PS: Continue to ask for a monthly pass.

He wears a white felt hat, a blue cloth arrow suit, a bow and arrows on his back, and a sword hanging from his waist.

This has become Li Zicheng's signature dress.

He rode his horse and stood on the embankment outside Kaifeng City, behind him, a big banner with the word "Chuang" fluttering in the wind, the flag was snow-white, and the flag gun was silver.

Beside him, Cao Cao, who was wearing a mink cloak and a sea dragon skin robe, and the dough was like a rich man.

Behind the two, there were gathered the generals of the two Chuang Cao families, Liu Zongmin, Liu Fangliang, Li Guo, Gao Yigong, Yuan Zongdi and others all accompanied Li Zicheng. There are also a few people dressed as literati beside him, who are Song Xiance, Niu Jinxing, Li Yan and others. And behind Cao Cao, Sun Shenzu, Ji Jue and others were also staring at the Kaifeng city wall not far from the opposite side in high spirits.

And Cao Cao was gossiping with Li Zicheng without a word, praising his black barge horse.

It is a very tall steed, the whole body of the horse is dark gray, with white spots, the hair is many and curly, and the mane and tail are trimmed.

"Rucai, you are famous for your love of horses and beauty. When today's matter is over, you send the old camp secretary to come to my camp to take away five horses, all of which are the best heavenly horses given to him by the eldest son of Ning Yuanbo when Xiaohuzi went out this time! ”

"Then I'll thank Brother Li! I didn't say it, I will give Brother Li back with a hundred good armor! ”

The two of them said a few words haha, and each raised his binoculars to look at the Kaifeng city wall opposite.

At the head of the city, there was a crowd of people. Some people were clearing snow at the head of the city, some people seemed to be piling up bags of earth to plug the gaps in the battlements, and the place where the densest number of people was the place where the peasant army dug a hole under the city. The two of them couldn't help but snort. expressed disdain for the stupidity of Kaifeng officials and generals.

"Last year, when we attacked Kaifeng for the first time, the soldiers and civilians defending the city dug a hole from the head of the city and killed and wounded my brothers in the cave. Now they will still use this method to break me and dig the city. Last year, our army did not have firearms, so the enemy dug holes in the city in broad daylight, and was not afraid of us, and now our army has many artillery. They are still planning to repeat the same old trick, which is really stupid! ”

"Exactly! Our army has already dug more than 30 holes, and it will not be easy for the enemy to expel our troops one by one? As long as our army can keep half of the hole in the ground, continue to dig large, and release it together, we can blast a few gaps in the city wall. Of course, now the soldiers and civilians defending the city are still strong-hearted and determined to defend it. There is also Chen Yongfu commanding, which should not be taken lightly. Besides, the enemy is at the head and our army is at the foot, which is very unfavorable to our burrowing soldiers. Sue our army to dig holes, do not give an inch, so that every time the enemy attacks a hole, he will be killed and wounded. I dig a hole to save the soldiers, the hole dies, and those who escape from the hole will not be forgiven! ”

Looking at the Song Gate city wall opposite. The two couldn't help but be proud, this Kaifeng will be the first provincial city they have won in battle!

"Herald. Begin! ”

The horn sounded continuously, the cavalry rushed back and forth to give orders, and several phalanxes slowly but firmly marched from the middle of the line towards the north gate.

If there were high-altitude balloons and other observation equipment, according to Ding Qirui, Gao Mingheng, Chen Yongfu and others guarding Kaifeng, they would find that the men and horses of Chuang Ying and Cao Ying were still arranged in the direction of more than ten miles from the north gate, Cao Gate, and Song Gate. The banners of the elite soldiers and main generals of the two families appeared and gathered in this area.

"The main forces of the two thieves are still in the area of the North Gate!" The officials and generals were very sure of it. Originally! There are ready-made pits that are almost ready to be dug, as long as they are filled with gunpowder. Then if you succeed, you can break the city in one fell swoop!

