In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 698 Black Armor Arrives Through Snow, Breaks Through the Stronghold and Slays the Enemy Chieftain

Suddenly, a loud noise shook the heavens and earth; the rapid sound of horses' hooves approached from not far away.
The dull thuds shattered much of the snow clinging to the branches and leaves.

Two thousand cavalrymen suddenly charged out of the forest, their hooves kicking up clouds of snow.

The entire black-armored cavalry was shrouded in a hazy mist.

In front of the "gate" of the eastern camp,

The Jurchen soldiers looked at the scene before them with some bewilderment.
what happened?
Where did these people come from? Are they friendly forces?

However, a few people quickly realized what was happening.

They felt an intense sense of oppression emanating from the soldiers charging towards them.
And the sharpness of that long sword.

Such a long sword requires exquisite iron-making skills.

The best army in the whole world is the Ming army.
The identity of the person before us is almost obvious.

"Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!!!"

Shouts also rang out from the eastern camp.

But after the Jurchens finished shouting, they looked around in a daze.

What about friendly forces? They're not patrolling soldiers; can they reach the battlefield within ten breaths?
Just as everyone was racking their brains, the Ming army's warhorses leaped into the air.

We crossed the blasted-open gate and emerged from the muddy, snow-covered path.

They charged into the flat and compact camp in one go.

"enemy"

Before he could finish shouting, a young soldier had already charged forward on his warhorse and swung his long sword without hesitation.

With a soft "plop," the head and blood flew high into the air, landing heavily with a bewildered expression.

He never understood where the patrolling soldiers had gone until his death.
At that moment, the soldiers gathered on the west side of the camp stared blankly at the head of their former comrade, their faces filled with disbelief.

Where did the head come from? And where are the enemy troops?

Until the urgent bugle call sounded from the eastern camp,

Everyone then realized that the enemy was on the east side!

The commanding general glared angrily at the soldier who had shouted "Enemy attack!" and gritted his teeth.
He drew his curved sword and cleaved his head in two.

He yanked on the reins and cursed:

"Fake news! Everyone, move to the east!"

The group then left in small groups.

On the eastern battlefield, all the tents adjacent to the palisade had been set ablaze, flames shooting into the sky and thick smoke billowing out.

Even in broad daylight, it appears quite terrifying.

The vanguard scouts charged and killed indiscriminately inside the military tent.

The Jurchens, who were just about to regroup and launch a counterattack, were repeatedly caught off guard by the Ming army, who would rush in and kill them as soon as they assembled.

Zhang Huai'an, wielding a long sword, forcefully hacked a Jurchen to death.

He glanced at the thirty-odd people lying on the ground around him, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
What are these Jurchens doing? Why are they gathered together waiting for us to attack?

"Don't just stand there! Spread out and find the armory and the granary!"

Not far away, Lu Yunyi flicked his spear, easily sending the two flying, and shouted sharply.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huai'an quickly realized what was happening.

He waved and led his men northward along the camp fence.

The fighting continued, the shouts of battle never ceased.
Until the entire eastern camp was covered in blood.

I saw the first batch of soldiers in full formation, which looked to be around five hundred men.

Lu Yunyi looked at the warhorses beneath them with covetous eyes, brandished his spear, and shouted:

"Musketeers, advance! Six-stage attack! Do not harm the warhorses!"

Upon hearing the military order, the infantrymen led by Wu Fulu stood still.
He pulled out a modified musket from behind his back.
He then lifted his clothes, revealing a row of bamboo tubes of gunpowder hanging from his waist.

Wu Fuliu looked at the enemy troops ahead and shouted:
"Cavalry, disperse! Musketeers, maintain a distance of one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), prepare for a volley of fire at fifty paces!"

Lu Yunyi used his spear as a command flag and shouted quickly:
"Make way! Make way!"

In an instant, a brief gap was created between the five hundred cavalrymen and the thousand musketeers.

The scene before them caused the assembled cavalry to widen their eyes in surprise, their hearts filled with secret delight.

The Ming cavalry in front of us are so foolish that they actually gave way.

Without any hesitation, the general leading the troops raised his scimitar high and let out a loud shout:
"kill!!!!"

