Dominate the Country

ps: I don't know if I can receive text message notifications from the background today/(ㄒoㄒ)/~~

As night fell, the atmosphere of the entire Phoenix Terrace became more and more solemn. All the musketeers put on breastplates and sharpened their bayonets. If the situation gets worse, bayonets will be more useful than bullets. All the scouts affiliated with the Phoenix Terrace were sent out. They don't need to monitor the east side of the investigation, but to keep a close eye on the south bank and the Yinma River.

Chen Ming also put on armor, which is a half-body armor with both chest and back, and it is made of steel. Compared with ordinary breastplates, the quality and defense are not a little bit stronger. There is also a steel knife hanging on his waist, and even four grenades hanging on his chest. It is not impossible for him to use a knife when necessary.

Chen Erhu's equipment is similar to Chen Ming's, but there are no four burdens on his chest. Compared with throwing grenades, Chen Erbao is better at using a knife to chop people. There was also the 30-man team named Tank by Chen Ming. They did not climb up to the top of the city wall at this time. They hid in the houses on the left and right of the gate in cotton-padded jackets and sat quietly. The biggest way to save physical strength was to avoid being weak in the real fight. They were also the only team in and out of Fenghuangtai that was not wearing armor.

"Pah pah..."

Gunshots were heard from time to time outside. Since dark, the Qing soldiers did not use bows and arrows, and all shotguns were used.

"Hoo hoo..." There was still a bit of cold evening wind blowing. Due to the cover of the shield car, Chen Ming could not see any shadow of the Qing soldiers coming in and out in the night. So when the Qing soldiers suddenly attacked, he was not able to take the initiative at all.

Baoning unknowingly transported several small cannons to the front of Fenghuangtai. When he opened fire, he did not hit the left and right artillery batteries, but aimed at the narrow wall between the city gate and the left and right artillery batteries. Chen Ming did not put a few people on it, otherwise he would suffer.

The artillery battle on both sides officially began. The range of the Qing army's small artillery was less than half of the two heavy three-jin cannons on the Phoenix Terrace, but they had shield cars to rely on. For a while, the two sides fought back and forth, but there was no effect.

Under the Phoenix Terrace, the fire was bright. Chen Ming had people throw wood and torches down. It was only a dozen feet long, and three or five piles of fire could illuminate the front and back. But the Qing army was much smarter than Chen Ming thought. They threw bags of dead branches and rotten leaves into the fire. The raging fire continued to burn, but in addition to the flames, there was also billowing smoke.

"Charge..."

"Kill..." The shouts of the Green Camp soldiers were boiling.

The Chen family army, whose vision was completely obscured by the thick smoke, had no idea of ​​the situation outside. "No orders, no shooting or firing!" Chen Ming roared loudly, strictly prohibiting the firing of guns and cannons. Who knows whether the Qing soldiers who shouted and rushed outside really went out.

A mile away from the Qing army position, Baoning sat on a stool, listening to the messages sent back from the front. His eyes changed from calm to deep as the sea, "The Chen family thieves are so patient."

"Sir. Then really send troops to attack him once." An officer from Nanyang Town beside Baoning asked for a fight. "As long as there is a feint attack, and then our army will bluff again, can these rebels still sit there without getting confused?"

"That makes sense. Pass on my military order and let the vanguard feint once. Pay attention to casualties."

Baoning still cares about the casualties of the soldiers. However, whether this "care" is more about cherishing or fearing that too many casualties will lose face or even erase his merits, no one knows.

"Boom... Boom..."

Accompanied by two cannon shots under the Phoenix Terrace, the shrill screams of the Qing soldiers instantly spread far away.

Two rows of muskets followed, and there was no Green Camp soldier who could still stand under the Phoenix Terrace. The offensive launched by more than 30 people ended just as it began. Except for the dead, all the living people lay on the ground and screamed.

There were also a few noises from the Yinma River, but only a few. Then it was quiet quickly. A quarter of an hour later, the reconnaissance unit reported that they encountered the Qing soldiers' scouts. After a fight, one of them died and one of the Chen family army was injured. This is the advantage of equipment!

Both sides stayed up all night with their eyes open. Chen Ming did not dare to use his troops to attack. His greatest courage was to let some people go to sleep in the second half of the night. It was not until dawn that he realized that Baoning had made such a big move, but only fought a small battle, and then just made a fuss all night. This is not a battle, but staying up all night.

And it lasted more than one night!

The Qing army had a large number of people and sufficient capital. After a stalemate with the Chen family army at night, a new group of people continued the confrontation at dawn. And they did not forget to pour water on the shield car. It was night again, and Chen Ming knew that this night couldn't be like the last night, when all the soldiers had to keep their eyes open and endure the Qing army.

Otherwise, day after day, the only one that would be weakened would be the Chen family army. Baoning had more than 2,000 people in his hands, and even hundreds of militiamen that could be mobilized at any time. Chen Ming had to either defeat his opponent quickly or adjust himself. Following the opponent's rhythm would only lead him into a ditch.

"Uncle Erbao. Lead the team to charge for a while, don't get stuck too far. When you hear the sound of the gong, retreat immediately."

According to the scouts' inquiries, the Qing soldiers did not do anything strange on the south bank of the Yinma River and on the Yinma River. Baoning's only action on the south bank was to build a checkpoint corresponding to a place one mile away. Just like Chen Ming was guarding against being detoured by the Qing soldiers, Baoning also had to guard against being attacked by the Chen family army.

Chen Erbao led his team to fight out of the gate of Fenghuangtai openly. The gate, which was smashed to pieces by the Qing army's cannons, collapsed immediately as the stones inside were removed. Chen Erbao took the lead and rushed out with dozens of people.

The grenades were thrown out one after another. Regardless of whether there were clear troops behind the shield vehicles, they were thrown over first. Chen Jiajun's gunpowder was difficult to use, but Chen Ming was not stingy at all when it came time to use it.

"Bah bang..." The sounds of shotguns and handguns also came out in the night sky. Then came hand-to-hand combat with swords and guns.

Chen Ming couldn't tell who was superior and who was inferior among the figures, but Chen Erbao's shouting voice was the best reassurance. From Chen Erbao's high-spirited voice, Chen Ming could at least be sure that Chen Jiajun still had the advantage at this stage.

This short but fierce battle ended with Chen Jiajun's victory. The Qing army lost no less than thirty people dead and injured, while Chen Jiajun's losses were less than single digits, and there were many wounded but very few dead.

"It's just a side story, don't worry about it." Baoning comforted the general who apologized, with a hint of joy on his face: "The Phoenix Tower is small but strong, and it is indeed difficult to deal with. If the Chen family's thieves huddle inside, If we don't come out, our army will have to pay a heavy price for conquering it. Now they take the initiative to come out, isn't it a good thing?"

Baoning didn't care about the casualties of only twenty or thirty people.