Chapter 3, Fire Element Array
Fire Element Array? ! '' Wu Linzheng and others exchanged glances with one another
This is truly an unexpected surprise; as a result, his chances of survival in the upcoming brutal breakout battle will be higher than previously anticipated
Isn't this... not good? Liu Wenbing said
There are neither mahouts to control the elephants nor the necessary equipment.
However, if everyone brings their wives, children, and elderly family members, then what is the point of surrounding them
This all relies on the great blessings of the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty and the sovereign.
What is the situation? Zhu Chuncheng is even more confused
Therefore, let no one bring their wives and children; we can only accept our fates as they are
The noble officials around felt a slight stir in their hearts
Chongzhen not only excelled in equestrian skills, but also possessed excellent physical fitness. His endurance, reaction time, and explosive power were all quite remarkable, clearly indicating that he had received training during his youth
Such a high-intensity march and combat cannot be endured without a sufficiently strong body; after all, this is the ancient times with a lack of medical resources, and even a minor cold can be fatal
Ah? Wang Jiayan was taken aback upon hearing this. Is it time to practice equestrianism now?
Now the three brothers no longer know where they have been taken by the eunuch
The issue is that Duke Cheng did not leave behind the three brothers Zhu Cilang.
Then bind and secure several barrels of gunpowder onto the equipment
As the hour of the snake approached, Zhu Chuncheng was just about to give the order to open the door when
In ancient times, Tian Dan employed the Fire Ox Formation; now, does His Majesty wish to implement the Fire Elephant Formation?
It is too late," Wu Linzheng sighed again, "There is no time left.
Zhu Chuncheng glanced outside the city and ultimately bowed down obediently at the city wall
Wang Cheng'en immediately brought a group of eunuchs to deliver the meal.
At the moment when Zhu Chuncheng was bewildered, a large number of cavalry had already charged up the city wall along the horse path, led by none other than Wang Cheng'en, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat and the commander of the Beijing garrison.
Then, they quickly understood what this so-called cavalry was.
Zhu Chuncheng's ancestors included the renowned general Zhu Neng from the Jingnan campaign. However, this individual has long lost the integrity and valor of his forebears. Just last night, he conspired with Minister of War Zhang Jinyan and other officials and nobles to secretly sign the "Open the Gates to Welcome the Thieves" agreement, waiting for the first hour of the day to simultaneously open the city gates and allow the enemy troops to enter the city
Zhu Chuncheng turned around and saw a large group of cavalry charging down Chaoyangmen Street
Collect more hemp cloth, ramie cloth, or cotton clothing, soak them in kerosene, and wrap them around the tail and back of the elephant
Having had their fill of food and drink, Emperor Chongzhen personally led over 600 cavalrymen at the front, while over 500 infantrymen, commanded by Wang Jiayan, drove 28 elephants following closely behind, making their way directly towards Chaoyang Gate
Chongzhen patted Gong Yonggu's shoulder and said: "Duke of the Imperial Guard, if you and I, as ruler and minister, are able to break through this time, you shall be credited with the primary merit."
What is this situation? There is actually such a cavalry in Beijing? Zhu Chuncheng couldn't help but feel a bit bewildered
If possible, Chongzhen would certainly wish to bring along Zhu Cilang and his two brothers, as he has now completely integrated Chongzhen's memories and has developed feelings for Zhu Cilang and his two brothers.
Ah? Protecting the sacred vehicle and breaking through? Zhu Chuncheng was immediately stunned upon hearing this
Moreover, all the elephants' eyes were covered, and Gong Yonggu was quite attentive.
The so-called double-pair harness is essentially just a wooden frame, without any mortise and tenon joints, merely bound together with hemp rope
"Which is more important, the Crown Prince or the destiny of the Ming Dynasty?" Chongzhen replied with a stern expression, "In urgent matters, we must act according to the situation; there is no need for further discussion among you all"
This is also consistent with the records of historical materials
"Indeed, the fire elephant formation," Chongzhen said with a smile, "You ministers might as well imagine what it would look like when dozens of elephants with their hindquarters on fire charge out of the Zhengyang Gate and crash into the formations of the three major camps.
The journey from Beijing to Nanjing spans thousands of miles, and it is highly likely that one will have to face headwinds and snow, navigating through detours and obstacles along the way
In this way, they can naturally bring their families along.
"You all take the time to rest," Chongzhen waved his hand and continued, "If you really cannot sit still, then make the most of your time to practice horsemanship. Although it may be a bit late to practice horsemanship now, sharpening the spear just before the battle is better than not sharpening it at all. Practicing a little is certainly better than not practicing, otherwise, it will be easy to fall off the horse during the breakout."
Chongzhen began to issue orders: "Wang Daban, immediately take someone to start a fire and prepare a meal. Bring out the meat, pickles, and imperial wine from the royal kitchen; I want to reward the troops!"
The bandits ceased their siege early this morning, and it is also due to this reason
The civil officials and nobles were all very curious about the extraordinary troops mentioned by Chongzhen
Wang Jiayan raised his voice in questioning: "The Crown Prince is the foundation of the nation..."
What kind of scene will it be when the hundreds of barrels of gunpowder tied to these dozens of elephants explode?
Seeing that Chongzhen no longer assigned tasks, Wang Jiayan could not help but ask: "Your Majesty, what should we, the old ministers, do?"
