Southern Ming Rebel Army

Ma Degong's troops used shield soldiers as the front guard. The siege equipment built in the Qing army camp for several days were all put into the battlefield. The Qing army quickly arrived at the city wall and set up ladders in more than ten places to attack the city. Four siege towers were also slowly approaching the city wall. The Suzhou defenders also divided their troops to defend. Everyone fought to the end. Everyone knew that the Tartar's threat of massacre was not just talk.

Bricks and stones were thrown down from the city walls, and spears, muskets, arrows, kerosene, gold juice, all the city defense equipment were put to use. The Qing soldiers who climbed up the city walls were either beheaded on the spot or hugged by the Suzhou soldiers and jumped off, both dying together under the city. In terms of fighting spirit and determination, the defenders were no less powerful.

Ma Degong's face was filled with anxiety. Every time the Qing soldiers climbed up the city wall with great difficulty and just stood firm, a team of more than a hundred elite soldiers in bright armor would rush over to fill the gaps in the city defenses left by the Qing army.

That team of people was Lin Shiqi's personal guard. Under Lin Shiqi's leadership, as long as the Qing army climbed up the wall and achieved some results, the personal guard would immediately swarm up.

However, the siege towers moved slowly and were easily targeted by the defenders' kerosene. After the defenders burned down two more siege towers, the Qing army did not continue to advance the remaining two siege towers. Instead, they increased the protection of the siege towers. The Qing army placed a large amount of sand and soil inside the towers, and covered the outside with cowhide for protection where kerosene was easily thrown.

After fighting for about half an hour, Ma Degong became more and more irritable, and roared with gritted teeth, "Ma Chu, bring the servants." Ma Degong had more than a thousand servants, who were Ma Degong's elite troops. If he didn't want to show off his skills in front of his new master, Ma Degong would be reluctant to throw his family fortune into this meat grinder.

"Yes, sir," Ma Chu bowed and clasped his hands towards Ma Degong.

After saying that, Ma Chu quickly reorganized the servants. He saw that among the more than a thousand people, most of them were of sturdy build, all of them were wearing cotton armor, holding swords and shields, and their spirit was much stronger than that of the Green Camp.

The shouting from below the city startled Lin Shiqi who was guarding the city. He looked over and saw that the Qing army was in neat uniforms. It was obvious that the Qing army generals were serious about their actions. Lin Shiqi hesitated for a moment, then said to the guards beside him, "Please ask the commander-in-chief to dispatch a team of heavily armored troops to the north city to be prepared for any eventuality." After saying that, he saw the guards were about to leave and hurriedly added, "Please also dispatch the fire gun team."

The guards responded quickly and then walked quickly towards the city.

This group of cavalry servants quickly crossed the floating bridge over the moat and reached the ladders on the city wall. The servants cooperated with each other and suffered few casualties under the cover of their shields. The Qing army climbed the ladders screaming, and Lin Shiqi had already noticed that this was an elite group. Arrows rained down on the Qing army, but with the protection of armor, the Qing army suffered less damage.

There was also a team of hundreds of people who closely followed the remaining two siege towers. Although the kerosene thrown by the defenders also ignited the siege towers, the Qing soldiers inside the towers frantically used sand to put out the fire, and the siege towers still leaned against the city wall.

"Throw the kerosene quickly!" the defenders shouted miserably, and dozens of cans of kerosene were thrown on the siege tower, starting a fire on the tower. However, more than a hundred Qing soldiers in the tower still swarmed out and reached the top of the city wall.

Bolo watched from behind the camp as Ma Degong's troops rushed up to the top of the city wall and occupied a small piece of territory. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "General Ma is still loyal and works hard."

Beizi Shangshan scratched his nose and said excitedly, "Marshal, why don't you send some elite troops to the city? Who knows, we might be able to capture Suzhou in one battle."

