The casualties caused by this explosion were more than thirty people, which was much more severe than the first three rounds of bombardment by Yin Liming's army.
"Sir, we can't fight anymore. The Ming army must have used pagan magic. Our artillery has been affected. If we continue to fight, we will definitely suffer counterattacks!" an artillery general begged bitterly.
Any witchcraft is just an excuse for him.
The distance is too far, and it is impossible to avoid the explosion.
"No, let me fire again. Anyone who dares to disobey military orders will be beheaded immediately!" Timur showed no mercy at all.
"Sir, but..." the general wanted to persuade.
Snapped!
There was a crack of whip and it hit the general in the face.
Immediately there was a terrifying bright red scar.
"Shut up! You despicable Turks, how dare you disobey me? If you don't attack Yinli City this time, I'll kill you Turks!" Timur has lost his mind.
When the artillery general of Turkic origin saw this, he did not dare to persuade him anymore and could only obey his orders.
Forced by military orders, the gunners of West Chagatai had to take risks and prepare to reload and fire again.
Just now, Xu Da could see it clearly at the top of Yinli City when the West Chagatai artillery exploded.
"Haha, these Tartar artillery are indeed ineffective. At such a short distance, their chambers will explode." Xu Da said with a smile.
"Sir, should we continue to bombard them and let them see how powerful we are." Ma Zilu asked from the side.
West Chagatai formed an array in the distance. Although the Ming army's artillery was not accurate, it could still hit the array in the front row.
"No, keep the gunpowder and don't waste it." Xu Da said.
Yinli City's gunpowder reserves are now very limited and must be saved.
After the Ming army's artillery stopped, the enemy artillery outside the city began to attack.
boom!
West Chagatai's crudely made artillery exploded again.
Suddenly, the Ming troops in Yinli City burst into louder laughter.
The Ming troops in Yinli City taunted the enemies outside the city.
But in the West Chagatai Formation, it is different.
Terrifying barrel explosions occurred one after another, and the gunners were unwilling to continue firing.
Timur's artillerymen all understood.
At such a long distance, there is less gunpowder to load, and if you can't hit the city wall, you will be beheaded.
If you load too much gunpowder, you will blow up your own body without leaving a whole body.
Many Turkic gunners simply threw away their tools and knelt on the ground begging for mercy.
Even if it is a military method, it is nothing more than decapitation. Once the body is exploded, there will be no whole body.
"Sir, we can't take such risks anymore, our morale is at risk." A general from West Chagatai advised.
"Yes, sir, our military strength is ten times that of the Ming army, so we are not in such a hurry."
"Sir, even if we don't use artillery to bombard the city, we can still succeed if we capture more nearby Uyghurs and let them fill the trenches to consume the strength of the rebel army, and then attack the city again!"
Timur has also calmed down.
Although he didn't care about the life or death of the Turkic soldiers, too many bombs would affect morale.
Many soldiers in Xicchagatai have always been very superstitious. If they bomb their guns one after another, many people will think that they have been warned by God.
"Let the gunners rest for the time being. You guys go and set up sentries around the area. Don't allow any Ming soldiers to escape!"
Timur said.
"As you command, my lord!"
West Chagatai's artillery finally misfired.
After some tossing, the sky gradually darkened.
Western Chagatai began to send cavalry to search the surrounding areas for Uyghur people and their grain and livestock.
Suddenly, there were screams outside Yinli City, and black smoke was rising everywhere.
Seeing that the enemies outside the city were preparing to besiege the city for a long time, the Ming army soldiers asked Xu Da to fight.
"Sir, the general is willing to lead three hundred elite troops out of the city to counterattack the enemy camp and create a lot of chaos." Qi Xiang took the initiative to invite the battle.
"A mere three hundred people, wouldn't it be too risky?" Xu Da was shocked.
"Sir, the three hundred people under my command are all elites, which is enough to ensure that we can come back safely after the night attack." Qi Xiang said.
In Xu Da's army, the three thousand soldiers and horses are basically infantry using new muskets and spears. There are only three hundred elite sword and shield soldiers, led by Qi Xiang, the commander of Yin Liwei. They are considered an elite force that can fight in close combat. .
"Is three hundred people enough?" Xu Da was still a little uneasy.
"Don't worry, sir. As long as we can leave the city at night, the enemy will not be able to detect us, and we can retreat safely after creating chaos!" Qi Xiang said loudly.
"Okay, then I will give you some more fire oil bottles, which can be used to set more fires!" Xu Da nodded and said.
