Chapter 398: The country is peaceful and the people are safe
In front of the artillery, the wooden cottage gate can only be described as shattered.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!"
More than a dozen general cannons fired a salvo, and the cannonballs flew across the sky, shaking the earth, causing smoke and sand to fly.
After everything is eliminated, there will be no door left. Only the broken wood shows that the door really existed.
"I have a biological mother, how the hell do I want to beat this???"
Wang Jingangnu, who led more than 20,000 soldiers to guard the gate of the stronghold, was completely stunned.
Before this, he had thought about many scenes where the army was surging, fighting hard, and arrows flying.
Only the scene of explosion in front of him was something he had never thought about.
Turning around and sweeping away, I saw all the soldiers in the stronghold, all with their necks shrunken, showing no signs of momentum at all.
at the foot of the mountain,
Cao Zhen looked at the messy scene on the mountain from a distance and smiled contemptuously.
In front of the general's artillery, these cottages were destroyed in one blast without any pressure at all.
"Pass this general's order, prepare the second artillery piece, hit him!"
Cao Zhen roared loudly, pointed his sword forward, and shouted loudly.
At this time, the adjutant was standing by and whispered: "General, is it too wasteful to fire like this?"
Cao Zhen's eyes widened and he shouted: "You know very well. To attack the enemy's heart, the first shot hits the gate, and the second shot hits the momentum."
The adjutant smiled bitterly and said no more.
Although the artillery is good, its accuracy is not high. It is okay to attack the gate, but it will be difficult to defeat the scattered enemies.
The rebels on the mountain were scattered here and there, and the twelve cannons were unable to cause much casualties at all.
The key point is that artillery shells are extremely expensive, and it is not worth using artillery to fight against the rebels in these mountains.
With the second round of shelling, there was a cry of crying for fathers and mothers in the village.
As Cao Zhen said, the momentum of this artillery attack was really powerful. There were only three or four thousand people on our side, and there were more than 20,000 people on the opposite side. Their morale was on the verge of collapse.
Wang Jingangnu shouted loudly and ordered his cronies to arrest them in various ways. Only then did they stop the rout and regain their morale a little.
In fact, Wang Jingangnu was also trembling in his heart, because just now, an artillery piece fell not far from him, and an unlucky soldier was directly blown into a bloody mess.
Some blood stains spattered on his body.
"Spread out! All spread out!!!"
It has to be said that Wang Jingangnu still has some military talent. When he came to his senses, he quickly realized that artillery would do the most damage to densely packed people.
Although the noise was loud just now, there were only twenty or thirty casualties, and this was all because a cannonball fell into a certain team.
Several artillery rounds hit the big trees and missed.
As Wang Jingangnu shouted, the soldiers also reacted and quickly dispersed in all directions.
"The response is quite fast, but this general no longer plans to use artillery."
Cao Zhen said with a sneer, and then issued a military order:
"The one with the sword and shield is in front, and the one with the gun is behind. Today, let me, the general, experience the power of the matchlock gun."
"As commanded."
As the army moved, hundreds of sword and shield wielders and hundreds of fire gun wielders soon appeared, forming an array and pressing towards the mountain road.
The mountain road is naturally narrow, and there are only four or five people in a row. There are extremely narrow places where only two people can pass.
It is true that one man is in charge and no one can open it.
This is also the confidence of the rebels.
However, all this is meaningless in front of the fire gunman.
Totally a living target.
Bang bang bang!!!
With the sound of matchlocks, the rebels guarding the mountain road were shot down the cliff without making the slightest move.
"Shameless!! Shameless!!!"
Seeing this scene, Wang Jingangnu was so angry that he cursed loudly.
Those guarding the narrow passage are real veterans, veterans who were not afraid of death and dared to charge.
Now it has no effect at all, and lives have been lost in vain.
Our own advantage has completely turned into a disadvantage.
Even though there are 20,000 people on the mountain, there is a feeling that there is nothing they can do.
"Where are the archers? Prepare to meet the enemy."
Seeing the army getting closer and closer to Shanzhai Avenue, Wang Jingangnu shouted loudly.
"Erect shield!!!"
Seeing this, the commander of the Sword and Shield Hand also shouted loudly.
Large shields half a man's height were closely spliced together to form a shield wall. The gunman hid in the shield wall, using the shield as a frame between the gaps to aim and counterattack.
The arrows rained down, but most of them were blocked by shields.
Most of the rebels had rough arrowheads made of wood, and only a few made of fine iron. After all, they had previously robbed the city, not the guardhouse.
With only a few thousand garrison troops, the armaments were naturally pitiful.
Even fine iron arrows were unable to penetrate the large shield and only caused some sporadic casualties to the officers and soldiers, who were quickly replaced by others from behind.
"The Axeman is ready to meet the enemy!"
