prosperous age

Chapter 515 Chapter 514

"The Japanese pirates camped in Wudangshan, and they also camped in Xucuo."

Tan Lun knew that there were more than [-] Japanese pirates, but they were divided into three places, so he couldn't help but sneered.

Although such an arrangement can resist the Ming army's offensive layer by layer, the weakness of the dispersion of troops is fully exposed.

"Everyone should know the role of firearms in battle. Although the Zhejiang soldiers came from afar, there are quite a lot of firearms in the camp, which are enough to crush the Japanese pirates on the battlefield.

I decided to use Qi Jiguang to lead the Zhejiang army as the center forward and attack from the front. Yu Dayou, in addition to leading the headquarters, also led the navy as the right army, cutting off the enemy's retreat at sea, and Liu Xian as the left army, flanking the Japanese pirates."

Naturally, Tan Lun would not forget the reason why he came here, so he assigned a combat mission as soon as he opened his mouth to claim credit for Qi Jiguang.

And Liu Xian and Yu Dayou who were below looked at each other helplessly when they heard Tan Lun's formation.

In fact, when they heard that Tan Lun rushed to Xinghua Mansion with the Zhejiang soldiers, they had already guessed.

Yu Dayou and Tan Lun only met once, but he knew that when Tan Lun was in Zhejiang, he participated in the battle against Japanese pirates many times as the chief envoy, Si You, and the deputy envoy of the procuratorate. Tan Lun was also the commander of the military aid to Fujian, and Qi Jiguang led the troops to join the war.

There is no doubt that even if he, the deputy commander, is present, he will listen to their civil officials, not to mention that Tan Lun is still the governor of Fujian and the biggest official here.

Even if the imperial court appoints him as the general officer of Fujian, he still has to listen to him.

Yu Dayou has learned that in the officialdom, talking less and doing more is the way to deal with things.

Since you can't beat Tan Lun, then just listen.

He thought so, but Liu Xian didn't think so.

He is the General Soldier of Guangdong, and he was only temporarily sent by Governor Zhang Nie to rescue Xinghua Mansion. He will not stay in Fujian, so naturally he is not afraid of Tan Lun wearing shoes for him.

Even, if it wasn't for Zhang Nie's lack of troops and horses, and he could send two or three thousand troops to reinforce him, he and Yu Dayou would attack the Xinghua Japanese pirates directly after joining forces. A military exploit.

After Tan Lun finished speaking, Liu Xian got up and clasped his fists and said, "Master Tan, the Zhe soldiers have come from a long way away, they are exhausted, and there are many newly recruited soldiers. It seems inappropriate to use them as the middle."

Qi Jiguang sat on the left side of Liu Xian, and he was the first seat. Hearing what Liu Xian said, he admired this general who dared to challenge civil servants.

Now that Liu Xian has spoken, he will naturally not just pass in such a vague way, but to make it clear, anyway, if you go back to Guangdong by yourself, who is afraid of you as a governor who can't be defeated.

"Master Tan should know that the middle road is fighting the Japanese pirates head-on. General Qi has too many recruits. If there are those who are not determined, it will cause chaos in the battle, and the consequences will be unpredictable."

It is also Liu Xian's deliberate decision to directly oppose Qi Jiguang's department as the Chinese army.

The three armies of Liu, Yu, and Qi are naturally the strongest in Yu Dayou's department, and the morale boosted by defeating Zhang Lian's rebels is the most suitable as the Chinese army.

Although Qi Jiguang's troops are much more numerous than his, they can only be used as a team to cooperate with the Chinese army, and like him, they are arranged on the left and right sides to attack the Japanese pirates.

According to Tan Lun's words, it is to let Qi Jiguang's men play in the middle, and let him and Yu Dayou change to the side to cooperate.

Who doesn't know that the Japanese pirates only go one way in battle, and when they fought against the Ming army, they all relied on bravery to directly break through the middle.

If he acted according to Tan Lun's command, Qi Jiguang would take all the credit for the trouble, and he and Yu Dayou would get nothing at all.

Even if Yu Dayou still has the task of directing the navy to blockade, but these pirates are on the shore, so what's the use?

However, Liu Xian was not stupid enough to point his nose and scold him, saying that Tan Lun was helping Qi Jiguang to gain military exploits, using Qi Jiguang's large number of recruits as an excuse.

"Liu Dudu, I have just said that General Qi's subordinates use more firearms, which is the only magic weapon to face the Japanese pirates head-on and eliminate them. There is no need to use the lives of the soldiers to fight the Japanese pirates."

Tan Lun just said lightly.

He had already heard clearly when Liu Xian described the situation before, and now they have squeezed the Japanese pirates on a half-way, and spread out the troops to prevent the Japanese pirates from breaking out.

