Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 713 Thunder Cannon Destroys Thousands of Troops

"That's a cannon!"

"This is the cannon that Commander-in-Chief was talking about!"

"This is the God of War that Commander-in-Chief spoke of, the God of War!"

He Zizheng picked at his ear with his little finger while watching the frenzied gunners on the deck and marveling at them.

So, every time this cannon fires a shot, a shaman has to perform a ritual?!

Is it so magical?

Zhao Baiying was furious. He stepped forward and kicked the gunner to the ground, yelling, "Huang Er, you son of a bitch! Where did you fire that shot?! You managed to send it flying off such a huge city wall, and you still have the nerve to take a month's salary of fifteen strings of cash?!"

After being kicked, Huang Er finally came to his senses from his frenzy, and his eyes cleared. He chuckled and said, "Manager Zhao, we only tested a few shots on land. Who would have thought the sea would be so rough?! But don't worry, Manager Zhao, the next few shots will be fine."

Zhao Baiying was even more furious upon hearing this: "Huang Er, you made a mistake, so what! And you're trying to pin the blame on Hailangda? The other two ships have already hit the city walls! Let me tell you, if you keep trying to fool me, do you really think I, the head of the Firearms Department, can't kill people?! Now, fire the cannons immediately!"

Huang Er dared not say anything more and quickly got to work.

Zhao Baiying's anger at this moment was not without reason.

The development of the cannon began after the successful development of gunpowder explosion.

This is only natural. As a time traveler, since you are going to conquer the world, wouldn't it be reasonable not to build cannons?

However, even though Liu Huai was somewhat prepared, various difficulties still arose when he actually started the research and development.

One of the most significant issues is the use of materials. If the cannon is made lighter and the barrel walls are made thinner while still maintaining its power, it will not be able to withstand the explosive combustion of gunpowder. On the other hand, if the goal is to make a very safe cannon that will not explode, then the weight of the cannon will be astonishingly heavy.

Liu Huai was completely of no help in this regard.

He could only direct the direction of military development, but he lacked the knowledge to forge cannons. In the end, he could only offer high rewards and even official titles to incentivize the craftsmen to overcome the difficulties.

Persistence pays off. After a series of failures, the craftsmen used the technique of iron-clad copper to create the first generation of cannons weighing 4,000 jin (approximately 2,000 kg).

In Liu Huai's opinion, this thing was far too heavy and could not be used for rapid maneuvering at all.

The Han army's organizational strategy was to coordinate political and strategic offensives to force the enemy to engage in a decisive battle with their main forces. This meant that the Han army had to have a certain degree of strategic and tactical mobility.

The Han army trained children from the guard posts to practice drills for this very purpose.

Dragging a 4,000-pound iron lump, it was difficult to march even on ordinary official roads. If it rained and the roads became muddy, it would be impossible to save an old house that caught fire.

If we follow Liu Huai's idea, the most suitable weapons for the Han army at this time would be the Napoleon cannons, namely the twelve-pound, eight-pound, and six-pound cannons.

The six-pound cannon weighed over 700 jin (approximately 350 kg), which was quite heavy, but it was still enough to be pulled around by two horse-drawn carriages.

However, this was the first generation of cannons for the Han army, or rather, for the world. Without using them, there was no way to upgrade them. Therefore, Liu Huai had no choice but to bite the bullet and allocate some more funds to cast a total of eight cannons. He also selected loyal and clever soldiers to train the first batch of gunners.

There are still many smart people in Shandong.

After high-ranking officials in Shandong witnessed the secret drills of the newly established artillery unit, these astute individuals immediately realized that while the cannons were powerful and easy to maintain, their weakness lay in their excessive weight, making them even more difficult to move, especially considering the gunpowder barrels and shells.

However, if these cannons were placed on ships and maneuvered by warships, these difficulties could be immediately resolved.

Although this greatly limits the scope of artillery's effectiveness, it is still much better than using it as a defensive weapon.

At this point, the matter seemed to have been perfectly resolved.

However, high-ranking officials in Shandong almost unanimously opposed assigning the cannons to He Zizhen, the maritime admiral.

There's no need to elaborate on the various high-sounding reasons, but the key point is that He Zizhen's navy already has a high degree of self-control. If he were to be given such incredible weaponry, all the coastal cities would be doomed if He Zizhen were to rebel one day.

Even He Boqiu himself expressed his opposition.

He also hoped that his beloved son could die peacefully!

Liu Huai's handling of this matter can be described as that of a master of impartiality.

He followed his subordinates' advice and assigned four cannons to the Dongping Army's river fleet, while assigning another four cannons to He Zizheng's fleet, which was about to carry out a surprise attack, to show that his trust in the He family father and son had not diminished.

As the newly appointed Director of the Firearms Department, Zhao Baiying could not possibly miss the first battle with artillery.

But what he didn't expect was that the Firearms Department had built a total of eight cannons, and before they had even seen a single battle, one of them sank to the bottom of the sea when the ship ran aground. How could this not cause Zhao Baiying excruciating heartache?
Especially now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, it is extremely shameful that the gunners they have trained for so long could not even hit such a large city wall, with the shells flying directly past the parapet.

Given the two results combined, it's no wonder Zhao Baiying was furious.

