Chapter 57: Battlefield Weapon Smokeless Stove

Chapter 57: Battlefield Weapon Smokeless Stove

Chapter 57: Battlefield Weapon Smokeless Stove

On the south side of Feiquan Valley, close to Daming,

When Lü Baochuan led two thousand soldiers to this place,
Suddenly I found that the further south I went, the weaker the wind and snow became.

The wind here was at least 20% weaker than where Lu Yunyi was.

Lu Baochuan was delighted, as the weakening wind meant that the elite troops of the Tatar tribe were more likely to appear on this route.

He rode on his warhorse, looked at the deep valley in the distance that was already covered by wind and snow, took a deep breath, waved his hand lightly, and said loudly:

"Rest in the sheltered area at the foot of the mountain!"

Soon they arrived at the sheltered area. The wind and snow weakened by 30% again, leaving only the chill in the air.
Lu Baochuan looked around, especially at the mountains and rivers above his head, and gave a cold order:

"All soldiers take turns to rest, alternating between inside and outside to resist the wind and snow!"

The military order was given, and the soldiers surrounded the horses and went inside.
This is a very common way to keep warm in the military. After a certain period of time,
The soldiers on the periphery rotate with the soldiers inside to ensure that they will not be frozen by the wind and snow.

But this can only allow the soldiers to maintain basic warmth and prevent them from freezing to death in the wind and snow.

Seeing this scene, Lu Baochuan felt a little distressed.

Fighting in winter is so difficult, especially since it was an ambush and we couldn't see open flames.

He walked back and forth on the periphery, moving his horse to block the wind and snow as much as possible.

At the same time, he muttered:

"Brothers, bear with me. We are lying in ambush here and cannot see open flames.
But I promise that as long as you wipe out these invading enemies and return to the camp, I will definitely serve you good wine and food!"

At this moment, Qian Hong, who had been observing the environment from the outside, came up and said respectfully:
"General, this winter is too cold. Even if you can't warm yourself by the fire, you need some hot water.
It just so happened that Lord Lu once taught us a way to make a fire in the wild without being exposed.
The fire lit by this method is underground and can be used to boil water and cook rice.
But it is not as convenient as a campfire, but it should be more than enough for now."

Lu Baochuan looked at Qian Hong suspiciously, frowning slightly:
"No open flame?"

"Reporting to the General, it is true.
This thing was often used by us when we traveled thousands of miles to hunt.
It is necessary to deal with the traces after use, and we must not let the grassland people learn this."

Lu Baochuan was somewhat suspicious. If it had not been for the incident in the military camp, he would have thought that this person was lying.
But now.
"Let's build one and see. Be extremely careful. If the fireworks go off and are discovered by the enemy, I will definitely punish you by military law!"

Qian Hong's face lit up with joy, and he bowed repeatedly:

"General, please don't worry!"

After finishing speaking, Qian Hong waved to the dozen soldiers behind him:

"Go, build two smokeless stoves, and find some firewood."

"Yes!"

Six soldiers came up to the horses, and under everyone's gaze,

Assembled a small hoe and a wooden shovel,
So they started digging on the ground in groups of three.

The soldiers were all good at farm work, and they quickly dug a large pit that could accommodate one person.
One of them jumped in, and the other dug a small hole not far away that could hold the pot, and dug around in it.

Cooperate with the soldiers in the pit to connect the two holes.

The last person dug two small trenches, each ten feet long, outside to connect the small pits.

The three people had clear division of labor, and soon a strange-shaped pit appeared.

Qian Hong smiled and said, "General, this side has been dug.
In order to save effort, we usually just dig a small hole to place the pot.
If you plan to stay here for a long time, you can dig two more small pits, as long as the three pits are connected.

As for those small ditches, I don't know the reason for them either. Lord Lu just said that they are used to exhaust smoke."

Lu Baochuan looked at him suspiciously, thinking that what he said was very serious and did not seem to be a lie.

He nodded gently: "Light a fire and see, we need to control the fire, if there is smoke, put it out in time."

"Don't worry, sir. When we saw this thing before, we saw gods."

Qian Hong waved his hand and instructed the six soldiers:

"ignition!"

The six soldiers began to light the fire in an orderly manner.

One person added firewood, one person put the pot on the stove, and one person took some branches to cover the ditch.
唬！
The flame ignited, and a cloud of black smoke and warmth suddenly emerged.

The faces of the officers and soldiers around him were illuminated in a flickering manner, and there was a hint of hope in their eyes.

Fire is the only hope for survival in this winter.

"Hey, there's smoke! There's smoke!!"

A soldier nearby saw the black smoke coming out and shouted,

But in less than three breaths, his eyes widened!
The black smoke in the ditch gradually dissipated and finally disappeared completely.

The soldiers stared with their eyes wide open. They squatted down to check, stretched out their hands and touched it, and they could still feel the familiar warmth.

Lu Baochuan saw it clearly from the other side. The firelight in the pit almost filled his entire pupil.

"It's really possible to dig without smoke, which is convenient and saves time and effort. This..."

