Yangzhou Prefecture, under the city of Xixiang, the square four city gates have been pursued from the territory of Jinzhou by the Taiping army, to the fortifications and defense line blocked.

"This is the newly dispensed weapon? That's a good thing. ”

Zhang Dong, the brigade commander who was patrolling the battalion, was quite interested in playing with a gray-black cast iron three-eyed gun, and gently rubbed the sharp cone with his fingers.

"There is no need to wind up and wait to be shot, just such a blow will blow up lead and iron pellets, and I have the ability to break through the wood; Just get closer, even if you wear armor, you will not escape from a dozen bloody holes in the eye. Not to mention that it can't be dialed and dodged like an arrow.,Unstoppable.。。 ”

He had seen with his own eyes how the rebels in Golden State, who had the numerical superiority, were unbearable in the face of these firearms; As soon as a round of radiation begins, it will shout wildly, "The thief army has a demon method", "The monster eats people in the wind", "The invisible sword is hurting people" and other routs dispersed.

"This thing isn't something that just anyone can use. It must be practiced skillfully back and forth, otherwise you will not be able to make a mistake in the steps, not to mention that you will die, and the ignition of the medicine stone will burst ruthlessly, and it is easy to hurt yourself and others. Besides, it's only a means of engaging the enemy within more than ten steps, far less than a bow and crossbow. ”

But it was Li Liuqi, the commander of the fire-throwing brigade who was familiar with him, shook his head and said.

"This is a mistake, this thing is much lighter and less troublesome than a bow and crossbow; As long as someone continues to reload, it will also be faster to send than a bow and crossbow to bounce. Moreover, it can not only shoot from a distance but also fight hand-to-hand combat, hammer and cone to pierce armor; Why doesn't it work well; With the right brand above, even if you meet the crossbow team, it won't be much. ”

Zhang Dong was undiminished in interest.

"Just let the leading soldiers attack with a familiar arrangement, suddenly disrupt the approaching enemy formation, and then pounce in, it will naturally be easy to open up the situation. In the early years, when I was dealing with the mountain barbarians in the south, if I had these good things available, I was afraid that I didn't know how much trouble I could save and how many sons I could lose. ”

"Okay, okay, don't be too blind. This time, the upper part was equipped with four regiments, more than 1,000 guns and spare parts; All have numbered ones; I'll give you one or two to enjoy and defend yourself, as long as you report it afterwards, but if you want more guns, you have to submit a petition from the above. ”

Li Liuqi mentioned it a little helplessly.

"Then how about you lend me a team of gunners for a few days; Naturally, it won't be a dangerous place.,It's just for me to understand and familiarize myself with it in advance.,It's good to cooperate with the tactics and conduct of the weapon.。。 ”

Zhang Dong continued without giving up.

"You're so calculating, but what do you think of the soldiers in the army."

Li Liuqi couldn't help laughing, he paused and said.

"But if you have this in mind, then here you go; I'll let my brothers and your subordinates temporarily fight against each other. ”

At this time, the rapid drums and shouts were heard again from the watchtower in the distance:

"It's the city that's starting to break through. It came just in time. The sons and daughters are clothed, and they all come forward with me to kill the enemy. ”

Zhang Dong's face couldn't help but change, and he shouted at the subordinates near the left.

In fact, the backbone of the rebels who fled from the defeat in Jinzhou, as well as the remnants of those wealthy families, were all gathered in this small and small middle- and lower-class state city with a population of only 30,000 or 40,000.

Therefore, if Yangzhou is taken, it also means that most of the open and potential resistance forces in Shannan Dongdao will lose their backbone and the thrust of the monkey's urgency, and they will stop.

However, as a lightly armed pursuit force across the mountains and valleys, although they besieged the enemy, they were actually faced with the problem of insufficient strength and follow-up preparations; There is also a potential threat from enemy forces from the west.

But since these trapped remnants of the enemy are willing to take the initiative to break out, they will naturally be able to kill and injure more, and it will be more trouble-free in the future. Therefore, only half an hour later, Zhang Dong, who was covered with blood-colored iron scale armor, was already holding a knife and spear, and he was the first to reflexively chase and kill among those routs who could not break through.

Just as he alternated between his swords and spears, a succession of six or seven enemy soldiers who were desperately parrying or running away were put down one after another on his pursuit; Then, in the midst of the screams and cries and pleadings on the left, he suddenly found himself rushing to the city gate.

And the remnants of the defeated enemy are also crowded here, in front of the huge nailed iron gates that are struggling to close, trampling, pushing and clinging to each other to squeeze themselves in; Many of the arms tugging and pushing through the cracks in the gates seeped like dense roots.

They were so scrambling to push and push in, and simply ignored or ignored the Taiping soldiers who were chasing them; At this moment, Zhang Dong, who faced such a crowd of people, even if he cut down several enemy soldiers with their backs to him, he couldn't advance much.

