Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Since the Japanese charged directly at an extremely fast speed, thousands of them rushed forward at the same time, crashing towards us like a huge wave hitting the shore.

"Bows and arrows ready!" Yang Ling shouted, raising the long sword in his hand, ready to meet the enemy.

The three hundred archers on the city wall drew their bows and aimed their arrows at the Japanese who were charging madly.

The rain of arrows poured down, and immediately there were screams of pain, and at least hundreds of Japanese fell. However, the Japanese did not care about such casualties at all, because they were not the ones dying, and they continued to rush forward like a tide.

Yang Ling gritted his teeth and cursed: "Beast!"

The Japanese offensive became more and more brutal. They were about to reach the city when suddenly, the western wall collapsed. Dozens of Japanese soldiers jumped up, waving their weapons and hacking and killing the Ming troops who were looting along the streets.

"Set fire! Set fire now!"

Hundreds of archers threw out torches, which crackled and popped. In an instant, the entire west street was engulfed in flames and thick smoke billowed.

Hundreds of Japanese soldiers in the front row screamed and fell down, while those behind them quickly braked and retreated, and then continued to rush forward.

"Marshal, let's retreat!" the deputy general advised anxiously.

Yang Ling calmed down and pondered for a moment, then immediately gave the order: "Retreat!"

Yang Ling knew that if he didn't retreat now, he would be in big trouble, because the west side had been blown up by the Japanese army. If they continued to stay on the city wall, death would be waiting for them. Instead of sitting in the city and waiting for the enemy to rush up and slaughter them, it would be better to take the opportunity to escape from the city, because the main attack direction of the Japanese was the north gate.

Yang Ling's idea was good, but the Japanese obviously expected that Yang Ling would order a retreat, and they sent a large number of people to intercept him. The two sides engaged in a fierce battle. Fortunately, Yang Ling led his men to retreat in time, otherwise he would have been chased and killed by the Japanese.

Yang Ling led his men to flee back to the north gate of the city in a panic. He was depressed and full of emotion. The Japanese army actually attacked the city overnight. This was definitely a desperate move. No wonder they dared to abandon the city. It turned out that they had such a trump card.

As soon as Yang Ling and his companions entered the city, they met Wang Liner rushing over. Yang Ling was surprised and asked, "General Wang, how come you guys came back so soon? How is the battle situation at the East Gate?"

Wang Liner saluted and said, "Your Excellency, the Japanese soldiers at the east gate have all been defeated and are harvesting heads on the battlefield. I am here to inform you, Your Excellency, to withdraw immediately!"

Yang Ling frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"The Japanese army has launched a general offensive and it is estimated that they will be able to capture Guangyang County within half a day, so the capital is in urgent need of reinforcements. I have been ordered to dispatch the second and fifth battalions to the northern front for support."

Yang Ling was secretly terrified. The Japanese attack was too swift. He could not stop them with only 20,000 defenders. Moreover, his own side had suffered heavy losses. In the end, he might have to retreat to Anqing Prefecture.

"Wait a minute, General Wang!" Yang Ling held out his hand to stop Wang Lin'er and said in a deep voice, "Although the pirates' attack is fierce, I believe we can still hold out. I hope to stay at the north gate until reinforcements arrive."

Wang Liner was shocked and said, "Marshal, you are kidding me, aren't you?"

Yang Ling said solemnly: "General Wang, the Japanese launched such a fierce attack tonight, it is obvious that they are trying their best to seize the city. If we delay like this, they will be exhausted sooner or later, and then the people in the city can only wait for death. Since we are going to die anyway, why should we sacrifice in vain? We might as well fight to the death, maybe we can still win!"

Wang Liner's expression changed slightly and asked, "Does the Marshal want to fight a street fight?"

Yang Ling said firmly: "Yes, we will fight in the streets. As long as we hold the north gate, the Japanese pirates will have no way to deal with us and will have to retreat!"

Wang Liner couldn't help but be tempted. If he really wanted to fight to the death, he could indeed hold out for a long time. However, could he hold on to this battle?
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Marshal." Wang Lin'er pondered for a moment and agreed resolutely.

"Well, that's good. Pass the order down. Prepare the entire army for street fighting. Tell the brothers that this is our only chance!"

As Yang Ling's order was issued, the Ming army immediately took action, began to clear the collapsed west wall, dug traps and set ambushes, and prepared to fight against the crazy counterattack of the Japanese army.

Yang Ling and his soldiers were not idle. They set up defensive fortifications everywhere, made preparations for air defense, and even moved artillery onto the battlements, ready to inflict huge casualties on the Japanese soldiers.

In the evening, the Japanese soldiers finally attacked the north gate.

The Japanese army first threw wooden ladders to climb up the city wall, trying to capture the north gate, but they were strongly counterattacked by the defenders, resulting in heavy casualties. So the Japanese once again used the trick of burning the north gate.

Yang Ling sneered disdainfully: "Foolish, how can I let you do what you want. Pass the order down, everyone leave the city."

"But the Marshal!"

