The two short-barreled heavy cannons behind the ruins of the city wall had already fired three waves, from long-range solid bullets to mid-range chain bullets to close-range grapeshot bullets. In order to suppress the enemy's dense charge, the barrels were steaming hot. One touch could burn a piece of skin. The barrels were so hot that they couldn't be used unless they were cooled down.
As a result, the artillery company relied on these two cannons to repel two frontal attacks by the official army. The Zhejiang soldiers who attacked the second time were heavily injured. The dense rain of bullets directly crushed Zhou Yiming, the commander of the Zhejiang soldiers. Nearly 20% of his elite troops were killed or injured. Their morale was extremely low. In the current era of 'soldiers for the general', Zhou Beiyu suffered a great loss.
The official army attacked in two waves. Although the total number of casualties was less than 500. For an army of tens of thousands, this seemed to be only a few strands of hair. But for a feudal army, those who could take the lead were the main force. Compared to the Revolutionary Army, which produced elite soldiers like an assembly line, the number of the main force of the Ming Army was extremely limited. This kind of loss was much more painful than the death of a group of miscellaneous soldiers.
As the general who led the army, Liu Gu knew that the frontline had suffered heavy casualties, but he had to grit his teeth and hold on. Since the two heavy cannons at the breach of the city wall were too sharp, they could go around them. He quickly mobilized the troops to attack from other directions. He even gave out rewards for warriors to kill the enemy.
But Zhou Qingfeng didn't give him a chance. Without waiting for the Ming Army to make adjustments, several columns of white smoke suddenly flew out of the position in the city. Liu Gu was shocked when he saw it from afar. The white smoke was obviously something the rebels had shot at him. Although he didn't know anything about ballistics, he could estimate that the thing that was shot out could fly very far just by looking at the trajectory.
The Ming Army on the battlefield weren't blind. They all saw the trajectory of the white smoke. The front line in charge of the main attack had gathered tens of thousands of people. These people all looked up and moved their heads according to the trajectory. The white smoke streaked across a long distance and dived down. Its target was the center of the formation where Liu Gu was. The high observation vehicle was too obvious in the binoculars.
Seeing the white smoke coming towards him, Liu Gu knew it wasn't good. He hurriedly linked his personal guards to form a military formation. A layer of green light appeared out of thin air and collided with the six falling fire arrows.
Because the fuse had a very high chance of misfiring under a violent impact, the rockets produced later also had a simple impact fuse that was triggered by inertia. This kind of fuse was still unable to withstand the intense acceleration of artillery fire, but it was very suitable for the relatively gentle launching method of rockets. When the rocket fell, the huge inertia caused it to detonate the five kilogram charge on the rocket.
The rocket fell, and the explosion occurred immediately. Liu Gu who was under the military formation actually tasted the power of the 'Revolutionary Army'. In the industrialized nitrate fields, nitrifying bacteria continuously transformed all kinds of humus into potassium nitrate, which ensured that Zhou Qingfeng's troops could easily create powerful explosions.
In the past, people regarded the Level Nine spell that could only be used by a top master, but now, it could be seen at any time in the Revolutionary Army. This huge change was completely a generational difference. At this moment, Liu Gu felt like he was being attacked by six top-notch experts. His eyes quickly turned bloodshot, and the servants beside him screamed. More than a hundred people in the military formation felt their knees soften, and they were under great pressure.
Zhou Qingfeng could use a large number of low-ranking officers in his team who had mastered the way of military formation to join forces to build a large formation of a thousand people. Liu Gu didn't have so many high-quality officers under his command. He relied on his own strength to set up the military formation for defense, but the result was that this military formation became an extremely conspicuous target. This was an excellent target for the long-range rockets that couldn't hit accurately.
The rocket platoon in the city was arranged with six slide rails. This thing didn't have the problem of opening fire and heating up, and it also didn't have the trouble of recovering from the back seat. After a rocket was ignited, the soldier immediately put the next rocket on the slide rail and continued to ignite.
