The bombardment of artillery fire stopped, the artillerymen adjusted the elevation angle, loaded the ammunition, and waited for the next order to focus fire and bombardment.
The flags changed and the drums beat rhythmically. It was not sudden, but it reminded the siege troops to be ready.
Under the orders of the officers, countless soldiers loaded their guns with live ammunition, staring at the tall city wall in the distance with their eyes wide open, always ready to charge forward.
More than a dozen fuses were lit almost at the same time, and sparks erupted in the bamboo tube, extending forward and directly submerging into the filled tunnel.
Above and below the city, the battlefield suddenly became eerily silent. But everyone knew that this was not normal.
The people below the city were ready to attack, just waiting for the explosion. The people above the city were staring blankly, waiting for the opponent's artillery to explode again.
It seems that the artillery is cooling down, but in fact the Jianlu did not understand the performance of the mortar. It is made of bronze, has a short barrel, and has excellent heat dissipation. It can fire more than ten or twenty rounds without any problem.
Gong Adai realized that something was wrong, it was so similar to when Anshan Fort was bombed. However, the enemy did not attack and did not attract the defenders to the city.
These slight differences caused Gong Adai's open mouth to close again. A surprise and a deceit not only disturbed the morale of the army, but also seemed to be of no use. Should the troops on standby under the city retreat and be left undefended?
Haug frowned and watched without blinking. Although he was nervous, he still had confidence. The artillery could not blast the city wall, so he used ladders to climb the city. It would be a bloody battle, but the defenders still had the advantage.
Mao Wenlong also looked at the city wall nervously. Speaking of which, he had never seen the power of tunnel blasting with his own eyes. He only knew from the battle report and Guo Dajing's introduction and narration that this method of tactics was very powerful.
Can a tall and strong city wall really be blown open in one fell swoop, allowing siege troops to swarm in? Mao Wenlong believed in Guo Dajing, but he still had some doubts in his heart.
Amid the intense anticipation, the earth suddenly trembled.
Immediately afterwards, the city wall in the distance twisted violently, and in the dull thunderous roar, the masonry and soil flew up. The black smoke that had been suppressed for a long time, wrapped in the masonry and dust, suddenly erupted.
Six explosion points occurred one after another, the earth was trembling, the city wall was crumbling, and smoke and dust were flying in the sky, covering the entire east city wall.
From time to time, large pieces of bricks fell from the sky, and the farthest distance was three to four hundred meters.
Mao Wenlong's eyes widened and he did not blink. Although he had imagined it, he still underestimated this earth-shattering power after seeing it with his own eyes.
Also stunned and distracted like Mao Wenlong were Kong Youde, Shang Kexi, Cui Xiaoyi and other soldiers. Although they already knew that today they would attack the city with one blow, their suspicions were certain.
"This -" Cui Xiaoyi's lips were dry and he couldn't help but lick them, but he couldn't accurately describe his shock in words.
The flesh on Kong Youde's face twitched twice before he grinned, revealing a very strange smile.
"Guo Shuai's strategies and miraculous skills are breathtaking." Shang Ke smacked his lips happily and sighed: "As long as Guo Shuai is here, the captives will never be destroyed, which is unforgivable by the laws of heaven!"
"Shuai Mao——" Fang Zhenghua, the eunuch of the Supervisory Army, looked at Mao Wenlong with eagerness and excitement in his eyes.
Oh! Only then did Mao Wenlong wake up from the shock. Although he could not clearly see the damage to the city wall, he still remembered the following command procedures.
"Beat the drum, attack!" Mao Wenlong said with excitement and trembling, waving his arms and pointing at the city wall.
The war drums beat violently against the chests of the soldiers, shouts rose into the sky, and countless soldiers stepped forward and rushed towards the city wall shrouded in smoke.
The siege vanguards sent by Kong Youde's Hou Xie, the still gratifying Zhong Xie, He Kegang's new Xie Xie, and Cui Xiaoyi's North Korean army were all elite. Of the six blasting points, two each were provided by Hou Xie and Zhong Xie, and the others were provided by friendly forces.
bear.
Boom, boom, boom...the mortars roared again, and the shells passed over the city wall, flew through the smoke and dust, and all smashed into the city.
The artillerymen quickly cleaned the barrel, filled the propellant packs and shells, inserted the fuses, and fired.
Before the infantry arrives at the city wall, they must fire as much artillery as possible to kill the prisoners in the city and provide maximum support for the infantry to enter the city.
The smoke and dust covering the city wall became thinner due to the autumn wind, and Mao Wenlong and others could already roughly see the condition of the city wall.
There were six large gaps in the east wall of more than 2,000 meters, which were as ugly as exposed teeth. The bricks and lime soil at the gaps formed a slope, and the infantry could rush in directly.
