Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 1311

Other allied forces encountering such firearms will inevitably meet the same fate as the Northern Yuan, without any surprises.

He painstakingly planned for so long, spending several years traveling to various forces around the Ming Dynasty to create a situation of alliances and counter-alliances.

However, faced with the Ming Dynasty's powerful military, this plan completely collapsed, and years of effort burst like a bubble.

If he could escape, as long as he didn't give up, he might still be able to find a way out, but now he can't even save himself.

The defeat of the Northern Yuan army is now a foregone conclusion, and he not only failed to leave smoothly, but also collapsed at this critical moment.

He didn't know if he would die, but even if he survived by chance, he would eventually fall into the hands of the Ming army.

These were Yao Guangxiao's thoughts before his consciousness faded into darkness.

A person whose consciousness has fallen into darkness is like someone in a deep sleep, with no awareness of time.

Yao Guangxiao didn't know how long he had been wandering in the darkness, but suddenly he saw a beam of light.

He instinctively chased after the beam of light, and only when he came to his senses did he realize that he was still alive!

That's right, Yao Guangxiao didn't die. You have to admit he's incredibly lucky. It just goes to show that evil lives on.

Although the shell exploded not far from him, he was not injured by the shrapnel; he was only stunned by the shockwave.

At the same time, because he was located on the edge of the military camp, Zhu Di's subsequent rounds of artillery bombardment failed to harm him.

Because whether it was Zhu Di's side or Wei Wu's side, the main purpose of launching this surprise attack was to increase the casualties of the Northern Yuan army.

Therefore, whether it was Cao Cao setting fire or Zhu Di firing cannons, they would not attack the edge of the military camp, where the fewest Northern Yuan soldiers were located.

As his consciousness gradually returned, Yao Guangxiao's perception of his surroundings also became clearer, and one thing was certain.

That meant he was not out of danger, because he could see firelight around him and there was still that strange smell in the air.

However, there was a hint of sulfur mixed in with this smell, which he was very familiar with, as he often smelled it in the firearms workshop.

In other words, he was still in the military camp and had not escaped danger, but the terrifying explosion did not recur.

At the same time, Yao Guangxiao could feel his body moving and rising and falling, and it felt as if something was pressing on his chest.

As time passed, Yao Guangxiao regained full consciousness and realized that he was being carried on someone's back.

Judging from the man's attire, he is a soldier from my own faction. Based on these circumstances, I can conclude that my current situation is relatively safe.

"How is the situation now?"

After confirming that he was not in immediate danger, Yao Guangxiao asked softly in a somewhat hoarse voice.

The soldier carrying him became excited upon hearing Yao Guangxiao's voice.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Grand Preceptor, you're awake! You're finally awake! I... I'll take you to find the General right away!!"

"Calm down, tell me about the current situation, and how you found me."

Upon hearing Yao Guangxiao's words, the soldier quickly composed himself and then offered a rapid explanation.

"Your Excellency, the general says that the Ming Dynasty launched a surprise attack on us, and our soldiers have suffered heavy casualties. The general..."

Then, the soldier carried Yao Guangxiao on his back and hurried along, describing what had happened while Yao was unconscious.

The general had already appeared and taken control of the situation when the fire had just started and before the first wave of shells had even landed.

He rallied his soldiers and directed them to put out the fire, trying to stabilize the camp, but just then, shells landed.

Hundreds of shells suddenly exploded, and many of the soldiers who were trying to put out the fire were killed in the bombardment.

The situation that the general had managed to control so easily was shattered once again, and the soldiers were all terrified.

They can fight the enemy on the battlefield, but when faced with things they cannot understand, fear arises in their hearts.

The main reason was the inexplicable fire, because no one could find the cause of the sudden surge in flames.

As a result, some soldiers began to spread rumors that the Ming army was using witchcraft to summon evil spirits and demons to attack them.

Fear spread through the soldiers' hearts, and the casualties caused by artillery shells plunged the entire camp into complete chaos.

But it must be said that the general was indeed worthy of being appointed by the Northern Yuan court to lead the main force to attack the Ming Dynasty.

Even amidst the chaos in the military camp, he managed to remain calm and, through rational analysis, devised a solution.

Of course, he wasn't thinking about how to retaliate, but rather how to do everything possible to keep his soldiers alive.

His first order was not to calm the soldiers down, but to have everyone pass on the message throughout the camp.

All soldiers need not remain in the camp; those with horses may ride them, while those without may walk. They shall assemble on a high ground twenty li northwest of the camp.

To be honest, this was absolutely not an order that a general should give, because it would have led to the complete collapse of the army.

An army that has been routed due to heavy casualties is prone to desertion, since people are afraid of death.

What's more, given the current situation where they are completely powerless to fight back and the entire military camp has been bombed by the enemy.

If such an order is issued now, there is a high chance that soldiers who desert will not assemble at the designated location.

After all, escaping directly might still give them a chance to survive, but going to the regroup would likely mean continuing to fight against the Ming Dynasty.

These terrified soldiers would probably rather desert than continue fighting the Ming army.

However, after listening to the soldier's description, Yao Guangxiao understood why the general had given such an order.

The reason is simple: if the chaos in the camp continues, the soldiers will eventually desert.

It would be good if they could escape; more likely, the main force of the Ming army would arrive and capture them all as prisoners.

It would be better to order the soldiers to flee before the situation gets worse, at least that way we could gather a group of people together.

Moreover, once the soldiers escaped, the Ming army's cannonballs could no longer threaten them because they could not find a target.

No matter how powerful the Ming army's new firearms were, they still had to follow one principle: they had to be able to see where the target was.

Now, because of the fire, the Ming army can use the firelight as a target, but once they leave the camp, it is pitch black outside.

With everyone dispersed and no firelight as a reference point, there was absolutely no need to worry about the threat posed by artillery.

Moreover, the Ming army could not march across the grasslands at night, but this was not a major problem for the nomadic people.

Although this move was risky, it was indeed a way to resolve the predicament.