Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 159: The Crown Prince of Ming? No one would believe it!
"puff!"

While the Ming army was still waiting to strike back, Wang Siwa aimed at the damaged part of their breastplate and stabbed them diagonally.

He had discovered this flaw for quite some time, but the coordination between these Ming troops was extremely skilled, and if he didn't find a suitable opportunity, it would be possible for a one-for-one exchange.

As a general, he would never risk his life to fight with the enemy soldiers, so he waited for such a long time before finding an opportunity to strike.

As the saying goes: stab to death and cut to wound.

The knife went straight into the soldier's stomach through the broken part of his armor. After Wang Siwa twisted and pulled, the man collapsed to the ground.

"Come forward!"

Seeing that his attack was successful, Wang Siwa called out to the people behind him and then attacked forward with all his strength with the soldiers beside him.

The battlefield is no longer a place for fighting alone. No matter how brave a person is, he still has to cooperate with his comrades. Otherwise, even if you are Overlord or Lu Bu reborn, you will only be defeated in the vast sea of ​​people.

It should be noted that on the battlefield today, both soldiers and generals are protected by armor. It is nothing like thousands of years ago when generals equipped with sophisticated weapons could rush through a pile of almost unprotected soldiers like mowing grass.

Therefore, when Wang Siwa drew his sword, it meant that the Ming army team in front of them could no longer form an effective formation, and it also meant that a gap would soon be torn in that line of defense.

But to Wang Siwa's surprise, although the weapons and equipment of this Ming army were mostly damaged, they did not collapse after their formation was broken. Instead, they suddenly rushed forward after a general shouted.

This performance was not inferior to any other Ming army he had ever seen, and was even comparable to the elite troops of the old camp under the King of Rebellion.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

After several rounds of armor colliding sounds, Wang Siwa, who had rushed to the top of the ruins, was carried down by a Ming army soldier. Fortunately, he was backed by his own subordinates, otherwise he would have been tied up by the enemy on the battlefield and would have been killed.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"puff!"

After a round of sword and knife chopping, Wang Siwa felt that the hands and feet that bound him were gradually losing strength. He lay on his back but did not rush to get up. Instead, he first looked up at the top of the ruins.

Although the team he led was desperately attacked by the Ming army, fortunately, the soldiers in the second line reinforced them in time, and they were able to maintain the offensive on the high points of the ruins.

However, the opportunity to reach the summit that he had created with great difficulty was shattered by the defenders' disregard for life and death, which naturally made them feel depressed.

"MD! Bad luck!"

After standing up, although Wang Siwa was cursing, he did not vent his anger on the corpses of the Ming army.

We are all soldiers who are paid a salary. Who knows when we might die on a battlefield? We should feel sympathy for our own kind, so why would we insult their corpses?
"Move aside."

"Yes."

After giving an order to the soldiers, Wang Siwa did not move forward. Instead, he sat back on the ground and looked around the entire battlefield.

This was not a slackness. He had been at the forefront since the initial charge, and he had killed at least one or two cups of tea by now. In addition, he had been attacking from below, so naturally his physical strength was severely depleted.

In this situation, he could only take the opportunity to recover his strength and understand the progress of the other battalions.

This gap is more than ten feet long, with four obvious high points in between.

Although the battle situations in the other three places were not exactly the same at this time, they were all the same as his. They failed to capture the high points, let alone break through the Ming army's defense line.

To put it bluntly, they were suppressed by the Ming army.

Before the war, Wang Siwa had never imagined that the war would turn out like this.

After all, he had been in the Ming army for nearly ten years, and he knew very well that there were few troops under the command of the various commanders who dared to engage in close combat. However, who would have thought that this group of people were not only not cowardly in hand-to-hand combat, but could even suppress him with their bravery.

Faced with such a situation, the battle-hardened Wang Siwa did not show any reaction, but he was a little anxious in his heart.

The Qing Dynasty is different from the Ming Dynasty. The military law here is the strictest he has ever seen.

This time, if they can successfully break through the Ming army's defense, it would be great. But if they return in failure, the soldiers may only be whipped, but they, the leading generals, will definitely not end well.

With this in mind, Wang Siwa couldn't help but look up at the sky. When he saw that the sun was not yet high in the sky, he felt a little more at ease.

Just when he lowered his head, a flash of lightning seemed to flash through his mind, and then a certain guess popped into his mind.

"Look for the patches on their armor!"

patch?

Why look for patches?

