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"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sound of the enemy's synchronized footsteps shook the pulse of the earth, as if heaven and earth were beating a mournful war drum. In ancient times, battles were often fought during the day because it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe at night. However, with the reflection of white snow and clear armor, a nighttime ambush against the Qibi Helix troops provided cover, so Li Jing could only choose to engage in battle at night.
For Xu Zhen, the night was even more advantageous because the effective range of the heavy artillery, Zhenwu General, was two miles, while ordinary bows and crossbows had an impressive range of a hundred paces. Before the enemy could close in, Zhenwu General would already be capable of creating a massacre!
Asena Lier squinted her eyes; her eagle-like gaze pierced through the wind and snow, spotting seven or eight sparse formations under Ganzhou City. Judging by the shadows, she surmised that the enemy numbers were not substantial, which left her feeling somewhat puzzled.
Yet her confidence and ambition overshadowed any tricks the enemy might employ. The warmth of her Brothers' breath could melt the cold snow, and their passionate blood was enough to change the color of heaven and earth!
Without needing Xu Zhen's orders, the Brothers of Divine Fire Camp had already returned their tethered horses to the city and moved large stones to position six cannons in a fan shape in front of the city gate, forming a semi-circular barrier to protect it. On either side of Divine Fire Camp stood a thousand heavily armored Cavalry, waiting for Divine Fire Camp to sweep through before they would decisively charge!
Li Chunfeng stood on the City Wall, watching Xu Zhen standing proudly against the wind and snow. She seemed to merge into the night and storm, making her increasingly inscrutable. Although she stood among Soldiers, Li Chunfeng felt as if she were an ethereal phantom, overlooking the entire battlefield from an outsider's perspective!
The six cannons were adjusted to different heights from left to right, each one elevated above the last. Li Chunfeng understood that this was to achieve varying ranges through angle adjustments.
Since Yan Lide had fixed the cannon barrels onto their carriages, it was impossible to adjust their heights during use. Thus, Xu Zhen had set up the six cannons for different ranges.
During this process, Li Chunfeng also oversaw the range calculations. It was this very task that made him realize just how astonishingly brilliant Xu Zhen truly was!
Li Chunfeng was immersed in arithmetic and had studied ancient texts such as Zhou Bi Suan Jing, Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, Trajectory Calculation, and Sunzi's Art of War for many years, achieving some small successes.
However, Xu Zhen's methods for calculating trajectories were quite novel; several new theories she mentioned were unlike anything he had ever seen before. Although she emphasized that these methods were derived from Zoroastrian Secret Texts, Li Chunfeng could see that this approach was not an ancient tradition but rather possessed creative ideas that opened new paths. It was hard to imagine how such wisdom and breadth resided within Xu Zhen's young body!
A skilled archer might estimate the strength and accuracy of an arrow and even consider factors like wind resistance; however, most people could only grasp these concepts intuitively without fully understanding them. Yet Xu Zhen meticulously accounted for all factors in her calculations. This revelation opened another door for Li Chunfeng regarding the path of calculation—if expanded upon, could one not also deduce signs from countless factors regarding cause and effect in all things?
Such thoughts filled Li Chunfeng with a sense of fear, akin to a saint opening their enlightened eyes and observing this world with a perspective transcending worldly concerns!
Xu Zhen naturally had no idea what Li Chunfeng was contemplating; her full attention was focused on the dark mass of enemy troops ahead. The two-mile distance was roughly one thousand meters—this was also within Zhenwu General's effective range. The imposing enemy formations marched in perfect unison with an overwhelming killing intent as they quickly entered range!
"Yalou Cannon, fire!"
Princess Jinyang drew her long sword and pointed towards the enemy formation two miles away. With a loud shout, Yin Zong took the torch from behind the sixth heavy artillery and lit the fuse at the cannon's tail!
This Eight Gates True Martial General cannon, named by Princess Jinyang as the Zoroastrian Evil God, had the highest barrel and the longest range. At this moment, it was not about inflicting damage; she simply wanted to conduct an experiment. If the cannon proved ineffective, adjustments could be made one by one to prepare the other soldiers for a desperate fight.
"Zizz!"
The thick and short fuse slithered into the cannon like a glowing snake, and everyone held their breath!
This act concerned all of Ganzhou and the lives of everyone on the battlefield, including those of the Ashina Tribe soldiers across from them!
"Boom!"
This was the muffled roar of the heavens! This was the earth's roar! It was as if an ancient beast was about to break through from underground. The ground shook violently, and a burst of fire briefly erupted from the cannon's mouth, like thunder striking down from the heavens!
The soldiers retreated in panic, and the Brothers of Divine Fire Camp were terrified, beginning to chant Zoroastrian scriptures. On the city wall, Li Jing felt a tightness in his chest as his blood surged!
Li Chunfeng and Yan Lide murmured to each other. They had participated in developing the True Martial General artillery, and upon witnessing its might, tears streamed down their faces. This was a moment that would change the world, and they had played a part in it—a scene worthy of being recorded in history, marked by their hard work!
Princess Jinyang's ears buzzed, and she felt dizzy, but she gritted her teeth and gazed at the enemy formation across from her!
