"Boom boom boom!"

In an instant, the sheep and horse wall was subjected to a terrifying bombardment, but the number of casualties was extremely small.

The defenders had already made all the necessary preparations for the impending attack of the Yan army. In addition to the raised battlements, the defenders on the horse path had already prepared wooden canopies, which were extremely sturdy defensive weapons made of thick solid wood covered with iron sheets.

They were originally used to defend against arrows, but after learning that the Yan army had cannons, these wooden curtains were completely reinforced. Unless they are hit by several cannonballs at the same time, they will not be blown to pieces immediately.

Even with protective gear, the bombardment from the cannons was still terrifying.

The soldier leaning against the wall had turned slightly pale. Like his comrades, they had been ordered to hold their ground at the sheep and horse wall and wait for the enemy's artillery fire.

The enemy's artillery was fierce enough, as had been proven in the previous battle of Datong, while the Shenji Battalion's artillery had a shorter range and therefore could not engage in a direct firefight with them.

At that moment, the young soldier, hearing the whistling sound outside, looked up at the wooden canopy above him, then lowered his gaze to the dust rising continuously on the horse path. His expression grew increasingly grim, but then he gritted his teeth and said:

"If the Shenji Battalion's artillery had that range, we could use these fortifications to inflict heavy casualties on those rebels!"

"It's a pity we didn't get one, Xiao Hu. Don't complain now." His companion was a few years older than him, with a slightly chubby face and a short beard. Compared to the young soldier, his complexion was much better. Leaning against the city wall, he listened quietly to the cannon fire outside. Although his expression was slightly serious, he was not flustered.

He continued:

"Of the hundred cannons of the Shenji Battalion, only ten are stationed at our Yangma Wall. The enemy... looks to be at least ten times our size."

"I don't know where these guys got all these cannons. If we didn't have these cannons, we wouldn't be worried about them no matter how many they came. But now, we can only let them bombard us."

The soldier called "Little Hu" frowned and said, "Brother Zhang, these shells are coming at us so fiercely, how come you're not panicked at all?"

Brother Zhang glanced at him, his eyelids drooping, and said:

"Panic won't help, and there's no way to retaliate right now, but luckily our walls are strong enough."

He tapped the city wall behind him and continued, "This side, when it was renovated last year, they said they even mixed in bluestone bricks sent from Hangzhou. Those are not your average hard bricks."

Xiao Hu turned his head to look at the city wall behind him. He was pressed tightly against the wall and could feel the constant vibrations coming from it. A layer of dust that had fallen from the wall had already accumulated under his buttocks.

And Brother Zhang continued:

"Sigh, what about now?"

"We can only wait for them to keep bombarding us, keep bombarding us... until—"

He fiddled with his armor, shaking off a cloud of dust, before speaking:

"They will keep going until they run out of ammunition."

"Isn't that how Military Advisor Jin arranged it? The enemy has such powerful artillery, and its destructive power is too strong, but no matter what, these shells will eventually run out."

"Just wait. Once they've used up most of their shells, I think they'll use the artillery as cover to attack the city."

At this point, Xiao Hu's face grew even paler:

"When that time comes, we will stand up and launch an offensive against them."

Brother Zhang turned to look at him, patted him on the shoulder, and calmly said, "Yes."

"At that time, our brothers will have to brave the gunfire and fight them to the death."

At this point, he pursed his lips, turned his head to look at the sky, and actually chuckled softly amidst the roaring cannons of the battlefield:

"I hope it doesn't hit me."

“Of course.” He then turned to look at Xiao Hu, whose face was pale. “I hope it doesn’t hit you, brother.” He blinked.

Xiao Hu forced a smile: "Mm."

"Once we successfully defeat the rebels, I need to go back..."

Before he could finish speaking, Brother Zhang's expression suddenly changed, becoming unusually serious. He glared at Xiao Hu and interrupted him:

"Don't say things like that on the battlefield!"

"As soldiers, we simply follow orders and do our duty."

"Let fate decide whether we live or die."

Xiao Hu opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but Brother Zhang had already slightly raised his head from the city wall. After all, the constant shaking of the city wall had already made the back of his head feel a little uncomfortable.

"Now, just wait and see."

"Wait for their charge."

"Okay, fine." Xiao Hu didn't say anything more, but shrank back, trying his best to stay under the protection of the wooden curtain. Then he turned his head to the side and looked at the towering watchtower.

Although the watchtower was also made of clay mixed with bricks and stones, the roof was made of wood. Now the roof has been almost completely destroyed by artillery shells. From here, he can see the exposed walls of the watchtower, but there is no one on the top floor.

Ever since they learned that the rebels had artillery, everyone knew that those wooden buildings were no longer reliable for defense, but seeing the top of the watchtower exposed to the elements still made Xiao Hu uneasy.

It seems like quite some time has passed since the rebels started firing their artillery, but the shells are still being fired in this direction, almost without interruption.

He couldn't help but ask again:

"Brother Zhang, do you know how long they've been firing their artillery?"

Looking at the setting sun, Brother Zhang pondered, "It should be almost 3:40 PM now."

"They... have probably been shooting for about 15 minutes."

As he spoke, he also looked at the nearest watchtower. Apart from the top floor being completely destroyed, the exposed top wall was still being bombarded.

The topmost wall seemed to be crumbling, with bricks constantly falling off.

Just then, a scream suddenly came from a few meters away. Xiao Hu was startled and tried to stand up in a panic, but Brother Zhang was quick and grabbed him.

"Fool! Squat down!" he shouted sternly.

Xiao Hu broke out in a cold sweat, only then belatedly realizing that he had almost made a terrible mistake.

Looking toward the source of the screams, one sees a wooden curtain fallen to the ground, with two soldiers lying there screaming in agony. Beside them lies another man, but half of his head is gone, his white brain matter spilling onto the ground.

"Huff—" Xiao Hu gasped for breath, his face covered in cold sweat.

Brother Zhang, standing close to him, noticed his trembling and immediately said in a deep voice:

"Do not move!"

"Just stay here, it's okay. They'll run out of ammunition eventually!"

"Just wait, in half an hour at most, their artillery barrage will weaken."

Xiao Hu hunched over, his neck hunched, or rather, his whole body huddled together, pressed tightly against the city wall, unable to utter a word for a moment.

The tremors coming from behind grew stronger and stronger.