Fu Shanhe

Chapter 422 Sunset
“That’s not right, Nadam Wanhu.”

The enemy camp contains highly destructive artillery; if the artillery advances further, it will enter the enemy's effective hit zone.

Ogus hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

These are experiences gained at the cost of blood.

The previous mistake was underestimating the power of the enemy's artillery and rashly closing the distance between the two sides, which directly resulted in the loss of most of the Allied forces' firepower.

As a result, in subsequent battles, their firepower was consistently suppressed by the enemy.

Half of the Allied casualties were caused by enemy artillery fire.

"What are you afraid of!"

"The cannons of the Yu Dynasty were formidable. Are our cannons just for show?"

"Don't worry, these cannons were all cast by the Ministry of Works of the Yu Dynasty. They might even be the same type as the enemy's cannons!"

Nadam said with a chuckle.

Compared to the other tribes of Guifang, he had every reason to be arrogant.

More than 80% of the cannons in the Tatar army were cast by people from the Yu Dynasty, with only a small number being cast by themselves.

Besides battlefield spoils, they could also be smuggled through Shanxi merchants.

As long as you pay them enough, there's no artillery they can't get their hands on.

The border guards were infiltrated like sieves.

Some border military commanders were themselves arms dealers.

The cannons had just been issued by the Ministry of War and were already in the hands of the Tatars. They could simply wait for an opportunity to report the battle losses.

Those cities and fortresses that managed to escape the onslaught of the grassland allied forces were mostly their partners, except for a very few that survived the crisis through their own strength.

It can be said that whatever artillery Yu's army had, they had the same artillery.

In a firepower showdown, Nadam was not intimidated at all.

……

"The Northern enemy artillery moved their positions forward, allowing the artillery to be equipped with new ammunition, which was a great gift to them."

Putting down his binoculars, Xie Zhiyuan decisively gave the order.

In the blink of an eye, the anticipated artillery barrage did not occur; instead, a one-sided massacre unfolded.

While there was no significant difference in the types of artillery between the two sides, the explosive power of the shells was vastly different.

A violent explosion rang out, sending countless Northern enemy artillerymen flying into the air.

The artillery positions were also torn to pieces.

"The new shells are much better, it's a pity there aren't enough of them, otherwise we would definitely make the Northern barbarians suffer!"

"Stop daydreaming, kid!"

"Each of these new-style shells is worth tens of taels of silver. Where would you find so many to squander!"

Just as Xie Zhiyuan finished his reflection, the Marquis of Wuyang, who was inspecting the camp, appeared behind him.

"My lord, there is value in being noble."

The same cannon, using different shells, can have a power difference of five or six times.

"Look at the enemy's artillery positions; in less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, we've reduced them to ruins."

Xie Zhiyuan said calmly.

What does it matter to him if the shells are expensive? The imperial court will pay for them anyway, as long as they work well.

No matter how poor the Great Yu Dynasty was, the Jiangnan Governor's Office, which had completed the tax reform, would certainly not be short of money.

With nearly 20 million taels of silver in tax revenue each year, a small portion could be diverted to fund the purchase of cannonballs.

"The shells are indeed useful, but unfortunately the production capacity is very limited."

Its great power comes entirely from the addition of a rare mineral, a specialty of the Annam region.

The Marquis of Hanshui emptied his coffers to squeeze out this small amount of cannonballs; they must be used sparingly.

Marquis Wuyang sighed and said.

The military industry of the Great Yu Dynasty was actually quite advanced.

In particular, several provinces dominated by noble families received ample financial allocations after operating independently from the Ministry of Works, resulting in a significant improvement in the quality of firearms they produced.

Both shooting accuracy and stability have seen a qualitative leap.

The Yu army's artillery was able to quickly destroy enemy artillery positions not only because of the greater power of the shells, but also because of the improved quality of the artillery.

The two provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, which were the first to be liberated, were among the best in the country because they received the transfer of military industries from many places.

Even so, the Marquis of Hanshui still couldn't achieve full production capacity, which is enough to show that producing new types of artillery shells was indeed very difficult.

"My lord, you have a lot of influence."

If you're willing to ask, the Marquis of Hanshui will surely be able to gather a batch of ammunition.

If all else fails, borrowing ammunition from active-duty troops would be a temporary solution!

Xie Zhiyuan said unwillingly.

Influenced by Li Mu, the generals who rose through his ranks all developed a deep affection for artillery.

In the use of artillery, he far surpassed other generals of the same period.

The effect is very obvious; enemies unfamiliar with them will suffer heavy losses on their first encounter.

The northern barbarians seem to be in a worse state; they were already being heavily attacked earlier, and today they've been attacked again.

Having access to more advanced ammunition but being unable to use it to their fullest extent left Xie Zhiyuan feeling frustrated.

"Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst!"

"If I had known earlier that the concentrated firepower of these shells would be so great, I should have taken all of them."