Thump, thump, thump—the thunderous sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out.

A hundred paces is but a moment's travel for a warhorse.

One hundred steps, eighty steps, seventy steps, sixty steps, fifty steps!
Wu Fuliu's pupils contracted slightly as the command flag slammed down:

"volley!"

In an instant, the muskets roared!

A deafening roar, like thunder, exploded in the eastern camp.

The improved musket exploded in flames, its iron bullets carrying the scent of death.
They roared towards the oncoming Jurchen cavalry.

Fifty paces is but a blink of an eye for a warhorse.

But for musketeers, it also allows them to execute a brilliant volley.

The iron bullet pierced the air with a sharp whistling sound.

They instantly disappeared into the Jurchen cavalry ranks.

The cavalrymen at the forefront seemed to have been struck by some enormous object.
The man was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into his comrades who were charging after him.

The warhorse neighed and fell to the ground, raising clouds of dust and snow.

The Jurchen cavalry was thrown into chaos.

The warhorses behind couldn't stop themselves and crashed into their companions in front.
Men and horses were thrown into disarray, screams filled the air.
Blood instantly stained the snow red, and the once orderly charging formation was reduced to pieces.

The warhorse was also terrified by the loud explosion, its hooves flying high into the air.

Some warhorses couldn't withstand the force of the sudden stop on their hind legs.
It made a crisp cracking sound and bent at a terrifying angle, making Lu Yunyi sigh repeatedly.

But for the Jurchen cavalry, the matter was not yet over.

"Second round!"

Wu Fu shouted at the top of his lungs,

The second platoon of soldiers stepped forward and fired without hesitation.

crackling-

The soldiers in the first rank quickly retreated to the back.
Remove the used bamboo tubes and replace them with new ones.

He raised his musket again and aimed it at the chaotic Jurchen cavalry ahead.

The explosions continued.
The Jurchen cavalry charge ceased during the third volley, turning into chaos.
There were even scenes of warhorses going out of control and running away in all directions.

After the six-stage attack.
The entire cavalry formation was reduced to only about a hundred men.
The rest either fell to the ground or fled.
This led to the exposure of the Jurchen generals who were behind the battle lines.

His expression changed drastically as he stared at the dark muzzle of the gun.

Waving his scimitar, he shouted loudly:

"Hold your formation! Don't panic! Charge in and kill them all!"

Under his command, some Jurchen cavalrymen who had not yet been hit endured their fear.

He spurred his warhorse again and charged toward the musketeers' formation.

They knew this was their only chance.
If they cannot break through the enemy's lines before the musketeers fire again, their entire army will be wiped out.

"Triple attack, unleash!"

The icy voice boomed, sounding to him like the whisper of death.
What awaited them was truly total annihilation.

The soldiers, having replaced the gunpowder in bamboo tubes, stepped forward and fired another volley.
Smoke rose into the air, accompanied by a strong stench of blood that even the warhorses couldn't help but snort.
Flames roared past, and blood blossomed from the chests of the remaining hundred or so cavalrymen.
He stared blankly at everything before him, then slowly fell from his horse.
But even without soldiers, the cavalry charge did not stop.
The soldiers skillfully widened the gap, which was originally only one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), so that the warhorses could rush through it.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, they felt no fear, but rather joy.

There is a default rule among musketeers.

The warhorse charged through the musketeer formation; that warhorse was now the warhorse of the Ming Dynasty.

As expected, Lord Lu, who was not far away, issued a military order:
"Three hundred men go and capture warhorses, the rest of you mount up and charge, annihilating all resistance!"

"Yes!"

The musket formation that had just been prepared was suddenly broken up into smaller units.

They mounted their warhorses.

Three people form a group, three groups form a flag, and three flags form a general flag.

It thrust fiercely towards the Jurchen camp ahead.

Lu Yunyi watched them leave and nodded almost imperceptibly.

At this point, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Even after their camps have been breached, they were still able to effectively organize resistance forces.

Lu Yunyi had only seen one such example, which was the army of the Northern Yuan royal court. The Jurchens in front of him clearly did not have such abilities.