The so-called fire oil is basically a kind of black oil produced in Western Xinjiang, mixed with some viscous substances such as sulfur, and is most suitable for fire attacks.
"I obey my orders!" Qi Xiang said, cupping his fists.
...
In the dark night, Qi Xiang led three hundred elite men to sneak out of the city quietly.
Soon after.
Xu Da saw fires lighting up in the West Chagatai camp outside the city.
One, two.
There are dozens of places.
Obviously, the elite Ming army led by Qi Xiang has reached the vicinity of the western Chagatai camp.
"Fire the gun and blast it as far away as you can!" Xu Da said immediately.
"As you command, my lord!"
Ma Zilu immediately ran to prepare.
In the dark night, gunshots rang out from the top of Yinli City.
The range of the Ming army's artillery far exceeded Xichagatai's imagination.
One by one, the shells hit the vicinity of the West Chagatai Camp, causing the originally panicked army to become even more chaotic.
"Sir, the enemy has a sneak attack!"
"The enemy is making a sneak attack!"
Several Western Chagatai generals rushed outside Timur's camp and shouted loudly.
"Why panic!"
Timur rushed out wearing armor and roared loudly.
In the dark night, Xichahetai did not know how many people Yin Liming's army sent to attack.
He did not dare to leave the camp to catch up. In addition, he was bombarded by artillery. Timur was also afraid of the army bombing the camp.
"Give me the order to retreat two hundred steps and set up camp!" Timur said helplessly.
Several generals hurriedly restrained their troops and prepared to break camp overnight.
As fires lit up everywhere, Qi Xiang and others, who had succeeded in the sneak attack, hurriedly returned to Yinli City.
Xichagatai lit up continuous torches on the camp, and the entire camp was bright, and tens of thousands of troops began to retreat overnight.
"These abominable infidels!"
When Timur saw the elite Ming army running back to Yinli City, he cursed angrily.
If he had known that there were so few enemies, Timur would have sent cavalry to chase them.
After Qi Xiang and others returned to the top of the city, the defenders cheered.
Qi Xiang also looked happy.
"Sir, the general has killed some enemy cavalry!" Qi Xiang said.
Then, a bunch of heads were piled in front of Xu Da.
Each head exuded the stench of blood.
Xu Da was very happy, "Haha, okay, it's so cheap. If you come here a few more times, the Western thieves won't be able to withstand it, no matter how many there are."
Although the results of this night attack may not seem great, it can greatly damage the morale of the enemy.
Timur's army suffered repeated blows, and the Ming army's victory rate in defending the city was even higher.
Maradi port.
I saw five large ships, two in front and three in back, slowly sailing into the port.
The port was already bustling with people. Countless dark-skinned natives, rich and poor, crowded together to watch the excitement, with expressions of wonder on their faces.
"Oh! By Allah, is this a merchant ship from the Kingdom of the East?"
"It's unbelievable. There is no ship half the size of this merchant ship in the entire Southeast!"
"As expected of the Kingdom of Heaven, a few merchant ships are actually built to be more powerful than our warships. It's really amazing!"
】
"Hey, what's the use of a bigger ship? Their merchant ship last month wasn't..."
"Hey! Shut up, stop causing trouble for yourself!"
In the midst of this discussion, five large ships slowly stopped at the port.
In the cabin of a large ship headed by him, Zhou Buxin was wearing a bullfighting suit specially given by the emperor, with a short-winged black gauze hood.
The so-called bullfighting uniform is a scarlet robe with python heads and bull horns embroidered with gold thread to represent the stars and mythical beasts. Such robes are not allowed to be worn by non-official first-class civil servants, but Zhu Yuanzhang thought that they were on behalf of the Ming Dynasty as an envoy to foreign countries in Southeast Asia. This was the special gift given to me.
Zhang Dingbian next to him is much simpler, wearing a golden scale helmet, mountain armor, and tiger-head boots.
The scarlet embroidered gold cannon on the outer cover is simple, but Zhang Dingbian is a military commander, but it contrasts with his majestic aura, which is vivid and vivid.
Behind the two men stood five hundred soldiers, all wearing armor and carrying crossbows. More importantly, each of these soldiers carried firearms!
Zhang Dingbian sighed with emotion: "That is to say, the shipbuilding technology of Ming Dynasty is extremely developed now. Otherwise, in the past, who would have thought that there would be a cabin that can hold five hundred people in this world!"
Zhou Buxin smiled calmly: "I will come to the country tomorrow, and I am unparalleled in the world. No one will be surprised by what kind of ship I can build!"
