Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 164 The Battle of Dongchang Prefecture (Part 2)

'Crunch~ Crunch~'

Amidst the clatter of wooden wheels, a large number of shield carts appeared in front of the rebel army.

The bondservants, dragging their money-rat tails, pushed the shield carts forward with all their might.

Behind them, heavily armored soldiers from the Plain White Banner and Bordered Blue Banner followed, their backs bent.

The rebels' crossbows and muskets struck the shield carts, sending wood chips flying, but they failed to penetrate them.

When facing a weaker enemy, the Tartars preferred to charge straight in.

If you charge in recklessly, the enemy will collapse, and then all you need to do is clean up the battlefield.

If facing a truly formidable enemy, they still possess the necessary military skills.

Previously, by using the puppet Ming army and various Mongol tribes, they had tested the strength of the muskets and crossbows of the opposing rebel army.

The Tartar soldiers readily boarded the carts.

This type of cart, mainly made of wooden planks covered with a layer of cowhide and a layer of sheet metal, and with sandbags piled at the back, can effectively withstand attacks from long-range weapons.

After so many years of fighting, the Tartars aren't stupid.

"Don't worry."

Lin Dao, who witnessed this scene through the drone, picked up his walkie-talkie and instructed, "Wait until they get closer."

"Grenadiers, get ready."

The musketeers who went forward fired continuously, killing many bondservants and Tartars who had exposed themselves.

As the Tartars approached, they used foot archers to shoot from behind the cart.

The Tatar infantry behind the shield carts then deployed small cannons and muskets to join the exchange of fire.

Gunfire erupted on the battlefield, and smoke filled the air.

When the wind blew, the pungent smoke filled the air, making it very choking.

The Tartars were equipped with firearms, with an equipment rate usually exceeding 20%.

Both the Bayara and the infantry carried them.

'Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~'

The bullets whizzed past their heads and ears, putting immense psychological pressure on the soldiers on both sides.

Many loading procedures that are usually well-practiced become chaotic and error-ridden at this time.

'Click! Click!'

The rebel musketeers fired repeatedly, but the muskets did not fire.

He shouted, "My musket is broken!"

The corporal next to him glanced at him and slapped him across the face. "Idiot, you didn't load any bullets!"

"Don't panic!"

The sergeant shouted, "We shoot fast, we shoot far, and we shoot with greater force!"

"Stay calm! Just follow the usual training steps."

The rebel army used fixed paper cartridges for their muskets, and their firearms were made of seamless steel pipes.

In terms of equipment, they are several levels ahead of the Tartars.

As long as you perform at your daily training level, even if you only perform at half of it, you can still suppress your opponent.

'Bang bang bang~~~'

Another round of firing followed, and the corporal shouted, "Our armor is good; if we get hit in the arm or leg, at most we'll break a bone."

"As long as it's not right in the face, we'll all..."

Before he could finish speaking, a stray bullet flew from the opposite side and hit him squarely in the face, knocking him to the ground.

The sergeant, who was frantically loading paper bullets nearby, looked down and saw the sergeant's face covered in a terrifying mess of red and white smears.

His fear overwhelmed his reason, and he carelessly dropped the musket in his hand and turned to run.

"Meng Si'an!"

His companion, from the same village, grabbed him and exclaimed, "Are you crazy?!"

Desertionists are not only beheaded, but their families are also implicated, and the land and rewards they were previously allocated are taken away.

On the contrary, those who die in battle receive generous rewards.

Every time they attended night school, they would be repeatedly brainwashed, told that the soldiers' income from dying in battle far exceeded that from deserting.

"Let me go! Let me go!!"

Startled, Meng Si'an had completely forgotten everything else and only wanted to get away from this terrifying battlefield.

Some people are born timid.

They may appear brave on ordinary days, but when it comes to a true life-or-death situation, their true nature will be revealed.

His companion raised the butt of his rifle and smashed it directly onto Meng Si'an's helmet.

He knocked him unconscious with the butt of his rifle, causing him to fall to the ground.

"You can die without anyone caring, but don't drag your sister down with you!"

"I'm waiting to receive my reward so I can go back to the village and get my beloved daughter."

The battlefield was filled with smoke and the roar of gunfire was incessant.

The squad leader died. His two other comrades had been hit by the Tartars' muskets earlier, one with a broken arm and the other with broken ribs. They were dragged back by the auxiliary soldiers.

As long as he doesn't say it, no one knows that Meng Si'an once wanted to desert.

In this way, his family members will not be implicated.

In the exchange of firearms, the Tartars had a numerical advantage, but the quality gap was too large.

The rebel musketeers were clad in heavy armor, so even if they were hit, it was unlikely to be fatal; at most, they would be wounded or knocked down.

But when the rebels fired their guns, even the Tartars wearing three layers of armor couldn't withstand the barrage!

As for those bondservants who had no armor or only half armor, their plight was even more miserable.

The frequency of the falls on both sides appears to be about the same.

However, most of those who fell were injured, and the auxiliary soldiers dragged them away for treatment.

On the other side, there weren't many wounded, because those who were hit were basically going to die.

The team leader, Melezhangjing, saw that continuing this exchange of fire would result in too many losses.

He simply ordered the shield cart to be pushed with all its might, preparing to unleash the special skill that made him famous.

Charge!

In reality, the outcome of almost every battle between the Tartars and the Ming army was decided by the reckless charges of these infantrymen.

