King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 599 Fire in Changyuan City

Let's say that the various North Korean ministries fled down the mountain, the majority of the troops were heading towards Changyeon Fortress, and Pu Jundae was heading north with his cronies.

The reason why he left the main force was because Park Jundae's mentality was completely broken. He did not think that North Korea had any hope of winning, so now he just wanted to return to his family. Only in this way could he feel at ease.

Unfortunately, his escape was not smooth. There were a large number of Jurchen cavalry scattered at the foot of the mountain. These people had been waiting for the retreat to arrive.

Because Pu Junda and others went north, they encountered the Jurchen cavalry first. In order to survive, they had no choice but to go south immediately, and then blended into the large fleeing army again.

It was easy for the Jurchen cavalry to pursue these rout troops, but there were too many rout troops in North Korea, and they fled in all directions, leaving them in a hurry.

Fortunately, these cavalrymen were highly mobile, making it difficult for the North Korean soldiers to escape. Even if they could escape, it would be dark soon and they would not be able to survive the severe cold in the icy and snowy weather.

Therefore, there is only one way to survive, and that is to retreat to Changyuan City.

Park Jundae quickly realized this, so even if he didn't want to go to Changyeon, he had to do so in order to live to see his parents.

When they arrived at the foot of Changyuan City, the city gate was already crowded with broken soldiers, and at this time the defenders showed no sign of opening the door.

Pu Junda laughed angrily. He had probably guessed that he had escaped those generals first and put all the responsibility on him after returning to the city.

With Pu Jun standing on the platform, the guards following him began to suppress the scene with whips. Under the force of force, the defeated soldiers began to line up.

Changyuan is a small city, and its city wall is only more than five meters high. It is very easy for everyone to climb, but this also means that it is easy to be captured.

Although Pu Junda is relatively junior, he is always at the forefront of defending against enemies and has high prestige among the defenders of Yuandong Mountain, so most people at the scene will listen to his words.

The rope was just lowered from the city wall, and you had to climb up yourself if you wanted to survive.

"kill!"

This sudden change confused the defenders on the city wall, so they all took up arms and were on guard.

Pu Jun's rapid rise, and his strength beyond ordinary people, is also a very important factor.

"Stop it..." Pu Junda scolded.

Therefore, there is only one way at the moment, and that is to take advantage of his subordinates and Yuandongshan's defeated troops to directly escape the sanctions.

The Jurchen cavalry chased the defeated troops everywhere, but did not approach the city wall because the Korean defenders would fire arrows at them.

"Am I timid in the face of battle? Am I treacherous and harming the country?"

Park Jundae wanted to escape, but because most people recognized him, he was unable to do so.

The soldiers who were pressed down with him had similar thoughts at this time.

His words brought the defeated soldiers of Yuandong Mountain together, making these people think that Shangguan was going to punish the deserters, so they really felt panic.

At this time, Park Jundae and others were seriously injured. They had no way to resist at this time and could only wait for death like fish on the chopping board.

"These rebels are afraid of sneaking into the city... They are also working as internal collaborators with the Ming army. Kill them!" Baihu, the leader of the team, roared.

If someone else yelled to stop, Park Jundae and others would definitely not be able to be saved.

Night had fallen at this time, and although there were many torches lit around, the lighting conditions were very poor, and the swaying firelight added murderous intent to the scene.

As soon as the hundreds of families gave the order, the two sides immediately started fighting. Because their military uniforms were similar, it eventually turned into a melee.

Pu Junda was also tough and didn't even groan when he was beaten, which made the hundreds of families who captured him even more resentful.

In the next life, I will never take part in such nonsense again, and stay in the lap of my parents and fulfill my filial piety... This is Pu Junda's last thought.

About ten minutes later, the chaos was suppressed by another commander and his troops, and hundreds of corpses were already lying on the scene.

"Brothers, they are trying to frame us. If you want to live, fight them off with me..." Park Jun roared angrily.

