On and off the city wall where the battle was fierce, there were loud shouts of killing, especially the Tatars outside the city who had not yet had their turn to attack the city. They were also making noises, as if they were cheering for their companions and trying to drown out the voices of the Ming army on the top of the city.
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Luo Xiao, like other local soldiers, was attracted by the movement over there. While sitting on the ground to recover his strength, he watched the fierce battle over there.
If we were to count who had the most rolling logs and stones thrown into the city, Luo Xiao would be second, but probably no one would dare to claim first.
A person who can shoot a strong bow naturally has strong arm strength. In addition to having the same idea of defending the city as others, he also has many meritorious deeds in mind to gain the honor of the county magistrate, so he is even more dedicated to his life.
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Zuo Yingxuan on the archery tower was also attracted by the huge sound. He looked at the several city walls where the Tatars concentrated their attacks. The rural soldiers were struggling to cope with it, and many of them were injured and had to be carried off. He knew that if this situation continued, they would not be able to consume the city.
Tens of thousands of Tatars outside.[
He called a government official and asked him to go and deliver the order to use the last weapon.
Soon, boxes were transported to the city walls one by one. Some boxes only had a large round lump inside, while others contained small iron lumps.
The soldiers took out the round lump, lit the fuse and threw it down casually.
This round lump is a homemade thunderbolt poison fireball made by the people of Changli. It originated from the Song Dynasty. In addition to gunpowder, it also contains croton, wolfsbane, lime, arsenic and other substances.
After several "boom boom" sounds, a large cloud of thick smoke emerged from under the city wall, and the smoke was poisonous. The Tatars did not even think of taking precautions. After inhaling the poisonous gas, their mouths and noses bled, and they screamed and fell to the ground.
The small iron lump was called Zhentian Lei, and contained a number of hook-shaped iron pieces called "Fire Rats". After the soldiers lit it, they threw it towards the Tatar archers.
The sound of "boom boom" is continuous. Although the sound is not as good as the poisonous fireball from the thunderbolt cannon, the power is not inferior at all. The "fire rats" inside are running around, getting into the bodies of the Tatar archers one after another, and releasing
A big piece of tartar was poured.
When the leaders of the Mongolian tribes who were watching the battle saw it, they all cried to Daishan: "The Ming army threw firearms again, and the men suffered heavy casualties. Lord Beile, please withdraw."
Daishan looked at these Mongolians with grim faces. They all looked like this. The casualties were too heavy. If they were not allowed to pay tribute, they would probably resist collectively.
He pondered for a moment, then looked at how few ladders were left at the city wall, and said, "Wait a little longer and see if the strategy of attacking from the east to the west works. If it still doesn't work, just call in the money and withdraw the troops."
When the leaders heard this and remembered this, they stopped crying and looked at the city walls where there was no fierce fighting.
At the section of the city wall where the battle had been fiercest just now, a large area under the city had been shrouded in poisonous smoke. The Tatars were unable to attack again and were hiding in all directions. The pressure on the rural soldiers on the top of the city was greatly reduced, and they straightened up and began to fight back vigorously.
Zuo Yingxuan saw this from the arrow tower, but he was not overjoyed because this result could have been expected before throwing these firearms.
There are not many materials for making these firearms in Changli City, and a lot of them were used this time, which means that if there is such a fierce battle again, without these killer defenses, it will be a question of whether they can prevent it.
More and more rural soldiers were attracted by the explosions, the screams of the Tatars and the cheers of the rural soldier brothers. They all looked over. Even the rural archers outside the city were counterattacking.
Don't take advantage of the opportunity to glance over there and share the joy there.
Just when Luo Xiao was rejoicing for his brothers over there, he suddenly felt something was wrong. Why were the Tatar archers on his side of the city wall shooting more and more diligently? Logically speaking, it should not be when morale is weak.
With Luo Xiao thinking this, he looked outside the city wall and suddenly found several more ladders erected on several walls that were not protected by wooden rafts.
The rural soldiers who were shooting back were now being shot by more and more dense bows and arrows and hiding under the city wall, and did not find the ladder at all.
A Tatar's head popped out of the city wall and was about to climb up. The Tatar archers outside the city stopped shooting or shot at both sides of the ladder in order to avoid accidentally injuring their companions who had climbed to the top of the ladder.[
No, the Tatars are attacking in the east and west, and this is their ultimate move.
