Twenty thousand iron cavalry suddenly flew to the city, and the Northern Yuan soldiers were howling and shouting, showing their strength. Ha Chi Gu looked at the dim and dark city head, and the few scattered Ming army soldiers who were panicked and uneasy were all in his eyes.
"Warriors! Dismount and attack the city, charge in and kill, burn the Ming army's grain and fodder, slaughter them all, let them know the bravery of our great Yuan warriors, kill!"
"Kill..."
Under the encouragement of Hachiko, a group of soldiers rushed towards the weak gate of Gaozhou City like they had been injected with chicken blood. Hachiko watched his subordinates approach the city gate with excitement, as if he had already seen himself leading his troops to slaughter the entire city and being rewarded with honors and titles.
But he did not see the large number of Ming soldiers crouching on the city wall, who were watching the charging Northern Yuan soldiers with cold eyes, and their fire starters were already ready, and the dark firearms beside them also showed their appearance, which was a new firearm developed by Zhu Di from the military equipment bureau.
Divine fire flying crow, a nest of beehive rockets, large-scale fire guns everywhere, were brought over by Zhang Feng and others when they escorted the military rations, hidden in the grain carts, which was the private goods arranged by Zhu Di for his subordinates. It is unknown how Xu Da knew this news, but he handed over Gaozhou City to Tang Yun's troops, just wanting to borrow the power of these firearms.
These firearms can exert their greatest effect in defending a city, where they are placed high up and fired downwards, increasing both the range and power of the shot.
The leading qianhu looked at the approaching Yuan army below the city, one thousand steps, eight hundred steps, five hundred steps. When the soldiers carrying the dilapidated and simple siege ladders had clear faces, the leading qianhus simultaneously shouted orders: "Light up!" The soldiers who had been waiting for a long time blew fire starters, and the fuse burned rapidly. With the first fire arrow shot from a beehive-shaped arrow tube, this side of the city wall of Gaozhou City was like a fireworks display, with various types of firearms spewing flames. A beehive of fire arrows was shot out in the blink of an eye, and there were two hundred beehives here, a total of ten thousand fire arrows shot from the city wall onto the faces of the Northern Yuan people.
No matter where the rocket hits, the resulting explosion will cause great harm to the enemy. If it hits the thigh, it may also leave a disability. If an arrow is shot in the upper body, it must be fatal.
Those small and exquisite divine fire flying birds were even more deadly, if a beehive was still a simple combination of arrows and gunpowder, then these divine fire flying birds were perfect gunpowder weapons. With two wings, the divine fire flying birds could glide very far in the air, and when the fuse burned out, they would explode, and even if the Northern Yuan people wanted to escape, they would be chased and killed by the reed-made flying birds.
Now, let alone escape, they were all stunned by the explosion and stood still on the spot, allowing the Ming army on the city wall to shoot them. For the Yuan army, everything in front of them was so terrifying. Looking at various kinds of firearms above, the Yuan soldiers had only seen fire guns among them, which were much smaller than those on the city wall...
"Boom!" The sound of millions converged into one, Ha Chigu's eyes stared blankly as the first wave of over 7,000 people rushed forward and were submerged under the Ming army's firepower. Dust flew up to the sky, and the light from the flames illuminated the land below Gaozhou City.
The Yuan army outside the city did not move, and the Ming army on the city wall also did not move. Both sides were stunned by this momentum, the Yuan army was afraid, and the Ming army was excited.
The spring breeze blew in the evening, and the smoke and dust that covered the battlefield slowly dissipated, leaving only a scene of utter devastation. Of the 7,000 who had charged forward, fewer than 100 were still standing, and fewer than 200 bodies remained intact. The ground was littered with severed limbs and charred flesh, the bright red blood having been scorched black by the flames, creating a living hell on earth.
There were those who wailed in agony, those who stood frozen to the ground, and those who were reduced to mere flesh. The Yuan army soldiers nearby were silent as ghosts, having seen their share of death and fierce battles, but never such a brutal and merciless slaughter. Those who had been wailing had lost their voices, either because they could no longer endure the pain and took their own lives, or because they quietly bled out the last of their life force.
But those hundred lucky ones were like wooden stakes, standing stupidly in place, looking at their own pitch-black hands, looking at the pitch-black faces of their companions, their minds a complete blank, and finally they would only end up with a mental breakdown, not even the Ming army on the city wall shot them.
Because these hundred people have already become fools, they have lost their hearing and thinking, and even when they see torches, they will instinctively be afraid and avoid them. This is a group of pitiful people, so pitiful that not one person comes to comfort them as they head towards their own friendly army...
Hei Keku looked at the not-so-distant Gaozhou City in front of him, his face pale. He understood that he was finished now, having lost the 7,000 iron cavalry of Ping Zhang Zheng Shi Da Ren. Even if he had a hundred heads, it wouldn't be enough to chop off. Not just him, but his family and clan would likely suffer a disaster of extinction.
He is not afraid of death, but he does not want to die in vain. Now there is only one way, which is to fight with all his might to take down Gaozhou City. As long as the grain and grass of the Northern Expeditionary Army are burned, the loss of 7,000 people before will be worth it. In this way, even if he dies, his family and relatives will still survive.
With a resolute determination to die, Ha Jie Gu gritted his teeth and bellowed orders for another assault. He believed the Ming army's gunpowder reserves were almost depleted, and what followed would be a melee of blades, an area where the Mongol warriors had never feared anyone.
But the already timid soldiers did not listen to his orders, hesitating and daring not to move forward, with a thick layer of fear on their faces, they didn't want to die as pitifully as those before them.
Sang Ji's face looked ugly as he rode forward: "Sir, I think we should withdraw. The Zhaohui must have been killed long ago, and all this is a trap set by the Ming army. Look at the fire in the city, it only burns in those few places and doesn't spread at all. The Ming army has been waiting for us to arrive. Sir! Let's retreat!"
Sangji didn't want to provoke Hachiku, who was already on the verge of exploding, but for the sake of Dae Won and Pyeongjang's political affairs, he had to force himself to say these words.
"It's impossible, Sangji. I've withdrawn and can't retreat anymore. Take a hundred men and leave, take those who have been stunned as well. Go back and tell the esteemed ones who live in luxury that the Ming army is now powerful. If they are still thinking of internal strife and comfort, there is only one dead end. And for me, I can only take the road to conquer Gaozhou City." Ha Chi's hoarse voice echoed, his head not turning back as he stared fixedly at Gaozhou City.
Sangjie hesitated for half a day, finally made up his mind, and called on his subordinates to lead the hundred men away on horseback. The remaining soldiers looked at Hachiwu, they also retreated like Sangjie, they still wanted to live.
"Warriors, tell me, are you the bravest men of Da Yuan?"
"Hah!" The soldiers responded listlessly.
"Tell me, don't you want to be cowards!"
No one answered him this time.
"Since none of you want to be cowards, then take out the pride of being a Mongol, remember the pride of your ancestors who conquered all corners of the world without defeat! Do you see that earthen city in front of us? Charge in and kill!" Ha Chi Gu finished speaking and began charging forward on horseback, leading the charge.
The remaining soldiers looked at Hachigū with complex expressions, and gradually some of them followed him on horseback. In the end, more than 10,000 people followed him. They still couldn't put down their pride as Mongolians, even if they died, they had to take down this Gaozhou City...
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