"There are more than twenty steps, which is much wider than the city gate." Mao Wenlong stroked his beard, his heart was completely relieved, and a smile appeared on his face.
Ahead, there were already soldiers rushing into the smoke, more and more, their figures were reflected in the smoke, and finally disappeared.
The mortars fired the last round of bombardment, and the artillerymen were all excited, watching their own troops pouring in through the gap like a tide.
"Put up the artillery and ammunition and approach the city gate!" the officer commanded loudly, and the artillerymen were busy again, lifting or pushing the artillery cart and ammunition cart toward Pingyi Gate and Guangshun Gate.
Artillery has to compete with infantry for passage, so it is obviously inappropriate to enter the city through the gap. But when infantry enters the city, the first goal is to occupy the two city gates so that more friendly troops can enter the city to fight.
According to Guo Dajing's deployment, the infantry will enter the city steadily and make full use of their firepower advantage to reduce casualties.
In this way, field artillery, Franchise machines, and mortars will all come into use, accompanying the infantry to advance and kill the stubborn rebels.
Chen Xingshan stepped on broken bricks, rocks and soft soil, his steps stumbled a little, and his vision was blurry in the smoke.
But soon, the scenery in front of him became clearer, and his pace quickened. He ran down the slope and entered the city.
The ground was littered with broken bricks and rocks, the air was filled with the choking smell of nitrous sulfur, and the sounds of shouts and shouts, as well as the explosion of shells flying into the city, were heard.
A gray-faced figure climbed up from the ground, his steps staggering, his mind obviously not yet clear, and he looked around with dull eyes.
Chen Xingshan remained silent, then rushed forward and stabbed Jianlu's stomach with his bayonet.
The Jianlu screamed, stretched out his hand to grab the barrel of the gun, and looked at Sun Xingshan in horror and confusion, with an expression of complete disbelief.
"Get out of here, motherfucker!" Chen Xingshan roared angrily, kicked him, and pulled out the bayonet.
Jianlu fell on his back, and the wound on his stomach was bleeding. He covered it in vain and twisted on the ground.
Chen Xingshan strode forward and stabbed Jianlu through the neck with another bayonet.
Several comrades beside him passed him, shouting loudly, and rushed forward to kill. Chen Xingshan hurriedly followed, and a red flag fluttered in front of him, which was the rally sign of their team.
Under the red flag, more than a hundred people quickly gathered, including Chen Xingshan, and moved forward.
Jianlu's figure appeared in front of him, and the soldiers in the first row immediately took aim with their guns and fired with a bang at the officer's order.
A dozen artillerymen panted and rushed to the front, pushing two light Franco cannons. These were the artillerymen under the jurisdiction of each army. Under the guidance of Pao Ze, they also entered the city.
Boom! The Fran cannon sprayed out dense pellets, knocking the Jianlu who appeared in front of them off their feet. Then came the firing of muskets, and the small queue moved forward steadily.
Behind and to the side of Chen Xingshan's team, teams of a hundred people quickly gathered, advancing along the city wall and along the streets amidst the sound of gunfire.
The tunnel blasting caused heavy casualties to the Jianlu under the city wall, and there were as many as six large gaps that the Jianlu were unable to repair.
The Dongjiang Army's rapid attack brought five to six thousand people into the city in a very short period of time, repelling the Jianlu's hasty counterattack and firmly controlling the gap.
The Pingyi Gate was opened first, and more infantry poured into the city, as well as artillerymen carrying mortars and field artillery, which greatly enhanced the firepower of the attack.
When the city wall was blown open, Hauge and others in the southeast corner tower were all knocked to the ground. They were dizzy and confused for a while.
When Hauge stood up, he looked in disbelief at the east wall shrouded in smoke and dust, and at the tide of enemies who were shouting and charging.
"What's going on?" Hauge couldn't see clearly that the city wall had been blown open, so he shouted angrily: "The enemy has launched an attack, why doesn't Xihan lead his troops to the city?"
】
Gong Adai's face was full of panic. This was the same as what happened to Anshan Fort. An ominous feeling enveloped his heart. He stared hard and tried hard to check the condition of the east wall.
"Blow the horn, give the order, and have Xihan organize a defense immediately." Haug ordered loudly, like a clown performing.
Gong Adai poked his head out of the city wall and finally saw the siege troops of the Dongjiang Army rushing to the edge of the city and disappearing into the diffuse smoke.
"The city is broken?!" Gong Adai retracted his dog's head, walked a few steps quickly, and then stretched out his head again, eagerly looking at the situation inside the city.
The smoke and dust became a little thinner, and a red flag and several figures suddenly appeared in Gong Adai's sight. Although they were far away, he could see clearly that they were enemies, and the enemies had entered the city.
