On the second day of the fifth lunar month, a fire suddenly broke out in Min's house in Xiangyang City. The sound of running water and gongs was heard one after another, making the surrounding neighbors uneasy. Everyone worked together to put out the fire. 6 eight 6 eight 6 read 6 books,.□.≠o
But at the same time, there was chaos near the south city gate. Weapons clashed, cannons were fired, and large and small explosions occurred one after another, making the dark night sky shine brightly red.
There were crowds of people on the parapet wall. The offensive and defensive sides were evenly matched. The captains and soldiers were fighting back and forth. The flags of the Ming army were pulled up one after another and discarded outside. It didn’t take long for the south gate of Xiangyang to open slowly.
Three red fireworks soared into the sky and shot into the sky. They were extremely obvious. They bloomed like petals and took a long time to fade away, making all soldiers and horses within a few miles clearly visible.
"The city gate is open! Brothers, follow us!"
Liu Jinzhong, who had been lying in wait outside the city for a long time, saw that the secret signal for the joint was correct, a fierce battle was going on at the top of the city, and the Xiangyang city gate was wide open, so he immediately led his five hundred elite soldiers to swarm forward.
The general sent him as the vanguard of the attack. As long as he could join up with Wang Shangli, who had previously pretended to be an official army and Tang Tong's troops had entered the city, he would be able to cooperate internally and externally, seize the south gate in one fell swoop, and cover the main force of the rebel army to attack Xiangyang City.
Judging from the current situation, Wang Shangli's troops have lived up to expectations and have opened an attack channel for the siege army. As long as he joins forces with his troops to repel the crazy counterattack of the army and defend the south gate, he will be done.
Behind Liu Jinzhong were three thousand auxiliary troops led by Zhang Nengqi. This unit was the main force in the attack on Xiangyang. Zhang Nengqi also wanted to use this to give his father a great gift, so that his father would think highly of him.
"Kill all the officers and soldiers! There will be rewards!"
After running hundreds of steps before crossing the moat, Liu Jinzhong finally had a new understanding of the defenses of Xiangyang City. No wonder the commander asked to send people into the city first as a detailed operation, and seize the city gate in the early morning, so that he could get twice the result with half the effort.
If we just attack by force, let alone knocking on the city gate, thousands of people will be killed or injured even if they pass through this moat of more than 100 steps wide. The officers and soldiers at the top of the city can completely resist the onslaught of the rebels by waiting for work.
"this……"
After passing through the gate and entering the city, Liu Jinzhong suddenly realized that something was wrong. He couldn't see any of Wang Shangli's subordinates in front of him, not even the people who came to meet him.
Surrounded by elite soldiers he brought, everyone, like the general, was confused for a moment. What is going on? Could it be that he fell into a trick by the army?
"Fire the arrow!"
Suddenly, someone shouted loudly at the top of the city, and nearly a thousand archers stood up at the top of the city. Arrows fell like raindrops in an instant. Because Liu Jinzhong and his soldiers did not understand the terrain and lacked cover around them, they immediately became targets.
The sound of "whooshing" arrows and the screams of the siege soldiers echoed repeatedly in the air. The thieves who were lucky enough not to be shot bumped around like headless flies, but in the end they could not escape the entanglement of fate.
He fell to the ground covering the area where he was hit by the arrow, and watched helplessly as his companions were shot into hedgehogs by the officers and soldiers at the top of the city. It was too late to get up and beg for mercy. When the blood in his body was almost gone, he would die in peace.
"Wang...shang...li...uh~!"
At first Liu Jinzhong thought that he had fallen into a trick by the officers and soldiers, but then he thought about it, maybe Wang Shangli had defected to the enemy after entering the city, and collaborated with the defenders to harm his troops.
Originally, they planned to break into Xiangyang City first, play with the beauties, grab gold and silver, drink wine and eat meat, and feast to their heart's content, but they never expected that they would end up like this.
