King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 502 The city is broken

Repairing the city wall before dawn is undoubtedly an outrageous request.

But under Tibur's butcher's knife, everyone in the city was mobilized and all kinds of materials were sent to the collapsed city wall.

After discovering the intentions of the Junggar people, Zhu Jinghong immediately ordered the guards to dispatch troops to carry out fire strikes at the gap.

Today's artillery is equipped with wheels, and each artillery is specially equipped with two horses to pull it, so the transfer speed is very fast.

Less than two seconds after the military order was given, three or five artillery pieces appeared in each gap and were loaded as quickly as possible.

But before they could launch, all the people working on it ran away, even the people who were supervising nearby.

No one wants to be beaten to pieces by the Ming army's artillery at the next moment.

But it would not work without cultivation. After learning about the situation, Tibur sent his own guards to supervise, and forced the young men to work in the gap.

The requirement given by Tiebul is that everyone only needs to go to the collapse site twice, and they can stop going today.

In this way, the young men were finally stabilized and began to climb up the city wall one after another.

Most of them were carrying stones or other objects. Anyway, they only had one purpose, which was to fill up the collapsed areas with objects.

But in fact, it is difficult to achieve this goal, because each gap is at least seven or eight meters wide, and filling it up is definitely a big project.

The most critical issue is that the Ming army's artillery has begun firing.

Just like this, during the battle between the two sides, the time came to the next day.

After a night of fighting, not only had the collapsed city walls not been repaired, but two places continued to collapse from both sides due to cannon bombardment.

Zhu Jinghong got up early in the morning and rode around Hami City. Finally, he decided to adjust his main attack to the west wall.

The two collapsed locations on the west wall are only a hundred meters apart. As long as these two locations are captured, the siege will be mostly completed.

Of course, while attacking these two gaps, the attack on the city wall must also be carried out.

This also means that the time for the general attack has arrived.

As Zhu Jinghong's military order was issued, the four North Guards and the four Beijing Camps began to adjust their deployment, and the entire camp began to move west of Hami.

It was a definite fact that the Ming army was going to attack in the west, so Tiebuhr also adjusted his forces and moved the main force to the west wall.

Next, the Junggar side is still working hard to repair the city wall and build a second line of defense within the damaged city wall.

Zhu Jinghong was aware of these situations, and he made corresponding arrangements.

Time came to noon, when all the ministries were deployed and making final repairs before the general attack, Zhu Jinghong came to a temporary camp.

Here, hundreds of heavily armored sergeants are waiting.

The so-called heavy armored sergeant is a soldier wearing two layers of iron armor, with a load of more than forty kilograms.

These people are the "first comers" selected from the four northern guards, and all of them can be regarded as the best in the army.

Among the twenty thousand soldiers, more than two hundred people were selected. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are one in a hundred.

With two layers of heavy armor on their bodies, not to mention ordinary crossbows, they can also defend against fire blunderbuss fire. These people can be called humanoid tanks.

Of course, in front of the real humanoid tank Zhu Jinghong, these people behaved extremely obediently.

"Everyone, you will lead the general attack today. If you survive, you will be rewarded with three hundred silver coins. If your son is dead, you can attack hundreds of households!"

Raising the wine bowl, Zhu Jinghong said solemnly: "This is the guarantee I, Zhu Jinghong, have made. You can absolutely rest assured!"

No one doubted Zhu Jinghong's promise, so after hearing the three hundred taels of silver reward, everyone at the scene became extremely excited.

Three hundred taels of silver was their salary for almost fifteen years. This reward was worth everyone's efforts.

What's more, even if he dies in battle, his son can still get a hundred households, which is a completely profitable business.

Zhu Jinghong was indeed heroic enough, but if the emperor knew this news, it would definitely make his heart bleed.

Each person was rewarded with 300 silver, so for the 200 people present, it was 60,000 taels of silver. This was really too fast a way to spend money.

"Everyone, I would like to wish you a triumphant return!"

"cheers!"

As Zhu Jinghong drank the wine in one gulp, everyone present also drank from the big bowl, and followed Zhu Jinghong's example and smashed the bowl to pieces.

"Stand at attention!" Baihu, the leader of the team, issued the military order.

All the soldiers stood neatly, their eyes became particularly determined, and they had completed their transformation into killing machines.

This operation was led by four hundred households. Zhu Jinghong also made a promise to them. After the victory, they would be promoted to two ranks and sent directly to the Beijing camp to serve as Qianhu.

He was promoted two levels to four levels in a row, and four people were promoted at the same time. This only happened during wartime.

"turn right……"

"go ahead……"

At the command of the leader Baihu, these soldiers were taken away one after another, and they would be taken to the planned attack position.

The time came to two-quarter noon, and there was still half a quarter before the attack time.

All units of the Ming army were ready, and the cloud chariots and ladders were also in place, placed 200 meters away from the city wall.

Under yesterday's fire attack, a large number of artillery pieces on the southern city wall of Hami were destroyed, and Tibur deployed troops from other city walls overnight.

