The room goes through the late Ming Dynasty, and the back door leads to North America at the beginni

The military general of the Great Chu stationed in Xincai was Ren Chengqi, the deputy general of Datong Prefecture. He had once followed Chen Wan in defending against the Mongolian invasions and had made some military achievements, so he could be considered a veteran general.

From this time on, he was ordered to garrison in Xincai. In addition to the more than 3,000 border troops of his own unit, there were also more than 2,000 border troops from the Zhenlu Camp under the command of Lu Deshou, the Lieutenant General of Datong Prefecture.

As for the more than 10,000 local troops, their composition was more complicated. There were those recruited locally in Henan, defeated soldiers who retreated from Jiangbei to Henan, and patrol battalions transferred from Hubei.

On the top of the East Gate of Xincai.

Ren Chengqi and Lu Deshou were both looking at the enemy army formation outside the city.

After watching for a while, Lu Deshou said with some concern: "General, these bandits have a lot of troops. It looks like there are more than 30,000 soldiers and horses. Why not send a messenger to Ruyang for help before the bandits besiege the city?"

Ren Chengqi raised his eyebrows and said unhappily, "What help do you want? The bandits have 30,000 soldiers and horses, and we have 16,000 to 17,000 soldiers and horses. There are also six Tianwei cannons on the top of Xincai City Wall, and hundreds of Tiger Dun cannons."

"With such a large number of troops and such military equipment, if we still cannot defend Xincai City, won't it make people laugh at our Datong Border Army?"

Lu Deshou hesitated to speak and ultimately had nothing to say.

Saying that one's side is inferior to the enemy before a battle is taboo and may disrupt military morale.

Since Ren Chengqi was confident that he could defend Xincai with the troops and military equipment in the city and did not want to ask Ruyang for help, he naturally did not say anything more.

What Lu Deshou didn't know was that Ren Chengqi had already made up his mind to make enough achievements in this battle. In this way, with his old boss Chen Wan there, he could remove the word "deputy" and become a real general.

If he had asked Ruyang for help when the enemy was at the gates of the city, he would have lost points. Even if he had made meritorious services later, it would have been difficult for him to get promoted.

Therefore, if it was not necessary, he would never ask Ruyang for help.

In addition, Ren Chengqi never believed the rumors about pirates - a group of pirates, no matter how powerful they were, what could they do? When he was young, he worked in Fujian and fought against pirates.

In his opinion, the reason why the rumors about the bandits' combat effectiveness were so outrageous was mostly because the local troops in Shandong, Jiangbei and Nanjing were too incompetent, and in order to shirk responsibility, they deliberately exaggerated the bandits' combat effectiveness.

As for the present, although the bandits were at the gate of the city, they were still nearly four miles away from the Xincai city wall. He could only see that the bandits' formation was still fairly neat, and he could not see anything else, so naturally he did not take it to heart.

However, as a veteran, Ren Chengqi still has basic military qualities.

He immediately ordered: "Tell the gunners of the Tianwei cannons that if they see the enemy's cannon positions, they should destroy them immediately. Also tell the gunners of the Hudun cannons that they should not fire until the enemy troops are within a hundred steps of the city wall."

"Order!"

The messenger responded and took the command flag to deliver the message.

The troops of the Chu army on the city wall were also actively preparing.

Knowing that the bandits also had "Tianwei Cannons", the Chu Army naturally made relevant defensive preparations, which was to pile up sandbags on the city walls so that when the shells fell, they would not bounce around, thus limiting the casualties and reducing damage to the interior of the city walls.

The only thing Ren Chengqi was worried about now was that the bandits would force the civilians to be used as cannon fodder to attack the city - this was a common tactic used by some bandits.

But Ren Chengqi had already made up his mind that even if the bandits did so, he would not hold back. Afterwards, he would say that the people had followed the bandits, which would not only save him from trouble, but also give him more heads as credit.

