ATPnovel Chapter 66 Feng Tang: Can we still win this battle?
Chapter 66 Feng Tang: Can we still win this battle?
The dark muzzles of cannons spewed out sparks!
Several solid iron bullets, each weighing tens of kilograms, whistled out and crashed into the Datong city wall with the force to shatter bones and split rocks.
"Thump—thump—"
The blue brick wall cracked instantly, with fine lines spreading out like a spider web. After several rounds of bombardment, the outer layer of bricks flew off and tumbled away, and the originally neat blue brick wall was smashed into a series of pits, revealing the rammed earth layer inside.
Before the thick smoke had even dissipated, the Tartar cannons roared again, this time firing exploding shells. A blinding flash of light, and a powerful shockwave surged in all directions, sending flying fragments of brick and stone scattering everywhere. The rammed earth layers crumbled and cracked amidst the continuous tremors, revealing a crisscrossing network of fissures.
Solid iron bullets pounded and chiseled, while exploding bullets loosened the wall with explosive force. The two types of bullets were poured down in turn, and the damage to the wall grew larger and larger, with the gaps extending to both sides.
Amidst the smoke and fire, able-bodied men braved flying stones, carrying mounds of earth and filling them with mud, doing their utmost to repair the damage and protect their homes.
On the Tartar artillery position, Agui put down his telescope and said to the young master Fan beside him, "Tell the Shanxi merchants to send another batch of copper."
Young Master Fan looked troubled: "General, the imperial army has even blocked the mountain paths..."
Agui's face turned cold: "If they delay my important mission of attacking the city, then all their families in Shengjing will be sent to Ningguta to be enslaved by the armored men."
Young Master Fan dared not say another word and bowed as he withdrew.
Agui glanced at his departing figure, her eyes full of disdain, and then loudly ordered, "The entire army will rest for the night, and attack the city at dawn tomorrow!"
......................
On the city wall, Liu Feng directed the able-bodied men to stack coffins one by one on both sides of the section of the wall that might collapse. He also ordered people to fill the coffins with earth and stones and carefully seal them tightly.
This method was something Liu Feng thought of last night. In his previous life, he had read about the old story of the defense of Jiangyin, which used this method to resist the Tartar army.
Once the city wall is breached by artillery fire, the defenders immediately push coffins horizontally into the breach. As long as the breach is not too large, several coffins can quickly block most of the passage.
Of course, coffins couldn't stop cannon fire; their main purpose was to prevent the Tartars from rushing into the city all at once, allowing them to break up and charge through narrow passages, which the defenders could then intercept and kill from different directions.
In addition, Liu Feng ordered the digging of trenches and the installation of barricades on the inner side of the city wall to build a second line of defense, further delaying the Tartar offensive.
Li Mu then walked over and handed the water bag to Liu Feng: "The aroma of wine and meat is wafting from the Tartar camp; they must be attacking the city tomorrow."
Liu Feng took a sip of water. "Is everything arranged properly?"
"Everything is ready. Those bastards have been bombarding us for two days straight; it's time they tasted our artillery."
Li Mu suddenly sneered, "If you want to get close to the city wall, I'll write my name Li backwards without leaving behind ten thousand corpses!"
Liu Feng smiled. Although this was somewhat of an exaggeration, Datong City was fully equipped with defensive weapons. Even if a breach was blasted in the city wall, the Tartars would have to pay a heavy price to break in.
Li Mu suddenly asked, "Will the imperial reinforcements still come?"
Liu Feng opened his mouth, but was speechless.
......................
Liu Feng was unaware that the imperial reinforcements were only thirty miles away, and that the camp was also filled with the aroma of wine and meat.
The "Five-Man Team for Picking Peaches," led by the Duke of Cheng'en, finally arrived at the front-line camp, bringing with them the wine and meat that the emperor had prepared to reward the army.
Outside the main tent, Prince Chengen sat cross-legged on a large tiger-skin rug, accompanied by his four brothers, Prince Wu, Prince Jin, Prince Lu, and Prince Yong. Generals such as Prince Teng and Feng Tang sat on either side, and the table in front of them was filled with large platters of beef and mutton, as well as fine wine and fresh fruit.
Even though he harbored resentment, Wang Ziteng still greeted him with a smile and said things he didn't mean.
Feng Tang and the other generals were dissatisfied with the emperor's unseemly eating habits, so they all ate meat and drank wine in silence, without uttering a sound.
The four brothers could all see that the generals harbored resentment.
The King of Wu was embarrassed, his eyes darting around, avoiding eye contact.
The Prince of Jin snorted coldly, his face full of displeasure.
King Lu lowered his head and ate, pretending not to see.
Prince Yong is fasting today. He has his eyes closed and is muttering to himself.
It seemed that only then did the Duke of Cheng'en realize that the atmosphere had become awkward. He picked up his wine cup and said, "Why is everyone keeping their heads down and not saying anything? Come on, everyone, drink this cup!" With that, he downed it in one gulp.
Seeing that everyone had only taken a small sip, Duke Cheng'en's face immediately darkened: "What, are you looking down on me?"
