Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 306 Don’t panic!
“Swoosh~~~~Bang!”

As a firework exploded in the sky above Anqing, several generals hiding outside the city immediately turned their eyes to the crowd.

"Fang Yuanke! Hou Shilu!"

"Chen is here!"

"Chen is here!"

"You two lead our cavalry to blockade the area around Anqing. Do not let anyone escape!"

"Order!"

"Order!"

"The rest of the generals, follow me to capture the city!"

"Order!"

After a few military orders, the originally quiet wilderness was immediately filled with noises of men and horses. When all the generals felt that success tonight was a matter of course, they did not know that their Majesty had been worried for most of the night.

In the eyes of the generals, His Majesty ordered the navy to keep putting pressure on Tongcheng, while at the same time he led the elite guards to quietly bypass it. This strategy was a feint to the east and attack in the west, and the unprepared Anqing defenders were certainly unable to resist.

But Zhu Cilang knew that although a night attack was a highly rewarding method, its risks and difficulty were beyond imagination.

Take this time for example. Although he transferred dozens of people from the original left wing of Wuhu, even if he could successfully deceive them with their accents and knowledge of Xu Yong's army, who could guarantee that they could go around to the west of Anqing city, where the defense was likely to be weak, without attracting the attention of the defenders?
Fortunately, the firecracker finally exploded over Anqing as planned. No matter how worried Zhu Cilang was before, now it was just two armies fighting each other.

There were no passionate words, no exciting rewards. After a short burst of noise, thousands of Ming troops suddenly pounced on their prey like long-dormant hunters, and the wilderness outside the city, which had served as their hiding place, returned to its previous silence.

At this point, the Ming army no longer needed to hide deliberately. In just three or two incense sticks, the imperial guards led by Zhu Cilang had already approached within a mile of the west gate of Anqing.

Although both were night attacks, this time Anqing was completely different from the previous Yingtian.

At that time, Yingtian was facing the Tartar army due to the loss of Zhenjiang. In the face of the possibility that the Tartars might attack at any time, Zhu Cilang even dispatched all the troops in the city to the city wall.

But now there is still a line of defense before Anqing. Even if the "defeated army" brings the news of the fall of Tongcheng at night, the Anqing defenders will have to wait until dawn if they want to strengthen the defense of the city.

Therefore, in terms of the density of garrison soldiers alone, the western city wall of Anqing at this time could not catch up with that of Yingtian earlier.

Sure enough, when Zhu Cilang was preparing to launch a feint attack from outside the city to help the vanguard to contain the defenders, a gradually expanding crack of light appeared on the originally dark city gate, and then Zhu Cilang saw several figures struggling to push the city gate.

"March!"

As soon as the military order was given, the guards, which had been ready for a long time, shot towards the city gate like an arrow. However, Hu Yiqing, who had spent several months of idleness with Zhu Cilang, finally suppressed the idea of ​​asking for a fight after hesitating for a long time.

He naturally knew how important the gains and losses of Anqing were, but he also understood that protecting His Majesty's safety was more important.

Zhu Cilang could roughly guess what Hu Yiqing was thinking, but he just stared at the city gate that was opening continuously, and had no intention of sending this brave general out.

After all, he was now fully grown and the situation was already established. He no longer needed to personally go to the battlefield to boost morale in order to have a chance of winning. If he could not find a general with enough prestige to lead the troops to implement this plan, he would probably still play the role of a king who was willing to accept advice in Yingtian City.

This is also two sides of the same coin.

While he kept the military power firmly in his own hands by personally commanding a series of major battles, he also inevitably deprived his generals of the opportunity to truly stand on their own.

Up to now, even though he has been willing to give his confidants like Chang Guanlin and Yue Qijie some experience, once the war expands, he has no choice but to lead the troops himself.

"Your Majesty! The city gate is open!"

Just when Zhu Cilang's mood was slightly distracted by Hu Yiqing, the city gate that was slowly opening was completely opened due to the arrival of reinforcements.

At this point in the war, the outcome would be considered a done deal in the eyes of ordinary people, but in Zhu Cilang's view, the real fierce battle was just about to begin.
-
Xu Yong's Residence
"Marshal! The horses are ready!"

Following a burst of shouts from his personal soldiers, Xu Yong, who had been staring at the fire in the west of the city, immediately strode towards the warhorse like a tiger out of a cage.

At first, when a soldier reported the situation in the west of the city, he thought that the "ruinous army" was causing trouble again, but when he saw the firecracker exploding in the air, he understood the situation.

To be honest, although he was somewhat surprised at the courage and calculations of the Ming army, he was not really panicked in his heart.

After all, he is a veteran who has fought for half his life. Even if he doesn't have many achievements to show off, his vision is not necessarily bad.

Since the Ming army disguised themselves as defeated soldiers and launched a night attack, it meant that Tongcheng was most likely still in their hands. Otherwise, based on the Ming army's use of artillery on warships, he would have seen continuous artillery fire rather than fireworks that could only convey messages.

Based on this, he could easily draw a conclusion.

The Ming army that came this time numbered at most five or six thousand. Even though the combat strength under his command was uneven, with the more than a thousand servants and several thousand soldiers, it would not be difficult for him to hold out in the military camp in the city for ten days.

By then, reinforcements will surely come in continuously from all around. Where else will this Ming army go except to become the capital for his promotion and title?
"Go to each city gate and pass on the message that there are few soldiers, so you must hold on. As long as you wait for reinforcements, I will reward you handsomely."

After he finished speaking, Xu Yong rode his horse directly to the military camp in the northeast corner of the city without waiting for the soldiers to respond.

Although he was confident that he could hold out until reinforcements arrived, he never expected to recapture the west gate.

As the defender of Anqing, he naturally knew what arrangements he had made for the city's defense.

Not to mention that those who were usually responsible for guarding the city were all cannon fodder who might not even be equipped with armor, the sparseness of the troops alone was not enough to make him have such an idea at this time.

There was nothing he could do about it. Although his servants were powerful, they had to be used wisely. If he really let these brave soldiers guard the city when there was no enemy, how could he show that he was treating them well?

While Xu Yong kept checking the fire in the west of the city, he rode his horse straight to the northeast. Less than an incense stick of time later, he saw the military camp in the empty space.

At this time, many torches had been lit in the camp. It was obvious that the generals had made arrangements spontaneously after noticing the situation in the west of the city. After seeing this situation, Xu Yong not only felt relieved, but also had an idea.

"Maybe this is our chance to rise to prominence?"

(End of this chapter)