Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Chapter 631 How dare you, you dog slave, hide something?

Before this, the Ming Dynasty's 24-pound heavy copper cannon had only been used in the war to suppress Li Zicheng, and had been shelved since then and had never been seen since then.

It was no wonder that Dorgon was surprised. Apart from the giant cannons deployed by the Ming Dynasty in city defenses and certain artillery positions, he had never seen any field artillery in the Ming Dynasty that could fire so far and have such destructive power.

This was really beyond his expectation. If that bastard had such a powerful weapon, why didn't he use it yesterday?

Why?

Dorgon's heart was in turmoil. There were so many mistakes and omissions in the military intelligence that he even wanted to take back what he had said to the scouts yesterday.

But it was obviously not the time to think about this. Dorgon immediately ordered the troops behind him:

"Back off! Back off now!"

The 20,000-strong army immediately began to retreat, and after retreating another two miles, Dorgon ordered the troops to stay where they were, while he himself rode his warhorse to meet Huang Taiji.

When Dorgon saw Huang Taiji, Daishan, Ajige and Duoduo also came on their war horses, with the same surprised expressions on their faces.

"Was that the sound just now from the Ming Dynasty's heavy artillery? Can it kill the enemy from two miles away?"

Huang Taiji couldn't believe his ears when he heard this, and a huge question mark popped up in his mind.

If it is true, why didn’t the enemy use it yesterday?

"Your Majesty, it is true. My troops were hit by four bullets, resulting in at least two hundred casualties." Daishan replied with a frown.

Huang Taiji fell silent after hearing this. He really didn't expect that Zhang Shikang, that bastard, still had such a deadly weapon. It was a bit tricky for a moment.

Huang Taiji calmed down and began to issue his orders:

"Go call Will over, Fourteenth Brother, and quickly search for the cannonballs and bring them here."

Will is the current chief firearms expert of the Qing Dynasty. He is from Europe. The red cannon of the Qing Dynasty was cast under his guidance.

Dorgon had no suspicion and immediately took people to search for the shells.

Half an hour later, after Will carefully examined the solid cannonball, he saluted Huang Taiji and said:

"Your Majesty, this is a cannon-casting technology unique to Europe. It uses a composite of various metals, such as copper, iron, and zinc. This gives it a longer range, better performance, and a barrel that's less likely to explode."

As soon as these words came out, Duoduo and Ajige flew into a rage, with Duoduo being the first to lose his temper:

"You little dog slave! The Qing Dynasty has given you an official position and recognition, yet you dare to hide your wealth?"

Their red cannons were obviously inferior to the Ming Dynasty's copper cannons in terms of performance, and Will himself admitted this.

The two of them had reason to be angry. Since you, a foreigner, knew more advanced technology, why did you manufacture cannons for the Qing Dynasty that were inferior to others?

Will fell to his knees in fear after hearing this. He felt really wronged.

"Vraiment désolé, Your Majesty, please forgive me. It's not that I don't want to, but... I don't understand alloy technology.

Only the gun foundries of the Netherlands and the Little France can forge this kind of cannon."

Will was so frightened that he blurted out his native language, but immediately realized that they couldn't understand him, so he explained again.

Will came from a small town called York in England. He worked in a cannon foundry in England for a while. Later, for the sake of money, he chose to follow the English colonial merchant ship across the ocean to the East Indies.

At this time in Europe, England had not yet risen, Spain began to decline, and the Dutch temporarily dominated the entire East Indies as coachmen.

They had the largest number of shipyards and gun foundries, and their merchant ships were spread across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

As Will said, it's not that he doesn't want to make one, but he really doesn't know how to do it. Only the Dutch and a small number of Portuguese gunsmiths know how to cast large copper cannons.

Huang Taiji felt somewhat helpless after hearing this. He saw that Will was indeed very scared. After all, many Europeans had been killed by the royal family such as Duoduo, so he comforted him:

"Please stand up. This is not your fault."

After Will left, Huang Taiji finally calmed down and continued to shift the topic to the war.

"You say Zhang Shikang didn't use those artillery pieces yesterday because they were scarce.

Or is there some other reason, like hoping to win by surprise?"

Huang Taiji frowned and pondered.

After he finished speaking, Daishan and the others calmed down from their shock. Dorgon suddenly sighed and said:

"Alas, Your Majesty is right, it was we who were shocked by what happened just now!

Perhaps this is the thief's evil plan, he wants to delay time!"

"Fourteen means that they are waiting for reinforcements?" Daishan guessed.

"What else could it be? Since only the Netherlands and Little France could cast cannons, even if they could buy them, the quantity would certainly not be large.

Thirty or forty artillery pieces can certainly pose a threat to us, but they are not fatal. You should know that these are the elite troops of the Qing Empire!"

The number of shells that fell on the four groups of troops was not large, which meant that the enemy had ten more artillery pieces in each direction, or forty in four directions.

They were so frightened by the ten cannons that they temporarily gave up the attack.

Dorgon's words showed some regret for his previous actions, and he was even sulking because he might have been tricked by Zhang Shikang again.

Huang Taiji also nodded slightly, thinking that Dorgon's analysis made sense. As long as the Ming army could hold on for another three or four days, perhaps the Ming army that went to attack Ujumchin and Khalkha might really be able to rush back.

However, he would never give the enemy this time.

"In that case, what are we waiting for? I'll have to trouble you brothers in this battle!"

Huang Taiji bowed respectfully to Daishan and others.

Dorgon, Daishan and others immediately bowed in return, and then without saying much, they immediately mounted their horses and rushed towards their troops.

Because of these trips back and forth, it took a full two hours.

When Dorgon and others returned to their troops and prepared to attack, it was already noon on the fourth day of June.

On the other side, Sun Weifan had an unconcealable smile on his face.

"You guys, hurry up and eat and drink while you can, or you might not have the chance later."

This was a double entendre, and Sun Weifan immediately changed his words:

"There is no time to replenish our strength. The Jiannu will surely launch attacks continuously."

The guards had food and water with them and were almost fully prepared for this battle.

"Commander Wu has been asked by the Grand Marshal to be granted the title of Shanbo. The Imperial Guards will not mistreat meritorious soldiers. Neither the court nor the Grand Marshal will do so.

Anyone who dares not give their all in this battle will be killed without a burial place. I won't say more, but you must be prepared for close combat."

After saying that, Sun Weifan glanced at his son Sun Dasheng. This guy still had a nonchalant look on his face, which gave him a headache.

He is the only child in the Sun family.

The soldiers naturally understood what Sun Weifan meant, and even thought of something bad, but no one said a word. They all silently took out rice balls or pancakes from their bodies and began to replenish their strength with the water bags.

"Here they come!" Those with sharp eyes saw the Jiannu army attacking from a distance.

……