Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 242 The Strongest Rebel, Zhang Yun, Unleashes His Power (Part 2)
Zhang Xianzhong and the various rebel kings who had surrendered to him actually wanted to block the Hanzhong army in Zhengzhou!

This group of guys actually gathered more than 200,000 troops, almost filling the entire city of Zhengzhou.

With such a large force, and both sides fighting with cold weapons, and the defenders of the city, it seems that the 300,000 Hanzhong troops really have no way to deal with them.

The three groups of Zhao Tianlin, Li Tiandou, and Zhu Tianzhe were indeed blocked in Zhengzhou.

King Zhang Yun of Hanzhong rushed over upon hearing the news.

Zhang Yun, or rather Pan Yunteng, even came up with a strange idea: to pile up sandbags!

Using sandbags to attack a city is truly unheard of.

Can they really take Zhengzhou with this tactic?

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the Hanzhong army camp, which stretched like a vast sea east of Zhengzhou, was already filled with the sounds of commands.

Soon, the soldiers of Hanzhong Army carried tens of thousands of Wu Kui shields out and formed a layered shield formation a hundred paces away from the east city wall of Zhengzhou.

Each of their 100,000 troops is equipped with 20,000 Wu Kui masks, and 300,000 troops would have 60,000 masks. Even if each row has 1,000 masks, they can still form 60 rows.

This time, the shield formation they deployed did not appear to be a shield wall, but rather a fish scale pattern, with each row seemingly consisting of about five hundred Wu Kui shields, and the distance between each row being about three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

That guy, his 120 rows of shield formations covered an area of ​​three or four miles east of Zhengzhou City, and it looked truly terrifying.

That’s nothing.

Immediately afterwards, the remaining 240,000 soldiers began carrying sandbags into the shield formation.

The soldiers moved like a flowing river, carrying sandbags from the camp into the shield formation. Gradually, the sandbags piled up inside the shield formation became taller than the giant shields themselves.

Around 7 AM, everything was finally ready.

At Pan Yunteng's command, 180,000 soldiers immediately carried 60,000 Wu Kui masks and 60,000 sandbags down the city wall like a tidal wave.

The rebels on the city wall were dumbfounded.

There's a sandbag on top of the giant shield. Are they going to launch rockets?
They fired a round of rockets to test it, but it was useless. The sandbags couldn't be ignited; the rockets went in with a "whoosh" and went out.

The soldiers of Hanzhong Army didn't care about anything else; they charged forward even when rockets were fired from the city walls.

They threw sandbags at the foot of the city wall like a tide, then receded like a tide, and then surged back up like a tide.

That surge of sandbags could bring up 60,000 sandbags at once!
After several rounds of this, the sandbags under the city wall had piled up to a height of about ten feet.

At this point, an experienced general would consider using fire, even if there is no hot oil, firewood would work.

If they simply prepare more firewood, wait for the Hanzhong army soldiers to surge forward, then throw it all down, sprinkle some oil, and then throw down a bunch of torches, the Hanzhong army soldiers will be engulfed in a sea of ​​fire.

Unfortunately, the rebel army lacked experienced generals, and even had few who understood military strategy.

Seeing that the rockets were ineffective, they could only stand on the city wall and watch helplessly.

Around 9:00 AM, the sandbags were piled up under the arrow stalks!
Moreover, the soldiers of Hanzhong had piled up a slope that extended all the way to the sandbags a hundred paces away.

At this moment, the rebels on the city wall were extremely nervous.

They all thought the soldiers of Hanzhong would swarm up the city walls and fight them to the death.

To everyone's surprise, the soldiers of Hanzhong did not rush forward; instead, these guys were still pushing forward with sandbags on their heads!

How do we counter this move?
The rebels on the city wall were dumbfounded. All they could think of was to use spears and lances to push the Hanzhong soldiers down, along with their giant shields and sandbags.

The problem is, spears and lances are wielded by hand, so they don't require much strength, while giant shields can be supported by the shoulder, using all the strength of the body. They simply can't withstand that.

The soldiers of Hanzhong, just like filling a moat, surged up and dumped the sandbags on the city wall!
Sixty thousand bags of sand were dumped at once, and as they fell, they were pierced by the long spears and lances that the men had erected.

Dust billowed up on the city wall, obscuring all human figures.

The rebels weren't entirely brainless; many of them took advantage of the Hanzhong army soldiers rushing back to move the sandbags, using wooden planks and door panels to push the broken sandbags outside the arrow shovel.

However, the soldiers of Hanzhong kept dumping sandbags onto the city wall, and even just the sand they threw down quickly covered them in dust.

And the sand underfoot kept increasing, soon it covered his ankles, his calves, and his knees!

If this continues, in just a few rounds, the sand will reach their waists, and then they will be like wooden stakes driven into the ground, unable to be pulled out.

Many rebels began to panic, and before they knew it, some had started running towards the city wall.

