A pool of hot blood splashed all over Degelei's face, and the head of his most loyal captain of the guards was beaten into a rotten watermelon right in front of him.
Two bodyguards were also hit. One of them had his chest armor pierced by a lead bullet. The huge kinetic energy instantly shattered his internal organs, and he fell straight to the ground like a log.
Another bodyguard, holding a shield, was knocked back by the powerful impact, stumbling like a drunk.
Although the shield blocked the lead bullet, his left arm was broken and hung limply, and he could no longer lift the shield.
At this time, Degelei still had a glimmer of hope. However, he didn't realize that the bullets were aimed at him, nor did he immediately retreat to avoid them. He continued to shout and give orders.
Zhao Mengzi pulled back the heavy musket that was on the breastwork and handed it to the back. Someone immediately took it and began to load the gunpowder and bullets nervously.
The comrades next to him did the same thing. They were all tall and strong men, and they formed a sniper team.
Not long after, another loaded musket was handed over. Although there were devices to cushion the recoil, the army still tried to select tall and strong soldiers to be responsible for shooting.
Moreover, each shooting musketeer is equipped with three loaders. This is also the reason why the trenches cannot be built too wide to prevent arrows from being thrown.
"Aim, and you must kill him this time." Zhao Mengzi reminded loudly, set up the gun, and clamped the fuse on the dragon head.
"He can't escape this time." A musketeer agreed with gritted teeth, regretting that he had missed the target just now, and was determined to hit the target this time.
The muzzles of several muskets slowly moved, locking onto Degelei once again. Zhao Mengzi and the others hesitated to fire despite the swaying figures, patiently searching for an opportunity.
Finally, in the rising clouds of gunpowder, the power of the thunder bomb exposed the Dege people.
"Fire!" Zhao Mengzi growled, and paused for a moment before pulling the trigger.
After a long period of cooperation, they had formed a tacit understanding. After the order was given, they would wait for a moment so that they could steady their guns after the call and fire simultaneously, firing a volley.
Three seconds later, a roar was heard, and six heavy muskets fired almost simultaneously, making the gunshots overlap and look very powerful.
Thick white smoke rose up, temporarily preventing them from observing the results of the battle, and this was not their task. A junior officer was holding a telescope, providing them with guidance and targets.
The Jiannu finally crossed the last trench. Although they had been beaten to pieces by the fierce firepower, they seemed to be showing signs of close combat and even breaking through the defense.
Degelei's voice became even louder, as if he had become the banner of the Jiannu army, inspiring the troops that had suffered heavy casualties to regroup and continue to charge forward.
The roar of the volleys from the Ming army's position did not attract attention. The deadly lead bullets whizzed in in an instant. Amidst the splashing rain of blood, Degelei's voice stopped abruptly.
A heavy lead bullet hit Degelei's chest, piercing his breastplate. The lead bullet deformed and hit the armor inside. Although the powerful kinetic energy failed to penetrate again, most of it was absorbed by Degelei's body.
There was no doubt that the sternum was broken, and there was no need to delve into whether the broken bone spur had penetrated the heart or pierced the lungs.
Degelei fell to the ground, blood and dark fragments gushing out of his mouth. His body became weaker and weaker, and his eyes became more and more dull. Finally, his eyes were motionless, open like a dead fish, staring blankly at the gray sky.
The deafening sound of gunfire on the battlefield, one after another, completely drowned out the wailing of the personal soldiers. Anyway, Degelei could not hear it.
The closer the distance, the more powerful the musket became. At a distance of dozens of meters, the eagle gun was almost indestructible, and heavy armor was useless.
A fierce bombardment of the sky cannon, the sweeping of the grapeshot from the Portuguese and tiger squat cannons, and the successive firing of light and heavy muskets finally shattered the last hope of the Jiannu.
Carrying the bodies of the Derge people, but leaving behind countless wounded and corpses, the Jiannu finally retreated in embarrassment under the pursuit of muskets and artillery.
The war drums boomed, and spearmen and sword and shield soldiers jumped out of the trenches, shouting and launching a counterattack against the retreating enemy.
But the counterattack was limited to a certain point. The spearmen and sword and shield soldiers rushed to the front of the wooden stakes and stopped. They waited in a fierce battle to guard the gap, while cutting down the wounded and cutting off the heads.
More Ming troops advanced from behind, carrying chevaux de frise to block the gap and secure it with wire. Unfazed and taking advantage of the Jiannu's retreat, the Ming army performed these tasks methodically.
Behind them were artillery and muskets from the city walls and outside; in front of them was the victorious scene of the enemy being killed and corpses scattered all over the ground.
On the city wall, the banner of the governor fluttered proudly. Xiong Tingbi put down his telescope, stroked his beard, and sneered.
What other tricks does Jiannu have? Apart from continuing to fill the void with human lives, I guess they have run out of tricks.
The Ming army still had a backup plan, or in other words, most of its troops had not been deployed. Even if the Jiannu attacked the city, it would only be a repeat of the defeat in Guangning, or even worse.
Huh? Xiong Tingbi narrowed his eyes and frowned.
That must be Huang Degong. He actually brought a few personal soldiers across the wooden stake formation and continued to harvest heads.
Although he wasn't rushing to collect heads in battle, this habit needed to be corrected. Xiong Tingbi snorted and ordered his men to call back the troops.
The sound of a horn was also heard from the rear of the Later Jin army. It was the order given by the old slave.
The officers and soldiers in front seemed to have been pardoned. Manggurtai, who was holding his brother's body and crying, could only punch the hard ground in anger, and looked up at the proudly standing Ningyuan City with eyes full of anger and unwillingness.
………………
"The soldiers fired their guns and cannons like rain and snow, but not a single soldier in our army died during the attack", "The guns and cannons that could penetrate two or three layers of armor hit those of us who were naked or wearing thin clothes, but did not cause any injuries. This is all due to the protection of the gods."
There are many such records in the historical records of the Later Jin Dynasty. The officers and soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty seemed to have mastered the magical skill of being "invulnerable to swords and spears", and often killed and slaughtered the Ming army without any casualties.
Who would believe that? Self-promotion, exaggerating the enemy's losses, and concealing one's own losses—this kind of propaganda in war, how could Zhu Youxiao not understand it?
Of course, there was indeed a huge gap in combat capability between the Ming army and the Later Jin army, especially in field battles.
But on the other hand, the Later Jin army, which was equipped with outdated equipment, was not even close to the Ming army equipped with advanced weapons.
Spirit is paramount, weapons are secondary, information is blocked, and they don’t know the formula for oblique throwing... Well, these are indeed huge flaws of the Later Jin barbarians.
Zhu Youxiao did not deny the importance of spirit, but he never relaxed in terms of weapons and always did his best to ensure that the Ming army maintained an absolute leading position in the war.
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