“Today’s battle—no more black powder, no more alchemical furnaces. It’s all up to us alone.
This general wants to know—how is the morale of our soldiers?”
“Crush Beiluo! Avenge our nation!”
The earth-shattering roar of the soldiers echoed through the mountain valley where the army was camped.
“We have now reached the capital of Beiluo.
Fight this one battle, and we can go home.
This general will bring you all home—I swear it!”
“The general is mighty! We will follow you to the death!”
Jiang Xingyan’s eyes glistened with tears as she gently shifted the bundled Xiao Ya in her arms.
Even now, the little girl still clutched tightly to her mother’s collar, refusing to be separated for even a moment.
“Xiao Ya, let’s go. Hold tight to Mother. Don’t be afraid.”
Behind her, Yun Chunfeng and Huo Ci exchanged a glance, silently reconfirming the arrangement from the night before. As Jiang Xingyan mounted her horse, the two men swapped positions.
When Jiang Xingyan noticed that the person beside her was now Huo Ci, a flicker of doubt passed through her mind.
But when she saw the embroidered banner on Yun Ge’er’s carriage fluttering behind her, she let out a small breath of relief.
Fifty thousand troops moved in perfect unison, advancing at full speed. In less than two hours, they had arrived at the gates of Beiluo’s capital.
Scouts had already ridden ahead to issue the challenge:
“Vile dogs of Beiluo! You broke your oaths, invaded our borders, slaughtered our people, and refused to repent despite repeated warnings!
A month ago, you secretly seized two iron mines in Qingzhou and sent envoys under the pretense of peace—but your hearts were never sincere. You disturbed the peace of our Western Zhou emperor—your crimes are beyond forgiveness!
Now I, the Grand General of Western Zhou’s Northern Garrison, lead this great army to punish Beiluo for its treachery, inhumanity, injustice, faithlessness, and dishonesty.
All your other cities have already fallen. You Beiluo scoundrels, surrender your city at once! The Grand General is merciful—he may yet spare your worthless lives!”
With that, a line of soldiers stepped forward and laid out a row of severed heads before the gates of Beiluo’s capital.
“If you choose to resist, this will be your fate!”
After several rounds of shouting, Beiluo’s capital remained deathly silent.
On the city walls, there wasn’t a single guard in sight—not even a shadow of a person. It was as if the city stood utterly empty.
The feeling of dread in Jiang Xingyan’s heart grew stronger by the second.
“National Advisor, could the King of Beiluo have fled after receiving word?”
“The National Advisor says they are still in the city.”
Jiang Xingyan whipped her head around in shock—because it was Huo Ci who had answered her.
“Where is Yun Ge’er?!”
Forgetting for a moment whether anyone might overhear, she frantically looked around.
But Yun Chunfeng, who had been following close behind her all along, had vanished.
Her eyes fell on Huo Ci beside her. She grabbed him by the collar, her eyes burning red.
“Where is Yun Ge’er?
You know, don’t you?!”
Huo Ci gazed steadily at the frantic Jiang Xingyan, his eyes carrying an unnerving calm.
“A Yan, you are now the commander of fifty thousand soldiers—not a lovesick maiden.
Please weigh what matters most at this moment.”
A chorus of gasps rose from the soldiers.
“What is that?”
“General, look! There’s something on the city wall!”
Jiang Xingyan spun around—and saw one after another, iron-barrel-like war machines, each large enough to hold a man, appearing along the ramparts.
Neatly arranged, twenty in total.
The iron barrels were mounted on wooden carts, wrapped with red silk ribbons.
Their hollow, black muzzles stared at them like the eyeless sockets of demons—each one aimed directly at their ranks.
A bolt of lightning struck Jiang Xingyan’s mind.
The iron mines of Qingzhou!
Beiluo had held those mines for so long—how could they have only produced a dozen or so Iron Pagoda cavalry units?
She hadn’t seen a single Iron Pagoda in any of the other cities they’d taken.
Not even among the border-harassing armies had she caught a glimpse of them.
Only now did she realize—the Iron Pagodas had been a decoy!
All the real iron ore had been poured into these unknown war machines.
Though she had no idea what destructive power they possessed, just looking at them sent a chill crawling down her spine.
A Beiluo soldier stood atop the wall and shouted down at them:
“Huo Ci! How dare you show such disrespect to our king—do you think Beiluo has no one to stand against you?!
You’ve devoured how many of our cities? We’ll make Western Zhou pay threefold!
You’ve killed how many of our generals and soldiers? We’ll make you Western Zhou pigs pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold in blood!
Today, one year from now, will be your death anniversary! Hurry down to hell and reign as your King Huo of the Underworld!
Fire!”
“What—?”
The soldier on the wall suddenly raised a torch and touched it to the rear of the iron barrel.
Boom!
A flash of fire burst from the muzzle, and from within shot a round projectile at terrifying speed.
Not only Jiang Xingyan and Huo Ci—all fifty thousand soldiers of the Huo family army stood frozen in shock.
In her arms, Xiao Ya let out a sudden wail—jolting Jiang Xingyan back to her senses.
Though she didn’t understand what kind of weapon this was, she had seen the power of black powder before.
“Get back! Everyone, move!”
KABOOM!
Before her words faded, the round shot had already struck the vanguard battalion.
The earth split apart. The sky shook. The ground trembled.
Warhorses screamed in terror, dust and smoke billowed, and the stench of blood instantly flooded every nostril.
Jiang Xingyan was shielded beneath Huo Ci’s body; the flying rubble and stone all struck him instead, each shard hitting with far more force than any ordinary hidden weapon.
Of the soldiers directly hit by the round shot, none survived. Those caught in the blast radius were either dead or wounded—limbs torn off, bodies shattered.
Even soldiers five zhang away from the crater were knocked flat by the shockwave, temporarily deafened and unable to move.
“Hahaha! Brothers, come on! The National Advisor didn’t lie to us!
Raise your torches! Ignite these divine Red-Clad Cannons! Let’s send these Western Zhou pigs straight to hell!”
Amidst the jeers that pierced the heavens, the walls of Beiluo’s capital suddenly swarmed with people.
Beside each of the twenty cannons stood three men: one holding a torch, one steadying the frame, and one cradling a round shot.
Jiang Xingyan had barely recovered from the ringing in her ears when she looked up—and saw all twenty Red-Clad Cannons aimed squarely at the entire Huo family army.
“Huo family army—retreat! Fall back, all of you! NOW!”
Jiang Xingyan’s hoarse scream mingled with the Beiluo soldiers’ countdown from atop the wall—a death knell ringing in the air.
“Three! Two! One!
Light the fuse!”
