78 Han Song (2)

There are two shifts today, and one shift is at 6 p.m

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

After two days of rectification, tens of thousands of Ming troops began to attack the Acropolis from more than ten positions.

The more than 1,000 Bayala elite cavalry of the Qing army's Bayala battalion could be regarded as the most elite warriors of Azig, but with the death of Bayala Zhangjing Ao Bai Baturu, Azig gave up the last trace of active attack and wholeheartedly built a defensive position around the acropolis. However, the terrain around the Acropolis was open, and the original ditches, fences, and sheep and horse walls were all filled in or destroyed by the Han Gon military, and there was almost no danger inside and outside the city. All the Qing army could do was to fight in the field and defend hard.

There were still 30,000 Qing troops in the Acropolis, and although the number of Ming troops was several times that of them, they were widely distributed, and there was still a risk of being broken by each of them if they ventured easily. Zhao Dangshi's strategy was the same as that of Hong Chengchou in the Battle of Songshan Fort and Sun Chuanting's attack on Yulinwei, taking defense as an attack, building a defensive line on the periphery of the Acropolis, digging trenches and setting up a wall, using artillery and other firearms to block the Qing army that intended to attack in the field, and then slowly advancing.

The Qing army had no stronghold outside the city to rely on, so it could only set up camp in the Guanxiang area to facilitate the entry and exit of field troops. However, Zhao Dangshi mobilized the big tiger in the army to squat at the cannon, projected gunpowder bags, oil cans and other flammable materials, and then used crossbowmen to shoot fire arrows, burning the Qing army's tent for several miles, the Qing army turned back to put out the fire, and was forced by the Ming army hundreds of paces.

Azig then urgently mobilized the horse army to attack the Ming army's position, but it was blocked by a strong antler array and layers of trenches, and was indiscriminately shot by dense birds, making it difficult to advance an inch. When retreating, he was killed by the Ming army's horsemen from behind, and there were many casualties. Azig then switched tactics and counterattacked with the army's artillery. However, the Ming army also used artillery to shoot, Zhao Dangshi adopted the traditional "Gao Lin method" of siege, sent soldiers to cut down a large number of cypress and poplar trees in the mountains near and far, and hurriedly built several high platforms that were more than ten zhang long, more than five zhang wide, and as high as three zhang, which could accommodate more than 100 people at the same time.

The high platform is much higher than the head of the city, and the Ming army hauls artillery to the stage for deployment, and the birds are mixed with each other, roaring to the ground. Flying iron molten lead, woven on all sides, rattling in the air, like the strong wind of an ostrich. The artillery of the Qing army was inferior to the artillery of the Ming army in terms of accuracy, range and power, and because of the disadvantage of the upward shooting, after getting it, there was no power to fight back. I saw that the Ming army's artillery and small guns were hitting day and night, the city wall was broken like a sieve, and the Qing army defending the city did not dare to show their shadows.

For three days, after repeated tug-of-war, the encirclement of the Ming army was shrinking day by day, and the Qing army set fire to the camp and retreated to the acropolis to defend it. Zhao Dangshi divided several troops, with Huang Degong as the commander-in-chief of the front, Qin Jinxiao, Li Yanlang, Tan Hong, Bai Wang, etc. as the commanders of each branch, attacking the city from several directions. In order not to give the Qing army a chance to breathe, it was divided into three times a day and night, taking turns endlessly, using ladders, cave houses and other engineering equipment to climb and destroy the city wall, the horse army was distributed on the periphery of the guard, and the infantry held strong bows and bird guns to attack in succession, and the bullets were fierce, and the Qing soldiers defending the city did not dare to look outside.

The Qing army was suppressed, but with blood and courage to resist stubbornly, Zhao Dangshi saw that the offensive was going well, and discussed with Huang Degong and decided to break through the city with warriors, Qin Jinxiao took the initiative to ask Ying to lead the warriors. Zhao Dangshi then selected thousands of brave and fierce people from each battalion, wearing iron jackets and iron clothes, carrying iron cones, iron hammers, etc. for digging the city, and ordered each person to return after chiseling a brick, and see the brick to remember the merit.

Qin Jinxiao divided more than 1,000 warriors of the Ming army into three groups, changed and rushed to the city, one of the soldiers got bricks, and the next day they were exempted from rushing again, and they were replaced by another group. At the same time, he asked Li Yanlang to gather thousands of lightly armored soldiers, each of whom received a sack, and three or five people followed a warrior to dig the root of the wall with all his might when the warrior was digging the city, loading soil in a sack, and then laying it under the city to build a soil slope.

