I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 315 Damn God!

Zhou Guotai, dressed in armor, inspected the Kaiyuan city wall.

His face was pitch black, covered with a thick mixture of dirt and gunpowder, like a layer of putty. Then, it was washed out with sweat, leaving several water stains, like a ghost mask.

This is what happens when you don't wash your face for a few days.

The soldiers on the city wall were busy.

They carried the corpses in groups of two, most of them were from the Ming army defending the city, and a small number were from the Chahar tribe.

They are all warriors.

Especially the soldiers of the Chahar tribe who rushed up the city wall. They all risked their lives and rushed up under the protection of dozens or even hundreds of their companions who sacrificed their lives.

After a fierce battle, they were isolated and helpless and were finally killed by the swords and guns of the defenders.

"We will bury our people in one place, register their names, and pack up their belongings. The Chahar people will be buried together as a mark. Don't be negligent, each of you serves your master, and you are all warriors who are willing to sacrifice your lives!"

"Yes!"

After Zhou Guotai gave some instructions, he continued his inspection.

There were wooden sheds everywhere on the city wall, in a mess and without any order. Zhou Guotai was tall, and sometimes he had to bend down to walk under them.

There were many arrows stuck on the wooden board, and some soldiers reached out to pull them out, while other soldiers were picking up the broken weapons and armor on the ground.

The broken swords, the pulled out arrows, and the broken spears were all gathered together.

Swords and spear heads can be recycled, melted down to make arrowheads, and then repaired and used again.

Swords and spears are durable items. They can be used for more than ten days and only become chipped after killing three or five enemies. Arrows are consumables. Once you shoot them, don't think about getting them back.

There are firearms in Kaiyuan City, but the ammunition needs to be used sparingly. Bows and arrows can also kill people, and they are both useful.

No one knows how long this battle to defend the city will last, so we have to be economical.

Teams of soldiers were arranging their weapons.

Steel knives were inserted into wooden barrels, and long guns were placed on wooden racks, one at a distance.

In order to make it easier to fight, the defenders suddenly found that the blades of their knives were bent and the ends of their spears were broken, so they just pulled out another one and continued to kill the enemy.

The wounded were sitting against the parapet. Medical officers and rescue soldiers in white jackets walked among them, examining them and bandaging their wounds with gauze.

They were all lightly wounded and could still continue fighting. The seriously wounded had already been carried off the wall.

When they saw Zhou Guotai coming over, they all looked up, their eyes revealing trust, determination and greetings.

Zhou Guotai walked to the north tower, where there were three 9-jin cannons. The gunners were using long wooden poles to clean the barrels. Some gunners were also sorting out ammunition.

"Is there enough ammunition?" Zhou Guotai stopped and asked.

"To reply to the general, the supplies are being consumed too quickly. Four bases were destroyed in three days, and only two bases are left in the warehouse."

The two bases can’t be fought for more than a day or two.

These cannons are the pillars of defense for the city. Without ammunition, it would be much more difficult to defend the city.

Zhou Guotai patted the artillery captain on the shoulder and said, "Hit the target accurately and kill more northern barbarians."

"Yes!"

Zhou Guotai walked to the back of the wall of the north gate tower and looked forward.

In the mountains and fields in the north, all the way to the edge of the sky and the earth, there are tents everywhere. Thousands of white smoke rises up, and from time to time people ride horses through them.

It seemed as if there was singing coming over with the wind, but it was too far away and the wind was too strong, so it was barely audible.

Herds of cattle and sheep were grazing leisurely not far from the tent. The life-and-death struggle of tens of thousands of people not far away had nothing to do with them.

Zhou Guotai raised his head. The sky was as dark as lead and so low that it seemed to be hanging right above his head and could be reached with just a stretch of his hand.

The weather was getting colder, but not as cold as Zhou Guotai wanted.

The weather is not good. In previous years, winter came earlier and colder each year. But this year, there is no sign of winter coming yet, and it is very likely to be late.

Damn it!

"Woo! Woo! Woo!"

Dozens of trumpets sounded in the distance, and cavalry poured out from various camps, like thousands of small streams and springs converging into a river, and dozens of rivers converging into a lake.

Tens of thousands of Chahar soldiers lined up and slowly advanced towards Kaiyuan City.

There were four to five thousand infantrymen, some wearing leather armor and breastplates, some wearing sheepskin coats and fur hats, carrying bows and arrows, swords and spears, and ladders, all with wooden expressions.

Behind them were the cavalry, swaying their bodies on their war horses, pulling the reins and controlling their mounts to follow behind at a leisurely pace.

They waited for the infantry in front to open the city gate and then rushed in.

More Chahar tribesmen came out of the camp and slowly gathered into a boundless sea.

The sound of rapid bronze bells and sharp bronze whistles had already been heard on the Kaiyuan city walls.

The soldiers walked quickly, and teams of soldiers went behind the wall to prepare for battle. Teams of archers and musketeers stood behind. The artillery captain called on the gunners to slowly push the cannons to their positions.

Soon, the noisy and bustling city wall suddenly became quiet, with only the flags fluttering in the north wind and the sound of snapping. The defenders took their positions and prepared for battle.

The vanguard of the Chahar tribe slowly advanced to within a hundred or two steps of the city. The large group of infantry stopped, and then teams of archers bravely moved forward.

There was no way. They were cavalrymen using horn bows with a relatively short range, and they needed to shoot upwards at the city wall, so they had to get close enough.

