The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 043 Breaking the City

Splash...

A pot of bubbling, golden broth was carried up to the city wall.

Under Xu Zhao's command, the defending troops poured water directly down towards the ladder.

In an instant, the rebels who were climbing were drenched, and their shrill screams rang out one after another.

Once you get this stuff on you, it's not as simple as just getting hurt. It's practically no different from chemical weapons from later generations; you can't stop it at all.

Amidst screams, the rebel soldiers on the siege ladders fell down like dumplings.

Some fell to the ground and died instantly, while others were still half alive, letting out heart-wrenching cries for help, but were no longer able to struggle.

Even the rebels below the ladders, including the ordinary civilians driven away by Wang Er, suffered lacerations if even a speck of the molten gold touched them. The excruciating burning pain, combined with the molten gold's powerful corrosiveness, rendered them completely incapable of fighting, even if they didn't die on the spot.

As several pots of broth were poured in one after another, the rebel army's formation instantly fell into disarray.

The rebel army, which had just been attacking the city walls, surged back like a receding tide.

One by one, they ran far away, still in shock, looking at the corpses that had fallen to the foot of the city wall, some struggling to survive and others already lifeless... At this moment, where was the enthusiasm they had shown earlier in rushing to climb up first?

Seeing the rebel army repelled, Xu Zhao led his men to hastily push down the siege ladders that were propped up on the city wall. As the ladders fell one after another, Wang Er, who was overseeing the battle from behind, was furious.

"Go! Keep going, you bastards!"

"General, let the brothers rest!"

One of Wang Er's men, with a distressed expression, advised, "The resistance from the city walls is too fierce, and that molten gold... we simply can't hold it off!"

"Stop taking a break, my foot!"

Wang Er, his eyes red, jumped up and down, cursing, "One effort, then decline, then exhaustion! If I can't even take the mere city of Anding, how can I face the rebel king?"

He instinctively glanced back, gritted his teeth, and went all out: "Keep charging! What's there to be afraid of? There's definitely not much of that stuff in the city. If there were enough, these government troops would have used it already. Why would they wait until now to bring it out? Keep charging! Anyone who dares to back down will face my wrath!"

With a clang, Wang Er drew his sword. His expression twisted, his face contorted in a grimace. Then, with a wave of his hand, the pre-prepared supervisory team strode forward, all their gleaming weapons drawn.

Seeing Wang Er's posture, his subordinates felt their scalps tingle.

As veterans who followed Wang Er in his rebellion, they knew very well that their leader was capable of killing.

Back then, Wang Er was able to single-handedly storm into the county government office with a woodcutter's knife and, in full view of everyone, chop off the magistrate's head. This guy was a ruthless man through and through. If you hesitate any longer, the knife in Wang Er's hand will probably be on your own head next.

His subordinates quickly responded and turned to run towards the city wall, gathering the retreating rebels as they ran, reorganizing their forces, and continuing their attack on the city wall.

Wang Er's troops regrouped and launched an offensive once again. The siege ladders that had just been pushed down were erected one after another.

Seeing this, Xu Zhao on the city wall secretly lamented his predicament and could only continue to lead his men in a desperate defense.

The battle raged from dawn until nearly noon, and the fighting was extremely fierce.

Wang Er, below the city walls, risked everything to scale them, while Xu Zhao, atop the walls, fought desperately to defend them. The two sides engaged in a fierce battle, each suffering casualties.

In terms of casualties alone, Wang Er's side naturally suffered greater losses. But Wang Er didn't care about casualties at all; what he wanted was stability! As long as he secured stability, no amount of casualties mattered to him.

As Wang Er launched wave after wave of frenzied attacks, the defenders on the city walls gradually began to falter. Moreover, Xu Zhao had run out of his limited supply of golden liquid. Without this "ultimate weapon," the defenders on the city walls inevitably found themselves in a fierce battle against the overwhelming numbers of the rebel army.

"Kill! Charge in! Haha! Hahaha! Take Anding, and there will be a great reward!"

Wang Er could see clearly from behind that the counterattacks from the city walls were growing weaker and weaker. Especially after using the Golden Juice twice, and now that the situation was critical, they hadn't used it again. Didn't this mean that the defenders had run out of tricks?

