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On the city wall, the Pengzhou army fell into chaos.
With each cannonball impacting the city gate, the hearts of the Pengzhou defenders grew colder. Especially when black cannonballs pierced through the city gate and shook the stone wall, their fear intensified.
This stone wall was built overnight, aiming to prevent the city gate from being blasted open by cannons, but now it was clear that this stone wall was completely useless.
During the warship’s bombardment, the Pengzhou army soldiers could barely hold on. The warship’s target was the city gate, not them, which gave them a sense of luck. But when white lime dust covered the city wall, they could no longer remain calm.
Soldiers whose eyes were burned by the lime dust wailed on the city wall, and lime bombs exploded one after another over their heads. White dust, like mist, enveloped the front of the city wall.
Facing the omnipresent lime dust, the Pengzhou army soldiers on the city wall covered their eyes and screamed in batches. Although the lime dust could not cause them severe injuries, it was enough to make them lose their combat effectiveness.
On the other side of the Bian River, Lu Fei and Luo Xin observed the situation on the city wall. Large numbers of Pengzhou soldiers were being replaced, and then large numbers of new soldiers were brought up.
“Luo Xin, it’s time to switch to field cannons.” Lu Fei said calmly.
Unlike the fixed-angle naval guns on warships, field cannons were much more flexible, and soldiers could adjust the angle of the cannons at any time according to the target.
Luo Xin understood. Lu Fei meant for him to bombard the city wall with both solid shot and lime bombs simultaneously, which would disable some soldiers while also killing others, thus creating a greater psychological deterrence for the Pengzhou army.
Turning his head to look at the ready field cannons, Luo Xin said, “Fire at the enemies hiding behind the battlements!”
“Yes.”
Upon receiving the order, the field cannons immediately adjusted their angles and aimed at the city wall. Then the field cannons simultaneously unleashed solid shots onto the city wall. The battlements on the city gate were instantly shattered by the solid shots. These stone-built city walls simply could not withstand the bombardment of solid shots.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
Solid shot after solid shot flew towards the city wall. In a very short time, the city wall of Pengzhou City became riddled with holes. The battlements fell one by one, and the soldiers on the city wall no longer had anywhere to hide.
This round of bombardment made the city wall even more chaotic, but Lu Fei was not in a hurry to let the soldiers cross the temporary bridge and rush into the city. He was waiting, waiting for these soldiers’ morale to completely collapse.
Luo Hong, on the other hand, was waiting for Lu Fei’s order, while at the same time looking enviously at Luo Xin’s artillery. The field cannons and various types of shells of these artillerymen were truly coveted.
The bombardment continued without any sign of stopping, but the Pengzhou army on the city wall gradually became scarcer.
Behind the city wall, Mi Kuang, his eyes red, urged the soldiers to climb the city wall, but not a single soldier was willing to go up and die.
“Go up! Go up!”
Mi Kuang urged another batch to the city wall, while simultaneously he killed a soldier who had fled from the city wall in front of them.
Blood splattered. The soldiers looked at their comrade killed by Mi Kuang, their eyes gradually reddening. At this moment, someone, they knew not who, shouted loudly, “Brothers, don’t die for these powerful families anymore! Do you see? Our lives are worth less than nothing in their eyes! Our brothers didn’t die under Qingzhou’s cannon fire, but at the hands of these powerful families!”
“Brothers, King Qi’s army will enter the city to kill these powerful families who oppress the common people. We common people will only gain land and live like the people of Qingzhou. Don’t die in vain! We cannot stop the Qingzhou Army!” The voice rang out again.
“Who! Who is it!”
Mi Kuang’s eyes grew redder. They frantically searched among the crowded soldiers. Any soldier blocking his way was fiercely pushed aside.
Finally, he found the source of the voice. It was a group of common people helping to move defensive materials below the city. One middle-aged man looked directly at Mi Kuang without fear.
“It’s you?” Mi Kuang demanded.
“It is me.” The middle aged man’s eyes gleamed with hatred. “Mi Kuang, you seized my land and stole my wife and daughters. Today, you still want me to defend the city for you? Bah! You ruthless bastards should be killed one by one, just like the powerful families in Qingzhou!”
Mi Kuang’s face twisted. The Qingzhou Army’s attack had driven him into a frenzy. He cursed, “So it’s you, you dog thief! Today I will kill you and send you to meet those harlots underground!”
Hearing this, the middle-aged man’s eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Mi Kuang’s words had just confirmed what happened to his wife and daughters.
Just as Mi Kuang raised his dripping sword and rushed towards the middle-aged man, the middle-aged man suddenly pulled out a short-barreled firearm from his sleeve and fired a shot at Mi Kuang.
After the gunshot, Mi Kuang looked incredulously at the firearm in the middle-aged man’s hand. He lowered his gaze to his chest, and blood gushed out. After a moment of dizziness, he collapsed.
At this moment, among the common people accompanying the middle-aged man, someone suddenly took out a firework and lit it. The firework instantly shot into the sky, exploding in mid-air.
The middle-aged man shouted, “Mi Kuang is dead! Are you still deluded? Brothers, drive these powerful families out of Pengzhou City! From now on, the land here will be ours!”
How could the other soldiers from powerful families allow the middle-aged man to continue inciting rebellion? The hundreds of soldiers following Mi Kuang immediately charged at these common people.
However, as they made their move, the soldiers from impoverished common families also moved. They surrounded the middle-aged man, protecting him. Just then, a passionate bugle call suddenly rang out from outside the city gate.
The common people around the middle-aged man exchanged knowing smiles. This was the Qingzhou Army’s charge bugle. Unlike the middle-aged man, they were from the secret service, and this operation was entirely planned by Li San.
“Kill!”
The earth-shattering roar from outside the city gate grew closer and closer. The soldiers on the city wall saw soldiers climbing onto the warships, then directly rushing towards the city gate along the warships.
These soldiers, having climbed from the other side of the warships and disembarked from the third warship, immediately formed a formation with silver-armored soldiers in the front and musketeers behind.
Maintaining a tight formation, they charged towards the city gate.
Lu Fei watched the situation on the battlefield without blinking. Every member of the Southern Expedition Army knew the secret service’s signal. The signal just now indicated that the secret service must have achieved a significant victory within the city.
At this moment, he immediately ordered the soldiers to charge and seize the city gate. As long as the city gate was taken and the cable bridge was re-established, the subsequent cavalry could smoothly enter the city.
“Bang, bang…”
After the first batch of soldiers entered the city, they immediately found a large number of Pengzhou army soldiers gathered behind the city gate. At this point, the sword and shield bearers protecting the musketeers immediately crouched down, and the musketeers immediately employed three-stage firing, shooting down the charging soldiers.
Amidst the gunpowder and white smoke, the charging Pengzhou army soldiers fell in droves, but more soldiers rushed towards them.