On the city walls, red-haired cannons were bombarding the attacking ranks, and one shell sent blood and flesh flying all along the way; nearby, grenade trucks threw out bombs, and in the smoke rising from the explosion, shrapnel flew, carrying the roar of death.
Boom, boom, boom... The roar of muskets was dense. Amidst the rising white smoke, lead bullets shot out and splashed towards the enemy shrouded in gunpowder smoke.
Niulu Ezhen Wakda roared, or rather howled in anger, as his brave soldiers fell one after another, their screams and wails so piercing, and the tragic scene of blood and flesh flying everywhere was so shocking.
This wasn't the battle Wakda had imagined. Even Guangning's defeat was due to the high, broad, and thick city walls. But now, he couldn't even touch the edge of the wall!
Bang! After a muffled thud, before Wakda's gaze, the bravest warrior of the Niulu clan fell, as if struck by a heavy hammer. The armor on his chest and abdomen was visibly dented, and blood and fragments of internal organs gushed out of his mouth.
Heavily armored soldiers were constantly being hit by the hawk muskets, and without exception, several layers of armor were unable to protect them. The number of heavy matchlock muskets was obviously far beyond the Jiannu's expectations.
On the breastwork fortifications that were under frontal attack, the flashing flames had merged into one, and thick white smoke rose up and quickly dissipated in the cold wind.
Wakda saw another armored soldier from Tongniulu being hit. This time he died quickly. His head was not smashed but blown away, turning into countless broken bones and flesh.
Screams and wails echoed around him, driving Wakda mad. But the attacking team was stopped by two rows of sharp wooden stakes, neither too high nor too close together. In front of the stakes were corpses and the ground was littered with wounded.
Blood flowed, emitting wisps of white steam on the dry and cold earth, then became cold and sticky, and was covered by the blood flowing again.
The surviving wounded soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty screamed in agony and struggled and crawled about in panic. They were seriously wounded by bullets and were in a freezing cold environment. Their pain was unimaginable.
The bowstrings vibrated, and arrows flew across the sky like a swarm of locusts. The archers responsible for covering the enemy had tried their best, but the results were disappointing. The intensity of the firepower on the Ming army's position did not decrease.
If armor was not an effective protection against firearms, it was far more effective against bows and arrows. Furthermore, breastworks and trenches provided an even better defense against projectiles.
Boom, boom, boom... The Ming army retaliated with projectiles. Sky-thunder bombs flew through the sky, and there was another series of explosions that were countless.
Wakda's roar turned into a scream, and a bomb exploded right under his feet. His legs were covered in blood and could no longer support his strong body.
Two armored soldiers carried him up. Wakda only remembered the name of one of the soldiers, but that didn't matter. He decided to reward them well after being rescued.
But after taking a few steps, another group of black thunder bombs came crashing down.
Amid the explosions, Wakda didn't need to reward anyone else. A piece of shrapnel hit his face, ending his thoughts and his life.
Boom, boom, boom... The roar of more than a dozen tiger squat cannons fired out countless projectiles, sweeping across the wide front, and ended the Jiannu's attack amid countless screams and wails.
Nurhaci looked at the defeated soldiers with an expressionless face. He was neither angry nor shouting.
At this time, he finally understood that Amin's failure in Port Arthur was not due to incompetence.
In the face of deep trenches and fortifications, and under the attack of numerous and sharp firearms, all the skills of riding and shooting, ferocity in hand-to-hand combat, and cavalry in field battles were of no use.
The Ming army's combat effectiveness was obviously much stronger than when they attacked Guangning. It was not only because of the upgrade of weapons and equipment, but also because they fought calmly and in an orderly manner.
In Nurhaci's impression, the Ming army was indeed well-equipped with firearms. However, after he started his rebellion against the Ming, he won many battles, with the only one being Guangning, where he suffered a setback.
The quality of firearms was one issue, but the Ming army soldiers who used firearms had even more problems.
Mainly because of the deep-rooted fear, the Ming army's musketeers often opened fire before the Later Jin army entered the effective range.
The Later Jin army took advantage of this. They first lured the Ming army's musketeers to shoot, and then took advantage of the gap when they were reloading powder and bullets to launch a quick and fierce attack.
But what Nurhaci saw was a calm and orderly musketry. Before the swan sound was heard, few of the Ming army's musketeers fired alone out of panic and tension.
Nurhaci was shocked by the army with strict orders and soldiers who obeyed orders and were not afraid of the enemy and fighting, and he became extremely vigilant.
Xiong Tingbi was not only a strategic visionary, but also known for his strict military discipline. He offended many military leaders during his time in Liaodong. Nurhaci knew this and regarded Xiong Tingbi as a great enemy.
However, Nurhaci also had his own analysis and judgment on this, that is, officials like Xiong Tingbi, regardless of their abilities, were not well-received. They could not stay in Liaodong for long and could not give full play to their abilities.
But the facts surprised and stunned Nurhaci. Xiong Tingbi not only had a stable position, but also seemed to have won the emperor's favor and reliance. He was granted full power and was able to govern Liaodong without any constraints.
Trust your people and appoint them wisely? Nurhaci was puzzled. Even if the emperor was a wise man, what about the civil servants in the court who were more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything? What about the factional struggles that attacked each other, and the inefficient court battles?
The military attacks over the past year had indeed caused considerable losses to the Later Jin, but they were not seriously damaged. However, Xiong Tingbi in Liaoxi and Yuan Keli in Dengzhou were increasingly a thorn in Nurhaci's side.
The horn sounded mournfully, and it was Manggurtai, who was commanding in the front, who issued the order to attack again.
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