Jingming

Chapter 507 The King Meets the King

In front of Anda is the trophy sent from the south.

There were quite a lot this time, nearly two hundred Ming army armors, bows, arrows, and muskets.

They paid three times the loss in exchange for only 500 Ming casualties. Except for the nearly two hundred musketeers who were initially intercepted and surrounded, the rest of the dead and wounded Ming troops were taken back to the city.

And looking at these armors and weapons, his mood became heavier and heavier.

For more than ten years, the large and small tribes in the pastures outside the Khan Court were frequently burned and harassed by the Ming army, and it was not that there were no gains at all.

But now these armors and weapons have changed again.

Ming army armor is actually the pinnacle of armor craftsmanship in the cold weapon era.

The armor of mountain lizard fish scales is neatly tied, with pockets, shoulders, arm guards, and belly... The whole set of armor is actually not too heavy and has strong protective power.

And now the armor I see is made of cotton. Not only is it a cotton armor, there is also a layer of cotton felt inside. I only saw warmth from it, but I didn't know that this kind of cotton felt, which was stuffed, soaked and then pressed tightly, also had a good protective effect on musket projectiles at this stage.

Although among the other enemies of the Ming Dynasty, there are currently very few who can use firearms in large quantities.

As for the blunderbuss... In the past battles with the Ming army, there were some that could both fire projectiles and stab. They seemed to call them quick guns.

But today's blunderbuss is different from the fast gun in that the gun head is inserted into the barrel, but is set on the barrel. It does not affect the firing of the musket, and can be stabbed directly after approaching the enemy.

This kind of musket is also different from the previous one. There is something like an eagle's beak on the handle.

I am now sure that this kind of musket should be better than what was used before the Ming Dynasty. I don’t know now whether only the elite guards around their general staff of the Military Affairs Council can equip it, or whether it has been distributed to the border soldiers on a large scale.

Thinking of the appearance of the mine after entering the territory of Khalkha Ten Thousand Houses and subduing them, Anda snorted coldly.

If this continues, it is really possible that the Ming Dynasty will use this method to completely corrupt Khalkha and hollow out the coal and iron from the grassland.

"Use the armor and save the rest. At times like this, only the weapons you are used to are handy!"

I looked at the less-than-heated battlefield, turned around and walked back: "The hard battle is not over yet, please wake me up if something unexpected happens!"

The peasants and slaves carried the soil from far away and piled it up into a slope in front of the city wall, but it was still not within the effective shooting range of the Ming army on the city wall.

The rest of the harassment only serves to contain them.

From the perspective of the defenders in the city, it seemed as if several giant dragons were slowly rising on the plains outside the east and north of the city, and were slowly approaching.

It was not yet the stage for the enemy to set up a shield wall to cover the civilian workers behind them, so Mao Bowen looked coldly into the distance with his binoculars.

It makes sense that the Northerners are not good at attacking cities.

They are nomadic, at least they don't have much experience in city attack and defense in their own internal disputes.

As long as they can go south to plunder, it will not be easy for the defenders to attack the city because they are already frightened.

And piling up earth to attack a city should have been a protracted affair.

Even though there are many people now, it seems that progress is not slow, but with such heavy physical work and so many civilians and slaves, their food must be less. When you are exhausted, you will become slower and slower.

When the pile reached a point not far from the city wall, you could use a long wooden ladder to reach the city wall from the end of the slope. By then, it was already within the range of the Ming army's artillery fire.

Mao Bowen was happy for them to try this extremely labor-intensive method first.

The city wall of Jining is not high, but the power of Ming military weapons is no longer what it used to be.

For such a long time, the only people Anda's men encountered in Mobei were light cavalry sent by the Ming Dynasty for the purpose of harassment.

"Dismantle and transport all the Shenwei cannons to the south and west, let them observe them, do calculations in advance, and then divide the tasks directly and destroy the back road!" Mao Bowen said calmly, "You must wait for my order. Fire again, and the longer Anda is left here, the better it will be for the battle. Make him feel hopeful, but prevent him from really being able to break through Jining City!"

Jining is not an isolated city. There are many defenders in the city. Mao Bowen is here and his will to defend the city is very firm.

Under such circumstances, do I really think that I can conquer this city quickly?

Faced with troops several times larger than our own, there are countless examples of successful defenses that lasted for months.

In Mao Bowen's opinion, apart from being firm in my determination, the rest of my answer was extremely unwise.

Didn't he feel worried or surprised when he didn't see Ming's large-scale cavalry on the battlefield?

……

Mountain of corpses!

