Chapter 93: Its power was as great as divine punishment!
Three days later, at midnight.
A fierce wind swept in, carrying yellow sand, plunging the world into darkness, with no stars or moon in sight.
The people living on the outskirts of the city, near the military camp, felt a faint tremor; even the wooden beds beneath them swayed and rocked as if on water.
A person wakes up from a dream in a daze, thinking it's a hallucination, but then opens their eyes wide in horror.
He looked over in horror, only to see the teacup on the table rippling with water, proving it wasn't an illusion.
The vibrations continued, spreading outwards like ripples.
He hesitated for a few moments, then tiptoed out of bed, spat, and carefully poked a hole in the window paper to peer outside.
First it was dark; he could see almost nothing but pitch blackness.
But then he realized that what he saw was not darkness at all, but armor as black as night!
All light was absorbed by the extreme darkness, and the shadowy figures seemed to blend into the night.
The army was a dark, surging mass, yet not a single unusual sound could be heard.
Only the banners fluttered in the wind.
This was Ji Chengnin's order—to send out troops under cover of night!
The horseshoes had already been wrapped in cloth, so even though the sound of hooves could not be heard, the tremors from the ground could be felt.
The cavalry led the way, their horses galloping at breakneck speed. His eyes widened, and even the blood vessels in his eyes twitched as if in pain. Behind them, a huge thing was being pulled by carts, escorted by infantry, but he couldn't see it clearly.
He hadn't directly clashed with the blade, yet he still felt an indescribable fear. A chilling aura swept over him, and he abruptly lowered his head, quickly crawling back onto the bed.
If his home were near the Zhongzhou Army's garrison, on such a night, with such a fierce and imposing military bearing, and appearing silently under the cover of darkness, he would almost think it was a ghost army borrowed from the underworld!
Wherever the blade touched, heads rolled off.
The tremors grew farther and farther away.
Until the water in the teacup calmed down.
...
now.
The ground undulated, and the sound was clearly transmitted to the scout's ears through the warning pillow. He suddenly stood up and jumped three feet high.
Enemy attack!
He had not yet seen the army, but he could already sense from the commotion that there must be many people coming, and it was definitely not like last time when Ji Chengning went to the appointment alone.
He quickly mounted his horse and galloped off towards Luanyang.
cold.
Although the night wind was cool, it wasn't winter, yet he felt the wind was biting cold, and his stomach was filled with a chill, as if he had swallowed solid ice. He could barely control his trembling, and when he came to his senses, he was shocked to find his mouth full of the taste of blood.
But his eyes lit up immediately. The tall and majestic city wall was right in front of him. Fortunately, General Xiao had been prepared for Ji Chengning. Ever since the Zhongzhou army arrived in Yan County, they had been reinforcing and repairing the city wall. Even now, the city wall was brightly lit, and there were still laborers laying bricks.
He felt as if he had been granted a pardon.
He hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Enemy attack!"
The sound echoed in the night sky.
The officer supervising the construction on the city wall was startled. "What?"
The scout frantically removed his token and waved it wildly, shouting, "It's me, Yan Jiu from the Yazi Camp! The imperial army is here! Open the city gates! Open the city gates!"
Chaos erupted on the city wall as soldiers looked at each other in terror, crying out, "Commander..."
The laborers, wearily lifting their eyelids as they laid bricks, seemed oblivious to the commotion around them, but a glimmer of hope flashed in their thin, sunken eyes.
A savage glint flashed in the officer's eyes, and he slapped the man who had approached him with a swift, powerful motion. "Smack—"
"Don't make a scene!" he shouted angrily.
Then, with a cold laugh, he shouted, "It's pitch black. How am I supposed to know you're not a spy for the imperial court, trying to trick me into opening the city gates? Get out!"
Yan Jiu's eyes were bloodshot, a mixture of hatred, fear, and disbelief. "My lord!"
The officer grabbed a bow and arrow, drew the bow, and shot at Yan Jiu.
The arrowheads instantly magnified before my eyes!
With nowhere to hide in the open space, Yan Jiu frantically pushed backward, slipped, and with a loud "plop," fell straight into the moat.
Crimson water splashed everywhere.
The officer put down his bow and arrow with a cold expression and said to the deputy commander, "You keep watch with your men. This is a serious matter. I'm going to report to the general."
The deputy commander felt a bitter taste in his mouth, "Yes!"
But he thought to himself, if what Yan Jiu said is true, what should I do? What should I do?
He paced anxiously, and the soldiers on the city wall, sensing his distress, became even more agitated.
However, they soon realized that they had been afraid too soon.
A patch of darkness suddenly appeared on the horizon, devoid of any light, yet it undulated and surged like a vast ocean!
No, it's not the ocean.
It's the army!
The Central Plains Army has actually come!
With a formidable enemy at hand, he seemed to already smell the metallic scent of the longsword, and he too was eager to become a victim of that blade.
He didn't want to die!
"Commander—"
He heard someone calling him in terror.
The deputy commander's mind went blank. He pushed aside the soldiers surrounding him and ran frantically towards the city walls.
"The commander has run away!"
Someone shouted something, and the crowd became even more chaotic, jostling each other and impatiently following the deputy commander down the street.
"Pfft—"
The next second, a sharp pain shot through my chest.
The deputy commander lowered his head in a daze. He first saw a gleaming knife, and blood gushed out wildly, faster and more violently than he had imagined, piercing through his chest. The owner of the knife seemed to be furious, and the hand holding the knife trembled slightly.
His eyes rolled upwards instinctively.
He saw Xiao Dingguan's extremely sinister face.
Xiao Dingguan suddenly drew his sword, then collapsed to the ground, blood trickling down the brickwork and forming an eerie pattern.
