A decisive battle
The enemy's supplies have been burned, and now only twenty-one cannons remain. Their chances of winning the defense of the city are extremely high, and this is a golden opportunity.
Wu Qi burned the grain and fodder for this very opportunity.
The next day, Wu Qi gathered his soldiers, opened the city gates, and annihilated the enemy army.
This time, she did not stand on the chariot, but on the cannon fin. Each generation of generals has its own way of fighting. For example, General Wei is good at motivating troops and tactics. Therefore, he often stands on the chariot and rides his horse across the battlefield. These are not Wu Qi's strengths. She is good at weapons, military formations, and knows how to create opportunities for herself to win.
A biting chill swept through the air, the sky was cloudless, dark and gloomy. The wind tossed the hair, blowing against the carefully arranged battle formation of Wu Qi. Rows and columns of soldiers stood within the formation. According to Wu Qi, this formation could minimize casualties whether bombarding enemy cannons or personally killing enemy soldiers.
Previously, Wu Qi had never been exposed to military books, and only began to study them after the Emperor's order was issued. Originally, he intended to present the military formation to General Wei and ask for his guidance and decision, but General Wei died. So Wu Qi summoned the students of the Pavilion to discuss the matter, saying, "The cannon is my weapon, and the key to annihilating the enemy lies in the struggle of the cannon. However, if one controls the cannon, one cannot take care of the soldiers. Therefore, I need a military formation."
Based on their opinions, the military formation was improved again, which led to the formation we see today.
Now, Wu Qi can confidently control the cannon.
Amidst the drums and banners, with life and death hanging in the balance, Wu Qiyao looked at the enemy army and shouted, "Kill!"
The fierce battle between tigers and wolves has reached its final stage. Both sides understand that today it is either you die or I die; the principle of "the victor is king, the loser is villain" is etched into the very bones of every soldier. Victory will be a victory of honor and openness; defeat will be a defeat of dignity and composure. As for the many methods employed, whether scheming or treacherous, both overt and covert plots, they are all for the sake of the homeland beneath their feet and the city behind them.
They risked their lives, shedding blood, pressing forward relentlessly, refusing to yield an inch. Enemy in front, city behind, every millimeter separating them their homeland. Blood splattered on the ground, one person after another fell, and another person took their place.
The iron claws of the cannon unicorn landed on the enemy's cannon unicorn, its bronze body blocking the cannonballs hurled at the soldiers. After several roars, both sides were wounded. The blood flowing from both sides mingled together, dripping onto this land that bore witness to war, seeping into the soil.
He had already been hit by eight cannon shots, but fortunately the crystal wall was still intact and he could still fight. However, he knew very well that if he were hit by two more enemy cannon shots, he would lose his life here today.
On the battlefield, no one willingly goes to their death; most die by accident.
Just as he managed to steady the cannon after dodging an artillery barrage, he turned around to find the enemy's cannon barrels already aimed at him. Then, the enemy opened fire, so fast that he had no time to think and could only operate the cannon based on instinct.
He lowered his armor to protect the crystal wall. Compared to the destruction of the crystal wall, he preferred that the cannon unicorn take the hit. He knew very well that if ten shots hit, the cannon unicorn would be destroyed and he would be in grave danger, but even nine shots wouldn't guarantee safety, after all, his cannon unicorn had already suffered too much damage.
He closed his eyes and raised his hand to protect his head.
The cannonball struck the iron-copper armor, but He Qi, in the control room, felt no tremor whatsoever. He could hear the sound of the cannon hitting the armor; the enemy had struck, but not him. Someone had shielded him, taking the hit for him.
He opened his eyes, pushed the control lever, raised the armor, revealing the crystal wall, and saw the person.
The iron-copper cannon blade blocking his way was Yi Shen's cannon blade.
