Dominate the Country

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“Look, sir. The thief Chen has deployed 200 cannons at once.”

The Qing army garrison commander of Zhoujiakou complained to Agui, who was at the front line. How can he resist this? He deployed 200 cannons at once, and this is only the first day. Who knows if there will be another ‘200 cannons’ on the Fu Han army’s position tomorrow morning?

Across the Ying River, the two armies faced each other, and the Fu Han army’s artillery was ready to go. The cannons emitted a deep cold light in the sun. The Qing army garrison commander was so scared!

“Why panic? Chen Ni’s guns and cannons are sharp. Did you know this on the first day?” Agui’s blade-like eyes immediately frightened the Zhoujiakou garrison commander.

Seeing this scene, a middle-aged military officer wearing a deputy general’s hat behind the garrison commander showed a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth. His immediate superior was really confused. He had to change his way of "playing pitiful" to Lord Agui, because Lord Agui would not listen to "crying" at all.

Agui had no eyes on the back of his head, so he naturally could not see this interesting scene. All he was thinking about now was the battle situation and the Chenzhou defense line operated by the Qing army: from Xihua in the north, through Zhoujiakou, to Shangshui in the south.

Chen Ni ignored Xihua and Shangshui on the two wings, and the army went straight to Zhoujiakou in the center. This was not taking the pincer attack of the Qing army on the two wings and the field combat capability of the Qing army seriously. "Chen Ming has absolute confidence that he can defeat the official army attacking from both wings."

Agui tried his best to keep himself calm. Because this is the fact. The current combat power of Chen Han and the Qing army is the same as the combat power of the Ming army against the Eight Banners when the Qing Dynasty rose. The latter can only rely on the heavy fortifications and cities to block the offensive of the Qing army. When it comes to field battles, the fragile Ming army is often easily defeated by the Eight Banners, whose numbers are far less than theirs.

Ah Gui clenched the telescope tightly, and his heart ached like a knife. The regular army of the Qing Dynasty had fallen to this point, and was looked down upon by the rebels. Is there anything more humiliating than this?

After more than a hundred years, the "foreign shape has been replaced". The powerful army of the past is now weak and deeply looked down upon by the rebels.

Ah Gui hated it to death.

If possible, he really wanted to turn all the more than 100,000 Qing troops under his command into a team like the Eight Banners New Army. Then, head-on, crush all the Chen rebels, crush them, crush them, and not one will be left, not one will be left...

It's a pity, it's a pity that there is no "if" in this world.

Ah Gui put down the telescope in his hand and sighed in his heart.

"Boom..."

A cannon sounded across the Ying River. It should be just a test shot.

"Master Zhongtang, Chen Ni is about to fire the cannon, Master, you should..., take shelter." The son of a rich man should not sit in the hall. Ah Gui was in a heavy position and could not be hurt on the front line.

"Order to fight back!" Ah Gui said four words coldly, and finally took a look at the artillery position of the Fu Han Army on the other side of the river, and turned away.

On the Fu Han Army side.

"Aim and fire!" Chen Ming waved his hand gently. The Qing Army's cannons had already fired, so what was the Fu Han Army waiting for?

"Tell the balloon team behind to speed up." This newly invented hot air balloon was too slow, too slow. They were preparing when it was just light, and now... Chen Ming took out his pocket watch to check the time. It was already 8:20, and it had been an hour and a half, and the hot air balloon had not risen yet.

The principle of the hot air balloon was very simple for Chen Ming. But it still required a lot of complicated experiments to transition from Kongming lanterns to hot air balloons. In order to make the most convenient and best-performing hot air balloon, the fabric of the hot air balloon alone had undergone many experiments, and the weight of the hot air balloon had to be reduced, while keeping the hot air balloon firm, and then the hot air balloon's air time had to be extended as much as possible. The first hot air balloon could only stay in the air for five or six minutes. Chen Ming did not need the hot air balloon to rise too high, he needed a long enough time to stay in the air.

All of this was troublesome, and it took a long time - repeated experiments - to solve it.

So the balloon team started to form two years ago, but it was not until now that they officially produced a reasonable sample. And the news that Chen Ming got from Europe was that it seemed that the French had not invented the hot air balloon yet.

