nucmednet Chapter 301 Attacking Jinyang City
Chapter 301 Attacking Jinyang City
The news of the 150,000 elite troops quietly withdrawing from Jinyang City was quickly grasped by Shi Li like a streaking fire in the dark night. He immediately summoned his advisor Kui Zheng and brave general Hou Lin to a secret room to discuss the major plan.
"If we march our troops to Jinyang now, what difference will we make between us and those greedy Xiongnu bandits?"
There was unquestionable righteousness in Kui Zheng's words, and his brows were full of dissatisfaction, as if every inch of the air was trembling with his indignation.
Shi Li knew that although Kui Zheng had never achieved success in his life, his heart was as firm as a rock and he would never trample on the dignity and bottom line of the nation for his own selfish interests. So, he spoke slowly, his tone gentle but firm:
"Don't worry, Mr. Kui. Although I, Shi Li, am willing to fight, I have no intention of harming the people. I came to Jinyang solely to obtain the formula for gunpowder. Once I obtain it, I will return it intact to its original owner to show that I am not greedy."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room relaxed a little. Everyone knew that Shi Li was a man of integrity and would keep his word, so their doubts also dissipated a little.
"Hey~ Kui Zheng, this is not something you can discuss casually. We are doing this for the sake of the people of Bingzhou. The Wang family has controlled Bingzhou for many years, and it's time for them to move out." Hou Lin said unhappily when he saw Kui Zheng saying something he shouldn't say.
"In that case, I will not go along with you!" Kui Zheng stood up angrily and wanted to walk out of the government office.
"You want to leave? Now that you know our secrets, I'm afraid you have no choice now." Hou Lin stood up, drew his knife, and was about to chop at Kui Zheng.
Shi Li hurriedly stopped him and said, "General Hou, please don't hurt anyone. I invited Kui Zheng here. If you have anything to discuss, please sit down and discuss it properly."
When Hou Lin heard Shi Li speak, he put the knife back into the sheath and sat back in his original position.
"Mr. Kui, we all had great ambitions and aspirations back then, but the Wang family betrayed us and went on to do the business on their own. This has cut off our source of income. When they become powerful in the future, they will definitely bully us."
Shi Li stepped forward and grabbed Kui Zheng, speaking earnestly.
"That's fine." Kui Zheng sat down helplessly, resigned to his fate, and sighed deeply. He didn't know whether it was because he was extremely helpless or because he was scared.
"Even though Jinyang has mobilized 150,000 troops, the combined forces now number over 100,000. All of us combined are less than 100,000."
"This~" Shi Li suddenly hesitated.
"What are you afraid of? We have cannons. We can definitely break the city with a few shots." Hou Lin said nonchalantly.
"Huh! Don't Jinyang have any cannons? Their new gunpowder is quite powerful, and they have already made more than a dozen cannons." Kui Zheng looked at Hou Lin as if he were a fool, and said with a hint of joking.
"You sour scholar, do you want to be beaten again?" Hou Lin couldn't stand such a look, his temper flared up again, and he pretended to stand up again.
Shi Li raised his hand to signal Hou Lin not to move.
"Mr. Kui, do you have any good ideas?" Kui Zheng was quite touched by Shi Li's humility.
"Lu Zhi is still serving as the governor near Jinyang. As long as he holds his troops still, we still have a fifty-fifty chance of victory."
"Lu Zhi?" Shi Li only then remembered the various things the Lu family had done when they first came to Pingyang County, and then asked seriously, "And then?"
"Have you ever noticed that our cannons have a flaw. They cannot be used on rainy days." Everyone nodded when they heard this.
"Then, let's choose a weather like this to attack the city." Kui Zheng continued.
"What you said is nonsense, Suanru. If they can't use it, how can we?" Hou Lin said dissatisfiedly.
"If they can't use it, then can't we use it?" Kui Zheng asked back.
Everyone was confused for a moment, and Shi Li said to Hou Lin, "Hou Lin, could you please be quiet and wait for Mr. Kui to finish what he is saying?"
Hou Lin turned his head away with a look of disdain.
