Chapter 176 Fireworks
Zhang Hu's shield soldiers had already been ordered to withdraw as soon as the cannon fodder stuffed the gunpowder into the holes, and then provided cover for the archers. So, without waiting for the people to run back, they all retreated, leaving them alone under the wall. As long as the waist is slightly bowed, the large shield is enough to cover the whole body, and the shield soldiers can run very fast one by one. The common people who stuck their buttocks out and stuffed the gunpowder bags into the hole in the wall turned around and were dumbfounded. Many people screamed in panic and ran back. How could the crossbowmen on the wall miss this opportunity and draw their bows one after another? Crossbow, in just a few breaths, there was no longer a running figure in the open space from the city wall to the ditch. Those who were shot in vital parts were lucky enough to die on the spot. The worst thing was those who were shot in their limbs, screaming and rolling. They had to endure endless pain before their lives disappeared. There was already a commotion on the wall, and the archers were fighting with red faces. Everyone wanted to bring an officer over to testify, to see how they shot the "thief" who was struggling and wailing on the ground with one arrow... and then they could go and get it. The white flowers are rewarded with silver!
Those people who were hiding under the wall and had no time to run, or who saw the opportunity and ran back to the wall in time, stared at the tragic scene in front of them, completely frightened. Although they were forced by swords and guns, they still had some luck in their hearts, hoping that they could struggle back and continue to survive today - as long as they didn't die, no matter how slim, there was always a chance to survive. They never expected that , I was abandoned like this. A few people ran out a few steps, knelt down towards the high city wall, and kept kowtowing, hoping that like the first day, the Lord Qingtian on the city would be merciful and open the city gate again to let them in. However, in a moment, they were all nailed to the ground by feather arrows - not to mention that in the eyes of the defenders, the black figures under these walls were not people, but shining silver ingots. Even the kind-hearted Prince Zhou, At this time, we will never let go of these accomplices who were still working against him a moment ago.
The people under the wall were completely petrified. They leaned against the city wall with their backs and kept looking nervously to the left, right and upward. Bricks and stones were smashed down everywhere, and screams were heard. Those who were not hit screamed and rushed to any debris that could provide some protection, tearing and hitting each other like enemies, trying to squeeze as much of their bodies into it as possible...
Zhang Hu was not in the mood to see this. In order to ensure the maximum explosion effect, before this wave of gunpowder offensive started, he withdrew all the archers covering the front, and later sent all the rest who had taken turns to take a rest to give the dog officers a thousand blows. Arrows fired! These dozens or hundreds of gunpowder exploded... Haha, King Zhang couldn't help but laugh loudly as he thought about it. Seeing that the shield soldiers had withdrawn, Zhang Hu nodded to Niu Youtian, and Deputy Commander Niu waved his hand: "Up!"
The archers had already lined up and were waiting. After the shield soldiers came back, they also lined up in a chaotic manner under the loud orders of the officers of the auxiliary barracks and drove past the archers. Each archer followed a shield soldier, with a rifle slung across his body and an unlit torch in his hand.
Just as Zhang Hu expected, when the archers arrived two hundred and forty or fifty steps away from the city wall, the artillery on the wall opened fire one after another. However, this distance is far from accurate, and there are only a few artillery pieces. One after another, large iron balls roar past, some are more than ten feet away from the team, and the nearest one is also ten feet away. The mud splashed on several people, which was just a shock, and no damage was caused.
Under the command of the archer officer, the column spread out to the two wings and became a horizontal formation. They hid behind the shield and looked around for a while. They heard two whistles one after another and knew that all the archers were in place, so the officer blew the whistle. The horn hung on the chest. Following the sound of the trumpet, the archers and shield soldiers worked in pairs, crouching forward and slowly advancing, and the line slowly but firmly approached the city wall.
All the officials on the wall were furious. At this distance, bows and crossbows were beyond reach, so we could only rely on the cannons on the wall. However, accuracy cannot be relied upon at all. Every time a shot is missed, it takes at least one or two cups of tea to drag the gun back to the position, clean the barrel, charge, compact, and reload...it will take at least one or two cups of tea; Trouble, you need to wait for the gun body to cool down, otherwise, if the barrel explodes, it will be much more harmful than being hacked up the wall by thieves. Officers such as Yuan Ping, Wu Yi, Gao Qian, and Zhang Dechang each guarded a cannon and ordered the gunner to fire the cannon impatiently. Civil servants such as Ji Shu and Zhang Jian were also organizing archers to conduct disruptive shooting.
