Ironclad War Chariot

  The eight hundred slaves launched a charge against the Qing infantry, these eight hundred remnants were all elite warriors who had been filtered through cruel wars, and their weapons had also been updated. With the addition of super generals like Liu Ziguang, it was more than enough to slaughter ordinary Qing foot soldiers.

  Liu Ziguang was in the center, with Anthony on his left and Duncan on his right. Behind them were "Zhebie" Zamuhu and his archers providing cover with their bows and arrows. The small cavalry units charging against large infantry formations did not show much power, so war horses were only used for transportation purposes.

  Liu Ziguang tore two strips of cloth to wrap his hands and the knife handle together, preventing too much blood from getting on them and making them slippery. The two long curved knives were like the Grim Reaper's scythe, reaping lives in the Qing army's infantry formation. Wherever they went, there was a trail of severed limbs and broken bodies. The black and white generals on either side were also like tigers entering a flock of sheep, one wielding a long knife and the other an iron spear. They hacked and slashed, with no one able to resist. Even the crossbowmen on the city walls deliberately did not shoot at the slave army, instead deploying a group of steam-powered repeating crossbows to clear a path for them by lifting their heads high. The enemy of my enemy is my friend; with a great enemy in front of us, it would be good if this small detachment outside the city could harass the tower carts a bit.

  The infantry of the Qing dynasty were all farmers, who went to the battlefield after a few months of simple training. They faced the fierce slave remnants and were unable to withstand them, with tens of thousands of troops being defeated and a bloody road being opened up. The commander-in-chief of the Qing army was furious at this sight and ordered his elite infantry to take up their swords and prepare for battle. The flags fluttered in the wind and the bugles sounded loudly as the ordinary infantrymen cleared the way, allowing the elite soldiers to advance with their shields and large broadswords under the leadership of a thousand-man commander, blocking the slave army's path.

  When the first member stepped forward, he held two large axes in his hands, with a complexion as black as coal and a full beard, giving off a hint of Li Kui's Black Whirlwind vibe. He looked like a fierce general, swinging the two broadaxes like two small windmills, truly having the bravery to charge into battle unimpeded by ten thousand men.

  Liu Ziguang's double-edged sword flashed out, the small windmill creaked to a stop, two long arms covered in black hair grasped two broad axes that fell to the ground. Liu Ziguang kicked out with one foot, knocking Black Li Kui over, and followed up with a knife strike, sending a black head rolling off to one side.

  The Slashers remained unmoved, their shields forming a tight formation, sometimes blocking in front and sometimes suddenly opening up to reveal the thick-backed great slashers, forming a circular array, quite impressive. The slaves' steel knives chopped onto the shields, and those who were bounced off by the tough shields were immediately countered by the Slashers, who knocked the remaining slave soldiers to the ground.

  Liu Ziguang and the others were indeed brave, but their individual bravery was still too insignificant in the face of a million-strong army. Even if a hundred thousand troops lined up to let him behead them one by one, he would eventually exhaust himself to death, not to mention damaging countless steel knives. Liu Ziguang felt extremely frustrated, his physical strength was not limitless after all. He had already forgotten how many people he had killed today, but it must have been several hundred at least. His steel knife had been replaced N times, and the endless Qing army infantry continued to surround them under the urging of the supervisory team, gradually encircling this small group in the middle with sheer numbers.

  Fall into trouble again.

  Inside the Iron Castle, the old man on the iron monster waved his command flag. "Take him down." A team of Iron Guards rushed out and tied up Yu Hualong with ropes, who didn't dare to resist at all. Several of Yu Hualong's attendants also surrendered.

  "Where have you taken my two daughters?" the old man asked.

  "They are all outside the city..." Yu Hualong's face turned pale, and the rebellion ultimately failed. His appeal as a deputy factory owner was still not enough, and once Old Man Peng made his move, everything changed.

  Of course, relying solely on prestige is far from enough. If the iron monster's fuel problem isn't solved, even if the old man comes out empty-handed, he'll probably end up as beehive material.

