Total War: I'm building up an army to rebel against the Qing Dynasty in a heavily modified vers

Chapter 90 The city gates shatter, the Tartars collapse.

The bloated zombie was gone, waving its wobbly, fat body and leaving behind a stench on the ground.

Watching the bloated zombies recede into the distance, Luo Ping suddenly frowned beside Luo Ke and asked, "General, speaking of which, if we use this thing to blow up their city gates, will we still be able to stay in this city when we come back?"

"The stench from this stuff is truly astonishing. After it's blown up, the scene will definitely be a complete mess!"

To this question, Rock simply shrugged and said dismissively, "We'll talk about that later. Kaiyuan City isn't small; it's not like it'll become uninhabitable after being blown up by this thing. At worst, we can just let the smell dissipate for a couple more days. Anyway, with the cold winds howling now, any strange smells will dissipate quickly."

Thankfully it's winter, so the explosion won't cause a series of subsequent rotting and fermentation. Otherwise, in the summer, Rock would never dare to randomly explode bloated zombies everywhere.

When this thing explodes, it will not only cause widespread environmental pollution, but it may also trigger a plague or something similar. Then his sins will be enormous.

Fortunately, it is winter now, so the plague will not easily breed and spread. The cold is enough to kill most germs or severely suppress their activity. The foul stench from this thing can also cause considerable "magical damage" to the Qing soldiers in the city.

The unfortunate Qing soldiers had no idea that a terrifying biological bomb was rushing towards them. The Qing soldiers in front of them were busy conscripting men from all over the city. Any adult male who could handle a weapon would be taken to fight.

Although the Eight Banners soldiers have long since become so corrupt that it is hard to describe, many of them don't even know how to ride a horse and do nothing but smoke opium all day long.

But with their skin and knives, they could run rampant in the city, and ordinary people certainly wouldn't dare to fight back.

So after another round of trouble, they captured several hundred elderly, weak, sick and disabled people in the city. In short, they captured every adult male they could find.

If it weren't for the fact that the city was sparsely populated and that many of the adult men were from powerful and influential families, and that they were all quite unruly, these Eight Banner soldiers would probably have been able to capture even more people to conscript.

Although there weren't many local gentry figures in Kaiyuan City at the moment, the major merchant guilds in the city were not easily offended by the Eight Banners soldiers.

Chambers of commerce that can be established in such places must not be making money through legitimate business; most of them make money through smuggling. And since they can engage in smuggling in such places, they must have a powerful background and influence.

Without a background or power, they would have been swallowed up long ago. Therefore, the Eight Banners soldiers were really unwilling to offend these merchants who had guns in their hands and people behind them. They never knew when they might offend some big shot they shouldn't have.

"Sir, gunpowder is scarce in this city, we—"

A Manchu soldier rushed over and asked Wanfu, the garrison commander of Kaiyuan City, but Wanfu just shook his head dismissively.

"I understand. Since we lack gunpowder, let's use broadswords and spears to deal with the Luo family army!"

"Our Eight Banners warriors are renowned for their horsemanship and archery. I refuse to believe that our Eight Banners soldiers will be incapable of fighting without gunpowder!"

Upon hearing Wanfu's words, the Eight Banners soldier who had come to report was too embarrassed to retort and managed to swallow back the words that were about to spill from his mouth.

Putting aside the fact that when the Eight Banners troops first entered the pass, they relied on firearms and heavy armor to fight, and their actual horse archery skills were extremely poor, let's take the current situation as an example.

Wanfu, that old geezer, hasn't inspected the military camp in who knows how long. Doesn't he even know how many Eight Banner soldiers can still draw a bow and shoot an arrow?

Given the current strength of the Eight Banners soldiers, if they were to fight people head-on with cold weapons, their performance would be no better than that of local thugs!

On ordinary days, the Eight Banners soldiers' pay was so much withheld by their superiors, and their military rations were also sold off privately. So how could they expect these Eight Banners soldiers to train hard every day when they had no food or pay?

Just then, Wanfu, who was wearing armor and preparing to climb the city wall, suddenly heard a cry of alarm coming from the city wall.

Wanfu, who was about to climb up, quickly stopped, his face filled with surprise and uncertainty. He hurriedly asked the soldier beside him, "What happened? What's going on up there?"

"Oh no! Could it be that the Luo family army is so swift in its attacks, arriving in such a short time?"

Wanfu felt that the situation was illogical. Could it be that the Luo family army really marched all the way here?

Under normal circumstances, unless there is an inside agent in the city, what fool would march all the way during a siege?

If the soldiers were to rush to the city wall, after such a forced march, where would they find the strength to fight a tough battle?

"Reporting to the garrison commander, there's a huge, undead creature outside, charging towards the city gate. It looks quite strange!"

Upon hearing this, Wanfu, who had been extremely tense, instantly breathed a sigh of relief. He merely curled his lip indifferently, completely disregarding the report from the soldiers on the city wall.

