The Northern Expedition army led by Zhu Ruodeng, the Ji King of the Ming Dynasty, arrived at the city of Yakutsk in a mighty manner. The banners were fluttering and boundless, and the murderous aura soaring to the sky seemed to be able to push the city down.
But the castle is still standing. The surface is shaky, but the actual city foundation is deep into the permafrost underground and is very strong. At the same time, the bastion-style design also strengthens the firepower of the city.
Cossacks, pro-Russian tribal warriors, exiled criminals? Yakutsk warlord Franzbekov gathered all the forces he could muster, and gathered 5,000 people to fight against 20,000 well-equipped and well-trained civilians.
Army.
Franzbekov was not afraid at all. He was extremely confident in the strength of the city, and the city had sufficient food, grass and weapons. Although he knew in his heart that the Ming army had cut off the connection between Yakutsk and Moscow,
It was only a matter of time before he fell, so he still chose to fight. Holding on for half a year before surrendering was worthy of His Majesty the Tsar. Knowing that he had tried his best, His Majesty would not punish himself after returning home!
He ordered the general manager Ivanov, the cavalry captain Bidimov, and the infantry captain Vorybayev to garrison the east, south, and north gates respectively, and he personally guarded the south gate.
"Master, are you going to gather all the garrison troops from the outer forts into Yakutsk Fort and concentrate your forces for a decisive battle with the Ming army?" Xie Ming, the confidant butler, asked.
Xie Ming, like Franzbekov, is a German. He was Franzbekov’s slave brought to Russia from Germany. He has been following him for more than thirty years, and he can be said to be his confidant.
"No, Xie Ming, given the strength of the Yakutsk Fort, five thousand people are enough to hold it. I am worried that the Ming army will not be able to attack for a long time and will turn to attack the outer forts and isolate and blockade Yakutsk. An order must be sent to Ivan immediately.
The Overseer held the Okhotsk Fort in the east; the Overseer Brehm was ordered to hold the Zhigansk Fort and Zahiversk Fort in the north.
At this time, Tsarist Russia implemented a warlord system in Siberia. Siberia was divided into four large warlord districts, with warlords in charge of civil affairs and military affairs. Under the big warlords in each warlord district, there were small warlords in charge of the civil affairs and military of each county.
Ivan and General Brem are both small military governors at the county level below the Yakutsk Warlord District.
Xie Ming has always been obedient to his master's decision. When he claimed it, he silently wiped the sword in his hand and prepared to fight.
"Stop", Zhu Ruodeng, the winged king of the Ming Dynasty, softly uttered one word from the corner of his mouth, and the 20,000-strong army instantly stopped moving, and the orders and prohibitions were in order.
On the city wall, Franzbekov's heart trembled. He was a rare and powerful soldier in the world!
"Send orders to set up camp, build low walls, and prepare to attack the city!"
Zhu Ruodeng continued to issue military orders, and groups of Ming troops began to cut down trees and set up camps, dig trenches, and build low walls. Ming generals Baoluo and Tubaseleng each led a thousand cavalry on guard.
"Fire!"
Seeing that the Ming army was preparing to attack the city in an orderly manner, Franzbekov ordered the firing of artillery to interfere.
The Ming army's camp was outside the artillery range and could not be hit by artillery shells. However, the low wall built to block the artillery shells for our artillery carriages, although a few were hit, caused very few casualties.
Soon, the low wall was repaired, and Yan Xiaoyong, the commander-in-chief of the Ming Army, led 120 artillery carriages to the back of the low wall and raised the "Ready" flag.
Seeing the flag, Zhu Ruodeng shouted: "Send the artillery battalion to blast hard!"
"Boom~boom~boom~" One hundred and twenty cannons of the Ming army fiercely bombarded the city, and scenes of bullets rained on the city of Yakutsk, blooming flowers of death.
"Fire", on the city wall, Franzbekov gritted his teeth and ordered the artillery to fire.
"Boom~boom~boom~" Thirty-six Rakshasa Army artillery pieces began to counterattack.
The Ming army's artillery far exceeded the Rakshasa army in number and power, so it quickly suppressed the Rakshasa artillery. However, the Yakutsk city adopted a bastion-style design, which was much lower in height than the Ming Dynasty's city walls, but the walls were
It is wider than the city wall of the Ming Dynasty. This short and wide design makes the center of gravity of the city wall lower and more stable, making it difficult to be blown down. It looks like it is riddled with holes, but it is still as stable as a rock.
