Li Zicheng raised his eyebrows and realized the seriousness of the matter.
These surrendered Ming troops had no loyalty to begin with, and once they believed the words on the white cloth, they were very likely to turn against us.
There must be a countermeasure!
He couldn't say it clearly in front of so many people, so he could only continue watching the fight.
Most of the second batch of soldiers attacking the city had been killed or wounded. Faced with the blazing flames, the soldiers stopped charging and retreated to avoid the attacks of the defenders.
Liu Fangliang's brows were twisted into a knot.
He looked at Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin beside him, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
Although he didn't know what was in the explosives dropped by the Ming army, he knew very well that they were very difficult to deal with.
Not only can it kill or injure nearby soldiers, but it can also make more people lose their combat effectiveness.
They covered their mouths and noses, squatted or lay down, coughing non-stop.
In addition, the quilt was soaked with gunpowder. Not to mention the elite infantry, even the emperor would have to give way if he came.
He originally wanted to withdraw his troops temporarily and take the opportunity to think about how to defeat the enemy.
But Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin did not give him this opportunity.
The two men personally supervised the battle and sent their soldiers into the battlefield in batches.
Seeing that the second batch of Shun troops attacking the city suffered heavy casualties, Liu Fangliang finally couldn't bear it anymore.
These are the brothers who fought alongside him, and he cannot just watch them die.
Seeing that Liu Zongmin was about to send out the third group of people to attack the city, Liu Fangliang spoke up: "Your Majesty, General Zongmin, I think we should withdraw our troops temporarily."
"Why?" Liu Zongmin was very dissatisfied.
"The Ming army's firearms were very strange. Every time a big ball was thrown, nearby soldiers would either bend over and cough, or fall to the ground. Plus the quilts soaked with gunpowder, wherever they went, there would be a sea of fire."
"I think we should think of a way to deal with it. Otherwise, no matter how many people there are, they will be burned to death by the Ming army."
Liu Zongmin narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on Liu Fangliang's face. "Are you scared?"
After hearing the word "afraid", Li Zicheng turned his head and looked at Liu Fangliang.
He did not allow the Shun army's generals to be afraid!
Liu Fangliang smiled bitterly: "General Zongmin, when have I, Liu Fangliang, ever been afraid?"
"The current situation is that the Ming army has a powerful weapon to defend the city. If our army continues to fight without knowing it, it will only increase casualties. It is better to withdraw first and find out what the other side has used."
"As long as we can think of a way to deal with it, it won't be too late to attack the city!"
Liu Zongmin smiled coldly: "You are greedy for merit and advance rashly, you march slowly, you don't discipline your troops strictly, and you are afraid of the enemy and afraid of fighting! Any of these can punish you!"
Liu Fangliang was speechless.
He just didn't want to let the civilians and soldiers die in vain, but as a result, he was labeled as a coward and unwilling to fight by Liu Zongmin.
Li Zicheng put away his clairvoyance and scanned the surrounding area before saying, "Sound the horn to withdraw the troops!"
“Your Majesty!” Liu Zongmin’s face was somewhat grim. “We have finally filled the moat with long wood, and the soldiers attacking the city have already pried off a lot of bricks from the city wall. The Ming army will definitely repair it after the ceasefire. If we withdraw the troops now, all our efforts will be wasted!”
"My words are orders. Tell everyone to withdraw their troops."
......
"The bandits retreat! The bandits retreat!" Amid the shouts of the defenders on the city wall, the Shun army retreated.
"God bless the Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty is wise. The bandits have been attacking for most of the day and suffered heavy casualties. They can't help but retreat."
Li Banghua, the chief minister of the cabinet and minister of war, told Chongzhen the news as soon as possible.
"The soldiers worked together and showed no fear of life and death, so they deserve a reward!"
When it comes to appreciating calligraphy, Li Banghua looks embarrassed.
Money in the treasury is...a little tight.
A lot of money has been spent on reissuing military pay, recruiting soldiers, raising food, making gunpowder, and purchasing rolling logs and stones. Now that the war has just started, the money will be spent later.
Especially the pension, which will cost a lot of money.
"Today, those who defend the city will be rewarded with five taels of silver each for participating in the battle. Those who do not participate in the battle will be rewarded with one tael of silver each! The money will come from the treasury!"
"I obey your order!" Li Banghua breathed a sigh of relief.
"What are the casualties?"
"Your Majesty, in this battle to defend the city, our army suffered 141 casualties, 246 serious injuries, and 309 minor injuries."
"The enemy has about 3,000 dead and an estimated 4,000 wounded."
Chongzhen was silent for a moment.
Why do thermal weapons speed up the progress of war?
Because the speed of killing has increased.
Going back a few hundred years, in the days when there were no firearms, it would take at least one or two days to kill three thousand enemies by defending the city.
Now it only takes half a day.
The ten-to-one ratio between the offense and defense may seem like no problem, but it actually is a huge problem.
"Among the casualties among the bandits, what percentage are civilians and what percentage are soldiers?"
"Your Majesty, 80% of the population are civilians, and 20% are soldiers!"
really...
Chongzhen fell silent again.
Li Zicheng suffered more than 70,000 casualties when attacking Ningwu Pass. If it were any other army, it would have been destroyed long ago.
In ancient times, injuries and deaths in combat meant reductions in manpower. The mortality rate for severe injuries was 99.99 percent, and the probability of survival for minor injuries was only one in five.
But Li Zicheng was different. Most of the 70,000 casualties were ordinary civilians, and his own army accounted for only 20% at most.
To put it bluntly, Li Zicheng broke through Ningwu Pass at the cost of human lives.
Now, he's doing it again!
Politics is not a bloody war, war is a bloody politics.
Li Zicheng had his own way to rally the military, and Chongzhen also had to find a way to stabilize the confidence of the military and civilians.
Let the military and civilians believe that they can defend this city, protect their homes and country, and are willing to fight for their country!
After thinking for a moment, Chongzhen ordered: "Li Gelao, draft an edict. All soldiers and civilians who died in battle will be given 50 taels of silver as compensation. For each higher rank, an additional 2 taels will be given. The policy of supporting parents and taking care of wives and children will remain unchanged and follow the old system."
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