Facing the seemingly unbreakable Zhoushan Fortress, the only way Shi Lang could think of was to use Wu Zhenchaoha's red heavy artillery battalion.
Duolong looked at the towering, seemingly unshakable Zhoushan Fortress in the distance and suggested.
"Can the red cannon be fired?"
"Don't there be red cannons on Yangyi's ship? Why don't you unload a few and test them first?"
"Lest the Wuzhenchaoha camp cannot attack the Zhoushan Fortress, wouldn't that be a huge loss of face?!"
Shi Lang also nodded, and then he ordered people to call Vanderlan and Brown.
After listening to Shi Lang's request, Vander Laan and Brown looked at each other, and Vander Laan spoke.
"Your Excellency, the bastion cannot be captured with artillery!"
"Not even large-caliber naval guns or coastal defense guns will work!"
The Netherlands, a low-lying country with a population of only a few million, was able to gain independence from the Spanish Empire in its heyday.
It relies on the bastions built by the Dutch!
Although the Spaniards did not want the Netherlands to be independent, they could not attack the Dutch bastion and had to admit it.
No one knows better than Vanderlaan how difficult a fortress can be!
If a traditional city is built with human lives, as long as people are willing to die, it can be conquered sooner or later.
Then the bastion is the kind of fortress that you can't even fill with human lives.
If you want to conquer the bastion, in this era, there is really no good way!
"Then how did the Ming thief capture the bastion?"
Shi Lang asked.
Vanderlaan shook his head and said.
"I don't understand either!"
"But based on the descriptions from the mouths of the veterans after the Battle of Jelanja and Macau, we can get a rough idea."
"The Ming army seems to have attacked the city by digging tunnels to blow up the city, digging trenches to the bottom of the bastion, and then using explosive shell fire to cover the climb."
When Shi Lang heard this, he felt that it should be feasible and immediately made the decision.
"Okay, let's try this tomorrow!"
"If I can't conquer Zhoushan quickly, how can I, Shi Lang, be worthy of the imperial court's attention?!"
…
On the second day, the Qing government began preparations for the siege.
I have to admit that it is different from the waste from the one-duck-two-duck period.
The Qing army in this era was still very capable of learning. The Ming army's siege methods were learned by the Qing army after they only used them a few times.
But there’s nothing we can do about it!
Every time the Ming army attacked the city, there was a lot of noise. How they attacked the city was impossible to hide.
As long as a little bit of news spreads, it is inevitable that someone will imitate it.
Shi Lang ordered the Qing army to comprehensively study the Ming army's siege methods.
On the one hand, they sent people to the south of the Yangtze River to search for miners and prepared to dig tunnels to blow up the city.
On the one hand, they ordered people to dig zigzag trenches and advance towards the bastion!
Moreover, Shi Lang also used the shield chariot, a sharp weapon used by the Qing court to deal with the Ming army's firearms when it was still Jin Dynasty!
He ordered people to build a shield car in Chongming, and then transport it to Zhoushan by sea ship!
…
The Qing army dug trenches outside the city, and the Ming army's artillery roared from time to time.
But the effect is not very good!
Because of the existence of trenches, solid bullets posed almost no threat to the Qing army, and even the power of explosive bullets was greatly reduced.
Only some small-caliber direct-fire mortars could cause a certain amount of damage to the Qing army.
One after another, the explosive bombs fell in the trench, and the explosion caused the Qing troops who were digging the trench to fall on their backs.
However, the accuracy of the mortar is limited after all, and only a few cannonballs can accurately hit the trench.
A large number of cannonballs fell in the open space outside the fortress!
It’s a waste!
Zhao Erhu stood at the top of the city, holding a telescope in his hand, his expression not very good.
"Haha, I never thought that the Ming Dynasty's siege methods would be learned by Qinglu!"
The lieutenant on the side said.
"Master Garrison, there is no need to worry. Didn't our army already take this situation into consideration when building the Zhoushan Fortress?"
