The iron gate clanged shut, and the third round of shelling from the top of the city exploded next to the iron chariot. The roar inside the chariot made the ears ring and dazzle. Lu Qingli and Yang Keer clung to the iron ring handrails to steady themselves, waiting for the roar. After the sound, Yang Keer quietly ordered: "Open the front aiming port. ¡÷" A craftsman climbed up to the front, stretched out his hand and touched the iron buckle. With a snap, an iron piece as big as a washbasin fell off, revealing a thin strip. Through the narrow gap, dim skylight filtered in from the outside. "Mr. Zhang said, aim at the notch on the left side of the city wall. The cannon and rocket launcher blasted a big hole about ten feet deep in the city wall. Now that's where the muzzle is aimed. Just open fire and bombard it." Lu Qingli said loudly. Yang Ke'er nodded, rolled up her sleeves to reveal her fair arms, bit her lower lip and ordered: "Half a bucket of yellow medicine, three buckets of black medicine, plug in the lead and tamp it down. After loading, the surrounding covers must be tightly closed, and smoke will come out from both sides. The mouth must be opened, otherwise we will all choke to death inside. " Several craftsmen picked up the small wooden bucket and injected the medicine, put a large iron ball the size of a washbasin into the boring mouth, and covered it with a thick steel plate and locked it tightly. Then, open the smoke outlets on both sides, close the sealed door of the back seat, and a thick and long lead extends diagonally outside and is placed next to the back seat. "Everything is ready." the craftsmen reported. Lu Qingli swallowed her foam and said hoarsely: "Kuo'er, light the torch." Yang Ke'er's nervous face turned pale, she took the burning fire stick from the hand of someone beside her and said in a trembling voice: "Qingli, II Let's light the match." Lu Qingli covered her face, nodded and said shakily, "Well" Yang Kouer gritted her teeth and slowly put the fire rope up. Under the night on the Daming Gate Tower of the Imperial Palace, Song Nan, Wan Zhi, Wang Yong and others stood quietly, looking at the thousands of soldiers in the Daming Gate Square. The confrontation between the two sides had been going on for an afternoon, and ever since Song Nan retreated into the palace gate After defending, the soldiers and horses in the square below maintained a posture of attacking at any time. A few hours passed, and although the battle did not start, the atmosphere remained solemn and tense. Song Nan was not worried about them dividing their forces to attack Donghua Gate or Xihua Gate. Although those two palace gates were only guarded by more than a hundred Han generals under Wan Zhi, it stands to reason that if they attack these two palace gates, it would be impossible. It can't be defended; but the condescending defense of more than a hundred Han generals in Jinyiwei armed with fire guns, and the rapid attack of one or two thousand people are not enough to break through quickly. The power of fire guns plays an obvious role in occupying a favorable location. Song Nan actually hoped that they would divide 2,000 men to attack the East and West Palace Gates. Once he learned that they were dividing their troops, Song Nan would take the initiative to attack from the front. The fierce battle at Zhengyang Gate had already forced the mobilization of 7,000 soldiers and horses in the square. They sent more than 2,000 soldiers to assist in the defense; if they dared to divide their troops again, the number of enemy soldiers in the square would be only about 3,000, and Song Nan had roughly the same number of people at hand. How could Song Nan, who had a large number of muskets, be afraid? This kind of battle requires a large number of people, which is why he placed most of his troops on the Daming Gate side. "I'm not afraid that you won't attack other palace gates. As long as you divide your troops, I will give you a head-on blow, annihilate the enemies in the square, directly threaten the rear of Zhengyang Gate, and cooperate with Zhang Lun inside and outside." However, Song Nan's expectations came to naught as the sun set a little bit in the west. The other party obviously realized that their troops were insufficient and refused to disperse their troops. Instead, they concentrated more than 5,000 troops to stare at the Ming Dynasty. The gate not only maintains pressure, but also consolidates rear security on the Zhengyang Gate fierce battle battlefield. Song Nan's anxiety gradually grew over time. If nothing else, he was worried that he would lose the geographical advantage after dark. He would not be able to see the enemy's movements clearly after dark. If the enemy mobilized troops in the dark, If the horse breaks through the Dongxihua Gate in one fell swoop, it will be too late for reinforcements when the battle begins. Moreover, the reason for Song Nan's anxiety was that the siege at Zhengyang Gate had not yet been effective. At noon, the sound of cannons rumbled and the sound of killing was loud. By now, there were only a few cannons, and only the sound of firecrackers was fired. According to