"No need to say more, just follow the order!" Yang Ling's eyes were cold and he would not allow any doubt.

"Here!"

Yang Ling led his troops out of the north gate. There were only about 200 people left on the city wall, and the rest had gone down to fight in the streets.

When the Japanese army saw the Ming army retreating, they could not help but rejoice and advance into the city with a roar. The Ming army in the city was defeated one after another, and some simply threw away their weapons and armor and fled in panic.

The Japanese soldiers were extremely excited and rushed into the city wall, causing chaos near the city gate.

Generals such as Yang Ling under the city also showed joy. The Japanese army broke through the north gate, and the next step was street fighting in the city. This was undoubtedly a godsend opportunity for the Ming army, because street fighting was more advantageous to the Ming army.

"Kill them all!"

The shouts of the Japanese were deafening, but they seemed to be happy too early. Just as they rushed into the city, dense arrows suddenly shot out from the surrounding houses.

Poof, poof!

"Ah!" The Japanese were caught off guard and were shot down in large numbers. Then countless fireballs rose in the city and the sound of explosions like popping beans filled the night sky.

The Japanese soldiers were caught off guard and frightened by the sudden fire. When they saw the arrows shot from the roof, they fled in terror. However, due to the obstruction of the fire, the Japanese soldiers could not run fast and people kept falling into the city.

The Japanese commander had a gloomy face and immediately ordered his soldiers to use their shields to block the flames. At the same time, he ordered: "Everyone, spread out and find a place to hide. Don't panic. Crossbowmen, prepare to shoot!"

The Japanese commander was an elite after all, and he quickly stabilized his position and organized his soldiers to resist. Yang Ling breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the generals, "Destroy the enemy with all your strength, at all costs, and try to ensure everyone's life is safe."

Although the Japanese soldiers performed well, they still could not stop the crazy counterattack of the Ming army. The corpses piled up and the blood flowed near the city wall. Yang Ling and other generals personally supervised the battle. Anyone who retreated in fear was killed without mercy. Gradually, those cowardly Ming soldiers were frightened and followed Yang Ling desperately to kill the enemy, but more and more Ming soldiers chose to retreat.

"Sir, the enemy has broken through the second line of defense." A report came from the guard nearby.

Yang Ling looked up and saw that the Japanese had already advanced to the second line of defense. There were originally several thousand Ming troops stationed here, but now there were less than a thousand left. Yang Ling gritted his teeth and said, "Hit them hard!"

Yang Ling led his men to continue to push forward. The Japanese resistance was very tenacious. The two sides engaged in a fierce battle. The city was filled with smoke, and shouts and screams were heard. Yang Ling and several generals fought bloody battles. People kept falling down. Yang Ling was covered in blood, like a Shura from hell.

"Commander, be careful!"

At this moment, the guards on the left wing warned him. Yang Ling turned his head and saw two Japanese soldiers slashing at him with their swords. It was too late for Yang Ling to dodge. In a flash, he swung his right arm out. With two muffled clicks, the long swords that were coming were broken immediately. Before the Japanese soldier on the left could draw his sword, Yang Ling kicked him. With two bangs, he was hit in the left ribs and fell face up more than three feet away.

At this time, another seven or eight Japanese swords came chopping at him. Yang Ling quickly bent down and lowered his head, narrowly avoiding the chops of several long swords.

Yang Ling rolled to the ground, drew his sword and fought back, fighting fiercely with the Japanese soldiers who surrounded him on the city gate tower. The Japanese soldiers were obviously well-trained and coordinated well. After a brief confusion, they picked up the incomplete weapons on the ground and rushed towards Yang Ling again.

Yang Ling knew that if he didn't quickly deal with the Japanese pirates, his soldiers would suffer heavy casualties, so he had to fight quickly. He took a deep breath, thrust his sword forward, and with a few crisp clangs, the two Japanese soldiers' samurai swords were picked apart. Yang Ling took advantage of the inertia to tumble and jump, bypassing the enemy group and getting close to the Japanese soldiers.

Just as the Japanese soldier was about to turn around to fight, Yang Ling had already rushed over and hit the Japanese soldier's chest and abdomen with his left elbow, causing the Japanese soldier to spit out blood and fly away. Then Yang Ling stepped on the ground with one leg and hit the opponent's chest with his right knee, killing the Japanese soldier on the spot, with his sternum shattered and blood spurting out of his mouth.

Yang Ling stood up quickly and swung his sword at the Japanese soldier on the right. The Japanese soldier was in pain and hastily raised his sword to block. However, Yang Ling's sword was too fast and the Japanese soldier was unable to block it at all. His throat was cut on the spot. Yang Ling took advantage of the situation and stepped forward. The sword flashed, and the Japanese soldier's neck spurted out hot blood. He fell on his back and died with his eyes open.

At this time, the Japanese soldiers in the back row rushed up, and Yang Ling had to turn around and retreat.

