Chapter 553

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“Bang, bang, bang…”

The sound of firearms covered the sounds of the charging Pengzhou army soldiers.

After entering the city gate, the Qingzhou Army did not linger in battle. Instead, under the command of their generals, they attacked from both sides to seize the city gate, while also opening up the battlefield for subsequent troops.

The Pengzhou army soldiers were still charging, but clearly without any tactical coherence. Mi Kuang was dead, and this group of Pengzhou soldiers were like headless flies, not knowing what to do. They merely instinctively charged repeatedly at the enemy in their eyes.

However, this blind charge quickly turned into a rout under the volley of firearms. Unlike the Qi region army, which had been on the battlefield and seen blood, the Pengzhou City army had been at ease for too long. Even if the soldiers were fierce, a true battlefield was far from a street brawl.

After a brief surge of adrenaline, the ground full of corpses and blood made them realize what death was. Especially those soldiers from impoverished families, they had no reason to fight for these powerful families.

Now that the Qingzhou Army had breached the city and entered, they only thought of fleeing to save their own lives.

One Pengzhou army soldier ran, then a second, then a group. The Qingzhou army, unstoppable, quickly occupied the open areas on both sides of the city gate.

After gaining the upper hand, subsequent musketeers continuously poured into the city, and their arrival further increased the density of firepower. The Pengzhou City army became increasingly overwhelmed in the face of long-range firearms, retreating step by step.

As more and more Qi region troops poured into the city, some soldiers found the iron chains of the bridge. They lifted the chains out of the city gate and, with the help of the warships, fastened the chains from the wooden stakes at the Pengzhou city gate to the opposite bank.

After the iron chains were completed, the soldiers then laid thick wooden planks one by one. At this point, the warships had completed all their tasks and were all docked on the north bank.

With the iron chains restored, the artillery and cavalry immediately moved into the city along the iron chain bridge.

Following the last cavalryman into Pengzhou City, Lu Fei arrived at the makeshift tent in front of the city gate. This battle had lasted from morning until evening, and darkness was about to fall.

“General, it’s getting dark. Should we press on with the pursuit?” Luo Xin said to Lu Fei.

Lu Fei was now the Southern Expedition General. Although they often bickered in peacetime, on the battlefield, he still had to strictly obey military orders and submit to Lu Fei’s command.

“No, night is very disadvantageous for us. The obscured visibility is inconvenient for the musketeer’s advance. Now, let’s set up camp and guard against enemy sneak attacks.” Having suffered a few losses, Lu Fei had now learned his lesson.

“But if we do that, the powerful families in the city will likely escape completely,” Luo Xin said.

Lu Fei mused, “These powerful families can at most take some gold, silver, and valuables with them. They can’t take the land, houses, cattle, and sheep.”

Luo Xin could only nod upon hearing this, but he reminded, “General Lu, His Highness mentioned that there will be a bounty for this attack on Pengzhou City. The more spoils of war obtained, the higher the bounty will be. Don’t blame this humble general for not reminding you then.”

“Get lost! I’m much more distressed than you are!” Lu Fei’s facial muscles twitched.

Ever since the chaos in Chang’an, Xiao Ming had announced a bounty system in the army. The system stipulated that 10% of all spoils of war obtained during the conquest of cities would be awarded to the soldiers and generals who participated in the siege.

Moreover, different proportions of the bounty would be distributed according to different military ranks.

For example, if Lu Fei captured Pengzhou City and obtained one million taels of silver, the army would allocate one hundred thousand taels of silver to the soldiers of this southern campaign. Basically, each soldier would then receive five taels of silver.

And after this bounty system was announced, it was deeply supported by soldiers and generals, which also stimulated their desire to participate in the southern campaign.

Luo Xin smiled. He was just saying it, but nightfall was indeed not suitable for continued fighting. After all, the soldiers were somewhat tired after a day of bitter fighting, and there were still many remaining Pengzhou army soldiers.

Of course, Luo Xin’s idea also represented the idea of a general, which was Luo Hong’s Firearm Battalion. Unlike the other three prefectural armies, this Firearm Battalion was currently a special existence in Qingzhou.

Both soldiers and generals wanted to settle down in Qingzhou, and settling down required silver. If they won this battle, they would be able to make a home in Qingzhou.

So, Luo Hong wanted to prove himself, and the soldiers and generals of the Firearm Battalion all wanted money. The two hit it off, which led to this initiative to fight.

“How was it?” As soon Xin came out, Luo Hong and a group of generals asked.

“No, General Lu refused,” Luo Xin said to Luo Hong. “Don’t be impatient. I know you’re eager for battle, but our objective this time is to take Pengzhou City. If anything goes wrong, no one can bear the responsibility.”

Luo Hong nodded. He had a new understanding of Lu Fei and other Qingzhou generals. They were not blindly reckless like other armies in Great Yu Empire, but always remained calm.

Waving his hand, Luo Hong dismissed the others. He said to Luo Xin, “I truly envy you. If only I had come to Qingzhou earlier, I wouldn’t have to start all over again.”

Luo Xin was well aware of his brother’s thoughts. After all, Luo Hong was the eldest son of the Luo family, and now his younger brother was more successful than him, which inevitably made him feel a bit bitter. However, fortunately, Luo Hong was also a person who understood the bigger picture and merely harbored a competitive spirit.

While the two were chatting, Pengzhou City had already erupted into chaos. The powerful families within the city fled overnight with their families.

In the Mi family, Mi Wenyi was disheveled at this time. He had hoped to hold out for half a month, but now King Qi’s army had taken the city gate in just one day.

Now with no defensive advantages left, how could he fight against King Qi’s army? Most importantly, after the city gate fell, the powerful families in the city lost heart. Each family, only concerned with their own lives, fled with their families and private armies. Who cared if Pengzhou City could be defended?

When Mi Kuang was killed, he was not far away. At that time, he knew that King Qi had been planning in Pengzhou City for a long time, and the assassination of Mi Kuang was part of the plan.

And Mi Kuang’s death made him even more terrified. He began to suspect that there were more assassins sent by King Qi around him.

Immediately after, King Qi’s army stormed into the city. At this point, he finally couldn’t help but flee back to the Mi family.

At this moment, the entire Mi family was also in chaos. Every member of the Mi family was packing up gold, silver, and valuables, preparing to escape. King Qi’s army had already entered the city; Pengzhou City had fallen.

“Is heaven truly going to destroy my Mi family?”

Mi Wenyi muttered to himself as if he had gone mad. Even if he fled back to Jinling City, how would he explain himself to the Prince of Wei? Thinking of this, he became even more desperate.

“Wenyi, quickly leave! The people’s hearts are in chaos, spilt water cannot be recovered. As long as the green mountains remain, there’s no fear of lacking firewood.” Mi Wenyi’s father earnestly pleaded.

Letting out a long sigh, Mi Wenyi followed his father out. Outside, the Mi family’s carriage was waiting. He didn’t know when, if ever, he would return from this departure.