Chapter 528: One Boom Breaks the City (Happy New Year's Eve, Friends)
The progress of the tunnel construction was overfulfilled. After all, Geng Mingzhan also made conservative estimates and did not dare to make big claims for fear of delaying the battle.
This is a good thing for Guo Dajing and the Dongjiang Army. After capturing Anshan Station, they will have enough time to rest and reorganize, and march to Liaoyang with more sufficient combat power.
However, they lined up to attack so late, which confused He Kegang and Fang Zhenghua.
After all, according to the results of yesterday's bombardment, it will take a lot of time to blast through the city, and it is likely that it will be dusk again, or even nightfall.
However, Guo Dajing showed full confidence and asked He Kegang and other generals to make arrangements for the siege. After careful inspection, he added suggestions.
Sharing the siege operations with the New Association, there was also an infantry battalion of the Zuo Association. Obviously, Guo Dajing was still a little uneasy, worried that He Kegang and others were inexperienced and would delay the opportunity to fight.
Similarly, the task of attacking the sheep was also given to Liu Xingzhi. Guo Dajing was also the most at ease with the generals he had trained and who understood his meaning the most.
The Jianlu soldiers on the city were also on standby, but they just moved out of the way of yesterday's Hongyi artillery bombardment. Moreover, most of the Jianlu soldiers were on standby below the city to avoid being bombarded by mortars.
"You've learned to be smart." Guo Dajing held up the telescope, looked at it for a moment, and sneered.
Fang Zhenghua didn't know why, so he asked: "Shuai Guo, there are not many prisoners in the city. It must have been severely damaged yesterday, so we can only support it with all our strength."
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "Jianlu hid his troops under the city and waited for our army to attack before going up to the city to fight. This can avoid the damage from artillery. This is what I said wisely."
Fang Zhenghua suddenly realized and said, "If we attack the city today, we should be able to capture this small Anshan Station, right?"
"Almost." Guo Dajing said: "No matter how hard Jianlu struggled, failure was their only outcome."
At this time, the messenger came to report that the newly formed Xie Xie and Zuo Xie's participating troops were all ready and waiting for orders.
"Let's begin!" Guo Dajing didn't say much and gave the order with flags and horns.
The first to fire were mortars. The volleys from dozens of guns were deafening. The shells were concentrated on an area of the city wall, which was the intended breakthrough.
The shells landed on the city wall and fell into the city. Before the explosion, the infantrymen of the Left Association were already shouting and charging forward carrying the ladders.
"We gave up blasting the city wall and wanted to attack the city by force?" Babutai frowned on one side of the city wall and quickly ordered the defenders above and below the city to prepare for the battle.
In his opinion, according to the extent of yesterday's shelling, it may not be possible to open a big gap by night. Therefore, it is very possible for the enemy to forcefully attack the city.
Gong Adai also received the signal and commanded his troops to assemble under the city and made preparations to climb the city to support operations.
The effect of the artillery bombardment was not very satisfactory, which was what Guo Dajing had expected. However, the officers and soldiers of the Left Association did not approach the city wall too close, and stopped outside the range of the bow and arrow, as if waiting for the continued bombardment of the artillery.
The Hongyi cannon also roared, and the cannonballs hit the city wall with kinetic energy. Bricks and earth spattered, and dust filled the air.
There was another round of mortar bombardment, all of which were fire preparations before the attack, which made Jianlu more sure of his opponent's movements.
The number of captives on the city has not increased yet, but those below the city have already assembled, waiting to go up to the city for support or to block the gap and fight.
Guo Dajing estimated the time and thought that Jianlu had almost gathered in place, so he issued orders to the Tu camp.
Amidst the constant explosions and shouts, the wires passing through the bamboo tubes were ignited and extended toward the bottom of the city, but Jianlu was still kept in the dark.
The dusty city walls suddenly trembled. The prisoners on the city walls and the Dongjiang army outside the city all felt the trembling and trembling of the earth.
Fang Zhenghua looked at Guo Dajing in shock, but found that he was calm and composed, with the corners of his mouth slightly pursed, like a sneer, more like a cold and cruel smile.
He Kegang and other generals also involuntarily glanced in the direction of Shuaiqi. Without receiving any instructions, they quickly turned their gazes back.
The two parts of the city wall that are more than a hundred meters apart are like demons buried deep in the ground. After being awakened, they suddenly stretch out two huge claws and grab them towards the sky with thick smoke and dust.
Smoke and dust covered the sun, and the sky became dim, as if it were covered with dark clouds. Suddenly the sunny sky turned into darkness, which was shocking.
"Is this what we need to open our eyes to?" He Kegang and Zu Zepu looked at each other with blank faces. Although the smoke and dust had not completely dispersed, they could vaguely see a gap in the city wall.
"Destroying the city in one fell swoop is like lifting a piece of paper?!" Zu Zepu exclaimed: "When Jianlu attacked Ningyuan, if we had used such methods, wouldn't we all have become ghosts under the sword?"
In Yuan Chonghuan's battle report, Jianlu once dug the roots of the city wall. With such a crude method, he almost broke through Ningyuan. I wonder how this city was built and how it was defended?
But compared with the tunnel blasting of Anshan Posthouse, poaching is nothing to mention. It was supposed to show the bravery and tenacity of Ningyuan's soldiers and people, but on the other hand it exposed Yuan Chonghuan's incompetence.
Bricks, stones and dust fell one after another. The Jianlu who were waiting for close combat behind the city wall suffered heavy casualties during the explosion. They were either killed and injured by heavy objects or buried by the collapsed city wall. There were screams and wails everywhere.
Gong Adai is leading the archers to the preset position, preparing to block the enemies entering the city from the front.
When he looked back in shock, he was shocked to find that in the gradually dissipating smoke and dust, a gap of tens of meters had appeared in the city wall.
"The city, the city is broken?!" Gong Adai opened his mouth wide, his head was buzzing, and he lost his reaction for a moment.
Babutai on the city was knocked to the ground, and he got up dizzy, also inexplicably horrified.
Less than a hundred meters away, a huge gap appeared in front of him. The remaining bricks and gray stones were in the shape of a slope. People could climb up without the use of tools.
"Block the gap, send the signal!" Babutai finally recovered and shouted in panic with a broken voice.
Now that a breach has been opened, will the enemy still use ladders to climb the city to attack? Even if this method is not given up, the enemies pouring in from the breach are the most deadly.
The horn whimpered, like weeping, echoing over the small Anshan Posthouse, showing the panic and fear in Jianlu's heart.
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"Seal the gap, all men and horses." Gong Adai woke up to the sound of the horn, roared and passed the order, and gathered all the troops at hand towards the gap.
However, the infantry charge that Jianlu expected did not happen, and at least the opponent did not start attacking immediately.
This may be the enemy's mistake, or it may be that the enemy wants to prepare for another bombardment, but in Jianlu's view, this is indeed an opportunity to continue fighting with the enemy.
"Hey!" Guo Dajing calmed the restless war horse and looked at the city wall with an expressionless face as the smoke and dust gradually dispersed.