Song Nan's experience, most of the cannons have probably been scrapped, and the role of firecrackers in siege warfare is not great. The short range makes firecrackers basically become decorations; this shows that Zhang Lun's attack had no chance of shaking the Zhengyang Gate. Zhang Lun was not an incompetent person. He used the troops of his regiment and camp to attack Zhengyang Gate but could not succeed. It was probably because his previous predictions came true. Other troops in the regiment and camp did not participate. Zhang Lun's troops were not large, so he was unable to do so. form an absolute advantage. Song Nan was completely disappointed with those princes. He made up his mind. If he could control the situation this time, he would wipe out all the princes in the regiment. There would be no need to condone and win over them. They were nothing but disgusting. , quite scary. As soon as it gets dark, Song Nan doesn't know what will happen. Maybe those princes will turn to Yang Tinghe's side if they see the direction of the wind, and then he has no chance of winning. ¡°My lord,?The Lord has come. "Wan Zhi whispered in the ear of Song Nan, who was leaning on the battlement with a sad face. Song Nan quickly came to his senses, with a smile on his face. He turned around and looked down the stairs, but saw Kang Ning wearing a plain-colored palace. Pretending to be walking cautiously towards the top of the city with her skirt in hand, Song Nan hurriedly came to the entrance of the stone steps, stretched out her hand condescendingly, and said softly: "Princess, be careful under your feet, the stone steps are very slippery. " Kang Ning raised his head, with tears still on his face and his eyes slightly red and swollen, but a smile appeared on his face. He stretched out his hand and naturally placed it on Song Nan's palm. Song Nan pushed her lightly and lifted her "It's very dangerous here, what are you doing here?" " Song Nan looked at Kang Ning's face and asked with a smile. Kang Ning said: "You didn't go to see me, so I had to come to see you. No need to explain, I know the situation is very critical and you can't get away. " Song Nan whispered: "Have you cried? Come from Yangxin Hall? " Kang Ning's expression darkened, tears welled up again, and he sobbed: "Your Majesty just went away like this, at such a young age, but he just" Song Nan comforted softly: " Life and death are fateful, don't be too sad, Your Majesty Although he has passed away, the emperor was calm before he left. The emperor had a clear mind and explained things very clearly. Unfortunately, he did not expect that his edict would not be read out to Yang Ting and them before they took action. " Kang Ning nodded and said: "So what if it is announced? They have arranged everything a long time ago, why are they willing to give up? The Queen Mother Sigh The Queen Mother is so confused that she was bewitched by them and became their accomplice. " Song Nan said: "The Queen Mother is indeed bewitched by them. The masterminds of all this are Yang Tinghe and the cabinet minister Liang Feihong. The current situation is also caused by them. Don't worry, I will punish them on behalf of the emperor. By the way, if it weren't for today, With your help, the Han general camp in Xiyuan may not be able to get the news in time, and I may be buried outside the Yangxin Hall. Thank you very much. " Kang Ning whispered: "Are you still polite to me at this time? Song Nan smiled and said: "What I'm saying is that you and I don't have to be so polite. But what I'm curious about is how you brought Wang Yong out of the west gate of the inner city. I know where to block Xiyuan and the inner city." But there are many people guarding it, and the Queen Mother probably has strict orders not to allow people to go to Xiyuan. " Kang Ning smiled and said: "That's not difficult. I just used an excuse to go to Xiyuan to relax and brought Mr. Wang there among the accompanying female officials. I just wronged Mr. Wang and asked him to dress up as a woman. Seeing that he had no other choice, Mr. Wang had no choice but to agree. Song Nan laughed and said: "It seems that Wang Yong must have been a woman in his previous life. He has already pretended to be a woman twice this time. Last time in Ningxia Town, he and I sneaked into Prince Qing's Mansion and were discovered. We were hiding hiding in At one place, the palace guards came in to investigate, and he and I barely managed to escape by pretending to be women. " Kang Ning smiled and said: "Where is it? In Princess Ping'an's boudoir? " Song Nan was stunned and said: "Howhow did you know? " Kang Ning rolled his eyes at him and said, "Do you think you can hide it from me? I can keep an eye on you all the time. " Song Nan was speechless and wanted to make a joke, but this situation was obviously inappropriate. Zhengde was still lying upright in the Yangxin Hall, and there was an overwhelming force of troops outside. The situation was extremely critical, and he was not in the mood to make fun of him. Thinking of the current situation, Song Nan couldn't help but frown slightly, and Kang Ning whispered: "Isn't the matter very difficult? Song