East Factory Governor

Chapter 425 Descends from the sky
Hancheng.

Arrows flew like rain, and the sound of killing shook the sky.

Zhang Xianzhong's troops attacked Hancheng from the east gate and Gao Yingxiang's troops from the west gate.This time they mobilized about [-] troops, with [-] as an echelon, and adopted a flow-style rotation to attack, and they were determined to win against Hancheng.

Before they attacked Hancheng, it was only to consume Hancheng's troops, arrows and ammunition, and they did not plan to capture it early.Because their established tactic is to encircle and fight for reinforcements, use Hancheng to attract reinforcements from the Ming army, and then use ambushes to annihilate them one by one.So they have been taking a combat stance against Hancheng for several days without taking it.

But not now.

On the one hand, the major battalions near Hancheng had almost been wiped out, and the officers and soldiers in other places also knew that there was an ambush near Hancheng, so it would be difficult to encircle and send reinforcements.And Qin Shuhuai's tribe is about to enter the ambush area in Yichuan, so it doesn't make much sense to stay in Hancheng.On the other hand, after He Renlong stopped in the west of Hancheng, he was calling reinforcements from other battalions in Shaanxi to join them, and they would come after they joined.Therefore, Zhang and Gao must occupy Hancheng as soon as possible, so that they can repel He Renlong with the high walls of Hancheng and occupy Hancheng permanently.

In this context, a Hancheng offensive and defensive battle with both sides trying their best began.

East Gate.

More than [-] simple archer towers towered impressively.These wooden high platforms are all three or four meters higher than the city wall, and there are huge platforms and guardrails on the top for standing crossbowmen.Each platform can stand nearly twenty crossbowmen.These crossbowmen were condescending, frantically suppressing the soldiers of the Ming army on the city wall with the rain of arrows.

Some soldiers of the Ming army held up large shields, and some carried door panels, trying their best to defend against the rain of arrows.Even so, some people were still shot by arrows and died on the top of the city amidst wailing and groaning.

Compared with archers, it is more difficult to defend against bandits' ladders.After several days of siege, the thieves adopted a new type of ladder according to the height of the city wall of Hancheng. If you want to push it down, you must first cut off or burn the rope of the iron hook. Under the pressure of the arrow rain, it often takes a few people to break a rope. Not to mention how many soldiers' lives it takes to push them to the ground!
One by one ladders were frantically erected on the city wall, and bandits and soldiers rushed in like a tide.

Fortunately, the firearms in Hancheng are still relatively sufficient. There are four Fran cannons on each gate alone.Under the cover of shield soldiers, the gunner reloaded and fired frantically. He used flowering ammunition and almost didn't need to aim.

In addition, all the firearm ports on the city wall are also blazing.Angry bullets were fired, and wisps of blue smoke came out from the muzzle of the gun. As a result, the bandit soldiers who didn't even have light armor fell down one by one.

At the same time, on the inner side of the city wall, a number of cauldrons were neatly arranged in several rows, and each cauldron was in charge of two people.One is responsible for adding firewood and water, while the other is responsible for scooping the boiling water into the bucket.The bucket was attached to a rope so that the soldiers on the city wall could pull it up directly, and then poured it heavily on the bandits who were afraid of the ladder.

And on the city wall, there are three large tanks, which burn asphalt.If there are too many thieves and bandits gathered in the city, then pour asphalt first, and then pour kerosene. At that time, only one rocket can instantly detonate a field of fire, which is definitely a big killer.

Zuo Guangxian, deputy general of Shaanxi and guard of Hancheng City, climbed to the top of the city and commanded the battle from the east gate, while Xia Peicheng, the deputy commander, climbed to the west gate to command.Seeing the two main generals guarding the city with the determination to die, the morale of the generals in the city battled, and they fought back like crazy!

The coalition forces of Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong attacked for a full hour, but they still haven't reached the city wall!
At that time, the equipment of the rogues was still very backward. Although they already had some local cannons and armor, they were far from equipped with the whole army, so they suffered a lot when fighting fortified battles.

Zhang Xianzhong was furious, and killed two generals who were cowering, and came to a place 300 meters away from the city in person to command the soldiers to fight.

In Ximen, Gao Yingxiang entrusted the command to Li Zicheng.Li Zicheng saw that he could not attack for a long time, so he organized [-] death squads, gathered the best armor and shields in the whole army, fully armed them, and prepared to launch a surprise attack after dark.

It was dusk now.

The Ming army in the city suffered heavy casualties. The original 1 army now only has more than 3 soldiers left.However, the casualties of the thieves were more serious, at least more than [-].The Ming army occupies the advantage of the city wall, and its equipment and training are better than that of the peasant army, so the casualty ratio of [-] to [-] is not surprising.

However, the number of thieves and bandits was large, and a mere 2 horses did not hurt their roots. Especially in the battle of wheels, it was a great test for the physical strength of the Ming army defending the city.

On the eighth day of February in the third year of Chongzhen, Qin Shuhuai led an army of more than 60 troops and suddenly appeared in Longmen Town, [-] miles north of Hancheng.

Zhang Xianzhong's spies stationed in Longmen Town saw that Qin Shuhuai's army did not go to Yichuan at all, but suddenly fell from the sky in Longmen Town, which is a short distance from Hancheng. This sensational news.

At the same time, near Baima Beach, eighty miles west of Hancheng, Gao Yingxiang’s horse post found a large group of Ming cavalry roaring past. He dared not approach him, so that he had no way of knowing where he was going.These horse sentries knew that the situation was serious, so they rushed to tell Gao Yingxiang desperately.

Zhang Xianzhong's camp.

Zhang Xianzhong jumped into a rage, and sternly reprimanded several generals who failed to attack the city.After one day's siege, he lost more than 3000 people. Adding the [-] people lost in the previous few days, the total casualties have reached more than [-]. When he thinks of this number, his heart aches!

After scolding, he asked people to select [-] strong soldiers, equipped with the best equipment, and prepared to cooperate with Li Zicheng's troops in the west for a joint raid.

At this time, the soldiers outside the account came to report.

"Report! Qin Shuhuai's department has passed Longmen Town and is heading towards Hancheng!"

Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, Li Dingguo and all the generals present were all shocked!

"What? He didn't go to Yichuan?!" Zhang Xianzhong grabbed the soldier's collar and roared almost hysterically.

The soldier turned pale with fright, and shook his head desperately, "No, no! There is no news from the Yichuan side. It must be that Qin Shuhuai cheated. He didn't go to Yichuan at all, but came to Korea from another road. The city is gone!"

"Why didn't our spies find out?" Zhang Xianzhong roared again.

Luo Ru thought for a while and said, "He first went west, so he must have entered the border of Shaanxi, then bypassed Yichuan, and rushed over from Luchuan and Shoufeng. But it's also strange, even if he went that way, wouldn't Gao Yingxiang not Sending a horse post there to watch? With the talents of the generals under him, he must have thought of this, right?"

(End of this chapter)