He dismounted and strolled leisurely through the eastern camp.

Arriving at the spot where the musketeers had just stood, he picked up two bamboo tubes from the ground and examined them closely.

The musket itself wasn't improved. The reason it could be used in freezing weather and the gunpowder wouldn't get damp was due to the method of loading the gunpowder.

The bamboo tubes of today are like bullets, much smaller than the original bamboo tubes, and can be directly inserted into the powder magazine of a musket.

The barrier at the front of the bamboo tube was shaved down to just a thin layer.
It will not affect the explosion after the gunpowder is ignited.

The bamboo wall behind was very thick, but there was a tiny hole in it.
It allows flames to penetrate and ignite the gunpowder.

This greatly improved the loading method and reduced the possibility of gunpowder getting damp in the snow.

However, looking at the exploded bamboo tube, Lu Yunyi felt that it should be improved again.

After all, the bamboo tubes exploding in the medicine storage room would leave behind some debris.
This greatly reduced the lifespan of firearms and strengthened restrictions on their use.

He had done the calculations; after twenty consecutive shots...
Because there are too many impurities in the medicine chamber, the risk of explosion increases dramatically, possibly by 10% to 20%.

Given the existing conditions, besides regularly cleaning the gunpowder magazine,

He hasn't come up with any other solutions yet.

Lu Yunyi looked up at the messy camp ahead.
He simply sat down on a wooden stake and fell into deep thought.

Ahead of him, small squads of soldiers would often ride by on horseback.

When they saw the adults so calm on the battlefield,
My mind quickly calmed down.

With such a superior officer boosting morale, it would be strange if we couldn't win this battle.

An hour later, the battle at the Jurchen camp was also coming to an end.

When Wu Fulu arrived with his men to report...
Lu Yunyi then looked away from the bamboo tube of gunpowder in front of him.

Despite racking my brains, I still couldn't find a solution.

He sighed deeply and looked at Wu Fuliu:

"Do the soldiers really find this loading method useful?"

Wu Fuliu was taken aback, somewhat confused as to why the topic had suddenly come up.
"My lord, the brothers say it is indeed much faster and easier than before."

Lu Yunyi nodded thoughtfully:

"But durability is always a problem; firing it twenty times in a row greatly increases the risk."
"If there is any major battle, this method should not be used."

Wu Fulu's expression suddenly turned strange.
A thousand men firing twenty rounds in unison—at the current rate of kill efficiency...
The enemy may have already lost tens of thousands of men.
If we can't win at this point, how big will this war be?
"My lord, you are worrying too much."

Lu Yunyi waved his hand, offering no explanation.

Instead, he looked at the dilapidated camp ahead and asked:

"Any discoveries? How many people are in the military camp?"

"This military camp belongs to the Huifa tribe of the Haixi Jurchens, with a strength of approximately 2,300 people."

However, this military camp should be able to accommodate five thousand people, as many of the tents appear empty.

Lu Yunyi nodded, his face beaming with excitement:

"So, we're getting closer and closer to the core of the Jurchen people?"

"Yes, sir," Wu Fuliu replied with a smile.

From the initial camp of a thousand people to the later camp of three thousand people,

Now, a camp of five thousand people...

Clearly, we are now very close to most of the Jurchen territory.

Moreover, the soldiers who were previously stationed in vacant camps might be in this very camp right beneath our feet.

At this moment, Zhang Huai'an rode up hurriedly, covered in blood, his face somewhat grave.

Before his warhorse had even come to a complete stop, he dismounted and hurried over:

"My lord, please come and see for yourself."

"What's wrong?" Lu Yunyi asked, looking puzzled.

"My subordinates discovered grain from Liaodong in the granary."

"what?"

Lu Yunyi's brows furrowed instantly.

He quickly recalled the intelligence report about the military camp's blatant imitation, and pondered something.
Before long, the group arrived at the granary located on the east side of the camp.
It was very similar to the granaries built by the Ming dynasty.
A cylindrical building, densely packed with bags of grain and fodder.

Soldiers had already begun carrying things out.
There were also several burlap sacks that had been cut open, revealing rice and millet inside.

