Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 151 Reinforcements
In the north of the city, in front of the Qing army, more than 8,000 civilians in Li Chengdong's army were driven to the front.

Among these people there were men and women, old and young, all of whom stood in front of the formation with panicked expressions.

The 8,000 people were divided into six groups, each with more than a thousand people. Next to the crowd, there was a pile of axes, hoes, shovels, and some broken swords.

Several soldiers kept shouting in front of the civilians.

"The rebels in the city are resisting our Qing army's attack on the city. The court now needs your help in defeating the rebels."

"When you arrive at the city, you don't need to climb up the city walls. You only need to take down a brick and you can return."

"Take one brick and you won't have to attack the city today. Take two bricks and you'll be rewarded two taels of silver. Take three bricks and the court will set you free."

The people in front of the battle line looked at the black wall standing opposite them and suddenly felt despair. The women and children in the battle line suddenly cried out.
The city relied on the artillery on the city walls, and had killed countless Tatar soldiers in recent days. How could the city allow them to destroy the city walls? I'm afraid that as soon as they reached the city, they would be shot and killed by the Ming army on the city walls.
The people in the battle line kept begging for mercy, but the Qing soldiers in front of the battle line had lost their patience and began to drive the people to get weapons to attack the city.
The civilians huddled together in panic, refusing to pick up the axes and weapons on the ground. The Qing soldiers nearby saw that the civilians refused to move, so they chopped down several civilians on the periphery. The bloody howls immediately resounded in front of the battle.

When the people in front saw this, some of them finally took up axes, shovels and other tools, and walked towards the city wall, crying all the way.
The Ming army on the top of the city wall saw that the Qing army began to drive the people away again, but they did not use artillery again, but only shot a sparse rain of arrows. Only a dozen people fell down, and the rest had already walked under the city wall.
The Ming army on the top of the city looked alert, carrying wooden poles and pushing forks to guard against the flying ladders below the city. After attacking the city in the past few days, they have begun to become familiar with the methods of these Tartars. These Tartars often hide among the civilians to avoid artillery fire, and wait until they get close to the city wall before suddenly setting up flying ladders to attack the city.
However, among the crowd of people gathered at the foot of the city, no one saw the flying ladder suddenly erected.

Instead, the common people took up shovels and hoes and dug up the earth and rocks under the city. The common people in the battle array also kept crying and shouting at the city.
"Master on the city wall, please spare us. There are no Tartar soldiers among us. The Tartars asked us to cross the river, saying that as long as we take a brick from the city wall, they will let us go back."

"We only want a brick to save our lives, please spare us, sir on the wall."

There were people in the crowd shouting in fear, fearing that the Ming army on the top of the city would attack. While they were shouting, some civilians said nothing and were desperately using axes, shovels and other tools to pry the bricks off the city walls.
On the top of the city wall, Jiao Lian listened to the words of the people below, and his expression suddenly changed.

If we allow these thousands of people to pry bricks away from the city wall, I am afraid that within half a day, a big hole will be pried out in the city wall. How can this be feasible?
Jiao Lian's face turned cold, and he immediately gave orders to the soldiers beside him.

"Shoot arrows to scatter them and prevent them from destroying the city wall"

The hunter archers on the top of the city wall received the order and immediately fired a wave of arrows. The young and strong men guarding the city nearby also became nervous and raised stones from the edge of the city wall to throw them down.

"Don't smash it, don't smash it, spare my life"

The people below the city wall kept crying and wailing, and suddenly fell to the ground. However, some civilians looked crazy, and even though their heads were broken and bleeding, they still pried the bricks away without hesitation.
At this point, no one on the top of the city hesitated anymore. The young and strong men guarding the city took action together, throwing a large number of stones and arrows.
Hundreds of defenseless civilians died under the city. The remaining civilians saw that the Ming army on the city wall was relentless and finally collapsed and fled.
The people cried and fled to the rear, but dozens of cavalrymen were already waiting behind them. The people had just run a hundred meters when they were cut down to the ground by the cavalrymen who were scattered everywhere.

"I have bricks, I have bricks"

Several civilians held up blood-stained bricks, shouted wildly and fled to the rear, but the cavalrymen really ignored them and turned around to kill the civilians in front of them.
At this time, the people had no choice but to flee to the sides. The Qing army was forcing the people to take bricks and did not give them any chance to escape.

The cavalrymen killed more than 200 people and did not stop. The remaining civilians saw that there was no hope, so they gathered together again and cried and walked towards the city.
At this time, there were only 400 to 500 civilians left out of the 1,000 civilians. The Ming army on the city wall saw that they were coming again and had to fire their cannons to disperse them. As soon as the cannons fired, the civilians who had just gathered together really scattered and fled again.