Yi Shen reacted extremely quickly. After taking the hit, he swiftly retaliated, pushing the control lever and firing a shot at the enemy. The shot struck two holes in the enemy cannon's breech, shattering the metal and destroying the control room. As soon as the explosion subsided, Yi Shen, seemingly prepared, maneuvered the breech to fire an arrow into the smoke.
It struck the man squarely between the eyebrows.
After that person died, Yi Shen manipulated the cannon unicorn to leave.
He Qi saw Yi Shen's smooth and effortless maneuvering. Apart from He Qi, few people noticed Yi Shen. Everyone was too busy taking care of themselves to notice that Yi Shen had just taken a hit for He Qi.
With their supplies burned and cannons destroyed, the enemy, ill-equipped for battle, suffered a series of defeats. They tried to retreat but were surrounded by Wu Qi's meticulously arranged battle formation, leaving them with no way out but to await their demise. Seeing that defeat was inevitable, the enemy general angrily cursed Wu Qi: "Using such underhanded tricks, sending men to burn our supplies in the dead of night! How can you claim to be honest and upright, General?!"
Sitting atop the cannon unicorn, Wu Qi calmly said, "May I ask, Dao Liuge, stealing the cannon unicorn blueprints, bribing spies, and taking advantage of the chaos, which of your actions has been aboveboard? Am I not aboveboard? Didn't my men leave you a note after blowing up the cannon unicorn?"
Upon hearing that a note had been left, Ning Xunxu shrugged, wondering how his sister Xiaoqi had found out he had left a note...
Wu Qi continued, "Or perhaps you also had the idea of burning the grain supplies, but before you could, you were going to die today?"
The enemy general roared, "You're slandering me! How did you know we were going to burn our supplies? And how did you know the artillery blueprints were stolen?!"
Wu Qi almost laughed in anger. He took the crossbow, aimed it at the enemy general's head, and said, "How would I know? How did what I painstakingly drew end up in your hands?! Are you blind, and blind too?"
"I don't care who handed you the blueprints. But I will never allow what I drew by hand to come to fruition in your hands!"
After saying that, Wu Qi shot out an arrow that pierced through the clouds and air, hitting the enemy general's ear. If the enemy general hadn't dodged, Wu Qi's arrow would have gone straight for his forehead.
The enemy general covered his ears, his hands stained with blood. He wailed, "It was your men who handed us the blueprints! We didn't beg! You should go back and thoroughly investigate those around you!"
"My confidants?! The moment he handed you the blueprints, he ceased to be one of my confidants! I will kill him myself; I don't need your guidance. As for you, today is your death day!!"
"Wait! I'll fight you to the death. If I win, you can let us go today, and we can fight again another day. If you win, I'll die by your sword today, becoming a stepping stone on your path to becoming a legendary general! What do you say!?"
Wu Qi sneered, "It doesn't matter! Whether you are here or not, I will be famous for all time. On the contrary, if you fight me, you will surely die. Since you are willing to exchange your life for the lives of your soldiers, then you must be sincere."
The enemy general breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What do you want?"
Wu Qi said, “Ten moves. If I defeat you within ten moves, you and the man who bombarded General Wei will kneel before General Wei’s spirit and beg for his forgiveness. If I lose, you may take my life, and naturally, the soldiers behind you will also live today.”
"Okay! I promise you!"
The students from the pavilion hurriedly stopped Xiao Qi, saying, "If you want to gamble, then gamble. If you lose, we can just let them go today. They're already doomed anyway. Besides, it's just a bet, and we still have the upper hand. Xiao Qi, why would you let him take your life?!"
Seeing that Wu Qi shook his head, they turned their attention to the other members of the aristocratic families, hoping they could persuade him to accept the loss and not risk his life. However, the members of the aristocratic families all shook their heads, showing no intention of trying to persuade Wu Qi.
Yi Shen said, "It's nothing."
Song Yinxing said, "It's only ten moves, she will win."
Lin Kuo said, "Don't rush, let's take a look first."