Wang Ziteng quickly smoothed things over: "There are military rules in the barracks, and drinking is not allowed on ordinary days. Today, I received an imperial decree, so I made an exception and had a few sips..."
Seeing that the Duke of Chengen still looked displeased, Prince Teng had no choice but to raise his wine cup again, "Come, everyone, let's raise our glasses and wish the Empress Dowager good health, longevity, and all the best."
Everyone understood that Wang Ziteng was reminding them that the Empress Dowager was behind the Duke of Chengen, and that this relationship had to be respected, and that they had to drink this cup of wine.
Left with no other choice, everyone had to drink the wine.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out, and the sounds of fighting could be faintly heard.
Wang Ziteng's face darkened: "Go and see who's causing trouble in the camp!"
Before the words were finished, an officer rushed over and reported, "General, the brothers of the Divine Machine Battalion are fighting with the Emperor's brother-in-law's men, and they've even smashed the wine and meat bestowed by the Emperor!"
"Rebellion!" Duke Cheng'en stood up abruptly. "I want to see which traitor is so audacious!"
When everyone arrived, the scene was a complete mess, with wine and meat scattered all over the ground.
The men under Cheng'en Gong were all bruised and battered, lying on the ground groaning in pain.
The Shenji Battalion members were disarmed and all squatted to the side.
Before Prince Teng could speak, Duke Cheng'en pointed and shouted, "Come on! Drag these traitors who ruined the imperial wine and meat away and behead them!"
Everyone was stunned by these words!
The officer of the Shenji Battalion was anxious: "General, they're the ones who've been withholding the wine and meat bestowed by the Emperor! One pound of meat for one spoonful of wine, and we only get half a pound and a spoonful left. We just tried to explain, and they insulted us, calling us who we are, saying things like 'Those stinking soldiers don't deserve to eat imperial gifts'! They even cursed us—saying we're going to die anyway."
"It's pointless to eat it!"
There was a moment of silence, then an explosion!
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
The soldiers of the Beijing garrison all around had bloodshot eyes, as if they wanted to devour people.
Wang Ziteng was in a dilemma: if he didn't kill them, morale would be low. If he did kill them, they were the Duke of Cheng'en's men, the Empress Dowager's men...
Just as he hesitated, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the Duke of Chengen beside him. He suddenly drew the sword from Prince Teng's waist and slashed it hard across the officer's neck.
Blood splattered, covering Cheng'en Gong's face. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'll teach you to talk nonsense!"
Everyone was stunned.
With his face covered in blood, Duke Cheng'en grinned maliciously and ordered his guards, "Kill all these traitors!"
"We're going to die anyway!" a soldier roared. "Let's fight to the death!"
The Prince of Jin immediately seized the opportunity and roared, "It's a Tartar spy! Someone just openly said 'rebellion'!"
Wang Ziteng's face turned ashen: "Who said it backwards?"
"I heard it clearly," the Prince of Jin said, pointing casually. "It's him!"
"Who's rebelling!" came a loud shout.
Wang Ziteng turned around and looked even more displeased.
The person who arrived was none other than the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards who was protecting Duke Cheng'en and his entourage, accompanied by a squad of Imperial Guards.
Prince Lu's eyes darted around, and he shouted to Prince Wu, who was standing beside his deputy, "Brother, your reinforcements have come at just the right time! There are Tartar spies here slandering the royal family and disrupting morale. Quickly order your men to kill these traitors!"
The King of Wu was completely bewildered. What? Call for reinforcements? I just went to the outhouse and happened to run into them.
"The Shenji Battalion is here!" someone shouted, and everyone instinctively turned around to look.
Taking the opportunity, Duke Cheng'en gave the guards a wink.
The guards understood and drew their swords to strike.
Screams rang out one after another as a dozen unarmed Shenji Battalion soldiers were cut down on the spot, their blood splattering on the yellow earth.
"stop!"
Prince Teng was furious and reached for his sword at his waist, only to realize that the sword was in the hands of the Duke of Cheng'en.
"Your Excellency, tell them to stop!"
Ignoring him, the Duke of Cheng'en turned and shouted at the approaching Shenji Battalion, "What? Are you Tartar spies and accomplices, here to rebel?"
The Shenji Battalion members all stopped, and the people around them fell silent. Whoever was implicated in this accusation would die.
Prince Lu seized the opportunity to smooth things over: "On the way here, Duke Cheng'en was worried that you might make mistakes due to excessive drinking, so he served you in two separate meals. Since the soldiers are all heavy drinkers, then we'll serve you all in one meal."
Everyone knew it was fake, but the person was already dead and was still accused of being a Tartar spy.
At this moment, who would dare to stand up? Who would be willing to offend the Duke of Cheng'en and the Empress Dowager behind him for the sake of a few dead people?
The new wine and meat were delivered quickly, and the soldiers silently lined up again to receive the imperial gift.
Wang Ziteng and the others left with Duke Cheng'en, leaving only Feng Tang behind.
Looking at those silent figures, Feng Tang sighed. He could clearly feel that the soldiers' fighting spirit had dissipated, as if their souls had been taken away.
With morale so low, can this battle still be won?