Just as Ren Chengqi was mentally calculating the various siege tactics that the Hui army might use, Lu Deshou beside him suddenly spoke up, "The Hui bandits are about to attack the city!"

Ren Chengqi narrowed his eyes slightly and saw that a number of cars were being pushed out from the enemy's formation.

Is that... a gun carriage?

Ren Chengqi was a little reluctant to believe it.

Because there are more than two or three hundred vehicles launched by the bandits. If they are all artillery vehicles, they can't be equipped with tiger crouching cannons, right?

Generally speaking, only cannons need to be loaded on gun carriages for sieges or field battles, while tiger squat cannons can basically be carried or held by people.

However, the bandits used two or three hundred cannons to attack the city? How was this possible?

While Ren Chengqi was still in doubt, Lu Deshou, who had better eyesight, exclaimed, "Cannons! They are all cannons!"

"Is it a cannon similar to Tianwei?" Ren Chengqi asked.

The distance was too far, and Lu Deshou could only see it vaguely, so he could only answer: "It should be."

Ren Chengqi shook his head, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! Didn't the court say that the pirates were originally just sea pirates? How could they have so many Tianwei-level cannons?"

Lu Deshou didn't know what to say, so he could only say, "Just in case, why don't we have all the troops prepare for artillery fire?"

Ren Chengqi was not arrogant and nodded, saying, "Send the order, tell all units to be on guard against the enemy's artillery."

"Order!"

Not long after the second messenger left, the artillery carts of the Lai army stopped moving forward in the fields outside the city.

Ren Chengqi estimated that the artillery vehicles of the Hui army were probably more than three miles away from the city wall.

He couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the two or three hundred cannons of the bandits could actually fire three or four miles away?

The Chu state also has Tianwei cannons that can fire more than three miles away, but they are all huge cannons weighing ten thousand pounds, and there are only a few of them in important cities such as Xiangjing, and there are none in Xincai.

The bandits' artillery cart could be pulled by two horses, and the cannon on it should not be too heavy. How could it be possible to fire three or four miles away?

Ren Chengqi's doubts did not last long, because the Hui army conducted a test launch.

boom!
With a cannon shot, a stone bullet actually flew over the Xincai city wall and landed in the city.

Seeing this, Ren Chengqi, Lu Deshou and the Chu army soldiers below all changed their expressions.

They never expected that the artillery shells of the Hui army could really hit a distance of three or four miles!
It should be noted that the six Tianwei cannons on the top of Xincai City can only fire about three miles away.

Now the artillery of the Lai Army can hit them, but they cannot hit the artillery positions of the Lai Army. How can they fight this battle?
For a moment, the hearts of many Chu army soldiers sank.

Boom boom boom...

The official bombardment of the enemy troops began.

Two or three hundred artillery shells streaked across the sky and fell on the top of Xincai City.

Then explode again!

In the series of explosions, the Chu army was completely stunned!
If it was real ammunition, the sandbags piled up on the top of the city could effectively prevent it from bouncing and reduce the casualties of the shells. However, when the shrapnel fell, some of it was blocked by the sandbags, but many Chu soldiers were still killed on the spot.

After only one round of artillery fire from the Hui army, the Chu army on the top of Xincai city began to wail as if they were trapped in a flaming hell!
If Ren Chengqi and Lu Deshou had not seen the bad situation and directly hid on the north side of the city gate tower, they would have been killed on the spot.

"General, the enemy's artillery fire is so fierce that the soldiers may not be able to withstand it. What should we do?" Lu Deshou, who was a little dusty, asked anxiously amid wails.

Ren Chengqi was still a little confused at the moment. He found it hard to accept that a group of pirates actually had more numerous and more powerful artillery than the Great Chu. He could hardly think straight.

Seeing this, Lu Deshou suggested: "General, we can't let all the soldiers stay on the city wall. Otherwise, the enemy will have no choice but to attack the city, and most of the soldiers in the camp will be killed or injured. Then we can't fight."

