Nanming Engineer

Chapter 397 Deterrence
The thirteenth day of May in the third year of Yongli in the Southern Ming Dynasty was also the thirteenth day of May in the fifth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty. On this day, outside the city of Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, there was an overwhelming crowd.

At first glance, the crowd was chaotic and chaotic, and the black and dense heads of people all over the mountains and plains were like the flooding Fen River, crowding out the woods, hills and fields, and scattered on the land without bounds.

The clothes of these people are ragged, their faces are tired, and their hair is disheveled. Everyone has a yin and yang head. ...Someone cut off the back of the head with a knife.

They hold sticks, rusty kitchen knives, guillotines, sickles and other weapons. Occasionally, strong men hold long knives and spears with sharp edges, and some tough-looking people even wear armor. They are all old and out of date, but the person who wears them is obviously a head taller than others, showing off their might and majesty.

If you distinguish carefully, you can find that these messy crowds are actually divided. Led by flags of various colors that seem to be made of sheets and quilts, people consciously belong to their own flag, and there are leaders in armor. Those who lead the way in the front, and there are also strong soldiers behind the formation, so the seemingly chaotic and disorderly team is actually not what outsiders see. Those leaders obviously have their own marching routes and goals. The flow of people behind him, like a juanjuan stream flowing into the sea, swarmed towards the gates of various cities in Taiyuan.

The Taiyuan city wall is tall and majestic, and the wide moat is turbulent, like a rich and huge treasure that stands out on the land of Jinzhong, deeply attracting this group of people who gathered from all directions in Shanxi. From the moment I saw the city wall of Taiyuan, someone shouted loudly and seductively.

"Old folks, Taiyuan City is in front of us. The food and treasures that the Tartars collected from all over Shanxi are stored in it. As long as they rush in, they can grab everything back!"

"Your Majesty said that the Son of Heaven has an order. Anyone who has meritorious deeds in killing the Tartars will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver and granted ten thousand households!"

"Everyone work hard together, the treasures in the city are piled up like a mountain! If the city is broken, all the things you grab will be yours, and you won't have to suffer for the rest of your life!"

"The tartars robbed us, and it is only right and proper for us to bring them back. Even if we die, we are fighting for our ancestors! When we go underground, we will not be ashamed to face your parents!"

Following the bewitching voices, the eyes of the disheveled people brightened, and the dark light of raging anger and greed burned fiercely inside. Someone immediately responded, shouting, and the crowd roared under the sky with the wind And Yang.

"Kill the Tartars! Kill the Tartars!"

Like thunderstorms passing across the sky, the roar of nearly 10 people made everyone who stood opposite them lose their courage. The Mongolian cavalry who used to be rampant outside Taiyuan City disappeared at this moment, and there was no one in sight.

All the markets and villages outside the city seem to have turned into ghost towns overnight. The vendors and merchants gathered on both sides of the bustling official roads in the past are no longer there. The surging army of rebels rushed into these empty houses and shops with screams that pierced the sky, searching for everything that could be used as spoils of war.

Seeing this situation, the accompanying soldiers would unceremoniously wave their leather whips, raining down on the rebels who had turned into bandits, while cursing angrily: "Are you all poor and crazy? Haven't When it’s time to grab things! There’s trash out there that others don’t want, what do you do with it? When the city breaks down, and you have time to pick it up, I’ll take my place, take my place, the tartars in the city aren’t dead yet, Aren’t you afraid that they will come out and cut you alive!? You still want to pick up something that doesn’t live up to expectations?”

The sound of cracking whips accompanied by cries of pain was inconspicuous amidst the stormy shouts, and no one could even hear them. Therefore, the generals and officials of the Qing army, such as Zhu Shichang and A Lai, standing on the top of the wall, did not Attract the slightest bit of attention.

Similar to the densely packed rebel army that seems to cover every inch of land under the city, the city of Taiyuan is also covered with fortified soldiers like ants. Behind every crenel, there are hidden soldiers holding their weapons tightly. Every female wall Underneath, there are piles of rolling logs and stones, the archers' quiver is filled with arrows, iron bullets are prepared beside the iron cannon, shields are placed on the top of the head, iron spears and long poles stand at the mouth, and every city wall is full of arrows. We are all ready, and everyone is on guard.