Mao Bowen's eyes were about to burst, and he gritted his teeth and said loudly: "Beast!"

Chaos finally broke out in the east and north of Jining City. The first round of Tatar cavalry from both directions was not against the Ming Dynasty, but against the civilians carrying earth and mountains.

No, it should be said to the captive slaves.

At the end of the earth slope, which was only dozens of steps away from the city wall, after this round of "civilians" arrived here carrying the earth, some people may have realized something and began to flee in a hurry.

Then there was a rain of arrows coming from behind.

Then, there are the real civilian husbands recruited from the tribes of the Khan Court. Frightened but numb, they dragged the bodies of the captive slaves from the Western Regions down the hillside and piled them between the slope and the city wall.

The last distance was actually filled by the corpses of these slaves.

Over the years, how many slaves were captured during the Western Expedition?

Although there was chaos in the east and north of the city at this moment, and some slaves were trying to escape, how much energy did they have left after working hard for more than two days?

At the same time, the loud trumpet sound finally sounded.

"Use the blood of foreigners to let Changshengtian see the bravery of his people! Even if they return to Changshengtian's arms, they will all be heroes!"

The Ming army sat and watched as the Tatars piled up the soil dozens of paces away, with only symbolic harassment throughout the process.

It not only caused the Tatars to misjudge the firing frequency of the Ming army's artillery defending the city, but also made them believe that the ammunition and gunpowder in the city were limited and should be reserved at critical moments.

But now the critical moment has come, and the Beilu's first step is to use their own people to sacrifice the flag.

It is not known how the ordinary soldiers of the Ming army were psychologically shocked, but the bodies of tens of thousands of civilians were pushed into the last section of the pit, and then the cavalry who were not afraid of death continued to throw rain of arrows at the end of the slope towards the city wall. .

"To fill the gap with your life? As he wished!" Mao Bowen finally saw An Da's determination and ordered in a deep voice, "After waiting for so long, let them know how deep the last gap is! Beat the drum!"

War drums sound.

There is an array of newly made tiger squatting cannons on the city wall, hitting the horsemen who are gathering at the end of the slope to throw rain of arrows.

The powerful cannon on the fixed turret is aimed farther away.

The projectiles flew towards the captives and the civilians working nervously nearby, splashing blood, flesh, and dust.

"The child of Changshengtian will also be a good son in the next life!"

Among the prisoners who were stabbed by flying shrapnel, someone screamed and jumped into the pit.

It was almost dusk at this time, and the dim sunset came from the direction of the city wall, only outlining their determined figures.

On both sides of the slope were civilians who looked like ants. One by one, carrying a sheepskin bag on their back or pushing a small wheelbarrow, they moved forward along the path that was two people wide. At the bottom of the tunnel at the end, there are people who have died and are still wailing, whether they are people or horses, and the next thing is the soil that has been thrown down from a high place.

There are stones and clods of earth. North of this wall everything is starting to get freezing in this weather.

As night falls, it is indeed suitable for the Qinqi to start such a heroic general attack.

From behind, even the already determined An Da couldn't help but his eyes were slightly warm at this moment, and he murmured: "They are all good men... They are all good men who fight for the future of the tribe..."

Ci does not control the troops. The grassland tribes have been forced into this desperate situation. What can they do if they don't fight hard?

Playing tricks with the Ming army, claiming the east and attacking the west?

Which city is easy to attack? What's the point of just going out and plundering everywhere? Can it change the general trend?

We can only fill it with our lives and let the Han people know that we can't go too far!

The Han cavalry naturally went further north, right?

But so what! As long as they can force the Han emperor back here, can they really control the bitter cold land thousands of miles away?

After all, they have to return to the south, which they are more familiar with. The grassland could only belong to the children of Changshengtian.

Now no one will understand what kind of dilemma the people of Changshengtian are facing.

He replied, this usurper of the throne is worthy of his heart and worthy of the Immortal Heaven!

As night fell, the Ming army's artillery fire was obviously much more violent, but the more violent artillery fire only accelerated the speed at which the last few dozen steps were filled with corpses.

The fiercer the artillery fire, the more broken the flesh and blood, and the more solid the mountain of corpses at a distance of dozens of steps.

On the city wall, Mao Bowen's eyes were scarlet.

If the enemy is not afraid of death, how can he be afraid of death?

Mao Bowen didn't know how Anda used the dual beliefs of Changshengtian and Huangjiao to encourage these subordinates, but at least at this moment, Beilu seemed unstoppable.

"Broken Mountain!"

