Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Wu Zhiyuan, accompanied by his entourage, arrived at the Ximentang camp without stopping.

He was still three kilometers away when he spotted Ximentang's scouts.

Time waits for no one, so he didn't waste any words and directly told the other party the purpose of his visit.

Upon learning the other party's identity, the Ximentang scouts on patrol quickly informed Meng Hu.

After a while,
Led by a scout, Wu Zhiyuan arrived at Ximentang's military camp.

hiss--!
He looked up at the discipline of the Ximentang army around him and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

All the soldiers in Ximentang were wearing camouflage uniforms.

and,

The army's formation was orderly and completely different from the army of the Daqian Ministry of War.

That chilling, iron-blooded aura gave people an extremely strong sense of oppression.

An iron-blooded army!

this moment,
Wu Zhiyuan was deeply shocked and became increasingly cautious.

Meng Hu's current identity represents Ximen Tang.

Although he held no official position in the Great Qian Dynasty, he was currently a major in the Ximen Hall.

Wu Zhiyuan was merely an advisor under Su Muyang.

In normal times, Wu Zhiyuan might have adopted a condescending attitude when facing ordinary people.

but,

He has come to Ximentang's military camp to request Meng Hu to send troops.

Therefore, when Wu Zhiyuan met Meng Hu, he behaved very discreetly and dared not be presumptuous in any way, and told Meng Hu his purpose.

of course,

He explained to Meng Hu in detail why Ximentang was unable to enter the city before.

All of this was thanks to Eunuch Wang of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau. Prefect Su Muyang went to great lengths to bypass Eunuch Wang and allow Ximentang to enter the city.

and,

He specifically stated that as long as Ximen Tang could enter the city to assist in the defense, all military expenses would be covered by the Suzhou Prefecture, and 100,000 silver dollars would be provided in advance.

After explaining his purpose, Wu Zhiyuan felt uneasy.

He didn't know Meng Hu's personality. If Ximentang didn't enter the city, his trip would have been in vain.

in addition,

The situation in Suzhou Prefecture was extremely precarious. If we had entered the city an hour later, the entire Suzhou Prefecture might have fallen.

Time was of the essence, so he naturally hoped that Ximentang could enter the city immediately.

Meng Hu nodded and said calmly:

"Mr. Wu, you should go back first. We'll set off shortly and head into the city!"

Wu Zhiyuan was taken aback when he heard this. He hadn't expected Meng Hu to be so decisive and directly intend to enter the city.

He originally had many arguments to make, and even considered giving Meng Hu some benefits.

However, it seems that the previous arrangements will not be needed.

thus,

Wu Zhiyuan became increasingly certain of his previous guess that Ximentang had long planned to enter Suzhou Prefecture.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just then, the sound of cannon fire could be heard in the distance.

A Ximentang elite soldier approached Meng Hu and whispered, "Brother Hu, the siege has begun! The rebels have used artillery!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Hu narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice:

"Pass on my order: Enter the city at top speed!"

“Let’s let these rebels taste Simon’s cannonballs.”

-

Su Muyang was in Suzhou, extremely anxious.

The rebels have begun their attack on the city!

With the troops inside Suzhou, they could only hold out for half a day at most.

but,

When he heard that Wu Zhiyuan had gone to the Ximentang headquarters, he learned that the deal had been reached.

Xi Mentang's five thousand troops will soon enter the city, and Su Muyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

no way,
The rebel army of 80,000 launched a very fierce offensive.

They were equipped with the latest Western cannons and heavy machine guns.

Once the rebels launch a full-scale offensive, Suzhou Prefecture will soon fall.

The south gate of Suzhou was being fiercely bombarded by the rebels.

therefore,

After Ximentang entered the city through the northwest gate, Meng Hu ordered the elite special operations regiment to rush to the south gate.

Su Muyang personally went to the south gate to await the arrival of the Ximen Hall army.

but,

The team sent to support the garrison at Zhengnan Gate was not led by Meng Hu himself, but by Lin Bao.

Meng Hu was in charge of overall planning and divided Ximentang's army into three routes.

Lin Bao led a force of two thousand men.

Upon seeing Lin Bao, Su Muyang quickly went up to greet him.

He kept apologizing to Lin Bao, blaming everything on Eunuch Wang for Ximentang being blocked outside the city.

Lin Bao was not a commander after all; he was just a second lieutenant in the special operations regiment.

This time,
He was able to come to Suzhou Prefecture with Meng Hu because he had been promoted and received special training from Chen Jie.

Hearing the Suzhou prefect being so humble and subservient in front of him, he realized that...

honestly,
Lin Bao felt flattered.

Before him stood the Prefect of Suzhou, a fourth-rank official of the imperial court.

In the past, he could only look up to officials of this rank.

But now, the prefect was being very polite and even a little cautious in front of him.