Nan smiled and said: "Don't worry, I have everything. You can go back to Shouning Palace and rest. I'm here, are you still worried?" " Kang Ning glanced at Damingmen Square, his face changed slightly and said: "It seems to be really difficult. You shouldn't have returned to Beijing alone. You should have returned to Beijing with the army. Even if they control the capital, you can still defeat them. them. The current situation is very difficult. Song Nan shook his head and said: "Of course I know this, but I can't do that. The emperor gave Zhang Yong a jade pendant, implying that he asked me to return to Beijing. How could I not go back to Beijing to see the emperor for the last time?" Besides, if Yang Tinghe and others are allowed to control the situation, although I can lead an army to attack the capital, they will use the fake edict as a shield, and my behavior will become an act of rebellion. How can I let them pour this dirty water on me? On your body? " Kang Ning sighed lowly and said: "That's right. People who cherish feathers naturally don't want others to throw dirty water. But this time I'm afraid it will be a disaster. Whether you can survive it depends on whether God is with you. I hope the emperor will be brave. It's not far away, please help us turn danger into good luck and survive this disaster. " Song Nan was just about to say something encouraging like it was useless to rely on heaven and had to rely on oneself to make Kang Ning's mood better. When he opened his mouth, he suddenly heard a loud thunder-like sound in his ears, which made his eardrums buzz. Thinking back, it seemed like There was a muffled thunder in the clear sky, and the city wall under his feet seemed to shake a few times. Song Nan shook his head like a reflex.Kang Ning was hugged in his arms and huddled under the crenellation. Wang Yong, Wanzhi and others also changed their expressions, and the city was in panic. Song Nan thought it was soldiers and horses in the square who fired at the palace gate, and asked loudly: "Find out where the cannon was fired and where it hit? How many casualties were there? Is the palace gate safe?" Wang Yong looked south, dumbfounded. He said blankly: "Sir, it's not our placeit's the sound of gunfire outside Zhengyang Gate." Song Nan was shocked and pulled Kang Ning, who was pale in beauty, to stand up. He looked towards the Zhengyang Gate battlefield in the south, but saw a column of black smoke rising into the sky. It rose up like a black peony blooming in the dim skylight, steaming and stirring, covering a small half of the sky, making people feel goosebumps all over their bodies. The tens of thousands of officers and soldiers inside and outside the Daming Gate stood stunned as if they had been enchanted, their necks twisted toward the Zhengyang Gate, staring at the rising black clouds, their mouths open, and they were shocked on the spot. ¡ Yang Keer gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, put the fire stick on the fuse and ignited it. For a moment, the flames on the fuse flew and made a loud hissing sound. The rising smoke was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder and filled the noses of everyone inside the chariot. Lu Qingli and Yang Keer cuddled tightly together, staring at the increasingly shorter lead, both of their bodies trembling slightly. "Kuo'er, are you afraid?" "Inot afraid, Qingliwhat about you?" "Inot afraid either." "Yeswe are not afraid. In short, I am with you and you are with me. Stay with me, we are not afraid." The two of them whispered in each other's ears dreamily, cheering each other up, but it was hard to express the fear in their hearts. This was the first time that this giant iron chariot cannon was fired, and it was made in the arsenal. The two of them knew that the accident rate of the firearm was very high when it was fired for the first time; the same was true for other firearms, let alone such a giant cannon. Once an accident occurs, everyone inside the iron chariot will be wiped out with no bones left. It would be strange if they are not afraid. "Boom." An earth-shaking loud noise sounded in Zhengyangmen Square. The earth shook, and the stones and dust on the ground jumped and flew for a moment. There was a buzzing in the eardrums of Zhang Lun, the little princess, and everyone present. For a moment, they could not hear any sound, but they saw black smoke steaming. After the loud noise, the entire iron chariot was covered by a dense black puff. It was shrouded in smoke, as if it was wrapped in a thick layer of black cotton. Hundreds of steps away, on the left side of Zhengyang Gate, the Zhankou general cannon and rocket launcher took an entire afternoon to bombard the deep groove in the city wall. It was hit by a huge shell. The violent explosion was mixed with ramming. Black smoke from earth, stone, bricks, like a rushing torrent, rushed out from the side of the city wall; black smoke and dust floated into the air, covering the entire city wall in black smoke. After a while, it was like a huge black Mushrooms grow on the top of the city wall, constantly swaying. This doomsday scene made everyone present heartbroken