However, even so, when the guards saw the ocean-like wave of rebels outside, their legs still trembled slightly. In their memory, they didn't seem to have seen so many enemies. Oh, no, they did. Back then they When it was still in the Ming army, when Li Zicheng's army of thieves passed through Taiyuan, it was also of such a scale that it could almost flood the city.

Perhaps, each of these people spits out a mouthful of water, and a flood can arise.

Alai stood on the top of the city with his helmet on and a strong bow in his right hand. His complexion was already pale, his Adam's apple moved up and down, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then asked in a hoarse voice: "Anyway?" Did the thief call all the people from Shanxi? How come there are so many people?"

Zhu Shichang has already changed into a fine steel chain mail, with silver keyholes shining brightly, and on a rhinoceros belt around his waist hangs the treasured sword bestowed by Dorgon, with a blue gem on the handle that glows faintly, The vigor of the whole body could not conceal the fear shown by the slightly trembling muscles on his face.

"It's really unexpected. There must be more than [-] people watching this scene." Zhu Shichang's voice was bitter, as if he was struggling to swallow an unpalatable thorn: "I didn't expect that this gang of rebels would be so united. It was hard to predict. .”

A Lai's left hand, which doesn't hold a bow, subconsciously supports an iron cannon on the top of the city. This cannon is as big as a beam. He said: "Should we fire a cannon to extinguish their arrogance? These rebels are roaring loudly, and the soldiers below are afraid that they will be timid."

Zhu Shichang shook his head and denied his suggestion: "No, the rebels are still five miles away. Although the red cannon can shoot seven or eight miles, it is inaccurate. The firing is useless. Every time a cannonball is fired, one shell will be missing." , there is no need to waste it.”

He looked at Alai with a solemn face, and comforted him: "Don't worry too much. Although there are many rebels, they are a mob without any discipline. They swarm up and retreat. One moment they are wolves and the next they are dogs. Taiyuan Fortified cities cannot be breached by thieves with hoes. What's more, there are so many people who spend a lot of food and drink every day. If they are delayed, they will not be able to hold on. When the time comes, internal strife and strife will disappear without us doing it. .”

Alai's face was tense, and he breathed out lightly: "I hope so, but no matter what, it is impossible for us to go out of the city to fight with the troops at hand. The only way now is to stick to it and wait for a long time." After that, we will discuss again."

Zhu Shichang nodded, stroked his beard and said, "That's right, Mr. Alai is a seasoned plan."

The two stopped silently, staring into the distance together, observing the new round of crowds on the horizon with their own thoughts, and calculating how many enemies they would face in the upcoming battle.

Just at this time, a commotion-like sound came from the city wall not far from the south, including the voices of Mongols and Han people, and the voices were terrified.

Zhu Shichang and A Lai were furious when they heard the sound. When defending the city, during a big battle, panic and chaos are the most to be avoided. It can easily lead to panic and collapse, which is strictly prohibited in the army.

The two rushed over at the same time, and shouted angrily as they walked: "Who is making noise, aren't you afraid of military law?"

The place of commotion is not far away, very close to the south gate tower where the two are located, and they will arrive after a short walk. When they look up, they can see a group of soldiers in charge of guarding here pointing to the outside of the city, discussing with fear. .

A guard saw the two men coming, and hurriedly greeted them, and before the two men opened their mouths to punish, he shouted first: "My lords, look outside the city!"

Its sound contains fear, and its shape carries fear.

Zhu Shichang recognized at a glance that this was a filial officer in his army who was very generous in giving gifts and bribes, cursed inwardly, and followed the guard's finger to look out of the city.

It didn't matter what he saw. His eyes were immediately attracted to him, causing his whole body to tremble. He threw away his guard and lay down on the city wall. His hands dug into the wall bricks tightly, almost wanting to penetrate his flesh.

"Cannon! Cannon in red!" He murmured, eyes full of disbelief: "It's really cannon in red!"

(End of this chapter)