou armored soldiers, wearing such a suit is already the limit. If they wear it again, not only will they not be able to lift their bows, they will not even be able to swing their swords.

It is said that many people in later generations thought that by the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the Eight Banners soldiers only wore cotton armor containing iron leaves in battle, and the Green Camp did not even have armor. In fact, this view is completely wrong and has been deceived by movies and TV shows.

At least during the Daoguang period, the Eight Banners soldiers still had to wear iron armor in combat. However, due to the large number of people in the Green Camp and poor treatment, iron armor could only be worn by generals and a few elites. Specific to the Eight Banners soldiers, the musketeers and infantry soldiers had to wear cotton armor with iron leaves inside for ease of movement, while the cavalry soldiers had to wear iron armor, and in order to protect against fire guns, the iron armor had to be covered with a pair of cotton armor or felt.

Otherwise, why could the thousands of Sauron soldiers in the Qianlong era be able to cry for their fathers and mothers when they killed the Burmese soldiers with bows and arrows in Laoguantun? Chasing Xiao Hezhuo all the way to Congling? The Gurkha in the Himalayas?

Being brave and not afraid of death is one thing, but the protection of double armor is also very important.

Prince Mian'en did not return to Mancheng after distributing the money, but went to Yongqing Temple. He had already made an agreement with Wu Ni and Lan Chun before that if the two teams went well, he would send a large group of troops to press forward.

For the Wu Ni team in the south, smooth progress means that they have to pass through the vegetable field, cross the garden, and then enter the peach blossom embankment from the bamboo wall; while for the Lan Chun team in the north, they only need to walk through the outside of Suiyuan. Just take a bluestone road and then enter the gate of Suiyuan.

The reason why Mian En takes such good care of the latter is because Lan Chun's Ama is his milk brother. However, what surprised him was that in just over a mile, Lan Chun and his armored soldiers had a difficult time walking.

It is said that when Yuan Mei designed Suiyuan, in order to create the effect of "winding paths leading to seclusion", he designed the road from the Red Clay Bridge to the main entrance into an "S" shape.

That is to say, if you want to reach the Suiyuan Gate from the Red Clay Bridge, you must first walk west for 150 meters, then turn left and walk south for more than 300 meters. During this period, you must also pass through a simple and elegant Chaimen, and then turn right when you reach your head. Walk fifty meters west to reach the gate of Suiyuan.

The problem is that it's okay if it's just a bluestone road. The key is that there are dense bamboo forests on both sides of the road. This was planted by Yuan Mei decades ago, and now it has grown into a towering tree, its branches and leaves covering the sky and the sun.

The road next to the Red Clay Bridge is certainly full of interest for visitors, especially in the hot summer, when the heat is gone. But for Gao Liugeng and his team members, it is definitely a natural battlefield for guerrilla warfare and ambushes. If they don't do something fancy here, they will be sorry for themselves.

As soon as the three armored soldiers walking in front turned into the intersection heading south, the second armored soldier in line triggered the trip wire hidden in the snow on the ground, and then a grass-green egg-shaped object appeared. It popped out of the thick bamboo tube covered with dead leaves and residual snow, and fell to the stone road with a "clang". Before the last armored soldier leaned over to see what it was, there was an explosion of "boom". The three men were engulfed in flames and smoke in an instant.

At the same time, several fragments of different sizes were shot out along with the shock wave. One of them hit the Eight Immortals table wrapped in a wet quilt and made a bang.

This movement not only startled Lan Chun and the other armored soldiers, but Wuni's team who were still in the vegetable field to the south were also panicked, and some armored soldiers fell directly onto the snow. .

There was no noise pollution in the city these days. In addition, the entire Jiangning city was under martial law today and people were not allowed to take to the streets at will, so the entire city of Nanjing was much quieter than before. The explosion of the Hongtu Bridge was basically heard by a large number of commercial houses from the Drum Tower southward to Banbian Street, from Ganheyan eastward to Beimen Bridge.

The problem is that Jiangning City has not experienced war for more than 130 years since Zheng Chenggong failed in the Northern Expedition. The people have no idea about shooting and firing, so the first thought in many people's minds is who can survive when they are full. Firecrackers, this is still far from the New Year!

"Help! Help me! I can't see anything!"

