Southern Ming Rebel Army

"Governor, please leave the city. I'll watch from the top of the city," Lin Shiqi said to Meng Jun.

Meng Jun said without comment, "Wait a little longer, there's no rush," and continued to observe the situation on the battlefield.

The sky was filled with smoke, and cannons, stone ramparts, and arrows rained down on the city like raindrops. The Qing army's cannons were also firing continuously, and the city walls were riddled with pits from the Qing army's shells. Occasionally, a shell hit the battlement, and gravel flew everywhere, killing or injuring the defenders.

However, the catapults behind the city did not have to worry about the shells and were controlled in an orderly manner.

The second batch of Qing troops launched a charge towards the city wall amid the sound of trumpets. Braving the arrows, the Qing infantrymen stepped on the trench bridge and rushed under the bridge, then erected ladders and climbed up.

A dozen long ladders were quickly set up on the city wall, and the defenders on the top of the city rolled down stones and battering rams like hail, causing the Qing army to scream in agony.

"Governor, it's time for you to leave the city," Lin Shiqi rushed to Meng Jun again and persuaded him.

This time Meng Jun did not hesitate. He nodded to Lin Shiqi and said, "I will leave the city to you. I will support you."

After saying that, Meng Jun looked outside the city again, then walked down the tower. Lin Shiqi quickly walked to the enemy tower and saw that the siege tower was about to cross the moat and approach the city wall. He hurriedly shouted to the defenders beside him, "Siege tower, siege tower!"

Each of the three defenders picked up a kerosene can and threw it with all their might, hitting the slowly approaching siege tower. The kerosene can shattered and the kerosene flowed out. One of the men shot a rocket, and the huge siege tower began to catch fire. The Qing soldiers inside jumped off the tower screaming.

The Qing troops under the siege tower fled in panic, and the defenders on the top of the city took the opportunity to shoot, and countless Qing soldiers fell to the ground. Lin Shiqi looked at the results of the battle with a gratified smile on his face. This kerosene is really a weapon for defending the city. The only pity is that the kerosene reserves in Suzhou City are not abundant. However, this is just the beginning, and there is no shortage on the city wall.

The second batch of Qing troops was even weaker than the first batch, and they were quickly defeated. Some Green Camp soldiers even knelt on the ground and begged the defenders for mercy, but the arrows from the city shot into their chests mercilessly. The defenders on the city had defended the city for two battles and had gained confidence. They felt that the Qing army was no more than that. When they saw the Qing army retreating again, they cheered on the wall.

At the rear of the Qing army camp, the Eight Banners officers who were watching the battle frowned. Tulai said to Bolo, "General, Bai Yongfu's soldiers are useless. They can only consume the defenders' equipment. And from the looks of it, even if they go up again, they will collapse at the first blow, which will only hurt the morale of the army."

Bolo flicked his whip and said, "Well, let's change people and let Ma Degong take over."

Ma Degong, a native of Liaodong, rose to the rank of general in the Ming Dynasty, reaching the ceiling of military men. In June of the second year of Shunzhi (1645), Duoduo marched into Jiangnan. Zhu Yousong, the Hongguang Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty, fled hastily from Nanjing to Wuhu. The guards who followed him were the troops of Ma Degong and Tian Xiong.

Ma Degong and another general, Tian Xiong, thought together that the Ming Dynasty was doomed, so they captured Zhu Yousong and his concubines and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.

Duoduo was overjoyed and ordered Ma Degong and Tian Xiong to resume their original posts and join the army in the expedition. Duoduo praised the two for capturing Emperor Hongguang and also carried them into the Eight Banners of Han, which were affiliated with the Han Army's Yellow Banner. After capturing Emperor Hongguang, Duoduo was filled with pride and led most of the Eight Banners, Emperor Hongguang, the crown prince, and hundreds of female relatives in the harem back to Beijing in triumph, leaving Bolo to continue to wipe out the remnants of the Ming army in Jiangnan.

After receiving the order, Ma Degong shouted to his men, "We have already joined the Han army, and our generations will enjoy prosperity and wealth. This battle will show our strength. If anyone loses face for me, don't blame me for being ruthless, hum..."

Soon, Ma Degong's troops began to enter the front line to replace Bai Yongfu's subordinates. All siege equipment was ready. Ma Degong roared, and thousands of Han troops with yellow flags formed an array and slowly stepped into the battlefield with the sound of trumpets.

At this time, the sound of artillery fire on the battlefield gradually died down. The artillery had been firing for so long that the barrel would explode if it did not stop. The artillery on both sides stopped one after another, and only the shouting and fighting sounds were still heard one after another.

Perhaps because of the raising of the flag, or because Bai Yongfu gathered a large number of defeated troops, Ma Degong's troops were a little stronger than Bai Yongfu's troops. It's strange to say, these surrendered generals were all incompetent in the Ming Dynasty, but once they surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and shaved their heads, their combat effectiveness soared, they were just fighting like their old colleagues. Historically, most of the main forces used by the Qing court to pacify the Southern Ming Dynasty were former Ming surrendered troops and generals. It seemed that as long as they shaved their heads and kept their braids, their combat effectiveness would increase as if they had taken stimulants.

The appearance of the new force made the defenders on the city wall a little uneasy. Since the beginning of the battle, the defenders have been fighting on the city wall for a long time. Lin Shiqi, as the defender of the North City, also had a black face and sweat running down his cheeks. Lin Shiqi ran back and forth on the city wall, "Quick, rotate, rotate quickly!"

The infantrymen on standby under the city wall rushed to the city wall in groups, and quickly completed their deployment before Ma Degong's troops arrived at the city wall. The young men methodically carried bundles of arrows to various positions.

The injured soldiers were also carried down from the top of the city wall. The bright red blood on the top of the wall of Suzhou's north city seeped into the bricks, and some soldiers would slip if they were not careful.

"Come here, quickly fetch some sand." Upon seeing this, Lin Shiqi immediately ordered his personal guards to take some civilians to the foot of the city to fetch some sand to cover the top of the wall.

The Qing army mainly attacked the north city, but when Bolo arrived in Suzhou, they had already begun to besiege the city on three sides, leaving only one side open. Only the south city was left without any garrison. Even so, Meng Jun did not dare to be careless and still left heavy troops in the south city. The current Suzhou soldiers, although not elite, are at least sufficient in number.

Now that the building is about to collapse, we can only try our best. Perhaps Suzhou City can hold on to the end, or perhaps the final victory is too far away and seems like a luxury now. But at least Meng Jun now has the qualifications to perish together with Bolo.

In the history of the Southern Ming Dynasty, the wave of resistance in Jiangnan against the shaving order was only a flash in the pan, and soon afterwards it became the granary and treasury of the Qing Dynasty. Without Jiangnan, the north at that time would have been extremely devastated by the looting of the peasant rebels. The Qing court could only rely on the rich Jiangnan area for money and food to conquer the world. As long as Jiangnan was not stable, the Qing court would not be able to rule the world.