Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 301, Above the Mountain of Corpses

On July 20th, the moat was finally filled in.

However, only 200,000 soldiers remained in the army.

The number of people was 270,000 before the departure, but it has now dropped to 200,000. In less than a month, the number of people has decreased by 70,000!
A small number of people died in battle, while the majority fled.

Because rumors about Fang Yong had started circulating in the army at some point.

For example, invincibility, reincarnation of immortals or gods, blessings from deities, etc.

Many soldiers believed it to be true.

After all, the wheat that was as tall as corn kernels before was a real miracle.

Coupled with the brutality of the battlefield, large numbers of soldiers began to desert.

At first, the generals didn't take it seriously, but as more and more soldiers deserted, they had to take action.

You have to understand, these soldiers represent their future.

After discussions among several generals, they mixed veterans and new recruits, with each veteran specifically managing a group of new recruits, in order to prevent desertion.

Interestingly, Tie Gen, who was preparing to escape, was also counted as a veteran and became the manager of a group of new recruits.

Soon, the formal siege began.

Ma Laohei personally visited the city wall, giving the enemy ample attention.

Despite intelligence indicating that the enemy's strength was extremely weak, in war, one must never underestimate the opponent, no matter the circumstances.

"attack!"

A deep horn sounded, war drums beat, and banners fluttered.

The soldiers of the Holy Army carried ladders and charged toward the city wall.

That's right, carrying a ladder.

The Holy Army's ladders were the most rudimentary kind.

It's just an extended ladder with barbs on it, so it can be fixed to the city wall.

This is their primary method of attacking cities.

As for other siege facilities, such as towers, nests, battering rams, etc.

They have these things too.

But all these siege facilities combined don't exceed thirty vehicles.

Compared to the massive army of 200,000, it's not even a drop in the ocean.

Manufacturing these large siege structures requires extremely high standards in both materials and technology.

Although the Holy Guardian Army recruited nearly 300,000 people, the number of officers and military craftsmen remained largely unchanged, with only a few hundred thousand more cannon fodder added.

Tie Gen was assigned to fight in one of the mobile suits.

Compared to outside, the building is relatively safer.

But that's only relative.

boom! boom! boom!
After several cannon shots, Tie Gen could clearly feel the building vehicle vibrate.

The area outside was under artillery fire.

Artillery is very effective against tower vehicles. The tower vehicle's huge size makes it a sitting duck, and it is easy to hit it with artillery.

However, the RVs also have measures to defend against artillery fire.

The building is encased in sheet metal on the outside and has shock-resistant leather and a cushioning structure inside, which can prevent the building from being destroyed to the greatest extent.

Unfortunately, the firepower of the two sides was not proportional.

With Ma Laohei's reinforcement, over two hundred cannons were furiously deployed on just one side of Handan's city wall, firing in alternating bursts without end.

The Holy Guard only had six siege engines in total.

Even the most robust structures will be damaged by continuous bombardment.

Hearing the cracking sound of the wood, Tie Gen's alarm bells went off. Without hesitation, he grabbed a teammate and hid behind him.

Before his teammate could even react, with a deafening crash, the truck shattered, and a broken plank flew through the air, embedding itself in the chest of the teammate standing in front of Tie Gen. Tie Gen was merely a minor incident on the battlefield.

As the sound of cannons rang out, all of the Holy Army's other siege facilities were quickly destroyed, leaving only the most basic siege ladders.

The Huaiyin army indifferently picked up a large rock and smashed it down, causing a series of Holy Guard soldiers climbing the cloud ladder to fall like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

On the other side, a soldier from Huaiyin pushed down a rolling log, and a soldier from the Guardian Army was immediately crushed and died, vomiting blood.

The Huaiyin soldiers beside him drew their bows and arrows, accurately shooting down one of the Holy Guards below.

Oil and molten gold were poured on the faces of the Holy Guards, who screamed and howled in agony. In this era, medical technology in the army was extremely limited, and ordinary soldiers could hardly receive any treatment. Being doused like this was basically a death sentence.

Unbeknownst to many, a thick layer of corpses had accumulated beneath the city walls.

Some people may not often step on corpses and are not familiar with this feeling.

Here is a detailed description.

Stepping on it, you can clearly feel the flesh trembling, and sometimes blood plasma will come out, which is fishy, ​​smelly and sticky.

When you step on a head, it's very hard, not as smooth as you might imagine. However, some corpses may have had their skulls attacked before death, resulting in damage. Therefore, if you suddenly step on it, your foot will sink in, leaving large patches of red and white stains. If you're lucky, you might even find an eyeball stuck on it.

After only half a day of fighting, the morale of the Holy Army was already on the verge of collapse.

The supervisory team desperately urged the soldiers to fight, but soldiers continued to desert, and killing them could not stop them.

As night fell, the soldiers, who had been fighting all day, retreated in disarray.

All that remained was a small mountain of corpses.

According to statistics, the number of casualties among the Holy Guardians reached more than 2,100 in just one day.

The enemy's casualties are roughly estimated to be less than one hundred.

Even if there were 100 casualties, the ratio of enemy casualties to our own was as high as 21:1. With such a disparity, there was practically no hope of victory.

After obtaining this data, several generals began to plan their own future.

They discussed whether they should write a letter to the Huaiyin army in the city to surrender now.

None of the people present objected to the surrender.

No one wanted to be loyal to the Longqing Emperor.

For thousands of years, the rise and fall of dynasties has been perfectly normal.

The reason why we praise those loyal ministers who are devoted to the country is because they are only a small minority.

Most people still want to survive and continue to enjoy wealth and luxury.

Some might ask, is wealth and status really that important?

Is it really worth bearing the stigma of being a traitor for this?
To this, I can only say that those who have never experienced wealth and luxury will never know how joyful it can be.

You really can't imagine.

The generals present had all experienced wealth and luxury, and for them, giving up such wealth and luxury was worse than death.

In this situation, surrendering is now an urgent matter!
The only problem is, isn't it a bit too beneath him to send a letter of surrender on the very first day of the siege...?

After all, if they demonstrate too little value, they are unlikely to attract much attention.

Just then, Gao Jing suddenly arrived.

The group was somewhat flustered.

They didn't know that Gao Jing was Fang Yong's man, and they still thought that Gao Jing was a loyal minister of the Longqing Emperor.

Although Gao Jing led the way in embezzlement and withheld soldiers' pay, this did not expose his true identity; instead, it solidified his reputation as a loyal subject.

Because this is what Emperor Longqing's loyal ministers were like!

Upon Gao Jing's arrival, he looked at the five generals present and said somewhat seriously:
"Our food supplies are running out!"

"what!"

All five of them stood up.

"How could it be gone so quickly!"

(End of this chapter)