  Mr. Peng has been in seclusion, researching and developing the iron-clad war chariot. People who do scientific research fear being disturbed the most. Before entering seclusion, he handed over the factory to his eldest daughter to manage and instructed her that unless the sky falls, no one is allowed to disturb him. He brought several students with him to research day and night, originally using the idea from a train locomotive. However, it was too large and required a special track, as well as a lot of coal. Therefore, he tried to shrink the steam engine, improve the fuel, and use the fierce fire oil from the Western Regions, which burned well but left too many residues, polluting the machine. The high-proof liquor gave him inspiration, and he brewed high-purity alcohol. After several experiments, the effect was not bad, and the machinery was relatively stable. Unfortunately, the alcohol was used up, and when the rebel army surrounded them, the iron-clad war chariot could not come out to quell the rebellion. They had no choice but to wait for a new batch of alcohol to be brewed.

  When the iron-clad war chariot filled with fuel made its appearance, it flattened a team of rebels. Then Old Peng came out and said a few words, something about forgiving those who had surrendered. The troops that had been loyal to Yu Hualong changed sides, took down their white armbands, tied on red ones, and together with the armed workers from Lianfeng, marched in great numbers to the North Gate to settle accounts with Yu Hualong.

  At the North Gate guarded by Yu Huatou, it was unexpected that there would be an attack from the rear. The soldiers who were desperately defending against the Qing army's attack did not want to kill each other again. Peng Lao led his men to rush up to the city gate tower, and Yu Huatou and several loyal followers had just thought of resisting when they were disarmed by people around them. Peng Lao ordered that all the rebels be taken away, and he took over the command of the defense battle at the North Gate.

  The old man took off the soft leather hat for exclusive use of war chariots to prevent collision, and put on the Ba Bao purple gold helmet presented by the guard. He sat on a tiger skin stool at the enemy building's stairs, with a row of golden arrow orders placed beside him.

  Orders were issued one after another, and arrows flew out continuously.

  "Fetch all the arrows for the steam-powered crossbows from the armory."

  "Huo Nu continues to attack the building cart, and the crossbowmen cover my daughter."

  "Hmm, the enemy's recoilless cannon is very powerful, go to the arsenal and pull our cannons over."

  "Send in the cavalry and bring back my daughter."

  The old man knew the importance of staying on the city wall, everyone who saw him felt at ease and no longer feared, so he suppressed his desire to go rescue his daughter himself and handed over the task of driving the war chariot to his several apprentices.

  Several other disciples flew back to lift the cannon.

  The crossbowmen of the steam-powered crossbows, hearing that ammunition would soon be plentiful, opened fire with all their might. The archers on the city walls also fired frantically at the Qing soldiers, and under the cover of dense arrows, the drawbridge was lowered, and two strange iron-clad war chariots burst out of the north gate.

  Outside the north gate was a vast open space, with trees cut down clean and tidy, originally to clear the shooting range. The frozen land was hard and solid, suitable for chariots to drive on. The chariots roared out, and the drawbridge was immediately pulled up again. A group of Qing dynasty infantrymen who didn't know death came swarming over, trying to use knives to chop iron plates.

  The chariot charged straight into the crowded area, and the ten large iron wheels crushed the fleeing infantry into meat patties. The Qing army's archers shot arrows frantically, and the arrowheads fell like raindrops. Not a single mark was left on the chariot's body. The chariot headed towards the archers, who turned around and ran in fear. A cannon tower on the chariot rotated twice, aiming at the backs of the fleeing archers. A rotating sharp metal nail shot out from the barrel, accompanied by a series of dull thudding sounds as it pierced flesh. The archers were mowed down, their corpses scattered all over the field.

  The metal nails shot into the back of the bow and arrow men were made of lead, with a sharp iron head in front. The power of the internal combustion engine drove not only the war chariot but also a part of the cylinder to pull the weapon warehouse. The huge cylinder moved constantly, using the suddenly released gas to push the spring to supply the metal nails for shooting. The soft lead bullet was filled into the barrel, and under the action of several rotating grooves in the barrel, it rotated and maintained a stable and straight trajectory, shooting towards the poor Qing bow and arrow men. This is called a machine gun, which is the main weapon of the war chariot.

