stubborn thief

July 25th.

On the third day after Liu Chengzong arrived outside Yulin City, the siege troops completed their deployment and mobilization.

Ren Quaner's Second Brigade was equipped with 24 captured artillery pieces and moved to the west bank of the Yuli River. In conjunction with the original 12 thousand-jin field guns, they set up siege positions for 36 cannons, built iron kilns, and rushed to produce artillery shells.

The four battalions of Beiyuan, Zongshi, Batu and Heiqi under Liu Chengzong's command were deployed at the foot of Zhenbeitai in the north of the city, serving only as a rafting formation.

After all, the main defense direction of Yulin City is the north. There is no city gate on the north side and it is heavily defended. Liu Chengzong had no plan to break the city from this direction.

His main attack direction was Camel Hump Mountain in the east of the city.

Yulin City only has that direction, and there is no natural barrier.

More than 20,000 soldiers and horses, including surrendered generals such as Liu Fangming, Ma Xiantu, Zhang Tianlu, Zhang Tianfu, Xu Yong, Wang Yuncheng, and even the surrendered militia of Hui Dengxiang and Zhou Qing, were mobilized to the foot of Tuofeng Mountain, and camps were set up for ten miles from north to south, forming a long siege line.

Among them was Sun Long from the Liaoyang Camp.

However, Liu Chengzong had no intention of using the Liaoyang Camp to attack the city. He just let Sun Long lead the troops and watch over Liu Fangming and others.

There’s no way, it’s hard to predict one’s fate.

Although Sun Long surrendered late, he not only surrendered voluntarily, but also led the surrendered troops to participate in the Lingdong Campaign against the Eight Banners. Although he did not make great contributions, he also worked hard to protect the clan camp line on the battlefield.

What's more... Liu Chengzong had a very high opinion of the old Liao soldiers under Sun Long.

These guys are damn tough. They started with a royal chariot and picked up all their equipment. Not only did they not get hacked to death, but after the war they actually gathered half a battalion of Eight Banners-style white-armored soldiers.

For the Liao soldiers caught in the cracks of the battlefield, the desire to survive is ingrained in their bones.

After the battle in Lingdong, the combat effectiveness of Sun Long's subordinates was very luxurious. They had three thousand commanders. One was the obedient king Kong Youde of Daiqing, one was Lu Kekou, the Jiala Zhangjing of Shangfan, and one was Hong Wenkui, the defender of Kongfan.

He is good at land battles and even better at naval battles.

Most importantly, Sun Long was loyal to Liu Chengzong.

After Kong Youde became a captain under his command, he became even more loyal.

By the time they arrived in Shaanxi, the entire Liaoyang camp had become visibly loyal.

I am unfamiliar with the place, I have a shaved head, and there are many Shaanxi people everywhere. What else can I do if I am not loyal?
July 26th.

The clepsydra on Zhenbei Terrace showed the hour of Mao. Just as the sky was getting light, the sound of cannon fire was heard from the west bank of the Yulixi River.

Ren Quaner's Second Brigade launched an artillery attack on the western city wall.

The defenders who stayed overnight in the city were noisy and noisy, and soon fired their artillery outside the city in retaliation.

At first the exchange of fire between the two sides consisted of only sporadic gunfire, but after a dozen shots had been fired alternately from various types of artillery, the thirty-six heavy guns of the Second Brigade began to roar in their own rhythm, firing shells of varying sizes at the battlements.

The twenty-four heavy artillery pieces that Liu Chengzong equipped Ren Quaner with were the only remaining spoils of his expedition to Liaodong.

Most of the captured heavy artillery were left in Songmo Prefecture to block the main traffic routes...mainly because Liu Shizi only stole the artillery and not so many artillery shells.

This was also the reason why, in the Battle of Lingdong, although there were hundreds of cannons firing, they all became silent after firing a few shots.

After all, captured artillery pieces are not as good as self-made ones. They have confusing calibers, different ranges, and even look strange at a glance.

But it is actually difficult to distinguish the good from the bad weapons, especially large items like artillery that use a lot of materials. Every parameter that seems to affect performance has its reason.