Wang Jingangnu looked ugly, and the elite of the Ming court were much more difficult to deal with than he imagined. What followed was definitely a fierce battle.
There isn't even any hope at the moment.
"There is no need for a large army to come. Just relying on the three thousand vanguards of this general, we can put down the rebels in one fell swoop."
Cao Zhen laughed and said loudly.
The adjutant had no choice but to remind: "General, having said that, don't forget that there are more than 20,000 rebels on the mountain. Although morale is shattered, we and the other 3,000 soldiers will definitely pay a heavy price.
"
"There are also three hundred fire gunmen among them, all of them are extremely valuable and they were obtained with great difficulty. It would be really not worth it if they were lost because of this."
"My grandson has re-established the military regulations. Every battle should be recorded in a book. If you review the battle afterwards and wantonly harm the lives of soldiers, it will not only be a failure, but it will also be considered a crime. Please be careful, general."
Upon hearing the adjutant's reminder, Cao Zhen's expression froze.
Looking at the military discipline officer not far away, he smiled awkwardly and said: "General, I am just making a metaphor. Of course, I will not act like this."
"Okay, without further ado, please quickly inform the general that the front position is about to be captured, please move forward."
The adjutant immediately cupped his fists and said, "I obey."
Half a mile away,
Lan Yu smiled and said to Zhu Quan: "It seems that the situation ahead has been decided. We only need to guard the intersections and we will be able to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop today."
Zhu Quan nodded in approval and said, "It is unimaginable that artillery and matchlocks can exert such power in such mountains and forests."
"I still have a lot to learn from the generals in this army."
Although it is difficult to see clearly from a distance of several hundred meters, the general situation can basically be seen.
The impact of two rounds of artillery almost caused the morale of the rebels in the village to collapse.
The cooperation of the sword and shield hand and the fire commander integrated attack and defense, turning the bad into the good, and winning the dangerous climb up the mountain with the least casualties.
Next, the situation is settled.
Under Lan Yu's order, the army moved forward.
More than 30,000 soldiers were dispatched.
There are more than 50,000 soldiers in total, but only close to 20,000 are used to blockade the stronghold to prevent the rebels from escaping.
The number of more than 30,000 soldiers is almost the same as the number of rebels. However, in actual combat, as the elite guard of the capital, 30,000 soldiers are enough to counter the 100,000 rebels.
Wang Jingangnu looked at the surging army in the distance, and the mountain pass had been breached by the army. Swordsmen, shields and firemen were stationed step by step. The large number of soldiers could not form an effective charge at all, but were being harvested continuously.
"Quick, go and ask the king to come over."
Wang Jingangnu said to his cronies. At this time, he already felt a little weak.
The most important thing is that Wang Jingangnu is ready to step forward in person, charge with his old soldiers, and knock down the vigor of the officers and soldiers.
Naturally, if you want to rush in and kill yourself, you need someone from behind to guard you.
While Wang Jingangnu was waiting anxiously, the confidant came running in panic.
Without thinking much, Wang Jingangnu asked directly: "What did the king say?"
The confidant was trembling all over. He subconsciously looked at the person next to him, and then whispered: "Your Majesty, he has left."
"What!!!"
Wang Jingangnu asked in disbelief.
The surrounding cronies looked over subconsciously.
He also knew that at this time, this kind of thing would affect the morale of the army too much. He grabbed his confidant, dragged him behind a tree, and asked, "Do you know what I just said?"
The confidant said with a bitter look: "Boss, of course I know. I just went to the king's residence, and the place was already empty. Even the bedding in the room has disappeared."
"The king's personal guards were also missing. Seeing this, I immediately went to find Mr. Gao."
"But...Mr. Gao's place is just the same."
Having said this, the henchman looked ahead nervously and whispered: "Boss, I found a secret passage in the king's room. Why don't we escape quickly?"
"Taking this opportunity, the leader will bring a few brothers with us. The king's secret passage will definitely avoid the encirclement of the army and we will definitely be able to escape."
Wang Jingangnu's face was ashen, and his eyes became a little hollow.
He didn't expect that at such a critical moment, the king would abandon him.
Looking back at how high-spirited the king was at the beginning, but now he is running away like a prodigal dog.
"Boss, the king has already left. If we stay here, we will only die. Run away quickly." The henchman looked at the leader's absent-minded look and urged him again.
Wang Jingangnu looked at his cronies blankly, and seemed to have regained consciousness.
When the confidants saw this, they opened their mouths and wanted to persuade him again.
Phew!
This was the sound of a sharp blade entering the body, and a sharp pain came from the chest of the confidant. His eyes widened and he looked down. He saw the simple knife in Wang Jingangnu's hand, which gave him a chill.
