The setting sun was like blood, and the Bian River was dyed a vivid red, whether by the reflection of the sunset or by actual blood, it was unclear.
After setting up camp on the north bank of the Bian River, in the evening, Luo Hong and Luo Xin appeared at the end of the Pengzhou official road. After joining forces with Lu Fei, the main army did not immediately attack the city but instead set up camp along the official road of Pengzhou City.
Just as the intelligence provided by Li San stated, the land in front of Pengzhou City was very narrow, unsuitable for large-scale military deployment.
That night, Lu Fei and the generals once again confirmed the strategy for the next day’s siege, to avoid any command confusion.
“The soldiers in Pengzhou City number as many as fifty thousand. Adding the private armies of the powerful families in the city, the estimated total is eighty to ninety thousand. The city gate of Pengzhou City is easy to blast open, but the soldiers will encounter street fighting upon entering the city, which is most unfavorable for us,” Lu Fei said, frowning.
Luo Hong nodded. He understood what Lu Fei meant. The ideal battlefield for musketeers was open ground, which was convenient for deploying formations. Once they entered a city with many buildings, it would be difficult to utilize the advantage of musketry volleys, leading to close-quarters combat.
“So His Highness told us not to be eager for quick success, but to proceed steadily. After the city is breached, we must first control the city gate, and then occupy the city wall based on the city gate. This way, we establish a position from which we can slowly erode Pengzhou City,” Luo Xin said, holding his arms.
Lu Fei nodded and said to Luo Xin, “Tomorrow, your lime bombs must be fired with all your might, and the grape shot too. No matter how tough Pengzhou City is, can it be tougher than Shanhai Pass?”
“That’s right, Shanhai Pass was taken, so what’s there to fear about a mere Pengzhou City?” Luo Xin echoed, and the two immediately burst into laughter.
Luo Hong looked at the two with some envy. The Qingzhou Army’s reputation resonated throughout Great Yu Empire, and he was also envious. “Don’t forget me. The soldiers of our Firearm Battalion are not cowards either.”
As the three were discussing the next day’s siege, the atmosphere inside Pengzhou City grew increasingly tense. They had initially thought that this attack would only involve the three warships, but they hadn’t expected so many soldiers to arrive successively in the evening.
The gunshots in the afternoon and the artillery bombardment of the Pengzhou Navy also spread fear and pessimism throughout the city. Before everyone’s eyes, the Pengzhou Navy, known for its ferocity, was utterly defeated.
“Chief Clerk Mi, how can we fight this battle without cannons and firearms? You’ve seen it, the King Qi’s army outside the city has both firearms and cannons. Our soldiers are being routed before they even touch the enemy. Now the navy’s soldiers are so scared they don’t dare to fight again. What should we do?” The head of the Lu family sighed heavily.
Unlike their optimism in the morning, the clan leaders in the city were now sighing one after another. They clearly knew what had happened on the city wall and could not imagine fighting such an army.
“Let’s escape, there’s still time. If King Qi’s army enters the city, we’ll be finished,” someone said.
“That’s right, pack up your gold and silver now, otherwise there won’t be enough time to escape.”
“Everyone, let’s just flee for our lives.”
“…”
One person mentioned fleeing and immediately received responses from everyone. They were usually very cruel to the common people, but facing an army fiercer than themselves, they felt only fear at this moment.
Mi Wenyi’s face was grim. Everyone else could flee without a fight, but he could not. He was the Chief Clerk of the Prince of Wei’s residence, and Pengzhou City was the foundation of the Mi family’s power. If Pengzhou City was lost, his Mi family would lose its value in the Prince of Wei’s eyes.
“Bang!” Mi Wenyi slammed the table. “Flee? Where can you flee to? King Qi’s ambition is not limited to our Wei territory; he wants the entire world. By then, where else can you flee?”
Everyone immediately fell silent. Mi Wenyi was not unreasonable. With the world in chaos now, where else could they flee to?
One clan leader said, “It’s not that we are cowards who cling to life, but King Qi’s army’s firearms are truly too powerful. Chief Clerk Mi, if you can get the Prince of Wei to dispatch a batch of cannons and firearms, we might be able to fight. But fighting like this now will only increase casualties.”
Mi Wenyi sighed, feeling regret. He had underestimated the power of firearms too much. It wasn’t that he hadn’t valued firearms; he had seen the Prince of Wei’s firearms in Jinling City.
After the demonstration by the firearm unit in Jinling City, he felt that firearms were not invincible.
But now he understood he was wrong, because in his opinion, there was no comparison between the Qingzhou musketeers and the Prince of Wei’s musketeers. The Qingzhou Army was not only proficient in operation but also disciplined. This could be seen just from their encampment.
The army tents outside the city were all in straight lines, and the soldiers on patrol walked in pairs, in rows of three, with no idle or undisciplined soldiers.
“As long as you can hold out for half a month, I can get the cannons and matchlock guns.” Mi Wenyi hesitated, then made up his mind.
“Half a month!” Everyone looked at each other, no one confident.
With a heavy snort, Mi Wenyi said, “This is the only way now. It’s up to you whether you want to die at King Qi’s hands or fight hard.”
With that, Mi Wenyi flicked his sleeve and left.
Seeing Mi Wenyi leave in anger, everyone else sighed and dispersed.
The next day, the morning in Pengzhou City was shattered by the booming of cannons.
The warships docked on the north bank of the Bian River were the first to attack. The cannons directly bombarded the city gate of Pengzhou City. After three rounds of bombardment, the city gate of Pengzhou City became a beehive, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Luo Xin, on the opposite bank of the Bian River, looked at this scene with some envy. Commander Niu’s decision was truly brilliant. This single warship was simply a maritime fortress, and this volley of cannon fire was immensely powerful.
Lu Fei looked through his telescope at the opposite side. Compared to yesterday, the defenders of Pengzhou City were clearly much smarter. Not a single general or soldier dared to show their head; all of them were hiding behind the city battlements.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
The galleons on the water continued to bombard the city gate of Pengzhou City. After two more volleys, the city gate of Pengzhou City suddenly tilted and collapsed. It was then that everyone discovered a pile of stones stacked behind the city gate.
With the city gate breached, Lu Fei looked at Luo Xin and said, “Now it’s your turn.”
“Bring up the mortars!” Luo Xin shouted. Soon, sixty soldiers, in pairs, lifted the mortars placed on metal bases to the front. At the same time, the field cannons were also arranged neatly by the artillerymen in linear formation.
“Lime bombs!” Luo Xin commanded again.
At his command, the soldiers loaded lime bombs, contained within hollow cannonballs, into the mortars. At the same time, the artillerymen began to measure the distance and adjust the length of the wooden fuses on the cannonballs.
“Fire!” With Luo Xin’s command, thirty mortars simultaneously fired from a distance of three hundred meters towards the opposite side.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
The lime bombs exploded near the city wall, and white lime dust spread like smoke, obscuring the vision of the Pengzhou City defenders. At the same time, the three galleons on the water began to adjust their positions. The three warships spread out across the river, with two iron chains connecting the two galleons. The soldiers on the ships laid wooden planks on the iron chains, forming a temporary bridge.