For example, Shangfan’s heavy artillery was crudely made because he did not have skilled gunsmiths under his command, and he also had to solve the problem of lack of ship cannons.

Kong Fan occupied Liaoyang City and had a large stock of Ming-cast red cannons, but they were heavy and small in caliber. This was because that batch of artillery pieces were from Guangdong and Guangxi to support the defense of the capital. They did not have to be powerful, but they could not be damaged under the emperor's nose, so he piled up the materials like crazy.

The twenty-four heavy artillery pieces now assigned to Ren Quaner include the Invincible General and the Red Cannon, but they are also not the most well-made ones among the hundreds of captured artillery pieces.

Liu Chengzong had no shortage of artillery, and the reason he brought back so many heavy artillery was that these artillery were representative standard artillery of Liaodong, Dongjiang, and Jin Kingdom.

He planned to pull these 24 cannons back to Xi'an and temporarily place them in the Gongya for the cannon makers to observe.

When Guanzhong Academy is reopened, it will be used as a teaching aid.

But for now, it has to be used.

The west city wall is protected by the Yuxi River, which is about a hundred steps wide. There are only three long bridges on the river, making it an easy-to-defend but difficult-to-attack place.

But precisely because it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, Liu Chengzong instructed Ren Quaner to attack the city, fill up the Yulixi River, prepare to attack the west of the city, and mobilize the defenders.

Thirty-six heavy artillery pieces were arranged in three arrays according to their range and power, and fired shells at the top of the city walls with a roar.

Ouyang Gun, deputy commander of the Second Brigade, ordered soldiers to advance in multiple directions, using chariots for cover on the ground and trenches dug underground, transporting earth and rocks, and building earthen ramparts 400 steps outside the city.

Liu Chengzong was on Zhenbeitai and couldn't help laughing when he saw the deployment of the Second Brigade.

There were not many defenders left in Yulin City, only a little over 10,000. According to Liu Shizi, most of these 10,000 defenders were old, weak, sick and disabled. At the same time, the attack on the west of the city was just a feint and was not worthy of such caution.

Ren Quaner made a big fuss, but he was not attacking the city, but training his troops.

Liu Chengzong had a very clear view of the deployment in the west of the city. Ren Quaner planned to set up an artillery line to attack the battlements and gun ramparts higher than the city walls in the west of the river. After knocking down the battlements, he would further project firepower to make it impossible for anyone to stand on the city walls.

At least that's the look.

As for whether or not to really display such a strong shooting ability, it all depends on the choice of the defender.

If the defenders of Yulin City leave the west of the city alone, Ren Quaner will definitely become the main force to break into the city, first filling up the Yulixi River and then climbing up Yulin City.

No one would allow the enemy with such firepower to bombard the city walls indiscriminately.

Soon, the defenders in Yulin City climbed up the west city wall one after another, and the women and children in the city piled sandbags and wooden boards on the destroyed battlements to avoid any loopholes in the defense.

Of course, sandbags and wooden boards cannot block artillery shells, but the significance of these things is to reduce the soldiers' fear of artillery, or at least not affect their actions.

Even the three gates of the west city wall were opened at the same time. The Ming troops in the city wall lined up and marched out, circling the path under the city wall, and deployed their muskets behind the sheep and horse walls, preparing to counterattack the marshal's army that was filling the river.

But the more fierce the artillery counterattack on the city, the weaker the attack of the Second Brigade became. They began to retreat in groups, leaving behind half-built earthen ramparts four hundred steps away. All the men retreated behind the trenches.

Only an occasional salvo of artillery fire put lasting pressure on the defenders on the city.

In the afternoon, the sound of drums in the east also became earth-shaking.

Liu Fangming and his companions had been cutting wood and making siege equipment in Tuofeng Mountain in recent days, ever since they knew they were going to attack Yulin City. They had built a large number of siege vehicles such as goose carts, battering rams, flying towers, and ladders.

