novelapdf Chapter 288 Guns and Cannons Destroy the Enemy, Dragon's Luck
Chapter 288 Guns and Cannons Destroy the Enemy, Dragon's Luck
When the news of the Emperor's death spread, most people did not believe it.
"The Emperor has passed away? Could it be that the court is deliberately releasing a smokescreen to dispel the rebels' murderous intent?"
"How could a large number of imperial troops fleeing to Nanshan for refuge be stopped by a remnant of Prince Fu's army, let alone kill the Emperor!"
"What remnants of Prince Fu's army? I think they're just rebels like Lord Yuan, using Prince Fu's banner as a pretext. His Majesty is blessed with great fortune; he certainly won't die..."
Amidst the various opinions, some people directly hung the emperor's head outside the south gate of the capital, frightening the soldiers guarding the city into trembling.
Despite their fear, the people breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the Emperor died, even if Lord Yuan stormed into the capital, he would not harm the people of the capital, much less commit a massacre.
Immediately afterwards, the court, which had fled to Nanshan, announced the death of the emperor and supported the six-year-old prince to succeed to the throne.
When Yuan Gong's troops arrived at the capital, he did not intend to enter the city. Instead, he led his troops towards Nanshan, determined to eliminate the new emperor supported by the court.
This move may seem ruthless, but it was actually a last resort.
If Yuan Gong were to directly capture the capital under the name of the Prince of Fu, he would have to push the young Prince of Fu directly onto the throne, thus handing over the fruits of the struggle for the throne.
Now that the Human Emperor is dead, Yuan Gong can only seize enough fortune to transform from a dragon into a dragon by killing the new emperor at Nanshan!
"call--"
Whether they were ordinary citizens of the capital or soldiers left behind, they all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Yuan Gong's troops heading towards Nanshan.
"Since Lord Yuan is in such a hurry, it seems that the Emperor was not killed by Lord Yuan!"
"Who exactly killed the Human Emperor? Could it be another one vying for power?"
"The new emperor is only six years old. I wonder if he can survive the struggle for power..."
Although Nanshan has the character "Nan" in its name, it is located in the northwest of the capital. It is named after its location in the southern part of the Chang Geng Mountains. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is far more dangerous than the important town of the Buddhist army that Li Hui destroyed.
Yuan Gong led his troops to attack with great momentum, but before reaching Nanshan, he discovered some clues and did not choose to attack directly.
However, the pass at Nanshan is like a gourd; if one rashly charges in, and is surrounded by a large army from the rear, one will be in a dilemma of advancing or retreating.
In Yuan Gong's view, the person who killed the emperor was either a powerful figure in the court who staged a coup or a local powerful family, so they had to be on guard.
Yuan Gong had several suspects, but no conclusive evidence, so he simply sent out invitations to various powerful figures and held banquets for them.
For a time, all eyes were on Nanshan. Whether it was the new emperor's ascension to the throne or Yuan Gong's "Hongmen Banquet," both were milestone events in the struggle for power.
"The Emperor is dead; it's time to start a new plan!"
Within Yuzhou, the East and West Chambers of Commerce worked together to promote technological innovation, with Jinfeng County as the center.
The first type was the wooden cart equipped with iron wheels and rubber tires, which not only increased the vehicle's load-bearing capacity but also greatly improved its speed.
Secondly, fertilizers refined from ore are gradually entering people's homes. Although the effects may not be immediately apparent, they will prove the foresight of the East-West Chamber of Commerce in the future.
Finally, firearms, with muskets at their core, were equipped on the guards of the East-West Merchant Guild and transported to Li Hui's troops on the western front.
Cultivators had long ago developed gunpowder through alchemy, but they only used it in pills, fireworks, and magical artifacts, at most to make thunderclap bombs and red-barbarian cannons for use against enemies.
The Thunderclap Bomb is a very simple bomb, filled with ceramic fragments, and has only moderate power.
The Hongyi cannon, limited by its barrel material and gunpowder intensity, was mostly used for intimidation; in actual combat, it couldn't even breach city walls, and its excessive weight led to its being underestimated. The East-West Merchant Guild, through the technology brought from the Milky Way World by Yantian Chou, not only manufactured high-quality steel but also produced high-intensity gunpowder. The reason they didn't use it was to avoid provoking the imperial court.
