I

Among Zhao Han's emperor's personal guards, there are only about a hundred people with excellent riding skills.

Most of the rest of the guards came to Xiaoling Racecourse to learn horse riding after they were responsible for protecting the emperor, and they were able to run on horses.

Not only are there few who are proficient in riding, but almost none are proficient in hunting.

When they learned that Zhao Han was going to hunt, they collected more than a dozen hounds in advance, and practiced them quietly in private. But their ability to command the hounds was about the same as Zhao Han's ability to ride horses, and they couldn't handle the falcons even more.

This may be the most amateur emperor hunting operation in Chinese history!

"Wow woof!"

"Oh, oh~~~~"

The hounds kept barking, and the guards galloped on horseback, trying to scare the prey out of the forest.

After tossing for a long time, only a lost rabbit popped out.

"Your Majesty, there are prey!" The guards shouted in surprise, more excited than killing a few Tartars on the battlefield.

Because the Tartars are everywhere, but the prey in the mountains is rare.

Zhao Han didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and shouted, "Who is going to hunt this rabbit?"

"I go!"

You Julian rode out on her horse, bowed her bow, and shot an arrow, which was three feet away from the hare.

Tian Xiuying also galloped forward, but she didn't know that she performed supernormally, she was still not up to standard, and the arrow flew past the rabbit.

The hare fled in panic, and finally got into the grass and disappeared.

Zhao Han praised: "Good arrow skills."

You Julian blushed and said, "I haven't touched a bow and arrow for almost four years, next time I will definitely hit it."

Tian Xiuying explained: "Minnv hasn't drawn a bow for several years."

The guards could only lead the hounds and go back to the mountains to look for wild animals. After entering the mountain a little deeper, it was finally much easier, and soon a deer was driven out.

Zhao Han was about to pick up the flintlock and take aim, when Liu Rushi who followed along shouted, "Your Majesty, that's a pregnant female beast!"

"Sure enough it's not the hunting season." Zhao Han had no choice but to put down the shotgun.

Most wild animals mate in spring. Take the roe deer as an example, they mate in late winter and early spring, and now the rapeseed has just been harvested, and the wheat is about to be harvested. These two months are the season for giving birth.

The pregnant female deer was allowed to escape, and after a while, another wild boar was driven out.

The body is not very big, only about two hundred catties.

Tian Xiuying chased after her horse, let go of the rein with both hands, and on the undulating horse's back, unexpectedly pulled the standard horse bow to 70% full, and then shot at a high speed.

Uh, shot crooked again...

Tian Xiuying was immediately embarrassed, and when the guards drove the wild boar back, she blushed again and stood in the horse bow.

call out!

An arrow pierced the boar's body, only piercing through the fur, and the arrow dangled dangling from the boar's body. Under the pain, the wild boar was hunted by hundreds of people, and fled down the mountain in a panic.

There are also guards at the foot of the mountain, beating the gong to drive them back.

"boom!"

With a gunshot, the wild boar fell to the ground.

Zhao Han put down the flintlock gun and reloaded the ammunition slowly.

"Good shot!"

"Your Majesty shoots!"

Everyone immediately cheered and flattered.

The wild boar was shot and arrowed, but it was still alive. After falling to the ground for only two or three seconds, he got up again and ran away, and rushed straight to Zhao Han's side.

call out! call out! call out!

Tian Xiuying, You Julian, and another female official all shot arrows at the same time. Due to the close distance, all three arrows hit, but the wild boar still survived.

Zhu Youdong, the captain of the personal guard, was afraid that the emperor would be in danger, so he immediately galloped out, leaned out after a few steps of charge, and slammed a hammer on the wild boar's forehead.

The wild boar staggered and ran a few steps, and finally fell down.

Another guard said: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this beast is not dead, so you can take another shot."

Zhao Han didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "One more shot, will it be considered as my hunting?"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed instantly, and the sycophant guard scratched his head in embarrassment.

