Bang! A falconet shell hit a shield cart, punching a round hole in the wooden board, sending wood chips flying everywhere. A Jiannu soldier behind the shield cart covered his face and screamed, blood oozing from between his fingers.

To facilitate transport by ship and infantry maneuver, the Ming army's artillery was mostly lightweight. A falconet weighed over 200 jin, and its solid shells weighed 4 or 5 jin, so it wasn't very powerful.

In fact, heavy muskets also had a destructive effect on wooden shield carts, but the effect was weaker than that of the falconet.

The Jiannu's shield chariots were constantly hit, with more damaged than destroyed. But this was not all the Ming army had, they had other ways to deal with the shield chariots.

More than a dozen simple grenade vehicles were set up behind the tanks, and dozens of small cans of kerosene had been placed in the slingshots. When the shield vehicle approached, they began to ignite and fire.

The kerosene tanks were smashed on the shield carts or on the ground, and a ball of fire rose up and burned fiercely.

After repeated deductions, it was clear that the Ming army was well prepared. Although the ammunition and supplies carried by the small boats were limited, it was more than enough to deal with one or two attacks.

Amidst the rising flames, the shield carts quickly transformed into trains, making it difficult to push or even approach them. Not only were there shield carts, but there were also numerous Jiannu soldiers, their bodies billowing with flames, thrashing and tumbling with inhuman screams.

Another round of grenade launchers launched more and more fires, with a bigger fire and thicker smoke, almost forming a blockade line of fireworks in front of the Ming army's front line of more than 60 meters.

Faced with this sudden blockade, the Jiannu offensive had to pause. It seemed that all they could do was wait for the fire to burn out or dig the ground to put it out.

The pressure in the center suddenly dropped, and the Han soldiers on both wings were subjected to fierce counterattacks.

Boom, boom, boom...

The harpoon shells from the falconet guns blasted towards the enemy in a fan-shaped pattern, completely unstoppable. Before the Han army's bird guns could even demonstrate their power, they were met with a head-on blow.

Chen Sanhe fell to the ground, narrowly avoiding the rain of lead bullets. He didn't dare stand up. All he could hear were screams and wails, and all he could see were the bloody bodies lying on the ground and the painful struggles of the injured who were still alive.

Shields were somewhat effective, but their protection was insufficient. The Han soldiers' equipment was also inferior to that of the Jurchens, which also made them suffer the most damage when facing Ming firearms.

Moreover, when launching a flank attack, there is another threat that needs to be considered, and that is the Ming army coming by boat.

Obviously, Yue Tuo anticipated this unfavorable factor and handed this task over to the Han soldiers.

At this time, the Ming army's ships had set sail again, carrying musketeers divided into two groups, paddling rapidly towards the opposite bank.

Zhang Pan gave orders, and the Ming troops on both wings pushed artillery carts forward, while hundreds of soldiers advanced in a rotational firing formation, launching more fierce attacks on the Han soldiers.

If they only passively defended, it would be disadvantageous for the Ming army, which was not in a superior position in terms of manpower. In the three-sided attack, the Han soldiers on the two wings were weak and could be defeated first, and then the Ming army could concentrate its forces to deal with the Jiannu.

The most intimidating thing is the artillery in front, with the black muzzle pointing at you, as if it can spit out dazzling flames and shoot dense and deadly lead bullets at any time.

Under the howling command of the officers, the Han soldiers reluctantly formed a battle array again and fought back with bird guns.

However, the formation that had just been reorganized collapsed again under several bombardments of the Portuguese cannons, and continued to retreat under the pressure of the Ming army soldiers' musket fire.

The roar of gunfire rang out in the river, and the Ming army, which came by boat, passed along the shore one after another, firing rounds of lead bullets at the Han army.

The pincer attack from both sides finally pushed the Han army to the brink of collapse, with only the diehard officers still shouting and resisting stubbornly.

The artillerymen quickly replaced their muskets, adjusted their muzzles, and fired fiercely at the Han soldiers. Hundreds and thousands of shotgun shells swept across like the Grim Reaper's scythe, killing and wounding the Han soldiers.

"Charge, kill!"

Accompanied by sharp whistles and the officers' roars, the Ming army soldiers inserted their bayonets, shouted in unison, and rushed forward.

The boats in the river also turned around, rowed towards the shore, and plunged into the shallows. Soldiers jumped off the boats, wading through the knee-deep water, rushed to the riverbank, and joined their allies in stabbing the Han army in the flank.

The combined strength of the two Ming armies was not large, but these few hundred men fought with the might of a thousand, chasing down the Han army, which outnumbered them by several orders of magnitude, until they were terrified and fled in panic.

Ma Guangyuan wanted to stop the defeat, wielding his bloody sword and frantically killing several deserters, but it was all in vain.

After a not-so-obvious gunshot, he seemed to be hit by a club, stopped moving, staggered, and fell down dejectedly.

The defeated soldiers hurried past without even a second glance. Only a few personal guards gathered around and called out.

Ma Guangyuan's eyes were wide open, blood foamed from his mouth, and he could no longer speak. He couldn't even tell others that he was hit by a bird gun from behind.

The personal soldiers carried Ma Guangyuan's body and joined the rout. The defeat of the Han army on the left wing was like a surging river that could not be stopped.

The Ming soldiers pursued them savagely. On the battlefield, there was no easier job than slaughtering chickens and sheep. The defeated soldiers were like a flock of panicked ducks, not even daring to look back, and could only flee for their lives.

Puff! The muffled sound of the bayonet entering the flesh was a bit creepy, but Zhang Xiaoxi didn't even blink.

His strength wasn't the greatest, but relying on the feel of his hands and the strength of his wrists, he had already drawn his bayonet and stepped forward in pursuit, not even sparing a glance at the fallen body.

Beside and behind him were his comrades, also his subordinates. The recruits from a few years ago had become officers, leading over a hundred soldiers.

"My last name is Zhang too!" Zhang Xiaoxi already knew why Feng Datie asked him that. Now, he could say that with his head held high, without disgracing the last name of the predecessor who bravely climbed to the top of the city wall.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!