The Marquis of Wuyang secretly regretted his actions when he thought of the new cannonballs that Li Mu had sent, which had been split into three.

Such a valuable item should naturally be prioritized for equipping the vanguard units.

The central and rear armies were late to the battlefield, so they could wait.

If we had enough high-explosive shells, this defensive battle would be much easier than it is now.

The enemy might not be able to withstand the casualties and have already given up.

……

Compared to the regret of Yu Jun's superiors, Nadam was completely dumbfounded.

The artillerymen I brought with me just disappeared without a trace.

If looks could kill, these high-ranking members of the Ghost Clan would already be torn to pieces by him.

Knowing full well that the enemy's artillery was powerful, they didn't stop him.

He was about to explode, but these guys had given him a heads-up beforehand.

Holding people accountable for this reason will alienate those below them.

If they were to force the people too close, causing a mutiny among the Ghost Fang allied forces, it would create a huge mess.

"I underestimated the power of the enemy's artillery; that was my mistake."

The responsibility that must be borne by this household will be borne by the whole family.

Now you will go down and command the troops to launch a full-scale attack on the enemy camp.

There's no need to worry about enemy artillery; such weapons would certainly have many limitations in their use.

The Great Chanyu issued a death order: the entire Yu army must be annihilated within seven days.

This commander will personally lead the supervisory team to oversee the operation; those who fear the enemy and fail to advance will be executed along with their entire clan!

Nadam gave the order with murderous intent.

Anyone who dares to pull tricks against him will pay the price.

Upon witnessing this scene, the high-ranking members of the Ghost Fang were on the verge of tears.

If they were to breach the enemy camp within seven days, they had plenty of ways to do so.

At worst, we can find an opportunity to let the enemy break through and then follow up by beheading some of them.

The current military order is to annihilate the enemy forces, which means that both sides must fight to the death.

After a slight hesitation, the high-ranking members of the Ghost Party chose to back down.

While fighting to the death against Yu Jun would certainly result in heavy losses, the consequences of disobeying military orders would be even more severe.

The Tatars' fearsome reputation had long been awe-inspiring on the grasslands.

The number of tribes they slaughtered was countless.

As the allied forces of the grasslands launched a full-scale attack, the war became increasingly fierce.

The fierce battle lasted for five days, and the initial composure and calmness on the faces of the Yu army generals were gone.

At midnight, the Yu army's camp was brightly lit. "My lord, the intensity of the war is too great, and the consumption of weapons and ammunition is extremely high."

The artillery can now only be used intermittently and is no longer able to suppress enemy fire.

Many of the muskets in the soldiers' hands are nearing the end of their service life, and there have been seven barrel explosions today alone.

The daytime battle was extremely fierce. The enemy attacked the camp twice, and it was only through the soldiers' desperate efforts that they drove the enemy back.

As the war has progressed, casualties in each town have exceeded 30%.

Given the current intensity of the war, the camp could only hold out for two or three more days at most before it risked falling.

Xie Zhiyuan said with a solemn expression.

Despite the thorough preparations made by the loyalist military team, everyone underestimated the amount of ammunition consumed in high-intensity combat.

The ammunition, which was originally expected to last until the end of the war to defend the emperor, was exhausted in just twenty days.

The strength of the loyalist army lay in its mastery of firearms.

Once their weapons became mere firewood, their fighting ability was not much different from that of ordinary elite Yu soldiers.

Besides the near depletion of ammunition, the casualties of soldiers are also a thorny issue.

In past battles, Yu's army suffered more than 5,000 dead, 7,000 wounded, and 1,000 sick.

To compensate for the loss of troops, the civilian laborers responsible for transporting provisions were also temporarily incorporated into the army.

However, these people are just for show for now; their combat effectiveness is pitifully low.

Simple volley fire is acceptable, but engaging in direct combat with enemy troops is likely to lead to a breakdown.

"Our casualties were heavy, but the enemy's losses were even greater."

Since the outbreak of the war, we have killed at least 70,000 enemy soldiers.

"Hold on a little longer, everyone. Reinforcements will arrive in a few days."

Marquis Wuyang said, forcing himself to remain calm.

It is true that 70,000 enemy troops were killed, but more than two-thirds of them were cannon fodder, and the Northern Barbarians suffered only a little over 20,000 casualties.

Upon seeing the Tatars' auxiliary troops, the Guifang people followed suit, constantly recruiting able-bodied men from the surrounding area to serve as cannon fodder.

Each attack involved using cannon fodder to deplete the defenders' ammunition.

In the end, the enemy's plan was successful.

After consuming a large number of cannon fodder troops, the defenders' ammunition reserves dwindled dramatically.

"My lord, the morale of the army is low, and I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for long."

Ren Qichen said with a nervous expression.

Even the most elite troops will suffer a blow to morale if casualties exceed 30%.

There are very few armies in the entire Great Yu Dynasty that can withstand such heavy casualties without collapsing.

