Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 521: Destroying the Qing Dynasty (Part )

Zheng Chenggong's suggestion was equivalent to no suggestion. After hearing it, Zhao Yongping just smiled and let other generals speak. However, it was freezing cold now, and digging tunnels and burying explosives would be time-consuming and laborious.

Now that the army has gathered, the baggage and logistics have been transported all the way from Jiangnan to Liaodong, with considerable losses. Although in terms of national strength alone, we can afford to stay in Shenyang for another half a year, it is clear that everyone can no longer wait for such a long time to dig the city.

Most of the generals suggested using artillery to blow a hole in the city wall. After the meeting, Gao Jinku privately found Zhao Yongping.

Gao Jinku lowered his voice and said to Zhao Yongping: "General Zhao, now the army has gathered. Although there are nearly 200,000 people, a large part of them are Korean volunteers and Mongolian coalition forces, especially the Korean volunteers. The combat effectiveness is low and it is a waste of supplies. It is better to attack Shenyang!"

Zhao Yongping understood Gao Jinku's hidden meaning. Two hundred thousand people were assembled in Shenyang City. The military rations were consumed too quickly. Using these rebels as cannon fodder would definitely consume the military equipment and supplies of the defenders in the city.

At this time, Gao Jinku whispered, "The Korean King Li Hao has told me more than once that he wants to bring the righteous army back to Korea. And not only those righteous army, but also many leaders of the Mongolian tribes have said they want to go back."

For Korea and the Mongolian tribes, the Qing Dynasty was about to collapse. The Qing court could no longer threaten their security. Moreover, they would not get any benefits from taking Shenyang. The Mongolian tribes wanted to go back and digest the benefits they got from destroying the Khorchin tribe.

When Li Hao had nothing, he wanted to submit to the emperor, but now that Korea has been liberated, he would rather go back and be a free king than run to the capital and become a prince of the Qian Dynasty.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yongping made up his mind.

The next morning, Zhao Yongping formally ordered an attack on Shenyang.

Nearly a hundred cannons were deployed in the direction of Xicheng. With the rumbling sound of cannons, the Battle of Shenyang officially began.

The art of war says that attacking the heart is better than attacking the city. Shenyang is the last fortress of the Qing Dynasty. There is no room for tricks. The only way to capture it is to launch a fierce siege.

On the top of the city wall, Jirgalang leaned on the parapet and looked out, and saw an extremely spectacular scene in the city.

The soldiers of the Qian army formed square formations under the city, with various siege weapons standing tall in the formations, which made the defenders in the city feel great psychological pressure.

Jirgalang was in the south, and he could hear the rumbling of artillery fire from the west. He knew that the Qian army must want to blow up the west city, but the Qian army now had a large number of troops and could launch the main attack from all four sides, so it didn't matter which side Jirgalang was on. At this point, Jirgalang could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

At this time, whether on the city walls or outside, grassroots officers on both sides were discussing the key points of attack and defense with the soldiers.

The strategy is decided by the imperial court, the tactics are decided by the front-line commander, but when the two armies really start fighting, it is the grassroots officers who give the command. The specific command can be so detailed that it can determine which battlement the ladder should be placed on, which soldiers should hold shields, and which soldiers should shoot at the city wall to cover the brother troops in climbing the city.

Zhao Yongping saw that all the troops were ready, and then he shouted in a deep voice, "Beat the drums, attack!"

"Boom... Boom... Boom" As the command flag was waving, hundreds of strong men beat the war drums in unison.

"Attack the city!" Drums sounded, and the orders of the generals from various units were quickly passed on to the officers below. As the officers shouted, tens of thousands of soldiers let out low roars.

Zhao Yongping wanted to use the rebel army and the Mongolian tribes to consume the supplies of the defenders. This could be done, but it could not be too obvious. Therefore, on the first day, Zhao Yongping ordered the Qian army headquarters and the Korean rebel army to attack Shenyang City in turns. On the surface, it seemed that they were treated equally.

The Qian army did not attack the city in a rush, but divided the attack into three waves.

The first wave is the shield carts. Behind each shield cart are musketeers and archers. Under the cover of the shield carts, after approaching the city wall, they will use muskets and bows to suppress the firepower of the defenders on the city wall.

The second wave was the troops pushing the ladders to climb the city walls. They were used to set up ladders for the rear troops to climb the city walls.

The third wave was a series of large siege equipment including siege towers, battering rams, tower cars, and tunnel cars, and tens of thousands of volunteers followed these siege equipment.

As the Qian army's siege troops gradually approached the Shenyang city defense, the artillery on the city began to fire one after another.

The rumbling sound of cannons rang out, and puffs of white smoke rose from the top of the city. Cannonballs whizzed down from the top of the city and shot at the approaching shield carts. The cannonballs fell into the shield cart formation, immediately splashing up balls of mud. The occasional projectiles that hit the shield carts would immediately smash the wooden shield carts into pieces, causing casualties among the soldiers pushing the shield carts, and the archers and musketeers behind the shield carts.

However, the accuracy of the artillery was obviously not precise enough. The shield cart was not big and the target was too small, so it was difficult for the projectiles to hit the shield cart. The artillery on the city wall had just fired two rounds when Jirgalang stopped it.

Jirgalang was not a man who was ignorant of military affairs. The city was now surrounded by the Qian army and supplies could no longer be transported in. All supplies were now very precious and could not be wasted. Therefore, he ordered the artillery to stop firing and instead aim at the large siege equipment.

The Qian army under the city wall pushed their equipment vigorously towards the city wall. It was not until the third wave of Qian army entered the range of the artillery on the city wall that the Qing army on the city wall fired artillery again.

At this moment, there was a loud "bang" and a large siege tower was hit by a projectile. The projectile, weighing more than ten pounds, easily tore through the cowhide blocking the front, smashed the wooden ladders and fences in the siege tower, and then quickly penetrated out. Although the siege tower did not fall down, it had obviously lost its function of quickly climbing the city.

The defenders on the city destroyed several siege towers, tunnels and turrets with just one round of artillery bombardment.

But this was a price that had to be paid. While the artillery on the city wall was changing its ammunition, countless soldiers shouted and pushed the siege equipment with all their might, slowly approaching the city wall.

At this moment, the first wave of shield carts had entered the shooting range of the defenders on the city wall.

"Fire! Fire!"

"Shoot an arrow, release..."

The grassroots officers on the city wall brandished their swords and roared.

For a moment, bullets whizzed in and arrows fell continuously. The soldiers of the Qian army hid behind the shield carts and only heard the sound of "bang bang bang", which was the sound of bullets and arrows hitting the shield carts.

Arrows rained down from the city walls and muskets fired continuously. Many Qian army soldiers were unable to protect themselves and were hit by the defenders one after another and fell on the way to the siege.