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“Bang, bang, bang…”
A series of gunshots and white smoke erupted from the warships, and after a burst of gunfire, several screams suddenly came from the Pengzhou city wall.
Lu Fei had been observing the city wall and at this moment regretted, “Just a little bit off, what a shame. Only a few small soldiers died. Reload quickly.”
Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately took out Minié balls and gunpowder to reload.
After Xiao Ming delivered this batch of firearms to the Qingzhou Barracks, they had been training continuously. Compared to previous firearms, the range and accuracy of this batch of firearms had improved significantly.
However, even so, the hit rate at targets over a hundred meters away remained very low, which was why Lu Fei demanded that all sixty fire at the target simultaneously.
As the soldiers reloaded, wails of agony filled the city wall. This volley immediately felled eight soldiers on the city wall. Three of them were shot in the head and died on the spot, blood continuously flowing from the bullet holes.
Two others were hit in the ribs, now lying on the ground, groaning incessantly. The remaining three were hit in the arms. The bullets penetrated their flesh, and the intense pain made them cry out relentlessly.
The other soldiers were as if they had seen ghosts. They were initially confused, then became terrified. It seemed too bizarre to them. Even with the fierce people of Pengzhou, these soldiers couldn’t help but tremble. This method of death was simply too frightening.
Compared to these soldiers, Mi Wenyi and Mi Kuang were even more terrified. The soldiers’ tragic deaths turned their faces pale, and Mi Wenyi clearly understood that this volley of firearms was aimed at him and Mi Kuang.
“Chief Clerk Mi, what is going on?” Mi Kuang’s whole body trembled uncontrollably. Unlike Mi Wenyi who had seen firearms, Mi Kuang had been in Pengzhou City for many years. Although he had heard of them, he had never seen firearms or cannons.
Mi Wenyi had no time to explain to Mi Kuang now. He immediately hid behind the parapet, not daring to show himself. He roared, “Get down! Do you want to die? These are the Qingzhou Army’s firearms! Damn it, why are these firearms’ ranges so far? King Qi must have deceived us!”
Mi Kuang’s face grew even paler. Pengzhou City had been at ease for too long. In normal times, these soldiers had only suppressed some peasant rebellions; they had never faced a real war.
The tragic deaths of the soldiers impacted both other soldiers and himself.
“What should we do? Are we just going to hide here?” Mi Kuang said.
Just as the two were speaking, another volley of gunshots rang out. Immediately, nine more soldiers were hit. In an instant, the soldiers on the city wall were utterly terrified. They all mimicked Mi Wenyi and Mi Kuang, crouching down.
But the truly terrifying events were just beginning.
“Boom, boom, boom…” After the second volley, the Qingzhou warships shed their harmless disguise. At this point, square covers on one side of the warships flipped open. These covers were used to conceal the muzzles of the cannons.
When these wooden covers were raised, black muzzles extended out, aimed at the continuously approaching Pengzhou Navy.
As the Pengzhou Navy entered within fifty meters of the warships, intense flashes of fire and white smoke obscured the warships. Cannonballs shot straight towards the Pengzhou naval ships in the river.
“Thump, thump, thump…”
Cannonballs pierced through the hulls of the warships, carrying splinters of wood flying towards the boatmen in the cabins. Immediately, continuous screams echoed in the cabins.
The boatmen, who were still rowing, had never seen such a sight. Terrified, they immediately dropped their oars and screamed, fleeing towards the deck.
But the scene on the deck was even worse than below. At this moment, incomplete corpses lay everywhere on the warship’s deck. Soldiers clutched severed legs and arms, screaming incessantly, and blood flowed freely across the deck.
Soldiers who hadn’t even reacted to the booming sounds were enveloped by death. Most of them were paralyzed with fear, with only one thought in their minds: ‘What in the world is this?’
But before they could think, another explosion sounded. This time, in their eyes, a black cloud, like lightning, rushed towards them. Only when it was close did they clearly see that these were small round beads.
And these black round beads became the last sight in the eyes of many soldiers, after which their bodies were pierced through.
Screams echoed on the river, and the river water quickly turned red with blood. Terrified soldiers jumped into the river to escape. At this moment, they had no will to fight.
The Lu family general leading the Pengzhou Navy was even more pathetic. When the warships in front were hit by cannon fire and splintered wood, they panicked and retreated.
The soldiers on the city wall were even more frightened by the scene before them. This time, they finally understood what firearms were and what cannons were.
“How can this battle even be fought?”
A general’s eyes were filled with despair. Even if his soldiers were brave, being killed before they could even engage the enemy was enough to make them lose their will to fight.
“Soldiers of Pengzhou City, listen! His Royal Highness King Qi has given an order: all who surrender shall not be killed! Moreover, once the army enters the city, the common people in the city can, like the people of Qingzhou, receive good land! Soldiers, do you still want to be bullied and oppressed by these powerful families of Pengzhou City?”
Suddenly, a resonant voice carried from the river to the city wall.
Mi Wenyi and Mi Kuang’s eyes immediately flashed with a hint of hatred upon hearing this. Now, they understood even more what would happen if Pengzhou City fell.
“As for the sons of powerful families in the city, as long as you are willing to surrender, His Highness will also spare your lives. As long as you disband your private armies and return the common people’s land, His Highness is merciful and will allow you to continue living in the city. Otherwise, after the city is breached, all sons of powerful families will be executed without mercy.”
Lu Fei’s voice rang out again.
After these two sentences, some soldiers from impoverished families looked at each other. The news about Qingzhou had long reached here. Although the local powerful families tried their best to slander King Qi, they understood that King Qi was very benevolent towards the common people.
Unlike these poor soldiers, the sons of powerful families had mixed feelings. They were now in a dilemma.
“Don’t believe their nonsense! King Qi is a despicable scoundrel! They are deceiving you! If Pengzhou City falls, you will lose your land and wives! Soldiers, today we must hold back the enemy’s attack!”
Mi Wenyi shouted loudly.
Mi Kuang also shouted, “Today, all soldiers must fight to the death with me! Anyone who dares to retreat half a step, I will kill them!”
The soldiers fell silent upon hearing their voices. They exchanged glances, wondering what they were thinking.
On the river, after Lu Fei loudly announced Xiao Ming’s policy for Pengzhou City, he ordered the warships to dock on the north bank of the Bian River. His objective was to defeat the Pengzhou Navy, which he had now easily accomplished.
The rest was to wait for Luo Xin and Luo Hong to lead the main force to formally attack the city.