With an order, several powerful cannons that had not been fired before began to roar.

From a side angle, they began to bombard the shallower area behind the slope.

If that area is destroyed, the number of soldiers who will rush up the slope will decrease and the rhythm will be interrupted.

"The gun barracks are ready!" On the city wall, hundreds of gunmen began to aim at the direction where several slopes extended.

Through the telescope, Mao Bowen could already see dozens of long ladders being carried up. Needless to say, Kuan Ke Zuma was made from local materials on the mountain behind. The Ming Dynasty had no intention of giving up on Xuanning in the Loop, so there was no need to go too far in strengthening the walls and clearing the wilderness.

What's more, we can already defend the city with confidence.

Mao Bowen knew that as long as the captives stepped onto the long ladder, the first batch of people would also be the materials to fill the hole.

It was probably only a matter of time before he was pushed into the city wall.

But Mao Bowen did not believe that once the casualties reached a certain level, the Tatars could still avoid collapse.

This must be a long, hard, and cruel night, but Ming Dynasty will definitely win!

"Rocket car ready!"

This is an improved version of the "swarm of bees" that caused Zhu Di's cavalry to suffer a lot in the Battle of Baigou River as early as the Battle of Jingnan.

In the narrow terrain within 200 steps, the dense "rockets" are enough to make it difficult for the cavalry to move.

This kind of rocket vehicle is now not only an important firepower for the Che Barracks and Shenji Battalion in the Beijing Camp, but also a sharp weapon for the city defenders.

Do you have to fill it with your life? Then you have to pay enough lives.

So what if the hole is filled? No matter how many people there are in Beilu, they can't build a real mountain.

There are a few bridge-like dirt slopes, with only about ten riders facing them.

And how many rocket vehicles can shoot in turns in Jining City?

Add blunderbuss, bows and arrows, and let’s slaughter!

Those who attacked from one direction were mainly bows and arrows and blood warriors.

What came back from the other direction were cannonballs and rockets.

At this time, there is no doubt that a large-scale generation gap in weapons technology has emerged.

Naturally, the Ming army also suffered casualties, but compared to the Beilu, in the city defense battle that they were best at, the exchange ratio was much greater than in the previous field battles.

But no matter what the cost, what both sides need is to achieve strategic goals.

I must capture Jining as soon as possible to make Zhu Houcong's advance and retreat a problem.

Mao Bowen wanted to hold Jining and drag Anda here.

All of this still depends on the final ownership of Jining City.

Zhu Houcong had not slept well for several nights. After arriving at the Fort of Victory, Guo Xun had already led his troops towards Jining. The area around Jinglu's Fifth Fort to the north of Datong was peaceful.

Desheng Fort is located in the middle of Jinglu's five forts. There are four forts and a side wall to the north, and there are also several old side forts and a side wall to the south.

This area is truly a fortress.

It is located in the mountains, which is not conducive to large-scale cavalry maneuvers.

Zhu Houcong is indeed very safe here.

But that was only his personal safety, not the overall gain or loss of Ming Dynasty.

So he didn't sleep well, because the news from the north worried him.

Heaping up earth to attack a city has average efficiency but a lot of casualties.

I led hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and young men to the south. Am I determined to capture Jining City even if I have to lose tens of thousands of lives?

The several orders sent out by Zhu Houcong were all aimed at surrounding Anda.

Although he would not hesitate to sacrifice Jining, if he really sacrificed Jining, in his heart it would be just a tragic victory.

Fighting with one's life, facing such an opponent, and paying a sufficient price can be said to have equal respect.

But Zhu Houcong was not willing to really accept that result.

The night was quiet, the royal chariot was in the castle, and the lamps were swaying.

Zhu Houcong suddenly said: "Meng Jing, what do you think of this battle with me?"

Zhao Zhenji's heart trembled when he heard this, and he thought for a while before replying: "Your Majesty, I think this man can be called a hero. He has the courage of an overlord, but does not have the wisdom of your Majesty."

"Xiang Yu?" Zhu Houcong sighed softly, "So, is this Jining a giant deer or a Gaixia?"

"At the end of the road, it's just a struggle. Of course it's Gaixia." Zhao Zhenji quickly made amends.

No matter what, King Chu Ba was defeated in the end, so that’s fine.

"We haven't reached the point of ambush on all sides yet." Zhu Houcong looked at the lights faintly, "His bravery has reached this point. If he really defeats Jining first, and then uses his power to invade Tucheng, Xinghe, and Maoerzhuang, then he is serious. I have succeeded in breaking the cauldron and sinking the boat, and now I can be forced to draw a clear line."