Tian Xiuying said: "Your Majesty, some prey have thick fur, and special arrow clusters must be used, otherwise they will not die if they hit ten arrows."

"I see." Zhao Han suddenly realized.

For example, the emperor in the early Qing Dynasty had special heavy hunting arrows. When shooting tigers and other ferocious animals, the arrows are not sharp, but oval iron cones. Instead of piercing damage, it deals hammer damage.

Zhao Han was just playing around today, he was very amateurish in everything, and he didn't even prepare hunting arrows.

Tian Xiuying asked curiously: "Your Majesty has a gun in his hand, why is there no matchlock?"

Zhao Han explained: "The flintlock is fast, and the flint is fired." Then he asked, "Do you still use firecrackers?"

Tian Xiuying said: "It was fired with a matchlock."

This imperial concubine of the old dynasty was born in a family of hereditary military officials in Shaanxi. In the year she was born, her father Tian Hongyu was already working as the general manager in Yangzhou. He was an officer who liked to make friends with heroes, nicknamed "Xiao Mengchang".

Officials who are generally called "Xiao Mengchang" can be directly replaced by Song Jiang.

Anyway, with the three teachings and nine streams, the rivers and lakes are reckless, Tian Hongyu can make friends with anyone.

Unofficial history said that he brought Chen Yuanyuan to Beijing and tried to dedicate it to Emperor Chongzhen, but it ended up in Wu Sangui's hands. It is not impossible.

Because Tian Guifei's stepmother and temperament teacher is a geisha in Yangzhou.

"Give her a flintlock." Zhao Han said.

The mass production of flintlock guns started last year, and the first batch was delivered this spring, giving priority to refitting the dragoons in Liaodong. Now 5,000 dragoons have been equipped.

In addition, 3,000 pairs of breastplates were also built, which were used to change some of the cavalry.

Although Li Dingguo won more with less last year, he was able to hedge against the Wanman Qing cavalry, and he also captured the opponent's cavalry leader on the spot. However, the Datong cavalry also suffered heavy losses, because the cavalry of the newly formed Xiao cavalry was far inferior to the Qing cavalry in terms of cavalry skills.

Lu Xiangsheng and Zhao Han exchanged letters to discuss changing the cavalry tactics. Zhao Han suggested that 3,000 of the cavalry should conduct a wall charge.

The existing Xiaoqi armor is too heavy, so replace it with a breastplate that only weighs 10 to 20 kilograms, and then use a wall charge to exchange lives with the Manchu cavalry.

The wall charge is not so mysterious. To put it more bluntly, it is the "queue to shoot" in the cavalry world.

Use a group of soldiers with strict discipline, high organization, and insufficient cavalry skills to line up densely, rushing forward regardless of life and death, and use organization to make up for personal combat skills. This is a very clumsy, but completely unreasonable cavalry tactic that is very suitable for countries with a large number of people and a solid foundation.

Traditional cavalry formations are very sparse, leaving enough space to avoid obstacles on the battlefield, avoid dead bodies and horse bodies on both sides, and even rescue generals who fall from their horses.

With wall charging, there is no room for maneuver at all. Most of them will fall when they encounter obstacles. When their generals fall to the ground, they can only step on them. Its actual combat premise is: the army is highly disciplined, highly organized, and all soldiers are not afraid of death.

If a traditional cavalry unit encounters a wall charge, the first reaction is to turn around and run away-the cavalry is not so desperate.

Even if you dare to hedge, if you encounter a dense cavalry formation with a loose cavalry formation, it is equivalent to being beaten by several, and there is basically no possibility of winning.

But the disadvantage of wall charge is also obvious. Once you charge, you cannot change formations, attack, or even command, and lose all tactical capabilities except charge in an instant.

If both sides use the wall charge, there is only one result left: people are turned on their backs and the battlefield is chaotic. It's like queuing up to shoot at close range, with heavy casualties for each other!

