After the two rounds of artillery fire from the Northern Army were over, perhaps seeing that the officers and troops were no longer showing signs of counterattacking, the explosions that occurred on the city wall finally stopped.

With the ease that shrouded the city slowly dissipated, a very tragic picture appeared in front of everyone.

Xu Guohou, the chief soldier, used thousands of people to work hard for a day and a night to strengthen the city wall, and at this moment, he was bombed so that he couldn't see the original appearance.

The logs and sandbags piled up on the top of the city were either lifted out of the city or blown into a pile of wasteland.

Most of the battlements on both sides of the city wall to protect the soldiers from lead bullets were blown to the ground.

Looking down from the air, the wall that stood between the two armies could only be regarded as an earthen enclosure at most at this moment.

What's more, this unprotected earthen fence is almost covered with countless corpses of soldiers and severed limbs and broken arms that have been shattered by flowering bombs.

Although there is no detailed battle loss statistics, Xu Guohou, who has a solemn face, can already be sure that the loss of troops on the city wall is at least 500 people.

Because, before the northern army carried out artillery fire on the city wall, he arranged 800 defenders on the city wall. And now, on the city wall, where 800 soldiers are arranged, there is hardly any movement.

There is only one reason for this result, that is, the 800 defenders who had been placed on the city wall were almost completely lost in the artillery fire just now.

Without even seeing the clear face of the Northern Army, it lost hundreds of soldiers. What's more, the only red-coated cannon that he could use to turn defeat into victory was also blown into a pile of scrap metal.

Face this brutal truth. Xu Guohou was already pale in complexion. has unconsciously turned into despair.

After knowing the strong strength of the artillery unit of the Haw Par Army. Xu Guohou, the commander-in-chief of the official army who had always shown a lofty expression, finally felt scared. Not only that, but he also felt a deep remorse from the bottom of his heart for his decision to take the initiative to invite troops to garrison the county town at his feet and block the soldiers of the Northern Army.

I regret that I shouldn't have been so reckless, that I shouldn't have been hot-headed, that I shouldn't have come here......

However, there is no regret medicine in this world. Now that you've done it, be prepared to bear it.

Stayed when Xu Guohou suppressed the fear in his heart and mustered up the courage to say some comforting words to his subordinates.

The subordinates were equally full of desperate facial expressions, and their legs and bodies had begun to tremble with fear and fear. directly made the courage he had just mustered disappear again......

Although Xu Guohou has never really been on the battlefield, he is very familiar with the book of soldiers and the elders, and he knows a truth very well......

"The quality of the army's morale can make a unit win the battle. It can also make an army collapse directly on the battlefield......"

The group of generals in front of him had obviously been frightened by the strong strength of the Northern Army outside the city.

from their faces and bodies. In addition to seeing the morale that had fallen to the bottom, Xu Guohou did not even have the slightest courage to dare to continue fighting with the Northern Army.

These generals under his command, whom he regards as his confidants, do not have the slightest morale at all, not to mention those ordinary soldiers who can only get sixty percent of their military salaries.

Xu Guohou didn't dare to imagine that after the real siege war broke out, under the attack of the Northern Army outside the city, his subordinates, who were already demoralized, would directly abandon their commander and collapse on the battlefield.

So, a heartfelt fear poured out immediately afterward.

At the same time, a thought that he had been very ashamed of before also appeared in Xu Guohou's mind.

In order to survive, do you want to leave here alone before your subordinates react and take your personal guards.

However, as soon as this idea appeared, he himself rejected it.

Because, his family and family are still in the capital, as long as he leaves his post without permission, his family will be arrested by Emperor Chongzhen without hesitation and imprisoned in Jinyiwei to atone for his crimes.

What's more, as soon as this thought appeared, one of the commanders of the scout team rushed to his position with a frightened face.

After seeing Xu Guohou, he forgot even the minimum military salute, and reported in a trembling tone.

"My lord, something happened...... Outside the four gates of the county seat, cavalry of the Northern Army was found, with a scale of at least 2,000 people...... We...... We are surrounded by the Northern Expeditionary Army in this county......"

"Are you sure that the other three gates are surrounded by the cavalry of the Haw Par Army...... You scouts read that right. After listening to the report, Xu Guohou, who realized a hint of danger, frowned and asked loudly.

The general nodded in affirmation: "It's a cavalry, and it's the legendary ironclad cavalry of the Tiger and Leopard Army...... Not only is everyone armed with a saber and a pair of iron armor. Each cavalryman was also equipped with a fine musket, three powerful grenades, and a throwing gun suitable for close-range throwing. The scouts sent out by the last general to the city can see it clearly, and they will definitely not go wrong......"

At this time, the desperate expression on Xu Guohou's face became even stronger.

