The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 210 Prey

Chapter 210 Prey (I)

Buyantai suddenly released the bowstring, and the heavy arrow flew out of the air, passed over the breastwork, through the flying snowflakes, and hit a dark figure fifty steps away.

"Boom!"

The breastplate of the flintlock soldier a few steps ahead of Yang Tong was shattered by a heavy arrow. His body flew backward as if hit by a hammer and fell heavily into the trench on the side of the passage.

Yang Tong picked up the flintlock rifle and without aiming, he immediately pulled the trigger in the direction where the heavy arrow came from.

The surrounding musketeers also followed suit, the sounds of musket explosions merged into one, and the Khan's Palace position was dotted with flames under the night sky.

This was the first attack of the Kaiyuan Army after nightfall. Compared with the attack during the day, Deng Changxiong was obviously much more cautious this time.

Only musketeers and long-card soldiers participated in the attack, as well as a small number of Kaiyuan archers.

In addition, the Kaiyuan army temporarily captured hundreds of bondservants who were looting and ordered them to dig soil to fill trenches and serve as cannon fodder.

The Baoyi spread dirt on the icy passage to make it easier for the soldiers to pass. After more than a hundred Baoyi were killed or wounded, they finally built a slope of dirt at the end of the passage. Once the soldiers reached the slope, it would be much easier to capture the breastwork in front.

Before the combat troops launched the attack, the artillery battalion and rocket troops conducted two hours of artillery preparation.

The divine fire crows illuminated the Khan's palace position, and artillery bombarded all marked targets.

After two hours of bombardment, the surface of the position was almost completely plowed by iron balls, and there was basically no living thing left.

It was the first time for the Kaiyuan Army to attack a fortified position at night.

Deng Changxiong, a veteran of many battles, was a little nervous. After several battles during the day, Deng Changxiong felt that Huang Taiji was unfathomable and his military strategy was far superior to that of his father Nurhaci.

Until now, he still hasn't figured out the strength of the Later Jin soldiers on the opposite side. The more this happened, the more uncertain he felt, so he urgently asked to see Ping Liaohou.

Deng Changxiong suggested launching the attack after daybreak, so that the artillery could better calibrate and aim during the day and destroy the Later Jin army's defenses.

As soon as the opinion was put forward, he was scolded by Ping Liaohou.

At this point, both sides were at the end of their strength. The Kaiyuan army should press forward with all their might, pursue the victory, and not give Huang Taiji a chance to catch his breath. Even if they suffered heavy casualties, they had to hold on.

The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Since it is a decisive battle, we must have the courage to die together with the enemy.

They both died together.

Kang Yingqian, Sun Chuanting and others expressed their support for Ping Liaohou, and the arrow was on the string and had to be shot.

Deng Changxiong had no choice but to order his soldiers to continue the attack.

Liu Zhaosun personally supervised the battle. The 2000th headquarters launched an attack from the front, the 5000th headquarters and the surrendered Jurchens of the Bordered White Banner covered the main force's flanks, and the 1000th headquarters and the cavalry battalion served as reserves.

Of course, the vanguard of this night battle were the bannermen who participated in the burning, killing and looting.

Liu Zhaosun hated these shameless bondservants to the core, and ordered the cavalry battalion and pacification troops to drive these people to the front of the Khan's palace, forcing them to dig and fill trenches, and serve as cannon fodder for the army.

The bondservants carried sandbags back and forth to fill the trenches, and those who hesitated would be shot by the pacification soldiers.

"They need atonement, and death itself is a kind of redemption."

Liu Zhaosun looked at the ant-like Baoyi in front of him and comforted himself in this way.

After nightfall, the brutal attack officially began after a burst of inaccurate artillery bombardment from the artillery battalion.

Including the first wave of baoyi soldiers who filled the trenches, Yang Tong and his men were the third wave of attacking force.

The second wave of 130 musketeers were killed or wounded half an hour ago.

Contrary to the expectations of Liu Zhaosun and others, even under the fierce artillery fire of the Kaiyuan army, there were still a considerable number of Later Jin soldiers on the opposite position.

The Dengzhou archer followed Yang Tong, holding his bow, and stumbling along the slippery passage.
"Brother Yang! Where are the Tartars?!"

Yang Tong loaded the second lead bullet, aimed at the breastwork hidden in the darkness in the distance, and pulled the trigger again.

