221: Chapter 221 War Escalates!

After Zhuzi recalibrated the elevation angle of the mortar, he looked toward the loader.

The ammunition man took another mortar shell from the box and handed it to the loader.

After taking the shell, the loader dropped it into the mortar tube.

This time, Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, Jin Tu, and the others had learned their lesson; they quickly covered their ears.

"Boom!"

A blinding flash erupted from the mortar tube as the shell flew toward the central army where the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King were located.

The cavalry units of the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King were in a state of panic because of the previous massive explosion; the rear army, in particular, was filled with alarm, not knowing what had happened.

Not to mention them, even the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King felt the same way.

Their faces were full of confusion, equally ignorant of what the previous explosion was about.

"What is that?"

The sharp-eyed White Sheep King saw an object high in the sky, smashing toward him at an extremely high speed.

The Right Great Danghu also saw the black dot.

Its flight speed was simply too fast; it was far away just a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye, it had landed right before them.

Just as he was about to arrange for someone to check what the falling object was, the fuse of the grounded mortar shell was triggered, and it exploded with a roar.

The Right Great Danghu felt a terrifying shockwave hit him head-on, and his entire body flew up uncontrollably.

Not just him, but the warhorse he was riding and the White Sheep King right beside him were all sent flying, men and horses alike.

They only felt themselves flying higher and higher.

Immediately after, they plunged into endless darkness.

Tian Ju watched the results through his binoculars.

Under that single shell, the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King were killed on the spot, and their guards fell into a chaotic mess.

The cavalry units they led lost their composure because the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King had been suddenly killed.

"Chiefs,"

Tian Ju said with a smile at this moment, "you may strike now."

"Understood!"

Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other chiefs were all awestruck by the mortar shells, and they subconsciously obeyed Tian Ju's command.

"Kill!"

Leading over ten thousand cavalry, they charged down the mountain.

Tian Ju did not order the thousand cavalry he brought to participate in the attack; instead, he recalled his thousand cavalry and had Jin Tu recall the Tuan Tribe's two thousand cavalry as well, merging them into one force.

Even though they had established dominance with the mortars while eliminating the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King, it was unavoidable that Xiongnu people like Qing Ying might covet the mortars in their hands and launch an attack against them.

After all, their ammunition supply was limited; without resupply, His Majesty the Head of State had instructed them to save bullets and mortar shells as much as possible to serve as a deterrent against the Xiongnu.

It was like a nuclear weapon; its deterrent power was greatest when it was not being used.

Before Tian Ju set out, Zhao Fusu specifically told him to pay attention to safety at night and to keep the searchlights on, just in case the Qinglan Tribe disregarded martial ethics and tried to raid their camp to seize the revolvers and mortars.

The battle ended in less than an hour; after seeing the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King blown to pieces, the enemy turned and fled, possessing no will to fight at all.

The tribes led by the Qinglan Tribe pursued the victory, driving the enemy back over ten miles and capturing over a thousand slow-moving cavalrymen.

Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other chiefs returned with over a thousand prisoners; they had never imagined they would actually repel the offensive of the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King!

"Congratulations to the chiefs on your great victory."

Tian Ju led a group of guards and rode out to meet Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the others, cupping his hands toward them with a smile.

When Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other chiefs saw Tian Ju, they couldn't help but pull their horses back a step.

The deterrent power brought by the mortars made it impossible for their hearts to settle for a long time.

The reason the cavalry brought by the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King retreated so quickly was essentially because the two of them were killed on the spot by Great Qin's mortars, leaving the force leaderless.

Thinking about how that mortar shell flew over four miles to 'sniped' their commanders and physically obliterated the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King...

...they felt it was absolutely mind-blowing.

This was something no one would believe if told, yet it had truly happened right before their eyes.

This made them tremble with fear whenever they looked at Tian Ju.

They were terrified of offending Tian Ju, fearing he would use that mortar to blast them from four miles away too.

In that case, they really wouldn't even know how they died!

"Could you give us your prisoners?"

Tian Ju said with a beaming smile.

Although he thought he was smiling very amiably, a chill ran down the spines of Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other chiefs.

While they couldn't make the Qin people's crossbow bolts, those were still within the scope of their understanding.

mortars, however, were completely beyond their comprehension.

They couldn't even fathom how such a heaven-defying weapon was created.

They could only suspect that the Qin people possessed sorcery!

People are often in awe of the unknown.

Qing Ying, Chi Yan, Lie Yun, and the other chiefs all changed their previous attitudes toward Tian Ju.

Even if Tian Ju hadn't asked for the prisoners, they would have given them to him.

Qing Ying said to Tian Ju with a smile on his face, "These prisoners were originally captured to be presented to you, My Lord!"

"Very well!"

Tian Ju nodded with great satisfaction.

He had Jin Tu go and take charge of the thousand prisoners.

"Understood!"

Jin Tu's face was full of excitement.

With these thousand strong prisoners, the Tuan Tribe's strength would increase greatly.

He had made the right choice in deciding to submit to His Majesty the Head of State.

Tian Ju used a messenger pigeon to report the battle results to Zhao Fusu and asked for further instructions.

After some thought, Zhao Fusu told Tian Ju and Lu Jia to persuade the Liefeng Tribe, Chiyanju Tribe, Shuangzong Tribe, Lingyu Tribe, and Qinglan Tribe to all defect to Great Qin.

By integrating these five tribes, even without counting Great Qin's own troops, he would be the equivalent of a Commander of Ten Thousand Cavalry on the grasslands!

However, according to Lu Jia's letter, the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King's attempt to annex the Qinglan Tribe had been authorized by Modu Chanyu.

The Xiongnu Royal Court would certainly send more troops.

The White Sheep King was considered a minor king-general.

Next, it was likely that major king-generals would come, or even the Xiongnu Royal Court itself would intervene.

He also had to deploy more cavalry.

Once Modu Chanyu understood the specific situation of the Battle of Qinglan Heights, he would definitely realize that Great Qin had intervened.

Zhao Fusu guessed the next wave of enemies would be the Right Worthy King.

It seemed that this conflict, which started with the Right Great Danghu wanting to annex the Qinglan Tribe, would lead to a decisive battle between Great Qin and the Xiongnu Royal Court centered around the Qinglan Grassland!

As long as they won, they could force the Xiongnu Royal Court out of the grasslands!