In the morning of October 22, the eighth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, and the first year of Chu Chengshun.
Wuchang City.
Wearing double armor, Gao Zheng rushed forward with quick steps, glancing left and right as he rushed back, shouting from time to time: "Quick, charge forward, don't stop!"
When he crossed the filled moat and came to the city wall that was still filled with smoke and dust but had collapsed into ruins, he glanced left and right and said loudly: "Those in front just climb up and seize the top of the ruins. Be careful to guard against the enemy." Counterattack with firepower!"
"The Musketeers are ready to follow and are ready with suppressive fire at any time."
"Wang Paozi in the back, hurry up, a few people are carrying a guy weighing 200 pounds and running so slowly. He eats so much every day that it all goes into the dog's belly!"
While commanding his troops, Gao Zheng also struggled to climb toward the top of the ruins.
After this section of the city wall was blasted, the entire city collapsed into ruins, which were still several meters high.
The power of the demolition explosives cannot blow the entire city wall into ruins. It can only directly collapse the originally tall and straight city wall that no one can climb. However, the sand, gravel and soil that make up the city wall itself are still there, still blocking the soldiers of the Home Guard Army. Progress.
However, such ruins can already allow soldiers to climb relatively easily.
After all, climbing a mountain is easier than climbing a dozen meters high without even a point of strength and having to rely on a long ladder.
Now Gao Zheng wanted to lead his troops to quickly climb to seize the commanding heights at the top of the ruins, and block the expected Ming army's counterattack from a high position.
This was his first time to participate in an assault operation as the deputy commander of an assault battalion, and he was also leading a battle group of more than 200 people alone. The success of this operation could not fail.
If you succeed, you will have a bright future in the future. The epaulette on this shoulder will definitely need to add another star. It is very possible to ascend to the high position of regiment leader in the future.
Gao Zheng, whose parents were both dead and who was once called a fool, joined the bandits without hesitation when the Baoxiang Army left Luyang County.
After turning into a thief, he quickly gained the attention and training of his superiors because of his good attitude, hard training, and good academic performance in literacy classes.
By the time of the Battle of Yuzhou, he had already served as captain of the main force, the First Division, and participated in the war. After the war, he was promoted to deputy sentry commander based on merit.
After the Baoxiang Army implemented the military rank system, he was awarded the title of lieutenant.
Later, he went south to Xiangyang with the army, and participated in a series of battles against Anlu Prefecture and Hanyang Prefecture. During this period, he was promoted to sentry commander, deputy battalion commander, and was awarded the rank of captain. During this period, he also participated in refresher courses while on the job.
After Luo Zhixue founded the country and proclaimed himself emperor, a large number of people were promoted due to the continuous expansion of the army and to ennoble heroes.
Gao Zheng was also promoted during this wave of military expansion and became the deputy commander of the Fourth Infantry Regiment, with the rank of major.
Because this person is a heavy armored spearman, he dares to fight hard when fighting, and he is very good at commanding heavy armored troops in hand-to-hand combat.
Therefore, this time when Wuchang was stormed, the Baoxiang Army followed its past practice of drawing elites from the entire army to form an assault battalion. Gao Zheng was also selected to serve as the deputy battalion commander of the first assault battalion.
Although the assault battalion is only a temporary combat establishment and will be disbanded after the Battle of Wuchang and the soldiers return to their original units, the main officers of the assault battalions will be promoted after the war.
After all, the work done by the assault battalion is very dangerous. If you rush to the front, the possibility of casualties is higher.
For soldiers to do such dangerous work, the superiors naturally need to provide corresponding rewards, otherwise the soldiers selected into the assault battalion will have some opinions.
The captain and deputy captain of the previous cross-river commando team were all promoted after successfully crossing the river.
The captain was still his fellow countryman Gao Quan, also known as Gouzi. Before the war, he had the rank of lieutenant colonel, but after the war, he was directly promoted to colonel.
Now he has been transferred to the fifth division as the regiment commander.
Gao Zheng also wanted to copy such a successful path, accumulating undisputed military exploits for himself through a surprise attack, and finally succeeded in being awarded the title of lieutenant colonel, achieving the rank of colonel, and becoming the leader of the main regiment.
With expectations for military success, Gao Zheng commanded more than 200 people under his command to climb in the ruins, and soon rushed all the way to the top of the ruins.
However, the expected Ming army counterattack did not appear, but hundreds of Ming troops were seen coming in panic on the right side.
"These pseudo-Ming troops reacted too slowly!" Gao Zheng only glanced at it, with a hint of disdain for the Ming troops on his face, and then shouted: "Wang Paozi, hurry up and bring me the cannon!"
"The Ming soldiers are coming. If you don't come, I will marry your mother and let you call me daddy!"
A young man with the rank of lieutenant behind him and several subordinate gunners were climbing hard while carrying a 200-pound light cannon. He ignored that his right hand had been scratched by a sharp stone and shouted to Gao Zheng above him: "Gao Tuan." Although you are my commander, you are not very interested in being my father!"
"I'm coming up right now."
After shouting, Wang Paozi shouted again: "Work harder!"
