The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Three miles outside Fengyang City, the Han army had already assembled. Each soldier, dressed in khaki uniforms, leather belts, and boots, stood upright.

One thousand cavalry, three thousand musketeers, two hundred shield bearers, eight hundred spearmen, and six hundred artillerymen plus auxiliary troops, carrying twenty cannons weighing five hundred catties and ten cannons weighing one thousand catties. This was the garrison army of the Han Dynasty, numbering five thousand six hundred men.

Ma Teng, observing through his binoculars, gasped upon seeing this scene; it was the first time he had ever witnessed such a dense array of firearms used by the Chinese army.

I immediately knew that this was going to be a fierce battle.

It's even possible that they'll lose.

Because his troops consisted of only two thousand musketeers, eight hundred cavalry, and twenty cannons, while the remaining spearmen and auxiliary troops were all natives of Southeast Asia, whose fighting strength was questionable.

Thinking of this, Ma Teng wanted to leave this dangerous place. These 5,000 troops were half of the Dutch East India Company's forces used to suppress the islands of Southeast Asia. If they were to be lost here, the consequences would be severe.

However, the treaty had already been signed, and Ningbo Prefecture was a good place. Even if the governor knew, he would still fight a war. Thinking of this, Ma Teng suddenly didn't want to leave. If they won, they would be rich and powerful.

"This army is no ordinary force. Your Qing Kingdom must also send troops; it would be best if all of you left the city for a decisive battle!"

Upon hearing Ma Teng's words, the Eight Banners commander also wanted to share some credit, so he gave an order to the Green Standard Army adjutant standing beside him.

"Xu Chuang, take the remaining two thousand men and go to the city walls to support the Dutch leaders!"

Lieutenant General Xu Chuang was a burly man with a resolute face, square jaw, and peach-blossom eyes. Upon hearing this, he frowned but ultimately went to the main camp to assemble his troops.

After defending the city, the 3,000 Green Standard Army soldiers had amassed 500 to 600 men on horseback. Xu Chuang led the remaining 2,000 or so men out of the city.

There were also cavalrymen among them.

This made Ma Teng the happiest.

When both sides' troops gathered on the plain, they immediately brought out their cannons. The Han army had forty cannons, while the Dutch had twenty. However, they also brought out five 500-jin cannons from Fengyang City, which helped to reduce the Qing army's disadvantage.

The first round of shelling, unsurprisingly, was aimed at the enemy's cannons and artillery, resulting in the destruction of a large number of artillerymen and auxiliary troops.

This kind of pure artillery duel, without any fancy techniques, only the artillerymen's composure and accuracy, and most importantly, the number of cannons, determine the outcome.

It was obvious that the Han army's artillerymen were excellent in their training, but they were all new recruits. Seeing their comrades being torn apart in blood, they were terrified and couldn't fire accurately. Fortunately, they had five extra cannons, which could make up for the difference between the two sides.

After the fifth round of bombardment, the Dutch artillery was the first to retreat, pushing the remaining eight cannons back to their lines, while the Han army still had eighteen cannons.

Even those ten cannons, which weighed over a thousand pounds, were preserved because they were fired from a distance and had a low probability of being hit.

At this point, Ma Teng had no desire to fight anymore, because on the European battlefield, if a battle of artillery was lost, he would retreat without hesitation unless he had a numerical advantage.

No matter how tall and strong you are.

It couldn't withstand even a single shell.

Unbeknownst to them, the Han army's cavalry had already blocked the south gate, divided into three groups ready to charge at any time, thus blocking their retreat.

"Defend in place!"

At Ma Teng's command, the indigenous soldiers from Southeast Asia carried five-meter-long spears, bracing one end against the ground and raising the other end at a 45-degree angle.

Thus, the entire formation resembled a hedgehog, with a hollow center. The spears were to prevent cavalry charges, while the hollow center was to prevent ricochets from Han cannons from causing a straight-line bloodbath.

"I never imagined that such a defensive formation existed. These small foreign countries have reached a level of mastery over firearms that I never thought possible. No wonder His Majesty instructed us to learn from them and summarize our experiences so that we can never underestimate the enemy again."

Yin Huaxing, who had been watching the battle, was quite moved by what he saw and muttered a few words before loudly giving the order.

"Shieldbearers, musketeers, form ranks and advance!"

"Keep the cannons advancing!"

At Yin Huaxing's command, three thousand musketeers marched forward, followed by three hundred large shields, each one and a half meters high and one meter wide, with mortise and tenon wooden stakes behind them to withstand impact.

At the bottom is a wheelbarrow with two table-like legs, making it easy to turn at any time. Three people can push it around, making it very convenient and flexible.

This is a small shield cart newly researched by the Ministry of Works. It is actually a large shield cart used in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, which has been modified into a smaller version. It is still used to block firearms.

The material was ironwood about two fingers wide, covered with pounded cotton, and topped with a raised wrought iron plate. Lead bullets would slip on it when hit.

At a distance of thirty paces, even a large matchlock gun cannot penetrate it; at a distance of two or three hundred paces, it can barely withstand the solid shot fired from a three-pound cannon.

This thing also existed in the West, but it was made much larger, like a chariot from the Spring and Autumn Period, and was mainly used to prevent cavalry charges.

Liu Mu's arrangement of the proportion of firearms was naturally based on several considerations. First, the Han Dynasty would not lack cavalry; second, the Han Dynasty would always have the most cannons; and third, the Han Dynasty would have the most infantry.

Commonly known as the "three abundances of horses, infantry, and cannons," this is also a standard feature of major powers.

Before the Han army's square formation had even stepped two hundred paces, the cannons bombarded the Dutch square formation again, tearing the indigenous soldiers to pieces on the spot.

When they reached 150 paces, the second round of artillery fire came again. The indigenous soldiers, who were on the defensive, began to panic and instinctively tried to retreat.

This would disrupt the formation of the Dutch musketeers behind them. Ma Teng, who had been in charge of the local tribes for many years, was a ruthless man. Upon seeing this, he immediately used killing to quell the chaos.

"Kill! Anyone who dares to move is to be killed!"

As soon as Ma Teng gave the order, two hundred Dutch soldiers, each armed with a sword, rushed forward and began hacking and slashing.

These indigenous soldiers from Southeast Asia were trained by the Dutch. After dozens of them were killed, they calmed down and obediently continued to maintain their formation.

When the Han army was a hundred paces away, not only were cannonballs fired, but also five hundred lead bullets.

One by one, the indigenous soldiers, each wielding a spear, fell straight to the ground as if struck by lightning after being shot.

"What kind of musket is this? How can it fire so far and so accurately?"

While cursing in confusion, Ma Teng picked up his binoculars to observe. When he saw the barrel of the flintlock musket in the Han army's hands, which was 30% longer than a normal flintlock musket, he began to show a puzzled expression. He then discerned the advantages and disadvantages of this musket.

"The Han army is reducing the barrel caliber and adding an extra-long barrel to increase the firing range of lead bullets, but this will slow down the loading speed. Is such a high price worth it?"

After a moment of confusion, Ma Teng suddenly remembered the huge population of the East. This was a musket designed for the people of the East, because they could replenish their numbers.

"These Asians are so extravagant!"