Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of gunshots rang out, one after another.

Three hundred musketeers, three hundred rifles, divided into three ranks: the first rank fires, the second rank prepares, and the third rank loads bullets.

In just a few minutes, thousands of bullets were fired, and more than a hundred meters away, thousands of scarecrows were smashed to pieces by the muskets!

Because the muskets were loaded with black powder, the thick smoke that rose covered the entire valley, filling it with the smell of burning gunpowder that lingered for a long time.

Li Chengming, with a pleased expression, said, "The power and rate of fire are quite good. This batch consists of veteran musketeers; they can be directly equipped with new guns and become combat-ready without any training. Excellent!"

The test results of the muskets were much better than expected. Under the volley of fire, even targets 150 meters away could not escape. Only at 200 meters did the hit rate of the muskets begin to drop sharply.

Liang Zicheng nodded and said, "This batch of muskets would be the most advanced in this era; they could basically hold their own against cavalry!"

The musketeers of the Restoration Army would eventually have to face cavalry. If their combat strength could not surpass that of the cavalry, then there was no need for large-scale equipment.

"Prepare plenty of ammunition!" Li Chengming said. "Are all ten cannons ready?"

Liang Zicheng said, "Everything is ready, and we have prepared a lot of shells."

Looking at the musketeers who had finished firing and were now lining up, Li Chengming felt somewhat gratified and said, "Ten new cannons and three hundred new musketeers, let's set off for Qianshan Town tomorrow."

Liang Zicheng seemed to have thought of something and asked, "How much time do we have left?"

Li Chengming: "Jin Shenghuan's troops in Nanchang have been assembled. The 50,000-strong army will set off immediately. Time is running out. We will send a batch of muskets and cannons over first and let Zhou Lei guard Qianshan County. Once more muskets and cannons are ready, we will send troops over to provide support."

Because of the short timeframe, the steel mill had only just finished producing a batch of new muskets and cannons.

To defeat Jin Shenghuan's 50,000-strong army with the current forces, they must rely on new firearms and cannons; otherwise, even if they win, it will be a devastating blow to the Xingfu Army.

Therefore, Li Chengming's strategy was to first send a 500-man firearms unit to Qianshan County to help defend the city. With sufficient food and ammunition, Qianshan City should have no problem with 4,000 troops holding off an attack by 50,000 soldiers.

The second batch of muskets and cannons is almost finished. It consists of 300 new muskets and 10 new cannons, which can also arm a 500-man firearms unit. In a few days, this new firearms unit will be sent to garrison Ezhu Town.

At that time, Qianshan Town will have 4,000 troops and Ehu Town will have 3,500 troops, forming a mutually supporting force. Even if Jin Shenghuan's 50,000 troops come to attack, the troops of Qianshan City and Ehu Town alone will be able to hold them off for a while.

Once Jin Shenghuan's army is nearly exhausted, and the third batch of new muskets and cannons has been manufactured in Xinzhou City, troops will be dispatched from Xinzhou City to launch a simultaneous attack with Qianshan City and Ehu Town. At that time, the great cause can be accomplished!

Li Chengming pondered: Sending out these two batches of firearms units, totaling a thousand men, will leave Xinzhou City short of another thousand soldiers. We'll need to continue recruiting, but the number of able-bodied men in the vicinity is limited. Continuing to recruit would negatively impact the agricultural production of the local people, making it a losing proposition. Therefore, I'll first consider targeting the agricultural administration team...

After finalizing the issues regarding the manufacture, use, and distribution of firearms, Li Chengming asked, "How's the pilot project with the agricultural administration team going?"

Liang Zicheng said, "Not bad. The fifty-man agricultural administration team wiped out forty bandits yesterday with zero casualties. Their organization and combat effectiveness are not a problem." At this point, Liang Zicheng laughed and said, "That's enough to run rampant in the countryside."

Li Chengming thought for a moment and said, "Call the captain of the agricultural administration team over, I want to see him."

Instead of immediately ordering someone to be summoned, Liang Zicheng said, "I've also discovered a talented person, quite interesting. Would you like to meet him?"

