The Ming troops in various places would naturally pool their wisdom and come up with their own solutions. For example, the Ming troops in Dalian deepened and widened the trenches, leaving the Later Jin army with no better solution except filling them.
Moreover, although new artillery was given priority for supplying Liaozhen, a large number of old artillery were transferred from various places and mounted on the built platforms. The high-altitude strike further enhanced the defensive capabilities of the Ming army in Luda.
The technological advances also included the telescope and the formula for gunpowder.
One has a long-range vision and can anticipate the enemy's advance; the other has great power, which increases the lethality of firearms.
"It's Han soldiers and Mongols." Zhang Pan looked up at the signal coming from the watchtower, sneered, and said to the messenger next to him: "The second-line troops will not advance for now. Artillery is only allowed to bombard odd-numbered emplacements."
The Luda Ming army was already very experienced in defense. Not only their tactics, but also their command and orders were becoming increasingly detailed.
Kong Youde chuckled and said, "The Jiannu are afraid and only dare to use cannon fodder to test the waters. Well, it just makes our army waste more gunpowder and lead bullets."
Zhang Pan sighed softly and said, "It's a pity that most of those Han soldiers were forced to come here. It's heartbreaking to see compatriots killing each other."
Kong Youde blinked his eyes and opened and closed his lips, but in the end he didn't say the words "I don't want to be soft-hearted."
He knew Zhang Pan was just like that. Although he was a little soft-hearted, he was still able to distinguish important matters clearly. He would not relax his composure just because the attacking troops were Han soldiers, thus putting Luda in danger.
Of course, whether it was Zhang Pan, Kong Youde, or even the officers and soldiers of the Ming army, they were all very confident in defeating the enemy.
Judging from the flags of the Later Jin army, there were only two flags of troops, and together with the Han and Mongolian vassals, there were no more than 30,000 people.
The total number of Ming troops on the defensive line had reached 15,000 to 16,000, not counting the troops transferred from Dengzhen, who were mainly responsible for the defense of Lushun and served as a reserve force.
According to the martial arts professor's deduction and the experience of officers such as Zhang Pan and Kong Youde, even with equal equipment, the casualties of the attackers would be at least twice as much as those of the defenders.
In other words, even if the attacking Later Jin army fought to the death, it would only cost more than 10,000 Ming troops, and Luda would still not be captured.
The sound of war drums rumbled, and shield carts began to move, pressing towards the Ming army's defense line.
Although the attack showed some power, it was nothing new and did not put much pressure on the Ming army.
The Ming soldiers behind the breastwork of the trench set up their muskets and waited to open fire; the soldiers operating the grenade carts loaded the bombs and waited to smash the iron hooks and fire.
The shield carts of the Later Jin Dynasty underwent some improvements. The wooden boards in the front were thicker, and the rear compartments could be loaded with sand and gravel bags for filling trenches.
During the war, both sides made progress, but the Ming army far surpassed the Later Jin in terms of the magnitude of progress.
When the shield cart advanced to fifty or sixty meters in front of the trench, the cannons on the pier roared louder than the war drums.
Amidst flashes of flames and rising white smoke, solid shells flew out of the barrel at a low angle and crashed rapidly towards the enemy.
Shield carts were damaged and destroyed, one after another, replaced by new ones. What remained on the ground were broken parts, the bodies of Han soldiers, and the wailing wounded.
Huang Taiji narrowed his eyes. He could foresee this situation. Moreover, he could see that the Ming army was not exerting its full strength. If all the artillery had opened fire, the scene would definitely not be like this.
Not only were their firearms powerful, but the Ming army was also very confident. Compared to the former, Huang Taiji was more wary of the Ming army's mentality and their calmness.
Up to now, the trench carts had advanced to a distance of less than 20 meters from the trench, but the Ming army's muskets had not fired a single shot.
The Ming army was no longer what Huang Taiji had imagined. Although he had expected it, he was still shocked when he saw it with his own eyes.
After so many years of fighting, the psychological shock caused by the bloody battle of Hunhe River still remains. Now, the feeling of uneasiness is getting stronger, and Huang Taiji frowned.
The shield carts finally reached the first wide trench, and the Han soldiers and baoyi began to fill it in. Although the Ming army's artillery was powerful, its number seemed small, and their fear was not very strong.
The artillery fire was still firing sporadically, slowly destroying the shield carts and causing casualties to the enemies behind them.
A canopy of rockets rose from the Ming army position, swept across the sky, and flew towards the shield carts lined up in front of the trench.
This was a tentative act of destruction. When the Ming army saw that the wooden boards of the shield cart had been soaked and the rockets had no effect, they gave up.
But what was given up was the burning of the shield carts, not a powerful counterattack.
A black object flew into the air, drew a curve, flew over the shield car, and crashed into the crowd of people behind the car.
Moments later, explosions began to ripple out, flames flashed, black smoke billowed, and earth flew skyward, accompanied by screams and wails.
"This weapon is very powerful, with considerable lethality, and can also restrain shield carts." Fan Wencheng was called to his side by Huang Taiji's beckoning, and he hurriedly took the initiative to introduce it.
Huang Taiji pondered for a moment and asked, "Can our army manufacture this weapon?"
Fan Wencheng nodded immediately and said, "Building a catapult isn't difficult. The key is an explosive shell. I think it's similar to the sky-shaking bomb from the Jin Dynasty, so it shouldn't be too difficult to build."
Huang Taiji nodded slightly and said, "After this battle, I will trouble you, Mr. Fan, to supervise the production of this thing."
Fan Wencheng bowed and accepted the order, saying, "I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations."
Explosive gunpowder weapons did appear as early as the Jin Dynasty, but their development was very slow. The reason for this was that the gunpowder formula was incorrect and the process was unscientific, resulting in unsatisfactory power.
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