Chapter 770
The Battle of Luoyang
At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the sky was just before dawn.
Tang and his army had already begun their operation, as the morning drums sounded.
Tang and his army began their hushed advance toward Luoyang, a city shrouded in the smoke of battle.
The first to be deployed were not infantry, but catapults.
Eighty catapults roared simultaneously, sending swarms of stones flying like locusts across the dawn, crashing against the already riddled city walls.
The gap in the southeast corner was blasted down again, widening from three zhang to five zhang.
A section of the parapet in the northwest corner collapsed completely, burying the thirty musketeers hiding behind it, along with their guns, into the rubble.
"Stand still! Get close to the wall!"
Chen Xiaohu roared inside the arrow tower, but his voice was drowned out by the continuous bombardment.
The entire city of Luoyang trembled, dust fell in clumps, and the beams and pillars groaned under the weight of the burden.
This bombardment lasted for half an hour.
By the time daylight broke, no intact section of the Luoyang city wall could be found.
Three breaches were opened, seven or eight sections of the parapet collapsed, and the city gate tower was on the verge of collapse.
"Waaaaah—"
Tang and Jun sounded the charge.
This time, it's a true all-out offensive.
Twenty thousand infantrymen, divided into three waves, surged toward the city walls like a black tide.
Leading the charge were swordsmen and shieldmen, carrying wooden shields as big as doors; behind them were light infantrymen carrying ladders; and behind them were archers and crossbowmen, who fired arrows at the city walls as they charged.
Meanwhile, catapults in the distance continued to hurle boulders to cover the advance of the troops.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaohu said to the messenger behind him, "Go tell Chen Tun that he took a peek yesterday and should have a better aim today. First, blow up the enemy's catapults!"
"promise!"
The messenger clasped his hands in a fist salute and immediately ran to the city wall to convey the commander's order to Chen Tun. Chen Tun then looked at the messenger and said, "Go back and tell Commander Hu that if he can't control their catapults, I'll offer my head in return!"
After saying that, he turned around and roared, "Cannon sergeant, you brag to me every day about how accurate your cannons are. I'll give you two chances. If you can't hit the enemy's catapult troops, I'll fire you!"
Upon hearing this, the gunner said, "Hehe, General, if the two shots miss, you don't need to dismiss me. I'll join the assault team myself and die on this battlefield. That would be a fair sacrifice for the training I received from the Prince of Han and the General!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Tun said, "Hehe, that's interesting. You always have a very inspiring way of speaking. You've already made your boast. Now, take out their catapult positions."
"Yes!"
The gunner immediately shouted, followed by, "Artillery platoon, fire!"
The gunner's roar almost tore his throat apart.
At this time, all ten heavy cannons on the city wall were set up. Each heavy cannon was equipped with three soldiers: one to load the explosives, one to ignite the cannon, and one to cool it down and clean the barrel.
At this moment, an order was given, and all ten heavy cannons were adjusted to the correct angle. Then, the soldiers pointed their thumbs at the enemy's catapult base. They had not participated in the fierce battle yesterday, which kept their location very secret. Now, they were going to launch a surprise attack and catch the enemy off guard!
"Target: Enemy catapult formation, 580 paces away—"
The gunner waved his command flag and shouted, "Fire!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers immediately used torches to ignite the cannon's fuse.
The fuse hissed, wisps of smoke rose, and the gunners quickly withdrew.
In an instant, the gunpowder exploded, the giant cannon roared deafeningly, and thick smoke instantly engulfed the cannon.
A scorching wave of air, carrying the smell of gunpowder, rushed towards us. Heavy iron balls roared out, the gun carriage recoiled violently, and the ground seemed to tremble.
The cannonballs whistled through the sky and landed precisely in the catapult formation 580 paces away.
boom!
With a deafening roar, dirt and splintered wood flew everywhere as the heavy shell instantly shattered catapults, sending wood chips flying like sharp blades.
The surrounding enemy soldiers were thrown to the ground by the shockwave, their screams and the sound of breaking wood mingling together. The once orderly ranks were thrown into chaos in an instant, with men and horses falling and scattering amidst the dust and smoke, leaving a scene of utter devastation.
Tang and Jun clearly did not expect the defenders to have artillery.
Even more unexpected was that it was such a heavy artillery piece.
Their prized catapult array was shattered into pieces in moments by the bombardment of cannonballs, turning into piles of broken wood, and the people on the catapult array suffered heavy casualties.
"it is good!"
Chen Xiaohu, who was in charge of the central army at the time, saw this scene, slapped the city wall and shouted, "Good! Well done!"
Chen Tun then happily exclaimed, "Hahaha... Gunner, you weren't bragging! I'll remember your great service later!"
Chen Tun said, "Alright, heavy artillery loading, it's our turn. Demolition team, where's your hell pot? Throw it out with the catapult!"
"Yes!"
