Chapter 170: Luzhou City
Zeng Ying's artillerymen were all trained by Fang Xinyu. He transferred 200 artillerymen from the White Spear Army to support them. Although they were not always accurate, they were still much better than the artillerymen of this era.
Several shells whizzed past, each one hitting the walls of Luzhou City. The Dashi Army soldiers on the walls couldn't even raise their heads. Sun Kewang's smiling face froze. He had never imagined that Zeng Ying's Ming Army artillery was so powerful. It was so lethal, far more powerful than his own artillery. His artillery was just a lump of metal, while Zeng Ying's was a bomb. Each shell hit the wall, exploding a large area, killing and wounding countless of his soldiers.
"Call everyone down! Everyone, come down!" Sun Kewang shouted loudly.
Zeng Ying, on the other side, was also seeing the power of this artillery for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. Zeng Ying said, "The gift from the prince is truly excellent! Pass on my order: this item must not fall into the hands of the enemy. If the artillery is surrounded by the enemy, the artillery must be destroyed first!"
"It's the Marshal!" everyone answered in unison.
After a while of fighting, an area was cleared along the riverbank. The troops prepared to cross the river, having previously scoured the surrounding area for fishing boats to use as crossing points. A thousand soldiers were quickly dispatched to the other side, and Sun Kewang immediately dispatched his men to attack, determined to prevent the Ming army from gaining a foothold. Zeng Ying, however, unearthed his telescope and, whenever he spotted Sun Kewang's troops attempting to leave the city, launched a fierce bombardment of the area surrounding Luzhou. Ultimately, fewer than a thousand soldiers could reach the shore.
Their weapons and armor were inferior to those of the Ming army, but they were slightly better in experience and momentum. However, they were outnumbered and were quickly repelled by the Ming army.
Zeng Ying put down the telescope and said, "Excellent! Speed up the crossing and make sure you send 10,000 men across the river within two hours!"
Yes! The subordinate agreed.
Sun Kewang was furious, but he had been in the army for many years and had experienced countless battles. He immediately ordered all his troops to be assembled. They wanted to use their numerical advantage to drive the Ming army back into the river. No matter what the cost, they could not let the Ming army land.
Sun Kewang stood on the city wall, and Zhang Guangcai and Liu Jinzhong personally led a 30,000-man force out of the city to fight. Zhang Guangcai drew his sword and shouted, "Brothers, follow me!"
The Dashi Army behind them shouted, "Kill!" The shouts of killing shook the heavens! Thirty thousand troops pressed towards the landing site of the Ming Army!
Zeng Ying put down the telescope and said, "Push out all the artillery! Cooperate with the artillery on the other side!"
Yes! The messenger immediately signaled with a flag.
At this time, the Ming army landed at the site, and the artillery had already been deployed. The gunners had already loaded the shells and were waiting for orders.
With a wave of the red flag, the gunners lit the fuses. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Simultaneous artillery fire from the landing area and the other side disrupted the advancing Dashi Army. Zhang Guangcai was charging when a shell struck him squarely under his horse. He and his horse were blown skyward, their bodies ripped apart.
When the Dashi Army saw that their commander was killed, they immediately fell into chaos. The Ming Army seized the opportunity and began to attack the Dashi Army.
Zeng Ying said to Li Zhanchun while holding a telescope, "Hurry up! The Western bandits have been defeated. I'm sure they'll come back!"
"Yes, Marshal!" Li Zhanchun replied.
On the top of the city wall, Sun Kewang held a whip and asked Liu Jinzhong, "What happened? You could have rushed over just now, why did you bring your men back?"
"General! It's not that I'm afraid of death, it's just that the Ming army's artillery fire was too sudden. Moreover, General Zhang died suddenly, and our army has no commander. I really can't save the situation!" Liu Jinzhong said.
"If you had tried hard to suppress the army and organized a death squad, how could the army have retreated so quickly? It's because you are afraid of death!" Sun Kewang questioned.
"Marshal! I was confused for a moment and didn't react. Please give me another chance!" Liu Jinzhong kowtowed immediately.
"Considering your meritorious service in battles over the years, I will keep this matter in mind for the time being. If there is a next time, you will be punished twice and will be executed without mercy!" said Sun Kewang.
"Thank you, Marshal, for not killing me!" Liu Jinzhong was so scared that he broke out in a sweat! He was really scared when facing such a powerful artillery fire. The Ming army's artillery fire had never been so powerful before. A single shot killed and wounded a large number of soldiers. Even if they were not killed directly, the small iron pieces in the shells made the soldiers extremely painful. But he was also afraid of facing Sun Kewang's anger when he returned to the city. Sun Kewang was very strict in disciplining his army and had a bad temper. He would kill people at the slightest provocation. He was also afraid. He really had walked through the gates of hell just now.
In fact, Sun Kewang also saw the situation. If he had been in command just now, he would have been only slightly better than Liu Jinzhong. So he let Liu Jinzhong go today.
However, there was no way to stop the Ming army from crossing the river. The Ming army had 30,000 men on the other side. Half of the artillery had been delivered, and there was no way to stop the Ming army's attack. He could only hold on and wait for help. He sent people to Chengdu to request reinforcements while he stopped defending the city walls.
Sun Kewang knew that the Ming army's artillery was powerful and that the city walls would not hold out for long. They would likely collapse quickly, forcing him to resort to street fighting. Sun Kewang deployed a small number of troops on the city walls and sent the majority of his troops inside, forming large and small defensive lines.
Zeng Ying had also crossed the Yangtze River and reached the other side. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and attack the city. So he placed the artillery unit in the front and concentrated his forces to attack the west gate.
Under the attack of dozens of artillery pieces, the defenders of the West Gate could not withstand it at all. The Ming army quickly occupied the West Gate and entered Luzhou City through the West Gate.
Zeng Ying was delighted. He wished all battles were this easy. After the cannons bombarded, the infantry charged. After the infantry charged, the cannons bombarded. After a few repetitions, the city was captured.
What a pity! Zeng Ying was not cool for more than three seconds! As soon as he entered the city, he heard shouts and cries of killing. The streets and alleys were full of Western bandits. They used the street intersections to fight the Ming army in close combat. They beat the Ming army back step by step. Seeing this situation, Zeng Ying immediately shouted: "Quick! Evacuate Luzhou City!"
He knew his troops were largely new and undertrained. How could they possibly be a match for the seasoned warriors of the Western Bandits? To prevent a collapse, he decided to withdraw his troops. He left the city, but didn't abandon the west gate. He dropped his artillery on the walls and fired wherever the Western Bandits appeared.
Yu Dahai then walked up to Zeng Ying and said, "Marshal! You can't do this! This will hurt the people!"
"Get out of here! This is not the time to be soft-hearted! We must quickly capture Luzhou City and advance westward!" Zeng Ying said.
"Marshal! Aren't we in no hurry to reunite? Why do we have to advance so quickly?" Yu Dahai asked.
At this time, Li Zhanchun, who was standing aside, said, "Marshal Qin has sent a letter! Chongqing has been captured by the White Spear Army! We don't need to reunite with the White Spear soldiers! Here is the letter, take it and read it!"
Yu Dahai took the letter and read it. Qin Yiming was incredibly quick, having recaptured all of Chongqing in less than two weeks. His troops were extremely vigorous, reaching all the way to Nanchong. He also instructed them to march quickly, passing through Luzhou and heading north to Ziyang. They were to join the White Spear Army in besieging Chengdu.
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