But to be honest, the Ming army's siege level is hard to describe... They were extremely inexperienced and relied entirely on memorization for siege methods.

On the contrary, the two militia leaders, Hui Dengxiang and Zhou Qing, had a much simpler approach. They only built some carts to block bullets and arrows, and then began the arduous work of digging tunnels.

The four sides of Yulin City are not suitable for digging tunnels.

It is impossible to dig tunnels in a city with a moat. Hui Dengxiang dug the tunnel to drain the water from the moat.

They first blocked the bend on the south side of the moat where it flowed into the Yuyang River, and then began to dig a long trench, doing the earthwork tirelessly.

Although these two men were former generals under Wang Jiayin, they had lived in Hengshan for a long time and had a group of craftsmen under them who were good at digging mountains and breaking stones.

The surrendered generals were attacking with force, while the militia were draining water, and their goals were very clear.

At this time, Liu Chengzong met someone unexpected.

"General, this is a letter from Commander Zhang of Guannei Road."

A letter from Zhang Tianlin was delivered to Zhenbeitai. When Liu Chengzong unfolded the letter, he immediately showed great surprise on his face.

Zhang Xianzhong, who was standing beside him, had never seen him show such an expression before, and couldn't help asking: "General, what's wrong? What happened in Guanzhong?"

"Um……"

Liu Chengzong looked at Zhang Xianzhong, and then he gradually recovered from his stunned expression. After a moment's silence, he shook his head and said, "Nothing happened, except... Brother Huang Wa is here."

Li Zicheng is here.

Not as a general, but as an external lieutenant general of the garrison brigade within the Great Wall.

This is why Liu Chengzong was so surprised. He never dreamed that Li Zicheng would become Zhang Tianlin's subordinate.

Zhang Tianlin sent a letter about this matter. The letter detailed Li Zicheng's recent experiences in Yunyang and Henan. Zhang Tianlin spoke highly of this general who had suffered various beatings.

Well, it is not easy to survive under such a super luxurious lineup including Prime Minister Lu Xiangsheng, Huguang Governor Wang Mengyin, Yunyang Governor Song Zushun, and generals Yang Zhengfang, Lei Shisheng, Qin Yiming, Li Chongzhen, Yang Shien, and Zu Dale.

Zhang Tianlin described Li Zicheng as a promising talent.

So, taking advantage of the opportunity when Li Zicheng was licking his wounds in the Twelve Cities of Tongguan, Zhang Tianlin tried to persuade him to surrender.

Li Zicheng was indeed tired.

Last year he led his troops through Shaanxi into Huguang. At that time he was ambitious and wanted to emulate Liu Chengzong and use Huguang as a base to accomplish something great.

To be fair, since Li Zicheng came to prominence, the four battalions of his own army have joined forces with the left fifth battalion of the old Huihui Na Ge and entered Huguang last year. In terms of momentum, he has almost become the leader of the peasant army.

After all, Liu Chengzong's path had already established his own separatist regime, which was completely incomparable to the mobile peasant army.

The vast majority of peasant army leaders, on the one hand, had their own ambitions, and on the other hand, they did not have the ability to compete with the marshal's army, so most of them did not even have the courage to surrender to Liu Chengzong.

People like Zhang Yichuan, Hui Dengxiang and Zhou Qing, who were able to take the initiative to negotiate submission to Liu Chengzong, were already very ambitious and courageous heroes in the world.

The ones below Zhang Yichuan were Li Yangchun, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and Zhang Pangzi, the King of Order. They silently changed their titles from Heavenly King and Great King to General-in-Chief, pretended to be on the sidelines, and claimed to be Liu Chengzong's subordinates.

Most people thought that the world was so big that there would always be a place for them to stand, so they tried to stay away from Liu Chengzong as much as possible.

After all, judging from the behavior of most militia leaders, they were close to Liu Chengzong. Let alone joint action, they should be thankful that Liu Chengzong did not send troops to wipe them out.

This was because most of their troops were so ideologically confused and just muddled along that their military discipline was even worse than that of the Mongolian soldiers.

