"What, the imperial court said that we are rebels..."After listening to the imperial decree read by He Guozhong, a new recruit of the garrison division from a military household asked rhetorically with a face full of incredulity.

Then, he shouted to the recruits around him, who were also from military households: "Why, we didn't do anything to rebel, why do we say that we are rebels..."

At this time, the platoon commander from the veteran of the Haw Par Army suddenly explained: "Brothers, don't guess... The reason why the court slandered us as rebels is very simple, that is, the court is jealous of the salt pans behind us and our good life. ”

"We can receive four taels of silver every month, even those family members who work in the salt works, they can also receive three taels of silver...and the officials and soldiers of the imperial court, which is the best treatment in the capital, is only three taels of silver a month... With such a big gap, do you think that the officials and soldiers of the imperial court will not be blushing..."

A chief from a military household shouted with anger on his face, "What... Just because they are angry with our military salaries, they call us rebels and destroy us......"

"Yes....The people in the court are really bad....don't talk about it if they don't pay us money, the Haw Par Army finally gave us a chance to pay money, so they called us rebels, killed us, and robbed us of our money..."

Soon, a group of dozens of soldiers, with worries and confusion about the future, once again shifted their attention to the platoon commander.

At the instigation of everyone, a captain asked, "Platoon commander." So what do we do next... Did you just become a rebel for no reason, and watch the imperial court officers and soldiers destroy us......"

The platoon commander did not answer immediately, but asked with a stern face: "Brothers, I want to ask everyone....You used to be military households, and you can also be called imperial court soldiers... As far as you know, what do you think the court will do to our rebel army....if we surrender on the battlefield, will these court officers and soldiers let us go because of this..."

A captain shook his head and replied, "It's basically impossible..."

"In our Ming Dynasty. All military merit is calculated on the basis of the enemy's head ....we do not surrender. There is still the possibility of a fight. But if we surrender, there will be no chance at all. In order to get military merits, for the so-called imperial court to reward silver. These court officers and soldiers. It's going to kill us. Send our heads to the imperial court for credit..."

"Therefore, even if the brothers fight hard with the imperial officials and troops outside the city, they will not surrender. Obediently tie up our hands and let them cut off our heads to ask for merit -......"

Hearing this, an unknown smile flashed directly on the platoon commander's face.

Then, facing the dozens of subordinates in front of him, he continued to ask: "In that case, I'm asking you a question....Do you want to give up the high salaries offered by the Haw Par Army, the high wages that your family gets every month, and the good life you have already received, and live that hungry life again?" ”

"I don't want to...", dozens of subordinates, almost without thinking, answered at the same time.

At this time, the platoon commander, who had already gotten the answer he wanted, did not hesitate at all. yelled at everyone: "Since everyone is unwilling to go back to the past, and surrender to the imperial court, they can't escape death..."

"Then there is only one way left in front of us, and that is to fight with the officials and soldiers of the court outside the city..."

"Win them on the battlefield and let them know how powerful our Tiger and Leopard Army is, and they will never dare to attack us again."

"Only in this way can we be qualified to negotiate with the imperial court to cancel the title of my tiger and leopard army rebel....and all of us can continue to receive high military salaries, so that we and our families can live a better and better life..."

As soon as the platoon commander finished speaking, a middle-aged man with a weathered face shouted loudly with a face full of anger.

"Yes, I fought with the officers and soldiers outside the city... Lao Tzu has lived for so long, and he has been pressed by those officers in the guard, and he can't even eat... Now, I can't get enough to eat, no matter who is in front of Lao Tzu, as long as he stands in the way of Lao Tzu's good life, Lao Tzu will fight with him..."

"Fight with those officers and soldiers outside the city... We also have guys in our hands, and we can kill people, so why should we let them live a good life....Lao Tzu also wants to feed his family and live a good life..."Another soldier chimed in.

Subsequently, more than 30 soldiers, as if they had taken stimulants, shouted and fought desperately with the officers and soldiers outside the city.

"Morale is available..." This was the first thought in the platoon commander's mind after seeing everyone's reaction.

When dozens of pairs of eyes converged on him again, the platoon commander finally spoke.

said to everyone with a majestic face: "The brothers are right, we only have one way to choose, and that is to work hard...."

"In addition, there is one thing I can give you a guarantee, you have seen those merchant ships on the wharf of the salt farm....From now on, those merchant ships will continue to transport the families of the brothers to the two provinces of Shanxi and Shanxi in batches."

"As long as they arrive in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, the imperial court officials and soldiers will no longer be able to help them...."

