The sound of artillery fire was as deafening as thunder and very dense, almost one after another.
The walls of Jinzhou were filled with smoke, and the rammed earth was smashed into craters, broken into pieces, and dust was flying.
More than forty large-sized Portuguese cannons continuously spewed flaming projectiles towards the city, like a landslide, casting an increasingly heavy shadow of death over the enemies defending the city.
Although the cannons are not heavy siege artillery, they are numerous and have a fast firing rate, and they still have a certain destructive power against city defenses like Jinzhou.
Shen Yourong was very self-aware. He knew that the Dengzhen and Tianjin naval forces, and even the Dongjiang Army, were newly formed and had little combat experience, let alone how strong their combat power was.
A full eight thousand troops were left behind to defend the southern gate, while the remainder was used to besiege Jinzhou. Many of the large Portuguese ships were also unloaded, in an effort to capture the city as quickly as possible and minimize potential complications.
The main attack direction was undisguised: the west gate. The concentrated artillery fire and the armored soldiers' vigilant stance made it clear to the enemy that they were determined to crush them with absolute force.
The city gate had long disappeared, but there were a large number of obstacles blocking it. The defenders had sealed the gate and were ready to fight a desperate battle.
Each cannon fired five or six sub-guns, and after more than two hundred shots were fired, the city wall was severely damaged, and the battlements looked like a broken mouth with missing teeth, which was extremely ugly.
The enemies on the city wall had no chance to stand, and only a few lookouts were left in the distance. The rest could only hide from the artillery fire and wait for orders under the city wall.
As the highest-ranking general, Shen Yourong undoubtedly served as the commander-in-chief of the siege. He did not order the infantry to attack the city, but instead ordered the artillery to load the sub-cannons and gave a few instructions to Mao Wenlong and Lieutenant General Zhao of Jinzhen.
Mao Wenlong and Lieutenant General Zhao bowed and accepted the order. They called over several generals of their own army and gave them careful instructions before letting them take orders and make arrangements.
After a while, the gun barrel had cooled down, and Shen Yourong ordered the bombardment to begin again.
Boom, boom, boom...
Shells flew onto the top of the city wall, bricks and stones flew everywhere, smoke and dust rose, blocking people's vision.
Mao Wenlong and Lieutenant General Zhao each took command, waving their flags. Under the command of the officers, the siege troops carried ladders and rushed forward shouting.
As soon as Shen Yourong's flag moved, the artillery stopped bombarding, apparently not wanting to accidentally injure their own troops.
Sharp whistles and low trumpets were heard from the city. A large number of defenders, armed with swords, guns, bows and arrows, quickly climbed the city walls at the shouts of their officers, ready to resist the enemy's attack.
Shen Yourong showed a sneer on his face. He waited until the number of enemies on the city was almost the same, and suddenly gave the order to sound the horn.
The gong sounded, and the sword and shield soldiers who were charging forward threw down their ladders and turned around and retreated under the shouts and commands of the officers.
Almost at the same time, there was a rumble of cannon fire, and dozens of cannons spewed flames, firing shells at the city.
The gunners replaced their sub-guns as quickly as possible and bombarded the city without stopping.
"Leave the city, leave the city to hide from the artillery." The Jiannu officer knew he had been tricked, shouted angrily, and hurriedly left the city with his soldiers.
A cannonball came down, and although its speed seemed slow, it killed some of the enemies it hit and injured some of the enemies it scraped against. Several Jiannu soldiers fell down screaming in the midst of flying flesh and blood.
Cannonballs flew onto the city walls one after another, leaving marks on the walls and battlements, causing dust and debris to fly, or flying over the walls and missing, or bringing up a streak of blood, causing screams and wails.
The cannon fire stopped, and the siege troops, seeing the flag change, turned around and charged again, picking up the ladders on the ground and getting closer to the city wall than last time, with even louder shouts.
Following the blast of horns and whistles, the Jiannu defenders who had just reached the city walls began to run back up. This time they were truly about to attack the city; the shouts were getting louder and closer.
Seeing more and more figures swaying on the city wall, Shen Yourong sounded the gong to call back the troops. The siege troops stopped about 50 to 60 meters away from the city wall and turned to withdraw.
The sound of cannons roared again, and waves of shells streaked across the sky and flew onto the top of the city walls, smashing the Jiannu troops who went up to the city to fight into a panic, causing heavy casualties.
I’ve been fooled again! The Jiannu officer gnashed his teeth in hatred and fled breathlessly, leaning against the city wall and breathing heavily.
"General Mao, General Zhao, in the next round we must climb the city walls and fight a bloody battle to get in." Shen Yourong stroked his gray beard and said solemnly to Mao Wenlong.
Mao Wenlong cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, my lord. The soldiers under my command have a deep hatred for the Jiannu and will fight to the death to capture the city."
Lieutenant General Zhao also bowed and said, "Tianjin Town also has 800 soldiers. They are very fast and are especially good at climbing. They are also brave and capable of fighting. We dare to be the first to climb."
Shen Yourong nodded and said, "Then go down and make detailed arrangements to ensure there are no mistakes."
"Yes, I obey your command." Mao Wenlong and Lieutenant General Zhao saluted and left.
Shen Yourong turned his gaze and looked at the artillery position. After these rounds of bombardment, the gunners had better control, higher accuracy, and were more confident in breaking the city.
The muskets were loaded and the barrels had cooled down. Following the direction of the flag, the siege troops advanced, followed by the archers, ready to attack the city.
The lookouts on the city wall hesitated and dared not blow the whistle or horn again. Several decoy bombardments caused many casualties to their own army, which made their psychological pressure increase sharply, as if it was their responsibility.
One hundred meters, eighty meters, sixty meters, fifty meters... The vanguard of the siege troops was getting closer and closer to the city wall, either charging or moving forward step by step.
The archers have found a suitable distance, stood in rows, with arrows on the strings, waiting to draw their bows and shoot.
The sharp whistle and the deep horn finally sounded from the top of the city wall. Shen Yourong narrowed his eyes, counting in his mind, and suddenly waved the flag, giving the artillery the order to open fire. Almost at the same time, the gong sounded.
The defenders hiding under the city were rushing up the city wall under the supervision of their officers. The first group had already reached the top of the city wall, and as soon as they took a foothold, they heard the rumbling sound of cannons.
"I've been fooled again." The Jiannu officer was only a few steps away from reaching the top of the city wall when he heard the familiar voice and almost burst into tears. He turned around and ran down, shouting, "Get down, get down to avoid the artillery!"
The shells fell one after another, and unsurprisingly, they caused a lot of casualties to the Jiannu. Their screams and wails were mixed with curses. The Han people were really despicable.
Smoke and dust once again covered the top of the city wall, but the siege troops below did not withdraw, but raised their shields to provide protection dozens of meters away.
The cannonade ceased, replaced by the rumbling of war drums. With a shout, the siege troops rushed forward, carrying ladders and shields raised.
With the sound of more urgent whistles and trumpets, the defenders hiding under the city once again climbed the city wall. After being hit by several artillery shells, the defenders seemed a little hesitant, and even the officers were not so resolute, fearing another round of bombardment.
This time, there was no sound of cannons, but what greeted the Jiannu soldiers who climbed the city wall were volleys of arrows that rained down like raindrops.
The distance of dozens of meters was reached in a blink of an eye. Ladders were set up and the soldiers climbed up.
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