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

Chapter 154 The fall of Shengjing City shakes the world.

Early November, south of Shengjing City.

The snow was falling heavily, and the snow on the ground was already knee-deep. This kind of weather was not suitable for cavalry maneuvering, so Li Wenzhong simply dismounted and led his horse forward, each step leaving a shallow ditch.

The Hun River was frozen over, but the ice was not very thick, only two or three inches thick. Even a person standing on it could break the ice and fall into the river, let alone horses and cannons.

"Commander, what's the next step?"

Upon hearing the question, Li Wenzhong pulled out a somewhat hastily drawn map from his pocket and began to examine it. After a moment's thought, he said, "We're running out of shells. We need to change our strategy; we can't keep bombarding indiscriminately."

He looked at his company commanders and said slowly, "Next, we will split into three groups."

"Han Zheng, you lead the first, second, third, and fourth companies and the artillery company to flank from the west. According to intelligence, there should be a wooden bridge over there that hasn't been demolished yet, which is enough for artillery to pass through."

"After crossing the bridge, don't rush into battle. First, keep an eye on the official road towards western Liaoning to prevent reinforcements from Jinzhou from encircling us."

Han Zheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

"Li Rong".

"Yes." Li Rong stepped forward.

"Take the first, second, and third cavalry companies and head north from the east, going upstream along the Hun River. Fuling and Zhaoling are both north of Shengjing, and they will take turns harassing me, but remember, just make a show of it and don't actually fight."

"The Qing court values ​​the ancestral tombs the most. The more pressure you put on them, the more chaotic the city will become. I don't believe they can stay in the city peacefully if the tombs are gone."

Li Rong grinned: "Got it, let's put some pressure on them."

One of the company commanders scratched his head and asked, "What if they refuse to come out no matter what?"

"Then dig!"

Li Wenzhong chuckled and said, "Just do exactly what Wu Zixu did to King Ping of Chu, Li Rong."

"Remember to take photos. Make 1,800 copies of these photos and throw them into Shengjing and the capital, so that the Eight Banners can see what their ancestors look like now."

The generals all burst into laughter.

Li Wenzhong suppressed his smile and said, "The rest of you, come with me to set up camp on this south bank and go around cutting down trees to make siege equipment."

Judging by the weather, in a few days the ice will freeze solid enough for horses and people to cross. Then, follow me and we'll march straight to the city walls!

"yes!"

Inside the city.

Six thousand Eight Banners soldiers were scattered on the four city walls, patrolling with weapons in hand.

Although they called it a patrol, they weren't really taking it seriously. After all, the bandits outside the city hadn't made any moves, and after several days of being on edge, they gradually relaxed.

The snowstorm had stopped for several days, but the temperature had actually gotten a few degrees colder.

Every hour, the patrol team would run inside the city wall to warm themselves by the fire, so that their hands could feel more comfortable holding their weapons.

"It's so cold, my hands are covered in chilblains."

Chi Qixiao and his dozen or so men squeezed inside the city tower, bringing their hands close to the burning brazier to draw on the hard-won warmth.

A soldier pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and said ingratiatingly, "Sir, I have badger oil here. Would you like to apply some?"

""

"No thanks, men use otter oil."

The cavalry commander glanced at him, then took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, uncorked it, and applied the grease inside to his hands.

"Alright, once you're warmed up, continue patrolling. The bandits outside the city might attack at any time, so we can't leave our posts for too long."

Deshengmen, the site of the General's Office.

General Yixing of Shengjing was lying on the opium bed in his bedroom, puffing out clouds of smoke.

"My lord, the situation is dire."

Deputy Commander Ji Ling knelt on one knee and reported through gritted teeth: "Scouts from both Fuling and Zhaoling have risked their lives to escape and report that cavalry have appeared outside the tombs, and the ancestral mausoleums are in grave danger."

"An arrow shot into the city wall from the south, and the traitor attached a letter to it, saying—"

Yi Xing took a deep drag of his cigarette and asked, "What did you say?"

