Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 430: Bombing the City (Part )

On the city wall, Adari looked at the Zhou army below the city with some confusion. The tall and heavily armored soldiers in the front row must be the elite among the elite, but the war had just begun. Did Meng Jun intend to use all his strength from the beginning?

Adari comforted himself. As soon as the Zhou army camp moved, he sent fast horses to gallop northward. He estimated that as long as they could hold out for two or three days, the regent's cavalry would be able to surprise the Zhou army.

Adari's eyes were always on the Zhou army under the city, and he didn't notice the movement underground at all.

Just over ten seconds after the fuse was lit, a deafening roar was heard. The earth seemed to swell up and then exploded violently. The city wall that could not be destroyed by human power was like paper under this terrifying power. Bricks and stones flew everywhere and smoke and dust billowed.

The power of the explosion was so great that it not only destroyed the city wall, but also the foundation underneath it. The explosion formed a large pit. The blast from below was different from Meng Jun's previous use of cannons to smash down the city of Zhenjiang. This time there was no rocky slope.

A large hole was instantly blown open in a part of the city wall of Cangzhou's southern city. With Adari's terrified eyes and heart-wrenching screams, the war began.

Adari was stunned by this sudden scene. He had heard that Jining City was destroyed by gunpowder explosion, but this time the Zhou army did not use any carts to dig the city.

At this time, the Qing army nearby shouted loudly: "It's a tunnel! It's a tunnel!"

Adari certainly didn't expect Meng Jun to dig a tunnel to bury gunpowder, but it was obviously too late to think about it now, because the heavy armored troops under the city had already begun to advance towards the gap.

The Qing soldier next to Adari shouted in panic: "Armored troops, it's the heavy armored troops! The enemy's heavy armored troops are coming!"

Adari was already furious, and when he heard this, he turned around and kicked the man down, cursing, "Can't I see? Why are you shouting?"

Then Adari immediately organized his men, calling up reserve soldiers from the city, and at the same time arranging the defenders on the city wall to go downstairs to block the gap first.

There was a hole so big in the city wall that was enough for twenty or thirty people to enter the city side by side. Adari felt that there was no way the Zhou army would be able to climb up the city wall. As Adari had expected, the Zhou army only focused on the big gap and no one climbed the wall.

At this time, Gao Yi was grinning and laughing loudly. The sound of his laughter made the soldiers who heard it on the battlefield feel at ease.

Although the explosion produced thick smoke and dust that obscured Gao Yi's vision, the expensive heavy armor on his body obviously gave Gao Yi great confidence.

Gao Yi took a deep breath of the sulfur-scented air, then pointed his sword and shouted, "Move forward in a dense formation. Kill anyone holding a weapon without mercy!"

The Qing army was caught off guard by this sudden change. The defense system that was originally well prepared on the city wall was instantly destroyed. The few soldiers who survived in the area were either panicked or at a loss, and were unable to form any effective resistance.

The Qing troops that Adali organized to march down the city were in a hurry and were no match for the heavily armored army.

Under Gao Yi's leadership, the heavy armored army was like a ruthless killing machine, crushing every enemy who dared to stand in their way.

Leng Sengji, who was watching the battle in the rear, felt mixed emotions, including emotion and regret. After pondering for a moment, Leng Sengji decided to ask for a meeting with Meng Jun.

After a security check, Leng Sengji was brought to Meng Jun. Meng Jun was a little confused, but still asked with a smile: "General Leng, what can I do for you?"

Leng Sengji’s actual surname is not Leng. He should be called Yehenara Leng Sengji. He was a member of the clan of Jin Taiji, the chief of the Yehenara clan.

(A word about Yehenala Jintaiji, son of Yehenala Yangjinu, brother of Nalinbulu, the last leader of the Yehe tribe alliance, who was later conquered by Nurhaci of Jianzhou tribe. In the first year of Tiancong, Leng Sengji surrendered to Huang Taiji)

Leng Sengji knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I have quite a bit of reputation among the bannermen. If Your Majesty allows, I am willing to recruit surrendered soldiers for Your Majesty."

Meng Jun was silent for a while after hearing this. Then he nodded and said, "Okay, I will pardon all those who are willing to surrender!"

As early as after the Huguang Campaign, Meng Jun had been thinking about how to deal with the Eight Banners soldiers. When the Qing court was strong, Meng Jun captured very few Eight Banners soldiers. Meng Jun killed all of them to strengthen the will of the troops.

But now, the Qing court seemed to be on its last legs. If it was still unwilling to accept some rebels, the Eight Banners soldiers would rather die than surrender, and more lives would inevitably be sacrificed. Even if it was for the purpose of dividing and disintegrating the rebels, it was time to change the policy towards the surrendered Eight Banners soldiers.

Yu An led a team of Meng Jun's personal guards, protecting Leng Sengji, and rushed to the front line of Cangzhou.

At this time, Gao Yi's heavy armored army had already opened up the situation and had penetrated deep into the streets of Cangzhou City. Bai Yongfu and Qian Biao's troops followed closely behind. They took advantage of the situation opened up by the heavy armored army to further expand their results.

Adari was filled with fear at what he saw. He had never thought that the Zhou army, which was still arguing with him yesterday, would actually break into the city in just one day.

At this moment, he realized that he had underestimated Meng Jun, but regret was meaningless. The only way was to fight to the death, perhaps he could save the situation a little.

With the arrival of nearly 3,000 reinforcements from the Eight Banners, a faint glimmer of hope arose in Adari's heart. The Eight Banners soldiers formed an array on the street, and the first three rows were heavy infantry wearing double armor. For a moment, they actually blocked Gao Yi's heavy armored army.

The armored soldiers of both sides intertwined their spears and shields. In the heavy armored battle, there were no heart-wrenching shouts of killing, only the dull sound of weapons clashing and the low roars of the soldiers.

However, Adali failed to block the gap, so a steady stream of Zhou troops poured in from the gap. In the face of a heavy frontal stalemate, Bai Yongfu and Qian Biao, one facing the left and the other facing the right, tried to encircle the Qing army in the city.

Apart from the Eight Banners soldiers who confronted them head-on, the defenders in Cangzhou City seemed particularly powerless in resisting the attack of Zhou's army. As soon as Zhou's army entered the city, they not only fled at the sight of the enemy, but also collapsed at the first blow. For a time, words like "Zhou's army has entered the city!" and "The city has been broken!" could be heard everywhere in Cangzhou City.

As time went on, Qian Biao and Bai Yongfu successively captured the West Gate and the East Gate. When they captured the North Gate, the Eight Banners soldiers guarding the city gate numbered nearly 500 people. Bai Yongfu and Qian Biao's troops had to work hard, but due to morale, psychology, and numerical advantages, the North Gate was also captured by Zhou's army.

The remaining Eight Banners soldiers in the city had been caught in a jar. Leng Sengji looked at those Eight Banners soldiers who were once known to be invincible, but now they were lying dead on the roadside like weeds.

Looking at the bloody battlefield, Leng Sengji jumped up on his horse and shouted, "East, west, south, north, all four gates are surrounded. The King of Zhou has ordered that those who surrender will be pardoned!"