It's as if the people of a certain place in a certain era have gradually become stupid, losing their vision, their courage, and many other things. Even their thinking in certain aspects has become dull and short-sighted. Perhaps this is fate, the calculation of destiny. Of course, we can't rule out reasons related to the era itself or other factors. Meanwhile, their enemies are becoming increasingly intelligent, increasingly strategic, and even managing to gather a bunch of fools.
"If the Manchus hadn't committed those massacres, reducing the Ming Dynasty's population by a huge margin, and hadn't used so many cruel methods to assimilate the Han Chinese into Manchu culture, coupled with the Little Ice Age causing widespread famine and natural disasters, and perhaps even divine intervention, the Ming Dynasty would have been rotten to the core, riddled with greedy and foolish officials. The Manchus, on the other hand, had Nurhaci and Hong Taiji as leaders who, after conquering the country, changed some policies. Otherwise, given the Manchus' actions and abilities, their rule after conquering the country would likely have been short-lived. It can be said that the Ming Dynasty lacked all three favorable conditions at this time. Three major problems plagued it: the army, merchants (the Ming Dynasty imposed an economic blockade on the Manchus), and officials. If any one of these had been good, the Ming Dynasty wouldn't have fallen."
"So what if Heaven is calculating? Now I'm here. As a successor of this era, I've seen and know more than you. Moreover, I have the ability to turn the tide and the capital to fight against Heaven." Looking at the Manchu army in front of him, Wang Han thought to himself, muttering to himself. The muzzle of his Maxim machine gun was aimed at the outermost edge of the Manchu army's defenses, at a distance of exactly 150 meters.
"Tap tap tap tap..." Maxim's distinctive rapid sound rang out again. Amidst the disdainful looks of the Manchu soldiers as they watched Wang Han come alone, and their sneers, crimson bullets sprayed rapidly from Maxim's muzzle.
"Pfft pfft pfft..." Blood blossoms burst forth among the Manchu soldiers. Their thick wooden shields, used for defense, were riddled with flying wood chips and riddled with holes. Behind the shields, streams of bright red blood spurted from the soldiers' bodies. Blood and bits of flesh splattered all over the faces and bodies of those around them. Some were even unlucky enough to have half their heads sliced off by bullets.
The moment the gunshot rang out, Wang Han's warhorse changed direction, no longer charging in a straight line, but running along the edge of the Manchu defenses, always keeping a distance of 140 to 180 meters from the Manchu soldiers. This distance exceeded the maximum range of the Manchu soldiers' bows and arrows, and even muskets were not very accurate at this distance.
"Tap tap tap tap..."
With one hand gripping the Maxim's firing handle and the other lifting the barrel, Wang Han rode his horse along the Manchu soldiers' defensive formation, firing. Casing bullets flew out of the ejection port like water, landing on the road behind him.
"Thud thud thud..." As Wang Han rode his horse along the Manchu defensive formation, crimson bullets kept hitting the Manchu soldiers at the front. The first row of Manchu soldiers on the outermost defense fell one after another like wheat being harvested. The thick wooden shields in front of them were also riddled with holes, as if they were just decorations.
"What kind of weapon is that? It's so powerful!" Yue Tuo exclaimed in astonishment as he watched rows of soldiers fall one after another. It was difficult to see the bullets clearly at close range, but Dai Shan and Yue Tuo, who were a little further away, could catch glimpses of the bullets streaking through the air. They were both astonished. This weapon was simply a massacre. Soldiers were falling in rows and rows. If there were more of these weapons, more than a hundred, no, maybe just more than fifty, even a large army charging, even the fastest cavalry charging, would become like suicide.
"It seems the enemy may only be him. Send cavalry to capture him." Daishan, as the oldest general of the Manchu Eight Banners, reacted immediately after his initial surprise and ordered, "Remember, we must seize the new firearms in his hands intact. With these new firearms, our Great Qing will be like a tiger with wings, and we will be invincible."
"Understood." A messenger immediately raised a small flag, accepted the order, and rode away. Daishan's order was quickly relayed to the cavalry unit.
"Click-click-click..." After firing for only two minutes, a box of 1,200 bullets was used up, and hundreds of Manchu soldiers fell. Maxim also made a clicking sound when he ran out of bullets.
At this moment, several hundred Manchu cavalrymen charged out from the Manchu formation, rushing towards Wang Han from the front, rear, and sides. Seeing that Wang Han's Maxim gun had stopped spitting fire, they immediately charged towards him.
“Those new firearms really can’t keep going like this.” Seeing the black-armored man in the distance lose control of his firearm, Dai Shan said matter-of-factly.
“If this new firearm could fire continuously without interruption, no, even if the firing time could be longer, it would be invincible. Even now, this new firearm is terrifying.” Yue Tuo agreed, “Such a firing time is reasonable.”
"This new type of firearm will soon be our Qing Dynasty's. With this new firearm, and by having craftsmen imitate it, our Qing Dynasty will be invincible. Not only the Ming Dynasty, but the Qing Dynasty will possess an unprecedentedly vast territory," Daishan said with great anticipation.
"Yes, our Great Qing will become the most powerful nation in history. All nations will pay tribute," Daito said, full of anticipation. In their eyes, the new firearms in the attacker's hands were already theirs for the taking.
After emptying one ammunition box of a Maxim rifle, Wang Han flipped his hand, and a new box of ammunition appeared in his hand. He put away the empty ammunition box, replaced it with the new one, loaded the belt, and pulled the bolt. Within ten seconds, Wang Han completed this series of operations on horseback.
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