Chapter 55

Before the team set off, Zhao Bingxian brought several large boxes over with his servants.

"Jiye, my young nephew, this is a small gift from your uncle. Open it and take a look."

Liu Jun felt quite well about this military commissioner. Despite holding a key position, he was very approachable and had always shown great appreciation for the Nine-Headed Bird Cavalry. However, he was unsure what gift he was giving after just rewarding them with silver.

Liu Jun walked over and opened the box. Inside were bird guns, or rather, oversized bird guns.

"These guns are called Nine-Headed Birds, just like your cavalry. I feel this weapon is naturally suited to you. I have some equipped in my servant team, but unfortunately, few of them can use them well. I know you have plenty of firearms and use them skillfully, so I'll just return them to their rightful owners and give a few to you."

The Nine-Headed Birds in the box lay quietly, with long barrels, clearly an enlarged version of the bird gun. Just by looking at their thick and large appearance, one could tell that their power was far greater than that of a regular bird gun.

In fact, Liu Jun was not unfamiliar with the Nine-Headed Birds that Zhao Bingxian was so proud of.

This thing was clearly a swivel gun, over ten feet long and weighing more than thirty pounds. It was a unique type of firearm in China, first manufactured during the Ming Dynasty and later widely equipped during the Qing Dynasty. Even in some anti-Japanese war dramas, it was common to see the local Eighth Route Army using this weapon against the Japanese.

But in essence, it was just an enlarged bird gun. Weighing over thirty pounds and with a barrel over ten feet long, its structure was identical to that of a regular soldier's bird gun, but its powder charge, range, and destructive power were far greater. This gun was very popular during the Qing Dynasty, and when fired, it required two people to operate: one in front to act as a gun stand, placing the barrel on their shoulder, and another to aim and fire.

In the Qing army, the swivel gun was used as infantry support. When the Qing army faced the Taiping rebels, who were weak in firearms, the effect was very significant. It was said that if there were enough swivel guns, the sound of a volley was extremely impressive. During the Sino-French War, the Qing army also used them extensively against the French.

French records noted that when thousands of guns fired together, the earth shook, and bullets rained down, leaving the French in shock. However, they later found that no one was injured, which was rather futile.

During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing army manufactured and equipped a large number of swivel guns, but after the war, they were eventually phased out due to their excessive weight and poor accuracy.

However, in 1639, during the twelfth year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, the Nine-Headed Bird was considered a powerful and heavy-duty firearm. A regular bird gun had a range of about a hundred paces, but the swivel gun could reach a killing distance of two hundred paces.

The swivel gun was much more powerful than a bird gun but much lighter than a cannon, not requiring a cart or horse to transport. One person could carry it, making it a highly cost-effective weapon, especially effective against bandits in the Central Plains.

Zhao Cheng also viewed the swivel gun as a secret weapon and generously gave twelve to Liu Jun. These were all new models, equipped with tripod stands and rotating devices, nicknamed Nine-Headed Birds, and could be operated by one person.

At first, Liu Jun was somewhat dismissive when he saw the swivel guns, but then he realized it was still 1639, and even matchlock guns, three-barreled guns, and quick-firing guns were considered advanced firearms. The swivel gun, being a large bird gun, could be considered a heavy individual weapon. For a local militia like theirs, twelve Nine-Headed Birds firing together would likely terrify the bandits.

Especially with a range of nearly two hundred paces, even if the accuracy only held up to two hundred paces, it was still more than twice that of a bird gun. It was farther than both bows and matchlock guns and not as expensive or cumbersome as cannons.

"Such a valuable gift, I am truly grateful to you, Commissioner Zhao."

"Fine powder for a beautiful woman, a fine sword for a hero, and a fine weapon for a brave warrior," Zhao Cheng said with a warm smile. "Recently, the bandits have been causing trouble again, and many of those who were previously pacified have also joined in. The land of Yu and Chu is once again engulfed in war, and the country is not at peace. As the military commissioner of Eastern Hubei, I am deeply concerned. In the future, we will need more young and capable heroes like you to serve the country."

"Whenever you call, we will not hesitate to risk our lives."

"Very good, very good. With your words, I am reassured. When we need your help in the future, I will not hesitate to ask."

Liu Jun responded readily. Making promises was a skill every official needed, regardless of whether they could fulfill them. Having received twelve Nine-Headed Birds from Zhao Cheng, Liu Jun naturally had to agree readily.

After receiving the twelve Nine-Headed Birds, Liu Jun immediately called Li Chunjiang to discuss adding a swivel gun unit to the artillery team.

Originally, each of the two banners had an artillery team with three tiger-squatting guns. Now, Liu Jun planned to establish a separate artillery banner, which would include an artillery team, a swivel gun team, and a rocket team. The artillery team would have six guns, with two people per gun, making a total of twelve people. The swivel gun team would have twelve guns, each with a tripod, allowing one person to operate each gun, making a total of twelve gunners. The remaining team would form a rocket team, equipped with rockets, and they could also consider purchasing some "one-hive" and "hundred-tigers-rushing" rocket launchers and rocket boxes.