The Japanese soldiers chased Yang Ling and hacked at him, but in this case, Yang Ling's speed was not affected at all, in fact, it was even faster. After a few rounds of hacking, Yang Ling killed seven or eight Japanese soldiers. Seeing that the situation was not good, the commander of the Japanese soldiers quickly sent cavalry to intercept him.

Seeing the cavalry coming, Yang Ling turned around and ran for his life, but he was still hit by several horse hooves. Fortunately, Yang Ling was wearing soft armor, and the cavalry's boots stepped on the armor, which did not pose a fatal threat to Yang Ling.

Yang Ling rode his horse along the street, and was occasionally blocked and harassed by Japanese soldiers. He beheaded several of them quickly and efficiently, and finally rushed out of the east gate.

There was a flat and wide road near the east gate. Yang Ling rode his horse at full speed, and the Japanese soldiers were chasing him closely, but they were always dozens of meters away from Yang Ling.

"Sir!" The guard's anxious voice suddenly came from behind.

Yang Ling looked back after hearing this, and saw that the smoke behind him had turned black and red. Seeing this scene, Yang Ling immediately felt an ominous omen.

Sure enough, not long after, faint shouts were heard in the distance. Yang Ling looked closely and saw dense cavalry emerging from the smoke and dust. There were at least six or seven hundred cavalrymen. They galloped westward and soon rushed to the back of the Japanese troops.

"Shoot quickly, shoot quickly!" The commander of the Japanese soldiers was horrified when he saw this. He didn't bother to chase Yang Ling and shouted in panic.

Yang Ling sighed secretly. The Japanese commander was indeed cunning. He knew that he would not be able to chase him down with his cavalry advantage because the street was too narrow. So he ordered people to intercept the cavalry in front, and he led people to follow and chase them from behind.

After hearing the order, the Japanese soldiers took out their bows and arrows, and the arrows rained down, sweeping towards the cavalry in the rear. Yang Ling's mount was frightened and neighed, but it did not run away. Instead, under Yang Ling's control, it slowly approached the Japanese soldiers.

Yang Ling reined in his horse and turned around, charging at the Japanese soldiers. In an instant, the Japanese soldiers' formation was disrupted. Seeing that the situation was not good, the Japanese cavalry turned their horses and fled backwards.

Yang Ling pursued the Japanese soldiers and in a short while, the Japanese soldiers suffered heavy losses and the defeated cavalry abandoned their horses and fled in all directions.

After the Japanese soldiers had fled completely, Yang Ling gathered his troops, cleaned up the battlefield and treated the wounded.

Yang Ling looked at the corpse lying on the ground, his face terribly gloomy.

"Marshal, you are seriously injured. Stop the bleeding first." Liu Zhong consoled.

Yang Ling shook his head and said, "I'm fine."

Yang Ling looked around and asked loudly, "What are the casualties?"

"Fifty-nine people were killed and sixteen were slightly injured." Liu Zhong replied.

"Send the injured brothers to the medical camp for treatment. The rest of the brothers, follow me back. Let's go and settle accounts with the Japanese pirates."

The Japanese soldiers launched a surprise attack outside Beijing, resulting in heavy casualties among hundreds of defenders. Yang Ling could not let this account go. He planned to take the opportunity to consume the Japanese pirates' manpower and wait for the Japanese reinforcements to arrive so that he could escape.

Yang Ling led his troops back to the posthouse, but unexpectedly found that the main force of the Japanese army had already left. Yang Ling was puzzled, how could these Japanese pirates leave so easily and abandon their old nest? It was really strange.

The Japanese retreat was not only because of Yang Ling, but also because of the anger of the Japanese daimyo.

Yang Ling's sudden attack caused great losses to the Japanese, which was a naked contempt. Yang Ling's style and attitude angered the daimyo, who was furious and immediately ordered a hunt for Yang Ling.

After the Japanese soldiers gathered in large numbers, they immediately chased out of the east gate. However, when they chased to the west of the city, they found that Yang Ling had already disappeared without a trace. The Japanese soldiers had no choice but to give up and chased south along the city.

Although Yang Ling's whereabouts were exposed, he did not stop and still followed the original plan and rushed to the blacksmith shop on the outskirts of Beijing at dusk.

The blacksmith shop was located behind a hill in the south of the city. When Yang Ling entered the shop, the room was empty, with no one else there except him.

After Yang Ling finished inspecting the shop, he found that no valuables were missing from the blacksmith shop, so he returned to the inn to rest with peace of mind.

As night fell, Yang Ling finished washing up, changed into a brand new military uniform, and walked into the yard with a wine jug. He raised his glass to toast the heaven and earth, feeling filled with emotion, and at the same time, he was also glad that he had not encountered an ambush today.

Although the losses in this attack were not small, they finally took Donghua Gate. Yang Ling's next task was much simpler, waiting for reinforcements to arrive, and then fighting the Japanese army to the death.

But before Yang Ling could be happy, there was a sudden noise and crying outside. Yang Ling frowned slightly, and immediately walked out of the room to ask the postman what happened. The postman said: "The Japanese soldiers raided the posthouse and killed and injured many people." (End of this chapter)