"Don't panic!" The commander following closely behind Xiao Dingguan gasped upon seeing this. When the general gave him a cold glance, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He hurriedly shouted with all his might, "The general is here! Anyone who dares to abandon their post will suffer the same fate as this person!"
Before long, swift and steady footsteps came up the steps, and well-trained soldiers quickly took up the best defensive positions.
The commander felt a slight sense of relief, but his heart remained uneasy.
He looked outside and saw that the army was already very close.
The enemy is at the city gates!
Fear surged within him, and he swallowed frantically, but his dry lips produced nothing; he only felt a sharp pain, as if he had swallowed a knife.
Dozens of cannons were quickly sent up the city wall.
Of course, they couldn't wait for the imperial army to gain a foothold; they immediately loaded cannons and blasted them towards the imperial army's position.
"Bang!"
The commander's shoulders trembled violently from the shock, but he dared not cover his ears.
The imagined scene of rivers of blood did not materialize.
The cannons landed not far from the city gate, causing the moat water to surge.
"Splash—"
Xiao Dingguan gripped his sword tightly, the patterns deeply embedded in his palm.
Too close, too close.
The cannons had a range of only a hundred meters. Unless Ji Chengning and his men stood below the city and let their men fire, he took a deep breath and thought to himself that they were in a superior position, with powerful cannons and a fortified city. Even if Ji Chengning wanted to launch a strong attack, he might not be able to gain the upper hand.
Thinking of this, a smile involuntarily appeared on Xiao Dingguan's lips.
With the commander-in-chief in command, the commotion on the city wall gradually subsided.
The air was filled with the sounds of gunfire.
"Boom—"
This time it wasn't the sound of gunfire, but the sound of thunder.
The purple lightning of the east surged violently within the dark clouds.
The light shone so brightly that people could only see black, white, and red in the sky and earth.
Below the city walls, Ji Chengnin shouted, "Stop!"
The banner shook violently.
Orders must be obeyed without question.
The order was given swiftly and passed through the army formation.
The warhorses pawed the ground restlessly, driven mad by the sound of cannons and loud noises.
Seeing that Ji Chengnin dared not rashly lead his troops forward, Xiao Dingguan's tense expression faded considerably, replaced by a smug sense of victory.
Xiao Dingguan looked down at Ji Chengning from his high vantage point.
The white light illuminated the young general's face, making his already sharp features appear even more blatant.
Xiao Dingguan stared at that face.
Seventeen years ago, he couldn't defeat Ji Lang, that short-lived woman, but now, her only child is helpless against him.
Unless Ji Chengning dares to risk the annihilation of his entire army by forcibly ordering an attack on the city, it would be better not to even think about setting foot in Luanyang City. He had no personal relationship with Ji Chengning, but he knew that this man would never be so resolute. If Ji Chengning returned empty-handed, Xiao Dingguan trembled with excitement just thinking about the scene. Would the emperor kill Ji Chengning without hesitation, just like he did with Ji Lang?
"boom--"
The loud noise shattered Xiao Dingguan's illusions.
He opened his eyes wide in disbelief as the firelight quickly rose from below the city gate, illuminating his bloodshot eyes.
How could this be? How could this be? Of course he knew that the Zhongzhou army had cannons, but Ji Chengning and his men were a full mile from the city. How did the cannon fire come from there?
"Don't panic!"
The thunder and the sounds of fighting on both sides were mixed together. Xiao Dingguan could not hear the commander's voice, but could only see his pale lips moving.
The next second, the shell hit the wall squarely, and the commander who seemed to be surnamed Lin was instantly blown to pieces, his mangled flesh and rubble flying everywhere!
Its power was so great that it resembled divine punishment!
The soldiers on the city wall who were controlling the counterattack were trembling like leaves, but they dared not stop, because they knew that if they let go, they would die even faster!
Lightning flashed and thunder roared, as layers of thick clouds approached the city.
They were about to destroy the city.
It was no longer clear which side was shouting for fire, only the continuous roar of cannons shook the entire world.
The firelight illuminated the night as brightly as day.
With each breath, the smells of sulfur, blood, and burnt flesh mingled together, making it impossible to breathe. Even opening one's eyes became a luxury. The scorching heat caused sweat to pour down one's face even in the cold night, dripping onto the cannons and then instantly evaporating.
"Sizzle."
White smoke rose, resembling the Avici Hell described in Buddhist scriptures.
"boom!"
A small crack was blasted into the lower right corner of the once impregnable city wall, enough to make Xiao Dingguan's eyes widen in fury!
"Quickly, get some stones to block the bottom!" he shouted hoarsely.
The sound of footsteps was mixed, and someone immediately grabbed a laborer who had been paralyzed by the sound of gunfire before he could run downstairs and pulled him down.
Amidst the towering flames.
Xiao Dingguan and Ji Chengning looked at each other.
Even though they were several miles apart, Xiao Dingguan felt as if he were staring at Ji Chengning.
The young general's expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, nor tension nor excitement.
Through those flamboyant eyes, he saw Ji Lang.
Like a mirage, Ji Lang's face was reflected in the mirror. Looking down at him arrogantly, the man flicked his whip and effortlessly whipped him off his horse, laughing loudly, "Defeated general!"
It is Ji Lang.
He tasted the blood surging wildly in his throat.
Ji Lang!
But when you look closely, there's no laughing Ji Lang, only Ji Chengning.
With the force of thunder, Ji Chengnin shocked him so badly that his liver and gallbladder were about to shatter!
"boom--"
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Author's note: I still have a bit of a fever, but this chapter was very enjoyable to write.
I am suddenly filled with emotion. I am very honored and grateful that you still like my work, even with my low output and unstable situation.
Writing is my whole world, and you are what makes up this world.
Red envelopes will be dropped in this chapter.
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