Preface
During the Great Song Dynasty, artillery technology was quite a remarkable invention. Everyone knows that ancient wars mainly relied on cold weapons, but Ling Zhen played a new trick.
He was the "artillery master" of the Great Song Dynasty and was definitely a legend at the time. You might as well imagine that a character who can scare the enemy into distraction was actually hidden by Song Jiangxue, which is really incredible.
1. The Forgotten Artillery Master: Ling Zhen's True Strength
Ling Zhen was originally the deputy envoy gunner of the Tokyo Jiazhan Depot, in short, he was a national-level artillery expert. At that time, artillery was a rarity, and few people could use it, let alone use it superbly.
Ling Zhen's artillery technology can be said to be the first in the Great Song Dynasty. The guns he made were long-range and powerful, and they were invincible on the battlefield. For example, at that time, Hu Yanzhuo led an army to attack Liangshan, and the heroes of Liangshan were at a loss in the face of a chain of horse formations.
At this time, Hu Yanzhuo invited Ling Zhen and asked him to attack Liangshan from a distance with artillery.
Ling Zhen went down three times and two fell into the water, but the last shot directly forced Song Jiang to give up the stockade. It can be said that this cannon made the heroes of Liangshan tremble, and Ling Zhen's power can be seen.
In addition to this famous battle, Ling Zhen also has one thing that people talk about, that is, he avenged Wu Song. Wu Song's martial arts are among the best in Liangshan, but during the conquest of Fang La, he was cut off by Bao Daoyi and almost died.
Wu Song never had a chance to take revenge, but Ling Zhen used his artillery to bombard Bao Daoyi in one fell swoop, avenging Wu Song. This battle made everyone see the power of Ling Zhen's artillery, and also made Wu Song grateful to him.
Not only did Ling Zhen excel on the battlefield, but his artillery skills were also unmatched. Some people say that Ling Zhen's artillery not only has a long range and great power, but also has high accuracy.
Once, when he was attacking the Daimyo's Mansion, he used artillery to set off cannons such as wind and fire and cannons, and the sound shook the heavens and the earth, and frightened the enemy into dissipation. Another time, when Gao Yu and Tong Guan led the army to conquer Liangshan, Ling Zhen still fired cannons, and that scene was really unforgettable.
Although Ling Zhen had such superb artillery skills, his ranking in Liangshan was not high, and he was often hidden by Song Jiang. This not only makes people feel pity, but also makes people question Song Jiang's way of employing people.
If a master like Ling Zhen can be put to good use, Liang Shan's combat effectiveness will definitely be greatly improved. So, why did Song Jiang hide Ling Zhen? What's the story behind this? Let's move on to unravel this mystery.
2. Song Jiang's strategic layout: why is Ling Zhen hidden?
Song Jiang's leadership style in Liangshan is very particular. He has one hundred orders and eight generals under him, and each of them is a good man who stands up to the sky. But why did you hide a cannon master like Ling Zhen? There's a lot of story behind this.
First of all, Song Jiang has a strategy in employing people. He is very good at reading people and employing people. Song Jiang understood that Liangshanbo was surrounded by water, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and although the artillery was powerful, it would hurt his own people if it was not used well.
Once, when Song Jiang and Wu Yong discussed, Wu Yong said bluntly: "Brother, although the artillery is good, it should not be used lightly, if a cannon misses, it will hurt your brother." Song Jiang felt that it made sense when he heard it, so he had always been cautious about the use of artillery.
Although ancient artillery was powerful, it was also a double-edged sword. Artillery is indeed a good defense against enemy attacks, but if used incorrectly, it can have serious consequences.
For example, when Ling Zhen attacked the enemy once, the artillery misfired and almost injured his own people. This made Song Jiang more careful with the use of artillery.
He knew that the terrain of Liangshanbo was complex, and no matter how powerful the artillery was, it would be difficult to play its full role in water warfare. In order to avoid unnecessary casualties, Song Jiang would rather hide Ling Zhen in the snow than risk using artillery.
The power struggle within Liangshanbo is also a reason. Although Yangsan was a rebel army, there were many factions within it, and the power struggle was fierce.
As the leader, Song Jiang had to balance the interests of all parties in order to maintain the stability of Liangshan. Ling Zhen's artillery skills were so good that some people were jealous.
Once, Li Kui said to Song Jiang at the banquet: "Brother, this Ling Zhen's artillery is too powerful, if he turns against us, what can we do?" After hearing this, Song Jiang couldn't help but have a layer of worries in his heart. In order to avoid internal disputes, Song Jiang chose to deal with Ling Zhen's affairs in a low-key manner.
Song Jiang's strategy of employing people, the double-edged sword of artillery, and the internal power struggle are all important reasons why he hides Ling Zhen.
Song Jiang's leadership style in Liangshanbo was steady and cautious, and he would rather sacrifice some combat power to ensure internal harmony and stability. Although this strategy has buried a master like Ling Zhen, on the whole, it is for the long-term development of Liang Shanbo.
Ling Zhen's hiding in the snow made people have a lot of questions about Song Jiang's way of employing people.
3. The tragedy and glory of Ling Zhen: the misalignment of martial arts and artillery
Ling Zhen's story is really embarrassing. His fate in Liangshan is like a roller coaster, with ups and downs.
