Upon hearing that the Ming army was going to attack the city, Qujing garrison commander Sha Yimin said relentlessly: "Let them attack! There are plenty of arrows, kerosene, rolling logs and rocks in the city!"
"Even if I die, I will take these tens of thousands of Ming soldiers with me to be buried with me!"
The messenger looked at Sha Yimin with a proud look on his face and said something that struck him like lightning.
"Sir, the Ming army deployed hundreds of artillery outside the South Gate under cover of night... The brothers guarding the city dare not stay on the city wall to defend."
"How many...how many cannons?" Sha Yimin thought there was something wrong with his ears and asked hurriedly.
"Your Excellency, I just hid behind the battlements of the city wall and roughly counted them. There are about 600 light and heavy artillery pieces, as well as a varying number of catapults."
After hearing this number clearly, Sha Yimin was deeply shocked.
"Six hundred cannons...Isn't that too many? Doesn't it cost money for the Ming army to cast cannons?" Sha Yimin complained after being shocked.
The messenger sighed and said, "That's unclear. Anyway, the Ming army brought a large number of artillery and ammunition. It looks like they are going to blow down the city wall."
"Hurry, hurry, we are on high ground on the city wall and our artillery can reach far! Quickly fire at their artillery positions!" Sha Yimin said words that sounded like orders while putting on armor with the help of his servants.
The messenger hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sir, you should go to the city wall and take a look."
Although Sha Yimin was very puzzled, he had no choice but to climb up the city wall himself to check the situation.
When he arrived at the South Gate, he understood the reason.
All the cannons on the south city wall added up to only more than 20 pieces, and more than half of them were medium-sized or smaller.
They could not even raise their heads in front of the Ming army's more than 600 artillery pieces.
The defenders dared not stay on the city wall, nor did they dare to fire first, for fear that the Ming army's retaliatory fire would kill them all.
"Everyone, climb up the city wall and defend it. Anyone who dares to disobey will be punished by military law!" Seeing that the army had no fighting spirit, Sha Yimin immediately threatened.
Although the defenders were very reluctant, they had no choice but to climb up the city wall and watch under Sha Yimin's death threat.
Yes, wait and see!
As long as the Ming army dared to fire, they would hide under the city walls.
Just when Sha Yimin was about to order the artillery to fire, a Ming cavalryman came running from outside the city in the distance.
The cavalry rushed to the moat and shouted to the city gate: "Listen, people on the city wall, the court has found out that Sha Dingzhou is plotting a rebellion, and has sent 100,000 troops to Yunnan to quell the rebellion! They just captured the Anshun Military and Civilian Government!"
"Anyone who surrenders will be pardoned and reinstated. Anyone who insists on resisting will be killed without mercy!"
"Damn it," Sha Yimin picked up a bow, drew out an arrow and was about to aim.
The soldiers nearby hurriedly stopped him and said, "Sir, please be patient. As the saying goes, when two armies are fighting, they should not kill the messengers. If we kill him, it may affect the morale of our army."
"Bullshit," Sha Yimin cursed, "This is the first time I've heard of killing the enemy affecting the morale of our own troops."
He pushed away the soldiers who were blocking him and shot an arrow at the Ming army beside the moat.
The arrow was fast and accurate.
The armor-piercing arrow pierced through the cotton armor and the iron plate inside and nailed the soldier's shoulder.
"Hiss..." The Ming army outside the city gritted their teeth and took a breath of cold air: "You dare to shoot from behind... just wait for me!"
After saying that, he turned and was about to leave.
The defenders on the city wall saw that their commander had injured the enemy, and there was no room for easing the situation.
Then they followed suit and shot arrows and fired guns, completely killing the Ming soldier.
Li Dingguo, who was observing the situation from a distance, put down his clairvoyance and said to those behind him, "Write down his name and report it to the court after the battle. Say that he risked his life to lobby for the cause and died in battle for his country."
After arranging this matter, Li Dingguo turned and looked in the direction of the central army, and asked the messenger to ask for permission to launch an attack.
After receiving the news, Wen Anzhi, who was in the central army, sent a message to express his agreement to the attack.
After confirming the news, Li Dingguo waved his hand and said, "Come on, attack the city!"
As Li Dingguo's military order was issued, the Ming army in the south of the city began to move.
They dug trenches outside the city in advance and piled up earth to build temporary shelters.
The muzzles of more than six hundred artillery pieces were pointed forward at the battlements of the city wall.
Swish!
The flag is waving!
boom!
The first gun fired first.
Then the sound of artillery exploded outside the city like thunder.
Boom boom boom--
The earth began to tremble amid the dense artillery fire, and the dust seemed to want to break free from the constraints of gravity, jumping upwards continuously.
Immediately afterwards, flames gushed out and lead bullets carrying the residual heat of gunpowder rushed towards the southern city wall of Qujing.
Boom boom boom --
The projectile hit the city wall with a loud noise, and then fell below the city.
Every time the city wall was hit, it trembled and the morale of the defenders on the wall was shaken.
At first, the defenders on the city wall were able to fire back.
But after less than a quarter of an hour, their artillery fire stopped.
Twenty against six hundred, there is no room for survival.
Under the dense rain of artillery fire, the battlements of the city wall were broken one after another, and the soldiers hiding behind the battlements were killed or injured.
Without the protection of the battlements of the city wall, the Ming army's artillery's rapid-fire bullets came in handy.
The tiny bullets could easily penetrate the soldiers' armor and cause them fatal injuries.
Under this scale of shelling, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties.
Without Sha Yimin's command, the defenders on the city wall abandoned the wall to avoid the rain of bullets.
The casualties were secondary, as the main concern was the huge psychological pressure on the defenders.
Their first reaction after seeing the muzzle of the gun was fear!
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
