Chapter 326: Gunpowder Barrel

"Brothers, ahead is Tongguan. Only by taking this place will Jinzhou be safe, and the enemy will no longer threaten Yanzhou. Grip your weapons tight and follow me!"

Amidst the bursts of artillery fire, sixty teams carrying Scaling Ladders were ready.

Each team was led by a Small Banner, totaling fifty men.

Before the attack, the General Banner circled his soldiers, shouting to boost their morale.

At the same time, ten Ladder Teams were commanded by a Colonel.

Whether it was a Small Banner, General Banner, or Colonel, they would all lead the charge in this siege.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The soldiers shouted; this would be the toughest siege battle they had fought in Jinzhou.

At Xin City, they had the advantage of the city having only two thousand soldiers.

At Jincheng, they had the advantage of the artillery collapsing the city walls.

But on the battlefield, there wouldn't always be such advantages to exploit.

Moreover, with the current support of artillery and Flintlocks, they already had a great advantage.

"His Highness has returned to Yancheng, but he is always watching us! This time, we will use Tongguan to prove to His Highness that we can chew through hard bones too!" After the officers of various ranks boosted the soldiers' morale, Guan Tong galloped back and forth in front of the soldiers on his horse, shouting.

Finally, he stopped in front of Chang Wei, and Chang Wei nodded at him.

Drawing the sword at his waist, he pointed at the Yanguan City ramparts and shouted, "Charge!"

"Kill!"

As Guan Tong gave the order, the soldiers carrying the Scaling Ladders rushed toward the city wall.

At the same time, Chang Wei ordered the Flintlock team to advance and suppress the Xiliang soldiers on the wall.

The artillery stopped at this moment; continuing to fire would cause friendly fire.

On the city wall.

Hearing the bursts of battle cries,

Qu Dan poked his head out to take a look.

He saw the Yan Wang soldiers carrying Scaling Ladders, launching a charge.

His heart tightened, and he shouted, "Get up, all of you! Defend the wall!"

Upon receiving Qu Dan's order, the Xiliang officers on the wall urged the soldiers back and forth to stand up.

With the artillery fire ceased, the Xiliang soldiers grew a bit bolder.

Seeing the Yan Wang soldiers carrying the Scaling Ladders about to reach the wall,

They immediately picked up logs and rubble, waiting for the arrival of the Yan Wang soldiers.

At the same time, the Xiliang Archers on the wall stood up and fired arrows at the Yan Wang soldiers below.

"Swish, swish, swish..." The sound of Arrows piercing the air rang out continuously.

They fell like raindrops onto the charging Wangfu Army soldiers.

From time to time, charging soldiers were hit in areas not covered by Armor and fell to the ground with screams.

While the Xiliang Archers were firing, the Flintlock Infantry stepped forward.

They lined up below the wall and fired at the ramparts.

"Bang, bang, bang..." Dense gunfire erupted.

Amidst the muzzle flashes and smoke, Xiliang Archers on the wall were constantly hit and fell.

With the help of the Flintlock team, the pressure on the charging Wangfu Army soldiers was greatly reduced.

They reached the foot of the wall, leaned the Scaling Ladders against it, and climbed up.

Under the suppression of the Flintlocks, the Xiliang soldiers crouched behind the crenellations.

Seeing the Wangfu Army soldiers about to climb onto the wall, the Xiliang officers immediately ordered the soldiers to pick up the stones in their hands and throw them down.

A Xiliang soldier, in terror, picked up a stone, stood up, and threw it toward the Scaling Ladder.

As the stone was thrown, his arm was hit.

Excruciating pain surged; he clutched his arm and crouched under the crenellation, letting out bursts of screams.

Other Xiliang soldiers were even more terrified at the sight.

Although there was no more artillery, this Weapon that they couldn't even describe filled them with fear.

"Get up and kill the enemy! Anyone who stays crouched in the back will be executed!" The officer's voice rang out.

But in their panic, not many people paid them any mind.

Seeing this, the officer swung his sword and killed a soldier crouching under the crenellation.

The pupils of the other Xiliang soldiers dilated suddenly.

Gritting their teeth and shouting, they picked up logs and threw them down.

Other soldiers also poured down rubble, hot oil, and other things.

"Reserve team, move up!"

Below the wall, Chang Wei's hands were clenched into tight fists.

The narrow wall and sufficient manpower allowed Xiliang to constantly replace the dead soldiers and maintain the offensive.

Amidst the falling stones, logs, and scalding hot oil, the Wangfu Army soldiers suffered casualties.

Soldiers were constantly being hit and falling from the Scaling Ladders.

"This damned Tongguan." For the first time, Chang Wei hated Tongguan.

Regardless of how much he had liked this place before, or even having garrisoned here himself.

But now that it is in the hands of the enemy, it is an abominable existence in his eyes.

Especially since it has caused so many casualties to his soldiers.

The battle lasted from morning until evening; relying on the narrow walls of Tongguan, the Xiliang people's resistance was fierce.

When night fell, Chang Wei ordered the siege to stop.

On the city wall, looking at the retreating soldiers of Yan Wang, Qu Dan's hands were trembling slightly.

If not for this city wall, and if there were not thirty thousand Xiliang soldiers inside the city.

He believed the city would have already fallen.

But even so, he was still terrified.

In war, the defending side occupies the geographical advantage, and their sacrifices are often much smaller than the opposing side.

Yet, after comparing the casualties of Yan Wang's soldiers outside the city, he was shocked to find that his own defensive casualties were actually greater than the attackers'.

The reason for this lay in the strange firearms of Yan Wang's soldiers.

With so many soldiers holding these firearms, it was as if there were an equal number of Archers.

Many Xiliang soldiers were killed the moment they poked their heads out.

Outside Tongguan.

Chang Wei and the Captains looked grave.

After a day of intense assault, they had not taken the walls of Tongguan.

This Tongguan faces mountains on two sides and the Grassland on one, with only the Nanmen side available for attack.

This was practically giving the Xiliang army the opportunity to concentrate their forces against them.

Although the soldiers fought bravely, they could do nothing against the ravages of stones, rolling logs, and hot oil.

"It's a pity the Lime Firecracker couldn't be used; otherwise, it would have been much smoother." Guan Tong recalled the Lime that had worked wonders again when attacking Jincheng.

It was just that the situation was different now; throwing firecrackers from bottom to top would only make the Lime drift down, which would instead cause trouble for their own men.

"Firecracker!" Guan Tong's muttering made Chang Wei pause, and a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind.

He looked at the city wall directly in front of him and said, "Continue to bombard the weak point of the city wall."

Then he said, "Gather some more Gunpowder and make some Gunpowder Barrels."

Upon hearing this, Guan Tong immediately understood what Chang Wei wanted to do.

A look of joy appeared on his face, and he immediately ordered the soldiers to prepare.

Before long, the roar of Artillery sounded again, striking the place that had been repaired before.

The next day, thirty half-meter-tall wooden barrels were moved to the front of the army formation.

Each wooden barrel was filled with Granular Gunpowder, and a fuse was inserted into the barrel, ready to be lit.

After a night of bombardment, the blue bricks at the bombarded spot had completely fallen off, leaving only the rammed earth.

Moreover, the rammed earth had been smashed by Cannonballs into a large, deep hole.

This was exactly what Chang Wei wanted.

Even if the firing speed of the Artillery was too slow, he would use the Gunpowder Barrels to blow open the city wall directly.

"Flintlock team, Artillery, provide full cover for the soldiers carrying the Gunpowder Barrels," Chang Wei pointed forward, "Blow up this city wall!"