Chapter 44: The Battle of the City Gate

  Ye Xuan saw the shield carts pushed by the Jin army getting closer and closer. When they were about 200 steps away, he could see their appearance clearly. The shield carts had thick wooden boards in front, covered with thick leather mattresses that could effectively withstand guns, cannons, and arrows. Below them were wheels that rotated flexibly. If the trenches were filled up, they could be pushed all the way to the city wall.

  In the Jin army, this shield cart was their standard equipment. In siege warfare, they were invincible.

  In the discussion among the officers in Luoyun Fort, the shield carts used to deal with the barbarian troops, given the situation in Luoyun Fort, there is no other way except for rockets and catapults. However, the catapults are not very accurate, so it's hard to say how many shield carts can be hit.

  Those shield-wielding soldiers approached slowly, while the Ye family army on the city walls merely held their breath and waited for Ye Xuan's command.

  Seeing that the golden soldiers had already approached within two hundred steps, entering the range of several catapults on the city wall of Luoyun Fortress, Ye Xuan calmly said: "Begin!"

  On the city head under the city building, four stone-throwing vehicles were erected, each placed on a four-wheeled iron frame. The range was over 100 zhang away, commanded by an officer of the city defense artillery team.

  He saw the flag on the city tower and immediately waved the command flag in his hand, shouting loudly: "Fire!"

  "Boom! Boom!" Several loud noises sounded as four catapults launched their attack one after another.

  Four hot iron balls with light smoke trails flew far away in the direction of the Golden Army.

  A loud explosion, an iron ball hit a shield cart from far away, smashing the shield cart into pieces, and wood chips flew everywhere. The Jin soldiers behind the shield cart saw that the cannonball was about to hit them and were so frightened that they scattered and ran away.

  However, at that moment, the fragments of the shield car pierced by the shell flew out and killed several Jin soldiers nearby.

  Even a golden armored soldier was pierced all over his body and face with sharp wooden thorns, covered in blood, and was shocked to the ground.

  He didn't die immediately, but instead rolled on the ground and let out a mournful scream.

  It's estimated that this flame stone, which was catapulted over, injured at least three or four Jin soldiers in the surrounding area.

  "Good!"

  The city was filled with thunderous applause, Sun Yu heavily patted his thigh and shouted: "Great hit, damn it's a great hit!"

  Ye Xuan also smiled and nodded, this shell was accurate and ruthless, hitting the morale of their own army!

  However, this catapult was the only result, and the remaining three shells did not hit their mark. Only one iron shot fell to the ground, bounced a few times, and damaged the wheel of a single-wheeled cart that was following from behind.

  That iron rock still had momentum, jumped again, and heavily smashed onto the head of a Jin soldier behind him. The iron ball was embedded in his head. **Blood flowed all over the ground.**

  "Load!"

  The artillery officer on the city wall saw this result from a distance and was very dissatisfied. He loudly ordered the gunners to load again.

  These catapults were mounted on wooden frames and could adjust the angle of fire by tilting the barrel.

  At this time, Jin Bing had walked into a hundred or so steps, and those loading hands were put in place, each person standing solemnly.

  The officer of the artillery team looked at the approaching Golden Shield Army and waved his command flag again, shouting: "Fire!"

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

  Four secondary catapults fired in succession.

  At this time, the four stone-throwing machines shot out another round of results, and an iron ball hit a shield car again, injuring several unarmored auxiliary soldiers. Even a cavalryman behind the shield car was pierced by a flying sharp wooden stake, which broke through his two layers of heavy armor and stabbed into his heart. The cavalryman knelt straight to the ground and died like that.

  Another iron ball hit a horse ridden by a white armored soldier, directly smashing a bloody hole on the horse's head. The warhorse let out a loud whinny and rolled to the ground, pinning the white armored soldier underneath.

  The other iron ball didn't hit any target. However, they jumped and jumped, but each of them smashed a unicycle, rolled off the legs of two Jin soldiers who were following behind, making them roll on the ground and cry out in pain.

  At this time, the Jin army approached even closer, and the stone-throwing machines' range was just about to be reached. Ye Xuan's heart secretly sighed. At this moment, using a little fire was still more frightening than fighting. However, for the several generals on the city tower, the results of these two rounds were still quite remarkable, causing around ten Jin soldiers to be injured or killed, and also destroying two shield carts and a single-wheel cart.

  On the last city wall there were two crossbows with bolts loaded in advance, with little power and a range of only 100 steps.

  These two crossbows are not placed on a high ironwood frame like those catapults, but rather on a small four-wheeled cart frame. In front of each crossbow, an opening was made at the bottom of the city wall to shoot outward from there.

  The officer gave a loud order, waved his hand with force, and shouted: "Release the arrows!"

  A few "whooshing" sounds.

  Outside the city walls, several more mournful cries echoed through the air.

  At this moment, a loud drumbeat suddenly came from the Jin army's formation, and the Jin soldiers below the city shouted in unison. They raised their flags and charged forward with loud shouts.

  "Hold steady, hold steady, wait for the central army's order to shoot again."

  Su Zhong paced back and forth on the city wall, watching the movements of the Jin soldiers below while loudly ordering his own troops.

  Zhao Jie and Yang Xiao had already gone down from the city tower, personally directing their respective troops on the city wall. Only Ye Xuan, Sun Yu, and Chen Fei's three brothers remained together on the city tower to keep watch.

  At this time, on the battlements and walls of the city gate, as well as the left and right sides of the city wall, each battlement was densely packed with Ye Family soldiers.

  Zao Jie's left horn and Yang Xiao's right horn were armed with crossbowmen. They set up their repeating crossbows, aiming only at the Qing soldiers who came forward to charge.

  At this time, on the side of Zhao Jie's Left Guard Army, the shouting voices of the Jin soldiers outside were getting closer and closer. Many soldiers had pale faces. The prestige of the barbarian army was remarkable, not comparable to the bandits or other righteous armies that each person had killed before. Each person's psychological pressure in the face of the enemy was not trivial.

  However, the Ye family army is usually strict in training, with a strong sense of discipline deeply ingrained. Especially the recently established Ye family army's garrison law: during battle, those who turn back will be tied up and beaten! Those who act arbitrarily will be tied up and beaten! Those who shout loudly when seeing the enemy, or those who are injured and cry out in shock, all follow the military law of retreating from the battlefield, to be made an example of!

  Chen Fei led his own military discipline team to continuously patrol, so although it was a matter of life and death, everyone still stood solemnly, not saying a word. The four teams of soldiers on the left sentinel, except for a few officers observing the enemy situation from the loopholes in the wall, were all standing in front of their own flag at this time. One hundred iron armor long gun soldiers in the sentinel stood in two rows with guns. They had one row to attack and kill, and another row to observe the situation as backup troops.

  Each team's crossbowmen were also divided into two rows, one row of crossbows aimed at the embrasure. One row held fire locks standing behind, waiting for their own shot.

  It's not just them, but also the auxiliary soldiers in each combat team, composed of young and strong men, who are quietly squatting beside their equipment, clenching their teeth, without saying a word.

  The city wall was quiet, with only the fierce sun shining directly on it.

  Each of the soldiers wore thick armor, and each person's face was covered with beads of sweat as big as beans, but no one wiped them away.

  Yang Xiao watched from the wall as the Qing soldiers drew closer and closer. He too took a deep breath, his mouth repeating: "Young ones, hold steady for me!"