My righteousness is the artillery fired at you
The winter of the second year of Shenggong came exceptionally early and was exceptionally severe.
"Your Majesty! Urgent news!" the scouts reported. "The Beishuo main force, over 50,000 men, led by Tuoba Hong, has breached the Yehu Ridge breach and is heading straight for Dishi City!"
The tent was instantly quiet.
Xue Cheng's face was so solemn that it looked like water could drip out of it. "Before this, the Beishu army frequently mobilized, feinted to attack Yanyun and threatened Heishui. It turns out it was all for this place!"
Peishi City.
It is not as majestic and dangerous as Yanyun Pass. Its walls are not the highest and its military strength is not the strongest, but its location is like the throat of a person.
Nearly 70% of the food and supplies needed by the hundreds of thousands of troops on the Heshuo front had to be transported through this place to various passes. If Dishi City fell, the frontline army would be like a tree without roots, and would collapse without a fight.
Tuoba Hong's intention is obvious.
He wanted to force Ning Lingyi out and force her to fight a decisive battle in the wild, on the terrain that was most advantageous for his Beishuo cavalry.
"Who is the commander of Dishi City? How many troops does he have?" Ning Lingyi asked.
"Your Majesty, the defending commander is Zhang Ben, who has only 5,000 defenders and over 1,000 auxiliary troops under his command." The scout reported the numbers with difficulty.
Six thousand versus fifty thousand.
This was an offensive and defensive battle with almost no suspense.
"Your Majesty!" Pan Hao clasped his fists fiercely. "I am willing to lead my cavalry to provide assistance! We cannot sit idly by and watch Dishi City fall!"
"No!" Xue Cheng objected immediately. "General Pan, I know you're eager to save the city. But Tuoba Hong's move is precisely a siege strategy to defeat the reinforcements! He's hoping our army will split up and rush to the rescue, so he can wait for us to tire out and devour us piece by piece in the open!"
"Are we just going to watch Dishi City fall, watch tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians being slaughtered, and watch our army's food supply be cut off?!" Pan Hao asked.
Ning Lingyi did not participate in the debate. Should he save her or not?
To rescue them, they would have to mobilize their main forces, leave their long-established stronghold, and engage the Beishuo cavalry in a decisive battle in the open air. What were the chances of victory? She knew it all.
If we don't rescue them, Dishi City will surely fall. Once the food supply is cut off, the army will be in chaos, and the collapse of the Heshuo defense line is only a matter of time. Furthermore, the six thousand soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians in the city...
This is a dead end dilemma.
"Report!"
Another messenger stumbled in, barely even having time to salute, before he shouted, "Your Majesty! Several cavalry units from Beishuo have bypassed our main defenses and penetrated over a hundred miles into our territory! They haven't attacked cities, but instead have targeted villages along the way... They've burned and looted everything they've passed, leaving nothing behind!"
"What?" The generals in the tent changed color in anger.
"What a great Tuoba Hong! He's killing two birds with one stone!"
She could almost imagine the scene of the Beishuo cavalry setting fire and killing people in the village, and hear the cries of women and children, Tuoba Hong, this is your power and authority.
"Pass the order down."
"Order Pan Hao to immediately assemble ten thousand elite cavalry and all mobile troops. At all costs, wipe out the infiltrating Beishuo cavalry and protect the civilians in the rear. No mistakes are allowed!"
"As for the siege of Whetstone City..."
"I'll solve it myself."
"Your Majesty!" Xue Cheng was the first to react, shouting urgently, "Absolutely not! Tuoba Hong is trying to lure our main force into a field battle. Your Majesty personally going to Dishi City would be putting yourself in danger, playing right into his hands!"
"General Xue is absolutely right!" Pan Hao immediately echoed, "I am willing to go on your Majesty's behalf! Even if it means facing mountains of swords and seas of fire, I will fight to the death to carve a bloody path for Dishi City!"
Ning Lingyi slowly shook her head: "I have to go. I have been waiting for this day for a long time."
She immediately gave the order: "Send a message to Zhang Ben in Dishi City immediately and tell him that I have personally led the reinforcements to the city."
Once the order is given, there is no turning back.
An hour later, Ning Lingyi was ready to set off.
She knew it was a risky move, putting herself in a dangerous position. If she made a mistake, everything would be lost. But she also knew that she had to go to this battle that would determine the fate of the country.
*
Under the stone city.
Tuoba Hong drove hundreds of captured Southern Dynasty soldiers and civilians to the city.
It was winter, and those people were dressed in rags and shivering in the cold wind.
As long as these captives were willing to loudly insult Ning Lingyi in the direction of Dishi City, calling him "the false emperor who forced his younger brother to death" and "the mean and ungrateful disaster star", they would be immediately pardoned and given food and furs to keep warm.
If you are unwilling, you will be executed immediately without mercy.
The cold wind blew snow particles, lashing at the numb faces of hundreds of prisoners. They were forced by the Beishuo cavalry with swords and guns, staggering to kneel and stand.