Chen Ming could no longer remember the specific year when the hot air balloon was invented. But he knew it was in the late 18th century, before the French Revolution.

The hot air balloon that the Fu Han Army had made was nicknamed Kongming Lantern. It could rise 50 to 100 meters and stay in the air for about an hour. But the preparation time was very long.

…

The sound of the artillery was fierce. The roar of the explosion resounded throughout the battlefield, and the smoke filled the Qing army's position.

Less than a quarter of an hour after the artillery bombardment of both sides, the sound of the cannon could no longer be heard in the Qing army's position on the other side of the Ying River.

The hot air balloons of the Fu Han Army rose up, and the hot air balloons were responsible for guiding the position and direction. Although the battlefield below was filled with smoke, the effect was still very obvious.

But the reason why the Qing army's artillery positions stopped firing was definitely not because the Fu Han Army's cannons were so sharp and accurate. The latter's artillery positions were mostly closed and semi-closed, and they were very durable! The real reason was that the Qing army's gunners were pale and scared to death.

Agui and the Qing army military officers around him opened their mouths wide, staring at the hot air balloon rising opposite them with horror and disbelief - a Chiyou mask.

Fifty or sixty meters is not a high altitude, but in this era, fifty or sixty meters on flat ground is already a very high altitude. On the huge round ball of the hot air balloon, there is a hideous face of Chi You, and through the smoke of the battlefield, the "ghost face" is visible for a while and blurry for a while. Very scary!

That is a huge ghost face hanging in the air!

The whole Qing army, at first glance, their hearts are about to jump out of their throats, and no one is mentally prepared.

With the cover of the smoke, the Qing army can't see the rope pulling the hot air balloon. The smoke is thick for a while, and then it is light for a while, and it is in the clouds and fog. The vague feeling makes the Qing army look more terrified and scared.

"Ghost, ghost..."

"There is a ghost, there is a ghost..."

The gunners who first saw the hot air balloon cried for their parents and were scared to death.

The Manchus worshipped Buddhism.

Ah Gui was both a scholar and a warrior. He had a vague idea of ​​what the "ghost face" in front of him was at first sight, and his heart was beating. If it was really that great god, it would not be a ghost. There were also people from Shaanxi around him. Chi You was particularly respected during the Qin and Han dynasties. He was praised as the god of war and the ancestor of soldiers, and was worshipped by the court. His image and belief are still circulating in Shaanxi.

Immediately, a Shaanxi military officer knelt on the ground with a plop, "Chi You, it's the great god Chi You..."

For a while, everyone was shaking with excitement, and fear penetrated into their bones like a poisonous snake, and they couldn't stop it.

Liu Guangda climbed out of the anti-artillery hole and held a monocular telescope to observe the situation on the opposite side. The figures of the Fu Han army were already visible in the distance. However, at this time, he did not ask his soldiers to quickly climb out of the anti-artillery hole and get up from the trench to prepare for battle, because the artillery fire of the Fu Han army was still very sharp. Now the artillery bombardment of the Fu Han Army is still going on. It is not a good idea to come out of the anti-gun cave rashly. Besides, the distance of the Fu Han Army is relatively far. At this distance, not to mention the musketeers firing, even the cannons in the fortress can't hit them.

And Liu Guangda was also very strange. Why did he suddenly feel that his own artillery fire was gone? In addition to the movable artillery positions, the artillery team of Zhoujiakou also has many closed and semi-closed artillery positions along the river. The latter is much more durable than the open old-style artillery positions.

How long has it been since the battle? A quarter of an hour? Have all the multiple artillery positions deployed by the Qing army on the banks of the Ying River been destroyed? Liu Guangda thought this was impossible.

No matter how powerful the artillery of the Fu Han Army is, it can't be this powerful. The artillery positions on both sides are three or four miles apart.

"My lord, my lord..." A terrified wolf cry and ghost howl sounded in Liu Guangda's ears. He turned his head and saw that it was his capable battalion officer, who was also the highest-ranking officer he left on the battlefield.

