Ji Qingwen stood on top of the high Guangqu Gate gatehouse, and when he saw the momentum of more than 20,000 elite soldiers of the Eight Banners of Manchuria, he couldn't help but be frightened, and hurriedly asked Chen Wenzhao beside him: "General Chen, the Eight Banners cavalry is so powerful, they won't take advantage of the situation to break through the Guangqu Gate, right?" ”

Chen Wenzhao said with a straight face: "Lord Ji don't worry, I see that the Manchurian Tartars only have cavalry and do not carry siege equipment, let alone artillery, so I judge that the Tartars have no intention of attacking the city wall today, my lord, don't worry." ”

Ji Qingwen breathed a sigh of relief, but saw that the Eight Banners cavalry had begun to move closer to the headquarters of Man Gui, Hou Shilu, and Lu Xiangsheng, while shooting at the Ming army like arrows and locusts.

With the strength of nearly 20,000 troops of these four banners, let alone launching an overwhelming charge, even if they simply fired arrows, they could wipe out all the Ming troops in front of them in a short period of time.

Ji Qingwen had a good friendship with Lu Xiangsheng, who was in charge of answering outside the Guangqu Gate.

Therefore, he didn't want this Wenchen, who was quite proficient in military affairs, to die outside the Guangqu Gate like this, so he asked: "General Chen, we can't sit back and watch the Ming army outside the city be wiped out by the Tartars like this, why don't we order the musketeers to shoot at the city?" ”

Chen Wenzhao observed the formation very carefully, and he forgot about it for a while, and hurriedly agreed: "Okay, good." I almost forgot that our army was equipped with muskets with a long range, just enough to aid in battle, to give orders to fire downwards. ”

So Ji Qingwen brought the 200 musketeers who came to the upper floor, calmly charged and loaded the ammunition, and after a little aiming, they shot downward.

The flintlock muskets of these musketeers were among the most elite in Europe of origin, more than twice as long as the arquebuses of the previous generation, and they fired condescendingly downward, piercing the air one after another, effortlessly hitting the Manchurian cavalry's lined formation, and sweeping down a hundred or so cavalry in an instant.

Seeing this, Huang Taiji did not panic, but he also accelerated the pace of the attack, and after ordering the whole army to shoot two more rounds of arrows, he waved the whole army to attack forward.

Ji Qingwen didn't expect that Huang Taiji would dare to ignore the power of the firearms of the Ming army on the city wall and dare to attack directly, so he hurriedly urged the two hundred musketeers to speed up and shoot fiercely at the Manchurian cavalry under the city.

However, although these flintlock pistols mastered by Ji Qingwen were advanced, they were not ahead of the times, and they were still loaded from the muzzle, first loaded with gunpowder, and then stuffed with projectiles, so the charging speed was very slow, and now it was able to achieve three to four rounds per minute It has reached the limit of the rate of fire.

Therefore, although the Ji Qingwenbu musket on the city tower was fierce and accurate, it did not stop Huang Taiji's attack on Man Gui and Lu Xiangsheng to much extent, and the forward forces of the two sides had already come into contact with each other.

Fortunately, Lu Xiangsheng made preparations early, and within a few days, he collected all the spears and spears scattered near the capital, and even the bamboo poles for the people to dry their clothes, and made them into 3,000 long weapons, which were specially used to deal with the Manchurian cavalry.

Although Mangui's subordinates fled all the way, when it came to the critical moment of life and death, they finally broke out with their last combat effectiveness and fought with the enemy.

At this time, Sun Yuanhua led four or five hundred soldiers dressed in strong clothes to come from the north side of the city wall, and before he could calm down his rapid breathing, he ran to the city towers on both sides of the Guangqu Gate, filled the artillery deployed on the city tower with gunpowder shells, and fired them at the city.

When Ji Qingwen saw Sun Yuanhua arrive, he was not relieved at all, but blamed: "Lord Sun, why are you here!" ”

It turned out that although there were many artillery guns accumulated and purchased by successive dynasties on the city wall of Jingshi, only one-tenth of them could be used, and they could only complete the deployment of two key fortifications of Desheng Gate and Guangqu Gate. The number of skilled soldiers who can operate artillery is even smaller, and the more than 400 people under Sun Yuanhua's current command can only meet the deployment of one city gate at most.

Therefore, the soldiers led by Sun Yuanhua rushed from Desheng Gate on foot to this Guangqu Gate to operate the artillery and launch an artillery bombardment on the Huangtai Department under the city.

But these gunners are still too late, under the city tower, the Ming army led by Man Gui, Hou Shilu, and Lu Xiangsheng has been mixed with the Eight Banners cavalry led by Huang Taiji himself.

Therefore, Sun Yuanhua could only order the artillerymen to shoot at the rear flank of the Manchurian Eight Banners in the distance.

