Chapter 1259: The Collapsed City Walls

Cannonballs struck the southern wall of Jinghai County seat. The thick, solid city bricks were smashed to pieces. Eighteen-pound and sixteen-pound shot shattered the bricks, then gouged craters into the rammed earth beneath. Fragments of brick and earth sprayed out. Government troops near the wall screamed in agony — those high-velocity shards of brick were lethal weapons.

But no one paid these casualties any mind. Everyone was staring blankly at the wall. The area near the city gate had been battered beyond recognition. The commanding general, Zhang Jixian, felt his hands and feet turn ice-cold. Casting aside any pretense of a general's composure, he bellowed hoarsely from horseback, "Get into formation and enter the city, quickly! The bandit artillery isn't that fast — seize this moment to get inside!"

Earlier, the bandits had fired a dozen-odd shots, destroyed the cannon emplacement, and then fallen completely silent. This led everyone to believe that Zhao Family Army's artillery took a long time to reload and reset, with long intervals between each volley. Now that another dozen-odd shells had landed, this gap was their chance to flee for their lives.

But no sooner had General Zhang Jixian's words left his mouth than another thunderous roar erupted. Shells came screaming through the air. By this point, all order among the government troops had collapsed. Mounted officers fled first. The rank-and-file scattered on their own. With no military law to restrain them, no one paid attention to anyone else. Everyone just wanted to get as far away as possible.

Though no one knew why the Xuzhou troops were only bombarding the city gate, everyone understood one thing: if those shells landed in a crowd, the casualties would be beyond counting.

By now, no one was saying "bandit rabble" or "bandit army" anymore. An army stronger than the government forces — this much stronger — how could they be mere bandits? The might of these Xuzhou men was simply inconceivable!

Everyone wanted to flee into the city. Everyone believed the city was safest. But for an army of tens of thousands, the gate of a mere county seat was far too small. The government army's western contingent didn't even try to enter the city; they retreated further west. Officers and soldiers not near the gate scattered in all directions. The army hadn't completely disintegrated yet — battalions and companies still maintained their unit structures — but they were maintaining those structures only in flight. Some men were already jumping into the shallow canal, heading for the opposite bank.

Meanwhile, officers and soldiers near the gate rushed toward it on instinct. They shoved and hacked at each other. All everyday hierarchy vanished. Company commanders were cut down by wild blades. Battalion commanders were dragged off their horses. More men fell from the drawbridge into the moat. Everyone felt unsafe outside. Get into the city — as long as the walls sheltered them, all would be well!

The third volley came somewhat later. Almost no one noticed that Zhao Family Army's light cavalry had already appeared at the edge of the government army's formation. But even those who did notice were too preoccupied to care, much less realize that these light cavalrymen were simply relaying correction messages back and forth for the artillery. Covering a few hundred paces on galloping horses didn't take much time.

A dozen-odd shells carrying immense momentum smashed into the city gate and the gate tower. Because this was the gate, there was no thick rammed earth to absorb the shells' impact. Under this third volley, the structure finally gave way and collapsed, completely sealing off the southern gate. Some were crushed to death beneath the gate arch. Others were killed by flying stone splinters. Everyone retreated in utter panic.

General Zhang Jixian finally grasped what the Xuzhou troops were really trying to do. They meant to trap the government army outside the city. Jinghai County seat did have four gates, but maneuvering this many troops around to them was no simple matter. The forces delayed outside could only be annihilated by the Zhao Family Army, which had yet to make any major move.

But at this stage, there was little he could do. General Zhang Jixian knew his shouts were useless, yet he couldn't help screaming hoarsely, "Run! Don't go into the city! Head for Tianjin! Don't go in—"

The personal guards surrounding Zhang Jixian had already started killing. Anyone blocking the way got a single slash. They were about to break out of the chaotic tide of soldiers near the gate. While shielding Zhang Jixian, the guards turned their heads and shouted at him, asking for orders on their next move. But Zhang Jixian didn't hear them.

At that very moment, an even greater, more numerous roar erupted from the Zhao Family Army's side. What had been a dozen-odd cannons before was now several dozen. Zhang Jixian lashed his horse frantically, but several men ahead were directly bowled over and trampled under hooves — clearly dead beyond saving. No one paid them any mind. The shriek of shells tearing through the air drowned out everything else.

This volley wasn't aimed at the wall, but at the government troops in front of it. This time it wasn't sixteen heavy cannons, but fifty guns firing simultaneously. Shells plowed bloody furrows through the crowd, then bounced after impact, continuing to reap lives. Several dozen shells swept through, and the dense, chaotic government formation suddenly became sparse and empty. This brought even greater terror.

These were cannons? These were no cannons! The government troops knew what cannons were. They had seen cannons fired. But cannons weren't supposed to have this kind of power. A thunderous roar, a shriek through the air, and hundreds, even a thousand lives vanished. Agonized howls, chaotic screams, severed limbs, scattered flesh and blood — what in the world was this? Could it be the so-called Thunder Magic?!

The government troops below the wall were all fleeing, all fighting and killing each other. Whoever stood in your way, whoever blocked your escape route — cut them down immediately. If you were a step too slow, what would you do when those shells came again?

