With a loud bang!
The oversized grenade exploded the moment it hit the ground.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, lead bullets shot towards the Shun army like rain!
Some Shun soldiers fell to the ground due to the shock wave; others were killed or injured by lead bullets and fell to the ground.
Arsenic, croton powder, and chili powder turned into a thick fog, instantly covering the enemies within a radius of more than ten meters.
These people were the elite of the Shun army, wearing heavy or even double armor, which ordinary arrows could not penetrate. In addition, they held bamboo, wood, lacquered leather and nail shields in their hands, blocking all the arrows shot from above.
Only the lead bullets fired from firearms and the rolling logs and rocks created some gaps in the protective wall of shields.
But in the face of biological and chemical weapons, the protective wall formed by shields is not worth mentioning.
They can block stray arrows but cannot block the air!
A mixture of chili powder, croton powder and arsenic powder spread in the air, and the Shun army soldiers immediately started coughing uncontrollably after smelling it.
Especially chili noodles.
It’s too choking!
The pungent smell penetrates deep into the lungs, making it difficult for those who smell it to breathe and feel like they may die at any time.
Then came the complications, first tears and runny nose that couldn't stop flowing, then a burning pain in the ears, throat, and lungs.
Not only the Shun army, but even the defenders on the city walls covered their noses, coughed and cursed: "Fuck, who invented this thing? It's so damn vicious!"
“Cough cough cough!”
“Cough cough cough!”
The Shun army under the city kept coughing. After a while, some of the Shun soldiers found that something was wrong. The sputum they coughed out actually contained blood!
Due to the coughing, the shield wall formed by the Shun army infantry began to collapse.
Then, a quilt soaked in gunpowder was thrown down from the city wall. Fierce flames followed the quilt down from the city wall, like a fire god, and flames filled the air wherever it went.
The armor of the Shun army basically came from the Ming army, 80% of which was cotton armor and 20% was hidden armor. These armors could not be ignited by fire alone, but their properties changed after being contaminated with gunpowder.
It went from being unlightable to being unextinguishable!
Coupled with the cold weather, most people were wearing cotton clothes, which exacerbated the burning of the flames.
In an instant, the Shun army under the city wall was engulfed in flames.
There were continuous screams in the sea of fire, but the voices disappeared as they continued shouting.
Flames rose, thick smoke billowed, and the pungent, choking smell and the smell of burning bodies filled the air, giving people an indescribable feeling of suffocation.
The infantrymen behind stopped when they saw this, first looking at the flames in fear, then looking back blankly.
The generals supervising the battle behind them were also at a loss.
To order the soldiers to charge now would be to commit suicide.
But without orders from their superiors, no one dared to retreat.
As they hesitated, the defenders on the city wall opened fire.
Bullets and arrows came towards them in an overwhelming manner, and in the blink of an eye, more than a hundred Shun soldiers fell to the ground.
As soon as Chongzhen climbed to the top of the city wall, he saw this hellish scene!
I was stunned but also refreshed at the same time!
If we continue to defend in this way, the capital will definitely be able to be defended!
Chongzhen immediately shouted: "The Ming army is mighty! Those who surrender will be pardoned, their positions will be restored, and there will be sufficient food and wages, and no military pay will be owed!"
Wang Chengen raised his hands and shouted repeatedly: "Long live the emperor! The Ming army is mighty! ......"
The soldiers guarding the city turned around and saw Wang Chengen first. When they looked closely, they discovered that the person standing next to Wang Chengen was the current emperor.
They immediately cheered and danced on the city wall with their weapons in hand!
"Long live our emperor! The Ming army is mighty! Those who surrender will be pardoned and reinstated, and there will be sufficient food and wages, and no military pay will be owed!"
The fear brought by the bandits had been suppressed in their hearts for too long, and this short-lived victory eliminated the fear without a trace.
They have realized that the bandits are nothing more than that.
The bandits are also flesh and blood. They are afraid of cannons, arrows, bullets, grenades, and even more afraid of fire.
At this time, the fire had not yet been extinguished, and the bandits were hiding in the distance, at a loss as to what to do.
When Wang Guoxing, the commander of the West Gate, saw Chongzhen coming, he immediately walked up to him, clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I, Wang Guoxing, pay my respects to you."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Wang. How many casualties are there?"
"Your Majesty, we killed about a thousand enemies in this battle, and the casualties among the defenders were less than a hundred."
"Good, very good!" Chongzhen breathed a sigh of relief.
The ratio of one to ten is similar to the casualties ratio Zhou Yuji suffered when he resisted Li Zicheng at Ningwu Pass.
But this is only temporary, the bandits have many ways to attack the city!
"Where is Yan Yingyuan?"
Yan Yingyuan was standing guard among the garrisons at this time. When he heard the emperor calling his name, he immediately came out and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, I am here."
"Think carefully about how to defeat the enemy. Earth-shattering mines are useful, but as far as I know, there aren't many of them. Once they're all used up, it will be difficult to defend the city."
"Yes, I will bear in mind your majesty's wishes."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of artillery fire rang out again.
The second round of siege began.
Li Zicheng stood behind the mound, watching the battle with a telescope in his hand, accompanied by other civil and military officials.
Military advisor Song Xiance took a breath after looking at it for a while.
"What's wrong with the military advisor?" asked Zuo Fu Niu Jinxing.
"There are capable people in the Ming army!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Can you see what's written on the white cloth on the wall?"
Niu Jinxing looked at it carefully and read it word by word: "Those who surrender will be pardoned and reinstated! There will be enough food and wages, and no military pay will be owed!"
"It's just a small psychological warfare, nothing to be afraid of!"
"No!" Song Xiance shook his head. "Imagine, if you were a surrendered general of the Ming army, why would you surrender to the Shun army?"
Niu Jinxing thought about it and said tentatively: "Afraid of death, can't you have enough food without money?"
"That's where the problem lies! The words written on the white cloth in the Ming court have solved both problems!"
Seeing that Niu Jinxing was puzzled, Song Xiance continued to explain: "Since ancient times, the difference in casualties between the attackers and the defenders has been huge. Ten deaths on the attacker side are only one death on the defender. If you were a cowardly Ming soldier, would you choose to attack or defend?"
"Secondly, the Ming court said that those who surrendered would be pardoned, their positions would be restored, and they would have enough food and wages, and no military pay would be owed! The problem of not having enough money to eat was also solved! Aren't you afraid that the surrendered Ming army would turn against you?"
Without waiting for Niu Jinxing to speak, Li Zicheng turned around with a frown and said, "You guys believe such an obvious lie? If the Ming court was willing to give money, they wouldn't be surrounded by our Shun army!"
(Li Zicheng believed from the beginning to the end that Chongzhen had endless money in his treasury.)
"Your Majesty, please look!" Song Xiance pointed to Fucheng Gate from afar, "Some of the people guarding the city are wearing armor, and some have books tied to their bodies. The former are soldiers of the Ming court, and the latter should be temporary recruits of civilians."
"These days, even if you have money you don't have to work hard, but if you don't have money you definitely won't work hard!"
"They are not afraid of life and death, and they risk all kinds of dangers to attack the Shun army under the city. They must have been recruited with a large sum of money!"
"The Ming court has invested heavily this time!"
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