Chapter 502: War begins with artillery fire

The team of light cavalry attacking there retreated in panic, and the battlefield was noisy and unlike anything else. The shouting of the people who came out of the army here was completely submerged.

The position where he stood was beyond the range of muskets and bows. Jiaozhou Camp would not use cannons alone to bombard them. After the light cavalry of the Shun Army who had attacked and harassed there retreated, the battlefield gradually became quiet. The shouts of the general were heard clearly. Whether it was the Shun Army or the Jiaozhou Camp, it became quieter.

Now it is different from the past. As mentioned in the Romance Review, two generals compete in front of the battlefield before the war. Victory and defeat determine the success or failure of the troops they lead. If these things happen now, they will only be regarded as jokes.

As a general, he must first command and mobilize the troops everywhere. When he needs to fight, he will lead the way and lead his subordinates to charge into the battle.

The battle is a battle of thousands of people. What is the purpose of one person showing off his courage? However, the shouts of the general of Shun Army excited many soldiers on the battlefield. The soldiers on both sides looked at their commander, thinking that it was because the King of Chuang wanted to invite the Duke of Qi, but the two of them fought with weapons for 300 rounds.

But then I came back to the truth. The two biggest riots in the world, the rebels and refugees naturally became the weather, and the soldiers, ambitious and heroes of the official family were not counted.

Perhaps the heroes on both sides cherish the heroes and want to meet in front of the formation, that's probably the case.

"My prince in the family had no other intentions. He just wanted to meet Duke Qi and see the first-class hero at that time!!"

Under the commanding flag, Li Meng couldn't help laughing as he listened to the news from his personal soldiers in front of him, but he was also quite interested in this proposal. For him, a time traveler, Li Zicheng was the biggest legend of this era and had a lot of big names in history books.

"The general is the thief chief cunning and cruel. It is extremely dangerous to meet in front of the formation. Who knows what evil intentions Li Chuang is hiding, so you must not go!"

Although the two heroes met, this would inevitably be a major event recorded in history books in the future. Huang Ping, who was responsible for Li Meng's safety, dared not be negligent at all. Seeing Li Meng's intentional move, he quickly persuaded and stopped him.

Li Meng shook his head. He had decided to go and see it, but necessary safety measures should be taken. Li Meng said:

"It's okay, I want to meet this King of Rebellion. Huang Ping, go and make an agreement with the other party. After confirming this security, I will meet him."

Helpless Huang Ping had to take the order immediately and go to ride a horse. Li Shuangxi from there also came out. Both sides bargained in front of the formation. The battlefield was quite strange at this time. It was obvious that the battle of nearly 200,000 people was about to begin, but now both sides did not move at all, but they were holding a meeting ceremony here.

Both sides carried four personal guards and met on horseback. They each held large shields to cover each other. They sent people to check the weapons of each other's personal guards, and visually inspected the equipment of the other leader ten steps away, etc.

This action was very fast. After finishing this series of things, both sides took the stage under the cover of their personal guards. At the same time, the commanders of both sides made their way out, and there were cavalry and infantry behind them. No matter what, the adventure of the war was about to be imminent is really a bit ridiculous.

Li Meng was naturally wearing a plate armor all over his body. He walked out of the array slowly surrounded by four personal soldiers. He looked at the Shunjun's main formation hundreds of steps away from a distance. Li Zicheng, with a black cloak and a red-taxed felt hat, slowly walked over under the escort of four personal guards.

Both sides were careful, and the personal soldiers who followed them were all facing a great enemy. The large shields they held might not be able to penetrate even the muskets at close range, and they just stood in front of their coach.

As stated in advance, when the two sides stopped at thirty steps, the four personal soldiers held large shields in front, revealing a gap.

Li Meng has good eyesight, but he can't see his face clearly at a distance of thirty steps. He only feels that Li Zicheng's figure is much taller than most people in this era. His face is dark and angular, and he looks a bit heroic, which is also what it should be.

