Chapter 444: A High-End Enemy

Liu Chengzong's new rockets were ready. Each weighed ten jin and contained fifty-three three-qian pellets. Paired with the launch tube's angle and length, they could achieve two ranges: three hundred paces and five hundred paces.

The drawback was… an extremely wide dispersal area.

Because the Marshal's Office's new rockets had no stabilizer rod.

It wasn't that Shi Chengwo and Liu Guoneng didn't want to install one. With the addition of He-Huang officers, they understood perfectly the principle of the rocket's guide rod — its function was to add counterweight and maintain stability.

Of the seven jin of gunpowder, a full six jin was used to propel the rocket. Over half the rocket's weight in fuel would be consumed during launch, and the borehole was drilled precisely through the center of the rammed-solid powder tube.

This meant the nozzle started small and gradually burned outward. The rocket's initial thrust was at its weakest, and its final thrust at its strongest.

During this acceleration, the rocket body became increasingly top-heavy and tail-light, making it very easy to flip over in midair.

The stabilizer rod's function was to add counterweight at the tail, ensuring the rocket flew forward without being flipped by the burning gunpowder.

But because Liu Chengzong had set standards for the rocket's weight and range, and intended them for use by light troops without a baggage train, the design became extremely difficult.

Initially, they designed a seven-jin rocket. With the stabilizer rod fitted, it weighed eleven jin and four liang in total, which ensured stability, but its maximum range was only three hundred paces.

To reach five hundred paces, it needed a twelve-jin rocket and a six-jin stabilizer rod, which would exceed Liu Chengzong's weight requirement.

Removing the stabilizer rod did allow the weight and maximum range to meet the requirements, but the rocket became prone to flipping sideways, and its flight trajectory would become utterly absurd.

In the end, they used a thin iron rocket casing and added a one-and-a-half-jin cylindrical structure at the tail as counterweight. The goal was to ensure the rocket's balance would not be broken by the burning gunpowder within the first few breaths after launch, extending the safe distance to one hundred and fifty paces.

"Yes, Marshal. Beyond one hundred and fifty paces, we can't guarantee it won't flip sideways."

Sky Monkey arrived at the Marshal's Office west building to report, carrying a rectangular box. The box was bound with rope, square on the outside and round within, and could split into two three-chi-long launch tubes. Inside lay a single ten-jin rocket.

This rocket had fully incorporated the experience Liu Chengzong gained from "enchanting" explosive shells. A crude prefabricated fragmentation ring circled the front quarter of the body; inside were the rocket's warhead and the fifty-three three-qian pellets.

Sky Monkey said, "Testing the power of this thing is incredibly difficult. The box has two locking slots. One three-chi launch tube section gives an exact three-hundred-pace aim; the dispersal area is centered three hundred paces straight ahead, covering a radius of three hundred paces."

"If you connect both tube sections and aim for five hundred paces, it centers five hundred paces ahead and strikes a radius of five hundred paces."

Liu Chengzong mentally mulled over that dispersal distance and nearly laughed out loud. He asked, "When it bursts, what's the actual area it can hit?"

Sky Monkey, Liu Jiusi, lowered his head. "Unknown. Probably thirty to fifty paces."

"Unknown?"

"Marshal, you have no idea how hard this thing is to test. I had to specially build a trebuchet and hurl two jin of explosive a hundred paces away just to measure that."

Sky Monkey sighed. "This thing has to be fired in volleys of thirty or fifty at a time, otherwise it can't hit anything. But if you fire thirty or fifty at once, how do you tell how far its bursting iron pellets fly? The ground's full of holes."

Liu Chengzong held the rocket and studied it for a moment, thinking this wouldn't do. From the very start, the purpose of building this thing was never to kill the enemy outright — that was unrealistic.

It was to give light troops the ability to suppress cannon fire for a short time, so that cavalry circling the enemy formation could exploit the rocket barrage to charge and break the enemy line.

But with a coverage area this huge, his own cavalry wouldn't be able to close in either.

On the other hand, it might prove very effective for burning cities. After all, for a mid-sized city with walls eight or nine li in perimeter, placing four launch positions at the corners would essentially blanket the entire city interior with the dispersal pattern.

A military formation was much smaller than that. With bad luck, you might whoosh out two hundred rockets and not hit a single person.

"How can 'the firing is up to me, the hitting is up to heaven' possibly work?"

Liu Chengzong shook his head. But adding stabilizer rods in a normal campaign, where carts and mules handled transport, would be fine. In mountain-crossing operations like this, he couldn't possibly have soldiers carry two zhang-eight-long lances.

He looked at the rocket's tail. "Try this: modify this part. Split the tail flame into three streams so it spins itself after launch. Without a stabilizer rod, it'll be steadier and reduce dispersal."

As he spoke, he picked up a brush and drew a simple sketch for Sky Monkey to compare against. "If that's hard to make, then add fins to the tail. But no need for feathers — wood or thin iron will do."

In Liu Chengzong's view, the safe distance without flipping sideways had to be increased to at least two hundred and fifty paces.

