In the Ming army camp, Gao Jie looked in pain, but he did not dare to say a word.
A quarter of his team had been killed or wounded and the team was on the verge of collapse.
If he hadn't made a big deal for his generals, promising that after victory, he could get an official position in the Ming Dynasty.
From then on, they ceased to be rebels and became officers and soldiers.
These people also know that they are in the Ming army's camp, and if they dare to resist, there will be no good end.
Gao Jie's army can barely hold on now, but if the casualties are greater, it will definitely collapse.
Jin Guo noticed the way Lu Xiangsheng looked at him and thought that Lu Xiangsheng was planning to let him attack Mengjin County.
He stood up directly, knelt down on one knee, and said with a sad expression: "Master Lu, our army really can no longer attack the city.
One-third of the soldiers have been killed or injured, and everyone is close to collapse and unable to go to the battlefield again.
Even if you chop off my head, they won't go to the battlefield again.
Forcing people like us to go to the battlefield will easily lead to camp roars. "
Jin Guoqi also wanted to make meritorious deeds, and he could clearly feel that the resistance against the rebels in Mengjin County was getting weaker and weaker.
As long as he works harder, he is likely to obtain a great military merit.
But there is really no way now, the soldiers under his command are close to collapse.
If they were asked to attack the city again, a task with extremely high mortality rate, the army would probably turn back and attack.
Lu Xiangsheng could also see that these traditional Ming armies were close to collapse.
His glance just now did not mean that Jin Guoqi's troops would attack the city again.
The camp roar really occurred, which made the siege tactics ineffective, and the rebels in the city had a chance to escape.
His hard work in besieging the city for so long was in vain.
Even if Mengjin County is captured and Li Zicheng is not captured or killed, the war will not be considered complete.
Lu Xiangsheng looked at Gao Jie and asked, "General Gao, what do you think of the rebel situation in the city?"
Gao Jie replied tremblingly: "Master Lu, Li Zicheng purchased more than two million taels of firearms from the thief in yellow.
The thieves in yellow were extremely evil when selling firearms, which led to the shortage of firearms in Mengjin City.
We captured the Yellow River again, and the yellow-robed thieves' cargo ship was unable to sell firearms to Mengjin County.
The firearms in the city were used less and less.
Based on the intensity with which Li Zicheng defended the city, I estimate that there are not many firearms left in the city.
From the fact that the rebels did not use a large number of grenades and explosive shells during our siege this time, it can be seen that their firearms have reached the bottom.
Another point is that the rebels did not have many raw materials for making gunpowder.
Especially sulfur, you have to buy it from thieves in yellow at high prices.
Now I predict that the rebels in the city may not be able to produce gunpowder.
The cannons on the city wall don't have cannonballs, but they can also fire shotguns using stones and iron sand.
The cannons of the thieves in yellow are of excellent quality. Many of the cannons have just been purchased and are not easily damaged.
Now the firing frequency of the city's defensive cannons is extremely low. I speculate that they are out of gunpowder. "
Lu Xiangsheng nodded, and he agreed with Gao Jie's guess.
He discussed with Sun Chuanting about attacking Mengjin County.
Sun Chuanting looked at this situation and said: "We can try to launch a general offensive. The rebels have very few explosive shells and grenades left.
These two weapons are the most lethal to our army.
There was no gunpowder for the cannons at the top of the city. We almost rushed to the top of the city several times.
This is not like the anti-thief's strategy of luring the enemy. "
"Then we will launch a general offensive tomorrow to test the situation of the rebels in Mengjin County.
If there are still a large number of firearms in the hands of the rebels, we will continue to besiege the city and consume the firearms in the hands of the rebels.
If the rebels don't have many firearms, they can launch a general offensive and capture Mengjin County.
The court's battle against our two armies took a long time in the small county of Mengjin County.
Many officials criticized us, saying that we wasted money and wasted money to support the bandits. "
Lu Xiangsheng is also preparing to launch a general offensive.
