The sun hung scorching high in the sky, and rising from the ground was not only a fog that distorted the vision, but also a smell of blood mixed in it.
One after another, shield carts slowly approached the Ming army positions from the east, like ugly little monsters. Two days later, the Jiannu army once again launched an attack on Lushun.
After suffering heavy casualties in the first attack, with even Zaisanggu being killed on the spot, Jirgalang desperately tried to persuade the furious Amin to stop the attack.
The five Niulu lost nearly a thousand people, including three Niulu Ezhen who were killed in battle. The Han army also suffered similar casualties, which reduced the invading Later Jin army of more than 10,000 by nearly one-fifth of its troops.
Moreover, the changes in the Ming army's tactics were even more shocking.
Even Amin, who had calmed down, had to admit that if he wanted to defeat the enemy and break through the enemy's wicked positions, he would definitely not be able to do so without being well prepared and adjusting his fighting style.
Therefore, the Jiannu had to spend two days cutting wood and making equipment. Of course, there was no shortage of shield carts, the most commonly used siege equipment of the Jiannu.
Many people's impression of the Jiannu seems to be horse riding and archery, but they know little about the shield carts that the Jiannu relied on most.
In fact, the Jiannu's two most powerful weapons that made them so successful in their early battles were their shield carts and heavily armored infantry. Whenever they encountered a strong enemy, they would usually resort to these two weapons.
Especially during the Liaoshen Campaign, when the Jiannu fought bloody battles with the White-Pole Soldiers and the Qi Family Army, and suffered heavy losses, the old slave issued a special order: "If you encounter an enemy without a shield car, do not go into battle."
In other words, shield carts were not only used during sieges, but the Jiannu also often used them as a means of victory in field battles.
Amin, Zaisangu and Jirgalang were convicted of a crime when they launched an attack without shield carts upon their first arrival in Lushun.
If they win in one fell swoop, then there is naturally nothing to say, but if they lose, there is no doubt that both of them will be severely punished.
Therefore, for today's attack, Amin and Jirgalang personally supervised the battle, hoping to win in one fell swoop, make up for their sins, and avenge their brothers.
However, the hastily built shield carts had many flaws in terms of protection. Moreover, the cotton and iron armor that the Jiannu had previously used to resist the Ming army's firearms were now of little use.
Why was it so useful in the past? The reason is very simple. The firearms equipped by the Ming army were mostly magic guns, quick guns, and three-barreled guns, which were not powerful enough.
The bird gun was more powerful, but had less gunpowder, so "most of the enemy were wearing heavy Ming Guang armor, but the short bird guns were unable to penetrate it... We should speed up the production of large bird guns that can penetrate iron armor."
Boom! As Amin and Jirgalang watched, a burst of fireworks rose from the Ming army's position, and a solid cannonball weighing several kilograms hit them.
The shell drew a low trajectory at a speed visible to the naked eye and hit a shield cart, immediately penetrating the crude shield car guard and splashing out a lot of wood splinters that shot out like flying.
The two Han soldiers pushing the cart screamed, covered their faces and rolled on the ground.
Boom! Another cannonball fired. The shell missed the shield cart, but flew between two of them, sending a trail of blood and flesh flying through the Jiannu formation behind it, followed by a burst of screams and wails.
Solid shells have a long range. If the ground is hard, they can penetrate a team of soldiers during the bounce. They are also the best weapon to deal with shield carts.
However, the Dongjiang Army was not equipped with many artillery pieces, and they were all old models, such as the Portuguese falconet and the tiger squat cannon.
The real field artillery had just begun to be cast by the Ordnance Bureau of the capital. They were divided into two types: five-jin cannon (six pounds) and ten-jin cannon (twelve pounds). The quantity was small and they had not yet begun to be distributed to the troops.
The Jiannu used shield carts as cover and, facing the sparse artillery fire of the Ming army, slowly approached the wide trench where their companions had been killed.
At this moment, the two medium-sized falconets on the battlefield suddenly roared, and amidst the flickering flames and rising white smoke,
The shells kept coming, and it actually launched a beautiful continuous bombardment.
Several shield carts were destroyed, and countless pieces of wood flew up, some of which even shot towards the Jiannu soldiers behind the carts.
Arrows rose up behind the shield cart, forming a black mass and flying towards the Ming army position.
"Raise your shields! Take cover!" the officers shouted, and the musketeers pressed their bodies against the breastwork, while the sword and shield soldiers raised their shields to protect themselves and the grenade launchers.
The projectiles had a certain arc and could not pose a threat to the Ming soldiers behind the breastwork. In the trenches, even if they crouched and hid, they could easily avoid the Jiannu's arrows.
The shield carts were blocked in front of the trench, and the Jiannu's advance stopped there.
The launchers knocked open the iron hooks, and the grenade carts raised their wooden poles and launched their arms. A black mass of thunder bombs flew through the air with sparks, flew over the trenches, passed over the shield carts, and smashed into the Jiannu army's ranks.
A few seconds passed, and loud noises erupted one after another, bright lights appeared one after another, and black smoke rose in wisps.
The vision became blurred in the smoke and fire, but in the eyes of Amin and Jirgalang, they could still see the soldiers screaming and wailing in the rising fireworks, and blood splattering and rolling in the shrapnel.
The arrows in the air suddenly became sparse. Although the Jiannu soldiers behind the shield carts could block the barrage of muskets and some of the direct artillery fire, this aerial bombardment still threw them into chaos.
Amin and Jirgalang looked at each other and frowned tightly.
The changes in the Ming army's tactics and weapons and equipment made the two men feel a little helpless and even frightened.
Obviously, the disastrous defeat of the first attack did not fully test the true combat capability and fighting style of the Ming army.
Take this projectile-like weapon that explodes on the ground as an example. Its range was underestimated by Amin, Jirgalang, and the Jiannu officers and soldiers.
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