The Ming army used this method to conquer fortresses, so they would naturally prevent the enemy from using the same method to attack the city.
It is necessary to be on guard!
Zhao Erhu nodded slightly and then ordered.
"Let the rifle gunners prepare in advance. As soon as any Qing prisoners emerge from the trench, they will fight!"
His adjutant bowed and agreed.
…
The battle continued, and the Qing army's trenches continued to dig forward.
From time to time, a small puff of gunpowder smoke would rise in the direction of Zhoushan Fortress, followed by a crisp sound.
The rifle gunners of the Ming army hid behind the female wall and observed the situation outside the fortress.
Every time a Qing army emerged from the trench, they would pull the trigger decisively.
The gunfire that rang out from time to time and the extremely high hit rate caused a great psychological shadow to the Qing troops digging trenches.
Amidst the crisp gunfire, the Qing army's advance slowed down significantly.
Shi Lang looked at the wounded and corpses being carried down one after another, his face not looking good.
Facts have proved that the trench digging tactics used by the Ming army to attack the city were effective.
In the process of digging trenches, there were occasional casualties.
But it's completely different from the scene where swarms of Qing troops fell under the fire blockade of the Ming army during a frontal assault.
However, Shi Lang felt very unhappy when he thought that this tactic was the Ming army's tactic.
The trenches were dug for a total of three days. After the Qing army suffered two to three hundred casualties, they finally dug the trenches to the city walls of Zhoushan Fortress.
Moreover, as the shield vehicles that were urgently prepared were transported from Chongming to Zhoushan, the Qing army prepared to attack the Zhoushan Fortress again.
Boom! Boom!
Several cannon shots sounded, and the Qing army launched an attack.
Some heavy armored soldiers of the Qing army began to push the shield carts forward, and more Qing troops advanced through the trenches towards the Zhoushan Fortress.
As the Qing army launched its attack, the Ming army's counterattack also began!
The sound of muskets and artillery made a noise!
The Qing troops in the trench did not suffer too many casualties, but the Qing troops pushing the shield carts suffered heavy casualties.
Amidst the roar of artillery, the shield vehicles were destroyed one after another.
As long as the shells fired by the coastal defense guns hit the shield vehicle, the strong shield vehicle would fall apart in an instant.
The Qing troops pushing the shield carts forward screamed in agony and were pricked all over by broken sawdust.
However, the biggest threat to the shield vehicle is actually the explosive ammunition!
After the solid bullet hits the shield vehicle, its kinetic energy will be removed, and it will not do much damage to the Qing army behind the shield vehicle.
But this is not the case with flower bombs!
The explosive shells fell on the front and rear of the shield vehicle, and the fragments produced by the explosion were able to penetrate the shield vehicle, causing heavy damage to the Qing soldiers behind the shield vehicle.
The Ming army's shelling blocked the Qing army's shield carriage, but the Ming army could not stop the large number of Qing troops advancing through the trenches.
However, the Qing army, which advanced through the trenches and reached the foot of Zhoushan Fortress, had not had time to be proud.
We have just gathered our troops in the front line trenches and are preparing to board the city.
Ignite grenades were thrown down from the fortress!
The Ming army's grenadiers used all their strength to throw the lit grenades into the trench.
As the fuse burns out, boom! Boom!
Explosions sounded one after another.
The Qing army, which had just concentrated its forces at the front line and prepared to launch an attack, was instantly attacked head-on.
However, as the two sides approached this distance, the Qing army also had the means to fight back.
Small-caliber squatting cannons, mortar cannons, and Weiyuan cannons were moved into the trenches by the Qing army.
The rumbling shelling caused a lot of casualties to the Ming army!
Countless shotguns and fist-sized solid bullets were fired towards the city.
From time to time, Ming soldiers were injured and dragged off the city by medical soldiers.
The Ming army was also fighting back. The musketeers fired neatly round after round of volleys, and the artillery fired continuously.