Huangming

Chapter 296 Bombarding Shenyang, Counterattack in the Face of Crisis (Seeking monthly votes at the beginning of the month!)

In order to capture Shenyang.

Huang Taiji will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

His first concern was the water source.

He secretly ordered Mongol cavalry to sneak around to the upper reaches of the Hun River and, under cover of night, throw dead sheep, rotten horses, and even clothes stripped from the bodies of plague victims into the water.

But this trick was seen through by Xiong Tingbi after only two days.

He stopped using the Hun River water and switched to well water from the city.

When one of Huang Taiji's plans failed, he devised another.

The Jin soldiers started spreading rumors again:

"The spies within the city have already poisoned the well water in Shenyang."

"The well water in the city is poisonous! Drinking it will cause your intestines to rot!"

"More than a dozen people died yesterday near Deshengmen!"

Not only that, they also wrapped strips of cloth with the words "well water infected with disease" written on them on arrows and shot them densely into the city.

At first, some soldiers panicked and dared not drink the water from the ladle.

But Xiong Tingbi was prepared. He personally led his personal guards to the large well in the center of the city, scooped up a ladle of well water and drank it down his throat. After finishing, he smacked his lips and said, "It's very sweet! Anyone who dares to spread rumors again will be dealt with according to military law!"

He had long protected the well water.

It has always been guarded by dedicated personnel.

Where would they have the opportunity to poison someone?

As for the Jurchen internal collaborators?

Which inside agent dares to raise their head now?
To reassure the troops.

He then ordered people to fill well water into earthenware jars and distribute them to each camp for inspection. Anyone found spreading rumors was immediately tied up and displayed on the city wall.

A few days later, the soldiers in the city saw that they had no problems drinking the well water, and the rumors were dispelled.

Of course, Huang Taiji's plan was not entirely just talk without action.

For example, three days ago.

That day, the southwest wind was blowing fiercely, and Huang Taiji seized the opportunity to order rockets to be launched towards the granaries in the city.

Thousands of light arrows, bound with oilcloth and trailing long fiery tails, swooped down on Shenyang like a flock of firebirds.

"Oh no! The granary!"

The sentries on the city wall roared.

The grain warehouses in Shenyang are mostly made of wood, and if they were to catch fire, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But before the Jin soldiers could cheer...

Hundreds of soldiers rushed out carrying buckets of water and grappling hooks, and quickly brought the fire under control.

Even if a few rockets landed on top of the grain silos, they were quickly extinguished.

Huang Taiji could see clearly from the high platform that fire prevention ditches had long been dug around the granaries and filled with water, and even the wooden pillars of the granaries were covered with iron sheets.

He couldn't help but curse, "You bastard, you old fox!"
Xiong Tingbi had long anticipated that he would use fire, and his defenses were watertight.

As the days went by, Huang Taiji became increasingly impatient.

He went through three different riding whips in front of his tent, all of which he broke in a fit of rage.

What worried him even more was that the messengers from Fushun City were coming more and more frequently, and each time they brought Nurhaci's rebuke.

"It's been fourteen days! We haven't even climbed up the city wall of Shenyang!"

The messenger relayed Nurhaci's roar.

"The Khan said, if you can't take Shenyang, you'll be sent back to Hetu Ala to guard the ancestral temple!"

Huang Taiji's hand trembled slightly as he held the letter, which crumpled into a ball.

He knew his father's temper; these words were definitely not meant to scare him.

If he were to be transferred back to Hetu Ala, he would not only be unable to compete for the Khanate, but he might not even be able to keep his current position.

"Go and report back to Father Khan: I will definitely take Shenyang within ten days!"

The messenger, satisfied with Huang Taiji's promise, left.

"Brother Ba, do you have any ideas on how to take Shenyang in ten days?" Ajige asked anxiously from the side.

These days, in order to capture Shenyang.

Ajige saw that his myna bird was racking its brains and trying every possible method.

But to no avail.

Let's take a gamble!

Huang Taiji's eyes flickered.

