Early in the morning on March 23, the intruders concentrated all their artillery and launched a fierce attack on the section of the city wall outside Xizhimen.
For a time, gunpowder smoke filled the air and the sound of cannons shook the sky.
Projectiles the size of a child's fist would hit the wall from time to time, splashing a large amount of brick dust.
Some cannonballs flew directly over the city wall and into the city.
Only a small number of them would hit the wall stacks, but they were still so frightening that the Ming army squatted under the stacks holding their weapons, shivering.
Some even turned pale as paper and peed their pants directly.
Fortunately, everyone was trembling at this time, and no one was laughing at anyone.
Most of the cannons used by the intruders were captured Ming army general cannons or French machine guns. They were small in number and had limited power.
Not to mention being used to demolish city walls, even the green bricks wrapped around it can't be used.
The more important effect is to scare people and boost their own morale, so Lu Lu Lu only fought for half an hour and then stopped.
"The king has an order. The first person to climb to the top of the city will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver, and will be granted the title of ten thousand households. After the city is broken, everyone will be rewarded generously!"
"My sons, it's time to make great achievements!"
"Siege the city!"
"Kill..."
"Go ahead..."
Dong dong dong dong dong…
Following the siege general Li Guo, he drew his long sword and pointed it at Xizhimen, shouting loudly.
The sound of war drums started to sound.
More than 10,000 intruders, who had been waiting in formation, immediately surged forward, shouting like a flood.
The filled moat is only two miles wide, and 10,000 people is the limit.
However, most of these 10,000 people did not have armor and only had swords and shields. At first glance, they looked like cannon fodder.
A dozen people were carrying a long ladder, inspired by the sound of war drums and the promise just made. At this moment, their blood was also rising, and the morale of nearly ten thousand people was also high.
The person responsible for defending this section of the Xizhimen city wall was Xinlehou Liu Wenbing, a cousin of Emperor Chongzhen, and one of the few nobles who died for his country in history.
At this time, he was holding a broadsword and leading a group of distinguished disciples, who were constantly urging and shouting at the top of the city.
"The bandit army has attacked, all stand up and prepare to defend..."
"Those who disobey orders will be killed!"
"Get the fuck up for me."
"Don't be afraid, the bandits can't attack us."
Although the noble disciples were equally afraid, they also knew that there was no chance of them being spared if the bandits invaded the city, so they suppressed their fear and urged their servants.
After being constantly yelled at and urged, even punched and kicked, the squatting Ming soldiers finally stood up one after another.
But looking down, seeing the overwhelming influx of traitors and the deafening shouts of killing, many timid legs weakened and collapsed on the ground again.
"Damn..."
This time, the noble disciples did not hesitate. Anyone who dared to stay on the ground would be killed directly.
After killing dozens of people in a row, everyone no longer dared to fear the battle and stood there bravely.
At this time, the leading intruders had already rushed to the base of the city wall, and long ladders were set up at the top of the city.
Immediately afterwards, countless thieves raised their shields above their heads and began to climb up with knives. One after another, the scene was very spectacular.
More people lined up around the wooden ladder, holding up their shields to hold the ladder.
"One or two, hit!"
The largest number of people gathered at the city gate. Hundreds of big men carried a huge log and began to hit the city gate. The chants were especially uniform.
"Quick! Throw stones and hit me hard."
"Throw all the rolling logs down for me."
"Golden juice, lift the pot and pour it down."
"Hurry up... support the pole, use the support pole to push the ladder for me..."
"This way... push this way quickly, the bandits are coming up!"
For a moment, the city was filled with the shouts of the noble disciples.
However, the effect is still very significant.
The frightened Ming army finally knew what to do. Three or five people worked together to lift the rolling log and throw it down.
More often than not, a single person picked up the large rocks stacked on the inside and threw them down.
There are also two people holding long poles and directly overturning the long ladder on the wall stack.
In an instant, screams came one after another from under the wall.
Especially when a pot of boiling feces is thrown down, the shrill screams are particularly ear-piercing.
As Li Guo once again sent 20,000 people and 1,000 archers to join in, the troops on the city began to be stretched thin.
After 20,000 people reached the bottom of the wall, they began to build ladders and attack along the moat on both wings.
The moat is still more than ten meters away from the city wall.
The archers, on the other hand, stood directly behind and shot arrows towards the city head.
These thousand people all shot in their own way, and their archery skills were superb. From time to time, someone would be hit by an arrow, which caused huge psychological pressure on the defenders on the city.
"Quickly, carry the injured person down."
"Hurry and report to the Commander-in-Chief that the rebel army's offensive is too fierce and reinforcements are urgently needed!"
Liu Wenbing shouted anxiously.
He only has 5,000 men. The bandit army is rapidly expanding to both sides, and the bandit army behind is also rushing up in a steady stream. This manpower is simply not enough.
Especially the archers below the city are too threatening. If they are not suppressed, the rebel army will climb up the city. Once they climb up, the morale of the army will definitely collapse.
Fortunately, there are still a lot of preparations for young people.
I saw these young men, some carrying logs, some holding stones, some carrying dung in buckets, and holding firewood, shivering as they came to the top of the city.
Then he couldn't wait to throw down the wood and stones, quickly picked up the wounded who had fallen to the ground after being shot by an arrow, and retreated from the city wall in panic.
Those who carried the dung poured the dung into the pot, added firewood, and then ran away.
In panic, many people fell down on the stairs.
Many people suffered broken bones, broken tendons, bruised noses, and swollen faces. Feces were spilled everywhere, and the stench was overwhelming.
Fortunately, the capital city wall is not only tall and strong, but also very thick. Even the top is ten meters wide, so although it is chaotic, it is not crowded.
With the arrival of five thousand reinforcements, especially the addition of more than five hundred archers, Liu Wenbing finally stabilized the situation.
By this time, the battle front had expanded to a five-mile-long area.
The rebels invested more and more troops, regardless of casualties. Not only did they show no signs of retreat, they also launched fierce attacks from the north and south at the same time.
However, the rebel army did not have a ladder, only an ordinary long ladder. In addition, the city gate was blocked, so the long ladder could easily be overturned. Even though many troops were invested, they could never climb to the top of the city.
The only ones who can cause damage to the defenders are the archers.
However, the defenders were able to kill and injure a large number of rebels from a high position. Every stone and piece of wood dropped down could kill several rebels.
When the pot of excrement went down, it was splashed into a large area.
With the siege on three sides and the passage of time, the casualties of the rebel army continued to increase. The generals on the three sides sent out supervising teams and mobilized more troops and horses for reinforcements, leaving no chance to breathe.
The battle lasted until noon, and the battle became fierce. As Liu Fangliang also filled a section of the moat in the east and launched an attack, the number of troops invested by the invading army reached as high as 400,000.
It was only then that the elite veterans began to appear. For a time, the front line, which was more than thirty miles long, was in danger everywhere.
Zhou Yuji had no choice but to send all his troops up, leaving only a thousand elite men around him.
By the afternoon, even Zhu Cihong had to dispatch 20,000 soldiers to various places for reinforcements.
