Bright Spring

Liu Shengdao: "Let's ignore Chen Jikuo for the time being. Only by conquering Qinghua City can the army ensure the supply of food and transport supplies."

All the generals clasped their fists together and said, "The commander is wise!"

After Liu Sheng finished speaking, he finally flattered his horse and left the place.He still ran horses along the road not far from the city wall, but it was better than standing in place just now, and moving targets were less likely to be hit by crossbow arrows.

Some generals advised Liu Sheng: "The officers and soldiers have not besieged the city, and the camps are all in the east. The commander should be careful that the rebels will come out of the city to fight back."

Liu Sheng didn't take it seriously, he felt that Chen Jikuo ran so fast that the rebels were scared out of their wits, and the rest of them didn't dare to leave the city at all.

A group of people walked around the city for half a circle, and came to the southwest of Qinghua, where there was a military camp of the Ming army. The soldiers of the supply battalion were quarrying stones to make stone bullets on a quarry. The sound of "Ding Ding Bang Bang..." and the sound of people working were noisy.

The terrain around Tsinghua City is flat. After the Ming army patrolled on horseback, they found that only this place and the side of the mountain had a quarry.

The Ming army landed from the sea, and the fleet was very large; but except for Hou Xian's sea-going fleet, the ships mobilized by the coastal navy had limited capacity.With nearly 2 warships, the number of Ming army divisions actually transported was only more than 2, as well as a large amount of luggage. More than [-] people attacked the city, of course there was no way to siege the city.

So now the main force of the Ming army is in the east of the city, and everyone is building fortifications, assembling return guns, and erecting Hongwu guns (mortar guns) to use the ammunition unloaded from the ship.As long as the ship's stone bullets are finished, the stone bullets made by the quarry on the southwest side must be transported to the east position as soon as possible.

On the other three sides of the city, there is no main force of the Ming army deployed, only some cavalry are watching.

Liu Sheng took a team of cavalry and ran around the city himself, but he did not encounter any enemy troops coming out of the city to attack.Only the defenders on the city wall used bows and crossbows to shoot and drop some arrows from a distance from time to time, which was not a big threat.

When Liu Sheng led the horse team back to the big camp by the river, he saw the flickering flames on the ground from a distance, and then several loud roars came.

The stone bullets fired by the Hongwu cannon flew towards the city wall.Stone bombs weighing tens of catties, or even hundreds of catties, were transferred from the air to the ground outside the city, and there was a sound of "dong dong".A stone bullet fell on the city wall, and the stones above were splashed with dust. I don't know if the stone bullet broke or the masonry bounced off.

The cannon rang a few times and then stopped temporarily. The soldiers should be adjusting the angle and recalibrating the distance.The artillery of the Ming army aimed at the target, mainly relying on experience and observation, and readjusted the elevation angle if it missed a hit.Therefore, it is difficult to hit smaller targets, and can only be used to deal with dense infantry and cavalry phalanxes, or to bombard such city walls.

The sound of the guns stopped, and the pig iron mines fired by the return guns flew up and down the city wall in an instant, exploding one after another.The lead wire of a pig iron mine seemed to be a little short, and it exploded in the air, and the huge explosion sounded from a high place, almost spreading all over the field.

"Boom boom boom..." The Hongwu cannon on the Ming army's position quickly ignited again, and there were huge roars one after another. The whole formation seemed to be erupting like a volcano, with dazzling flames flickering constantly, and the billowing smoke soon filled the air. On the whole land.

Qinghua City, two to three hundred paces away, was gradually shrouded in dust and gunpowder smoke under the ravages of countless boulder bombs and pig iron mines exploding everywhere.The bricks and stacks on the city wall collapsed everywhere, making a mess.

The battlefield where the Ming army gathered heavy troops was very violent, and the start of the war was covered by thunderous firepower.At the beginning, Annan's defenders counterattacked with heavy crossbows, firearms, etc., but soon fell silent. Under the continuous shelling, it is estimated that they have been completely destroyed.

There are also some dilapidated houses outside the city, which are the people living in the city attached to it, most of them are traffickers and pawns.However, the artillery of the Ming army was not very accurate. Some shells missed the city wall and landed outside the city, causing disasters to those houses. The outside of the city was almost turned into ruins after bursts of shelling.

Liu Sheng rode back to the camp, and saw that many soldiers were digging trenches and digging forward on the battlefield full of gunpowder and dust.The soldiers of the Beijing camp have accumulated a lot of experience in the civil war. The method of storming the important town of Guizhou at the beginning is also quite practical for the Annan battlefield. Everyone is very skilled.

