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The army pressed forward, with troops at the city gates, ready for a fierce battle. Hearing that the Xu Zhen was to use stone projectiles, many soldiers sighed in frustration, thinking that the Iron Cannon had proven ineffective; what good would stone projectiles do? This battle would surely end in defeat at the hands of the mysterious Xu Zhenzhi!
However, Li Chunfeng and Yan Lide exchanged glances and then burst into laughter. Even Li Jing, at the front, turned around with interest and asked, "What is so funny, you two?"
Li Chunfeng pointed at the enemy troops below the city and proudly replied, "General, just watch! This army will be reduced to dust and ashes!"
While everyone was puzzled about whether Li Chunfeng had lost his mind from the Xu Zhen's madness, they suddenly heard two cannons on the City Wall roar to life. After the smoke cleared, large groups of advancing enemy soldiers fell like water breaking through a thick ink blot!
"This... this is impossible!!!"
Everyone was stunned!
Li Jing squinted his eyes; initially confused, he quickly deduced the answer. The cannon's power was so great that the stone projectiles must have shattered into countless fragments, raining down like falling stars and easily piercing through the armor of the enemies ahead, causing widespread casualties among their ranks!
The Tuguhun forces were also shaken to their core. The closer they got, the more they felt the overwhelming might of the Zhenwu General. The infantry fell in droves as if being harvested like wheat; the charging soldiers felt a chill in their hearts, losing all will to fight!
The three cannons fired in quick succession, with only a brief pause between shots. A fan-shaped death zone formed within half a mile of the City Wall from the raining debris. No matter how fiercely the enemies charged, they could not break through this artillery line; all that remained were ever-growing piles of broken corpses!
Asena Lier was also terrified. The archers were still far from effective range. If they retreated now, it would undoubtedly lead to a great defeat. He could only grit his teeth and issue commands for the infantry to raise their shields in layers to form a barrier against the shrapnel while cavalry on both flanks charged out like roaring iron dragons!
"Charge!"
The iron hooves shook the ground as two thousand cavalry swiftly maneuvered around the lethal range of the three cannons. Once they broke into the enemy formation, the Divine Fire Camp would surely collapse!
However, on both sides of the Divine Fire Camp lay hidden cavalry waiting to spring into action. Moreover, archers stood ready on top of the City Wall and behind the city gates; how could they allow the enemy cavalry to succeed?
"Fire the arrows!"
Without needing Li Jing's command, the generals shouted in unison. The archers at the foot of the City Wall released their Feathered Arrows, and in an instant, White Feathers filled the sky like large clouds drifting through the night, enveloping the charging Cavalry above!
"Thud thud thud!"
The sound of arrows piercing flesh and armor resonated as the flanking Cavalry were struck down by hundreds. It was like a tidal wave crashing against a dam, causing their formation to nearly collapse!
The Cavalry had already begun to feel fear, yet Asena Lier was unwilling to give up. The following Cavalry could not halt their advance; otherwise, they would crash into the Brothers behind them, trampling each other and causing even greater casualties!
The key to the Cavalry's charge lay in their overwhelming numbers, forming an unstoppable force. There was no reason for them to retreat in panic; at this moment, they could only push forward with all their might.
However, after the archers from Ganzhou had unleashed a volley, they brought forth a five-hundred-man Infantry Phalanx. This formation of infantry did not raise shields or wield spears; instead, each soldier held a peculiar crossbow. Ten men formed a row, three rows made a group: the front ten crouched, the middle ten half-crouched, and the back ten stood ready to shoot.
The Barbarians' Cavalry had avoided the deadly line of artillery fire and narrowly escaped the Arrow Rain. Seeing that the last line of defense ahead was merely a small formation of crossbows, they felt elated and urged their horses to accelerate towards it!
Their rear had already been decimated by artillery fire; if this Cavalry could not destroy the Divine Fire Camp, Asena Lier would only face defeat!
As he placed all his hopes on the two flanking Cavalry units, the sound of crossbows firing filled the air amidst the rumbling of cannons, and one by one, the Cavalry began to fall!
Although each group consisted of only thirty men, they wielded Yan Lide's modified Yuanrong Crossbows. Each soldier had ten iron arrows, allowing each group to unleash three hundred shots!
Moreover, once one group finished shooting, the next would seamlessly follow up. The five-hundred-man Crossbow battalion operated like a windmill, continuously firing with tremendous force and precise angles. The iron arrows rained down like a storm, instantly decimating half of the leading Cavalry!
"My goodness!" The Cavalry could not withstand the terrifying power of the Crossbow and immediately fell apart. Without needing Asena Lier's orders, they scattered in panic, fleeing for their lives!
The Cavalry could not withstand the storm of arrows, nor could they approach the Divine Fire Camp, let alone destroy Xu Zhen's six Zhenwu General cannons. As the Cavalry began to collapse, the infantry and Archers in the center had already lost formation. Seeing defeat was inevitable, they started to create a Commotion. The supervising troops no longer killed to demonstrate authority or urged the soldiers to advance, as they too began to retreat!
"You treacherous scoundrels! Why aren't you quickly delivering my orders to summon Murong Geerhe's five thousand men for reinforcements?" Asena Lier personally supervised the battle, having executed several low-ranking officers who led the escape. She hurriedly called her personal guards to relay her commands to the rear.
Murong Geerhe and his son's five thousand troops were stationed at the back to prevent a surprise attack from Qibi Helix. At this moment, to turn the tide, they had no choice but to be summoned for a desperate fight.