Luo Xiao quickly stood up and shouted: "The Tatars are coming!" Originally he was throwing logs and stones, and without weapons, he rushed towards the ladder with his bare hands. At this time, he only had one thought in his mind,
We must not let the Tatars charge forward.
If the Tatars rush to the city wall, the country soldiers will not be their opponents, and the final result can only be the fall of Changli City.
When Luo Xiao rushed over, Tatar's face happened to be exposed, with a sinister smile on his face.
Luo Xiao punched the Tatar straight in the face with such force that his fist dug in. The Tatar screamed and fell backwards.
But the second Tatar came up immediately. Luo Xiao didn't have time to think about it. He tried his best to push the ladder, but the weight of several Tatars was on it and it couldn't move at all.
What's worse is that the Tatars on several ladders nearby have already exposed their bodies and are about to turn over and enter the city wall.
If these Tatars scale the city wall together, it will be difficult for the country soldiers to defeat them in a short time. This means that Tatars will continue to swarm up the city in the future.
At this critical moment, Luo Xiao didn't even think about why the support from his companions hadn't arrived yet. He only had one thought in his mind: he couldn't let the Tatars attack the city.
There was not much he could do now, so Luo Xiao gave up on the ladder in front of him and rushed towards the ladder over there with all his strength. With the force of the pounce, he moved diagonally towards the ladder.
On the ladder closest to Luo Xiao, the Tatar who was climbing watched helplessly as the Ming army soldier rushed towards him and tipped the ladder over. He had no time to react and fell down screaming.
As the ladder tilted, it caused the ladder on the other side to fall down together. Luo Xiao was also unable to hold back due to the ladder using all its strength, and fell down the city wall along with the ladder.
It was precisely because of Luo Xiao's desperate efforts that the two ladders on the other side fell down, preventing the Tatars on the other side from climbing up the city wall.
In the blink of an eye, so many things happened. Luo Xiao's companions needed to be reminded by him. They turned around and happened to see this scene, but they were too late to rescue them. They watched Luo Xiao and several ladders fall to the top of the city.
Just before the ladder in front of Luo Xiao collapsed, another Tatar showed up. A country soldier archer drew his bow sadly and indignantly, and an arrow hit the Tatar right in the face.
The other country soldiers had already reacted and rushed over one after another, working together to get the ladder down.
There were not many ladders hidden by the Tatars. The main point was to attack this small section of the city wall that was not protected by wooden rafts. Unexpectedly, Luo Xiao's desperate attempt failed to succeed.
In addition, there were several sneak attacks that did not have so many ladders. One or two Tatars who climbed up were killed by the local soldiers, so it was thrilling.
When the Mongolian leaders outside the city saw that their strategy of attacking from the east to the west failed, they surrounded Daishan one after another.
Daishan saw that the ladder had almost been lost, and it would be useless to force them to attack, so he ordered the gold to be withdrawn.
Zuo Yingxuan, who was on the arrow tower, heard the golden sound of the Tatars outside the city, and saw the Tatars retreating like a tide below the city. The heart that had been holding on to him finally relaxed, and he finally withstood another Tatar attack.
war.
The rural soldiers at the head of Changli City collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the fight. On the contrary, when the people in the city heard that the Tatars had been repelled, they cheered to celebrate the victory.[
The intensity and duration of this siege were unprecedented, and it consumed a large amount of defensive materials in Changli City.
Zuo Yingxuan did not go back to the county government immediately. Instead, he went down from the watchtower and began to inspect all the city defense conditions along the city head.
When Luo Xiao's companions saw Zuo Yingxuan coming, they all knelt on the ground and reported to the county magistrate the dangerous situation and Luo Xiao's heroism, and asked to go down and collect Luo Xiao's body.
Zuo Yingxuan did not see this thrilling scene just now, but after listening to the report of the rural soldiers, he could fully imagine the critical situation at that time.
If the Tatars climbed up together with a few ladders, the gap in the city defense would probably be opened. If it weren't for Luo Xiao, Changli City might have been captured by the Tatars.
Zuo Yingxuan walked quickly to the city wall and looked outside the city. Under the guidance of the village soldiers, he saw Luo Xiao, who had been stabbed several times and lay quietly under the city wall, devoting his youth to the city of Changli.
s life.
Zuo Yingxuan quickly commanded the local soldiers, hung up a volunteer soldier with a rope, and retrieved Luo Xiao's body.
This time, with these brave country soldiers, Changli was defended. So next time, will the Tatars attack the city so regardless of damage? Will Changli be defended again? Zuo Yingxuan had no answer in his heart.