Otherwise, if it flipped at one hundred and fifty paces and flew back the other way, wouldn't it still blow up his own men?

However, aside from the rocket, Sky Monkey had also produced a small device that was combat-ready and safe: a repeating, clip-fed version of the individual flying-rocket cannon.

It was essentially a three-chi-long forged tube propped diagonally on the ground by two iron rod legs, with a counterweight disc at the tail. Near the tail, the tube had openings on both sides — one five-cun, one three-cun — and it fired five-cun-long cylindrical flying-rocket cannon shells.

The ammunition was loaded in three-cun iron clips holding four linked rounds. You inserted the loaded iron clip vertically into the tube. The shells used easily ignited fuses. It was basically a giant two-bang firecracker packed with iron pellets.

The first one fired out, and due to gravity, the iron clip would slide downward, only to be caught by the second shell. At the same time, it was ignited by the first shell's tail flame. The four-round clip could fire off in rapid succession.

But its range was somewhat shorter than the flying-rocket cannon — it could only reach fifty to seventy paces. The upside was simple operation, light weight, and easy portability. The four-round clip held one hundred and twenty small iron pellets, and when fired, it packed decent power.

Its range happened to match the typical engagement distance of arquebuses, while exceeding the width of most moats. Its arcing trajectory also gave it a chance to bypass shields and simple fortifications. It was essentially a repeating grenade launcher.

Its only flaw was that the magazine couldn't be made larger, because firing four rounds in a row would overheat the tube and potentially ignite the shells still outside.

Liu Chengzong was very interested in this gadget. He told Sky Monkey, "Make this into a six-round clip, or an eleven-round clip in two rows of five on top and six below, similar to the Hundred-Tiger Salvo Chariot. Set a few pre-aimed angles. Issue one to every hundred-man company, with six reloads."

An eleven-round version of this thing could, at the right distance, hurl forty-four cylindrical shells into the enemy formation in a short time. Over a thousand iron pellets exploding chaotically would be enough to let an infantry column smash through the enemy line.

Liu Jiusi had never imagined Liu Chengzong's thinking would be even wilder than his own, going straight for a chariot mount. He spread his hands. "Marshal, if it's mounted on a chariot, the light troops crossing the Qilian Mountains won't be able to use it."

"The light troops still need rockets. This one's range is too short. If the light troops don't hit the enemy in one volley, they'll be overrun themselves."

He still held great expectations for the rocket. The rocket wasn't just for this one use — as long as it was designed well this time, it could be used in the future, and could even be mounted on chariots for their new-system rockets later on.

If the tail-fin and spin problems could be properly solved this time, then at distances of two or even three li in the future, there would be no difficulty that could constrain the rocket.

This thing would become their sharpest weapon in field battles.

"Go back and tell Master Artisan Shi that rocket chariots, flying-rocket cannon chariots, and cannons specifically for firing explosive shells are the primary objectives for the arsenal's new weapons over the next two years. These can all be issued to hundred-man companies and battalion commands in the future."

Long-barreled cannons like the red-barbarian type were not very effective for firing explosive shells; the projectile velocity was too high, making duds very common. They needed to develop a cannon with a shorter barrel, firing explosive shells on a parabolic trajectory. The range didn't need to be too far, and the shells didn't need to be too heavy — only then could they minimize duds.

Liu Chengzong had just finished speaking when he saw a figure halt outside the door. A guard said, "Marshal, a messenger has arrived from the east."

At these words, Sky Monkey packed up the rocket box and took his leave of Liu Chengzong.

He had just stepped out when the guard led Guilai, Chengzong's trusted aide, into the west building. After saluting, Guilai said, "Marshal, Lanzhou's Adjutant General Shi has sent a man into He-Huang to report that Shaanxi has dispatched a relief force marching toward Lanzhou, numbering over four thousand troops."

Guilai continued, "Adjutant General Shi says that if the Marshal wishes to bypass and ambush them, he can scout their line of march on your behalf."

"Four thousand troops. Who's in command?"

Liu Chengzong nodded slowly at the number. "Is it Lian Guoshi, Zhang Yingchang, or You Shilu?"

"In reply, Marshal, it's none of them. Lian Guoshi is garrisoned at Qinzhou, Zhang Yingchang has been transferred to Henan, and You Shilu has resigned and gone home due to serious illness." Guilai rattled off the movements of those three Shaanxi grand coordinators and generals in one breath, then cautiously reported, "The man leading the troops is Yan'an Prefecture Adjutant General Yang Yanchang."

Guilai was somewhat afraid that Liu Chengzong would fly into a rage upon hearing that name.

The brothers Desheng and Guilai were originally banner soldiers from Songpan Guard. They knew a little about matters in northern Shaanxi, but not much.

Chengzong hadn't told them the details either; his expression had merely turned deeply strange upon hearing the name Yang Yanchang. So Guilai had privately sought out Shaanxi surrendered soldiers in the East Gate garrison and asked just who this Yang Yanchang was.

The surrendered soldier didn't know much — just the right amount — and answered very simply: years ago in Yan'an Prefecture, the Marshal got beaten up several times by this man named Yang Yanchang.

