Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 252 Lowering the Cannon Muzzle, Military Court [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Khan..."

The messenger rode up to the foot of the not-so-high city tower, and before he could even speak, Anda's deep voice came from above:
"Give the order to launch a full-scale attack and rout the enemy from the front!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the call, the messenger immediately responded and, brandishing his whip, went to relay the order.

The Tatar leaders simply watched silently, and none of them raised any objections.

tactics?

does not exist!
In the face of absolute power, no tactics matter.

Moreover, the Tatars' greatest tactic was mobility, as the saying goes, "In martial arts, speed is the only thing that cannot be broken."

Based on this, through daily hunting, they summarized tactics such as the crow scattering tactics to harass the enemy from all sides, the Mangudai tactics similar to the counterattack, the siege tactics of leaving one side open when surrounding the enemy, the chisel-bombing tactics combining light and heavy cavalry, and long-distance flanking and raiding tactics, etc.

The Tatars, who grew up on horseback, had these tactics ingrained in their blood. With just a simple command and a sharp whistling arrow, they knew what to do.

It was also by relying on these instinctive tactics that they once swept across Eurasia and were called "the Scourge of God" by the white barbarians in the West!
This time, Anda's orders were just as clear as possible.

annihilate the enemy forces head-on!

The heavy cavalry formed the arrowhead and launched the main attack, while the light cavalry were deployed on both sides and followed closely behind. In an instant, they could overwhelm the Ming army of less than two thousand men like a mudslide.

With only a horse-drawn carriage, they didn't even have the ability to escape...

"It's about to begin!"

At this moment, Yan Shifan's heart was in his throat, and he unconsciously pushed forward.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous, after all, theory and practice are two different things.

He admitted that Yan Maoqing's theory was very sound, but the emperor's policies were always aimed at benefiting the country and the people, yet the officials below still managed to exploit loopholes and turn good things into bad things.
Now is the time to truly test every soldier in the Heroic Battalion!
Although they were all elite soldiers carefully selected by Shen Kun and Gao Gong through a bottom-ranking elimination system.

But after all, they were all new recruits who had been training for several months, and no one was sure how they would fare in the face of such a cavalry onslaught…

After a while.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

Accompanied by several ear-piercing whistles.

"Yo——!"

"drive--!"

"kill--!"

The Tatar cavalry, who had already formed ranks outside the city gate, roared and galloped away, raising clouds of dust as soon as they moved, causing the entire city tower to shake.

As the smoke and dust obstructing the view gradually dissipated.

Yan Shifan clearly saw that the Tatar cavalry had formed an arrow formation in the blink of an eye during the charge, and their speed was gradually increasing, shooting towards the Hero Camp like a giant arrowhead without mercy.

At this moment, Yan Shifan felt somewhat fortunate.

I am fortunate to be standing on the city wall of the Anda King's camp, right behind these elite cavalrymen.

He couldn't even imagine whether he could control his trembling if he were facing such a cavalry charge head-on.

Three miles.

This is the starting distance between the Tatar cavalry's vanguard heavy cavalry and the Heroes' Battalion.

Overconfidence and underestimation, and in order to ensure the viewing effect of this live-fire military exercise, Al-Dah placed the Hero Battalion close enough.

These three li (approximately 1.5 kilometers) represent the acceleration distance for the Tatar cavalry.

Erli.

In the blink of an eye, the Tatar cavalry had already crossed halfway, and the distance between the two sides was rapidly closing, soon leading to close combat.

Although the Heroes' Camp was flanked by carriages on both sides, there was no obstruction directly in front of them.

They continued marching in orderly ranks to the beat of the drums, seemingly oblivious to the approaching Tatar cavalry like a raging torrent, giving off an inexplicable sense of tragic heroism, like moths drawn to a flame.

This is the result of Shen Kun and Gao Gong's rigorous training.

Following Yan Maoqing's instructions, the two men went to extreme lengths to emphasize military discipline in their dealings with the soldiers, even resorting to the cruel "joint liability system in military operations."

One mile.

This is already a very dangerous distance, and the feeling of oppression is immense.

The Tatars had seen the Ming troops stationed at the border garrison. If it were those same people, they would have been terrified and scattered in all directions in the face of such a display of force.

But they didn't even consider that their two human legs could possibly outrun four horse legs.
Can they escape?

That will be the time when the Tatars begin their hunting feast, and no one will be spared!
But this time, the Ming army in front of them still marched forward to the rhythmic beat of drums, like mindless machines.

Only the soldiers of the Heroes' Battalion could see that some had pale faces and lips, some had trembling hands, and some were constantly wiping away sweat from their hands. After all, this was their first time facing a real war.

However, not one person stopped and forged ahead!

"This……"

The Tatar cavalrymen who were charging forward sensed that this Ming army was different; at the very least, it was an army with commendable courage.

These soldiers deserve the title of "warriors" and are opponents whom even the Tatars consider worthy of respect.