"Why not let the soldiers in the camp withdraw first, leaving only some soldiers from the patrol camp to watch on the city wall, and then let the soldiers in the camp come up when the enemy army attacks the city."

Ren Chengqi finally came back to his senses and nodded, "Okay, I'll do as you say!"

Lu Deshou immediately sent a messenger to deliver the message.

At this time, the second round of artillery fire from the Hui army arrived, and a group of Chu soldiers were killed or wounded on the city wall.

The morale of the Chu army continued to decline as a result.

Even a few border troops and local soldiers collapsed and fled on the spot.

Fortunately, Ren Chengqi and Lu Deshou had servants, and they were not fools. They asked the servants to act as supervisors and killed the deserters in time, so that the Chu army on the city wall did not flee. However, when some local soldiers received the order to hold on to the top of the city, they saw that the border troops had received the order, and they immediately refused to do so and started to make a fuss.

Ren Chengqi and Lu Deshou had no choice but to send their servants to suppress the rebellion...
In front of the army.

Liu Tichun, deputy commander of the 1st Brigade of the Huben Guards and the main commander in this battle, stood on the lookout car, observing the situation on the Xincai city wall with a telescope in his hand.

Although the battlements obscured the full view, he still discovered that not only were there fewer Chu troops on the city wall, but in several places the Chu troops were even "killing each other", and it was obvious that there was trouble.

Seeing this, Liu Tichun laughed and said, "It seems that the Chu army is more fragile than we expected. It can't withstand only three or four rounds of bombardment."

"Fire the signal cannon to let the Shengjie Guards who have infiltrated the city act accordingly. Then send a message to all the other units to prepare for the siege after the fifth round of artillery fire!"

"As ordered!"

As Liu Tichun's guards went to pass on the order, the various units of the Hui army outside Xincai City immediately moved in an orderly manner.

The old guardsmen all looked indifferent, as if what was about to begin was not a siege but an ordinary banquet somewhere.

In contrast, most of the soldiers who joined the royal army and the garrison army later were very excited, nervous, and a little uneasy.

Although they had experienced several sieges before, this was the first time they fought against the border troops of the Great Chu.

They originally thought that the border troops were the elite of the Great Chu court and were definitely different from the local troops. They might be able to hold out for a long time under the bombardment of the Hui army, and the subsequent siege might also be a tough battle.

Unexpectedly, the border troops did hold out for the city a little longer than the local troops, but they only lasted a few more rounds of artillery fire.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Xincai County city in front of us will fall into the control of the Hui army today.

Toot toot———

When the charge sounded, several regiments of garrison troops carried flying bridges and ladders and trotted towards the Xincai city wall, followed closely by several battalions of guards.

At the same time, the enemy's shelling continued.

The Chu army on the city wall was beaten so hard that they couldn't even raise their heads.

When Lu Deshou heard the strange noise, he ventured to the front to take a look. He saw tens of thousands of soldiers running towards Xincai city. He felt a chill in his heart and thought to himself: Xincai can no longer be defended!

···
Outside Ruyang City.

Inside the tent of Left Commander Chen Wan.

Chen Wanzheng was discussing the overall situation of the battle with a group of senior border army generals based on the various intelligence sent back by scouts, and was ready to mobilize troops at any time.

On a very traditional map, only cities such as Ruyang, Yingchuan, and Xincai are marked, as well as important rivers such as the Ru River, Huai River, and Ying River, as well as some important mountains, valleys, and other terrains.

At this time, Chen Wan frowned, and the three lines between his eyebrows became deeper and more obvious.

"If the information reported by the scouts is correct, the bandits actually divided their troops into three groups and attacked Shenqiu Town, Xincai, and Gucheng at the same time. They are really bold!"

Fan Ao, the general of Taiyuan, spoke loudly.

Then he clasped his fists and said, "Commander-in-chief, I would like to lead 10,000 soldiers to cooperate with the troops of Shenqiu Town to destroy the bandit army attacking Shenqiu!"

