Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 632 When fighting a war, fight a war of annihilation!
Who fired the cannon?

"Where did this cannon come from?!"

The warhorses neighed and reared up in disarray.

Caught off guard, Ulantai fell to the ground and lay face down, raising his head and roaring angrily.

Artillery of this era was used for direct, face-to-face firefights.

Artillery like mortars, hidden behind walls, firing in parabolic arcs.

I never even thought about seeing it, let alone seeing it.

The shells no longer fly head-on, but fall from the sky, and explode, spraying out steel balls.

Ulantai's shouts were drowned out by the sound of artillery fire.

Claiming to be an elite force, the Eight Banners soldiers, who had slaughtered many villages and towns along the way to hone their skills, were now fleeing in panic, creating chaos resembling the end of the world.

Think about it too.

When these Manchu bannermen in Guangzhou faced the foreigners' firearms and cannons, they were driven into a frenzy.

It was said at the time that the foreigners' firearms were so powerful that they were beyond human capability.

Afterwards, in Sanyuanli, they were severely punished by Feng Yunshan.

It was said at the time that the rebels ambushed and attacked, and that they used advanced guns and cannons purchased from foreigners, which were beyond human capability.

Now, they have been attacked again by advanced firearms, and their men and horses are engulfed in flames, smoke, shrapnel, and shockwaves.

As before, it collapsed quickly without any surprise.

Those with horses rode them around recklessly, while those without horses ran around on their own two legs.

As for those injured and lying on the ground unable to run away, all they can do is wave their hands, scream, and call for relatives and friends to "help their brother out!"

In short, it can be summed up in one word: chaos.

The mortars inside the city have an extremely high rate of fire; well-trained loaders can even achieve a personal record of firing one shot every three seconds.

The intense firing of thirty-two mortars resulted in an average of thirty shells being fired by each mortar in a short period of time.

Using thousands of mortar shells to bombard the approximately two thousand standard-bearers who were gathered together and preparing for battle was definitely using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

The explosive shockwave and shrapnel from this thing are extremely lethal.

The multicolored armor worn by the Eight Banners not only failed to protect them from shrapnel and shockwaves, but also increased their burden during their escape.

There was no way around it; the Eight Banners soldiers that appeared in Lin Dao's eyes were definitely the strongest firepower attractors.

The reason they weren't given one round per person wasn't because Lin Dao couldn't afford the shells, but because the rapid firing was too much and the cannon barrels couldn't handle it.

The shells are expensive, but that's okay.

Standing atop the city wall, Lin Dao looked at the assembled troops of the Four Banners and Eight Banners, and it seemed as if he saw millions of wronged souls circling and wailing above their heads.

Explode it hard!

After the shelling ended, the mortar crew, under Lin Dao's command, quickly rotated the azimuth controllers and readjusted the firing parameters according to the records on the firing table.

A slight turn of the wheel changes the azimuth and distance.

The target of this bombardment was the Green Standard Army soldiers, who were also grouped together.

However, the rate of fire is significantly reduced, decreasing the pressure on the cannon barrel.

He forcefully pushed away Goshha, who was lying on top of him and had already been blown up.

Ulantai struggled to his feet, using his knife as a poking stick.

He ignored the Taiping army, which was constantly adjusting its ranks and slowly approaching in response to the drums and bugles, just a few hundred paces away.

Their gazes fell upon the scattered remains of numerous people and horses all around them.

Mancheng is a city where people have lived together for two hundred years. Almost every household is either a relative or an enemy.

He recognized most of the distorted faces.

But at this moment~
'Hahaha~'

Ulantai, emotionally distraught, threw his head back and laughed maniacally, like a madman.

His Goshha had been completely wiped out, and his two thousand Eight Banner soldiers had suffered heavy casualties.

Those who were incredibly lucky to survive either escaped or, like Ulantai, were turned into idiots or madmen by the bombing from the sky.

He seemed oblivious to the approaching Taiping army.

"Stop!"

"whole team!"

The Taiping Army officers shouted loudly.

The initially scattered lines gradually straightened into neat rows under the shouts and commands of the junior officers.

This is line warfare tactics.

This tactic has a very famous name: 'line-up shooting'.

Originating in the 17th and 18th centuries, reaching its peak in the 19th century, it gradually declined after the advent of the Maxim and trenches.

"Raise your gun!"

With a clattering sound, rows of guns were raised.

At this time, the Taiping army was only about fifty paces, less than one hundred meters, away from Wulantai and his men.

If we consider the British standard of 'clearly seeing the whites of the enemy's eyes,' which is about 18 to 20 meters, this distance is too far, and it's basically impossible to hit accurately.

That's exactly what Lin Dao requires.

The reason is simple: the flintlock muskets they used were far more accurate and had a longer range than those of this era.

Trying to withstand the Taiping army's volley fire and close in for a counterattack would come at a terrible cost, possibly even the annihilation of the entire army.

In fact, this tactical forest road was prepared for the armies of Europe, such as Britain and France.

At this time, using it to fight the Qing army was purely for practice and to accumulate experience.

"Bang, bang, bang~"

The Taiping soldiers in the front row unleashed a barrage of fire.

Ulantai, who had suffered a mental breakdown and roared to the sky, was riddled with bullets in an instant.

The finely crafted red armor on his body offered no protection whatsoever against the high-speed projectiles.

