79: Bombarding the Fake Swallow

Chapter 79 Bombarding Pseudo-Yan

In the fifth year of zhengyong, on the first day of the fourth month.

Zheng Yuantao of Pseudo-Yan secretly assembled twenty thousand Dragon Cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the imperial capital!

On the same day, the Empress Dowager fell gravely ill, and all imperial physicians from Taiyuan Hospital gathered at Cining Palace.

Three days later!

Tiger Mountain Pass!

This pass was located on the northeast side of the imperial capital, and over three hundred years ago, it was the greatest strategic pass under heaven.

The city walls reached a height of ten zhang, and it was blocked by surrounding mountains, named Tiger Mountain, leaving only a small path in the middle for people and horses to pass through.

Rumors had it that during the founding war of Great Yu over three hundred years ago, Immortals had fought to the death here.

After that battle, the mountains and rivers of Tiger Mountain Pass underwent a drastic change, the earth cracked, and the surrounding mountains collapsed, turning into a land of ravines and hills.

And Tiger Mountain Pass, located in the center of Tiger Mountain, had become an isolated city.

For over three hundred years, as a major transportation route connecting the capital to places like Bin Province and Youzhou, this place slowly became prosperous.

Inside the city, tourists wove like a loom and merchants filled the streets; outside the city, commoners gathered and carriages and horses rushed like a tide.

But today, a large number of chaotic refugees suddenly appeared in the northwest, running toward Tiger Mountain Pass in panic.

"Cavalry! So many cavalry!"

"Run quickly! The Pseudo-Yan cavalry have arrived!"

"Close the city gates quickly!"

"Open the city gates quickly! Let me in!"

"Ah...!"

"Clop clop...!"

Ten miles outside the city, a heavily armed troop of pitch-black cavalry was advancing at high speed.

The knights' armor was entirely deep black, with python patterns faintly engraved upon it.

The warhorses between their legs stood fully eight chi tall, with dark red fur and unmatched robustness.

These horses were the Dragon Blood Horses, renowned throughout the world and invincible in the north!

The personal troops under the Prince of Yan, the Dragon Horse Cavalry!

"Giddyup!"

"Giddyup!"

Twenty thousand Dragon Cavalry, led by cavalry commander Cheng De, galloped wildly at high speed.

"Reporting to the General!"

A skirmisher swept over from the side: "Tiger Mountain Pass has been discovered ten miles ahead. Commoners are retreating into Tiger Mountain Pass, and the gates of Tiger Mountain Pass have already been closed!"

"Hmph!"

Cheng De snorted coldly: "The Prince's advisors had long guessed this. Our mission today is to threaten the capital. There is no need to worry about Tiger Mountain Pass; leave it for the subsequent infantry corps to deal with."

"Pass down the order, all cavalry will bypass Hulao Pass, and by noon the day after tomorrow, we must reach beneath the walls of the capital!"

"Understood!"

The skirmisher passed on the order, and soon the formation of the entire cavalry unit changed slightly, turning into an oblique arrow shape that swept past the south side of Tiger Mountain Pass, bypassing Tiger Mountain Pass.

At the same time.

On a covert hill on the south side of Tiger Mountain Pass, scouts wearing black leather armor shuttled rapidly through the dense jungle.

In the jungle clearing, heavily armed troops who had been prepared for a long time had already appeared.

These soldiers all had young faces, clearly recruits who had enlisted not long ago.

Tucked at their waists were sabers, and slung across their backs were not bows and arrows, but long muskets.

What was odd was that in front of their positions, rows of huge black giant cannons were placed.

Red Barbarian Cannon!

Two hundred Red Barbarian Cannons were already all the inventory the Ministry of Works had left.

Behind them were carts transporting the Red Barbarian Cannons, with boxes of cannonballs, gunpowder, and bullets neatly arranged in the clearing.

"Report...!"

"General!"

The scout quickly came before the two leading men, saluting and saying: "General Chen, General Zhao, the Pseudo-Yan cavalry have reached ten miles outside Tiger Mountain Pass, and can pass through this place in at most half an hour."

Zheng Yi had long changed the training method of Shenji Camp, all trained using past life modern training methods.

The simplest military posture, weighted running, cross-country running, etc., especially military orders, were also slightly modified.

This method could simplify the rules in the army, making the transmission of orders from top to bottom very convenient.

Not only that, Zheng Yi also specially ordered the imperial Directorate of Palace Attire to modify the military uniforms according to past life styles, with the simplest trousers, jackets, and so on, for use in the army.

The colors chosen were black and green, which were the hardest to be discovered in the wild.

This style of clothing was not only welcomed by the officers and soldiers of Shenji Camp up and down, but even other arms of the military and the high-ranking nobles in the capital liked it very much, vying to imitate it.