This feeling of being respected filled Lin Bao with immense pride.

Without uttering any unnecessary words, he directly ordered his artillery battalion to begin deployment, setting up a 500-mortar array at the south gate of Suzhou.

Seeing that Ximentang had begun to set up defenses, Su Muyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

call--!
He couldn't help but sigh, then looked up and glanced around.

Huh?
its not right!
Wasn't it said that the Ximentang forces that came to Suzhou Prefecture this time numbered five thousand?

Why are there only two thousand people here?
Although Su Muyang did not join the army, did not lead troops into battle, and did not understand military affairs.

but,

He is still very sensitive about the number of people.

With only two thousand men under his command, could Lin Bao withstand the rebel army's attack?
Su Muyang was unsure of himself, but he couldn't say much. He could only hope that Ximentang had a backup plan.

Lin Bao's 2,000-strong force was very well equipped.

It not only had an artillery battalion, but also heavy machine guns, sniper reconnaissance companies, medics, logistics soldiers, and so on.

Although the core of Ximentang's army was artillery, it also attached great importance to other auxiliary troops.

not to mention,
Xi Mentang's battle strategy has always been to act according to circumstances.

Therefore, even if one were to defend a city, it would definitely not be a simple positional defense battle.

When Meng Hu learned that the rebels were launching an attack from the south gate, he quickly decided to divide the west gate into three routes.

One of the groups, led by Lin Bao, confronted the enemy head-on at the south gate.

The other two forces outflanked the rebels from the flanks of Suzhou, bypassing their rear and center.

Given any opportunity, they could cut through the rebels' battle lines.

in addition,

When Meng Hu learned that Ximentang had entered Suzhou Prefecture, he tried to use mortars to stop the rebels from approaching the city gate, but it was too late.

At this point, the rebel army had already advanced to within 100 meters of the city gate.

Mortars can only block reinforcements from behind, but cannot stop the enemy troops that have already approached the city walls.

Therefore,
The artillery battalion was divided into three parts.

Lin Bao's side only had 500-meter mortars, while the troops on the flanks had more than a thousand mortars.

At the south gate of Suzhou, the rebel army's attack had reached the foot of the city wall.

The siege ladders were already in place, and at the same time, the Westerners' cannons blasted down the city gate. This was despite the fact that over three thousand Daqian garrison troops were gathered on the south gate of Suzhou at that time.

but,

Faced with the rebels' cannons and muskets, the Daqian garrison was utterly helpless.

No, it should be said that they had no fighting spirit at all and did not want to resist.

Therefore,
Many of the rebels' elite troops were on the ladders and had already stormed the city walls.

If they continue fighting like this, the rebels will enter Suzhou City in less than half a day, within half an hour.

Perhaps because the rebels' offensive was too fierce, the morale of the Daqian army was low, and they were already preparing to abandon the city and flee.

Can't fight!
Whether in terms of sheer numbers or weaponry, they were utterly outmatched by the rebels' heavy firepower.

It's no wonder that the Daqian army had no will to resist.

Because this kind of completely asymmetrical warfare is almost a death sentence.

If Lin Bao had arrived at the south gate of the city ten minutes later, the entire south gate of Suzhou would probably have already fallen.

"Kill them—!"

Lin Bao roared at the soldiers behind him.

Da da—da da—!
The elite troops under Ximentang raised their assault rifles and opened fire fiercely on the rebels who were charging up the city wall.

The formidable firepower of the replica AK47 assault rifle was on full display at this moment.

not to mention,
The elite soldiers of Ximentang were armed to the teeth, wearing helmets and bulletproof vests. Close-range firefights were almost one-sided massacres.

In less than five minutes, all the rebels on the city wall were wiped out.

next moment,
Lin Bao ordered everyone to start throwing grenades.

Each of the elite soldiers of the Ximentang Army carried more than eight hand grenades.

Upon hearing the order, soldiers, including those from the artillery battalion, began taking turns throwing grenades down from the city wall.

Boom—boom—!
Soon, a series of explosions rang out beneath the city wall.

In an instant, the surrounding area was blasted so violently that the ground shook and heat waves spread outwards along with the shockwave.

Smoke filled the surroundings, and the rebel army at the forefront was immediately blown to pieces.

Blood stained the ground, and corpses littered the field.

At the same time, screams rang out from below the city wall.

The attack by the Ximentang soldiers did not stop.

After the first round of grenades was thrown, a second round of grenade attacks quickly followed.

Four rounds of grenade bombardment quickly cleared the area within 30 meters of the city wall.

Many rebels who climbed the ladders and were about to reach the city walls were killed by assault rifles and grenades.

have to say,

The power of the grenade at close range terrified all the rebels.

The siege ladders were blown apart, and the siege engines on the ground were also blasted apart.

