Chapter 222 My Foolish Brother

Hua Wuxing looked at the heavy infantry and light cavalry that had unexpectedly appeared and formed a battle formation against him, his face turning into a bitter gourd shape, his heart filled with bitterness.

The opposing force of over a thousand men were all uniformly armored and of high rank. They were either Qin Mo's main army or Wang Yushi's Imperial Guard. And their presence at this time and place could only be Wang Yushi's Imperial Guard.

"Who would equip a supply train with a heavy infantry escort? When did light cavalry become so worthless? What kind of big deal is the Empress doing that requires the Imperial Guard to exchange supplies?"

Hua Wuxing cursed inwardly while forcing a smile on his face. He could be temperamental with ordinary Imperial Guard supply officers, but he would never tolerate Wang Yushi's supply corps.

My horse is dead.

Qin Yumu's eyes were cold, and her words were calm.

"My young master acted foolishly and accidentally injured your mount. The Hua family will certainly provide you with sufficient compensation. We hope that you, Commander, will forgive him!"

Hua Wuxin, the deputy, had excellent eyesight. As soon as Qin Yumu approached, he immediately noticed the royal cloud pattern on Qin Yumu's clothes. Knowing that his young master had gotten into trouble, he had no choice but to help Xin try his best to salvage the situation.

Looking at Hua Wuxing, who was bowing his head and remaining silent, Qin Yumu immediately lost interest in fighting. "As expected of a notorious coward, you bully the weak and fear the strong, and you're also afraid of death. I thought you dared to fight me one-on-one!"

"A momentary lapse? Which of your troops marches so arrogantly? Do we have to rush off the road to make way for you with so much baggage and military supplies?"

Qin Yumu's deputy general was a Xuanjing realm expert brought from his family to maintain order. He was mature and prudent, and he reasoned with the noble private army. Unable to win the argument, the noble private army had no choice but to lead their troops to the roadbed, allowing the Shenji Battalion to conduct the initial maneuver.

As the large four-wheeled carriage drove past the group of nobles, they finally understood why these "supply troops" refused to give way. Even four horses struggled to pull the carriage, which showed how heavy the cargo was. If it went off the road, it would be impossible to get back on easily; the wheels would inevitably get stuck.

The caravan stretched on and on for a full hour. Not only Hua Wuxing, but the other nobles were also astonished. These "supply troops" numbered nearly 30,000, yet not a single one was old, weak, sick, or disabled. Even the drivers were all strong and capable men.

"Young Master, let's pretend this never happened! These people aren't supply troops at all; there must be something going on. Let's not cause trouble for my sister." The retainer of the Marquis of Hepu knew his young master's temperament and quickly reminded him.

Hua Wuxiu nodded, completely abandoning any thought of revenge. The nearly one thousand large carts, heavily guarded and completely covered, were clearly extremely important military equipment, and since it involved the Imperial Guards, they were simply not something he could afford to offend.

Qin Yumu led this strange "supply caravan" through Guihua City and beyond the northern wall, without even entering Wulan City, and finally arrived with great difficulty at the Great Xia Army's Northern Expeditionary Camp outside Wulanwude City.

"Commander Qin Yumu of the Shenji Battalion pays his respects to the General. The Shenji Battalion has arrived on time and is now here to deliver orders. Please inspect them, General."

"Oh! The Prince of Yan arrived the day before yesterday and asked me to pay more attention to you. The Empress also wrote to me, instructing me that your Shenji Battalion is a precious asset, but you don't seem like a commander at all!"

Zhao Qirui suddenly said something that embarrassed Qin Yumu.

He felt that the old general was just complaining. He had been fighting the orcs in the north for years without any progress, and then suddenly a child appeared who could change the course of the war. Wasn't this a veiled criticism of Zhao Qirui's incompetence?

“My Shenji Battalion is different from other Imperial Guards. It does not focus on fighting on the battlefield, but relies on the power of weapons. That is why you were able to take up the position of commander.”

"Forget it! You're on good terms with Qin Mo, and the court wants to take advantage of her but is too embarrassed to do so, so they're just using you as a shield. Do you think I don't know that?"

Qin Yumu was immediately annoyed: "General, if you know everything, why are you criticizing me? There are precedents for commanders with only Yellow Realm cultivation."

Zhao Qirui glared and said angrily, "My soldiers have fought and died in this bitter cold land for so many years. In what way are they inferior to you pampered soldiers? Why can't you even inspect a few cannons?"

"No one is allowed within a mile of your Shenji Camp, yet you require two Imperial Guards to protect and guard you. What kind of logic is this?"

Seeing the indignant looks in the eyes of the generals under the Grand General, Qin Yumu finally understood. The Grand General had been entrusted by the Prince of Yan and the Empress to take good care of the Divine Machine Battalion. The conditions he proposed had aroused the dissatisfaction of the Grand General's subordinates. The Grand General could not afford to offend Prince of Yan, Qin Mu, so he could only scold Qin Yumu to vent his anger.

"General, please observe the situation carefully before making a decision on what kind of treatment our Shenji Battalion should receive."

"Hmph! That's exactly what I'm thinking!"

The Shenji Battalion's camp was located behind the Great Xia army's main camp, far from the city walls where the fighting was most intense. Two newly dispatched Imperial Guard units guarded the rear of the Shenji Battalion, protecting it within Zhengzheng.

Qin Yumu had his men temporarily build a wall with sandbags, and then pulled out a four-wheeled carriage.

Qin Mo did not design a brand-new artillery carriage like those from the Napoleonic era for the Shenji Battalion. Setting up the cannon was still very time-consuming; even with ropes and poles working together, it would take half an hour to unload and aim the cannon.

"This thing can penetrate that wall? You think you can hit it at a distance of at least 600 paces?"

While the cannons were being set up, several commanders began to question Qin Yumu. Qin Yumu could tell from Zhao Qirui's expression that they were asking on his behalf. People who had never seen gunpowder weapons would not understand their enormous power; they generally thought that cannons were a more powerful type of catapult.

The cannon was set up in less time than expected. Just as it got dark, the gunner signaled that it was ready to fire. With Qin Yumu's nod, the fourteen-pound cannon roared and sent out a plume of smoke that stretched for ten feet.

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