Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

"What kind of shell is this? How can it be so powerful?"

Looking at the city walls riddled with craters from the bombing, King Li Chuang of Shu felt a chill run down his spine.

Only then did he realize what was happening.

It turns out that Ximentang's siege tactics were so effective that cannonballs were enough to completely breach the city walls, without needing to get close and launch an attack.

The three moats outside Xiangyang City were completely ineffective against Ximentang.

The power of the armor-piercing shell was explosive, completely overturning the understanding of Li Zicheng, the King of Shu.

Even from a distance of one kilometer, the power of armor-piercing shells would be enough to completely blow open the city gates and walls.

Armor-piercing shells also had another purpose: to pinpoint and eliminate the Weiyuan cannon.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
As long as the shells land on the Weiyuan cannon, they can destroy it very quickly.

Steel armor is no match for armor-piercing shells.

The Shu army also purchased a lot of cannons, including Japanese field guns. There were more than 500 cannons in the entire city of Xiangyang.

However, there was no way to fire the shells.

The cannons of Ximentang were too dense and incredibly accurate.

The artillery positions within Xiangyang City were immediately and completely suppressed, resulting in countless artillery casualties.

The King of Shu was very anxious as he watched his cannons being destroyed one after another.

He shouted at his subordinates, "What are you all standing there for? Counterattack! Use the Weiyuan cannons to counterattack!"

"Where are our Japanese field guns? Where are the Japanese field guns that I spent so much money equipping us with?"

"Beat them all! Beat them hard—!"

In fact, even without the urging of King Li Zicheng of Shu, the soldiers of the Shu army had already prepared to retaliate with Japanese field artillery.

Just as Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, finished speaking, the artillery battalion pushed fifty Japanese field guns to the edge of the city wall.

Next to it were boxes of cannonballs, but the Japanese field guns used by the Shu army were all downgraded versions.

These Japanese field guns were all purchased from Oyama Iwate.

Given the nature of the Japanese, it was naturally impossible for them to sell the most advanced Japanese field guns.

Especially the shells, which still used the old black powder, were vastly different in explosive power from those of Ximentang.

The soldiers of the Shu army's artillery battalion positioned the Japanese field guns and began aiming.

Then,

They started preparing to load the shells, and after working for more than ten minutes, they were barely ready.

"fire!"

At a command, the Shu army's artillery began firing shells.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
A piercing sound rang out as the Japanese field guns roared.

Li Chuang, the King of Shu, hid behind a bunker in the fortifications, looking towards the outside of the city.

He felt a little relieved when he saw the Shu army's artillery battalion begin to counterattack.

Damn it—

It's not just your Ximentang that has cannons; our Shu army has them too!

but,

He was completely dumbfounded.

Almost all the shells went astray.

After the shells landed and exploded, they were more than 200 meters away from the artillery camp in Ximentang.

Wrong!
Even the closest shells were dozens of meters away from Ximentang's artillery position.

Moreover, the impact force of the shells upon landing was pitifully small.

After the first round of shelling, only some smoke rose near the artillery positions in Ximentang, without causing any damage.

The field guns that the Shu army purchased from the Japanese were not only weakened in power, but also had significant differences in range, accuracy, and other aspects.

of course,

Most importantly, the Shu army's artillery had almost no extensive live-fire training.

When using Japanese field artillery, the angle, distance, wind direction, and other factors of the artillery could only be determined by imagination.

therefore,

After the Shu army's artillery battalion fired the first round, it was difficult to achieve the desired firing effect.

Once the Shu army's artillery battalion fires its shells, revealing its target...

Next,
A barrage of cannonballs rained down on the Shu army's artillery battalion from Ximentang.

In less than half a minute, the Shu army's artillery battalion was wiped out in the first counterattack.

When Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, saw this scene, his heart sank.

Just then, his soldiers reported to him that the southern wall of Xiangyang was about to collapse.

