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A seemingly simple battle ended up costing Mr. Seiji dearly, leaving him humiliated and his disciples suffering nearly a hundred casualties. This humiliation was indescribable, and Mr. Seiji himself was furious.
As the esteemed Advisor of the Martial Arts Association, second only to Young Master Ming, it was utterly frustrating for Mr. Seiji to have fallen at the hands of Zuo Zixiong, the Vice Sect Leader of the Red Robe Sect.
Mr. Seiji stood behind the fire line with the surviving disciples, watching as the flames roared and danced in the wind, spreading westward.
His lips trembled uncontrollably, and his body shook slightly. He swung his sleeve and shouted, "Bring out the cannons and blast them to pieces!"
Mr. Seiji had brought two cannons to Anzhou, covered with canvas to avoid drawing attention; outsiders would never suspect they were cannons at first glance.
Cannons were strictly prohibited among civilians, but the Martial Arts Association was bold enough to secretly hoard even currency molds and banknote templates—what else could they possibly fear?
The two Kerosene Cannons were hidden among the Caravan and fortunately had not been damaged by the fire; they remained intact.
Several Martial Artists rushed over with horses pulling the cannon carts, quickly unhitching them and aiming the cannon barrels at the Gorge across from them.
At that moment, a few more Martial Artists dragged over large wooden barrels filled with kerosene, prying open the nails with specially made steel tools before pouring kerosene into the oil pool along with bags of lead pellets.
The lead pellets were small, even smaller than beans, poured into the oil pool bag by bag. As the fuse was lit, "Bang! Bang!" The two Kerosene Cannons fired in succession, unleashing a rain of lead pellets that covered the area densely.
These Kerosene Cannons used kerosene as fuel and relied on lead pellets to inflict harm; they were homemade artillery with less power than the Fire Thunder Cannons used by the Great Zhou Court. Their range was only five hundred steps but were much simpler to manufacture.
The Fire Thunder Cannons had pre-made shells brought in box after box; once ignited in their barrels, they could launch Fire Thunder with immense power and long range capable of leveling Stone Mountain.
As the two Kerosene Cannons fired, hundreds of Red Robe Sect disciples who had yet to react fell to the ground from several hundred steps away.
A pungent smell of kerosene spread through the Gorge as lead pellets flew through the air, capable of piercing through a person's palm.
Zuo Zixiong sensed that the situation was dire. He never expected that the Martial Arts Association would have cannons and would dare to transport them openly on the main road.
Seeing that many disciples of the Holy Sect were injured and lying on the ground, Zuo Zixiong quickly ordered everyone to retreat.
The first disciples to react turned around and began to flee, rushing up the mountain to avoid the bombardment from the Kerosene Cannon.
As the second round of Kerosene Cannon was loaded, without any warning, two loud booms echoed, followed by a barrage of lead pellets flying in, knocking down the Red-Clad Disciples who had not yet managed to escape.
Loading the Kerosene Cannon was troublesome, but the disciples of the Martial Arts Association were skilled at coordinating, shortening the intervals between shots, resulting in a continuous wave of bombardment that was extremely intimidating.
The Red-Clad Disciples who fell to the ground were not immediately killed unless their injuries were particularly severe. However, once hit by the lead pellets, they experienced excruciating pain, and those with more serious injuries would die after struggling for a short while.
Especially for the Cavalry, they became prime targets due to their size; when a cannon fired, it was often them who suffered first.
In front of the cannons, the Cavalry lost all advantages and instead became at a disadvantage, with even their horses being killed.
Under such circumstances, the disciples of the Red Robe Sect could no longer charge forward; they could only retreat up the mountain, with casualties along the way.
With just two cannons, they were forced into such a state, demonstrating their immense power that was beyond human resistance.
This time it was Zuo Zixiong who gritted his teeth in frustration; his earlier confidence had vanished. In front of the Kerosene Cannon of the Martial Arts Association, he had no means to counterattack and lacked any strength to fight back.
He could see two cannons several hundred steps away still spewing flames, with waves of lead pellets shooting towards them. Although they could not reach the mountaintop, they effectively prevented anyone from coming down and trapped them above.
If the coal oil and lead pellets of the Martial Arts Association did not run out, then it meant that Zuo Zixiong and his group would be trapped on the mountain waiting for death.
Zuo Zixiong took a deep breath, looking at the disciples who had retreated. Most of them were injured, covered in dirt, and in a state of utter disarray.
Moreover, from their faces, Zuo Zixiong could faintly see their fear of the Kerosene Cannon. These individuals were mostly farmers with little experience; they didn't even know what a cannon was, which led to their defeat and their fear of it.
Their morale was completely shattered. In this situation, ordering them to charge would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths. They could only find temporary refuge on the mountain.
The sound of cannon fire rumbled on for nearly half a quarter of an hour before finally stopping. Looking at the battlefield, it was a scene of devastation, filled with smoke and chaos. The ground had been turned over, with mud pits everywhere and the smell of kerosene lingering in the air; a single spark could set the entire mountain ablaze.
