flstandardbreds Chapter 1112 Collapse of the City Wall
Chapter 1112 Collapse of the City Wall
Dorje Tsering was thinking of a rumor he had heard a few days earlier.
The powerful old patriarch of the Rhonda family has been bedridden this spring due to an old injury, and his eldest son is now in charge of family affairs!
Despite this, the other party repeatedly mentioned the old patriarch and said that they wanted to learn from him, as if the old patriarch was still in charge.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Dorje Tsering's back; he sensed that something fishy was going on.
If it were someone from the Rhonda family, they should know about this matter; they should complain to their eldest son.
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he roared, "Seize these spies! They're not Tibetans! Fire! Fire now..."
The word 'arrow' was not fully uttered yet.
At the foot of the city wall, a Qing army mortar worker responsible for lookout saw the city commander on the city wall change his expression and shout. Without hesitation, he took out a lighter and lit the fuse in his hand, which was connected to several fuses.
"General! We've been exposed!" Duan Rui hissed from the side.
Ma Zhong had been waiting for this moment, and he drew his sword almost the instant the defending general changed his expression.
Hearing Duan Rui's shout, he roared without hesitation, "Detonate—"
The voice has not yet fallen.
Boom—boom!!!
Although time was tight and there was still one spot that hadn't been properly buried, the situation forced them to act.
The explosive charges at both locations were detonated, producing a deafening roar almost simultaneously.
It was as if an earth dragon had turned over, or as if a thunderbolt had struck.
The base of the rammed earth and stone city wall suddenly arched upwards, and then, with a tooth-grinding cracking sound, a section of the city wall about four or five zhang long, as if bitten by a giant beast, burst into dust, bricks and stones flew everywhere, and collapsed inwards with a roar.
The rammed earth wall groaned in its death throes as large chunks of rammed earth and stone were thrown into the air, then crashed down amidst the dust and smoke.
Even more fatally, this localized collapse triggered a chain reaction, causing adjacent walls to lose their support and develop extensive cracks and landslides, collapsing one section after another.
The dozens of Tibetan soldiers standing on that section of the city wall were caught off guard and buried along with the crenellations. Their screams were instantly swallowed up by the deafening roar of the collapsing bricks and stones.
Smoke and dust billowed into the sky, like a giant yellow beast, engulfing a corner of the western side of Chuima City.
Even the defending general, Dorje Tsering, who was on the distant city tower, was shaken so badly that he staggered and his ears rang.
Other Tibetan soldiers were so frightened that they collapsed in droves, and a group of those who were closer were even terrified, bleeding from their mouths and noses and temporarily losing their hearing.
He watched helplessly as that section of the city wall turned into ruins, his heart almost stopping.
Finished!
Dorje Tsering couldn't imagine what kind of punishment he would receive for making such a huge blunder at such a critical moment.
It's very possible that he was demoted directly from a general to a serf.
"Spies! It was those spies who did it!"
"Loose the arrows! Loose the arrows! Shoot them all! Leave no one alive!"
He pointed desperately towards the city below.
Arrows rained down from the city walls on both sides, engulfing Ma Zhong and his five hundred men.
"Avoid the arrows! Hide under the city gate!" Ma Zhong shouted, releasing his hands from his ears, and spurred his horse forward.
The area near the city gate is a blind spot for the city wall's fire. Although it is not absolutely safe, it can at least avoid most arrows.
Braving a hail of arrows, the troops charged toward the tightly closed city gate tower.
Although several people were hit by arrows and fell to the ground, most people were given a temporary respite.
Upon seeing this, Dorje Tsering immediately gave the order: "Throw stones! Throw logs!"
However, Ma Zhong and the others were waiting for the garrison's attention to be drawn to the city gate.
He lay prone in the shadows of the city gate, his eyes fixed on the huge gap in the distance, still faintly visible in the smoke and dust.
"We can't be trapped here! Go and seize the breach, open a passage for His Majesty!"
He ripped off the cumbersome Tibetan leather hat, revealing the iron helmet worn by Qing army generals.
The explosion was a signal; His Majesty's army should already be on its way.
Their task was not just to blow up the city walls, but to clear a path for the army to enter the city.
Ideally, cavalry should be able to charge straight in; at the very least, infantry should be able to get in without having to scale the walls and fight.
Without the aid of city walls, the Qing army was capable of defeating any force in the world in hand-to-hand combat.
"Follow me!" he growled, and suddenly leaped out from the other side of the city gate.
With a swift movement, he veered inward, using the collapsed earth and rocks as cover, and sprinted towards the gap.
The soldiers behind them immediately followed suit, forming several small teams that advanced in a winding and circuitous manner.
Dorje Tsering immediately realized their intentions and angrily said, "Move troops to block the breach, don't let these Qing dogs gain a foothold!"
He hurriedly dispatched reserve troops, attempting to gather them at the breach and seal this deadly opening.
Just then, the tremors from the city wall beneath their feet struck again.
This time the tremors were more intense, like muffled thunder rolling in from afar, or like countless heavy hammers striking the earth.
Dorje Tsering initially thought it was a secondary collapse and looked at the gap in horror.
But soon, he and many of the guards on the city wall noticed something was wrong.
The tremor came from the wilderness outside the city!
They turned their heads in alarm.
