Chapter 302 The Fire Arrow Unleashes Its Power...
From the public's perspective, this is a show of force, severely frightening the enemy and helping to recover the various border regions in the future.
As far as I'm concerned... if the war ends sooner, Qi Chengming will also have the energy to take care of his wife's worries during her pregnancy.
It wouldn't be good for him to become a father and then completely shirk his responsibilities, waiting for the child to grow up and then getting nothing in return.
So, at Qi Chengming's suggestion, everyone readily agreed, including many eager military officers. They had only heard that the new weapon, the "Fire Arrow," was extremely powerful, and after the improvements, it was even more earth-shattering... but they were still unclear about its actual effectiveness.
The last question is, where is it best used?
"I propose that it is more suitable to guard the north," someone suggested, their words carrying weight. "The borderlands beyond the pass are desolate and uninhabited, and the Di people are the leaders this time; we must severely curb their rampant arrogance!"
Then someone else objected: "The Di people rely heavily on cavalry and are mostly governed by tribes. Even if they were to gather, how many people could they possibly number? How many large tribes would they have? If we are not careful in our attacks, they could launch a counterattack, and we would no longer be able to effectively deter others... I believe that the enemy is still most numerous in the west..."
Qi Chengming nodded, agreeing with the statement.
To the west lies a multinational coalition. While it would be difficult for the army to advance there, it would still be easier to create opportunities for battle than the loosely organized forces to the north.
"Alright, both sides have been sent a 'fire arrow' as a backup. Use it when the opportunity arises. I'll have someone replenish the supplies." Qi Chengming made the decision after listening to the argument between the two sides.
Since the goal is to inflict heavy casualties, how can one shot be enough? Both sides need to prepare at least four more shots each. Qi Chengming went back and wrote a handwritten order, instructing Fang Bi to allocate the stockpile to the troops.
...
On the plains.
In the distance, one could vaguely see a dense mass of tents and camps, and the neighing of cattle and horses could be heard from afar. This large army stationed for the battle was far beyond the range of the cannons, yet it stretched as far as the eye could see.
General Tao peered through his binoculars for a while, and the sheer number of people he saw gave him goosebumps.
This has been going on for almost two months, and the other side is still replenishing their forces without rest. They're going crazy.
Unable to ascertain the truth for a long time, he couldn't even sleep peacefully during this period.
But now it's all good...!
General Tao, however, felt a surge of excitement at the thought of the latest news from His Majesty. He slowly grinned and looked at his deputy: "Go and call that craftsman over."
With so many people in front of us, there's no way to run away. This is a huge target, so what would be considered a target?
"This is His Majesty's order; it can be used now."
"As you command!" Old Liu, the craftsman who had been waiting for a long time, bowed to the general with satisfaction, went out and led his soldiers and apprentices out: "No matter how much I tell you what I've taught you before, it's not as good as seeing me use it once with your own eyes - this time, watch carefully."
He spoke in a deep voice, his rough, weathered hands stroking the two-person-long "cannonball" that had been brought in by the combined efforts of the oxcart. He looked up into the distance, picked up his abacus, and began calculating the wind direction and range amidst the crackling sounds.
The moment the heavy tarpaulin was lifted from the tightly covered oxcart, many soldiers on the position couldn't help but look over, curious about what the new weapon looked like, given its enormous size.
It looked like a strange-looking cannon, with a slender body, a pointed head, and a tail resting on a "cannon mount." At the very bottom, there was a ring of iron tails, the shape of which clearly resembled the feathers on an arrowhead for stabilizing the wind direction.
"Humph, it looks more like a giant arrow than a cannon," General Tao's personal guard couldn't help but mutter.
General Tao remained silent, watching coldly from the side, inwardly agreeing and pondering.
How do you shoot such a big arrow? Even if a machine can mimic the operation of a bow, he didn't see any winch or rope on this gun emplacement. Did the cannon fire it like a cannonball? Does a cannon have that much power?
General Tao was unaware that his unspoken speculation had inadvertently come true.
The soldiers, instructed by their master to "study hard," didn't dare blink. Each carried an abacus and clumsily tried to imitate the movements. Some seemed to be pondering something, while others were completely lost, their brows furrowed in disbelief. Some simply stared blankly, as if reading gibberish.
"General, I've aimed at the flag in the very center. Please give the order." Old Liu, the craftsman, directed his two most perceptive apprentices to adjust the angle, then turned back to ask for instructions.
These craftsmen understood best that the accuracy of fire arrows wasn't actually that precise. But what did that matter? No matter where it hit, the area of effect was extremely wide, and besides, with the enemy so concentrated this time, even if he fired blindfolded, he could still kill a large number of people.
"emission."
General Tao didn't hesitate any longer and readily gave the order. "Whoever's flag in the center is from, just go for it and see how it goes."
A muffled explosion was followed by a sharp whooshing sound. The shockwave, accompanied by billowing flames, blew the blackened cannon mount away, almost hitting an unfortunate soldier. He and the people around him were so frightened that they covered their heads and fled, retreating quite a distance.
"General, be careful!" The deputy general hurriedly protected General Tao, who was watching, but he himself couldn't help but open his mouth, raise his chin, and stare in disbelief at the huge "cannonball" that shot into the sky, spun steadily, and flew away visibly.