However, due to the limited number of merchant ships, the brothers' families had to be transported to Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces in different periods of time. So, in order to buy more and longer time for our brothers' families, we must also stay here......"

"Now I order: brothers, who have muskets, immediately prepare for a counterattack ... Brothers without muskets, one with two grenades. If they did not receive grenades, they carried stones to the walls and threw them at them..."

"In a word, we must not allow the officers and soldiers outside the city to climb the city wall and attack the salt pans behind us..."

"In addition, I would like to tell you the good news that the commander in the two provinces of Shanxi will not give up on us, as long as we hold on until the first batch of merchant ships return to the salt works, we can get supplies from the two provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi..."

"When the time comes, each brother will be equipped with a musket......"

"And we can use these muskets to hit the officers and soldiers outside the city fiercely, and make them pay the price of blood."

The morale of the thousands of soldiers of the salt field garrison on the city wall became high little by little by the time of chaos and pervasiveness.

More than 10,000 officers and soldiers standing 500 steps outside the city have already appeared outside the city carrying more than 30 ladders.

At the same time, dozens of artillery pieces of various types were also carried into the battlefield by officers and soldiers shouting slogans ...

Under the watchful eyes of the thousands of garrisons on the city wall, it only took half an hour for the officers and soldiers to complete the assumption of dozens of artillery pieces. At the same time, the officers and soldiers of 1,000 people also carried the ladder and crossed the artillery position step by step and pressed towards the city wall.

The mighty siege team of the official army had just rushed two hundred steps outside the city. A dense roar of artillery suddenly sounded on the battlefield. At the same time, the whistling sound of solid shells flying out of the barrel and crossing the sky also sounded on the battlefield.

However, although the formation of the officers and soldiers of the artillery was very large. However, only a handful of them actually hit the city wall.

In addition, the city wall under the feet of the garrison is made of cement masonry, and its strength is far greater than that of ordinary city walls. That is, several solid shells of the city wall in the mission, which did not cause any damage to the city wall.

Zhu Dadian, the governor of Shandong, perhaps seeing the solidity of the city wall, directly ordered the artillery to stop this meaningless shelling. Then, the command can also suppress the musket team of the Haw Par Army, and immediately behind the siege team, approaching the city wall...

In the blink of an eye, the two siege troops, one in front of the other, approached one hundred and fifty steps outside the city and came into the range of flintlock muskets.

The five hundred flintlock muskets that stood on the city wall did not pull the trigger without the slightest hesitation.

Gunshots rang out, and white smoke gushed out from the muzzle of the gun, quickly rising from the city. The whistling buckshot was like an impenetrable storm of steel, rushing directly towards the officers and soldiers who rushed to the front.

"Sss

In front of these officers and soldiers who were only equipped with leather armor, the scorching buckshot, almost unhindered, penetrated the leather armor very lightly and shot into the bodies of the officers and soldiers......

In the blink of an eye, dozens of officers and soldiers carrying ladders were shot and fell to the ground, turning into corpses.

However, such losses did not stop the pace of the offensive of the officers and troops.

At the urging of the officers behind them, the follow-up officers and soldiers quickly filled the gap that had been hit by the lead bullets, re-picked up the ladder, and continued to charge forward.

Under the rounds of attack of 500 flintlock muskets, the officers and soldiers, who had lost 200 men, finally rushed to the position of 100 paces.

For an ordinary arquebus, a hundred steps, although it is its limit, it is almost difficult to hit the target.

However, the thousands of officers and musketeers still raised their muskets and began to counterattack the Haw Par Army at the head of the city.

After the same bean-like gunfire rang out, there was a dense burst of lead bullets. It was not because of whether the Haw Par Army was on the side of justice or not, it still flew towards the city with a whistling sound.

Although most of the buckshot has lost its power by the time it flies up the city.

However, there were still a lot of lead bullets, which flew over the battlements and flew towards the Haw Par Army, who were hiding on the city walls to shoot.

Because the Haw Par Musketeers were only equipped with leather armor, and the recruits were not even equipped with leather armor. The whistling lead, which barely had much power, still brought losses to the defenders on the city walls, more than a dozen people.

In the front, there were the siege teams of the officers and soldiers who were getting closer and closer to them, and in the back, there were the musketeers of the officers and soldiers who kept shooting lead bullets at the city walls.

Faced with the officers and troops outside the city, the 500 tiger and leopard musketeers immediately hesitated, not knowing who to point their guns at.

At this time, He Guozhong's brows also furrowed. (To be continued......)