When the first Hongyi cannon was purchased, Li Zicheng went to see it in person and even touched the bright barrel. His face was full of joy and excitement. He was originally worried that no one in the rebel army would control the Hongyi cannon.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Dongtao had already been interested in the cannon. He found someone who could control the Hongyi cannon among the returning Ming army sergeants. In this way, all problems were solved.

Twelve thousand taels of silver is not a small amount. Zhang Dongtao did not handle it himself, but Niu Jinxing and Li Yan. The price was not bad at all. Zhang Dongtao also personally entertained the merchants who sold the cannons to the rebels Hongyi and expressed his gratitude to them.

, he took out the silver himself, which impressed Li Zicheng very deeply.

Because of the purchase of Hongyi cannons, the attack on Kaifeng Fucheng naturally had to be postponed. Li Zicheng had no objections and instead told Zhang Dongtao not to worry and wait until all four Hongyi cannons were in place before launching the attack.

The attitudes of Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance have also changed. They probably realized that the relationship between Li Zicheng and Zhang Dongtao is really extraordinary, and they can't alienate each other with just a few words, so they also showed respect for Zhang Dongtao.

As for Li Yan, his relationship with Zhang Dongtao has long been extraordinary.

When I bought the fourth Hongyi cannon, it was already the twelfth lunar month.

Zhang Dongtao is not idle. The purchase of the Hongyi cannon needs to be kept highly confidential, and the merchants who deal with it need to be kept absolutely confidential. You must know that these merchants were all arranged by Wu Zongrui, otherwise Li Zicheng would have spent more

Even with taels of silver, it is impossible to buy the Hongyi cannon.

This time, Zhang Dongtao received clearer orders. On the one hand, he must help Li Zicheng capture Kaifeng City. On the other hand, he must increase efforts to develop his own strength and win the support of more people in the rebel army. At the critical moment, these people can leave.

Li Zicheng, following Zhang Dongtao.

The order was brought directly by the merchant, and no one in the rebel army would doubt it.

After more than a month, the merchants finally delivered all four red cannons and two white-haired cannonballs.

The four Hongyi cannons purchased by the rebels were all old-fashioned Hongyi cannons. These were obsolete artillery pieces of the Denglai New Army. They had not been specially modified, and the shells used were solid rounds.

Although it is an old-fashioned Hongyi cannon, it is still very powerful. For a battle to siege a city, the power of solid bullets is extraordinary. If it is a small city, the city wall is likely to be directly destroyed by the shells. Even if it is

Even the strong walls of a large city cannot withstand the impact of cannonballs for a long time.

In the next few days, Zhang Dongtao gathered the forty artillerymen secretly recruited and began intensive training. Among these artillerymen, ten joined the rebel army in the name of merchant followers. These people

Zhang Dongtao naturally knows their identities. These people will not really join the rebel army. They will leave after the battle to attack Kaifeng Fucheng is over.

In this battle to attack Kaifengfu City, artillerymen are the key. The artillery shells they develop must accurately hit the target, so as to ensure that the rebel sergeants can attack the city wall.

Zhang Dongtao did not think about using Hongyi artillery to blow down the walls of Kaifeng Fucheng, which would probably cost thousands of shells. Wu Zongrui clearly told Zhang Dongtao in the letter that the perfect combination of artillery bombing and infantry siege must be achieved, that is,

When the artillery bombarded the city wall of Kaifeng Fucheng, the infantry had to charge in the direction of the city wall, squat under the city wall, wait until the artillery bombardment was over, and then rush up to the city wall while the Ming troops on the wall could not react.

The Ming army in the city would never have thought that the rebels attacking the city had Hongyi cannons, so they must have panicked immediately. Moreover, the accurate bombing of Hongyi cannons would also cause them heavy losses and lose the ability to resist in a short period of time.

.

Grasping the timing of the attack is also key. It is key for artillerymen to fire shells accurately. It is also key for infantry to seize the opportunity and quickly start climbing the city wall. If the Ming army on the wall waits until they react, it will be difficult to determine whether the city can be captured.

The secret of the abnormal training is that the soldiers around Li Zicheng are guarding the perimeter. No one is allowed to approach, including Luo Rucai and others. Apart from Zhang Dongtao and Li Yan, the only person who can enter the training venue is Li Zicheng himself.

Preparations for the attack on Kaifeng Fucheng were in full swing. Li Zicheng's mood changed greatly. He had a smile on his face every day, and his attitude towards his subordinates also improved a lot.

...

Hong Chengchou and Gao Mingheng breathed a sigh of relief as food and grass became abundant. The strong support of Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhu was like providing help in times of need, especially the sufficient silver, which could maximize the enthusiasm of the sergeants.

In the next few days, Hong Chengchou was in a good mood. He no longer stayed at the Zaiyin Hotel blindly, but sometimes went out to wander on the streets. Unfortunately, this rare opportunity to relax made him feel embarrassed, all because of the people guarding the city.

