My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

However, considering that artillery is ultimately unpredictable and the number of casualties among the peasant army after a single bombardment is hard to estimate, Zhu Cilang did not intend to use artillery.

In addition, there was another reason: he was afraid of frightening Li Zicheng. If Li Zicheng was afraid of the cannons and dared not approach, it would affect the plan that Zhu Cilang had made.

After all, flintlock muskets have a limited range, so both sides have to close the distance!

However, just now, Zhu Cilang changed his mind and ordered the cannons to be brought out.

After all, these cannons were transported to Hanzhong from all over the country with great difficulty, so it would be a bit unreasonable not to fire a single shot.

Although we can't directly bombard the peasant army, we can still use it to intimidate people!

When the time comes, just order someone to aim at the open ground ahead and fire. As long as it scares the peasant army, that's fine.

This was not because Zhu Cilang was overly compassionate, but because these people were ultimately just peasants who had risen up in rebellion, not the Jurchens from beyond the Great Wall.

Zhu Cilang always felt a sense of unspeakable guilt towards them.

If it weren't for the numerous problems plaguing the Zhu family's empire, the corruption in the government, and the successive natural and man-made disasters, the people would not be in such a predicament.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang only hoped to minimize the number of deaths in this battle.

At the same time, Li Dingguo, who had just returned, also immediately noticed something was wrong.

Before he left, the battlefield was completely empty, with not a single cannon in sight.

But what he saw before him took him by surprise. Countless cannons were lined up neatly in front of the formation, like a pack of lurking beasts, exuding a chilling aura.

A rough count revealed that there were over a hundred cannons, and every single one was fully loaded, its muzzle a dark, gaping hole, as if ready to destroy everything at any moment!
A sudden chill ran through Li Dingguo's heart, and an ominous premonition surged into his mind.

It should be noted that at the very beginning, Zhu Cilang had said that artillery would not be used in this operation.

The reason is simple: firstly, the peasant army didn't have any large artillery pieces, so they couldn't threaten them.

Secondly, artillery has a very large kill radius. Once fired, the overwhelming barrage makes it impossible to control accurately, inevitably causing harm to innocent people.

But now it seems that Zhu Cilang has changed his mind?
Even so, Li Dingguo couldn't say anything more at this moment.

After all, he had just failed to persuade Li Zicheng to surrender, and he really had no face to care about what Zhu Cilang was going to do to the peasant army.

Thinking of this, he could only sigh silently, then spurred his warhorse and headed towards Zhu Cilang's location.

Before long, Li Dingguo returned to Zhu Cilang's side.

Zhu Cilang sat quietly on his horse, his gaze fixed intently on the direction of the peasant army, as if deep in thought.

Only when Li Dingguo approached did Zhu Cilang slowly turn his head to look at Li Dingguo, and then said:
"It seems your attempt to persuade them to surrender has failed."

His tone was calm and confident, as if everything was within his expectations.

Li Dingguo gave a wry smile and nodded helplessly, saying:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince guessed correctly. Li Zicheng did not believe what I said and thought I was deceiving him."

His voice carried a hint of disappointment and helplessness, after all, he had originally gone to persuade the enemy to surrender with all his heart, hoping to avoid this unnecessary bloodshed.

Ultimately, it still failed!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang did not speak immediately, but looked ahead again, his eyes revealing a firmness and determination.

Whether Li Zicheng believed Li Dingguo or not, this war was already unavoidable, since Li Zicheng would never surrender under any circumstances!
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang's gaze sharpened, and then he looked at Liu Jiayin, the Sichuan General, who was standing beside him, and said in a calm tone:

"let's start."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with undeniable authority.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiayin's expression immediately turned serious, and he clasped his hands in a fist and said:
"I obey!"

After saying this, he gave the order to fire the cannon without hesitation to the messenger!

Immediately afterwards, the artillerymen at the forefront sprang into action.

They skillfully began to ignite the cannons, their movements showing no sign of panic.

next second.

"Boom boom boom boom boom"

A tremendous cannon blast erupted instantly, the sound deafening, as if it were tearing the entire world apart.

Bolts of fire shot from the cannons, carrying destructive power, heading straight for the peasant army.

When the peasant army, which was launching an attack, saw this scene from afar, they were all taken aback and their movements became sluggish.