That old surrendered soldier even warned Guilai: "Be careful when you report this to the Marshal. When enemies meet, eyes blaze red with hatred."

So Guilai had been on tenterhooks the whole time.

The moment he spoke Yang Yanchang's name, sure enough, he saw Liu Chengzong's expression turn utterly strange, which frightened him into lowering his head, not daring to look straight at him.

Liu Chengzong stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "Who sent him?"

"Reporting to the Marshal, it seems to be the Grand Coordinator of Yansui, Chen Qiyu."

"Chen Qiyu, Lord Chen." Liu Chengzong nodded slowly, a sardonic look on his face. "He could have sent anyone, but he sends Assistant Regional Commander Yang... Guilai, why are you so scared?"

Guilai said timidly, "I heard he and the Marshal are old rivals."

"Tch... old rivals. Old acquaintances, indeed." Liu Chengzong saw his expression and knew Chengyun hadn't explained things clearly to him. Smiling, he waved his hand. "Go back and tell Chengyun I heard the joke. Tell him to let Shixiang know — no need to obstruct him."

Chengyun knew best what kind of relationship Yang Yanchang had with them. Guilai coming to the Marshal's yamen to deliver the message was nothing more than letting him hear a joke.

Liu Chengzong said to Guilai with emphasis, "But have him find out for me — this Yang Yanchang commands four thousand troops. A roster of officers from Battalion Commander up — send someone over with it as soon as possible."

Having said that, he laughed to himself.

In truth, what he most wanted to know was whether Ren Quan'er had come.

To be honest, he wasn't completely at ease with either Yang Yanchang or Ren Quan'er.

They were both officers of the imperial court. If he were still in northern Shaanxi, with shared interests binding them together as solid as iron, there would be nothing more to say — but after all, contact had been sparse these past few years.

Without shared interests, small matters might not matter much, but in war, a major matter of life and death, Chen Qiyu just had to send Yang Yanchang to defend Lanzhou — that made the problem enormous.

Yang Yanchang wasn't a man without family. Earlier, Ren Quan'er's method of controlling Yang Yanchang had been to keep him constantly siring children in the garrison town. You can't bring your wife and children along when you march out to war.

If he insisted on attacking Lanzhou, this conflict would be hard to reconcile. Yang Yanchang wouldn't risk his wife and children being killed to defect to him, nor would he gamble on the risk of being executed by the court by handing Lanzhou over without a fight.

With that kind of risk, not only might Yang Yanchang not be of one heart with him, even the officers and soldiers under Yang Yanchang's command wouldn't be of one heart with him.

Liu the Lion shook his head. This Chen Qiyu was truly detestable. Of all the people to send, he had to send Yang Yanchang!

Wasn't this openly making things difficult for people?

But more than this matter, Liu Chengzong was even more curious why Yang Yanchang had been sent... Xie Erhu had seized Zhuanglang Garrison Town, yet the court was unwilling to send a grand coordinator to Lanzhou. What was Lian Guoshi doing stationed in Qinzhou?

Liu Chengzong pulled down the map hanging on the wall and spread it on the table. He placed Lian Guoshi's and Zhang Yingchang's armies one by one in their proper positions, then added Yang Yanchang's force marching toward Lanzhou. It was easy to see that the court army's defensive orientation was not Lanzhou.

Northern Shaanxi seemed to be safe in the court's eyes; otherwise, they wouldn't have transferred Yang Yanchang away from Yan'an Prefecture. Their armies were defending in the direction of Hanzhong, Xingzhou, and Huguang.

Armies appearing in those directions at a time like this were, obviously, Gao Yingxiang and the various rebel kings.

If Liu Chengzong didn't want to fall out with Yang Yanchang, he would have to abandon the attack on Lanzhou. But abandoning the attack on Lanzhou would mean losing this excellent strategic opportunity to link up with Gao Yingxiang and the others.

After much thought, Liu the Lion's eyes lit up.

Yang Yanchang's mission was to defend Lanzhou. So how could he take Lanzhou without causing Yang Yanchang's mission to fail?

Make the mission end before it even began — seize Lanzhou before Yang Yanchang could lead his troops into the city.

Liu Chengzong looked at the map, pondering in his mind the feasibility of doing so and the chain reactions it would cause. With Lintao fallen, Lian Guoshi would surely move northwest and leave Qinzhou, leaving Hanzhong exposed — to Gao Yingxiang's advantage.

In the Gansu direction, the inescapable net laid by Hong Chengchou would also be broken because of this. He would most likely have to drive his troops south and fight him in the Zhuanglang River Valley. Wang Ziyong could then slip back into Gansu to do his business, better coordinating with Zhang Tianlin.

On the other hand, Yang Yanchang, having failed to enter Lanzhou, would most likely link up with Lian Guoshi. Lian Guoshi, one would think, would come to rely heavily on this Shaanxi army.

Then Lian Guoshi would be finished. He was no Lanzhou — selling him out carried no risk for Yang Yanchang. He would only need to defeat Liu Chengzong one more time, just like in the past.

The most formidable enemies often appear in the form of teammates.

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Good afternoon!