  The loud sound of the giant cylinder and the rumble of the chariot startled the remaining slave soldiers who had not escaped far, and the Peng sisters on horseback saw the Peng family's commander flag and the large banner with the iron factory logo rising above the city gate, shouting excitedly: "It's Father, Father has sent someone to rescue us!"

  Liu Ziguang also noticed this and shouted loudly: "The rear team becomes the vanguard, return to the city!" The remaining soldiers saw a glimmer of hope again, shouting loudly, fighting desperately, Liu Ziguang covering them from behind, retreating while fighting.

  Another war chariot ran straight to a Qing dynasty tower car, the barrel extended, and what shot out was not metal nails, but a flame dragon. The same weapon structure, the cylinder sprayed out not gasoline, but alcohol, which was ignited at the muzzle and fired at the enemy. The tower car was immediately set on fire, and the infantry inside fled in panic. The war chariot pursued closely behind.

  A tank firing metal nails went to meet the remnants of the slave army, seeing that the siege was too thick, another turret aimed at the enemy, and from the flat gap in the turret, a large metal crescent saw blade shot out, with strong power and sharp edges, it actually cut a group of people and horses into two segments, it's a terrible sight! The crescent saw blade even turned a corner and chopped into another group of infantry before its power weakened and fell to a pile of corpses, this is the torsion return blade, another weapon of the war chariot.

  The chariot fired another half-minute of machine guns, dispersing the infantry blocking the slaves' retreat route and bringing over the remaining slave troops. Unfortunately, after a fierce battle, only 500 of the 800 slaves were left.

  On the other hand, the Iron Guards on the city wall withstood the bombardment of the trebuchets and launched a frenzied attack with various arrows, plus the fire dragon attack of the iron armored chariots, and the tower car offensive was already disintegrated.

  Under the cover of the war chariots, five hundred slave soldiers wrapped up two young ladies and retreated to the North Gate. Two iron monsters stood guard at the back, using fire-breathing dragons and machine guns to sweep away any Qing troops who dared to get close. Only after the last slave entered the city did they depart, rumbling loudly as they crossed the drawbridge and entered the city.

  The Qing emperor, who witnessed all this, turned even paler, and the telescope in his hand was almost crushed. The Military Affairs Bureau, what kind of military information did you gather? So many secret weapons, our side is completely unaware, unable to respond, resulting in heavy losses. Heads will roll at the Military Affairs Bureau!

  Fortunately, there are still cannons and well-organized chain cavalry, elite infantry. Once the city wall is breached, the army will swarm in, what can two iron chariots do to me?

  Inside the city wall, Old Peng, who had been waiting here for a long time, saw his two dusty daughters enter the city and couldn't help but shed tears: "My daughters, you've suffered..."

  "Father..." The three of them wept bitterly, this scene moved even the surrounding guards to tears.

  Liu Ziguang and other slave soldiers, however, watched this deeply moving scene with cold eyes, gripping their knives and guns even tighter, ready to respond at any moment to the Iron Guards around them, after all, they had slaughtered 300 slave camp guards to escape.

  "Are you the ones who protected my daughter in the chaos? No matter what you've done, let's wipe the slate clean. Those willing to help defend the city will be given Iron Guard status, and those unwilling to fight again can enter the city to rest. After repelling the enemy, we'll provide silver to send you home." The old man's terms seem reasonable enough.

  Liu Ziguang said sternly: "For over a year, we've suffered and worked hard. How do you plan to settle this account?" He didn't give the old man any face, directly questioning him.

  "The old man will give you a satisfactory answer, but now is not the time to discuss this matter. You all rest here for now, someone come and bring food and hot soup, and also send someone to bandage the wounds of the strong men." The old man seemed very particular, his words were also very apt.

  The slave warriors didn't realize how exhausted they were until they relaxed, having been fighting non-stop since the rebellion at the big camp. Five thousand brothers, now only one-tenth remained. One by one, they fell to the ground, unwilling to move again.

  Hot soup arrived, Liu Ziguang forced the cook to drink a bowl first before letting his brothers eat. White buns with braised pork head, steaming hot rice porridge, and fragrant pickled vegetables. The slaves ate with tears in their eyes, damn it, this iron factory actually has such delicious food.