Chapter 147: The Battle of the Four Cities (Seven)

A drum roll sounded from Ma Shilong's central army, and the artillery position suddenly erupted with deafening cannon fire. Amid the lightning flashes and thunderous roars, thick white smoke blanketed the long battle line. The gun carriages of every cannon recoiled backward, and dozens of iron balls weighing from two to over ten jin burst from the muzzles and smashed into the city wall. Dust flew on the barbican, countless stone shards shot into the air and fell like rain, kicking up dense white splashes in the moat.

The horses of the surrounding cavalry neighed in alarm, terrified by the scene before them. Even the Wendeng Battalion's combat troops, long accustomed to using firearms, experienced some wavering.

Liu Minyou's heart pounded wildly. Even from a li away, he could feel the earth-shaking tremor from the city wall. The might of the god of war could only be understood through firsthand experience.

The gunners of each cannon began swabbing the bores with wet wool-wrapped rods. Hissing sounds of evaporating steam rose from the barrels. Then the loaders inserted a fresh propellant charge, and another gunner placed a damp cloth over the touchhole to prevent air from entering and igniting any residual sparks.

After the iron ball was loaded, the swabbing gunner used the wool-wrapped rod to ram the ball down firmly. The gunners adjusted their positions once more, and the second volley arrived. The smoke spreading across the position soon blurred Liu Minyou's vision, and his nose filled with the heavy stench of gunpowder. By the third volley, he could only see the orange-red muzzle flashes.

From the direction of the Luanzhou city wall came the continuous sound of brick and stone collapsing, mixed with many screams and panicked shouts. Before the Hongyi cannons, the personal valor of the Jianzhou bandits was no longer worth mentioning.

After three volleys, the artillery position fell silent. The iron cannons were now scalding hot to the touch and needed to cool naturally. In this era, a Hongyi iron cannon could fire only about ten times per hour. After three consecutive shots, it required a cooling period, and generally did not exceed one hundred shots per day. The total barrel life was roughly six hundred rounds.

While waiting for the cannons to cool, the smoke slowly dispersed. The Franks raised their telescopes and began observing the results. Even with the naked eye, Liu Minyou could see that in many places on the barbican, the brick and stone had shattered, exposing the earthen core within.

Chen Xin gave a sly chuckle. "A demolition expert."

Liu Minyou's mouth felt dry. He took out his coconut ladle, drank a mouthful, moistened his throat, and asked Chen Xin, "When do we go in?"

"You don't go in. Stay here and watch the artillery. After they finish firing, go take a close look at the gun carriages and learn from them. Sooner or later, we'll have to build our own cannons. You can also look at the other tools and powder bags."

Chen Xin turned to Idiot Monk and said, "Idiot Monk, protect Mr. Liu."

Idiot Monk, clad in silver-colored iron armor, acknowledged the order. The Wendeng Battalion had been rushing to produce iron armor but had not custom-made any for a giant beast like him. After capturing the Bayara iron armor this time, the army's accompanying blacksmiths had modified a suit for him. Chen Xin looked at his appearance and laughed. "Don't go into the city looking like that. Wear your bright helmet properly. Don't let our allied brothers mistake you for a Jianzhou bandit and kill you."

Half a quarter-hour later, the Hongyi cannon battery let out a furious roar. Seventy Hongyi cannons once again concentrated their fire on the barbican.

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Taketan dragged a person, slowly moving across the devastated barbican. Here, smoke and dust rolled, visibility was poor, and everywhere were the sounds of agonized screams and cries for help. Around him, some Han Chinese who had suffered mental breakdowns wandered aimlessly on the wall, letting out desperate shrieks.

A series of thunderclap-like explosions rang out outside the city. Moments later, the wall beneath him transmitted the booming sound of iron balls striking the city bricks. The entire wall shook violently. Several crenellations in front of him collapsed outward. Then, stone shards fell from midair, clanging against his helmet. Taketan's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He used his body to shield the unconscious Niru-i Ejen. After the rain of stones passed, he continued dragging the Niru-i Ejen. His only thought now was to reach the gate tower and leave this terrifying wall via the city stairs.

On the ground lay several dead Later Jin armored soldiers and Han Chinese. Taketan skirted around them and carefully passed the collapsed section of the crenellations. There, the outer part of the wall had already exposed its earthen core. Perhaps a few more cannon shots and this section of the wall would collapse. While passing through here, he could see the spreading white smoke a li away. It was the iron balls fired from that smoke that could actually breach city walls.

Just after passing the breach, he saw an armored soldier ahead standing in a daze, staring blankly outside the city. It was Geshetu, from the same village as him. Taketan loudly called out to him, "Geshetu, come quickly and help me pull..."

