At such a critical juncture, Wang Pu did not choose to lead his subordinates to rush out of the city, but asked his subordinates to retake the Heyang Gate that was almost lost. The reason is also very simple.
First of all, after the previous fierce battles, although the "Former Jin" soldiers defending the city were repeatedly bombarded, killing and injuring no less than a thousand people, the main force was still there, and they were fully capable of fighting to the death against the invading enemies.
Secondly, there are only a few enemy troops on the city. If you want to follow the city wall, bypass the barbican, and then capture the main city tower, you must outnumber the enemy while your own side has the advantage of troops.
Finally, most of the firecrackers equipped with Heyang Gate had been damaged in the battle and could no longer be used. The only ones left were the very powerful Crouching Tiger Cannon, which was far from the complete firearms in the main city.
Having the advantage in troops and firearms, Wang Pu gave up the idea of escape. The war had not yet developed to an irreversible point, so there was no need to panic and abandon the city of Datong.
At first, the big explosion that occurred in the direction of Heyang Gate made Wang Pu frightened. However, after calming down, he ordered all the ministries to retake Heyang Gate and drive the enemy troops that were not firmly established down the city.
Facing the main city with many firearms, what if Heyangmen failed, Wang Pu believed that there was still a chance to turn defeat into victory, and he would not let his troops retreat easily.
"The marshal has an order. Anyone who retreats will be killed! If he recaptures Heyang Gate, he will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver!"
Under the supervision of his relatives, the supervisory team composed of Wang Pu's personal soldiers conveyed the orders of their superiors while suppressing the nearly collapsed infantry.
Unlike ordinary soldiers who are oppressed, these soldiers are treated very well. Not only can they receive a sufficient amount of polished rice every month, but they can also receive five taels of silver.
His combat power and morale far exceed that of most infantry, and he is very loyal to Wang Pu, which can indeed stabilize the morale of the army in critical moments.
When they are not facing the extremely powerful Donglu army, they will not retreat without authorization as long as their own coach does not flee from the battlefield.
"this……"
The soldiers who finally ran back from Heyang Gate saw Wang Pu's personal guards waiting in full formation. If they turned a deaf ear to his orders and dared to retreat again, they would be attacked by strong bows and crossbows.
Everyone was afraid when they saw this, fearing that they would be shot by the weapons in the opponent's hands. After hesitating for a moment, the boss had no choice but to lead everyone back halfway.
"Damn it!"
When they turned around and ran back, they saw that the enemy troops in front of them were almost twice as many as before, because the soldiers of the counter-rebellion army were constantly climbing up through the gap in Heyang Gate.
Since the defenders in the Heyangmen area have completely collapsed, Yang Wenyue's troops are concentrating here. It only takes less than twenty seconds to climb from the bottom of the city to the top.
Both sides wore Ming armor, and even the inner linings were exactly the same. In order to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy and avoid accidental injuries, Wang Pu stipulated that all soldiers in the army should wear a very conspicuous cyan scarf around their necks.
Yang Wenyue also considered this issue and asked everyone to wear a black scarf.
As a result, the soldiers on both sides appeared to be distinct.
Of course, no matter which side the soldiers are on, if the scarf around their necks is cut off, they will be attacked by both sides...
Although the Datong City Wall is more than ten meters wide, the infantry of both sides are now entangled together, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat, and it has completely turned into a melee.
Yang Wenyue's subordinates Li Fuming, Gao Jie, and Hu Dawei all wanted to take this opportunity to make contributions, especially in front of the prince.
The two lieutenants he brought from Baoding, Zhang Dechang and Yang Dezheng, naturally would not be willing to lag behind others, especially in such a smooth battle where they could reap the benefits.
Wang Pu has long been regarded as a piece of meat on the chopping block by the generals. This time to regain Datong, he must win a complete victory, otherwise it will be difficult to explain to the prince and the court.
In view of this, no matter which general, he will order his men to charge and fight fiercely, striving to take the lead, so that his face can be glorious.
The soldiers under Gao Jie first set up a large flag with the word "ming" printed on it on the city wall of Heyang Gate, and then the men of Li Fuming, Zhang Dechang, Yang Dezheng and others rushed towards the main city like horses.
Because whoever breaks into the main city first is likely to catch Wang Pu first. This is the biggest fish. Once it is turned in, it will be the first success and will definitely receive a huge reward.
Although the prince did not directly mention the bounty for Wang Pu's capture, the generals guessed that the prince hated this traitor deeply and would definitely not be less than 10,000 taels of silver.
Now everyone knows that the prince has gained a lot from nobles and worms. It can be said that his family is extremely wealthy, and he will not be stingy with rewards. They can take this opportunity to flex their muscles.