The Beishuo envoy repeated the condition loudly again.
There was a dead silence among the crowd.
Suddenly, a gray-haired old man straightened his hunched back and roared towards the top of the city with all his strength: "Long live His Majesty!"
Before the voice fell, a bright knife light flashed, and the old man's head and body were separated. Hot blood splattered on the frozen ground and instantly solidified into dark red ice.
"Who else wants to die?" The Beishuo cavalry waved their bloody scimitars.
After a brief silence, the crowd became agitated.
A pale, skinny man fell to his knees with a thud, facing the direction of Dishi City, tears streaming down his face, and he cried incoherently: "Fake Emperor... Ning Lingyi... It's you who harmed us... You, my brother Ke... You will not die a good death..."
With the first one, there will be the second, the third...
Intermittent curses, filled with tears and fear, echoed intermittently in the cold wind. Some people cursed while kowtowing frantically, begging for forgiveness from no one.
But there are also people, like the old man at the beginning.
A soldier with a broken arm suddenly charged towards the Beishuo cavalry beside him, and in return was hit by a spear that pierced his chest.
A woman held her frozen child tightly in her arms, letting the knife rest on her neck. She just bit her lips hard until blood was dripping, without uttering a single word.
Your Majesty has been kind to them.
They should have died long ago. In the initial devastation by the Western Qiang and the raid by the Northern Shuo, they were the least important. They were either killed by the chaotic army or starved to death in the chaos of the war.
After all, they deserve to die.
But they have lived a few more years.
In the past few years, I have had my own land and have been able to eat several meals a day, so it’s not a loss.
Now, the war has started again and they are involved again. It is time to die.
If it weren't for Your Majesty, how could they have had those few days of good life? People in the borderlands all have this awareness. They can't enjoy happiness. Their ancestors have been like this for generations. Let them die. It's worth it.
The woman closed her eyes, her face pressed tightly against the child's body, and she was no longer alive.
On the top of the city wall, the defending general Zhang Ben's eyes were bloodshot and his teeth were almost broken.
He saw clearly that they were just ordinary people. They didn't understand any big principles. They just wanted to survive, but Beishu treated them like this!
"General! Open the city gates! Let's fight our way out! We'll fight these sons of bitches!"
The deputy general pleaded with red eyes.
Zhang Ben wanted to do that, but he couldn't.
Once the city gates were opened, Dishi City would be destroyed in an instant, and he could not bear this responsibility.
He could only watch helplessly, watching his compatriots being humiliated and loyal souls falling. He, he, he felt so sorry for the people who died and were injured in the city!
When Ning Lingyi and his group sneaked around to a high ground on the flank of Dishi City, they saw the final scene of the woman holding her child tightly and waiting to be killed.
In front of the black cavalry that filled the sky, hundreds of women, children and civilians from the Southern Dynasty were beheaded on the battlefield.
She looked at those who had lost their lives and she didn't understand.
Why don't you scold her? Why don't you speak?
When had she ever cared about a mere reputation? She really didn't care. She was willing to be scolded. Why? Why did she throw her life away like this?
She dismounted and knelt on the ground crying.
Everyone says that she has been kind to the people and has made contributions to the country. Isn't it that all these people have given everything for her?
They worked hard to supply her with food and grass, they sent their children to the battlefield to serve her, and today, they threw away their lives for her false reputation.
How can the vast heaven be so unkind to the people?
The people behind her hurriedly helped her up and asked to go and kill the enemy. They were filled with uncontrollable anger and wanted to kill all the Beishuo soldiers.
Ning Lingyi restrained herself again and again and finally endured the endless pain.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Send the order, follow the plan, and prepare the item. Today, I will make them pay with blood!"
Under the Dishi City, the bloody drama continues.
Two more Southern Dynasty civilians who refused to surrender were dragged out of the crowd. The flash of knives appeared, and blood splattered on the snow.
Benevolent government? Popular support? In the face of absolute force, these illusory things are ridiculous.
Ning Lingyi, do you see this? These are the people you cherish, their loyalty shattered by the fear of death.
And you, the lord they worship as a god, where are you now? Are you frightened by the net I have laid and dare not come out to fight me?
He looked up at the sky and calculated the time.
He could almost imagine Ning Lingyi hesitating in the distance, which gave him a cat-and-mouse-like pleasure.
In this world, strength is the ultimate authority, and his cavalry is the most powerful principle in the world!
Just when he was feeling proud and ready to order the next round of deterrence.
"boom!!!"
A loud noise that was not supposed to happen in this world, like thunder from the sky, exploded in the empty wilderness!
Tuoba Hong's black horse, startled, neighed loudly and reared up, nearly throwing him off his horse. He tightened the reins, his heart trembling, and looked up in astonishment.
Is it a cannon? No, that sound is wrong!
Was it a southerner's fireball? He had seen fireballs used to defend cities before, trailing thick smoke and burning on the ground, but had they ever had such power to split mountains and crack rocks?
