1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3253
Although most of the defenders in Yixing County came from nearby states and counties, lacking a unified command and dispatch, resulting in an obvious disadvantage in the battle, no one dared to take the lead in retreating from the county because of their duties.

Everyone still had a bit of luck in their hearts, thinking that the Haihan army was only fierce in long-range firepower, and might not be good in close combat.If the opponent invades the city, the combat environment will become a close combat mode, and the powerful cannons outside the city will be useless, and the own side can completely give it a go by relying on its superiority in strength.

Based on their knowledge, it is normal to make such a judgment, but it is inevitable to greatly underestimate the strength gap between the Ming army and the Haihan army.

Under continuous artillery fire, the defenders lost the city defenses on the south side of the county seat, and the Haihan army outside the city had hardly suffered any casualties, and had captured the rubble that was originally the south gate.

The defenders in the city relied on the houses and various barricades that had just been built, aiming their bows, arrows and firearms at the direction where the Haihan army was about to attack.The closest place to the battle is estimated to be less than ten feet away.

This was one of the few opportunities for the Haihan army to enter the range of the Ming army's weapons since the start of the war. The defenders in the city began to shoot dense arrows at this gap in the defense line, trying to suppress the Haihan army's offensive.

The attacker's counterattack method was nearly a hundred grenades that flew in from outside the city. After these grenades exploded in the formation of the Ming army, they immediately caused chaos. The defenders in the city fired.

The defenders believed that reducing the combat distance could cause damage to the Haihan army, and their own disadvantages in weapon performance could be slightly alleviated, but the actual situation is that the Haihan army's rifle killing efficiency also increased in the close combat environment.

As soon as the two sides fought, the formation of the Ming army fell to the ground as if they were lined up and shot.

The Haihan army quickly occupied the heights of the city wall that had not yet collapsed, and condescendingly shot at the Ming army fighting in formation on the street.

Almost without exception, the barricades deployed near the south gate were quickly hit by grenades that pierced through the air.

Only then did the commanders of the Ming army realize that their predictions about the battle situation were wrong. What they thought was close combat was a hand-to-hand close combat between the two sides.However, the Haihan army's melee method is to continue to control the combat distance and suppress the Ming army with firepower output.

The Ming army has an air strength advantage, but it is difficult to turn it into a victory.The musketeers and archers accounted for only one-tenth of the army, and became the most important firepower output units, while the other Ming army armed with melee weapons could play a very limited role in this way of fighting. .

The layout of the buildings in the city further compressed the fighting space of the Ming army, causing a large number of people to fight in the streets. Isn't this a living target for the Haihan army armed with rifles?
Although the bows and arrows and firecrackers of the Ming army also achieved certain lethal results, it was difficult to stop the Haihan army's offensive from launching along the city wall.The grenade cleared the way and was supplemented by rifle pursuit. The Haihan army's combat method was simple and rough, but it made it difficult for the Ming army to parry. More and more infantry entered the city through the gap in the south gate.

At this time, Qian Wenxian had retreated to the county government office in the north of the city, he was hesitant to decide whether to flee or not.

Just now, he watched the battle between the two armies from a distance on the street for a while, and he knew that there was no luck today, the defenders were already in decline, and it was only a matter of time before the county fell.

Knowing that he was powerless to control the situation of the battle, Qian Wenxian returned to the county government and burned some documents he considered more important to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Haihan people.

At this time, most of the defenders are already fighting and retreating, trying to gradually leave the battlefield and then try to evacuate.

For the reinforcements from other places, losing the enemy in battle was a reasonable reason to retreat, but Qian Wenxian was the magistrate of Yixing County, and as a local official, he had the responsibility to guard the land, so once he escaped, he would lose his righteousness.

While he was still hesitating, an explosion sounded from the south of the city, followed by a large number of retreating Ming troops pouring into the road outside the county office.These people are all heading for the north gate, which is currently the only way out of the county.

There are many people who discarded their helmets and armors on the way, and when everyone was running for their lives, no one seemed to care about Qian Wenxian, the county magistrate.

Judging from this posture, the battle in the south of the city should have been decided, and the Haihan army should soon invade the north of the city.In addition to Qian Wenxian and his family, there were only two elderly government servants and a few handymen and servants left in the county government office, all of whom had nowhere to go.

Qian Wenxian sighed and did not plan to run away.He asked the servant to get his official uniform to change into, and then sat in the lobby of the county government office, waiting for the arrival of the Haihan people.

Looking at the crying family members beside him, Qian Wenxian said: "Don't be afraid, I will beg the other party to let you go later... If they don't agree, then our family will go on the road neatly, which is also a pity to be loyal to the country name."

Qian Wenxian had heard before that the Haihan Army did not like to kill indiscriminately, so it might save the lives of the family members.As for himself, he did not intend to commit suicide, that would be too useless.If the Haihan people want to execute themselves, it will be regarded as a martyrdom for the country and the fulfillment of righteousness.

Not long after, a group of Haihan troops entered the county government office. After verifying the identities of Qian Wenxian and the others, they didn't make things difficult for them, but told them to stay still and wait for their punishment.

Qian Wenxian saw these Haihan soldiers went to the study room and took out all the documents inside. It seemed that they paid more attention to these things than he, the county magistrate, did.

After a while, several military officers came to the county government office to count the items seized here, and they learned that the magistrate of Yixing was detained here, which attracted their attention.

An officer approached him, looked Qian Wenxian up and down before asking, "Are you the local magistrate of Qian County?"

Qian Wenxian replied: "My official Qian Wenxian is the county magistrate of Yixing."

The officer asked curiously: "All the military officers who led the troops to fight ran away, so why didn't you run away?"

Qian Wenxian said solemnly: "I have the responsibility to guard the land, and I should live and die with Yixing."

The officer nodded and praised: "You have integrity! It's a pity that you are wrong. If you really want to think about Yixing County, you shouldn't resist stubbornly. If you surrender earlier, the county will be less damaged and less casualties."

Qian Wenxian said: "Even if your country is powerful, how can we, Ming Dynasty, surrender without a fight?"

The officer said: "Huzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Ningbo in the south, most of these places surrendered without a fight, and now the local people are living well. If you insist on resisting here, what did you get in the end?"

Qian Wenxian is still unmoved: "Do your best to obey the destiny. Whether you can win or not is a matter of strength, but whether you can win or not is a matter of attitude."

The officer shook his head and said, "You are so stubborn, I'm afraid you will suffer in the future."

(End of this chapter)