Chapter 60 of 100

Chapter 60

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(Thank you to Wanwu Chishe, Xingben Aimenü, and the two great brothers for your generous support, thank you, please give me recommendations!)

Zhu Chong looked at the ragtag group of soldiers under his command with a worried expression, his face growing even more bitter. These scoundrels, with over a thousand men backing them up just a moment ago, had been routed by the bandits. Now, he was supposed to lead them as the vanguard to break into the bandit stronghold. Wasn't this making things difficult for him?

However, the military order from the Censor had already been issued, and this was an opportunity for him to atone for his sins.

Zhu Chong was in a dilemma when he happened to glance at the Nine-Headed Bird banner not far away. The phoenix with nine heads on the banner suddenly gave him an idea. He quickly jogged over, and Liu Jun was just directing the Nine-Headed Bird team to cut off the heads of the bandits they had just killed and search for spoils. Seeing Zhu Chong's unique way of running, he couldn't help but smile.

"Public Ji, there's a small fortune to be made."

Li Chunjiang thought Liu Jun was talking about the rewards for the bandits they had just killed. "It's a pity those bandits ran too fast. Otherwise, these hundred or so bandits would all be our military achievements, and we could have earned a lot of silver."

"I'm not talking about that, but another side income."

"What side income?" Li Chunjiang asked, puzzled.

Liu Jun smiled and nodded towards Zhu Chong, who was running over. "Just watch, Public Ji. Don't say anything, and I'll make sure we earn a bit."

As he spoke, he walked over to Zhu Chong. "Commander."

"Oh, Jiyeh, don't be so formal. Just call me Uncle." Zhu Chong quickly smiled, very warmly. "Nephew, Uncle has a favor to ask."

"Uncle, just say what you need." Liu Jun replied warmly.

"It's like this," the fat man wiped the sweat from his forehead and organized his words. "You've heard that Censor Zhao ordered me to atone for my sins by leading the vanguard to attack the stronghold. But, as you can see, my men are all cowards. You saw how they behaved just now. We might find it hard to complete the task on our own."

Liu Jun replied, "Uncle, you're overthinking it. The stronghold, with the Big Pockmark gang already exterminated, and the second-in-command's elite force just wiped out at the foot of the mountain, is now full of old, weak, and women. There's nothing to worry about. A single charge from Uncle's men will surely take it."

"That's what I thought," the fat man said, showing some self-awareness. "But to be safe, Uncle would like to ask the two of you for help. I saw how powerful your firearms are, both numerous and accurate. So, I was wondering if the Nine-Headed Bird team could provide fire support when I attack the stronghold."

Li Chunjiang immediately understood what Liu Jun meant by making a small fortune. He pretended to be hesitant. "It shouldn't be a problem, but..."

Zhu Chong, though not good at fighting, was very good at handling affairs. He quickly grasped the key point and said, "Uncle knows this is a bit much, but I won't let your men help for nothing. How about one tael of silver per man for the Nine-Headed Bird team?"

"Talking about money is vulgar. Why bring it up?" Liu Jun smiled but didn't agree.

The fat man saw that Liu Jun thought the money was too little. Though it pained him, he had to consider this as an opportunity to atone for his sins. He gritted his teeth. "Two hundred taels, for the favor."

"Public Ji, do we have enough gunpowder and lead balls?" Liu Jun didn't agree but turned to Li Chunjiang.

"We didn't bring much, and we've had two battles. I don't think we have much left. And after two battles, many of the men's gun barrels might need to be replaced."

The two of them played along, and the fat man's money would be earned for nothing. Even with the bandits' elite forces gone, breaking into the stronghold would still be difficult for the fat man's troops unless he used his servants. The fat man would rather pay some money than lose his servants for nothing. For the Nine-Headed Bird team, providing fire support was no problem, and they could earn some extra money while giving the local militia more live-fire practice, with the ammunition paid for.

"Five hundred taels!" The fat man was desperate and finally offered a high price.