After a while, Lan Chun and other armored soldiers squatting behind the tank felt that the buzzing in their ears had subsided, and then they heard calls for help. He gingerly popped out half his head from behind the tank's table, looked around for a moment, then bent his bow and arrows, and with a few armored soldiers, cautiously walked towards the location of the explosion.

The scene of the explosion was not very tragic, because the three armored soldiers were all wearing heavy double-layer armor, and the small amount of fragments and shock waves generated during the explosion only caused minor injuries to them.

Two of them were deafened and fainted; the one who stepped on the trip wire had his face covered in blood and his eyes were blind. He was the one who shouted just now. As for whether the three people had internal injuries, it was not clear for a while.

While others were rescuing the three wounded, an armored soldier keenly noticed something on the snow on the roadside. He stretched out his hand and pulled out a thin wire from the ground. The soldier's eyes widened, and he followed the thin line all the way, and finally found the bowl-sized bamboo tube tied to a bamboo.

"Sir! Look!"

Lan Chun heard the sound and came over, took the bamboo tube and looked over it for a moment. He saw a dark steel reed at the bottom of the bamboo tube. He instantly understood that this should be a simple projectile device.

"Damn it!" Lan Chun threw the bamboo tube angrily.

"Sir, shall we continue walking in?"

Lan Chun glared and said, "Why don't you leave? You guys, go and unload the table from the car, and then use the car to send the injured brother out. We'll wait here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a black crossbow arrow shot out from the depths of the bamboo forest on the west side of the road like a ghost. The arrow with a black triangular blade exuded a cold light, and with a "bang" it was inserted into the chest of an armored soldier holding a bow and arrow on guard. The force was so fierce that only a red tail feather was exposed from the entire arrow.

The armored soldier who was hit by the arrow staggered backwards due to the force of the crossbow arrow, and fell to the ground. He looked at his chest blankly, and then he tilted his body and fell to the ground.

"Enemy attack!"

Lan Chun and other armored soldiers, who had just calmed down, were shocked again. A dozen armored soldiers armed with bows and arrows were all in panic. They shot randomly into the bamboo forest without thinking. For a moment, the bamboo groves on both sides of the road were filled with arrows like locusts, and the sound of "boom boom boom" bow strings and the whistling of arrow branches could not be heard.

Deep in the bamboo forest, an action team member covered in white camouflage from head to toe was lying on his back on the snow. He stepped on the front end of a weird-looking crossbow with his left foot, pulled hard on the two ropes tied to the crossbow string with both hands, and quietly completed the winding, and then took out a quiver from the quiver hanging under the crossbow. The arrow is placed into the groove.

Then he slowly straightened up his upper body, ignoring the arrows flying over his head, and stared at the upper body of a Qing soldier on the road for a moment, and then pulled the trigger.

At this time, in the Tianfeng Pavilion in Suiyuan, Gao Liugeng, who had heard the explosion, was communicating with the two groups in front through a walkie-talkie. Although it sounded like someone was setting off firecrackers in the distance from Tianfeng Pavilion, Gao Liugeng knew full well that those were his own grenades.

When he learned that it was just the Qing army that had touched the trap and no firefight started, his heart dropped.

It's no wonder he was worried. The snow was so heavy that drones couldn't be used, and the specific movements of the Qing army couldn't be known. Moreover, the opponent has a large number of people. There are only ten people on our side, and the ammunition is limited. Although some traps are set up, they can only cause some casualties, but they are not harmful to the overall situation. Besides, traps will eventually run out.

What he is most worried about now is that the Qing army will launch a ruthless attack, taking advantage of the snow to launch multiple rounds of attacks, risking their lives to pay for it. If that was the case, he would have no choice but to lead Yuan Mei's family out of Qingliangmen.

Yes, before he came, he specially arranged for two people to guard a flat-bottomed boat on the pier outside Qingliangmen, so that they could escape by boat when they couldn't bear it anymore.

Although Gao Liugeng and his team members are very skilled, several people including him are still masters. But when they went to Beihai Town and witnessed a company-level exercise, they understood that no matter how skilled they were on the battlefield, it was useless. At most, they could only rely on their agility to survive more than others. He came to the south-facing window on the second floor, opened half of it, and looked at the dense bamboo forest at the southern foot of Mt. Get rid of those two mountain-splitting cannons. That is to say, the snow is heavy now, and the Qing gunners on the mountain cannot see clearly and cannot aim.