Like a basin of ice water poured on his head, Gong Adai felt his heart stagnate and choked uncomfortably. His head was buzzing, and he went blank for an instant.
The whimpering horn sounded, awakening Gong Adai. His eyes moved and he regained some consciousness. He hurried to Hauge and reported in panic: "Master Beile, the city is broken and the enemy has rushed in."
Hauge looked at Gong Adai strangely and angrily, thinking that he was scared out of his wits or going crazy, so he opened his mouth to scold him.
Gunfire suddenly rang out, Hauge's expression changed, and he suddenly shifted his gaze. This was the Dongjiang Army's musket, but it rang out in the city.
The smoke and dust dispersed a lot more, and Haug's eyes widened, and his mouth could not be opened or closed. In the distance, the bright spots of the muskets flashed one after another, and the red flags fluttered, which stung his eyes.
The enemy has entered the city, but where are the men and horses under the city, and where are Xihan and his son? Why don't they resist?
By the way, how did the enemy break through the city? Did they fly in with wings?
"Protect Lord Beile and leave." Gong Adai shouted at the soldiers. He drew his sword, howled loudly at the stunned defenders, and led them to kill along the city wall towards the smoke-filled area.
Haug was so distraught that he was escorted down the city by his own soldiers, climbed onto his horse, and galloped into the city.
"No -" Haug suddenly yelled and stopped his horse suddenly, his eyes flashing with despair and madness.
"Blow the horn, all troops gather eastward, fight the enemy out, fight them out." Haug shouted viciously.
At this time, a group of Jianlu soldiers came towards them, and Haug immediately commanded them to turn around and counterattack.
The sound of gunfire, explosions, and shouts of killing were noisy in the city, and continued to penetrate deeper into the city. More and more Dongjiang troops poured in, and the intensity of the attack became more and more fierce.
"Guangshun Gate has also opened, it's time for me to enter the city!" Mao Wenlong exhaled a long breath, holding up the telescope, observing the battle situation.
Most of the four main forces participating in the war have entered the city, and victory has basically been established. It is only a matter of time before the final outcome.
As a reserve team, the Left Association has not yet mobilized. In other words, they can win without them.
In this way, when the battle is coming to an end, Zuo Xie can leave Liaoyang City, cross the river directly, and join the main force in the middle.
The Fei Biao Regiment, which is patrolling and monitoring outside the city, can also be quickly mobilized to go to Benxi, join the Flying Tiger Regiment and the Flying Leopard Regiment, and go straight into the enemy's rear.
This is a combo attack that does not give Jianlu any time to react. After the enemies of Liaoyang are eliminated, the various units of the Dongjiang Army will be able to free up their hands and feet to launch a full-scale attack again.
Fang Zhenghua listened to the fierce gunfire in the city and kindly advised: "Commander Mao is responsible for the safety of the entire army. It is better to wait for a while and wait until the city is completely settled before entering the city."
Mao Wenlong laughed and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Fang for your kindness."
Mao Wenlong couldn't say he liked Fang Zhenghua, but he didn't dislike him that much either. He had little contact with him, and it was basically Guo Dajing who dealt with him.
But Mao Wenlong still wanted to thank Fang Zhenghua for his concern. The main reason was that Fang Zhenghua did not stretch out his hands randomly, and he did not have the bad habit of bossing around the emperor's close ministers.
Fang Zhenghua looked at the sun hanging in the sky, squinted his eyes, and thought that he would be able to cross the river to catch up with Guo Dajing at dusk today and continue to live broadcast the Pingliao Battle for the emperor.
There is no doubt that Liaoyang City will be recovered, but the general results must be clarified before the good news can be reported. For example, how many people were beheaded, and what happened to the slave chief Hauge and others, whether they were killed or captured.
The battle is still going on fiercely. Guo Dajing on the north bank of the river has already led his team to move forward. Everything is ready. It doesn't matter whether he is present or not. The glory will be left to Mao Wenlong!
"Jianlu would never have imagined in his wildest dreams that Liaoyang City would not be able to hold on for even ten days." Wang Zhan was also confident and said with a smile: "This is beyond their expectations again, and they have to rush to adjust the layout.
"
Guo Dajing nodded slightly and said: "Our army crossed the river in advance to drive away the Jianlu. We also wanted to block their sources of information and make it difficult for them to obtain intelligence from Liaoyang in a timely manner."
Jianlu's lag or delay in intelligence will greatly affect their deployment adjustments, creating better conditions for the flying cavalry regiment to insert behind enemy lines and the main force to launch a fierce attack.
As long as the Jianlu's northward flight can be delayed as much as possible, the Jianlu will definitely pay a greater price and suffer more casualties.
If Jianlu had learned in time that Liaoyang had been defeated, it is probably unknown whether he would have dared to fight the Central Route Army at Hupiyi and Fengji Fort and block their advance.