And his personal guards all drew their swords at each other at this moment, making the situation on the scene suddenly tense.

Understanding this, Pu Junda knew that even if he was innocent, he would not have a chance to complain...

But just when the butcher's knife was about to fall, a sharp voice rang out: "Stop... Your Majesty has an order not to kill indiscriminately!"

Pu Junda directly punched, knocking down the two soldiers holding him, and then slashed at the leader Baihu with a knife.

"Everyone lines up and gets on one by one... If you keep pushing, they will all die!"

Even though his rank is not high, he is from the second class of nobles, so he is put in charge of such a key task.

There were only about twenty ropes, but hundreds of people were crowded at the scene. Fighting broke out for the first place, and the situation became extremely chaotic.

The leader of the army, General Zheng, was from the two squads. Those young generals were his sons and nephews, so he was naturally willing to help his own people and sacrifice Pu Junda, an outsider.

Pu Jun was naturally taken down, and then he was tied up by the hundred households who captured him, and whipped with a whip in an attempt to discourage him.

The soldiers lined up individually, and Park Jundae and his party also joined them, and everyone climbed up the city wall in an orderly manner.

After a while, the man got tired from the beating, so he ordered people to take Pu Junda and others to the city, and behead them directly for escaping from the battle.

So Pu Junda was able to board the city safely, but before he could take a breath, he was captured by more than a dozen soldiers.

Just listen to the leader of the team, Bai Hu, say: "On the order of General Zheng, I will arrest you, a person who is timid in the face of battle and a treacherous person who harms the country!"

"What do you mean? What do you want to do?" Pu Jun yelled angrily.

The latter retreated quickly in haste, but the blade of the knife pierced the armor, but fortunately did not hurt his body.

Then these people lost their minds and drew their swords one after another to confront the defending army.

"Fuck you..."

The Crown Prince Li Xuan, as the person with the highest status in Changyuan City, his words are undoubtedly very weighty.

"Your Majesty has an order, and the matter has not yet been clarified. Do not kill indiscriminately!"

The eunuch who delivered the message came to the center and looked at the commander present with a serious expression.

After a brief silence, the man replied: "Yes!"

Then he waved his hand and the soldiers who were guarding Pu Junda retreated, and then Pu Junda stood up tremblingly.

The eunuch walked up to him and said, "I want to see you!"

After saying this, Park Junda was taken away, and he appeared in front of Li Xuan ten minutes later.

Li Xuan looked pale, and he could tell that tonight's defeat had made him see his own end.

Li Xuan had already guessed the true situation of Yuandong Mountain, so he chose to save Park Jundae, the only loyal and hard-working person he saw.

Li Xuan never trusted other Korean nobles, as well as those scholar-bureaucrats who were forced to join.

"I've made you suffer!" Li Xuan's voice was hoarse.

Pu Junda said nothing. At this time, he was extremely desperate and had no desire to communicate or express.

"Because of my father and son's decree, I dragged you into the flames of war. This is all our fault..."

"Now we are defeated one after another, the people are in dire straits, and the country is in ruins. My father and son are really sorry for you!"

The "you" in Li Xuan's mouth refers to the farmers' children, like Pu Junda, who took the initiative to join the army. These people suffered much higher casualties than the regular army.

Next, Li Xuan talked a lot, because he also had no hope of victory. He was suffering too much but had no one to talk to. He could only talk to "pure people" like Park Jundae.

After hearing what Li Xuan said, Pu Junda felt somewhat touched.

Li Xuan never felt sorry for him from beginning to end. Seeing that the prince was at the end of his rope made him feel even more uncomfortable.

"Okay... it's time to end here, let's go!"

Li Xuan's last sentence made Park Junda feel confused. He didn't know where he was being asked to go.

"Go home...accompany your parents!" Li Xuan saw his doubts and said this.

Pu Junda really didn't expect this result, which made him stunned for a moment. After a few breaths, Pu Junda asked: "Where are you, Sir?"