As the distance got closer, a projectile finally hit the target. Of course, the thieves who were hit by the cannons had no physical signs, but with nearly a thousand thieves in a sparse front line, these cannons were absolutely unable to stop them.
The thieves behind the archer line have mobilized their troops again! Group after group of thieves forming a square formation came up, following the archers thirty or fifty steps away. Under the reflection of the sun, little lights flashed out from time to time in the thieves' array - these are the main force of the thieves in armor! After the city wall collapses, the thieves want to break through the city!
Another horn sounded, and the bandit archer's line stopped a hundred steps away. A burst of sparks from the fire sickle flashed behind the shield, and the torch was lit. Then one arm reached out and inserted the torch on the ground in front of him. At the same time, the armored thieves arrayed behind took off the round shields on their backs to cover their chests. They held a knife in one hand and half-bowed their waists - this was a standard charging posture.
"Pour water, pour water!" The one shouting was Shi Kaidi, the censor of the patrol. The young men dropped the stones in their hands and rushed to the bucket as if they were dreaming. However, everyone knew in their hearts that it was definitely too late.
"Ah!" A scream came. Following the sound, Commander Yang Zhongguo and Commander-in-Chief Jiang Shide were guarding the road like two gods. Behind them were the two generals' personal guards. They blocked the road like two walls. Yang Zhongguo's sword was still dripping blood, and in front of his feet was the body of an unarmored auxiliary soldier. It was obvious that he was frightened and wanted to run away, but was chopped down by Marshal Yang. Seeing everyone looking at him, Jiang Shide shouted: "Anyone who escapes from the battle will be killed!"
Zhang Jian turned to look at Ji Shu with a determined look on his face: "Master Ji, please stay away. You will organize a counterattack later."
Ji Shu shook his head: "There are Master Lu and Master Tao in the city. I have the responsibility to protect the land, and I will die on this wall today! Brother Zhang, go down. After ten years of hard work, a bright future is already in sight, so there is no need to die together." "
Zhang Jian smiled miserably: "What have I learned from reading the books of sages? Now and in the future, I am nothing more than a commoner. There is no need for you to say anything. I will accompany you as a student."
Ji Shu felt a surge of heat in his chest, and just as he answered "Okay", before he could say the rest of the words, he saw a row of flaming locusts rising up from the enemy's position and rushing towards the wall! So he simply swallowed his words, took Zhang Jian's left hand, and closed his eyes. The two scholars stood side by side on the wall, with their chests raised, waiting to welcome their impending death.
Zhang Hu put six military battalions in front, including the personal guard battalion, and also held four battalions and most of the auxiliary troops in his hands. He and Niu Youtian stood side by side behind the formation, waiting to break the city in one fell swoop and then launch a massacre. Killing all around. King Zhang had long since said: When the city is broken, we will rob it for three days, and whoever robs it will belong to him! Seeing the rocket soaring into the sky, the two looked at each other with joy on their faces and raised their hands. When the city wall collapsed, the brothers in front rushed forward and led all their troops to kill it.
In front of everyone's sight, nearly a thousand rockets were fired at the gunpowder bag in the hole. Seven or eight surviving people huddled under various obstacles and debris, holding their heads in their hands, screaming sharply, waiting for death.
Bah…baah…baah…
With a burst of explosions and soft sounds, bursts of fire burst out from the holes under the wall, spraying red and yellow flames violently outward along the base of the wall. Looking from a distance, nearly a hundred violent tongues of fire spewed out like There was a long line of huge fireworks placed at the base of the wall. Even though it was daytime, the bright light was still so dazzling that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes.
What a big fireworks display!
The defenders on the wall were silent at first, and then burst into earth-shattering cheers. Many strong soldiers could no longer suppress their curiosity and looked down one after another. When they retracted their heads, they excitedly spoke loudly to others. Everyone rushed to the wall and looked down at the crenel with their hands. Shouts, laughter, and noises filled the sky!