Ji Ling swallowed hard and said, "They said they would make us surrender and open the city gates, or else they would exhume our bodies, mutilate our corpses, and scatter our ashes."

"What?! How dare they?!"

Yixing put down his opium pipe, his eyes instantly turning red. "When our Great Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, we treated the Ming Emperor's tomb with utmost respect. Aren't they afraid of retribution for doing this?!"

2

Ji Ling looked up and said, "My lord, I am willing to be the vanguard, leading a thousand cavalry out of the city to slaughter those Nikan who disturbed the imperial tombs!"

"idiot!"

Upon hearing this, Yixing rebuked him, saying, "The ones harassing the mausoleum are the vanguard of the bandits, numbering only a few hundred. You may be able to protect the mausoleum by taking a thousand cavalry, but what about afterwards?"

"If the bandits send another detachment, will you leave or not? If you leave, the imperial tombs will surely fall. If you don't leave, what can your thousand cavalry do?!"

From the Manchu bannermen who escaped, they learned that the enemy was equipped with powerful firearms.

A thousand cavalrymen would certainly be a sharp sword against ordinary bandits, but they were truly unsure whether they could be used against foreigners' firearms.

As he spoke, he suddenly found himself short of breath.

Seeing this, Ji Ling quickly moved forward a few steps and stuffed the pipe he had put down back into Yi Xing's hand.

Yixing brought the pipe to his lips, took a deep drag, and a look of intoxication gradually appeared on his face.

"Sir, what should we do?"

Ji Ling asked in a low voice, "If Zhaoling and Fuling are really lost, our entire clan will have to go to meet our ancestors."

Yixing lay on the couch, remained silent for a long time, and then slowly said, "Let the whole army move out."

"What?"

Ji Ling blinked, wondering if she had misheard.

"All six thousand bannermen in the city were mobilized to attack the bandit camp in the south of the city and achieve victory in one battle."

As if the opium had taken effect, Yixing's expression became increasingly dazed: "The entire army has been mobilized. The bandits are now divided into three routes, and all their most powerful artillery has been moved to the west of the city. The southern camp must be short of soldiers and generals."

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, we can outnumber the enemy and break through their camp before they return to reinforce the western part of the city. If we capture their leader, the siege of Shengjing can be lifted. After that, we can rush to Zhaoling and Fuling and wipe out the enemy vanguard there."

Ji Ling stared wide-eyed, looking completely bewildered.

What does it mean to break through the main camp and capture the bandit leader before the bandit army in the west of the city returns to reinforce?

The south and west sides of the city are so close, only five li apart, and even including the distance to the bandit camp, it's only about ten li.

He was well aware of the fighting strength of the Eight Banners soldiers in the city, which was located ten miles away.

If the old ancestor possesses him, there's still a sliver of a chance he can break in. But with this bunch of rotten potatoes and eggs, I'm afraid the main army won't even have time to storm the camp before the bandit army from the west of the city arrives in droves.

"This is a military order, do it!"

"twitter!"

Helpless, Ji Ling slowly left the bedroom.

He gritted his teeth and strode towards the council hall of the general's mansion.

The mournful sounds of conch shells and Mongolian horns rose together, followed by the rapid beating of drums.

On the city wall, dozens of soldiers were desperately beating the cowhide drums in front of them, the sound of which echoed over Shengjing.

The south gate of Shengjing City slowly opened to the sound of drums, and troop of soldiers poured out of the gate, leaving large, messy craters in the snow.

The Eight Banners troops began to form ranks on the snowy plains south of the city.

At the very front was the artillery battalion, carrying muskets and gunpowder gourds at their waists. Behind them followed men pushing artillery carts, and behind those carts were infantrymen carrying spears. Further back were the cavalry, positioned on both flanks.

"This is----"

Li Wenzhong raised his monocular telescope and looked in the direction of Shengjing City: "Three horn blasts, drums beat, advance—"

"Interesting. It seems like the people in Shengjing are ready to fight us to the death."

The assassin beside him laughed, "Commander, you've already shot an arrow saying you want to invite Nurhaci and Huang Taiji out for some fresh air. It would be a miracle if they could hold back."

