Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 340 Bombardment
'Whoosh~ Whoosh~'

The whistling sound was sharp and long, like the low murmur of a demon god on the horizon.

The deafening howling sound grew closer and closer, as if a gale was rushing past overhead.

The Red Turban Army soldiers instinctively looked up.

The next moment, a dazzling burst of flames suddenly erupted from the Yuan army several miles away!
The shockwave swept across the area as if it were a tangible entity.

Large bursts of flame shot into the air.

Dark gray smoke enveloped an area of ​​nearly twenty feet in radius.

A breath or two later, the deafening explosion, like a thunderclap, finally resounded.

More than 100,000 troops from both sides arrayed themselves, ready to fight.

Even the Yuan army remaining in the city and the Red Turban army besieging the city from other directions heard this unprecedented commotion.

Everyone was utterly shocked.

Apart from the Yuan troops within the kill radius.

"Ah~~~"

"Help~"

"Eternal Heaven~~"

"My legs, where are my legs?!"

Who threw this bolt from the blue?

Not everyone within the kill radius dies.

Some were lucky, while others relied on their companions' physical protection.

They were either injured by the shockwave or struck by shrapnel; they were not yet dead and were still desperately pleading and shouting.

The surrounding Yuan troops were gripped by uncontrollable terror.

Even the most elite soldiers would lose their courage if faced with such a terrifying scene that defies imagination.

"what happened?!"

Richard Khan and his son Wang Baobao, who were riding in front of the battle formation, turned around in astonishment.

Both of them were stunned as they looked at the missing piece in the crowd and at the smoke billowing in the wind.

"This~"

"Looks a little familiar."

The father and son exchanged a glance. "Outside Gaoyou City!"

Outside Gaoyou City, the flames spewed by the steel mechanical beasts looked remarkably similar to what was being seen now.

In terms of power, it's more than ten times weaker!
"Abu."

Wang Baobao looked slightly flustered. "Where did we fight that mechanical beast?"

Not far from the father and son, there was a commando team composed of true warriors.

Everyone is a warrior who volunteered.

They rode on horseback, carrying large quantities of gunpowder and kerosene.

The father and son's tactics were clear: use a suicide squad to burn the divine mechanical beast.

But what's going on now?!

Inside the self-propelled artillery, the smoke extraction machine was running at full speed, but the smell of gunpowder still made everyone cough repeatedly.

"Move quickly!"

Inside the cockpit, Lin Dao carefully watched the mil-position gauge and instructed, "Load ammunition! Load ammunition!"

Fu Youde and Chang Yuchun, shirtless, huffed and puffed as they moved shells and propellant.

This is a 2s3 Acacia self-propelled gun produced by Sickle & Hammer, one of the models in the Flower series.

It was one of the vehicles from the batch they exported to Rwanda years ago.

This was offered to him voluntarily by Lin Dao's supplier, who said they would sell it to him for just one cut.

Lin Dao was all too familiar with this tactic; they were clearly treating him like an Indian.

But I still want the items.

They simply hired professionals to prepare reports and supervised the entire renovation and modification process.

The money will be paid in installments.

Only after the goods have passed inspection and been accepted will the final half of the payment be settled.

The engine and electrical system have been refurbished, and the electronic system has been completely upgraded to modern equipment.

However, the smoke extraction system is still inadequate, and it lacks automatic refilling.

The buffering is also very poor, causing severe jitter.

After the loading was completed, Chang Yuchun breathed a sigh of relief and peeked at Lin Dao as he adjusted the form.

"Your Majesty, what does all this mean?"

Without even looking up, Lin Dao casually replied, "A mil-meter is a 360-degree scale that is divided into 6000 mils, with each mil being only 0.06 degrees, which is more precise than the markings on a clock."

"The azimuth angle needs to be converted into the artillery's azimuth value."

"If it's a little off-center here, the shells will go way off-center."

"That's why I've told you all before, you need to study hard, especially math."

"You don't even understand math, yet you want to have sex?"

During previous experiments, Chang Yuchun had personally witnessed the power of self-propelled artillery.

That's why he desperately took on the job of helping to move shells and propellants.

I'm just hoping to have the chance to try this amazing device myself.

But King Ming, you really underestimate yourself, don't you?
Putting everything else aside, he can do addition and subtraction within 100, and multiplication and division within 10!
However, after glancing at the densely packed numbers on the form, Chang Yuchun readily withdrew.

There was no other way; math was too difficult for him, so he could only work hard moving cannonballs.

Thinking of Lady Lan, who was far away in Jinling City awaiting childbirth, Chang Yuchun secretly made a vow in his heart.

"My eldest son, you must practice hard for school. This math stuff, you absolutely must learn it, master it!"

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, another 152mm high-explosive shell was fired from the barrel.

The heavy warhead flew more than 20 miles at a speed exceeding twice the speed of sound.

The roar, like that of a heavy train passing through a tunnel in Shandong, was pulled out of the sky and crashed heavily into the Yuan army.

These old-fashioned machines from decades ago naturally can't match the accuracy of new high-tech equipment.

The error is slightly larger than expected.

The nearly 100,000 elite troops who could leave the city for a decisive battle were arranged in a dense formation, making them natural sitting ducks.

As the arrow fell, severed limbs and scorching mud were even thrown onto the city walls.

Looking at the still-smoking half-hand not far in front of her, Empress Qi, sitting in her chair, forced herself to control her facial expression.

