The inner city of Kaifeng is filled with Jurchen men aged fifteen to sixty, and at the foot of the city wall are Jurchen women and children.
The men held swords, guns, bows and arrows to prevent the enemy troops from ascending the city, while women and children pulled ropes, operated trebuchets, and fired cannons outside the city.
As the former capital of the Song Dynasty, Kaifeng has a majestic city with a very grand palace complex. However, due to the fierce fighting between the Mongolian and Jin armies, the city has almost turned into ruins.
The Jin army was trapped by the Mongolian army for half a year. Not only did they consume a lot of food, but the houses in the city were either burned down or demolished. The wood was used to make fires for cooking, and the stones were polished and used as cannon stones.
Not only the houses in the outer city, but also the palaces in the inner city.
The Jin army lost a large number of equipment in the outer city, and many of the trebuchets in the inner city were built by demolishing the beams and columns of the palace.
Early in the morning, the well-fed Mongolian army set up a formation in the outer city. After the trebuchets were dismantled, they were transported into the city and set up in the streets and courtyards of houses.
A large number of Mongolian troops stood in the streets and dilapidated houses, waiting for the commander's orders.
At this time, Subutai rode his horse to the front, then dismounted, and together with the surrendered general Cui Li, climbed to the roof and looked at the city.
This roof used to be a restaurant, and its height was exactly the same as the city wall of the inner city. When you climb up, you can see the situation at the top of the city.
Cui Li frowned, "Marshal, it seems that the movement last night has indeed restored some morale of the Jurchens. Look, this city is full of people!"
Subotai glanced at him and told Cui Li clearly, "I don't care about this, you must capture the inner city today!"
There is no water or food in the city. If the siege lasts for a few more days, they will have to kill people for food. By then, they will definitely be defeated in one attack.
Cui Li did not want to attack by force now, but the Mongols were worried about the direction of Guanzhong and Nanyang and asked him to attack the inner city at all costs.
"I accept my order from my humble position!" Cui Li saw that he was not on stage and gave the death order, so he could only salute and accept his order.
Subotai patted him on the shoulder, "This morale cannot be used as food. Even if the morale of the Jurchens in the city is high, they have been hungry for so many days and have no strength. I believe that as long as you exert your strength to attack, don't think about it. As long as we preserve our strength, there will be no problem in taking over the inner city."
Cui Li quickly clasped his fists, "Yes! I understand this humble position!"
Subotai nodded, "When the inner city is captured and the Kingdom of Jin is destroyed, I will commend you to the Great Khan for your achievements. At that time, I will make you a Shihou and leave this part of Henan to you to manage."
Cui Li's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he couldn't hide the joy on his face. He saluted quickly, "Thank you, Marshal, for cultivating me. I'll go prepare now and make sure to win Kaifeng."
After finishing speaking, Cui Li hurried down and walked through the fog-shrouded streets to make preparations for the attack.
On the top of the city, Emperor Wanyan Shouxu of the Kingdom of Jin put on his armor and came to the city tower in person to take charge.
Yesterday, reinforcements appeared outside the city, giving the defenders in the city a glimmer of hope. However, they also knew that the Mongolian army did not withdraw despite the approaching reinforcements. The Mongols might launch a crazy attack before the reinforcements arrived.
Therefore, early in the morning, under the call of Wanyan Shouxu, more than 100,000 Jurchen soldiers and civilians in the inner city went into battle to participate in the defense of the city.
"The reinforcements are approaching Kaifeng!" Wanyan Shouxu said: "The enemy will inevitably launch a fierce attack. As long as we block the enemy's attack and the reinforcements continue to approach, the Mongols will have no choice but to retreat."
Many Jin army generals nodded, Wanyan Chenglin said: "I understand!"
At this time, the sound of bugles came from outside the city, and Wanyan Shouxu immediately stood up. He stood up so hard that he felt dizzy for a moment, but he quickly stabilized his body and said in a deep voice: "Okay! The Mongolian army is about to attack, you guys Each one will go to guard the divided city wall, and I will personally lead the Zhongxiao Army to provide reinforcements at any time."
"Yes!" Many golden generals saluted one after another, then pressed their swords and left with a little sway in their steps.
When Wanyan Chenglin came to a section of the city wall, he first tightened the hemp rope around his waist to reduce his hunger. Seeing this, the soldiers behind him also followed suit and tightened their waists with ropes.
There was no food in the city, the war horses had long since eaten, and everything with leather in the army was cooked and eaten.
After tightening his belt, Wanyan Chenglin felt a little better. He walked to the city wall and looked down at the city.
Early in the morning, there was a layer of mist in the city. Wanyan Chenglin was standing at the top of the city when he suddenly heard the sound of heavy footsteps.
Wanyan Chenglin frowned, raised one hand, and shouted in a low voice, "The enemy is about to attack the city, so brace yourself and prepare the trebuchets behind the city!"
A subordinate quickly walked to the wall, leaned out and shouted to the artillery group on the back of the city wall: "The enemy is about to attack the city. The artillery group is loaded and ready to fire!"