It's just a mere living corpse. So what if it's a little big?

In Wanfu's opinion, he had been away from the pass for so long, what kind of living corpses hadn't he seen?

With that group of rigid creatures that can only act on instinct and have hardly any brains, how much of a threat can they pose to his city, no matter how many there are?

"It's just a mere living corpse, why are you so terrified?"

"Ignore it. Does that zombie think it can climb all the way up the city wall? If it does, just kill it!"

Wanfu wasn't entirely sure if zombies actually had the ability to climb city walls, but these things certainly had the ability to climb small walls.

But in Wanfu's view, even if a living corpse successfully climbs the city wall, what good will it do in the end?

Just send two soldiers to stab it with spears or chop it up with machetes!

Just as Wanfu was thinking this, the Qing soldiers on the city wall panicked a little because their perspective was different from Wanfu's. They could clearly see the bloated zombies outside and could even vaguely smell the stench emanating from them.

The thing was so huge and ugly, and it was wobbling toward the city gate like a bull, which made them very uneasy.

They always felt there was something wrong with this thing; it was definitely not some ordinary zombie!

"How strange! What kind of zombie is this? There's something wrong with this zombie!"

Suddenly, the lama who had just arrived at the city wall saw the bloated corpses below and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

When they practiced their spells, they naturally practiced spells like corpse control, so they were practically experts at manipulating living corpses.

Therefore, when the lamas saw the strange shape of this bloated walking corpse and sensed the enormous energy contained within it, their expressions changed instantly.

A lama took out a corpse-driving bell, attempting to drive away the living corpse.

But as soon as he took out the bell, he realized that the zombie's brain had not been implanted with the Soul-Suppressing Nail, so the zombie could not be controlled by him.

The Qing soldiers on the city wall were busy watching the spectacle and didn't fire a shot at all, because they didn't think the thing could harm them, and they were also too lazy to waste their precious lead bullets and gunpowder on the living corpses.

In the minds of all the Qing soldiers, using muskets to shoot at living corpses was the most foolish thing to do. They might not be able to kill even one or two after shooting for a long time. If things went wrong, their inferior muskets might explode, and in the end, their losses would be even greater.

It wasn't until the bloated zombie lunged at the city gate, then its body rapidly expanded and exploded with a deafening roar, that the Qing soldiers on the city wall realized the situation was dire.

The massive explosion generated a terrifying shockwave that instantly blew the two dilapidated city gates away.

The two city gates of Kaiyuan City have not been repaired for who knows how many years. Anyway, it is located outside the pass, so no powerful family would dare to attack the city for no reason. In addition, the officials who come here are busy making money and don't care about anything else.

So much so that when faced with the explosion of the bloated zombies, the two city gates had no chance to stop them at all. They were blown more than ten meters away and then smashed into pieces on the ground.

Before the Qing soldiers behind the city gate could figure out what was happening, they were smashed into the ground by the city gate that suddenly flew towards them, their brains splattering out instantly.

The Qing soldiers standing on the city wall were also shaken by the earthquake, and a lot of messy fragments and pieces of flesh and bone flew up and hit the ground with a crackling sound.

Some unlucky Qing soldiers were shot through on the spot and died without uttering a sound, while others were stunned by the huge explosion and noise. Although they were still standing, their minds were blank.

Wanfu, who had been preparing to climb the city wall, was now watching this scene in shock from the side of the city wall, and he plopped down on the ground.

His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and even his crotch was a little damp, because he knew that if he had happened to walk to the other side of the city wall earlier, his current situation would probably not be very good!

It was precisely because he hesitated earlier that he managed to escape with his life!

"Lord Garrison Commander, it's terrible! The city gates have been breached!"

"My lord, the city has fallen! What should we do?"

Eight Banner soldiers rushed towards the direction where Wanfu had collapsed to the ground, shouting repeatedly.

The massive explosion had stunned them, leaving them completely blank and unable to think of anything. All they could think about was finding someone they could rely on as a pillar of support.

Even the Qing troops further away were in a worse state. They saw the horrific explosion from a great distance, and with the soldiers in the city instantly thrown into chaos, they even thought that the Luo family army had invaded!

Even though there were no soldiers outside, they insisted that the Luo family army had arrived. Some Qing soldiers even thought that the Luo family army had mastered some kind of invisibility technique, and they were so frightened that they were scared out of their wits!

As for the able-bodied men who were brought over earlier?

Although they weren't standing on the city wall but rather behind it as a support team, they weren't hit by the bloated zombies and barely escaped.

However, the deafening explosions earlier, and the now completely shattered city gates, caused them to completely break down.

The thought that the Luo family army was so brutal that it could break through the heavy city gate in an instant, and that the Luo family army might even rush into the city soon after, made the able-bodied men who had been brought over scatter like birds and beasts.

They fled into the city in a panic, hoping to quickly return to their homes or find a secluded corner to hide in.