When the Chahar archers came within the Ming army's range, the officers shouted, "Shoot!"

The Ming army archers and musketeers came forward in groups, stood behind the wall, drew their bows and arrows, or raised their muskets, aimed at the densely packed heads, and without hesitation released the strings and pulled the triggers.

Amid the bang of muskets, lead bullets whistled in the air, and flowers of blood bloomed on the bodies of the Chahar archers. Amid screams, they fell to the ground like felled wooden stakes.

In contrast, the arrows were silent, and the whistling sound of the arrows breaking through the wind was covered up by the sound of the muskets. Only when the arrows pierced the bodies of the Chahar archers did they feel the pain.

Braving the hail of arrows and bullets from the defenders, the archers of the Chahar tribe stood still, drew their bows and arrows, and shot at the city walls.

They couldn't even see the target and could only rely on the number of arrows to suppress the enemy.

"Attention! Enemy fire! Be careful to dodge!"

The officers shouted loudly on the city wall.

Those who had shields raised them, and those without shields hid in wooden sheds made of planks, listening to the sound of arrows hitting the ground, like rain hitting banana leaves.

The harder the Chahars shot, the more fiercely the defenders counterattacked.

Archers and musketeers braved the overwhelming rain of arrows from the Chahar tribe and stood on the wall, shooting round after round of arrows and bullets at the archers below the city.

More and more Chahar archers fell under the city, lying densely together forming a black belt.

Finally, Nayan, the leader of the Chahar tribe, could no longer bear it.

Even if forty or fifty archers were killed or wounded at the foot of the city, they might not be able to hit ten defenders on the city wall. Even a fool would know that such an exchange ratio was not worth it.

Na Yan raised his whip and roared a few words viciously. Thousands of Chahar infantrymen roared loudly and then rushed towards Kaiyuan City like a tide.

Soon, they filled the foot of Kaiyuan City like a group of ants. They set up hundreds of ladders, with people holding the sides, and others biting their knives, holding up shields, and risking their lives to climb up the ladders.

The Chahar archers suddenly felt the pressure reduced, and casualties visibly decreased. The attention of the defending archers and musketeers was shifted to the ladders.

From the ramparts on both sides, they shot arrows at the Chahar soldiers on the ladders, and arrows and projectiles formed a dense net in front of the city wall.

Anyone who got caught in the net would either die or get injured. One by one, the Chahar soldiers fell from the ladders screaming and landing heavily on the ground, without a sound.

Zhou Guotai personally commanded the operation from the north gate tower.

This is the focus of the Chahar tribe's attack.

They must capture the city tower, open the city gate, and send in the main cavalry to achieve victory!

The Chahar tribe deployed their most elite forces and a variety of large-scale siege equipment in the north and east gate towers.

The artillery on the city wall played an important role. No matter whether it was a nest car or a battering ram, once the nine-jin cannon was aimed, a few bangs and the equipment that the Chahar people had made with great difficulty would be smashed to pieces.

Zhou Guotai wiped the sweat off his face, and his palms seemed to touch a pool of black mud. He looked around and found that in a few places, the Chahar tribe had rushed up the city wall, but it was still under control.

The reserve troops rushed forward, surrounded these Chahar warriors and hacked at them indiscriminately. Some officers simply dispatched a team of musketeers.

No matter how good your martial arts skills are, you can be knocked down with one gunshot.

An hour later, a sharp horn sounded from the city. Only one horn was blowing. The Chahar tribe retreated quickly like the receding tide, leaving behind only corpses and wailing wounded on the ground.

Fight back again.

Zhou Guotai let out a long sigh, as if all the strength in his body was drained away. He sat down on the ground, leaning his back against the wall, gasping for breath.

The Chahar tribe's attacks became more and more fierce, because they also knew that although the cold winter would come late, it would come eventually. For the sake of their lives, they had to capture Kaiyuan City before the cold winter came.

Zhou Guotai knew clearly that although the Kaiyuan City defenders seemed to have the upper hand, they had suffered heavy casualties, and their weapons, armor, arrows, and ammunition were greatly consumed without any replenishment.

He had to allocate 5,000 soldiers to defend Tieling City. The two cities formed a horn with each other, and they controlled the main road, so that the Chahar tribe could be blocked in the north.

Tumen Khan concentrated his forces to open Yuancheng. Once Yuancheng was opened, Tieling City would be isolated and helpless and would not be able to hold out for long.

Now the defenders of Kaiyuan City have been forced into the most dangerous moment. The string is pulled so tight that no one knows when it will break.

Both the attacker and the defender were holding their breath, waiting to see who would give up first.

Zhou Guotai looked up and saw that the sky was still as gloomy as lead, but it just wasn't snowing!

Damn God!

He struggled to stand up, supported by the wall, and raised the big flag with the Chinese character "Ming" high up, shouting loudly: "Great Ming will win!"

"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!"

First the North Gate Tower, then the entire Kaiyuan City, roared in unison.

"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!"

The sound was like huge waves, sweeping across the wilderness and mountains outside the city.

On the distant hills, a nobleman in bright golden armor held his mount, with guards behind him holding nine white banners. It was Tumen Khan of the Chahar tribe. He turned his head to look towards Kaiyuan, listening to the continuous shouts of "Long live the Ming Dynasty", with a far-sighted gaze.

(End of this chapter)