Chapter 485: Explosive Arrows and Shocking Spears

The Ming Dynasty far surpassed previous dynasties in the development of firearms. The Military Equipment Bureau and the Weapons Bureau each performed their duties diligently, focusing on researching and improving various types of firearms. After conquering Champa, Zhang Fu brought back the divine arrows from Annam to the capital. Through repeated refinement by numerous craftsmen, these arrows, which originally only had the advantage of long range, evolved into a series of improved models.

The five-barreled divine arrows that Zhang Yue took out of the box at this moment were the latest masterpiece of the Weapons Bureau. The barrels were made of refined copper, about three feet long, with powder chambers capable of holding roughly three qian of gunpowder. Unlike the solid projectiles commonly used in ordinary firearms, these five-barreled divine arrows were equipped with sharp arrows tipped with triangular barbs, along with ironwood seals to prevent air from entering.

Recalling how the fat eunuch from the Weapons Bureau had demonstrated these weapons when he first received them—how they could pierce a target from 300 steps away—Zhang Yue couldn’t help but pick up one of the arrows to examine it. Seeing Xiang Long and Liu Bao looking nervous beside him, he laughed and said, “What’s there to fear? There’s no gunpowder inside, nor an arrow mounted—there’s no way it’ll fire!”

Lian Sheng and Lian Hu, who had just returned after delivering items to Wang Huan, were red-faced. The initial fear of battle had faded, replaced by an unknown courage. Lian Sheng carefully took the divine arrow from Zhang Yue’s hands and then grinned, saying, “Young master, with such a shortage of manpower, how about letting me give it a try?”

“If anyone could use firearms effectively, then what would be the need for the Divine Machine Corps? Zhou Bailing will soon lead his men here—experienced veterans from the Divine Machine Corps. As for the results, it’ll all depend on luck!”

Knowing that these firearms were mainly used to disrupt cavalry charges or infantry formations, with no expectation of precise aiming, Zhang Yue naturally didn’t expect them to pierce three people with a single arrow, as the fat eunuch had claimed. In modern times, only snipers could achieve such accuracy. Counting the special arrows with ironwood seals in the box, he found there were only two arrows per gun. Initially frustrated, he ended up smiling bitterly after thinking it through.

There was probably only one real chance. If a volley missed, could they expect another chance to load gunpowder?

The West Wall, which had just gone through another fierce battle, was now largely cleared. The corpses of the Tartars were thrown down from the city walls one after another—in the words of a sergeant, even if they couldn’t stop the Tartars from entering the city, the pile of corpses at the foot of the wall could at least shame them to death. At this point in the battle, whether they were highly skilled or merely average, everyone felt their blood boiling with fury; even those who were usually timid gradually grew stronger through repeated confrontations.

“The Tartars are coming again!”

There was no need for the watchtower to sound the alarm—soldiers who had just taken their turns fighting started shouting from the city walls. In an instant, the slightly relaxed atmosphere turned tense once more. Unlike the larger towns in the Central Plains, which had four gates, Xinghe Fort only had east and west gates. In the previous three attacks, the enemy had stormed the east gate relentlessly, leaving the west gate under less pressure. Most people assumed it would be the same this time, but Zheng Pingyuan realized immediately when he saw the direction the large army and siege engines were heading.

He grabbed a bodyguard and ordered sharply, “Have Commander Wang rush out through the west gate at the signal from the watchtower’s alarm!”

Seeing the bodyguard dash off, he instructed another bodyguard, “Have the deputy commander go to the watchtower and be ready to give orders at any moment!”

After arranging these matters, Zheng Pingyuan was worried about the heavy pressure on the west side, wondering whether to send some troops there or stay to command personally. Just then, he saw someone rushing up the stairs in big strides. Recognizing them as two strong men from Zhang Yue’s entourage, he stepped forward quickly and asked, “Can Lord Zhang hold his ground?”

Although Niu Gan wasn’t good at archery, his bull-like strength was enough to fight bandits during their escape. When Zhang Yue asked Peng Shisan to bring him to reinforce, he immediately brought his newly acquired sword without hesitation. Now, seeing Zheng Pingyuan asking him directly, he was momentarily stunned, but Peng Shisan answered first.

“Captain Zhou from the west side took all the remaining musketeers from the Divine Machine Camp and is in charge of coordinating them. They should be able to hold out this time. Lord said that we’ve likely suffered heavy losses in the previous three attacks, so he sent us two to help. We happened to see Commander Wang just now; he said there aren’t many arrows left, and the musketeers in the fort also need to be sent there.”

The previous message finally relieved Zheng Pingyuan. Previously, since the arquebusiers in the fortress hadn’t used arquebuses for years, it was unacceptable to leave hundreds of brand-new Yongle arquebuses and large amounts of gunpowder unused. So starting from last night, he had asked those skilled soldiers from the Divine Machine Camp to teach them hands-on, and that’s how the arquebusiers in the arrow tower came to be. Now that the last-minute efforts were almost complete, everyone had to go into battle. With Zhou Bailing free, he no longer needed to worry about the west side.