It was really difficult to achieve something in Ming Dynasty. There were countless people holding him back.
…………………………
Li Zicheng looked a little crazy when he saw the Ming army's massive attack.
"Cannon, blast me with explosive shells."
Li Guo stood aside and said cautiously: "King Chuang, we attacked Gao Jie a few days ago and have used up all the explosive ammunition.
Now only the solid iron balls and shotgun shells are left, but the gunpowder is also running out. "
Li Zicheng pulled out his knife and split the table in front of him in half.
“You can’t make flowering bullets, and you can’t make enough gunpowder.
Go tell those craftsmen that they can't produce gunpowder, and I'll kill them all. "
Li Guo frowned and said, "King Chuang, craftsmen can prepare gunpowder. The gunpowder we used before was prepared by these craftsmen.
But the main problem now is that there is no raw material for gunpowder.
Charcoal is relatively plentiful, and there are plenty of rolling logs and firewood in the city.
Nitrate can also be produced by using manure to pile nitrate, but sulfur is too difficult to handle.
There is sulfur here in Henan, but our stored sulfur has been exhausted and sulfur from outside cannot be transported in.
It is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, and even the gods cannot make gunpowder without sulfur. "
Li Zicheng raised the knife in his hand and looked at the Ming army who had rushed to the city.
They were blocking with artillery, but here in Dongcheng, only three or four artillery opened fire.
The other artillery pieces were intact, but without gunpowder, the artillery pieces were just scrap metal.
“If we can’t prepare gunpowder, we’ll kill a batch first.
Let these craftsmen think of a way. If they can't think of a way, they will kill a batch a day. "
Li Zicheng stood on the top of the city with his old battalion soldiers.
“These firearms are not good, they rely too much on external objects, and they will fail sooner or later.
The Chuang army must use their own strength to defend this city. "
Li Zicheng regretted extremely that he had listened to the praise of his subordinates and was dazzled by the victory.
If he could withdraw from the city in time and lead his troops to the mountains, there would be hope for him to rise again.
By the time he realized that the situation was wrong, the Ming army had already laid siege to the city.
Li Zicheng looked at the extremely strong golden juice on top of the city.
There are also soldiers holding crossbows and preparing for the invasion.
He, Li Zicheng, can defend Mengjin County with only this traditional method. He must defend it.
…………………………
When Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting saw the rebels in Mengjin County, the frequency of firearm firing had been reduced to a minimum.
The rebels have begun to use traditional rolling logs, stones, gold juice, and bows and arrows to defend the city.
Sun Chuanting said with a smile: "It seems that the rebels have no gunpowder and they are using this traditional method to defend the city.
We will definitely capture Mengjin County today and try to capture the king of intruder Li Zicheng alive. "
Lu Xiangsheng ordered: "Tianxiong Army, launch a general attack!"
Sun Chuanting happily sent an order: "Guan Ningjun, once again show your strength, the general attack begins."
"Master Lu, let's compete to see who can rush into Mengjin County first."
“Let’s compare, this war lasted for almost a year.
If the thieves in yellow hadn't supported these rebel thieves, I would have taken it down long ago.
The thieves in yellow are the most serious concern of the imperial court.
After we wipe out the rebel thieves and cultivate for a period of time, we will face the thieves in yellow. "
"Master Lu, don't worry too much. The soldiers will stop us, and the water will cover us.
I believe that the princes in the court do not want to see the thieves in yellow sweeping the Ming Dynasty, and they will definitely give us some support. "
Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting still had time to discuss how to deal with the yellow thief in the future.
Tianxiong Army and Guan Ning Army have launched a general attack on Mengjin County.
The Hongyi artillery brought by the two armies continued to hit the city wall of Mengjin County.
The city walls made of reinforced concrete were extremely hard, and the power of these cannonballs did not even make a small crater.
The artillery shells were directly bounced away, and some even hit the Ming army that was attacking the city.
