He immediately bid farewell to Wei Shao, left the tent, and made his way to the camp where the goddess was located.
Several imperial guards were standing watch outside the tent. After hearing Xie Maoliang's purpose, one of the guards went inside to report. A moment later, he came out and said to Xie Maoliang, "The goddess has decreed that you go to the pass to persuade them to surrender."
Xie Maoliang was displeased. He was a general, after all, and yet he was being bossed around like this.
But the goddess's words were like a royal decree, and he dared not disobey. He had no choice but to mount his warhorse, leave the camp, and arrive at the foot of the Xiping Pass city wall.
The sun had already set outside, and a cold wind was howling, turning breath into ice.
Thirty Shenji cannons were deployed according to the siege formation, each operated by one hundred Shenji Battalion soldiers. Another eight thousand soldiers were arrayed behind them, armed with powerful bows and crossbows, to prevent the Xiping Pass defenders from attacking the cannons.
The Shenji Cannon's barrel resembled a massive black pillar, supported by a heavy cast-iron turret that required dozens of strong men just to lift. The cannonballs were solid iron balls, weighing fifty pounds each, and propelled by gunpowder, capable of shattering bricks and splitting rocks—their power was immense.
He rode his horse past the cannon array and arrived at the city walls, shouting loudly, "Listen up, garrison of Xiping Pass! I am a general of the anti-rebel army, here to persuade you to surrender. If you open the gates and surrender quickly, Prince Shao may spare your lives. If you remain obstinate, the cannons will fire and we will all perish."
The soldiers on the city wall poked their heads out, and one of them shouted, "General, we would like to open the city gate too. However, my General Meng is afraid that you will bombard the city gate with cannons, so he has completely sealed the city gate with stones. It cannot be opened."
Xie Maoliang laughed loudly, "Now's your chance to be sarcastic. No matter how strong the walls of Xiping Pass are, they can't withstand the bombardment of the Divine Machine Cannon!"
Before he could finish laughing, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from the city wall: "Ah, you are that traitor, Xie Maoliang!"
Xie Maoliang looked up and saw two women's faces appear on the city wall; the one who was shouting was Su Wan.
Su Wan pointed at him from the city wall and said to the woman beside her, "Sister, it's him! It's this bastard who planted the explosives in the carriage to kill my husband and my grandfather. Shoot him dead with an arrow!"
The woman next to Su Wan didn't say much, but drew her bow and shot an arrow with a whoosh.
Xie Maoliang's horse was not within the range of the arrows; the arrows were still dozens of feet away from him and embedded in the ground. He dared not go forward, fearing he would be riddled with arrows from the city wall. He snorted angrily, turned his horse around, and went back to camp to see Qiu Jie.
Since joining the anti-rebel army, he had spent most of his time escorting supplies on the road. This was the first time he had seen the goddess Qiu Jie.
Qiu Jie had already left the tent. Surrounded by imperial guards, she wore a loose black robe, her long hair tied back, and she held the Chengjun sword in her arms.
She wore a wooden clown mask with a wide-open smile, but for some reason, the mask, which was supposed to be comical, didn't evoke any joy on Qiu Jie's face.
With Chengjun Sword above him, Xie Maoliang dared not look closely. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Goddess, Xiping Pass refuses to surrender. That Su Wan actually... even insulted this humble general."
A cold laugh came from behind the clown mask: "Su Wan, Su Wan... I'll shut her up forever. Let's go, let's go to the front lines."
Xie Maoliang followed Qiu Jie to the front of the formation, where Wei Shao had been waiting anxiously, leading his strategist back and forth behind the army formation.
Seeing that Xie Maoliang had brought Qiu Jie, Wei Shao was overjoyed and stepped forward. Just as he was about to say something, Qiu Jie didn't even look at him and walked straight past him.
Wei Shao was furious. He pointed at Qiu Jie from behind, his lips trembling as he tried to utter a curse. The strategist saw this and quickly pressed his hand down, whispering, "Your Highness, be patient, you must be patient."
Wei Shao was so angry that his face turned purple. He turned around and walked into the military camp, saying in a voice that no one could hear him, "One day, I will kill this bitch."
After walking several dozen steps, the ground suddenly shook, and dozens of deafening roars echoed in my ears.
He lost his balance and fell to the ground, hitting the wound on his shoulder. He grimaced in pain, his ears rang, and he felt dizzy and nauseous.
He covered his head and looked back. The position of the Shenji cannon was already filled with smoke, and the strong smell of gunpowder hit him.
He forgot his physical discomfort and cheered with open arms.
"They've fired! They've finally fired! Hahaha."
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