In this era, if you want people to follow you with convincing abilities, in addition to your ability, appearance is also a very important condition. If you look disgusting, it will definitely make people suspicious.

Li Meng looked carefully and thought to himself what if Li Zicheng had such a modern appearance and figure, an actor would not be able to escape.

The first one was Li Zicheng, the King of Breaking, who spoke very loudly, and he could hear clearly after thirty steps. His accent was in the official language with some Shaanxi accent:

"I heard about the name of Duke Qi for a long time. I met today. It turns out that I was walking on a dragon and walking on a tiger's footsteps, and it was extraordinary."

Hearing Li Zicheng's voice, Li Meng suddenly felt a little dazed. The one opposite him was the King of Chuang, but there were many people in history. Before traveling through time, the history textbooks and military textbooks gave Li Zicheng a very high evaluation of this uprising who led the peasants to seek life.

After coming to this era, I gradually developed and began to hear the legend of Li Zicheng. As my strength grew, I gradually wanted to find ways to restrict the crusade army and make the crusade army develop in a direction that was beneficial to me. In a sense, the rebellion of refugees actually helped Shandong grow.

Most of the attention of the Ming Dynasty court was attracted by the chaos, so that Shandong could grow and develop relatively quietly. By now, no one could control Shandong.

Up to now, what Li Meng is considering is how to destroy Li Zicheng's Shun army and clear the way for his own gain. Dashun and Li Zicheng have no positive meaning to Shandong, and are now an obstacle.

I have also become a person who competes for the world and a person who is equal to this Li Zicheng. I don’t know how history books evaluate me a hundred years later or hundreds of years later.

Could it be that we are a great warlord, a big landlord who hinders historical development and national integration, an ambitious man and a gangster who oppresses the people and cruelly exploits the people?

"Li Meng has heard of the name of King Chuang for a long time, but now he sees it, but it is different from what I think."

Li Meng's loud answer made the people on the other side stunned. There were a lot of feelings in this sentence, but I didn't know why this feeling came.

"Duke of Qi, I, Old Li, was forced to survive by this damn court, so I led the poor brothers to rebel together. But I didn't expect that today I could have such a large territory and so many soldiers, Old Li was satisfied. Duke of Qi, you came with more than 40,000 soldiers, and Old Li had about 300,000. If you really fight, both sides would definitely damage their vitality. Instead, let the emperor get a bargain. Do you think this is the case?"

Li Zicheng talked loudly there, and what he said made Li Meng smile gradually. These words were really rural, and of course they were extremely cunning. Li Zicheng continued to speak:

"Duke of Qi, Lao Li has two provinces, and there is no other thought. This place allows brothers to have a place to settle down. The provinces in the north and south of Qi have a great territory to compete for. We might as well define the boundaries based on the territory we occupy now. Lao Li only needs Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Prefecture and Huguang territory, and the rest of the places will be governed by the Duke of Qi, and will not invade each other from then on. When the Duke of Qi takes over the world, Lao Li and his subordinates will surrender to him. How about asking Duke of Qi to give him a reward?"

The two sides confronted each other, with one side forty thousand and the other side nearly 300 thousand. No matter how you look at it, Li Zicheng of the Shun Army had the advantage, but Li Zicheng proposed a peace talk, and the Shun Army took the initiative to withdraw from several governments that are still fighting. The troops in Shandong could double their territory in Henan without fighting. This is a very attractive condition.

Moreover, the King of Rebellion Li Zicheng was placed in front of the formation and asked the coaches of both sides to come out to discuss in person, which made the peace talks very authentic.

Li Meng was stunned immediately and replied with a smile:

"There is no reason to not eat meat when you reach your mouth. Don't waste your time. This scene has already been opened. Isn't it a pity not to sing a big show for everyone in the world?"

When the King of Breaking Li Zicheng heard Li Meng's answer, he immediately laughed and said:

"Since my good intentions are not accepted by Duke Qi, it's hard to say anything. It's just Duke Qi, I have 300,000 troops on my side, so you are so sure to eat them. Don't break your teeth. The situation in Shandong is as stable as Mount Tai. Don't spend any effort on Duke Li, but you're cheaper to others."