Li Zicheng was the best among them. His own troops were good at fighting, and he was more accepting of the troops of other leaders, big and small. Even in the design of his own troops, he naturally needed to fight with the troops of other leaders.

But they could not get out of the circle of mobile warfare, and had no ambition to overthrow the Ming Dynasty and establish a military government.

Even the slight sign of his advancement into Huguang was inspired by Liu Chengzong.

There is no way. It’s not that others can’t think of it, but the situation is such that there is no opportunity to establish a regime.

Even a very small regime cannot do this.

In the early years, they were unable to defeat the Ming army because they did not have the foundation; before they developed sufficient combat effectiveness, Liu Chengzong came back.

Just like Li Yangchun and Zhang Qizhi in Xihe and Ningqiang counties, they did a good job and had a little framework, but they soon bordered on the territory of the Marshal's Office, and were either annexed, went to war, or left.

The key point is that Liu Chengzong was unwilling to annex them. The two of them changed their titles from kings to generals and established a general's office, but Liu Chengzong did not even send anyone to recruit them.

I can’t raise one...it’s not that I can’t afford it, it’s just that the cost-effectiveness is too low. Liu Chengzong is very stingy and doesn’t want to raise one.

Li Zicheng was no exception.

The situation in Huguang was much worse than he had imagined. The generals from all walks of life who did not dare to fight Liu Chengzong of the Ming Dynasty surrounded the Marshal's Mansion. He had just led his troops out of the territory of the Marshal's Mansion and had not figured out what was going on when he was beaten up by the generals one after another.

Li Zicheng endured the beating with gritted teeth, and his mentality also changed under the all-out attack of various generals.

Zu Dale has searched the mountains and hunted down the enemy, who would dare to believe it?
By the time he fled from Huguang to Henan, Li Zicheng no longer wanted to do anything big. The Ming army did not dare to provoke Liu Chengzong, but instead attacked him heavily. What big thing could he accomplish?

After being settled in Twelve Cities by Zhang Tianlin, Li Zicheng immediately came to terms with it.

The reason why he did not surrender to Liu Chengzong earlier was that he felt he had the ability and could continue to struggle. His goal was to let Liu Chengzong appoint him as a general.

Because Liu Chengzong's brigade commanders and generals were all so capable.

Even if the marching and fighting were carried out in accordance with the rules, we could not defeat the enemy who had well-trained soldiers, sufficient food, and complete armor and weapons.

But after suffering setbacks outside, Li Zicheng no longer had the ambition to become the commander-in-chief. He took the initiative to find Zhang Tianlin and expressed his desire to join the Marshal's Office and hoped to meet Liu Chengzong.

But at that time, Liu Chengzong was still on his way back from Liaodong.

What's more, Zhang Tianlin is an arrogant person. Whoever he helps will be looked down upon by him.

He lent Li Zicheng a batch of food and fodder from Tongguan, and also designated a piece of land for him to station troops. He also went out of the pass and beat Zhang Renxue up, which was a great help to Li Zicheng.

Deep down, he looked down on Li Zicheng more and more.

"You are so awesome, why do you need my help? I, Zhang Tianlin, am at best a sworn brother to the Marshal's Ma. Who are you? You have only a thousand defeated soldiers under your command. Are you worthy enough to see the Marshal?"

Zhang Tianlin said directly that the Grand Marshal had led his troops to the east, and the affairs of the interior had been entrusted to me. If you were interested, you could temporarily serve as a lieutenant general in my brigade, and I would give you an official position after the Grand Marshal returned triumphantly.

Li Zicheng...Li Zicheng was not at all unhappy with Zhang Tianlin's arrogance. Instead, he was overjoyed.

He wanted to meet Liu Chengzong, but he just wanted to be a military commander.

But I didn't expect Zhang Tianlin to do it directly.

But in Liu Chengzong's opinion, this matter was a bit strange.

While Liu Shizi was writing a reply asking Li Zicheng to come to Yulin, he was looking at Zhang Xianzhong and wondering: What's going on?

Why do all the emperors run to my side? (End of this chapter)