This was an excellent shooting opportunity. However, Zhang Hu's archers all forgot to shoot arrows. They all stared blankly at the fireworks under the wall, and collectively fell into confusion: What is going on? Could it be that this city is blessed by gods and Buddhas? Thinking of this, the timid person actually knelt down and murmured: "Don't blame the Bodhisattva, don't blame the gods. If a villain offends, he deserves death..." while kowtowing.
It took more than a cup of tea for the fireworks to gradually extinguish, and the mood of the defenders on the city was as restless as Zhang Hu's archers. At this moment, both the archers and the artillerymen forgot to shoot at the stunned targets outside the city. After the ecstasy, everyone was wondering what kind of miracle had happened. Finally, someone shouted out: "This is the appearance of Buddha!"
It’s exciting now—people from the Ming Dynasty believe in everything! Most of the defenders knelt down, and everyone had something to say: some thanked the Buddha, some thanked the Chongyang Master, some thanked the City God, and some talked about the Jade Emperor and the Grand Supreme Laojun... Even if they were "silent, strange and powerful". The civil servants of "God", without saying anything, have made up their minds to worship in every temple tomorrow.
Zhang Niu and Zhang Niu were also stunned. It took a long time before they lowered their raised hands weakly. They looked at each other again and said in unison: "Retract the troops."
Back at the camp, Niu Youtian didn't dare to go out day and night anymore, for fear of really offending some god, so he scolded the soldiers with a grimace. Zhang Hu remained silent and kept wondering what was going on. The thought of "Did I kill too many people?" flashed away: definitely not - if so, retribution should have been long ago, why wait until today! Besides, do those dog officers kill less people? Even if they didn't kill them with their own hands, they would deduct food and pay, take bribes, and falsely accuse good people of being thieves... I'm afraid the number of people who would die in their hands would be ten times or a hundred times higher!
"Report to the marshal!" A notification from the guard who entered the tent interrupted his thoughts, "The potter in the auxiliary barracks has prepared the explosion pot. Would the marshal want to take a look?"
"Bring it to me and take a look." Zhang Hu responded, casually took the explosive can handed over by the guard, and looked at it absently.
"Eh..." Looking at it, Zhang Hu asked a question.
"What's wrong?" Niu Youtian asked.
"How many have you made?" Zhang Hu ignored Niu Youtian and asked the soldiers.
"Go back to the commander-in-chief and make more than a dozen. The craftsman said that the mud for sealing must be completely dry, and cannot be dried over an open fire. These are dried slowly on the stove while others watch. If you make a large amount, it will not work. You have to dry it in the sun. A few days."
Zhang Hucheng waved to Niu Arita: "Follow me." He found an open space outside the tent, placed the explosive can on the ground, erected a few wooden boards around it, and asked someone to bring a piece of charcoal to light the fuse. With a "boom", the experiment was successful, and the gravel made the wooden board crackle.
Niu Youtian was not very interested. He said "hmm" and was about to go back when he was stopped by Zhang Hu.
"Peel out some of the mud from the seal." Zhang Hu turned to the soldiers and ordered.
The soldier took out his dagger and carefully removed a lot of the mud from the seal of the explosive can until he could see the gunpowder and stones inside. "More." Zhang Hu said.
Bah...
This time the canister didn't explode, and a stream of fireworks erupted from the mouth of the can - just like the fireworks at the base of the wall! Just much smaller.
"Hahahaha!" Zhang Hu laughed loudly, "It will explode only if it is sealed! No wonder! I will continue to explode tomorrow!"
Niu Youtian was also happy: "Brother Hu is awesome!" He sincerely admired Zhang Hu.
"In a moment, you will take people to Putianze to see how much the water has receded. Didn't you say that the dog officers and soldiers in Luoyang have dragged a lot of cannons over? Bring them all up for me! If there are cannons in Kaifeng, we must also have them , go back and wash it off, we’ll blast him too!” Zhang Hu said to the guard captain Zhang Jiucheng.
*Although firecrackers have been around for a long time, most people at that time did not know the principle of closed explosion. In real history, this was the case when Li Zicheng attacked Luoyang. He piled gunpowder in the wall hole and set off a burst of fireworks.
