After a pinpoint strike from rifled guns, mortar crews sorted.

A thousand soldiers carrying five hundred mortars quickly advanced on the battlefield and stormed the front of the trench area.

The mortar weighs only more than 40 catties, and the two of them can easily lift it together. In fact, this small cannon only needs two people to cooperate to fire quickly, and does not require a lot of personnel.

Mortar artillery entered the "area of our trench", where a ruler was used to make a quick measurement of the "area of the enemy's trench", and the angle of mortar fire was determined. Then João IV heard only a crisp sound of flare gun, and the mortar artillery began to fire.

João IV stared at the Tiger Ben soldiers in the trench with a telescope to see clearly the combat skills of these Qi soldiers.

"Tom tom!"

I only saw black shadows shooting out of the trench and flying towards the enemy trench in the distance.

In the first shot, the shells deviated slightly, and only a third of the shells fell into the enemy trenches.

But the artillerymen quickly corrected the angle according to the landing point of the mortar shell and began the second shot. This time, almost all the mortars hit the target, all of them firing shells into enemy trenches.

Not only that, but the mortars constantly changed the angle of their shots, sequentially bombarding the enemy trenches in front of them. Swept by five hundred mortars, several miles of enemy trenches were plowed by mortar shells, and almost every corner was blown up by mortar shells.

João IV was amazed by the superb gunnery displayed by the gunners of the Tiger Army.

He rubbed his eyes and raised his binoculars again to observe the gunner's shot, only to realize that what he had just seen was correct - the mortar gunner's hit rate was almost 100 percent.

You must know that although Li Zhi also supported a large number of Portuguese mortars and taught the Portuguese personnel the mortar's measurement tools and usage methods, the Portuguese grassroots mortar artillery has never mastered this method of calculating the angle of artillery.

After all, the literacy rate in Europe was extremely low in those years, and the common people were basically illiterate, except for the clergy of the church. Adjusting the angle of the mortar fire using Li Zhi's method of measurement required the use of mathematical calculations, a skill that was impossible for João IV's soldiers to master.

Therefore, on the European battlefield, the Portuguese, like the Dutch and the British, relied on experience to adjust the angle of artillery fire and shoot with their heads in their heads. In this kind of shooting, it is often a missed shot, and the angle is adjusted according to the landing point of the previous shot, and then the second and third shots are fired. It's good to shoot two or three shells and hit one.

But here in Li Zhi, the artillerymen are firing at mathematically calculated angles. Shooting at a target a mile away simply doesn't miss.

João IV's eyes widened in disbelief.

Alves said in surprise: "Your Highness, the artillery accuracy of the soldiers of the Ming Kingdom is three times that of ours, and the efficiency of this bombing is also three times that of ours. The same weapon has a completely different effect in our hands than in the hands of the Tiger Army! “

Zhong Feng noticed the surprise of the Portuguese and said with a smile: "The recruits of the Tiger Ben Army have to learn Chinese and mathematics for the first two years. The two-year veteran has mastered the quick calculation of an equation, so he can quickly calculate the muzzle angle. “

All soldiers are literate and can also do math?

When Joao IV heard Zhong Feng's explanation, he woke up like a dream, but it was like falling into a cloud, and he was even more trance-like.

João IV was wandering there when he saw Alves let out an exclamation.

After the mortar gunners stopped firing, twenty steel combat vehicles next to the rocket car emitted huge black smoke.

João IV hurried to look at the chariots with his binoculars.

When he looked at these chariots just now, João IV saw clearly that they were covered with thick iron armor. He thought that these chariots were siege engines or something that needed to be pushed inside. However, at this time, smoke was belching from the rear of the chariot, and there seemed to be an engine inside, much to the surprise of the King of Portugal.

João IV stared at the smoke-spewing chariots with his binoculars, not understanding how the smoke-spewing chariots fought.

Under the watchful eye of João IV, the chariots suddenly shook and moved forward.

João IV was stunned for a moment.

There was no oxen and horses to drag it, and there was no human power to propel it, and the steel chariot actually moved on its own.

Alves and Rafael saw this scene on the training ground as if they had been struck by lightning. The two looked at each other for a moment, their eyes filled with great shock.

What kind of magic is this?

Why can such a heavy tank be driven on its own?

Is this a devil's spell?

Alves said helplessly: "O my lord! It's incredible! “

The guests from Europe had never seen such a weapon before! This is definitely a terrible weapon hundreds of years ahead of this era.

João IV took a deep breath, clutched the binoculars with both hands, and couldn't help but sweat on his forehead.

The tank at this time was already a second-generation tank, which had undergone systematic improvements. The tank was larger, with a length of more than six meters and a height of more than three meters. On the sides of the tank there were also no longer large wheels hidden underneath, but tracks made of steel. Such a tank has better off-road performance.

The tank advanced in front, forming a steel wall more than 100 meters wide. The soldiers of the Tiger Army followed the tank on foot and pressed towards the trench area.

João IV looked in amazement at the advancing tanks and infantry.

There was no doubt that the tank protected the advancing infantry and prevented the opposing weapons from killing the soldiers on this side. Under the protection of tanks, the fire in the enemy trenches could not harm the infantry behind.

The appearance of tanks made the trench meaningless.

But how did these tanks cross those two-meter-wide "ours trenches"?

João IV watched the advancing tanks closely, breathing more and more rapidly as the tanks advanced.

Alves and Raphael were equally staring at the battlefield. Raphael bit his lip tightly with his teeth, apparently greatly shocked by the appearance of this steel chariot.

Suddenly, the three Portuguese jerked to their feet.

On the battlefield, the tracked tank passed through the two-meter-wide trench without hindrance, as easily as if it were passing through flat ground. The tank, which is more than six meters long, is like a steel bridge when it crosses the trench, and it can always find the support point of the center of gravity.

The Portuguese put down their binoculars and looked at the twenty tanks on the training ground with the naked eye, and their faces turned snow-white.

João IV shook his head and said, "Lord, my lord..."

The appearance of tanks made João IV feel panic. Yes, panic, not just shock, but great fear.

The strength of the Tiger Ben Army has completely overwhelmed this Portuguese king. If there was an idea of trying to establish an "equal" covenant relationship with Li Zhi before, now João IV has completely abandoned this "naïve" idea.

Portuguese Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Raphael didn't know what was in mind, and his body shook uncontrollably, like a small tree in the wind, and his tremor could be seen from a long distance.