Nanming Engineer

Chapter 74 Mr. Ma

The sailing boats sailed leisurely and sailed against the current. The waterway from Yichang to Kuimen was very calm. There were no thieves rampant and no Qing soldiers oppressing the border. It was under the control of the Ming Dynasty forces, but the current situation was dilapidated. There is no war, but they are on the side of Azig's army. As long as the Prince of England is willing, the army can arrive overnight. Therefore, the officials of the Ming Dynasty in this area have long been unwilling to perform their duties. The master, because of the lack of political affairs, almost no one is on duty in the yamen of the states and counties, the gates are closed, only the big and small warlords everywhere, happy to keep the civil servants from coming, they wantonly collect the people's fat and anointing, enrich their pockets, and become the emperor of the land .

On the boat, Wang Huan took Zu Bian to ask about the old affairs of Liaodong every day. Zu Bian had to talk about every battle with the Qing army in detail. The structure, formation of soldiers, weapons, mules and horses, the tactics and equipment of the Qing army, the style of the leading generals, everything that the ancestors knew, was squeezed out by him, especially the specific process of the first battle of Hunhe, How the white pole soldiers and ZJ chariot soldiers persisted for a long time under the siege of the Qing soldiers several times their number, and how they were killed by the broken formation, I asked them in detail.

Zu Bian was a rough man, his words were confusing and lacked logic, and things happened a long time ago. He was forced to try hard to recall, and even pulled out a lot of hair, so he could barely satisfy Wang Huan.

Holding the record dripping with ink in his hand and looking at the not-so-pretty calligraphy on it, Wang Huan squatted on the bow of the ship, frowning and lost in thought.

Originally, he thought that the reason why the Qing army was able to sweep the Ming army and Li Zicheng's peasant army was because of their unparalleled iron cavalry and invincible riding and shooting. After asking Zu Bian, he realized that the cavalry was just a swift and fierce bone-cutting knife of the Qing army. The invincible heavy armored infantry is the hammer that breaks the formation.Whenever facing the enemy, the Qing army used infantry to charge into the formation. First, they used firearms, bows and arrows to kill the opponent from a long distance, and shot the opponent's feet, and then directly attacked the opponent's formation with heavy armored infantry. Fearless and fearless, like a huge wave sweeping away, the opponent's front line will be scattered, and the opponent's general must mobilize the central army or the left and right wings to support the center. And the peasant army, basically defeated and ran under these three axes, and became the target of the Qing army's pursuit and shooting.From Liaodong to Guannei, this routine is basically the same.

Occasionally, there are Ming soldiers who dare to fight, such as ZJ chariot soldiers, relying on sharp firearms, high chariots and strong shields, forming a chariot formation, or white-armed soldiers, with the same strict discipline and fighting will, forming a spear formation. Armored infantry and cavalry will no longer rush forward foolishly, but will instead disturb the periphery. The large group of cavalry will cut to the edge of the shooting range of the firearms, and retreat after throwing a rain of arrows. The purpose of inducing the Ming army to consume their firearms is to consume the Ming army's ammunition. When the Ming army's ammunition is exhausted, and then approach the archery, the Ming army is basically finished.In the Battle of Hunhe, six thousand Ming troops were besieged and killed in this way.

What kind of tactics should be used to deal with such an opponent?Wang Huan frowned and thought carefully. Of course, the best way is to develop sharper firearms, such as long-range firearms, or flowering cannons. Using hot weapons to fight cold weapons, the difference in weapons can easily defeat the powerful ones. The Eight Banners, the muscular cavalry wielding a machete, harvested bullets, just like the cowboys did to the Indians in the Western Development era.

But, where can I find the Suifa gun?There are many iron mines in Shizhu, but there are no craftsmen who make guns. Do it yourself?Don't be ridiculous, if Wang Huan could make guns, he wouldn't be mining.

After thinking about it for a long time, Wang Huan felt that it was still necessary to work hard on the spear array that the white-armed soldiers were famous for. As long as they chose a suitable battlefield and occupied a good location, it would not be difficult for infantry to defeat cavalry. There are many such examples in history, and infantry In the duel, it was a contest of who blinked the last eye.