But there was no time to think about it anymore. Liu Jinzhong let out a sob, then lowered his head and looked at the body with six arrows in his body in shock. Then he fell to the ground and died. c八 c八 cRead c book,.■.o↑
"It would be a shame not to regret the death of such thieves!"
After killing all the hundreds of thieves who entered the city first, guard Yang Shien snorted coldly. These thieves below were the people who wanted to join Wang Shangli.
However, the two of them could never reunite, because Wang Shangli was discovered by Tang Tong as soon as he entered the city. Later, he and more than a thousand of his horsemen were captured alive.
The reason why he is not killed now is because we learned from his mouth that the Gucheng County Magistrate Ruan Zhidian, the patrol censor Lin Mingqiu, and the military supervisor Zhang Dajing were all captured by Zhang Ni and may be used to deliver hostages.
However, this guy came to give a gift. The city was in short supply of horses during the civil war. Originally there were only a thousand horsemen. Now with the big gift from the thief general, the number of horsemen increased to 2,000, and they were able to deal with the thief army outside the city for a while. .
In order to avoid being sentenced to death, Wang Shangli revealed all the signals, and Wang Chengzeng, the prefect of Xiangyang, and the guard Yang Shien agreed to use the plan to kill more thieves to ensure the safety of Xiangyang City.
Regarding defense, everyone came up with countermeasures after some discussion. The north of the city facing the river was the most dangerous, and the possibility of the rebels attacking the city from here was slim, so Wang Ruinan, the military commander of Xiangyang, was in charge.
The west and east of the city were handed over to Tang Tong and Jiang Mingwu. The rebel army in the south of the city was in the main attack direction. The defenders here were personally commanded by local general Yang Shien.
Wang Chengzeng, the prefect of Xiangyang, was responsible for the central dispatch, taking care of the food and grass, and conducting strict investigations on the thieves who might be hiding in the city to ensure that there were no dangers.
"Charge! Whoever enters the city first will get the treasure first!"
The opportunity must not be missed and the time will come. Zhang Nengqi thought that Liu Jinzhong, who had entered the city first, had met Wang Shangli. Since the city gate was not closed yet and fierce fighting was going on at the top of the city, he decided that the battle could be defeated in one battle, so he led the three soldiers. Qian Fubing then rushed over.
Once the brothers inside could no longer hold on, and the officers and soldiers retook the city gate and closed it, then the rebels would have to spend a lot of time to capture Xiangyang. Therefore, this is a critical moment and must be grasped.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Just when the rebel soldiers were about to rush to the edge of the moat, the fire cannons at the top of the city suddenly roared one after another, the fire appeared frequently, and bursts of smoke appeared.
The crowd of rebel infantrymen who were unable to react were pierced by lightning-fast bullets one after another, and were immediately killed with blood and flesh flying everywhere. Dozens of people were killed or injured on the spot.
But this small amount of damage is far from stopping the strong advance of the rebel army. Now that the city gate is wide open and the attackers are about to capture it, everyone will move forward in order to get money and women.
Following the Eight Kings is an extremely dangerous job. You have to live a good life, but you can't die. Being beaten to death by officers and soldiers can only mean that you are a short-lived ghost.
However, there was only one passage across the river, which was far from meeting the needs of the three thousand troops. Most of them could only crowd the moat, waiting to pass later.
Most of the soldiers did not wait to cross the river and enter the city to enjoy the fun and debauchery. Instead, they waited for the huge package falling from the sky. Many people saw the burning fuse and did not know why.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
But the loud noise was accompanied by the rapidly expanding fireball, which knocked down all the soldiers within two feet of the explosion on the spot. The unlucky guy closest to the explosion point was directly sent to the underworld.
Those who were farther away suddenly felt that several small beads had been shot into their bodies. Since they were penetrated through the bones, they were in excruciating pain and rolled on the ground, in agony.
Some people were so shocked that they bleeded from all their orifices. They were lying on the ground with their chest heaving but speechless. Their bodies were twisting like maggots and they had lost the ability to stand or even run.
