kvmb Chapter 632 As long as the two of us don't fall, the morale of the Guards will not fall
Chapter 632 As long as the two of us don't fall, the morale of the Guards will not fall
They were still lined up in neat formations, holding heavy shields in the front. Behind the shields were the Jurchens with murderous looks on their faces.
Before setting off, they were told that this battle was a battle of life and death for the Qing Dynasty. If they wanted to save their lives and preserve their family's wealth and glory, they had to fight desperately.
Whoever kills or captures the enemy's general alive will be crowned king. Apart from that, there is no further explanation.
The war drums were beating loudly. Huang Taiji dispatched 80,000 troops for this battle, and together with the guards, there were more than 100,000 troops on both sides, but the entire battlefield was not noisy.
There was only the snorting of war horses, the crisp sound of weapons accidentally colliding, and the footsteps of the Jurchens.
But this depressing atmosphere did not last long as it was broken by the loud noise of forty heavy artillery pieces of the Guards.
Ten heavy artillery pieces were deployed in each of the four directions, which were arranged strictly according to Zhang Shikang's orders.
Zhang Shikang also said that the harder the forty cannons fired, the more excited the Jianlu would become.
At first Sun Weifan didn't understand, but he couldn't look away from him.
The Jiannu army that was shot was only one mile away from them, but they had no intention of retreating and continued to form a formation and approach them steadily.
No one looked at those Tartars who were hit and blown to pieces. They just moved forward, forward, and forward, using their heavy shields to continue protecting the large army forward.
This is really a terrible enemy, Sun Weifan cursed in his heart, and at the same time could only order the gunner to load the ammunition as soon as possible.
However, the loading speed of heavy artillery is not fast. The barrel needs to be cleaned and dried by a special person with a long mop, and then gunpowder is placed before loading solid shells.
The General Administration of Manufacturing had not yet had time to equip the bronze cannon with special sub-guns, causing the process to take at least two minutes.
Dorgon obviously asked Will about the general situation of the bronze cannon, including the loading speed.
But he still underestimated the ability of the Guards artillery. He thought he would have three minutes, but after just two minutes, the bronze cannon spewed out anger again.
Compared with the previous round of volleys, this time eight out of ten cannons hit his team, and eight holes were blasted in the front row of shield formation.
The shield soldiers tried their best to organize a defense line again, but the losses they suffered were too great. Dorgon frowned and immediately drew his sword and ordered:
"Everyone, abandon your defense and charge! Kill!"
The distance was nearly five hundred steps. If he continued to advance steadily, he would have to endure another round of artillery fire. Compared with facing the phalanx of musketeers, Dorgon wisely chose the latter.
In an instant, 70,000 to 80,000 Tatars in the four directions gave up their defense and rushed towards the Guards phalanx howling.
Tens of thousands of people were shouting, mixed with the sounds of swords and other weapons clashing and horses galloping. If the Guards had not experienced a hard battle before, the momentum of the Jianlu alone would have been enough to scare them away.
Zhu Cilang, who was standing on a high slope watching the battle, couldn't help swallowing his saliva. He was only fourteen years old and found that compared with yesterday, the Jianlu seemed even more terrifying.
But when he looked at the guards, he found that everyone's eyes were equally fierce and no one was scared.
He was chagrined to discover that he was the most timid one.
"Cilang, are you curious about why they are not afraid of death?" Zhang Shikang said calmly.
"The Jianlu are brutal and must not be afraid of death." Zhu Cilang thought for a moment and said.
"No, no matter how cruel a person is, he is afraid of death." Zhang Shikang shook his head.
"Unless there is something more terrifying than death."
"Will there be one?"
"Of course, if you think about it, if someone comes at you with a knife, you might be afraid.
But if this person wants to kill your father, your mother, your sister, and everyone close to you, would you still be afraid?"
"I...I will fight him to the death." Zhu Cilang gritted his teeth.
"As for the Jianlu, they knew that if they lost this battle, the Qing Dynasty might not be able to survive.
Their honor, their family, their official positions, and even the lives of their family members are no longer guaranteed.
There's no point in being afraid of death. All we have to do is charge and kill all the guards." Zhang Shikang analyzed the enemy's psychology.
This is a situation that only those who are actually on the battlefield can see clearly. The Qing Dynasty has few opportunities left.
With the support of a series of reforms, the Ming Dynasty's national strength is gradually increasing. The Ming Dynasty can be defeated three or five times, but the Qing Dynasty cannot be defeated even once.
Otherwise, not only would the national strength be difficult to maintain, but even some of the Mongolian tribes that pretended to obey would have to leave them.
"But Master Zhang, what about the Royal Guards? Why aren't they afraid of death?
Is it because of salary and food?"
Zhu Cilang recently learned from the old soldiers that before this, not only did they not have enough food to eat, they also had no new military uniforms to wear and could not get their wages.
But he felt that people would not be less afraid of death just because they had enough food to eat. On the contrary, they might be more afraid of death after eating a full meal. He just didn't understand.
"Because my master is here." Zhang Shikang sighed.
There was no smug look on his face when he said this.
He knew that doing so would result in the deaths of many people, but in order to eliminate the main force of the Jianlu at the lowest cost, he still did it.
A kind person is not suitable for commanding an army. Zhang Shikang felt that he was generally not suitable for commanding an army because he felt very uncomfortable about it.
"They may not risk their lives for food, but they will for their families, their wives and children.
As long as I am here, even if they die in battle, the pensions and rewards will be enough for their wives and children to live on.
They don't have lofty ambitions, and may not consider the country or society, but they will always silently sacrifice for their wives and children, even at the cost of their lives."
"Master Zhang, I understand. I know why my father values Master Zhang so much.
"Master Zhang is the soul of our Ming army, the very soul of the army," Zhu Cilang said with great conviction.
Zhang Shikang shook his head again.
"No, the military spirit shouldn't be like this. Soldiers are brave and fearless, and the court should give them this.
You must remember, even if I am no longer around, you still have to do these things well, so that the Ming Dynasty can remain strong forever.
The true military spirit should be a belief, not a person."
Zhang Shikang did not approve of personality cult because such cohesion could not last long.
"Oh, because you are here too." Zhang Shikang said again for no reason.
If the prince dies here, my brother will come to settle the score with him. I guess even if this group of people can go back alive, they will still be sentenced to death.
This time, Zhu Cilang shook his head.
"My life is not that precious. If that were the case, I would also ask my father to spare them. They are all good people."
When he said this, Zhu Cilang's eyes turned slightly red.
"Master Zhang, last night, many soldiers came to me and asked me to write letters to their families.
They said that the letter I wrote would be framed on the wall by their family to teach their children to feel proud.
Their...their letters are like suicide notes."
People who have not experienced the battlefield often find it very difficult to accept the separation of life and death, but this is the norm for soldiers.
Zhang Shikang has obviously gotten used to it. After three years of commanding troops, many familiar faces have disappeared.
"If you were the emperor, you must remember to protect the people and the army. The rest can be killed."
After saying that, Zhang Shikang simply tidied up his clothes and walked down the slope.
"Let's go change our clothes and stand on the platform.
As long as the two of us don't fall and the soldiers can look back and see us, the morale of the Guards will not be broken."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded heavily.
……