Lu Baochuan even felt that this was several times better than the stove they built when they were stationed there.

His breathing was slightly rapid. He stepped back a little and looked at the smokeless stove from a distance.
There is really no smoke!
He is a brave warrior in the field and knows better than anyone how valuable this thing is.

Qian Hong waved his hand and ordered, "Go get some clean snow, don't burn the pot."

He looked at the soldiers around him and said with a smile:

"Master Xiao Lu said that we don't have enough cotton clothes.
In this winter battle, the most feared thing is hypothermia.

At first you will feel very cold, your hands and feet will shake involuntarily, then you will become unconscious, and finally you will fall into a coma.

Under such circumstances, soldiers like us will die within an hour at most.

It is very simple to avoid it. Just drink hot water, drink less but more often.

Remember, if a soldier is unconscious, he cannot drink hot water directly.

Instead, you need to apply heat to your body, otherwise you might choke to death."

The soldiers around him opened their eyes wide, listened attentively, and took notes secretly.
These are life-saving methods, and now that someone is teaching them, they are extremely grateful.

Some soldiers looked at the smokeless stove and bowed to Qian Hong:

"Thank you, Master Qian, for teaching us. We will keep it in mind."

"Thank you, Mr. Qian!"

Sparse voices sounded from all around, and Qian Hong smiled softly:
"These are all taught by Lord Lu. He said that we soldiers are the heart and soul of the Ming Dynasty. It would be a great loss if we died on the road for no apparent reason.

If you want to die, you have to kill someone on the battlefield before dying, at least you don’t lose money.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the soldiers all laughed.

Lu Baochuan walked over and looked at the hot water that had melted and was bubbling with a complicated expression.

He ordered the soldiers around him: "Come and see how to build this thing. Each hundred-man team must build two and boil water for heating!"

Suddenly, more than ten people came closer and looked carefully.
Lu Baochuan looked at Qian Hong and smiled:
"Brother Qian, please forgive me for trying to learn a thing or two from you. When we return victorious, I will definitely apologize to Lord Lu."

Qian Hong waved his hands quickly:

"You are too polite, my Lord. Lord Lu once said that soldiers have a hard life, and the fewer deaths the better."

Lu Baochuan nodded somewhat convinced: "May I ask how many casualties there were during the two previous trips to the grassland under Lord Lu's command?"

There was a hint of doubt in Qian Hong's eyes:
"Reporting to the Lord, there were no casualties on the road, only some brothers died in the charge."

"No one died on the road?" Lu Baochuan widened his eyes with a look of disbelief.

Even if we launch an attack on the grassland in spring, there will always be an accident along the way, and a few people will die.
Needless to say, there will be casualties along the way if we mobilize troops in winter.

There are nearly 150,000 troops on this northern expedition. Even if the ice and snow have melted in March and April, there will still be many casualties on the road. Qian Hong said:
"There were no casualties on the way there, but on the way back, two seriously injured brothers died on the way."

Hearing this, Lu Baochuan frowned even more.

In a winter military operation on the grassland, it stands to reason that there would be no serious injuries.

The wound would bleed and he would fall to the ground. In less than an incense stick of time, he would fall into a coma and die quietly.

There were seriously injured soldiers among Lu Yunyi's troops, and they were brought back.
This made Lu Baochuan look solemn, and he became even more wary of Lu Yunyi.

Putting away his thoughts, Lu Baochuan's face became solemn:

"General Lu has a good command of the army. I admire him."

Qian Hong also smiled. As soldiers, they knew clearly which superiors were good and which were bad.

Needless to say, Lord Xiao Lu is the best superior that the entire front-line scouts have ever seen.

Time passed quietly, the gray sky continued to cover the sky, the sun had already set, and the night was deep.

At this moment, Lu Baochuan was standing in a warm sheltered place, looking at the valley in front of him with a serious expression and a frown on his face.

They have been waiting here for nearly six hours.

However, he still hadn't found any trace of the elite Tatars, which made him very anxious.

He was worried that the elite Tatars might choose another route.
If so, they will gain nothing.

At this time, Lu Yunyi's troops, more than ten miles away, discovered some clues.
Liu Heiying quietly led more than a dozen vigilant soldiers back from the valley with alert expressions.

He was so confident of his martial arts prowess that he could fight his way out of a siege by more than a hundred men.

So he was never afraid and was always responsible for investigating the enemy situation.

Although he has been promoted now, he still does the same job as before.

Since the sun set, he and his subordinates had quietly sneaked into the valley, and now they retreated after three hours.

He arrived at the shelter, wiped the frost off his face, and said excitedly:

"Brother Yun'er, they are coming! They are only 20 miles away. At their speed, they may be out of the valley at 12:00 a.m."

Lu Yunyi was also stunned when he heard the news:
"A night march?"

At this time, Liu Heiying shook off the snow and ice on his body and said viciously:

"Brother Yun'er, you don't know, the wind is so strong in there, it hurts.

They must have entered the valley during the day, and after dark they found it impossible to set up camp, so they continued on their way.

I think they will set up camp after leaving the valley.
Rest here for a while, then we can attack the camp again."

