Chapter 251: Firearms, 3-stage firearm attack

Chapter 251: Firearms, 3-stage firearm attack

Chapter 251: Firearms, Three-stage Firearm Attack

Three days later, fifteen miles outside Dingyuan Town, Chuxiong Prefecture, Yunnan Province,

A hidden and narrow ravine quietly appeared before our eyes.

It was the coldest time of winter, and the sky was filled with fine rain, covering the deep valley with a hazy veil.

The front scouts of the army rushed here in a hurry. The team consisted of thirty fast horses and ten mule carts.

The firemen riding fast horses acted as guards, while the mule carts carried the food used by the front scouts and the rest of the firemen.

Now the fire troops have advanced nearly forty miles.
When they have prepared the meal,
Around noon, most of the soldiers will arrive.
Take one of the few rests of the day to eat, wash, and let the horses rest.

At this time, the firemen had to hurry forward again, and after reaching the next supply point, they would rest, set up camp, and continue cooking.

This method is only used in some special battles.

But for special troops like the front scouts who need to move quickly, this has become a routine.
Their pay is also twice as much as that of ordinary firemen.

At this time, the leader of the fire army was Hong Yutian, who had followed them all the way from Qingzhou.
He was nearly forty years old, with a rough appearance, a big head, a thick neck, and a short stature. He smelled of greasy food.

At this moment, he was sitting on a mule cart, looking at the ravine in front of him.

Take out the map from one side and check it carefully, comparing it with each other
This was done to determine the location for the soldiers to rest.
If they run less or too far, it will affect the pace of the army's march.

"Yes, that's it. It's raining all day long, making the road difficult to walk on.

We are already two quarters of an hour late, brothers, hurry up."

As he said this, Hong Yutian jumped off the donkey cart, and the firemen on their war horses also jumped off.

Instead of carrying food from the mule carts, they drew out their long knives and approached the valley little by little, looking vigilantly around and at their feet to check if the place was safe.

The firemen sitting on the mule carts began to work.
They took off the rain cloth and carried the food down basket by basket, carefully avoiding the slippery ground to prevent slipping.

A few people were scattered around, picking out dry and flammable wood.
Fortunately, there are high mountains on both sides of the ravine, and some trees hidden under the cliffs can be used as firewood.

In fact, the firemen also carried firewood and charcoal with them when they marched.
But in order to speed up the journey, we only took a small amount, it was only for emergency use.

Hong Yutian was selecting a place to make a fire and cook. Soon they found a relatively open, dry area that was sheltered from wind and rain, with a huge rock protruding above.
Without hesitation, they built a simple stove with stones to prevent the fire from spreading. This stove was used to stew dishes and set up large pots.

At the same time, some soldiers took the assembled smokeless stoves made by the craftsmen of the Ministry of War and placed them on the ground casually.
This is not to hide one's whereabouts, but to make a fire and cook more quickly.

Several soldiers worked together to pile the collected wood on the stove.
Carefully light the hay with a tinder, then gradually add wood to make the fire gradually grow stronger.

Hong Yutian was carrying food ingredients and knives back and forth. His forehead was covered with a layer of sweat and his face was a little flushed.

In the drizzle, the flames jumped on the stove, emitting warm and bright light.

Every time he saw this scene, Hong Yutian couldn't help but smile.

But at this moment, a slightly hurried shout came from not far away in the valley.
"My lord, my lord! Come and see!"

Hong Yutian stared intently, then raised his head and looked over.
I saw a fireman rushing back, chopping the weeds in front of him with the long knife in his hand, as if he was clearing a path.

"What's the matter? What's the hurry?"

The fireman walked through the weeds and finally returned to the open space. He breathed a little quickly and said:
"Sir, we have found traces of life and cooking deep in the valley, spreading all the way into the valley.
The brothers speculated that there must be a hidden person hiding at the end of the valley."

