"Shenji Battalion! Hear my command!"
Liu Yi gave Xi Sheng an apologetic smile, then turned to face the soldiers he had brought, and his voice suddenly rose as he proclaimed:
"First team, heavy crossbows, advance! Target: 80 paces below the pass, enemy archer formation and follow-up echelons—cover fire!"
Dozens of powerful crossbows, each requiring two operators, were quickly set up at the crenellations. The crossbowmen, their eyes cold, adjusted their firing arcs.
These crossbows were discovered in the city's armory after the Hedong army captured Xijing.
"put!"
"Buzz—!"
A sickening twang of crossbow strings resounded, and the specially made armor-piercing heavy crossbow bolts, like javelins hurled by the Grim Reaper, instantly covered the distance and plunged into the enemy ranks with a piercing whistle!
Compared to the defenders' weak and ineffective arrows, the power of these heavy crossbows was terrifying. They pierced through shields, tore through armor, and shot through dense enemy ranks like a string of candied hawthorns!
The enemy's long-range suppression was temporarily halted.
"Second team, third team! Thunderclap Grenade, prepare!"
Liu Yi didn't stop for a moment, "Target: the area within fifty paces of the pass, where the enemy forces using ladders and climbing the walls are most concentrated! Three breaths delay—surrender!"
Hundreds of incredibly strong grenadiers simultaneously lit their fuses, silently counted, and then hurled the dark, iron lumps down towards the city walls.
In an instant, it seemed as if hundreds of thunderclaps exploded simultaneously below the city!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Rumble—!"
The earth shook violently!
Flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke billowed out!
The shockwave from the explosion and the flying precast fragments acted like invisible scythes, reaping lives in droves!
Limbs and severed arms, mixed with dirt and shattered armor, shot into the sky, their screams drowned out by the massive explosion. Enemy soldiers about to scale the city walls, along with their heavy siege ladders, were reduced to dust in the blast!
The offensive, which had been like a tidal wave, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of explosion, instantly crumbling. The surviving soldiers were terrified by this unprecedented and horrific sight, abandoning their armor and fleeing in panic.
"Fourth team! Fireball!"
Liu Yi's voice was like a death knell, "Target: the remaining enemy ladders, battering rams, and densely packed fleeing crowds—surrender!"
The soldiers lit the sealed earthenware jars on torches and threw them with all their might.
The flaming earthenware pot traced an arc through the air with a trail of flames before crashing into its target and shattering.
The viscous, fiery oil splattered outwards, igniting instantly upon contact with fire, transforming into huge, rolling flames!
The siege ladders and battering rams turned into giant torches, and the soldiers who were set ablaze let out inhuman howls, bumping around like headless flies, and spreading the flames to more of their comrades.
The flowing oil on the ground formed moving seas of fire, further engulfing the chaotic enemy forces.
The area below was instantly transformed into a fiery hell and a slaughterhouse of hell.
Ma Zongliang's determined offensive collapsed completely under the firepower that was ahead of its time.
On the city wall, the remaining defenders stared in disbelief at everything, as if they were in a dream.
Xu Yunlong's mouth gaped open, and it took him a long time to close it. He muttered, "Damn it... this... this is the stuff from the Divine Machine Battalion? It's too... too terrifying!"
Even someone as fierce and brave as He Yunsheng couldn't help but swallow hard when he saw the tragic scene below the city.
Fortunately, they had long served Zhao Muyun, and now, through Huan Naxue, they had obtained formal membership in the Hedong Army.
Otherwise, the place that becomes part of the Hedong Army will definitely enjoy the treatment of roasted pig.
Xi Sheng let out a long sigh of relief. His tense nerves finally relaxed, and a huge sense of fatigue instantly overwhelmed him, making him almost unable to stand.
He leaned against the battlements and said to Liu Yi with emotion, "General Liu, if it weren't for your timely arrival with the Divine Machine Battalion, Longmen Pass would have undoubtedly fallen! You deserve the greatest credit for this battle!"
Liu Yi showed no joy. He calmly observed the chaos and subsequent movements of the enemy troops below the pass, and said in a deep voice:
"General Xi, you flatter us. While the Thunderclap Bomb and the Fireball are powerful, they are difficult to manufacture and have limited stock. This salvo has already used up nearly 30% of them."
"The Grand Commander instructed that Ma Zongliang is no ordinary man, and he will certainly not be willing to accept such a heavy blow."
"He might adjust his tactics, either surrounding the enemy without attacking, or launching a surprise attack at night."
"We need to immediately discuss the follow-up defense plan, repair the city's defenses, and send someone to report the battle situation in detail to Governor Lin, requesting immediate support, especially arrows and defensive equipment."
Lin Feng and his troops were on their way when they encountered Li Hu, which delayed them for some time.
Upon hearing this, Xi Sheng's expression turned serious again: "General Liu is absolutely right. Ma Zongliang's 50,000 troops are still strong and will not give up so easily. The fiercest battle is yet to come."
He immediately called to Xu Yunlong and He Yunsheng: "Quickly, organize manpower, rescue the wounded, and reinforce the city defenses! Collect all the usable arrows!"
......
While the battle raged fiercely at Longmen Pass, the newly liberated Xijing City was not entirely peaceful either.
Beneath the surface of order, undercurrents surge.
Inside the Grand Commander's headquarters, Zhao Muyun's desk was piled high with urgent documents and intelligence reports from various parties.
Longmen Pass was on the verge of collapse, Luzhou and Zezhou were struggling to hold on, and the relocation of the capital to Jinyang was a matter of great complexity…
Meanwhile, within Xijing, the remnants of Yang Yan's forces, along with some treacherous local magnates and officials who were already wavering between two sides, began to stir as they took advantage of his preoccupation with the front lines.
"Grand Commander, the Prefect of the Capital has arrested several scoundrels who spread rumors that the Hedong army is running out of food and will soon abandon the city, but the mastermind behind them is well hidden and difficult to find out in a short time."
"Report! Last night, the Yongxingfang night patrol team was attacked by a stray arrow, and three people were killed. The murderer escaped by taking advantage of his familiarity with the alleyways."
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