The soldiers in the distance were slightly injured, but their minds were in chaos, and they were in a daze about the situation in front of them. They began to run around in circles in a daze, and they could not tell the direction for a long time.
The dozens of black shadows falling above their heads turned into deadly weapons in a blink of an eye, blasting the rebels into confusion. They were completely confused and unable to defend themselves. In a short time, hundreds of people were lost.
The main reason is that if the number is less than twenty, a new batch of packages will fall. The power is exactly the same as the previous ones. Even if there is a shield, it can only block the front, and there is nothing to do about the baozha coming from behind.
Moreover, the attacks from the opposite side were very precise, with their landing points being lined up along the moat, and they were extremely targeted. The rebel army was unprepared for this sudden disaster and could not avoid it, so they could only suffer huge losses in vain.
"No escaping! Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed!"
Zhang Nengqi hadn't crossed the moat yet, but he had never encountered this situation before. It seemed that the officers and soldiers were well prepared to blast his troops into a state of disarray.
He boasted in front of his father that he had crossed Haikou and Xiangyang City must be captured. If he turned back, he would be ridiculed by the generals. This was something Zhang Nengqi was determined not to accept.
Even if the city gates are opened and our troops cannot attack, we are too incompetent. Even if we sacrifice the three thousand soldiers in front of us, we still have to conquer Xiangyang City in one go.
"Dog officers and soldiers!!!!!!!!"
The rebel soldiers who rushed across the moat encountered a difficult problem, that is, the city gate was open, but there was a wall inside!
With this thing blocking it, and it was a tight fit, it was impossible to squeeze in sideways, so how could they rush in?
The rebel soldiers who rushed over first were lucky. They couldn't enter the city. At least they could hide in the doorway to avoid the defenders' attack. But what happened later was much worse.
Either they stood directly under the city and were passively beaten, or they were blocked in the passage of the moat, unable to advance or retreat. Most of the so-called powerful offensive suddenly subsided.
"Hahahaha~ It's impossible to enter our Xiangyang! Quickly load various types of fire guns and shoot the thieves!"
Now that he had decided to use the trick, Yang Shien came up with a better way, which was to have the city's skilled craftsmen make a huge shield cart according to the size of the city gate.
The large shield has iron plates inside and is covered with hardwood. As long as you give the order, the soldiers can push the large shield cart and block the city gate perfectly. In this way, after the city gate is opened, no thieves can enter. Inside the city.
The current effect is very consistent with the previous idea. Thousands of thieves were blocked under the city. The visibility was very poor in the early morning. It was inconvenient to command so many people. It was impossible to retreat immediately after encountering obstruction.
In particular, the battalion of special fire cannons retained by Master Hong caused the greatest damage to the rebels. After each salvo, a series of fireballs could be set off in the dark night on the other side of the moat, killing hundreds of rebels.
"Xie Rong! This gun was personally designed by His Highness the Crown Prince. It is incredibly powerful!"
Ding Liang was a general under Yang Guozhu. Before the army set off, Hong Shaobao asked Yang Guozhu to leave a mortar battalion to assist Yang Shien in defending Xiangyang City. It came in handy during this campaign, and he was responsible for commanding the artillery battalion.
"What Mr. Qian said is true. This night is an eye-opener for me. After the bandit army retreats, I will definitely ask for credit for Mr. Qian!"
Yang Shien had never seen a firearm with such a high rate of fire and such power. This type of musket, called a mortar, was unimpressive in appearance, and he had not thought of it before.
It was only because he was a subordinate of Yang Guozhu, the eldest brother of the family, and the prince taught him by words and deeds, that he treated him with courtesy, but in his heart he did not regard his firearms as the main force.
At Ding Liang's repeated request, since the mortars could carry out direct fire and did not occupy the position at the crenellation of the city head, they were allowed to be deployed not far behind the city wall to support the defenders' resistance.