Some civilians saw that the people holding the bricks had fled back to the rear, but they didn't care. They shouted crazily and rushed towards the city.
"Bricks, I want bricks"

These civilians rushed to the city under the bombardment, prying the bricks with swords and shovels, and even though they were hit on the head by falling rocks, they still dug the bricks frantically.

The Qing troops in the rear saw the Ming troops on the city wall start firing cannons again, and saw that the civilians who had crossed the river had been killed or wounded, so they drove more than a thousand crying civilians up and drove them towards the city.
The artillery on the top of the city kept firing, but there seemed to be an endless number of civilians in the Qing army, and civilians were constantly driven to the foot of the city.

The artillery bombarded, the people died and scattered, and then another group of people were driven forward to block the artillery fire with their flesh and blood.

Once the artillery fire on the city wall stopped, the people below the city would frantically grab bricks and stones. The Ming army had no choice but to shoot arrows and fire cannons to disperse them. In just half an hour, the front of the northern city was already covered with dead bodies.

Li Chengdong's purpose was obvious. He did not want the civilians to fetch bricks. His purpose was to use these people to consume the artillery ammunition and defense equipment on the city.

Li Chengdong's plan really worked. After thousands of civilians were killed or injured, an explosion suddenly sounded from the city. After several days of continuous firing, the artillery on the top of the city finally couldn't hold on and began to explode.
At this point, Li Chengdong finally ordered his soldiers to mingle with the civilians and began to formally attack the city.

While waiting for the soldiers in the front to climb up the city wall, Li Chengdong personally led his troops to the city to attack. The 3,000 men under Li Chengdong's command rushed towards the city head despite the rain of falling rocks and arrows, regardless of casualties.
The brutal siege battle started again
At dusk, Zhu Lang climbed up to the top of the city wall. Outside the city, a desolate military call sounded. Zhu Lang looked at the Qing army slowly retreating outside the city, but there was no joy on his face.

The city walls were littered with dead bodies, some from the Qing army and some from the Ming army, and swords, spears, arrows and other weapons were scattered all over the ground.

A group of civilians were driven to the top of the city wall with pale faces, and the injured soldiers were carried down the city wall on stretchers. The corridors on the top of the city wall were full of broken limbs and arms, and the brick walls on the ground were stained dark red with blood.

Some people just walked up to the top of the city wall and vomited in the corridor, covering their mouths.
Today's siege lasted from noon to dusk, with almost no rest in between. At the most critical moment, even Jiao Lian had already taken up his sword and fought.
After Li Chengdong personally pressed forward, the Qing army almost never retreated from the top of the city wall. They rushed up every time they attacked. The two sides fought to the point of bloodshed. Soldiers fighting on both sides of the city wall fell off the top of the city wall almost every moment.
Li Chengdong was determined to attack the city today, but fortunately, the city knew the main attack direction in advance.

Before the battle, Jiao Lian not only brought in 20 artillery pieces, but also transferred most of the imperial guards to the north city, with a reserve of 2,000 young and strong men. After an afternoon of fierce fighting, they were able to barely hold the city.

Zhu Lang looked at the bodies lying dead on the city wall. Anger welled up on his face at first, but then he felt powerless. Although the Ming army had defended Guangzhou today, it was actually no longer safe.
He didn't know how many Qing soldiers were killed today, but more than 1,200 people were killed or wounded in the north of the city alone.

Today, during the siege, including the other walls, more than 5,000 young and strong men in the city were killed or injured, and more than 2,500 were killed or injured, and most of the imperial guards were killed or injured.

According to Li Chengzhi's report, there are less than 80 imperial guards who can still fight, and almost all of them are injured.
Without these imperial guards as the leader and spearhead to stabilize the situation tomorrow, I am afraid that if the situation is slightly unfavorable, these young and strong men will immediately collapse.
Zhu Lang held onto the city wall with his palm, but suddenly felt something sticky on his hand. He subconsciously raised his palm, only to find that the palm was already stained with blood.
Zhu Lang's face showed neither fear nor panic. He stared blankly at his bloody palm. After a long while, he suddenly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps behind him, but Zhu Lang did not turn around to look. Li Chengzhi walked closer and looked at the pale-faced Regent standing by the city wall, and said softly:

"Your Highness, everything has been arranged in the south of the city. I have secretly sent someone out of the city to find a boat by the Pearl River."

"The South City is close to the river bank and cannot hide a large army. Therefore, there are not many Qing troops in the South City, and the siege today was not very fierce."

"Jinghai Gate in the south of the city is only a thousand meters away from the Pearl River. As long as we can get out of the city, we can go down the river tonight and completely leave Guangzhou before dawn."