The key is,
This attack was too sudden and too fast!
The rebels never expected that they would be able to capture the south gate of Suzhou.

But at the last moment, the Daqian army stationed there suddenly used such terrifying artillery.

That's right,

The hand grenade was the most unique weapon of the Ximentang. The rebels had never seen it before and thought it was a new type of artillery.

Wow——!
The rebels' attack suddenly fell apart, their offensive stalled, and they were forced to retreat.

The Ximentang on the city wall quickly gained the upper hand and firmly controlled all the defensive fortifications.

In less than three minutes, all the heavy machine guns were set up and the bullets were in place.

Da da—da da—!
Once the heavy machine guns opened fire, it meant the rebels would never have another chance to get within 100 meters of the city walls.

After the four-round grenade attack, Simon switched to heavy machine gun suppression.

The piercing sound of heavy machine guns, accompanied by a hail of bullets, reverberated in the direction of the rebel attack.

Because the rebels did not have heavy cavalry.

Therefore,
No one can withstand a bullet attack; once hit, almost everyone's body is pierced through.

In just over a minute, the rebels were beaten so badly that they screamed and cried out in agony.

The rebels' bodies fell like wheat being harvested.

The snipers of the Ximen Hall also seized the opportunity, found a high vantage point, and began to snipe at the rebel army's lower-ranking commanders.

Although the Ximen Hall had a small number of members, their firepower was extremely strong.

Artillery and heavy machine gun formations, with ten men per squad, created overwhelming firepower.

In less than ten minutes, the rebels were quickly defeated.

The vanguard of the rebel army, those who stormed the city walls were all elite members of the Green Gang, and their martial arts skills were not low.

They are extremely brave in individual combat and possess very strong fighting capabilities.

If it were a one-on-one fight, not only would the soldiers of the Daqian garrison be unable to stop them, but even the elite troops of Ximen Hall would be unable to withstand their attack.

but,

Faced with Ximen Tang's replica AK47 assault rifle, martial arts skills became useless at this moment.

Especially with so many assault rifles firing, even a Blood Pill Realm expert wouldn't be able to dodge.

Therefore,
With Ximentang firing fiercely, the rebel reinforcements were unable to get close to the city walls.

These Green Gang experts who climbed the city wall using ladders were quickly shot dead and fell on the wall.

In less than ten minutes, the situation in the entire southern area of ​​Suzhou was brought under the control of Ximentang.

Lin Bao's command ability was put to the test, and a three-dimensional defense was quickly formed in the entire South Gate area.

The Daqian army, which had been terrified and had no will to fight, returned to their positions once they saw that the situation had stabilized.

Everyone knew very well that if they continued to run away, there would be no turning back.

As long as Suzhou is not lost, not only will everyone be spared punishment, but they may even receive rewards from the imperial court.

The troop mobilization order in Meng Hu's hands soon came in handy.

He ordered all the troops stationed in Daqian to be in charge of logistics in the rear, preventing them from getting close to the front lines.

The rebels were terrified by Ximentang's head-on attack and dared not continue their siege.

In less than twenty minutes.

Within a two-kilometer radius of Suzhou city, the area was completely cleared out, and almost all the rebels retreated.

Shi Jingtang, the general in charge of the siege of the rebel army, stomped his feet in anger.

The siege just now went very smoothly, and it was almost a sure thing.

He was confident that he could completely take over Suzhou if he had just another half hour.

The elite vanguard of the rebel army has already stormed the city walls.

but,

For some reason, a group of people suddenly appeared on the city wall.

They were the first to throw bombs, inflicting heavy casualties on their elite troops.

Then,

The cannons and heavy machine guns on the city wall began to fire like a storm.

In less than ten minutes, tens of thousands of people were injured or killed.

This seemingly inevitable offensive was thus thwarted.

Damn it!
what is the problem?

Didn't the inside agent in Suzhou say that he could definitely stop Ximentang's army from entering the city?
Why did Ximen Tang's army appear at the south gate of Suzhou?

Shi Jingtang didn't even need to guess; upon seeing the group of people appearing on the city wall, he quickly realized that Ximentang had already entered the city.

Only Ximen Tang possesses such combat power.

but,

Shi Jingtang was unwilling to retreat just like that.

Starting from Hangzhou, he led an army of 80,000 men and marched in a mighty force to Suzhou.

Unexpectedly, the siege was repelled by Ximen Tang not long after it began. How could he possibly let it go?

Therefore,
After a brief adjustment, he quickly ordered another assault on Suzhou.

Even if Ximen Tang assists in defending the city, what difference will it make?
According to information provided by the authorities within Suzhou, Ximen Tang only dispatched 5,000 troops, who were previously stationed outside the city.

He still had 70,000 troops under his command, and he was confident he could defeat them.

Shi Jingtang thought to himself, then turned his gaze to his elite troops—! (End of Chapter)