The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

As more and more artillery pieces rolled over the snow-covered slopes, the Shun soldiers in the fortress west of Mengyuan Town grew increasingly fearful.

At first, it was just a low commotion, spreading like ripples across the positions.

It wasn't just Yuan Zongdi, the commander of the Shun army, who witnessed this unusual sight.

The Shun army soldiers who were lying on the low wall and hiding in the firing ports also saw the dark artillery array.

The color drained from their faces as the artillery advanced, gradually replaced by a stiff, deathly pallor.

The initial vigilance and fighting spirit in the eyes that were fixed on the distant black tide had been completely replaced by unbelievable horror and uncontrollable panic.

"How many cannons are there...?"

An old soldier from the Shun army had his lips trembling uncontrollably. His hand, gripping the bow and arrow, was so tightly that his knuckles had completely lost their color and were shaking incessantly.

The officer beside him, a seasoned veteran, managed to maintain his composure as an officer.

However, the slight trembling of his legs and the constant swallowing that made his throat bob up and down betrayed his inner fear.

Fear, like poisonous weeds in a miasma, spread rapidly among the Shun army, accompanied by the biting cold wind.

On the watchtower, a Shun army general looked utterly defeated. His breathing became rapid and heavy, each breath carrying a chill that even the wind and snow could not suppress.

Under such intense heavy artillery bombardment, could these earthen and wooden bastions, even after several reinforcements, truly withstand the onslaught?

The officers and soldiers of the Shun army suppressed the turmoil in their hearts and reprimanded the restless soldiers in low voices, but their own palms, which were tightly gripping the hilts of their swords, were already soaked with cold sweat.

The entire Shun army's defense line seemed to be shrouded in a huge and heavy dark cloud.

The initial fervor and shared sense of righteous indignation that had prevailed during preparations for war were quietly crumbling before this silently approaching torrent of steel.

Instead, there was a suffocating feeling that bordered on despair.

Each new cannon added even more pressure to their already taut nerves, almost crushing them.

The wind and snow are still there.

But at this moment, it's not just the bitter cold that's biting.

"The Jingnan Army...how...how could they possibly have so many cannons!"

Yuan Zongdi gripped the goose-feather knife at his waist tightly, his heart filled with despair.

He has already sent someone to deliver military intelligence to Li Zicheng at top speed.

As more and more cannons appeared before him, Yuan Zongdi felt his strength dwindling, and his legs felt as heavy as lead.

He had to lean some of his weight against the low wall of the bastion to barely keep his balance.

At this moment, what lay before him was no longer just the dozens or hundreds of cannons he had seen before, but thousands of cannons!
He didn't know how they were going to win this battle.

He really doesn't know.

Yuan Zongdi's face drained of all color, turning a deathly pale ashes.

It turns out that from beginning to end, they had no chance of winning.

An insurmountable chasm had long existed between the Jingnan Army and them.

The two sides did not belong to the same era at all, as if they were separated by an insurmountable chasm.

Yuan Zongdi looked at the dazzling forest of muskets in and around Mengyuan Town not far away.

The cold, sharp blade reflected a chilling light, making his heart feel icy cold.

Yuan Zongdi raised his slightly trembling hand, straightened his clothes one last time, adjusted his helmet, and said softly.

"Send word to King Li Zicheng."

"The tide of history is irresistible, and I, Yuan Zongdi, owe my current position to the support of King Li Zicheng. I will repay this kindness with my life..."

Yuan Zongdi raised his head, his gaze resolute.

He never liked the name of the country, "Da Shun".

He also disliked calling Li Zicheng "Your Majesty".

He disliked even more the deals made by Li Zicheng and the Khoshut Khanate with the Qiang chieftains.

The rebel leader he had always followed had changed at some point.

Or perhaps, Li Zicheng... was always that kind of person.

He felt lost, but he didn't have many options.

……

On the earthen platform, the Fifth Division of Henan Town stood in neat formation, their deployment already set.

More than 600 infantry battalion-level 7-jin cannons and 72 siege heavy cannons have all been deployed to the front lines.

The heavy cannon was firmly set up on the solid ground, its dark muzzle gleaming coldly in the gloomy light.

From each artillery position, the clear and concise reports from the Jingnan Army's artillery observers rang out one after another, their voices sounding particularly jarring in the tense atmosphere.

Dressed in dark military uniforms, the artillerymen of the Jingnan Army operated efficiently at their respective positions like precise machine parts. They vigorously cranked the tools to adjust the firing angle, and the gears and shafts made regular and heavy noises.

All the cannons, accompanied by the subtle mechanical sounds, moved slowly, eventually pointing precisely at the location of the Shun army's bastion in the distance.

