met free Chapter 662 Breakout
Chapter 662 Breakout
Fu Ankang was taken aback by the fact that this powerful figure had no regard for the princess's safety. He pointed to Zhu, who was not far away, and said, "But she still has His Majesty's edict in her hand. Seeing the edict is like seeing His Majesty himself..."
Yang Sichang didn't care about anything else. He drew Fu Ankang's sword from his waist, held it to his neck, and said sternly, "Stop spreading rumors! Have you verified the authenticity of His Majesty's edict?"
Fu Ankang felt the coldness of the blade against his neck and panicked completely. "My lord, please have mercy... Could this edict be fake?"
"His Majesty has ordered me to oversee this operation. I can act first and report later. Order the cannons to fire immediately, or I'll take action!"
Helpless, Fu Ankang ordered his men, "Send the order, fire the cannons!"
Seeing the commotion across from him, Liu Ye vaguely spotted Yang Sichang in the crowd, but the distance obstructed his view, making it uncertain. However, his intuition told him that things might have changed and he needed to leave quickly.
"Pass down the order: fix bayonets and break out immediately!"
The orders were passed on in a chain-like manner.
"Fix bayonets and break out immediately."
The guards and special forces soldiers began to jog forward, and Liu Ye and his men at the forefront were less than a hundred paces away from the enemy.
With a "whoosh," a command arrow rose into the air and exploded, illuminating the sky.
Liu Ye looked up and realized he was in trouble. He grabbed Zhu with one hand, drew his pistol with the other, and rushed across to the other side.
"Boom boom boom," the muffled thunderous sound of cannons rang out from all directions. One after another, shells with flames streaked across the night sky like meteors, flying towards the center, some of them directly smashing down on Liu Ye and the others' heads.
Everyone desperately tried to dodge. Although Liu Ye wasn't hit, several guards responsible for protecting him were instantly smashed into a bloody pulp. From the military camp behind them, screams of agony rang out as some of the Beijing garrison troops died under their own fire, becoming casualties of the Qionghai Army.
At this moment, the cannons directly in front also opened fire. The breech-loading cannons had a faster rate of fire than the Hongyi cannons, and were the first to spray out orange-sized shells with a series of "bangs." These breech-loading cannons consisted of a main gun and a sub-gun, with a relatively fast rate of fire, but not much power. The large breech-loading cannon shells weighed only about a pound, and the small ones weighed only three or four ounces. However, at such close range, even though the shell weight and power were far inferior to those of the Hongyi cannons, their destructive power was still considerable.
Although it would have been easy to aim at the target from a distance of one or two hundred paces, the breech-loading cannons, whether intentionally or unintentionally, avoided Zhu's position and fired to the sides. Screams rose and fell, and soldiers were frequently hit and fell, but the princess and Liu Ye remained unharmed.
With several loud booms, the cannons directly in front opened fire.
Huge shells whistled through the air, striking several soldiers who were easily torn apart like pieces of paper. Blood and severed limbs flew through the air, and countless drops of blood splattered on Liu Ye and the princess's faces and bodies.
Liu Ye wiped the blood from his face and roared, "Qin Tian, damn it, get your men to the front! The rest of you, charge with bayonets!"
"Yes, General!"
Qin Tian responded loudly from behind, waving his hand and shouting, "Special Forces, follow me! Make way for the rest of the brothers!"
Liu Ye looked down at the princess, who was terrified after being splattered with blood all over her face.
The special forces members, mainly composed of bandit soldiers, crouched low as they moved forward, nimbly dodging artillery fire. They pulled out their pistols and fired at the artillery positions opposite them while running.
"Bang!" A crisp gunshot rang out, and many Shenji Battalion gunners fell. The Shenji Battalion soldiers, who were reloading and refilling the heavy Hongyi cannons, panicked and abandoned the cannons to run away.
The rate of fire of the Hongyi cannons was far lower than that of the Qionghai Navy's 10-jin field guns. After firing a single shot, a long preparation time was required. Coupled with the suppressive fire from the special forces soldiers using lightweight hand cannons, the dozen or so Hongyi cannons in front were completely silenced, leaving only the breech-loading cannons still firing. However, the relatively weak breech-loading cannons were clearly no match for the special forces and escorting soldiers who were familiar with the performance of artillery. Moments later, the enemy closed in.
The Beijing garrison soldiers responsible for protecting the cannons charged forward, swords and spears in hand. The special forces soldiers, fearless, holstered their pistols and raised their steel blades to meet them. Qin Tian's special forces unit was an all-around expert in both cold and firearms, skilled in firearms and possessing considerable hand-to-hand combat ability. In crucial moments, they could play a role similar to the Later Jin's "Ba Ya La" (a type of elite weapon), far surpassing the Beijing garrison's pampered soldiers, who lacked combat experience and fighting spirit.
The ruthless special forces soldiers charged into the crowd, brandishing their steel knives and reaping lives with impunity. Qin Tian led the charge, unstoppable. Although the Beijing garrison soldiers outnumbered their opponents, they were unable to hold them off and were forced to retreat steadily.
As the two sides clashed, the main guard of the capital joined the battle with bayonets at their heels. Howling and screaming, they stabbed their opponents one by one as they ran. This became the final straw, and the Beijing garrison soldiers began a widespread rout.
Although Yang Sichang was a civil official, he was well-versed in military affairs. Seeing the situation, he knew that things were hopeless. He sighed, turned around, and retreated into the darkness, disappearing from sight.
The seemingly tight encirclement was broken through by two thousand people concentrating on one point, collapsing from the front. Liu Ye and his group escaped after suffering some casualties.
After leaving the military camp, looking at the flames soaring into the sky behind him, Liu Ye secretly felt fortunate. He turned to look at the princess; she had played a crucial role in their escape today. If it weren't for her timely warning, he wouldn't have been able to launch a breakout before the artillery opened fire; if it weren't for her making the Beijing garrison hesitant to attack, he wouldn't have been able to get close to the enemy's artillery positions and might have even been killed in the shelling.
He shook the princess, who was too frightened to speak, and said softly, "Princess, I am very grateful for your righteous rescue today. I will find a way to repay you for this kindness. Now, you should go back quickly and not stay with us, lest your father scolds you."
The princess's unfocused gaze slowly returned, and once she regained her senses, she burst into tears, clinging tightly to Liu Ye. Liu Ye patted her back to comfort her. Such a brutal battle scene had clearly frightened this sheltered flower.
Liu Ye glanced around. The sedan chair the princess had arrived in was long gone amidst the gunfire. He then ordered, "Several men, escort the princess back. Don't rush her back to the palace; take her to the Hall of Heroes first!"
Liang Xiaoming patted the dust, still smelling of gunpowder, off his clothes and asked, "What about us?"
Liu Ye said without hesitation, "Leave the city and return to the army! Only by having troops can we regain the initiative. If we stay in the city, we probably won't have the same luck as before."