"Hidden household?" Hong Yutian glanced at him:
"Yunnan is a place with high mountains and dense forests. Some small tribes live in the mountains because they don't want to be governed by the government. What's the big deal?"

Nowadays, there are many hidden households in the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps they are avoiding military service or do not want to pay land tax.

In short, there are countless people who don’t want to deal with the government and have gone into the mountains.

Even in the deep mountains of some places, there are still many people from the Yuan Dynasty.
They lived a secluded life and didn't even know that the Yuan Dynasty had been destroyed and that the world had a new master.

When the northern expeditionary army set out from Qingzhou to Yingtian, they found many hidden households in the territory of Daningdusi and reported them to the local government.

If they want to intervene, they will. If they don’t want to intervene, it is none of their business.

The soldier's breathing became rapid, and then gradually calmed down. He shook his head repeatedly:
"Sir, there are too many. The brothers found at least a hundred fires along the way, as well as some uneaten food. I also saw chicken bones and pig tail bones. These are not things that a hermit can eat."

"Is there meat?" As soon as these words came out, Hong Yutian, who was unpacking the box, slowed down his movements, and asked with a serious look on his face:

"Are the villagers and hunters from nearby stopping here for a rest?"

Xiao Wang shook his head again and again: "My Lord, please go and take a look. It's hard to explain it for a while."

"Damn it, you didn't listen carefully when the clerk taught you to read and write, and now you have a hard time talking. Lead the way!"

Hong Yutian turned back to look at the soldiers who were busy working and ordered:

"Stop for a moment, go to your horses, pick up your swords and spears,

If any bandits come out, I'll kill them. Damn it, they're keeping us from cooking!!"

A group of firemen also began to curse.
Normally, cooks in the kitchen tend to have bad tempers, especially when they are overwhelmed, and this is even more so in the military.
If the meal is cooked late, even though Shangguan won't say anything,
But they still can't get over it in their hearts, which makes them even more irritable.

The group drew out their swords, took out their spears, and put on simple armor.
There were even two firemen who took out two oil paper bags containing brand new muskets and two grenades on one side.

As a fireman, it is common to encounter some mountain bandits and road bullies.

Although few people would be so foolish as to provoke them given their status in the military, there are still some of them who are reckless.

Hong Yutian followed the soldiers and walked in the forest, and soon they went nearly 200 meters deep.

Hong Yutian immediately saw the many brothers who were checking carefully in front of him, and he no longer hid his figure and walked over quickly.

At this moment, the surrounding mountains and forests are even more lush and green under the baptism of drizzle.

The air is filled with the faint scent of pine and soil, and the occasional bird calls add a bit of vitality.
However, here it is.
The weeds on the ground have been cleared away, replaced by gaps one after another, and even the moisture of the soil is different from other places.

Hong Yutian knew what it was at a glance. It was a tent, of moderate size, a tent used for marching and fighting.

Around these tents were the dark remnants of flames that had long been extinguished, and some black marks left on the ground could also be seen.

A gleam of light flashed in Hong Yutian's eyes.
His first guess was that this place was also valued by other troops, and they were stationed here.

But this guess was quickly rejected by him. The various guards and armies of the Ming Dynasty had extremely high requirements for setting up camps.

The campfires should be kept at a sufficient distance so that when the camp is attacked, the fire can be quickly extinguished and prevented from spreading.

The dark residues in front of me were too close, so close that there was no pattern.

As long as the campfire is gently pushed over, the military tent will burn violently in an instant.

Hong Yutian also realized that something was wrong at this moment. He straightened the helmet on his head, took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and waved his hand forward:

"Be careful, come with me and take a look."

Soon, Hong Yutian led some soldiers to the depths of the valley.

Along the way, you can see some feces, food residues, and crushed weeds.

With these traces as their guide, they soon passed through a narrow valley and entered an open area.
The place was filled with fog, and before the firemen could find out what was going on,
Hong Yutian's eyes suddenly widened with horror on his face, and he quickly pressed his arms down, causing all the firemen present to bend down.