Asena Lier was clearly startled by this tremendous sound as well. They were unaware that Princess Jinyang possessed artillery; they only perceived it as a distant thunderclap. However, with winter snow falling heavily, how could it summon divine thunder?!!!
Such an unusual change in weather caused unease among the previously high-spirited Ashina soldiers. They had heard rumors within Say Tang's army about a "Firewood Man," a Yarbo of the Holy Fire Cult who had once displayed miracles among the Salar Tribe. Now, with winter thunder rumbling and flames flickering across from them, could it be that the legendary Son of Ahura had summoned divine spirits?
The soldiers began to murmur among themselves, and Xu Zhenzhi's name spread quickly. However, Asena Lier sensed the instability among his troops and dispatched a discipline team to silence their discussions while encouraging them instead.
"Brothers! We are all descendants of the Wolf Mother, the kings of the grasslands. This Xu Zhen is merely a street folk from the Tang Kingdom, who has had a bit of luck and is performing some eye-catching tricks. What is there to fear from the Hu Tianman Sect! Once we trample the city, let’s see if she can survive!"
Asena Lier's rallying speech truly boosted morale. The soldiers marched with high spirits, their iron wills shining through as they shouted, "Fury! Fury!"
However, a strange hissing sound mixed with the sounds of men and horses. An Iron Cannon, the size of a watermelon, fell like a meteor into the ranks of the infantry ahead!
"Boom!"
A soldier was instantly crushed along with his large shield, flesh and bone splattering everywhere. The residual force of the cannonball affected several nearby soldiers, causing them to fall to the ground as a small gap opened in their formation.
Although the casualties were not significant in a battle of over ten thousand men—merely a drop in the ocean—everyone was seized by fear!
They could not explain why this Iron Cannon had fallen from the sky; they were still two miles away from the Tang army and knew that such a feat was beyond human capability!
The gruesome death of that soldier and the power of the Iron Cannon seemed to seep into every soldier's chest with a chilling breath, dragging out their suppressed fears once more. The scent of death spread like an all-pervasive chill, reaching deep into everyone's hearts!
Asena Lier's heart skipped a beat; he could not explain what was happening either. But as a battle-hardened general, he knew that if this fear was not contained, defeat was inevitable!
"This is their catapult! Do not be afraid! Speed up! Forward! Forward!"
Ashina shouted furiously, urging his troops with curved blades to drive the already terrified soldiers to quicken their pace. Yet even they did not believe it was a catapult; the Li Jing Army was trying to break through—not besiege a city—so how could they possibly bring out a catapult? Even if it were one, it could not cover such a long distance!
While the enemy was shaken, on the side of the Tang army, everyone felt quite disappointed. Although the cannon fired with thunderous might and overwhelming presence, visibility was poor, and that Iron Cannon seemed to vanish without any feedback or results!
However, Xu Zhen stood at the forefront and could clearly sense that the enemy had experienced a brief commotion. Watching as the Yalou cannon was reloaded, Xu Zhen swung her long sword once more!
"Boom!"
As the Infantry Phalanx moved forward, the Iron Cannon fired into the center of the Infantry Phalanx, creating a small explosion that sent blood spraying out like a large red peony blooming on a white cloth.
"Something's wrong! Full speed ahead! Full speed ahead!"
Asena Lier finally sensed the danger and guessed that this might be a new type of weapon developed by the enemy. With the Tang people being numerous and experienced in military improvements, it was not surprising that they could create such strange weaponry. As long as they advanced at full speed and allowed the Archers to achieve effective range, the torrential Feathered Arrow attacks would crush any new weaponry without giving it a chance to retaliate.
Seeing the enemy accelerate, Xu Zhen remained calm and ordered the Fifth Cannon and Fourth Gun to follow the Yarrow Cannon in firing. Having practiced beforehand, the three cannons executed seamless coordination to achieve maximum efficiency, resulting in continuous booming sounds like a giant spirit hammering on the heavens.
Watching as the enemy drew closer, the cavalry at the city gate became increasingly tense, sweating profusely. Although their warhorses were still some distance away, they became extremely restless due to the cannon fire. In their eyes, Xu Zhen's Divine Fire Camp had undoubtedly failed!
"General! This fool is leading us astray! He has only sound and no real killing power, wasting vast amounts of resources to create such an empty shell. I urge you to order us to charge; we must fight to the death!" Xue Wanche and several veteran generals hurriedly pleaded for orders. However, who was Li Jing? His gaze was sharp and discerning; he had already seen through the chaos in the enemy's camp!
Seeing the old generals anxious and agitated, Li Jing remained calm and composed. Looking at Xu Zhen directing with precision, he did not turn his head but calmly said, "I trust Commander Xu; this battle will surely be victorious!"
At that moment, the enemy had entered within a mile range. Xu Zhen ordered five cannons to fire consecutively. Gradually, their cumulative effect began to show as casualties increased; however, it still could not shake the enemy's numerical advantage. The good news was that the enemy's morale had been significantly weakened by the strange power of their artillery.
As they were about to enter the range of the enemy Archers' formation, Xu Zhen finally raised her long knife and turned back to signal the two cannons on the City Wall and the first cannon that had yet to fire. She solemnly commanded, "Load stone projectiles!"
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