The snow was falling harder, blurring the view. Xiong Tingbi put down his telescope and stood inside the covered fort. He looked up and saw the heavy and powerful red cannon, which gave him a boost of confidence.
Zu Dashou and Jin Guofeng were clinging to the battlements not far away, pointing and talking in low voices.
"After exhausting the Jiannu outside the city, we will let them down and deal a heavier blow to them."
"That's a solution. Let the Jiannu get a taste of success first. Once they feel they have a chance of breaking the city, they'll deploy more troops and work harder."
"We're not afraid of ladders climbing the city walls. If they want to dig through the walls, we'll just throw bombs at them... Damn it, what other tricks do the Jiannu have?"
"The Jiannu have brought cannons, so we can't underestimate them."
Xiong Tingbi listened to the discussion and smiled faintly. There was no need to go to great lengths. No matter how hard they fought, they would defeat the Jiannu's siege attempt. It was just a matter of casualties.
Ningyuan did not rely solely on the Red Cannon, but also had bastion-like city walls, a large number of grenade launchers, sky-bombs, and musket fire from all angles on the city walls.
Therefore, whether it was the breastwork and trench outside the city or the means to attract the Jiannu to the city, Ningyuan was impregnable and unbreakable.
But the Jiannu were completely in the dark and came excitedly, hoping to win by breaking the city. They never expected that this would be an even more devastating defeat than the attack on Guangning.
A messenger came running along the city wall, approached and saluted, reporting: "Your Excellency, General He of Juehua Island has sent a message that all defenses have been arranged and there is no large-scale ice along the coast. Please rest assured."
Xiong Tingbi nodded and took the letter, feeling completely relieved. Ningyuan was impregnable, and Juehua was no problem either. This battle was already a sure win.
………………
At noon on the second day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor had finished his busy work on the first day and wanted to have a good rest and relax.
Nurhaci led the main force to Ningyuan, only one day later than the vanguard troops.
After strengthening his army and horses, Nurhaci immediately adjusted his deployment, crossed the Shanhai Avenue three miles away from the city, and set up a large camp in the north of the city.
After making the arrangements, Nurhaci led his generals to closely observe the Ningyuan city defenses, looking for weaknesses for launching an attack.
The sky had just cleared, and the ground beneath Ningyuan City was a blanket of white. But a closer look revealed that it was mostly covered by sheds. Between the deep trenches and high ramparts, Ming army officers and soldiers stood in full battle formation.
Looking out over the city walls, the banner of the governor fluttered in the wind. The familiar feeling came flooding back to Nurhaci's heart.
Just a year ago, around this time, the disastrous defeat at Guangning City was still fresh in his mind. It was his first defeat since he rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, so how could it not be unforgettable?
Now, Ningyuan City's defense system seemed to be even tighter than Guangning's, and it had dealt a heavy blow to Amin's troops at Lushun Fort. Despite carrying a large number of artillery, Nurhaci still did not dare to take it lightly.
"Father Khan." Manggurtai raised his whip and pointed, saying, "The wall of Ningyuan is built in a strange way. It seems, it seems..."
Nurhaci narrowed his eyes and said, "Guangning City also has similar arrangements, but Ningyuan's is more formal and more solid."
After a pause, the old slave continued, "When defending Guangning, the Ming army could only rely on the fortified city walls to hold their ground. Now that they have the audacity to deploy troops outside the city walls, they must be relying on the power of their firearms to challenge our army."
After saying this, Nurhaci turned to look at Tong Yangxing and asked, "If we want to break through the enemy's deep trenches and ramparts, can artillery help?"
Tong Yangxing looked bitter, and bowed on his horse and replied: "Your Majesty, the artillery can bombard the city, but it can't cause much damage to the enemy in the trenches."
Nurhaci thought about it and understood the reason. He did not blame Tong Yangxing, but nodded slightly to show his agreement.
Cannonballs are solid projectiles, launched in a trajectory similar to that of a bow and arrow. The same principle applies to cannonballs, as the trench breastworks protected the Ming army from arrows.
When attacking Ningyuan this time, Nurhaci not only brought the newly formed artillery unit, but also brought a considerable number of shield carts and hook ladders to save time and attack the city as quickly as possible.
Nurhaci also understood the structure of Ningyuan City, which was designed to allow for crossfire and inflict heavy casualties on the siege troops. At the same time, it also reduced blind spots for fire attacks.
But Ningyuan City was renovated, not rebuilt. Its original shape was square, and there was no way to change it.
Therefore, Nurhaci led his men to scout around the city and finally discovered one of its weaknesses, which was the corner artillery position of the city.
Indeed, from the attacker's perspective, the density of firepower encountered here is much less than that encountered when attacking the front city wall.
However, although it seemed like a weak spot, Nurhaci knew that the city wall at the corner was very thick, and it would be extremely difficult to dig through it.
Putting aside the idea of a fierce attack on the corner artillery positions for the time being, Nurhaci decided to first break through the defensive positions of the Ming army outside the city, forcing the Ming army to retreat into the city, and then use artillery to bombard the city walls.
On the top of the city wall, Xiong Tingbi and several generals were also observing Nurhaci and others. They had telescopes in their hands, and they could see much more clearly than with the naked eye.
"It's the old slave." Zu Dashou shouted, "Use the cannon to shoot him... Damn it."
Artillery officer Luo Li turned his attention to Xiong Tingbi, waiting for his orders, and looked eager to try.
Xiong Tingbi pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The Jiannu are on the move. A hasty bombardment would be difficult to guarantee accuracy, and it would also expose our army's strengths and weaknesses."
The corners of his mouth curled up, and Old Bear revealed a hint of a sneer. He pointed and said, "Luo Li, the Jiannu camp is within the range of the artillery, right?"
Luo Li nodded without even looking at it and said, "Your Excellency is wise. The Jiannu are seeking death."
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