Yu Dayou and Liu Xian's troops just played the role of blocking the Japanese pirates' breakout route. Otherwise, he would divide the three groups of troops into the front, middle and rear armies, advancing in layers, and the latter two would have no military exploits.

In fact, in many wars, such small episodes are hidden, or they avoid battles to preserve their strength, or fight for credit, but none of these will be recorded in the history books.

History books will only record the time, place and people, who they fought with, and what the outcome was.

However, what only the parties involved know is that during the formation of troops, various ministries have already started fighting openly and secretly, just to get the result they want.

In the whole process, nothing else is important. No one will pay attention to who is treated preferentially and who is wronged.

Tan Lun came here naturally because he wanted to leave Qi Jiguang the most fruitful achievement in this battle. No matter what Liu Xian and Yu Dayou said, he would not listen.

Moreover, in his opinion, with Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou participating in the battle, this battle must be won.

With this judgment, what Liu Xian said is actually insignificant.

Seeing Tan Lun's determined gaze, Liu Xian knew that continuing to pester him would not do him any favors.

Zhang Nie is not here, what else can he say, he can't turn his face.

He has to have the courage to turn his face against a military general and a civil official.

Even if it is reported to Zhang Nie at this time, Governor Zhang's face will not be very good.

Not only because of doubts about Liu Xian's attitude towards civil servants, but also because he, as Liu Xian's backer, will be very difficult to explain in front of his colleagues in the future.

There should be no suspense in winning. As a winner, no matter what Tan Lun does is right.

And if he continued to pester and spread the word, he would only say his fault.

What's more, Yu Dayou didn't say anything, just lowered his head.

Although dissatisfied in his heart, Liu Xian still clasped his fists at Tan Lun, but in his heart, Liu Xian had already made up his mind that this trip was just a soy sauce.

Nearly half of the people around him are his close soldiers, his personal soldiers.

Since there is not much credit for this time, try to avoid too many casualties and let Qi Jiguang do it.

Afterwards, Tan Lun laid out the offensive routes of various ministries on the map. The three-way army attacked, and the final goal was naturally the last barrier in front of Pinghai Weicheng - Xucuo Wochao.

Capture here, and you will be able to face off against Pinghai Weicheng, the last camp of Japanese pirates.

During the three-army offensive, the role of the navy is also very important.

Because the battlefield is a peninsula, it is necessary to prevent Japanese pirates from escaping by sea.

Although the monsoon is not good for the sailors' voyages, Wan'an in the north and Hui'an in the south are not far away, so there is a chance to escape, so Yu Dayou commanded the navy to prevent the Japanese pirates from fleeing.

Among the three generals present, if you want to command the navy, of course it must be Yu Dayou.

For others, even Qi Jiguang, he wouldn't feel at ease.

After setting the time for the army to enter, it is natural to give the Zhejiang soldiers who just arrived a three-day rest, and on the fourth day, all three armies will be sent out to encircle and suppress the Japanese pirates.

After leaving the camp, Liu Xian was still a little unconvinced, but glanced at Qi Jiguang contemptuously.

Not only Liu Xian, but Yu Dayou also noticed that Qi Jiguang and Tan Lun may have a relationship. Thinking of some news he heard before, he just shook his head, and then he and Liu Xian waited for his own soldiers to bring the horses, and then turned over Get on the horse, whip and want to go.

After riding on the horse, they were much taller than the people around them, and their field of vision was immediately wider. Liu Xian and Yu Dayou immediately noticed that there were many black cannons placed behind the horses on the right side of the camp.

These cannons are different from the common Ming army firearms. The barrels are short and thick, about two feet long from the beginning to the end. Seven iron hoops are added to the whole body. The cannon head is supported by two iron tiger claws. .

It is different from the general guns and large bowl-mouth guns that are common in the Ming army.

"Liu Dudu, look at that cannon."

Yu Dayou couldn't help but speak to Liu Xian.

"That may be the tiger squatting cannon of Zhejiang soldiers. I heard it before."

Liu Xian stared at the bracket under the cannon and said.

"Tiger crouching gun?"

Yu Dayou asked curiously.

After all, the tiger squat gun was not standard equipment of the Ming army, at least not during this period.

The artillery of the Ming army is mainly short and thick, the barrel is bowl-shaped, the mouth of the bowl is bulging in the medicine room, and the large straight barrel is the gun, which is all kinds of general guns.

Of course, the most advanced Ming army is imitating Xiyi's Fran cannon. After many actual battles, due to the remarkable effect, the Military Weapons Bureau under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry Yuheng Qingli Division and the Bingzhang Bureau under the jurisdiction of the Neifu have begun to expand. Scale casting and distribution to all armies.

Of course, the Nine Frontiers had the priority, and the guards in the south were naturally ranked behind.

In Yu Dayou and Liu Xian's army, there are also several Frang machine guns, but most of them are bowl-mouth guns left over from earlier.