Who doesn’t have a patch on his body these days?
When the shouts were heard, the soldiers on both sides were a little dazed, but after a moment the Ming army seemed to realize something and immediately became timid in the fight.

In this situation, even if the Qing army did not know why their captain shouted this, they knew there must be something behind it, and then every move was aimed at the patches on the Ming army.

At first, the defenders took advantage of the terrain to block the Qing army at the foot of the slope, but the strength of the two sides was already very different, and this timidity gradually changed the situation.

"Their armor is broken!"

As the saying goes, if you defend for too long, you will lose. Even though every defender paid some attention to protecting the patches on his body, someone still succeeded in discovering the secret. After hearing this, the tension in Wang Siwa's heart was completely relieved.

This is undoubtedly a gamble.

When he defeated the Ming army earlier, he only thought that the damage was caused by this battle, but after being dazzled by the sun, he linked the damage to some seemingly unrelated things.

For example, the battle between the Ming army and Liu Liangzuo under the city of Hangzhou more than ten days ago, and the resentment over the Ming army's logistical supplies over the past ten years.

Only then would he think, after experiencing such a great war, would the Ming army's logistical supply capabilities be sufficient to repair the damaged armor?
In other words, will the civil servants serve the soldiers without compromise?
The answer is obvious. No matter how intense the war was, the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty remained the same.

Fortunately, I joined the Qing army, otherwise, wouldn’t I be the one fighting to the death in my torn armor?

Thinking of this, Wang Siwa felt grateful but also had mixed emotions.

"Brothers! The civil officials don't even treat us as human beings. It would be better for us to return to the Qing Dynasty and enjoy the good life!"

"Traitor! I'd rather die than be a Qing dog!"

To be fair, Wang Siwa's words were all well-intentioned, but before he could finish his words, a burst of shouting and cursing came from the other side. When he looked in the direction of the sound, he saw a young soldier fighting with all his might on a high place next door, and the sound seemed to come from his mouth.

The young general was Fang Yuanke. When Wang Siwa shouted that sentence, he knew that his weakness had been discovered.

The battle was brutal. If the guards had not arrived in time, the entire army would have been wiped out.

It was for this reason that everyone in this group of remnant soldiers was injured, and their armor was naturally damaged.

But when Fang Guoan was looking for supplies everywhere, local officials delayed the matter on the grounds that they were foreign troops and needed the approval of the governor.

Later, when Zhu Cilang planned this battle, he did not take into account the loss of nearly half of the remaining troops, and Fang Guoan did not bother the busy Crown Prince with such a small matter. But who would have known.
With a sigh in his heart, Fang Yuanke didn't know who to hold responsible for this.

"Bang!"

After all, the battlefield is a place where life and death are fought. When he was distracted for a moment, a Qing soldier took advantage of the opportunity and attacked him in the waist and abdomen.

Although he is Fang Guoan's nephew, his armor has many damages that have not been repaired. If he is hit by this blow, the armor plates inside may not be able to withstand it.

However, as he was in the battlefield, the soldiers around him helped him to block the attack. However, after several successful attacks, the Qing army had discovered their weaknesses. After this attack, there were continuous attacks on the "patch" on his body, which made him exhausted and unable to fight back.

I'm afraid I can't hold on.

As soon as this thought arose, Fang Yuanke extinguished it.

We have to defend it even if we can't. If Hangzhou is lost, Duoduo will be able to free up his hands to send troops north.

Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince still has many ships at that time, how can he retreat calmly under the control of Nikan's troops and the attack of Duoduo's reinforcements?
No, we have to find a way.

No, we have to find a way.

Just when Fang Yuanke had this thought in his mind, Fang Guoan was also racking his brains to turn the situation around.

But every difference between the two armies could potentially become the cause of the collapse of the war. Now his biggest weakness has been discovered by the Qing army. Although he did not show it on his face, he had already prepared for the worst in his heart.

Just as he thought, it had been less than an incense stick's time since the Qing army discovered that the armor of the defending soldiers was damaged, but from Fang Guoan's position, he could already see the entire bodies of the Qing soldiers.

This meant that the Qing army had already reached the highest point of the ruins of the city wall. As long as they were willing to fight hard, they would be able to break through the defense line in one go with the momentum from top to bottom.

How could they defend Hangzhou with only a few thousand remaining soldiers?

