0p0 Chapter 175 The battle to destroy the country
Chapter 175 The battle to destroy the country
(Hand-cranked Gatling gun)
When tens of thousands of bullets and artillery shells were fired at the enemy cavalry formation, blood flowers exploded in the smoke and dust, ruthlessly destroying and tearing apart the iron cavalry that the Later Jin Dynasty was proud of, it also meant the end of an era and the end of a dynasty.
Perhaps, the Later Jin Dynasty could not be considered a dynasty, but the countdown to the end of the Ming Dynasty also began.
Beside Lu Cheng, the three generals He Shixian, You Shigong and Tong Zhongkui were so shocked that they were speechless. Looking at the Later Jin cavalrymen who were lying on the ground in the distance, and then looking at the mortars, machine guns, and rifles that were firing quickly and reloading, the three of them realized today that they seemed to have never known Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng chuckled, casually put his command knife back into the scabbard, and looked at the three generals beside him: "Three brothers, how do you think the scene in front of you is? Is it spectacular?"
He Shixian was the first to react: "It's spectacular, really incredible. I thought it was a bit risky for Brother Lu to lead more than 3 troops deep into the Later Jin. Now it seems that we underestimated Brother Lu."
"Today's battle, You... is really unimaginable. Even if I stand on the opposite side, even if I am given another 100,000 troops, I am afraid it will not be enough for Brother Lu to kill, right?"
"Brother Lu, how did you create so many terrifying muskets and cannons? It's really unimaginable."
"My three brothers, do you want to own such firearms and such an army?"
When the three heard this, their eyes lit up and they all replied in unison: "Of course I do."
"Well, before that, let me ask you three a question. Is there still hope for the Ming Dynasty today?"
The three of them were silent after hearing this. After all, they were the ministers of the Ming Dynasty and had been loyal to the Ming Dynasty for half their lives. Some things were really hard to say at the moment.
After a long while, He Shixian spoke first: "Brother Lu, you have such a powerful weapon. Even if thousands of troops come, you can easily defeat them. So, is there any hope for the Ming Dynasty? Of course, it depends on Brother Lu."
You Shigong and Tong Zhongkui didn't say anything, but it was obvious that they meant the same thing.
Lu Cheng raised his whip and pointed at the surrounding troops: "Three brothers, you can see that these soldiers under my command are all supported by my hard-earned money. The little food and salary given by the court is not enough for the soldiers to have a full meal. If we only rely on the court, we would have been killed by the Jiannu long ago.
The court today cannot eliminate the external threats and cannot stabilize the people. The officials in the court are only interested in party disputes. Our emperor is busy doing carpentry work in the palace all day and has no time to manage the government. Why should I work for such a Ming Dynasty?
Three brothers, you and I have a good relationship. I will not hide it from you. I intend to pacify the world, unify the four seas, and recreate the world. Let the people of the world have enough food and clothing, no longer have to endure hunger and cold, no longer have to endure the exploitation of officials. Let my Ming Dynasty soldiers be able to spread their power throughout the world without being restricted by civil officials or supervised by eunuchs.
Three brothers, what are you going to choose? If you choose to remain loyal to the Ming Dynasty, I will not stop you today, and you can leave on your own. However, we may become enemies in the future. There is no old friendship on the battlefield.
If the three of you are willing to follow me and conquer the world together, when I succeed, it will be no problem for you to give your wife and children titles."
After hearing this, the three fell silent again.
The sounds of gunfire and artillery fire were continuous all around, the cavalry formation in the distance was in complete chaos, and the Later Jin cavalry were fleeing in all directions. This was not a major battle at all, but just a massacre.
After a moment, He Shixian clasped his fists and saluted: "He Shixian is willing to follow General Lu!"
"You Shigong and Tong Zhongkui are willing to follow President Lu!"
Lu Cheng was not surprised by this result.
If Lu Cheng was not sure he could convince the three people, he would not have brought them here.
There are so many generals in Liaodong, but these three are the most capable in fighting, and they also have the best relationship with Lu Cheng.
Each of them had 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers under their command, and together with the troops under Lu Cheng, they had a force of more than 100,000, accounting for more than half of the entire Liaodong army.