He is a cook and has a natural resistance to such foggy places.

He saw more than a hundred military tents in the open space in front of him! More importantly, he smelled a faint smell of blood in the air, which was different from the smell of livestock blood, but the smell of human blood.

Hong Yutian quickly took off his head armor, picked up some weeds from the side and stuffed them on his head to shade his head.

He took two steps forward, half-knelt on the ground, raised his head and looked forward.
The camp ahead was still a little messy as before, with people stationed in a group and firelight flickering in front.
Soon, Hong Yutian's pupils suddenly contracted, and he saw the dozen people tied to the wooden stakes on the right.

He didn't recognize the people, but he recognized the armor, which was similar to the Southwest Army he saw in Kunming.
Khaki, not armor.

"Sir, that seems to be one of ours."

A fireman came over, and Hong Yutian quickly covered his mouth and shouted in a low voice:
"Shut up, I'm not blind."

"Sir, I'm talking about the people who were tied up. The others don't look like Ming people. They look weird."

Hong Yutian glanced at him again, "Shut up!"

At this point, the soldier shut up and gestured behind him.
Everyone lowered their heads even more, with solemn expressions on their faces.

Hong Yutian looked at the soldiers coming in and out of the tent.

Most of them look weird, with long arms and legs but short stature, which is very different from the Ming people. Even their hair is curly.
Some people looked very dark and were eating with their hands, which was greasy.
Seeing this, Hong Yutian frowned and murmured:

"What are these? Why do they all look so weird?"

"Sir, how about I go up and ask them which unit they are from?" the young soldier next to him spoke again.

Hong Yutian grabbed the soldier's ear and twisted it hard.
The soldier didn't dare to speak. He covered his mouth suddenly and tried to open his eyes wide!

"Have you forgotten what the adults said?

In war, no one can be trusted. If anything goes wrong, report it to your superiors immediately. Don't be too smart. "

"Ah Hai, you can hardly eat in your hometown, so your uncle brought you here to live a good life. You have never experienced the Northern Expedition, so you don't know how dangerous it is.
The first priority in marching and fighting is to obey military orders, especially the orders of Lord Xiao Lu. Do you understand? "

The soldier of Ah Hai nodded repeatedly, as if he understood.

"Take a few people back to report to the master, I will stay here to watch them.

Lead the donkey carts and war horses to the official road and remind them that if anything goes wrong, they should abandon the things and run away quickly! "

Hong Yutian lowered his voice and gave instructions, but Ah Hai was stunned:
"Uncle, how about I stay here and watch while you go back? I don't think they are good people."

"Hurry up, you are a centurion and I am a centurion, hurry up!"

As he spoke, Hong Yutian waved his hand towards the back and made several gestures.
The group began to retreat slowly, only Hong Yutian and more than a dozen firemen stayed behind, staring vigilantly at the camp ahead.

"Three-stage strike is a way of using firearms in battle formations.
Each group consists of three people. The musketeer at the front shoots first, then retreats to the back of the team to concentrate on reloading ammunition, and the second soldier steps forward to fire.

The three people took turns loading and firing, which greatly reduced the shooting time.

It is similar to the bow and crossbow volley fire, which is due to the shackles of the weapons themselves that led to improvements in the way they are used. "

On one side of the official road, most of the front army scouts were resting by the road.

Lu Yunyi was carefully brushing the horse's nose with a horse brush, and then carefully checking the warhorse's limbs and hooves.

Check whether the horseshoe is secure and whether there is any foreign object stuck in the hoof.

Lu Yunyi was checking and talking at the same time, while Xu Zengshou and Guo Quan were listening carefully beside them, with a look of deep thought on their faces, and then a look of sudden realization.

I think the adults’ solution is great.

Nowadays, a series of tedious processes are required to complete the shooting of a musket.
Pour the gunpowder out of the powder can and carefully pour it into the powder chamber of the musket through the muzzle. There must be a fixed amount and it cannot be increased or reduced.

