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The Xu Zhen relied on the personal bravery of Zhou Cang and Gao He Shu, following closely behind them. She waited for the right moment to throw the Pottery filled with powerful explosives.
The Pottery flew over the enemy's gun and shield formation, heading towards the archers at the back. The Barbarians, lacking perception, thought that the Xu Zhen was merely panicking and tossing something randomly. They did not expect that the Pottery would explode with a thunderous roar, shaking the ground like a clap of thunder!
The Xu Zhen was also startled; the fuse was short, making it impossible to gauge its accuracy. Before it could land in the crowd, it exploded in mid-air, sending fragments flying everywhere and causing massive casualties. The shockwave from the explosion was like a boulder dropping into a calm lake, toppling the formation and affecting the Shield Soldiers at the front. Many suffered injuries, their backs torn open, while residual flames ignited several soldiers' armor, leading to cries of anguish that filled the air.
Many in the Tang army had heard of the Xu Zhen's extraordinary talents and her mastery of fire control techniques from the Hu Tianxian Sect. However, witnessing her devastating power firsthand left them in awe.
Zhou Cang and Gao He Shu were already accustomed to such scenes. Seeing their Lord create a breach in the enemy lines, they immediately threw their large shields aside, knocking down three or four Barbarians as they charged into the enemy ranks. Their weapons swung freely, cutting down injured Barbarians left and right, causing chaos in the enemy formation as they tore through like hungry tigers among lambs.
Yin Zong and his brothers had long established a tacit understanding. As they followed the Xu Zhen into battle, by the time the Ganzhou Garrison regained their senses, her forces had already cut through completely, leaving corpses scattered everywhere and blood flowing like a river. The Barbarians cried out in retreat, fleeing into secret passages amidst a chaotic stampede that resulted in severe casualties.
Li Chunfeng and Yan Lide exchanged glances, fully aware of how fierce the explosives used by the Xu Zhen were but never expecting them to be this devastating!
The Barbarians had come prepared with overwhelming force that seemed unbeatable by the Garrison. Yet, one explosive from the Xu Zhen turned everything upside down. With Zhou Cang and Gao He Shu's charge breaking their formation, by the time her main forces arrived, they had completely reversed the situation.
The combat strength of the Xu Zhen's forces shocked everyone in the Garrison; their faces turned pale with regret for having been swayed by rumors about her. They felt guilty for having hindered her brothers from acting.
Wei Gong Li Jing arrived promptly after receiving news of the battle despite his limited mobility. He witnessed firsthand as the Xu Zhen and her companions charged into battle and marveled at her explosive power.
When Yan Lide presented his crossbow designs earlier that day, Li Jing approved them without hesitation. Yan Lide then gathered craftsmen to produce more crossbows. Today, witnessing one hundred crossbows wielded by Xu Zhen's brothers unleashed devastation upon their enemies was truly astonishing!
When Yan Lide submitted his artillery designs next, Li Jing felt apprehensive since this was unprecedented and required significant resources. He hesitated to make a rash decision but could not dismiss Yan Lide's fervent assurances without discouraging him.
Just days after producing artillery pieces, news came of an accidental injury to a craftsman. Li Jing began to waver on whether to halt production but was shaken by witnessing Xu Zhen's explosive might today!
As Xu Zhen's forces slaughtered their way down a slope and prepared to enter secret passages to eliminate any remaining Barbarians inside, an inexplicable sense of foreboding arose within her.
Still recovering from her injuries, she felt pain radiating from her thigh wound after such a vigorous charge. This sudden pain brought clarity; knowing that the enemy was familiar with these passages meant they must have prepared for an ambush.
Realizing this, she quickly instructed her brothers to slow down. Li Jing observed her actions with admiration; indeed, there is wisdom in not pursuing desperate foes too aggressively.
Within the Garrison, there were many vying for achievements. After the shock, they charged forward one after another, following Xu Zhenbu and his Brothers, but ended up with nothing to show for it. At this moment, seeing Xu Zhenbu and his Brothers slow down, they hurriedly overtook them and surged into the secret passage like a tide!
"Brothers, come back! Be careful of traps!"
Xu Zhen frowned and called out loudly, but soon a voice echoed back from within the passage.
"This group of Barbarians has long since collapsed, their guts torn apart. A pursuit will surely annihilate them. Commander Xu is not allowing us to chase; could it be that he has some unclear dealings with those Barbarians?"
Just as Xu Zhen was about to retort, Zhang Jiunian signaled to hold back. The general merely snorted coldly and led his own Brothers into the fray.
Zhang Jiunian then leaned in and whispered, "I just observed secretly; this person is slandering and inciting the crowd. He may take this opportunity to defect. Let’s wait a moment and let others pursue; only then can we prove our innocence and win back the hearts of these people!"
