Chapter 53: The Decisive Blow - Landmine

  On the tens of meters wide mountain slope, under the cover of green grass and wild flowers, soldiers on both sides were fighting to the death, flesh and blood flying everywhere, the sound of killing shaking the sky, performing a cruel struggle of life and death.

  The drumbeat was still pounding, but it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe, only a mad resonance. The soldiers had no time to listen, they just stared at the enemy in front of them, shouting to boost their courage, mechanically stabbing and chopping.

  Wang Jinbao let out a loud roar, pulled out the long spear that was thrust at him, and with a backhand slash of his knife, knocked down a Ming soldier. The bodyguards on either side of him were also skilled in martial arts, fearless of death, and loyal to their lord. Under the fierce attack of this elite army, the Ming army's battle formation was forced to retreat step by step, and the central battle array that faced Wang Jinbao and his bodyguards' desperate attack was crushed and collapsed.

  "Charge, kill!" Wang Jinbao roared like a madman, waving the sharp long knife in his hand. As long as he broke through the Ming army's battle array, the Ming army would inevitably become chaotic and defeat was also to be expected.

  Chen Yiyao narrowed his eyes, reached out and grabbed a long spear, leading the Ming army under the flag to support the front. At this time, they absolutely could not be turned over by the Qing army. In terms of numbers, the Ming army still had an advantage, while the Qing army was relying solely on their desperate bravery.

  A piece of blackness rose again from the rear of the Ming army's battle array, and was thrown towards the Qing army. However, upon closer inspection, these things were still emitting wisps of smoke.

  Bang, bang, bang... Wang Jinbao's personal soldiers were already prepared, either holding up shields to block or jumping aside to dodge. The thrown objects hit the shields with a loud bang and then rolled to the ground, but judging from the force, they didn't seem like heavy stones.

  "Boom!" Wang Jinbao's foot suddenly exploded with a loud crack, and he felt his ears buzzing, a sharp pain spreading up from his calf.

  Boom, boom, boom... A series of explosions rang out in the Qing army's formation. What was thrown from behind the Ming army's formation wasn't stones, but earth bombs loaded with gunpowder and gravel.

  These earth bombs were made by Zheng Yanbei at the behest of Zhu Yuxiang, and due to the urgency of the time, the earth bombs produced were varied in shape and size. Some used bottles as containers, while others were tightly wrapped with cowhide paper. As for their power, it was not worth boasting about - they couldn't easily kill people, but the flying stones could easily injure them. More importantly, their use had a sudden impact, producing a strong audio-visual effect that inevitably caused chaos and panic among the Qing troops.

  Some of the earth-made bombs shattered as soon as they hit the ground, and the gunpowder was ignited by the fuse, bursting into flames. Some of the earth-made bombs were lighter and flew for a longer time before exploding in mid-air with a loud noise, shooting out shards of stone amidst the dazzling light, making them even more powerful.

  Smoke and flames filled the air, loud explosions shook the ground. The Qing army's ferocious elephant was suddenly drenched with a bucket of cold water, instantly falling from its peak to the bottom of the valley. Over a hundred earth bombs flew over, almost covering the concave area where Wang Jinbao led his personal soldiers in a charge. In the midst of rising black smoke and dust, cries of pain and shouts filled the air, it was unknown how many Qing soldiers were killed or injured.

  Chen Yiyao led the reinforcements to arrive, and together with the Ming army in the battle array, they stared blankly at the Qing army trapped in a sea of smoke and fire. On the battlefield, except for the explosions and screams, the loud and fierce battle cries could not be heard, and almost everyone was stunned by this unprecedented scene.

  The earth bombs were all used up, but the catapults were still at work, this time with real stones, pounding into the smoke with dull thuds.

  "The Qing army has been defeated, prepare to charge." Chen Yiyao finally closed his mouth that had been open for half a day, waving his large spear and making an accurate judgment.

  "The Qing army is defeated, long live the Great Ming!" Chen Yi-yao's personal soldiers shouted loudly.

  "The Qing army is defeated, the Ming army wins!" Another bodyguard raised his long spear and shouted with all his might.

  "Long live! Total victory!" The shouts grew louder and more uniform, filled with the thrill and excitement of a hard-won battle.

  Once flourishing, then declining, and finally exhausted, the Qing army launched a desperate attack with reckless bravery, initially making some gains, but suffered a crushing defeat at a critical moment. Now even the commander's own troops are unaccounted for, how can they still have the confidence to defeat the Ming army and escape alive? Once confidence is lost, it's just a dying struggle, the defeated Qing army is no longer worthy of fear.

  Zhu Yongxing saw that all the earth bombs had been thrown, and he brought 50 musketeers to rush to the front. Although it was the first time using them, he had an extra thought, beforehand twisting several or a dozen fuses of the earth bombs together, then igniting and launching them. This reduced the number of launches and also lowered the risk of misoperation causing self-inflicted explosions. Now only stones were left to be thrown, so there was no need for him to direct and supervise, he eagerly wanted to see the effect of the bombardment.

  The smoke gradually dispersed under the blowing of the mountain wind, and the scene of desperation but not quite tragic was clearly presented in front of everyone under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes.

  The lethal effect of the landmine was not great, but its wounding effect was considerable. The main reason was that the Qing army's leg and foot protection were inadequate, or rather non-existent. The flying shrapnel caused many casualties who were crippled or unable to get up. However, most of the deaths were caused by the thrown stones.

  Wang Jinbao used his knife to prop himself up, barely standing up. A flying stone hit his forehead, blood flowing, and with the black face smoked, he looked ferocious and disheveled. His most powerful personal army was also heavily killed and wounded, and the fierce momentum of the brave charge had disappeared. Behind them, there was still a Qing army, their faces revealing expressions of fear and despair, their feet grinding backwards.

  Defeated, they were finally defeated, defeated by the enemy's chaotic tactics. Wang Jinbao felt a little unwilling, staring fiercely at the Ming army in front of him with high morale and strict formation. Blood flowed into his eyes, people and objects turned red, and then everything was a deep red.

  "I am Wang Jinbao, the commander of the Qing army's right flank, who dares to fight me?" With a belly full of resentment, Wang Jinbao let out a howl like a wounded wolf.

  This mournful and piercing howl made the Ming army quiet for a moment, Chen Yiying hummed a sound, beheading the general, this achievement belongs to him alone, he grasped his long spear and was about to step out of the formation.

  "Traitors who aid the tiger, wielding knives and guns against their own kind, staining their crowns with the blood of their compatriots - only two words can describe them: Han traitors! Rushing to the front lines, Zhu Yongxing reached out to grab Chen Yiying, his voice echoing through the mountains. "Even if you shave your head and change your clothes, even if you have a golden mouse tail, in the thick earth of China, there is no place for you to be buried; your ancestors underground, you have no face to meet them with. With death looming over you, you still dare to shout, truly shameless! Beheading you is just like killing a barbarian dog! Musketeers, form up and fire, eliminate this Han traitor!"

  Wang Jinbao was scolded until his teeth chattered, staring at Zhu Yongxing who was surrounded by a group of guards in bright uniforms and armor, he bellowed: "The great Qing has taken over, it is the will of heaven. You are going against heaven's orders..."

  "The barbarians may be rampant for a time, but China has a reason that must be extended." Zhu Yongxing was too lazy to talk nonsense with him, seeing the gunners had formed their array, he suddenly waved his hand, "Fire, shoot!"