"First, send some people to sneak into the city and set up internal support. Then, load all the smokescreens onto vehicles, disguise them as a caravan, and quietly approach the city gate."
Having said that, how could Shi Li not understand the profound meaning? He couldn't help but smile and said:
"Mr. Kui's plan is brilliant, let's act accordingly."
A few days later, hundreds of the ? tribe and those left behind by Tuoba Youyou disguised themselves as porters or villagers and headed for Jinyang with only some gunpowder in jars.
Shi Li requisitioned all the van vehicles in Pingyang County. Although they were of various types, they all had sedan chairs, so the small artillery pieces inside could be placed in them to prevent them from getting damp.
Use some cloth bags filled with sand and gravel for support, remove the rear compartment panel, and you can launch it perfectly.
The temperature difference between morning and evening in Jinyang is large, and condensation is easy to form at night. The iron cannons on the city walls easily absorb moisture, so these cannons are pushed into the room at night and wrapped tightly with oilcloth.
They are almost never taken out for use until the sun comes out the next day.
On this day, the sky cleared up after the rain. Dozens of large and small carriages gathered outside the city gate of Jinyang, looking like a huge caravan, which attracted the attention of the officers on duty on the city wall.
"Whose company is this? They have so many goods to bring into the city?" It seemed normal, but there always felt something strange about it. Moreover, these cars were parked two hundred steps away from the city gate, and they didn't seem to be in a hurry to enter the city.
"Who knows? They just arrived early in the morning. This convoy must be from a wealthy family." A defending soldier nearby replied.
"In the past, a dozen or so vehicles like this were considered a lot. This convoy is really large." The officer on duty said with a look of suspicion on his face.
At this time, the lower carriage board began to be removed, revealing the black gun barrel inside.
Perhaps because the distance was a bit far, the people on the city wall could not see it clearly, but when all the cars made the same move, an ominous premonition suddenly came over them.
"Oh no, there's something fishy going on with the cars below. They seem to be trying to attack the city." The officer on the city wall shouted involuntarily.
The soldiers on the city wall looked confused, and some early-rising villagers below the city also looked in the direction of the convoy.
"boom……"
"Boom boom..."
As a cannon shot pierced the sky, the rest of the artillery fire followed closely, as if responding to some mysterious call, and roars rose one after another.
Outside the city gate, innocent people struggled helplessly among the flying stones. The fragments of the city wall fell mercilessly like the judgment of fate. The land was filled with wailing. People were panicked and fled, looking for even a glimmer of hope for survival.
Shi Li's army was heartless and turned a deaf ear to the lives of the people below the city. The muzzles of the cannons were like cold eyes, locking onto the city gates again, and the ruthless artillery fire poured down again, vowing to tear this ancient defense into pieces.
The defenders in the city were awakened by the sudden loud noise and were suddenly dragged into the vortex of war from their peaceful sleep.
The soldiers quickly formed up, marching with firm and rapid steps, and gathered towards the city gate, ready for the upcoming decisive battle.
However, before they even stepped out of the camp, dark shadows streaked across the sky, accompanied by sharp whistles, and clay pots fell like raindrops, followed by a series of explosions like hellfire.
The city was already short of troops, with only 5,000 warriors stationed at each of the four gates. Although the city was strictly guarded on weekdays, it was difficult to hide the fact that the troops were stretched thin.
At this moment, the gate that carried the heavy responsibility of the city's defense became shaky under the roar of a series of explosive canisters. The defenders were forced to huddle in the camp, like a frightened bird, not daring to make the slightest rash move.
The city gate finally collapsed in the smoke and flames.
Yu Shaoqin, leading the way, led tens of thousands of elite soldiers and poured into the open city gate like a tide, vowing to plant the flag of victory on the top of the city wall.
Hou Lin, who was three miles away, heard the relentless artillery fire and a wave of bloodlust surged in his heart. He had no time to think and immediately led his troops to rush over.
When he arrived at the foot of the city, he saw the city gates were wide open and there was chaos everywhere. The fanaticism in his eyes became even more intense. He roared as if to tear the sky apart, and then led his warriors to rush into the city desperately.