Zhu Chong was good at calculating. He had already lost two servants and thirty-six military households. Ignoring the losses, just the poor retreat performance required a victory to make up for it. He spent about fifty taels per servant per year, including their pay, rewards, and the cost of their horses and equipment.

Losing ten servants meant five hundred taels down the drain. Moreover, if he didn't perform well in the next battle, his position as a commander might be in jeopardy.

Moreover, he didn't plan to pay the five hundred taels himself. He intended to spread the cost among all the military households in his garrison. Although he only had fifty servants, now forty-eight, his garrison still had over a thousand men, even if they were now tenant farmers for him and the officers. The money could be spread among them.

"Uncle, this is... fine. Since Uncle trusts us, we'll help no matter how difficult it is. Uncle, rest assured, the Nine-Headed Bird team will provide fire support. If you need it, we can even bring out our six tiger-squat cannons. Don't worry, our gunners are experts borrowed from Lord Mei, and they can hit anything, though it will be a bit costly." Liu Jun smiled and patted his chest.

Zhu Chong felt the pain, but he had to act generous. "The cost is on me. Nephew, bring out all six cannons, and I'll add another hundred taels."

"Of course, no problem." With the silver, Liu Jun's chest puffed out even more.

Six hundred taels of silver, and Zhu Chong immediately had his servants bring the silver, every tael accounted for. It was impressive that he had brought so much silver to the battlefield, but Liu Jun, while modest, quickly took the silver.

Having received the silver, Liu Jun was a man of his word.

The Nine-Headed Bird team followed the Huangzhou garrison towards the stronghold. Inside the stronghold, there were a few hundred people, including old and young, men and women, but mostly the elderly, weak, and women. They had just witnessed the destruction of over a hundred able-bodied bandits, and they were all terrified. However, with the official army surrounding the mountain, they had nowhere to run, and they didn't trust the officials.

A few hundred old and young, men and women, armed with spears and arrows, gathered at the stronghold gate, determined to resist to the end.

Liu Jun knew that these people were originally loyal subjects of the Ming Dynasty, but due to various natural disasters and misfortunes, they had become refugees and eventually bandits. However, Liu Jun had no sympathy for them.

This was a time of cannibalism. Once refugees became bandits, almost everyone had the blood of innocent civilians on their hands. They were no longer simple civilians but bandits, a group of ruthless killers and robbers.

"Prepare the cannons!"

The thirty-six-pound tiger-squat cannons were light and portable, carried by one person, making them ideal for mountainous bandit suppression. The six tiger-squat cannons easily reached a hundred paces from the stronghold gate.

Liu Jun scanned the closed gate, where shadows of people and weapons could be seen. The stronghold was originally a small temple, which had been abandoned and then occupied by the bandits. They had repaired the collapsed temple walls and built a wooden fence on a half-ruined earthen wall.

Zhu Chong's men were in position, holding their weapons and standing twenty paces behind the tiger-squat cannons, hesitant to advance.

"Uncle, it's time to see the power of the cannons." Zhu Chong looked at the six tiger-squat cannons.

Liu Jun nodded and explained the plan. "My six tiger-squat cannons will fire first, concentrating on the gate. After the bombardment, Uncle should immediately lead your men to charge, and I'll have my musketeers provide cover fire and follow behind you for support."

"How many rounds?"

"One round should be enough." Liu Jun replied, not interested in wasting time on a prolonged bombardment against a few hundred old and weak.

"Shouldn't we fire more rounds?" Zhu Chong suggested.

"Speed is key. After one round, the bandits will be in chaos, and that's the perfect time to charge."

Although the tiger-squat cannons had a shorter range compared to the Portuguese and Dutch cannons, they were still cannons.

Liu Jun gave the order, and the six tiger-squat cannons, already loaded, aimed at the wooden gate. The gunners, following instructions, aimed at the closed gate.