Just as at Shangjiazhuang, several dozen cannons, from heavy to light, advanced in sequence and deployed into a crescent-shaped arc. The artillerymen had all stripped to the waist, swabbing barrels, loading powder, and firing, each one wild with excitement. Though they couldn't see the results of their bombardment, they knew that this battle's victory was won by them. Forget your First Regiment or Guard Regiment — the ones who truly delivered the decisive blow, who truly shattered cities and took strongholds, were us artillerymen!

After six volleys, the southern wall of Jinghai County seat was battered beyond recognition, collapsed in multiple places. But what was more gruesome was the ground below the wall. No one stood there anymore — only dead and wounded government troops. By this point, the cannons still roared, shells still falling among the scattering crowds, but each shot's lethality had dropped considerably. The government army's formation was no longer so dense.

Yet what concerned the Zhao Family Army was not the killing. The sixth volley ceased. Light cavalry began advancing toward the city wall, but they didn't engage the enemy — they simply wheeled back after drawing near.

"General, the cannons atop the wall have all toppled down!"

"First Mounted Soldier Regiment and attached companies, split up and intercept the enemy! First Brigade, Second Brigade, all advance! Suzhou Regiment, enter Jinghai! Artillery Regiment, get those cannons up onto Jinghai's walls!" Zhao Jin issued his orders.

A moment later, shrill suona horns sounded in succession. Drums, not particularly loud, pulsed across the battlefield. Signal flags waved. The Zhao Family Army's brigades and regiments advanced. Dust clouds rose. The First Mounted Soldier Regiment and the attached mounted soldier companies of each brigade howled westward. Jinghai County seat could no longer serve as a fortress for shelter. If the government troops entered the city, they would only be trapped and annihilated. Outside the city, only two choices remained: death or surrender.

The First and Second Brigades began to separate, and then each brigade's formation split further. The regiments advanced. Eight regiments pressed forward across the battlefield in a single extended line. Meanwhile, the Suzhou Regiment shifted from square formation to column and ran toward Jinghai County seat. The southern wall had been blasted into several slopes — they could now ascend directly.

The Artillery Regiment bustled with equal fervor. Artillerymen drenched in sweat folded up the gun carriages and hurriedly hitched them to oxen and horses. The Training Brigade's student company was helping out. The artillerymen's faces were full of excitement and pride, while the passing brigades and regiments all showed awe. Status on the battlefield was decided by how many of the enemy you killed — and who could match the Artillery Regiment's kill count!

"Master, after this battle, even more men will want to handle firearms!" Niu Jinbao couldn't help remarking.

Zhao Jin merely smiled. Ever since the Zhao Character Battalion was founded, the household troops had held that long pikes decided victory, and that anyone using a firelock was a coward. Even company commanders had thought this way. It was only when Zhao Jin personally selected elite, tough household troops to wield firelocks that this changed. But battle after battle, the pikemen often could only shield and defend, advancing at the very end to finish things off. The real killing was always done by firearms — and with such devastating lethality. Of course people's attitudes would change.

When the Xuzhou troops' infantry formation pressed forward like a stone wall, the routed, chaotic government troops didn't dare meet it head-on. Never mind that seemingly flawless forest of pikes — the firelocks and bows accompanying those pikes, firing and shooting ceaselessly, were what truly meant death. At this point, why hold on? Fleeing for your life was all that mattered. Run!

The only ones who could truly escape this battlefield were the government cavalry. In truth, many cavalrymen didn't escape either. The ground was covered with fleeing, routed soldiers running wild. Everywhere, men were killing each other. Even on horseback, you couldn't necessarily charge through. Once the Zhao Family Army's main force pressed in, there was nothing left to choose. And those battalions that had fled early from the formation's edge — how could they possibly outrun the Zhao Family Army's mounted units?

The infantry brigades and regiments could still accept surrenders. The Zhao Family Army's mounted units wouldn't bother with that trouble. They simply split into individual companies, crisscrossing the battlefield, slaughtering back and forth through the fleeing crowds, killing and scattering them completely.

Wailing and agonized howls shook the heavens across the battlefield. Corpses littered the ground. The government army was in rout. The Zhao Family Army was advancing!

At this moment, the soldiers of the Second Brigade's regiments were somewhat in disarray. When firing their firelocks, it had been fine — the distance was still great then. When resisting cavalry charges, it had also been fine — the tension left no room for other thoughts. But now, truly advancing, stepping on corpses and severed limbs, smelling the stench of blood — those soldiers who trained daily on the barren grasslands but had never experienced life-and-death battle couldn't take it. Some vomited mid-march. Some couldn't hold back tears. Some trembled uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the company commanders and squad commanders of the Second Brigade had all seen real combat. They had experienced the scene before them. They had once shown such signs of shock themselves. In wartime, dealing with this was simple: curse them out, strike them. As long as the unit's formation held, they could keep it together.

Zhao Jin issued order after order, but he left out the Guard Brigade's First Regiment. Those around Zhao Jin were somewhat puzzled, but questioning the commander-in-chief's orders during battle was a grave offense. For the moment, no one spoke up; they merely relayed orders and rushed about as Zhao Jin directed.

The Great Ming Warrior is approaching four million characters. I'm a bit weary. I need to start adjusting my pace.

Thanks to old friends "zzb, Yuanlihengzhen, Qianchenruyan, Wind Dragon King, Light Angel's Blessing" for their tips. Brothers, I want lots of monthly tickets, lots of subscriptions, lots of tips. I've got to push on!