Before he finished speaking, a thunderous "boom" sounded. The crenellation in front of Geshetu suddenly exploded. A two-jin iron ball turned the crenellation into flying stone fragments. The dazed Geshetu was struck by several large stones and slammed like a sack into the parapet behind him, producing a dull thud mixed with the sound of fracturing bone. Geshetu's body slid softly down along the parapet. His head drooped, and he showed no further reaction.

Taketan bit his lip, crouched low, and laboriously dragged the heavy body of the Niru-i Ejen. The corpses and stone blocks on the wall made every step difficult. Finally, a familiar thin figure appeared in the smoke and dust ahead. Zhang Zhongqi was shouting everywhere for his master. Taketan quickly answered. Zhang Zhongqi stumbled and ran over, coming to help drag the Niru-i Ejen. Relief washed over Taketan. The two of them struggled to lift the Niru-i Ejen and soon reached the gate tower behind the barbican.

At that moment, another volley of cannon fire sounded. A section of the outer barbican wall collapsed with a thunderous crash. Thick dust billowed into the air, completely engulfing that section of the wall.

Their hearts and gall bladders froze with fear. They quickly dragged the Niru-i Ejen down from the wall. The Later Jin troops below the wall were also in complete chaos. They had no idea how to defend, nor was this a place they were willing to fight to the death to protect. A Niru-i Ejen of the Plain Yellow Banner glared fiercely at the two men, a shun knife in hand. Taketan hurriedly said, "My Lord, my master is wounded. This Han slave and I are looking for a place to treat his injuries."

The Plain Yellow Banner's Niru-i Ejen glanced at the wounded man, then stared at the two for a moment, and said coldly, "Stay here."

Seeing the ferocious demeanor of this Niru-i Ejen, Taketan and Zhang Zhongqi dared not disobey the order. They found an unoccupied spot and laid the Niru-i Ejen on the ground. Here, shielded by an extra layer of wall, it was much safer. Around them lay dozens of wounded soldiers brought down from the barbican, wailing in pain.

Taketan panted heavily. The impression that Ming troops could not withstand a single blow no longer existed in his mind. He no longer wished to return to that city wall, nor even to enter the pass again. Not only because of the cannons, but also because he had once again seen that Ming army from Gu'an. He could not help but lament his terrible luck inwardly.

Last time at the walls of Gu'an, Taketan had relied on the Bayara to draw away the killer squad and had seized the chance to flee. When he escaped, he had led away two Bayara warhorses, which carried far more silver taels than his own horse. Zhang Zhongqi had waited until Taketan appeared before leading his horse and fleeing with him. Their Niru-i Ejen had not died either, but the entire Niru had suffered over half casualties. After returning to Liangxiang, only twenty-some men remained.

When attacking Liangxiang, the Plain Blue Banner had been the first to scale the wall. Manggūltai had originally been very satisfied. Upon suddenly hearing this news, he flew into a rage and nearly beheaded several Niru-i Ejen. In the end, the Banner's Gūsa-i Ejen, Meiren-i Janggin, and others interceded, sparing the lives of those Niru-i Ejen. After returning to the vicinity of Yongping, Taketan had clashed with Ming troops several more times and regained some confidence. Because their Niru had suffered too heavily, Manggūltai had ordered them to stay behind and capture more bondservants, from whom they could select suitable men to raise into the banner. Thus, they had been garrisoning Luanzhou.

Just now on the city wall, he had seen the black-and-red spaced Wendeng Battalion sitting in the distance and immediately recognized it as that army from Gu'an. He did not know how these people would attack the city, nor did their Niru-i Ejen. Everyone just stood stupidly on the wall watching, until the Hongyi cannons fired upon them. Everyone panicked, but the Niru-i Ejen forced them not to leave the wall. Then, during one volley, their Niru-i Ejen was knocked unconscious by a flying stone block. Taketan himself was also hit once, but not seriously. Upon waking, he dragged this Niru-i Ejen and fled for his life.

This time, the blow he suffered was even more severe than at Gu'an. The Hongyi cannons had demonstrated an irresistible power to him. No matter how brave and mighty a warrior, all were utterly fragile before the Hongyi cannons.

They had just sat down for a moment when the western gate tower was struck by an iron ball weighing over ten jin. A chunk of it collapsed with a crash. A mass of wood, bricks, and tiles smashed down below the wall, burying several wounded soldiers underneath. A nearby Boshoku shouted loudly, ordering a group of Han civilians from Qian'an to go and rescue the people.

The two men hurriedly dragged the Niru-i Ejen a little further away, leaving the area beneath the gate tower. Then, from outside the city came the faint sound of large drums, and the voices of countless people rose, shaking the entire city. Zhang Zhongqi trembled as he asked, "Master, what are they going to do?"

"They are about to attack the city!"