The attention of the officials was drawn to the north. But he ignored the south gate.

Near the embankment, thousands of cavalry galloped back and forth, guarding and imprisoning 100,000 hungry people. The vast majority of these people came from Xiao Yuanying not long ago. Today, Luo Hu wants them to come in handy.

These hungry people with vegetables on their faces. Laboriously pushing the heavy vehicle, covered with huge bundles of firewood and straw, I don't know what was in it and what it was going to do when it was brought to the city. Some bold homeless people speculated with each other, could it be that they wanted to burn down the city wall? But looking at these dozens of firewood and straw trucks of different sizes, I think it is unlikely.

"Stop!" Amid the laughter of the soldiers and civilians defending the city at the head of the city, Luo Hu ordered the brigade to stop in the location he had chosen.

Someone led the group of displaced people backwards, more than a hundred paces away from the large and small vehicles.

"Harrier, you bring someone over!" Luo Hu commanded, and the horse harrier got on his horse and led more than ten riders to the ranks of the homeless people.

The leaders of Luo Hu's side were nervously busy according to their respective duties.

Soon, puffs of smoke came out of one hundred and ten huge stoves, and the smell of the embankment was immediately fragrant.

With bursts of noisy shouts, Ma Harrier and more than a dozen of his subordinates had already passed General Luo's order to the ranks of the displaced people.

"Today's battle is the creation of you! Anyone who is willing to fight will have porridge to drink! Those who fill the trenches under the city walls, and those who carry a bag of earth into the trenches, will come back with hot buns to eat! Filling in the trenches, General Luo said, only 3,000 people! Who would like to go?! ”

Three thousand? There are more than 100,000 displaced people here! Even if you want 30,000 people, you will call it out immediately! The 3,000 hungry people who were selected to fill the trenches, each holding a large porcelain bowl, snorted and drank the thick and fragrant multigrain porridge, which was so thick that it was quite laborious to twist the chopsticks.

Put down the dishes and chopsticks, these more than 3,000 people roared, carrying all kinds of dirt bags, running towards the moat that had dried up under the city, and the horse harriers had already told them, as long as they didn't die, throw the dirt bags into the designated lot, and there would be hot buns waiting for them when they came back!

Sparse arrows began to fall on the city in the running crowd, but the troops and attention of the city were attracted by the onslaught of Li Zicheng and Cao Cao in the north, and Gao Mingheng, the governor of Henan who was responsible for guarding the place, also hurried to the Song Gate, leaving only a few hundred Ding Qirui's soldiers and thousands of people here.

Under the city, Luo Hu has already lined up the formation.

Thousands of cavalry supervised the battle behind the ranks of the hungry people, and more than a thousand musketeers lined up in front of the army, checking their firearms in the cold wind. Hao Shaoqi, who came to assist with his own soldiers and horses, ordered his subordinates to check their swords, guns and armor, just waiting for Luo Hu's general order.

"Artillery team! Get ready! ”

At the sound of an order, the firewood and grass on those carts were violently pushed down. The cannon body under the firewood and grass was exposed.

Li Zicheng also made a bloody investment. Ten twelve-pounder guns and twenty eight-pounder guns were all handed over to Luo Hu for use.

"Divide into two artillery groups! The twelve-pounder cannon just aimed at the foundation of the city wall and bombarded Lao Tzu with cannonballs! Eight-pounder guns on shotguns, hit the city! Be sure to beat the people on the head of the city so that they don't dare to come forward! ”

The cannon roared, and many whistling cannonballs continued to hit the city wall, and heavy iron balls were fired. From time to time, the sound of the city bricks rumbling and collapsing sounded. The bricks of the city, which used to cost an unknown amount of manpower or even life, looked so vulnerable in the face of gunpowder and twelve-pound shells. The walls of the city were constantly stripped of their bricks in the face of dense artillery fire, revealing bits of rammed earth.

"Little Huzi, is this okay?"