With a wry smile on his face full of helplessness: "Now it seems that the northern army outside the city is not just as simple as capturing the county town under our feet, but intends to annihilate us all in this county town......"

At this moment, a cry full of terror suddenly sounded on the head of the city, which had been bombed into ruins.

"The rebels, the rebels stationed outside the city, have begun to attack us......"

As the exclamations sounded one after another in the city, Mr. Qian, who was responsible for counting the losses at the head of the city, and whose whole body was blackened by carelessness, rushed directly towards him. Before the man could rush to the front, he shouted with horror on his face.

"My lord, the rebels stationed outside the city have begun to attack the city......"

"At least two thousand rebel musketeers have left the barracks, armed with muskets and artillery, pressing on the county seat......"

After being covered by the artillery fire just now, Xu Guohou was given ten more dares, and he did not dare to climb the city wall again.

After hearing the news that the Northern Expeditionary Army had begun to attack, which could be called worse, he looked desperate, and without thinking about it, he opened his mouth and ordered: "Then what are you still doing, immediately order the soldiers, climb the city wall, and prepare to defend the city......"

In the face of this order, which had barely passed through the brain, Mr. Qian, who still maintained the last trace of sanity in his heart, hurriedly reminded: "But, my lord...... The walls have been blown up by the rebels, and there is no danger to defend...... Now let the soldiers rely on the city walls for defense, isn't it that they are bombed under the shelling of the rebels? ”

"No matter how many soldiers we have, we can't afford to lose hundreds of soldiers with a single bullet......"

The re-understanding of the strong strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army has just escaped death, and he has just learned the news that he was trapped in the county seat by the Northern Expeditionary Army......

Faced with a series of blows, Xu Guohou looked like he was ruined for the rest of his life, and was full of despair about his future. How can you keep your sanity and analyze the different ideas put forward by your subordinates.

Therefore, as soon as Mr. Qian's words were finished, Xu Guohou roared impatiently.

"If we don't defend the walls, what can we defend? Do you want the official to watch the rebels enter the county seat, but as the defender of the city, he is indifferent because he is afraid of death......"

"Go and get the order at once, no matter how many people die, they must stop the rebels and not let them enter the city......"

What Xu Guohou didn't expect was that it was because of his irrationality and impatience that he directly lost 2,000 people again.

In order to block the attack of the Northern Army, 2,000 panicked soldiers were driven away by the officers. No matter how helpless he was, he had to take mechanical steps and move towards the city wall step by step.

When they climbed the city wall and saw corpses and stumps and broken arms everywhere, many soldiers who had never been on the battlefield directly squat on the side of the city wall with weak legs and pale faces, vomiting profusely.

On the heavy artillery position of the Northern Army three miles away from them, the commander of the heavy artillery regiment who had been holding a monocular and watching every move on the city wall. A sneer full of weirdness quickly flashed on his calm and expectant face.

Because, after a short wait, he finally saw the picture he wanted to see the most.

A tranquil wall, facing the two thousand musketeers who were constantly approaching the wall, was once again full of officers and soldiers ready to defend.

After putting down the binoculars, he looked at the guards beside him, and shouted excitedly: "Commander, the officials and soldiers in the city have really been fooled......"

"The officers and soldiers who were holding on to the city were indeed led out by the two thousand musketeers we had sent. Now these officers and soldiers have all gathered on the city wall. ”

"The last general roughly estimated that the officers and soldiers who were transferred to the city wall this time were definitely more than 2,000 people."

"If we blow up these 2,000 officers and soldiers again, maybe we don't need to attack, the officers and soldiers in the city will take the initiative to surrender to us out of fear and surrender without a fight......

Wei Zheng nodded with a smile on his face, and confidently ordered: "Then what are you still doing...... Ordered the brothers to open fire immediately, and with cannonballs, the officers and soldiers in the city were so frightened that they had to surrender to us. “

"If you can really bomb the officers and troops in the city and surrender to us on their own initiative, this commander is here to guarantee that the first merit of our northern army to go to the capital is your heavy artillery regiment."

The commander of the heavy artillery regiment said with an excited face: "Please rest assured, at most fifteen rounds of artillery bombardment, the last general will blow up all the officers and soldiers gathered on the city wall......

It has been blown into ruins, and there is no city wall to hide, which directly allows the power of the flowering bomb to be used to the best state.

Fifty heavy artillery guns fired only five or six hundred flowering shells at the line of the city wall, and the city wall, which stretched for a mile, was once again lifeless.

The sound of the cannons ceased, the smoke cleared, and the walls of the city that had been blown a foot short again were hardly much different except for the addition of more than a thousand corpses and the countless wounded who let out wailings. (To be continued......)