Amidst the thunderous war cries, countless Ming Army soldiers surged toward the battlefield. Armored soldiers held shields in the front, soldiers in the middle broke the ground to dig, and those behind them provided cover with constant fire. Unlike the previous assaults, this time they were not ordered to charge; they rushed onto the battlefield of their own volition. They knew that the Imperial Court finally recognized them, viewing them as living human beings rather than mere fodder to be sent to their deaths.
The Mongols on the city walls were too preoccupied to interfere, forced to let the Ming Army dig at will. "Quick, send reinforcements!" ordered Hang Gao, the commander of the right wing, who was observing the battle from the south wall. He hastily dispatched troops from both the south and west sectors. With the arrival of reinforcements, the Mongols launched a counterattack. Initially, the fighting was fierce, with arrows and projectiles flying incessantly. Once the Ming Army had established their tunnel entrances and shifted the majority of their energy to earthworks, the long-range exchanges gradually dwindled.
While the Ming Army dug, the Mongols were not idle. They gathered soldiers with keen hearing to press their ears against the inner sides of the walls, attempting to track the path of the tunnels to intercept and flood them. By evening, the Ming Army stopped their cover fire but continued digging, stationing heavy guards at the tunnel entrances. Once a tunne…
Chapter 685