While the court officials were still arguing over various important matters, the new Governor of Xuanda, Yang Wenyue, had already led his men to the outskirts of Datong City.
Since the troops carried a large number of vehicles, some of which were even larger in size, they traveled extremely slowly, thus slowing down the march of Yang Wenyue's troops to a certain extent.
Yang Wenyue ordered General He Zan to lead his headquarters of about 500 elite cavalry as the vanguard and rush to Datong ahead of the Chinese army. When He Zan arrived at his destination, he found that Wang Pu, who was resisting the order and disrespectful, still stood still, so he immediately sent his flying cavalry back to report.
"Sir, there are flags flying on the city head and there are many firecrackers. Wang Puding must have been prepared for it!"
The commander-in-chief Li Fuming looked through the binoculars and secretly said something was wrong. Datong City was originally an important frontier town, with tall and strong walls, heavily guarded by soldiers, and countless firearms. If his superiors insisted on attacking by force, his troops would suffer heavy casualties.
"...No need to worry too much, I have a good plan!"
When Yang Wenyue saw Wang Pu's arrangement, he felt confident. Although the rebels were well prepared, today was different from the past. With the prince's powerful siege weapon, Wang Pu had no choice but to do nothing.
Because it is one of the important towns on the nine sides and was also affected by the Tumu Fort Incident, and because Datong City has a special geographical location, heading out of Monan, the city wall was built extremely tall, and it looked more than three feet tall.
Therefore, whether it was Li Fuming, Hu Dawei, He Zan or Gao Jie, they were more or less embarrassed when they saw this formation.
Our own expeditionary force was less than 30,000 people, while the defenders had more than 10,000 people, which did not form an absolute military advantage.
The treacherous and cunning Wang Pu knew that he was in the wrong and was relatively weak, so naturally he would not take the initiative to attack.
In this way, if you want to regain Datong, you must take the method of storming the city wall.
"Report~! Sir, General Liu has led his troops to set up camp ten miles north of Datong. This is a letter!"
According to the order issued in advance, General Liu Guangzuo led more than 6,000 people from his headquarters to set up a line of defense north of Datong to prevent Wang Pu from jumping over the wall and escaping through the north gate of Datong at the critical moment.
"...Okay~!"
As long as Wang Pu's escape route is cut off, this rebellion will have no chance of escaping. Jiang Xuan, the deputy commander-in-chief of Yanghe, sent a letter saying that Wang Pu had contacted him to join the rebellion, but he refused. If Yang Wenyue needs it, he can lead his troops south at any time to help suppress the rebel army.
Although the Ming Dynasty was seriously ill, it had not yet reached the point where the trees fell down and the hozens scattered. At this time, rebellion was unpopular. The Jiang family had been generals for generations. Jiang Xuan's two brothers, Jiang Rang and Jiang Xiang, were also chief military officers. He also I'm not stupid enough to be influenced by an outsider.
Under the premise that Huang Taiji did not lead his army southward, he could not see any future following Wang Pu, and he would have to bear the reputation of treason and seeking glory. Jiang Xuan would not do such a loss-making business. Participating in Yang Wenyue's counterinsurgency army can still gain some merit.
Of course, Jiang Xuan, who was cautious, did not immediately lead his troops to join Yang Wenyue. The icing on the cake was not as good as providing timely assistance. When both sides were defeated, he broke out halfway, so as to highlight his own special role.
Yang Wenyue knew this well and did not force the other party to come for help. He just let the soldiers sent by Jiang Xuan pass his reply. If Jiang Xuan doesn't follow the rebellion, Wang Pu in Datong will be alone. Let's see how long he can continue to be arrogant.
After Liu Guangzuo's troops arrived at the designated position, Wang Pu's retreat was cut off. Whether Jiang Xuan came or not was no longer important. Moreover, Jiang Xuan's two thousand people, excluding the men and horses stationed in Yanghe, would not be able to get up even if they came. What an effect.
The attack on the city was imminent. Li Fuming also knew that Yang Wenyue did not intend to surrender Wang Pu. Now, the other party did not intend to surrender either, so he said: "Sir, if we want to attack the city, our army still lacks ladders and shield chariots. In the end, The soldiers will be ordered to cut down trees to build siege engines!”
It is completely unrealistic to order the soldiers to attack the strong and tall Datong City without even being equipped with siege equipment, so Li Fuming would be strict in advance to prevent Yang Wenyue from actually giving the order.
The counter-rebellion army replenished grain, grass, weapons, silver, and vehicles in the capital. The tools used in the siege were relatively simple in structure, and they could be built after moving to the outskirts of Datong, and they could be ready in less than half a day.