"Hahaha, just as His Majesty expected!"

Zhao Tieshan laughed aloud: "The Pseudo-Yan cavalry use... blitzkrieg, yes! The blitzkrieg Your Majesty mentioned, using cavalry to raid the capital, bypassing rear cities whenever possible."

"The mountain road here is wide, most suitable for cavalry marching, which happens to be our opportunity!"

Chen Hongxiu at the side asked: "Have you found out how many cavalry Pseudo-Yan dispatched? Are there any other troops behind them?"

"Reporting to the General, the Pseudo-Yan cavalry numbers over twenty thousand."

The scout replied: "There are indeed other Pseudo-Yan troops behind them, but they are extremely far away, having just left Yanshan Pass!"

"It seems that what we are dealing with this time is only this batch of cavalry."

Chen Hongxiu said: "Continue scouting and keep abreast of the Pseudo-Yan cavalry's movements at all times."

In another secluded mountain forest, Chen Wannian was listening to his subordinate's report and nodded, saying: "This General understands, you go and continue scouting."

"Understood!"

The scout left, and the adjutant behind Chen Wannian suddenly said: "General, can we really win this battle?"

"The Pseudo-Yan cavalry has over twenty thousand men, shouldn't what we should be doing most is staying in the capital to defend the city? Why did we run out into the wild?"

Another guerrilla commander also chimed in: "That's right, General, although the Imperial Guards now number over thirty thousand, most of them are recruits who have only trained for a few months, and there are only over five thousand cavalry. How can they possibly resist the Dragon Cavalry of Pseudo-Yan?"

Chen Wannian shook his head and said: "You all don't understand, His Majesty has the Thunderbolt Mine in his hands. It is rumored to be a treasure of the Immortals; any army under the bombardment of the Thunderbolt Mine will be blown into dust."

When speaking of this, Chen Wannian's eyes were filled with terror and shock.

More than a year ago, it was he who led the Shenji Camp, which then had only a little over a hundred men, to raid Yu Jian Villa with hot air balloons + Thunderbolt Mine!

The entire Yu Jian Villa, with over three thousand Martial Artists, was completely wiped out in a single night.

Even more than half of Yu Jian Villa was bombed into flat ground!

After that battle, Chen Wannian deeply knew the terror of the Thunderbolt Mine.

Unfortunately later on, he was transferred away from Shenji Camp and became the commander of the Imperial Guards with greater power.

But he still had lingering fear regarding the power of Shenji Camp.

Especially during this expedition, when he saw that the pure baggage train behind Shenji Camp alone had over five hundred men and over five hundred wagons transporting supplies, he knew that Shenji Camp had mastered weapons even more terrifying than the Thunderbolt Mine.

"Thunderbolt Mine?"

"An Immortal's treasure?"

"How is that possible..."

Chen Wannian shook his head and said: "In a moment, you all will know."

"Remember to watch the cavalry horses well; under no circumstances must you let them be startled!"

Although the subordinate adjutant was puzzled, they still said in unison: "Understood!"

Time passed quickly, and before long, everyone felt the earth beneath their feet shaking.

A scout climbed up a tree and looked far into the northeast, quickly shouting: "The Pseudo-Yan cavalry are coming!"

Soon, wherever the soldiers' vision could reach, troops of cavalry wearing dark armor appeared.

Banner after banner of the Pseudo-Yan army fluttered and snapped in the wind.

The one leading them was none other than Cheng De, hailed as the top commander of Yan and a powerhouse of the Grandmaster Realm!

"They're coming!"

Chen Wannian recognized the appearance of the Pseudo-Yan cavalry at a glance and immediately said: "Pass down the order, everyone take cover!"

"Without my command, no one is allowed to make a sound."

"Understood!"

The order was conveyed, and the Imperial Guards under Chen Wannian immediately retreated and hid in the mountain forest.

"Rumble..."

"Rumble~~!!"

Before long, the vibration of the earth began to become obvious.

Troops of Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry passed across the earth below their mountain, with dust filling the sky and the ground shaking.

Perhaps to vie for time, or perhaps self-reliant on his strong and powerful cavalry, Cheng De only dispatched a small squad of scouts to reconnoiter ahead.

Those scouts did not discover Chen Wannian and the others hidden in the peaks on both sides, passing through their ambush site troop by troop.

There were quite a few recruits among the Imperial Guards, filled with fear as they listened to the vibration of the ground.

Someone secretly poked their head out to look, only to see troops of Dragon Cavalry surging forward continuously like sea waves.

These cavalrymen had solemn faces and monstrous Battle Intent in their eyes, looking at a glance like veterans of countless battles.

Seeing such military bearing, many people were even more frightened.

Such a powerful army—could they, a group of recruits who had only trained for a few months, really defeat them?