The soldiers behind were already filling sandbags, and the sacks were filled with sand and placed in piles in front of the formation, and the fortifications could be built quickly after the trenches were dug in front and the sandbags transported over.

Amidst the rumble of cannons, shovels outside the city were flying, and soil was being thrown everywhere, and the east of the city was busy.The soldiers dug forward obliquely and gathered when they were seventy or eighty steps away from the city wall. Those trench fortifications looked like many "ones" side by side.

The bombardment of the Ming army started early in the morning and lasted until sunset. The bombardment continued indiscriminately for several days, and the entire city wall of the eastern city of Tsinghua was in ruins.The city tower has long been slammed by stone bombs and collapsed by pig iron mines, which is terrible.

But the soldiers digging trenches worked day and night, taking turns to fight.A few days later, many fortifications were built with ditches and sandbags.

But at this time, the Ming army's ladder had not yet been built.Some key parts of the ladders were shipped on the warships, but it will take time for the carpenters to complete the large ladders.However, the outlines of many huge ladders on the ground have already been erected.The soldiers could only continue to confront the defenders and attack.

On the city wall in the distance, the wall stacks have been almost destroyed by countless shells, leaving only the messy walls of rammed earth.

From time to time, some bows and arrows stood up, trying to shoot the Ming army under the city.As soon as they appeared, the ditch wall fortifications under the city "cracked..." a flash of fire, and countless firecrackers fired together.I saw that the enemy soldiers seemed to be dancing on the wall, shaking all over, being hit by countless lead bullets, and then falling down one after another.

The artillery and return artillery of the Ming army were not fired so frequently.Only when the enemy's bows and arrows hid on the wall and threw them, or when there was a catapult to counterattack, the heavy weapons behind them would fire a salvo, smashing the entire city wall into smoke and dust.

The two armies hadn't started fighting yet, and the Ming army's various long-range strikes had already caused huge damage.When the soldiers in the ditch withdrew back, they all said that the smell was very bad. The whole battlefield was shrouded in the bad smell of gunpowder smoke, feces | urine, and rotting corpses.

This confrontation is still going on, and only when the Ming army's ladder is completed, the army will climb the city and deal a fatal blow to the city defense.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, several white flags suddenly appeared on the city wall.Liu Sheng soon saw it. He looked at it for a while, then turned his head and shouted: "The enemy is about to surrender! Order a temporary truce for all ministries."

"Decree!" The command flag bearer of the Chinese army responded, and rushed to the team of flag musicians.Not long after, there was the sound of beating and beating brass instruments, and the artillery everywhere gradually quieted down.At the same time, some horsemen rushed forward, yelling to convey military orders, and the shooting of the soldiers in front also stopped.

Two Annans appeared on the city wall.They went down the city in hanging baskets, and were immediately taken to the central army by the soldiers.

Those were two civil servants wearing black shawls and official uniforms.When they saw Liu Sheng, they performed the salute, and one of them spoke in Chinese: "General Ruan Jingyi, the Taibao of Dayue, please General Liu not to hurt the people in the city or surrender troops. As long as General Liu agrees, the Dayue army will open the east gate, Meet General Liu's men."

Liu Sheng snorted coldly.

Seeing this, the Ming Dynasty official next to him said: "'Dayue' has not been recognized by the court. You should surrender to the official army as a rebel army, and you cannot make any demands; if you dare to resist, Qinghua City will be destroyed. For the flat land, it ceases to exist!"

At this time Liu Sheng finally spoke: "He is right. But my Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers are teachers of benevolence and righteousness, so there is no need for you to say more, and we will not intentionally hurt innocent people."

After bowing to each other, the two rebel officials said that they would go back to the city and report to the general of the Ming army.Liu Sheng didn't make things difficult for them, and asked someone to send them back.Those two people walked under the city wall and sat on the hanging basket again.

For a while, the Ming army did not continue to attack, and the huge noise on the battlefield subsided, shrouded in a brief tranquility.

After a long time, the east city gate suddenly opened slowly, and a puff of smoke rose from the soil and soot that fell on the gate.From the crowd of Ming soldiers far and near, bursts of jubilant cheers were soon heard, and many military flags were waving in the air in celebration.A group of cavalry rushed to the city gate first, and the infantry that followed also climbed out of the ditch and flocked to the city gate in formation.