Li Chengming became somewhat interested and said, "Then let's call them over. What kind of person can attract your attention?"

So Liang Zicheng ordered the guards to call Wang Changjian and Liu Dazhu over.

While waiting for Li Chengming, Liang Zicheng gave him a brief overview of the establishment and training of the agricultural administration team. He then focused on introducing Liu Dazhu, saying that he was quite strong and had a talent for reading, but was too thin and weak.

Li Chengming became interested: "From what you're saying, your thinness is due to long-term hunger. That's not a problem. The Restoration Army may not have much else, but they provide plenty of food! Moreover, they come from tenant farming backgrounds, but have been lifted out of poverty by the new policies. They also have strong learning abilities. These are exactly the kind of talents we desperately need."

Liang Zicheng also laughed and said, "Yes, such talent has no problem with loyalty. If they have potential, we can cultivate them and entrust them with important responsibilities!"

Time passed quickly during their casual conversation, and an hour later, the guard captain led Wang Changjian and Liu Dazhu to the steel plant.

Wang Changjian had met Li Chengming and Liang Zicheng quite a few times before, but this was the first time Li Chengming had taken the initiative to approach him, so he was still a little nervous.

Li Chengming stared at Wang Changjian for a few seconds before saying, "I heard you volunteered to be the head of the agricultural administration team?"

Wang Changjian looked somewhat awkward as he replied, "Yes, yes, because I promised my two friends that I would bring their remains back to their hometown, so..."

Li Chengming continued, "So you're afraid that if you die in battle, you'll not only break your promise to your two friends, but you'll also be buried in a foreign land, isn't that right?"

Wang Changjian lowered his head and whispered, "Yes...yes."

Li Chengming said seriously, "Is this reason so hard to say? Why are you speaking so softly?"

Wang Changjian realized what was happening, quickly stood up straight, and shouted, "Yes!"

Li Chengming stared at Wang Changjian without saying a word for a long time, making Wang Changjian feel uneasy. He felt that it was wrong to speak or not to speak.

After a long while, Li Chengming sighed and said, "I never thought I could return to my hometown alive, but I also don't want to die without being able to go home. This is only human nature, so what's so hard to say?"

After a while, Li Chengming said, "Once the Restoration Army has pacified the world, I promise you that not only will the surviving heroes be able to return home in glory, but the fallen heroes will also be able to return to their hometowns in honor. The Restoration Army will give them a grand funeral and erect monuments and temples for them in their hometowns so that the world will remember them forever!"

People in this era have a strong attachment to their hometown. No matter how long they have been away from home or how far they have gone, they all believe in returning to their roots. Even if they cannot go back in life, they want to go back after death so that they will not become a lonely ghost outside.

Upon hearing Li Chengming's words, Wang Changjian took three steps back, knelt down solemnly, and performed three deep bows to Li Chengming.

Li Chengming shouted, "What are you doing? Don't you know the Restoration Army has abolished the kneeling ceremony?"

Ignoring Li Chengming's low shout, Wang Changjian respectfully performed three deep bows before standing up, his voice choked with emotion, and said, "Commander-in-Chief Li, I believe what you say. Two of these three bows were for my two friends, and the last one was for myself."

Li Chengming was both amused and exasperated, and asked, "And then?"

Wang Changjian continued, "I request to leave the agricultural administration team and return to the battlefield. Even if I die in battle one day, I will have no regrets."

Li Chengming and Liang Zicheng exchanged a glance, and Liang Zicheng understood what Li Chengming meant: the people they chose should solve this problem themselves.

So Liang Zicheng said, "Wang Changjian, I didn't call you here today to discuss this matter. Since you chose to come to the agricultural administration team, you can't just leave whenever you want. You need to do your job well, do your best, and be the best you can be. There will be opportunities to return to the battlefield in the future. Do you understand?"

Wang Changjian knew that military orders were absolute and could not be left to him to come and go as he pleased. He had only said those things in a moment of excitement, and now that he had calmed down, he realized how stupid he had been.

Fortunately, in the eyes of Li Chengming and Liang Zicheng, Wang Changjian's "stupidity" was not a big deal and even seemed genuine.