Bolo's instinct told him that it wouldn't be that easy, but after staying in the pass for too long, anything could happen, so it wouldn't hurt to take a chance. Thinking of this, Bolo nodded and said, "Yeah, sure."

Shang Shan excitedly asked, "General, I am willing to lead our troops to attack the city."

When Bolo heard Shangshan asking for orders to attack the city, he was a little hesitant. After all, Shangshan was also a royal family member. Although there were many royal family members in the Qing court who went into battle at that time, most of them were important decisive battles for the country's destiny.

And this Suzhou was just an ordinary battle for Bolo. No one could guarantee absolute safety on the battlefield. If anything unexpected happened, how would he explain to Fei Yangwu? Fei Yangwu was the nephew of Nurhaci and the cousin of Huang Taiji. He had made outstanding contributions in the Eight Banners. Although Shangshan's grandfather Shurhaci had been at odds with Nurhaci and even imprisoned to death, Shurhaci's descendants were not implicated. For example, the sixth son Jirgalang was the Prince of Regent at this time.

Aixinjuelu Shangshan, son of Zhenguogong Fei Yangwu, grandson of Heshuozhuang Prince Shuerhaci, and a member of the Qing Dynasty royal family. In the first year of Shunzhi, he inherited the title of Fuguogong and was promoted to Gushan Beizi. Shangshan is only 24 years old now, which is the time when he is full of fighting spirit and eager to make brilliant achievements on the battlefield, rather than being seen as a second-generation figure who relies on his father.

But Boro was obviously more cautious and waved his hand to refuse, but Shangshan hurriedly bowed and said, "General, our Eight Banners warriors are good at fighting. In the past, Taizu raised his army with thirteen sets of armor. As a member of the royal family, how can I sit back and enjoy the success? I am willing to lead my troops to climb the city first."

Seeing that all the generals were looking at him, Bolo nodded and said, "Well, in that case, go ahead."

Shang Shan excitedly bowed his head in response to the order, then hurriedly called upon his six hundred elite blue flag soldiers to rush towards the top of the city.

Bolo whispered a few words to his personal guards, and then the personal guards, along with more than a dozen of Bolo's personal guards, caught up with Shangshan.

The perspective returns to the top of the city wall, and the situation there is somewhat critical. Although the Qing army is still temporarily crowded in a small area on the top of the city wall, the Qing army below the city is like ants, holding various equipment, pushing battering rams, and constantly hitting the city gates. The ladders everywhere are under the cover of the Qing army archers below the city, and they are climbing up the city like ants. Soldiers are constantly falling from the city.

"Go, follow me." Seeing that the Qing troops at the siege tower could not be cleared out for a long time, Lin Shiqi rushed up with the remaining guards around him. With spears, short blades, axes and maces, the two armies fought a life-and-death battle in an area several meters wide on the top of the wall. The Qing troops on the siege tower who could not squeeze into the top of the city wall drew their bows and shot arrows, and the arrows of the defenders of the city wall were not lacking. The two armies fired a large number of arrows at this small area.

In just a short while, the corpses of both sides piled up to half a person's height, and the siege tower, after being burned by kerosene for so long, seemed to be crumbling.

"Hurry up and squeeze in!" The Qing soldiers in the tower showed anxious looks. The shaking of the tower was getting stronger and stronger. It might collapse at the next moment. More than a dozen Qing soldiers jumped into the top of the city again, but there was no place to stand on the top of the city. They stepped on the corpses of their comrades.

"Squeak... squeak, squeak" a sound of grinding teeth was heard, and the siege pillars were seen being burned off by the fire, and fell obliquely against the city wall. The Qing soldiers under the city hurriedly dodged, and one man was trapped in the gap of the collapsed siege tower, and was burned by the flames next to him. The Qing soldier let out a shrill scream, and more than a dozen Qing soldiers on the top of the city showed looks of despair. Several of them fought to the death, but were immediately killed by the defenders on the top of the city. Four or five others dropped their weapons and knelt down to surrender.