When Wang Paozi and several of his subordinates lifted the 200-pound artillery piece over a huge boulder, they kept cursing: "Damn it, it's all Liuzi's soft-footed shrimp. It's only halfway up." Just slip and fall and break your leg, but you also drop my cannon and roll it down again, what a damn unlucky thing!"
As he said that, he looked back at Liuzi who was dragging a broken leg behind him but still struggling to climb up the ruins. He immediately shouted behind him: "Liuzi, you bastard, if your leg is injured, leave it to me." Wait, if you’re like this and you still slap the shit out of me, just wait behind me and I’ll do it myself, you fucking imitate me!”
"Mom, I worked so hard to teach several gunners that they don't have to fire artillery in person. That's good. It's only been half a month since they had to go into battle in person!"
While Wang Paozi was cursing and climbing to the top of the ruins while carrying the cannon, Gao Zheng glanced at the blood stains on his right hand and frowned slightly: "You bastard, the soldiers haven't even seen you yet, and you're going to embarrass me?"
Gao Zhengdao: "Your gunner is disabled. You have to shoot this gun yourself. Is there anything wrong with your injury?"
Wang Paozi grinned again: "It's okay, even if you scratch the stone, it won't hurt!"
As he spoke, he tried to raise his injured right hand, but as soon as he raised it, he couldn't help but grit his teeth, and his right hand began to tremble. However, he still said to himself: "Oh, don't mention it, it hurts more than being bitten by a mosquito." A little bit, but don’t worry, Gao Tuan, it won’t affect the artillery fire, there are other people loading and other things, I just aim and fire, this little injury won’t bother me!”
After hearing this, Gao Zheng did not hesitate and pointed directly at a group of Ming soldiers on the right: "That's good. Have you seen the hundreds of Ming soldiers on the right? The distance is just right now. You can give them a hard blow. It will save you money." They are thinking of rushing over!”
Wang Paozi said: "Gao Tuan, please take a look!"
After saying that, Wang Paozi began to direct several gunners under his command to fix the artillery and load it.
Gao Zheng on the side looked at Wang Paozi's right hand that was still bleeding, and immediately said to the soldiers beside him: "Get the medical soldiers to bandage him!"
The gunner under Wang Paozi quickly fixed the two-hundred-pound short robe and quickly loaded it. After Wang Paozi squatted and took aim, he immediately shouted: "Get ready to fire, the gun position is not stable." , everyone hide away!”
After waiting for several comrades nearby to get out of the way, Wang Paozi directly lit the fuse on the artillery. With a loud noise, smoke rose and at the same time, a large number of iron beads and shrapnel formed by the shot fired by the artillery also shot towards Fly forward.
As the shrapnel advanced, it gradually expanded in scope, forming a barrage invisible to the naked eye, which directly enveloped a group of Ming soldiers about a hundred meters away.
Suddenly, more than ten people from this group of Ming soldiers fell on the spot.
"Okay, it's not in vain. I sent you Wang Paozi to the assault camp. Let's fight like this. Hurry up and reload!"
After Gao Zheng finished speaking, he immediately looked away from the gun emplacement and said to the other people around him: "Musketeers, are you ready? When they rush over, don't rush to shoot. Wait until they get close before shooting!"
"Someone is coming from the right wall, just rush up and defeat them!"
More than two hundred people led by Gao Zheng rushed to the top of the ruins immediately, and the Ming army actually responded in the process.
Although they were frightened by the explosion, and the explosion also caused heavy casualties to more than a hundred Ming soldiers on the top of the city wall and behind the city wall, some nearby Ming soldiers were stunned after the initial attack.
After seeing a large number of infantry from the Baoxiang army rushing up, the nearby Ming army, led by their generals, rushed towards the ruins of this section of the city wall.
On both sides of the ruins, there were actually soldiers coming from the top of the city wall and trying to counterattack.
The assault battalion soldiers on the left and right sides also used their muskets to fight back. At the same time, a group of heavily armored assault battalion soldiers had climbed to the top of the intact city wall on the right, waving swords, spears, and lifts directly. Rushed over with muskets fired.
The mission of the assault battalion is not just to occupy the top of the ruins. They also need to advance towards the top of the still intact city walls on both sides after climbing the ruins to block the Ming army's counterattack.
When twenty or thirty soldiers of the Baoxiang Army Assault Battalion climbed up the intact city wall on the right and killed dozens of Ming troops in front, the battle entered an incandescent stage.
The Ming army, which had just reacted, was unable to stop the Baoxiang Army assault battalion soldiers who were armed to the teeth, and all of them were wearing armor. The spearmen and sword and shield bearers were all heavily armored Baoxiang Army assault battalion soldiers. Many people were killed and injured in a short time, and the remaining The people below had to flee towards the rear.
This scene was also seen by several senior civil and military officials of the Ming army at the top of the city in the distance.
One of the middle-aged red-robed officials, Zeng Daoyou, the chief envoy to Huguang, looked panicked: "We can't retreat. This retreat will be the end of the world. Quick, let them rush forward and make sure to block the gap!"
"Anyone who retreats without permission will be killed immediately!"
"Where are the reinforcements? Why haven't you come up yet?"
"Quick, rush forward for me and stop these damn thieves!"
