Regardless of whether the third prince is real or fake, Liu Tichun believes that proactive counterattack is the only way to break the situation. If it were not for practical difficulties, he and Li Laiheng would have made the same choice.

You must know that the counterattack operations on the east and west fronts were initiated by Liu Tichun and received full support from Li Laiheng and other ministries.

After repeated thoughts and weighing the pros and cons, Liu Tichun also came to a conclusion similar to Li Laiheng. That is, the matter should not be made public for the time being, and the counterattack must be carried out.

"Although the situation is extremely critical, there is often a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation. It can be said to be washed away by the waves and reborn from the ashes."

Liu Tichun exhaled a long breath, stood up and walked to the window, looking at the mountains and forests in the distance, listening to the wind and waves, and a sharp light appeared in his eyes.

"This 'Third Prince' sees clearly. If we can't even fight together, how can we talk about recovering our Ming Dynasty, and how can we talk about resisting the Qing Dynasty. Sooner or later, we will either be defeated or surrender."

A look of perseverance appeared on Liu Tichun's face, and he made a decision in his heart. He turned back to his desk and sat down, took out a pen and paper, and began to write letters to various Ming armies.

Although Dang Shousu, Ma Tengyun, and Ta Tianbao are relatively weak, if they share the same enemy, they can still mobilize three to five thousand troops.

Now, every soldier is precious. Investing in counterattacks will also increase your strength and improve your chances of winning.

There is no need to force whether you will come or not, but this is indeed a test. Those who can unite sincerely and take the overall situation into consideration will naturally be in the same boat through thick and thin.

If you win, you will become stronger and then face the reinforcements of the Qing army; if you lose, you will become heroic, but it will only happen sooner or later.

After hesitating, Liu Tichun still did not write a letter to Prince Guangxing of Jing State in Shizhouwei. Since he was going to fight back, if he could keep it secret and increase the suddenness of the action, he would naturally have a better chance of winning.

The Shizhou Guard was too far away, and Wang Guangxing had always been at odds with the princes and princes of the remaining Shunjun troops. Liu Tichun did not want to bring trouble on himself.

After writing the letter, Liu Tichun did not rush to send someone away, but fell into contemplation about the "Third Prince". In fact, he was still hesitant about whether to disclose the news to everyone.

There is no doubt that if the great figure "Zhu San Taizi" is moved out, it will have a huge effect on inspiring the morale of the army. What's more, after the defeat of Wushan, the various departments of the Ming army are in a period of confusion.

Although the sequelae are serious and may lead to continuous violent attacks by the Qing army, the real benefits still make Liu Tichun excited.

The situation is already extremely dangerous. If we can turn defeat into victory and resolve the catastrophe in front of us, why should we think so far ahead?

When it came to taking one step at a time, Liu Tichun became more willing to risk everything and became more radical than Li Laiheng.

"It is better to discuss with Little Tiger again to confirm the identity of the third prince." Liu Tichun picked up the pen and wrote another letter to Li Laiheng, "The most important thing is to make the third prince admit that he is the third prince."

………………

The setting sun left only half of its face behind the mountain, and its golden afterglow cast a golden light on the handsome manor in Wang Dianping and the surrounding mountains and woods.

In the study room of the Shuai Mansion, Li Laiheng, Duke of Linguo, was listening to his son Li Yue talk about his experiences and feelings over the past few days.

"The method of destroying the city mentioned by Mr. Huang is similar to the hole attack, but it is not the same. It is more powerful and can destroy the city faster."

Li Yue's eyes were bright, and his tone sounded excited, "He calls it tunnel blasting. If it can be done smoothly, breaking through a strong city will be like lifting a piece of paper."

Li Laiheng was a little doubtful and asked: "Have you ever done an experiment? Didn't you see it with your own eyes?"

Li Yue hurriedly said: "We have done a small test, and my child has seen its power with his own eyes. By the way, a larger actual combat drill will be conducted in the future, and my father will be invited to observe and test it."

Li Laiheng then smiled, nodded slightly, and said: "Mr. Huang calls it tunnel blasting. It must be focused on tunnels and blasting."

Li Yue said with a smile: "Father guessed it right. Tunnel excavation is quite simple, just like underground mining. It's just that this blasting is earth-shattering and the city needs to be destroyed at once, but there are still many ways."

"Mr. Huang, did you say where did you learn about tunnel blasting?" Li Laiheng asked: "You didn't read it in a book and just use it, right?"

Li Yue said: "What Mr. Huang said was that when he was traveling overseas, he witnessed the wars of the Taixi people. The Taixi people were good at using gunpowder and often used it to defeat the enemy. Mr. Huang observed and pondered carefully and got the secret from it."
p>

Li Laiheng sighed and said with a smile: "Since it is a secret, how can it be obtained by a foreigner?"

Sighing softly, Li Laiheng said helplessly: "Since he still doesn't want to reveal his identity, let him leave it to him for the time being! Maybe after defeating the Qing army's siege, the situation has eased, and he will change his mind!"

Li Yue smiled bitterly and said: "Mr. Huang also contributed the formula and manufacturing process of the new gunpowder, which doubled its power. The boy has ordered the craftsmen to work hard and strive to transform all the gunpowder in stock within ten days."

Although gunpowder is one of China's four great inventions, after the fifteenth century, Europeans' research and development of gunpowder surpassed that of China.

In 1635, the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, the British announced the standard gunpowder formula, which included 75% saltpeter, 12.5% ​​sulfur, and 12.5% ​​charcoal.

Although this is not the optimal ratio of black powder, the difference is very small.

It was not until the 19th century that British chemists came up with the best chemical reaction equation for black powder, and based this on the best gunpowder formula.

Obviously, this was difficult for the Ming and Qing Dynasties who lacked chemical knowledge to achieve.

The gunpowder formula at that time was described differently in various military books. The ones that were closer to the optimal ratio were "Xifa Shenji" and "Weapon History"

The new gunpowder formula provided by Huang Li was 75% nitrate, 10% sulfur, and 15% charcoal. This was mainly due to the accuracy of the measuring tools, which was the limit of what could be achieved at the time.

While adjusting the gunpowder formula, Huang Li also added granulation technology. You know, this is a revolution in black powder technology.

Granulation can more than double the power of black powder, which also means that with the same power, the consumption of gunpowder is greatly reduced.

Moreover, granulated black powder has good moisture-proof properties, and long-distance transportation does not affect its use.

Although as early as the late Ming Dynasty, new gunpowder formulas and granulation processing technology had been introduced from the Western Yi.

But Huang Li was surprised to find that the gunpowder used by the Ming army was still in powder form. He also asked Li Yue and found that the same was true for the Qing army.

In fact, this is not surprising. There is no theoretical revelation and no scientific analysis based on the phenomenon.

It is impossible for a formula or process to form a recognized standard, be well standardized and inherited, or develop by leaps and bounds.
Chapter completed!