Even many Ming soldiers couldn't withstand the previous firearm exchanges.

When faced with a raging, unstoppable charge, they would be routed. But this time, the rebel army was different; those who could stand and exchange fire were undoubtedly elite troops.

We have no choice but to resort to our ultimate weapon.

‘Buzz~~~’

Another drone swooped down, weaving through the arrows and musket fire, and crashed into the gun emplacement.

With a deafening roar, the rising smoke and flames enveloped the heavy cannon weighing over a thousand pounds, along with the dozens of bondservant gunners surrounding it.

With the combined attack of drones and artillery, the Tartars' artillery fire was drastically reduced, to less than ten cannons.

Lin Dao took a breath and glanced at the battle situation on both flanks.

In just a short while, the Tatars on both flanks had already charged up.

"Grenadiers, stop waiting!"

He shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Throw it! Burn their shield vehicles!"

Each regular battalion is equipped with a grenadier platoon.

Although there were only thirty-odd people, they were all selected from the entire army, the soldiers with the strongest arms and the best body coordination.

Many of them are qualified to be flag bearers.

Their daily training consists of throwing bottles.

They threw it both far and accurately.

The grenadiers on both flanks received orders and quickly moved forward, standing behind the pikemen.

They opened their specially designed backpacks and took out Molotov's cocktails from the safety pads.

Take out a windproof lighter and light the burlap plugging the bottle opening.

Just like in training, they took turns throwing the Molotov cocktails in their hands as far as they could.

The burning Molotov cocktails tumbled down, most of them crashing to the ground, sending up huge bursts of flame that engulfed everything around them.

Some landed on the shield carts, and the flames engulfed the carts; neither cowhide nor iron could withstand such flames.

Tundai was a Niru Zhangjing under the Zhengbai Banner.

Previously, they had been carefully hiding behind the shield cart, thus avoiding arrows and musket fire.

Seeing that the shield cart was slowing down, he turned his head and glared angrily at the servant pushing the cart. "You dog, hurry up!"

The servants who used to fear him like tigers did not respond at this moment, but instead foolishly pointed to the air.

Turning back in confusion, Tun Dai saw clusters of swirling flames descending from the sky.

"what?"

Before he could react, a ball of fire rushed straight towards him.

Tun Dai instinctively swung his sword, shattering the flames.

The next moment, spilled grease sprayed all over him.

'Boom~~~'

In an instant, Tun Dai was engulfed in flames.

He jumped and roared wildly, waving his arms and legs and desperately tearing at his armor.

Tundai was a Niru Zhangjing (a military officer in charge of military affairs). He wore iron armor and also had a layer of cotton armor over it.

The protective capabilities have increased, but at this point, wanting to take off the armor is just a pipe dream.

The flying sparks touched several nearby wrappers, and the flames spread rapidly.

The bondservants who were lucky enough to escape the fire looked at Tundai, who had gone mad, with utter terror.

This once fierce warrior, who could tame wild horses with his bare hands, was now in a pitiful state that was terrifying.

His piercing howls seemed to come from the depths of hell.

Tun Dai stumbled forward and fell in front of one of his own servants.

His face, consumed by flames, stared at the bondservant.

"Cha Yingchun! Kill me! Kill me!!"

The servant, sitting on the ground trembling like a leaf, watched his master, who was covered in flames, crawl toward him. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Those who are willing to become bondservants and slaves are unlikely to be warriors.

The grenadiers' Molotov cocktail attack caused great chaos to the unsuspecting Tatar troops.

The worst part is that these flames can't be extinguished!

No matter what methods were used, the flames could not be extinguished; they could only watch helplessly as their companions were burned to ashes.

This horrific scene severely damaged the morale of the Tartar army.

Lin Dao, who witnessed this scene through the drone, laughed heartily and picked up the walkie-talkie.

"The Tartars' cannons are out of commission! The central army, launch an attack and push forward! Push forward!!"

From the various battalions of the central army, which had been advancing slowly, came a rapid drumbeat.

Their pace quickened, and they passed the artillery battalion, heading straight for the other side.

They dared not go to Huang Taiji on the hilltop anymore, and instead received messages from all sides through the two yellow flags' banners.

In terms of information acquisition, it lags far behind forest roads that use drones.

He was greatly shocked to learn that both flanks had been attacked by fire.

Fire attacks are not unusual; what is unusual is fire that cannot be extinguished!

"They're coming for the shield vehicle."

Huang Taiji quickly concluded, "By burning the shield carts, do they intend to confront my Eight Banners warriors head-on? Who gave them the courage?"

In the last ten or twenty years, the strongest force in direct combat on the land of East Asia has undoubtedly been the Tatars.

In the past, most Ming soldiers avoided them; very few dared to take the initiative to confront them.

"Ao Bai!"

"Suksaha!"

He immediately instructed, "Go to Prince Rui and Prince Yu respectively and tell them that there is no need to wait any longer. Immediately arrange for all the Mongol tribes to move forward!"

"Your servant obeys!"

Two young men with white teeth spurred their horses and galloped off in the east and west directions respectively.

As for the rebel army pressing forward head-on, Huang Taiji instructed, "Order each Niru to prepare plenty of sandbags filled with loose soil. If the enemy launches a fire attack, fill them with sandbags."

"bring it on."

Huang Taiji tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and tried his best to control the nosebleed.

"Send out all your soldiers and give Hauge a chance to kill you!"

(End of this chapter)