Zhu Lang's face showed little expression when he heard this. This was a backup plan that the city had prepared long ago. After knowing that the city could no longer be defended this afternoon, Li Chengzhi had already begun to arrange a retreat route.
"Have Jiao Lian and the others made arrangements?"

"We are ready. We will invite Jiao Hou to the south of the city tonight to discuss military affairs."

"After Jiao Hou arrives, he can change into casual clothes and leave the city with His Highness. There will be only three of us, Your Highness, Jiao Hou and I, and there will be two more people waiting outside the city to meet us."

"I have sent people back and forth many times along the route out of the city. It's just that a few of us are traveling light, so there won't be any problems."

Since Zhu Lang has already escaped, the fewer people there are, the better. The fewer people there are, the smaller the target will be, and the less likely something might go wrong along the way.
But Zhu Lang could leave everyone behind except Jiao Lian, who was the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards. Without Jiao Lian, the 10,000 imperial guards in Zhaoqing would probably fall into chaos.

"Where are Lord Lu and Lord Su?"

"It has also been arranged. After Your Highness leaves the city, the Jinyiwei soldiers will inform Elder Lu and Elder Su of the imperial edict, and order them to take full responsibility for guarding the city."

"General Bai Gui and General Zhao Xing of Jiao Hou's army also stayed in the city and were promoted. The soldiers in the city are all there, and everything remains unchanged."

"If we can still hold the city, with Elder Lu and others here, we should be able to dispatch troops without any problems. If we can no longer hold the city, Your Highness is leaving the city now to preserve our strength. Once Your Highness returns to Zhaoqing, we can reorganize the army and defeat the Qing invaders," Li Chengzhi said cautiously.
Zhu Lang showed no expression when he heard this. Everything remains unchanged?
How can it not change?
He was in the city, and the people in the city could at least be united. If the city knew that he suddenly evacuated tomorrow, I'm afraid there would be chaos immediately. But it was useless to say these things now. Since he was preparing to flee, he had already acquiesced that Guangzhou would not be defended.

"What about the harem?" Zhu Lang asked softly again.
"The poisoned wine has been prepared and will be sent to the harem once Your Highness leaves the city."

Li Chengzhi's face became serious when he heard this, and he said in a low voice
Zhu Lang fled without even taking his ministers like Lu Daqi and Su Guansheng with him, so it was impossible for him to take his harem with him.
"Tell them that if the city is breached, it is up to them whether to accept the poisoned wine or not."

"I left the city alone to escape, and I don't have the face to let them die for their country. But you need to have someone make it clear to them that once the city is captured, regardless of whether they are alive or dead, the court will directly announce that they have died for their country, and they will no longer have any connection with the court."

Zhu Lang showed hesitation on his face. He was silent for a moment, then spoke again in a muffled voice.

"Tell them that if they can escape, then they should escape. These things have nothing to do with them. It's always good to be able to survive."

"Yes, I understand," Li Chengzhi also hurriedly responded in a low voice.
Zhu Lang stood at the edge of the city. The blood in his palms had already begun to dry up. When the evening wind blew, a chill came from his palms.

Young men covered in blood were lying everywhere on the city walls, their skin and flesh were ripped by knife wounds, and they looked hideous.

Low wailing sounds accompanied by the evening breeze poured into Zhu Lang's ears. Zhu Lang suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself in the face.

Li Chengzhi looked at the Regent in front of him with astonishment, but Zhu Lang did not dare to look at the wailing soldiers around him. He lowered his head and walked towards the city.
Li Chengzhi opened his mouth slightly, but he didn't say anything in the end. He followed His Royal Highness the Regent and was about to leave.
Just as the two were about to do so, a sudden commotion was heard from the corner of the city wall. Zhu Lang subconsciously looked towards the source of the commotion.
Outside the city wall, three cavalrymen were seen riding their horses and rushing towards the west city.

The leading cavalryman was wearing red armor and holding a flagpole with a triangular red flag tied to the end of the spear. The bright red flag fluttered in the dim twilight.

Zhu Lang looked at the red flag flying on the top of the spear and was stunned for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

But before he could look again, five or six riders suddenly rushed out from behind the three riders. The five or six black-armored knights raised their bows and a hail of arrows immediately covered them. One of the three riders at the back immediately fell off his horse.

At this moment, three riders suddenly rushed out from the side and attacked the two red-armored riders.
The two remaining cavalrymen were riddled with arrows. Seeing the black-armored cavalrymen attacking them from both sides, they had no choice but to turn their horses around and flee to the left and rear.
After the two groups of armored cavalry joined together, they also chased after the red armored cavalry who were fleeing to the rear.
The two cavalrymen chased each other all the way, and the red triangular flag became farther and farther away, and finally disappeared completely. The soldiers who had been gathering on the top of the city suddenly fell to the ground with a blank look on their faces.
The setting sun shines, and the bloody evening light falls on the black city wall, showing a dim red
Zhu Lang walked down the city wall, but when he was halfway there, he suddenly stopped.
He looked up and saw a blood-red sunset hanging in front of him, about to sink into the dark sky.