Liu Shengdao: "Order the generals in front to occupy the gate of the east city first, and ask Ruan Jingyi to lead his troops out of the city and surrender."

"Decree!" Someone immediately responded.

Liu Sheng got on his horse and squinted his eyes at the dilapidated tower.The war horse kicked its hooves impatiently, Liu Sheng didn't have a smile on his face, but he looked like he held his head high.

The gunpowder smoke of Thanh Hoa has not cleared yet, but the choking smell of gunpowder smoke makes people feel unique at this time.

Relying on just over [-] people, they captured the capital of the rebels who called themselves "Da Viet" in a few days.The fighting strength of the Ming army exceeded expectations, and of course the contribution of the commander Liu Sheng in this battle is also obvious.As a conqueror full of strength, Liu Sheng's feeling at this time is of course quite good.

Chapter 744 Liu Xiahui

"Bang, bang, bang!" On the streets of Tsinghua City, there was a sound of beating gongs and drums. Several officials led a group of soldiers to beat the gongs, shouting loudly in Chinese and Annan dialect.

"The Shang Kingdom of the Ming Dynasty and the family of the Annan vassals have a good relationship. The traitor Chen Jikuo pretended to be the Chen clan, and raised troops to cause chaos and harm the local area. The conquest by the king of the Ming Dynasty is in line with the righteousness. With the help of the army, the rebellion was quelled, benefiting the Quartet; the Chen family's royal rule was restored, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. When the officers and soldiers entered the city, there was no crime in autumn, and the Annals of the People were posted in the government offices and city gates."

"Officials and soldiers protect those who keep their own law and order, and shelter those who are good. Those who take advantage of the situation to cause chaos, commit crimes, and commit crimes, beheaded! Those who kill innocents indiscriminately, bully and plunder the people, behead..."

Except for the officers and soldiers, there was no one on the street, and the people closed their doors.However, the officials yelled in public, and it did work.Some courageous people have opened the windows and waited and watched from the windows and the cracks in the doors.

Followed by a group of infantry marching, their military appearance was tidy, and the sound of their footsteps "clicked" was uniform.They were wearing the new gray uniforms of the Ming army, holding brand-new spring cold guns, and escorting a blue and yellow Tuanlong Sunyue flag.In this quaint and messy city, this group of people looks very glamorous.

Then there were various flags and plaques of honor, and a group of cavalry in bright armor, surrounded by the general Liu Sheng and others, walked to the streets in the city.

The troops of the central army of the Ming army marched to the government office of Qinghua, withdrew all the flags inside, planted the Tuanlong Sunyue flag, and various flags of the Ming army, and occupied this place as Liu Sheng's central army camp.

After Liu Sheng entered the government office, the first military order was to order all ministries to deal with the aftermath and to repair in the city for three days.Three days later, the main force will continue to advance, push towards Nanping, and take advantage of the victory to wipe out Chen Jikuo's headquarters.

With an unstoppable attitude, first capture the puppet capital of the Annan rebels, and then capture or kill the leader of the bandits, Chen Jikuo, this is all Liu Sheng wants.Now we just captured Qinghua City, so of course we can't just let the battle go.

Liu Sheng summoned the chiefs of the ministries, and made some military decisions, and escorted Ruan Jingyi, who had surrendered, and all the civil and military officials of the rebel army onto the warship.The navy unloaded all the military supplies and transported them to Qinghua City for storage, and then some warships returned to escort the prisoners to Dongguan (Hanoi).

The low-level generals and soldiers of the rebel army were locked up in prison camps.The Ming army first sent people to guard, waiting for Zhang Fu's military order.

The next day, after Liu Sheng woke up, he no longer wore his heavy armor, but changed into the marquis' beam crown and red robe.In the morning, he continued to discuss with the generals to formulate the marching route.

In the west of Tsinghua City, there is a small river flowing north-to-north. Boats on the Ma River can enter this small river through the tributaries.The Chinese army decided to transfer some sandboats to this river so that the artillery, ammunition, food and grass could be transported by water, and the army could reach the northern area of ​​Yanzhou by water and land.The scouts found out that the river water in some places is too shallow, but boats can be pulled by boats, which is also easier than land transportation.

Because Chen Jipu's hometown was Nghe An (now Vinh City, Nghe An Province, Vietnam), and his escape route was also in that direction; therefore, all the generals in the army believed that Chen Jipu would flee to Nghe An.Therefore, the Chinese army quickly decided on the marching strategy: first capture Yanzhou (Huangmei), and then march into Nghe An.