Although the nearly two thousand Green Camp troops in the city were vulnerable in field battles, they were more than enough to defend a small city with a circumference of less than five miles. In the end, the Ming army could only use more than three thousand troops to attack the city, which was not enough.

What strength advantage does it have?

But this is also a disadvantage of the Qing army. The city wall of Chongming City is only two feet high and one foot thick. With two heavy cannons weighing nearly three thousand kilograms, after destroying the city foundation, it is not difficult or even easy to blow down the city wall.

It takes one day.

Zhang Mingzhen and Chen Liuyu knew in their hearts that with their strength, there were only more than 4,000 armored soldiers and more than a hundred cavalry, which were not enough to deal with the combined attack of the entire Jiangnan Qing army, especially since there were still several soldiers stationed in Nanjing and Hangzhou.

The final result of the protracted battle of Qianba Banner Soldiers must be to retreat to Zhoushan. After Zhoushan was destroyed by the Qing army, it has become a ruins, with no city to hold on to.

Jiangnan is the Qing government's financial and tax center. If it cannot deter the Qing army in a battle, the Qing government will definitely not give up rescuing Chongming and let this nail be hammered into its own financial artery.

This was also Zheng Chenggong's instructions to Zhang Mingzhen and Chen Liuyu - they must not underestimate the enemy and must capture the city as quickly as possible before the Qing defenders in Chongming recover, otherwise it will be almost impossible to capture it later.

In other words, as long as Chongming is captured in one fell swoop, the Qing army in the south of the Yangtze River is intimidated by its military might and dare not act rashly, and enough time is given to reinforce the city, then Zhang Mingzhen and Chen Liuyu can continue to operate here for a long time.

Due to limited military strength, Zhang Mingzhen and Chen Liuyu concentrated their troops at the west gate, and only deployed a small number of soldiers at the other gates to guard against the Qing army's attack in the city. The more than a hundred cavalry were deployed in the remaining four cities.

Door, adapt to circumstances.

The Ming army formation pushing siege equipment finally stopped about two miles away from the moat of Chongming City. More than fifty shield vehicles were divided into two rows and were located at the front, followed by some trench vehicles and soldiers carrying ladders.

.

On the artillery position located on the side of the Ming army's formation, more than a dozen officers and soldiers divided the work in an orderly manner. While the ammunition and shells were inspected, holes were dug in the ground, and wooden blocks were placed under the gun wheels.
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Soon, the artillery position was prepared, and a bugle sounded under Zhang Mingzhen's Chinese army flag, followed by a thunderous roar, and a huge black iron bullet roared from the black hole of the muzzle.

came out, with a "boom" sound, it hit the city plate on the west wall of Chongming City, exploding a yellow soil flower, dust flew up on the city wall, and the screams of the Qing army were heard.

If Zhang Mingzhen wants to break through Chongming City, he must destroy a section of the city wall. Otherwise, with the strength of the Qing army in the city, even if the Ming army finally succeeds, they will definitely kill 10,000 enemies and lose 8,000 themselves.

Zheng Chenggong sent these troops not to die, but to force the Qing army in Jiangnan and serve the overall strategy of the anti-Qing war. They must preserve their strength to maintain a threat to the Qing army in Jiangnan at all times.

After the "cannon test" was successful, the two thousand-jin cannons, which the Ming army had high hopes for, were quickly adjusted under the operation of professional gunners. On the artillery position in the southwest corner of Chongming City, a loud bugle sounded, and two

The gunner raised the ignition stick in his hand at the same time. Zhang Minzhen looked at the army in front of him coldly with firm eyes.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two thousand-pound cannons roared at the same time, and orange-red fire flashed through the thick smoke. One cannonball hit the moat, splashing a water splash several feet high, and the other one hit the city wall.

On the top, as the wall vibrated, countless gravels fell down along with the soil, like dense raindrops falling into the moat, with the sound of "dong dong dong" and continuous splashing of water.

Zhang Mingzhen reined in the frightened and neighing war horse, and his expression remained calm. However, the soldiers in the military formation could not help but create a slight commotion after feeling the terrifying power of the heavy artillery.

Before the smoke and dust on the city wall dissipated and the bomb craters were exposed, two more roars were heard from the Ming army's artillery position. The entire artillery position was shrouded in thick smoke, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke.
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These gunners are the elite of Zheng's army. They were specially transferred by Zheng Chenggong to support Zhang Mingzhen. Their operations are not only fast, but also very precise. They clean the gun barrel, fill and load the ammunition, compact and adjust the position, all in one go.

Soon, without even waiting for the Qing army to slow down, there was a third round of artillery fire. There was another rumbling explosion from the Ming army's artillery position outside the city, and a series of panicked screams came from the walls of Chongming City.

Sound.

However, Zhang Mingzhen only had two heavy cannons. Although the momentum was terrifying, the actual impact was very limited. The west wall of Chongming City was hit by four rounds and was obviously damaged, but it was far from crumbling and about to collapse.

The point.

"Woo woo woo..."

As soon as the artillery attack ended, the sound of attack bugles was immediately heard from the Ming army formation. More than 50 shield vehicles, driven by more than 600 soldiers, speeded towards Qingcheng Gate at the same time.
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The shield carts moved forward quickly amidst the squeaking sounds and dense footsteps. Behind the second row of shield carts, there were more than 500 musketeers and archers covering the city walls. They would be responsible for long-range strikes on the city wall.

The Qing army.

The shield cars in the front and rear rows were used to consume the firepower of the Qing army and cover the pointed wooden donkeys digging the walls and the trench cars filling the trenches. The main casualties in this battle would also occur to these charging soldiers.<

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However, under the cover of the shield car, the crossbows and muskets on the city wall were almost ineffective against them. The only thing that could cause casualties was the powerful artillery on the city wall.

However, as long as they rush fast enough and enter the blind spot, they can escape the threat of death.

As the Ming army's charge began, a deafening explosion soon erupted from the city wall. An iron bullet weighing more than ten kilograms flashed through the air, and then hit the shield chariot formation with a "bang".

, the three soldiers were knocked directly to the ground, spitting out blood.

Not only that, the jumping iron bullet also smashed a corner of another shield car beside them. The thick wooden block instantly fell apart and flew out. The four surrounding soldiers were shot in the face by the wood splinters, and let out miserable screams.

Wail.

What was unexpected was that under such a severe blow, the Ming army's formation did not pause at all. After a slight fluctuation, it continued to rush forward. Each of the formation supervisors raised the Qi Dao in their hands and shouted loudly, "No!"

No one dares to be a deserter at this time.

Zheng Chenggong's reorganization was very successful. After more than a month of reorganization and dozens of people being punished by military law, the soldiers under Zhang Mingzhen now feared the formation supervisors as much as Zheng's army.
Chapter completed!