Outnumbered? I'll conquer America with an unlimited number of suicide soldiers.

Chapter 150 Breaking Liaoyang

Li Wenzhong and his group moved very quickly.

They captured Niuzhuang in one night, Haicheng in one day, and Anshan in one night.

With the roar of ten 120mm heavy cannons and the result of both deliberate and unpredictable tactics, they breached three cities in just one day and two nights and arrived at the gates of Liaoyang.

Liaoyang's city walls were three zhang high and two zhang thick, constructed of brick and stone. They were surrounded by corner towers, each over twenty meters high, offering excellent views.

At this moment, beacon fires have been lit on the corner towers all around. The drawbridge has been raised, the city gates are tightly closed, and the Eight Banners soldiers stand behind the parapets. Various weapons, such as bows and arrows, muskets, matchlock guns, and bronze cannons, have been set up on the crenellations. The Liaoyang city garrison commander stands on the city gate tower, gazing in the direction of Anshan.

Despite the heavy snowfall, a steady stream of people continued to run towards this direction from the Anshan direction; these were the Manchu bannermen who had successfully escaped from Anshan or Haicheng.

After they shouted at each other from below the city wall, they crawled into the basket and were pulled up.

After some questioning, the captain came to report: "Sir, their story is no different from those who fled earlier. They all say that the city was blasted open by cannon fire, and the roar was like thunder, which was extremely terrifying."

"Cannons? How could it be cannons?"

The city garrison commander completely disbelieved this explanation, saying, "Taking Niuzhuang in one night, Haicheng in one day, and Anshan in one night—that's something artillery couldn't do!"

"I've seen cannons before. Those iron balls can kill people, but when used to smash city walls, they can only crack the bricks a few times."

He paced back and forth on the city gate tower, when suddenly a possibility occurred to him: "Jilun, do you think it's possible that the Han Chinese inside the city colluded with the bandits from within, which is why they were able to capture three cities so quickly?"

The captain named Jilun blinked and cautiously replied, "Sir, I dare not speak presumptuously, but if it was a Han Chinese attack from within, how do you explain that thunderous roar?"

"idiot!"

The city garrison commander cursed, "That must be the sound of gunpowder exploding. Maybe the Han people used gunpowder to blow open the city gate, that's why it was so loud."

His thoughts became clearer and clearer, and he said with certainty, "That's right, it must be like that."

Ji Lun opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to refute something, but in the end he chose to keep his mouth shut.

Given that it was a decision made by a third-rank official, it was best for me, a fourth-rank official, to refrain from making any comments.

The city garrison commander said, "Give the order to have that Han Chinese prefect assist in moving all the Han people in the city to the open space in the north of the city and sending troops to guard them closely."

"Also, those who have run into the city should be placed in a safe place to guard them, lest spies infiltrate them."

"Yes, sir."

The city garrison commander took one last look outside the city, descended the gate tower, and asked, "Has the request for reinforcements been sent?"

Ji Lun replied, "My lord, it was dispatched last night. Two men and four horses were sent on a 600-li express courier mission. If nothing unexpected happens, they should have arrived in Shengjing by now."

"What about inside the city?"

Ji Lun said, "All the Eight Banners soldiers from the surrounding villages have been conscripted into the city. Currently, in addition to 600 armored soldiers and Mongol soldiers, there are 500 auxiliary soldiers and 1,000 bannermen, totaling 2,100 men."

"That's enough."

The city garrison commander nodded and said, "With so many people, plus the Shengjing troops that will arrive soon, unless there's an inside accomplice, those bandits have absolutely no chance of taking Liaoyang!"

North of the city.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, starting before dawn and accumulating to half a foot thick by noon. The open ground north of the city offered no shelter, and the wind, blowing in from the direction of the Taizi River, whipped up snowflakes that pierced people's collars.

Armored soldiers stood around the open space, holding spears and harpoons, staring intently at the center of the open space.

There was a dense crowd of people, old and young, men and women, huddled together in the snow.

A woman was holding a baby less than a year old. The baby was crying loudly from the cold, but the cries were torn apart by the wind before they could travel far in the snow.

"Please, kind sirs, the child is too young to stand the cold. Please let the mother and child come inside."

The man pleaded with the armored soldiers around him, pulling out loose silver coins from his pocket, trying to bribe them to save his child's life.

One of the armored soldiers took the silver, and the man thought he had succeeded. He took his wife and children and walked toward a house in the distance, but was stopped and turned back.

"My lord, what is this?!"

The armored soldier sneered and said, "You gave this silver to us willingly. We didn't agree to let you leave."

The unrestrained laughter of the armored soldiers echoed all around. The young Han men clenched their fists tightly, staring at the guards with their teeth grinding together.

Not far away, in a row of houses along the street, the fleeing Manchu people, who had been gathered together, were drinking hot tea and chatting on heated kang beds.

