There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 296 There's a Way Only When You're Alive
Li Fenghan personally led an army of 100,000 south, and of course, he couldn't have left without the red-coated cannons, a deadly weapon on the battlefield.

Despite their fear, the Qing artillerymen gradually pushed the red-coated cannons, which had been sitting idle for months, out of their tents.

As soon as the red-coated cannon was brought out, Wang Bing and Chen Anbang knew they were in trouble.

The reason is simple: the cannons have all rusted!
The Qing army's cannons were made of iron because of poor craftsmanship and the high cost of casting cannons. They were very prone to rust if not properly maintained.

The Qing army had never used the cannons since they were brought here; they just sat in the camp gathering dust.

After months of exposure to wind, sun, rain, and snow, the cannon barrels were severely rusted, and even the cores were in a terrible state.

Although Li Fenghan didn't understand firearms, he could tell just by looking at it that the cannon was poorly maintained and was so rusty that it was almost unusable.

In a fit of rage, Li Fenghan executed several officers guarding the cannons on the spot. He then ordered the gunners to immediately clean up the cannons, declaring that if anyone delayed the battle, the entire battalion would be held accountable.

Under the threat of having their entire battalion beheaded, the Qing artillerymen moved noticeably faster.

"boom!"

Within minutes, one of the red-coated cannons was the first to test fire.

A tremendous cannon shot boomed, and a shell flew directly across the open space between the two armies, striking the Han army's formation.

The Qing army's red-coated cannons may not have been as powerful as the Han army's cannons, but they could bounce, and when they bounced, the solid cannonballs were incredibly lethal.

Two Han soldiers with long spears were the first to meet their doom, their chests smashed open by the cannonball, and they died instantly. After killing the two Han soldiers, the cannonball continued to bounce, killing two more Han soldiers and seriously wounding three others.

A single cannonball fired by the Qing army killed seven Han soldiers.

The casualties weren't too great, but the visual impact was too strong. The Han soldiers were also human, and as humans, they would subconsciously feel fear.

Fortunately, the Han army had civil instructors. Yang Fang had originally planned to place the civil instructors in Meijia Island before the battle, as it was relatively safe there.

However, several cultural instructors, including Yang Fang's staff officer Xia Yongqian, all insisted on following the army across the river.

Yang Fang couldn't persuade them otherwise, so she simply let them have their way.

As it turned out, his decision was correct. As soon as the morale of the Han soldiers wavered, the accompanying instructors immediately stepped in to appease them.

"Don't be afraid, this is just one of the Qing dogs' shells. We have cannons too. The Qing dogs' shells have already killed our brothers and comrades. We must avenge them and not let them sacrifice in vain. If the Qing dogs escape today, they will come back with a vengeance in the future, and we will lose even more brothers and comrades. Even our fellow villagers, their families, wives and children may die!"

"Shout with me: Kill the Qing dogs! Victory to the Han Dynasty! Victory to the King of Han!"

"The great man is victorious!"

"May the King of Han be victorious!"

"May the King of Han be victorious!"

The morale of the Han army, which had just been shaken by the Qing army's cannons, was instantly boosted again, and they regrouped to prepare for battle.

These changes weren't particularly rapid, but to Li Fenghan and his group, they were especially terrifying.

It's not surprising that the morale of the army was low and some measures were taken to boost it. But it's simply unimaginable that the Han traitors could pull back morale without killing anyone or spending any money, relying solely on a few instructors to shout a few words.

Especially with Li Fenghan's telescope, he couldn't see many details, but he could see that the Han army's morale was initially low, but then suddenly soared.

No, why?
That's a red-coated cannon!

Li Fenghan was both furious and terrified, and hurriedly ordered, "Fire! Fire! ...cough cough!"

"Boom boom boom!"

The cannons roared, but it wasn't the Qing army that fired; it was the Han army that fired first.

Fifteen cannons fired a salvo.

This time the accuracy was much better; seven shells hit the wooden wall of the camp.

The wooden wall in front was completely ineffective, riddled with holes and punctures from the shells.

The wooden walls of the camp were no longer a defensive structure.

"Boom boom boom!"

The Qing army finally opened fire.

The Qing army had far more cannons, a total of thirty-two, more than double the number of the Han army's cannons.

The accuracy rate is just too low to be accurate.

Thirty-two cannons were not aimed at all, and there were even five duds (the dud rate of Qing Dynasty official firearms was as high as 20%).

They only heard a bang, and the Han army even lay down to avoid it in advance, but the shell didn't land.

"See? The Qing dogs just got lucky. Their cannons are garbage!" Instructor Wen got up from the ground and deliberately mocked them.