Yang Wenyue pointed to Datong City in the distance with his hand and asked the people around him: "You think this city is very strong, and I think so too. However, His Royal Highness the Prince has taught me the secret technique of attacking the city. You can get twice the result with half the effort by using this strategy." The governor ordered that the surrounding trees be cut down within an hour, stacked in rows, and placed on vehicles for the defense of the siege soldiers. They must be watered to prevent the rebels from burning them. Then hundreds of ladders were built. Cloud ladders are prepared for emergencies. After they are full, the whole army begins to attack the city!"
The secret technique that the prince had mentioned to him had never been tried by Yang Wenyue when he was encircling and suppressing the bandits. It seemed that it could be defeated in a fight, but it was only theoretical. When it came to actual combat, he had to have doubts about how it would work.
The Chinese army carried twenty long pointed vehicles, the tops of which were covered with iron plates. Ten soldiers could be hidden inside them. In wartime, they were not pulled by animal power, but were pushed by soldiers inside.
The generals didn't understand why they saw this thing, but they all complained in their hearts. The defensive capability of this vehicle was only slightly higher than that of the shield vehicle. It was too strenuous to use it to attack the city.
Because at most the soldiers could be safely sent to the city, but in order to climb to the top of the city, they had to climb a ladder and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the rebels at the top of the city before they could recapture Datong occupied by Wang Pu.
For these bulky vehicles, Yang Wenyue and his troops not only moved slowly, but also had to build bridges when encountering water, otherwise these stupid objects would sink to the bottom of the river.
After struggling for so many days, we finally arrived at our destination. Everyone will soon know whether this strange chariot is useful.
Yang Wenyue also had to place his hope in this strange weapon, because the prince stipulated that if a soldier of the imperial court died in battle, his family members would receive two hundred taels of silver.
If there are too many casualties during the storm, the Ministry of War will not pay for it and can only pay for it from Xuanda's two million taels of silver.
Having just become the Governor of Xuanda, Yang Wenyue did not want to spend the money earned by his troops so quickly, so he had to minimize casualties as much as possible when attacking the city.
If a thousand people were killed in battle, it would mean that a pension of up to 200,000 taels would have to be paid. Even just thinking about it made Yang Wenyue feel depressed.
"All equipment must be prepared!"
Hu Dawei became the deputy general after participating in the battle to defend the capital. The prince had promised that if he could follow Yang Wenyue to defeat Datong this time, he would be restored to his title of commander-in-chief. Therefore, Hu Dawei also regarded this battle as a turnaround.
Not only was the headquarters equipped with more than two hundred mortars, the prince also specially allocated twenty siege vehicles to him, intending to upgrade Hu Dawei's headquarters into a main force dedicated to storming after Datong was recaptured.
No one would believe that just twenty siege vehicles defeated the seemingly indestructible Datong. When the Oara army went south and encountered Datong, they finally chose to go around because they were worried that they would suffer too many casualties during the siege.
In addition to gas masks, or rather eye masks, and standard weapons, the crew members are also equipped with picks, shovels, iron barrels, and explosive bags.
Hu Dawei knew how these crews fought as early as when he was training outside the capital. After seeing their effectiveness with his own eyes, he was even more impressed by them.
Although these vehicles are inconspicuous in appearance, in terms of actual combat power, they can be said to be invincible. Everyone who sees them is shocked. Those who have never been exposed to them will naturally not understand the mystery.
It can be said that the hope of the governor and even the tens of thousands of soldiers in the entire army to break the city rests on these twenty siege vehicles.
For Datong, the prince has three requirements.
First, we must overcome it as soon as possible without delaying it under any excuse.
Second, there must be no excessive casualties during the siege, because pensions cannot be paid.
Third, after the city is broken, no burning, killing or looting is allowed except to clear out the rebels.
In addition to not allowing too many people to die, Yang Wenyue also had to give strict orders to all ministries. Datong was not an enemy-occupied area, but the territory of the Ming Dynasty. It was all occupied by Wang Pu, and the people had no choice but to do so.
Therefore, after the city was broken, he would definitely kill any troops who dared to disobey military orders without permission. For this reason, he also specially showed the generals the imperial edict and Shangfang sword given by the prince.
In short, a relatively intact Datong City must be obtained quickly and with low casualties. Otherwise, it is better to let Wang Pu out of seclusion. After being damaged, repairing Datong will still require hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, we have been marching for several days and covered with morning dew. I am not sure whether the explosive packets are still dry. Can I extract one or two and ignite them for testing, just in case?"
Explosive packs are a key weapon in sieges, so the preservation of the packs requires considerable care. However, moisture may occur during long-distance marches. The captain's worry is understandable.
"...Well, let's take out...one, no, three medicine bags and test them!"
Hu Dawei thought this was reasonable. Once he found that the gunpowder could not be ignited after attacking the city, he would have to withdraw again.
Medicine packs can still be made temporarily, but this will delay the entire army's siege time.
After receiving the order, the captain grabbed three medicine bags from three cars.
He found a relatively remote hill and asked his soldiers to guard the surrounding area to prevent anyone from entering by mistake.