Then use a special tool, a cane, to compact the gunpowder in the chamber, then load the bullet into the front chamber of the musket, and finally close the firing port to prevent the gunpowder from leaking out of the firing port when burning.

Finally, you can aim and fire. After this process,
It might take at least half an incense stick of time. If the speed is so slow, the damage caused to the enemy will not be as good as that of a crossbow or longbow.

Xu Zengshou thought for a moment and asked:
"Sir, can we only use three people? If there are more people, can we keep shooting?"

Lu Yunyi was checking the horse's hooves at the moment. Hearing this, he was a little surprised and patted the horse's legs gently:

"lift it up."

The warhorse snorted and raised its legs reluctantly.
After checking all the horse hooves, Lu Yunyi clapped his hands and stood up to look at Xu Zengshou:

"Yes, I have calculated this when I was in the capital.
With the speed of our current muskets, it may take eight to ten people to rotate back and forth to complete the non-stop shooting.

Of course, the number of people depends on the elite level of the firearms battle formation. The more people, the better. The firearms need to rest and cool down the barrels. "

Xu Zengshou and Guo Quan's eyes suddenly lit up.
They had seen the scene of more than a thousand archers firing at the same time in a battle formation. If that scene was replaced by muskets,
It will definitely cause huge damage to the enemy in an instant!
"Don't be too happy yet. It takes a little bit of practice to train the square formation well.
Let's start with three people. If there are more people, we won't have that many muskets."

As he spoke, Lu Yunyi put his hands on his hips and looked at the two of them:

"First, train a 100-man musket team. If it is effective, the remaining 200 muskets will also be allocated to you.
The number of people increases little by little. If we use firearms to achieve great success in the southwest,
If the imperial court asks about it in the future, we can ask for it.
This musket is not cheap. If you want to form a square formation, you need at least a thousand of them.

We have so many war horses in the front scout unit now. If we have more than a thousand muskets, people will gossip about us.

So you have to show your merits to make some people shut up, understand?"

Xu Zengshou and Guo Quan nodded repeatedly, with deep desire in their eyes!

It would be really impressive if they could command a firearms team of more than a thousand people.

Seeing them like this, Lu Yunyi smiled slightly and said:
"Zigong, your brother is now the Duke of Wei.
In the future, he will definitely intervene in the military forces of the Governor's Office.
You have made great contributions, and your brother will be proud of you, and it will be easier for him to approve military equipment for you.

If we want to promote the role of firearms in warfare, we cannot do without your brother’s support.”

Xu Zengshou nodded repeatedly, his eyes becoming brighter and brighter.

Guo Quan standing aside had a gloomy expression on his face. He was a bastard's son and could not help.

This made Liu Heiying, who had been looking at this place from a distance, sigh silently, his face almost unable to hold back.

He quickly lowered his head to look at the horse's hooves, muttering to himself:
"Sixth Brother, Sixth Brother, just talk to Lord Changxing about our emphasis on firearms and our loyalty to His Majesty!!

I heard that the relationship between them is very strained, I have to counsel him and try to get on well with his father."

Just as the four of them were thinking about their own things, You Dafeng, who was standing at the front of the team, twitched his ears slightly, looked surprised, and suddenly raised his head to look northwest:
"somebody is coming!"

As soon as these words came out, the scouts of the front army's scout department immediately became alert.

He jumped onto the horse's back and flicked the reins in his hand, and the warhorse started to move slowly.

You Dafeng lay on the ground and listened carefully. After a while, he waved his hand:
"Ten people, they should be our war horses."

At this point, the slightly tense atmosphere eased, and the sound of horse hooves finally appeared in everyone's sight.

Sure enough, soon more than ten riders appeared at the end of the sight. They were the firemen who had set off ahead of time.

"Get out of the way, urgent news!!"

Ah Hai rushed to the front with a stern look on his face.

He swore that he had never been in such a hurry to travel as today.
(End of this chapter)