Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 654 First came air defense, then heaven; the Shilka River blasts away gods~
"It's getting dark!!"

Guan Bao, who came from the Plain Blue Banner, let out a shrill scream.

His voice was so loud that it rivaled that of a martial arts performer in a Beijing opera house.

Despite her desperate cries, no one paid any attention, not even her neighbors from the same alley.

There were so many shells falling from the sky!

Amidst the deafening explosions, smoke and flames enveloped the earth, and the powerful shockwaves sent various artillery pieces, some weighing hundreds or even thousands of kilograms, flying into the air.

Everyone within the blast radius was shouting, yelling, and crying.

The shells were so powerful that even the bravest warriors couldn't withstand them.

The Eight Banners soldiers, clad in various colors and wearing armor with lightning rods on their heads, appeared as laughable as their courage in the face of the shockwaves from cannonballs and the flying shrapnel and steel balls.

Guan Bao witnessed with his own eyes how Baturu, wearing the imperial yellow jacket, was torn to pieces amidst the flames and smoke.

The ancestral armor he wore looked ridiculously like a piece of paper.

As for the yellow jacket that symbolized power, status, and glory, it has vanished without a trace.

"This isn't right~"

"This is wrong!"

As an artilleryman in the outer firearms battalion, Guan Bao slumped to the ground, looking around at the fiery hell, his whole being entering an indescribable state of dazedness.

"How could there possibly be such terrifying cannons in this world?"

"Even a general with a weight of five thousand jin couldn't unleash such power."

"These things weren't in the notes left by our ancestors!"

"Impossible, impossible!"

"Hahaha, this is all an illusion~"

"It's all an illusion, it can't fool me!!"

In the 19th century, science and technology in Europe and the New World were advancing rapidly, with transformative technological breakthroughs occurring almost every decade.

Meanwhile, the Tartars in the Central Plains were still clinging to the so-called rules and experiences of their ancestors.

This is understandable, because all they need to do is enslave and oppress the people of the Central Plains and continue to enjoy the good life brought by exploitation. Naturally, they have little motivation or interest in developing technology.

As a result, when the foreigners' guns and cannons came at them, they couldn't withstand it.

When Lin Daoyuan's advanced technology, far ahead of its time, came at them, it completely terrified everyone.

When something not found in the wisdom of our ancestors falls into our hands, we have no way to deal with it and can only bear it alone.

The whistling sound of a heavy object falling grew louder as it approached. A section of the cannon barrel, which had been sent into the air by the shockwave from the explosion of the stored gunpowder, spun down and slammed cleanly into Guan Bao's body.

Round after round of shells rained down as if they were free; to the Tartars, it was a real hail of bullets.

The rain of bullets fell from the sky and landed on the mud formed by the sea of ​​people.

The flying blood and flesh nourished the earth, destined to bring a bountiful harvest season next year.

The bombardment continued, destroying many of the Qing army's cannons before extending to bombard the enemy's formation.

Meanwhile, the Taiping army was already approaching from behind.

The breech-loading muskets, with their exceptionally long range for the time, fired in rapid succession.

A hail of bullets swept in, and the Tartars, armed with all sorts of weapons, couldn't even mount a counterattack.

There was no way around it; muskets and matchlock guns had such short ranges that they couldn't hit anything.

The once orderly Tartar army ranks fell in rows.

Even the elite battalion, carrying shields, had their shields and men pierced through.

The musket guards of the inner and outer firearms battalions and the vanguard battalion were forced to step forward and exchange fire.

The fighting was fierce and noisy, with the billowing smoke obscuring the view, but the results were meager.

In terms of range, power, and accuracy, it is comprehensively inferior.

As the Taiping army continued its advance, the Tatar army suffered increasingly severe losses, and the situation was already precarious shortly after the start of the war.

"Your Majesty!"

Senggelinqin rode up to Mianyu and shouted, "We can't wait any longer! Please give the order, Your Highness, to charge!"

He was a capable man who could see that the battlefield situation was deteriorating rapidly.

With their powerful artillery and advanced firearms, the bandits had gained an overwhelming advantage.

The formation can still be maintained today because the battlefield is too large, and the smoke and fire obscure the view.

If this continues, it will eventually lead to the collapse of the entire army.

Behind us is the Grand Canal!
Once defeated, there will be nowhere to escape to.

"Okay, okay~"

Completely bewildered, Mianyu hurriedly responded, "Move the cavalry!"

He had a premonition that he couldn't defeat the bandits.

But they should at least have a few rounds of back-and-forth fighting.

However, the actual situation was terrifying.

The Taiping army didn't do any probing at all; they just bombarded the enemy with cannons and then charged in with their infantry!
Unfortunately, the government troops were inferior to the enemy in both cannons and muskets, and were severely suppressed.

Now, we can only rely on the cavalry.

The Qing army's cavalry consisted mainly of Mongol cavalry and the loyalist troops of various princes from the grasslands.

In addition, there were cavalry drawn from various units of the Imperial Guard, as well as elite soldiers selected from the Eight Banners of Beijing.