After a full stick of incense's time, the over twenty thousand Pseudo-Yan cavalry finally completely passed beneath them, leaving behind a ground full of dust.

Many people let out a long breath, their eyes filled with the glow of surviving a disaster.

"Have, have they all gone?"

"What do we do now?"

"General? Should we still wait?"

"Keep waiting!"

Chen Wannian straightened up and looked in the direction where the Pseudo-Yan cavalry had left.

With his vision, he could only see a black dragon sweeping toward the distance.

Just at this moment, a dull yet explosive roar in the distance suddenly blasted beside his ear.

"Boom~!"

Afterward, continuous explosions suddenly came from afar.

"Boom boom boom boom...!"

The formation of the Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry, which was originally galloping wildly, suddenly fell into a flurry of panic, especially many of the cavalry at the very front who subconsciously pulled hard on the Dragon Horses' reins, causing the Dragon Horses to leap high.

The next moment.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom...!!!!!"

Within the neat formation of the Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry, hundreds of huge explosions and roars immediately rose up.

Troops of Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry were blown flying horses and men alike, and blood, internal organs, and broken limbs were blasted flying everywhere.

"Neigh~~!!!"

Countless Dragon Horses were hearing such an explosive sound for the first time and were all startled. Amidst neighing, they abruptly raised their bodies, flinging the cavalrymen off their backs onto the ground, and then scuttled about aimlessly.

The originally neat cavalry formation of the Pseudo-Yan cavalry instantly became incomparably chaotic.

Some cavalrymen galloped aimlessly, while others lay on the ground shouting loudly.

The cannonballs bombed out by the first batch of Red Barbarian Cannons numbered only two hundred, and the lethality caused was not very strong.

Casualties were probably only seven or eight hundred people.

But this unheard-of, unseen method of combat was still the first time they had ever witnessed it.

Especially the Dragon Horses between their legs, which were hearing such violent explosions for the first time, as well as the cannonballs continuously exploding in front of them.

Startled by this, countless Dragon Horses made the entire formation even more restless.

"Stabilize the formation!"

"Quickly stabilize the formation!"

"Seventh squad! Kill the horses and stop them!"

Cheng De truly lived up to being a veteran general; even in such an environment, he quickly found a way to cope.

That was to kill the warhorses that had already been startled to stabilize the formation, retaining the strength to fight another battle.

However, what greeted him was another round of bombardment from the Red Barbarian Cannons.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom...!!!!!"

The same explosions blasted from beside their ears and in front of them once again.

The first bombardment also served the purpose of calibrating positions.

As for the second bombardment, it had already found its mark. Two hundred cannonballs landed steadily right in the center of the Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry camp, blasting them to pieces and blooming in the center.

Yet another large batch of broken limbs mixed with blood flew and scattered in all directions.

This time, the veteran Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry could finally no longer hold on.

They could accept fighting to the death with the enemy, and they could accept fighting for their lives against alien races doubling their numbers.

But they absolutely could not endure an environment where they couldn't see the enemy yet were inexplicably blown to death.

Most ancient armies would collapse when casualties reached thirty percent.

And the environment faced by the Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry today was even more atrocious than that.

"Divine thunder! It's divine thunder!"

"The God of Thunder is enraged! Retreat quickly! Retreat quickly!"

"My leg! My leg, pull me out quickly... Ah!"

The entire Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry formation finally fell into chaos.

Such chaos, even if Cheng De and the personal guards around him personally took action, could not be suppressed.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom...!!!"

In the snap of a finger, the third round of cannonballs fell again, and several hundred more Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry were blown to death.

This time, the entire Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry finally collapsed.

Countless warhorses fled in all directions amidst the successive bombardments.

And the Dragon Cavalry at the very rear of the formation turned and ran even more; terrified out of their wits, they withdrew from the battlefield.

The entire land was a mess.

Just when they thought they had escaped death, a cold shout suddenly came from the peaks on both sides.

"Shoot!"

"Swish!"

"Swish swish swish~!"

The next moment, a rain of arrows filled the sky, shooting down countless panicked and fleeing Dragon Cavalry onto the ground.

After three waves of arrow rain, Chen Wannian took the lead, rushing down from the hillside.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Countless Imperial Guards shouted slogans and slaughtered their way out.

They looked excited with monstrous Battle Intent, and the previous explosion sounds had long shaken their minds and hearts.

An Immortal's treasure!

Your Majesty, with the protection of the Immortals, this battle will surely be won!

After rushing into the enemy crowd, the Pseudo-Yan Dragon Cavalry, whose guts had long been frightened out of them, dared not linger in battle at all. After slight resistance, they fled in a panic, while Chen Wannian and the others pursued relentlessly.

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

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