Chapter 664: Leaflets

"Could it be that they intend to dig the tunnel all the way into the city?" the Vice General beside the Qi general said, filled with worry.

"Impossible. If that were the case, why would they make such a grand display and expose everything?" the Qi general shook his head.

But he truly could not fathom what the purpose of the Yanzhou Army was.

Thinking of himself, Han Bi, who was considered well-versed in military strategy among the Han Family descendants and deeply valued by the Emperor Han Zheng, he could not help but grow increasingly agitated.

"No matter the cost, we must hold the Fortress and wait for reinforcements to arrive." Seeing the tunnel drawing closer and closer to the city wall, Han Bi's gaze turned sharp.

Turning to the Vice General at his side, he said, "Immediately organize three thousand soldiers to exit the city and kill the Yan soldiers digging the tunnel."

"This..." the Vice General hesitated for a moment. Looking at the Yanzhou soldiers scattered across the battlefield, he said, "General, our firearms do not have the same range as theirs. Sending soldiers out of the city is surely equivalent to sending them to their deaths, isn't it?"

"As long as there is war, there will be deaths. Once the Fortress is lost, the Yanzhou soldiers will drive straight in. If the Emperor blames us, both your head and mine will fall," Han Bi said coldly. "What, do you intend to disobey military orders?"

"This subordinate would not dare." The Vice General's face turned pale, and he knelt on one knee, saying, "This subordinate will dispatch soldiers out of the city to kill the enemy at once."

Han Bi nodded; he was naturally aware that the soldiers going out were nine parts likely to die and only one part likely to live.

But he could not just stand by and watch the Yanzhou soldiers dig the tunnel right up to the city wall.

Before long, the north city gate of the Fortress suddenly opened.

A group of Qi soldiers wearing Armor and brandishing Long Blades charged toward the Yanzhou soldiers who were digging the tunnel, letting out shouts of battle.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Just at this moment, dense gunfire erupted across the battlefield.

The skirmishers distributed across the battlefield raised the Rifled Muskets in their hands almost simultaneously and fired at this group of Qi soldiers.

Because the Yanzhou soldiers were hiding inside the tunnel, they would not be harmed by stray Bullets at all.

The soldiers had no reservations when firing, and dense Bullets flew toward the charging Qi soldiers.

In an instant, a large swath of the Qi soldiers who had exited the city gate fell.

Seemingly having received a death order, the Qi soldiers behind did not stop their pace and continued to rush out from the narrow opening of the city gate.

But as soon as they stepped over the corpses of their companions, they likewise fell into pools of blood.

"Are they overestimating themselves, or underestimating us?" Lv Chang looked toward the top of the Fortress wall and felt that the Qi general had made a very foolish decision.

Their Rifled Muskets were not to be trifled with.

Unlike the Flintlock, where hitting an enemy with a Bullet was purely a matter of luck.

After calibration, the Rifled Muskets they were currently equipped with could achieve a twenty percent hit rate against a target two meters high and one meter wide at a distance of three hundred and fifty meters.

Firing within two hundred meters, they could achieve a forty percent hit rate.

Within one hundred meters, they could achieve a sixty percent hit rate.

Although this sixty percent hit rate did not necessarily mean causing fatal damage, it would at least cause the opposing soldiers to be wounded and basically lose their combat effectiveness.

Therefore,

In his view, these Qi soldiers were simply living targets sent to die.

"It is merely a moth flying into a flame," Chang Wei shook his head.

If he were the Qi general now, he would certainly be very desperate as well.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The gunfire continued, and Qi soldiers kept rushing out of the city gate only to keep falling.

A quarter of an hour passed, and the corpses of Qi soldiers littered the North Gate.

At this point, the Qi soldiers finally stopped their futile charges and closed the city gate.

On the city wall, fine beads of sweat hung on Han Bi's forehead.

Three thousand soldiers had suffered heavy casualties, and his offensive against the tunnel was declared a failure.