At present, Wang Pu's troops are still struggling to death and are unwilling to give up Datong easily. All the troops merged at Heyangmen, forming a line regardless of each other, and launched a tidal wave of offensive against the rebels who were trying to retake the city tower.
"No retreat! Come on! Anyone who dares to take even one step back will be killed by me!"
The guerrilla under Wang Pu who was responsible for supervising the formation held a waist knife and roared ferociously at the infantry not far away in front of him. This was a critical moment. If he was not careful, the whole line would collapse.
The sound of "ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping" of weapons could be heard endlessly, mixed with the screams and wails of those who were killed. There were almost filthy blood stains on the floor tiles within every step.
However, they were all fighting for money. Most of the "former Jin" soldiers were reluctant and passively fought against the enemies who came to the city.
The soldiers of the counter-rebellion army had high morale and gradually beat the rebels in front of them until they were exhausted. They had to retreat step by step and compress them towards the main city.
"Fire! Shoot! Kill these bandits for me!"
Seeing that his soldiers were about to be unable to withstand the opponent's fierce attack, Wang Pu urgently ordered the city's firearms to attack the enemy.
"Marshal, our soldiers are still fighting on the opposite side..."
The leader, Mr. Qian, couldn't bear to fire cannons to kill his companions, so he had to kneel on one knee and ask for instructions from his superiors.
"If you don't fire, I will cut you off first!"
Wang Pu, who was deeply aware that the situation was not good, could not care so much. He angrily drew out his sword and put it on his subordinate's neck, threatening him fiercely.
Those who achieve great things do not stick to trivial matters and must not be benevolent as a woman.
Cannon fodder in a dead spot doesn't matter, it's better for them to die than to die yourself.
In Wang Pu's eyes, these soldiers who fought desperately were nothing more than worthless things.
As long as you can repel the invading enemy, you can use any method.
Mr. Qian didn't want to die for disobeying orders, so he could only secretly pity his unlucky companions. The main reason was that they didn't find a master they could rely on, and in the end they were killed by their masters with firecrackers.
"boom……"
After the gunners adjusted their angles, the cannons guarding the city began to fire one after another.
Doing so had immediate results, both the enemy and our own soldiers suffered great casualties.
Faced with the sudden bombardment, both sides were completely unprepared, and no less than a hundred people were killed or injured in an instant.
The "Former Jin" soldiers who were bombarded instantly realized that their marshal had lost his humanity and had no regard for their life or death.
The previous counterattack against Heyangmen also collapsed with the beginning of the shelling. No one could accept the attack against their own shelling.
"Run! Wang Pu is crazy! He's killing his own people!"
The "Former Jin" soldiers who no longer wanted to fight immediately gave up their last resistance and rushed towards the main city from the two north and south city head passages.
"No retreat! Fire arrows!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, the supervisory team composed of personal soldiers had to open their bows and shoot to prevent these deserters from rushing over and causing a greater collapse.
"ah……"
Since there were only two entrances to the main city wall, both were tightly guarded by the supervising team. Soldiers who tried to escape were shot and fell to the ground in large numbers.
Almost most of the soldiers who participated in the counterattack did not die in the hands of the enemy, but died in their own shelling and the blocking of the final supervisory team.
On the surface, Wang Pu ordered the artillery bombardment, which seemed to be an effective attack on the enemies who had ascended the city, and temporarily curbed the enemy's strong advance towards the main city.
In fact, the bullets of the "former Jin Dynasty Generalissimo" did a "good thing", which was to completely destroy the already crumbling Heyang Gate.
Under the fierce bombardment, Heyangmen, which had been blasted once before, could no longer support it and began to slowly collapse, eventually turning into a ruin less than seven meters high.
It can be said that in order to preserve the main city of Datong, Wang Pu destroyed his own Daweng City...
Although the main city tower that has lost its outer protection is still protected by the small Weng City, it is obviously in danger.
Xiaoweng City is very close to Yangmen, and the opponent can shoot at it with bows and arrows, and the archery tower is built in the southeast.
"Hmph! Take my city? Wishful thinking!"
Wang Pu was quite proud of his decision just now. It didn't matter if he killed or injured hundreds of soldiers, as long as the city of Datong could sit back and relax.
"Boom...boom...boom...boom...boom..."
As soon as he showed contempt for the invading enemy, he heard violent explosions all around him, and they continued continuously.
Yang Wenyue was very unhappy when he saw that the soldiers who attacked the city were repelled by the defenders not long after, so he had to order the artillery attack.
Hu Dawei also put an artillery regiment into battle. Before, it was just a mortar truck unit.
The whole regiment has three battalions, carrying more than 200 mortars, half of which are spare guns.
In addition to artillery carts, there are also single guns carried on donkeys. This type of firearm must be buried in advance before it can be fired.