One of the guards complained, "The city garrison commander is really something. It's one thing to not trust those Nikan people, but he doesn't even trust his own people and keeps them locked up here."

Someone nearby chimed in, "Exactly! We're men who eat the rice from iron stalks, what kind of life is this, locking us up here?"

Another Manchu said, "What can we do? Blame those damned Nikans for rebelling! Our valuables are still all in Haicheng!"

Anshan Post Station, Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Li Wenzhong pushed open the door of a house, carrying a rough porcelain bowl filled with hot water containing salt and sugar, which was still steaming.

He tilted his head back and took a swig, wiped his mouth, and glanced at the streets of the post town.

On the street, soldiers squatted in twos and threes under the eaves, eating dry rations, while some were feeding their horses concentrated feed. From the mule and horse stables came the sounds of horses chewing hay, mixed with the occasional satisfied snort.

The city wall of Anshan Post Station was partially destroyed by the shelling last night. The rubble at the breach has not yet been cleared. Several soldiers sat on the pile of rubble, cleaning their guns, the bolts clicking loudly.

The reconnaissance company commander strode over from the alley entrance, stopped in front of Li Wenzhong, and saluted: "According to the scouts, after we captured three cities in succession, the surrounding prefectural cities have received the news and have begun to set up walls and clear the fields."

"In Liaoyang, the beacon fires have already been lit; we were a bit too slow."

"Furthermore, the garrison commander of Liaoyang drove all the Han Chinese out of their homes and gathered them in an open area north of the city, supposedly to prevent internal collaborators."

O

"To guard against internal spies?"

Li Wenzhong scoffed and downed the remaining salt water in his bowl in one gulp. "We didn't take the city with the help of an inside agent; it was all for naught."

The reconnaissance company commander said, "They are still somewhat useful. The temporary recruits were locked up in a house in the north of the city after entering the city, and the guards are quite strict."

Upon hearing this, Li Wenzhong said, "Let them act according to the situation. If they really can't find an opportunity, it doesn't matter. With ten heavy cannons in hand, the city walls and gates are nothing but paper."

"Tell the brothers that the rest is over. We'll take Liaoyang today, and have dinner in Shengjing tomorrow!"

After the order was given, things began to bustle at Anshan Post Station. The soldiers packed their belongings, filled their water bags, and tied the fodder bags tightly to the back of their saddles. The artillerymen led out the mules and harnessed them to the artillery carts, and the ammunition boxes were reloaded and stacked neatly. Half an hour later, the column stepped out of the north gate of Anshan Post Station and marched towards Liaoyang through the heavy snow.

The heavy snow obscured visibility and the sound of the march. Scout cavalry spread out to search five miles ahead of the column, occasionally turning back to report on the road conditions ahead.

The journey from Anshan to Liaoyang is only sixty li (approximately 30 kilometers), and the road is flat. Although the heavy snow slowed down the march somewhat, it did not have a substantial impact on the march.

As the troops paused for their final rest, Li Wenzhong raised his binoculars and gazed into the distance. Behind the moat, the outline of Liaoyang City was faintly visible through the snow.

"The artillery will be deployed 1,200 paces outside the west gate. Let's knock down the city tower and corner towers first, and give them a little 'greeting gift'!"

The walls of Liaoyang.

The lookout on the west gate tower was the first to spot the figures. His eyes widened, and he began banging a gong while shouting at the top of his lungs: "The bandits are here!"

The sound of gongs continued incessantly, and a flurry of activity ensued on the city tower.

Zuo Ling Jilun rushed up the city wall in three strides, shouting, "Load all cannons, set the matchlocks on the muskets, and fire as soon as the enemy gets close!"

After shouting while holding onto the battlements, Ji Lun turned and went down the city tower.

At the foot of the wall on the south side of the city gate, the city garrison commander was standing there, watching a group of Manchus carry gunpowder barrels and lead bullet boxes onto the city wall.

Ji Lun strode up to the city garrison commander: "Sir, the enemy troops have arrived!"

The city garrison commander looked up and smiled, "Good thing they came. I was afraid they wouldn't. By the way, has the reply from Shengjing arrived yet?"

""

Ji Lun clasped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, the urgent message arrived in Shengjing last night. Judging by the distance, the reinforcements to Shengjing should arrive by tomorrow evening at the latest."

"very good."

The city garrison commander nodded: "As long as we hold out until today, once reinforcements arrive, we can attack from both inside and outside, and the enemy will surely be defeated. Pass down the order to reinforce the west gate with three hundred soldiers, and transfer all the available matchlock muskets there."

Tell the brothers defending the city that reinforcements are on their way. Hold Liaoyang, and everyone will be rewarded!

The orders were relayed down through messengers, and the reinforcement of troops on the west gate city wall accelerated noticeably.

The musket was carried up to the top of the battlements, its barrel resting on the crenellations, and the matchlock puffed out thin smoke behind the battlements. The muzzle of the bronze cannon protruded from the gaps in the battlements, its dark shape pointing towards the riverbank.

