Chapter 1079 – Righteousness Remain
Li Jing’s strategy succeeded.
Just as Dodo and the others were hesitating and at a loss, the Great Xia Guards Legion Corps had already made their way to the middle portion of the camp. The South Ming army covered it up. The Qing army was on the verge of collapse.
Commander tent.
Dodo was still really calm. He put down the wine glass in his hand and ordered, “Immediately gather up all forces for one final battle!”
“Yes!”
All the generals swiftly dispersed.
At the current moment, the eight banner army was not like later on in history where they were corrupted by peace and riches. Although they were arrogant, they did have the ability.
This was the reason why Dodo was confident.
At the same time, Dodo sent people to inform Abatai to not rush over to assist and directly charge for the city, “I do not believe that they will not retreat if Jianye is broken into.”
Dodo was going to force them to make a decision.
Now, it was down to which side could last longer. If Dodo’s forces fell, everything would be over; if Abatai successfully charged into Jianye, then it would be a chance for the Qing army to turn the tides.
…
Abatai had already gathered up his troops and was ready to charge east when suddenly he received the order. He was stunned but immediately revealed killing intent, “Follow me.”
As he said that, the entire army turned around and headed for the north city wall of Jianye.
Currently, apart from 10 thousand defending troops and the two thousand palace guards, there was also the 10 thousand South Ming troops that Li Jing had purposely kept there.
They were facing a really strong opponent.
If it were not for the performance of the front troops, Li Jing would not dare to hand such a complicated enemy to them.
Even so, after stabilizing the situation on the east, Li Jing hurried to the north to personally lead the battle. It was easy to see that every move of Dodo was calculated by Li Jing.
With such a gap in skill, how could they not be defeated?
“Kill!”
Abatai’s forces did not have the help of the Hongyi cannons and could only use the most primitive siege method. They had to use scaling ladders to try to break open the city gates and get inside.
“Hold on, do not be afraid!”
Under the command of Li Jing, the South Ming army calmed themselves down and overcame their fears. They used the city wall and defensive resources to counterattack.
Jianye was the Ming Dynasty headquarters, so all the needed facilities were prepared.
As it was not hand-to-hand combat, the Ming Dynasty troops gained courage. Cannons, rolling wood, alchemical fire oil, and stone; anything that could be used to kill the enemy was used.
This was really lethal for the eight banner army.
They were used to charging around on open land and were used to using the Hongyi cannons to blast open the enemy city gates and engage in slaughter within the city afterward.
During such a siege, the Qing army was like fish out of water.
Abatai was really anxious, but he had no other choice and could only send troops after troops to the frontlines. He knew that if he could not open up the city gates, tonight was going to be their death date.
In the blink of an eye, the final shred of light disappeared from the horizon. Only the dark clouds that hung overhead were left, making one feel really suppressed.
The moon hid behind the dark clouds, showing no intentions of revealing itself.
The white light and the night sky interchanged. Suddenly, at this moment, an empty moment appeared.
“The skies are about to change!”
On the city wall, Ouyang Shuo looked out at the horizon as his blood red cape fluttered in the wind.
Feng Qiuhuang was similarly dressed in martial gear, and her golden cape made her look really noble. She did not say anything; she just quietly accompanied Ouyang Shuo and focused on the battle.
The two of them stood together, giving out a natural noble aura.
The soldiers killing outside of the city would occasionally turn around and look at the faces on the city wall. After that, they would feel really pumped up and filled with energy. They turned around and went back to the killing.
The Great Xia Guards Legion Corps soldiers knew that their king was focusing on them at every moment.
“That was enough!”
Crossing the city wall, behind Ouyang Shuo was a similar uneasy city.
After the round of people moving away, those that remained in the city were either people like the Hongguang emperor who had no choice but to stay or nobles and civilians who found it hard to move.
When they heard the killing noises outside, they felt really uneasy.
The unknown was always a source of fear. As they did not know whether their army had the upper hand or if they were losing, they could only wait anxiously and wait for the final result.
Life or death was separated by just one fine line.
There were some righteous people or those with moral courage who gathered toward the north gate to either send food or treat the wounded.
These were a bunch of cute people.
They might not have the talent or courage to kill the enemy, but they understood that if their country fell, they would not be pardoned and would not be able to avoid their fate.
This was their life.
A person with a broken spine could still stand up if his spirit was not broken.
At this very moment, the courage of the race, their confidence, and beliefs slowly awakened and rose up, spreading amongst all of them.
Being influenced by this, more and more civilians gathered toward the north gate.
When the country faced crisis, one would always be able to see such a touching scene.
…
Night fell.
It was like a black curtain covering from far to near, hanging over Jianye.
The Qing Army Camp slaughter did not stop, so how could there be people who went to light up torches? The soldiers on both sides could only rely on the weak moonlight to continue their fight.
This was not advantageous for the Great Xia Army.
“Light the torches!”
Li Jing was prepared. With a ‘Shua!’, torches were lit up on the city wall, chasing away the pitch-black night sky and bringing with it precious light.
At the same time, outside the city, two huge fires were started. The flames charged for the heavens, and one would be able to see it from really far away.
Using the light, the Great Xia Guards Legion Corps fought even more viciously.
Especially the three thousand Divine Martial Guards charging at the front. Under the lead of Xu Chu, their eyes were red from the killing. Who knows how many Qing army generals were slain by Xu Chu.
They were like a god sword, unparalleled in their sharpness.
No matter it be in the camp or at the drill grounds, the Divine Martial Guards were the first to rush over. They charged apart the troops that had gathered together and crushed the confidence of the Qing army.
“Why has Abatai not broken through the city gate yet?”
At the outermost ring of the camp, Dodo, under the protection of his Personal Guards, killed enemies whilst they waited anxiously for the good news from the north.
Abatai’s forces were like a stone that had sunken into the ocean, where no reply was given.
As time went on, Dodo’s heart sank. This was when he realized that the Qing army was done for.
At this stage, even if Abatai’s forces opened the city gate, as Dodo’s forces had suffered heavy casualties, they would not be able to turn the situation around.
A bright light shone in Dodo’s eyes; he was ready to retreat.
