"Bang bang bang!"

"Whoosh!"

The sound of muskets, bows and crossbows, was incessant, and from time to time there were terrible screams of extremely people.

In the previous battle, because of the suppression of long-range firepower, although the Ming Dynasty army did not stop resisting, it was not until the artillery fire of the Hong Dynasty army opened the city defense offensive of Xiangcheng and attacked the interior of the city that a real battle began to show its hideous face.

The Ming Dynasty defenders did not have the flintlock muskets of the Hong Dynasty, but that did not mean that they did not have the means to fight back.

The generals who had suffered at the hands of the Hong Dynasty army for many years, so that the generals of the Ming Dynasty army who were good at summing up experience quickly took advantage of their limited advantages and found a counterattack against the Hong Dynasty army's street battles in the city.

A longbowman may need the last experience and practice, but a crossbowman is not without the ability to fight back, at least at short and medium ranges, against musketeers.

In particular, the Ming army picked up all kinds of crossbows recorded in the Northern Song Dynasty's "Martial Classics", picked up the crossbows that were easier to manufacture and more convenient for soldiers to fight alone, and shipped the huge craftsman base of the Ming Dynasty, so that half of the infantry in the army could be equipped with crossbows.

There is no way, the flintlock pistol has not been captured by the Ming Dynasty army in many battles, but due to the gap in their own technical strength, as well as the lack of excellent raw materials and other factors, although the craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty have been imitating the flintlock pistol, but few results have been obtained.

The crossbow machine also does not need much shooting experience in the short and medium distances, relying on the numerical advantage of the Ming Dynasty army, but it can exchange quantity for quality, at least in the short-distance combat of frontal street fighting, creating a decisive battle opportunity for the Ming Dynasty melee infantry and giving the Hong Dynasty army lethality.

Since the Ming Dynasty army did not hesitate to equip the crossbow machine into the army, the Hong Dynasty army had to pay more than several times the price in the street battles after the siege battle.

Moreover, the crossbow machine also has the advantage that the flintlock pistol does not have, that is, it makes a very small shaving sound when it shoots, and it is inaudible, and it is more difficult to reveal its whereabouts when used after dark, but it is not bad when it is used in a sneak attack, but it has more advantages than a flintlock pistol.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages, and the crossbow machine needs strong arm strength when loading crossbow arrows, and crossbowmen often shoot more than a dozen crossbow arrows, and there will be a situation where the follow-up is not effective.

In addition, the crossbow machine also needs to aim when shooting, although the requirements are lower than those of the archer, but it is not the average warrior who can shoot the target with a single shot.

"Ten feet forward!!"

"Click, click......"

The Hong Dynasty musketeers methodically set up their formation, and advanced forward on the empty and scattered square streets, taking most of the eastern part of the city in their hands.

The Ming Dynasty army resisted resolutely and heroically, just to advance more than 20 zhang, and the Hong Dynasty army that fell on the way exceeded 5,000. Of course, compared to the relatively low number, the number of tactics lost by the Ming Dynasty army was far greater than that of the Hong Dynasty army.

Anyway, the flintlock pistol of the Hong Dynasty army, whether it is range or power, is more powerful than the crossbow machine in the hands of the Ming army, and often the Ming army crossbow machine in the distance has not yet reached the range, and the flintlock pistol of the Hong Dynasty army has already fired, and countless Ming Dynasty troops have died between the lanes.

"Brothers, success or failure is here, go with Lao Tzu!!"

Behind him, countless crossbow machines whistled, covering the shooting of their fellow infantry officers charging at the front, harassing the fire of the Hong Dynasty musketeers.

"Shoot!!"

"Bang bang bang!!"

Such a scene was screened countless times in the eastern urban area of Xiangcheng, and every time it was screened, countless soldiers on both sides were killed and wounded on the ground, waiting for post-war treatment, or dragged down and wrapped in sackcloth.

"How far did the Hong Dynasty army enter the city?"

The gunshots were getting closer and closer, and Sun Chuanting, who was sitting in the city guard mansion, was not moved, but in fact, he was more or less affected in his heart.

"It has been promoted three miles away from Dongcheng District."

"What is the number of soldiers killed on both sides?"

"The enemy's initial estimate is that the loss of troops is more than 5,000, and the loss of our army has exceeded 10,000."

Zhang Huangyan replied in a deep voice, although the number of soldiers of the Ming army who were damaged was extremely large, but in the eyes of these high-level generals, it was just a cold pair of numbers.

"Good!"

Sun Chuanting was also unmoved, and it could even be said that he was a little happy on his face.

The more resolute the resistance of their Ming soldiers is, the lower the chance of being exposed, and the higher the probability of leaving the Hong Dynasty army in the city.

"Has the Hongchao army outside the city increased its strength into the city?"

"Yes!"

When Zhang Huangyan answered this question, his face was somewhat relieved: "The other party reinforced 15,000 troops into the city a quarter of an hour ago. ”

"In other words, the number of the Hong Dynasty army outside the city is no more than fifteen thousand?"

Sun Chuanting frowned.

"Yes."

"Good, good!"

"Send your right-hand men to the surrounding three-way army, and order them to speed up and rush to support Xiangcheng!"

After Sun Chuanting heard the news, his heart finally made up his mind, and then it was time for their Ming Dynasty army to implement the next plan.

"Whoa!"

"At the same time, tell your generals to continue to maintain the current counterattack intensity."

"The Chinese army and the rear army must also remain vigilant and be ready to fight, I want the Hongchao army in the city to easily escape from the city when the reinforcements from outside the city arrive!"

"Wow!!"

Time passed minute by minute, and the offensive of the Hong Dynasty army in the Xiangcheng urban area was still encroaching on the Ming army's position step by step, and at the cost of countless soldiers, the Xiangcheng urban area was slowly turned into a result in their hands.

Outside the city, although Kong Youde couldn't say that he was calm in his heart, he didn't have the slightest worry, the only thing that made him dissatisfied was that the number of losses of their army in the city seemed to be more.

The Ming soldiers of this Xiangcheng have a determination to fight that is rare among the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty for more than a year, perhaps this is related to their external guard intelligence, at this time Zhang Huangyan, the supervisor of the eastern front of the Ming army, personally supervised the formation of Xiangcheng.

It is undeniable that the Ming Dynasty army did have more troops than the Hong Dynasty army in terms of numbers, which has always been the weakness of the Hong Dynasty army, and it is not only today.

"How much time do we need to completely take Xiangcheng?"

At this time, three days have passed since they attacked Xiangcheng, and the speed of advance one day and one mile is not only dissatisfied with Kong Youde, but also the middle-level officers of the Third Army are also unhappy.

"With the strength of the Ming army's resistance now, it may take more than half a month to completely occupy Xiangcheng."

Zhan Wenbo replied in a deep voice.

"It's been too long."

Kong Youde said dishappily.

"My subordinates didn't expect that Zhang Huangyan in Xiangcheng was so resolute, and it seemed that he had decided to make a decisive battle with our third army in Xiangcheng!"

"Oh? Decisive battle? ”

"Then let's fight!"