Ulantai's laughter abruptly stopped, his body swayed, and he collapsed heavily to the ground. This Qing general, historically infamous for his fondness for massacring civilians, didn't even have a chance to face the Taiping army head-on before perishing.

The Qing army was large, numbering over 20,000.

Each section is arranged in formation, like a long snake stretched between the Xiang River and the mountains.

The mortar groups inside Huangsha Pass, relying on their extremely long range, carried out intensive bombardment from one corps to another.

The Taiping army, which was fighting outside the pass, advanced steadily along the official road, using concentrated firepower to clear out the Qing army's bombed-out formations.

Among the numerous Qing army formations stretching for miles, those at the back were unaware of the situation ahead.

All that could be heard were explosions and gunfire, and all that could be seen were distant flames and smoke.

Although they couldn't see clearly, the veterans' intuition told them that the situation was deteriorating.

As expected, the generals, who were more familiar with the battlefield dynamics than the soldiers, began to seek their own way of making a living.

The Manchu general, Changrui, and others hurriedly searched for the Imperial Commissioner Saishang'a, who was in the rear, and escorted him away.

As for where to run to, at least get out of there first, and then worry about the coverage area of ​​the barrage of shells falling from the sky.

"grown ups!"

"These shells falling from the sky are too dangerous. The brothers can't withstand them. We should retreat first."

Inside the carriage, Sai Shang'a was greatly alarmed and hurriedly asked, "Where is Ulantai?"

"The Deputy Commander-in-Chief is directing the battle at the front." Changshou hurriedly replied, "It is said that the troops in Guangzhou were covered by those exploding shells, and the casualties were heavy, with almost no survivors."

"Ah?!" Saisanga screamed, completely flustered. "What should I do?!"

"My lord!" Changrui shouted, "Let's go first!"

"Alright, alright, let's go."

The two brothers guarded Saishang'a's carriage and hurriedly ran to the back.

The movements of the Qing army's rear guard were clearly displayed in the drone's monitoring footage.

Moreover, the Taiping Army sentries on the hilltop also used walkie-talkies to transmit intelligence.

Lin Dao immediately instructed, "Change firing area and attack area T3."

Upon receiving the order, the mortar crew hurriedly picked up the firing reference chart and located area T-3.

According to the data recorded above, the direction adjuster is like a knob or handle; you can adjust the direction and distance by turning it round and round.

After readjustment, high-explosive shells were inserted into the muzzle of the cannon.

The shell fell and struck the bottom pin inside the cannon barrel.

'Boom! '

With a thud, it was ejected from the barrel and flew into the sky.

Area 3, marked as a pre-marked retreat route for the Qing army.

The battalion guarding Saishan'a's retreat heard strange noises coming from the sky.

Just as they looked up, dozens of small black dots descended from the sky, enveloping them in flames and smoke.

These shells, equipped with a large number of small steel balls, ejected a dense cloud of steel balls that sent shivers down the spine upon explosion.

These flying steel balls, along with the shockwave, swept away everything around them.

The battalion, with its strong fighting power and high morale, was torn to shreds by the dense barrage of bullets.

Even those with an iron will are utterly helpless in the face of such highly effective and lethal weapons.

The body is not made of steel; it cannot withstand the impact of shrapnel shockwaves and steel balls.

Within the area shrouded in smoke and fire, everyone fell to the ground.

Saisanga, who was lagging behind and had not yet entered the blast zone, collapsed into the car upon seeing this scene.

He subconsciously looked towards the Xiang River not far away.

The fleet was already in complete chaos.

Swarms of mines drifted down the river and detonated as soon as they approached a ship.

The terrifying explosive force and water pressure shattered the Qing army's dilapidated wooden boats into pieces.

As far as Saishana could see, there were only broken pieces of wood and undulating corpses.

This is why Lin Daoxian bombed the fleet.

He was fighting with the intention of annihilating the main force of the Qing army, and he immediately cut off any possible escape routes.

This is not arrogance.

A mere 20,000 to 30,000 dilapidated troops from the era of cold weapons were nothing more than a small goal for Lin Dao, who possessed modern firearms; annihilating them was not an arrogant act.

The Taiping army, which had crossed the Great Wall to fight, accelerated its advance.

With accuracy, rate of fire, and range far exceeding the average level of the time, flintlock muskets fired in volleys, easily destroying the Qing army's will to resist.

The bows, arrows, and muskets they carried were practically useless.

The only thing that posed any threat was muskets and various artillery pieces.

The counterattack achieved some success, inflicting casualties on the Taiping army.

However, loading and using these weapons is very troublesome and cumbersome, and it takes a long time to fire a single shot before you can fire again.

Meanwhile, on the Taiping Army's side, frontline officers quickly reported the situation via walkie-talkie.

Lin Dao used drones to determine the area where the Qing army would counterattack, and then deployed a number of mortars to provide rapid fire coverage.

Amidst the deafening explosions, the already limited number of muskets and various artillery pieces were quickly engulfed by the smoke.

After that, the Qing army began to collapse.

The front ranks endured artillery fire and repeated volleys of gunfire, yet they were unable to mount an effective counterattack.

Under these circumstances, fleeing became the only option for the Qing army.

The Qing soldiers in the front row threw away their various broken weapons and turned to run away.

The terrain forced them to attack the friendly forces behind them.

The result was that allied forces were dragged down and scattered together.

And this is the famous tactical maneuver of "rolling up the beaded curtain"!

(End of this chapter)