But the phoenix crown on her head trembled slightly, unable to stop it. Her jade pendants jingled.

"Abu!"

Seeing the unrest in the army spreading like ripples, Wang Baobao, his eyes red with anger, shouted, "We can't wait any longer, we have to rush over!"

If we wait any longer, morale will collapse on its own.

As for the escape, there were nearly 100,000 troops.

They are all handpicked elites.

They left the city at dawn and had just finished lining up in formation not long ago.

With that city gate behind us, how could we possibly escape back!

Do they really think all those Red Turban soldiers watching the spectacle are dead?
"Rush over!"

Richard Khan brandished his sword, galloping back and forth on his horse, roaring furiously.

"Charge forward and fight alongside the Red Turban Army."

"I refuse to believe their own heavenly lightning will strike them!"

"Come on~"

Retreat at this point means certain death. The Red Turban Army will launch a surprise attack, and the routed soldiers rushing through the city gates will fight amongst themselves.

The only option is to fight desperately.

A large number of Mongols, riding horses and carrying bows, roared as they charged toward the Red Turban Army's formation several miles away.

As they galloped on horseback, one could vaguely sense the grandeur of their ancestors from a hundred years ago.

"Myo-wang~ Myo-wang~"

Here in the Red Turban Army, Xu Da, who was in command of the entire army in place of the Ming King, immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and informed Lin Dao of the current battle situation.

“I am Lin Dao, say it.”

"The Yuan army has begun its charge."

"Received. You are in charge of the sniper operation. I will adjust the firing distance here. Remember to inform me of any major changes on the battlefield."

"Leader!"

Lin Dao began adjusting according to the firing schedule, reducing the firing range, and preparing to fire the shells into the charging Yuan army.

He turned and gave instructions to the two burly, shirtless men.

"Can't you put a little more effort into the jobs you've eagerly taken on?"

"It's just loading shells, why is it taking so long!"

Chang Yuchun and Fu Youde were both speechless.

This shell is made of steel, is three feet long, and weighs over a hundred pounds!
It's not as easy as the King of Light makes it out to be.

But they dared not argue, and could only repeatedly obey orders and continue their busy work.

"Boom!"

The shells falling from the sky, like giant hammers, slammed heavily onto the earth.

Smoke and flames soared into the sky, shockwaves were visible to the naked eye, and shrapnel and scorching soil flew everywhere.

The surrounding area is a large area, roughly the size of half a football field.

People and horses in this area are trapped in a hellish inferno.

Torn pieces of the body fell like raindrops into the distance.

A Mongol cavalryman, leaning over his horse, felt something fall on his shoulder.

Instinctively, I raised my hand and pulled, and there it was—a whole intestine!
Undoubtedly, the morale of the Yuan army suffered a blow.

In other words, people who are far away and have a large number of followers can still cling to a sense of luck and continue moving forward under the influence of the larger group.

Xu Da had already made arrangements and preparations for the Red Turban Army.

The hundreds of cannons at the front row spewed out scorching flames.

The incoming cannonballs either flew straight into the cavalry and carved a bloody path through them.

Or it might land on the ground, bounce up in white smoke, and charge back into the cavalry formation.

There were too many Mongol cavalry; you could hit them with just a few shots.

The cavalrymen leaned over their horses, heads down, gritting their teeth and enduring the pain.

Only by getting closer can there be a chance.

Xu Da issued another order, and flags of all colors began to wave incessantly.

One squad after another of musketeers stepped forward and formed three firing columns.

The older the musket, the more troublesome it is to load, and the lower its firing rate, the larger the queue will be when using this tactic.

There are various types of shots, such as six-stage shots and nine-stage shots.

The flintlock guns that Lin Dao brought were all from other times and spaces, crafted by master craftsmen using modern industrial products as raw materials.

High quality, fast loading, and long range.

Three firing rates are sufficient.

'Bang bang bang bang bang~'

A burst of gunfire erupted, and large plumes of white smoke rose in front of the musketeers clad in half-body armor.

As the wind blew, the smoke from the cannons gradually spread.

The continuous gunfire was occasionally accompanied by the whistling sound of gunfire falling from the sky.

The self-propelled artillery did not fire frequently, but each shell that fell was like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of the Yuan army.

All they can do now is pray to the Eternal Heaven to protect them from being hit.

The Mongols, who once roamed across Eurasia, conquering countless kingdoms and establishing a vast empire.

In just a century, the once-proud cavalry forces have lost their former dominance in the face of firearms.

"Armored soldiers, advance!" Xu Da commanded again, "Form ranks!"

Armored soldiers, clad in iron armor and wielding spears nearly two zhang long, stepped forward and formed a dense spear formation.

Behind them were shield soldiers wielding weapons and shields for close combat.

The musketeers were positioned on both flanks, firing continuously and knocking down the Mongol cavalrymen who tried to maneuver and launch attacks.

As for the artillery, the firing angle was increased, and it continuously bombarded the rear of the Yuan army.

Meanwhile, the heavy bombardment from Lin Dao's self-propelled artillery never stopped.

If Lin Dao were here, he might even utter a few words of reflection.

Times have changed.

"In the face of firearms, the cavalry that has dominated for thousands of years should come to an end."

“You horse riders and herders should switch to singing and dancing; it can actually be quite lucrative.”

"But I don't want to give you that chance!"

(End of this chapter)