Seeing that our own artillery was occupying the top, Zhu Ruodeng, Ma Bao, and Sun Guangwei, who were watching the battle in the Chinese army, nodded repeatedly. This is the military power of our Ming Dynasty. I asked the barbarians from all over the world, who dare not accept it?
"General, our army has superior firepower, we should take advantage of the situation to attack the city," Ma Bao shouted excitedly.
"General, it's time to kill the general and seize the city." Sun Guangwei was also excited.
"Well", Zhu Ruodeng also felt that he had a chance to win. As the coach of the Northern Expedition, he longed for the great cause of sealing the wolf and Juxu more than anyone else!
"Siege the city!"
The young prince simply uttered these two words, and thousands of troops, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed towards the city wall in overwhelming numbers.
Hu Maozhen attacked the east city, Ma Xin attacked the north city, and Ruan attacked the west city, but the main attack was on the south city. Zhu Ruo ordered the commander-in-chief Wang Chaoxian, Chen Qice, and Liu Yipeng to lead 4,000 elite troops to attack the city. He also ordered commander-in-chief Gu Zhong and deputy general Chen Jiusi to lead 1,000 troops.
Select the vanguard army to recharge its batteries, and place the center army to rest, ready to attack the city at any time.
These thousand selected forwards are all composed of the bravest sergeants selected from the Ming army, the best of the best.
Zhu Ruodeng smiled and said to Gu Zhong: "I heard that General Gu fought bravely and never retreated. On the battlefield, when the enemy heard the name 'Henggang Gu San', they were so frightened that their legs weakened. I don't know, but is it true?"<
/p>
Gu Zhong was a little embarrassed, "This is all the bad name the general earned while working for a living at sea, which made the general laugh."
"Hey, general, there is no need to be too modest. Today I will definitely see the glory of 'Yokozuna Gusan'!"
Stirred by Zhu Ruodeng's words, Gu Zhong's blood boiled and he said loudly: "I will definitely live up to the great general's high hopes. If I don't break this city, I swear I won't come back alive!"
"Dong~dong~dong~"
Marching to the drum is always urgent. Marching after hearing the drum is the mission of a soldier!
"Kill~kill~kill~"
The overwhelming murderous intent made the earth tremble.
Hu Maozhen, Ma Xin, and Ruan Jin each led their headquarters to kill in the east, north, and west cities. The momentum was huge, but it was a feint attack.
The battle started at the south city wall.
Wang Chaoxian, Chen Qice, and Liu Yipeng led four thousand elite troops to rush to the south city. Ladder trucks set up the city wall one after another, goose carts dug into the city, and crashed into the city gate. Gunmen and archers were covering under the city, while sword and shield men were guarding the city.
Climb up the ladder.
The city wall of the Rakshasa people is shorter than that of the Ming Dynasty, and it looks easy to attack. But it is not the case in actual fighting. The star-shaped design means that every Ming army attacking the city is hit by two or more blows. p>
"Bah~bah~bah~"
The sound of musketry continued, and soldiers continued to fall.
During the fierce battle, Chao Chao lost his temper and rushed to the city wall, but was driven out of the city by Xie Ming's death squad; Liu Yipeng was injured in the abdomen and was rescued by his subordinates; Chen Qice once occupied several footholds on the city wall, but was attacked by the Rakshasa Army.
A volley of muskets was fired and he had to retreat.
"General Gu, it's up to you," Zhu Ruodeng said to Gu Zhong.
"General, please order the supervising troops to be placed in front of the formation. If any of our troops dare to retreat, I will kill them," Gu Zhong shouted.
Zhu Ruodeng nodded in agreement and ordered his deputy, Chen Biao, to lead five hundred sword and axemen to the front of the formation. Anyone who retreated without orders would be beheaded.
Gu Zhong stopped talking and led the Qianxuanfeng who had been recharging their energy for a long time to run towards the city wall, running faster and faster, their momentum was like flying.
Gu San, a good yokozuna, holds a shield on his left arm and a sword in his right hand. He goes up the ladder with his legs and rushes up to the city in a moment, swinging his sword to chop.
"Yeah!"
Wherever the sword passed, there was a scream, and a Rakshasa soldier's head was missing.
"Hoo!"
A strong wind blew, and a hammer weighing dozens of kilograms hit. Behind the hammer, the Rakshasa strongman was grinning.
"Humph!"