It is heard that countries such as Myanmar and Siam indeed have elephant cavalry, which charge into battle with unstoppable ferocity
Gong Yonggu also armed all more than twenty elephants
Indeed, after receiving the imperial decree, Gong Yonggu hurriedly departed, taking with him Liu Wenbing and several other noble's bodyguards, as well as over two hundred eunuchs, because he had too few bodyguards.
Liu Wenbing suddenly remembered something and presented it, saying: "Your Majesty, before breaking through, may I first visit the Duke of Cheng's residence to bring the Crown Prince, Prince Yong, and Prince Ding here?"
Chongzhen further stated: "The Duke of the Imperial Guard, gather people to collect timber and create simple double-pair harnesses, binding the elephants in pairs with the simple harnesses."
The problem is that training war elephants is a hundred times more difficult than training cavalry. Even for a deity, it would be utterly impossible to train these dozens of elephants into war elephants in such a short period of time
"Duke Chengguo, stop dawdling." Wang Cheng'en said, "Quickly open the city gates."
Zhu Chuncheng instinctively cast his gaze towards the city gate.
Suddenly, a series of trumpeting sounds from elephants came from behind.
The one entrusted with guarding Chaoyang Gate is Duke Cheng, Zhu Chuncheng
At this moment, if you and I, as sovereign and subjects, were to rush out of the Zhengyang Gate, there would be no need for a bloody battle; we could simply ride forth with our swords raised and charge straight ahead to annihilate the three major camps that assist the tyrant without leaving a single piece intact
Wang Cheng'en looked down at Zhu Chuncheng and said sharply: "Duke Cheng of the State, Zhu Chuncheng, immediately open the Chaoyang Gate, and then organize your troops to protect the Holy Vehicle as it breaks through!"
Chongzhen said no more, turned over, mounted a black horse, and began to trot.
Is this it?" The commander of the Jinyiwei, Wang Guoxing, pointed at the elephant in the room, staring in astonishment as he asked, "Is this the miraculous weapon that His Majesty spoke of?"
Officials and nobles such as Wu Linzheng also wore expressions of deep disappointment
Suddenly, the sounds of horses neighing and people bustling came from the Chaoyangmen Street behind.
Chongzhen's physical constitution is indeed quite good
"There is still time," Chongzhen said calmly, "because I have never intended to deploy a cavalry to battle, but only to use these dozens of elephants to launch a fire elephant formation to strike the three main camps"
Chongzhen smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying: "First, let's have a meal"
Chongzhen ran for more than ten laps at the grass railing field, then dismounted to rest for a moment. After a little more than half an hour had passed, Wang Cheng'en had already brought people to prepare the meal.
Not far behind the hundreds of bandit cavalry, there were the troops of the three main camps, the Jingying soldiers, a vast multitude, with at least over one hundred thousand in number, yet their formation was in complete disarray
At that moment, Chongzhen resolutely refused, saying: "No, how can we break through with our families in tow? Let the Crown Prince, Yong Wang, Ding Wang, and the parents and wives of all the esteemed ministers accept their fate."
Wang Jiayan and Jin Xuan exchanged surprised glances at Chongzhen, wondering how His Majesty could possibly know about military matters, as they had never heard of it before
Gong Yonggu hurriedly declined, saying: "How could I dare to covet the achievements of heaven?"
A herd of elephants was seen coming down the street
Accompanied by Zhu Chuncheng's loud shout, the drawbridge over the moat slowly descended, the heavy gate of the outer city began to rise slowly, and the double inner city gates were also pushed open gradually
Outside the Chaoyang Gate, hundreds of bandit cavalry have already lined up in an orderly formation, waiting to enter the city
Historical records indicate that during his time as Prince of Xin, Chongzhen did not engage in systematic literary studies, as he had no teacher to instruct him. Consequently, during his youth, Chongzhen could only spend his time on archery and horseback riding.
Chongzhen is already very satisfied to have achieved this in such a short period of time
Moreover, if we include the words of Zhu Cilang and others, we cannot refuse the ministers to bring their wives and children. It is unreasonable to allow only you, Chongzhen, to reunite with your father and son while forcing the ministers to abandon their families. Would that not make one a tyrant?
What can dozens of elephants be used for? Elephant cavalry?
Each barrel of gunpowder is equipped with several fuses, and the burning time should ideally be half a stick of incense
So this is the fire element formation! Wu Linzheng and others couldn't help but feel excited
Zhu Chuncheng turned back in some surprise to look behind him
They certainly hope to bring the Crown Prince, Prince Yong, and Prince Ding over
Twenty-eight elephants were divided into fourteen groups, and the tails and backs of all the elephants were wrapped in cotton cloth, which had been soaked in kerosene, allowing the scent of oil to be detected from a distance
There is an imperial decree" Wang Cheng'en shouted sharply
Chongzhen galloped on horseback in the arena, yet Wang Jiayan and other civil officials remained unmoved
However, the muscles and bones throughout the body are slightly stiff
This is likely due to prolonged periods of working at a desk reviewing official documents
Chongzhen had clearly practiced equestrianism, and his skill was quite commendable. He could distinctly sense this from the residual muscle memory within this body.
"The old servant obeys the command." Wang Cheng'en hurriedly left with dozens of eunuchs
Each device was secured with eight sealed gunpowder barrels
After running just a couple of laps, Chongzhen made an even more surprising discovery
Chongzhen merged with the memories of Chongzhen, how could he not be aware of the thoughts of the multitude
Ah? Oh, good, very well. Zhu Chuncheng, as if awakening from a dream, shouted urgently, "Open the door, open the city gate!"