The Imperial Grandson of the Great Ming

In the seventh year of Hongwu, the legitimate eldest grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, was born.

He who resides as the legitimate heir will surely ascend to t...

Chapter 534 Times Have Changed

Several explosions rang out from the city walls and the county town. The enemy's terrified screams and dying cries sounded so pleasant to Zhu Neng. He was a man born to fight, a soldier who loved to fight.

After three rounds of cannon fire, Zhu Neng brandished his long sword. As he swung it forcefully, the messenger beside him waved a small flag. The infantry, who had already formed ranks, began to march in orderly steps toward the city wall, especially a few groups that looked particularly strange.

Although in some past battles, there were indeed soldiers who used shields to get closer to the city.

At first glance, these small groups seemed to be doing the same thing, but although they were carrying shields and braving arrows, they seemed to be more focused on getting closer to the city wall. Even those soldiers who appeared to be charging forward were moving unusually slowly.

Zhu Neng remained expressionless, utterly disdainful of this small county town before him. Even if it was the so-called gateway to Jiangyuan Province, seemingly amassed with six thousand heavily armed soldiers, it was still nothing special.

If the Red Turban Army, which was driven out of the Central Plains, could break through the capital of the Goryeo people, then the invincible Ming army would surely be even more unstoppable.

Beneath the low walls of the city, shield bearers frantically dug trenches, braving arrows and falling stones from the ramparts. There were countless ways to breach the city walls; this was an example of putting a small amount of material to a great use.

The gunpowder was already in place and ready to be ignited. At a command, the infantry began their orderly retreat, preparing for a fierce battle and eager to reap their military rewards.

The Ming Dynasty's siege army moved swiftly, and their recent charge seemed to be merely a probe. However, some veteran Goryeo soldiers on the city walls also felt something was amiss, as the Ming Dynasty troops seemed to be waiting for something.

'boom'

Suddenly, a loud roar erupted from below the city wall of Shegu County, causing many Goryeo soldiers on the wall to fall to the ground. Many of the Goryeo soldiers turned pale, terrified by the enormous roar.

'Boom, boom'

The series of explosions terrified the Goryeo soldiers even more. The city wall, which had brought them some comfort, suddenly burst open in many places, and the soldiers near the breaches were either killed or wounded.

"Block it!" a Goryeo general shouted, realizing something. "Block the breach! They're going to seize the city!"

Even though the relatively experienced Goryeo soldiers were somewhat fearful, they all understood that a major battle was imminent, and they had to plug the breaches. As long as they plugged those breaches, they could defend the county town.

Zhu Neng revealed a ferocious smile. Six thousand Goryeo soldiers had gathered in Shegu County, intending to defend this so-called gateway to Gangwon Province and trap the Ming army there. However, these men were now like turtles in a barrel, having lost their last chance to escape.

Raising his longsword, Zhu Neng shouted fiercely, "Shenji Battalion, advance! Kill those barbarians blocking the city!"

The gap—by plugging it, they could stop the Ming army and inflict even more casualties on them. This was the wisdom of many Goryeo soldiers. But just as they were plugging the gap, they were horrified to discover that times seemed to have changed.

Even if some Goryeo soldiers recognized muskets—after all, muskets had been around for quite some time, and they had heard of or seen them during their battles against the Mongols—the muskets of these Ming Dynasty soldiers seemed to have a much longer range.

Most importantly, when the Ming army approached the breach, many people saw the Ming army throw out fist-sized iron balls and similar objects, which were smoking and crashed into the crowd.

In an instant, explosions erupted at the breach, and countless Goryeo soldiers cried out in despair, huddled together, ready for close combat. Unfortunately for them, the Ming Dynasty army, with their advanced firearms, caught the Goryeo soldiers completely off guard.

"The firearms His Majesty values ​​are indeed formidable." Zhu Neng's smile grew even more ferocious, and he suddenly shouted, "Seize the city!"

7017k