Hearing this, the surrounding Han soldiers indeed felt much more relaxed.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Instructor Wen shouted loudly, "Victory to the Great Han! Kill the Qing dogs, capture the corrupt officials alive, and comfort the spirits of our fallen brothers and comrades in heaven!" "Kill the Qing dogs!"

"The great man is victorious!"

Seeing that the morale of the troops was greatly boosted, Yang Fang no longer hesitated and seized the opportunity to draw his sword and order: "All troops, advance! Raze the Qing dog camp to the ground!"

After a series of probing attempts, Yang Fang had figured out the true strength and weaknesses of the Qing army.

The morale of the Qing army was almost completely lost, and its combat strength was negligible. Even the red-coated cannons that the Qing army relied on were no different from larger fire sticks.

What's the use of a red-coated cannon that can't hit its target?
Yang Fang had previously been slowly wearing down the Qing army without deploying troops, but now that he has mobilized his forces, he is launching a full-scale attack.

The wooden fence surrounding the Qing army camp had been almost completely destroyed by several rounds of artillery bombardment, making it virtually possible to break through.

Standing on the high tower, watching the Han army advance rapidly, Li Fenghan finally panicked and hurriedly turned to Wang Bing and Chen Anbang: "Gentlemen, the Han traitors are attacking, how should our army respond?"

"..."

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang looked at each other, almost cursing.

They didn't say anything before, so we just pretended they didn't exist and kept giving orders blindly. Now that we can't fight anymore, we finally come to ask them for help.

Wang Bing thought for a moment and then said, "Our firearms are evenly matched with those of the Han traitors. Now that the Han traitors have taken the initiative to attack, we still have 40,000 troops. 40,000 against 6,000, the advantage is on our side!"

"This humble general seconds it," Chen Anbang replied, bowing slightly.

Li Fenghan nodded: "Alright, then I hereby grant you full authority to command the troops. You must encircle and annihilate these Han traitors!"

"Yes."

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang bowed together.

The moment they lowered their heads, their eyes flickered with a hidden light, as if they harbored other thoughts.

The Han army advanced very quickly. Although it only had 6,000 troops, it managed to divide into three groups, forming a pincer movement from the east, west, and south.

The northern route was left empty; that was the Balijiang Wharf, which had already been captured by the Han navy.

If the Qing army fled north, they would run into the Han army's naval fleet and would have no way to escape.

Before long, all the wooden gates of the Qing army camp were opened, and more than 40,000 Qing soldiers left the camp in batches, causing congestion as they left.

Many local militiamen and laborers fled as soon as they left the camp, and the officers in charge of guarding them could not stop them.

"The Qing dynasty's defeat is inevitable!"

"Pass on my order: Form ranks and advance!"

Six thousand Han soldiers, in extremely orderly formations, advanced unhurriedly toward the Qing army camp.

"The traitors are here! Run, everyone!"

"The Han traitors number ten thousand; we can't defeat them."

When they faced the Han army up close, their formation, even more disciplined than the personal guards of the general, stunned the Qing soldiers of the Green Standard Army. Their morale long since eroded, the Qing soldiers had no courage to fight and fled in panic.

Their escape quickly triggered a chain reaction. The Qing troops, who were already leaving the camp in batches, were now experiencing massive congestion, and some of them were running away haphazardly, shouting as they fled.

The Qing army camp was thrown into chaos. The Qing soldiers inside thought they had been defeated and were anxious and panicked.

The Qing troops outside were only concerned with their own escape and had no regard for their comrades and allies.

The local militia and laborers were even more decisive. If the Qing army didn't run, they would run; if the Qing army did run, they would run even faster, charging around recklessly.

Wang Bing and Chen Anbang stood there dumbfounded, completely unaware of what had happened. They had both come out to fight, with over 40,000 men compared to just over 6,000 Han soldiers. Yet, their army had barely left the camp, and before the battle even began, their own forces had collapsed.

Is this how war can be fought?

Chen Anbang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Men, retreat north with this town!"

No sooner had he shouted than he yanked the reins and whipped his horse, galloping away from the battlefield in a flash.

Behind them were more than a hundred garrison guards, who fled north together, because they all had horses. The remaining thousand or so garrison guards were all infantry, and they couldn't run fast without horses.

Wang Bing was stunned. Chen Anbang was too ruthless. He was willing to give up more than a thousand town tokens just to save his own life.

then……

He ran away too.

If Chen Anbang, a Han general, dared to run away, then of course he, the commander of the Han Eight Banners, would also dare to run away.

If all else fails, we can just shift the blame!
Li Fenghan figured he couldn't escape, so they shifted the blame to him, saying that Li Fenghan's military tactics were terrible, leading to the annihilation of the entire army, and that they themselves had managed to break through and escape.

Whether he can deceive the imperial court and the retired emperor is not important; the key is that he must live now. Only by living can he have a chance, and only by living can he find a way.

(End of this chapter)