"It seems that it's not pleasant for our ancestors to be targeted."

Another company commander chimed in, pulling back the bolt handle of his rifle and checking the bullets in the chamber. "Judging by this, there are at least four or five thousand on the south gate, and another batch on the west gate."

"They're planning to use a small force to delay Han Zheng and his men, and then use overwhelming force to wipe us out. They've got a pretty good plan."

""

Li Wenzhong chuckled, raised his binoculars, and continued to look at the Qing army ranks.

A man wearing studded armor and a tall hat rode in the center of the infantry formation, surrounded by several city garrison captains and defense captains.

The person on the other side was also holding a monocular telescope and looking this way.

"All companies, listen up! Abandon the camp walls and form ranks!"

"The formation is dispersed, with infantry in platoons, each platoon spaced ten paces apart. Machine guns are deployed on both sides, and cavalry are kept in reserve, not in a hurry to attack, but to let the enemy get closer before engaging."

Their shotguns have a limited range; they can only fire lead bullets when they're within 100 or 200 meters. Let them be nearly 300 meters away, then we can practice target shooting!

Once the order was given, the entire camp immediately sprang into action.

The infantrymen spread out in platoons, each platoon spaced a dozen paces apart. The machine gunners pushed their guns to the flanks, followed closely by the assistant gunners carrying ammunition boxes.

The Qing army on the opposite side was also moving in sync.

Accompanied by the drumbeats that echoed every ten steps from the city wall, the Eight Banners advanced rapidly. The infantry ranks marched forward in time with the drumbeats, while the cavalry on both flanks began to trot.

Deputy Commander Ji Ling, mounted on his horse, noticed that the opposing formation was sparse and the people were standing very far apart.

"Such a loose formation, a golden opportunity!"

"Order the artillery battalion to advance with volley fire. The cavalry, prepare to flank the bandits after suppressing them with volley fire."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The eight bronze cannons fired immediately, a burst of fire and thick smoke erupting from their muzzles simultaneously. Solid iron projectiles flew more than a mile before crashing into the snow, the resulting snowflakes turning a nearby person's hair white.

The musketeers of the artillery battalion stood in several rows and began firing in rotation.

The first rank raised their guns, aimed, and pulled the trigger before immediately retreating to the back to reload. The second rank then moved forward to fire, followed by the third and fourth ranks.

Gunfire was deafening, smoke filled the sky, and the commotion was immense.

However, because the two sides were still four or five hundred meters apart, no damage was caused. "Four hundred meters, three hundred and fifty meters."

The observer reported the distance in a steady and clear voice.

"Three hundred and twenty meters, three hundred meters!"

"Fire!"

Five hundred Pingyang-type rifles were fired simultaneously.

A dense, almost overlapping series of whooshing sounds arose, so loud it resounded through the sky.

The Qing army's formation was struck as if by lightning.

The Eight Banner soldiers at the forefront of the artillery battalion fell instantly, their thick cotton armor pierced like paper by the bullets.

"Hold your formation steady. The enemy's 'bird commanders' will always have gaps in their reload speed. Use those gaps to launch a counter-attack and advance!"

A captain shouted loudly to boost his men's morale. But the next second, a bullet pierced his open mouth and came out through the back of his head.

Ji Ling, standing in the middle of the horse team, slowly stiffened.

He noticed that the number of mid-level officers in the group, such as the captain, the defense officer, and the cavalry captain, was decreasing rapidly, as if the bandits were specifically targeting them.

The lowest-ranking soldiers lost their commander, and the rhythm of the attack collapsed instantly. The front ranks dared not charge forward anymore, while the rear ranks continued to push forward, and the two sides collided.

"Artillery, continue firing to relieve the pressure. Cavalry, follow me!"

Ji Ling steeled his resolve and shouted hoarsely.

He spurred his horse's flanks and led the cavalry on both sides in a charge.

Hooves pounded the snow, and the cavalry on both flanks lay prone on their horses, bows and arrows ready to be released at any moment.

Close, closer!