Li Xuan smiled and then said: "I have nowhere to go!"

"In order to explain to the following, I have removed you from your official position. You can leave tonight and take your brothers with you!"

Pu Junda really wanted to leave, so at this moment he was deeply grateful to Li Xuan, and even though he was physically inconvenient, he still knelt down and knelt down to worship.

"Thank you so much for your help!"

Li Xuan smiled and said: "I can only save you!"

In the end, Pu Junda left with his people. He and his brothers walked a long way that night.

Let's talk about Changyuan City. Since Dayuan Dongshan was captured, people in the city have become panicked. Soldiers are hiding in bunkers and houses to avoid the artillery fire that may be poured down by the Ming army at any time.

Compared with the declining morale of the Korean army, the morale of the Japanese was much higher, and they could not wait to compete with the Ming army.

Two days passed quickly, and the Ming army did not launch an attack on the city. Instead, they first uprooted the defenders on Yuanxi Mountain.

It was said to be removal, but in fact it was extremely simple. After two rounds of artillery fire, the defenders on the mountain collapsed.

Of course, this was not just the result of these two bombardments, but the continuous strikes in the early stage and the capture of Yuandong Mountain, which completely broke the will of the defenders of Yuanxi Mountain.

When the fiercest artillery fire covers them, these troops who have long lost confidence will of course scatter in order to survive.

North Korea's so-called 100,000-strong army has lost more than 20,000 from the first day of the new year to now, and it is a relatively elite regular army.

News here is spreading, and the North Korean army has suffered successive defeats in battles, causing more wealthy families involved in the "rebellion" to defect.

The consequence of this is that the supply of military supplies in Changyuan City is blocked, which further causes its military morale to be unstable.

Zhu Jinghong's inner expectation was to capture Chang Yuan before the fifteenth day, which would give him plenty of time.

"Send people to continue shouting and tell the soldiers in the city that their hometown has surrendered to the imperial court, and their parents, wives and children are waiting for them to return home!"

On Yuandong Mountain, Zhu Jinghong said calmly on the temporarily built gazebo.

The latest battle report shows that the North Route Army, led by Qi Yanze, the commander of Andong Xingdu Sidu, has captured most of the Hamgyong Province as the scholars from various places surrendered.

In other words, the countdown to the demise of Li Shuo and his son has begun, all thanks to the great progress made by Changyuan City.

Therefore, Zhu Jinghong is not panic at all. He wants to minimize his own casualties as much as possible, so he will use all possible means.

In Changyuan City, morale is getting lower and lower, even the Japanese, who have always been fierce, are no exception.

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed, and the Ming army began to form troops in the north of Changyuan City. It was obvious that the moment of general attack was coming.

There was no snow on this day, and the sun was shining all over the earth. It was a good day for fighting.

On the frontal battlefield, the Ming army had formed a military formation, and the artillery on the east and west mountains were also ready, waiting only for Zhu Jinghong's order to launch an attack.

Within the Ming army's formation, someone rode towards the front. This person was Xia Yang, who had made great achievements in battle.

After he broke away from the military formation, he came to a distance of twenty feet outside the gate of Changyuan City, which was beyond the effective range of the North Korean army's bows and arrows.

Speaking in a Korean dialect that he was not proficient in, Xia Yang shouted: "North Korean soldiers, I am here to speak on the order of His Highness King Xiang. As long as you lay down your weapons and surrender, His Highness can forgive you all your sins!"

"At this moment, thousands of cannons are ready to fire on the East and West Mountains. You will only die if you persist in resisting!"

"Think about your family, they are all waiting for you to go back, don't make any unnecessary resistance!"

"As long as you surrender, you can..."

Before Xia Yang finished speaking, gunfire rang out from the city wall, but it was the Japanese who fired the gun in advance. This action caused the North Korean general to curse loudly.

The Japanese had a tacit understanding, and more people shot immediately. Unfortunately, they were too far away, and Xia Yang turned his horse's head and retreated quickly, so they failed to hit a single shot.