As they were talking, the Later Jin cavalry on the opposite side had been completely defeated and turned around to flee. The infantry phalanx behind them was also impacted, resulting in a larger-scale rout.
Looking at the chaotic scene around him, Huang Taiji sighed: "The Great Jin Kingdom is finished!"
Huang Taiji drew his sword and was about to commit suicide on the spot. Several beiles beside him hurriedly stopped him: "Khan, the Han people have a saying, as long as the green mountains remain, there is no need to worry about running out of firewood. Let's retreat quickly."
Huang Taiji put down his sword and resigned himself to his fate and ordered, "Retreat."
In fact, even if Huang Taiji did not call for retreat, the frightened Later Jin troops would have been fleeing in a panic.
Faced with weapons that were beyond their time, they had no power to resist at all. They were like lambs with their limbs tied up and waiting to be slaughtered, and could only allow themselves to be slaughtered by the other side.
Immediately afterwards, Ding Xiu led 3,000 cavalrymen, each armed with a new lance, and headed towards the city of Hetuala while chasing and killing the defeated Later Jin soldiers.
This battle did not involve any technical skills, and military tactics and strategies were completely useless.
However, Lu Cheng has been operating and developing in Liaodong for so long, not for the purpose of fighting a war of attrition or playing any tactical strategy.
All for the sake of today's total crushing and one-sided massacre.
Afterwards, the army rushed directly towards the city of Hetuala without paying too much attention to the defeated soldiers who were fleeing in all directions.
When they arrived at the city of Hetuala, the Jurchen nobles in the city were fleeing northward through the city gate with their property.
Of course, there were some smarter ones who gave up most of their wealth and fled with only their loved ones.
Lu Cheng's troops occupied the city of Hetuala with almost no effort.
Immediately afterwards, 10,000 soldiers were left to guard the city, while the rest continued to pursue the enemy.
At the same time, Lu Cheng's other younger brother, Zaisai of the Khalkha tribe, also led 20,000 cavalrymen to intercept the Later Jin troops fleeing northward from the north and began to hunt down the defeated Later Jin soldiers.
Because they ran in such a hurry, the nobles of the Later Jin Dynasty did not have time to take away too much property. Those nobles who escaped with their property were easily caught up by Ding Xiu.
In the end, almost all the wealth of the entire Hetuala city fell into Lu Cheng's hands. The silver alone amounted to tens of millions, and the rest was gold, jewelry, rare medicinal materials, iron and bronze artifacts were countless.
After all, the Later Jin Dynasty had been established for many years and had won many victories in wars against the Ming Dynasty, plundering countless wealth from the Ming Dynasty, which now belonged to Lu Cheng.
When Lu Cheng sent troops to plunder the Shanxi merchants, he was still marveling at the wealth of Shanxi Province. But now, compared with the Later Jin royal family, those Shanxi merchants are really nothing compared to them.
Sure enough, destroying a country is the quickest way to get rich.
Walking into the inner city of Hetuala City and stepping into the palace of Huang Taiji, You Shigong took a look at the surrounding environment and couldn't help but complain: "This is just a small place, and it can be considered a palace? This Jurchen is just like this."
"Yes, they are a little petty, but they once suppressed us in Liaodong so much that we couldn't hold our heads up."
"Okay, let's go in and take a look."
After entering the palace, one could see killed palace maids and concubines everywhere. They were probably killed by people sent by Huang Taiji.
However, Huang Taiji could not escape far.
At this time, a messenger came running to report: "Sir, General Ding sent a subordinate to report. The Nu chieftain Huang Taiji and the Jurchen beile and flag owners have been captured. However, Huang Taiji has already drawn his sword and committed suicide, and his head has been sent outside."
"Okay, I get it."
After occupying the city of Hetuala, Lu Cheng did not order his soldiers to kill too many people. Instead, he classified all the people according to gender, age and status and put them under guard separately.
These days, human resources are also a very valuable resource, and living people are always more useful than dead ones.
As early as two years ago, Liaodong had already produced cement and lime. Now, the whole Liaodong is building roads, and Anshan iron ore is also being mined, and strong laborers are needed everywhere. Those Jurchen nobles are strong and fit, just right to work as coolies in the mines...