Most of the buildings in Thanh Hoa City are wooden structures, and it is the height of summer, the weather is dry, and it burns immediately when it encounters fire.

The flames of battle at the south gate quickly spread into the city, and the fire burned fiercely, reaching into the sky, and the smoke billowed to obscure the sky and the sun.

The city was already in disarray, full of defenders and civilians scurrying around.

Under the continuous bombardment of the Ming artillery, there are very few people who can survive in the area of the South City Gate.

Even if you are lucky not to be killed, you can't avoid the fire, you can't avoid the fire, you can't avoid trampling on each other, even if you are lucky, these are all avoided, and the billowing smoke is the deadliest!

So much so that many were not burned to death, nor trampled to death, but suffocated under the thick smoke.

Someone tried to put out the fire, but the fire was too big to fight the street.

The artillery bombardment of the Ming army finally stopped, but they did not enter the city, because the entire city of Thanh Hoa had been turned into a sea of fire.

The fleeing men were scurrying in the smoke, they could no longer distinguish their directions, some of them fainted and fell to the ground as they ran, and occasionally, a few people covered in fire let out terrible screams and ran wildly.

Thanh Hoa City has four gates, all of which have long been locked.

In order to prevent the Ming army from having internal responses in the city, Li Sicheng specially ordered craftsmen to build huge iron cables, and personally took charge of the keys.

Now that the south city gate has been attacked, many people frantically frantically flocked to the other three city gates, trying to escape, only to find that this huge iron cable, which was originally used to defend against the Ming army, could not be opened at all.

The fortified city of Thanh Hoa has now become the last barrier that trapped thousands of soldiers and civilians.

…………

Under the north city gate, it was also crowded with people.

"Open the door, open the door!"

Countless remnants of the defeated army crowded under the city gates, shouting hysterically.

Although it was just daylight, they still swore that they wanted the Ming army to taste their strength, and to let the Ming army repeat the mistakes of the past, and they even showed off their might, thinking that the Ming army would withdraw in a panic as it had been decades ago.

But now, in the midst of the flames and smoke, in front of the locked gates, one by one, they fell like wheat being harvested.

When Li Sicheng and his son came to the North City Gate, it was already surrounded by water.

The Praetorian Commander drew his sword and shouted, "Get out of the way, get out of the way!" ”

No one could listen to it at all, and everyone was tightly packed in front of the city gates, even if they died, they would die here.

In a hurry, the commander of the Praetorian Guard beckoned, and the Praetorian guard behind him stepped forward and cut down several people in a row.

However, it did not help.

Seeing that the guards were going to continue to kill, Li Bin hurriedly shouted: "The key to the city gate is here, let me open the door!" ”

Finally, in the chaotic crowd, someone heard the word key.

Everyone got out of the way, and Li Bin led people forward, opened the city gate, and fled all the way north.

…………

Outside the South City Gate, the position of the Ming army.

Chen Ying looked at the burning Qinghua City, but there was no relaxed expression on his face.

"Your Highness, why don't you block the other city gates, only attack the south gate, the thief chief is likely to abandon the city and flee!"

Zhu Qiyu was silent for a moment, and then asked rhetorically: "The ancients had an idiom called opening the net, do you know what it means?" ”

Chen Ying was stunned for a moment and said, "Isn't it just the meaning of letting people live, but ...... Why let them go? ”

Zhu Qiyu said: "This allusion has a long history, it is said that in the last years of the Xia Dynasty, Chengtang went out hunting, and saw a net spread on all sides of the suburbs, and a hunter was praying. ”

Chen Ying couldn't help but nod and said, "Since it's hunting, it should be like this." ”

"However, Cheng Tang said, you will kill all the beasts in this way, and then remove the net on three sides, and say, if you want to go to the left, go to the left, if you want to escape to the right, run to the right, and if you don't want to run, go to the net!"

Chen Ying was puzzled, and his brows furrowed tightly.

Zhu Qiyu asked, "Guess what, what is the result?" ”

"I guess that the soup was hunted...... Punched up? ”

"Of course not!"

Zhu Qiyu shook his head and said, "This matter reached the ears of the princes, and they all said that Chengtang was really benevolent to the extreme, and even the birds and beasts were favored by him. At this time, Xia Wei practiced tyranny and immorality. As a result, Shang Tang raised troops and led the princes to attack Xia, and finally succeeded and established the Shang Dynasty. ”

Chen Ying was still puzzled, and asked: "On the battlefield, benevolence to the enemy is cruelty to oneself, and winning the battle shows that he is powerful, what kind of benevolence and benevolence are not ......?"

"You're right!"

Zhu Qiyu suddenly smiled and said: "I used to think that this story is about the invincibility of benevolence, but the imperial brother told me that the net is open, benevolence is only the surface, and the real reason is to prevent trapped beasts from fighting, whether it is a person or an animal, when cornered, they will do their best to counterattack, but if the enemy leaves a glimmer of hope for life, they only think about how to escape, for our army, not only can achieve strategic intentions, but also minimize their own casualties, there is also an idiom called poor Kou Mo chasing, That's it. ”

Chen Ying is also experienced in the battlefield for a long time, so he naturally understands this truth, but he still has a question: "However, if you let go of the thief chief, I am afraid that there will be endless troubles!" ”

Zhu Qiyu said disapprenousively: "Just go, what's the matter?" After the capture of Thanh Hoa and Thang Long, Annam will completely fall, just a king of a lost country, a lost dog, what storms can it withstand? Now what we have to consider is how to govern in the future, because we had no experience in the past, and we spent a lot of manpower and material resources, but in the end we had no choice but to withdraw the army......"

The order to abandon Annan was given by Emperor Seonjong, so, on this topic, it is enough to point to the end.

Chen Ying asked again: "What should we do now?" ”

Looking at the flames soaring into the sky, Zhu Qiyu asked, "How much ammunition is left?" ”

Chen Ying replied: "There are still 200 shells, about 150 mines and grenades, and there are enough ammunition for rifles. ”

When they came out of the Beijing Division, the Shenji Battalion carried a total of 6,000 shells and 2,000 mine grenades.

In particular, tonight's attack on Thanh Hoa City was full of firepower, and more than 1,200 shells were consumed.

You must know that the cost of a flowering bomb is 300 taels of silver, and more than 1,200 rounds is more than 300,000 taels!

This is just the cost price, which is the kind that money can't buy.

In the past, it was to see who had more soldiers and who had more grain and grass, but to put it bluntly, these are also silver.

During the Renxuan period, the Ming Dynasty changed the trend of expansion, took the initiative to give up Annan and Nuer Gandusi, and began to adopt the strategy of recuperation, because the Yongle Dynasty spent too much silver, and the people of the world could not afford it.

Today's Ming Dynasty is the most important thing is silver, since the emperor came back from Tumubao, first investigated Wang Zhenyu's party, and then wantonly cleaned the Jiangnan smuggling group, and also copied the Qufu Confucian family, and has already made a lot of money.

A battle smashed into more than 300,000 taels of silver, which is just a small matter.

Of course, for Annan, no matter how much silver there is, it can't be exchanged for flying tiger cannons and flowering shells.

That's the power of technology!

Zhu Qiyu thought for a moment and ordered: "The two hundred shells are kept to fight the dragon, and the order is to go down, rest in place, and when the fire is extinguished, enter the city!" ”

To attack Thang Long City, 200 shells are definitely not enough, but there are still 100,000 horses of Zhang Fu over there.

Just concentrate your firepower and blast open a city gate, and that's enough!