This resulted in a shortage of artillery on the west side of the city wall, with less than three remaining.

Of course Tibur can redeploy artillery, but in fact there are only seven or eight that can be used, and it is of little significance to transfer them around.

Behind the Ming army's position, a high platform was built again, and Zhu Jinghong already appeared on the high platform.

To his left and right stood the deputy governor Liu Fang, the military censor Liang Qian and the eunuch Huang Qing.

Everyone looked solemn, because no one could predict whether the next battle would go smoothly.

"Commander, the time has come...it's time to give the order!" Liu Fang reminded.

Of course, the order for the general attack must be given by the coach Zhu Jinghong.

So when Liu Fang said this, the people responsible for delivering the order also looked over, waiting for Zhu Jinghong's gesture.

"attack!"

Zhu Jinghong said these two words very calmly without shouting at the top of his lungs.

Military orders were conveyed using semaphores, so it took less than a minute for the order to enter the palace and the order to attack to be conveyed to the North Fourth Guards.

The four guards acted as planned. The artillery and catapults began to suppress fire, while the cloud carts and ladders also began to advance forward.

As for the two hundred selected warriors, they also moved forward slowly under the protection of large shields.

In fact, such a battle cannot fully demonstrate the combat effectiveness of the Northern Four Guards. After all, fire gun shooting is of little use in siege.

But even so, these Ming Dynasty's most elite troops maintained high-spirited combat effectiveness at this time, pushing forward despite shelling and arrow rain.

The muskets were not completely useless at this time. For example, the soldiers standing on the cloud cart used muskets to shoot at the city wall, which also played a certain suppressive role.

But after all, they were attacking a city, and the attacking side was naturally at a disadvantage, so the North Four Guards continued to suffer casualties.

These troops were all trained by Zhu Jinghong. To be honest, he would feel bad if one of them died, not to mention the constant casualties.

This is the time to test the general's determination, but it is also a competition of will between the armies of both sides.

In fact, compared to the casualties of the Ming army, more people died on the Junggar side. These troops were all stared at by the supervising team before they risked their lives to push against the city wall.

Seeing the Ming army getting closer and closer to Yun Che, and listening to the explosions and wails coming from time to time, the young men of Junggar who were forcibly conquered were on the verge of collapse.

Soon, the cloud car was pushed to the city wall. As the door panel was lowered, the Ming army with full armor rushed towards the city wall.

"To make great contributions, kill now...kill!" The hundreds of households leading the team were shouting.

The Hundred Households level is the smallest unit for a large corps to fight, so each attacking team is led by a Hundred Households, followed by the chiefs and deputies of the Thousand Households to supervise the battle and plan the merits.

The soldiers of the Ming army fought their way up the city wall. They were highly motivated and dared to fight, and they soon gained a firm foothold on the city wall.

Then, with them as the center, more soldiers passed through cloud carts and ladders and began to climb up the city wall very quickly. Everyone knew that they must hurry up. After only about two moments, three sections of the west city wall were occupied, one of which was close to the collapsed city wall.

This means that this army can support heavily armored troops in ground attacks.

At this time, the heavily armored troops have also arrived at the combat position. They will serve as sharp knives to tear open the enemy's defense line, allowing the troops following them to break in smoothly.

The fighting on the ground battlefield will obviously be more cruel.

At this time, on the high platform, Zhu Jinghong and others were holding telescopes and observing the situation on the front line.

"We can break the city today!" Liu Fang said with a smile.

As a battle-hardened veteran, Liu Fang has always been very stable. Even he made such a judgment, which shows that the city is indeed stable today.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong was particularly calm.

But his eyes were still focused on the troops entering the palace on the ground. At this moment, a hole had been opened in one of them, allowing the following troops to pour into the city in large numbers.

"Captain Liu, we are celebrating in Hami City tonight, so you and I need to drink a few more drinks!" Zhu Jinghong said with a smile.

Hearing this, Liu Fang smiled and said: "Your Highness has heard a lot, and I just want to learn a lesson today!"

At this time Huang Qing interjected: "Director Liu, you have to be careful. If you are drunk, no one will take care of you!"

While several people were chatting casually on the high platform, two women were observing with telescopes on the roof of a carriage not far away.

"Both gaps have been penetrated, and Hami's defenders are too incompetent..."

Staring at the situation in the distance, Nuomin made a very straightforward evaluation, but received no response from Qiqige.

So she put down the telescope and turned to look at Qiqige, only to find that the latter was observing the high platform with the telescope.

Qiqige's camera was indeed aimed at Zhu Jinghong.

"Sister, what are you doing?" Nuo Min asked knowingly.

Qiqige answered straightforwardly: "Look at the man!"

Nuo Min was stunned for a moment, then said immediately: "You... you are also the daughter of a country, how can you say such vulgar words!"

Qiqige didn't have time to pay attention to Nuomin's little thoughts, and just listened to her calmly say: "I found... I do like him a little bit!"

"Like? You are enemies, how could you like him!" Nuo Min was very surprised.