The women and children sitting on the ground on the back of the city wall quickly got up when they heard the sound. Under the command of the lightly wounded men who were able to fight, they put the cannon stones into the leather sheaths, then pulled the rope with all their strength, and only waited for the order to fire the cannon stones.
At this time, the men at the top of the city were standing by the wall with bows and arrows, bows and arrows drawn, aiming at the city.
Wanyan Shouxu stared at the figure in the mist, and his expression suddenly changed. He was shocked to see that there were nearly a thousand Jurchen people walking in the front.
Cui Li surrendered to Mongolia, opened the city gates, and allowed the Mongolian troops to enter the outer city. The defenders in the city hurriedly withdrew into the inner city.
Because the incident happened suddenly and the Mongolian army entered the city too quickly, not all the Jurchens retreated into the inner city. Many who were unable to enter the city in time were captured by the Mongolian army and Cui Li.
At this time, nearly a thousand Jurchen people were forced to go ahead by Cui Li's troops. Among them were white-haired old men, women with babies in their arms, and children of seven or eight years old. They were all frightened and trembling, and their faces were pale.
Behind them, there was a group of soldiers holding swords, shields and carrying ladders to climb the city. They crouched and hid behind the Jurchen people, urging the Jurchen people forward.
"Cui Li, I am your ancestor!" At the top of the city, Wanyan Chenglin yelled and punched the wall, causing blood to flow out.
The bows and arrows were raised at the top of the city, aiming at the golden soldiers below the city. When they saw that the people walking in the front were their own people, they couldn't help but lower their arrows, not knowing what to do.
"Marshal, the enemy is using our subordinates as targets. Can we shoot?" the Jin army at the head of the city asked in panic.
In fact, when the Jurchens invaded the Central Plains, they did a lot of this kind of thing, and even went too far.
Wanyan Chenglin had a dark face and gritted his teeth. He couldn't decide for a moment. When the general next to him saw this, he couldn't help but said: "Why don't you humble yourself and ask for your Majesty's instructions?"
When Wanyan Chenglin heard this, he waved his hand and said without hesitation, "If you don't ask your majesty for permission, if you enter the shooting range, shoot!"
If Wanyan Shouxu was asked for advice on this matter, it would make it difficult for Wanyan Shouxu to do it. As the emperor of the Jin Kingdom, he could not give an order in public to let his soldiers shoot his own people. He could only do it by his subordinates.
At this time, the Mongolian army drove the Jurchen people close to the city wall. Cui Li couldn't help showing a proud look when he saw that his subordinates passed through the area bombarded by the defenders' artillery stones without losing a single soldier.
On the roof, Subotai saw this and admired Cui Li even more. He said to the people around him: "Cui Li is a ruthless man. He can be used as my Mongolian vicious dog. He is worthy of reuse."
At the city tower, Wanyan Shouxu noticed something unusual under the city and asked, "The enemy is approaching the city wall, why haven't the artillery batteries fired yet?"
A general ran over and said, "Your Majesty, Cui Li used our subordinates as a shield to escort the people close to the city wall."
Wanyan Shouxu was shocked and didn't know how to respond. The Mongolian army led the people to attack the city. If the defenders did not attack, the Mongolian army would rush to the top of the city. All the soldiers and civilians in the city would be destroyed, and the Jin Kingdom would also be destroyed.
At this time, Wanyan Shouxu couldn't help but get up anxiously, walked quickly to the city wall, and looked at the situation below the city, feeling extremely anxious.
Faced with this situation, naturally one cannot hesitate and must shoot the arrow, but as the emperor of the Jin Kingdom, Wanyan Shouxu cannot give orders easily.
Just when he was extremely anxious, the artillery group behind the city suddenly fired. With a flick of the pole, there was a rain of stones. At the same time, the defenders at the top of the city also roared and shot arrows.
The huge boulder fell into the crowd, smashing the people in front and the Mongolian troops behind them into a pulp. When the defenders at the top of the city shot arrows, they consciously avoided the Jurchen people in front, but a large number of people were still shot down by arrows.
Seeing this, Wanyan Shouxu felt relieved in his heart, but his face was full of pain and grief. He cried bitterly, "Don't hurt my people! Don't hurt my people!"
Swords and arrows have no eyes, Wanyan Shouxu did not order to stop shooting, he just said not to hurt the people, but the Jurchen people were mixed between the two armies, and those who could avoid being hurt would soon be dead and injured.
When Cui Li saw the defenders on top of the city, he immediately drew his sword regardless of his own status, then pointed forward and roared loudly: "Attack!"
He gave the order, and the Mongolian army slashed down the Jurchen people in front of them with their swords, then charged towards the city with shields and ladders.
All the Jurchen men in the city, in addition to the seriously wounded, the lightly wounded soldiers were also bandaged and climbed to the top of the city to defend.
At this time, facing the attack of the Mongolian army, the hungry Jurchen soldiers reluctantly cheered up and prepared for a bloody battle.