This cavalry force, numbering in the tens of thousands, was seen as the court's last reliance and hope. During previous military discussions, Mianyu and others believed that infantry should be used to wear down the rebels, while various muskets and cannons should be used to bombard them, thus delaying and weakening the rebels.

When the bandits were exhausted, the cavalry was unleashed in a stampede of horses, sweeping them away and ending the battle.

From a planning perspective, it's not too bad.

The problem is that the plan was based entirely on our own advantages, without ever considering the enemy's advantages.

To put it simply, it's like recruiting nuclear staff officers to develop an operational plan.

They believed that the infantry could hold back the main force of the Taiping Army, and that the various types of cannons could exchange fire with the Taiping Army's advanced artillery.

They believed that the invincible cavalry could sweep away thousands of troops and crush all opponents.

This is a victory in the plan.

But now that the fight has actually started, they're completely dumbfounded.

The infantrymen were not capable of holding off the Taiping army; in fact, they were often shot dead from a distance.

The artillery was even more ridiculous. Under the Taiping Army's bombardment with its extremely long range and power, there was little chance to even fire, let alone engage in a direct confrontation.

As for the cavalry, on whom high hopes were placed...
'Whoosh whoosh~'

Signal flares were launched into the sky, their various colors making them quite eye-catching.

Without telegraph communication and with the battlefield too large to be easily relayed by horseback, signal flares were the most suitable option.

Tens of thousands of cavalry, deployed on both flanks of the infantry, began their advance in a mighty procession.

The reason for choosing to fight a desperate battle was mainly to boost morale and prevent deserters from fleeing.

After all, everyone from Mianyu down to the captains and lieutenants knew exactly what kind of army this so-called large force was.

It is estimated that some people will start to flee even before the battle begins, and if there are fleeing soldiers, it could very likely lead to the collapse of the entire army.

Fighting with one's back to the river can effectively prevent this from happening.

Furthermore, the terrain on this side of the Grand Canal is flat and easy, making it ideal for large-scale cavalry charges.

"cavalry?"

"They're just courting death." Lin Dao instructed Yang Xiuqing and the others to "proceed according to the previously planned scheme."

They then boarded the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun vehicle and started the engine to warm it up.

The Tatar cavalry groups that rushed in from both flanks of the battlefield were first met with rows and rows of barbed wire.

This modern industrial product is simple to produce and easy to deploy.

With a few people pulling, the bundles can be easily spread out and deployed on the battlefield.

Moreover, it comes standard with an inner blade, a blade about the size of a fingernail, with one blade embedded every ten centimeters. Once it gets stuck deep inside, it will firmly grip the flesh and blood, and the more you struggle, the deeper it will penetrate into the bone and flesh.

The cavalrymen charging ahead crashed headlong into the multi-layered barbed wire, causing chaos and neighing.

'Puff puff puff puff~'

The Maxim machine guns, which had been positioned in advance, opened fire on the cavalry, who were crowded together and blocked by barbed wire.

There are fewer frontal deployments and more flank deployments.

According to actual combat statistics, machine guns fired from the flanks have a kill ratio that is several times higher than machine guns positioned at the front.

The combination of barbed wire and machine guns was devastating to cavalry formations.

Now all that's missing are trenches, which are from the European Wars era, representing a technological and tactical advantage of nearly a century.

Faced with this new method of attack, the charging Tartar cavalry had no choice but to detour.

Taking advantage of their speed, they took a longer route to avoid the barbed wire and attacked the bandits' weak points.

According to Senggelinqin, who was leading the team, the weak point of the bandits must be their artillery positions.

Destroying those cannons will greatly reduce the pressure on the infantry.

He led his cavalry, following the sound of cannons as they circled around the area.

This run actually covered more than ten miles!
Senggelinqin was dumbfounded.

He took a detour, which made the journey much longer.

Even in a straight line, the distance from the infantry formation is at least seven or eight miles.

What kind of cannon can shoot that far?!

Then he saw the barbed wire.

Between the nearby bandit army's positions and artillery positions, there were rows and rows of barbed wire.

To get close to the artillery positions, you either have to charge through the barbed wire or charge into the ranks of soldiers with muskets.

Senggelinqin was not a reckless man; he calmly chose to retreat.

In this environment, there's no way to break through; it's just a pointless death.

He decided to take another detour to find the weak point in the bandits' rear.

He refused to believe it; were the bandits some kind of hedgehog, with nowhere to bite?
Then, he heard a rumbling sound and saw the steel behemoth!
The steel behemoth, spewing smoke from its tail, twisted and lurched forward with a piercing sound, charging toward them at a speed no less than that of a horse.

Shilka River self-propelled anti-aircraft gun vehicle
He is known in the underworld as the "Flesh Shredder" and is a frequent visitor to military courts.

Once the quadruple anti-aircraft gun barrels are laid flat, they become a true weapon of equality for all.

When a 23mm high-explosive shell comes at you, it blasts people and horses into a bloody mist, leaving no trace of their parts.

Driving along the forest road over the Shilka River, I gradually reduced my speed and simultaneously leveled the quadruple-mounted artillery.

The dark muzzle of the cannon was pointed directly at the Tartar cavalry two miles away!
"Air defense came first, then the heavens; the Shilka River could blast away even the gods!"

(End of this chapter)