The team member responsible for operating the drone has now transformed into a radio operator. He is seen holding the receiver in one hand and slowly turning the band knob on the portable radio with the other hand. A few minutes later, he raised his eyebrows and said to Gao Liugeng: "Captain, the call is connected."

Gao Liugeng rubbed his cold hands, closed the window and came to the desk. He picked up the receiver and just said "hello" when he heard someone on the other end say: "I am Wang Changsheng."

A few minutes later, Gao Liugeng put down the receiver and said to the operator: "You stay here for now. I'll go out for a while and contact you anytime if anything happens."

"Yes."

After Gao Liugeng finished speaking, he took out two wooden handle grenades from a backpack on the ground and inserted them into the hanging pocket on his back. Then he inserted two magazines into the magazine pocket on his chest and tied them on the belt. A white cloak with a hood; finally, he took the walkie-talkie and pinned it to his chest, and picked up the short black submachine gun on the desk.

By the way, in addition to daggers, darts, throwing knives, sleeve arrows, and flying needles made of high-quality steel, the weapons equipped by the Intelligence Bureau to the "heroes" of the action team also include compound crossbows from another time and space and a small number of belts. Automatic weapons with silencers, such as the AKS-74U.

The good thing about this gun is that it is short and compact. It has a quick-detachable silencer. The butt is only 0.49 meters long when folded. It is very easy to hide. It has ferocious firepower and sufficient penetration. It is really a must-have for traveling and conducting covert operations. Sharp weapon.

Not only the Intelligence Bureau, but also the main weapon of the North Navy's special operations battalion. After all, holding a standard rifle in the jungle is not conducive to quick shooting, but what others use is an improved model equipped with a red dot sight, and some are also equipped with a 30mm silenced grenade launcher.

At this time, on the first floor of Tianfeng Pavilion, Yuan Mei's family of seven, who were unaware of the explosion in the distance, were all crowded into the east side room, with the door ajar; while several servants, cooks and three tenants of the Yuan Mansion were waiting for them. A large number of people were crowded in the hall, gathering around two charcoal braziers to keep warm. At this moment, except for the crackling sound of charcoal burning in the hall, everyone was listening attentively and with their ears straightened to listen to Yuan Mei's story in the room.

". He was about to be captured when suddenly a divine soldier descended from heaven and showed him a way to escape. As expected, the general escaped, so he knelt down to thank God and asked the divine general Gao's name and where his immortal birthplace was. I swear that after returning home, I will burn incense and worship every day, and make offerings of fragrant flowers and purified water. The god will be touched by his sincerity and will appear immediately, claiming to be the 'Duozi God'."

At this time, a woman in the room interrupted: "Master, what is the 'Duozi God'?"

Another male voice said: "Mom, it's the target used for archery."

The woman said "Oh" in surprise, and her tone sounded strange that there was such a fairy. At this time, Yuan Meicao continued in a hoarse voice: "Although the general was in tears of gratitude, he was quite puzzled by something, so he asked the god if he knew how worthy and capable he was, so he dared to help Duozi to save the god."

At this point, Yuan Mei suddenly stopped. When everyone was surprised, he said slowly: "Duo Zishen said that I came here specially to repay you. I am grateful that you never hurt me with an arrow in the teaching field."

Everyone inside and outside the house was stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter, which relaxed the originally depressed atmosphere a lot.

Gao Liugeng has practiced martial arts for many years and has sharp ears and eyesight. He can hear clearly from the stairs on the second floor. While I couldn't help but laugh, I also admired Yuan Mei's calm attitude. However, when he went down to the first floor, the laughter of everyone in the hall suddenly stopped.

This guy is dressed in jungle winter camouflage, with a steel helmet on his head and a tactical vest on his upper body. A dagger with a black handle and scabbard hangs upside down on his left shoulder. A pistol hangs on the outside of his right thigh. He is also carrying one in his hand. Look. Go up with murderous intent. Not to mention people, the tenant's two dogs no longer dared to bark, and shivered at their master's feet with their tails between their legs.