Lu Yunyi frowned, stepped forward, grabbed a handful, and let out a soft chuckle:
"It's really strange, using our military system and eating our fine rice."
Are these the elite Jurchen troops or the elite troops of our Great Ming Dynasty?

Although the voice carried a hint of laughter, everyone present sensed the chill beneath it.

He quickly lowered his head and started working, not daring to look up.

"How much is there?" Lu Yunyi asked, looking at the granary ahead.

"Reporting to my lord, based on a rough estimate of the size and weight of the grain, the granary in front of us is enough to feed a thousand people for a month."

The clerk, Yao Tongchen, answered with a solemn expression, handing over the documents in his hand.

Lu Yunyi did not take it, but instead looked at the two granaries to the side:

"What about those two?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, one is soybeans and the other is red beans."

There is also some horse feed, enough to feed three thousand warhorses for a month.

The other is flour, enough to feed two thousand people for a month.

The coldness in Lu Yunyi's eyes grew even more pronounced, and a mocking smile twitched at the corner of his mouth:
"How come these Jurchens are richer than us?"

We scrimped and saved along the way, and even had to rob people to barely make ends meet.
"Does their entire camp have that much grain?"

No one answered this question.

The issues involved were things they dared not think about deeply, and some were even terrifying to contemplate.

Zhang Huai'an stood to the side, his face extremely solemn.

For some reason, he thought of what his father had once told him.
In their struggle for power and profit, they often resort to any means necessary, and are capable of doing the dirtiest things.

Currently, both the military system and the provisions seem to point to one answer.
These Jurchens had the support of the Ming dynasty, and the support was considerable.

"Alright, stop standing there, hurry up and clean up the battlefield, send out the scouts, and find the next camp."

"I refuse to believe that these Jurchens can't be wiped out!"

Lu Yunyi waved his hand, breaking the dull atmosphere.

Before leaving, he instructed Yao Tongchen to record all the grain in a register.
Then we lit a fire and cooked a meal, and everyone had a big feast!
This made many soldiers who were rummaging through and counting grain in the granary purse their lips and rub their hungry bellies.

There are quite a few good things in the camp right now.

The scouts, having received orders, set off immediately to continue their exploration to the east.

At the gate of the Eastern Camp, Qin Yuanfang looked at the dozen or so sickly brothers around him.
He smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a heavy money bag.

He stood at the door, greeting a dozen or so people:
"Come here, all of you. Look more awake! You all look like you haven't slept yet."

The group gathered around, exhausted.
Qin Yuanfang took out a handful of gold beans from his money pouch and placed them in front of him:
"Here, two for each of you, to brighten your spirits."

More than a dozen gazes pierced over like sharp swords.
My mind was blank, but my feet were already moving quickly towards you.
They huddled together, staring at the golden beans in their hands, each bigger than a soybean.

"Sir, where did this come from?"

"These are given by the adults; each person can take two, no more."

To be fair, these Jurchen people were indeed easily defeated.
But they're really quite wealthy; they found a small box full of these gold nuggets.

"A box?"

The soldiers stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend how much money this was.

Qin Yuanfang smiled and began to gesture:
"It's not very big, just... about the size of a jewelry box?"

"Sir, that's quite a lot, several thousand taels!" A soldier who had worked in the mines said quickly.

Qin Yuanfang smiled mysteriously and pointed to the camp behind them:
"The master gave us the whole box; we'll divide it up after everything's done."

"hiss--"

A series of gasps of astonishment rang out.

"Sir, is it true?"

Seeing that they had all taken their money, Qin Yuanfang smiled and put away the money pouch, cursing:

"Nonsense, the adults have already said that if you don't have money, who would do it to suffer in this freezing weather?"
We are different from other armies.
"We need to fight a good war, and we can't skimp on money, right?"

"Yes!"

The soldiers immediately came to their senses, excitedly donned their helmets, and moved much faster.

"Damn it, all they care about is money!"

Qin Yuanfang cursed, and then said:

"Remember, we can only be well if Da Ning is well. Anyone who makes Da Ning not well, we'll kill them."

"Yes! Kill him!!"

(End of this chapter)