Chapter 308 Lightning Strike

The first official appearance of the Flying Thunder Cannon was exceptionally effective; the defenders scattered after just two rounds of bombardment.

It wasn't that these soldiers were cowards, but faced with this kind of dimensional strike and seeing such miserable deaths, few could endure it.

The Yue Army climbed the city walls with the help of grappling hooks without any resistance and then opened the gates. Da San Pass, a mighty pass under heaven, fell in less than half a day. This speed was likely something no one in the world would believe.

Chen Dao had originally prepared to lead the Cavalry to hunt down the fleeing Northern Liang Army, but he was stopped by Gao Yuan.

“Shuzhi, wouldn't it be better if we lured more enemy troops to Chencang City to blast them?”

Chen Dao immediately understood Gao Yuan's intentions and followed with a smile.

“My Lord is wise; This humble general is filled with admiration.”

“Sigh, what a pity. We don't have enough explosive packs. Otherwise, not only could we take Chencang, but we could also take a trip to Chang'an City. I haven't been to Chang'an City yet.”

To maintain secrecy, the production of gunpowder had never been fully opened up. For this expedition, Gao Yuan only brought fifty packs. Twenty were used to break the pass, and the remaining thirty were estimated to be just enough to take Chencang.

However, even more explosive packs would be useless. The outer shells of these iron barrels were so thin that they couldn't withstand many rounds of bombardment. It was estimated that after this use, they would have to be taken back to be melted down and rebuilt.

“What a shame. If I had an Italian cannon, I could blast my way all the way to Luoyang.”

After a moment of sentimentality, Gao Yuan went down to rest, leaving Chen Dao to lead the men in burying the bodies and cleaning up the battlefield.

“What did you say? Da San Pass was lost in a single day? Useless trash!”

Inside Chang'an City, in the main hall of the Military Governor's office, Gao Bing, who was left in charge of Chang'an, was beyond furious after hearing the messenger's report. He couldn't understand how his men could lose Da San Pass in less than a day.

Beyond his surprise, he also saw the fierce momentum of Gao Yuan's current advance. Having no time for further anger, he immediately began making arrangements.

“Immediately send word to the Great King requesting reinforcements. Order Liang Qiu to lead five thousand troops to Chencang to set up defenses. Remember, focus on holding the position; under no circumstances are you to leave the city for a pitched battle.”

“Understood!”

Thanks to Gao Yuan's intentional slow pace, Liang Qiu was able to organize his troops and reach Chencang City.

With eight thousand troops and abundant defensive supplies, both Ma Fu and Liang Qiu felt confident in holding the city. As for the 'divine weapon that strikes like thunder' mentioned by the defeated soldiers, the two of them scoffed at it.

In their view, this was surely something fabricated by the defeated troops to evade responsibility, and it wasn't worth believing at all.

On the other side, upon receiving Gao Bing's request for aid, Gao Wu immediately ordered Gao Hu to lead twenty thousand troops to Chang'an. The Guanzhong was simply too important; Gao Wu didn't dare take any risks.

Taking his time along the way, two days after Liang Qiu arrived at Chencang City, Gao Yuan finally finished the fifty-li journey with his troops and appeared in the sight of Ma Fu and Liang Qiu.

Seeing that the arriving army only numbered a little over ten thousand and even included Female Soldiers, the two became even more contemptuous of Gao Yuan.

“Truly, a dog can't change its habit of eating filth. It's only been a few years, but this third son of the Gao Family has reverted to his old ways, even bringing women on an expedition.”

“When the top is crooked, the bottom follows. With a commander like this, one can only imagine the discipline of this Yue Army. Truly, his reputation is far greater than his actual ability!”

“Hahaha! Our army will surely win this battle. Brother Liang, it seems we are about to be promoted soon, hahaha!”

While the people on the city wall were smugly fantasizing about a bright future of promotions and wealth, the Shenji Camp below the city had already prepared the Flying Thunder Cannons.