Although there had been some misunderstanding before, the misunderstanding had been clarified, and Nuo Min knew that there was no love between them.

"It's just a national feud!" Qiqi said, straightening her hair.

"My father has been killed by traitors. I am no longer the daughter of the Junggar Khan. Now we don't even have any national hatred!"

Although this statement is outrageous, Nuo Min thinks it makes sense after thinking about it carefully.

Qiqige turned around and asked with a smile: "So, why can't I like him? Is it because you like him, so I can't like him?"

Having said this, Nuo Min was really speechless.

"I think my sister Bao, the current Princess Xiang, won't be so domineering!"

"you……"

Seeing the good sister she admired in the past turn into such a "rogue" now, Nuo Min felt indescribably uncomfortable.

"Ignore you!" Nuo Min walked away directly.

In fact, she also knew that she was not qualified to stop Qiqi Ge from expressing her love. After all, even Princess Xiang was not qualified to do so.

But why am I still feeling uncomfortable?

In fact, Qiqige also knows the answer to this question. This is what is called "jealousy" in the novel.

Not to mention the quarrel between the two girls, at this moment in the Hami City position, the Ming army soldiers had successfully broken into the city, and a large section of the west city wall had been occupied.

At this time, the usefulness of muskets became apparent. After occupying the favorable terrain, the Ming soldiers began to use muskets to kill the enemy.

The standard three-stage shooting, while ensuring the continuity of firepower, severely suppressed the counterattack of the Junggar defenders.

However, the most important thing is that the sweeping lethality of the muskets is a great shock to the Dzungar soldiers.

They can still continue to fight at this moment because the only remaining veterans are in front, and their numbers are running out.

Even so, these people can continue to attack because Tibul personally supervises the battle.

But even Tibur himself was on the verge of collapse at this moment. He stood on the top of the city and drew his saber, preparing to personally participate in the final counterattack.

"Sir, the north gate has been broken open by rioters. Soldiers and people are fleeing... We can't stop it!"

After hearing the news conveyed by the North Gate guard, Tibur's expression remained unchanged, but he shouted: "Warriors, protect your home and country, today... come with me to attack!"

"kill!"

Tibur personally led the troops to charge. This scene was indeed very tragic, but unfortunately it was destined to be the behavior of a moth flying into a flame.

The Ming army had established a foothold on the city wall and inside the city. When they saw another counterattack by the Junggar army, they all calmly pulled the trigger.

Continuous gunshots rang out, and Tibur, who was rushing in front, was hit in the neck and fell to the ground even though he was protected by a large shield.

The Ming army's shooting continued, and with the death of Tiebul, the Junggar soldiers immediately dispersed.

And this collapse triggered a larger-scale rout, and in an instant there was a complete rout.

The defeated soldiers fled in all directions, while more Ming soldiers entered the city and continued to use their muskets to gain military glory.

At this moment, in the North City, a large number of young men and broken soldiers were squeezing out. Leaving the city had become their only hope for survival.

They didn't even care anymore. They didn't have anything to eat or drink after leaving the city. They would also be dead by then.

What's even worse is that the cavalry from the two guards in the Beijing camp are rushing here, and their purpose is also to reap military glory.

As long as there are people with weapons among them, they will all be treated as enemies.

It is foreseeable that a larger-scale killing will take place inside and outside Hami.

"Thirteenth Master, is the court here to kill people, or is it here to promote kingship?"

In front of Zhu Jinghong, Qi Qige asked this question.

Just now, she saw through the telescope the moving Beijing cavalry, rushing towards the fleeing people.

She understood what these people were going to do, so she stood up to stop them.

If she wants to avenge her family, she must accumulate her own strength. In her opinion, the people of Hami can win over her.

"If the people of Hami are massacred, Junggar will no longer have a peaceful leader, and both soldiers and civilians will fight to the death!" Qiqige said the simplest truth.

Zhu Jinghong was not a person who liked to kill, let alone killing good people to take credit, so he ordered: "Send orders to all ministries not to kill indiscriminately!"

How could the imperial army do such evil things if they were dignified and upright... Zhu Jinghong thought to himself.

With his words, a senseless killing was indeed avoided, but the cleaning battle in the city continued.

Time soon came to afternoon, and when the sun set in the west, all the fighting was over.

The city has been placed under martial law, and young men and women have been recruited to collect the corpses and repair the damaged walls.

Zhu Jinghong himself, surrounded by a group of generals, entered the city from the south gate of Hami City.

He did not rush to the official district, but went to the west of the city to pay homage to the souls of the fallen heroes.

In this siege battle, a total of more than 760 people from the Northern Four Guards were killed, and the bodies of these people have been decorated.

"stand at attention!"

Under a Qianhu password, the large number of soldiers who were busy at the scene all stood at attention. Then they realized that Zhu Jinghong had arrived, so they stood up straighter one by one.

He should have felt great after defeating him, but when he saw the corpses covering his face in front of him, Zhu Jinghong's mood became heavy.

"Poor bones by the Wuding River, they are like people in a spring boudoir dream..." Zhu Jinghong murmured in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)