This artillery team would serve as combat fire support, providing firepower for the six combat teams of the two banners. The original structure of the two banners would remain unchanged, maintaining the combat formation centered around the "mandarin ducks" array.

"Perhaps we need to recruit more people," Li Chunjiang said, always thinking about expanding the cavalry.

"Indeed, we need to recruit more people. For now, let's have Mei Gong's firearms instructors stay longer, and also incorporate our servants into the banner teams. Later, we can recruit more people. The cavalry can be expanded to four banners: left, right, front, and rear. Fortunately, we captured many horses this time, so we don't need to buy more. Otherwise, the price of horses would be a significant burden."

Liu Jun was always worried about the costs of the Nine-Headed Bird team. Currently, it was mainly supported by Li Chunjiang's personal finances, though they had also received some donations. However, the cavalry had no income and relied entirely on external support. The cavalry had already spent over ten thousand taels of silver, with Li Chunjiang personally contributing more than five thousand.

He had been looking for other ways to solve the military funding problem but had no good solutions. Their militia, though a local force, was similar to a professional mercenary army, always in camp and without land to cultivate. Unlike border armies, they couldn't engage in trade.

However, this anti-bandit operation gave Liu Jun a new idea.

Anti-bandit operations could generate income. This time, they seized over a thousand taels of silver and goods, fifty-three horses, and dozens of weapons, and received another thousand taels as a reward. After deducting the rewards and compensation for this battle, they still made over a thousand taels of silver, fifty-three horses, and dozens of weapons.

This was just the result of one battle. If they could have more such victories, they could sustain the cavalry's expenses and even have a surplus, without relying on Li Chunjiang's personal funds. That would be a long-term solution.

Moreover, anti-bandit operations not only generated income but also trained the troops. Although Zhang Xianzhong and others had just rebelled again, their strength seemed limited. Liu Jun knew that after the low point of the Central Plains rebels in 1638, a new wave of rebellion would soon erupt, growing increasingly powerful until Li Zicheng captured Beijing.

Ma Cheng, located between Hubei, Henan, Anhui, and Jiangxi, was a strategic location and would inevitably be affected by the impending chaos. To protect his family, he could only rely on his troops.

The next morning, over a thousand people gathered. Zhao Cheng gave a speech, followed by Mei Zhihuan, Lu Jinxin, and other officials. Finally, the entire army set off. The night patrol team from Baosheng Fort led the way, followed by the Huangzhou Garrison led by Zhu Chong, then the main force of Baosheng Fort led by Mei Zhihuan, with Zhao Cheng, Mei Zhihuan, and other officials inside, and the cavalry of Baosheng Fort guarding the sides.

The rest of the militia formed the rear guard, and Liu Jun volunteered the Nine-Headed Bird Cavalry to take the rear.

Initially, the morale was high, but after about two hours, the sun was high in the sky, and the heat intensified. The peasant soldiers Zhu Chong had recruited from the garrison were already demoralized, their formation disintegrated, and they were slow, demanding a rest. Zhao Cheng had no choice but to order a half-hour break.

However, after a short while, Zhu Chong's soldiers complained about the heat and fatigue, angering Zhao Cheng, who glared at Zhu Chong. Zhu Chong, scolded by his superior, angrily rode to the front and, with his servants, whipped the soldiers harshly. The soldiers, who had been complaining, now fell silent and obediently continued marching.

The chaos at the front did not affect the Nine-Headed Bird Cavalry, who were at the rear, each riding a tall horse and wearing large felt hats to shield from the sun, looking very relaxed.

The Nine-Headed Bird Cavalry was neatly lined up, with high morale, in stark contrast to the disorganized garrison soldiers. It seemed as if the Nine-Headed Bird Cavalry were the regular army, while the garrison soldiers looked like newly recruited laborers.

The army moved forward, with the night patrol leading the way, ensuring no ambush by the bandits. The night patrol was an elite force in the Ming army, even more elite than the servants of the generals. Every level of the Ming army had its own night patrol, with hundreds in large border towns, and each general, commander, and colonel also had their own night patrol, even down to the lower ranks of colonels and captains.

Even local militias, regardless of size, had their own night patrols.

The night patrol and the servants were the most elite forces in the Ming army.

The journey was peaceful, and they reached the mountain where the bandits were located. Although the bandits led by **zi had been eliminated the day before, the bandit camp seemed unaware of any abnormality. Perhaps **zi's group often went out for ten to fifteen days without regular contact, so the bandits in the camp were used to it.

Two li from the bandit camp, at the foot of the mountain, Zhao Cheng ordered the entire army to rest temporarily and prepare for battle.