He was originally an artillery expert with superb skills, but he failed to show his full talent in Liangshan. This dislocation is both his tragedy and his glory.
Ling Zhen's fate in Liangshan was not smooth at the beginning. When Hu Yanzhuo attacked Liangshan, Ling Zhen was captured and became a prisoner of Liangshan. At that time, Ling Zhen must have mixed feelings in his heart.
He was originally a loyal minister of the imperial court, but he was forced to join Liangshan. This change in identity made him very uncomfortable at first.
Although Song Jiang treated him with great courtesy, Ling Zhen always felt aggrieved in his heart. A former national gunner, but now he has to obey the orders of a group of green forest heroes, this kind of gap is really unacceptable.
Ling Zhen's tragedy doesn't stop there. Although he was known as the master of artillery in Liangshan, Song Jiang was very cautious in the use of artillery. Ling Zhen's artillery skills have not been fully utilized in many battles.
Every time he saw his brothers fighting on the front line, Ling Zhen definitely didn't feel good in his heart. Once, he said to Lu Zhishen beside him: "Senior brother, no matter how powerful my artillery is, I can't use your swords and guns." ”
Lu Zhishen laughed: "Brother Ling, we are all fighting for righteousness, don't worry about this." But Ling Zhen knew in his heart that his skills were not given the attention they deserved here at all.
But Ling Zhen also had his moments of glory. During the conquest of Fang La, Ling Zhen's use of artillery to avenge Wu Song became his highlight moment. In that battle, Ling Zhen used artillery to accurately hit the enemy, and successfully killed the enemy Bao Daoyi for Wu Song.
Wu Song said to Ling Zhen gratefully: "Brother, this cannon is really a bad breath for me!" Ling Zhen smiled: "Second Brother Wu, our brotherhood is deep, and it is my honor to be able to be angry for you." This battle not only earned Ling Zhen respect among the Liangshan brothers, but also made him extremely proud.
Unfortunately, Ling Zhen's glory didn't last long. When conquest of Wang Qing, Song Jiang decided not to use artillery, but to involve Ling Zhen in close combat. Although Ling Zhen's martial arts are good, he is an artillery gunner after all, not a melee master.
In this battle, Ling Zhen was forced to put down his artillery, pick up his sword, and fight in person. In that battle, the sword light and sword shadow, the bloody rain, although Ling Zhen's skills were not weak, but after all, he could not resist the siege of the enemy army. After the battle, Ling Zhen was seriously wounded and collapsed in a pool of blood.
Ling Zhen's fate is really emotional. His artillery skills were unmatched, but he did not receive the attention he deserved in Yangsan. His tragedy lies in the mismatch between his talents and his practical needs.
His glory lies in the fact that he has won respect for his brothers and dignity for himself in his own way.
4. Re-acquaint yourself with Ling Zhen: A Neglected War Artist
Ling Zhen, in today's words, is a treasure that has been overlooked. Many people only know that he is an artillery expert in Liangshan, but they do not know how great his true talent and contribution is.
From a modern perspective, Ling Zhen's historical status must not be underestimated. Liangshanbo has gathered heroes from all over the world, but Ling Zhen's artillery skills are unique. He hit the enemy with artillery on the battlefield with incredible power.
Many times, his talent is not given the attention it deserves. For example, during the attack on Zhujiazhuang, Ling Zhen's artillery once broke through the enemy's defense line in one fell swoop, shocking all directions.
Song Jiang also had to sigh at that time: "Ling Zhen's artillery is really a divine skill!" However, such an opportunity is too rare for Ling Zhen.
Let's talk about Ling Zhen's technical legacy. You may not know that Ling Zhen's artillery technology had a great impact on later generations. In ancient China, artillery technology was not widely used, and many armies still fought with bows and arrows, swords and guns.
Ling Zhen's artillery technology was not only unique in Liangshanbo, but also provided valuable experience for later military development. The firearms battalion of the Ming Dynasty was developed on the basis of predecessors like Ling Zhen.
Some people say that Ling Zhen is one of the pioneers of ancient Chinese artillery technology, and this is not true at all. Come to think of it, without a pioneer like Ling Zhen, China's artillery technology might have been many years behind.
Liang Shanbo can be said to have made a strategic mistake in dealing with Ling Zhen. As the leader, although Song Jiang was cautious in employing people, he was obviously conservative on the issue of Ling Zhen.
Imagine how much Liang Shanbo's combat effectiveness would have improved if Song Jiang had used Ling Zhen's artillery technology more boldly. For example, during the attack on Zengtou City, if Ling Zhen's artillery could be fully utilized, Liangshan's brothers might not have suffered so many casualties.
Wu Yong also said to Song Jiang at that time: "Brother, it's a pity that Ling Zhen's artillery is not needed." Song Jiang was worried that the artillery would get out of control, so he finally chose a safe way. Although this strategy was conservative, it also missed a lot of fighters.
If Song Jiang had used Ling Zhen more boldly, would history have had a different ending?
Ling Zhen's martial arts are not strong enough, but he is the most terrifying one in Liangshan's large-scale lethality, what do you think about this?
Did Ling Zhen's technological legacy really change the way of warfare for later generations? These issues are worth thinking about and discussing. I hope you will like, comment and retweet.
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