"Look, look quickly..." The battalion officer was full of fear, pointing his finger in the air, and his whole body was in a state of panic.

Liu Guangda looked up in the direction of the battalion officer's finger, and the whole person seemed to be in a fixed spell, and he didn't know when the telescope in his hand fell. "This, this is..."

"Chi You, sir, this is the great god Chi You..." The battalion officer finally collapsed. He knelt on the ground, trembling and crying loudly, endless fear swept over his whole body, and this sudden ghost face completely defeated his mind.

Chi You, the demonized Chi You in the myth. He is a fierce god, the ancestor of soldiers, and Chi You has stood on the side of Chen Han. How can they fight? Endless fear spread like an infectious disease in Zhoujiakou. All the Qing army who saw the hot air balloon in the air lost their fighting spirit instantly. Even those who still shouted for resistance were not brave but hysterical...

Chen Ming keenly discovered the decline of the morale of the Qing army, and the speed of decline was amazing. What happened?

"Order the artillery to extend the fire inward. The assault troops will attack immediately!"

Chen Ming was a little confused about the situation. But the opportunity is not to be missed. The morale of the Qing army plummeted instantly, no matter what the reason was, even if Agui was killed by a shell. Taking this opportunity to expand the results of the battle and achieve a real victory is the real thing.

The shells are still flying. But they crossed the front-line positions of the river and bombarded Zhoujiakou Town. In the front-line positions, some officers did not see Chi You's ghost face in the air at all. They were still trotting and shouting loudly, asking their soldiers to get out of the anti-artillery holes one by one and lie on the trenches. The muskets in their hands were already loaded with bullets, ready to meet the Fu Han army rushing up at any time.

At this time, the Qing army trenches on the front line were already suffering from the baptism of mortar shells.

From time to time, shells fell into the trenches and exploded. The landing point immediately bloomed a bright blood flower.

Both the attackers and defenders faced the threat of each other's firepower. War is a game of who is more tragic!

Everyone is enduring the blows and casualties. Whoever dies more and who can't bear it first, then who loses!

If the artillery strength of both sides is equal, or the gap between the two sides is not so huge, there is no doubt that in the war mode of this era, the casualties of the Qing army as the defender are far less than those of the Fu Han army as the attacker.

But now the artillery strength is not equal from time to time, is it very disparate? More importantly, the morale of the Qing army was completely gone. There were countless people on the entire battlefield kneeling on the ground, trembling and terrified to the extreme.

When the assault troops carried the wooden raft into the Ying River, most of the Qing army positions on the front line were still quiet.

When the soldiers of the Fuhan Army's assault force charged with bayonets drawn, the Qing Army's frontline positions remained quiet.

Agui was furious at the rear. He didn't believe Chi You, "That's a trick. It must be a trick played by Chen Ni." Even if there was Chi You, he wouldn't be afraid as long as Chi You didn't personally take action and wipe out the Qing army. . Besides, how could it really be Chi You? Even if gods and Buddhas really come, it shouldn't be Chi You, the ancestor of ghosts, gods and soldiers who has been lost in the long river of history. Guanyin Bodhisattva, Tathagata Buddha, and the Jade Emperor are all more reliable than him.

"Tell the artillerymen that if they don't fire, they will be beheaded. Hit me quickly!"

The entire front-line position along the river was weakened. Until now, the gunshots had not fired a few times, but Agui was so angry that his whole body was on fire.

There was silence in the headquarters, and the lingering smell of blood was still warning the officers present about the fate of the Dusi just now. He was killed on the spot by Agui himself with a sword! Just because he called out ‘Chiyou the Great’ and then said ‘It’s over, it’s all over’! Agui will let him finish first!

Chen Ming definitely didn't expect that the balloon team's debut would have such an unexpected 'alternative effect'. It was not their 'eyes' that directed the Fuhan Army's artillery to show off their skills and win the victory, but their 'face' that directly frightened the enemy into silence.

Stupid!

The screams echoed faintly in the explosion!

The Qing artillery finally opened fire again. Still using shotguns with huge lethality.