Fang Guoan was naturally not afraid of death, and he also believed that most of his soldiers would share the same idea as him after going through that experience.

just
Hangzhou is lost, what should His Royal Highness do?
I have finally let Your Highness down.

Fang Guoan was determined to give up this thought throughout his life.

Why not give it a try?
"Pass the order, the personal soldiers will follow me out of the city to defeat the enemy!"

"Order!"

At the command, Fang Guoan's most elite personal guards immediately formed up and were ready to go.

His idea was very simple. If a group of troops could cut off the retreat of the Qing army attacking the city, the pressure on the defense line would naturally be much less. He might even be able to take this opportunity to launch a counterattack and repel the Qing army.

However, this journey is extremely risky. Even if the defense line can really push back the Qing army, this group of people will have a hard time surviving.

"I'll let Ke'er take charge of the command after I leave," Fang Guoan said as he looked up at the ruins. Seeing that the figure was still fighting hard, he hesitated for a moment and then said to the general beside him in a broken voice, "If the city is breached, let the young marshal take you to your lives."

These generals have followed him for many years. How could they not guess what their commander-in-chief was thinking in such a situation?
But they all knew that it would only take a while for the city to fall. Even if the Marshal took the risk himself, he would only be a little earlier than them.

"The Marshal goes first! We will be there soon!"

"How can the Marshal behave like this little girl?"

"Your Highness saved our lives, and I am repaying you right here!"

As soon as Fang Guoan finished speaking, several generals started clamoring.

Seeing this, the resentment in his heart was instantly swept away, and he seemed to become several years younger.

"Well, we have known each other for many years, and I am glad to have a companion on the road to the underworld. Farewell!"

"Goodbye, Marshal!"

"Goodbye, Marshal!"

After saying this, Fang Guoan rode his horse towards the battle formation of his personal soldiers that had already been lined up.

A clay pot will break if it is kept near a well, and a general is bound to die in the battlefield. He had been in the army for so many years, so naturally he had expected such a day to come.

But now, His Highness had just stopped the overthrow, and now he was about to die under the city of Hangzhou. He could not help feeling regretful.

Forget it. I heard that Your Highness built a shrine in Yingtian for the fallen soldiers. Perhaps even in the underworld I will know the day when the Tartars are expelled.

With this in mind, Fang Guoan seemed to have no regrets anymore. Under his control, the warhorse under his crotch only took three or two breaths to reach the front of the army formation.

Since he was leading the troops to undertake such a life-threatening mission, it was only right for him to say some encouraging words to the soldiers. But just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard the sound of horses galloping.

When he looked in the direction of the sound, he saw several knights coming here at a very fast speed, and behind these knights there was a bright yellow banner chasing them desperately.

Could it be? !
How can it be? !
The scene before him had strongly proved his guess, but in his heart he just couldn't believe that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would appear in Hangzhou at this time.

Could it be that His Highness learned that the Qing army's reinforcements were coming and sent the big banner to confuse the enemy?

What a plan!
As long as the enemy sees the prince's banner, they will think that the war in the north is over, and they will inevitably be afraid, which may even slow down their offensive.

This way you can gain another half a day.

With this in mind, Fang Guoan had no time to give a speech to his personal guards. He turned his horse sideways and whipped it to rush straight towards the city wall defense line.

"Your Highness, reinforcements have arrived! Drive the Tartars away!"

The loud voice spread throughout the entire battlefield, and Wang Siwa, who had once again rushed to the front, naturally heard it clearly.

Prince reinforcements?

This defender must be crazy. How could he come up with such nonsense?

Not to mention how powerful the 40,000 troops led by the prince were, even if they were allowed to be killed, it was not certain that the Ming army would be able to return to rescue in such a short time.

There must be a trick!

"This is nonsense! The Ming army will not come back!"

With a loud shout, Wang Siwa launched a fierce attack forward, and the soldiers under his command seemed to react to the shout as well, and the attack, which had been slowing down, immediately became fierce again.

Seeing this, Wang Siwa felt very proud. Fortunately, he had seen through the Ming army's plan, otherwise the time for breaking the city might be delayed.

It’s just that what’s true cannot be false, and what’s false cannot be true.

Even though Zhu Cilang did not lead the troops to return for support, the arrival of him and his guards could not be faked.

"Guards! Head up!"

Just when Wang Siwa was feeling proud, he saw a general in standard armor draw the sword from his waist and shout, followed by a large number of soldiers marching with heavy steps straight towards the gap.

Really? ! ! !
(End of this chapter)