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, was so anxious that his mouth was covered in blisters. Just then, the Shu army's artillery pushed in another twenty Japanese field guns.

"Quick! Launch—launch it!"

The artillerymen quickly set up their field guns and began aiming and positioning them, hoping to hit the target more accurately.

After finally getting the cannons in position, the Shu army artillery fired once again.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
This time, the shooting effect was much better than the first round.

Having learned from a previous misfire, the artillery corrected its firing angle.

After the twenty Japanese field guns fired, the shells landed 100 meters behind the artillery position at Ximentang.

Although the direction was correct, the shells were fired at too far a range.

Several shells even hit more than 300 meters behind the Ximentang artillery battalion's position, exploding and emitting thick black smoke.

Almost all of the shells have very weak explosive power.

The cannonballs sold by the Japanese to Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, were all weakened, with an explosive kill radius of no more than two meters.

Not only was the gunpowder the worst kind of black powder, but the amount of gunpowder used was also very small.

If the Shu army were to engage in an artillery battle with the Guandong army, there is no doubt that the Shu army would suffer a complete defeat.

Using the same Japanese field artillery, the Kwantung Army had an enhanced version, while the Shu Army had a weakened version.

As the second round of artillery counterattack ended, it still failed to hit the artillery battalion's position at Ximentang.

have to say,

Although the Shu army was equipped with a large number of artillery pieces, the training of its artillerymen was far from adequate.

That's true. Artillery shells are very expensive. No other organization can do what Simontang did, frequently using live ammunition in artillery training.

After the second artillery barrage revealed their location, they were once again subjected to precise fire from the Ximentang artillery.

Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, was about to give the order for the artillerymen to push the Japanese field guns and retreat.

Just then, a soldier ran over in a panic to report:
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The south wall has completely collapsed—!"

The fact that the city wall was bombed and collapsed does not mean that the entire Xiangyang Prefecture was captured.

After all, Ximentang used long-range artillery and relied on the 200,000 troops stationed in Xiangyang Prefecture to defend the city.

Even if Ximentang wanted to storm in, it would be extremely difficult.

If we organize a defense again, although we may not be able to hold on, we can hold out for several hours.

Moreover, Xiangyang Prefecture is surrounded by three moats, and Ximen Hall has only crossed the first moat line so far.

Ximentang has not yet launched an attack; so far it has only been shelling.

However, for the Shu army, with the collapse of the city walls, the psychological defenses of almost all the soldiers completely crumbled.

The Shu army suffered several major defeats at the hands of Ximentang, and like the Japanese, they developed a sense of fear.

Because of the city walls, the Shu army was able to defend the city from behind cover.

but,

The city walls have collapsed, and the bunkers have been smashed and destroyed.

How to keep it?
In the minds of the vast majority of Shu soldiers, this battle has almost been lost by now!

Given the intensity of Ximentang's attack, Xiangyang City cannot be defended.

After the Shu army's artillery camp was destroyed, panic gripped all the soldiers.

Many soldiers simply threw down their muskets and ran away from the collapsed city wall, fleeing for their lives.

Damn it!

These Shu soldiers weren't stupid; knowing they couldn't win, they would naturally run away.

Even Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, did not expect that his elite troops would become so afraid after being bombed by Ximen Tang several times.

Clang——!
He drew his longsword from his waist, swung it in the air, and shouted:
"Come back! All of you, come back to the city! Ximentang is still a few hundred meters away from Xiangyang City, and there are still two moats that haven't been breached."

"We can definitely hold off Ximentang's attack! Heavy machine guns, get me a heavy machine gun!"

Unfortunately, no matter how much Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, shouted, no one listened to him.

The surroundings are in complete chaos!

Many Shu soldiers shouted as they ran:
"Run! What the hell? Ximen Tang is ruthless! If you don't run, you're in big trouble!"

"Xiangyang is about to fall! Run!" Panic spread through the Shu army, and all the soldiers fled in a hurry.

