Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 797 When Zhuge Liang Meets Artillery
Although the situation suddenly changed, Tang Sai'er did not panic.

She immediately ordered the remaining men not to rush to follow, but to move forward from the center of the formation to cover the artillery action behind them.

The formation was now broken into several sections, but the enemy had also completely scattered, distributed throughout the battlefield. Adding to this were the Lithuanian light cavalry, still attempting to outflank the infantry, who had also spread out in a long diagonal line, fighting them across the entire battlefield.

At this time, the cannons that Zhu Wenku gave her came in very handy.

Previously, during tactical drills at the training grounds outside the capital, Guo Kang had attempted to improve firearms and equip them to his cavalry. He hoped that by equipping them with this weapon, he could further enhance the cavalry's breakthrough capabilities in an era where everyone was increasingly heavily armored. However, in actual experiments, most firearms performed poorly, either lacking sufficient power or being too cumbersome to use and unsuitable for mounted combat.

Finally, Guo Kang managed to create several firearms that could ignite automatically, eliminating the need to fiddle with matchlocks on horseback. However, some of these required expensive silver and his "alchemy materials," as well as tiny glass tubes specially produced in the glass workshop to ignite the propellant. Others required high-performance leaf springs or coil springs, exceeding the capabilities of most ironworks at the time.

Guo Kang made some himself, but the veterans they hired to test them all thought that these things had no chance of being put into service. They called the former "alchemy gun" and the latter "master craftsmanship gun." They felt that they were fine to play with, but too few and too expensive to use on the battlefield.

Guo Kang had no choice but to try to increase production capacity, urging Zhu Wenkui and several master craftsmen to work overtime every day to produce more. However, Zhu Wenkui's constant overtime work in the workshop displeased Princess Ma and Lady Jeanne, who went to Guo Kang to complain, causing the production increase to fail. Later, an explosion occurred in Guo Kang's alchemy workshop, forcing him to slow down the pace. The radical attempts to apply these new weapons were also forced to stop.

However, this still gave Zhu Wenku a lot of inspiration. He believed that just because guns were no good did not mean cannons were no good.

In Zhu Wenkui's view, the most important indicator of firearms is not the paper data that Guo Kang values, but the army's specific needs for firepower. The primary purpose of firearms carried by cavalry is not for attacking fortified positions, but for suppressing enemy fire and killing enemy personnel.

To this end, Zhu Wenku conducted extensive testing. He discovered that if the helmets and breastplates commonly used by regular European armies were taken as targets, and penetration of armored targets was considered the passing standard, the highest projectile volume and the greatest effective output per unit time would not be volleys of muskets or heavy artillery fire, but rather the use of light artillery firing grapeshot.

Furthermore, this type of artillery is easy to carry and inexpensive. Because in some aspects, the technical requirements of artillery are even simpler than those of muskets, it can be mass-produced. Of course, there are also drawbacks; for example, shotguns are very "wasteful," producing far less effective damage with the same amount of ammunition compared to muskets. However, Zhu Wenkui doesn't consider these problems.

Even Guo Kang and Zhu Wenku had disagreements on the use of light artillery.

In Guo Kang's view, artillery in those days was inherently unreliable, and grapeshot was even more so. A single shot could have an exceptional effect, instantly killing a group of people; or it could miss completely, with most of the projectiles hitting the ground or flying into the air. These were all uncontrollable.

The "effective damage per unit time" measured by Zhu Wenkui is also a purely theoretical value. In reality, this high number is "averaged" by a high number of firings. In actual combat, there may not be that many firing opportunities. Therefore, the actual effect of light artillery firing shotgun shells is very unstable. On the battlefield, it's better to be steady and slow than to gamble on this probability. Otherwise, if unexpected factors increase, it will definitely lead to dangerous situations.

However, Zhu Wenku felt that these were minor issues.

He told everyone that if they were worried about accidents, there were three ways: First, increase the number of shots. Because as the number of shots increases, the losses from a few misfires will gradually be offset, bringing the situation closer to the test conditions. In actual combat, the optimal window of opportunity for artillery fire is limited in length, and with current technology, it's difficult to increase the number of shots per cannon. Therefore, the total number of shots can be increased by increasing the number of cannons.

