When the sun is setting in the west, the Great East Gate

With the sound of cymbals coming from the rear, the captives who had not succeeded in the siege for a long time retreated quickly and did not want to stay under the city wall for a moment, and they were not long gone. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 Under the supervision of the Overseer, even the corpses under the city were taken away, leaving only some siege equipment that was damaged beyond use.

"Pseudo-Ming has withdrawn!" "Wan Sheng!" "Wan Sheng!!" … Looking at the red flags that were rapidly receding, the Qing army at the head of the city let out bursts of cheers.

However, at this time, in front of the city gate tower, Li Chengdong, who was the commander of the Qing army, gradually tightened his brows. This afternoon's battle was really unexpected, specifically, it was too easy to win, and the cannon fodder used by the Ming army to fight the front line had no strength to attack the city at all, and they were only sent to death. In other words, the Ming army had no intention of really attacking the city at all, at least not this afternoon. Li Chengdong saw with his own eyes that when those cannon fodder were driven forward to attack the city, all the regular Ming troops were watching the excitement from the sidelines. Even if the cannon fodder attacked unfavorably for a while, the chief general of the Ming army did not mind and organized the next round of attack in a hurry, but the main force dispatched was still the cannon fodder who had just been replaced with the red flag, and most of the soldiers and horses of the Ming army were still unmoved.

Originally, this question also seemed to be easy to understand. Just an hour ago, Tong Yangjia sent someone to report that the Ming army was digging a tunnel in the northwest of the city wall, trying to break the city with a hole. When he first got the news, Li Chengdong also agreed with Tong Yangjia's view that the Ming army's deployment of troops in the southeast was just a pretext, and the strategy adopted was to attack the southeast and take the northwest in the west. In this way, the soft offensive strength of the Ming army in the direction of the Great East Gate is understandable. But think about it. Li Chengdong felt that something was wrong, judging from the last battle of Qingyuan, Pang Yue was a hidden and extremely insidious person. When I think of that day. Pang Yue led the army to appear behind him quietly and launched a surprise attack, Li Chengdong still felt a faint chill in his back, which also deepened the doubts in his heart: How could such a scheming person use such an obvious technique of "striking the east and attacking the west" that even a person like Tong Yangjia who was rough in military affairs could see at a glance?

Moreover, the Ming army wanted to adopt the tactics of attacking from the cave, which also made Li Chengdong feel strange for a while, and the reason was. Almost without thinking, he could name a large number of countermeasures against this method of warfare, such as listening to the tank, digging tunnels, diverting canals to irrigate water, and so on, all of which were effective methods that had been tested in actual combat during his military career. But the Ming army was attacking the east and west, and it was using cannon fodder. Just to cover up for such a tactic that can be easily cracked? Still covering up so unsuccessfully? In this regard, Li Chengdong felt deep doubts.

Either way, the thieves have a bigger conspiracy in it! Li Chengdong, who hadn't come up with the final result for a long time, had to come to this conclusion first and pondered for a while. Called his adopted son Li Yuanyin: "Uncle Yuan." Tonight, you will work hard, bring more capable people, and personally go to the major city gates to inspect a few more times. The father had a hunch that the troops that the donkey thief had deployed in the southeast and northwest of the city today were just a disguise, and that more insidious tricks were still to come, and they were about to be used. I have to guard against it! ”

"The child obeys!" Li Yuanyin hugged his fists to receive the order, but did not leave immediately, but looked like he was looking left and right, wanting to speak and stopping.

Li Chengdong couldn't help but be a little surprised. said: "My son has always been a cheerful person, why is he so spitting in front of his father now? Say something! ”

Li Yuanyin looked around at the noisy surroundings. In the end, he sighed: "Back to my father, it's nothing, it's the child who is distracted for a while." The boy will go down and arrange for the men and horses to patrol at night! ”

……

At night, a deep darkness of night envelops the entire land. The city of Guangzhou, especially the major city gates, is full of lanterns, and the bright lights dispel the darkness nearby, which is particularly eye-catching in the night. The Qing soldiers who served as guards at the head of the city were three steps and one sentry, five steps and one post, and they were heavily guarded, and from time to time there were patrols walking through the city or under the city, pulling out long figures under the lights or moonlight, which made the current atmosphere more tense and serious.

At this time, torches and lanterns were also lit in the Ming army camps in the northwest and southeast directions outside the city, illuminating the open space in the camp. Standing at the head of the city, you can vaguely see the Ming soldiers of the brigade sitting in the open space, and you can hear them cheering from time to time, as if they are watching a play.

"Those bright dogs, life is very comfortable!" A Qing soldier standing guard at the head of the Great East Gate scolded in a low voice with jealousy and hatred.

"How can there be so many words!" The chief next to him scolded, "It's time to release the rocket again, hurry up!" ”

When the Qing soldiers heard this, they stopped their mouths stupidly, took out an elongated arrow, lit the linen cloth soaked in tung oil wrapped near the arrow, put on the bowstring and pointed to the night sky.

Immediately afterward, the sound of the command came from all over the rest of the city. As soon as the ordered Qing soldiers let go, a shining arc was thrown from the top of the city and landed on the ground dozens of steps away from the city wall. At the same time, dozens of other rockets also flew out of the city, instantly illuminating things within dozens of steps near the Great East Gate. Subsequently, the same scene was staged on the heads of the other major city gates.

This was also a measure for Li Chengdong to guard against the sneak attack of the Ming army, in addition to hanging lanterns on the city head and city walls, he also let the archers shoot rockets from time to time, so as to reduce the possibility of the Ming army's night attack to a greater extent.

