Chapter 1167: Packed with People
When this cannon was rolled out, it truly stunned the workers from Ba Coal Plant No. 1 and Xi Steel Plant No. 1.
They were just militia, and the weapons in their hands were typically cast-off smoothbore guns, bird guns, or even Three-Eyed Arquebuses – all weapons discarded by the regular army.
They never expected that the Chang'an Automobile Factory could even produce a cannon!
The eyes of workers from other factories turned red with envy.
The Chang'an Automobile Factory workers boasted gleefully, "Hahaha, now you see the prowess of a military-industrial enterprise, don't you? This is a defective product from the armored vehicle-towed cannons our factory makes for the front lines. Because it had a flaw, the militia didn't accept it and told us to melt it down and rework it. So, we brought it here."
Others couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's its defect?"
The Chang'an Automobile Factory worker replied, "When the muzzle points downwards, the cannonball tends to slide out."
Everyone was speechless.
A worker from Ba Coal Plant No. 1 suddenly yelled, "Oh no, it's sliding out, it's sliding out..."
The Chang'an Automobile Factory workers were startled and frantically tried to lift the muzzle, but it was too late. The cannonball slid from the barrel and tumbled down the cliff.
"Thump!"
It landed squarely on a fierce bandit climbing the mountain, flattening his head instantly.
The workers were speechless.
An eerie silence fell over the mountaintop for a few seconds, then the Chang'an Automobile Factory workers burst into laughter. "It hit! A direct hit! Our gunnery skills are truly impressive!"
"What impressive skills? You're talking nonsense!" A militiaman from Xi Steel Plant No. 1 retorted angrily, "What kind of fluke luck was that?"
"Hey, stop the pointless chatter, hurry up and fight!" A militiaman from the pig farm hoisted a large rock and hurled it down.
"Ah, yes, yes, fight!" A militiaman from Ba Coal Plant No. 1 gritted his teeth, lifted a massive rock, and smashed it downwards with astonishing force. "Haha, look at the strength I've gained from hauling coal!"
Their sudden action was far beyond what the ten sentries at the previous two outposts could achieve.
Large numbers of militiamen desperately threw rocks down. The stones rumbled and crashed as they rolled down the slope, instantly overwhelming the 200 fierce bandits climbing the hill. They lost all will to attack, scrambling and sliding down in utter disarray.
Chuǎng Wang, seeing so many people on the mountaintop, was startled. What was happening? Weren't the previous outposts manned by only ten people each? Why was this entire mountain swarming with people?
As he stood there, baffled, Guo Tianxing pointed to another peak nearby, named Red Cliff, and shouted, "Brother, look over there, at Red Cliff."
Chuǎng Wang turned his head to look. Red Cliff was also densely packed with human figures. Large numbers of militiamen on the peak were shouting across, "Come on! If you've got the guts, don't just attack Fenchu Ridge, come attack us here too!"
"Look over there..."
Someone else pointed to a more distant peak and cried out. On that distant peak was a large cave called Immortal Cave, and so the peak was named Immortal Cave. Its summit was also densely packed with human figures...
To enter Shaanxi, they had to pass through the valleys nestled between these peaks. However, no general would dare lead a large army through valleys overlooked by enemy-occupied, heavily fortified peaks.
With rocks raining down from both sides of the mountains, it would be impossible to withstand.
"To enter Shaanxi, we must conquer all these peaks and seize the high ground before we can pass through the valleys." Chuǎng Wang instantly recognized the gravity of the situation.
"Can you determine how many people there are?" Guo Tianxing yelled.
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The scout replied, "Can't tell, there are too many, densely packed. We can only estimate based on the heads we see poking out. We don't know how many might be hiding. Each of these peaks must have at least five thousand defenders."
"The enemy has so many people?" Chuǎng Wang was greatly alarmed.
Historically, the rebels always outnumbered the government troops.
The rebels could always achieve numerical superiority over the official army.
Limited by military funds, rations, and equipment, the Ming army couldn't maintain a very large scale. The armies led by various generals were typically only a few thousand strong; even combining several generals' forces would only total ten or twenty thousand.
But now, a single mountain peak held five thousand. How many, then, were stationed across this entire range of peaks?
Chuǎng Wang glanced back at his own hundred thousand-plus subordinates, thinking: Although I claim to have over a hundred thousand people, half of them are elderly, women, and children – the families of the warriors. The fighting force, compared to the enemy's numbers, no longer holds an advantage.
This was truly awkward!
As he wavered indecisively, another scout suddenly rushed back, frantically reporting, "Brother, disaster! Our firearms troops from behind, along with the White Pole Soldiers, have already passed through Mingyue Gorge and are in hot pursuit. With the White Pole Soldiers assisting, they passed through the most difficult part of the Shu Road much faster than we did."
Chuǎng Wang exclaimed, "!"
This was truly a situation with blockades ahead and pursuers behind, extremely dire.
What to do?
This was a moment of life and death.
Chuǎng Wang steeled his heart: "We'll force our way into Shaanxi, charge! Compared to the enemies before us, the firearms troops behind are even more terrifying."
Chuǎng Wang led his army, charging fiercely into the northern valleys.
The militiamen on the mountains would not tolerate him. Rolling logs and massive stones were hurled down like there was no tomorrow. The militiamen were also equipped with discarded flintlock rifles, bird guns, Three-Eyed Arquebuses, the Gao Family Village Militia's oldest hand crossbows, and even the colorful toy bows and toy catapults bestowed by the Heavenly Lord...
These items, abandoned by regular armies, were now in the hands of the militiamen, who unleashed a barrage upon the rebels in the valley.
No human force could withstand this!
The rebels were instantly sent wailing and screaming in terror, utterly disoriented and in disarray.
The valley became a scene of utter chaos. A hundred thousand-strong army couldn't possibly squeeze into a single valley, so they spread out into several, taking any path they could find.
It was then that they discovered how powerful their enemy was. No matter which valley they scrambled into, no matter which path they took, the adjacent peaks were invariably garrisoned by militia units.
The rebels had always used the power of the common people against the official army, but in the Heavenly Lord's liberated zones, the people's power far surpassed that of the rebels.
This was not a fight between forces of the same caliber!
Several bandit chiefs scattered, each leading their subordinates in a desperate flight, clutching their heads, dodging the rocks rolling down the mountains, darting through various ravines.
Chuǎng Wang fiercely charged through several ravines and valleys. Ahead, it looked like there was an unguarded valley they could escape through.
He was overjoyed and surged towards the valley.
But just as he reached the mouth of the valley, he found an army already blocking the path. At its head stood a burly man, powerfully built and imposing. Despite a full beard, Chuǎng Wang recognized him instantly.
He couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Wang Er of Baishui!"
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