Gu Zhong sneered and used his skill to grab a Rakshasa soldier's hammer with his left hand. His brains exploded. The knife in his right hand took advantage of the situation and stabbed into the strong man's abdomen.
"Ula~Ula~Ula~" Three Cossacks rushed over with spears.
"Go to hell", Gu Zhong gathered all his energy, threw the shield, knocked out one person, flipped the steel knife up and down, and killed two people in a row.
Generals are brave soldiers. Seeing how brave he was, the morale of his subordinates was greatly boosted. They climbed up regardless of their lives. More and more Ming troops boarded the city.
"Okay! Get the drumsticks, I want to cheer for General Gu!"
In the middle of the Ming army, Zhu Ruo climbed up to the high platform and beat drums to cheer.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Xie Ming led two hundred musketeers and fired a volley at the Ming army on the city.
"Bah~bah~bah~"
Gunfire continued, and the Ming army fell to pieces.
"Come forward, the Rakshasa ghost's muskets will be useless," Gu Zhong yelled, taking the lead and rushing forward to meet the guns.
He ran very fast, rushing in front of the Rakshasa Musketeers like a cheetah, and aimed at an enemy with a single blow.
"My God", the man clutched his throat and fell to the ground.
"Puff~puff~puff~"
The Yanling Saber flew up and down, cutting down more than ten people in a row.
Deputy General Chen Jiusi also led more than a hundred selected forwards to protect Gu Zhong and kill the Rakshasa Musketeers.
The Ming army occupied a large foothold at the top of the city. More and more soldiers boarded the city, and the balance of victory began to tip towards the Ming army.
On the watchtower of the city wall, a black gun barrel was pointed at Gu Zhong.
Franzbekov is both a warlord and a sharpshooter, and his favorite pastime is hunting.
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out, and Gu Zhong was shot in the chest and fell in a pool of blood.
"Headquarters!"
Chen Jiusi cried out sadly and helped Gu Zhong up, but he was already dead. Hengzang Gu San died in the battle on the city wall.
After losing their general, the morale of the Ming army dropped. Franzbekov personally led 300 Cossacks to counterattack and regained the foothold that the Ming army had seized.
On the high platform of the Ming army's center, he saw that his own military flag that had been planted on the city wall was cut down again. Zhu Ruodeng knew that it was impossible to break the city today and ordered a retreat.
The melancholy horn sounded, and the Ming army retreated like a tide.
On March 6, the 13th year of the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Ming Dynasty, the first battle of Yakutsk Fort was held. The Ming army was defeated. The commander-in-chief Gu Zhong was killed and more than a thousand troops were lost.
The death of the fierce general Gu Zhong cast a shadow on the Northern Expedition. Coupled with the severe cold weather and lack of supplies, the morale of the Ming army began to decline.
"Mr. Lu, our army failed in the first battle, which hurt its morale. What should we do?" Zhu Ruodeng asked his chief think tank Lu Shiyi for advice.
Lu Shiyi thought for a while and said: "General Gu was very popular. You should pay homage to him with great fanfare and raise the banner of revenge for him to boost morale."
Zhu Ruodeng was so convinced that he built an altar to commemorate Gu Zhong and wrote the memorial text in his own handwriting:
What a pity, Mr. Gu, the loyal and good man of the Ming Dynasty;
He sacrificed his life for his country and died young!
I lost an arm and my heart was really hurt;
You have a spirit, enjoy my taste!
Your loyalty is unparalleled in the world;
Be righteous and spare wealth, and be praised for your good reputation.
Show your majestic spirit and travel across the sea;
When a man is full of energy, he drinks a hundred cups.
Use your strength to show your strength and freedom;
Champion the three armies bravely, no one can stop you.
Diao Junzhonglie, Haohaotangtang;
Brilliant military exploits, death for the country!
It is my honor to meet you;
Died young, heartbroken!
We will take responsibility for your last wishes;
Rakshasa ghosts and beasts will be wiped out.
I have lost my father-in-law, and my country has lost its pillars;
Oh, what a pain! Fu Wei is still happy.
While reciting the memorial inscription, he burst into tears. The more he cried, the sadder he became. All the generals had an old relationship with Gu Zhong and burst into tears.
Zhu Ruodeng suddenly bowed to the generals and said, "It depends entirely on you to avenge Duke Gu."
"We will fight to the death to avenge General Gu!"
All the generals agreed in unison, and the soldiers will surely win!