The sky was grim, just like the mood of the barbarians in Jinzhou City at this moment.
In just seven years, the Golden Tent Khanate’s fierce offensive against the Great Yu Empire had turned into the current defensive stance.
Now, Wuzhugu deeply regretted not launching a full-scale war against the Great Yu Empire after returning from the Western expedition. Otherwise, why would the Golden Tent Khanate be suffering such a calamity now?
“Great Prince, the cavalry has assembled outside the city, ready to attack the Great Yu Empire army at any moment,” a barbarian myriarch said to Wuzhugu.
Beishan and Best also stood on the city wall, their expressions serious as they looked at the Great Yu Empire army setting up camp outside the city.
Especially Best. He no longer had the nonchalance he displayed in the Battle of Pingzhou; instead, he looked dejected. In fact, he could no longer play any role in this battle.
“Prince Beishan, the Golden Tent Khanate’s advantage is cavalry. If you simply hold the city, you will only suffer more and more losses. The only advice I can give you is to lead your cavalry back to the grasslands. Otherwise, this will be a tragedy.”
“Shut up, Best! This is a war between us and the Great Yu Empire. Jinzhou is our city; we will not abandon it.” Beishan frowned. If not for this British man’s understanding of firearms, he would truly have wanted to throw him to the wolves.
Best smiled bitterly and said nothing more. He looked at the well-disciplined Great Yu Empire army opposite him, and a shadow of gloom immediately fell over his heart.
He thought he must return to inform Parliament about what was happening in the Great Yu Empire. The Great Yu Empire was far from as weak as Parliament imagined. The current policy of containment was already inappropriate.
Outside the city, observation balloons were immediately raised in the camp.
When Lu Fei and the other two ascended the hot air balloon, they already had some understanding of the situation inside Jinzhou City. Unlike Pingzhou City, Jinzhou City was the largest city outside the pass. Its walls were high and thick, and the city’s size was comparable to the former Qingzhou City.
“Fortunately, the Emperor sent the shells, otherwise this battle would have been truly difficult,” Lu Fei sighed.
“Indeed. Not to mention Jinzhou City’s walls, even the number of soldiers inside the city is astonishing. However, the number of barbarian cavalry this time seems not to have increased much,” Luo Xin said, looking at the barbarian cavalry gathered outside the city.
Lei Ming knew the Golden Tent Khanate well. He said, “The remaining barbarian cavalry are all protecting Shengdu. Moreover, the barbarians have suffered continuous defeats, and I’m afraid Dolgor, the Great Khan, will also face dissatisfaction from other nomadic tribes. At this time, he would not dare to easily send his own tribe’s cavalry.”
Qi Guangyi, upon learning the news from Jinzhou, had already merged his cavalry with Lu Fei’s forces.
Now, the Great Yu Empire’s forces combined were even larger than the previous attack on Pingzhou City. Their cavalry alone reached over 60,000 men.
The musketeers also increased by 20,000 due to the arrival of two divisions from Luo Hong’s army.
“If that’s the case, you needn’t worry about the barbarian cavalry in this battle. Leaving them to me will be enough,” Qi Guangyi said with an easygoing manner.
He was a cavalryman by origin and was much more skilled in the use of cavalry than the other three. Although Great Yu Empire cavalry might not be a match for barbarian cavalry in single combat, he had no worries about them in a collective formation.
Because at that time, personal bravery could not determine victory or defeat.
Lu Fei, hearing this, smiled and said, “Good. The barbarian cavalry will be left to you this time. We must take Jinzhou!”
After saying this, he looked at the gradually darkening sky. It was almost dark today, and it was clearly not suitable for fighting.
“Attack the city early tomorrow morning!” Lu Fei said firmly.
The next day, as a sliver of dawn appeared in the eastern sky, columns of smoke rose from the military camp. Soldiers, having eaten their fill, gradually assembled outside the camp, preparing for the assault.
Qi Guangyi led his cavalry out of the camp in single file. This time, he would certainly not let the Great Yu Empire cavalry suffer losses like before.
“Have the sharpshooters prepare, find your positions! A hundred taels of silver for every barbarian chiliarch killed, a thousand taels for every myriarch killed! If anyone can kill Beishan or Wuzhugu, I will dare to ask the Emperor for a peerage for him!” Lu Fei said loudly as he walked.
The sharpshooters were wiping their aiming scopes. Lu Fei’s words made their eyes light up; these rewards were a huge incentive for them.
Upon reaching the artillery position, Lu Fei roared to the artillerymen, “Prepare all the explosive shells for me! When the time comes, hit them hard!”
“Yes, Army Commander!” The soldiers responded in unison.
The musketeers’ formation in the open ground in front of the camp was largely complete. At this moment, Lu Fei looked at Jinzhou City, drew his ceremonial sword, and shouted loudly, “Attack!”
As his words fell, the plate-armored soldiers first charged towards the trenches in front of Jinzhou City. As before, the barbarians had also adopted this method.
However, Lu Fei was not prepared to fight a protracted war with the barbarians. They would no longer give the barbarians any breathing room, but would take Jinzhou City in one fell swoop.
While the soldiers charged, the field artillery began to pour fire on the city gate. An explosive shell struck the city gate, instantly shattering it, rather than just punching a hole as before.
At the same time, the sharpshooters quickly found suitable firing positions. They raised their Conqueror Muskets with aiming scopes, hiding in concealed corners. Through their aiming scopes, they searched for the barbarian generals commanding on the city wall.
This time, they would shoot down all important barbarian generals.
Best and Beishan were still standing on the city wall when the Great Yu Empire army launched its charge, completely unaware that they were being targeted by hundreds of Conqueror Muskets.
Facing the first wave of over twenty thousand charging men, Beishan ordered the slave soldiers to hold the trenches to the death.
No sooner had he issued his order than he suddenly felt a cold wind pass by his ear. Turning his head, he saw several places on Best’s body bleeding.
Best looked at the Great Yu Empire army opposite him in disbelief. The musketeers were clearly still three or four hundred meters away. How did they manage to shoot?
But he merely thought this before he fell, his consciousness plunging into darkness.
A chill suddenly surged in Beishan’s heart. He could no longer care about anything else. He turned and ran down the city wall. He had barely left his previous position when he heard the sound of bullets striking the battlements.
At this point, a bullet struck his arm squarely. With a sharp pain, Beishan fell directly to the ground. He dared not get up, scrambling and rolling to escape down the city wall.
A barbarian general had not yet recovered his wits when a sharp pain suddenly pierced his chest. Looking at the city below in terror, he slowly fell.
“Well done! These sharpshooters are truly a miracle troop!” Lu Fei said, slapping his thigh and laughing as he held his telescope.
Due to the accuracy limitations of the Conqueror Musket, the sharpshooters were divided into groups. Each group consisted of ten soldiers, and they were collectively responsible for one target, ensuring firing efficiency through numbers.