In order to cover the troops rushing to the city, the artillery of the Ming army distributed on several high platforms on the periphery, the bird guns flew like a torrential rain, especially outside the east gate of the key deployment of the Ming army, there were more than 100 cannons, the iron bullets and lead burned together to hit the city, the city wall was bombarded by artillery fire endlessly, it fell like a ban, formed a huge slope, Han Gon who supervised the battle at the east gate even ordered the horse army to ride uphill, wanting to take advantage of the situation to jump into the city, but the Qing army swarmed and tried to intercept, thousands of soldiers and horses were densely packed into clusters, the ring was crowded and tired, and they could not hold each other outside the east gate.

After a bloody battle, there was endless fighting outside the east gate, and every few breaths you could see corpses rolling down from the city head or the dirt slope, and the stumps and broken arms piled up under the city were stacked on top of each other, almost as high as the earth slope. The east city wall is also dilapidated because of the sacrifice of the warriors of the Ming army, Qin Jinxiao made a military order to Zhao Dangshi, and he must break the city today.

Qin Jinxiao is the best at fighting bloody battles, and in order to make a final decision, he personally led a group of warriors to advance against the fierce arrows of the Qing army. On the rattan card, the sound of arrows fell, and the surrounding area was also noisy and chaotic.

The city wall was not too high, and because of the accumulation of earth and stones, many small ridges of different heights had already been formed under the city. Qin Jinxiao stepped on it, only a few feet away from the city. The Qing army leaned over and stretched out his bow to shoot, and Qin Jinxiao threw out the short axe in his hand, hitting his forehead.

The plasma was dripping, and Qin Jinxiao drew his knife and shouted: "Where is the rope?" ”

Immediately, several warriors of the Ming army reached in with wrist-thick hemp rope cat waists. After a day and night of rotational work, this piece of the city wall has been hollowed out dozens of feet, from the outside, there is no bricks, the mud and stone in the wall are concave and convex, almost like the body cavity that has lost its flesh and skin. The warriors of the Ming army erected a wooden pillar every three or five feet inside the wall to support the wall and avoid it from collapsing halfway. Now Qin Jinxiao felt that the time was ripe, so he summoned dozens of warriors who had already been prepared, each tied a wooden pillar with hemp rope, and the ends were knotted.

The Qing army was aware of the Ming army's attempt, and the trumpet was blown, and countless Qing troops gathered like ants from all corners, desperately stopping the Ming warriors under the city. Many Qing army armor soldiers even climbed out of the city wall and fought fiercely with the warriors of the Ming army, and the time was reached, and the town captured the east city from the city wall to the city gate, as far as the eye could see, it was all a tragic hand-to-hand fight.

The battle on the front line is in full swing, and Zhao Dangshi, who is standing on the soil platform, is also watching the battle situation intently. At this time, Zhou Wenhe came quickly from the stage, and said a few words to him in his ear, Zhao Dangshi's expression changed sharply, and his hand involuntarily held the wooden fence.

Huang Degong, who was also watching, saw this, thinking that Zhao Dangshi was unwell, and asked with concern, Zhao Dangshi squeezed out a smile and said, "It's okay." Brother Huang continues to stare here, and I'll go back when I go. Following Zhou Wenhe to the stage a few steps, he couldn't help but confirm, "Is the news true?" ”

Zhou Wenhe sighed and said: "It's an expedited fast horse sent by Xi'an Mansion, and the Yinxin waist card has been checked, and it should be a good pool." He added, "Lao Xu had already reached his death in the middle of last month, and he was afraid that he would bring trouble to the lord who was in full swing at that time, so he kept silent. It was not until his death that it was disclosed by relatives and subordinates. ”

At the beginning of the month, Xu Hui, the Ming Ansu Bo who stayed in the rear, died of illness in Xi'an.

"At present, the military of Shaanxi is temporarily under the management of General Wang, and Mr. Qin Qigong Qin has set off from Chengdu Fucheng and rushed to Shaanxi day and night." Zhou Wenhe continued, "Chief Xu's housekeeper has no money to spare, and he only has a wife and a widow in the army, so he wrote to ask him to go back to the mansion assigned to the army in Fanhecheng to live. ”

Zhao Dangshi's eyes were red. Ten years is not a long time, but when he recalls the days when he got along with Hou Dagui, Xu Hui and other old brothers on the way to displacement, when he returns to reality, he will always have a kind of melancholy like a different world.

