met free Chapter 507: Continuation of the Battle
Chapter 507: Continuation of the Battle
Under the artillery fire, the heavily armored Hun warriors were like terracotta warriors ruthlessly smashed by an invisible giant hand. Their iron-studded armor shattered as fragile as pieces of paper under the raging storm of shotgun shells.
Chen San lay on the ground in horror, watching a piece of finger bone with a jade ring rolling in front of him.
The jade ring on the finger bone flickered with a strange light in the sunlight, as if mocking the impermanence of life.
The smoke gradually dissipated, and the surviving Huns finally couldn't hold on any longer and began to retreat in a panic towards the bell and drum tower.
Their figures looked so small and helpless in the smoke.
Han Qi kicked open half of the still-burning door panel. The sole of his boot stepped on the melted lead bullet, making a "sizzling" sound, as if the lead bullet was groaning in pain.
He bent down and picked up a relatively intact clay pot, shook it gently, and found that most of the kerosene was still inside.
The flaming oil was shaking in the pottery jar, as if it was about to erupt with anger.
"Boy, give me the tinder." The old soldier tore off the Xiongnu standard-bearer's wolfskin cloak, quickly dipped it in kerosene, and threw it at the fleeing enemy group with all his might, saying viciously:
"It's time to let these prairie wolves have a good taste of Han fireworks."
The wolfskin cloak, soaked in kerosene, flew towards the enemy like a burning meteor, carrying with it the wrath of revenge.
……
At the same time, Ren Chaohui sat on the south gate tower with a serious face, listening to his soldiers' breathless reports on the battle situation.
His hand was tightly gripping the token, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if that was his last hope, and if he let go, all his efforts would be in vain.
This battle, since his team entered the city, has turned into a ruthless meat grinder.
The two sides engaged in a life-and-death struggle in this intricate street. Every day, countless brothers fell in these narrow alleys, and their blood dyed the ground red, as if the earth was crying for the lost lives.
At this time, the news from the East Gate made him frown, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.
According to feedback, Chen Songtao's army in Shizhou has also run out of ammunition and food. Both sides can only rely on swords and guns and their physical bodies to fight a desperate battle.
Every soldier is fighting for survival and victory with his last bit of strength.
Before Ren Chaohui could indulge in this melancholy and worry, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from downstairs of the hanging building.
The footsteps sounded like the sound of death knocking on the door, which made people terrified.
"General, the 5,000 men we just sent up have been repelled by the Huns. Their resistance is truly too stubborn! I heard that Gulzar has sent in another 10,000 men, and they are marching aggressively towards the south gate."
The soldier's voice was filled with fatigue and fear, his face was covered in dust and sweat, and his eyes revealed confusion and despair about the battle.
Ren Chaohui secretly thought that something was wrong. More than half of the 30,000 troops under his command had been killed or injured in this brutal battle.
If they do not receive timely reinforcements, or if the east gate still cannot be broken through, they will be completely isolated and helpless, and the consequences will be unimaginable.
He knew very well that every decision at this moment was related to the life and death of his brothers and the outcome of this battle.
He clenched his teeth, his eyes revealing a hint of determination, and silently thought about how to deal with the situation.
……
The troops led by Chen Songtao attacked the east gate fiercely, but were blocked by the enemy in a village on the outskirts of the city. The two sides were engaged in a stalemate battle.
At first, the battlefield was filled with smoke and the sound of artillery was deafening.
The artillery on both sides roared and shells rained down on each other.
One shell after another, with blazing flames and whistling winds, cut through the sky and hit the enemy positions with precision.
Every explosion was accompanied by a deafening roar that shook the earth, flames shot up into the sky, and dirt, rocks and debris were thrown high into the air.
Both sides tried to use heavy artillery fire to tear through each other's defenses and gain the upper hand.
However, as time went on, the artillery shells of both sides were gradually exhausted. Eventually, the sound of artillery on the battlefield gradually became sparse until it stopped completely, but the winner was still not determined.
Immediately afterwards, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle in formation.
Luo Haiqing was the first to send out the cavalry. The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, dust was flying, and the cavalry rushed towards Chen Songtao's position like a black torrent.
The long swords in their hands flashed coldly in the sunlight, and the shouts of killing shook the sky, instantly creating tremendous pressure on Chen Songtao's side.
For a time, Luo Haiqing's cavalry had a certain advantage. They shuttled back and forth in the enemy's formation as if they were in an empty space.
Unfortunately, Luo Haiqing’s cavalry was too small.
Just when the situation was unfavorable to Chen Songtao, Pingyang City quickly sent an additional 20,000 troops to support him.
This reinforcement, like timely assistance, instantly changed the balance of power on the battlefield, and the disparity in numbers became immediately apparent.
At this moment, Luo Haiqing had only 50,000 troops, while Chen Songtao on the opposite side had 70,000 troops after receiving reinforcements, and the morale of the reinforcements was high.
Although Luo Haiqing had cavalry, their number was limited and it was difficult to form a large-scale attack.
What was even more troublesome was that after the baptism of artillery fire, the battlefield was covered with dense craters and was uneven.
When cavalry charged on such terrain, their speed and flexibility were greatly limited, and they were unable to fully exert their maximum attack advantage.
The cavalry, which had been charging forward without hesitation, had to carefully avoid the shell holes, and the momentum of the charge was greatly reduced.
Zhu Zhanhui had long been accustomed to fighting under the cover of artillery fire. Now that the artillery fire had stopped abruptly, it was as if he had suddenly lost the most powerful weapon in his hand. He always felt uncomfortable in this battle, as if something crucial was missing.
He returned to the tent of General Chen Songtao with a depressed mood and could not help complaining:
"General, when do you think the imperial court will send us more artillery and weapons? Look, if we had more ammunition now, we would definitely win this battle."
Han Ziqing, who was standing by, couldn't help but sneer, "I told you from the beginning to use them sparingly, and now you're out of ammunition and you're complaining. What's going on? Without artillery, can we not fight this war?"
After being lectured by Han Ziqing, Zhu Zhanhui's face flushed red, and he quickly explained: "Brother Han, what are you talking about? I just said it casually.
"We fought so tenaciously up front, without slacking off. But don't you find it strange that they haven't sent any more troops, yet they certainly have some. What does this mean?"
After hearing what Zhu Zhanhui said, Chen Songtao's already furrowed brows became even tighter. He had been thinking about this problem.
Although the city has been plunged into fierce street fighting, judging from the current military forces deployed by both sides, Gulzar still has at least 20,000 to 30,000 troops under his command. But why didn't he choose to increase the number of troops deployed to the battlefield at this critical moment?
In fact, Chen Songtao didn't know that Gulizar actually only had 10,000 reserve troops at his disposal.
He knew in his heart that if he put all the last of his reserve military force into action, if other emergencies arose on the battlefield, he would find it difficult to cope with them. He could only act cautiously and not take risks easily.