Fumbling with the wooden gun, Zhu Youxiao pulled the hammer, then raised the gun to aim, pulled the trigger, and the wooden hammer fell with a slight "click" sound.
"Your Majesty has such skillful hands." Zhang Yu'er praised with a smile, "It's so exquisitely made."
Zhu Youxiao chuckled, stood up and said, "It's done, let's go back and eat."
"I'll hold it for you." Zhang Yu'er took the wooden spear with a smile and placed it on her shoulder like a broom.
After half a day's work, he had a prototype. The spring, made of sheet iron, was definitely not strong enough. However, that was no longer Zhu Youxiao's concern.
The model was handed over to Xu Guangqi. The principle was so simple, so he just had to find a craftsman to conduct repeated tests.
The technological gap between the matchlock and flintlock was actually quite small. More accurately, it was a limitation in their thinking. Beyond the reed's strong elasticity, the rest wasn't difficult to overcome.
Of course, Zhu Youxiao was not in a hurry. His proficiency in using the matchlock gun was already enough to pose a threat to the Jiannu, and the flintlock gun was just the icing on the cake.
If Zhu Youxiao didn't feel that his daily activity level was too little, he wouldn't have done this carpentry work!
However, Zhu Youxiao had to admit that his predecessor's craftsmanship was really good. He only inherited the memory, but he felt that he could rely on this technology to make a living in the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Yuer, carrying his gun, returned to the East Warm Pavilion from the workshop, a distance of only 180 meters. Just as he sat down to rest for a while, the Pacification Office delivered the Liaodong Military Report.
"Jinzhou was recovered, and more than a thousand enemies were killed!" When Zhu Youxiao heard the good news, all his fatigue disappeared and he jumped up from his chair excitedly. He only maintained his imperial reserve for a moment and couldn't help laughing.
"Old slave, oh old slave, it's time to get out of Guangning City, right? Poor thing, all this trouble in the middle of winter, it's a loss, isn't it?
Seeing the emperor's joy, Wang Tigan smiled and flattered him, "Your Majesty, would you like two more dishes and a pot of wine tonight?"
"Yes, yes." Zhu Youxiao nodded repeatedly, smiling so hard that his mouth couldn't close. He walked back and forth in the hall, tapping the victory report in his hand.
Suddenly, Zhu Youxiao stopped and his face slowly darkened.
It's just the loss of Jinzhou and the loss of 1,800 people. I won't be led by the nose so easily.
He must have known that even if he rushed back overnight, he would not be able to catch up with the Ming army on the sea ships, and he could only reduce the subsequent losses.
If so, what would I do?
Whether it is called a last-ditch struggle or an all-out effort, I will probably try one more time to capture Guangning or Youtunwei.
Even if the Ming navy continued to operate, the losses would be within an acceptable range.
The final test, Zhu Youxiao stared at the sand table, estimating the time.
The old slaves outside Guangning City would have received the news a little later than he did, but only a day at most. This meant that tomorrow, a bloody battle would begin in Guangning or Youtunwei.
Tomorrow night - Zhu Youxiao turned his gaze to the cat lying in Zhang Yuer's arms with a lazy look.
………………
Tomorrow, we must capture Guangning City!
The old slave gritted his teeth and threw the urgent report sent from Fuzhou onto the table.
The Ming army occupied the southern gate and sealed off Jinzhou. With their surprisingly large force, the attack on Jinzhou was inevitable. The Jinzhou defenders were afraid that they could not resist and were in imminent danger.
Even if we return now, it's probably too late to rescue Jinzhou. The siege equipment is almost complete, and I absolutely don't want to fail at the last moment.
If the loss is bearable, then we can make up for it from Guangning City. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a loss on both sides?
"Father Khan." Huang Taiji walked into the tent and bowed. "My son is back."
The old slave nodded, pointed to the chair next to him, and asked, "How is it? Can you figure out what's going on with the mess in Guangning City?"
Huang Taiji's face grew serious, and he said, "In my opinion, Guangning City is not easy to attack. Those platforms and obstacles are quite insidious, and I'm afraid our army will suffer considerable casualties."
The old slave frowned and asked, "Tell me about it in detail so that we can make good arrangements."
Huang Taiji reached out from his bosom and pulled out the blueprint he had drawn, spread it on the table, and pointed and explained, "Father Khan, please look, this platform extending out from the city wall is quite similar to the protruding artillery emplacements at the four corners of the city wall. Soldiers can be stationed there to guard it, and from a high vantage point, they can attack our troops below from the side..."
The old slave looked at the blueprint and listened to the explanation. He couldn't help but gasp and nodded, "It's really vicious. I wonder which general in the city designed it. He is truly a genius."
Huang Taiji gave a wry smile and said, "I also wanted to attack the city directly from the front using a ladder placed on the platform. But if the enemy dares to do so, how can they not have a backup plan?"
"Use rockets to burn it..." The old slave said halfway before shaking his head in denial, "Throw water to freeze it. The enemy will definitely use this tactic."
Huang Taiji grinned, expressing his agreement by tacit consent.
The old slave was also somewhat helpless. He sighed and said, "I didn't expect that this cold weather would help the enemy."
Judging from the historical battles in Liaodong, there is a certain pattern in the time when the Later Jin army launched wars.
Generally speaking, there are two reasons: one is that it is convenient for marching and siege; the other is that the Ming Dynasty's generals changed and the Ming army's strategy changed.
Let's talk about the first situation first, which is why the Later Jin army often sent troops in the cold winter. Because the rivers are frozen and can be crossed, the cities with moats will lose a barrier, making them easier to attack.
The most frequent occurrences occur in the first month of the year because it is the coldest time of the year. Otherwise, the vast wilderness is covered in mud and is called "Liao Ze", making it very difficult to approach Guangning City.
As for the second case, it is also obvious.
Shortly after Xiong Tingbi resigned from his post for the first time, the Jiannu launched a war and captured Liao and Shen; historically, after Sun Chengzong resigned from his post as governor, the Later Jin army also quickly launched an attack.
The choice of time can be called the weather; the use of tactics is the location.
The Later Jin army knew their weaknesses and tried to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses, choosing to win in open battles. When facing a city, they would attack small ones with force and lure the enemy into attacking larger ones, first weakening their manpower and then finding a way to break the city.
In other words, in the current situation, there is no other way except to attack by force, which is really not what Lao Nu and Huang Taiji want to see.
"We must attack the city. We will not be intimidated by the enemy's ferocity." The old slave thought again and again, but still made up his mind. He said, "Our army is united, obeys orders, and fights bravely. We are far superior to the Ming army."
Huang Taiji nodded repeatedly and said, "Father Khan is right. The arrow is on the string and must be released. Our army's combat power is far superior to that of the Ming army. Even if the enemy has a strong city to rely on, we will surely be able to conquer it and win."
Even so, Huang Taiji felt helpless. Attacking a city by force has always been a last resort since ancient times.
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