Time passed in questions and answers and thinking. Thirteen days of boating on the river passed by. On the morning of No. 14, Wang Huan saw the Wu Gorge in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.

"Twelve Wushan Mountains see nine peaks, the bow of the boat is full of colorful green autumn sky, the morning clouds and evening rain are murky, and the apes cry all night in the moonlight."

Wang Huan silently recited Su's famous sayings and looked at the majestic scenery of the cliffs on both sides of the strait. He stood quietly on the bow of the boat. Chen Ergou and Xu Goudan stood behind him. Zu Bian, because he had been tortured by Wang Huan these days, Afraid, he hesitated and stood far behind the three of them.

"Qin Liangyu, that legendary heroine, should she be 72 years old this year? I'm really looking forward to what kind of character she is." Wang Huan took a breath of the river wind, and the moist air was poured into the lungs. The overlapping peaks recede along with the river. After the Wu Gorge, the river slows down, and the mountains suddenly become brighter. A small town near the river is now located by the river.

"That's Xituo Town. Guests, if you want to go to Shizhu, get off the boat here." The boss of the boat closed the sail and said to the four of them.

There is a pier in the town, which was built by the river, and a group of people gathered around the pier. As soon as the boat came up, before the four of Wang Huan set foot on the gangplank, someone on the shore shouted loudly: "But Wang Huan, the counselor, has arrived. ?”

Wang Huan couldn't help being shocked, while Xu Goudan and Chen Ergou were overjoyed. It turned out that Wang Huan had such a resounding name, and they quickly responded: "That's right, the person on the boat is Counselor Wang."

This answer was like a thunderclap in the still water, and the crowd on the shore suddenly boiled, and countless voices rang out at the same time: "It's the king, it's really the king!" There were men and women in the crowd, old and young, Everyone was happy, and rushed to rush to the boat. Wang Huan's boat was not big, so many people rushed up, it must be sunk, and the owner of the boat yelled loudly.

Immediately, someone shouted again: "Everyone, please be safe and don't be impatient, wait until Ma Xiaoguan takes over Wang Shen to discuss it!"

Wang Huan was baffled and at a loss. Chen Ergou and Xu Goudan did not expect such a strong response to their promise, so they cringed and hid aside, not daring to make another sound. Only Zu Bian strode forward Come, stand beside Wang Huan, and stare at the people on the bank.

After a moment, several sergeants in black leather armor lined up a path from the crowd, protecting a young man in white arrow uniforms as he walked onto the springboard.This young man is only eighteen or nineteen years old. He has a broad nose, big ears and thick eyebrows. He walks like a dragon and a tiger steps. He is full of heroism when he looks around, and he clearly has the demeanor of a general.

When he came to the bow of the boat, he looked up and saw Zu Bian, who had a thick back and a waist, and his eyes lit up immediately. He hurried forward, grabbed Zu Bian's hand and did not let go, and said happily: "I have heard about the name of the king for a long time, save me in Chuanzhong!" Erlang has returned to his hometown after thousands of miles, and seeing him today, he is indeed a hero, and I will pay homage to him!"

After saying that, he was about to kneel down and pay respects, so anxious that his ancestors supported him in a panic, stretched out his hand and pulled Wang Huan, who was full of persecution, and said hurriedly: "Young official misunderstood, my name is Zu By the way, this is Wang Shenyi!"

On the one hand, the young man froze immediately, his face turned red, and he was stunned for a moment, but he reacted quickly, and quickly turned to Wang Huan, about to meet him, but he saw that he was a young man similar to himself, and his body froze again.

The atmosphere was awkward.

Wang Huan rolled his eyes, took a step forward and bowed his hands to the young man in front of him, and said: "Boy Wang Huan, Li Tingyu and Master Li don't dislike him. He lives in the army and has met Mr. Ma."

The young man on the other hand reflexively returned the favor and said smoothly: "Where is it? Ma Wannian should meet with Counselor Wang... This is the first time we meet, how do you know my last name?"

(End of this chapter)