Everyone stared intently at the team that was becoming increasingly clear in the wind and snow.

Outside the city, the artillery had been deployed 1,200 paces from the west gate. Ten heavy cannons were lined up in a row, their muzzles raised and aimed at the west gate tower.

The loader pushes the loaded round into the breech, and the gunner closes and locks the breech.

Li Wenzhong stood behind the artillery position, and the West Gate tower was clearly visible in the camera lens. He could even see a gunner behind the crenellations using a long pole to poke the cannon barrel.

"fire!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ten 120mm heavy cannons roared simultaneously, and the first volley of shells struck the city wall. The fire and debris exploded into a gray mist, engulfing the entire city wall.

The smoke was quickly dispersed by the wind and snow, revealing a huge gap in the blue bricks of the city wall. The wooden beams of the city gate tower snapped in half, and half of the roof collapsed, accompanied by thick smoke and sparks, crashing down onto the lower levels.

The soldiers on the lower ranks didn't even have time to utter a cry of pain before they were buried in the ruins.

"fight back!"

The surviving gunners lit the fuses, and the projectiles flew from the muzzles of the bronze cannons, but they could not reach the opposite position.

At the foot of the wall, the city garrison commander stared wide-eyed at the ruins above him, and suddenly his thoughts became clear.

Are there really cannons with such great power?

North of the city, inside a house.

Among the imprisoned Manchu refugees, a man in his early thirties leaned against the window, his fingers tapping slowly on the windowsill.

His gaze passed over the patrolling bannermen outside the window and landed in the direction of the north gate. The north gate was only a few miles away from the house where they were imprisoned, and he could even see the Eight Banners soldiers standing guard on the city wall from inside the house.

As soon as the cannon fired, several men in the corner of the room stood up almost simultaneously, reached into their cotton-padded coats, and pulled out two revolvers.

In the corridor outside, two guards listened intently to the explosion, cursing, "Where did that thunder come from?"

The door was pushed open, and the two guards turned around at the same time, their two revolvers almost simultaneously pressed against their foreheads.

boom!boom!

The trigger was pulled, a gunshot rang out, and two bodies fell to the ground.

The group of five stepped out of the house and quickly headed towards the north gate.

The city was in chaos, and few people noticed these figures. Even those who did notice them and came to question them were shot dead.

As they approached the North Gate, the group slowed their pace.

Inside the north gate, there were at least two hundred soldiers on guard. The city wall was covered with a dense mass of men on watch, and there were about twenty more guards behind the gates below the city wall.

The bolt was made of cast iron, nearly four feet long, and was held in place by two brackets. Dozens of bags of rammed earth were piled up behind it as temporary reinforcement.

"Summon reinforcements, the five of us alone can't take it down."

The five men looked at each other and quickly contacted Li Wenzhong.

Thirty seconds later, half a company of men appeared on the street behind the North Gate.

Without the slightest hesitation, the dual-wielding assassins unleashed their full firepower.

Hundreds of revolvers fired simultaneously, the sound even briefly drowning out the cannon fire. The bullets pierced through cotton armor and flesh, and the Manchu soldiers fell to the ground before they could even react.

In their panic, the Eight Banner soldiers on the city wall grabbed their spears and halberds and looked around frantically. Before they could even figure out which direction the enemy was coming from, another round of fire broke out, and many more men fell.

"Charge!"

The revolver's firepower was relentless, suppressing the Eight Banners soldiers on the city wall so they dared not raise their heads.

Soon, most of the suicide soldiers rushed up the city wall to guard against reinforcements from the other two sides. The remaining soldiers charged straight for the city gate.

"Move the door latch!"

At a command, the four-foot-long, nearly 100-pound cast iron bolt at the city gate was lifted down. The city gate was pushed open, and everyone ran to turn the winch, loosening the chains of the drawbridge one by one.

The winch ropes creaked and groaned as the drawbridge planks slowly tilted outward from the city wall, crashing down with a deafening roar.

The drawbridge crashed heavily onto the land on the opposite bank of the moat, the city gates swung open, and wind and snow poured in.

The two hundred cavalrymen, who had already moved to the north gate, moved swiftly, their hooves pounding the snow and crossing the drawbridge, charging into Liaoyang City with unstoppable momentum.

On the open ground north of the city, the Han Chinese people squatting in the snow were still unaware of what had happened.

They heard a burst of firecrackers coming from the direction of the city gate not far away, followed by the sound of horses' hooves, which grew closer and closer.

The dozens of armored soldiers guarding the open space gripped their spears tightly. One of them drew his saber and took two steps toward the source of the sound. A volley of bullets swept over, and he and seven or eight soldiers behind him fell to the ground in the snow.

Dozens of riders swiftly passed by, and the remaining armored soldiers followed in their comrades' footsteps.

One of the riders stopped at the edge of the open space and shouted, "Get inside! Don't stay in the street, or we'll be in for a beating!"