"Fifty paces directly in front of you, behind the parapet. Be careful not to fall into the ditch."

Before he could finish his words, a Kaiyuan archer in front of him screamed and slipped into a trench filled with bamboo sticks.

"The Tartar arrows are so accurate!"

Yang Tong looked at the raised open space in front of the passage. It was the trench filled with trenches in front and also the foothold of the soldiers. If they wanted to capture the breastwork fifty steps away, they had to gain a firm foothold on that open space first.

"Hold on, once we get to the front, it's our turn to fight them!"

With two whoosh sounds, two musketeers in front of Yang Tong fell down. The cold wind swept across the fallen bodies, and the heavy snow hit his face.

"There's no one ahead, dozens of people are gone again!"

Suddenly, there was a sharp scream, and more than a dozen orange-red fireballs rose into the air, illuminating the positions within a radius of several miles.

"Flying Crow of Divine Fire!" Yang Tong shouted excitedly. He quickly shook off the snowflakes on his iron helmet and raised his musket. Fifty steps in front of him, several people with pigtails behind the breastwork were running around in panic under the flames, with nowhere to hide.

Yang Tong blew on his frozen right index finger and looked at a panicked Later Jin archer behind the breastwork.

Yang Tong's teeth chattered as he recited the sixth chapter of the Tao Te Ching.

"Holding... Holding on to more than enough is not as good as stopping when you have enough; sharpening something to the extreme cannot keep it for long."

Behind the breastwork, the Plain White Banner archers fled in all directions.

Bu Yangtai looked at the divine fire crow rising slowly two miles away, and took out a heavy arrow from the arrow holder as if nothing had happened. He skillfully placed it on the bowstring and gently flicked off a stray snowflake with his jade ring.

The sky full of flames illuminates the way ahead.

Fifty steps away, half of the fearless Nikan soldiers had turned into frozen corpses.

This was Nikan's third attack. Each time he launched an attack with a small group of troops, and each time he suffered heavy casualties.

Buyantai was quite satisfied with the defensive position designed by the Khan.

"Buyantai, hide inside! The Nikan rocket is coming!"

Without even turning his head, Buyantai said to the trench behind him:

"We haven't finished killing all the Nikan soldiers yet."

He released the bowstring and watched the heavy arrow hit a retreating Kaiyuan soldier, then watched the soldier struggle and slide into the trenches on both sides of the passage.

"He'll be pricked like a hedgehog."

Buyantai talked to himself.

After the rocket took off, the surviving Nikan soldiers began to retreat.

Buyantai knew that this was because they were afraid of being accidentally injured by the Divine Fire Crow. If nothing unexpected happened, after this round of rocket launches was completed, the Nikan soldiers would continue their attack.

"This is war!"

Bu Yangtai took a bite of the scallion, and the firelight illuminated his bloodshot eyes.

The corners of his mouth were slightly raised and he kept smiling.

The archers hiding in the trench no longer cared about their crazy companion.

The divine fire crow fell to the ground like a meteor, whistling and smashing towards the Han Palace position. The ammunition depot wrapped in oil and sulfur burned fiercely on the eaves.

"The Khan isn't in there, so it's a waste of effort."

Two rockets landed near the breastwork. After the arrowheads exploded violently, countless sharp porcelain pieces and iron nails burst out, sweeping towards the Later Jin position like raindrops.

A caltrop flew past at high speed, tearing a bloody wound between Buyantai's whiskers on his lower jaw. Blood splattered and quickly froze into ice.

The smile on Buyantai's face suddenly froze. He grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it into the wound. The intense pain made him feel much more conscious.

Bu Yangtai suddenly opened his bow.

In front of the breastwork, a single Nikan musketeer did not escape.

He stood there, raising his flintlock rifle and aiming at Buyantai across the burning kerosene.

"Brave prey."

Buyantai's mouth curled up slightly, remembering what his father often said when he took him to hunt tigers.

"Advanced hunters always enter the scene as prey."

Ama has now turned into smoke.

He needs to hunt more prey to avenge Amma.

Buyantai pulled the bowstring into a full moon.

Yang Tong put his finger on the trigger.

White smoke rose from the flintlock rifle, and heavy arrows flew through the air.

A snowflake hovered between them.