Aspiration

Chapter 118 Major Defeat
Zhang Nai's artillery fire was indeed fierce.

In the first round, ten rounds per cannon, a total of one thousand cannons, were blasted on a section of the city wall at the south gate, creating a gap.However, it was only a gap, and the city wall did not collapse.When the artillery fire ceased, the organization immediately filled the gaps with soil bags and stones on the city wall.

This is a trial attack.No infantry followed after the artillery fire.

Of course, there is a secret weapon still in preparation.Li Laiheng's attacking divisions were all underground. They dug tunnels towards the city wall. After digging through the city wall, the infantry could attack from the ground and the ground together. At that time, Kaifeng directly entered the street fighting.Once entering street fighting, officers and soldiers will quickly disintegrate.

On the first day, three bombardments were carried out, and the south wall was unexpectedly strong. All three times, only a large gap was made, and these gaps were quickly plugged.

However, it doesn't matter, the focus is on Li Laiheng's attackers, their tunnels have almost reached the foot of the city, and tonight, they will be able to dig through the city wall from the ground.

On the eighth day of tomorrow, after the artillery attack, the infantry followed up and attacked from the gap on the ground, while the other part of the infantry entered the city directly from the ground, so there was no suspense in the battle situation. Certainly.

Li Zicheng and others were not sleepy, they were waiting for the news of the tunnel digging.

Now, the battle situation from all over the place has been brought together.

In the south, Li Guo passed the day peacefully. He was in Zhuxian Town and he didn't see a single enemy.According to reports, the 1000 officers and soldiers in the south marched slowly for less than 1000 miles a day, and they were still [-] miles away from Zhuxian Town. At this speed, they would have to wait three days before they could take over the battle.To the east, Yuan Zongdi saw the enemy, but the enemy was guarding the camp tightly, and it seemed that they had no intention of attacking at all.He Renlong was a little positive, and fought Gao Yigong a few times, but it could be seen that they didn't go all out.The enemy north of the Yellow River is even more inexplicable. The warships they prepared are only enough for [-] people to cross the river. Doesn't [-] people crossing the river mean death?
Somewhat strange.

Tian Jianxiu and Li Yan suggested that Sun Chuanting was fighting a protracted war.

When Liu Zongmin heard this, he laughed. He said, we can capture Kaifeng tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. How can he fight a protracted war?
Song Xiance also said, yes, what capital do they have to fight a protracted war?In the end, most people believed that Sun Chuanting was not planning to fight a protracted war, he had no ability to attack, so he was just showing off to the court.They haven't attacked in the past few days, and they won't attack in the next few days. This is impossible.

While discussing, it was reported suddenly that the tunnel was dug to the foot of the city. Unexpectedly, there were several feet thick bluestone slabs under the city wall, which could not be dug through. They were buried very deep in the ground.

It's over, the plan to enter the city from the underground has failed!
Li Zicheng's mind went blank, people are not as good as heaven, who would have thought that the walls of Kaifeng City were built like this.The plan to transport troops to the city by digging tunnels was ruined. However, digging tunnels is not in vain. He now has another function, which can transport troops to the foot of the city and reduce casualties.

Li Laiheng had an ominous premonition.

Song Xiance said: "King Chuang, it doesn't matter. Starting tomorrow, our artillery will attack with a strong offensive. Before the enemy blocks the gap, we will bombard repeatedly. When the gap is large, the infantry will suddenly rush from the tunnel to the foot of the city wall and seize the city. It’s not a big problem. It’s just that the time for us to capture Kaifeng will be delayed a little, and we should be able to capture it on the [-]th.”

Li Zicheng, Liu Zongmin, etc. felt a little more at ease. Song Xiance's divination book even reached this point. If he failed in the ninth day of the ninth day, he should have captured Kaifeng on the fifteenth day.Of course they also thought about it. Song Xiance also said that it would not work on fifteen days, and it would take another ten days.At this point, they felt that it was impossible, and they were not worried. It was impossible for them not to capture Kaifeng within [-] days.

Li Laiheng also thought, logically, it should be no problem to capture Kaifeng.

If it is an ordinary county, Li Laiheng only needs his 800 elites, and he can go to the city with a flick of the hook. How about now?However, Kaifeng is too big, and [-] people threw it into it, just like throwing a stone into the sea, it disappeared after being submerged.

On the second day, Zhang Nai's cannon fire was even more intense, and the cannon barrel was even reddened at one point. However, there seemed to be a sandwich in the middle of Kaifeng's city wall, which could not be broken down.Seeing this situation, Zhang Nai was also anxious. He would fight like this for at most fifteen days before the shells ran out.

This time, fortunately, Zhang Nai was prepared in advance, he was worried that something would go wrong if he used his heavy troops for the first time, so instead of preparing shells for three days according to King Chuang's intention, he prepared ten days' worth of shells.

When Li Zicheng saw the situation of the battle the next day, he became anxious, thinking, if this continues, in a few days it will be necessary to attack by force.A strong attack may require tens of thousands of lives, and Li Zicheng and others do not want to pay this price.