"One shot reload!"

Upon receiving the order, countless artillerymen from various artillery positions of the Jingnan Army sprang into action with lightning speed.

The ammunition handler steadily fed the heavy shells from the muzzle into the breech.

The sound of the shells hitting the inner wall of the cannon barrel was clearly audible to everyone.

Then, one after another, small red flags representing readiness were raised high by the gunners.

Once all the formations were deployed and the artillery was ready to be loaded, the signal was relayed up the ranks by flag signals and messengers, eventually reaching the central army and finally reaching Li Dingguo's ears.

Li Dingguo was not riding a horse at this time, but standing on a temporarily repaired watchtower in Mengyuan Town.

The wooden watchtower creaked slightly beneath his feet. His hands rested on the rough wooden railing, his gaze sharp as an eagle's as he carefully observed every detail of the Shun army's position in the distance.

After receiving news that the artillery was fully prepared, Li Dingguo did not immediately order the artillery to fire.

Li Dingguo took a deep breath and glanced at the surrounding positions one last time.

He thought that after experiencing the baptism of blood in the battles of Yangzhou and Jining, he had a thorough understanding of the new era of warfare that Chen Wang was talking about.

But when he saw Hu Zhiyi order the concentrated use of more than 700 cannons, the overwhelming momentum still gave him a shock.

Looking at the unprecedented scale of the artillery array, Li Dingguo truly realized that he was still far from adequate in the use of firearms and the innovation of tactics.

Li Dingguo could hardly imagine the fierce attack that the Shun army's lines would suffer when these more than 700 cannons fired at the same time.

What army in the world could have the courage to continue advancing amidst such overwhelming artillery fire?

The deep sound of bugles drifted in the cold wind, and the banners of the central army suddenly began to flutter at Li Dingguo's command.

Immediately afterwards, the commanders of the artillery positions in various places used all their strength to shout out the final military orders.

"put!"

Countless command flags were waved down.

next moment.

On the entire front of the Fifth Division in Henan Town, nearly seven hundred artillery pieces simultaneously unleashed a roar that could shake the heavens and the earth!

Intense flames erupted from every cannon muzzle, instantly forming a dazzling web of death.

The enormous roar was like the sky collapsing, and the sweeping sound waves were like a tangible impact, shaking the earth.

Soldiers closer to the artillery position felt a throbbing in their internal organs, a tightness in their chests, and a piercing pain in their eardrums. All the soldiers from Henan Town had their mouths agape, trying to alleviate the suffocating pressure and deafening roar.

This is a method stipulated in the infantry manual for preventing injury from artillery fire when one is near an artillery position and hears the sound of artillery fire.

Thick white smoke, like a heavy wall rising out of nowhere, was violently pushed back by the raging air currents, suddenly rising into the air and instantly engulfing the figures of the artillerymen.

The scorching heat and pungent sulfur smell spread rapidly in all directions.

The heavy, solid projectile tore through the air, piercing the sky with a deathly shriek.

The deafening roar of shells hitting the bastion walls echoed in an instant.

The sturdy civil engineering works were no match for such intense bombardment.

Large sections of the wall crumbled and disintegrated under continuous hits.

The dust that rose up enveloped the entire Shun army's position like a thick fog.

Solid shot struck the earthen walls, and many shells were deflected due to the bastion's unique structure, but more shells followed in quick succession.

Some shells bounced off their targets and continued to destroy everything in their path with their residual kinetic energy.

The wooden support beams cracked with a sickening sound under the heavy blow, and then the entire breastwork collapsed, burying all the defenders hiding behind it.

As if...

Divine power!

The recoil from the shelling caused the heavy gun carriages to sink deep into the ground, and fine dust rose around each cannon.

However, the well-trained artillerymen in the Jingnan Army were already used to such scenes.

Commands echoed continuously among the artillery positions of the Jingnan Army.

Squinting through the thick smoke and dust, they methodically began preparing for the next round of firing.

The gunners skillfully cleaned the breech, loaded new propellant charges, and then pushed the heavy solid shot into the barrel.

Their orders were to unleash as many shells as possible at the enemy's position within half an hour, within the limits of the cannon barrels.

The roar of the first salvo was still echoing across the slopes of the Loess Plateau when the second volley of artillery fire followed immediately.

This time, the Jingnan army's artillery did not fire in salvo; instead, each gun emplacement opened fire immediately after loading.

The continuous sound of cannons began to rise rhythmically, like an endless symphony.

A large number of shells continued to fly towards the Shun army's positions.

Thick smoke rose continuously, even gathering into persistent dark clouds above the Jingnan army's formation.

