Chapter 541

The chieftain tribal troops on the city walls had already been terrified by the sound of the Ming Army’s artillery. Hearing the explosions of the hand grenades, they assumed the Ming Army was bombarding them again, and they instinctively tried to retreat and find cover. However, they were blocked by the heavily armored Ming soldiers already closing in. As the chieftain tribal troops fell back, the Ming heavy infantry launched their assault. Caught between the advance and retreat, the tribal troops collapsed into a rout. They swarmed toward the stairs, intending to flee, but the steps were too narrow and steep to accommodate so many men at once. With obstacles in front and pursuers behind, disaster struck. In the chaos, the soldiers in the lead were pushed to the ground; before they could stand, they were trampled to death by their fleeing comrades. As the crush intensified, more and more soldiers were tripped, dying beneath the feet of their own men. Realizing the path down the city wall was impassable, the remaining soldiers scrambled along the ramparts toward the distance, where the south wall met the east and west walls.