Now that the Human Emperor has passed away, the Great Era of Dragon Struggle has officially begun. The East-West Chamber of Commerce should also showcase its "heavy industry" side to help Li Hui quickly enter the ranks of the major overlords of Dragon Struggle.
Even if muskets and cannons can only deal with enemies at the level of demon kings, it is enough to change the battlefield situation with a large number of weapons, thereby causing Li Hui's fortune to change again.
In late spring, Yuan Gong hosted a banquet in Wencheng, east of Nanshan Mountain, but only a few scions of prominent families attended, which enraged Yuan Gong.
"The head of the Chen family is unwell and unable to attend the banquet... Not only did the head of the Tian family refuse outright, but he also led his troops to Nanshan to defend the emperor?"
The banquet was a trap, but only a handful of people showed up. Yuan Gong was then subjected to insults and ridicule from the Tian family, which immediately made him lose his temper.
Several days later, Xiao Xuan, a general under Yuan Gong, stormed into the city where the Tian family's ancestral home was located. He was met with resistance and humiliation, and in a fit of rage, he killed more than 300 members of the Tian family, burned down the Tian family's houses, and even dug up the Tian family's ancestral graves.
Knowing his actions were wrong, Xiao Xuan led his troops along the route taken by the Tian family to defend the emperor towards Nanshan. After a day and a night of fierce fighting at the eastern pass of Nanshan, he lost 30,000 troops before finally breaking into Guanzhong.
Unexpectedly, the court officials and the new emperor had already withdrawn from Nanshan, which greatly diminished Xiao Xuan's credit.
At the same time, imperial troops came from all sides to encircle and suppress Yuan Gong, determined to kill him outside Nanshan.
Yuan Gong was not afraid. Although the Feast at Hongmen failed, he had won over many powerful families and clans. In addition, with the geographical advantage of Nanshan, he could rely on local support to carry out the war.
As summer turned to autumn, Yuan Gong fought back and forth with the imperial army, but there was no major battle.
Besides the fact that neither side found a good opportunity, it was also related to the uncertainty of the new emperor's whereabouts. If too many troops were lost at this time, the advantage in the future struggle for the throne would be lost.
At this time, news of the new emperor finally arrived: the capital of Yunzhou, located northeast of Yuzhou, would be designated as the new capital, named Yunjing.
Not long after, news of a great victory suddenly came from the western frontier.
Li Hui led 50,000 troops into the heart of the Western Qiang territory, routing the Fan soldiers and causing even the fierce Qiang people to tremble in fear.
The Brahma sect initially wanted to put up a fight, but after witnessing the power of muskets and cannons, they lost all interest in participating in the dragon war.
After all, the Buddha of Victory and the Bodhisattva of Supreme Victory had lost to the Golden Toad Great Sage and the Sun Goddess in the last time. Even if there were other Bodhisattvas who could take action, they would not be able to defeat the Western White Emperor and the Golden Toad Great Sage working together.
Furthermore, since Brahma had no chance of breaking through the Five Emperors to succeed as the Heavenly Emperor, no matter how much he performed in this Dragon Struggle, he would still face resistance from multiple sides. So, after witnessing the power of guns and cannons, he decided to withdraw in time.
Without the help of the Brahma army, the Qiang people were immediately thrown into disarray. Most of their forces were on guard against the Marquis of Jinchuan, which gave Li Hui the opportunity to strike directly at the Qiang capital.
"boom!"
As the massive cannon fire roared, a huge hole was blasted in the city wall of the Qiang capital. The wall, designed to withstand cold weapons, was no match for the bombardment.
As the city walls crumbled under the bombardment, the Qiang soldiers were terrified. Some stood frozen in fear, while others lost all will to fight...
Above the capital of the Qiang people, the Qiang deities were in an even more precarious situation.
After losing the assistance of the Brahma God, many of the Qiang people's deities backed down. Before the pro-war faction could even muster any strength, they were decimated by the Sun Goddess, the Golden Cloud Immortal General, and the Golden Flame God General.
With the Qiang King killed by Li Hui, who was riding the Tiger King, the Western Qiang rebellion was finally completely suppressed. Unseen yet real forces of fortune surged in from all directions, condensing into a phantom dragon above Li Hui's head. (End of Chapter)