Chapter 9, Training the Bird Gun Team

The goal is a wooden sign located eighty steps ahead

Zhao Hu, born into the old faction of the Xiao family, had once followed Xiao Ruhun's father into battle. He was aware of Xiao Ruhun's recent recovery from injury and, seeing her pale complexion yet still insisting on ascending the city to conduct inspections, felt both admiration and concern.

The soldiers shouted in unison

The general is mighty

Retreat

The general's injuries have healed, and he should rest quietly; it is not appropriate for him to be moving about. The general's well-being is tied to the safety of the entire city, and he must pay more attention to himself.

Xiao Ruxun instructed this way, Wang Hui nodded, raised his hand, and then waved it: "Release!"

The soldiers shouted loudly: "Yes!"

Xiao Ruxun nodded slightly and retreated to the third row, while the original second and third rows had already moved up to the first and second rows respectively

Berwei, if you were the commander of the bandit army, after the initial attack was thwarted, would you continue with the previous tactics for the second attack, or would you seek different strategies in an attempt to break through

Xiao Ruxun first took a bird gun, then began to load the ammunition, positioning the other two soldiers two paces behind him. He aimed at the wooden target and ignited the match.

Put it down!

Indeed, given the cunning of the Baibai father and son, after being thwarted by us once, would they, in their anger and humiliation, resort to deploying even more troops for a second siege? Unless they find themselves in a situation with no other options, a strong assault would be a last resort. If there are alternative methods, they would not choose to launch a direct attack on the city. Our city is already isolated; if the enemy knows their military strategy, they should realize that their true adversary is not us, but Wei Zhitai on the south bank of the Yellow River. Dividing forces in battle is a significant military taboo, and a siege with a strong assault is an even greater taboo. Would Baibai act in such a manner?

Retreat

Xiao Ruxun arrived at the western city wall, facing the enemy forces. She saw twelve flintlock cannons lined up in a row, positioned at the cannon ports of the wall. The wall was filled with various military supplies, as well as unmoved second general cannons, also known as bamboo cannons. These cannons, originally produced in the Ming Dynasty, were inferior in stability and sealing compared to the Spanish-manufactured flintlock cannons, which is why they were not reused as frequently. The general's iron cannons were too heavy; although they had greater power, they were not easy to deploy and were generally not the first choice. Additionally, there were unmoved second general cannons, or bamboo cannons, which, like before, were less stable and sealed than the flintlock cannons, leading to their lesser usage.

Xiao Ruxun decided to demonstrate the method of the three-section strike through personal action, ensuring that every soldier could see clearly. She then called two soldiers to step forward and demonstrate alongside her

Xiao Ruxun nodded slightly, handed the bird gun to the bodyguard, and said: "The entire team is now divided into ten small squads, each consisting of thirty people, arranged in three columns, and we will begin training."

Zhao Hu questioned, "Does the general mean that there is a deception? However, the scout reported that indeed a large army is approaching, there must be no mistake in this, right?"

Commander Wang Qian, you come and give the launch command

Furthermore, our army has sufficient provisions, but we are few in number. In this battle, we do not seek to defeat the enemy, but rather to maintain stability, which is enough to repel the enemy forces. We will wait for reinforcements. Without my orders, do not pursue the enemy outside the city.

Xiao Ruxun pulled the trigger and closed her eyes. With a bang, the lead bullet was fired. When Xiao Ruxun opened her eyes, she saw that a hole had already been made in the wooden sign.

Zhao Hu furrowed his brow and pondered: "If I had known that the enemy's city was well-fortified and that a direct assault would be extremely difficult, I certainly would not have resorted to such a method. Instead, I would have attempted to employ various strategies to capture the city. A siege and direct assault should be considered a last resort and are not esteemed by military strategists."

The pawns drink again

Xiao Ruxun nodded slightly, gazing at the distant horizon, suddenly recalling a thrilling battle from eight years of the apocalypse, her heart stirred, and she furrowed her brows

A scout returned from the west, reporting that a large portion of the enemy forces has appeared 500 miles west of Pinglu City, and they are expected to arrive and commence their attack in approximately two days

Zhao Hu has once again fulfilled his promise

Wang Hui issued the order once again, and the musketeer immediately ran back. The second row of musketeers stepped forward, while Xiao Ruxun, who was in the process of loading ammunition, also moved a step forward to maintain the formation. The last musketeer quickly began to load ammunition in preparation for firing.