Their eyes were filled with fear and panic, as if they saw death beckoning to them.

After all, artillery is a deadly weapon!
At the same time, Li Zicheng felt a chill run down his spine.

He actually had artillery, but because he had melted down all the heavy artillery before, all that was left were some short-range cannons, which were useless at this distance, so he didn't bother using them.

Unexpectedly, he was the first to use artillery on the Ming army's side.

However, he quickly calmed down. After all, he had over 100,000 men on his side, and even the most powerful artillery couldn't kill many.

As long as they can get close to the Ming army, hundreds of thousands of them can then press forward and completely surround and annihilate the Ming army!

Moreover, he was in the very center of the formation, surrounded by layers of soldiers, so no artillery could reach him, and there was even less to worry about.

Thinking of this, Li Zicheng felt a little more at ease.

Then he suddenly swung his long sword and shouted:
"Keep moving forward! Don't be intimidated by their artillery fire!"

Under his command, the veteran soldiers mustered their courage once again and drove the peasant army forward.

But the next second, something shocking happened!

The cannons that came hurtling in didn't land on the peasant army's ranks; instead, they struck an empty, deserted area in front of them.

Only two bullets hit the peasant army at the very front!

In an instant, dust billowed up on the open ground, and the huge explosion made the ground tremble slightly.

These cannons looked incredibly powerful, but they only injured a few dozen people!

Upon seeing this, Li Zicheng was in high spirits, and a smug smile appeared on his face once again.

At the same time, he thought to himself:
"As expected, this is an army commanded by children. They can't even use cannons properly. It seems I'm destined to win this time." Poor Li Zicheng had no idea that this was all Zhu Cilang's doing!

Based on past experience, those at the forefront are always the peasants from the lowest rungs of society, that is, ordinary peasants.

Most of them were forced to join Li Zicheng's rebellion by the pressures of life, so Zhu Cilang still felt somewhat reluctant to bombard them.

Um.
Zhu Cilang probably forgot that even if these peasant soldiers at the forefront could dodge the artillery fire, they wouldn't be able to escape the flintlock musket fire that followed.
Regardless, although the artillery missed the peasant army, the sheer force and power of the artillery still slowed their advance.

The originally neat formation became somewhat chaotic, but even so, the distance between the two sides was no more than two miles, which translates to about one kilometer!

Upon seeing this scene, Zhu Cilang knew that the time had finally come to truly take action!

The next second, he looked directly at the Tang King, who was already unable to contain himself, and said:
"Uncle Tang, the rest is up to you!"

Upon hearing this, the Tang Emperor solemnly cupped his hands and said:
"Your Highness, rest assured, the Zhu family army will certainly not fail in its mission!"

After saying this, King Tang charged straight to the front lines!

With the order relayed, Zhu's army, standing at the front of the formation, finally began to advance.

The soldiers at the front held shields, and the soldiers behind them lined up in three rows, using a three-stage firing pattern. Their steps were neat, their eyes were firm, and they moved forward steadily step by step.

The rhythmic footsteps sounded like the drumbeats of war, striking a chord in everyone's heart.

When he saw that the Ming army on the other side had finally moved, Li Zicheng, far away in the peasant army's ranks, couldn't help but narrow his eyes, his gaze revealing a hint of vigilance and doubt.

Putting everything else aside, the way the Zhu family army at the very front moved was still very impressive.

Imagine over ten thousand soldiers clad in golden armor charging towards you, their armor gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, like gods descending to earth—the sheer power of that is immense!
And just as he had anticipated, when Zhu's army began its attack, the peasant army's pace slowed down even further, and their already somewhat chaotic formation became even more disorganized.

The peasant soldiers looked at each other, their eyes filled with fear and hesitation.

This inevitably slowed down the overall marching speed.

After all, Li Zicheng always used a combination of infantry and cavalry tactics, so when the infantry slowed down, the cavalry had no choice but to slow down as well.

However, driven by the veteran soldiers, the peasant army at the front gradually regained its previous speed.

However, according to Li Zicheng's plan, the tens of thousands of peasant soldiers at the forefront were expendable and mainly used to hold back the Ming army at the front.

In other words, regardless of whether he wins the battle or not, these people are almost certainly going to die!