Seeing this situation, the Ming army's artillery no longer dared to fire artillery to attack the city.
Knowingly knowing that the soldier was holding a loaded musket in one hand and a ladder in the other, he was facing the bows and arrows of the intruders.
They rushed towards the Mengjin city wall.
A large number of ladders were directly stuck on the Mengjin city wall.
The Tianxiong Army and the Guan Ning Army roared and marched on the ladder to attack the top of the city wall.
A musketeer climbed halfway up, and he saw a soldier from the invading army crawling out of the city wall, preparing to shoot an arrow.
It leaned directly on the ladder and fired lead bullets from the guns in both hands.
After the soldier was shot, he screamed and fell against the city wall.
The golden juice in his hand fell on the city wall and splashed everywhere.
The Ming soldier who fired the gun was hit by a rolling log and fell from the ladder. His life or death was unknown.
Lu Xiangsheng watched the Tianxiong Army attack the city. A large number of Tianxiong Army were hit by the defensive weapons of Mengjin County on the ladder.
Those who fell to the ground were constantly hit by rolling logs and rocks. Except for the extremely lucky people, no one could survive.
That's what siege is like, it takes several times more casualties in exchange for final victory.
The current siege situation is very beneficial to the Ming army.
As long as there is more force and the Ming army reaches the top of Mengjin County, the morale of the rebels will inevitably collapse.
Fierce drumbeats continued to sound, and the Tianxiong Army and Guan Ning Army launched waves of charges.
With each charge, they were closer to reaching Mengjin County.
This made the morale of the Ming army soldiers extremely high.
All the Ming army generals felt that they could capture Mengjin County as long as they worked harder.
The invading army on top of the city became extremely frustrated.
Their military strength was originally insufficient. They were able to defend Mengjin County before because of the powerful firearms purchased from Hanzhong.
Now that the gunpowder has been used up, even the craftsmen who made the gunpowder were killed by King Chuang.
They now only rely on traditional bows and crossbows to defend the city.
The number of people was not as large as that of the Ming army, and the people in the city could not be allowed to help defend the city.
These people hated them so much that they even held knives to their necks, but they would not defend the city.
Once they make a big fuss on top of the city, they will definitely lose.
Li Zicheng saw several Ming soldiers coming up on the city wall in front of him.
They scaled the walls and immediately opened fire.
"Li Guo, kill them quickly, don't let the Ming army climb the city wall."
The artillery was out of gunpowder, but the rifle corps still retained a certain amount of gunpowder.
Li Guo heard King Chuang's order and immediately used rifled guns to attack the Ming army who climbed the city wall.
When he first started doing this, it worked very well.
However, as more and more Ming soldiers climbed onto the city wall, the soldiers defending the city retreated steadily.
You can't pose much of a threat to Li Guo's rifle team.
"King Chuang, our old brothers will escort you, and let's rush out of Mengjin County together.
We can no longer defend this place, and there is no way to drive the Ming army off the city now.
When the invading Ming army opens the gates of Mengjin County, we will not be able to escape. "
When Li Zicheng saw that nothing could be done, he immediately took Li Guo and the soldiers from the old camp to prepare to rush out of Mengjin County.
If they can survive this time, they have earned something. If they cannot survive, that is God's will.
Liu Zongmin was guarding the south gate, and Li Zicheng and others were preparing to meet him at the south gate.
As soon as they arrived at the south gate, they saw intruders and shouted in a panic: "The city is broken, the Ming army has entered."
Li Zicheng stopped an invading soldier and asked, "Have you seen General Liu Zongmin?"
"General Liu Zongmin, he was shot to death by the Ming army."
"What?"
Li Zicheng was shocked. He did not expect Liu Zongmin to be killed by the Ming army.
"King Chuang, the south gate has been occupied by the Ming army. Let's break out from the west gate."
Li Guo saw that Li Zicheng looked a little dull, so he immediately pulled Li Zicheng and ran towards the west gate.