No!

Wang Hui gave the order, and the gunner pulled the trigger, firing the ammunition, which accurately hit the wooden target from a distance of 80 paces

Xiao Ruxun had not yet finished loading, but had already taken the first position. The gunner behind had also not completed loading, yet had advanced a step to occupy a position. Approximately ten seconds later, once loading was complete, Xiao Ruxun raised the gun, and Wang Hui waved his hand: "Fire!"

Xiao Ruxun set down the bird gun and addressed the watching soldiers: "This is the most fundamental method of the three-stage firing technique. Based on my estimation, with your current level, you can fire at most three to four times in the span of a stick of incense. This is far inferior to bows and crossbows. However, if supplemented by the three-stage firing technique, the shooting efficiency can be tripled, allowing for three consecutive firings, resulting in an uninterrupted barrage. In fact, according to my initial estimation, to achieve an attack akin to that of arrows, at least six to nine ranks would be required. But if the three-stage firing technique is not mastered, how can one talk about six-stage or nine-stage firing? This method also requires diligent practice to achieve coordination. On the battlefield, it is not just a single line, but hundreds or thousands of lines firing bird guns together. Therefore, the formation must be mastered thoroughly. I reiterate, on the battlefield, the military formation is your guarantee of life!"

With a smile and a wave of her hand, Xiao Ruxun readied her bird gun and said to the gunner behind her: "After I fire this shot, I will quickly circle around you to the back to reload ammunition, and you must step forward to take my original position the moment I leave. I will retreat to the back to start reloading and prepare to fire, while you step forward to aim and shoot. Since the three-segment rotation method involves rotating in place, the entire formation does not need to move forward or backward. Therefore, after the front row retreats, the back row must immediately follow without any slack; otherwise, if the formation is disrupted, defeat is inevitable. In infantry combat, the formation is of utmost importance; without a formation on the battlefield, one cannot survive. Everyone must remember this!"

Zhao Hu clasped his fists in response.

No!

The pawns shouted in unison

Xiao Ruxun merely smiled and said gently, "Lord Wei has good intentions, I understand this. However, with a great enemy at hand, I cannot let personal matters interfere with public duty. Moreover, the wound has already healed and begun to scab; even if I move slightly, as long as I do not touch the wound, it should be fine. The enemy forces have appeared on the west side, and their numbers are certainly greater than last time. Our army only has 2,500 men, and we have already been scattered and reorganized, so our coordination may not be as good as before. You need to be more vigilant."

Listen carefully, I believe you have heard a little about the three-stage wheel shooting method used by King Mu in the past. Since King Mu employed it, the founding emperor has launched five campaigns against Mongolia, and the artillery units have also frequently utilized the three-stage wheel shooting method. However, since the advent of the bird gun, the firearms equipped by our army have undergone significant changes compared to the early days of the founding of the nation. Nowadays, this bird gun has greatly improved in both firing rate and power compared to the initial establishment of the country. Therefore, the three-stage shooting method of King Mu should also be improved. Now, I will personally demonstrate it for you. You, you, step forward.

Raise the gun! Fire!

After giving such instructions, Xiao Ruxun leaned against the command platform to observe the soldiers' drills. Wang Hui personally went down to supervise the soldiers' coordination. At first, the soldiers were flustered, often making mistakes, forgetting to advance, or failing to load quickly enough, which disrupted the overall formation. Wang Hui dealt with them harshly, both scolding and punishing them, before they gradually improved. They practiced until noon, and after having lunch in the barracks, the soldiers continued their drills in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Xiao Ruxun ascended the city wall with the support of her personal guards.

The shot struck again

Wang Hui issued another order, and the soldier raised his gun and fired, hitting the wooden sign

Alright, I will step back to the third position now. You advance further, and you also move forward. I will load the ammunition at the end. While loading the ammunition, you will finish firing, and you will move forward. Even if my ammunition is not fully loaded, I must also advance to maintain formation. Of course, once we are on the battlefield, I will arrange for auxiliary soldiers to be behind your formation specifically for loading ammunition. However, if the auxiliary soldiers cannot keep up with the firing rate, you will also need to load the ammunition yourselves. A gunner who cannot load ammunition cannot be considered a qualified gunner. Everyone must keep this in mind.