But it doesn't matter, because he still has 170,000 men on his side. Even if the tens of thousands at the front die, it won't be a big deal. As long as he defeats the Ming army in front, he can replenish his troops again.

Moreover, the Ming army's combat effectiveness was far superior to that of ordinary peasant armies. In particular, this group of Ming soldiers was most likely from the Beijing Garrison or the Qin Army, making their combat effectiveness even more extraordinary!
Clearly, Li Zicheng was becoming somewhat delirious; he even began to fantasize about absorbing the entire army he was facing after defeating them.
As for Li Dingguo's earlier statement that they had "more than 100,000 Ming troops behind them," it would be a lie to say that Li Zicheng didn't believe it at all.

He knew that whether or not Ming troops were behind him, the outcome would be the same, because he had no other choice but to keep moving forward.

Charge forward, and you'll reach Hanzhong, you'll reach Sichuan, you'll reach the future!
Retreating would mean venturing back into the endless Qinling Mountains, a dead end.

He had no choice at all!
Thinking of this, Li Zicheng's eyes were once again filled with determination and madness!

"Keep advancing! Don't back down! As long as you defeat the Ming army ahead, I will give you whatever you want!"

Driven by Li Zicheng, the veteran soldiers of the supervising force wielded their long swords even more vigorously, driving the peasant army forward.

When they were less than 700 meters away, Li Zicheng's side finally took out the cannons they had brought with them.

Now that the distance is about right, the artillery can hit the other side!
Looking at the cannons, Li Zicheng's eyes revealed a hint of excitement and anticipation; he seemed to already see the Ming army collapsing under the fire.

Moments later, cannonballs whistled through the sky, carrying a powerful force as they flew toward the Ming army's position.

Upon seeing this, the Ming army immediately made adjustments.

Although Zhu Cilang had previously ordered the artillery to be deliberately fired off course to avoid hitting the peasant army, this was on the condition that the peasant army would not use artillery.

But if the enemy also uses artillery, then the Ming army will not hold back!
The next second, the commander in charge of the artillery shouted, cursing:

"That damned Li Zicheng! He even started bombarding us with cannons! Does he really think we're fools?!"

"Give me a good beating, don't hold back anymore, kill as many as you can!"

Upon hearing this, the artillerymen immediately sprang into action, skillfully adjusting the angle of their cannons and carefully aiming at the target.

Immediately afterwards, countless cannons were fired!

"Boom boom boom boom boom"

In an instant, the sound of cannons roared, and the huge explosions were so loud that they hurt people's ears.

Moreover, this time was very different from before. More than a hundred shells came whistling in and almost all of them hit the peasant army, causing hundreds of casualties in an instant!
In an instant, dust billowed and blood splattered on the peasant army's side, with screams and cries mingling together, creating a scene resembling a living hell.

Upon witnessing this scene, the peasant army once again became agitated.

The peasant soldiers in front scattered in terror, making their already chaotic formation even more disorganized.

Faced with this sudden barrage of artillery fire, Li Zicheng and his men were somewhat puzzled.

How come I missed just now, but I hit it now?

But they soon stopped caring, because the peasant soldiers at the front were terrified by the artillery fire. Some even turned to run away, only to be immediately killed by the supervising soldiers next to them!

The supervising team shouted loudly as they chopped people down:
"Anyone who dares to retreat will die! Charge forward!"

Driven by them, the peasant army, though filled with fear, had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue charging forward.

The artillery fire continued, but at this point, Zhu's army had stopped advancing.

The soldiers at the head of the group linked their shields together, forming a tight defensive line.

The soldiers behind him had already loaded their bullets; their expressions were focused, their eyes were firm, and they were ready to fire at any moment.

Facing the artillery fire hurtling overhead, they remained motionless, like sitting ducks.

Although it seems silly, there's no other way.

Because at such a moment, if someone were to flee to avoid artillery fire, it would trigger a chain reaction, causing the entire unit to collapse. Therefore, they had no choice but to withstand the artillery fire!
Fortunately, the peasant army's artillery was still inferior; its range and power were no match for the Ming army's artillery.

Therefore, the Ming army suffered very few casualties, with only a few soldiers being cut by shrapnel from cannonballs, but none of them were seriously injured.

On the other hand, the peasant army had already suffered thousands killed or wounded by the Ming army's artillery fire! (End of Chapter)