Although his mind was in a mess, Sang Quanlai still slept for a few hours. When he woke up, it was already afternoon. The sky was dark and the air was filled with the smell of blood and burning. There were people carrying stretchers or ammunition boxes in front of the simple tent. Cries could be heard from the field hospital not far away. It seemed like a big battle had just happened.
"I can't believe I can sleep in this situation." Sang Quanlai lifted the blanket covering him and walked out of the tent. He felt thirsty and bitter. He shook the water bottle to find that it was empty, so he went to find some water to drink. To prevent non-combat casualties, the troops were forbidden to drink cold water. There was a special kitchen in the barracks to boil water.
Because the buildings in the city had been demolished and fortified, some of the retired platoons didn't even have tents to sleep in. They could only walk on the broken streets. Fortunately, it hadn't rained in the past few days. Otherwise, there would be many casualties from frostbite. Sang Quanlai sighed at the good weather and hoped it would rain.
The Revolutionary Army's logistical support was obviously better than the Kennu. If the environment was worse, the Kennu would be worse off than the national army and militia. Freezing hands and feet, diarrhea and vomiting, lack of food and clothing — these were definitely more serious for the Kennu. There were even wooden sheds built on the front line. They weren't afraid of wind or rain. The matchlock guns could still fire at a certain rate. But there weren't many Kennu who could go to the front line.
He went to the kitchen and poured a pot of water. He put it on his waist to keep it warm. Sang Quanlai chatted with the kitchen and found out that the Kennu had driven a large number of slaves to charge the front line.
"There are men and women, old and weak. Most of them are Han from Liaodong. It's not enough to be forced to work by the Tartars. Now they're being forced to die. "A white-haired old cook was cooking a pot of noodles with meat sauce. It was very fragrant. The soldiers had used up a lot of energy and needed this kind of hot soup and food. "If I was captured, I would rather die than suffer like this."
"It's common for the Tartars to drive people to attack the city." Sang Quanlai's tone was low. If his family hadn't fled with Zhou Qingfeng, they might have been slaves in the Jurchen's camp. His father's carpentry skills were good. Maybe he could have been a foreman, but he definitely wouldn't have the good life he had now. "Then what do we do?"
"What can we do?" The old cook sighed. "Fight. No one dared to let those poor slaves come over, so they could only ruthlessly beat them. Otherwise, if they disrupt our defensive line, we won't be the only ones dying. "
When Sang Quan returned to the barracks, he woke up all his subordinates. Those who needed to defecate or pee should hurry up and go. In a while, they would have to eat, reorganize, listen to the battle report, and accept the mission. His heart sank when he thought of the secret he had 'seen through' in the morning. He wanted to fight for his life even more.
In the afternoon, before the sky turned dark, Sang Quan came to the field again. They had lost more than ten percent of their men, but the trench they had to defend had been shortened. Originally, they were standing in two rows, but now they were standing in three rows. The firepower density had increased by 50%. How to arrange the firing line in the narrow trench became a problem. It seemed that the officers had also realized that the number of enemies had increased, so they had used their reserves.
Looking out from the trench, Sang Quanlai was shocked.
Before he went to rest in the morning, the battlefield was already covered with corpses. But looking out now, the corpses were piled up. A large number of engineers were repairing the position. The caltrops that had played a big role last night had to be scattered again. The campfires used for illumination had to be filled with coal tar. Horse traps and trenches had to be cleaned.
In addition, the outside of the trench where Sang Quanlai was waiting had been reinforced with the enemy's corpses. The frozen corpses grimaced in pain. The slender braids of the Tartars were dragged behind their heads. Some soldiers were brave enough to reach out and pull the braids, jokingly calling them pig's tails.
The lookout post blew a horn, and the engineers outside ran back like frightened rabbits. At this time, the company commander personally came to patrol and gave each soldier a pill. "One pill per person. After eating it, you'll feel more energetic. You won't feel sleepy and your courage will multiply. You can fight for three days and three nights."