"Send someone to make a special trip to find He Kewei, and let him support Lou Niang's mother and son according to the treatment of the palace, and he must not neglect half a point."

Zhou Wenhe nodded, but was slightly worried, and said, "But if that's the case, I'm afraid that someone in the court will chew his tongue." ”

Zhao Dangshi shook his head and said: "Hou Dagui and Xu Hui are not only my old brothers, but also loyal ministers and good generals who have done their best for my Ming Dynasty. Compared to them, what is it for me to be slandered? ”

Zhou Wenhe said solemnly: "Obey." ”

Back to Gaotai, in just a short time, the battle outside the eastern city of Zhenyu Weidong gradually became clear.

Under the city, the shouting trumpet is as strong as a bell, and more than ten hemp ropes are twisted together at the end, which is held tightly by dozens of Ming warriors and pulled outward. Every time it is pulled, more than ten wooden pillars supported inside the city wall are driven, causing the entire wall to shake slightly.

Qin Jinxiao's voice was extremely hoarse, but he still roared with a knife. Most of the Ming troops had already withdrawn to dozens of paces away, and only he led dozens of Ming warriors to cover the robes who were pulling ropes.

The Qing army jumped off the city in an endless stream, and took advantage of the numerical advantage to surround Qin Jinxiao and more than a dozen Ming warriors. Although Qin Jin has few filial piety people, he still tries his best to expand to both sides to widen the contact surface and better cover. The hemp rope is thick and hard, and the roots are knotted together like twisted flowers, even if the Qing army is fast and sharp, it is still difficult to cut it. It is to hope that it can only break through the defense of more than ten Ming warriors of Qin Jinxiao and kill the Ming army who are holding the rope.

As a general of the Ming army, he has a lofty status, and he does not have to put himself to death, but he has made a promise to Zhao Dangshi, and he has the heart of success. At this moment, only by rushing to the front line and fighting side by side with all the soldiers of the Ming army can he feel steady. Before he went into battle, he said to everyone that there is no Ming general Qin Jinxiao today, only Ming veteran Qin Jinxiao.

Suddenly heard an explosion in the ears, with the deafening shouting, and then, the east wall of the town guard started from one side, the pillar fell like a landslide, the "bang bang" burst sound like a huge building collapsed, the whole city wall seemed to be undulating, the brick stacks were sinking, the earth and stone were flying, the gray smoke was in the middle of the big smoke, and the complete collapse of the city wall was difficult to contain. The Qing army at the head of the city exclaimed, the Ming army ran outside the city, and dozens of Ming warriors who were holding the rope fell all over the ground because of the sudden loss of strength, and the Ming army on the periphery hurriedly dragged them out with ropes or hooks and plough claws.

The city collapsed too suddenly, Qin Jinxiao's eyes fell into the dust to form a curtain, many Qing soldiers who were too close to the root of the city were buried by wood and stone in an instant, he was surprised and delighted, turned around to leave, might as well hurry in front of the cold light flashed, a Qing soldier regardless of life and life swinging a knife, as if using all his strength, cut his right arm.

Qin Jinxiao's right shoulder suddenly felt empty, and the whole person was able to withdraw and retreat at this time, rolling a few somersaults with a face, and he was able to avoid the earth, stone and giant trees that were pressed from the sky, and he was seen by the Ming army, and he was busy snatching him to safety.

Turning his head, the entire Acropolis sank to the bottom of the sea, collapsing with a loud roar, and the dust that shrouded the sky made the daylight hanging high in the sky dark.

"It's done!" Qin Jinxiao took a long breath and was about to laugh loudly, but saw that the soldiers around him cast frightened glances at him. When I looked down, I couldn't help but be stunned. I saw that the right side of my body, I don't know when, was soaked in blood. Looking up in the direction of the blood, his right arm was actually broken, leaving only broken nails and rotten flesh, causing blood to overflow.

"His grandmother's ......" Qin Jinxiao didn't know whether he was happy or sad for a while, but at this moment, on both sides of him, there were countless Ming troops forming a boundless array, launching an all-out charge towards the Acropolis.