Overjoyed, Wang Er intensified his attack, sending two more teams to assist in scaling the city walls. In his view, taking the city walls was only a matter of time. If he just gritted his teeth a little longer, An Ding would be his.

Just as Xu Zhao and his men were fighting desperately, a sudden uproar and screams erupted in the city for some unknown reason.

Xu Zhao subconsciously turned around and looked into the city, then froze.

The city's inhabitants were seen fleeing in all directions. Some of the able-bodied men who had helped guard the city by moving stones and timber dropped what they were carrying and ran for their lives. In the distance, flames soared into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and countless shouts echoed through the air...

"The city has fallen! The rebel army has entered the city! The city has fallen!"

"My lord! Run! Run! An Ding cannot be defended!"

Xu Zhao stood there, stunned. Just then, a young officer ran over, his face covered in blood, and called out urgently to Xu Zhao.

"What happened in the city? Bandits...where did these bandits come from?" Xu Zhao grabbed the other man's collar and asked urgently.

"Yesterday, among the people we released into the city, there were spies from the rebel army! These rebels suddenly attacked and captured Lord Qu, who was on inspection! Now Lord Qu is in the hands of the rebels! The rebels are driving the people out of the city, and An Ding can no longer be held! My lord! Go! Go quickly! Go through the east gate immediately... there is still a glimmer of hope!"

Xiaoqi said eagerly.

Hearing these words, Xu Zhao's expression was pained and filled with remorse; it was all his fault. If only he had insisted a little more when Qu Wenxi wanted to let the people into the city, none of this would have happened.

Although Xu Zhao had anticipated this and prepared contingency plans, he did not expect the rebel army to arrive so quickly and launch such a sudden attack.

Xu Zhao was busy defending the city, but he forgot about the civilians who had been let into the city the day before. Moreover, because there were not enough people on the city walls, and the situation was critical, he had no choice but to transfer people from various parts of the city to provide reinforcements. However, he did not expect that this move would give the rebel army that had infiltrated the city an opportunity.

Now that the enemy has launched a sudden attack at a critical moment, the city is completely unprepared. How can it not be in chaos? Moreover, Magistrate Qu Wenxi has already fallen into the hands of the rebels. Anding City is leaderless. No matter how capable I am, I am powerless to reverse this situation.

Resentful, Xu Zhao glanced back at his men still fighting on the city wall, then closed his eyes in anguish.

He clenched his fist tightly, opened his eyes, and forced out a single word through gritted teeth—

"withdraw!"

He could no longer afford to defend the city; the bandits were already inside, and continuing to defend would mean total annihilation. Xu Zhao understood perfectly well that if they didn't leave now, it would be too late.

Without hesitation, Xu Zhao led the remaining dozens of men, disregarding the rebel army that was about to climb the city wall, and with a single command, quickly descended the city wall and ran wildly towards the east gate without looking back.

Xu Zhao's departure left the constables, yamen runners, laborers, and able-bodied men assisting in the city's defense completely dumbfounded. They looked at each other, utterly bewildered. With chaos erupting in the city, even the quick-witted among them realized the situation was dire. The officials had all fled; what were they still doing here?

Run!

At a shout, everyone dropped their weapons and ran after Xu Zhao in the direction he had fled. Some even stripped off their official robes after descending the city wall and ran straight home. In the blink of an eye, the city wall was completely empty.

"Chuang Wang! Anding City has fallen!"

Liu Zhe ran over to report this with a beaming smile.

Gao Yingxiang was also beaming with joy. He could see clearly from behind that Andingcheng had indeed been captured.

Wang Er's troops finally reached the top of the city wall and raised the banner bearing the character "Wang" (王). Cheers and shouts of joy rose and fell, carrying far and wide. From this moment on, peace and stability were in their hands.

"The Wang brothers are the bravest in the army; they deserve the greatest credit for the Battle of Anding!"

Gao Yingxiang cracked his whip and shouted loudly.

Instantly, cheers from the rebel army resounded everywhere, with shouts of "Long live King Chuang!" and "General Wang Er is brave!" echoing throughout the area.

Seeing this, Zhou Lun, who had previously looked down on Wang Er, couldn't help but secretly admire him. This guy was truly formidable; he had actually managed to take An Ding in one fell swoop. Even if there was some inside help involved, it was still remarkable that such a ragtag group could win a battle.