Outside Gaoyang City, the cold wind howled.
In the Zhao army camp, a middle-aged general sat anxiously in his tent. He was Meng Dai, the newly appointed border general of Zhao, who had been ordered to take over the defense of Gaoyang.
Since the last time Gaoyang City was captured by Wang Li and others, the State of Zhao has completely submitted and paid a large amount of tribute. However, the Qin army still frequently provokes on the border.
"Report! The Qin army is here again!! They're ten miles outside the city!" A scout rushed in.
Meng Dai frowned and asked, "How many troops are there?"
"It's still the same three thousand cavalry, led by Wang Li. However..." The scout hesitated, then stopped.
"But what?"
"However, they also brought several mysterious carriages, which didn't seem like they were going to war."
Meng Dai's heart sank, and he immediately thought of the explosive device used by the Qin army. Last time, it was that device that broke through the gate of Gaoyang City in an instant, and it was also carefully brought in by horse-drawn carriage!
He was puzzled. Now that the State of Zhao had obediently paid tribute, why did they still want to invade?
"Send the order down, all troops on high alert!" He sighed. "Send someone to inform the Qin army that we have all paid our annual tribute and dare not oppose them anymore. Please..."
Before he could finish speaking, they suddenly heard a faint sound of horses' hooves in the distance. The Qin army was coming very fast!
Meanwhile, in the Qin army formation.
Wang Li stood on a small earthen mound, gazing at the distant city of Gaoyang.
Yesterday evening, he received a new type of gunpowder sent by his wicked husband. It was an improved product that the sorcerers had been working on for many days.
"General, the new gunpowder is ready," the lieutenant reported. "The Grand Commandant ordered that 'fire starter' and sugar be added to this gunpowder, making it much more powerful than before. The Grand Commandant instructed that extreme caution be exercised to avoid accidental injuries."
Wang Li nodded in satisfaction: "Understood. Perfect opportunity to test our power on the Zhao people." He glanced at the panicked Zhao army in the distance and sneered, "Let them see the might of my Great Qin!"
Before long, the two armies met.
The Zhao army lined up in fear, their morale visibly low. They were now truly terrified of the Qin army, especially their terrifying firearms.
Meng Dai rode forward and shouted, "General Wang! Our Zhao state has already paid its annual tribute. Why must we wage war again? If there is any dissatisfaction, we are willing to..."
Wang Li interrupted him: "Enough nonsense! We're here today to test our new weapon. If you don't want to die, you'd better be good targets!"
Before the words were even finished, a new type of gunpowder had already shot into the air!
"boom!"
This loud bang was far more terrifying than the last one.
Crimson flames shot into the sky, distorting the air itself. A huge crater appeared at the center of the explosion, and the surrounding land was scorched black.
"What the hell is this?!" Panic gripped the Zhao army's ranks.
Some soldiers were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground. Some veterans who had seen the gunpowder before were also terrified by its power this time, turning pale and running away.
"Block it! Block it for me!" Several brave Zhao soldiers rushed forward with their shields raised, thinking that as long as they used thick shields, they could withstand some of the attack.
But this time the gunpowder was completely different. The high-temperature flames produced by the 'fire mother' added by the sorcerers were so intense that several strong men were burned on the spot, their skin torn open, screaming and rolling on the ground.
Before they could react, the second and third gunpowder pellets followed.
Each explosion unleashed a bloodbath within Zhao's army ranks.
The new materials added by those sorcerers made gunpowder even more terrifying, not only causing more violent explosions but also producing a sustained flame.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Meng Dai shouted hoarsely.
It's too late!
The Qin army's gunpowder rained down, each one capable of blasting open a large area of ground.
Zhao Jun's formation was thrown into chaos, his morale collapsed, and he was routed in the blink of an eye.
"Chase!" Wang Li gave the order, and three thousand Qin cavalry charged forward like wolves and tigers.
This battle was less a fight and more a one-sided massacre.
Zhao Jun suffered heavy casualties; the entire battlefield was littered with charred corpses and broken weapons.
The soldiers burned by the 'Fire Mother' rolled on the ground in agony, letting out shrill screams. Many more were stunned and killed on the spot, and then engulfed by the fire, leaving only charred corpses.
Even Meng Dai nearly died in the explosion; his warhorse, startled and out of control, threw him violently to the ground.
When he managed to get up and run back, he found that his armor had been cracked and his ears and head were still ringing.
When he returned to the camp, he was greeted only by chaos. The soldiers had already scattered and fled, and the tents were empty.
None of those who had witnessed the power of this new type of gunpowder dared to remain.
"The Qin people are too ruthless!" He gripped the reins tightly, tears welling in his eyes. "We've already paid a huge amount of back taxes, and they still bully us like this! This isn't some kind of testing of new weapons; they're clearly using us as training grounds!"
Looking at the thick smoke rising in the distance, Meng Dai knew that this nightmare had only just begun.
Now that they have such firearms, the Qin army's iron hooves will surely trample across the land of Zhao, and these people who remain will only be pointless sacrifices.
That evening, in Gaoyang City.
"General, you are mighty!" The soldiers raised their glasses in celebration, each one filled with excitement.
"This new gunpowder is amazing!" exclaimed a junior officer who had personally thrown it. "When the flames shot up, I thought the sky was going to explode! Those Zhao soldiers were so scared they ran away in terror, even throwing away their shields!"
"The most amazing thing is that sticky flame!" another soldier interjected. "I saw it with my own eyes. A Zhao soldier was hit by a spark, jumped into the nearby puddle, but couldn't extinguish it, and ended up burning to death."
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