Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 488 Battle of Liaoyang (Part 4)
The midday sun pierced through the clouds and shone on the snow-covered plains outside Liaoyang City.

More than two thousand Xinhua soldiers and five hundred Ming soldiers lined up about four hundred meters from the city wall. The dark mass of troops resembled a lurking giant python, slowly tightening the siege of Liaoyang City.

Oh, no, that's not right either. The allied forces only "encircled" the south side of Liaoyang City. As for the other walls, due to insufficient manpower, no soldiers were deployed. Only a few dozen cavalrymen were sent to each to keep watch.

Zhou Chengping, the battalion commander of the 2nd Mixed Battalion of the Xinhua Army, and several staff officers stood scattered in front, carefully observing the defenses on the city wall through binoculars.

"Sir, the Qing forces are weaker than we expected." Wu Yinghai put down his binoculars and turned to Zhou Chengping, saying, "There seem to be quite a few people standing on the city wall, but upon closer inspection, they are either thin and weak Han slaves, teenagers, or some... women. There aren't many truly combat-ready Eight Banner soldiers. This battle should be in our hands!"

"Don't underestimate the Qing invaders!" said Xiao Rusong, the company commander of the First Company. "When people are facing life and death, they may unleash their powerful fighting strength. It is said that Qing children, from the age of four or five, follow their fathers and brothers to hunt and fish. When they are a little older, they can take up knives and go into the forest to hunt deer, foxes, and even wolves, bears, and tigers. They are all born warriors."

“Yes, Ru Song is right.” Zhou Chengping also put down his binoculars, nodded and said, “Anyone who picks up a weapon in front of us is an enemy, regardless of age or gender. In a moment, you must tell this to all officers and soldiers: when fighting on the battlefield, do not have the heart of a woman, and do not hesitate in the slightest. The most important thing is to kill the enemy and preserve yourselves.”

"Yes, sir!"

"Hey, did you see that? There are three small cannons on the city wall. Judging from their type and specifications, they should be Ming Dynasty small cannons like the Frankish cannons." Artillery Company Commander Jiang Dasheng licked his lips, his eyes gleaming. "Later, we'll take out these threats one by one, and then, like we did with Haizhou City, we'll go straight to the city and blast open the city gates."

"Yes, I see it." Wu Yinghai held up his binoculars and looked for a while longer, then nodded and said, "There's one gate on the left corner tower, one inside the city gate tower, and another on the right horse platform. They're all old-fashioned breech-loading cannons, and their range shouldn't exceed 500 meters."

"According to the Ming army's records, this small cannon had a caliber of about 50 mm and weighed less than 100 jin (50 kg), so it could be carried by two people. The cannon was loaded relatively quickly and could theoretically fire 3-5 shells per minute. It was usually used for defending cities, especially with grapeshot, to kill infantry and cavalry at close range."

"However, the armor-piercing capability of this small cannon is somewhat insufficient. Although it can penetrate light shield carts or cotton armor within a hundred paces, it seems to be less effective against the Qing army's heavy armor, such as two layers of iron armor."

"Dasheng, are you confident you can take down those three cannons within an hour?" Zhou Chengping asked Jiang Dasheng.

"No problem!" Jiang Dasheng assured him confidently.
-

The Xinhua Army's artillery positions were quickly deployed on a gentle slope 350 meters south of the city.

Three 75mm light marine guns were pushed into their pre-dug positions. Under the gunner's orders, the gunners skillfully adjusted the muzzle angles, while the loaders took a solid shot from the ammunition box and awaited the loading order.

Artillery company commander Jiang Dasheng personally held the quadrant to measure the distance.

"340 meters, wind direction northwest, wind speed... level two."

"Prepare to load solid shot!"

"Target: the breech-loading cannon position on the city gate tower."

As soon as the order was given, the gunners sprang into action, quickly loading ammunition.

"Cannon number one is ready!"

"Cannon number two is ready!"

"..."

The three cannons reported in turn.

Jiang Dasheng raised his arm high.

"Fire in sequence!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

The deafening roar of cannons tore through the winter fields as three solid shot bullets were fired in succession, whistling as they flew toward the city gate tower.

The first shot hit the outside of the wall, sending up a cloud of rammed earth and gravel.

The second shot flew over the city wall and struck the gate tower behind it.

The third shot hit a spot one meter to the right of the gatehouse, creating a large hole in the wooden structure.

The Qing troops on the city wall were immediately thrown into chaos.

Ortai, limping, rushed to the front of the battlements and watched helplessly as the two breech-loading gunners on the gate tower were hit by flying wood chips and gravel, rolling on the ground crying and howling. He couldn't help but feel a sense of panic.

Damn it, how come the cannons outside the city are so accurate?

In the first round alone, they almost brought down this little cannon.

If we fire a few more rounds, wouldn't we be able to target the enemy very quickly?

"Counterattack! Counterattack!" Akdun shouted hoarsely, and several reserve gunners, driven by him, hurriedly stuffed gunpowder and bullets into the cannon barrels.

Before they could finish loading, a second round of shelling came.

This time, the three shells were even more accurate.