Ning Xunxu said, "That's right. Anyway, they've already decided that our victory was unfair. When Sister Xiaoqi is really about to lose, I'll just rescue her."
People from noble families are not allowed to practice martial arts. Wu Qi did not have her own sword, so she borrowed one from a soldier before going on the field. She tried it out and thought it was acceptable, so she said to the soldier, "I'll borrow your sword for you. Tonight, I'll give you five chicken legs!"
The soldier said worriedly, "General, you..."
Wu Qi said, "Don't worry, I will win."
The enemy general was about the same height as Yi Shen. He hadn't been bandaged yet, and blood was already flowing from his ear down to his neck, like a winding, blood-red path. He was wearing armor, his hair was tied up, and he looked younger than Wei Mao but older than Wu Qi.
He referred to Wu Qi as "Little General Wu".
"General Wu, I have offended you greatly. However, the water in the pool flows to both ends, so I had no choice but to do it. I hope General Wu will forgive me."
Wu Qi said, "Everyone has their own destiny, please accept my humble opinion."
Wu Qi's swordsmanship was not outstanding, but his sword strikes were extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, his sword was at the enemy general's throat, but the enemy general dodged it by tilting his head. The enemy general held his sword in his right hand, and as soon as he dodged Wu Qi's sword, he raised his sword and thrust it towards Wu Qi's side.
Wu Qi turned and left, then stood still and said, "One move."
With his second move, Wu Qi struck with lightning speed, his sword aimed at Wu Qi's throat. The enemy general dodged, but before he could react, he followed the same move, thrusting his sword at Wu Qi's side.
Almost unconsciously, he drew his sword.
As soon as he drew his sword, he realized he was in trouble and had fallen into a trap.
One of the students in the pavilion, who did not practice martial arts, said, "Why is Xiao Qi using the exact same move? Wasn't it already broken by someone else just now?"
Yi Shen replied, "Because Xiao Qi's sword strikes are fast. The speed is so fast that others don't have time to react and can only instinctively strike. Just now, he had already instinctively struck."
He said, "This time, she won."
As expected, the enemy general felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and his sword fell to the ground. Wu Qi had already spun behind him, the sword at his neck. He would die at the slightest distance, and he could no longer retrieve the sword that had fallen to the ground.
He lost.
The enemy general said, "I admit defeat."
Wu Qi said, "You and those who bombarded General Wei, come with me and kneel before General Wei. As for the others, those who surrender will be pardoned, and the others may escape. I will not exterminate them today, but I will attack the city, and the time will be uncertain."
The enemy general said, "Thank you."
Of course, some surrendered; after all, those who know when to yield are wise. If Wu Qi were to bombard the city again and they were to suffer the same fate, survival would not be so easy. Those who did not surrender all left; according to Wu Qi, she did not exterminate them.
That night, the enemy generals and those who bombarded General Wei were bound tightly and made to kneel before General Wei's coffin.
Wu Qi, standing to the side, asked, "How did you obtain the blueprints?"
The enemy general said, "General Wu, whether you believe it or not, the blueprints were not obtained by us, but were given to us voluntarily by your people."
Wu Qi then asked, "And who told you to drill two holes at the place where the cannon unicorn is?"
The enemy generals knew that the great defeat of the cannon was due to those two holes. However, their research on the cannon was not in-depth. They originally thought that drilling two holes would allow them to clearly see the outside of the cannon, which was a good thing. Moreover, the control room was protected by iron and copper. Little did they know that they would realize that those two holes were weaknesses once they got to the battlefield.
He said, "It's that person too. But I'm sorry, I can't tell you who it is."
Wu Qi said, "You don't need to tell me, I will find him."
“General Wu,” the enemy general twitched his wrist, “are you really so comfortable leaving me tied up like this? Aren’t you afraid I’ll escape?”
Wu Qi said, "You can't escape. Everyone here admires General Wei."
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