Chapter 599

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“Boom, boom, boom…”

The twelve-pound siege cannons continuously bombarded the city gate and walls. Some of the cannons were used to deal with Prince Wei’s cannons on the city ramparts.

In Jinling City, upon learning that their cannons were constantly being deflected by the long-range Dengzhou cannons, Prince Wei was furious. “Xiao Ming, you scoundrels are ruining me!”

Just as he was cursing, a sudden, huge collapsing sound came. The city wall of the South Gate, under the continuous bombardment of cannons, completely collapsed from the middle.

Seeing this, Prince Wei’s face turned from white to black. Among the princes of Xiao Wenxuan’s era, only he had never been to a battlefield. At this moment, he was at a loss.

But he at least understood one thing: the breach of the city gate meant that Jinling City was about to fall. He himself no longer believed they could defeat the Dengzhou army.

“Boom.” Soon, the city wall on the other side of the South Gate also collapsed with a roar.

“Soldiers, charge!” At this moment, Ye Qingyun, holding a long sword, was the first to rush forward. The soldiers holding flintlock guns followed closely behind, charging into Jinling City like ferocious tigers descending from the mountains, through the city gate and the breaches in the city wall.

The Wei army soldiers inside the city woke up as if from a dream. Then they saw a green torrent rush into the city, facing nothing but soldiers holding long spears. Before he could even shout, he felt a chill in his chest, then he watched his own blood spurt from his chest. Before dying, extreme fear made him let out one last shriek.

After entering the city, the Dengzhou army soldiers were like tigers entering a flock of sheep. With long-range shooting and close-quarters bayonets, the coordination between long and short range was highly skilled. The Wei army that came to stop their entry was usually routed after just a few volleys of shots and bayonet charges.

The chaos in the South quickly spread throughout Jinling City. The air throughout the city was filled with the stench of death. Prince Wei, protected by his personal guards, rallied his soldiers. Everything before him exceeded his imagination. He watched the continuous rout of Wei’s elite forces. His body was colder than winter blades. A voice told him that it was all over now. Wherever the Dengzhou army passed, it was like slaughtering cattle and sheep, leaving behind only cold corpses. Although he desperately yelled orders to attack, the terrified soldiers offered no resistance and were quickly disintegrated.

“Your Highness, let’s go! If we don’t leave now, it will be too late! The East Gate and West Gate have both been breached by the Dengzhou army. Our city walls simply cannot withstand the cannon fire.”

A group of officials pleaded behind Prince Wei. They had initially thought that numbers were an advantage, but they were wrong. Now they completely understood that firearms were the true advantage.

It was truly tragic that Wei’s soldiers were shot dead before even engaging the Dengzhou army.

And facing this combat style they had never encountered, the soldiers collapsed very quickly. Coupled with the fact that many soldiers already had reservations about Prince Wei, they fled even faster.

“Yes, Your Highness, where there’s life, there’s hope,” an official advised.

Prince Wei shook his head at this. He said, “You go. I cannot go. Xiao Ming has won, and I have lost.”

He knew clearly that all of his direct military units were gone. Even if he escaped to other prefectures, he would only be living at the mercy of other powerful families.

At this moment, many officials no longer cared about Prince Wei. The tide had turned, and when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. For the officials and generals, they were merely switching masters; there was no need to be buried alongside Prince Wei.

According to the plan, Ye Qingyun led the musketeers to capture the city gate of Jinling City. After defeating Prince Wei’s army, Ye Qingyun felt a surge of emotion. Although he already understood the power of firearms, he did not expect such immense destructive power in war.

The Wei army soldiers guarding the city gate numbered at least 6,000, but a few volleys from the musketeers completely wiped out these Wei army soldiers. Not a single Wei army soldier even advanced within ten meters of the musketeers.

After capturing the city gate of Jinling City, Ye Qingyun lit fireworks as agreed. The purpose of these fireworks was simple: to inform Yue Yun that the city had been captured, and at the same time, to signal the soldiers at the east and west gates to attack simultaneously.

“Boom!” The fuse burned down, and then a bright object shot skyward, exploding into a colorful circular pattern in the sky, exceptionally brilliant.

Yue Yun’s warships actually hadn’t gone far. Seeing the fireworks from Jinling City, he smiled. He knew Ye Qingyun had succeeded.

From morning to afternoon, progress was finally being made.

After capturing the city gate, Ye Qingyun did not stop. He wanted to expand the results of the battle, so he shouted, “Soldiers, it’s time to reap the enemy’s heads! Charge!”

“Kill!” The soldiers’ morale was high. Having fought with their backs to the wall to take the city, and now seeing the entry into the city, they didn’t want to let the high rewards escape, especially from the powerful families and influential figures within the city.

The rumbling footsteps pounded continuously. Hearing this sound, Prince Wei’s soldiers completely lost the will to fight and fled, with more choosing to lay down their weapons and surrender to the Dengzhou army.

The subsequent battle became very easy. Ye Qingyun advanced from south to north, encountering almost no resistance along the way. Everywhere, Prince Wei’s soldiers were kneeling on the ground.

“Governor, this is Prince Wei’s mansion!” a soldier said, pointing to a residence not far away.

Ye Qingyun looked and immediately smiled with delight. He said, “Soldiers, surround Prince Wei’s mansion. Don’t let anyone inside escape. There might be some important figures in there.”