More than 5,000 Japanese pirates' heads, more than 4,000 sets of armor, more than 6,000 various weapons, and 160 fire guns... ...
The spoils that the Zhejiang Army cleared from the battlefield piled up like a mountain.
Zhu Pingan stood in front of the mountain of spoils, nodded slightly with satisfaction, and was quite satisfied with today's battle. Although the Japanese pirates would definitely come back, this battle was enough to scare them.
In today's battle, the Japanese pirates lost at least six or seven soldiers and horses. In the era of cold weapons, such a loss was enough to cause serious damage to the Japanese pirates.
"Sir, when we were cleaning up the battlefield, we found that this pirate was unusual. He was a real pirate. Half of his body was blown off, but the remaining armor was quite gorgeous, his helmet was fancy, and he was holding a fan in his hand."
Liu Dachui came over with a Japanese pirate's head in his left hand and half a piece of armor in his right hand, and reported to Zhu Ping'an.
"Oh, let me see, haha, this is a big fish, it is very likely a leader of the Japanese pirates. The Japanese have always had the habit of commanding with fans, and judging from the shape of his armor, this is something only Japanese generals can wear. This head should be carefully pickled with lime and stored separately. After the war, someone will identify it to see if it is a big fish."
Zhu Ping'an took a look and couldn't help but smile, then gave an order to Dachui.
"Okay." Liu Dachui excitedly took the head and went to deal with it.
After Liu Dachui left, Ou Zhige came over and reported to Zhu Ping'an, "Sir, I have some bad news."
"Master Ou, please feel free to speak." Zhu Ping'an nodded.
"Your Excellency, our gunpowder consumption is greater than expected. Today's battle has consumed a quarter of our stockpile of gunpowder." Ou Zhige reported in a low voice, "It takes time to process black gunpowder. The weather has been bad recently and there has been insufficient sunshine. Our equipment battalion is using the kang method to rush to make gunpowder, and we can only produce 400 kilograms a day at most."
"Don't worry. Today's battle consumed 600 kilograms of gunpowder, accounting for 40% of the gunpowder. The Japanese pirates will not give us the opportunity to use the gunpowder wine jars again. Moreover, after today's battle, the Japanese pirates will not attack us with such strength again. You should speed up the production of gunpowder. With the stockpile, it will be enough for us."
Zhu Ping'an smiled slightly and said with confidence.
"Yes, I will lead the entire battalion to speed up the production of black gunpowder." Ou Zhige clasped his fists and was about to turn around and leave.
"Master Ou, when making gunpowder using the kang method, you must be extra careful and put safety first. You must also pay attention to fire prevention when storing gunpowder. Store it separately and keep a safe distance. Safety is the top priority." Zhu Ping'an emphasized to him.
"Yes, sir. Please rest assured, I will pay attention to my safety." Ou Zhige clasped his fists with a serious face.
"In today's battle, the gunpowder and wine jars played a great role, and your equipment battalion has made an indispensable contribution. After we defeat the Japanese pirates, I will commend you for your contributions. Don't be proud, keep up the good work, and maintain our army's gunpowder supply, repair and maintain firearms and armor. This is also a great achievement. After the war, I will commend you for your contributions."
Zhu Ping'an praised Ou Zhige generously and encouraged him.
"Thank you, sir." Ou Zhige was very excited. After hearing Zhu Ping'an's praise, he felt full of strength.
In particular, when he was on his way back to the equipment camp, all the soldiers he met gave him a thumbs up.
"Master Ou, the gunpowder in the wine jar you made is really powerful. The Japanese pirates were blown into slag."
"Master Ou, thanks to the cotton armor you made, I was hit by three arrows but remained unscathed."
"Master Ou..."
Listening to the soldiers' praise and seeing their heartfelt affirmation and respect, Ou Zhige almost turned his back on his relatives.
Zhu Ping'an gave their equipment battalion great preferential treatment, but many soldiers did not understand and were prejudiced against them.
After today's battle, we finally gained the recognition and approval of the soldiers. Their equipment battalion can finally hold their heads high in the Zhejiang Army camp. Our equipment battalion is not here to eat and do nothing. We are also upright Zhejiang military personnel!
"Comrades, the Japanese pirates may come back at any time. All of you should be divided into two groups for rotation, one group to be on guard, and the other to rest."
"In this battle, at least 6,000 Japanese pirates surrendered and 30,000 were frightened away. Victory belongs to all of us!"
"After the war, I will commend each of you! But now, the battle is not over yet, soldiers still need to work hard, victory is destined to belong to us, to the Ming Dynasty! Long live the Zhejiang army, long live the Ming Dynasty!"
After cleaning up the battlefield, Zhu Ping'an stood in front of the burning pile of Japanese pirates' corpses and gave a mobilization speech to the Zhejiang army soldiers.
"Victory! Victory!"
The officers and soldiers of the Zhejiang Army raised their arms and shouted, their spirits rolled up like the clouds and their momentum soared into the sky.
The victory in this battle made the Zhejiang Army feel like they were reborn. After experiencing the baptism of war and blood, and with the blessing of a great victory, the Zhejiang Army had shed its immaturity and initially gathered the military spirit and soul.
In the distance, the city of Suzhou was already full of eye-catching sight.
"The Japanese pirates actually retreated?! What happened to that earth-shattering explosion just now? How did the Zhejiang Army do it?"
"Just now, at least 7,000 to 8,000 Japanese pirates charged into the battle formation, and it seemed that the Zhejiang army was about to be crushed. But in the blink of an eye, the 7,000 to 8,000 Japanese pirates who charged into the battle formation were wiped out, and less than 1,000 Japanese pirates fled back. The Japanese pirate army retreated more than ten miles."
"Did you hear that? It was the Zhejiang Army shouting 'Ten Thousand Victories'. The Zhejiang Army actually drove the Japanese pirates away..."
"The Japanese pirates haven't left yet, they've just retreated temporarily. However, it's still hard to believe. There were 30,000 or 40,000 Japanese pirates, and the Zhejiang Army only had 2,000 people. I can't think of any other words to describe it except 'miracle'."
All the officials and soldiers on the city wall dropped their jaws in shock, looking at the dust-settled battlefield in the distance in disbelief.
"Zihou, Zihou, you really gave me a big surprise." Suzhou prefect Shang Weiwei looked in the direction of Fengqiao camp, listened to the Zhejiang army shouting victory, and couldn't help but smile.
He also never expected that Zhu Ping'an would lead the Zhejiang army to repel the Japanese pirates. He watched the whole process on the city wall and saw six or seven thousand Japanese pirates being wiped out in front of the Zhejiang army and the Japanese pirate army retreating more than ten miles.
However, even now, hearing the Zhejiang Army shouting "Ten Thousand Victories", I still find it incredible and feel like I'm dreaming.
In Suzhou City, the common people have already found out about the battle situation in Fengqiao Camp through various means.
Some of their relatives, friends or neighbors were serving as soldiers on the city wall, some helped deliver food to the city wall, some helped deliver defense equipment to the city wall, some witnessed the battle with their own eyes, or heard about the battle from others.
The Japanese pirates' siege on the city and the battle situation on the front concern the life and death of thousands of families. This is the most concerned topic in the entire Suzhou city.
Word spread quickly, and soon the news of the battle in front of Fengqiao Camp and the great victory of the Zhejiang Army spread throughout the entire Suzhou city.
Of course, it is inevitable to add fuel to the fire and fuss over the matter.
The battle situation in front of Fengqiao Camp and the news of the Zhejiang Army's great victory became more and more exaggerated and distorted, and gradually took on a mythical color.