It wasn't that the Shu soldiers didn't want to fight, but rather that the disparity in firepower was too great.

The powerful shockwaves from the shells landing in Ximentang created an immense psychological impact.

"Damn it—!"

King Li Zicheng of Shu cursed angrily.

He turned his head and saw that the Shu soldiers were scattering and fleeing, and even the elite troops around him were in chaos.

The artillery battalion soldiers had vanished without a trace.

He was so frustrated that he coughed up blood, but no matter how much he shouted, it was to no avail; he was completely at his wit's end.

At this time,

The bodyguard beside him, a master of the Great Perfection of the Meridian Opening Realm, said in a deep voice:
"Your Highness, let's retreat too. The city walls of Xiangyang have collapsed, and Ximentang will soon break in. We can't stop them."

"If we get surrounded, with Prince Qian Chen Jie's martial arts skills, none of us will be able to escape!"

-

Ximentang position.

Chen Jie looked at the battle situation not far away and nodded slightly.

It seems that Ximen Tang's generals at all levels have thoroughly mastered various tactics and strategies.

He has gained profound insights into blitzkrieg, positional warfare, encirclement and annihilation warfare, siege warfare, and so on.

This attack on Xiangyang Prefecture looks very easy.

However, judging from the troop deployment and tactics on the battlefield, it is by no means simple.

So far, the city gates of Xiangyang have been breached, but there have been no casualties at the West Gate.

In this era, long-range artillery bombardment tactics are simply overwhelming.

Chen Jie took out his binoculars and looked over. To his surprise, he discovered that Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, was hiding in a bunker next to the city wall.

Chen Jie originally thought that the old man had already run away, but he didn't expect him to still be in Xiangyang City.

Next,
Chen Jie ordered Ximentang to start distributing airburst bombs, and letters urging surrender flew everywhere.

Similar to the previous bombing of Jiujiang Prefecture, Chen Jie employed a propaganda campaign to avoid causing greater casualties.

"Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, you have no way out. If you continue to resist, you are destined to die."

"Surrender! As long as you surrender and hand over your military power, I can guarantee you a peaceful life and a life free from worries about food and clothing."

Boom boom——!
Two consecutive airburst bombs exploded in mid-air.

In fact, there weren't many leaflets used to persuade people to surrender; there were only a few hundred.

Li Chuang, the King of Shu who was stationed in Xiangyang, was utterly desperate.

He saw the surrender propaganda leaflets falling from the airburst bombs, and remained silent for a long time, feeling helpless.

Since the rise of Ximentang, the situation in the Daqian Dynasty has tended to be stable.

After the situation stabilized in Tianjin, Beijing, Shandong, southern Jiangsu, northern Jiangsu, Songjiang Prefecture, eastern Zhejiang, Henan, Hebei and other places.

Xi Mentang's army has taken control of the situation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Then,

The Min King of the Minnan region pledged allegiance to Ximentang, which brought the Minnan region into the important overseas trade area of ​​the Daqian Dynasty.

this moment,
Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, wondered if his persistence was still meaningful.

The heavy casualties suffered by the Shu army in the Battle of Xiaogan left King Li Zicheng of Shu feeling frustrated.

He always believed that he still had a sliver of hope of conquering Sichuan, and that the imperial court, wanting to stabilize the situation in Sichuan, dared not touch him.

but,

When I learned that Chen Jie had said, "Sichuan can continue to have the title of 'King of Shu,' but it doesn't have to be you, Li Chuang!"

He then realized that he was in a very dangerous situation.

Then,

Ximen Tang attacked Xiangyang Prefecture and quickly cornered Li Chuang.

Putting aside the casualties, the morale of the troops has already collapsed!

Seeing the surrender propaganda leaflets falling from the sky after the explosion, Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, racked his brains.

In this situation, there is no better option than to surrender.

Continuing to fight the imperial court would bring him absolutely no benefit.

