"Your Majesty, General Yuan Zongdi discovered an unknown number of Ming troops in the northwest. The two sides are facing each other in the wilderness, but there is no fighting."
"Pass the order down and speed up the march!" Li Zicheng ordered without thinking.
Especially at times like this, we must not be disturbed by the outside world!
"Your Majesty, there's a fire!"
Just as the main force of the Shun army arrived at the city of Daming Prefecture, news of a fire came from the rear.
"Fire?"
Li Zicheng turned around in surprise and looked in the direction of the fire.
"Your Majesty, it seems... it seems to be the new recruits' camp!" After taking a look, Liu Zongmin determined where the fire was.
There was a hint of helplessness, sympathy and sadness in his voice.
During the siege of Beijing, a fire broke out in Liu Fangliang's camp and the food and grass were destroyed, forcing the Shun army to attack the city in a hurry.
In the end, the defeat was disastrous!
Now we are besieging Daming Prefecture and a fire has broken out in his camp again!
If the first fire was blamed on negligence, the second was a matter of military discipline.
Li Zicheng stamped his feet fiercely: "Fang Liang, ah Fang Liang, you ruined my plan!"
Before Li Zicheng could vent his anger, deafening explosions were heard all around him.
boom!
Then shouts of killing were heard everywhere!
Liu Zongmin was shocked: "Go and find out what happened."
The messenger jumped on his horse and left as quickly as possible.
Li Zicheng was silent for a moment, then ordered: "Continue the siege!"
"Your Majesty!" Liu Zongmin reminded: "The situation is unclear now, why not postpone the siege until we understand the situation."
Li Zicheng smiled faintly: "The Ming army is just bluffing."
"But…"
"My words are my will. Pass the order..." Li Zicheng drew his sword and pointed it at Daming Mansion: "Attack the city!"
Li Zicheng was no longer the Li Zicheng who besieged Beijing.
He grew a lot after that failure.
Especially in the use of troops.
He believed that any conspiracy or trickery would be futile in the face of absolute military advantage!
Although the soldiers under Huang Degong were all wearing armor, their combat effectiveness was also stronger.
But his troops were less than half as strong as his, and there were trenches everywhere outside the city of Damingfu.
It’s difficult to break through the Shun army’s defense line!
Following Li Zicheng's order, tens of thousands of Shun troops either carried or pushed siege equipment towards the city walls of Daming Prefecture.
The Ming troops on the city wall had already discovered the situation and were standing on the wall as if facing a powerful enemy.
The city wall of Daming Prefecture is 35 feet high, 25 feet wide at the bottom, and covered with bricks and stones.
There are towers at the four gates, turrets at the four corners, artillery batteries on the city walls, and a moat outside the city walls, which is nine zhang wide and four zhang and a half feet deep.
The city is magnificent and easy to defend but difficult to attack, comparable to the city of Xi'an!
This easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack city was the result of Li Xingzhong's courage in defending the city, and was also the fundamental reason why Li Zicheng initially surrounded the city but did not attack.
boom!
The cannons on the city walls fired first, and large and small shells poured down.
Click…Puff…Puff!
The large solid bullet hit the siege equipment, breaking the thin wood on top.
Hundreds of bullets fall from the sky, causing area damage.
The wooden boards of the Shun army's simple shield carts were shot through, but the remaining power of the bullets killed and injured several people.
The people outside the shield car were even worse off.
Some soldiers had their bodies pierced directly by bullets, and they fell to the ground wailing. In an instant, their blood and lives solidified at the same time.
But...only a few died or were injured!
Most of the soldiers hid behind ladders, shield carts, trench bridges and chariots and came to the moat.
The cannons on the city walls cannot fire downwards, as this is their blind spot.
Without the suppression of artillery, the Shun army attacking the city suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
They pushed the elaborate trench bridge into the moat and then pulled the ropes to unfold it.
One...two...five...ten...twenty!
A total of twenty trench bridges were evenly laid on the moat!
Afterwards, more than a dozen ladders were pushed up by the Shun army!
Also arriving were countless Shun army siege troops.
Wearing helmets and armor, holding swords and shields, they marched at rapid pace through the artillery coverage area, walked across the trench bridge, and climbed ladders to attack the top of the city.
Soon after, the Shun army, who were digging walls and removing bricks, also arrived.
They hid under the ladders and used special weapons in their hands to pry bricks on the city wall.
Li Zicheng was not idle during the siege, but instead ordered people to make a large number of siege weapons.
These devices may look simple, but they are practical.
The defeat in the Battle of Beijing made Li Zicheng realize the importance of equipment!
Especially the ladder!
"Fang Liang, it seems that the collapse method is not a panacea. Siege equipment such as trench bridges and ladders are very effective when used in practice!"
"Why didn't you use it when you besieged Beijing?" Li Zicheng's eyes flickered, but his expression was very calm.
He is thinking...
If he had not insisted on the collapse tactic when attacking Beijing, but instead used weapons to attack the city, perhaps he would have succeeded.
Liu Zongmin certainly knew what Li Zicheng was thinking, and he explained: "Your Majesty, Beijing's walls are tall and the moat is wide! It is difficult to make suitable equipment in a short time."
"Especially the moat bridge! The moat of Beijing is about 17 zhang wide. It would be very difficult to build a moat bridge that is 17 zhang long and can pass a ladder."
Li Zicheng was stunned for a moment, and looked at Liu Zongmin with a hint of apology in his eyes: "I actually forgot about this matter! Zongmin, don't take it to heart!"
Liu Zongmin bowed and said: "Your Majesty, your words are too serious. I dare not say anything."
Faced with the aggressive Shun army, the Ming army on the city wall was not afraid at all.
Under the command of generals big and small, fight back hard!
"Kerosene!"
When faced with a wooden device like a ladder, the easiest way is to pour kerosene!
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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