The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

Hearing Zhang Degui directing the deployment of the Tiger Crouching Cannons in the woods, Yang Zhen quickly summoned him and whispered, "The command of the Tiger Crouching Cannons is now in Yang Shen's hands! When we break into the camp later, you'll lead the musket team and come with me! Have your musket snipers target the Tartar generals! Anyone who dares to stand up and command the Tartars to resist, have your musket snipers kill him! Shoot the horse before the rider, capture the king before the thief! If we kill the Tartar's commanding general, the Tartars will be without leadership, and our chances of victory will be much greater!"

Just as Yang Zhen was making hasty preparations for the battle, Zu Keyong finally arrived with his hundred heavily armored infantrymen.

Zu Keyong came to Yang Zhen's side to receive his orders, which put some peace of mind on Yang Zhen's mind.

Moreover, Xu Changyong's three hundred Mongol soldiers arrived around the same time as Zukeyong's troops.

These three hundred Mongol soldiers were all veterans. Their combat effectiveness might not be great, but their sense of the battlefield was very sharp.

At this moment, these Mongol soldiers seemed to sense the impending battle. They abandoned their usual lazy attitude and focused intently on the enemy camp in front of them, silently preparing to storm it.

As soon as Xu Changyong approached Yang Zhen, he couldn't hide his excitement. He deliberately lowered his voice and said to Yang Zhen, "Brother! This is truly the first time I've ever fought a battle like this! Now that everyone's here, when are we going to go in?!"

"Brother Xu, please be patient! Wait for Yuan Jin! I need the tung oil they brought!"

No sooner had Yang Zhen finished speaking than he heard a rustling sound coming from the woods behind him—Yuan Jin's troops had arrived!

Sure enough, a short while later, Yuan Jin arrived at Yang Zhen's side. Seeing that everyone had gathered, he quickly whispered to Yang Zhen, "I'm ashamed! I'm ashamed! It took a little time to settle the evacuation ships!"

Seeing that all the men who were supposed to attack the camp were in place, and that the Tartar troops in the nearby camp were still asleep, Yang Zhen decided to attack immediately. No matter what the outcome, at this point, he had no choice but to go forward and take the gamble.

Yang Zhen had made up his mind and did not hesitate any longer. He immediately summoned all the generals to his side and said to them:

"Gentlemen! Our main attacking force is all present! I intend to begin the attack immediately! Now, I order—Zhang Chen, Pan Xi, and Yuan Jin's units to form the first echelon, carrying muskets, gunpowder bullets, and tung oil, to enter the camp using rope ladders! Once inside, do not linger, but quickly set fire to the grain depots and haystacks! If you encounter any Tartar scouts or sentries, Zhang Chen's musket squad should be the main force, shooting them on the spot!"

"After the fire broke out in the camp, the left flank of the grenadier team led by Li Lu cleared the way and directly used the Wanrendi (a type of explosive) to blow open the Tartar camp. The other units rushed in from the blown-open area, forming the second echelon!"

"The second echelon will be led by Li Lu's grenadier unit, followed by Xu Changyong's Mongol troops, and then Zu Keyong's and Yang's musketeer units! Furthermore, all rope ladders in the second echelon will be used by Yuan Jin's unit!"

After saying this, Yang Zhen looked at everyone and continued, "Zhang Degui will lead the matchlock corps to operate with me! Yang Shen's artillery unit on the right flank, as the third echelon, will not enter the camp. Instead, they will set up tiger-squat cannons facing our breach. Make sure to adjust the distance, seize the opportunity, and be prepared to support our retreat!"

The first echelon, consisting of Zhang Chen, Pan happy, and Yuan Jin, took the lead in obeying the order. The second echelon, consisting of Li Lu, Xu Changyong, Zu Keyong, and Zhang Degui, also responded to Yang Zhen's order without hesitation, clasping their hands in agreement.

As for Yang Shen, he also realized the heavy responsibility he was shouldering, and immediately "accepted the order" to Yang Zhen.

After making these arrangements, Yang Zhen continued, "Regarding the pontoon bridge over the Xiaoling River, I have already arranged for Yan San to lead men there, and they should have arrived by now! Gentlemen! The success or failure of this battle now depends on whether you can obey orders and follow commands!"

"I must make this clear from the outset! During the attack, I will lead the musketeer and matchlock squads behind. If any Tartars dare to retreat without a fight, I will order them shot dead! During the retreat, everyone must heed my whistle! Once the whistle sounds, no matter what's in front of you—a haystack, a granary, or even the Tartars' gold and silver—you must retreat immediately! Those who disobey will bear the consequences themselves. Don't say you weren't warned!"

With the great battle imminent, it was indeed time to announce discipline and issue orders. All the generals were experts on the battlefield, and upon hearing Yang Zhen's words, they clasped their hands in obedience and accepted the order, without needing Yang Zhen to waste any more words explaining.

Yang Zhen glanced once more at the quiet and peaceful Tartar camp before him, then at his own troops who were beginning to stir, and immediately said, "Alright! Let's begin!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen, Pan happy, and Yuan Jin remained silent, turned around, and left to return to their respective units to relay orders.