Although Yang Shien looked down upon him a little, Ding Liang had become an industry insider after receiving special training in the capital and knew the power of mortars well.
Before the rebels arrived, they used stone bullets to test-fire outside the city several times, and carefully calculated the range of each set elevation angle, especially on the edge of the moat, and the corresponding killing distance for every five-degree adjustment of the elevation angle.
The main trunks of established trees within the observation distance were painted with white paint, and wooden stakes were pre-buried in places where there were no trees. This made it very convenient to observe the distance between the enemy and ourselves during battle, and allowed the gunners to quickly adjust the elevation angle of the mortar.
Faced with these thieves who threw themselves into the trap, Ding Liang was certainly not polite. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his subordinates to take all the orders. Such a fat fish did not require the help of other troops. The mortar battalion took over all the troops, which was much faster. No matter how many times you hit the net, few can escape alive.
The entire battalion fired a salvo of thirty-six mortars. The visual effects and baozha power were certainly extraordinary. Especially since the opponent was so cooperative and blocked along the moat, it was simply a God-given opportunity.
Seeing the thieves outside the city who were beaten to pieces by zhayao bags and wailing all over the ground, Yang Shien believed that the rate of fire of this gun was second only to the Fo Lang machine, but its power was far beyond it, even more powerful than the heavy fire gun. More than one step ahead.
If hundreds of guns are fired at the same time, even if tens of thousands of horses are killed on the opposite side, they will still be hit head-on. No soldier or horse can withstand thousands of flying iron balls. As long as they are hit in the body, they will be destroyed. Will lose combat effectiveness instantly.
This level of killing is simply not something that flesh and blood can contend with, especially since many thieves are almost all wearing leather armor, which is completely unable to stop the iron beads from penetrating. They are usually beaten together with their armor and others. wear.
"boom……"
As long as a zhayao bag lands in the crowd, it can achieve great results. It doesn't matter how dense the thieves are at the location. Just knocking down ten thieves is enough.
Usually, a single mortar salvo can blow up hundreds of thieves. If you are lucky, just one bomb can disable twenty or thirty people.
After twenty volleys, the thieves who launched a frenzied attack outside the city lost almost half of their troops. The other side of the moat was filled with smoke-filled craters, and countless corpses were lying nearby.
The thieves outside suffered a big loss, and the friends gathered under the city did not fare well. The lethality of the rolling logs, thunder stones, and hot oil dropped from the city at close range was not much lower than that of zhayao bags.
The defenders used bows, arrows and muskets to beat the thieves within thirty steps until they fled. As long as they were injured and could not run back immediately, they would eventually be harvested by the defenders one by one.
Due to their early preparations, the garrison at the top of the city had prepared enough "good things to entertain guests". There were not enough defensive equipment in the city, so they transported all the stones and trees outside the city back in trucks in advance.
With these gadgets alone, Yang Shi'en was confident that he could withstand Zhang's rebel army from besieging Xiangyang for more than five days. Now that there were many mortars to help, he was determined to support Hong Shaobao until he sent troops to return for reinforcements.
He, Zhang Ni, wanted to attack the Xiangyang City he was guarding, but he had to save the lives of 20,000 men first, otherwise he would not be able to take a step forward!
"The wind is so tight~!"
Zhang Nengqi saw that his troops were almost annihilated under the artillery fire of the official army. Even if he tried to attack the city again, he would no longer be able to do so.
After all, both Wang Shangli and Liu Jinzhong had failed. It would be difficult for them to survive alone outside the city. What's more, their soldiers suffered heavy casualties, but Xiangyang City was still solid as a rock.
Amidst the continuous baozha, Zhang Nengqi, who was gnashing his teeth with hatred, shouted loudly and ordered his troops to retreat. He reluctantly ran back to recover his life with less than 500 defeated soldiers. 11... Friends who read books, you can search for "Blue Chinese Network" and you will find this site as soon as possible.