Li Meng smiled and shook his head, saying loudly:

"King of Chuang, you are a hero for a while, but you can't see who is stronger and who is weak. Your and my soldiers are all citizens of the Han family. The blood of China will surely be many casualties when the war begins. I don't want to see my Han family's children shed more blood. Wouldn't it be better to have the courage to fight the barbarians!"

In the history without Li Meng, after the Shun Army entered Beijing, the Qing Tartars outside the pass were seriously underestimated, thinking that everything would be fine after entering Beijing and that they could enjoy and have fun. As a result, Wu Sangui led the Tartars into the pass, but the Shun Army, which was fighting in a stone, did not invest in all the main forces.

Then after the war, the whole world fell into the hands of the Qing Tartars. The hundreds of years of darkness came. Li Meng said this, but outsiders said that Li Zicheng was accused of the power of Jiaozhou Camp.

Li Meng continued:

"King of Chuang, if you surrender now, I will guarantee you a lifetime of glory and wealth, and your relatives and children will be free of worries. I will have proper place here..."

Before Li Meng finished speaking, Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, interrupted:

"Duke of Qi, if you are captured by Lao Li later, Lao Li will never kill you, and you will also be an official..."

Before they finished speaking, the two of them looked at each other immediately and laughed. However, both sides knew that there was no need to talk, and the requirements of both sides were too far apart.

Li Zicheng felt that he had an advantage, but he was unwilling to start a war because the main forces of the Shun Army were almost gathered here. If there was a slight mistake, most of the Shun Army's strength would disappear. If Li Meng agreed to the peace talks, it would prove from another perspective that Shandong soldiers were timid. Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, would be ready to fight.

But after this conversation, Li Meng, the Duke of Qi, opposite, was determined to fight. Although he had few people, he was very confident in himself. This artificiality made Li Zicheng hesitate a little, thinking that this Shandong army had some tricks and ambush that he didn't know.

Thinking about everything and thinking about so many things, Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, never believed that he would lose several times the elite of the other party. No matter how strong the Shandong soldiers are, can they still be as strong as heavenly soldiers and generals? Since they are going to fight, then start a war.

After Li Meng returned to the formation, the team that had just stopped unfolded and started to move again. On the front line facing the Heshun Army, eight regiments were in one row, with two rows in total, and four regiments were as reserves behind the array.

When the head coach Li Meng returned to the commander's flag, all the regiments had already entered the predetermined position, and the officers' commands rang one by one.

The musketeers lined up in front of the spear phalanx, aligning with each other at the rhythm of step and drum, and when the whole body was aligned, they stood attentively.

After all the teams were in place, it felt like a mountain suddenly landed in front of him out of thin air. Shunjun's queue couldn't help but feel a commotion.

Under the handsome flag, Li Meng shook his head and said with a smile:

"I thought that when I met Li Chuang in front of the formation, I would say something about heroes cherishing each other, but Li Chuang took out the tricks of persuading Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong, and advised me to open my mind and not be profitable by others. It was really boring."

The soldiers and generals next to him looked at Shunjun opposite him nervously. Seeing that the war was approaching, no one had the intention to tell any jokes with the general.

A cavalry who was sent to the command rushed from the left side of the formation, came to Li Meng, saluted immediately, and said loudly:

"Report to the commander, the regiments have been completed and can fight at any time!"

Li Meng put his helmet on, lifted up his face armor, and said with a loud command:

"Each infantry regiment is on standby and sends our military orders. The artillery leader Guo Liang is in his position immediately. After he arrives, he will start to attack the enemy. No mistakes must be made!"

Li Meng issued an order, and the messenger quickly ran to the right. Not long after, a large number of troops appeared on the right side of Jiaozhou Camp.