They were just starving disaster victims, and had no military discipline whatsoever.

If the Hanzhong army hadn't managed to breach the city walls, they would still have had the courage to stand on them.

The problem is, now the Hanzhong army soldiers have not only attacked, but they also want to bury them with sand! They have no way to do anything about it and can only watch helplessly as more and more sand accumulates beneath their feet.

If this continues, they will eventually be buried by sand and suffocate to death.

Who is not afraid?
Once someone took the lead in running away, the others couldn't hold on any longer. Soon, the rebels on the east city wall swarmed down and ran away in a panic.

The Hanzhong army actually used this strange tactic to capture the eastern city wall!

Upon hearing the news, the other rebels immediately abandoned Zhengzhou and fled towards Xiangfu, the capital of Kaifeng.

How can we defend this city wall if it's breached?

The Hanzhong army actually captured Zhengzhou!

Upon hearing the news, Zhang Xianzhong could no longer hold out.

They all sent more than 200,000 troops, yet they still couldn't defend Zhengzhou. How could Xiangfu, the capital of Kaifeng, possibly hold out?
Even if they gather all their remaining 500,000 to 600,000 troops in Xiangfu City, they might not be able to hold it.

This is because Zhengzhou City is only facing the 300,000-strong Hanzhong army from the west. If they gather all their troops to defend Xiangfu City, the 300,000-strong Hanzhong army from the south will soon come to attack.

At that time, it will be 500,000 to 600,000 against 600,0

What's the difference between this and 200,000 versus 300,000?
Zhang Xianzhong was indeed very pragmatic, and what he was best at was making a quick getaway!
With his temperament, it was impossible for him to allow himself to be surrounded. Even if Xiangfu was one of the most formidable cities in the world, he would not defend it to the death.

As soon as news of the fall of Zhengzhou reached Xiangfu, he ordered men to build a pontoon bridge over the Yellow River to the north.

As soon as the Hanzhong army reached Zhongmu, he fled with his more than 300,000 troops and the gold and silver treasures he had plundered!

As for the other rebels who have joined his ranks, he will not prevent those who can keep up from following, and those who cannot keep up will be sent to buy time!

This guy and the other rebels from all walks of life began to frantically rush towards the pontoon bridge north of Xiangfu.

Pan Yunteng actually managed to take over Kaifeng Prefecture and even most of the Central Plains!

At this time, Zhu Jue was still busy preparing for the development of the Americas.

Early that morning, around dawn, he boarded a small merchant ship, the Zhiyuan, and headed straight for the port at the mouth of the Haihe River with Zheng Zhilong, Wang Chengen, and Fang Zhenghua.

This is because today is the day Xu Guangqi leads his first group of people to the Americas.

At this time, the port and wharf north of the Haihe River estuary were already crowded with ships, including six hundred medium-sized Zhiyuan merchant ships and nearly one hundred small Weiyuan warships.

The sight of so many giant ships gathered together was truly magnificent.

When Zhu Jue and his party arrived, nearly half an hour had already passed Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Xu Guangqi, Zheng Hongkui, Wang Laipin, and others had already prepared everything and were waiting at the dock where the only Zhenyuan warship was docked.

As soon as Zhu Jue stepped onto the dock, everyone rushed forward and bowed in greeting.

He nodded slightly, then said solemnly, "Zixian, you'll probably be gone for several years. It's very hot there, so please remember to take good care of yourself and don't overwork yourself."

Uh, I thought you had something important to tell me.

You actually care about my health.

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi was deeply moved and said, "Your Majesty, I will remember this. Rest assured, Your Majesty, I know how heavy the responsibility is on this journey, and I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then solemnly instructed, "Lai Pin, you're not only responsible for protecting Zi Xian while you stay there, but also for making sure he gets plenty of rest. Also, there must be ice in the far south of America. Have someone go and find some, and try to make sure Zi Xian has ice to cool off every day."

Wang Laiping quickly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble general obeys the order."

I have already given you detailed instructions on the development, so I won't go into details again.

I'm here to see you off.

Zhu Jue nodded slowly, then waved his hand and said, "Let's set off then, have a safe journey."

Everyone hurriedly bowed and took their leave.

At this moment, Fang Zhenghua hurried over with a memorial in his hand, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, General Pan has sent an urgent report from eight hundred li away."

Could it be that Pan Yunteng has taken over Kaifeng Prefecture?

Zhu Jue took the memorial and read it. Sure enough, Pan Yunteng had launched a surprise attack and captured Zhengzhou. Zhang Xianzhong was so frightened that he fled. This kid had captured Zhongmu and Xiangfu, the capital of Kaifeng, without lifting a finger.

Next, the cities on the south bank of the Yellow River will definitely be easy to take. This kid even asked him if he wanted to press his advantage, cross the river directly, and take over the entire Central Plains.

(End of this chapter)