Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 163 The Battle of Dongchang Prefecture (Part 1)

'ton ton ton~'

He chugged a can of Red Bull in one go and then tossed the can away.

Lin Dao picked out one of the walkie-talkies from a pile of them, looking at the labels on the labels.

"Your position should be moved fifty to fifty feet to the left!"

He yelled at the top of his lungs, "There's a gap on the left, go and plug it!"

He then picked out another walkie-talkie and said, "Guihai Camp? How long are you going to rest? I'm giving you one last quarter of an hour to regroup, then immediately go to fill the gaps fifty zhang behind Guimao Camp!"

Using drones to monitor the battlefield and walkie-talkies to command operations is a truly unique phenomenon in the Ming Dynasty.

The battlefield is too large; we can't keep up. We really can't keep up.

Lin Dao hurriedly brought down the monitoring drone that was hovering over the battlefield, and his guards rushed forward to quickly and skillfully change the battery.

'Rumble~~~'

On the central line, artillery battalions on both sides were exchanging fire.

The artillerymen that Kong Youde brought to Liaodong were indeed of very high quality.

These elite troops, trained by Francois instructors hired by Sun Yuanhua at great expense, managed to set up their artillery and engage in a firefight despite the impact of drones and artillery bombardment.

A blazing, round cannonball was fired, flying more than a mile before landing in the dense ranks of the rebel army.

In an instant, a bloody path was ploughed out!
Soldiers along the way were either killed or wounded!

Even those clad in fine lamellar armor are no different from paper in the face of such firearms.

The surrounding area was clearly in disarray, with many people even turning pale and vomiting.

The officers shouted and cursed, punching and kicking to keep everyone still and prevent them from moving.

At the same time, military discipline was emphasized again.

"Anyone found deserting will be executed on the spot!"

"All fields, houses, and property bestowed upon the family are confiscated!"

"No member of a family for three generations may serve in the military or take civil service examinations!"

"Stand still, dead people fall face up, nothing to be afraid of!"

'Thump~~~'

Another shell flew over.

This time, the amount of gunpowder may have been insufficient, and it landed more than ten zhang away from the army formation.

With the added kinetic energy, the shells bounced up as they smashed through the mud, then surged forward into the enemy ranks.

He broke his leg, broke his arm, and shattered his body.

Any carbon-based life form that isn't wearing Astartes power armor will shatter wherever it hits its target.

It will only stop when its kinetic energy is exhausted.

What was left on the ground was a clearly deformed and twisted piece, covered in a bloody mess.

The auxiliary soldiers rushed forward and carried away the wounded and dead soldiers on stretchers.

The wounded were sent to the medical camp, while the dead were gathered together and their identities were recorded by a special clerk.

Other officers arranged for armored auxiliary soldiers to step forward and fill the vacancies.

It is clear that the morale of the central army was affected to some extent after being shelled.

However, because the threshold is very high, it can still hold on.

The surveillance drones have taken to the skies again.

Seeing the Tartar cannons flashing with fire and smoke rising from their muzzles, one could see that the Tartar cannons were constantly firing.

Lin Dao picked up the walkie-talkie labeled "Artillery Battalion" and said, "What are you doing? Bomb all the artillery on the other side!"

Shooting cannons is not as simple as you might imagine.

Especially smoothbore cannons, which are actually not very accurate.

It's fine for bombarding dense military formations, but when it comes to bombarding specific points, the difficulty immediately skyrockets.

Feeling the pressure from the commander-in-chief, the artillery battalion under temporary command felt their scalp tingle.

He also shouted angrily, "Stop playing one-on-one!"

"Proceed in groups!"

"Four gates in a group, bombarding the same target simultaneously."

The suicide drone took off again, circled twice in the air, and then swooped down towards a red-coated cannon.

"Shoot! Shoot that strange bird down!"

Kong Youde, brandishing his sword, roared as he gave the order.

Those with bows and arrows shot arrows, and those with muskets simply fired them into the sky.

They had long sensed the terror emanating from the strange bird in the sky.

When you fly high, there's really nothing you can do.

But once it swoops down, it really wants to throw all the swords and spears in its hands into the sky and smash the strange bird down.

Perhaps it was a quantitative change that led to a qualitative change, or perhaps it was just a stroke of incredible luck.

It's unclear whether the swooping drone was hit by an arrow or a musket.

It lost control, tumbled and rolled down, and landed a little distance from the gun position.

In the midst of the deafening explosion, flying debris swept over a dozen bondservants and Manchu Han soldiers.

But at least the red-clad cannon that was chosen is still intact.

Kong Youde breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure from those strange birds in the sky is immense.

When they fly high, they're out of reach; when they come down, they're too fast, so hitting them is all down luck.

Even more terrifying is that it will explode upon landing!
Its power was like a gunpowder depot exploding, beyond human capability.

He had just taken off his water bottle, wanting to get a drink.

My keen ears heard a buzzing sound coming from the sky again.

The kettle fell to the ground, and Kong Youde let out a wail.

"How come there are so many!?"

At this point, the left and right flanks of both sides had already engaged in battle, but the central army had formed a huge circle, with the main force being the artillery on both sides exchanging fire.

"Sweat!"

Dorgon, who had previously escaped a calamity, rode up and asked, "Should we send a signal to the Grand Prince to send troops?"

"The enemy formation has not moved."

Huang Taiji shook his head. "It's not the right time yet."

The numerous horns around them all looked up at the sky with tense expressions.

Those exploding birds are terrifying.

"Go tell Dodo and Jirgalang," Huang Taiji said calmly to Dorgon. "Tell them to send their troops in, defeat the enemy, and force them to transfer their reserves."