Of course, for Wanyan Saohe, being able to achieve the first victory since the invention of the cannon and be remembered in history was enough to make him feel extremely gratified and able to die with a smile on his face.

He Zizheng ignored Zhao Baiying's complicated thoughts. He looked out at the chaotic city walls and immediately ordered the flags to be raised and the signal given.

Upon seeing the signal, the strange cavalrymen carrying slingshots on the official road immediately charged towards the city wall on a motley collection of livestock, including oxen, horses, mules, and donkeys.

At this time, the Jin army was in complete chaos. The garrison troops were not the elite of the Jin army to begin with, and a large number of conscripted soldiers were mixed in on the city wall. When they felt the tremors under their feet and heard the rumbling thunder in the distance, they thought that the Dragon King was about to be angry and bring disaster. Their panic and fear were impossible to suppress.

Those who knelt down and kowtowed were considered to be in better shape. The soldiers near Wanyan Saohe were covered in blood and limbs, and they ran wildly like madmen, causing the unsuspecting Jin soldiers to scatter and flee.

The Han army crossed the long-neglected moat with almost no resistance and set up ladders on the city walls.

The Han army that first stormed the city was originally prepared for a bloody battle, but when they saw the chaotic state of the city walls, they didn't bother to chase after the fleeing soldiers. They went down the stairs and easily scattered the dozen or so Jin soldiers at the city gate, opening the city gate from the inside.

"Those who surrender will be spared death! Those who surrender will be spared death!"

More than a hundred Han soldiers swarmed in, shouting various slogans as they began to quell the chaos.

After the large "Gold" flag on the city wall was pulled down and the "Han" flag was raised, He Zizheng finally gave the order: "Cease fire! Cease fire! Let's save some gunpowder!"

"Stop!" Zhao Baiying raised a black flag and shook it vigorously.

After the gunners on the other two warships stopped firing, Zhao Baiying wiped the sweat from her brow and grinned at He Zizheng, "How was it?"

He Zizheng had a lot to say and many opinions to raise, but he held back for the moment: "We'll discuss it together at the military council after this battle and submit a written document."

Zhao Baiying had been working in the Han army for over a year and naturally knew that the Han army had a complete set of rules and regulations. After hearing this, he could only nod repeatedly.

"Old Zheng!" He Zizheng said to a middle-aged scholar who was vomiting profusely, while directing his soldiers to board small boats and dock to seize the city. "After we take Fuzhou, we'll be counting on you, Old Zheng."

Although Zheng Fasan was terribly seasick, upon hearing this, he still clung to the mast and said in a thick Liaodong accent, "General, you can rest assured that I will not interfere with your affairs."

Zheng Fasan, whose original name was Gulijia Fasan, was a genuine Jurchen.

However, unlike ordinary Jurchens, he was a "cultivated" Jurchen during the Liao Dynasty, engaging in the trade of gyrfalcons, pearls, and furs between the wild people of Changbai Mountain and nobles of the Liao Dynasty.

After the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, Zheng Fasan and his family transformed into local officials of the Jin Dynasty. Zheng Fasan, in particular, became a minor official in Liaodong because of his literary skills.

Logically speaking, these people are the core of the Jin Dynasty. Unless Liu Huai marches all the way to Liaodong, the Han army will have no dealings with them.

But as the saying goes, we were never meant to be, it was all because of Wanyan Liang's meddling. This fellow was indeed a great statesman on par with Emperor Yang of Sui. He relocated the Meng'an and Mouke households in Liaodong to the Central Plains, and Zheng Fasan could not escape this fate either.

Zheng Fasan, this unlucky fellow, did not actually do anything evil. He had just arrived in Shandong when he encountered the Kaishan Zhao Uprising, which caused heavy losses to the Meng'an Mouke households, and Zheng Fasan was terrified.

Although the Kaishan Zhao regime was suppressed, it was impossible to expect the Jin government to provide relief given its limited civil administration capabilities.

Therefore, Zheng Fasan impersonated a Han Chinese from Liaodong and wandered around with a group of Han Chinese refugees until Wei Sheng led the Northern Expeditionary Army to pacify Shandong. Only then did he receive land, form a village, and settle down.

Zheng Fasangeng became one of the first legal officials in the Loyal Army because he was literate.

When the first imperial examination was held in Shandong, Zheng Fasan immediately realized that this was a good opportunity and achieved a score of twenty-third, and was recruited into the Jiedushi's office as a judge.

This opportunity to follow the fleet back to his hometown was one that Zheng Fasan had long dreamed of, and for this reason, he came to Liaodong as an accompanying civil official.

Liu Huai even gave Zheng Fasan a blank official appointment document and made him a promise.

After capturing Fuzhou, Zheng Fasan became its prefect.

After conquering Hesuguan Road, he became the Pacification Commissioner.

He conquered Helan Road and became the military commissioner.

In short, Liu Huai promised Zheng Fasan the position of head of the civil officials in the newly acquired territory. How much territory they could conquer depended on how much of a snowball Zheng Fasan and He Zizheng could snowball with their three thousand Han soldiers.

"General He, don't worry!" After vomiting another mouthful of sour water, Zheng Fasan patted his chest and said, "I know this wretched place, Fuzhou, very well. If I can't muster five thousand men within half a month, you can cut off my head!"

(End of this chapter)