Another method is to try to increase the hit rate. Shotgun shells do fly erratically and are difficult to control, resulting in low accuracy. However, accuracy depends not only on the azimuth and angle of the projectile as it leaves the muzzle, but also on the size of the target. As long as you get close enough, the hit rate will definitely improve.

Of course, getting too close also increased the risk to the artillery. Generally speaking, Europeans wouldn't place cannons and gunners in such dangerous positions, and artillerymen were very afraid of being attacked. But Zhu Wenkui didn't consider how to avoid attacks; instead, he chose to change tactics, declaring that anyone who dared to use artillery at close range would be considered to be the first to charge the enemy lines, and would receive an additional bonus on top of their double pay. Therefore, in this battle, Ming artillerymen not only didn't avoid the enemy, but also frequently tried to bring their cannons close to the enemy to fire.

Another method was to increase the quantity of shotgun shells. The more shells there are, the denser the coverage area, increasing the probability of hitting the enemy. However, to achieve the minimum requirement of penetrating armor, the shells couldn't be too small or too light; and increasing the number of shells, due to the increased weight, would reduce the lethality of each individual shell. As compensation, more gunpowder was needed. Therefore, during artillery bombardment, Zhu Wenkui and his men had a habit of loading as much gunpowder as possible, as long as it didn't immediately explode. This was also a tactical measure to compensate for the weapon's shortcomings.

Of course, even the "radical" Guo Kang thought these methods were almost madness. However, over time, Zhu Wenkui and his group got used to this way of thinking. When they saw the enemy gathering, their first reaction was to push the cannons over, and then, right under their noses, risking the cannons exploding at any moment, as if they were going to die with them, they would fire the cannons.

These days, veterans who wield matchlock guns are considered a bit too crazy by others. Zhu Wenkui and his men's fighting style, sometimes just used for the first time, is enough to scare away those less determined mercenaries and serfs, making them refuse to risk their lives against these lunatics.

Right now, Zhu Wenkui's artillery unit is still engaged in fierce fighting.

Previously, no one had expected the enemy to attempt to use infantry to attack the artillery positions, trying to drive the artillery away. Guo Kang had warned them beforehand, but Zhu Wenku himself had long forgotten, let alone anyone else…

Of course, this was unavoidable. In Guo Kang's memory, it was not uncommon in European warfare for infantry to charge artillery and seize positions. There were many such cases even up to the Napoleonic era, so commanders actually learned and adopted this as a normal tactic.

Their artillery morale was actually low. Whenever attacked, they would often fire back recklessly, so every now and then some would disobey their commander's orders and not attack key enemy units such as fortifications and cavalry, instead engaging the opposing artillery. Sometimes, even when the wind was light, the thick black powder smoke obscured the artillery positions, making it impossible to see anything. But the artillerymen wouldn't stop because of this; instead, they would fire randomly based on their instincts, as firing would embolden them.

When faced with an infantry charge, these artillerymen would often start firing their grapeshot from 500 or 600 meters away, hoping to hit any unlucky soldier—a miracle, they thought. Of course, aside from exceptional cases like the French during the French Revolution, the enemy infantry generally shared the same low morale as the artillery, and might even want to run at the sound of gunfire. Some infantry regiments, after being repelled three times by grapeshot volleys, were still able to organize a charge and seize the artillery positions in one fell swoop. Considering the casualty rates of the war at the time, these attacks likely resulted in very few losses; they were simply scared off…

In that era, the level and deterrent power of artillery were far inferior to those of later generations. Therefore, the enemies Zhu Wenkui faced were likely not afraid of his artillery firepower—especially his opponents in their first encounter.

The Polish-Lithuanian army was in this situation. Their most formidable enemy had previously been the Purple Horde. Moreover, although they claimed to be Roman everywhere, in reality, armies like Guo Kang's expeditionary force, primarily composed of navy, infantry, and engineers—those that appeared more "Roman"—were actually few and specifically selected for transoceanic warfare. In the eyes of people of that era, the Purple Horde was actually a cavalry power, and many of the battles between the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom and the Purple Horde were centered around cavalry warfare.