There was a gleam of light in Liu Heiying's small eyes, and he had already seen the victory that was about to come.

Lu Yunyi thought about it and shook his head gently, then quickly looked at the soldier beside him and ordered:
"Tell the scattered soldiers to come back quickly, and have someone tell Lord Lu to come here quickly. They need to take a long detour and be careful of the sound of horse hooves."

"Yes!"

After doing all this, Lu Yunyi stepped forward and pinched Liu Heiying's arm:

"Are you conscious?"

Liu Heiying shook his head: "No, the wind is too strong."

Lu Yunyi laughed immediately, with a gleam of brilliance in his eyes:

"That's right, you are unconscious, and they must be the same.
If we wait until they get out of the valley, set up camp, and do some work, they will recover.

So we can't wait, we have to attack early.

At that time, their bodies were stiff and their minds were in turmoil, making them easier to kill than those who attacked the camp."

Liu Heiying blinked his eyes, thinking that this was the truth, and his white teeth floated in the air:
"Brother Yun'er, you are so awesome."

"Of course. Warm yourself up quickly. We'll be setting up an ambush in a little while."

"okay."

Lu Baochuan, who was ten miles away, was stunned for a moment when he learned that the elite Tatars actually passed through the middle valley.

It really came true.

Then there was a burst of regret, and fierce shouts followed:
"Brothers! Don't wait any longer. The enemy isn't here. Get on your horses and follow me to kill the enemy!"

The cavalry in the front army were worthy of being the elite of the Ming Dynasty. In less than a quarter of an hour, more than 2,000 soldiers had mounted their horses and were galloping towards the north!

At this moment, outside the central valley,
Lu Yunyi and other soldiers were lying in ambush at the corner outside the valley, hiding in the darkness, staring at the valley vigilantly!

At this time, Wu Fuliu on one side had been lying on the ground, occasionally putting his head to the ground to explore.
But soon his face was full of disappointment: "Sir, the wind in the valley is too strong, I can't hear anything."

Lu Yunyi waved his hand: "It's okay, just wait for them to come out, and send a message to the whole army to check the horses again!
"Pay attention to the linen cloth under the horse's hooves and tie up the horse's mouth to avoid being discovered by the enemy."

Wu Fuliu left in a hurry, and Liu Heiying asked:
"Brother Yun'er, are we going to attack them when they come out?"

"Wait for Lu Baochuan to come, don't act rashly."

"Ah, we have to give him some credit." Liu Heiying had experienced the feeling of stiffness all over his body.

They believed that with their thousand-strong men launching a night attack, they would be able to easily kill them and force them to flee in all directions.

Lu Yunyi stood on his warhorse and glanced at Liu Heiying lightly:
"Before, I only taught you how to fight. Now I will teach you some battle formation techniques. You must remember them carefully."

Liu Heiying's eyes suddenly lit up, and Little White Fang appeared in the darkness, swaying up and down.

Lu Yunyi thought for a moment and said:

"You and I are both warriors, and we know that swords have no eyes on the battlefield.
Even the best ambushes can hurt themselves.

So...when commanding a battle, you must do your best every time.
Fight this battle as if it were your last.

Even now, even though we are in ambush,

But we must also use our greatest abilities and try our best to pursue victory, even if that victory seems small!

We have three thousand men ambushing two thousand men, and our number of casualties may be only a few hundred, or even less.

But it doesn't matter, as long as it's victory,
Don't let go no matter how much, and do your best.

You can win less, but you will never lose.
Using numbers to bully the few is always the surest way to win on the battlefield.
If you master these key points and study Sun Tzu's Art of War, even an average person can become a defender of a place, which is just right for you."

Liu Heiying was very excited, even more excited than when he was promoted to the general flag.
To be promoted to the general position, one must rely on connections, but to be promoted further, one must rely on ability, and what he lacks is ability.

Liu Heiying just felt hot all over and said quickly:
"Brother Yun'er, I've got this in mind. I'll memorize all of The Art of War later."

"Don't be too rigid and dogmatic."

Liu Heiying nodded as if he understood, and asked, "What if a few people fight against a large number? We can't always have the advantage in numbers."

Lu Yunyi glanced at him and said, "I'm here. I told you about this last time we went to fish in the sea. Have you forgotten?"

The white teeth shook left and right:
"I remember that we should use cavalry maneuvers to actively divide the battlefield.
We can create a situation where we have more people against fewer people, but I don’t know how to divide it.”

"Wait until you figure out what it means to be unbeaten. Learn to crawl first, then learn to walk. It's too early to run."

"Oh" Liu Heiying closed his mouth and felt like a mess in his head.

Time passed little by little. Half an hour later, Lu Yunyi, who was at the front, fixed his eyes and shouted in a low voice:

"coming!"

I saw faint lights in the valley, which were especially obvious in the dark night!
Liu Heiying suddenly became excited and gently pulled out his long sword.

"Don't act rashly, wait for Lu Baochuan to come."

　Sorry, I have been studying the illustration for half an hour and still don't understand it.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)