Chapter 272: One Hundred Thousand Troops Rush to the Border
The artillery retreated 500 steps and tried again.
Boom!!!
The mountain shook.
With a deafening explosion, the shells knocked down a large part of the mountain wall again.
Debris rolled down from the hillside, and smoke and dust rolled.
But this time everyone had experience, and they covered their ears before firing.
Ning Chen observed the situation on the mountain wall and estimated that the range of this artillery should be able to reach 1,500 steps.
Of course, the closer the distance, the stronger the power.
Ning Chen had the artillery pulled back to the barracks and asked the skilled craftsmen to start assembling other artillery.
In addition, Ning Chen ordered Mu Anbang to select 1,000 artillerymen from the camp.
The craftsmen assembled overnight.
Ning Chen prepared to be ready within two days, and then the army set out to the border.
The next morning, Ning Chen came to the barracks again.
Dozens of craftsmen assembled fifteen artillery pieces overnight.
Ning Chen looked at the parts and estimated that about thirty cannons could be assembled.
Ning Chen ordered that more than a dozen cannons be pulled to an open area.
Then, the army assembled, and each battalion was familiar with the power of the cannons.
The war horses were also led out.
First, to train the cannonmen.
Second, to make the soldiers familiar with the sound and power of the cannons.
They couldn't be on the battlefield, and when the cannons sounded, both the enemy and the enemy would be scared.
Boom boom boom!!!
More than a dozen cannons bombarded the mountain wall.
The ground shook.
The stone wall collapsed, and smoke and dust swept.
At first, all the soldiers were frightened by the terrifying sound of the cannons, their faces turned pale, and the horses neighed and became irritable.
Gradually, the soldiers and horses became familiar with the sound and power of the cannons.
One advantage of solid bullets is that they can be recycled.
If this is an explosive bomb, there will be no shells when we fight the Grand Tutor.
The next day, the craftsmen assembled the remaining artillery.
There were 32 artillery pieces in total.
All arms took turns to experience the power of artillery.
The 32 artillery pieces bombarded the mountain for a day.
By night, the 100-meter-high mountain was almost flattened.
As night fell, the army returned to the camp.
Ning Chen and others returned to the city.
Tomorrow, the army will set out.
Therefore, Ning Chen and other senior generals held a small meeting in advance.
After Ning Chen assigned tasks to everyone, he asked Zhang Youcai to prepare a banquet.
Ning Chen picked up the wine glass, "Come on! It will be difficult to have a peaceful meal in the next few days... So, let's have a few drinks tonight and wish us a great victory in advance."
Because they were going to go to war tomorrow, they were afraid of delaying things, so they stopped drinking and didn't drink too much.
After the banquet, Feng Qi couldn't sit still.
"Boss, Ning Chen, the Music Bureau... I'll treat you!"
Ning Chen rolled his eyes at him, "We're going to the battle tomorrow, don't be so tired, just rest up."
Feng Qizheng shook his head, "The swords on the battlefield are blind, every time you go to the battlefield, you're gambling your life, who knows if you can come back alive... So, before the battle, don't let yourself down."
"By the way, you two have been in Yuzhou for so long, aren't you feeling uncomfortable?"
Ning Chen shook his head, Zi Su helped him release it a few days ago, and he didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Pan Yucheng stood up, "I'll rest first!"
After saying that, he left with his hands behind his back.
Feng Qizheng looked at Ning Chen.
Ning Chen spread his hands, "I still have military affairs to deal with, you can go by yourself... Have fun, don't delay things! Otherwise, you will be punished by military law."
"Don't worry, when have I ever delayed things... If you don't go, then I'll leave?"
Ning Chen hummed.
Feng Qizheng ran away happily.
Ning Chen rolled his eyes and cursed him as a beast.
Although he cursed, he was still envious in his heart. Feng Qizhen was in such good health.
.......
The next day, early in the morning!
The horn sounded outside the city.
The army set out.
When Ning Chen came to Yuzhou, the Changling Army and the people of the Fire Gun Battalion had a total of 27,000 people.
More than 10,000 people were captured from the left prime minister.
Later, 20,000 people were captured from the Grand Master. With Lei An's lobbying, several scattered soldiers were subdued, almost 3,000 people.
Qi Yuanzhong brought 50,000 people.
Now, except for the casualties and wounded soldiers, there are about 100,000 troops.
The 100,000 troops set out, entering from the south gate in an orderly manner and leaving from the north gate.
Outside the north gate, the battle flag fluttered.
100,000 troops, stretching the ground and the sky.
Ning Chen told Zhang Youcai to take good care of the house.
The Mei Mansion may hide the gold and silver treasures left by the left prime minister.
The person in charge of guarding the city of Yuzhou was a deputy captain of the Changling Army, who was a battle-hardened and capable man.
There were still thousands of wounded soldiers in the city, and someone had to stay to take care of them.
After arranging everything, Ning Chen rode Diao Chan and headed straight out of the city.
Ning Chen set out from the capital with two thousand musketeers.
A warship could not accommodate two thousand horses, so only Ning Chen brought Diao Chan.
He was used to riding Diao Chan.
After leaving the city, Ning Chen looked at the endless army and his heart was surging.
He was born to like the battlefield.
Ning Chen rode his horse and came to the front of the army.
"Soldiers, it's time for us to make achievements... If we can recover the border, I, Ning Chen, will personally go to His Majesty to ask for credit for everyone."
"I will wear golden armor after a hundred battles in the yellow sand, and I will not return until I break the border... Let's go!"
The messenger passed Ning Chen's words down layer by layer.
Dong Dong Dong! ! !
The drums on the city wall were beating, resounding through the sky.
A hundred thousand troops, like a long dragon with no end in sight, marched towards the border.
A hundred thousand troops could not move fast.
Seven days later, they had only traveled half the way.
In the tent, Ning Chen was drinking tea and chewing on dried meat that was as hard as stone.
"I, General Lei An, would like to see General Ning."
Lei An's voice rang out outside the tent.
Lei An was in charge of the baggage camp, tents, food, siege vehicles, ladders, etc., all of which required professional management.
"Come in!"
Lei An opened the curtain and walked in, saying, "General Ning, the scouts reported that they had found people from the Wu Kingdom."
Ning Chen was startled, "Where are they? How many are they?"
Lei An's expression was a little strange, "About a hundred people, General Ning knows them."
Ning Chen was slightly startled, and then smiled and said, "Are they Pang Yun's people?"
Lei An leaned over, "Yes!"
"Where are they?"
"More than ten miles away from the camp."
Ning Chen laughed.
This was in his plan. He detained their horses to prevent them from returning to report in time.
When the two armies are fighting, they will not kill the messengers, but he will not let Pang Yun and others go back to report.
It is freezing cold now. Pang Yun and others are short of food and clothing. They don’t even have weapons. It’s hard to hunt game... When they return to the border, the battle will be over.
Ning Chen smiled and said, "Don’t pay attention to them."
"Yes!"
"Lei An, it’s freezing cold now. The soldiers’ military rations must be guaranteed."
Lei An leaned over and said respectfully, "General, don’t worry. We have enough food and grass, and the soldiers will not starve."
Ning Chen hummed.
"If the general has no other instructions, then I will go to work."
"Go, thank you for your hard work!"
Lei An saluted and retreated.
Ning Chen was chewing dried meat while looking at the border topographic map.