Just when danger loomed, an extreme silence suddenly enveloped the battlefield! It felt as if heaven and earth had ceased their clamor; this illusion was truly subtle!
After a brief moment of silence, the sounds of shouting men and neighing horses returned, along with the piercing sound of Arrow Rain and the cries for help from wounded Soldiers. It turned out that the earlier tranquility was due to the absence of cannon fire!
"The shells are all used up!"
Asena Lier felt a surge of joy in her heart; many commanders seemed to see a glimmer of victory because with the cannons silenced, many Ashina soldiers began to regroup, their morale greatly boosted!
Xu Zhen was also helpless; it wasn't that they had run out of shells but rather that they had exhausted their gunpowder!
To produce this gunpowder, Li Chunfeng and Yan Lide had nearly utilized all relevant resources within the army. Nitrates, sulfur, vermilion, and mercury were precious materials cherished by Dan Ding. Despite the Tang Army's strength, they could only produce this much gunpowder; any more was simply impossible.
With the cannons halted, the enemy immediately counterattacked. However, after suffering heavy losses from cannon fire and Crossbows, their strength had been significantly weakened. Xu Zhen showed no fear; without waiting for the main forces in the city to engage, she drew her long knife and shouted, "Where are my Brothers from the Divine Fire Camp?"
Her Brothers responded in unison, brandishing their weapons as they followed Xu Zhen into battle!
Xu Zhen gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, the long blade trailing behind her as she sprinted forward. An enemy in front of her thrust a spear at her with a powerful elbow strike.
"Let go!"
With a fierce shout, Xu Zhen lunged forward, dodging the spear's blade. Her long sword sliced down along the spear shaft, severing the enemy's hands. She followed up with another strike, decapitating him.
Seeing their Lord bravely leading the charge, the Brothers followed suit without hesitation, while the soldiers in the city surged forth like a tidal wave, plunging both sides into close-quarters bloody combat.
On Xu Zhen's side, there were many talented warriors and fierce generals. Xie Anting with his White Armor Silver Spear was as formidable as Ma Chao of the Han dynasty. Zhou Cang, wielding his Giant Blade, fought fiercely alongside Yide and Dian Wei. Gao He Shu charged like a wild bear, while Iron Thorn raised a storm of bloodshed around him. Yin Zong moved like the wind, swiftly beheading enemies with lightning speed. Xue Dayi wielded his horizontal sword with precision, balancing offense and defense flawlessly. Qin Guang fought with dual swords, their sharpness unmatched.
Many Brothers surged forward like a soaring dragon or a fierce tiger, resembling a tide of wolves and leopards, each striving to be first and fighting valiantly, creating a scene of exhilarating carnage.
Though Xue Wanche had some questionable dealings of his own, he was undeniably a true warrior. Leading his troops out from the city, he carved a long bloody path in an instant, nearly splitting the enemy formation in half.
Li Dejiang, skilled in martial arts and under the watchful eye of his superior at the City Wall, unleashed all his might. His strange red blade danced up and down, slashing left and right as blood sprayed everywhere, resembling an Evil God. The morale of the Ganzhou Garrison surged like a dragon and roared like a tiger, turning the ground into a pool of blood.
Asena Lier, initially thinking they had found an opportunity when the cannons ceased fire, believed it was time to turn the tide. However, their losses were too severe and morale had plummeted. In this clash, they lost several hundred men.
Furious, he focused on Xu Zhen's position, urging his chestnut steed forward while wielding his over fifty-pound Ancient Great Halberd, charging directly at her!
Among various weapons, if one were to discuss the difficulty of mastering them, there is a saying: "One month for a staff, one year for a sword, ten years for a blade, and a lifetime for a spear."
This halberd was even harder to wield than a spear and far more difficult to master than any other weapon; only those who were either seeking fame without merit or true heroes capable of facing hundreds could wield such an ancient great halberd!
Asena Lier was indeed a formidable figure, wielding a Six-Feet Great Halberd that weighed over fifty kilograms with the strength of seven or eight hundred kilograms of heroic might. The horse neighed as the massive halberd danced in his hands like a dragon, applying long-range pressure to take the life of Xu Zhen!
Xu Zhen was also fighting for her life, covered in blood and snow, her long knife slicing through the falling snowflakes with a hiss. She severed half of an enemy's jaw and then thrust her blade straight into their heart, fierce as a wolf!
While the battle was intense, Asena Lier suddenly approached. By the time Xu Zhen regained her senses, the cold gleam of the halberd was already swinging toward her!
Asena Lier's halberd was peculiar; it was not the typical weapon used by generals, nor was it the famed Fangtianhua Halberd from legends. It wasn't a lightweight hook spear either, nor did it resemble the ancient standardized weapons. Instead, it was a rare Yueji!
The Yueji, also known as Qibo, is a small axe-like weapon whose blade can function like a spear. It originated in the Han Dynasty but never gained widespread use, and ancient texts do not record it. This rare weapon has an axe blade at its head that can chop like a long-handled axe or thrust with its sharp tip, making it versatile yet difficult to master.
However, Asena Lier had been skillfully wielding this unusual weapon for ten years. Just as he seemed poised to finish off Xu Zhen with one strike, unexpectedly, a Big Man rushed in from the side, seizing a Spear from the battlefield and throwing it directly at Asena Lier's face!
Caught off guard, Asena Lier had no choice but to abandon Xu Zhen and duck to avoid the incoming spear. The thrower took advantage of this moment to close in and shouted fiercely as he swung his Strange Blade down onto Asena Lier's horse's front hoof!
"You dare, thief!"
Asena Lier shouted angrily but fell off his horse!
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