On the distant horizon outside the city, a black wave was rolling in at an alarming speed, growing wider and closer.
The thunderous roar of hooves finally drowned out the chaos and commotion within the city, and everyone realized the source of the tremors.
At the forefront of the black waves, a large banner with the character "庆" (Qing) on a dark background and blazing red flames fluttered wildly.
Under his command, a black-armored warrior, wielding a long spear, charged ahead with the speed of thunder!
It was the main force of the Qing army, personally led by Li Che!
"The main force of the Qing army! It's the Qing army cavalry!" A chorus of horrified exclamations erupted from the city walls.
Dorje Tsering's face turned ashen. He finally understood the true purpose of this defeated army: to blast open a path for the main force of this formidable cavalry to attack.
"Balloons! Catapults! Aim at the cavalry outside the city!"
"Quick! Stop them from getting any closer!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, almost breaking his voice.
Even though he had never faced the Qing army cavalry, he knew what kind of opponent he was facing.
Anyone who witnessed the overwhelming charge of cavalry would not have the courage to fight back; the city walls beneath his feet offered him not even the slightest sense of security.
The heavy defensive equipment on the city wall hurriedly adjusted its direction and clumsily aimed at the outside of the city.
The massive arrows of the ballista shot out with a piercing whistle, while the stones hurled by the catapults crashed down in front of the cavalry's path of charge.
Although these machines were old, they did cause some chaos and casualties, and overturned several riders.
The ranks of the Qing army's cavalry charge had already spread out at high speed, like water bursting its banks, covering a very wide area.
The interception by a few pieces of equipment seemed like a drop in the ocean compared to the overwhelming torrent.
After charging a certain distance, some of the Qing army cavalry suddenly split off to the sides and slowed down.
He then quickly dismounted on a high slope or mound outside the city and set up a tool that the Tibetans had never seen before.
The short, thick iron pipe pointing outwards is the small-caliber mortar carried by the army!
Bang bang bang!
After several louder explosions than those from muskets, a black dot flew in an arc as it crashed into the city wall.
The ballistae and catapults were in extremely conspicuous locations and were fixed to the city walls, leaving no possibility of escape.
Although a direct hit was difficult, the debris and shockwave from the explosion were enough to severely disrupt the Tibetan soldiers' operations, rapidly weakening the Tibetan defenders' long-range counterattacks.
Seeing that His Majesty's army had already pressed on to the city, Ma Zhong was extremely anxious.
At the breach, Tibetan soldiers who had rushed to the scene were attempting to assemble and block the narrow passage with spears and arrows.
"We can't wait any longer! Blow open the breach! Clear a path for His Majesty to charge!" Ma Zhong roared hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot.
"Roar!" The hundreds of remaining warriors around him responded in unison.
They no longer hesitated to use ammunition, hurling grenades at the Tibetan people inside the breach as if they were free.
boom! boom! boom!
A series of explosions rang out in the densely packed area of Tibetan soldiers, filling the air with smoke and sending severed limbs flying.
The newly formed defensive line was instantly shattered by the bombing, and cries and screams filled the air.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ma Zhong personally picked up a bomb and, under the desperate cover of Duan Rui and several brave guards, charged towards the half-collapsed section of the city wall.
Arrows came from the side, and the guards raised their shields to block them. Some were hit by arrows and fell to the ground with a muffled groan, but no one retreated.
Ma Zhong rushed forward and used all his strength to throw the explosive charge at the base of a relatively intact load-bearing wall inside the breach.
"Back off!" he roared as he fell backward.
Boom——
The next second, an even more violent explosion rang out.
The crumbling wall was completely overturned, and more bricks and stones rained down on the Tibetan defenders inside the city like cannonballs, sweeping away a large number of the approaching Tibetan soldiers.
The shockwave from the explosion even threw some rubble outside the city, but fortunately, the Qing army had made preparations in advance thanks to Ma Zhong's reminder and were not affected.
"Bomb! Keep bombing! Bomb as many as you can!" Ma Zhong got up and wiped the dirt and blood off his face.
The soldiers followed suit, throwing out the remaining explosives they had on them.
After a series of explosions, the smoke and dust dissipated slightly.
The original collapse gap, which was only a few feet wide, has been forcibly expanded into a huge opening large enough for more than ten riders to charge side by side.
The broken bricks and stones piled up on both the inner and outer sides to form gentle slopes, which actually made it easier for cavalry to rush in.
Li Che, who was directing the approaching cavalry outside the city, witnessed this entire scene.
Seeing Ma Zhong and his men relentlessly widening the breach, he knew the time had come!
Li Che took a deep breath, straightened his body, and raised his spear high.
With a long hiss, the black wind beneath him reared up, and the sharp tip of the emperor's spear flashed coldly in the gloomy light before suddenly pointing towards the city ahead.
The powerful voice clearly reached the ears of every charging soldier:
"All soldiers! Follow me—break through the city!"
Immediately, he took the lead and rode off.
"Long live! Long live!"
A roar as powerful as a mountain collided with the sea as it erupted from the ranks of the Qing army cavalry!
With Li Che as the spearhead, the black torrent suddenly accelerated.
Ignoring the scattered arrows from the city walls, they converged into an unstoppable torrent of steel, crashing into the breach in the city!
Chuimacheng is facing its most intense attack since its establishment!