After the black gunpowder was improved, it could be a very good propellant. After igniting, the tail of the rocket spewed out orange flames, pushing the rocket along the slide rail and rushed into the sky. The gas produced by the burning propellant was deflected by the tail, causing the rocket to spin to stabilize the trajectory. The accuracy of the first wave was a little poor, but after shooting, it could still be more and more accurate.
The rockets flew for a few hundred meters before turning around and diving down. Liu Gu, who was on the ground, raised his head and watched helplessly as black dots fell from the sky. As the commander-in-chief, he couldn't move recklessly on the battlefield. However, after enduring six rockets, another six came, and then another six. The white smoke in the sky didn't stop, and at the same time, there were several waves of rockets flying in the sky, firing in unison.
Who could endure such a painful attack?
The second wave of six rockets fell and exploded, and Liu Gu's army screamed incessantly. He tried to link more soldiers to join the military formation to increase its defense. However, when the number of people in the military formation increased, the soldiers who suffered from the explosions kept transmitting large amounts of pain and panic into his brain. Liu Gu was old, and his brain couldn't take it. When the third wave of rockets continued to bombard him, his mouth, nose, and eyes were bleeding.
"This group of thieves is really vicious. They had this method, but they didn't use it earlier. They just had to wait until my army gathered and their morale was low to attack me. This kind of forbearance is really dangerous. "Liu Gu looked at the endless rockets behind him and knew that he definitely couldn't take it. He immediately jumped down from the watchtower that was more than ten meters high, and shouted to his soldiers and retainers, "Retreat, retreat."
The general who commanded tens of thousands of people to retreat on horseback had no time to inform the other generals on the battlefield. The other Ming Army who participated in the battle immediately determined that this was a retreat. If the commander-in-chief had fled, wouldn't the generals and guerrilla warfare immediately panic? Everyone could only follow and flee.
Liu Gu fled out of the range of the rockets. The rocket platoon in the city immediately adjusted the slide and fired at the Ming Army in other directions. Liu Gu couldn't withstand the barrage of rockets, and the other Ming Army were blown into chaos. In an instant, they all fled.
Under this kind of attack, the fighting spirit of the Ming Army quickly collapsed. The officers and soldiers of the feudal army were all trying to make a living. They couldn't bear the casualties and continue fighting.
The enemy's attack collapsed. Zhou Qingfeng, who was watching the battle from the top of the wall, turned his head and whispered to the advisor beside him, "Let the cavalry and infantry attack. Capture more prisoners and kill less. After all, we are all China people. Everyone is just serving their own masters. We don't have a blood feud with the Ming Army. There is no need to kill them all. "
The advisor nodded and went to give the order. The cavalry in the city had been waiting impatiently. They used the passage of the artillery company and put up wooden planks to pass through the trench outside the city. Hundreds of cavalry rushed out, raised their sabers high, and charged. When their shiny breastplates shone under the sun, the Ming Army outside the city were like dominoes, pushing one another and screaming as they escaped.
The cavalry battalion commander, Han Shi, rode his thick-skinned demon pig and rushed to the front. He raised his saber and shouted, "Kneel on the ground to avoid death!" The cavalrymen behind him also accelerated their charge and shouted in unison. As the saying goes, invasion is like fire. The cavalry on the battlefield was like a violent flame. Everywhere it passed, it was unmatched.
The defeat of the army was like a landslide, and it couldn't be stopped. Most of the Ming Army were foot soldiers. How could they escape from the four-legged cavalry? They all knelt on the ground and surrendered. Even if there were a small number of Ming Army generals and servants who escaped on horseback, they would immediately become the target of the imperial cavalry. At this time, anyone who didn't listen would only have a dead end.
Zhou Qingfeng stood on high ground and saw that wherever his imperial cavalry went, it could be said that everywhere they went, there were countless people who surrendered. The few who resisted were immediately killed. Han Shi was in high spirits and actually set his eyes on Liu Gu who was the first to escape. This old general had thousands of servants protecting him as he retreated. He ran very fast.