Hao Shaoqi shook the copper wine jug in his hand, making an empty sound, and the liquor inside had been drunk by him. "Isn't it time for the outcasts to come forward?"

"Uncle Shake the Flag, don't worry. One more round! ”

In the midst of another round of artillery fire, the secretary of the Luo Hu camp brought out a pot of mixed noodles and steamed buns with hundreds of auxiliary soldiers.

If you want to eat these steamed buns, it's very simple, go to the city wall and get a brick back. You can change it for four buns. There are no more bricks, so you can dig up the earth from the city walls and come back. As long as the amount is enough for one city brick, it is the same as four buns.

There is no limit to the number of people and the number of times. As long as you have the guts. Will be the master here. There are so many steamed buns to prepare! The second run, and the broth to eat!

The overwhelming crowd shouted and roared. Plunge down the newly filled moat against the walls ravaged by twelve-pound cannonballs.

Although there were no siege equipment such as shield carts, nest carts, flying bridges, and pointed heads, the pressure on the city was no less than that of the officers and soldiers in the north at this time.

On the line from the Song Gate to the North Gate, the two families of Chuang Cao lined up nearly 100 six-pounder cannons and big Buddha Lang machines in one go to suppress the artillery fire at the head of the city.

Under the unified command of the gunners of the Beijing camp who were abducted by Wang Long, the artillery level of the peasant army made a huge leap.

Although it is said that it is impossible to point where to fight. But it has already opened the eyes of Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai and others.

The whistling of the artillery continued to sound, the cannon roared at the head of the city, the dazzling fire rose up, and the dense white smoke under the city continued to rise and condense in mid-air. In the blink of an eye, it was blown away by the cold wind blowing on the Yellow River.

The artillery of the peasant army constantly bombarded the city wall, smashing the bricks and stones on the city's head, and from time to time there were faint and brief screams, bringing up bursts of red flesh and bones. Occasionally, a few cannons were swept into the air by the force of the impact, and then fell, causing another massacre on the city.

The artillery at the head of the city was also desperately firing back, and there were many rockets such as flying knives and swords, flying out of the city with bursts of green smoke. However, the momentum is much weaker than in the past, and it must have been defending the city for many days, and the arrows hidden in the city treasury were almost used.

With a bang, a six-pound cannon shell, with a hot iron ball, roared into the crowd of people at the head of the city, and in the blood and screams, the stumps and broken bones flew up and fell, accompanied by the terrible sound of broken bones.

"Don't quit! Don't mess around! One hundred and ten battalion soldiers under the command of Chen Yongfu, holding big swords and shields, squeezed this group of people who were about to collapse back to the city, "The chief soldier has an order!" Whoever dares to retreat, rectify the Fa on the spot! ”

These people are the law enforcement team designated by Chen Yongfu, and their full-time work is to supervise the war. He received the joint order of His Royal Highness the King of Zhou, Supervisor Ding Qirui, and Governor Gao Mingheng, but those who fledged before fighting could correct the law on the spot. These days, they don't know how to kill hundreds of people.

It was the middle of the hour, the sun was rising overhead, and the battlefield was becoming more and more scorching and boring.

The deafening sound of artillery was continuous, and it took a long time to count hundreds of artillery pieces in one round, and the artillery firing had always been fired in turns from left to right. For a time, the sound of artillery was incessant, and the sound of shells whistling was continuous.

Under the cover of the sound of cannons, the people digging holes under the city were quick with their hands and feet, and they kept expanding the cave so that it could be filled with more gunpowder.

Seeing that a basket of rammed earth passed from the entrance of the cave was piled up at the entrance of the cave, Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai couldn't help but be overjoyed, and the generals and strategists of the second battalion of Cao were also overjoyed.

It seems that breaking the city today is not a problem!

"We broke Kaifeng today, and the wealth in this city is enough to arm hundreds of thousands of troops! At that time, don't wait for Zuo Liangyu to come. Let's go south to find his bad luck! Beat this left rabbit master hard! ”

When the two families arranged the combat mission, Wang Lung conveyed to everyone in front of the generals that the general of the Beijing camp handed over the order to everyone that day, so that everyone could rest assured.