Huang Taiji naturally knew the power of the artillery, and saw that the artillery on the city wall had begun to load artillery ammunition, so he quickly ordered his men and horses to stop firing bows and arrows, but quickly squeezed towards Guangqu Gate, forming a situation of great melee.

Although this situation was slightly chaotic and not conducive to the strength of the Manchurian cavalry's strong charging ability, it was able to avoid the attack of the Ming artillery. What's more, the morale and combat effectiveness of the soldiers and horses of the four banners of the Manchurian left wing under Huang Taiji are far superior to those of the opponent, even in such a melee situation, it is just a little more time and a little more casualties, and they can still eliminate all the opponents.

Huang Taiji's tactics were really shrewd, which made Sun Yuanhua, who was about to give the order to fire a cannon on the city wall, suddenly become at a loss.

The war has progressed to this point, and on the city wall of the Beijing Division, only Ji Qingwen's musket team can rely on the accuracy of the flintlock pistol, carefully aim and then carry out precise strikes on the Manchurian soldiers, so as to support the Ming soldiers who are fighting tenaciously under the city - but after all, Ji Qingwen's men only have two hundred musketeers, and such assistance is really a drop in the bucket.

At this moment, I suddenly heard a loud announcement from inside the Guangqu Gate: "The Holy Lord has arrived!" ”

The emperor is coming? Emperor Chongzhen personally came to Guangqumen to supervise the battle?

Ji Qingwen was puzzled for a moment when he heard this, but he had already heard Emperor Chongzhen's sharp voice: "You don't need to bow and bow, when is it!" ”

Sure enough, it was Emperor Chongzhen who came.

I saw that Chongzhen had changed into a military uniform, and under the support of countless brocade guards, he quickly climbed the city tower, and saw that the artillery on the city wall had not fired a single shot, and immediately reprimanded: "Sun Yuanhua, what are you doing?" Why don't you fire the cannon yet? ”

Because of Fang Chongzhen's decree to exempt the courtesy, Sun Yuanhua could only salute very restrained and embarrassed, and said: "Your Majesty, the enemy and us in the city are in a mess, and I am afraid that if I shoot now, I will hit my own soldiers." ”

Chongzhen was taken aback when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "What? Have the Manchurian Tartars already killed under the Guangqu Gate? ”

He didn't have time to wait for the courtier's answer, so he immediately took a few steps forward and was about to look down the tower.

The commander of the Jinyi guard who was escorting him on the side made Luo Yangxing busy and said: "Don't move, don't move, beware of the Manchurians' arrows!" ”

Emperor Chongzhen turned his head and glared at Luo Yangxing coldly, so that he immediately closed his mouth, and then looked down on the city wall.

But I saw that the soldiers of the Ming army and the people of the Eight Banners under the city wall had already fought to the point of blood, and the limbs that had been cut off by the sword were like useless garbage, thrown everywhere; The severed head still had a mouth, and the last trace of heat coming out of the empty mouth formed a strange mist in the cold air......

Emperor Chongzhen, who had been pampered since childhood, had never seen such a bloody scene, and after not seeing it for a while, he was already dizzy with fright, and staggered back to his original position.

At this time, Sun Chengzong also climbed the Guangqu Gate Gatehouse, although his body bones are still quite stiff, but after all, he is already an old man, he was out of breath when he climbed the city wall, but he did not dare to delay the military situation, after observing it, he raised the most critical question: "Where is Yuan Chonghuan?" ”

Yes, where is Yuan Chonghuan? Isn't he supposed to guard the Guangqu Gate? Even if the pursuing and routed army temporarily abandoned the defense of Guangqumen, then after receiving the emperor's will, he should immediately return to the army to support, how come he still disappeared at this juncture?

This question woke up Emperor Chongzhen, and he opened his mouth and asked, "Yes, what about Yuan Chonghuan?" Where is Yuan Chonghuan? ”

After asking, Chongzhen suddenly glanced at Ji Qingwen who was shrinking to the side, and asked directly: "Ji Qingwen, I see that you have been on the Guangqu Gate all along, let me ask you, where is Yuan Chonghuan now?" ”

Ji Qingwen had no choice but to tell the truth: "Shengshang, Inspector Yuan's division fought smoothly, and he has led the army to pursue the defeated Manchurian Four Banners, and it is in the direction of the Grand Canal to ......the east."

"Of course I do!" Chongzhen said angrily, "Didn't I make an order for him to immediately return to Mangui's aid?" Now that Man Gui is working hard under the city, where did he Yuan Chonghuan go? ”

Sun Chengzong had already guessed what was going on, and sighed softly: "Alas, the old problem of the element (Yuan Chonghuan's words) has been committed again!" ”