stubborn thief

On the morning of August 12th, Yulin fell.

Zhou Qing's youngest son, Zhang Qing, was the first to scale the city wall, using a long ladder to climb up the collapsed gap and attack the city.

The Ming army immediately mobilized the elite troops stationed below the city to scale the walls and block the marshal's army along the breach. Subsequently, Wang Shiqin, the garrison commander of the eastern city, urgently dispatched his household servants to repair the breach with ropes and timber.

The collapse of the city wall is not actually a decisive factor in a siege, because even if the wall collapses, the breach is not that large, and the troops outside the city still need to use ladders to climb over the breach.

After climbing over the breach, one would need to build ladders in the crumbling, dilapidated sections of the city wall to reach the walls on either side, or find a way to jump directly into the city... In short, none of these methods were as easy as attacking the city wall directly with siege ladders.

If the defenders can repel the vanguard, they will have time to repair the broken sections of the city wall and continue fighting this hopeless battle.

Throughout history, there have been numerous instances where attacking armies collapsed city walls, but the defending troops fought during the day and repaired them at night, continuing the battle.

However, the collapse of the city walls was indeed a strong indication that the attacking army had the upper hand.

It can boost the morale of the army and inspire the courage of the soldiers.

Especially for the besieging army outside the high walls, all the senior officers knew that their future power and status depended on winning this battle.

The troops of Yizhangqing besieged the breach, while the defenders set up more than a dozen cannons on the other side of the breach and fired them one after another. Even when their swords were chipped and broken, they fought on and on, throwing bricks down the breach, and refused to retreat.

Lieutenant General Zhou Qing's reinforcements arrived quickly. Seeing that Yi Zhangqing had successfully attacked and was standing on the breach, he immediately pushed the entire battalion under the city walls. The heavy, slow, but well-protected siege ladders were still behind.

A massive procession of thousands of people carried more than ten long ladders, which were then interspersed on the city wall. At the same time, everyone carried sandbags to fill the gaps in the wall with broken stones and rammed earth, creating a ramp that made it easier to go up and down.

Zhou Qing himself leaped close to the range of the city's defenders, not only into the range of the cannons, but he also stood on the filled-in moat with his horse, shouting orders to his men to lead troops to attack the city.

Before he could even shout twice, a feathered arrow was pinned to the breastplate of his cloth armor. Startled, he quickly rolled over into a nearby low hill of earth and rocks. Then, several lead pellets pierced the air and blasted two small craters into the dry ground behind him.

Even so, Zhou Qing broke off the arrow shaft nailed to his breastplate, stood up and crouched down again, one hand on his knee and the other hand holding up his helmet to shield his vision, craning his neck to look at the city wall that the two armies were fighting over.

Amidst the deafening shouts of battle.

His other subordinate, the "One-Headed Tiger," had already led several hundred soldiers to place long ladders on the city wall south of the breach. The vanguard of his men leaped onto the city wall and fought a bloody battle with the Ming troops coming from both sides to reinforce them.

In the current situation, a decisive attack is crucial.

Because their location in the besieged city wasn't actually that good; Haichao Temple was located outside the southeast corner of the Yulin city wall, leaning towards the east.

The city wall here is thick, and it is also the junction of the east and south city walls.

Within a short time, the defending troops on both city walls will quickly provide support to the collapsed part of the city.

However, there was no better option, because the location of the cave city was usually a corner of the city. Although the city wall in this location was thick, it was less vulnerable to flank fire due to the blind spot of the wall.

It's just that there are fewer of them. A well-constructed square city wall has watchtowers protruding at the four corners, a rampart on the city wall, and a barbican at the city gate, so there are no absolute blind spots for shooting.

The real blind spot for shooting was Haichao Temple, a civilian building constructed outside the city during a long period of peace.

Their only option was to dig into the city walls first.

However, now that the first step has been completed, the second step, attacking the city through the breach, is the real challenge.

At this moment, the army was in high spirits, and all the troops were charging forward to attack the city. If they were to be defeated by the Ming army at this time, their morale would be crushed, and they would retreat in disarray, leaving their backs to the defenders on the city walls. Who knows how many people would be killed by cannon fire.

But his soldiers were being attacked from both sides by the Ming army through the breach in the city wall. Every moment, soldiers were being shot, hit by arrows, hacked to death, or crushed to death at the breach and on the city wall, and falling off the city.

Just then, he heard a cry of alarm coming from the gap a hundred paces away. He saw everyone in a panic, and four or five soldiers dropped their weapons and hurriedly carried a person down through the gap.

The person being carried was wearing blood-stained earth-yellow armor and iron armbands. His helmet was nowhere to be seen, and although his face was not visible, Zhou Qing recognized him as his subordinate, Yi Zhangqing, at a glance from his slender figure and armor.

Before the siege ladders with wooden canopies arrived, the vanguard commander was killed, and the soldiers at the breach suddenly lost their leader, and the offensive was about to falter.