After much deliberation, Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, summoned several of his elite generals and said:

"Brothers, Ximen Tang is about to enter Xiangyang, and our Shu army simply cannot stop him!"

"To the north is the Han River, and across from us is the 200,000-strong army of Prince Ning, Li Mu, in Xiangzhou. If we cross the river, we will surely be attacked by the Northwest Army."

"There is no way to retreat to the west or the east. At present, I really can't think of any other way except to surrender to the West Gate."

The Shu army generals around him were all Li Zicheng's confidants and always followed his lead.

at this time,

When they heard that Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, had the idea of ​​surrendering, no one objected.

Everyone could see the situation clearly and knew that continuing to resist would only lead to certain death.

A general sighed helplessly and said:

"Your Highness is right. If we continue to resist, the Shu army will be completely finished!"

"Why not surrender? It might bring the greatest development and change to Sichuan."

"Your Highness, are you really planning to relinquish your military power?"

After hearing this, the others all said, "Your Highness, whatever decision you make, we will follow you to the death, and we would rather die than submit!"

Surrendering the military power of the Shu army is tantamount to submitting to the Great Qian Dynasty.

for the rest of the time,

The new army of the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty will be stationed in Tianfu.

Furthermore, the entire Sichuan region will be brought under the direct jurisdiction of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, had no military power and could only live as a leisurely prince in the land of abundance.

For a while,
Li Chuang was caught in a mental struggle.

He could imagine that in the time to come, Ximen Tang would be suppressing rebellions by various regional princes.

Moreover, the Great Qian Dynasty will soon undergo a major transformation.

The reforms implemented by Ximentang in Shandong, southern Jiangsu, northern Jiangsu, eastern Zhejiang, and Songjiang Prefecture will be directly extended to other parts of the Great Qian Dynasty.

As a result,
The regional princes will be gradually eliminated, and if they resist, they may be eradicated completely.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he relinquished his military power and defected to Ximen Tang.

This might be a development opportunity for the Li family branch in Sichuan.

Just like Li Gang, the King of Min, who now controls the overseas trade of the Great Qian Dynasty after submitting to Ximen Tang.

After thinking it through, Li Chuang nodded, took a deep breath, and said:
"I surrender! I've made up my mind. I'll leave the city now to see Prince Qian, Chen Jie!"

"Raise the white flag—!"

finished,

He removed his armor and put down his longsword.

Half an hour later.

Accompanied by four skilled guards, Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, emerged from the collapsed city gate of Xiangyang and arrived at the battlefront of Ximen Hall.

"Prince Qian, I, Li Zicheng, have arrived!"

Wow——!
Two rows of soldiers from the Ximentang military camp parted to form a path.

Inside the military tent, Chen Jie sat imposingly on a stool, smiling as he said:
"Li Chuang, have you made your choice?"

Puff-!
Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, knelt before Chen Jie, with a thorny branch on his back.

He carried thorns on his back to apologize!

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Chen Jie, saying:
“Your Majesty, I deserve to die for my sins. I have failed the expectations of my ancestors. Today I submit to the court and am at Your Majesty’s mercy.”

Although he was unwilling, he had to admit that Li Chuang was indeed a ruthless and ambitious figure.

He was fierce, cunning, domineering, and ruthless.

At the same time, they like to boast, brag, bluff, and bully the weak while fearing the strong.

Such a domineering and arrogant person is also capable of bending and stretching, and actually knelt down directly in front of Chen Jie.

This kind of mentality is something that ordinary people are not capable of.

Chen Jie looked at Li Chuang, the King of Shu, whose eyes were darting around, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

He had long anticipated that the King of Shu would choose to surrender.

If it were someone else, they might worry that Li Zicheng, the King of Shu, was firing blanks, feigning surrender, and actually using retreat as a tactic to advance.

But Chen Jie wasn't worried at all!
If he can seize military power from the Shu army, he is confident he can hold onto it firmly. (End of Chapter)