The sergeant is really bad at military discipline and rules. He often harasses people and sometimes even directly robs people of their property.

At the critical moment, Hong Chengchou did not dare to punish the sergeants. As several months passed, the sergeants guarding the city generally became depressed, anxious, and very angry. They did not know when the battle would end, and they did not know whether they could defend Kaifeng Fucheng.

Sometimes, if there is a little spark, it can cause their emotions to completely explode. If such a situation occurs, Hong Chengchou cannot guarantee that he can truly control the emotions of many sergeants.

Nearly a month has passed, and the bandits outside the city have not launched an attack, but are still tightly surrounding the city.

This made Hong Chengchou feel better and better. He put aside many worrying things and specially held a banquet at the Yin Hotel and invited Gao Mingheng, the governor of Henan, to the banquet.

Gao Mingheng, who arrived at the Yin Hotel, looked obviously haggard.

"Master Gao, several months have passed, and you and I rarely have free time. Today is a rare opportunity. I have prepared a banquet at the Yin Hotel, borrowed flowers to offer to Buddha, and invited you to the banquet. You and I will have a good time drinking and talking until we get drunk..."

Gao Mingheng had a wry smile on his face.

"Sir, the rogue bandits have been besieging Kaifeng City for more than three months. There is still no sign of retreat. I am a little worried. The sergeants stationed in the city are generally not in a good mood. The people in the city are also complaining..."

Hong Chengchou had a smile on his face, shook his head and spoke.

"I know all the situations Mr. Gao mentioned. I can understand that these things happen at an emergency moment. We can only try our best to stabilize the situation. I suggest that the county government remember the names of those people who were robbed. When the time comes, we

Find a way to compensate them with some money and comfort them. I have told officers at all levels to ask them to appease the sergeants' emotions and try to stabilize all the sergeants..."

Gao Mingheng nodded and spoke helplessly.

"I can only follow your Lordship's wishes. I will tell the officials in the city and ask them to pay attention."

After sitting down, Hong Chengchou picked up the wine glass.

"Mr. Gao, you and I worked together to defend Kaifeng City. I can't say how great the contribution was, but at least it was hard work. I toast you with this glass of wine and thank you for your strong support to me."

Gao Mingheng also picked up his wine glass and spoke quickly after hearing Hong Chengchou's words.

"My lord, please don't say that. Your Majesty is the governor of Henan. It is your duty to guard Kaifeng City. Your Excellency led a large army to Kaifeng City and resisted millions of rogues. You saved Kaifeng City. It should be your Majesty's toast."

.”

Hong Chengchou waved his hand.

"Master Gao, there is no need to be polite between you and me. Let's drink this glass of wine."

They both finished drinking at the same time. Hong Chengchou stood up and poured wine for Gao Mingheng himself.

"Master Gao, fortunately we have the support of His Highness King Zhou. I think the bandits outside the city want to besiege us and wait for us to run out of food and grass. At that time, they will be able to easily capture the city.

..”

Gao Mingheng stood up and looked at Hong Chengchou as he spoke.

"My lord, what I'm saying is that I think so too. It's been nearly a month and the bandits haven't launched an attack yet. If His Highness King Zhou hadn't donated money and food, I wouldn't have known what the situation would be like now."

After the second glass of wine was filled, Hong Chengchou's expression became serious.

"Mr. Gao, the sergeants stationed in the city are generally agitated. I think they need to stabilize their emotions. The sergeants don't know how long the rogue bandits will continue to besiege the city. They don't know when the rogue bandits will launch an attack. If they

If the emotions break out, the city of Kaifeng will be in danger."

Gao Mingheng nodded and acknowledged Hong Chengchou's words.

"Xiaoguan is also worried about this. The rogue bandits have been besieging the city of Kaifeng for three months, and it is about to enter the twelfth lunar month. The mood of the sergeants is unstable, and the mood of the officials and people in the city is also unstable."

The expression on Hong Chengchou's face was still serious, and he picked up the wine glass.

"Master Gao, I don't think the emperor and the court will ignore Kaifeng. The newly appointed governor of the five provinces, Mr. Sun Chuanting, is brave and good at fighting. He has defeated rogue bandits many times. It has been several months. I think Mr. Sun is also ready.

Now that we have a way to defeat Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai, when the time comes, Master Sun launches an attack from the outside, and you and I lead the army to rush out from the city to fight, we will definitely defeat the rogue bandits and restore peace to Kaifeng City..."

Gao Mingheng nodded in disbelief. He was familiar with the situation of the armies in each town. Unless Sun Chuanting recruited new sergeants and did not rely on the troops rushing to help from each town, defeating Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai's troops would be just a fantasy.

Hong Chengchou knew what Gao Mingheng was thinking and didn't dispel it.

"Master Gao, no matter what, you and I must persist. You and I will keep Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai's troops in Kaifeng Fucheng, so that the emperor and the court can make arrangements calmly. As time goes by, the situation in the outside world will definitely change significantly.
Chapter completed!