"If you can't hold on for long, you still have to find a way to hold on."

You are all aware of the situation outside.

Even if we order a breakout now, not many of us will escape.

Besides, there are still a large number of wounded and sick soldiers in the army; we can't just leave them to the enemy!

Marquis Wuyang said with a solemn expression.

The soldiers he brought from Jiangnan were all elite troops he had carefully cultivated.

If we abandon these soldiers, they might end up being used by the northern barbarians.

The negative impact of this increase and decrease goes far beyond the simple loss of eight thousand soldiers.

Even if the Northern barbarians were not intelligent enough to realize this and simply slaughtered the wounded, it would still deal a devastating blow to the morale of their troops.

Moreover, many of these wounded were sons of noble families.

If these people die on the battlefield, the general will die soon after; this is the fate of military officers.

People might have some opinions, but they wouldn't say anything.

If he were to be abandoned and die by the commander-in-chief, he would incur a blood feud with the noble families behind him.

Even if he successfully broke through the encirclement with his troops, he would still be disgraced.

Whether he goes into politics or continues to lead troops, no noble sons will follow him.

If the breakout fails, the consequences will be even more severe.

So many military generals in history were defeated and killed not because they didn't have the chance to escape, but because they couldn't return alive.

Not only will all the reputation accumulated in the first half of one's life be lost, but a whole host of enemies will also be added, along with the slander and attacks from civil officials.

Even if they escape this calamity temporarily by virtue of their status as relatives of the emperor, they will still be purged in the future.

With the situation having developed to this point, Marquis Wuyang has no other choice but to hold his ground and wait for reinforcements.

Seeing that Marquis Wuyang was firm in his stance, everyone tacitly refrained from mentioning "breaking through".

High-ranking generals need to consider politics; the Marquis of Wuyang cannot bear the responsibility, and they are even less capable of taking the blame.

In officialdom, whoever makes a suggestion must bear the responsibility for it.

If a breakout is launched at this time, the loyalist army will surely suffer heavy losses.

Once in the imperial court, no one would see that the breakout had preserved the core forces; everyone would only focus on the losses suffered.

There are countless examples in the military of people being punished for adhering to the correct strategy.

Some unfortunate individuals even paid the ultimate price.

The military generals of the Great Yu Dynasty performed poorly, not because they were all incompetent, but more because they were afraid of taking responsibility.

The previous strategy of using civil officials to control military affairs was a deliberate attempt to stifle the military talents of generals.

What civil servants need is a group of obedient executors; these people don't need to have their own thoughts.

Even though this situation has been broken in recent years, the aftereffects have not been eliminated.

Even among the generals from the nobility faction, when faced with problems, their first thought was to protect themselves.

The quiet night briefly soothed the wounds inflicted by the war.

As the first rays of sunlight touched the earth, a new battle broke out once again.

Shouts of battle mingled with the sounds of artillery fire, echoing through the heavens and earth. Under the sunlight, the corpses scattered on the ground resembled a scene from hell.

War is not subject to individual will. Despite the defenders' valiant counterattack, the aftereffects of running out of ammunition still occurred.

Faced with a constant stream of enemy troops, the defending forces suffered heavy losses and found it increasingly difficult to cope.

After losing firepower, the defending forces paid a heavy price every time they repelled the enemy.

Time passed day by day, and soon it was the last day.

"Pass down the order: the entire army is to launch a full-scale assault and annihilate the enemy camp in one battle!"

Nadam immediately issued the order for a general offensive.

Unlike before, this time his Tatar army also joined the battle.

With the addition of a fresh force, the morale of the grassland allied forces was greatly boosted.

The two sides quickly clashed, and the defending forces were soon at a disadvantage against the overwhelming enemy numbers.

"Pass down the order: all those in the camp who can stand up should follow me to the battlefield."

Reinforcements will arrive in Tongzhou tomorrow. If we can hold on today, victory will be ours!

Seeing that the battle lines were on the verge of collapse, Marquis Wuyang decisively issued an order.

He wasn't sure when reinforcements would arrive, but the soldiers needed hope.

The war has progressed to this point, and it's time to fight to the death.

Either die on the battlefield, their blood spilled, a heroic sacrifice for their country.

Either instill fear in the enemy and win a chance for the main force to survive.

As the order was given, countless wounded and sick soldiers, supporting each other, once again took up their weapons.

The group made their way to the battlefield step by step, with great difficulty.

There was no fear, no complaints.

When the soldiers in front fell, the soldiers behind immediately took their place.

The enemy forces were simply too numerous, and no matter how hard the defenders tried, they were forced to retreat in defeat.

The camp was almost completely lost, and only half of the commander's flag remained, still fluttering in the wind.

Only a little over a thousand Yu soldiers remained who had gathered around Marquis Wuyang, and they were still putting up a last stand.

The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the mountains of corpses and seas of blood scattered on the ground, as if bidding farewell to the procession before them.

(End of this chapter)