As for the general cannon, it is heavier, and most of it is placed on the top of the city, and will not move with the army.

The general cannon of the Ming army is actually very similar in appearance to the Hongyi cannon introduced from the West, but it is much smaller in size.

I don't know if it's a matter of materials, craftsmanship, or craftsmanship. Although many cannons were cast in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, no one developed large-caliber and powerful cannons.

And a few decades ago, in order to capture Constantinople, the thriving Ottoman Empire sought out the Hungarian artillery designer Urban, and devoted everything to him, creating a very huge artillery even for later generations. - The Urban Cannon, sometimes called the "Turkish Cannon" or "Dardanelle Cannon".

The gun was 17 feet long (about 5.18 meters), weighed 17 tons, had a barrel 8 inches thick (about 20 centimeters, so as to withstand the huge impact when fired), and a caliber as high as 30 inches (about 762 millimeters). Big enough to hold an adult, the granite shell used weighed 1500 pounds (approximately 680 kilograms), making it the most powerful firearm of its era.

Once the cannon was fired, the world was turned upside down, the earth was shaken, and the city wall, no matter how strong it was, was like paper in front of this super-large artillery. Wherever the shells passed, everything fell apart.

While Liu Xian and Yu Dayou were talking softly, Qi Jiguang, who was standing behind them, had already stood up and introduced this artillery to them.

Although he knew that Liu and Yu were dissatisfied with his stealing credit, Qi Jiguang would not hide this newly developed firearm, and there was nothing to hide about it, the craftsman could understand it at a glance.

Liu and Yu are naturally well-informed people. Although they are not professionals, they can roughly judge the use of this weapon based on their appearance.

The current firearms are indeed too simple.

"As Liu Dudu said, this cannon is exactly the tiger crouching cannon widely used in our Zhejiang Army."

Qi Jiguang introduced it when he came up, and kept leading Liu Xian and Yu Dayou there.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the cannon, and then they all got off their horses and squatted next to the tiger cannon to observe carefully, while Qi Jiguang also introduced the characteristics and usage of this cannon.

"The reduced-sized general cannon can shoot shotguns and hit Japanese pirates at close range."

When Yu Dayou heard Qi Jiguang's introduction, his eyes began to glow.

Of course he knew that when fighting the Japanese pirates, the Japanese pirates usually use no tactics, and they don't care how far you go, he will rush all the way, smashing the defense line of the Ming army, and the Ming army will collapse.

Simple and straightforward.

With this kind of small cannon, loaded with shotguns, one shot can cover a large area, which is really a good way to break the situation.

Liu Xian next to him should have heard of it earlier, but this is the first time he has seen the real thing. Through Qi Jiguang's introduction, he can't help but think of the way and effect of this thing on the battlefield, so he can't help nodding.

"Give me two of these cannons, and I'll take them back for others to try."

Liu Xian said: "If the effect is good, I think it can be played to the imperial court and vigorously promote this cannon."

"It's a pity that it's not easy to load."

Yu Dayou just sighed.

In fact, except for the Franco cannon, the loading of the Ming army's firearms was not very good.

But those firearms are all released when the enemy is a little farther away, so there is still a chance to play the second round, or even the third round.

But this tiger squat gun is mainly used in melee combat, and there is no chance to reload it for you. After another round of fire, it is almost a one-time consumable on the battlefield.

If you win, you can take it back. If you lose, the cannon belongs to someone else.

"In fact, I also heard about this cannon from the mouth of my friend, and it was slightly modified later."

Qi Jiguang saw that both of them were interested, so he spoke again.

Some things, if you don't talk about them earlier, if they spread in the future, some people will inevitably say that he is greedy for merit and eats alone.

"Oh? There are similar artillery there?"

Liu Xian wondered.

"There is one in Jiujiang Guard in Jiangxi. My friend works in the Ministry of War in Nanjing. A few years ago, when he was ordered to inspect various guards in Jiangxi, he found this thing. It is said that a thousand households invented this thing after fighting Japanese pirates.

But they were temporarily transferred to Zhejiang at that time, and they didn't transfer much outside after that, so it didn't spread.

He also found out in the spot check that after being tested, he felt that the effect was good, so he paid attention to this matter and wrote to me. "

Qi Jiguang smiled and explained the original origin of the cannon.

But Yu Dayou frowned slightly, doubting whether the Qianhu he mentioned might be from the Wei family.

But thinking of Wei Meng, and Wu Zhankui, they all looked like they didn't want to make progress, and they didn't bother to express their guesses.

In Yu Dayou's view, a man who is born in the world should make a great cause. Wu Zhankui and Wei Meng are obviously capable, but they are a little greedy and afraid of death. They would rather stay on their own one-acre land and not move their nests He only wanted to pass on his family's shelter, so there was really nothing to say.

(End of this chapter)