"Dong Yi Guo has left to the north for reinforcements. Your Majesty does not need to worry too much."

Zhu Houcong thought about Guo Xun with spots on his temples, and after a while he said leisurely: "My luck is really good."

Zhao Zhenji was stunned, wondering why the emperor suddenly said this.

"He was originally the son of a vassal prince, but he was able to inherit the great rule. After he ascended the throne as emperor, all the officials were united in the country. Except for the chaos in Huguang, the new law was successfully implemented. During the two northern expeditions, there were good ministers and strong generals to correct the omissions. If not for good luck, , how can there be only a few waves but such great achievements?"

"...This is because your Majesty is destined to be a scholar, diligent in governing, and selfless for the people!" Zhao Zhenji finally heard that something was wrong and knelt down, "Your Majesty, you must not go north again!"

Zhu Houcong looked at him: "Of course I cherish my life, and I hope to watch the Ming Dynasty go further. But look at it now, I have changed from my normal state, and I am all in a desperate posture. He doesn't want his life, but in Jining City, The generals and soldiers under Duke Yi are all the people of the Ming Dynasty, and I pity their lives after all."

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Zhenji kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Majesty has a body of thousands of gold, and there is absolutely no room for failure!"

"... If I am willing to sacrifice tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of lives, Jining City... may not be able to be defended." Zhu Houcong said this almost to himself.

"If the Tatars really do this, their military morale will collapse! If they do this regardless of the cost, they won't be able to defend it even if they attack it, and they won't be able to pry into other places!"

With such a scale of casualties, how many funerals would need to be dealt with?

Zhao Zhenji believes that such a situation is impossible.

Zhu Houcong shook his head: "It's different... It's different this time... Why should he defend it? If he can break a city and cause Ming Dynasty more than 10,000 casualties, then the army can plunder everywhere. Now, he is barefoot, Daming is wearing shoes..."

After all, it’s the cost.

Once, there may be a second time.

If the war situation this time turns out to be like this, even if Hetao and Xuanning are still roughly controlled by the Ming Dynasty, they will not be truly safe and will not be able to build and develop with confidence.

Confidence is sometimes very subtle.

In terms of planning and governing the country, Anda and his ministers may not be able to compare with Zhu Houcong and the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty.

But this is a battlefield. When it comes to fist competition, in addition to skills, there is also the concept that only the brave can win.

I'm using desperate tactics to force Zhu Houcong to put down his strengths and lower himself to the level of just competing with him in martial arts.

He couldn't afford to lose, and Daming actually couldn't afford to lose either. At least for Zhu Houcong's grand plan, this battle cannot be defeated, nor can it just be a miserable victory.

We must win decisively and thoroughly.

“There’s no better opportunity than this.”

The two kings finally came to the same conclusion. Zhu Houhuang took a deep breath: "Taizu and Taizong can come to the front line in person, so why not me? The appearance of my dragon flag in Jining is enough to make me Crazy variables!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Zhenji trembled, "Think twice! Think twice!"

"The arrows I shoot are better if I pull them out with my own hands." Zhu Houcong laughed, "For more than twenty years, I have no regrets in my heart and the Ming Dynasty! Since I have no regrets, you can believe in everything I have cultivated with my own hands. Duke Yi, despite his old age, can still rush to the battlefield. Doesn't it show that I trust people in my employment? I didn't order his generals."

Zhao Zhenji had a lot to say, but he didn't know where to start at the moment.

"The Beijing camp is ahead, and there is nothing wrong with going to Jining." Zhu Houcong stood up and said, "Let's go without further delay. It's time for me and this opponent to face each other face to face."

When two kings meet on a narrow road, they will know the true king.

Even at the level of martial arts that least requires direct comparison, why should Zhu Houcong be afraid of him?

Being an emperor in this life is an opportunity that I never imagined.

He has laid the foundation for everything in Ming Dynasty.

Now there is no need to think about whether God will continue to be on his side. Zhu Houcong just feels that the glorious Ming Dynasty should have such a fearless and scornful victory.

In such a victorious situation, as an emperor, besides reading the battle reports on paper from behind, why not actually go to the battlefield in person?

Lu Bing, who came after hearing this, looked at Zhu Houcong for a long time. He had not looked directly at the emperor like this for a long time since he was a child.

After a while, he said directly: "I will give you the order right now!"

　I wish you all good luck in the Year of the Dragon, may heaven and earth work together, and may everything go well!

　　

　

(End of this chapter)