At this point, Zhou Buxin suddenly changed the subject and got down to business: "General Zhang, do you want to take all these 500 soldiers ashore?"
Zhang Dingbian was a little confused: "What do you mean by this, sir? Of course, all of these five hundred people must be brought ashore. Otherwise, how can we show my Ming Dynasty's might and make the lord of Maradi State fear us?"
Unexpectedly, Zhou Buxin shook his head after hearing this: "If this is really the case, we won't be able to catch big fish. Although the countries in Nanyang are very different in national power, our soldiers are very precious. Why don't we lose them here? Then try not to get lost here!"
Zhang Dingbian nodded slowly: "Mr. Zhou is right. Since Mr. Zhou said this, he must have an idea, so don't sell it!"
Zhou Buxin said without hesitation: "Simple! We can't take all the five hundred soldiers with us. We will only take one hundred. The other four hundred people will stay in this cabin. From now on, they are not allowed to show their faces, and they cannot live on the ship. From now on, , I can only eat dry food every day!”
Zhang Dingbian thought about it for a while before nodding: "One hundred... is almost enough."
Unexpectedly, Zhou Buxin smiled slightly again: "Of these one hundred people, fifty people will pretend to be merchants on the ship. After they follow us ashore, they will stay in Maradi State. We will only take the remaining fifty soldiers to meet the horsemen." The monarch of Ladibon!”
Speaking of this, Zhang Dingbian's eyes suddenly lit up: "Mr. Zhou means... to use those fifty soldiers disguised as businessmen as internal agents!"
Zhou Buxin stroked his goatee with a proud face: "Of course!"
"When we enter Maradi State this time, we have only three tasks. One is to reveal our wealth, the other is to show weakness, and the third is to alert the enemy!"
"When these three things are done, the bait for catching big fish will be completely gone!"
Zhang Dingbian was overjoyed when he heard this and couldn't help but slap his thigh: "Okay, let's do it according to Mr. Zhou's method!"
The two of them had decided on a plan and immediately sent the order. They saw that among the five hundred soldiers, four hundred people immediately dispersed and hid in every corner of the big ship. Fortunately, the ship was big enough, and it was enough for these four hundred soldiers. People are well hidden.
Then, of the remaining one hundred people, fifty more people put on business clothes and took out some rare treasures from the ship as the best products for this trade.
After all relevant personnel were fully prepared, Zhang Dingbian roared angrily: "Sign up and get off the ship!"
So, under the gaze of all the residents of Maradi Port, a huge team of well-dressed people disembarked from the ship.
The leaders were two officials from the Ming Dynasty, one civil and one military. They were holding banners and holding umbrellas at the same time.
Behind them were fifty well-armed elite soldiers, followed by fifty businessmen dressed in gorgeous silks, and finally followed by followers carrying various flags and flags.
Everyone was dumbfounded. This didn't look like someone on an ordinary merchant ship.
The officials responsible for managing Maradi Port were also outside watching the excitement, but looking at this majestic support and the two people wearing the official uniforms of the Celestial Empire, they were dumbfounded.
What's happening here?
He remembered that more than ten years ago, the Mongols were still in power in the Celestial Kingdom. The Mongol Khan at that time also sent his officials here to promote the authority of the Mongol Empire.
This Maradi Port official remembered clearly that at that time, his predecessor, the previous official in charge of Maradi Port, had to spend five years of the port's income to bribe the Mongolian envoy to his satisfaction. .
Although the robes and styles of these two people who came this time were different from those of the Mongols, their ceremonial staffs were unmistakable. They were probably the angelic officers photographed by the Ming Dynasty!
Thinking of this, the port official was very worried. The Ming Dynasty's caravan was robbed three times in a row in the waters of Maradi. Now it's looking for trouble!
Just as the port officials were in a state of confusion, Zhou Buxin also saw him.
There is no way, among so many local aborigines, this one is considered the most luxurious, and he is followed by a large number of servants. This person is probably either rich or noble, and it is him!
Thinking of this, Zhou Buxin no longer hesitated. Anyway, you can't go wrong with him!
Zhou Buxin looked at the port official and shouted loudly: "The Ming Dynasty is the fourth-rank Nanyang ambassador and the fourth-rank general conquering the South. They are envoys to the Southeast Asian countries under the imperial decree of the Ming Dynasty. Where are the officials in Maradi State!"
Zhou Buxin was speaking in Ming Dynasty Mandarin, which the port officials couldn't listen to.