During their long-term "practice drills," the Polish-Lithuanian army placed greater emphasis on cavalry development. However, they were quite unfamiliar with the tactics developed by Guo Kang and Zhu Wenkui.

Now, Zhu Wenkui's artillery position was shrouded in smoke, with the cannons firing continuously. But the enemy showed no sign of retreating; instead, they were constantly being driven by their officers to launch attacks in their direction.

The batch of "rapid-fire artillery" that Zhu Wenkui assigned to Tang Sai'er is still idle. Many people are starting to get restless.

This was Tang Sai'er's first time coordinating with this kind of artillery. Before the expedition, Zhu Wenkui had indeed explained this idea to her, but in military terms, there's a significant difference between "explaining the idea" and actual combat. Although it sounded good in theory, Tang Sai'er herself wasn't sure how effective it would be.

So she made a last-minute decision to ignore the front lines—the situation on Lili's side seemed stable, the flag positions hadn't changed, and they could probably hold out for a long time; while the Bohemian Knights were numerous and powerful, and there was no immediate risk of them collapsing.

After these groups launched their attack, they were no longer able to be remotely commanded. She simply led her few hundred personal guards, using herself as a reserve force, to join forces with the artillery, and then mobilized the orphan army's cavalry to attack the enemy's central position together.

This time, the orphan army led the charge, with the artillery in the center and Tang Sai'er bringing up the rear. In total, these men numbered less than two thousand. During the rear troop movements, Tang Sai'er specifically instructed Gu Liu to hold her banner and remain in place. Therefore, their troop changes went largely unnoticed by either side.

Moreover, Tang Sai'er specially adjusted the battle formation this time.

In the past, her preferred formation was to organize all able-bodied men into cavalry units, forming columns or wedge formations, arranged in a horizontal line. At the front of the ranks were selected elite troops. Once the battle began, the vanguard would charge the enemy first to probe their defenses. Once a weakness was found, everyone would swarm in, aiming to overwhelm the enemy in one fell swoop. The formation she had deployed this time, and the probing and charging process just now, followed this pattern.

Zhu Wenkui and others have also analyzed this. The Purple Horde possessed some relatively formal military treatises from the Central Plains, which they had studied extensively. Of course, they were also familiar with the tactics of various European regions. Therefore, they were considered quite knowledgeable.

Guo Kang believes this formation is quite similar to the Swiss style. The only difference is that the infantry is replaced by cavalry, who are significantly more mobile and proactive. It seems to be a tactic devised by "experienced locals." Although they are located on opposite sides of the continent and their methods differ, their underlying thinking has converged.

However, Li Xuanying believes the situation may not be so simple. Compared to popular accounts, he thinks it's more like a simplified version of a regular army.

The military thought and formations of the Huaxia school have been passed down in a continuous line, with a very clear lineage. From the Purple Horde to the Ming Dynasty, all the related armies were educated by this school, or by various branches deeply influenced by it.

The most advanced military thought in the world today undoubtedly stems from the military experience gained through the constant warfare between various forces since the late Yuan Dynasty—and strictly speaking, this process continues to this day. Furthermore, the quality of the soldiers and generals at the end of the Yuan Dynasty was exceptionally high throughout history, making them a prime example.

According to the Greeks, the Song, Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties were essentially "successors" of the Tang dynasty. From the Song and Liao onward, their battle tactics were largely inherited from the Tang dynasty. The Tang dynasty's regular army system was established by the renowned Li Jing, whose Six Formations can be directly traced back to Zhuge Liang's Eight Formations. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, this had been the most prevalent battle tactic.

The military theory Tang Sai'er learned, particularly the "Six Ding and Six Jia" formation, was clearly based on Li Jing's system. Their cavalry, however, resembled the twenty-four guerrilla units in Zhuge Liang's Eight Formations, which served as "surprise troops" behind the main formation. It's just that, for some reason, they abandoned the main infantry formation, leaving only these guerrilla units.

Therefore, he believed that the advantages and disadvantages of this formation could probably be deduced from this. Tang Sai'er herself actually agreed with this statement.

(End of this chapter)