A solid shot hit the embankment one meter to the left of the breech-loading cannon, and the flying debris instantly knocked down several guards nearby.

Another shell grazed the gun emplacement, striking a gunner in his uniform. He screamed in agony, fell backward, convulsed a few times, and then died.

The last shot hit the parapet, causing the entire wall to shake violently and even shearing off half of the wall bricks.

"You dog lackeys, fire the cannon!" Akdun roared from behind the wall, yelling at the fleeing bondsers.

"boom!"

A soldier, trembling, lit the cannon fuse and immediately hid behind a wall a few meters away, covering his ears with his hands.

A cannonball flew out of the city and landed a hundred meters away in an open area in front of the Xinhua Army's lines. "Didn't reach it!" Akdun glanced at it, then turned and roared at the several bondservants operating the cannon: "You dog slaves, add more ammunition!... Aim carefully before firing!"

"..." A group of bondservants huddled behind the wall, looking at each other in bewilderment, their faces ashen.

Master, we are not Wuzhenhachao's gunners!
It would be good enough if this little cannon could even fire; don't expect us to be accurate or shoot very far.

Just as the group of amateur gunners were preparing for the next round of shelling, the cannons outside the city opened fire again.

"Boom..."

This time, the incoming shells were no longer solid round bullets, but special shells from Xinhua—explosive shells.

A huge fireball shot into the air, the gate tower was blown apart in the explosion, and burning wood and human remains were thrown into the air and then rained down on the city wall.

"Damn those southern barbarians..." Upon seeing this scene, Ortai turned pale and muttered curses.

His eardrums were ringing, and his heart was pounding uncontrollably.

Through the smoke, he saw the black-clad gunners outside the city adjusting their cannons once again amidst the urgent commands, and the gunners continued to prepare for the next round of shelling in an orderly manner.
-

"Two special shells hit the target!" the artillery observer shouted excitedly. "The cannons on the city gate tower have been cleared!"

Artillery Company Commander Jiang Dasheng nodded in satisfaction: "Turn to the left corner tower gun position."

On the artillery position, the gunners deftly adjusted the muzzles, cleaned the barrels, and reloaded.

"Correct launch!"

"put!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

This time it was a salvo; three shells slammed into the left corner tower. Although they didn't hit the gun position directly, the rubble from the parapets on both sides flew like shrapnel, raining down on the nearby defenders.

For a moment, cries of agony filled the city walls.

Unable to withstand the blow, the bondservant and militiamen let out a shout and scattered to flee.

They originally thought that they would be facing enemy troops carrying ladders, climbing up the city like ants, and that they would only need to swing their swords and spears to stab the enemy down.

Unexpectedly, before they could even see the enemy's face, they were bombarded by artillery fire.

This thing is more terrifying than being stabbed in the face.

You're only safe when you don't know where to hide.

Moreover, when bullets hit your body, it's not just bruises and welts, but patches here and there, not a single intact corpse!
Then, as soon as the bondservant and militiamen turned around and had not run far, they were attacked by several Qing soldiers who shouted and ordered them to return to the city wall immediately and not to leave without permission.

Another volley.

This time, the shells seemed to have eyes, hitting all the gun positions on the corner tower.

A shell pierced through the crenellations and hit a gunner, cutting him in two.

Two more shells hit the upper part of the parapet, and the flying debris instantly turned the surrounding defenders into sieves.

"Cannons one and two, switch to special ammunition and clear out the defenders on the city walls. Cannon three, approach the city gate, prepare to breach the city!"

The small cannon on the right-hand platform had exploded during firing due to excessive propellant, which saved the Xinhua artillery from firing.
-

On the city wall, Ortai huddled behind a battlement, surrounded by the cries of the wounded.

The flying debris and exploding shells were like the scythe of death, reaping all exposed lives.

A twelve-year-old Manchu boy lay beside him, his face riddled with two horrific bloody holes from shattered stones, blood gushing out.

He never imagined that the enemy's three cannons could block the entire city wall, making everyone afraid to show their faces.

Each cannon shot made him instinctively shudder, fearing that a shell would fly towards his position.

In the past, he had not felt such fear and timidity when facing a barrage of arrows from the Ming army.

“Commander…” Akdun crawled over, dragging an injured leg, his face filled with despair.

During a lull in the roar of the Ortai cannons, he peeked out of the city.

The Xinhua gunners continued to operate the cannons at a leisurely pace, seemingly using this powerful weapon to continuously put pressure on all the defenders and instill fear in everyone.

Even more terrifying, a group of Xinhua artillerymen, under the cover of more than ten skirmishers armed with muskets, were slowly advancing toward the city gate, preparing to get close enough to fire and blast open the blocked gate.

"Prepare for a fight to the death!" Ortai said bitterly.

He drew his sword and found his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Isn't this fear?

He shook his head vigorously, which must have been the feeling of powerlessness when faced with overwhelming firepower.

Liaoyang City, a formidable city that he once thought would inflict heavy casualties on the attacking enemy, seemed so soft and powerless in the face of the Xinhua Army's artillery.

He dragged his lame leg, holding a waist knife, and walked down the city wall step by step.
-

(End of this chapter)