The attack on the city head just now gave the mortars of the artillery regiment time to push forward. By the time they reached Heyang Gate, they were already in position.
Since the artillery car itself does not have a body to cover it, these artillerymen who only have a large iron barrel as a projectile weapon can only adopt reluctant tactics.
They all chose to be behind the mound as a launching position, so that direct-aiming weapons would not be able to harm themselves, and the mortars were direct-firing artillery, which would not delay the attack target at all.
The guy who had some energy left dug himself a cannon-proof hole, which made it safer to stay inside. It was almost like a field mouse digging holes everywhere.
Unexpectedly, the other party actually launched an artillery bombardment at Heyangmen from inside. In order to avoid suffering greater casualties, our soldiers had to choose to retreat temporarily. It was the turn of these artillerymen to go into battle.
However, compared to close-range bombardment, in front of numerous mortars, the firecrackers equipped by Wang Pu were not enough.
Under Hu Dawei's order, the artillery began to cover the area within Heyangmen with indiscriminate firepower.
Aren’t you planning to stay with Yangmen?
That's just right. If your firepower is insufficient, we men will help you make up for it!
Hu Dawei's mortar unit can fire forty-three explosive charges in one salvo.
The area near Heyang Gate was soon enveloped in rising flames, and the ground was shaken by the blast for a while, making it very lively.
Since the artillerymen could maintain a high rate of fire in the initial stage, more than 80 explosive packets fell every minute on the Heyangmen side.
Facing the super bullets that were thrown at them one after another, the soldiers of the former Jin Dynasty were all frightened. Some could not withstand such a fierce bombardment and simply chose to flee.
There are also many unlucky people who accidentally encounter explosive packs while escaping. Faced with grenades that can splash in all directions, all soldiers within ten steps of the explosive point will be killed or injured.
In less than five minutes, because a large number of defenders gathered in the east of the city and could not evacuate quickly during the bombardment, nearly 500 soldiers were injured in a short period of time.
The most terrifying explosive package fell near the base of the city where the defenders were gathering. It happened that hundreds of people were waiting here, and more than 40 people were injured and killed on the spot...
Looking down from the top of the city, the center of the explosion was already a charred mess, mixed with black blood stains and stumps. Dozens of nearby soldiers lay sprawled on the ground, shouting hoarsely for help.
The shock and psychological pressure this brought to the defenders was unimaginable. No one wanted to become as miserable as their companions below.
Doesn’t Wang Pu no longer want Heyangmen?
Then don’t even ask for them, including the Wengcheng Archery Tower and the main city tower!
The two towers were not spared from the bombardment. Due to its small size, the Wengcheng Archery Tower was directly blown into ruins.
Although the main city tower was relatively tall, it could not withstand the astonishingly powerful explosive charges. A small half of it was cut off, and the remaining wooden beams were burning.
From the beginning of the war until now, Wang Pu didn't know what kind of firearm could be so powerful. This was an ordnance that was absolutely not available in his own formation.
If it weren't for the help of such powerful firearms, Yang Wenyue would have been unstoppable if he wanted to seize his own Datong City!
No matter what, Datong City must be defended. "Qianjin" cannot lose in the first confrontation with "Baoming".
In Wang Pu's eyes, the Battle of Datong was a battle related to the national destiny of the "Previous Jin Dynasty". Only by repelling the "Ming Dynasty" army could we remain invincible.
If even Datong, the "capital" of the country, was lost, it would be even more difficult to establish a foothold in other places. In the end, he had no choice but to commit himself to Huang Taiji's tent and obey his orders.
Being someone else's subordinate is not as comfortable as being an emperor. You have to learn from Shi Jingtang, Taizu of the Later Jin Dynasty, that the kingly way is right!
While Wang Pu, the "Taizu of the former Jin Dynasty" was being bombed, he was thinking about how to protect the country now that he had chosen the country's name and the capital.
Looking at the situation at Heyang Gate, it was difficult to hold on. If they wanted to continue to hold on, they had to retreat to the gate tower area.
If there is another mistake and the soldiers of "Bao Ming" succeed, the city of Datong will be in danger, so the city tower must not be lost.
It's just that the enemy troops are firing bombs and explosions one after another. Most of the surrounding buildings have been destroyed. The soldiers are trembling and dare not resist lightly.
Hu Dawei had no way of knowing what Wang Pu imagined, but the mortar troops had to shoot out all the explosive packets on hand before they could retreat.
Each gun is equipped with twenty rounds of ammunition, and the forty-three guns can fire a total of 860 explosive packets.
These explosive packets may not be enough to cover the entire Datong City, but if they are only used to bombard the east gate, the effect is very significant.
Based on the logic of the great power of a tiger, even if the rebellious Wang Pu cannot be killed, he can still blast his subordinates to the point of crying and losing their minds.