"Zuo Liangyu, this guy was originally a rabbit master who accompanied the wine in the Changping official army! The battle grew a good skin, and he got hooked up with Hou Xun, so he had the opportunity to go to Liaodong to fight Tartars. I made a fortune by making some small contributions! ”

As the saying goes, a good man doesn't meet an old neighbor. Even Sun Monkey only mentioned making trouble in the Heavenly Palace, and he didn't want others to say that he was Bi Ma Wen. However, the top and bottom of the Beijing camp know Zuo Liangyu's details very well, and these noble sons and daughters hate Zuo Liangyu for currying favor with civil officials, so they naturally don't leave any virtue in their mouths. And so, all filthy and filthy words can be spoken.

In the midst of laughter, Niu Wancai, who was in charge of digging the hole, sent someone to deliver the letter. The thirty-six openings are largely completed, and the king is asked to send someone to prepare gunpowder.

Just as he was about to give the order, Li Zicheng's hand holding the telescope shook slightly.

The people of the city also struggled to dig down the walls when the cannon fire stopped, trying to open the holes and then take them down. In bursts of cheers, several holes opened, and people above and below the city. With the help of torches, they can see each other.

"Quick! Ship the powder keg up! Get ready to let go! ”

Under the city and above the city, the battle for the various cave entrances began.

As the openings were opened one by one. Niu Wancai had to order people to stop transporting gunpowder for the time being, and be sure to repel the officers and troops who fought for and destroyed the entrance to the cave.

With the help of the power of firearms and bows and arrows, many of the officers and soldiers and people who tried to fight the peasant army for the entrance of the cave were killed and wounded, and the rest were afraid to approach the entrance of the cave, so they just threw 10,000 enemies downward.

But the killing effect of 10,000 enemies is also average, and. When Niu Wancai was digging a hole, he ordered his men to dig down first, dig a hole and then expand to both sides. Most of the 10,000 enemies, gravel and other objects thrown from the hole in the city fell into the pit.

"Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen! You've got to figure it out! Gao Mingheng grabbed Chen Yongfu's robe, and pleaded in a low voice regardless of his identity.

"Your Excellency! Commander-in-Chief! Just now the south gate came to report, and the thieves drove tens of thousands of hungry people to storm the city walls, and the situation was fierce! ”

"Leave it alone! That's a thief's plan! Li Chuang and Cao Cao are both here. Some of the leaders among the thieves are here, and the pits they dug are here, and the south gate is just a feint! Gao Mingheng angrily kicked the officer who reported the news.

"Lord Governor, in addition to opening the holes dug by the thieves one by one, it is necessary to recruit warriors among the soldiers and civilians defending the city to seize these holes!" In his eagerness, Chen Yongfu couldn't think of a way, so he had to sacrifice the magic weapon of a brave man under the heavy reward.

Holes were dug in the city wall, trying to open up the holes dug by the peasant army under the city. Dig a big hole in the city, and the vertical hole is reduced layer by layer, and the diameter of the top layer is at least one zhang, and many people can stand on it, and then gradually shrink to eight feet, and then go down to six feet, four feet, and finally narrow down to two or three feet in diameter, and people can jump down without hindrance.

Soon, the dense entrance of the cave continued to let out bursts of exclamations, and it was connected to the hole under the city.

Under the city tower of the Song Gate, Gao Mingheng ordered someone to bring three thousand silver dollars from the treasury, and they were placed on the offering table very casually.

This is a bounty for the warriors who have the means to recapture the pits, or to drive the peasant army out of the caves.

The peasant army fought fiercely with the city in the various caves, and fought each other from above. The city hurled stones downwards and poked downwards with spears; And there are also muskets and archers prepared below, and they will shoot and fire arrows from the upwards. In the faint light and starlight, as long as you see a figure shaking above, you will immediately cast fire guns and shoot arrows below. They couldn't tell if their arrows had hit each other, but they could understand the sound from above.