They came from the east city gate. The north city gate was a fort, and it was still on the river. They didn't have a boat, so they couldn't escape.
The south city gate was occupied by the Ming army again. Now the only way to survive is to rush out from the west city gate.
When Li Zicheng and others ran towards the west gate.
The Ming army that rushed in from the east gate and south gate had already controlled the situation at the city gate.
They were the first to capture the cannon on top of the city.
The Ming army then rushed into Mengjin County and attacked all the invading soldiers with weapons.
As soon as Li Zicheng ran to the West City Gate, he saw an elite Ming army opening the West City Gate.
Carrying muskets, they had defeated the invading army guarding the west city.
When Li Guo saw this situation, he knew he had to fight hard.
A large number of Ming troops have already poured in from the east gate and south gate.
If they could not break through the west gate, they would be blocked in Mengjin County by the Ming army.
In this small town, there is no way to hide, and you will be caught sooner or later.
Li Guo shouted loudly: "Whether we can survive depends on the next battle. Everyone mounts their bayonets. We will fight the Ming army."
The riflemen led by Li Guo fired a volley at the approaching Ming army.
The Ming army on the opposite side also discovered them, and the musketeers of the Tianxiong army fired back.
The Chuang army and the Ming army suffered casualties from each other, but the Ming army's musketeers continued to be replenished.
Due to the destruction of the city, the invading army had lost its unified command, and there were only less than a few hundred musketeers left around Li Guo.
The general of the Tianxiong Army encountered fierce resistance from the rebels, and he immediately realized that he had encountered a big fish.
Ordinary rebels will never resist fiercely after the city is broken.
"Bring the cannon over here and let me blast it."
Tianxiong's army fired at each other with muskets, but they could not do anything to Li Guo's musketeers, and the two armies fell into a stalemate.
The general of the Tianxiong Army immediately dragged the cannon over, loaded the cannon with shotgun shells, and fired directly at the anti-traitor formation.
Li Zicheng saw the Ming army dragging in cannons, but they could not escape.
During the stalemate between them and the Ming army, the Ming army from other directions had already attacked here.
The Ming army's artillery fired, and dense iron eggs flew towards the Chu army's formation.
Li Zicheng's pro-army troops immediately surrounded Li Zicheng, and they used their bodies to help Li Zicheng block the shells.
After the sound of the cannon, Li Zicheng's body was dyed red. He didn't know if it was his blood or the blood of the new recruits.
Li Guo's musketry team and the soldiers from the old camp who broke into the camp suffered heavy casualties after being bombarded.
The Ming troops who came in from the four city gates have gathered here, and they launched an attack at the same time.
Someone recognized Li Zicheng and did not attack with muskets and cannons.
They prepared to capture Li Zicheng alive and sent people to attack with swords and guns.
Li Zicheng swung the sword in his hand and killed dozens of people until he was exhausted and captured by the Ming army.
Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting had smiles on their faces when they received the news that the Ming army had completely occupied Mengjin County.
Lu Xiangsheng asked: "Are you sure you want to capture Li Zicheng? Alive or dead?"
"Master Lu, he is still alive and has been tied up by Wu Hua Da Da."
"Immediately send someone to take him to the capital. Emperor Chongzhen can't wait to see Li Zicheng.
The army immediately blocked Mengjin County and never let anyone in the city go. "
Lu Xiangsheng eliminated the largest rebel bandit in Henan.
A relaxed smile appeared on his face, and Henan finally calmed down.
To the west of the Ming Dynasty military camp, Gao Jie's face was ashen.
When he was sent to attack the city, the troops suffered heavy casualties.
When they perform meritorious service, they are sent to the outermost areas and receive no credit at all.
He suddenly saw a group of extremely embarrassed Guan Ning Army cavalry in front of him. They were running towards here on horseback.
There was still a command flag on the horse's head, and he was not wearing any armor.
At first glance, it was the messenger of the Ming army. Looking at his frightened expression, what happened?
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