When the last round of artillery fire finally ceased, half an hour had passed.

Initially, the sounds of bugles and drums could still be heard from the Xishun Army camp in Mengyuan Town.

But soon after, those sounds all began to fade away and eventually disappeared.

The deafening roar of artillery fire even affected the fighting on both flanks.

The Henan Town 2nd Division troops, which had launched an attack from both flanks, were forced to halt their advance.

They were not blocked by the Shun army's defenses, but because the cannon fire was so loud that they could not clearly hear the drums and commands of their own troops.

Amidst the booming cannon fire, the officers and soldiers of the Jingnan Army on both flanks shouted loudly as they painstakingly regrouped their troops. After constructing a simple defensive line, they halted their advance.

Meanwhile, the Shun army on the opposite side also came to a standstill.

Both sides' soldiers involuntarily looked in the direction from which the cannon fire came.

All eyes were finally drawn to the earthen platform completely obscured by thick white smoke.

Although all the cannons in Mengyuan Town had ceased firing at this time

At various artillery positions, the artillerymen of the Jingnan Army all looked grim, many of them leaning on the gun mounts and panting heavily.

Despite plugging their ears with cotton beforehand, the continuous, deafening tremors still made their internal organs feel churning with discomfort.

Even though the shelling had stopped, they could still hear the illusion of shelling from time to time.

A strong north wind howled across the sky above Mengyuan Town, abruptly tearing away the remaining smoke like a thick window screen.

The wind and sand, carrying the pungent smell of sulfur, rushed towards us, making the military flags flutter and dispersing the last veil of smoke that obscured our vision.

Li Dingguo's gaze was fixed ahead, and his hands were even trembling slightly.

The smoke from the battleground had mostly dissipated, finally revealing a scene of utter devastation.

The fortresses west of Mengyuan Town have long since been reduced to ruins.

Broken cannons and shattered weapons can be seen everywhere amidst the ruins.

Several tattered military flags were stuck diagonally in the pile of rubble, fluttering weakly in the cold wind.

The entire defensive line was deathly silent.

The land, repeatedly ravaged by artillery fire, was covered with craters of varying depths.

The freshly turned loess soil and the scorched marks intertwine to create a cruel picture.

In some areas, deep holes left by solid shot can still be seen after they hit the ground, and the surrounding soil is loosened by the impact.

On this completely destroyed position, no intact defensive fortifications can be found anymore.

Li Dingguo took a deep breath, his chest heaving noticeably.

It took him longer than expected to finally break free from the shocking sight before him and steady his slightly trembling fingertips.

Li Dingguo closed his eyes, then opened them again, his eyes finally regaining some of their usual calmness.

In accordance with the pre-battle plan, Li Dingguo's orders were relayed down through the ranks.

The soldiers of the Fifth Division of Henan Town, who had just recovered from the deafening shelling and were stationed inside and outside Mengyuan Town, began to advance like a slowly starting war machine, under the orders of officers at all levels.

The sounds of drums and trumpets also rang out from both flanks, and they began to advance.

The soldiers of the Fifth Division of Henan Town held their bayonet-equipped Hai Shi guns level and strode steadily across the scorched earth.

The gun tip gleamed with a cold, icy light, like a moving metal forest.

According to previous intelligence, the main force of the Shun army was lying in ambush on the slope behind that plateau. This made every soldier in Henan Town tense, their eyes fixed on the back of the plateau in front of them, as if the enemy might swarm out from there at any moment.

however.

When they finally crossed the bastions that had been completely destroyed by artillery fire and were now just ruins, and crossed the hideous shell craters that had been repeatedly plowed through by shells and were now deep in the ground, it was only after they had crossed those ruins that they truly understood the meaning of the story.

They continued their journey until they reached the edge of the plateau, but they did not receive any counterattack from the Shun army.

When they looked down, they saw the reason.

Many of the camps built by the Shun army on the slopes of the plateau have been completely destroyed.

Although the Shun army was on the reverse slope and out of the artillery's line of sight, quite a few cannons still crossed the platform and landed in the Shun army's camp on the slope.

This was a major factor that led to the severe damage to the Shunjunpodi camp.

The tattered military flag, soaked in mud and dark red stains, was mixed with scattered grain, broken armor, and various weapons, covering most of the slope.

Looking down from this platform on the loess plateau, one can clearly see that the mountains and plains are filled with Shun army soldiers fleeing to the rear.

The entire routed army was in complete disarray, leaving behind only a path of escape paved with discarded equipment and desperate figures, which meandered and disappeared into the dust in the distance.

A total of 140,000 Shun soldiers.

It has already fallen into complete collapse. (End of Chapter)