Instead, he could only look at the gap that became narrower and narrower in the cries of the routs outside the door. And the small number of soldiers who gathered around him with knives in their hands also had a somewhat helpless and unwilling expression.

Zhang Dong's heart suddenly moved, and he suddenly felt something from his back waist, but it was only a bomb the size of a small melon that he used as a sample; There is also a short rope tied to the top that is used to swing and throw out.

He immediately pulled out the cover and rubbed the fuse, and quickly threw it out between the green smoke and the crack in the door not far away; However, it was a little disappointing that the bomb that arced over the heads of the routs ended up deflecting off the line and crashing into the door that was slowly closing;

It rebounded and fell down and smashed on the head of a half-squeezed rout, and immediately smashed him screaming, rolled his eyes and let go, and was pulled and pushed out of the crack in the door. Then the bomb disappeared into the crowd with a fleeting puff of smoke.

"Do you still have it in your hands?"

Zhang Dong couldn't help but shout eagerly to the left and right.

Then someone hurriedly tried to collect and make up two pieces from his body, but they were made into oval bottle-shaped fire oil bombs. He took a deep breath and pinched one in his hand, ready to strike again, when suddenly he saw a loud bang erupt in the door.

With the extremely dull and reverberating roar, a large wave of qi and smoke suddenly burst out from the crack in the door, as well as rotten flesh and blood stumps, and knocked down the rout soldiers who were pushing and holding each other outside the door.

And the gates that were closing, also stopped at this moment. Seeing this, Zhang Dong couldn't help but shout:

"This is a godsend, come with me."

"Kill the enemy to save the world, and rebuild peace."

In the sudden eruption of shouts, they scrambled to trample over the routs who fell to the ground, and cut down and knocked over those routs who were deaf and bleeding from their facial features that were shocked close at hand, and under the leadership of Zhang Dong, they broke sideways into the crack in the door that was only half a foot wide.

Immediately, in the dark and smoke-filled corridor behind the gate, Zhang Dong found that the defenders who had resisted the city gate were gone, leaving only the corpses that had been blown up under their feet, and the large pieces of blood and debris that had been splashed on the two walls;

Stepping on the soft ground soaked in blood, breathing in the pungent and bloody air mixed with choking smoke, Zhang Dong tried to resist the dizziness and lightheadedness, and mustered up the courage to sprint forward.

Behind him, the heavy door panel was pulled back open, and the light gradually became brighter and brighter. Then, in the smoke that gradually thinned out, Zhang Dong collided head-on with the oncoming human body again; and involuntarily stabbed and slashed at the past.

And it seems that because he was shocked and deaf in the relatively closed corridor, these enemy soldiers who stood in the way could not even hinder him much, and they were already cut down and dispersed by him.

In this section of the road, which people don't know the distance and don't know how long it has been, when Zhang Dong saw the bright sky just a few feet away again, he stopped in a daze. Then he saw the inner city gate close at hand, and smashed down a pile of masonry and ash pots.

Although they choked again, they coughed incessantly, and those who split their heads and covered their faces were covered with a layer of gray and white, but it also allowed his group of people to escape the risk of the blow of the city; Apparently the defenders at the head of the city had finally reacted and began to try to stop them from the intruders.

And in the midst of the smoke and ash, there was a cold light approaching; Faintly impressive, it was a crossbow-wielding guard. Zhang Dong also threw the fire oil bomb he was holding in his hand against the four walls and threw it out, and suddenly it exploded and burned in these defenders who had not yet had time to shoot.

In an instant, he mustered up all the strength he mustered and rushed forward, crashing into the hastily gathered crossbowmen. Behind him, some familiar crackling sounds began to drown out the noise and roar of arrows and stones thrown at the head of the city, and it was obvious that the grenadiers of the rear team also followed.

- I'm the dividing line -

And in the city and military village after the Dasan Pass under the heavy snowfall, a small-scale mutation is also occurring.

Between the spilled, overturned tables and the wine and food on the floor; Lu Yanhong, the first general of the Zhongwu Army, Zhang Zao, the third general, and Li Jian, the seventh general, stood together and stared at each other, thinking that the fifth general Wang Jian, the sixth capital, Han Jianshou, and the other five generals.

Behind each of them were groups of soldiers nervously pressing their swords, and the soldiers and servants in the confrontation with each other, each exhaling the smoke in the cold weather, and even the long-term mist between the beams and pillars of the floor was difficult to disperse.

"Yang Gong and I are deeply gracious, why do you want to secretly turn our backs."

Lu Yanhong, the first general who described the heroic and somewhat emaciated, hated it.

"Now Xiao Yang (Fuguang) is seriously ill, and Da Yang's privy envoy Feng Xiang is outside, and the army is all six gods and no masters, and it is even more and more inferior; It's no wonder I'm waiting to find another way out. ”

Wang Jian, who was capable and old in appearance, looked quite good at the city, but he said in an unhurried and deep voice.