Zhou Qing was extremely anxious. He fumbled with the leather straps connecting his armor with one hand and grabbed the collar of his attendant with the other: "Damn it, where are the cannons? Go and call Hui Dengxiang. Move the cannons onto the tower and sweep away all the Ming troops supporting them on both walls!"

Turning around, one could see door panels laid out on the uneven moat that had been filled in. The siege towers with wooden canopies arrived late, their wheels creaking and groaning as they rolled over the moat, their wheels unable to bear the weight.

Zhou Qing drew a short axe and a mace from his waist, one in each hand, and called out, "Those in front, don't retreat! Guards, raise the flags and follow me onto the carriage!"

A large banner with a black background and messy white lines, like fireworks exploding in the night sky, was unfurled and followed behind Zhou Qing, protecting the ladder cart as it was placed on the city wall on the east side of the gap.

Anyone who has attended a two-day social studies class will not understand what this mottled flag means.

But for Zhou Qing's men, it was a great boost, completely overshadowing the fear brought by Yi Zhangqing's injury. They knew that their leader had gone into battle!
At the same time that black flag was raised.

On the other side of the battlefield, outside the eastern city, lies the siege position.

Looking at the ladders being erected on the city wall in the southeast corner of Yulin, Liu Fangming felt a mix of emotions.

There was both the exhilaration of about to capture the fortified city and achieve military merit, and the sorrow of the rabbit mourning the fox's death... In Yulin City, even a dozen generals could not stop Liu Chengzong's offensive?
Liu Fangming himself did not have much ambition, nor did he feel any sense of belonging to the Marshal's Mansion.

If there were any other way, he really didn't want to fight a life-or-death battle with that group of old generals in Yulin City.

However, he was well aware of Liu Chengzong's intention in sending them to fight, and he would not allow him to slack off in this battle.

Fortunately, he had another adjutant by his side, Xu Yong, who originally served under Zuo Liangyu.

Their relationship is doomed.

Before joining Liu Chengzong, Liu Fangming was trying to expel Hong Chengchou in Ningxia, but was chased into the second wall by the Zuo army. To save his life, he was forced to surrender to Liu Chengzong. The one who led the troops that chased him was Xu Yong.

Unexpectedly, not long after, Xu Yong also surrendered along with Zuo Liangyu.

The two men, and even the two battalions, already had a grudge against each other, so they couldn't cooperate outside Yulin City; they were simply doing their own thing.

Liu Fangming initially felt quite proud in front of Xu Yong, but unexpectedly, Xu Yong seemingly casually mentioned that he was from Yuhebao, which made Liu Fangming feel as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly.

Yuhebao in Yulin Town, the place where Liu Chengzong rose to power, wouldn't Xu Yong have a bright future?

After that, Liu Fangming put away her disgust and contempt for Xu Yong.

Xu Yong happened to be a man who was very concerned about his reputation and had a heart that yearned for fame and fortune, seeking only to be promoted and make a fortune. Seeing that the defending troops on the eastern city wall were inevitably diverting their forces to support the south due to the offensive of Zhou Qing and Hui Dengxiang, his own army also began to set up long ladders and cloud ladders on the wall and began a full-scale attack.

Liu Fangming knew that the time had come to send an elite force to strike the weak points of the defending troops and seize the city's defenses decisively.

This is the greatest achievement in the siege.

Sure enough, a rider galloped up from the ranks to deliver the order. He dismounted, removed his helmet and bowl, revealing a short haircut that had been shaved clean and grown back from the Liaoyang camp. He saluted and said, "General Liu, General Xu, the Grand Marshal has ordered the battle to begin. Send out elite troops to break through the city."

Liu Fangming and Xu Yong exchanged a glance. Before Xu Yong could speak, Liu Fangming clasped his hands and said, "I think that's about enough. Brother Xu is from Yuhebao, the place where the Grand Marshal rose to power. Please accept this first merit in breaching the city. My troops will follow up later."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yong smiled, put on his bowl, and clasped his hands in a gesture of pride, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Liu."

After saying that, he turned to the messenger of Liaoyang Camp, raised his chin and said, "Please tell General Sun that I, Xu, will climb the city wall now and win this merit for the Grand Marshal!"

He is not from Yuhebao.

Xu Yong was from Liaodong. His original surname was Gao. He lost his father at a young age, and his mother later married an old military officer.

Having no official title or status, to silence gossip, the old military officer adopted him as his son, taking his entire family with him. Later, when the old officer was promoted and stationed at Ningwu Pass in Shanxi, he followed him to Shanxi. At that time, he was still young, and they addressed each other as father and son, with everyone thinking he was the biological son.

The old officer was from Yuhebao in Yansui Town. He had his own son, who was a little older than him. Later, his adoptive father was dismissed from his post and brought him back to Yuhebao to live for a period of time.

However, he didn't get along with his older brother, but because he grew up in the military, he learned archery and horsemanship skills.

The old officer passed away not long after returning to Yuhebao. Firstly, he didn't leave behind much property, and secondly, even if he had a lot of property, it wouldn't have been his concern.

Xu Yong was not yet twenty years old when he bid farewell to his mother and, relying on his martial arts skills, went to Liaodong to join the army, eventually following Zuo Liangyu.