Chen Tun was a deputy general in the White Tiger Army, specifically in charge of firearms, including heavy artillery, muskets, and gunpowder-related weapons.
The Yama's Jar was invented by Chen Tun.
After all, in terms of large-scale destruction, artillery and muskets are far inferior, and although hand grenades are powerful, their production volume is not enough to make up for the lack of firearms. So he developed this Yama's Jar!
"Release!" Chen Tun shouted.
The first terracotta pot flew out of the city and crashed directly into the enemy's charging ranks.
Boom! A loud explosion.
What followed was not an explosion, but a burst of flames!
Eighty catties of gunpowder, thirty catties of iron sheets, and a blazing oil filling the entire urn—this was the filling inside the Yama's urn. Even Yama himself would shake his head at the sight of it.
boom!
With a deafening roar, the Yama's Jar transformed into a fiery lotus ten feet in diameter the moment it hit the ground. Hundreds of enemy soldiers were engulfed; those nearby were instantly incinerated, while those further away became human torches, screaming and writhing in agony, spreading the flames to even more of their comrades.
The second and third stones fell in succession.
Three seas of fire appeared on the battlefield. Soldiers inside the fire screamed in agony, while those outside fled in disarray, instantly shattering the disciplined charging formation.
"Good, well done! Burn these bastards!"
Upon seeing this, the White Tiger Army soldiers on the city wall couldn't help but shout excitedly.
Seeing the soldiers' high morale, Chen Xiaohu said, "Archers, musketeers, prepare to fire!"
The soldiers responded immediately and launched a fierce counterattack. Without the enemy's catapults suppressing them, the soldiers on the city wall were able to roam more freely.
Their combat effectiveness increased significantly in a short period of time.
Tang Hejun reacted with terrifying speed. He immediately grabbed the Shenji Battalion members and said, "The enemy's heavy artillery is on the city wall. Use the red-coated cannons to blast it down immediately."
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, Tang and his Shenji Battalion began to move, setting up cannons and aiming them at the heavy artillery zone on the city wall.
With a wave of the command flag, at least twenty red-coated cannons turned and aimed at the city wall before launching a counterattack.
The first salvo destroyed two heavy cannons on the city wall, killing four gunners instantly.
The second salvo destroyed two more heavy cannons. At this moment, the gunner glared and shouted, "Return fire! Return fire!"
Seeing this, Chen Tun said, "Let's withdraw first, withdraw first, and wait until we run out of ammunition before we talk about firing again." The heavy artillery had just cooled down and it would take time to fire.
"No, my brothers cannot die in vain!" the artillery commander said. "General, let me fight back. We must fight back."
Seeing this, Chen Tun looked at the pleading in the gunner's eyes and said:
"Then, load! Load quickly!"
"Yes!"
The gunner received the order and immediately gathered all the gunners to begin loading ammunition.
Chen Tun then beckoned, instructing Yan Wangweng to target the enemy's artillery area, thus delaying the enemy's advance.
Everyone quickly got to work.
"put--!"
Chen Tun waved the command flag in his hand.
Two Yama urns rose into the air.
This time the attack hit even further, landing behind Tang and Jun's lines and overturning two advancing cloud vehicles.
The flames ignited the cowhide and wooden planks on the cart, turning the cloud cart into a giant torch, and the soldiers pushing the cart fled from the flames like ants.
However, the heavy artillery zone was attacked again at this time.
The third round of shelling has begun.
A red-coated cannon exploded directly on the city wall. It was filled with exploding shells, and shrapnel flew everywhere. At the same time, it knocked down a heavy cannon and countless shrapnel hit the gunner in command, turning him into a sieve.
"Gunner!"
Upon seeing this, the surrounding gunners all cried out in pain.
The gunner lay in a pool of blood, his finger pointing at the giant cannon that had been successfully loaded. His lips moved, but no sound came out.
"fire!"
Upon hearing this, a young soldier covered in blood stood up and said in a hoarse voice, "I am the deputy artillery commander. All troops, listen to my command! Open fire and blast these bastards!"
Yes!
boom!
The heavy artillery, fueled by boundless fury, unleashed shells like dragons released from their lair, roaring as they charged directly at the enemy's array of red-coated cannons, unleashing a deafening boom!
The cannonballs from the heavy artillery directly blasted Zhu Chongba's red-coated cannon away, and the huge cannon barrel flew out, crushing several people along the way into mincemeat!
"fire!"
The second wave of shells fired again, boom, boom, boom...
The shells flew through the air, roaring furiously.
"Tiger Commander! Look to the north!" As the cannons roared on one side, someone immediately shouted from the other.
Chen Xiaohu suddenly turned his head.
At the North Gate, Feng Shengjun made his move.
This is not a feint; it is the real decisive battle.
Five thousand heavily armored infantrymen formed a tortoise-shell formation, their shields like walls and their spears like a forest, slowly pressing towards Dingding Gate.