When Li Zicheng and others were frustrated, the city of Kaifeng rejoiced, because Li Zicheng found a book in the soil layer of the city wall that collapsed under artillery fire.

Governors, governors, general soldiers, etc. are all circulating. This is a yellowed ancient book, at least hundreds of years old. It says that someone will attack Kaifeng in a certain year, and the law of defending the city is all written. on top.In particular, it is clearly written on it that the author is Liu Bowen, the founding father of the Ming Dynasty, who knew astronomy from the top and geography from the bottom!
This is not bad, 300 years ago, Liu Bowen knew that Li Zicheng was coming to attack the city today, a god-man.

It is written in the book that there is a vegetable field outside Hao's Hutong in the north of the city, and there are hundreds of cannons underground, which can be used to defend the city!
The book was picked up by Chen Yongfu himself from the dust on the city wall when he was guarding the city.Now that everyone is passing it on, who still doubts it?It is said that there is no problem at all if Kaifeng is guarded.

Immediately, the confidence of Kaifeng soldiers doubled, and even the common people desperately defended the city.

An even more amazing thing happened. Outside the Haojia Hutong in the north of the city, a hundred cannons were unearthed, all wrapped in oilcloth, and they were brand new.

About the book, news spread throughout the city; but about the cannon, it had to be kept secret.At night, the governor ordered that the cannon be quietly placed on the city wall to deal a devastating blow to Zhang Nai.

Chen Yongfu made his first contribution, and everyone said he was a lucky general.During a big battle, who would think of a broken book in the ruins, so Chen Yongfu made a lot of contributions.

Chen Yongfu smiled disdainfully at the governor and others.

It has been the fourteenth day, the city wall cannot be broken today, and it must be stormed tomorrow.

Li Zicheng, Liu Zongmin, Song Xiance and others all visited Zhang Nai's important place today.Li Laiheng is also one of the accompanying.

"Zhang Nai, aim at the point today and attack the city wall newly built in the past few days. If you don't break it down, you will not be sure about tomorrow's attack."

Zhang Nai looked haggard, and said to Li Zicheng, "Today, that old gap can definitely be collapsed, but they will close it again tonight."

"It doesn't matter. The mine soldiers in Leghorn said that they will dig a big hole from below. If you bombard it for a while tomorrow, the army will be able to swarm up."

Hearing that, Zhang Nai was relieved.

Now that King Chuang came to supervise the battle in person, Zhang Nai's spirit was lifted, and he shouted loudly: "Target No. [-], aim and release!"

"boom!"

A hundred cannons were fired almost simultaneously, and the deafening noise made people's blood boil suddenly.

"Aim and fire!" After filling the explosives for a while, the cannon was fired for the second time.

"boom!"

There was a gap in the wall.

"Aiming" Zhang Nai's voice stayed here, it should be because he suddenly found that another section of the city wall was burning into the sky, and blue smoke erupted.

"not good!"

Several people shouted at the same time.

Li Laiheng jumped up, threw himself on Li Zicheng, threw him to the ground, and then rolled over again.

Countless screams tore through the air and roared.

Zhang Nai's artillery position was suddenly engulfed in a sea of ​​flames and smoke.

On the city wall, dozens of artillery fires were fired in a row, and Zhang Nai's position was wiped out in an instant.

Li Zicheng's face was livid.

Zhang Nai was seriously injured and had already been transported back to Deshengzhai.A piece of Liu Zongmin's scalp was cut off and wrapped with a thick cloth belt.Song Xiance was still trembling there. He sprained his ankle. Fortunately, he was short, had a small target, and rolled quickly.Li Yan was not injured.

"Strong attack tomorrow!" Li Zicheng roared, and he lost his mind.The painstakingly managed artillery collapsed in just an hour, and he was angry.

Liu Zongmin's anger also reached its limit. The blood vessels on his neck were thick and twisted, as if they were about to explode.

"Chuang Wang!" Li Yan wanted to dissuade him.

"Stop talking! Tomorrow, no matter what the price is, we will take down Kaifeng." Li Zicheng said angrily.

Li Yan didn't dare to say any more.

"Brother Li, tomorrow I will go to battle in person. If we don't take Kaifeng, I, Liu Zongmin, won't be back either!"

Emotional, all in the emotional.

Li Laiheng quietly looked at this group of irrational people.

"Okay, Commander-in-Chief Liu, you go first and I'll come next. I don't believe Kaifeng is made of fine steel. Take Kaifeng and massacre the city!" Li Zicheng shouted the word massacre.

"Yes, Tucheng." Liu Zongmin agreed.

Li Yan frowned painfully.Li Laiheng was also shocked. As a special soldier, he dealt with death every day, but when he heard the massacre for the first time, his heart was shocked.

Kaifeng, a large city in the Central Plains, has a population of over one million.Massacre, isn't that millions of people are about to die?
Cruel, fierce.

Li Laiheng was angry.

"Chuang Wang! I object!" Li Laiheng's words were harsh.

(End of this chapter)