The pill was given to everyone. The company commander watched the soldiers eat it before leaving. After Sang Quanlai ate the 'pill', he sighed. His big brother Sang Wen had said that this thing was developed by the Ministry of Health of the Revolutionary Army. The original name was long and hard to remember. The soldiers all called it the 'Desperate Pill'. Eating this pill meant that it was time to fight the enemy with all their might.
After eating the pill, Sang Quanlai felt his spirit rise. All the worries and worries in his heart disappeared without a trace. He felt his vision become brighter, his reaction became more agile, and his mind became more relaxed. The engineers had already retreated, and the officers of different ranks had issued their orders. He also took out his flintlock gun, preparing to fight the Tartars.
However, the people who came up a few hundred meters away were not Tartars, but groups of emaciated Han slaves. Looking at their ragged clothes and their emaciated appearance, they looked like a group of slowly moving corpses. Seeing them, Sang Quanlai and the other officers and soldiers were all stunned. Although they already knew from the old cook that they would face this situation, no one could face it calmly.
The company commander ran back to patrol. At the same time, he fiercely ordered, "The Tartars have been beaten until they don't dare to show their heads. They have no other way but to do this kind of despicable thing. Although they are facing our own Han people, don't be lenient. They are suffering. We are helping them get rid of this suffering. The earlier they die, the earlier they can be reincarnated. In their next life, they will be able to live happily as Han people. "
The company commander walked from near to far, shouting at all the platoons.
The atmosphere in the trench became more and more solemn. As the Han slaves approached step by step, the soldiers also poked their guns out of the firing holes. The officer's orders were passed down steadily, waiting to open fire.
When the Han slaves were within a hundred meters of them, the militia could clearly see the sorrowful expressions on their faces. The cries and shouts of the Han slaves rose into the air. When they got closer, they started to fill in the trench dug by the engineers and dismantle the bonfires that were used as a warning light. There were also a number of Kennu elite soldiers hiding at the back, using the bodies of the Han slaves as shields to get closer to Ningyuan City.
"Open fire!"
The superior officer's order rang out. The militia in the trench fired a volley of shots, and the Han slaves on the other side immediately fell. The Kennu elite soldiers who were hiding at the back immediately stopped hiding and brandished their swords and spears, forcing the Han slaves to charge forward.
Bang bang bang! The sound of gunfire rang out again. The Han slaves were completely numb to life and death. They were like mindless puppets, tortured to the point where they could not resist. Seeing them fall helplessly, the militia in the trench scolded the Kennu for being shameless. Tears and snot flowed from their eyes.
When the few hundred Han slaves had fallen, the fortifications on the battlefield were also filled in. The Kennu elite soldiers at the back had lost their cover. They were here to fill in the fortifications and felt that there was no chance for them to attack, so they turned and fled.
Sang Quanlai was initially worried that the enemy was too strong and he would die on the battlefield. But after experiencing this battle, the anger in his chest caused him to grab his spear in one hand and his sword in the other. With a shout, he climbed out of the trench and charged out.
This was a tactic that the militia had never practiced before. Only the army that had undergone proper training would launch a counterattack against the enemy. But when Sang Quanlai charged out, he actually led the dozens of men behind him to charge with him.
On the Kennu side, the one commanding the battle was Dai Shan's son, Yue Tuo. He led the thousands of Han slaves to attack continuously, mainly to clear the fortifications outside Ningyuan City so that it would be easier to launch a night attack. For example, the caltrops scattered on the ground. It was impossible to guard against them in the dark and they could only force the Han slaves to clear them in the day.
Because the Perfected Lady was mixed in with the large number of Han slaves, the cannons at the top of Ningyuan City did not fire, allowing Yue Tuo's troops to get within 400m of them. When he saw a group of Han soldiers charging out to counterattack, he immediately felt that this was a rare opportunity.