"This……"

The Tatar leaders on the city walls leaned forward slightly, their eyes fixed on the direction of the Heroes' Camp. The fact that they hadn't witnessed the expected rout was enough to surprise them; this was not the Ming army they knew.

"To be able to lead such an army, this Yan Maoqing is truly an unparalleled military genius!"

Anda's hand, which was gripping the wooden railing, tightened unconsciously. His eyes gleamed with a thirst for talent, and a sense of relief rose within him.
"Fortunately, I ordered this man to be captured alive. Now that he has been captured, I will keep him in the royal court forever."

“A person as greedy as him is also the most likely to betray the country for personal gain. Wealth, power, status—the Khan can give him whatever he wants.”

"Such a prodigy, skilled in both literature and martial arts, is a gift bestowed upon me by Heaven. I am determined to accept him!"

Even at this point, Anda still did not realize the seriousness of the problem and still regarded Yan Maoqing as a roasted lamb placed on the dining table.

Little did he know that even in the Ming Dynasty, Yan Maoqing had already become the person sitting at the dining table.

Even Zhu Houcong would often discuss with him how to divide the money, instead of just giving him a salary and rank and then ordering him around at will...

……

close!

Getting closer!
Two hundred steps!
One hundred steps!

In the Ming Dynasty, five feet equaled one step. One step, when converted to a unit in later times, is 1.5 meters.

The Heroes' Camp's formation remained as solid as iron, showing no signs of collapse. However, as the drumbeats changed, they finally stopped.

Then the first row of soldiers squatted down, the second row of soldiers half-squatted down, and the third row of soldiers stood up.

They all made the same move, raising their homemade muskets.

"This is?!"

The Tatar heavy cavalry at the forefront of the arrow formation finally realized the danger.

Although they did not know what a self-propelled arquebus was, they had seen the arquebuses used by the Ming army.

Even the Tatar heavy cavalry, lacking iron weapons, mostly wore leather armor, which was unable to withstand the bullets from muskets.

But at this moment, their orders were to rout the enemy head-on. Moreover, having charged to such a distance, with a large number of comrades following behind, there was no room for a sudden stop or a change of direction. Otherwise, they would be the first to panic. They could only grit their teeth and continue charging!

at the same time.

“BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!”

Suddenly, several loud explosions rang out. Before the explosions, they saw several blinding flames and thick black smoke suddenly rise from the vehicle formations on both sides of the Hero Camp.

These are Yan Maoqing's breech-loading cannons, a total of six!

After being modified by the Ordnance Bureau, these six breech-loading cannons were mounted on six specially made carriages.

In normal times, animals can be used to pull the horses, but in wartime, to prevent the horses from being startled, they are instead propelled by human power.

At Yan Maoqing's request, the connecting bases of these breech-loading cannons were specially modified so that the muzzle could be laid flat for firing.

There's a saying from later generations: "High-altitude shooting is leveled, and military courts are called for justice."

Although the breech-loading cannon could not be compared with anti-aircraft guns at all, firing with the muzzle flat would greatly affect its range.

However, if you position the enemy close enough, like a musketeer, there will be no problem, and you might even be more accurate.

Who says cannons have to be used for besieging cities?

next moment.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Tatar cavalrymen saw some of the heavy cavalrymen charging ahead fly up, their horses and bodies flying through the air, a bloody and gruesome spectacle.

And it wasn't just one person; something pierced through the first person, and then the second and third people were also sent flying through the air, their flesh and blood flying everywhere!

In the blink of an eye, more than ten heavy cavalrymen were reduced to mangled limbs and pieces of flesh.

As a result, as many as a hundred heavy cyclists were affected, either by collisions or by being tripped and knocked down!
Under such circumstances, the tips of their arrows developed gaps and no longer appeared as sharp.

"These are cannons! Yan Maoqing actually brought cannons to Fengzhou Beach?!"

Upon seeing this, a knowledgeable Xiongnu leader shouted.

"Hehe, no need to panic, it's nothing serious."

Anda frowned slightly, but his lips remained upturned, and he said in a steady tone,

"It's nothing more than seizing an early advantage; it's far from enough to change the course of the battle."

"However, since Yan Maoqing went to great lengths to transport these cannons to Fengzhou Beach, I have no choice but to accept them reluctantly. The Ming Dynasty will surely regret this in the future."

And indeed, that is as he said.

Although this bombardment looked quite impressive, it only slightly chipped a small gap in the Tatar cavalry's arrow formation.

As they spoke, the Tatar cavalrymen had already stepped over the mangled limbs and pieces of flesh from the bodies of men and horses, quickly patched up the gap, and continued their advance towards the enemy lines at their current speed.

Sixty steps!
The Tatar light cavalry had already begun to nock their arrows.

The soldiers of the Heroic Battalion remained unmoved.

Fifty steps!
Anda's light cavalry had already begun to draw their bows; if they got any closer, they could release their arrows, which would then fall into the enemy ranks.

At the same time, the drumbeats suddenly changed!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The first three ranks of the Heroic Battalion soldiers had already pulled the triggers, flashing a neat burst of fire.

(End of this chapter)