and frightened, making it difficult to control themselves. "It worked they succeeded." There was a shout from the stunned crowd. Ye Fanggu shouted and rushed forward, rushing towards the iron chariot that was revealed after the smoke dissipated. When the rear iron door opened, inside It was dark and silent; Ye Fanggu shouted loudly: "Qingli Qingli, Kerr Kerr, are you okay? You guys talk." The little princess Dai Suer, Zhu Fengtong and other daughters also arrived soon after, handing over the lantern Coming up, Ye Qinggu climbed up to the inside of the tall chariot in two or three steps. After a while, she let out a scream. The little princess also climbed up in a hurry. Amidst the choking smoke and the dim light of the wind lamp, she saw Lu Qingli. Their faces were leaning on Ye Fanggu's chest. Their hair was disheveled, and there seemed to be blood flowing out of their nostrils and corners of their mouths, but their eyes were open, radiating excitement. "Qingli, Kerr, how are you? Are you okay?" Ye Fanggu called out sweetly. Lu Qingli and Yang Kouer seemed unaware and murmured: "It's successful, it's successful." Ye Fanggu shouted a few more words, but they still didn't respond. With a thought, the little princess stepped forward and brushed the black hair from their ears. , but seeing a thin line of blood flowing out of their ear holes, she suddenly said in shock: "Sister Ye, the ears of sister Qingli and sister Kou'er are probably" Ye Fanggu's heart was cold, and she hugged the two of them without saying a word. Then he walked out, and with the help of the little princess, he moved the two of them from the high belly of the car to the outside. The two of them had not yet realized that they had lost their hearing. They excitedly shouted to the surrounding girls: "Success. Success." Zhu Fengtong's eyes were slightly red, and he stepped forward to check carefully and said: "The sound of the explosion was so loud that it seemed to shatter the eardrums. We were so far away outside and almost lost our breath, but they were inside. , How loud is the sound there? Hey. Wrap their ears with cotton cloth quickly. They must not be injured anymore. After that, they will seek medical treatment to see if they can recover. " Ye Fanggu burst into tears., but also knew that this was not the time to investigate and blame anyone, so they ordered people to get cotton strips to bandage the two of them personally. Lu Qingli and Yang Keer still didn't understand what happened, and there was a sound like a mountain roaring in their ears, and they He thought it was the reverberation of an explosion and didn't pay any attention to it. But when I saw that everyone's movements and demeanor when speaking were wrong, and there were tears in everyone's eyes, I realized that something had happened. When Ye Fanggu was about to bandage their ears, they suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem. "What's wrong with us?" Lu Qingli's voice was surprisingly loud, but she didn't hear her own words at all. Yang Keer had already understood. She reached out to hold Lu Qingli's hand and wrote on her hand: "We are deaf." Lu Qingli stood blankly, and after a moment, she held Yang Keer's hand, smiled sadly, and stopped talking. The two stood silently, letting the little princess and Ye Qinggu wrap their ears with cloth and pull up the hood to cover them. While the girls of the Song family were busy, the black clouds on the city gradually dissipated. After being shocked, the generals and soldiers began to quickly assess the power of the cannon. The wall at the east end of Zhengyang Gate was destroyed by this The explosion caused by a cannon destroyed half of it, and nearly a third of the outer third of the thick city wall, which was more than four feet wide, collapsed, forming a huge depression. That shot was hitting the inside of the hollowed-out outer wall, directly shattering the solid city wall like a copper wall and an iron wall. Zhang Lun was extremely excited after hearing the report. With this power, if three or four more cannons were fired, a huge gap would be penetrated in the city wall. So he immediately went to the place where the women were busy and asked for more cannons to destroy it. city ??wall. However, when he learned that both women's ears were deafened, he was stunned. "Mr. Zhang, don't worry. Even if we are all deaf, we will still break down the city wall and rescue my husband. I will go and fire the cannon." Ye Fanggu said quietly. "I'm going too, so what if I'm deaf? My husband can't be saved, so we'd rather die." The little princess also said with her chest raised. Zhang Lun stamped his feet and said: "Sister, please don't cause trouble, okay? You are all deaf and blind, why don't Song Nan tear me apart? Don't get excited, I will just order my men to fire. It's just the proportion of gunpowder." , We don¡¯t understand the operation of this iron knot. "Although Lu Qingli and Yang Keer are deaf, they can understand why the people in front of them are arguing. The two looked at each other and nodded in understanding. Lu Qingli gently pulled Ye Qinggu's clothes. Sleeve, indicating that he has something to say.