"Nothing!" When the brilliance of the rockets falling outside the city gradually dissipated, the Qing officers who led the sentry posts at the major city gates made judgments one after another, and reported the situation to the higher-level generals guarding the city towers.

Near the Great North Gate, the mound erected by the Ming army during the day was also planted with several rockets that had not yet burned out. The entrance to the tunnel that has not yet been completed is on the side of the mound facing the city wall, and there are still some busy figures near the entrance of the cave at this moment, without any concern for the Qing army on the head of the city. And the Qing army at the head of the city seems to have long been accustomed to this, as long as the people listening to the water tank at the base of the city wall do not hear anything unusual, they basically ignore it.

"How long will it take to dig under the walls?" Pang Yue, who had already come to the vicinity of the mound, asked Chen He, the battalion officer of the Huashan Battalion on the side.

Chen He replied: "If you just dig to the root of the wall, it will be before noon tomorrow at the latest." But according to the orders of the commander. The end of the tunnel should be widened to the left and right, and a few holes should be dug into the soil wall under the root of the wall to put those things in, and then multiple walls must be built to completely seal the tunnel. Finish doing these. It's almost two hours away. ”

"That's good, you've all worked hard! If possible, speed it up a little more. After Pang Yue finished speaking, he pointed to the few black things that Chen He had just mentioned, and said, "In addition, these things should be placed here first, but they must be hidden first, and it is best not to let the Qingyu in the city see them." ”

Chen He nodded: "Don't worry, Dashuai." Qing Yu can't see this! ”

……

On the morning of the second day (May 26), the Ming army's offensive against the city of Guangzhou was as usual, and the northwest direction was still only a symbolic artillery bombardment. In the southeast, the cannon fodder composed of thousands of captives was still used as the main force of the siege. In this way, the consequences were undoubtedly undoubted, and the Qing army in the city did not take much effort to repel several attacks by the cannon fodder. A whole morning passed, and the Ming army still did not make the slightest progress.

But the more so. The more Li Chengdong felt uneasy in his heart. After repelling the morning offensive of the Ming army. He didn't even have time to eat, so he rode his horse to the Great North Gate, personally inspected the deployment of this area and the situation of the Ming army outside the city, and saw that Tong Yangjia and Hao Shangjiu were well guarded, and had prepared measures to counter the Ming army's attack before returning to the Great East Gate, but a heart still did not completely let go, and always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't understand it for a while.

"Li Junmen is too worried!" After sending Li Chengdong away, Tong Yangjia said with a smile. "The trick of the puppet Ming army has become obvious, and it is nothing more than to attract the attention of our army under the guise of attacking the Great East Gate. Then they tried in vain to break through the city with a hole, and that's it. The Governor has prepared various countermeasures, so there is no need to worry at all! Li Junmen has experienced a hundred battles, so he really shouldn't worry about such a trivial matter! ”

Listening to Tong Yangjia's comment on Li Chengdong, Hao Shangjiu didn't know how to speak for a while, and the smile on his face was a little stiff.

But Tong Yangjia didn't care about this, and changed the topic with a smile: "The ditch is almost dug, right?" ”

"Don't worry, Lord Governor!" Hao Shangjiu replied, "There are still two or three hours, and the puppet Ming army has not completely dug under the city wall, and the wood supporting the foundation of the wall has not yet been transported into the hole, I am afraid that it will not be completed today!" ”

"That's good! When the time comes, let Minggou suffer by himself! Tong Yangjia twisted his beard and smiled proudly.

……

In the afternoon, the Ming army did not attack again, and even the cannon fodder was not dispatched again, and the Qing army in the city was rarely cleaned.

At the end of Shen Shi (nearly five o'clock), at the entrance of the tunnel in the northwest of the city, the last group of officers and soldiers of the Huashan battalion withdrew from the tunnel, and built the last wall near the entrance of the cave, and then dragged out a bag soaked in asphalt from the gap in the corner of the wall, and the mouth of the bag revealed some black powdery items, which were black powder.

"Nothing is wrong, right?" Pang Yue personally asked the last Huashan Battalion Banner Commander.

"Don't worry, it's foolproof!" In the face of the coach's inquiry, Mr. Qi replied excitedly and confidently.

"That's good!" Pang Yue smiled slightly, personally inserted a few incense candles at the mouth of the bag, and ordered the surroundings, "Let everyone retreat quickly!" ”

……

"Lord Governor! Why did the Ming army suddenly retreat? At the head of the Great East Gate, Hao Shangjiu was puzzled by the sudden retreat of the Ming army.

Tong Yangjia also tightened his brows: "This is indeed strange!" However, don't act rashly yet, in case you fall for the tricks of the thief! ”

"Yes!"

……

When the Huguang Town near the Great North Gate and the righteous officers and soldiers withdrew a mile to the north, the last dozen or so soldiers guarding near the mound lit incense candles, and then mounted their mounts and galloped northward without stopping.

……

I wonder if it will succeed this time? What if the gunpowder in the cave gets wet? What should I do if the fuse is broken? What should I do if the incense candle goes out suddenly? On the back of a hill more than a mile away, Pang Yue's heart was still up and down, and he kept chanting silently. He was not completely sure whether this plan would succeed, so he could only ask God for his blessing!

"Wei Yuan, call me the last few people who lit the fire, I have something to ask them!" Pang Yue decided to finalize it.

"Obey ......"

"Boom! - "A loud bang came from the direction of the city wall, like a thunderclap coming head-on, followed by a violent shock wave, and all the dust and grass on the ground were bounced.

Wei Yuan's open mouth hadn't even had time to close, his eyes were round at that moment, and his face showed unprecedented shock. (To be continued.) )