The sound came from a high slope on the flank.
Before he could see clearly, he saw several black spots whizzing out from behind the high slope with a shrill sound of breaking through the air, drawing a low arc, and smashing into the core area where his cavalry formation was most densely packed!
"Bang!"
"boom!"
Tuoba Hong watched helplessly as a black dot fell into the team of a thousand people, and then a huge force mixed with fire and thick smoke suddenly expanded!
In an instant, the horses and men were shattered, and broken limbs and shreds of armor were thrown into the air! Within a radius of several feet, it was as if an invisible giant hand had instantly wiped out the area!
Before anyone could even utter a wail, all that was left in that area was a shallow pit emitting black smoke and blood and flesh splattered everywhere!
For a moment, people and horses fell to the ground, and blood and flesh flowed everywhere.
"It's thunder from the sky! People from the Southern Dynasty can attract thunder from the sky!"
"Eternal Heaven is angry!"
"Witchcraft! It's witchcraft!"
Many people held their heads and lay on their horses, or jumped off their horses and tried to find cover. The entire Beishuo Legion was in chaos!
Tuoba Hong saw it clearly and finally understood!
This thing is a firearm that seals thunder and fire in iron!
How is this possible? How could the Southern Dynasty have such a thing?! Their wars had always been about archery duels, the attack and defense of city walls! Ning Lingyi, where did she get such a thing?
On the high slope, Ning Lingyi stood facing the wind.
She calmly looked down at the hellish scene below.
The Beishuo army was in chaos, with men and horses falling all over the place. The steel torrent that had once cost her soldiers countless blood was now in a state of disarray.
Her eyes fell on the eight dark giants lined up in front of the slope.
For their sake, she ordered the start of this extremely expensive research and development after she entered the capital to stabilize the political situation.
The process was extremely difficult and tortuous, with failure after failure, bursting barrels, misfiring, insufficient range... Problems arose one after another. Money was spent like water, and in total, it was more than tens of millions of taels.
The eight "Sky-shaking Bombs" in front of him that were finally successfully built cost no less than one million taels of silver each. And the cost of each shell fired out was more than ten thousand taels.
Even the spoils obtained from the Western Qiang were spent on it, and even her treasury was stretched to the limit. She wanted to pawn the artifacts in the palace, just for today!
She had waited too long and endured too long.
Even in the most difficult moments before, she strictly ordered that this trump card should not be revealed.
It was just for the sake of giving Tuoba Hong a blow he would never forget today, when he had exposed all his main forces in front of her!
She wanted to beat him so hard that he would be afraid, so that he would be afraid of the Southern Dynasty from then on, and so that the arrogant and powerful generals under his command would be terrified at the mention of "Thunder"!
"Your Majesty, the fourth round of salvos is over! The barrels of the No. 2 and No. 5 guns have overheated and cracked, and are no longer usable!" A general with black ash on his face stepped forward quickly and reported with regret in his voice.
Ning Lingyi's eyes twitched. The damage of each cannon was like cutting a piece of flesh from her heart.
"Stop shooting."
"Order the cavalry to attack and pursue the enemy! Tell Zhang Ben to open the city gates and attack the enemy from both sides!"
"yes!"
*
"Woo woo woo"
In the Beishuo army, the call for retreat sounded hastily.
Tuoba Hong's face turned ashen. He had been roaming the northern desert and looking down on the world for so many years, but he had never experienced such an inexplicable failure.
He didn't even get to engage Ning Lingyi in a head-on confrontation before his army collapsed.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
The leaders of each tribe were already frightened and tried their best to gather their scattered troops.
How could Ning Lingyi let go of this opportunity?
Although she only had 10,000 elite soldiers around her, she ordered a pursuit without hesitation!
"kill!"
Attacked from both sides, morale rose and fell.
The Beishuo army was only concerned with fleeing for its life, leaving its back to the sword of the Southern Dynasty. An expected siege and reinforcement turned into a major defeat.
As the sun sets, the blood-red setting sun illuminates the battlefield where the smoke of gunpowder has not yet dissipated.
In this battle, Ning Lingyi exposed his biggest trump card, the "Sky-Thunder Bomb", damaged two precious cannons, and spent dozens of expensive shells. Not only did he lift the siege of Dishi City, he also defeated Tuoba Hong's 50,000 main forces and forced them to flee in panic, killing nearly 10,000 enemies and seizing countless spoils.
The crisis in Dishi City has been temporarily resolved.
Ning Lingyi knew that Tuoba Hong would soon realize that as long as he continued to maintain the mobility advantage of his cavalry, the Thunder Bomb would not be able to do anything to him. After all, artillery was heavy and had limited ammunition.
But once people are filled with fear and morale declines, it will be extremely difficult to regain their momentum.
Ning Lingyi watched Beishuo's defeat from afar.
Tuoba Hong, this is my benevolence. Does it hurt when I hit you?
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