To prevent any accidents, the Baier Soldiers on both flanks had also mounted their horses, ready at any moment to intercept any incoming enemies.

With the experience from the previous bombardment, the soldiers of the Shenji Camp were now even more precise in their grasp of distance and angle.

In the first round of bombardment fifteen minutes later, six out of the ten explosive packs landed on the city wall, instantly causing a mass of casualties.

Ma Fu, who had been full of smugness just moments ago, was now lying on the ground with blood flowing from his nose and mouth, his life or death unknown.

Liang Qiu's luck was better; his first reaction had been to hide inside the gatehouse, so he wasn't hit by the shockwave, narrowly escaping with his life.

Except right now, he felt his crotch was warm and wet. As a Qiang general, he had always been known for his boldness and bravery, yet he never expected to wet his pants today.

Before he could recover his senses, the second round of bombardment came. This time, five explosive packs cleared the city wall and flew into the soldiers below who hadn't yet recovered.

After two rounds of bombardment, no one dared to step onto the city wall again. The Northern Liang Army soldiers were either dead or wounded, and many more simply fled in a rout. Those remaining stood there in a daze, looking at the living hell before them.

Fifteen minutes later, the city gate was opened by Baier Soldiers who had climbed into the city. Gao Yuan led his army triumphantly onto the streets of Chencang City.

“Shuzhi, how many Flying Thunder Cannons are still usable?”

“Reporting to My Lord, there are four usable ones left, and we have ten explosive packs.”

“Order the Baier Soldiers and the Imperial Guard Battalion to mount their horses. Take the Flying Thunder Cannons and follow me.”

“Understood!”

Although it was impossible to attack Chang'an now, Gao Yuan could still manage to give Gao Bing a painful lesson, and incidentally intimidate this former elder of his.

Chencang had already been lost, but Gao Bing and Gao Hu didn't know this yet. The two were leading their army out of Chang'an City, preparing to execute a counter-encirclement at Chencang City to swallow up Gao Yuan's troops.

What they didn't know was that on the second day after they set out, Gao Yuan had already broken through Chencang City in just one morning.

If they knew, not only would their jaws drop in shock, but they would also immediately lead their troops back to Chang'an City.

After marching for two days, the army was less than two days' distance from Chencang.

That day, the army set up camp as usual, completing all defensive work. After everyone finished eating, they quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

At this time, outside the main camp, the Baier Soldiers carried the Flying Thunder Cannons to a position two hundred paces away from the Northern Liang Army camp.

“My Lord, the brothers are all ready and can begin the bombardment at any time.”

“Good. Tell the brothers to move quickly. As soon as all the explosive packs are fired, immediately mount up and follow me to raid the camp.”

“Understood!”

Chen Dao went down to prepare with a face full of excitement, while Gao Yuan went to his horse's side and got ready to strike at any moment.

“Boom... Boom... Boom...”

Huge roars tore through the night sky, followed by massive explosions within the Northern Liang Army camp. A patrol team and soldiers sleeping in three tents died just like that, without even knowing why.

Gao Hu and Gao Bing, startled awake from their dreams, had just rushed out of their tents and hadn't had time to ask what was happening when the second round of bombardment arrived. This time it had clearly advanced quite a bit; the explosive packs flew onto several tent roofs and exploded again.

By the third round, the last two iron barrels could no longer bear the strain. The explosive packs flew both short and crooked, but by a stroke of luck, they landed right on the heads of two squads of soldiers who had come to investigate.

Two Zhonglang Generals and over a hundred soldiers were killed on the spot, blood flowing from their seven orifices.

This scene was too shocking. Everyone in the entire Northern Liang Army camp stood there in a daze until Gao Yuan, Mu Qing, and Chen Dao led the Cavalry charging in, and they finally regained their senses.

However, in the midst of the chaos, they couldn't distinguish friend from foe and could only instinctively draw their swords and strike out.

For safety's sake, Gao Yuan only led his men through one charge before riding away, leaving the rest of the Northern Liang Army to slaughter each other.