The rocket was an ordinary crossbow arrow wrapped in oilcloth. After confirming the target again in the sight, Guo Dajing lit the rocket, took a slight aim and shot it.
If he was discovered by the captives on the city, Guo Dajing was also optimistic about the obstacles and routes to avoid retreat. What's more, he could also take out his shield to block the incoming arrows.
The rocket flew through the air and hit the target accurately. The flame dimmed for a moment, then suddenly became stronger again, apparently igniting the gunpowder.
The sudden fire caught the attention of the defenders on the city. They shouted loudly and leaned down to look at the burning cotton clothes under the city wall. They didn't know what was happening for a while.
Guo Dajing moved slowly and sneaked to another hiding place. Fortunately, no enemy noticed him shooting the rocket.
Boom, boom, boom! Three consecutive explosions sounded in the cave, a puff of black smoke spurted out, and the entrance of the cave was collapsed by three black powder torrents.
The better the tunnel blasting is sealed, the more powerful it will be. To put it simply, it means "holding back". And if black gunpowder is sprinkled on the ground in the tunnel, it should not be a problem to ignite the explosives in the wooden box.
The defenders on the city were obviously in panic, shouting loudly, and figures swaying on the city wall, rushing towards here quickly.
Chen Jisheng and others in the distance watched eagerly. After the explosion, they did not see the city wall collapse as they expected, and couldn't help but look at each other.
Chen Jisheng opened his mouth and was about to say: How can such an explosion blow open the city wall?
"This..." Chen Jisheng said two words, and he felt the ground beneath his feet shaking, followed by a deafening roar.
Chen Jisheng turned to look at the city. He couldn't see carefully in the night, but under the cold moonlight, thick smoke rose from the city wall, forming a column of smoke and dust that shot straight into the air.
The officers next to them and the Dongjiang Army officers who were preparing for the attack did not see clearly what was going on. As Guo Dajing reminded them, they were all in a daze.
"It seems like it exploded." Zhang Pan murmured, but he wasn't sure yet.
Liu Xingzuo seemed to see the city wall of Yizhou explode from the inside out, as if a sleeping monster suddenly woke up, came out from inside, and overturned the city wall.
"Is it time to charge forward and attack?" Li Weiluan was also stunned on the spot, but he could still see clearly that the city wall was suddenly arched from bottom to top, and the bricks and stones rose into the air.
Shang Kexi's wide-open mouth slowly closed, and he suddenly remembered Guo Dajing's reminder: "Don't be dazed, don't be afraid, rush forward."
It turned out that this was not a joke or a joke, but it really shocked everyone.
"Beat the drum, charge." Shang Kexi roared loudly, and the orderly soldiers beside him reacted.
After getting on his horse, Shang Kexi ignored others and rushed out, waving a long knife in his hand and shouting a charge.
The war drums finally sounded, and the three hundred elite cavalrymen woke up from a dream, mounted their horses, held their troops, and galloped towards the city wall shrouded in smoke.
After the cavalry, came the surging infantry, which opened a wide front and rushed forward, shouting.
Crack! Bricks and stones kept falling from the sky, and the nearest one to Guo Dajing was only about ten meters away. He also observed with wide eyes, feeling a little uneasy in his heart.
The cold wind blew, the smoke and dust gradually dispersed, and a large gap more than ten meters wide appeared in the city wall in the blurred vision. The city walls on both sides of the gap also collapsed, forming a slope.
The city wall is five to six meters high, but the gap is half as low. The rubble, broken bricks and soil are mixed together, making it a ruin.
It should be okay, right? Guo Dajing felt that even if the horses couldn't get through, the infantry should be able to climb up the hill and attack.
The attacking Dongjiang Army was stunned for a moment, and the defenders on the city were no better. Being completely unprepared, they were either killed and stunned, or were buried by the collapsed masonry.
It will also take time for the defenders in other areas to react and come to block the entrance to fight.
The sound of horse hooves roared, and Guo Dajing hurriedly looked back and saw hundreds of cavalry forming a rapid stream and charging towards the city wall.
Phew! Guo Dajing let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he was smart and stayed on the side, avoiding the path of the cavalry charge.
Shang Kexi looked around on his horse, but did not find Guo Dajing's figure. Seeing that he was approaching the city wall, he stopped thinking, grabbed the horse's belly, and rushed up the slope formed by broken bricks and gravel.
The smoke and dust have not completely dissipated. The cold air is filled with the choking smell of black gunpowder, and wailing and moaning can still be heard in the ears.
The horse stumbled and climbed higher and higher step by step. Shang Kexi squinted his eyes and tried hard to distinguish the scenery in front of him. Finally, his eyes suddenly lit up and the horse began to move lower. He had walked out of this thin and dusty area.
Although his vision was still as blurry as in the fine mist, he could see the streets and houses in the city. People were moving in the distance, and Jianlu's howling could be heard clearly.
Entering the city! Shang Kexi drove his war horse down the slope. After landing on the ground, he excitedly raised his long knife and roared for a mass charge.
One after another, cavalry continued to join Shang Kexi and charge towards the enemy in the distance. The cavalry behind them, crossing the ruins, looked at the figures of their companions in front and followed the charge without giving any orders.
The smoke and dust were completely blown away by a gust of cold wind, and under the cold moonlight, the scene was clearly presented in front of everyone. The cavalry and infantry were passing through the ruins of the city wall that looked like mounds of dirt, charging into the city and on both sides of the city wall.
Chen Jisheng burst into laughter, his heart was open and victory was in sight.
Turning to look at Zhang Pan, Chen Jisheng was already in the mood to tease him and said with a smile: "General Zhang, this Guo Dajing can no longer be a small flag officer. Be careful that others will snatch it from you!"
Zhang Pan nodded repeatedly and said: "With his military exploits, he has long been able to raise the general flag. I originally wanted to reward him based on his merits after the war, but now it seems that we cannot delay."
"General flag -" Chen Jisheng pondered for a moment and said, "Let's move up to another level! Only by clear rewards and punishments can morale be boosted."
According to the ranks of the officers and soldiers of the guard station, those above the big head soldiers are small flag officers, and so on, they are called the general flag, responsible for the trial of hundreds of households, the deputy of one hundred households, the deputy of one thousand households, the chief of one thousand households, and command the general affairs...
In other words, Guo Dajing was promoted two levels in a row, surpassed the general banner, and became a trial household from the sixth level.
In fact, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the garrison system became dominant, and there were many changes in officer grades.
Under the camp system, generally speaking, there are five people as a team, fifty as a team, five hundred as a division, a thousand as a sentry, and three thousand as a battalion.
The officers under the battalion system were further established as deputy commander-in-chief, staff general, guerrilla commander, commander-in-chief, garrison commander, commander-in-chief, etc. On the nine sides, there was also the order of garrison-conduct-general commander.
If unified or compared: the general of the army is the governor of the department or the governor of the left; the deputy commander of the army is the governor of the department or the governor of the left; the participating general, guerrilla, and garrison are respectively the commander of the department or the commander.