Behind them were twenty siege towers—taller than cloud chariots, with wheels at the bottom, covered in iron sheets, and five zhang high, level with the Luoyang city wall!
"Siege towers, Zhu Chongba has really accumulated some good stuff over the years!"
As Chen Xiaohu spoke, Shi Gengming said from the side, "It looks like these bastards want to seize the high ground and engage in a firefight with our firearms."
Chen Xiaohu's eyes narrowed and he said, "Hehe, good, let's have a firearms duel. Do you think I'm afraid of them? Let Chen Tun bring over the musketeer battalion, and we'll fight them!"
Upon hearing this, the messenger behind him immediately went to relay the order to Chen Tun, instructing him to lead the musketeer battalion.
Meanwhile, Feng Sheng's siege tower, surrounded by heavily armored infantry, had already rolled over the earthen bridge over the moat.
Each tower requires two hundred people to push it; the progress is slow, but unstoppable.
The arrows of the White Tiger Army struck the outer wall of Baotie with a clanging sound, but could not penetrate it.
"Heavy artillery!" Seeing this, Chen Tun pointed to the siege tower: "Concentrate fire on the siege tower!"
Upon hearing this, the gunners immediately turned the cannon around. By then, the cannon was scalding hot, and the gunners poured buckets of water onto the burning barrel.
As soon as the cannon cooled down, they immediately began loading ammunition into it. Fortunately, the cannon was made by the Huangzhou Steel Plant and was very strong; otherwise, it would not have been able to withstand such high-intensity use and would have exploded long ago.
Load the gunpowder, ignite, and fire!
boom!
Several cannonballs were fired high into the air, tracing long arcs before striking the foremost siege tower with pinpoint accuracy.
"boom--!!!"
The shell exploded on the platform at the top of the tower.
The flames engulfed the three cannons that had just been pushed up, the thirty Shenji Battalion soldiers, and the command flag atop the tower.
The siege tower turned into a giant torch, the soldiers pushing the tower fled in panic, the burning giant tower slowly tilted, and finally collapsed with a crash, crushing dozens of heavily armored infantrymen below into mincemeat.
"it is good!"
Chen Tun shouted excitedly, but at that moment, enemy cannon shells also bombarded the area, instantly swallowing up the lives of the surrounding gunners, and the deputy gunner was killed in action.
Heavy artillery is indeed very useful, but its inability to move is a fatal weakness. It would be great if heavy artillery could be strapped to a vehicle and fired while moving.
As Chen Tun pondered this, his eyes fell upon the enemy, who still had a dozen or so siege towers advancing.
Just then, a messenger came and relayed Commander Chen Xiaohu's order. Chen Tun said, "Musketeer Battalion, follow me!"
The musketeer battalion consisted of a thousand men and a thousand muskets. Under Chen Tun's command, they all went to the front lines, while the enemy's siege towers were also approaching.
At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sun has fully risen.
Sunlight illuminated hell.
On the south side, Tang and his army, braving flames and arrows, finally reached the city wall.
Ladders were erected, grappling hooks were thrown up, and the dark mass of enemy soldiers climbed up like ants.
The Vermilion Bird Army defending the city threw down everything they could—bricks, wood—but there were too many gaps, making it impossible to defend against.
To the north, nineteen siege towers had approached the city wall, nearly two hundred paces away.
At this time, Chen Tun had already led the musketeers to assemble.
Seeing that the enemy had approached within two hundred paces, Chen Tun gave the order: "Musketeers, prepare to fire!"
clap clap clap...
Chen Tun's musketeers all used the latest muskets from Huangzhou Prefecture. At a range of 200 meters, the enemy couldn't reach them, but they could certainly hit them.
Then a comical scene unfolded: the enemy, armed with the Shenji Battalion's muskets, couldn't hit the White Tiger Army's musketeers on the city wall at all, while the musketeers were able to calmly shoot down all the enemy.
With the help of technology, the White Tiger Army gained the upper hand.
Seeing this, Feng Sheng was furious and immediately ordered his soldiers to prepare and send a suicide squad to charge him. Now that the two sides had fought to this point, neither side could back down, so Feng Sheng took the lead and led his army directly towards Luoyang.
Seeing this, Shi Gengming took the Soul-Severing Spear in his hand and said, "I'll go fight him!"
As he spoke, Shi Gengming went straight to meet Feng Sheng. This was the first time the two commanders had clashed in the battle so far.
Both were at the Furnace Realm, their strength evenly matched. They suddenly charged at each other, one wielding a Soul-Severing Spear, the other a long-handled broadsword.
The battle between the two sides has reached a fever pitch, and now it's the commanders' turn to fight.
The slaughter continued, and the commanders of both sides clashed. At this moment, Chen Xiaohu, atop the Luoyang city wall, rested his hand on his sword hilt, watching Tang He, who was looking in their direction. (End of Chapter)