It seemed that the Martial Arts Association's cannons had ceased fire. Zuo Zixiong ordered several disciples to attempt a retreat down the mountain to test the path. However, they had barely taken a few steps when they entered the range of the Kerosene Cannon and were immediately hit by lead pellets, leaving them bloodied and unrecognizable.
Zuo Zixiong was startled and quickly called back those who had started to retreat, urging them to return to the mountain. It was only then that everyone realized they were trapped; they couldn't launch an attack or fall back, putting them in a dire situation.
Zuo Zixiong counted the number of people on the mountain. To his dismay, more than half of those he had brought were either dead or injured, and they had lost over ten warhorses. This was an enormous loss for the Branch.
At this point, there was no way to break out; they could only wait on the mountain and see if any miracle would occur.
However, after waiting for a while, even Zuo Zixiong felt disappointed. What miracle could possibly happen? Their leader Lu Chen was supposed to arrive; if everyone was trapped, waiting on the mountain was a last resort and the worst-case scenario.
Originally, Lu Chen's plan was for Zuo Zixiong to rely on the strength of the Cavalry to decisively defeat the Martial Arts Association. But defeating such a formidable opponent as the Martial Arts Association all at once would require Lu Chen himself to be present.
There were also three Flag Masters, but they had other missions and were long gone from this location. If they had been here, perhaps there would have been hope to take down these Martial Arts Association disciples in one fell swoop, leaving even Mr. Seiji with no escape.
But wishing did not change reality. The two Kerosene Cannons from the Martial Arts Association were game-changers; they suppressed Holy Sect's Cavalry and turned the tide of battle, transforming the Martial Arts Association from underdogs into victors, leaving Red Robe Sect gasping for breath and nearly destroyed.
Indeed, it was those two cannons that altered the course of battle and put Red Robe Sect in a passive position. Lu Chen's original instruction was for Zuo Zixiong to retreat to the mountain if things did not go well, and Zuo Zixiong had followed that directive.
In a typical battle between two armies, the role of a cannon is immensely significant. It is no wonder that Chen Qilin is so fascinated by it, and Lu Chen and Sun Zizhao also recognize its potential, investing heavily in this area.
After a long while, Zuo Zixiong looked up at the sky. It was overcast, as if it were about to rain, but the actual moment should be in the afternoon.
Smacking his lips, Zuo Zixiong wore a bitter expression. The people from the Martial Arts Association were still hundreds of steps away, poised for action. It seemed they were determined to take down the Red Robe Sect in one fell swoop.
The feud between the Red Robe Sect and the Martial Arts Association involved not only financial and manpower losses but, more importantly, face. Face was far more important than the losses incurred.
Moreover, Lu Chen had instructed Zuo Zixiong that nothing could go wrong; they had to eliminate Mr. Seiji, the Advisor of the Martial Arts Association, delivering a heavy blow to them and laying the groundwork for the Red Robe Sect's expansion southward.
However, the actual outcome of events did not unfold as smoothly as imagined; it even fell into a predicament with the risk of total annihilation.
The nearest Anzhou Branch was over a hundred miles away. Even if the Branch's forces could rush to assist, they would not stand a chance against those two Kerosene Cannons, especially with Mr. Seiji, the first Advisor of the Martial Arts Association, present.
This guy was unfathomable; besides the Holy Fire Token and Fire-Repelling Pearl, he surely had other treasures that he had not revealed.
Thus, it was basically impossible for the Branch to arrive in time for support. The best course of action was simply to follow Lu Chen's instructions: one word—wait.
Thinking along these lines, Zuo Zixiong felt much more at ease. All disciples retreated to the mountaintop, sitting on the ground to rest and recuperate.
Since the Martial Arts Association had blocked their path, they might as well settle down for now. After all, neither side had any supplies and would not be able to obtain any.
If the Holy Sect's disciples could not hold out any longer, those from the Martial Arts Association would certainly fare no better.
Everyone sat atop the mountain; the atmosphere around them was very quiet. Not even birds or insects could be seen, likely due to the aftermath of cannon fire.
Time passed slowly, moving towards the afternoon and gradually into the evening, as darkness truly began to settle in.
However, the standoff was still ongoing, with the disciples of the Martial Arts Association showing no signs of retreat.
Zuo Zixiong was contemplating whether to take advantage of the nightfall. Even if he couldn't deliver a heavy blow to the Martial Arts Association, it should be possible for the disciples to retreat safely.
Zuo Zixiong wanted to conserve his strength, which was not a wrong idea, but wouldn’t that contradict Lu Chen's instructions?
After much deliberation, Zuo Zixiong decided to continue waiting.
Just as the morale of the Red-Clad Disciples began to wane, a "drip drip drop" sound echoed around them, growing faster and louder.
"It's raining," someone exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone looked up and could clearly feel raindrops hitting their faces like large beads.
Indeed, it was raining, and it seemed quite heavy, comparable to a flood after the autumn harvest, with an overwhelming force.
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