lcionline Chapter 700 Li Zicheng's Ambition
Chapter 700 Li Zicheng's Ambition
"Cannons?" Li Zicheng was both surprised and delighted.
If cotton cloth, medicinal herbs, and spirits were urgently needed supplies for the army, then artillery was an even more coveted commodity. Occasionally, during battles with government troops, they had captured cannons like the breech-loading cannon, and even seen large cannons weighing several thousand kilograms. However, the former had limited power, and supplies of shells and gunpowder were scarce. The latter was simply inconvenient to carry with the army. Furthermore, Li Zicheng's constant relocation of troops meant that while his camps remained largely unchanged, his army swelled from a few hundred to tens of thousands, leaving him with neither the resources nor the capacity to equip himself with cannons as a standard weapon. Yet, his desire for cannons never waned.
Outside the city, Li Zicheng and other leaders watched as Huang Gan and his men took out the parts from the box and, after a while, assembled a mountain cannon.
"This little cannon looks quite exquisite, but it's not much bigger than the imperial court's breech-loading cannons, is it?" Gao Yigong, who was in charge of logistics and had handled these iron lumps before, was quite familiar with cannons like the breech-loading cannons and raised this question.
Hearing this, Liu Heizi laughed and said, "Don't underestimate this little cannon! The Qionghai Army relied mainly on it in their campaigns across the north and south! We call this little cannon a mountain cannon. It fires a 6-jin (3 catties) round, and its power is much greater than that of a breech-loading cannon, and almost as powerful as the imperial cannons weighing several thousand jin (3,000 kg). However, it is far superior in terms of lightness and maneuverability. The cannon itself weighs no more than 300 jin (150 catties), so a mule can carry it, and even if it is disassembled, several people can carry it. It is most suitable for mobile warfare like that of the rebel leader Chuang..."
Li Zicheng was delighted to hear this. "Lightweight and flexible," "suitable for mobile warfare"—such artillery was practically tailor-made for him.
After the cannon was assembled, Huang Gan signaled the observers to step back, and then aimed it at the county town wall from a distance of about 500 meters. The mountain cannon had a maximum range of 800 meters, and could guarantee considerable accuracy within 500 meters.
Under the silent gaze of everyone, the special forces soldiers lit the fuse, and hundreds of eyes followed the sparks as they swooped into the ignition hole.
With a deafening roar, the cannonball shot out of the barrel like a meteor, arcing through the air before slamming into the city wall. Several bricks were shattered, and rubble flew everywhere, creating a spectacular sight.
Li Zicheng and his men were stunned for a moment when they saw the power of the small cannon. Just as they were about to shout "Bravo!", the other side was already preparing to fire the second shot.
Gao Yigong was taken aback and blurted out, "Could it be that this cannon can fire continuously in such a short time?"
The facts gave him the answer. In just over a minute, the soldiers completed the steps of cleaning the breech, resetting, loading, and igniting the cannon, and soon fired the second shot.
"Boom!" The second shot, fired at a higher angle, struck the city tower squarely. Bricks and stones flew everywhere, and rubble fell like rain. The roof looked like it was about to collapse, creating a more spectacular visual effect than the first shot.
Liu Zongmin and the others stared wide-eyed, then quickly clapped and cheered, "Great, great, this cannon is a real gem!"
Gao Yigong couldn't help but ask, "Brother, your cannons are quite powerful, so how come they can fire continuously in such a short time?"
Pointing to the pre-loaded shells in the ammunition box, Liu Heizi explained, "The reason we can fire in rapid succession is largely due to these shells. We have specialists who measure the amount of gunpowder needed to fire different shells, wrap it in cloth, and fix it to the bottom of the shell, separated by a wooden dish. When firing, there's no need to measure the powder with a spoon; it's loaded and fired immediately, naturally increasing the speed. In addition, the barrel and the shells themselves are smooth and flexible, without any unevenness, so firing is effortless and doesn't cause any obstruction. There's no need to worry about the barrel exploding easily, which allows the gunners to fire without restraint, and that's another reason why the firing speed is so fast..."
Gao Yigong couldn't help but walk over to the cannon position. Ignoring the fact that the cannon barrel was still scorching hot, he reached out and stroked it, praising it highly: "Truly exquisite, it's so much better than the rubbish of the imperial court..."
Li Zicheng was very pleased. This small cannon was easy to carry, its power was not to be underestimated, and it could fire continuously for a short period of time. It was simply an essential weapon for home, travel, murder, and arson. He patted Liu Heizi on the shoulder heavily and said with a smile, "I have seen your sincerity, and I accept your general's proposal. However, you have to stay with us for a while. You have to teach my men how to use this cannon before you leave."
Liu Heizi was already planning to stay, and upon hearing this, he was overjoyed, as his mission was essentially complete. He nodded and said, "Since the King of Chuang has spoken, then I will stay."
"Haha, I'm in a good mood today. Tonight, bring out the best wine and food and send them to the county government office. I want to keep this gentleman company..." Li Zicheng hadn't asked Liu Heizi's name before and looked at him with a questioning gaze.
Liu Heizi respectfully replied, "My surname is Liu, and my given name is Heizi."
"I'll be drinking with Brother Liu Heizi tonight, and you all have to offer him a toast," Li Zicheng said, nodding to Liu Zongmin, Gao Yigong, and the others. They all readily agreed.
"It's still early. Brother Liu Heizi and his group must be tired from their long journey. Go and rest first. We'll call you when it gets dark." Li Zicheng arranged for Li Heizi and the special forces team to rest.
After arranging things for Liu Heizi and his group, Li Zicheng led everyone back to the main hall.
Gao Yigong, always composed, raised his question after taking his seat: "Chuang Wang, this Liu fellow is quite eloquent, but two tigers cannot share one mountain. If Chuang Wang really enters the capital in the future, will he really be able to share the world with him?"
Liu Zongmin sneered, "I doubt he's so kind. There's a saying among scholars, 'Use a wolf to devour a tiger.' I think this Liu fellow is planning just that—to send us as cannon fodder, and then, after we capture the capital, he'll come down and reap the rewards, perhaps even under the guise of avenging Chongzhen. We'll play the villains, and he'll play the good guys." Liu Zongmin never expected that his casual remark would reveal the truth of the matter.
“What you all say makes sense.” Li Zicheng waved his hand. “But it doesn’t matter. With his support, we can recruit soldiers and expand our strength. If we really reach the day when we can sweep across the world, whether we divide the world equally will not be up to him, the Liu family, but up to me.”
Another general stood up and said, "What the King of Chuang says is true. Right now, we are outnumbered and at the bottom of the thirty-six camps. Rather than being eaten by big fish like the Eighth King and Cao Cao, we should rely on Qionghai Town to fight for survival. In any case, we should first stand out from the various rebel armies." This man was Hao Yaoqi, another general under Li Zicheng, and a veteran subordinate.
Li Zicheng nodded: "What you said is right. Regardless of whether this Liu has any ulterior motives, these supplies and artillery are all genuinely good things, so we might as well accept them for now. We have to take things one step at a time. First, we need to break out of Hong Chengchou's encirclement and develop our territory in Henan. As for the struggle for the world, we can take it slowly and there's no rush."
At this moment, Li Zicheng and his men had no intention of vying for power. If it weren't for Liu Heizi's prophecy of "Eighteen sons, master of the divine weapon," and the encouragement of cannons, they would never have considered marching on the capital one day. But now, their ambitions had been stirred up, like a spark igniting a prairie fire.