"Boss, why...why..." the henchman asked in disbelief as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, Wang Jingangnu's eyes were sad but firm.
"Brother, I'm sorry. Your Majesty is unkind, but I can't be unjust. Once upon a time, my whole family was only able to survive because of your Majesty's support. Now that my wife and children have their own way out, it's time for me to repay your kindness to Your Majesty."
After saying that, he turned the knife over in his hand and never gave his cronies a chance to speak again.
"Don't worry, it won't be long before I come down personally to apologize to you."
Pulling out the simple sword, Wang Jingangnu returns to the battlefield.
"Boss, what's going on? Where is Brother Li?"
"Boss, why is the king not making any movement? Did he escape?"
"Boss, there are rumors below that the king has taken people to escape through a secret passage. Is this true? Has the king really escaped?"
Several young leaders saw Wang Jingangnu approaching and hurriedly came to ask.
Wang Jingangnu's expression did not change and he shouted: "Li San has been executed by this heavenly king for his lies. The king has secretly ordered that he has led thousands of brothers to outflank the officers and soldiers through secret passages."
"As long as we persist for one more hour, your Majesty will be able to attack the Ming court troops with us from front to back, and we will definitely win in one fell swoop."
"This is the military order of the Heavenly King. All brothers must defend this hour with all their might. If anyone flinches and refuses to do so, he will be killed!"
"Brothers, follow this heavenly king and defend the mountain road to the death!!! Kill!!!"
With one point of the sword, everyone returned to their hearts.
When they heard that the king had outflanked them, everyone immediately felt relieved.
Even if there are those who don't believe it, they will suppress their doubts when they see King Vajra Nu standing in front.
The rumors just now were disproven. If all the great kings had escaped, how could the king of heaven still be fighting fiercely here?
Morale surged, forcing the advancing officers and soldiers back.
Cao Zhen at the foot of the mountain was a little puzzled.
What the hell is this rebel doing? How come his morale suddenly soared? Could it be that the rebel Tian Jiucheng came in person?
Anyway, this is the last counterattack of the rebels.
After breaking through this wave, the rebels should be taken down directly.
At this time, Lan Yu had already come over, riding to Cao Zhen's side and saying, "Yes, this battle will be your first achievement."
"Thank you, General." Cao Zhen laughed and bowed with his fists.
Lan Yu then looked at Zhu Quan and said: "The mountain road is narrow. Please ask the Highness to order the Xuanjia Guards to dispatch to open the mountain road."
Zhu Quan nodded, pulled out the sword from his waist, and pointed it at the mountain road.
Thousands of people surged from behind, and the Xuanjia guards from a thousand-household residence trotted forward in unison.
If you look carefully, you can see that everyone has a sword on their waist, a match rope wrapped around them, a blunderbuss in their hand, and they are all covered in armor, with only their eyes exposed.
Even when running, they still follow a strict formation.
Even if Cao Zhen saw the blue jade many times, he couldn't help but be amazed at this moment.
The same matchlock gun's killing power here at Xuanjia Guard is comparable to that of a sharp archer.
Gunshots rang out in an orderly and continuous manner, the mountainside was filled with smoke, and the rebels fell in droves.
In less than two sticks of incense, the mountain road had been captured by the army.
The Xuanjia Guards did not charge in a hurry and stood firm at the mountain pass. The troops behind them continued to pour in.
What followed was a one-sided massacre.
In less than half an hour, the rebels on the mountain had completely collapsed. A large number of soldiers dropped their weapons and fell to their knees.
No matter how strong the resistance is, under the matchlock gun, it will return to dust, dust to dust, and it will not stir up any waves.
As dusk approached, the entire mountain stronghold had been completely captured and the battlefield began to be cleared.
"Report!"
"The rebel king Vajra Nu died in the battle at the mountain pass, the false king Tian Jiucheng, the king of heaven was happy, and He Miaoshun disappeared."
"A secret passage was discovered in the residence of the false king in the village. However, the secret passage has been blocked by rocks and the destination is unknown."
When Lan Yu heard this, he immediately noticed the changes in the village based on the previous situation: "This King Kong slave is still a loyal person, but it is a pity that he has joined the rebels."
After sighing, he told his adjutant: "I have given this general's order to immediately search for the whereabouts of Tian Jiucheng and others."
"I have the order." The adjutant saluted with clasped fists, and then went to inform the soldiers surrounding the mountain.
Although several bosses escaped, Lan Yu didn't care too much.
This kind of bereaved dog will definitely have a difficult time in the future. All he has to do is go to the sea to catch documents, and it will be a matter of time before he is caught.
All that remains is to report the good news to the capital.
Today the great grandson is getting married, the rebels have been annihilated, spring plowing has been carried out, and the Ming Dynasty has been unified. It can be said that the country is peaceful and the people are safe.