Ji Ling estimated the distance and prepared to launch the arrow when it was about fifty paces away.

This is a method passed down from our ancestors; the distance is neither too far nor too close, and the projectile power is maximized.

But soon, Ji Ling heard a sound she had never heard before.

Da da da, da da da, da da da.

Within the bandit camp, ten strangely shaped firearms simultaneously spewed fire.

Bullets whizzed through the cavalry's charging formation like scrapers, and the cavalrymen at the forefront almost simultaneously fell to the ground, kicking up large amounts of snow and mud.

The cavalrymen behind quickly reined in their horses to avoid tripping over the corpses in front of them.

But in that brief pause, a bullet had already grazed his chest and abdomen. Neighing, screams, and gunshots mingled together as the cavalry began to panic and run amok.

The gunshots rang out only moments before a large pile of corpses had accumulated within 300 meters. Ji Ling, pinned beneath the horse carcass, had blood and foam continuously oozing from her mouth. She soon became one of those corpses.

The Eight Banners soldiers began to flee.

The musketeers threw down their gunpowder gourds and matchlocks, the cavalrymen turned their horses around and whipped their rumps mercilessly, and the infantrymen pushing the cannons abandoned them and ran away.

On the vast snowfield outside the South Gate, more than three thousand people were still desperately rushing towards the city gate.

"Chase after them! Stick with the fleeing soldiers and don't let them close the city gates!"

Li Wenzhong laughed loudly, mounted his horse, and the infantrymen strode across the snow-covered plains littered with corpses, chasing after the fleeing soldiers and crushing them toward the city gate.

Two days later, news of the fall of Shengjing reached Jinzhou.

The deputy commander of Jinzhou was still deploying troops according to the orders previously sent by Yixing, preparing to support Shengjing.

Upon hearing the news of the city's fall from the fleeing soldiers, he ordered his personal guards, "Immediately, send a messenger to the capital at the fastest possible speed!"

The urgent military report from Jinzhou took two days to arrive.

The military report arrived in the capital late at night and, according to procedure, was first delivered to the Grand Council.

The military intelligence officer on duty removed the sealing wax, scanned two lines, and his expression changed drastically. Without daring to delay, he immediately took the military report to Mu Yin's duty room.

Mu Yin had already gone to sleep. After being woken up by Zhang Jing, he sat up, put on his clothes, and read the book by candlelight. He sat on the edge of the bed in silence for a long time before saying in a hoarse voice, "Prepare the sedan chair and go to the palace."

The East Warm Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation was brightly lit with candles.

Emperor Xianfeng was awakened from his sleep by a eunuch. He was only wearing a bright yellow satin fox fur coat when he leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), his braid hanging loosely over his shoulders.

Mu Yin knelt on the ground and held the military report from Jinzhou above his head with both hands. The eunuch took the report and presented it to him.

Emperor Xianfeng opened the report, read three lines, and his lips moved slightly. The military report slipped from his fingers, and he leaned back, his head resting on the cushion, his eyes closed—he had simply fainted.

"Master! Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!"

The eunuch screamed and pounced on him, and the East Warm Pavilion instantly descended into chaos.

When Emperor Xianfeng awoke, a crowd of princes and ministers were kneeling outside the palace, while only a few princes and ministers who were close to him remained inside.

Emperor Xianfeng stared at the gilded and painted five-clawed dragons on the ceiling, his face ashen and his breath faint.

"My hometown outside the Great Wall is gone."

"The Manchus have no way out."

He had been wondering why the rebels in Tianjin had stopped making any moves after occupying Hexiwu, neither attacking the city nor heading north, as if they had been nailed there and asleep.

Now he knows.

The traitors weren't inactive; they circled around from the sea and stabbed him in the very spot he least wanted to see.

The ancestral tombs of the Aisin Gioro clan are now in the hands of traitors, who can dig them up or burn them as they please.

"Issue an imperial decree summoning Senggelinqin to the palace to see me immediately!"

Emperor Xianfeng's eyes were bloodshot: "I want revenge! I want to kill these traitors and grind their bones to dust!"