This was indeed a wake-up call for Xu Zhen. She had been concerned about the safety of the innocent Soldiers, not realizing that these Soldiers had been misled by that person. If they truly allied with the enemy and offered up the vast Ganzhou City to them, it would lead to even more Comrades being killed. The saying goes that kindness does not govern soldiers and righteousness does not govern wealth; this was precisely the case. Xu Zhen felt she gained another layer of understanding and nodded at Zhang Jiunian, saying, "What you say is indeed correct; I have learned from you."
While they were still hesitating, Li Jing stood on the City Wall, observing the developments with keen eyes. He noticed the small movements of Xu Zhen and Zhang Jiunian and recognized that instigator as Captain Zhang Shenfang, the adopted son of Duke of En, Zhang Liang!
Although Li Jing did not involve himself in court politics and kept to himself away from the court, he saw through the dark struggles within it more clearly. Despite Zhang Liang's great contributions, he was a Double-Edged Sword who swayed with the wind and had many dealings with Hou Junji. This time, his rumors targeted Xu Zhen; there must be some ulterior motive behind it. However, he should not gamble away all of Ganzhou as a price!
With Li Jing's talent, how could he not see the enemy's backup plan? Yet as a military leader, he had to balance grace and power so that no one would think him old and senile or that they could easily deceive him when he did not see the truth. When necessary, he would have to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys!
Sure enough, just as Zhang Shenfang led his personal guards into the passage, there was an unsettling silence for a long time. Other Captains entered but had not gone deep into the secret passage when suddenly the ground shook violently. The Barbarians outside had already diverted an underground river; water was about to flood in!
Zhang Shenfang found himself in a difficult position. Originally instructed secretly to make things difficult for Xu Zhen by pushing him towards the Barbarians—accusing him of collusion—he thought he could at least implicate Li Jing in some negligence. Unexpectedly, this young man acted with thunderous force; once drawn into battle, his men were fierce as wolves and tigers, causing Zhang Shenfang to lose control.
Having exposed himself now, Zhang Shenfang had no choice but to clear his name by pursuing these Barbarians; it was his best proof. However, what he did not anticipate was that these Barbarians seemed prepared for a counterattack by diverting the underground river. As such, Ganzhou City's supply routes were completely cut off. If they could not stop this floodwater, it would only worsen their situation!
All this would fall on Commander Li Jing's shoulders. If Ganzhou fell and the national gates opened wide, War God would surely lose face. Meanwhile, Duke Chen Guo Hou Junji had already penetrated deep into Tuguhun territory; at this point, he might have nearly leveled Fushi City. In comparison, how could Li Jing still hold his ground?
Considering this, Zhang Shenfang steeled himself and quickly called his personal guards Brothers back while running frantically. However, they could not match the surging floodwaters; their formation was shattered by the rushing water. Countless soldiers struggled for survival within the passage in a tragic scene!
The Soldiers in the city were still waiting to enter the secret passage to assist their comrades when unexpectedly those Brothers were swept out by towering waves. The white waves roared as they rushed forward; many Soldiers cried out in despair as they were knocked against slopes like dead dogs while others drowned in the secret passage!
"Send the order! Bring everyone up and seal this secret passage!"
Li Jing naturally realized the urgency of the situation. If the supplies in the city were cut off, morale would falter, and the military spirit would be shaken. If the enemy attacked, that would be one thing; they could take advantage of a desperate situation to counterattack. However, if the enemy continued to lay siege, they would truly be trapped and left to die!
Fortunately, the soldiers were gathered closely, and with many ropes and other equipment nearby, it didn't take long to rescue those who had fallen into the water. However, many soldiers in heavy armor could no longer surface, which was truly lamentable.
The water dragon roared continuously, quickly flooding the slope and flowing back into the streets and barracks. The soldiers and servants worked together to use the earth piled nearby to block the floodwaters, but the force of the water was too great, and the loose soil was ineffective.
Li Jing, with his quick wit and great resolve, immediately ordered people to push against the surrounding houses to block and fill in the incoming water.
Though there were many people, demolishing these houses was not something that could be done quickly. Fortunately, with Xu Zhen present, she commanded Li Chunfeng and Yan Lide to bring gunpowder and bury it in the foundations of the houses. After detonating it, the houses collapsed with a thunderous roar, ultimately slowing down the floodwaters.
After this incident, the surroundings were in complete disarray. Everyone understood the importance of this secret passage; now that it was blocked, it was equivalent to cutting off their escape route. It would have been one thing if their comrades had died fighting enemies honorably, but to drown due to someone's mistake was simply intolerable!
Moreover, due to Zhang Shenfang inciting the public, many had almost misunderstood Xu Zhen. At this moment, she was single-handedly turning the tide; otherwise, all of Ganzhou would be in peril. With this reversal of fortune, everyone began to place all blame on Zhang Shenfang.
Poor Duke's adopted son was just pulled up when he was directly bound and brought before Commander Li Jing!
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