"Charge, charge, charge! Immediately rush up and mix in with the Han!" Yue Tuo shouted excitedly. The Kennu had always been troubled by the fact that the Han soldiers in the city did not come out. This was truly a case of 'the mouse dragging the turtle'. They had mobilized the Han slaves to fill in the trenches to provoke the enemy. After a day of torment, it finally had some effect.
This sudden turn of events was out of the expectations of the officers on both sides. Many of the militia within the camp were also spurred on by Sang Quanlai's sudden outburst and rushed out in a wave of 200 to 300 people. The defensive line was immediately emptied.
Sang Quanlai's commanding officer cursed angrily, but he could not ignore his subordinates. He hurriedly asked for help from the cannons on the walls, requesting them to stop the enemy from regrouping and following up. At the same time, he waved his hand and ordered the rest of his men to charge forward as well. Eating the Desperation Pill was extremely beneficial, but the only downside was that it made one impulsive.
Sang Quanlai had originally wanted to bring his platoon out and kill the Kennu who were driving the Han slaves before retreating. But when he saw the 200 to 300 people behind him, he immediately knew that he had caused a huge disaster. The Kennu quickly grasped the opportunity and rushed over to fight with the militia. As long as they could crush them, the Kennu would be able to take the opportunity to kill their way into Ningyuan City.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Sang Quanlai immediately shouted, "Line up!"
At this moment, they could not retreat. If they did, they would be severely punished. Sang Quanlai could only calm himself down and fight for a while before retreating. The militia were all trained. The moment they heard someone shouting for them to line up, they instinctively ran over and lined up shoulder to shoulder. Many of them had been disorganized, but they still obeyed the commands of those with higher ranks. Right now, the person with the highest rank was Sang Quanlai.
"Reload!" Sang Quanlai shouted again.
All the militia immediately lowered their heads and nervously reloaded, even though the Kennu were quickly closing in on them. But these people were calm after taking the pill and were not afraid at all. Instead, their movements were much faster than usual.
"Boom …" An artillery shell flew over Sang Quanlai's head and shot towards the Kennu who were charging towards them. The shell bounced a few times on the ground and killed two to three Kennu elite soldiers. Yue Tuo, who was running at high speed, was so frightened that he stopped for a few seconds. But he quickly gritted his teeth and continued to charge forward, unwilling to let go of this opportunity.
"Kill, don't stop. Only by mixing with those Han can we survive. "Yue Tuo was also young, about the same age as Sang Quanlai. But he was taller and more muscular than Sang Quanlai. He charged out from the crowd and saw Sang Quanlai who had a military rank insignia on his shoulder. After fighting for so long, the Kennu knew that he was a Han officer.
The distance between the two sides decreased from 300m to just a few tens of meters. Yue Tuo was the fastest. He was young and full of vigor, and wanted to make a contribution that could affect the entire battle. But by the time he got close, the disorderly Han soldiers had already lined up and were ready to load their weapons. The two to three rows of soldiers in front of him were like an impenetrable wall.
Too fast, the speed at which the Han soldiers changed their formation was too fast. They did not give him any chance at all.
Yue Tuo, who was the fastest, had already reached a distance of 20-30 meters. He only needed to push his legs a little more and he would be able to charge into the Han soldiers and start a massacre. At the last moment, he let out a mournful cry and unleashed his spiritual energy, brandishing it out to over 10 meters long.
Open fire!
Sang Quanlai raised his flintlock pistol and aimed at Yue Tuo who was at the front and pulled the trigger.
With a bang, Yue Tuo, who was charging forward bravely, had his spiritual energy shattered and stopped in his tracks. At this moment, he was less than 10 meters away from Sang Quanlai. He only needed to exert a little more strength and he would be able to chop off Sang Quanlai's head. But a volley of guns followed closely behind …
After firing a shot, Sang Quanlai raised his sword and shouted, "Kill these bastards and avenge our suffering brothers and sisters!"
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