"The same goes for your end."

"You and Shuo Tuo should also send troops to the right flank to put pressure on them and force their troops out!"

"Remember, let the Han Banner Army and the Mongol tribes go first!"

Dorgon accepted the order and left. Most of the Eight Banners cavalry were not present; instead, Hauge commanded mobile ambush forces in the distance.

Waiting for the signal, they charged straight towards the rear of the forest road.

This is also a tactic often used by Huang Taiji.

Lin Dao still has many troops in the rear that have not yet been deployed. Huang Taiji must intensify his offensive to force them out and create opportunities for Hauge.

'Pooh! ’

After Dorgon left, Huang Taiji spat out a piece of ginseng.

He took the teacup handed to him by the person next to him and drank the ginseng soup in one gulp.

He took a breath and then put a piece of ginseng in his mouth.

"Wow, that's a lot of sweat!"

Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, and the others standing to the side all wore expressions of grief.

Using ginseng to prolong life—once the effects wear off, then... well, that's it!
"No need to say anything more."

Huang Taiji, his face flushed, waved his hand and said, "In this battle, victory is a must, defeat is not an option!"

The Jurchens cannot afford to lose!
For them, once they lose a major battle, there is no chance of ever turning the tide!
Once the main force is lost, there is no need for the Ming Dynasty to intervene.

Those Han Chinese bannermen, Mongol tribes, and Koreans would rush over and tear them to shreds!

Only by constantly achieving victory on the battlefield can one survive.

Lin Dao opened another can of Red Bull.

His eyes were red, and his throat felt like it was on fire.

A major battle of this scale is truly beyond the command capabilities of ordinary people.

The mental strain is too great, as is the strain on the vocal cords and the pressure on the bladder.

He got up and went to the side of the viewing platform, where he publicly retaliated by throwing the game.

There aren't many rules on the battlefield; nobody cares about these things.

It shook, and then shook again.

He turned around, sat back down on the stool, picked up the drone control panel, and took off again.

"I'd like to see how many cannons you have!"

Lin Dao was also determined to wipe out the Tartar artillery battalion.

The drones were taking off one after another, and they crashed into each other.

With these artillery pieces present, it's difficult for the 100-ton king in the forest to be used.

Meanwhile, the battle on both flanks of both sides entered a heated phase.

"Your Highness~~~"

A man in vest stepped forward and handed over a hideous severed head. "Liu Liangzuo has been beheaded!"

"it is good."

Dodo nodded. "Your merits will be recorded, and the Great Khan will reward you with half of your future."

Liu Liangzuo was at least a general, but to the Tartars, he was only worth half a future.

Lin Dao's net worth is much higher.

He was captured by the Tartars and granted the title of Prince; if he was killed, he would be granted the title of Beile!

It is unknown whether Huang Taiji wanted to capture Lin Dao alive or if he intended to send his concubines to persuade him to surrender.

"Let Liu Zeqing's men go."

Dodo rubbed his teeth and said, "Keep a close eye on them. Anyone who tries to escape will be killed."

Liu Liangzuo's troops are finished.

Now it's Liu Zeqing's turn to be unlucky.

This former commander-in-chief of Shandong under the Ming Dynasty participated in this unprecedented battle in a peculiar and awkward way.

Having only managed to shave his head, Liu Zeqing silently followed behind the soldiers.

He had no servants by his side, only two plain white bannermen with burly faces and yellow teeth.

The men's hands remained on the hilts of their knives, their eyes constantly fixed on his neck.

If he makes any unusual move, kill him immediately.

Liu Zeqing sighed inwardly.

'It's all the fault of the Guan Ning cavalry!'

'If you had come to our aid, Linqing Prefecture would not have fallen.'

'It's all Shi Kefa's fault!'

'I must come to Linqing Prefecture.'

'If you don't come, I'll still be a local tyrant in Linqing Prefecture.'

'How did things come to this?'

'It's all your fault!'

Under duress, the puppet Ming soldiers stepped forward in fear and trembling, facing the onslaught of the rebel army.

They were first greeted by the sound of muskets popping like popping beans, and the buzzing of crossbow mechanisms.

The production of muskets in Yonghe Time and Space gradually increased, and each camp here could receive about a hundred muskets.

Rows of muskets fired continuously, and the Ming puppet troops fell in droves.

The Ming army's various muskets were also frantically retaliating.

The crackling sounds continued in one continuous stream.

Unsurprisingly, screams of agony from various explosions were heard incessantly.

The Ming army's range was insufficient, so it had almost no impact on the rebel army.

On the contrary, the explosion of its own barrel caused considerable losses.

The musketeers took the opportunity to stop and slowly reload.

The other Ming troops around them, under pressure from the remaining soldiers of the Plain White Banner, gritted their teeth and continued to advance.

They braved the barrage of musket fire and crossbow bolts and arrived at the front of the rebel army's lines.

They were met with several rows of long spears.

One row thrusts forward, one row charges up, and one row retracts their spears.

This cycle continued, with the spear thrusting out continuously.

The loosely organized Ming army had virtually no power to resist.

Often, a person would have to face several spears thrusting at once, and would die a terrible death.

The rebel soldiers crouched low and charged forward, hacking and slashing to reap lives.

Some of the puppet Ming soldiers couldn't withstand the pressure and turned to run away, only to be killed by the Tartars who were supervising the battle.

Liu Zeqing's subordinates were in complete chaos, and the command system was completely paralyzed.

Under the combined attack of the rebel army and the Tartars, it was completely destroyed.

Next, it was the turn of the genuine Tartars to take the stage.

(End of this chapter)