"It flew away!!"
General Tao, unable to express the excitement and shock in his heart, slapped his adjutant hard on the back, "Ji Fang, did you see that?!"
The adjutant's insides trembled from the slap, but he ignored his cough, his face flushed with excitement, and he stammered, "General! It can fly that far! And it flew straight across!"
Just looking at that straight flight path, without the slightest spin, made the adjutant's eyesight, honed by years of combat, tremble with fear.
Even if it were just an ordinary arrowhead, how much power could it possibly have at that speed and distance...?
It should be noted that a heavy bow with a ten-stone weight can shoot three hundred paces away, which is already considered the elite of the elite in the army!
Well then...
I can't even imagine it!
...
The combined forces of the Western Kingdom and the other three kingdoms did not operate in a clearly defined, independent manner. Instead, the Western Kingdom's army was the main force, divided into three battalions, with soldiers from the smaller kingdoms interspersed in the middle, serving as both a threat and a safeguard. Naturally, each of these forces also erected flags in front of their respective tents for identification.
In front of the main account of the Western Kingdom.
The fifth son of the Western Kingdom's ruler was gazing into the distance. He had a high nose and broad eyes, and his gaze was full of ambition.
"Hmph, the new faction of Dingguo has so few men... how many days can they hold out? When things reach a stalemate, that will be our opportunity."
"Your Highness is wise! Once you have rendered great service, the King will surely make you the Crown Prince when he returns!" someone flattered from the side.
In the Western Kingdom, martial prowess is paramount; only those who achieve great merit can gain the favor of the king. The fifth prince was his most favored son, yet he had been delayed in being named crown prince, and was fiercely competing with his brothers. This time, with the four kingdoms uniting to force him into a position, he went to great lengths to seize this seemingly certain opportunity.
In his opinion, Dingguo had a deep foundation and might not suffer a defeat this time. But even if they were to lose their strength and negotiate with them as usual, that would still be a great achievement for him, enough to warrant being named crown prince upon his return.
Therefore, the Fifth Prince accepted the praise with a clear conscience, but his eyes were full of cautious clarity. He would not be arrogant before things were settled.
"What...what is that?"
One of the guards glanced up and noticed something suspicious in the air—hissing and seemingly glowing with fire?! It was heading straight towards them.
Although the fifth prince didn't recognize what it was, he reacted extremely quickly, shouting in terror, "Run! Run!"
"Prince, don't panic! It seems to have passed by!" The guards were also frightened and shouted wildly, but after shouting twice, they suddenly realized that the thing had flown over their heads and landed on the military camp of a small country next door.
The fifth prince's heart pounded in his chest, and he was shielded as he looked in that direction. His face flushed slightly, and not wanting to appear cowardly, he forced his trembling legs to support himself, adopting a calm and collected demeanor. He then stroked his disheveled beard and said, "Go investigate, find out what this thing is!"
He was lucky today; that thing didn't land on his head. But when did Dingguo acquire such long-range weapons?! He wouldn't be able to sleep until he found out!
Before the words were even finished, the thing had already hit the ground.
A tremendous explosion ripped through the air, causing the Fifth Prince excruciating pain in his internal organs. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he stared in horror at the people before him. Their expressions turned terrified, and they opened their mouths to utter something, but he couldn't hear a word. Instead, the increasingly bright flames shone from their nearly shattered eyes.
The fifth prince finally realized what was happening, and tried to turn around in fear, but the next second he lost consciousness...
...
The world was completely silent.
The Dingguo position was completely silent.
Before the adjutant could stop his random thoughts, he saw a tiny spark explode in the middle of the military camps in the far distance—it looked like a tiny spark from here, but you couldn't imagine how big it was up close.
However, the adjutant wished he had never had the opportunity he had imagined.
He and the others stared wide-eyed, oblivious to the chaos and commotion that erupted on the opposite side of the battlefield, a scene of utter devastation.
"This...this doesn't need us at all?" one of the soldiers stammered, almost kneeling down. If he hadn't seen the secret weapon being fired from their side, he would have been terrified.
Was that really not a divine punishment from heaven? No weapon has ever created such a commotion over such a great distance!
"Get ready, all troops, attack!" General Tao finally came to his senses and shouted the order.
To take advantage of someone's illness and kill them.
The opposing position is completely in disarray. If he doesn't seize the opportunity to attack, he might as well just end it all!
...The battlefield was in chaos.
It was three days later when Qi Chengming received the battle report of the great victory at Pingyuan.
"Excellent! We annihilated approximately 120,000 enemy troops and captured over 60 enemy flags. Countless enemy soldiers were killed in the chaos, trampled to death, or perished in the fire. Approximately 200,000 of the routed troops are still in exile and being pursued..." Qi Chengming read the battle report with some disbelief. His remaining rockets and missiles hadn't even reached the front lines yet, and this was already a great victory?
"The new weapon is more of a deterrent than a weapon that can actually kill, Your Majesty." Grand Scholar Mu choked back tears as he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.
If... if these things had happened in my past life, if the country hadn't fallen into disarray. If there hadn't been internal strife, mutual suspicion, and resentment towards military generals...
if……
How could they have ended up like that!
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