Cavalry generals like Li Dingguo, as well as cavalry soldiers with superb combat skills, are absolutely impossible to charge against the wall. Because they couldn't display their talents, they could only shrink in the cavalry wall and become an ordinary unit desperately rushing to kill.

It is impossible to use the scarce Indian Mawarima for wall charging, because...waste!

However, after Tian Xiuying got the flintlock gun and figured out how to operate it, she began to practice with prey.

"boom!"

With a gunshot, the prey ran, and the bullet flew to nowhere.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Zhao Han was amused, and he raised his gun to aim at the elk. With the sound of gunfire, the bullets splashed fine gravel, although they also missed, but they were only half a foot away from the prey.

"drive!"

Zhao Han took the flintlock handed over by the guard, and this one was already loaded. Immediately, the horse chased after him, and the "chasing electricity" under his crotch was incomparable. Zhao Han fired another shot while running at high speed.

Shooting on horseback with a flintlock should be considered riding and archery skills, right?

After two shots in a row, the guards wanted to drive the elk back. Zhao Han said with a smile, "Let it escape. If the two shots miss, you shouldn't die."

Liu Rushi also wanted a flintlock, and after asking the guards for advice, he practiced towards the trees. Seeing her shyness, the guards around stepped aside one after another, for fear that she would accidentally become a prey.

"boom!"

A bullet flew into the sky, Liu Rushi leaned back her whole body, rubbed her numb arm and said excitedly, "It's ringing, it's ringing!"

Zhao Han smiled and said, "Hold tighter, don't get hit by the firecracker in the face."

Liu Rushi nodded again and again: "Don't worry, my husband, I will be able to practice well. I can't practice bow and arrow, and I don't have enough strength to open the bow, but this firecracker is much easier."

She has a heart to gallop on the battlefield, usually she can only think about it, but now she is very satisfied to be able to ride a horse and shoot a gun.

The hunt lasted until mid-afternoon, and only one wild boar and one roe were hunted, and the nearby forests were polluted with smoke.

Hundreds of guards continued to search for prey, while Zhao Han, concubines, and female officials got off their horses to rest, and some guards stood around to guard.

Zhao Han asked the female officials to disperse, and even Liu Rushi was invited aside, leaving only Tian Xiuying to say: "There are Tartars in Nanjing who are spying, and they are buying officials everywhere. If you and Chongzhen's children come to contact with strangers, don't make a show of it." That's fine. If they give you the money, you will take it all and report to me quietly."

Tian Xiuying was startled, and immediately nodded: "Ministers obey!"

Zhao Han said again: "Your father went to Liaodong with the Tartars. After destroying the Tartars, I will try my best to save your father. You must not hide your actions because of this."

"Yes!" Tian Xiuying was even more surprised.

Tian Xiuying was named a noble concubine by Chongzhen, the first of all concubines, second only to the queen. Tian Hongyu naturally followed Zhanguang, from the official position to Zuo Dudu, the highest real power position of a military general in the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this so-called real power is only relative to honorary titles, and it cannot actually intervene in military affairs.

When Li Zicheng was in Beijing, Tian Hongyu was tortured and beaten to death.

Fortunately, Tian Hongyu is a "Xiao Mengchang" who has many friends and hides in the church to be sheltered by missionaries. After the Manchu Qing entered Beijing, they searched everywhere for the imperial family and clan of the Ming Dynasty. Tian Hongyu, as a foreign relative, was forcibly expelled from office by the Manchu Qing.

Especially when I heard that Concubine Tian Gui was not dead, she might have gone to the south, and the Qing Dynasty did not let Tian Hongyu go, and even took Tian Hongyu with her when she returned to Liaodong.

Hou Fangyu's father, Hou Xun, also survived, and he was all in Liaodong at the moment.

Since the Manchu Qing sent to work carefully, they would definitely get in touch with Tian Xiuying and Hou Fangyu, as well as those children of Chongzhen.