A moment later, Zhang Chen, carrying a musket and a rope ladder, took the lead, crouching low as he rushed out of the woods and charged toward the Tartar camp thirty paces away, followed by the soldiers on the left flank of the vanguard musket team.

After Zhang Chen's musketeer team set off from the left flank, Pan happy and Yuan Jin each led their own troops, rushing towards the Tartar camp without regard for the consequences. They each found a nearby spot and threw the rope ladders they had prepared beforehand onto the Tartar camp's fence.

As Yang Zhen watched his soldiers climb over the fence and enter the Tartar camp, his previously anxious heart finally settled down completely.

"Yang Zhan'ao! Go and relay the order to Li Lu! Right here under this fence, against the fence, deploy all the 'Ten Thousand Enemy' weapons, then await my command! Blow it up in one fell swoop!"

Yang Zhan'ao received the order and left. Soon after, Li Lu led his left wing of grenadiers, carrying the somewhat heavy "Ten Thousand Enemy" (a type of weapon), and ran towards the fence of the Tartar camp.

Just then, a muffled gunshot suddenly rang out from afar in the Tartar camp, followed by several more gunshots. At the same time, a loud clanging of gongs suddenly erupted from the Tartar camp!

The gong rang out clearly in the night, carrying far and wide, accompanied by faint, chaotic shouts: "It's terrible! Someone's raiding the camp! Someone's setting fire! Quickly report to the master, someone's raiding the camp!"

Yang Zhen's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the musketeer team that had entered the camp had been discovered by the Tartar patrol team!

Just then, Yang Zhen heard another loud "boom," and a burst of flames shot into the sky from the northeast corner of the Tartar camp, illuminating the night sky.

"That's the sound of a thunderclap! It seems Pan happy has succeeded!"

As Yang Zhen was speculating about the situation of his own troops in the Tartar camp, he saw Li Lu leading the grenadiers who had originally set up a formidable defense line of ten thousand men suddenly running back. Upon closer inspection, he discovered several flickering lights beneath the Tartar camp's palisade.

Before Yang Zhen could react, he heard a series of violent explosions, and the huge tremors from the ground almost knocked him to the ground.

As soon as the deafening sound in his ears subsided, Yang Zhen saw that Zu Keyong's troops and Xu Changyong's troops had already charged forward with shouts, without waiting for the order to attack the camp!

Having never experienced such a scene before, Yang Zhen was still a bit inexperienced. At this crucial moment, looking at the shattered camp and the shouting crowd rushing in, his mind went blank, and he was somewhat dazed.

Fortunately, unlike him, a battlefield novice, when he ordered Li Lu's troops to prepare to fight against ten thousand men, Zu Keyong's troops and Xu Changyong's troops, whether officers or soldiers, squatted on the ground, covered their ears, and got ready.

The soldiers on the right flank of Yang Zhen's musketeer squad, the right flank of his artillery squad, and the left flank of his grenadier squad all took precautions. Only Yang Zhen, the time traveler, foolishly waited for the explosion of the enemy.

The Ming Dynasty's imperial army was equipped with a large amount of poison for the "Ten Thousand Enemy" pills. During the Wanli era, when the country was at its peak, the amount of poison used for each "Ten Thousand Enemy" pill was equivalent to about forty kilograms, or eighty catties, in later times.

Even considering the explosive yield of gunpowder during the Ming Dynasty, the 80 jin of gunpowder used to kill 10,000 people would have produced a considerable amount of sound and power upon detonation.

However, after its peak during the Wanli era, the power of the gunpowder began to decline. This was first reflected in its weight, which began to decrease, and the amount of gunpowder used also began to decrease. Instead, much effort was put into the large ceramic jars used to hold the gunpowder.

The "Ten Thousand Enemy" weapons currently used by Li Lu include those made by the Ming Dynasty's official army and those he personally equipped and manufactured.

During this raid on the Tartar camp, Li Lu's troops carried the "Ten Thousand Enemy" grenade launcher, which was loaded and prepared by the grenadier squad themselves. The overall weight was reduced to make it easier to carry, but the overall power was not only not reduced, but also increased.

Because their recently produced "Ten Thousand Enemy" gunpowder used a new formula developed by Pan Wenmao, although the gunpowder was smaller, the sound and power it produced were not reduced but increased.

When Yang Zhen came to his senses from the deafening explosion, he saw that a large section of the barricade of the Tartar camp thirty paces away had collapsed in the explosion, and rows of logs had been blown into the air, forming a huge gap that was two or three zhang wide.

"Charge! Follow me and charge in! Charge in and burn the Tartars' supplies, then we'll win! Burn the Tartars' supplies, then we'll win!"

Seeing that Zu Keyong's and Xu Changyong's troops had already swarmed in, Yang Zhen suddenly felt a surge of heat in his head and his blood rushed to his head. Shouting slogans, he recklessly followed the troops in front and charged into the Tartar camp!