"Soldiers, our reinforcements have arrived near Kaifeng. As long as we repel the enemy attack, we can wait for the reinforcements to relieve us!" Wanyan Chenglin shouted loudly, making the final mobilization.
Under the city, as Cui Li shouted orders and the attack horn sounded, the Mongolian troops carrying various siege equipment rushed out from various streets and houses.
The infantrymen of the Mongolian army ascended the city. They rushed to the inner city under the rain of arrows from the city. The archers from the city head fired downwards. The arrows missed and whizzed at the Mongolian army. The Mongolian soldiers raised their shields in surprise, and the arrows missed and fired with crackling sounds. On the shield, a series of "嚚!嚚!嚚!" sounds were made.
The inner city is no better than the outer city. There is no moat, so the Mongolian infantry can rush directly to the city.
Some of them carried ladders and rushed forward, while others used shields to form a shield wall under the city. A large number of archers hid behind the shield wall and fired arrows at the top of the city. The dense arrows were like locusts and they shot towards the top of the city, overwhelming the city. The defenders above could not lift their heads.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the soldiers carried the ladders and the ladders rushed towards the city like a tide. After approaching, they quickly set up the ladders and the soldiers climbed up slowly.
"Smash the rolling stones and wood!" After the Mongolian army arrived at the city, they entered the blind spot of the defenders at the top of the city. Wanyan Chenglin immediately roared.
Hearing the order, a Jin sergeant raised a stone and risked getting up. But as soon as he exposed his body, an arrow was shot from the city, hitting his chest. The soldier screamed and fell down the city with the stone and the man.
When Wanyan Chenglin saw this, he immediately roared, "Shoot the sky-shaking thunder to suppress the enemy archers."
The artillery group behind the city heard the order, and several of the artillery carriages took out two of the few remaining thunder mines, and then fired them quickly.
There were two loud "booms", and the Mongolian army archers outside the city took a moment to move. The Jin army at the top of the city immediately raised stones and smashed them down, knocking down the Mongolian army who had climbed halfway up.
The Jin soldiers poured gold juice and hot water into the city, and there were screams on the siege ladder. The Mongolian soldiers jumped off the ladder in great pain.
For a time, the attacking Mongolian army suffered heavy losses, but Cui Li was determined to die. In order to get the reward from Mongolia and become a prince, he continued to invest his troops.
The Mongolian army's attacks continued undecided. Under their crazy attacks, Mongolian troops began to rush to the city walls at several locations.
The Jin army on the city mustered up their last courage, and the two armies fought fiercely, fighting for their lives, but only blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the color of the sky and the earth changed.
Subotai stood on the roof and saw the defenders fighting bravely. A Jurchen was stabbed in the chest by a scimitar. He burst out with his last strength and fell down the city wall with the Mongolian soldiers in his arms.
"Originally, this inner city could be easily captured, but Zhao Taiyi made it possible for the Jurchens to see hope. Now the Jurchens guarding the city are like crazy, causing me to lose so many soldiers!" Subotai saw the tenacity of the Jin army. He resisted and couldn't help scolding Zhao Tai.
At this time, the attacking Mongolian army suffered heavy losses, but Subutai did not order the withdrawal. Time was urgent, and the Mongolian army could only attack the city at any cost.
When Cui Li saw that Subotai did not give an order, he could only grit his teeth and supervise the battle, "The defenders have been without food for many days. No matter how high their morale is, they are not full. They can't dance their swords and guns, or draw their bowstrings! Soldiers, let me continue to charge. Who will go first?" If you capture the city, you will be rewarded with thousands of coins."
Under Cui Li's supervision, the Mongolian soldiers charged regardless of casualties. The huge casualties made the attacking Mongolian army red-eyed.
At this time, the Mongolian army continued to invest troops. The Mongolian army had already charged into the city regardless of casualties. Soon, there were mountains of corpses and rivers of blood under the city wall.
Cui Li's judgment was correct. Zhao Tai sent Wanyan Chengde to the gates of Kaifeng City to create noise, which gave the defenders confidence and restored a certain morale. However, it did not change the fact that the defenders in the city were without food.
Fighting is a strenuous job. If you don't have enough food, you won't be able to wield your sword or gun, or draw the bowstring.
The battle lasted until noon. Although the defenders in the city resisted desperately, hunger made them lose their strength.
After a fierce battle for a long time, many soldiers could no longer lift their swords. They were slow to lift the stones, and the swords used to slash at the Mongolian army began to lack strength.
One of the defenders struggled to lift the stone, and just as he was about to smash it down, a spear was stabbed directly into his head from the chin, and the soldier was carried directly off the top of the city.
At this time, the Mongolian army jumped into the city. A desperate Jin army wanted to hug the Mongolian army and jump down the city together. He rushed over and hugged the Mongolian army's waist, but he had no strength and could not hold him.
The Mongolian army reacted and kicked him over. Behind him, the Mongolian soldiers jumped onto the city head one after another.
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Chapter 343 Battle of Kaifeng (7) Free to read.