Chen Wan said nothing. A military officer said, "The scouts have not found out how many bandits there are in Shenqiu. Even if General Fan leads 10,000 soldiers, how can he know if he can defeat the bandits?"

Fan Ao said: "How can you be 100% sure of success on the battlefield? As long as you are 50% sure, you can give it a try. If you miss the opportunity, you will regret it!"

Then, several generals or deputy generals asked to fight.

Most of these border army generals had not yet experienced the power of the Hui Army. Like Ren Chengqi, they believed that the rumors about the Hui Army were deliberately exaggerated by local officials and generals in order to cover up their own incompetence.

Now that he saw that the Hui army had dared to divide its forces and attack, he naturally wanted to lead his troops to defeat them one by one.

Chen Wan was unmoved by the generals' requests for battle, and said calmly, "Since we have decided on a defensive strategy from the beginning, we should not be easily distracted by the bandits."

"In addition, this commander has repeatedly warned you that the combat power of the bandits should not be underestimated, and you must not underestimate the enemy."

"Although the bandits have divided their forces, the number of soldiers in each group is unknown. How can we defeat them all?"

"Don't mention the request for war anymore. For now, you should control your soldiers and wait patiently for news from the front line. Be ready to follow the military orders of this city!"

Chen Wan was indeed quite prestigious among the border troops. After hearing his words, even a few unruly generals did not dare to object. They just responded and fell silent.

As a result, these generals had just been quiet for a short while when an urgent report came from outside.

"Report——!"

"Emergency military information from Xincai!"

New Cai?

All the generals in the tent felt strange after hearing this, because Xincai is a county town, which is more solid than Shenqiu Town and Guchengcang, and has the largest number of soldiers guarding the city. Logically speaking, it should have held out the longest. How come the urgent news came so soon?

It can't be that Ren Chengqi defeated the invading bandits while defending the city, right?

Just as the generals were making wild guesses, a messenger was brought into the tent and delivered an urgent message.

After reading the urgent report, Chen Wan, despite his profound Qi-cultivation skills, turned pale and said, "How is this possible?!"

The military officer next to him asked, "Commander-in-chief, has Xincai been lost?"

Chen Wan nodded and handed over the urgent report.

After reading the urgent report, the military officer cried out, "The enemy attacked the city with 300 Tianwei cannons, and our army held on for less than half an hour, and the city was breached?"

"After the city was breached, Generals Ren and Lu led their retainers and soldiers to retreat into the city and engage in street battles with the bandits. Can Ruyang provide support as soon as possible?"

Wow!
When the generals in the tent heard the contents of the urgent report, they were in an uproar.

"Three hundred Tianwei cannons? Is that true?"

"Even if the bandits have a lot of cannons, they are all naval guns, right? Could it be that they dismantled the naval guns and used them to attack the city?"

"Even if the bandits have 300 cannons, Xincai shouldn't be able to defend for only half an hour, right? Ren Chengqi is really incompetent and has failed the commander-in-chief's trust in him!"

"If the bandits really have so many cannons, how long can they hold out in street fighting? I'm afraid Xincai has already been completely captured by the bandits."

"···"

Listening to the generals' discussions in the tent, Chen Wan felt dizzy and could not help shouting, "Silence!"

Suddenly, the generals quieted down.

Chen Wan pinched his brows and said, "Now that Xincai has been lost, I'm afraid Shenqiu and Gucheng won't be able to hold out for long. If the bandits take over these three places, they will most likely march into Runing Prefecture in a big way."

"Then they will most likely attack Yangfu and Zhenyang next. Fan Ao and Li Hualong!"

"The general is here!"

"I order you two to lead one battalion of cavalry and two battalions of infantry each to rush to the aid of Yangfu and Zhenyang. Remember, you don't have to lead the troops into the city, just patrol outside and wait for the right time to attack!"

"As you command!" (End of this chapter)