Zhu Lang suddenly turned around, looked at Li Chengzhi behind him, and said

"Chengzhi, wasn't that a Ming army cavalry scout?"

Li Chengzhi looked at His Highness the Regent who was staring at him, but he avoided His Highness the Regent's gaze and said

“Maybe, maybe not”

"Is that so?"

Zhu Lang stared at Li Chengzhi who turned his head away and whispered

Li Chengzhi knew what His Royal Highness the Regent was thinking. He gritted his teeth and said respectfully:
"Your Highness, even if it is a Ming army cavalry scout, it may not be from Zhaoqing. Moreover, even if it is from Zhaoqing, since this cavalry scout cannot even get close to the city wall, it means that it is only a vanguard scout. I am afraid that most of them are still unknown how far away they are."

"And tomorrow, as long as the Qing army attacks the city, they may break into the city at any time. Your Highness, Guangzhou cannot be defended. You can't take risks with yourself."

Li Chengzhi looked pleading, but Zhu Lang remained silent. He stood halfway up the city wall. The evening light shone over him, and the black city wall was dark red, as if it was covered with a layer of blood.

Zhu Lang stood in silence for a while, the evening breeze blowing his hair up. He looked at the dried blood on his palm and suddenly spoke softly.

"When does news from outside the city usually come back?"

"Usually it's the hour of Hai," Li Chengzhi replied subconsciously.
"Put aside your plan to leave the city for now, wait for news from outside the city before making a decision," Zhu Lang said with a determined look on his face.

After Li Chengzhi replied, he immediately thought to himself that something was wrong. When Li Chengzhi heard the words of His Royal Highness the Regent, his face became anxious and he immediately said:

"Your Highness, although Ma Bao usually delivers letters at midnight, it is possible that he will not."

"The route and time for leaving the city have been decided by everyone. If it is changed suddenly, it will cause chaos and increase the risk. Your Highness, you can't let yourself..."

Li Chengzhi looked anxious. How could he not know that His Highness might have changed his mind again? But before he could persuade him again, Zhu Lang had already waved his hand to stop Li Chengzhi from speaking.
Zhu Lang looked at Li Chengzhi in front of him and said

"Chengzhi, I am unwilling to give up"

"We have been defending for so many days and so many people have died. If I hadn't seen those scouts today, I would have followed you out of the city."

"But I am unwilling to give up now. Thousands of people have died and been injured in the city's defense. The army is clearly two hundred miles away, so why can't we hold the city in just a few days?"

"Chengzhi, I am unwilling to accept this"

Zhu Lang clenched his fists tightly, with an unwilling look on his face, and said through gritted teeth
"You all said that I am a country that cannot afford to lose anything, and asked me to flee first, but this is the case with everyone in this world. The Chongzhen Emperor is gone, the Hongguang Emperor is gone, the Longwu Emperor is gone, but I, the Gui Regent, cannot be gone."

"Now that there are no outsiders, I don't need to brag anymore. I have wanted to escape for a long time, but I don't want to escape because of my country. These things can deceive others, but I can't deceive myself. I am just afraid of death, I just want to stay alive, and I think I should be able to do something useful while I am alive."

"Chengzhi, wait a little longer. If there is no news from outside the city tonight, you and I will evacuate as planned. I am unwilling to leave like this without knowing why."

Zhu Lang kept mumbling to himself, and it was unclear whether he was talking to Li Chengzhi or trying to convince himself.

Li Chengzhi looked at the panic-stricken Regent, his mouth slightly opened, but he could not speak for a long time.

He looked at the mumbling Regent with a complicated expression. When the Regent finally stopped talking, he suddenly spoke in a deep voice.

"What if the reinforcements outside the city are from Zhaoqing? If the reinforcements are already on the way but cannot arrive immediately, what will Your Highness the Regent do?"

Zhu Lang was stunned for a long time after hearing this. He was silent for a long time before he spoke in a low voice.

"If the reinforcements are really on the way, then defend the city."

"I used my righteousness to pressure so many people to defend the city and die. Now it's my turn."

After Zhu Lang finished speaking, his expression suddenly became firm. Without waiting for Li Chengzhi's reply, he walked directly towards the city without any hesitation.
Just as Zhu Lang and others in the city were hesitant about whether to evacuate because of the sudden appearance of the cavalry sentry, another battle to capture the city had already begun a hundred miles away.

(End of this chapter)