After waiting for Xia Yang to return, Zhu Jinghong in the military formation sighed.

Then he put down the teacup in his hand and said to Cai Chuansheng and Sun Maozhi, who were standing on the left and right, "Let's attack!"

"Yes!"

Today's sight conditions were excellent. The Ming army directly used flag language to convey information. The first to receive the order was the artillery group on the East and West Mountains.

After a few days of replenishment, they had enough cannonballs and gunpowder to go out and fight.

The first step is to calibrate the ballistics. After each gun is loaded, the fuses will be lit in order, and then the impact point of the projectile will be paid close attention.

Some artillery pieces are responsible for attacking the city walls, while others are responsible for using important buildings in the city. Each of them performs their duties in an orderly manner.

The artillery hit was money, and soon it hit the explosion point inside and outside the city. Although the soldiers quickly evaded, it still caused great damage.

The sounds of wailing, crying, scolding, and dog barking are endless.

"Your Majesty, please avoid this place quickly...it's too dangerous here!"

Li Xuan was unmoved. As he said, he had no place to live, and dying in Changyuan City might be the best destination.

The main reason is that he also understands that once he withdraws, the army in the city will collapse immediately, which will really give the Ming army an advantage.

"Tell the soldiers in the city that I will live and die with the city!" Li Xuan said firmly.

Li Xuan did have some backbone, and he was greeted by more artillery fire from the Ming army.

Changyuan City is not big, with 70,000 to 80,000 soldiers crammed into it. The density of the crowd is unusually high, which greatly increases casualties.

Of course, the North Korean army also tried to fight back with artillery. Unfortunately, the range of their artillery was too close. As soon as they started running, their reality was exposed, causing the Ming army in the front to continue to advance.

After the morning bombardment, the Ming army's attack immediately stopped. They were preparing for the afternoon's general attack. Things like ladders and siege vehicles were pushed forward.

With a city height of four to five meters, these tools were definitely overkill, but in order to ensure the safety of his own soldiers, Zhu Jinghong still adopted the safest method.

The construction of these equipment began ten days ago, and the craftsmen were summoned by Sunchuan Lord Li Jiong.

As soon as the afternoon time came, then came the siege vehicles in front, first the brave soldiers hid in them, and then the infantry armed with muskets walked towards the city wall under the cover of large shields.

Behind them, there are artillery pieces ready. In the morning, they have calibrated their ballistics to ensure a relatively accurate strike.

"Fire!" Zhu Jinghong ordered softly.

As soon as he issued this order, the sound of artillery on the East and West Mountains was so loud that the Koreans and Japanese did not dare to show their heads, and could only watch the Ming army approaching one after another.

Even if some of these people are brave, choosing to fire will not have much effect. Their failure seems to be doomed.

When fire broke out in the city, the Ming army had already reached outside the city wall, and the artillery stopped at this time.

The siege equipment continued to move forward, and the infantrymen holding muskets also lined up and aimed their guns at the city wall. Bang bang bang...

As long as anyone shows his head, he will be attacked by firecrackers.

Of course, this was less dangerous than being attacked by artillery, so the Koreans and Japanese began to fight back, but to very little effect.

Everyone understands that the next hand-to-hand combat will be the key.

It was a pity that the Ming soldiers did not give them a chance to fight alone. After the siege vehicle approached, they threw out the ignited gunpowder packets, causing the waiting soldiers to scatter and flee.

But the city wall is only so wide, where can you escape...

The explosion at close range caused more casualties than the artillery, and fragments of limbs were quickly scattered on the city wall.

During this explosion, Ming army soldiers climbed onto the city wall, and then these people lined up, intending to firmly defend the occupied city wall first.

Behind them, there will be more reinforcements, and they are determined to win.

On the other hand, North Korea's morale was low and on the verge of collapse. Only the Japanese were dissatisfied and eager to fight again.

(End of this chapter)