If this tactic fails, Shenyang will truly have to fight to the death.

"You guys come with me!"

Huang Taiji left the barracks and stood on the high platform, pointing to the city wall in the northeast corner.

"That's it."

Under the moonlight, the horse-faced statue at that corner looked like a crooked fang, standing out conspicuously on the city wall.

The feints over the past few days have not been entirely useless; the Jin scouts have already figured it out:
The terrain here is three feet lower than elsewhere, and water seeps into the cracks between the bricks and stones of the horse-faced structure.

Those were traces left from the flood attack at the beginning of the month. The foundation had already loosened from the soaking, making it the most vulnerable part of the entire city of Shenyang.

"Push all the general cannons up!"

Huang Taiji suddenly turned around and said to Abatai behind him.

"all?"

Huang Taiji nodded and said, "All of them, all of them, will be used here!"

Abatai opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent.

There wasn't much gunpowder in the camp.

Especially after the Shanxi merchants disappeared, it was very difficult to replenish them.

These cannons, once used, are truly gone.

But seeing the look in Huang Taiji's eyes, Abatai had no choice but to obey and leave.

soon.

Thirty cannons, covered in black cloth, were pushed to the front of the position by soldiers using logs as supports and by horses and men.

The cannon's muzzle was pointed menacingly at the northeast corner.

Soon, a bodyguard of Huang Taiji, dressed in white armor, arrived with Huang Taiji's order:

"Abatai Taiji, the Fourth Prince orders you to fire the cannons immediately, aiming at the northeast corner of Shenyang City, until a breach is blasted in the city wall!"

"Order!"

Having received Huang Taiji's order, Abatai no longer hesitated.

His defection to Huang Taiji was already a meritorious act.

If he fails to capture Shenyang, he will be in deep trouble.

Only by capturing Shenyang! He immediately roared:

"Load!"

"Prepare the medicine!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers moved with a desperate urgency, as if they had nothing to lose.

Normally precious shells, like eyeballs, were now being moved to the muzzle by the box. The gunners were so lazy that they didn't even bother to wipe the rust off the shells before stuffing them directly into the breech.

Gunpowder was roughly poured in, and the fuse hissed and sparked, reflecting in the soldiers' equally reddened eyes.

"put!"

At Abatai's command, all thirty cannons roared simultaneously.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The deafening roar nearly shook the earth, and the flashes from the cannons illuminated the night sky as if it were daytime.

Thirty shells, trailing long plumes of flame, hurtled towards the northeast corner of the city wall like a swarm of roaring fire dragons.

The first wave of shells struck the horse's face, and the entire city of Shenyang trembled.

The hard city bricks were blasted apart, and rubble flew like a rainstorm. Bricks as tall as half a person were directly lifted into the air and then crashed heavily into the moat below the city, stirring up water splashes several meters high.

Caught off guard, the Ming troops on the city wall were caught off guard. A patrol squad was half-buried by flying bricks and stones, and their screams were swallowed by the sound of cannons.

"Come again!"

Abatai's roar drowned out the sound of cannons.

He personally grabbed a high-explosive shell and stuffed it into the breech of the nearest cannon. Gunpowder splattered all over him, but he was completely unaware.

Second wave, third wave...

The shells rained down on that vulnerable corner as if they were free.

The city walls, which could normally withstand arrows and rolling stones, were as flimsy as paper in the face of concentrated artillery fire.
The sharp edges of the city wall were blasted flat, and the rammed earth beneath the peeling bricks was turned into mud by artillery fire.

The crenellations on the city wall, like gnawed ears of corn, disappeared one by one into the smoke of battle.

Some cannonballs even pierced through the city walls, creating large craters inside the city, with the firelight illuminating the panicked figures of the Ming soldiers fleeing.

The artillery fire outside the city continued, the sounds of cannons echoing like endless thunder.

Huang Taiji stood on the high platform, letting the deafening roar assault his eardrums, but a ferocious smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He could see the city wall in the northeast corner gradually lowering, the breach widening amidst the smoke of battle, like a greedy mouth waiting to devour the entire city.