Han Shi was also extremely daring. With one look, he knew that the person who led so many servants to escape must be a general of the Ming Army. He didn't care whether he could win or not. He waved his saber and shouted, "Today, the Imperial Guard has defeated the many. Our name will definitely spread. The world is so big that no one dares to look down on us. Brothers, follow me to kill. Capture that old official alive and offer him to the Grand Marshal. It will be the icing on the cake. "
The imperial cavalry was extremely arrogant. After they left the formation, no one was a match. The enemy in front seemed to have a lot of people, but they were defeated generals. Who would be afraid of them? Han Shi shouted and rushed to the front on his demon pig. Behind him, hundreds of cavalry followed closely like wolves and tigers.
The cavalry with high morale quickly linked together to form a military formation. They whipped their horses and worked together to advance like a hurricane. Because they were stimulated by the big victory, their courage exploded to the point that they were fearless. The military formation made them feel like they were flying on land. Their speed was extremely fast.
Looking at Liu Gu's defeated army in front, they suffered setbacks in a good situation and were bombarded by fire arrows. This caused their morale to be extremely low. The general cast a series of spells to protect himself, and the servants and bodyguards even used all the spells that could increase their speed. However, the more than a thousand people who had gathered together still couldn't escape, and the cavalry behind them was getting closer and closer.
As Han Shi's troops rushed over, the defeated servants scattered in shock, breaking away from Liu Gu's group to avoid the pursuit. After running for two or three li, the people around Liu Gu decreased like an onion being peeled. More than a thousand people quickly became a few hundred, and then a few dozen.
Liu Gu saw that his subordinates were getting smaller and smaller and that the pursuers were getting closer. He sighed and simply turned his horse around. He shouted, "Forget it, forget it. I have been in the army for decades. Today, I have suffered a crushing defeat and have no face to face His Majesty. My sons, follow me to charge and kill for a while. Think of it as repaying His Majesty's kindness. "
Such a great defeat, such vexation, Liu Gu's old tears flowed down and he wanted to seek death. Once he saw that he couldn't escape, he simply led the remaining dozens of cavalry to counterattack.
However, Liu Gu and the others' morale was too low. When they ran, they didn't have any speed. It was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. On the opposite side, Han Shi's cultivation was clearly far inferior to Liu Gu's, but the moment the two sides collided, he relied on the power of the military formation to knock this old general off his saddle and heavily fall to the ground.
Han Shi was originally a cavalry general of the Ming Army in Liaodong. How could he not know of Liu Gu and Liu Dadao's fame? Seeing the old general fall to the ground and spit out blood, he urged his horse forward and shouted, "Old General Liu, this defeat has been decided. Why don't you surrender? My Grand Marshal said that there are no grievances between us. We are only serving our own masters. Why must we fight to the death?
Right now, my 'Revolutionary Army' is like the sun in the sky. Entering the capital is like going on a spring vacation. The power of the Imperial Guard will certainly spread throughout the country. If you can't beat them, then don't sacrifice yourself in vain. Last year, I also shamelessly begged to join the Grand Marshal and was also put in an important position. Old General, you are not evil. The Grand Marshal will not make things difficult for you. "
In the collision just now, more than a dozen of Liu Gu's family warriors died. The remaining people lost their fighting spirit and surrounded Liu Gu. Han Shi's side didn't do much. They just wanted to get the other side to surrender. Although Liu Gu was old, he had a high prestige in the Ming Army. He was brave and good at fighting, but not good at making friends. He was not like Du Song, that idiot who only knew how to fight and charge. He had some strategy on the battlefield.
Hearing that Han Shi actually wanted to get him to surrender, Liu Gu laughed crazily. His Dadao was missing, so he pulled out his sword and was about to commit suicide. The family warriors beside him quickly stopped him and tried to persuade him. Liu Gu seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. He cried bitterly and said, "I have received the Emperor's kindness for decades. I can't surrender, I can't surrender."
Liu Gu no longer resisted. The family warriors beside him had good eyesight. Someone came forward and whispered, "If Old General surrenders, I'm afraid his family will not be able to protect them."
Han Shi laughed and said, "This matter is easy to handle. Just say that Old General died in battle. As for his family, we can just secretly send someone to bring them over. With Old General's defeat, this Daming will be like a sunset. Anyone will have to reconsider what my Grand Marshal said. "
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