Anyway, they don't even have a proper military uniform. The clothes they wear are just their everyday clothes. Once they throw away their weapons and find a place to hide, who will still think of them as soldiers?

When some of the Eight Banner soldiers saw these able-bodied men fleeing, they tried to stop them, but many more Eight Banner soldiers, like the able-bodied men, fled in panic.

Some Manchu soldiers even went so far as to quickly remove their armor and, dressed only in thin, tattered clothes, blend into the ranks of the fleeing conscripts, shamelessly running away with them.

As a result, the defense of Kaiyuan City was thrown into chaos in an instant. When Luo Ke's troops arrived, all he saw was the Kaiyuan City main gate, which had been completely destroyed and was filled with a foul stench, and a scene of devastation by the Eight Banners soldiers.

"Are you kidding me? Are the Eight Banner soldiers in Kaiyuan City really that weak?"

When Rock saw the chaotic scene before him, he was both amused and exasperated.

He had to admit that he had ultimately overestimated those Eight Banner soldiers!

In his mind, such a bloated zombie rushing over might indeed cause panic among the Kaiyuan City garrison, but by the time he arrived, they should have already recovered from their previous panic and started busy repairing the city gate.

However, when Luo Kezhen arrived at the city, looking at the wide-open city gate in the distance, and the Eight Banners soldiers who were crying and shouting on the city wall and even running around in the city, he was completely speechless at this group of Eight Banners soldiers.

Looking around, Rock found that apart from a few lamas and a small number of troops still carrying guns, there seemed to be nothing else on the city wall.

As for those lamas, Rock didn't know what tricks they could pull, but he didn't believe they had any chance of turning the tide at this point.

"Set up our ballistae! New Imperial Guards and Youth Army, advance and suppress the enemy's firepower on the city walls!"

"Luo Ping, you lead the greatsword warriors in a charge, and make sure to take the city gate as quickly as possible!"

Upon hearing Rock's words, Luo Ping grinned, clasped his hands in a salute, and then led the remaining greatsword warriors in a charge into the distance.

As for the Luo family army's cavalry, they also joined the line infantry, taking up muskets and engaging in firefights with the enemy on the city walls, suppressing their firepower.

Rock did initially consider sending his cavalry to charge, but when he saw the scene of devastation in the city in the distance, he decided to have them turn back and do something else.

The situation in Kaiyuan City is too chaotic right now. He doesn't know whether his cavalry will be able to control the situation immediately after charging in, or whether they will get caught up in the chaos.

But he was certain that cavalry was not a suitable unit for storming into the city; it would be better to send the more reliable greatsword warriors to charge in.

So the newly arrived Po Lu army hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath before Luo Ke's orders were already being relayed.

Under the leadership of their respective commanders, each unit launched an orderly attack on the enemy. Large numbers of musketeers marched into the distance, rifles in hand, accompanied by the Onion Song.

Seeing that all the enemy troops in the distance were dressed in Western attire and were advancing towards them in a mighty force, the few remaining Eight Banner soldiers on the city wall immediately became demoralized.

They were the last remaining force in the city that still had some courage; at least they were one of the few that hadn't collapsed.

They were originally prepared to live and die with the city, thinking of fighting the rebels outside, but when they actually saw the dense and orderly infantry in the distance, these Eight Banner soldiers immediately backed down.

"Well, the Luo family army has changed their banner at some point. They actually dare to call themselves the Breaking Army? They're incredibly audacious!"

When the Eight Banners soldiers saw the latest banner of the Luo Family Army, they couldn't help but curse. How could they not see that the "destroying the enemy" that the Destroying Army was talking about was actually referring to someone?

Interestingly, Rock discovered that the system troops he summoned seemed to change their banners according to the troop titles he had currently set.

The troops he summoned based on companies all had a special military flag. Previously, when Luo Ke named his troops the Luo Family Army, his flag was a large red flag with the character "Luo" in black characters. Now, the flag has become a black flag with the characters "Po Lu" in red characters.

Compared to the previous flags, Rock was more satisfied with the new military flag.

The two imposing characters, along with the striking black background and red lettering, create a visually oppressive effect, exuding a sense of solemnity and power.

The news that Luo's army—or rather, the Po Lu army—had officially launched an attack on the city walls was immediately reported by the Eight Banner soldiers on the city walls to Wanfu, who was hiding behind the city.

Now Wanfu absolutely refused to go up the city wall. After changing his trousers, he just lingered at the bottom of the wall, too afraid to go up. He waited for his soldiers to run over and report all the news.

When he heard that the Luo family army was so bold as to start fighting as soon as they arrived, and even change their banner to the words "Breaking the Enemy", he almost spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot!

"Traitor! What a shameless and rebellious villain!"

Wanfu deeply regretted his past actions. Had he known that the Luo family army was such an ambitious traitor, he should have dealt with them more severely!

Unfortunately, Luo's army is now very powerful, while his troops are so weak that even self-preservation has become a luxury for him.