The cannons were ignited, and the first round was fired. Each cannon fired a large lead ball, followed by a hundred small lead pellets.

The cannon fire was like thunder.

The first cannon hit the gate directly, and Liu Jun was very satisfied with the gunner's aim. No wonder he was an expert from Lord Mei's artillery team. Although the target was only a hundred paces away, hitting it wasn't easy without professional skills.

The next five rounds hit the gate, with two large lead balls hitting the gate, two hitting the wooden fence, and one flying over the gate and landing inside the stronghold. This last lead ball, which missed its target, became a ricochet and killed three old bandits hiding behind the gate.

A chorus of screams and panic erupted from behind the gate.

The remaining hundred small lead pellets spread out, covering the gate. The misfired rounds also rained down on the bandits behind, causing more casualties.

Liu Jun was surprised by the effectiveness of the six rounds.

"Uncle, it's your turn." Liu Jun reminded Zhu Chong, who was still in shock.

Zhu Chong snapped out of it and ordered his men to charge. The servants led the charge, and the military households, though hesitant, followed.

Seeing the first round hit, Liu Jun turned to the artillery and ordered another round. He realized the military households were moving too slowly, more like a stroll than a charge, and at this speed, they wouldn't be able to take advantage of the cannon's effect to quickly approach the gate.

Sure enough, the military households took a long time to cover thirty paces, and bandits started to appear on the wall.

"Fire the muskets!"

The tiger-squat cannons were still reloading, so Liu Jun immediately ordered the musketeers to fire at the bandits on the wall. This time, they aimed freely, without requiring a volley. Dong Gouzi aimed at a bandit, an old man with a bow, who had already drawn the string. Dong Gouzi pulled the trigger, and a cloud of blood burst from the old man's chest. The half-drawn string snapped back, and the old man fell back into the stronghold.

After killing the old bandit, Dong Gouzi didn't immediately reload but took out a short sword and carved a vertical line on the gunstock. The gun already had five lines, and this was the sixth. Each line represented a kill, and among the six, five were bandits, one was a military household from the Huangzhou garrison, one was killed with a long sword, two with a musket, and three with a musket.

A few bandits on the wall were shot down, and no one dared to show their heads again. The military households, seeing this, bravely ran forward.

Just as they reached halfway, a whistling sound came from the sky, and the second round of tiger-squat cannons was fired.

An explosion sounded, and the gate was blown down.

Seeing this, Zhu Chong's servants raised their sabers and shouted, "Charge!"

The twenty-four musketeers of the Nine-Headed Bird team, protected by their teammates, raised their guns and advanced slowly.

As the gate broke, the bandits inside rushed out with their weapons. The musketeers of the Nine-Headed Bird team fired, and the archers and hook gunners followed, causing a wave of bandits to fall.

On a distant hill, Mei Zhihuan put down his telescope and smiled at Zhao Cheng, "Congratulations, Censor Zhao, the bandit stronghold is broken!"

Zhao Cheng also put down his telescope. The battle was won, and his face relaxed. "Another group of bandits eliminated, a cause for celebration." While saying this, his mind was still on the Nine-Headed Bird cavalry, the two confident and capable young captains, the neat and imposing Nine-Headed Bird local militia, and the fluttering Nine-Headed Bird banner.

This trip to Macheng had left the deepest impression on him, especially the sudden appearance of the Nine-Headed Bird cavalry. The Nine-Headed Bird was truly impressive, especially Liu Jun, who left a deep impression. It was hard to believe that such a talented young man was just a minor military student.

"Sir, what should be done with the bandits?" an official asked.

Zhao Cheng coldly snorted, "A group of lawless bandits, what use are they? Execute them all, without mercy."

There were at least two to three hundred people in the stronghold, mostly old, weak, and women, but Zhao Cheng issued an execution order, even including the children. None of the officials or local gentry around him found this inappropriate or objected.

Zhao Cheng's servants received the order and rushed into the burning stronghold to carry it out.

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