The Fuhan Army assault troops who rushed ashore were knocked down one after another, but the remaining ones continued to charge! The first Qing army array has been captured by them. The assault troops did not stop, but continued to attack deeper into the defense line!

The charging assault troops also used muskets to fight back, but their ranks were too spread out. The hit rate of a single musket shot was very poor, and the effect was also very poor. The Qing army's cannons roared again and again, appearing feeble. However, the powerful shotguns still claimed the lives of Fuhan Army soldiers one after another. A soldier of the assault force was hit in the head, and the bullet pierced his helmet. Half of his head was instantly smashed by the bullet like a ripe watermelon...

Liu Guangda sat down against the trench, and put the saber and musket on his sides. If the Fuhan army rushed up, he would be captured without any help. How can humans be as evil as ghosts and gods?

But some Qing army officers were really not even afraid of ghosts and gods. An Eight Banners military attaché had a white bandage wrapped around his arm and his face was stained with blood. The Fuhan Army's bombardment also caused some losses to the Qing Army. The Eight Banners Military Attaché didn't care about this minor injury. He focused his gaze dozens of meters away. The Fuhan Army's assault troops were getting closer and closer.

"Grenade ready!"

The Eight Banners military attache did not expect his soldiers to be able to reload bullets neatly at this time. That leaves only grenades.

Soon, the soldiers of the Fuhan Army were close to thirty or forty meters. They threw the first wave of grenades viciously, and the Qing Army on the opposite side also threw back sixty or seventy grenades. It's a pity that at least half of it was only thrown ten meters and fell to the ground helplessly.

The Eight Banners Military Attaché threw three grenades in succession and was the first to jump up from the trench with a machete in his hand. "Brothers, the time has come to serve the imperial court. If you are a hero, kill me!"

A small-scale hand-to-hand combat was inevitable.

The assault force soldiers formed a unique triangular formation of the Fuhan Army and rushed towards the Qing army.

Screams and screams, traces of blood flowed from the wounds, soaking the land where countless people died.

There seemed to be deathly silence all around, and the Eight Banners Attaché could no longer hear any sound in his ears. All his willpower was focused on glaring at a squad leader of the Fuhan Army in front of him. He held the bayonet that had pierced his chest with both hands, feeling the pain as the blade was withdrawn from his body bit by bit. The Eight Banners Military Attaché covered his chest with both hands, but he still could not stop the blood from pouring out. He no longer had the strength to stand on his feet. He staggered and half-knelt down, but he still raised his head and looked at the squad leader of the Fuhan Army in front of him, with a look in his eyes. What is revealed is unforgettable hatred!

The hatred between the Eight Banners and Chen Han needs no further explanation and cannot be resolved.

His strength disappeared with the loss of blood. When his blood dyed the ground beneath him red, he could not even maintain this half-kneeling posture. His eyelids were so heavy that it was difficult to open them again. At this time, the enemy in his eyes He had already turned around, shouted loudly, and charged at another Qing soldier with his bayonet drawn.

But he could no longer see or hear what happened next. He closed his eyes and gradually lay down on the ground. The originally cold land seemed to have become warmer, which was the temperature of his blood.

The Qing army fled. After a large number of Eight Banners military attachés, Eight Banners soldiers and soldiers loyal to the Manchus died, the vast majority of the remaining Qing soldiers began to flee.

"Initiate the follow-up troops immediately. Get Zhou Jiakou for me!"

In addition to Yinghe River, Shahe River and Jialu River, Zhoujiakou is really a difficult place. If we don't take advantage of the Qing army's panic, we will resolutely capture it. When they calmed down, it was the Fuhan army that was in trouble.

"Your Highness, the balloon team has really made great contributions today. Why do you think the Qing army suddenly lost their confidence? They mistook the hot air balloon for Chi You and frightened themselves silly." Liu Wu shook an interrogation report, his face full of joy. The person he was questioning was a lieutenant general. According to the captured soldiers, the lieutenant general threw his pistol and sword on the ground when he was captured. He was very obedient.

The report in Liu Wu's hand was the lieutenant general's confession. When the Qing army saw the hot air balloon in the air, they thought it was the great god Chi You appearing, so they naturally dared not fight anymore...