He later often boasted to people that he was the adopted son of a general and had lived a life of luxury since childhood, but in reality, his adoptive father was just a low-ranking military officer.

Even if you happen to meet someone knowledgeable, they'll make their adoptive father appear older, as if he were from a previous generation.

If that doesn't make sense, then tell me that your adoptive father was eventually dismissed from his post for a crime, which is normal since you didn't know.

That's all just because he lost his father at a young age and had no one to rely on, and his inferiority complex made him want to raise his own value.

Although Xu Yong had already earned the rank of lieutenant general through his military achievements, fought alongside Zuo Liangyu throughout the north, and preserved his strength when Hong Chengchou lost power, surrendering to become a general in the marshal's office, he still had a habit of boasting and exaggerating that he had developed in his youth, which he could not change in a short time.

However, he wasn't afraid that his lies would reach Liu Chengzong's ears and be exposed by the Grand Marshal... because although he wasn't born in Yuhebao, he was indeed half a Yuhebao native.

He served as a soldier in Liaodong for only a few years before his mother passed away from illness and was buried in Yuhebao.

Besides, when it comes down to it, a person's identity and background can be faked, but real skills on the battlefield cannot be faked.

Liu Fangming didn't want to fight to the death in this battle, which was just right for him... In his youth, he wandered around, living under the roof of others and suffering their cold looks. In his teens, he ventured alone to Liaodong, relying on his knife to kill Tartars and fight for fame and fortune, just to prove himself and want people to respect him.

Now, with the Grand Marshal's adopted son, Zuo Liangyu, above him was his former superior, and the Grand Marshal's birthplace below was half his hometown. He had never been so close to the fame and fortune he had always dreamed of.

Xu Yong was determined to win the first credit in this battle.

The war drums thundered.

In the dense siege line east of Yulin City, fourteen generals' cannons fired six pre-loaded muskets into the barbican of the eastern city gate.

Under the salvo of six rounds, Xu Yong led a force of more than 500 Changping soldiers, raised the White Tiger Flag that Zuo Liangyu had once used to symbolize the westward advance, and with the support of three ladder carts, directly attacked the barbican of the East Gate, placing the hooked ladders of the ladder carts onto the barbican.

Xu Yong stood in the middle of the army formation, wearing double armor and carrying three goose-feathered swords, his target pointing directly at the city wall.

Two wooden canopies made of thick planks were hung on the left and right sides of the ladder truck to shield it from bullets and artillery fire from the left and right.

A group of soldiers, swords in hand, scaled the city wall. The first soldier to reach the top had barely stood on the battlements and hadn't even had a chance to leap down when he was knocked away by a mud ram pushed by the defenders on the wall.

This thing was just a wooden shell filled with mud, hanging on a frame. The ladder was placed on the city wall, and the defenders would push the frame behind the battlements, pull the wooden battering ram backward, and let go when they saw someone's head pop out, so the battering ram would smash into the attacking soldiers.

But a second soldier followed closely behind, climbed the battlements, drew his sword, leaped onto the city wall, and began slashing wildly.

Then, one after another, more and more Changping soldiers climbed the three battlements, clashing and fighting among various defensive weapons.

By the time Xu Yong reached the top of the city wall, his Changping soldiers had already carved out a foothold in the barbican on the east gate, and the limited number of defenders were dragging cannons off the city wall toward the gate tower inside the barbican.

Arrows and stray bullets rained down from all sides of the city walls, and soldiers fought fiercely on all sides.

Once atop the city wall, Xu Yong surveyed the barbican and quickly located his target—below the city gate tower, stood a slightly older general clad in golden armor, surrounded by his servants; he appeared to be the garrison commander of the eastern city.

Xu Yong immediately drew his sword and charged at the nearest Ming artillerymen, killing two soldiers with his blade. He then used the hilt of his sword to knock down the last one, allowing his men to seize the cannon. Only then did he lift the captured artilleryman by the collar of his armor and point to the city gate tower, asking, "Who is that man commanding the guards downstairs?"

"Yes, it's General Wang."

"Which General Wang?"

“Wang, Wang Shiqin.”

"The one guarding Shanhaiguan? Haha!"

Xu Yong let go and pushed the captured artilleryman over. Looking out over the barbican again, he never expected to encounter the name of the general he had heard of several years ago in such a scene.

"Bring the cannons over! The credit for this siege belongs to the Changping Army!"

The Great General's Cannon was pushed back to the outer edge of the barbican, its muzzle turned inward, and aimed at Wang Shiqin, who was displacing his troops on the other side of the barbican wall but was struggling to keep up.

Smoke and iron filings erupted amidst the flames.

The shockwave from the cannon fire shook away the loose soil between Xu Yong's armor, and the terrifying cannon fire rang out. Amidst the deafening ringing in his ears, Xu Yong laughed wildly.

"bingo!"

"Send word to the left and right vanguard teams: charge forward and cut off their heads! Plant the White Tiger Flag on the city gate tower!" (End of Chapter)