I.
For Wei Yunzhen, Yanmen Pass was in danger. If Yanmen Pass was lost, the Mongolian cavalry would enter Shanxi and wreak havoc. Even if he died a hundred times, he would not be able to absolve himself of the blame.
Not to mention that his political ideals and ambitions could not be realized, even his life and the inheritance of his family could not be protected. Under such circumstances, he, who was in a high position, easily made a decision.
Even if they lost Yanmen Pass, if he had the ability to die in battle, it could be considered as a way out for his descendants. It could be considered as a burial for his ideals, living up to Hai Rui's inscription.
Unlike others, he did not have a way out, not from the beginning.
He, who had offended many forces in the court, had no way out if he did not fulfill his duty faithfully.
Dying in battle was much better than dying in a party fight and his own cowardice.
The Mongolians attacked fiercely. With the weapons of the Ming Army in Datong Town, their ability to attack the city was instantly raised to a whole new level.
Countless arrows were shot toward the city wall. Although the Mongolian soldiers were far from their ancestors, the Ming Army was even worse. In terms of combat ability, they were crushed in all aspects.
Thanks to the majestic Yanmen Pass, the city wall gave the Ming Army the possibility to kill the Mongolian soldiers without fighting them in close combat.
Because of that, the Ming army continued to persevere and forced back the Mongolian army's attacks six times in a row. The Mongolian army also stopped attacking the city many times because the weather was too cold and they could not fight for long. This gave the Ming army a chance to breathe.
The explosion of the Ming Army's cannons made the Mongolians see the possibility of success. So they carried the Ming Army's standard ladders and used the Ming Army's crossbows to shoot the Ming Army. They also used the Ming Army's cannons, crossbows, catapults and other weapons to attack the Ming Army.
It had to be said that at this time, the firepower of the Mongols was not inferior to that of the Ming army who had the advantage of the walls. They had probably captured the Ming soldiers who had surrendered to control the cannons and other siege weapons. In order to survive, the captives naturally worked hard to perform. At one point, the Ming army that was resisting could not even lift their heads.
The area that became a gap in the defense line because of the explosion was also defended by the defending general of Yanmen Pass. The Mongolians were driven off the wall and the battle entered a stalemate again.
The Mongolians saw that the attack did not work, so they used their firepower again to attack the Ming Army on a large scale. Ming Army soldiers were hit by the cannons or affected by the airflow and died in front of Wei Yunzhen. Wei Yunzhen looked at the heavy casualties of the Ming Army and frowned, but he still did not step back.
It was probably Wei Yunzhen's courage to not retreat that gave the Ming army courage. In the end, the Ming army did not let the Mongolians have their way. They hid on the walls and used long-range weapons to make up for the difference in close-quarters combat techniques with the Mongolians, but they did not let the Mongolians have any good results.
The Ming Army occupied the high ground and the shooting range of their weapons exceeded the Mongolians. The Mongolians did not even dare to get too close to the wall to avoid being affected by the Ming Army's cannons and dying on the spot.
The flesh and blood of the Ming Army covered every part of the wall. Wei Yunzhen's nose was filled with the smell of blood and stench. Below the wall, the flesh and blood of the Mongolians filled every inch of the frozen hard ground.
The remaining temperature did not even stay for long. In an instant, the steaming flesh and blood were frozen into hard blood clots.
The cruelty of war and the coldness of the weather were like this.
The Mongolian catapults were readied once again. At the command of the Mongolian commander, the catapults let out a creaking sound. Huge stones shot into the sky with an indomitable momentum and rushed towards the walls of Yanmen Pass. The stones smashed into the sturdy walls and made a crisp cracking sound.
At the same time, large crossbow bolts whistled through the air, threatening the Ming army on the city walls.
Under such a dangerous situation, Wei Yunzhen did not move. He was standing in a relatively safe place. Even so, he was still in a very bad situation.
The flying stones had already smashed onto the shields of the soldiers protecting him. Just now, a crossbow arrow had brushed past the edge of a soldier's shield and shot towards the city gate tower behind him, causing everyone to be alarmed and break out in a cold sweat.
"Futai, it is too dangerous here. I am responsible for the safety of the whole city. Please go to a safe place. The stones and arrows do not have eyes. If anything happens to me, I will not be able to absolve myself of the blame even if I die ten thousand times! Futai! Please leave! "
The general guarding Yanmen Pass tried his best to persuade Wei Yunzhen to leave the gate tower. Wei Yunzhen thought about it again and again. His face was tense. He felt that if he continued to stay here, the soldiers on the gate tower would not be able to fight with all their strength to protect him. He was silent for a while and decided to leave.
"Alright! I am just below the wall. If you need anything, come and find me immediately. I will support you as soon as possible! Remember, you cannot stop the firing of firearms, but you cannot fire more than three times in a row. Remember! Do not explode again! "
The general guarding Yanmen Pass cupped his fists.
"Yes, sir!"
Wei Yunzhen nodded and turned to leave.
"Futai, be careful!"
At this moment, there was a loud roar. A huge force pushed Wei Yunzhen down and he hit the ground hard. He felt like his whole body was falling apart. He looked up angrily and his expression suddenly froze.
A thick crossbow bolt skewered the four people together and nailed them to the wall of the city gate tower. The outermost one was the general guarding Yanmen Pass. His eyes were fixed on the spot where Wei Yunzhen had fallen to the ground. He was already dead.
Wei Yunzhen did not know why this general, who had no relationship with him, would sacrifice his life to save him. He had been the general guarding here for five years, longer than he had been the Shanxi Inspector.
In these four years, he had only seen him five times. He remembered that his surname was Zhang, but he had forgotten his full name. This was because when he was happy, he would always call himself "I, Old Zhang". He was a hearty man.
The death of the defending general of Yanmen Pass was a huge blow to the morale of the soldiers on the wall, but they did not collapse. Wei Yunzhen immediately got up from the ground and ran to the side of the war drum. She picked up the drum stick from the hands of the drum soldier who had been shot dead by the arrows and beat the war drum with a loud bang.
Although the general was dead, the Inspector was still alive!
The Inspector personally beat the drums to cheer for the Ming Army. The morale of the soldiers did not decrease, but instead, it increased. The city walls were filled with the spirit of mourning.
At this moment, there was a sudden violent explosion on the Mongolian camp outside the city. Seven or eight large fireballs shot into the sky, reaching more than ten meters. The Mongolian camp was filled with wails.
The Mongolian cannons had also exploded!
This Sword of Damocles did not let go of either side of the battle. It accurately fell on the heads of both sides. No one escaped.
The Mongolian formation was in chaos. Outside the city, there were cries of pain. At this moment, Wei Yunzhen seized the opportunity and ordered the Ming Army in the city to organize and take the initiative to attack the Mongolians.
The Ming Army carried the spirit of mourning and took the initiative to attack. On the seventh day of this sudden war, in the unfavorable situation of the defeated army, they began their first counterattack. They achieved success and in one breath, they drove the Mongolians seven or eight miles away.
The battle ended with the Ming Army taking the initiative to attack. The Ming Army beheaded seventy-eight Mongolians. The Mongolians abandoned about seven or eight hundred bodies outside the city. Almost half of them were trampled to death during the chaos.
The Ming Army also lost about seven or eight hundred men. Including the wounded, the number would only be higher. The biggest loss was the general guarding Yanmen Pass who died for his country.
One attack and victory could not change the overwhelming situation of the battle. That night, the Mongolians returned to the city walls of Yanmen Pass and set up camp. They assumed the posture of attacking Yanmen Pass for a long time.
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