“Fire!”

Hearing the sharp shout from the arrow tower, Zheng Pingyuan instantly pushed aside all distractions. Without even thinking, he turned around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the massive invading army. He immediately ordered Peng Shisan and Niu Gan, “I won’t waste words. That section of the wall was originally guarded by three sword and shield soldiers, but now only one remains. You two go there—don’t forget to bring your shields, and be careful of the Tartar arrows!”

As another wave of attackers charged forward, Shini Geng stood on his horse under the black eagle flag, looking extremely relaxed. He even used his whip to point at Xinghe Fortress and said with a smile, “I told my father it would take at most a day and a night. It seems I overestimated them. After this attack, if we launch just one more assault, they definitely won’t be able to hold on! If it weren’t for these two small tribes we encountered on our way, driven out by the Oirat’s Taiping tribe, they wouldn’t have survived this winter without us. Their losses would have been huge!”

“The Great Prince said…”

Although Altan had several sons, everyone knew that Shini Geng was the one he had always intended as his heir. So at a time when victory seemed certain, it was only natural to flatter him. Yet the thousand-household commander who spoke only managed to say half a sentence—the remaining word “yes” got stuck in his throat. Not only him—everyone was stunned when the west gate suddenly opened before the siege engines could even reach it, and a small group of cavalry charged out. Even Shini Geng, who had been so proud moments earlier, turned pale as steel.

That group of cavalry rushed out like lightning, crashing headlong into the troops that hadn’t yet reached the west gate. The leading officer, wielding a long spear, used his strength to knock three men off their feet in one go. With such momentum, the other cavalry followed suit, charging forward with determination and carving a bloody path straight toward the siege engines. After the initial surprise, the Mongol soldiers on both sides quickly closed in, but the coordinated cavalry managed to break through to the front of the siege engines.

Every cavalryman in this charge had a red cloth tied around their head. Though only a few dozen in number, they exuded an air of arrogance and dominance. The king at the center once again knocked someone off his horse, taking deep breaths of the cold air as he, along with a few trusted guards, lit the heavy black fuses in their hands, while still thinking about other matters in his mind.

Previously, some had tried to set fire to stacks of wheat straw and throw them down from the city walls, but unfortunately, those Tartars had their own ways of dealing with such things. The siege engines were covered with thick leather, making them impossible to ignite. At this point, there was only one way to see how effective these new grenades were—had they only had those thunderous bombs from their time defending the north!

He had never tried to be a hero in his life, so he had always gotten through battles and dangerous situations unscathed. As a result, high ranks and generous rewards had never been his fate; he had simply risen step by step. But deep down, didn’t he also have passion? If not, why would he come to such a place? It would have been better for him to stay in the Shanxi military command. When his former superior was trapped, although he couldn’t reach him in time, it was actually out of cowardice. He felt utterly ashamed when he went back to offer sacrifices.

Today, he was determined to take a risk. After all, it was just defending a city—there was no need for this old man to get involved!

At that moment, everyone knew that the purpose of this cavalry unit was solely to target those siege engines. So those in front of the engines fought desperately to block them, while countless arrows rained down on these daring invaders. Seeing those who had disturbed them gradually failing to hold back, Shini Ghan, who had earlier lost his temper and thrown down his whip, turned his anger into joy. He immediately ordered loudly, “Go and check! This counterattack hasn’t even reached the siege engines. Those Han barbarians should give up now!”

“Your Highness, those Han barbarians’ firearms are powerful…”

“No matter how powerful their firearms are, they can’t shoot four hundred paces. Besides, didn’t you see they don’t have any firearms?”

Unable to argue with Shini Ghan, the guards under the black banner had no choice but to protect this noble prince as he advanced, though none of them dared move too fast. When they were still dozens of steps away, a loud explosion suddenly came from that side, followed by a second, then a third… It was a continuous series of blasts. In that instant, although the Mongol horses were well-trained and no longer afraid of the sound of firearms, everyone, including Shini Ghan, was shocked. Before they could see what was happening behind the smoke, two sharp arrows rushed at them with incredible speed.

The Shiniyegan guards were all brave warriors carefully selected by Arutai. The few guards at the front, with their rapid reactions, instinctively drew their swords and stepped forward to block. Yet when a Mongolian giant swung his sword at one of the arrows, not only failed he to knock it away, but his own sword flew out of his hand as well. The arrow pierced deeply into his chest and then emerged from his back, continuing its trajectory to strike the Shiniyegan guards a few steps behind him.
“Great Prince!”
Although another arrow pierced two more unfortunate men, no one had time to worry about that. Everyone knew how much Arutai doted on his son. If anything happened to the Shiniyegan guards, capturing Xinghe would mean certain death for them!