The autumn wind always carries a hint of chill, as if trying to blow away the summer heat little by little.
The Xiongnu people always preferred to raid in the autumn, while the Han people would choose to fight back in the spring.
It seems that the two sides have reached some kind of agreement.
But behind this summary of time lies a bloody truth between the two ethnic groups.
This is also determined by the production methods of agricultural and nomadic peoples.
For agrarian societies, autumn is the harvest season.
For nomadic peoples like the Xiongnu...
After a summer of abundant aquatic plants, they are plump and strong, and this is when they are at their strongest.
That's how it is for Yelü Junba right now, even though the grasslands experienced a harsh winter last year.
But after a summer of resupply, they are now at the peak of their strength.
If we don't hit you now, when will we?
Although he suffered a minor setback at the hands of Mu Zian in Fuling City, he felt that this battle in the autumn would surely yield substantial results.
It could even fulfill the most cherished wish of the grassland people: to go south and capture the dragon.
Even in the worst-case scenario, the available food and population would be sufficient to allow the grasslands to safely get through this winter.
After about half a month of preparation, Yelü Junba finally decided to launch a second attack on Fuling City.
However, Yelü Junba had been feeling uneasy these past few days.
The loud noises during the day made him feel as if a monster was lurking in Fuling City, ready to devour anyone it could.
However, when he turned his head and saw the neatly arranged artillery vehicles beside him, his unease vanished instantly.
His tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little, and a rare smile appeared on his face.
Seeing this, Pei Shaozhu, who was standing to the side, cupped his hands and smiled.
"Faced with such a powerful siege weapon, even the strongest city walls will crumble. I'm afraid the Left Wise King will be able to dine in Fuling City tonight."
Yelü Junba laughed heartily upon hearing this, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Pei Shaozhu's words.
As the flags fluttered within the Xiongnu camp, tens of thousands of Xiongnu infantrymen, fully armed and ready for battle, drew their scimitars from their waists.
Meanwhile, on the city walls of Fuling.
Mu Zi'an was squinting as he observed the Xiongnu army camp through binoculars.
Yelü Junba's several rows of artillery carts were placed in a depression in the ground, and they were hard to spot without careful observation.
Yelü Junba thought his plan was foolproof, but little did he know that Mu Zian had already seen through his entire scheme.
After observing for a moment, Mu Zian handed the binoculars to Han Shizhong.
"Have you seen the location clearly?"
Mu Zian pointed into the distance and asked.
A slight smile appeared on Han Shizhong's lips.
"Look closely, these Huns are quite cunning."
On the battlefield, observation of the enemy relies entirely on the naked eye, but with binoculars, one can see the enemy's marching and deployment from thousands of meters away.
This is undoubtedly very important for a commander; gaining the upper hand over the enemy is the value of a telescope.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Mu Zian smiled and nodded.
A moment later, Zhao Yun rushed over and bowed to Mu Zi'an.
"Reporting to you, young master, General Han asked me to tell you that, based on the feedback from our observations, we have adjusted the direction, force, and angle."
"It is dangerous on the city wall right now. Please go to a safe place to take shelter first, young master."
No sooner had Zhao Yun finished speaking than a loud bang was heard in front of Fuling City.
A huge rock was thrown over and landed several hundred feet away from Fuling City.
It is clear that the Xiongnu are adjusting the direction and force of their cannons.
Because they didn't have telescopes, they had to adjust everything by feel.
Seeing this, Mu Zian said without any concern.
"Zilong, go back and tell Liangchen that I will watch his performance from here."
Mu Zian naturally couldn't miss the scene of gunpowder being used in actual combat for the first time in this era.
Zhao Yun knew Mu Zi'an's personality, so he did not continue to persuade him.
Not far away, Han Shizhong stood with his hands on his hips, laughing heartily.
"Open it up!"
As soon as he finished speaking, soldiers from the Beiwei Army stepped forward and lifted the black cloth covering Han Shizhong's back.
Beneath the black cloth lay dozens of cannons, similar in appearance to those of the Huns.
If Helian Tiege were still alive, he would probably recognize at a glance that two of them were the same two that were burned down when Mu Zian raided the camp.
After annihilating Helian Tiege's 10,000-strong vanguard army, these two artillery pieces naturally became Mu Zi'an's spoils of war.
Mu Zian specially found carpenters and blacksmiths in Wuwei City to repair and improve it.
Although these dozens of sports cars are similar to the latest artillery vehicles built by Yelü Junba, they are actually an updated version of the trebuchet.
The launching boom was changed from being pulled manually to being pulled by a counterweight, using the weight of the counterweight to increase the projectile capability and range of the artillery.
After the improvements were completed, Mu Zian immediately moved these cannons to the city walls of Fuling.
He had intended to keep it as a surprise attack, but unexpectedly, the system sent Mu Zian the gunpowder formula.
This immediately created a royal flush.
Seeing that the Xiongnu's artillery was still being tested, Mu Zi'an decided to strike first.
Looking at the Xiongnu people who were fully prepared for battle in the distance, Mu Zian rested his chin on one hand and sneered.
"Let's give the backward Huns a little scientific shock."
After saying that, Mu Zian stepped onto the city wall and shouted with all his might.
"fire!"
As soon as the military order was given, Han Shizhong immediately waved his hand and brought it down.
The next moment, military flags were passed around and swayed on the city walls of Fuling.
To the side of the trebuchet, a burly soldier from Beiwei, shirtless, vigorously swung his hammer and then brought it down heavily.
At the same time, another soldier from the Beiwei Army ignited a porcelain jar filled with gunpowder.
With a thud, the gun carriage's breechblock was opened!
The stuck heavy object fell instantly, and dozens of porcelain jars with burning fuses were thrown far away, their target being the depression in Yelü Junba where hundreds of cannons were placed.
On a distant hillside, Yelü Junba, Pei Shaozhu, and several households of ten thousand and several households of a thousand stood together.
Not far away were artillery vehicles being tested, and the crowd kept praising Yelü Junba.
They were even envisioning a bright future after conquering the Central Plains.
Yelü Junba was also in a very good mood.
He firmly believed that as long as Mu Zhanying was gone, the so-called Great Li Dynasty was nothing to fear.
One failure is insignificant; as long as I am determined, I will surely realize my dream of conquering the Central Plains.
Upon realizing this, Yelü Junba's smile grew even brighter.
Just then, Yelü Junba suddenly heard a whistling wind in his ears.
Yelü Junba looked up at the sky.
The sun is shining brightly today, the sky is azure, and white clouds drift by.
There were also bombs flying in.
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