Chapter 3253
Although most of the defenders in Yixing County came from nearby states and counties and lacked unified command and dispatch, which resulted in an obvious disadvantage in the battle, no one dared to take the lead in retreating from the county despite their responsibilities.
Everyone still had some luck in their hearts, thinking that the Haihan Army only had fierce long-range firepower and might not be able to do anything in close combat. If the opponent attacks the city, the fighting environment will turn into a melee mode, and the powerful cannons outside the city will be of no use. Our side can completely take advantage of its strength and give it a try.
Based on their knowledge, it was normal to make such a judgment, but they inevitably greatly underestimated the strength gap between the Ming Army and the Haihan Army.
Under the continuous artillery fire, the defenders lost the city defense in the south of the county. The Haihan Army outside the city took almost no casualties and captured the rubble that was originally the south gate.
The defenders in the city relied on the buildings and various newly built barricades to aim their bows, arrows and firecrackers in the direction where the Haihan Army was about to attack. The closest distance to the fighting was probably less than ten feet.
This was one of the few opportunities for the Haihan army to enter the Ming army's weapon range since the war began. The defenders in the city began to fire dense arrows at this gap in the defense line, trying to suppress the Haihan army's offensive.
The attacker's counterattack was nearly a hundred grenades that flew in from outside the city. After these grenades exploded in the Ming army's array, they immediately caused a chaos. The Haihan army poked its head out from the other side of the ruins and seized the opportunity to attack. The defenders inside the city fired.
The defenders believed that by shortening the combat distance, they could inflict damage on the Haihan Army, and their own disadvantages in weapon performance could be slightly alleviated. However, the actual situation was that the Haihan Army's rifle killing efficiency also increased in a close combat environment.
As soon as the two sides engaged in battle, the Ming army's array seemed to be lined up to be shot. They were all shot and fell to the ground.
The Haihan army quickly occupied the heights of the city wall that had not yet collapsed, and shot down the Ming troops arrayed and fighting on the streets.
The barricades deployed near the south gate, almost without exception, were quickly hit by grenades that broke through the air.
Only then did the commanders of the Ming army realize that their pre-prediction of the battle situation was wrong. They thought that the close combat was a face-to-face hand-to-hand combat between the two sides. However, the Haihan army's close combat method continued to control the combat distance and suppressed the Ming army with firepower output.
The Ming army had a military advantage, but it was difficult to turn it into a victory. Gunmen and archers, who accounted for only one-tenth of the army, became the main fire output units, while other Ming troops armed with melee weapons could only play an extremely limited role in such a fighting method. .
The building layout in the city further compressed the Ming army's combat space, causing a large number of people to crowd into the streets to fight. Isn't this a living target for the Haihan army armed with rifles?
Although the Ming army's bows, arrows and fire guns achieved certain results, they were unable to stop the Haihan army's offensive along the city wall. Grenades were used to clear the way, supplemented by rifle pursuits. The Haihan army's combat method was simple and crude, but it made it difficult for the Ming army to parry. More and more infantry entered the city through the gap in the south gate.
Qian Wenxian had already retreated to the county government office in the north of the city, and was undecided between escaping or not.
He had just watched the battle between the two armies from a distance on the street for a while, and he knew that there was no luck today. The defenders were already in decline, and it was only a matter of time before the county town fell.
Knowing that he was unable to influence the situation of the war, Qian Wenxian returned to the county government and burned some documents he considered important to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Haihan people.
At this time, most of the defenders were already fighting and retreating, trying to gradually leave the battlefield and then try to evacuate.
For reinforcements coming from other places, being outnumbered was a reasonable reason to retreat. However, Qian Wenxian was the magistrate of Yixing County. As a local official, he had the responsibility to defend the territory. Once he escaped, he would lose his righteousness.
While he was still hesitating, there was an explosion from the south of the city, and then a large number of defeated Ming troops poured into the road outside the county government office. These people are all heading towards the north gate, which is currently the only way out of the county. There were many people who abandoned their armor on the way, and when everyone was running for their lives, no one seemed to care about Qian Wenxian, the county magistrate.
Looking at this posture, the battle in the south of the city should have been divided, and the Haihan army should soon attack the north of the city. Besides Qian Wenxian and his family, there were only two old government servants and a few handymen and servants left in the county government office at this time, all of whom had nowhere to go.
Qian Wenxian sighed and had no intention of running away. He asked his servant to get his official uniform and put it on, and then sat in the lobby of the county government office, waiting for the arrival of the Haihan people.
Looking at the crying family members next to him, Qian Wenxian said: "Don't be afraid. I will beg the other party to let you go later... If they don't agree, then our family will go on the road together, and it will not be regarded as a crime of loyalty to the country." Name.”
Qian Wenxian had heard before that the Haihan Army did not like to kill indiscriminately, and it might be possible to save the lives of his family members. As for himself, he does not intend to commit suicide, as that would be too cowardly. If the Haihan people want to execute themselves, then they can be regarded as sacrificing themselves for their country and fulfilling their righteousness.
Not long after, a group of Haihan troops entered the county government office. After verifying the identities of Qian Wenxian and others, they did not embarrass them. They just asked them to stay there and wait for their punishment.
Qian Wenxian saw these Haihan soldiers going to the study and taking out all the documents inside. It seemed that they valued these things more than he, the county magistrate, did.
After a while, several officers came to the county government office to count the items seized here. They learned that the Yixing magistrate had detained them here, which attracted their attention.
An officer came up and looked Qian Wenxian up and down before asking: "Are you the local magistrate of Qian County?"
Qian Wenxian responded: "I, Qian Wenxian, am the magistrate of Yixing County."
The officer asked curiously: "All the military attaches who led the troops in the war ran away, so why didn't you run away?"
Qian Wenxian said sternly: "I have the responsibility to protect the land and live and die with Yixing."
The officer nodded and praised: "You have integrity! It's a pity that you are wrong. If you really want to think about Yixing County, you shouldn't resist stubbornly and surrender earlier. The county town will be less damaged and there will be less casualties."
Qian Wenxian said: "Even if your country has a strong military, how can we, the Ming Dynasty, surrender without a fight?"
The officer said: "Huzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Ningbo in the south, most of these places surrendered without fighting, and now the local people are living well. You insist on resisting here, but what do you get in the end?"
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Qian Wenxian remained unmoved: "Do your best to obey fate. Whether we can fight or not is a matter of strength, but whether we can fight or not is a matter of attitude."
The officer shook his head and said: "You are so stubborn, I'm afraid you will suffer in the future."
(End of chapter)