Just when the big eyes were staring at the small eyes, there was a "squeak" sound from the door, and Yuan Mei, wearing a crane cloak, walked out with the help of his eldest son Yuan Tong, leaning on a cane. The old man also ate beggar's chicken at noon, drank wine, and even took a nap. When I woke up, I saw that all my family members were looking sad, so I told a joke to make everyone happy.

"Xianxing Nephew, what is this?"

"Go for a walk around the mountain."

The reason why Gao Liugeng is called "Liu Geng" is because he was born on the day of White Tiger in the year of Geng Yin. Another name for White Tiger in ancient China is "Liu Geng". "Yi Lin Cutting Mountains" says that Liu Geng is a white beast, a guest star above, and a harmful energy below.

After he donated his life as a prisoner, he asked the county magistrate to give him a name. The word "Renxing" comes from "Jin Zhongxing Shu", which says that the white tiger is a benevolent beast. The tiger is white, its body is as solid as snow, and it has no stray hairs. It roars in the wind.

Yuan Tong said with a worried look: "Brother Renxing, but the officers and soldiers are here?"

Gao Liugeng knew that there was no point in hiding it, so he nodded. In order to let the female family members in the room hear it, he shouted to everyone: "If you hear gunshots later, don't panic. In our eyes, the Tatar officers and soldiers are just chickens and dogs, and we must let them be defeated." And return."

Although the Qing army was repulsed in the morning and everyone in the Yuan Mansion knew that Gao Liugeng and others had great magical powers, they still couldn't hide their panic when they heard that the officers and soldiers were coming again. Those are the officers and soldiers of the imperial court, there are thousands of them in Jiangning city alone! No matter how powerful Gao Liugeng and the others are, there are only ten of them. Even if they are covered in iron, how many nails can they produce?

Yuan Tong then asked: "Brother Renxing mentioned before that King Zhao sent his elite men and fleet. I wonder when they will arrive?"

Gao Liugeng winked at Yuan Tong, and waited for the latter to follow him to the door before whispering: "I have just contacted my boss. Their ship has passed Wutiaosha east of Haizhou, and it will be ready in the middle of the night." Ashore from Rugao, we can arrive in one day. Also, the fleet sent by King Zhao will arrive at Flower and Bird Island tomorrow morning, which is only more than a hundred miles away from the mouth of the Yangtze River. Do not make this matter public, but inform your father quietly to make him feel at ease. "

Yuan Tong couldn't help but nod his head, and said excitedly: "Brother Renxing, don't worry, Yuan knows the pros and cons."

Gao Liugeng raised his feet to leave, but suddenly stopped and asked, "Is there enough charcoal?"

Yuan Tong is a person who has nothing to do with Yang Chun Shui, so how can he care about this. On the contrary, several servants in the house heard it, and one of them stood up and said: "When I was in a hurry up the mountain, I packed a bag of charcoal, and now I still have more than twenty kilograms."

At this time, the cook Yang Er said: "How can this little charcoal be enough? There are so many people who need to eat, and it is so cold that they need to stay warm."

Gao Liugeng interrupted before the other party finished speaking: "I'll have people bring more from the warehouse in the mansion later. We can't let everyone suffer the cold, right?"

After saying that, he turned around and walked quickly down the mountain along the path.

　8.3. According to a memorial file from the infantry commanding office in the 6.7th year of Qianlong's reign, the armor of the Qing army was made up of a total of 116 iron leaves. It was wrapped in brocade for officers and cloth for ordinary soldiers. Among them, the torso of the body uses 20 cm long and 5.3 cm wide iron leaves, a total of 4.7. In addition, small iron leaves, cm long, are used on the shoulders, sleeves, armpits and left and right crotches. Width cm. . When it comes to the armor of the Qing army, some people may point to the "Qianlong Grand Review" as an argument. Didn't all the Eight Banners in it wear cotton armor? The person who said this first went to check the "Instances of the Qing Dynasty Meeting": "In the st year of Qianlong's reign, the imperial decree stipulated that the Mianzhou system was stipulated: the eight banners should be equipped with iron helmets and iron armor, and one third of them should be transformed into pieces of Mianjia. Reserve for later use. We also made more than pairs of silk-covered armor with gold nails, without iron leaves, in preparation for the Grand Parade." To put it bluntly, it was Qianlong's specially made cotton armor for the Grand Parade, made by Jiangnan Sanwei Specially made, just like the military uniforms of later generations.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)