"boom……"
After being lit, the three medicine packets all exploded. It seemed that they were not affected by moisture and were ready for use.
The rebels on the opposite side of the city were not frightened, but the counter-rebellion army who did not know the truth was frightened by the explosion.
Thinking that the rebels suddenly came to rob the camp, some groups immediately went into chaos. Fortunately, it was daytime and there was no camp roar.
Fortunately, the notification of the experimental drug pack was quickly distributed to all departments, and the morale of the troops was stabilized, and the camp returned to peace.
"How can we attack a city when we are making a fuss and are afraid of trouble?"
When Yang Wenyue received the report, he looked displeased. Just such a little movement could cause the soldiers to panic. This shows how fearful the soldiers are. If they are not organized and trained, how can they defeat the enemy in the future.
The explosion of the medicine pack showed that there was no problem, and the army could attack the city according to the established strategy. It also allowed Wang Pu, who thought he could rebel in the city, to see the new tactics advocated by His Royal Highness.
After everything was ready, the well-fed and well-fed army began to formally attack Datong City at around 12:30 noon.
"The thieves are coming!"
"Fire!"
"put!"
Seeing that the enemy troops were approaching the city, the rebels at the top of the city were frightened, but they still wanted to use the fortified city and fire cannons to repel the invading enemies.
"Hmph! Yang Wenyue wants to attack Datong, but he is just wishful thinking!"
Wang Pu, who was at the top of the city, was observing the enemy's situation. He was also worried when he saw the enemy's company camp set up in the distance. He rushed to attack the city as soon as he arrived, which showed that the emperor was pressing hard. As long as he could fight back the enemy, there would be room for change. .
For me, I can fight or make peace. If I can hold on for a year and a half, by then the emperor will go south and enter the customs, he may be able to change his flag and surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and he will be promoted to an official position.
With Kong Youde's precedent, why can't I?
As long as he sticks to Datong, Yang Wenyue will have no choice but to do anything to himself.
Through detailed reports lurking around, Wang Pu learned the general situation of the other party.
However, the city of Datong is impregnable. With Yang Wenyue's 30,000 troops alone, conquering Datong in a short time is a pipe dream.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
The city's artillery fired in unison, blasting countless flames and craters in the area where the army was advancing.
Since the counter-insurgency army used a large number of shield vehicles, unless the shield vehicles were directly hit by projectiles, there were very few casualties among the soldiers.
Although the red cannon is slower to load, its advantage is that it has a long range, which still causes greater trouble to the army.
The range of the large and small Folan machine is not high, only four to five hundred meters, but it has a very high rate of fire, so it is naturally not a mediocre one.
Since Datong City has been a defensive hub since the beginning of the dynasty, two-way shooting from the north and south can be achieved.
In order to avoid being captured from behind by the enemy, no room will be left for the enemy coming from the south gate.
If it were not for the cover of the shield car, the counterinsurgent army would lose nearly a thousand soldiers in its first attack.
In just the first confrontation, the generals realized the powerful power of the city's firearms.
Although Wang Pu had a notorious reputation, most of his generals were greedy for life and afraid of death.
However, if they hold on to the city, judging only by the accuracy of their firearms, the rebels still have some fighting strength to speak of and must not be underestimated.
"Bang~!"
Just when the generals were observing the battle with telescopes outside the shooting range, a loud noise suddenly appeared on the battlefield. A shield car was hit by a shell fired from the Hongyi cannon. The debris immediately flew into the air, and the accompanying soldiers were knocked down.
"Launch smoke grenades, don't let the rebels target our tanks!"
Upon seeing this, Yang Wenyue quickly ordered the trebuchet to throw something that would smoke easily when burning. As long as part of the battlefield was covered and it was difficult for the firearms at the top of the city to aim, the army could take the opportunity to advance to the bottom of the city.
The smoke bombs only served as a distraction, and were not the same as the huge fire smoke ignited by the pile of firewood. Hundreds of rounds were thrown at them, but they had little effect. The army was still hit hard by the firearms from the city head.
"Harder! Push faster! Don't let the fire blunderbuss hit you!"
Many generals saw the tragic situation of their colleagues behind the shield car who were hit, and immediately shouted to their soldiers that if they lingered halfway, they would be hit by bullets.
As long as they quickly pass through the firing range of the Hongyi cannon, making it impossible to aim, they can avoid disaster. The hundreds of shield vehicles all accelerated their advance without exception, as well as the twenty ugly-looking siege vehicles.
There were a lot of explosives in the car. Once they were hit or even detonated, the consequences would be unimaginable. In order not to be blown to pieces by the weapons in their own cars, the crew members all tried their best to push the car.
For the defenders at the top of the city, hundreds of shield vehicles were driving towards the city, which dazzled the gunners. Their inner pressure increased sharply, and they were unable to aim at all. Whether they could hit or not depended entirely on luck.
