The Jiannu's supposedly invincible archery skills were well understood by the Ming army, and were completely untrue. The Jiannu's victory hinged on hand-to-hand combat, with heavily armored infantry charging into battle and infantry longbow fire providing cover.

As for the Jiannu cavalry, their prowess was only evident in pursuit, and their power was exaggerated. Facing strict battle formations, there were very few instances of Jiannu cavalry charging into them.

The flintlock rifle and bayonet can make all kinds of weapons kneel down and sing the song of conquest.

Although the Ming army had not yet fully grasped the essence of it, they were able to quickly deploy horizontal columns and vertical rows to expand the firepower output area.

But in this era, the Ming army was already the most advanced land army and it ushered in a major change in combat mode.

Of course, the various Ming armies had yet to develop a fixed, unified combat system and were still experimenting with improvements. Chariots and artillery made up for these tactical shortcomings and were a traditional and reliable method of warfare.

The Jiannu people did not realize this. To put it simply, "times have changed."

In fact, even Zhu Youxiao, who spared no effort in promoting the upgrading of Ming army weapons and equipment and the continuous improvement of Ming army tactics, was not entirely sure of the difference in strength between the enemy and us. Caution remained his motto.

The Ming army in Liaodong advanced towards Jianzhou, and the Ming army in Liaonan was also ready and advanced steadily northward towards Haizhou Wei.

"Nengneng, let's look forward!" Zhang Zongbao patted Zhang Junneng on the shoulder and said comfortingly, "We can't go to that island!"

Zhang Junneng rolled his eyes, turned around and ignored his old friend, jumped off the horse and threw the reins to his old friend, took a few steps and helped the soldiers push the artillery cart out of the mud pit.

Zhang Zongbao shook his head and didn't care. He knew Zhang Jun was still thinking about that innocent and kind peasant girl, but everyone knew that was impossible.

As artillery officers who graduated from military academies, they first arrived in western Liaoning, but did not encounter any war. However, the work of training artillery never stopped.

Now he was transferred to Liaonan to participate in the attack on Haizhouwei. It seemed that he was closer, and it seemed to have aroused Zhang Junneng's thoughts again.

After brushing off the dust on his hands, Zhang Junneng walked back, took the reins handed to him by Zhang Zongbao, and jumped on the horse with very smooth movements.

"Once we've defeated the Jiannu, we should be generals too." Zhang Zongbao changed the subject and said with a smile, "Even if we don't rely on our families, we won't have to worry about food and drink with our salaries."

Zhang Junneng nodded and said, "Being self-reliant, isn't that what you and I are planning? The elders have also made it clear that if we rely on the legacy of our ancestors first, we'll probably have a hard time in the future!"

"Uncle, do you think so too?" Zhang Zongbao asked knowingly in order to divert Zhang Junneng's thoughts.

Zhang Junneng gave a wry smile and said, "Even the vassal states have a hard time, let alone the nobles of other surnames. The grace of a gentleman is cut off after five generations. Many people don't understand this principle."

"Yes, many people don't understand." Zhang Zongbao looked at the advancing troops and nodded with deep emotion. "If you and I hadn't experienced the battlefield, we wouldn't understand either."

Zhang Junneng shook his head and didn't quite agree with Zhang Zongbao's statement. It wasn't as simple as just having experienced the battlefield, but the changes from the beginning to now.

You know, they were there when the Dongjiang town was established. What did the soldiers wear, use, and eat at that time?

Those wearing red coats were regular soldiers, their armor old, worn, and scarce; their weapons were mostly swords and guns, with bows and arrows being rare. They had a few falconets, unloaded from navy ships.

Siege warfare really relies on human lives. Zhang Jun could never forget the scene of climbing up the ladder to the top of the city wall and being beaten down in a bloody battle.

Now, not to mention the officers, even the soldiers are fully armored, equipped with flintlock rifles and bayonets, and assisted by a large number of artillery pieces.

Over the past few years, the Liaodong Ming army has undergone a complete transformation. To put it bluntly, this was all achieved with money.

It is easy to say that victory and advantage are gained through money, but how much money is needed?

Fatty Zhang only calculated the cost of one soldier, and when he thought about the nearly hundreds of thousands of troops in Liaodong, he was shocked and couldn't imagine it.

How could the emperor come up with so much money? It was unimaginable that he could do it without collecting money from everywhere and being ruthless.

Of course, due to his different background, Fatty Zhang would not be so selfless.

But after witnessing the misery of the Liao people, the decline of the Liao land, the brutality of the Jiannu, and the fighting of the Ming army, his resistance was much less than that of the powerful and wealthy children who were still staying in the capital to enjoy themselves.

Moreover, Fatty Zhang sometimes thought that his life had been quite exciting. When he was a playboy in the capital, he was so idle that he just wanted to find some excitement. But now, he didn't need to look for it; excitement would come to him.

"Thinking back to when we first arrived in Dongjiang, I laughed at them, saying they looked like beggars eating pig food!" Zhang Zongbao laughed self-deprecatingly. "But after a few days, the pig food tasted better than anything else."

Zhang Jun nodded and laughed, saying, "That pancake is so baked that it can make your teeth fall out. But when you're hungry, it tastes delicious..."

The words stopped abruptly, and Zhang Junneng's eyes were a little dazed. He remembered eating flatbread in the cold wind and the warm steamed bun handed to him by the girl who left her hometown.

They should be able to survive. The imperial court is not only very concerned about military supplies, but also provides good relief to the Liao people. Zhang Jun thought about it and sighed silently.

……………………

The wheel of fate began to shift in the second year of the Apocalypse, and the longer it went on, the more it shifted. Even today, I'm afraid only a tiny fraction of people have had their fates unchanged.

The closer one is to the emperor, or the closer one lives to the capital, the more obvious the difference in fate becomes. However, no one knows this.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!