Having witnessed the desperate charge of the Qi soldiers with his own eyes, he realized that even if he sent out more soldiers, it would be of no use.

He could not stop the Yanzhou soldiers from digging the tunnel.

"General, what should we do now?" The Vice General's hands trembled slightly.

Before this, they only knew that the Yanzhou soldiers' firearms had a longer range than theirs.

But from the current situation, it seemed their firearms were even more accurate than bows and arrows.

They had been deceived by the intelligence.

Realizing this, his confidence almost plunged into the abyss.

Just imagine, every Yanzhou soldier held a Weapon with immense power, a longer range than theirs, and precision comparable to a bow and arrow.

How could this war still be fought?

If it were not for the fact that military orders were as heavy as mountains, he would want to flee this damned Fortress right now.

"Check the defensive supplies and have all soldiers prepare for a fight to the death. If the Fortress stands, we live; if the Fortress falls, we die," Han Bi said sternly.

As a pride among the Han Family descendants, he would not allow himself to desert in the face of battle.

"The Hot Air Balloons are coming over." Just then, a soldier pointed to the sky not far away.

They saw five or six Hot Air Balloons drifting slowly toward the Fortress.

Han Bi's expression turned grave abruptly, and he said to the Vice General, "Convey my order: no one is allowed to pick up the leaflets dropped by the Hot Air Balloons. Anyone caught hiding them will face the death penalty."

During the standoff, the Hot Air Balloons on the other side of the river had drifted over the Fortress more than once, scattering large amounts of leaflets.

The leaflets stated: Yanzhou is where the orthodoxy of the Great Song lies, and the Emperor Zhao Heng is currently presiding over Yancheng.

And the powerful clans that established the state were treacherous ministers and rebellious sons, whom everyone had the right to execute.

At the same time, they vehemently incited the soldiers to rebel, promising that defecting soldiers would receive heavy rewards from the Imperial Court.

There was also one point that the Rich Clans of Qi hated the most.

That was the declaration that wherever the Yanzhou soldiers arrived, they would confiscate the land of the Rich Clans, open the granaries to distribute food, distribute the confiscated land to the common people, and henceforth implement a tax policy of one-tenth.

Besides the Fortress, these Hot Air Balloons also flew over the villages near the Nan'an to scatter leaflets, causing the hearts of the people on the Nan'an to waver.

If it were not for the Rich Clans sending out their private soldiers to patrol the countryside, I fear there would have been trouble.

"Yes, General." The Vice General immediately passed the order down.

In the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the Hot Air Balloon arrived above the Fortress, and then leaflets drifted down from the sky like snowflakes.

Some landed on the city walls, some landed on the soldiers, and some happened to land in the hands of the commanders.

Han Bi picked up a leaflet, and after just a glance, he tore the leaflet to shreds.

This time, there were only four characters on the leaflet: Surrender and live!

"Even if I, Han Bi, cannot hold the Fortress, I will still make you break a few teeth." Looking toward the Yanzhou soldiers who were digging tunnels, Han Bi's face twisted.

At this moment, the winding tunnel was less than forty meters away from the city wall.

The Yanzhou soldiers stopped digging southward.

Instead, they dug a horizontal passage parallel to the city wall.

This left Han Bi increasingly confused, but unable to figure out the reason, he could only seethe with anger.

"General, there is about one hour left; we will be able to enter the Fortress before dusk."

Outside the city, Lv Chang saw the soldiers begin to dig horizontally and was full of confidence.

Chang Wei glanced at the Hot Air Balloon in the sky and nodded.

He hoped the propaganda conducted by the Propaganda Department would have some effect.

He wanted them to achieve the greatest battle results with the least amount of casualties.

In the afternoon, the horizontal tunnel was finished.

Chang Wei ordered the Grenadier Squad to enter the tunnel.

Each of these Grenadier Squad soldiers carried a basket.

Each basket was filled with Hand Grenades.

Entering the tunnel, they quickly approached the city wall, crouched in the horizontal tunnel, and waited for orders.