Although the Shun Army's troops were not attacked by the Jiaozhou Battalion, the entire team's commotion has not stopped. Looking at the Shandong infantry lined up hundreds of steps away, they were all shocked. When the infantry in Jiaozhou Battalion and ordinary infantry regiments lined up, the soldiers in the four rows in front should be wearing armor.

This half-body armor is naturally a plate armor produced in mass forged by Jiaozhouying Manufacturing Bureau. Because the quantity is too large, it does not use the polishing and anti-rust method, but is directly completed by blackening.

The armor all looked black, but after all, it was made of metal and still had a unique luster and appearance. In a row of eight infantry regiments, the soldiers in front were all wearing armor. From a distance, they looked extremely spectacular. The infantrymen of the Shun Army lined up in front were also knowledgeable veterans. They naturally knew how difficult it would be to buy such a piece of armor and how much money it would cost.

Looking back, even the generals of Shunjun themselves were not as decent as those on the other soldiers. So many people were equipped with armor, how much money would it cost, let alone those weapons that were flashing with cold light.

The soldiers from Jiaozhou camp stood there so often, which put great psychological pressure on the opposite Shun Army soldiers.

This formation and armor symbolize extremely huge materials and financial resources. This is a manifestation of the power of Jiaozhou Camp and is already enough to shock the enemy.

The entire Jiaozhou camp team spread from right to left. At this time, a large number of soldiers suddenly appeared on the right. Most of these soldiers were riding on the carriage or following the carriage. A cannon was dragging behind each carriage, and an officer stood in a position on the right side with a red flag.

The soldiers controlled the carriage and stopped in their positions one by one. The soldiers skillfully removed the cannons from the carriage, laid them on the ground, then cleaned the cannon chamber and loaded ammunition.

According to regulations, each regiment of Jiaozhou Camp is equipped with three three-pound cannons, but in battles involving multiple regiments, the cannons are drawn out and used in a concentrated manner.

The soldiers of Shun Army also knew how to set up artillery, transported the cannons installed on the box truck to the position, then dug holes to cultivate soil, unloaded the cannons from the box truck, and then tied them together, so that they could fire the cannons.

But looking at the arrangement of the cannons by the Shandong soldiers opposite, it was completely extraordinary. The soldiers of Shun Army looked at the cannons one by one in amazement.

"Zhang, Liu, and Li, lead your soldiers to dispatch immediately, and do not allow the thieves of Lu to fire calmly!!"

After being surprised, Shunjun also quickly reacted. Li Laiheng, on the left wing, issued an order loudly. The distance between the two sides' armies was not far away, and it took time for the other party to set up artillery positions. Taking this opportunity to send troops to attack and harass them, it was also a matter of course not to allow the other party to set up artillery formations.

The old soldiers and horses of the Shun Army reacted quickly. After receiving the order, the three commanders who were named by Li Laiheng had already led their soldiers out of the battle.

The arrangement before the war was really clear. The front troop was full of infantry. Apart from the officers in the brigade, even the personal soldiers were not horses, and a large number of cavalry were stationed behind the infantry.

There were nearly 4,000 infantrymen, divided into three teams, and rushed towards the opposite artillery formation under the leadership of the military general.

In the eyes of older generals, although the formation of Jiaozhou Camp is neatly arranged, it is a bit too stiff. For example, the left side of the Shiqi is an infantry formation, but the artillery formation on the right side does not have any infantry cover. If the dispatch of troops from the left side is definitely too late, which will cause chaos.

Shunjun wanted to seize this gap to fight. In Shunjun's eyes, the artillery weapon was a powerful weapon, but it was also a bulky and inconvenient firearm. At this distance, it would definitely not be himself who suffered the loss.

At this time, only a dozen artillery pieces were set up. Seeing the enemy soldiers rushing towards them in a fierce manner, the artillery soldiers were a little panicked.

Guo Liang also saw it when he stood on the cannon stand, and a deputy beside him shouted nervously:

"Sir, please send someone to rescue us, we can't stop it!"

Guo Liang laughed a few times and shouted with a full breath:
To be continued...