"Keep banging!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice already hoarse.

"We must blast a breach before dawn!"

The northeast corner of the city wall trembled incessantly under the artillery fire. The sharp edges of the ramparts had been blasted into dust, and the exposed rammed earth crumbled down with every shell explosion, threatening to collapse and create a breach.

"We can't let him keep bombing! If he keeps going, he might really get blown into a hole!"

Xiong Tingbi turned around abruptly, staring intently at He Shixian, and said, "General He, take your light cavalry battalion, pack plenty of gunpowder, and leave the city through the secret passage! Blow up those cannons for me. Even if you can't destroy them, you must silence the Tartars' cannons for half an hour!"

"I will finally understand!"

No! You don't understand!

Xiong Tingbi looked intently at Xiong Tingbi and said:

"You must at least stop the Jurchen artillery for half an hour. This half hour is enough time for me to move the artillery on Shenyang to the northeast and blast it back!"

So that's what the Duke of Jinglue was planning.

"This humble general understands completely!"

After receiving the order, He Shixian couldn't wait to go to the city to muster his troops.

However, just as he turned around, Xiong Tingbi was pulled back.

"Remember, don't get caught up in the fighting. Your life is more precious than those cannons, and the city is waiting for you to defend it."

"Order!"

He Shixian grinned.

"I haven't been granted a title, so I dare not die!"

With that, He Shixian, reeking of alcohol, walked away in a very carefree manner.

Xiong Tingbi's gaze immediately fell on Qi Jin.

The Southern general was holding the Japanese sword at his waist, the copper studs on his armor gleaming coldly in the firelight.

“General Qi, your southern soldiers are good at close combat. Take a thousand men out of the city through Yongchang Gate and circle around to General He’s flank.”

He paused, his voice becoming more serious.

"If General He succeeds, you will help him retreat; if he is ambushed, you will lead your men to hold the retreat route, and I will send reinforcements."

Qi Jin bowed and accepted the order.

"I will definitely fulfill your mission!"

"besides!"

Xiong Tingbi raised his voice and gave orders to You Shigong, Zhou Dunji, Qin Bangping and others around him.

"Send 500 men from each of Deshengmen, Andingmen, and Chaoyangmen to feign an attack on the city! Fire rockets and beat war drums; the bigger the commotion, the better!"

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, he said coldly, "We need to keep Huang Taiji from figuring out where our main force is. If he has to divide his forces to deal with the situation, then General He will have an opportunity to take advantage of the situation!"

"Order!"

The generals readily accepted the order and quickly descended the city wall to lead their troops.

After everyone left.

An old soldier on the city wall muttered to himself, "Our cavalry is no match for the Tartars. Going out would be suicide."

Upon hearing this, he was glared at fiercely by the centurion guarding the city: "What are you muttering about? Guard your city!"

After being reprimanded by his superior, the veteran immediately fell silent.

However, Xiong Tingbi still overheard his words.

Hey ~
Xiong Tingbi did not blame the old soldier; instead, he sighed softly.

He was well aware that fighting outside the city would be disadvantageous for the Ming army.

The cavalry was not as elite as the Jurchens, and the infantry, when arrayed, were vulnerable to being surrounded.

But defending a city is never about hiding inside and waiting to die.

They didn't even have the courage to take the initiative, and the city collapsed from the inside before the cannons even fired.

Just when he was sighing.

"boom!"

Another cannonball struck the northeast corner, this time collapsing a section of the city wall over ten feet wide. Through the smoke and dust, the excited shouts of the Jin soldiers could be faintly seen.

And at this time.

He Shixian's light cavalry battalion, like an arrow released from a bow, quickly deployed after leaving the city through the secret passage and rushed straight towards the Later Jin's artillery positions.

At the same time, all three gates of Shenyang City opened simultaneously, and Ming soldiers rushed out shouting. Rockets streaked into the sky, and the sound of war drums shook the earth.

War.

It's on the verge!
(End of this chapter)