There are constantly officials in the city who have been preaching: those who can seize the earth and caves will be rewarded with 3,000 silver dollars. For a time there was a lot of talk in the city, and they all said that three thousand silver was not too little, but no one dared to try it, because they all knew that there were many enemies in the cave, and our soldiers could only jump down one by one, while the thieves stood below and waited, and went down one and killed the other. Jumping down is tantamount to death. The people looked at each other, timid, lest they would give their lives for the three thousand silver dollars......

"My lord, leave it to me!" One of Chen Yongfu's subordinates separated the general Zhu Chengxiang and everyone came out proudly.

"Good! As long as you succeed in capturing the hole, in addition to the silver reward, you will definitely be promoted when you are recalled! It's always too small! Even the garrison and the generals are not impossible! Gao Mingheng also went to the doctor when he was sick, so he just wrote out the blank checks that didn't cost money.

"Mr. Zhu, what do you need?"

Listening to Zhu Chengxiang's request, Chen Yongfu nodded, agreeing to his method.

Soon, the 100 strong soldiers and a necessary thing that Zhu Chengxiang wanted were handed over to him and used by him.

A few bundles of dry firewood and grass were dropped from the mouth of the cave first, followed by seven or eight oil jars lit with masked cloths. Before the oil jar caused a fire on the firewood and grass, a large bag of realgar and nitrate was dropped on it.

As the oil jar burst open in the hole, igniting the firewood and grass, the cave immediately caught fire. The realgar and nitrate were also powerful, and the whole cave was filled with black smoke and a suffocating pungent smell.

Firewood and grass are added with realgar nitrate, this recipe can be regarded as the original version of incendiary bombs and poison gas bombs. Immediately, the peasant army digging the pit complained bitterly. In addition, firewood, grass and oil jars are still being thrown, and the fire in the cave is blazing, and the smoke is billowing out, and people can't breathe because of the yellow and sulfur. The peasant army in the cave can dodge the fire and arrows, and even the 10,000 enemies have a way, but the oil fire and pungent smell are nowhere to hide. Some were burned, some were smoked to the ground, and several people staggered out of the cave with the flames on their bodies and escaped, but they did not take a few steps before they were shot by arrows from the city and fell to the ground.

After a while, the people of the city estimated that there were no more people alive in the cave, and even those who did not escape must have been burned or smoked to death. Zhu Chengxiang waved his hand to his 100 brothers, and everyone immediately poured the prepared water bucket by bucket into the hole. The smoke in the cave slowly poured out. Subsequently, the smell of realgar and sulfur also faded. Zhu Chengxiang soaked the towel in the place where the water covered his mouth and nose, and jumped down the hole first, and his subordinates also jumped down one by one and occupied the hole.

Most of the peasant soldiers in the cave who did not escape had been burned to death, and the few who had not been burned to death had also passed out. Zhu Chengxiang and his soldiers didn't care about thirty-seven twenty-one, whether they were dead or alive, they just stabbed one by one, and then threw the corpse out of the hole.

This battle made the soldiers and civilians defending the city suddenly feel more rustic, and all places imitated Zhu Chengxiang's method to seize the hole. However, in half a day, 36 caves were successively captured into the hands of the officers and soldiers, and the peasant troops who dug the holes suffered heavy casualties.

"It took more than half a month, countless people were killed and injured, and unexpectedly, it was over in half a day?" This scene can be seen clearly by the barrel of Li Zichengtong's telescope.

"King Chuang! When it comes to war, you can't win if you're afraid of death or injury. Order the battalions and prepare the ladder to attack the city! ”

"That's right, Liu Ye is right, war, is it still called war if you don't die?"

Regarding Liu Zongmin and Cao Cao's construction, Li Zicheng also immediately adopted it, however, he nodded and called Gu Ying, "You go to the south gate to see, how is the situation on Xiaohuzi's side?" (To be continued......)