"Damn it, those damned bastards from the Great Qi, seeing our Emperor personally leading the expedition, they actually want to follow suit, and now their men have arrived."
Luo Ziqian asked in surprise.
"You mean, Mo Junxing is here too?"
"Yes, that's the news we just received. I bet those bastards from Daqi are already jumping for joy!"
Shen Hechuan chuckled softly.
"Mo Junxing".
"It's been such a long time!"
Afterwards, Shen Hechuan, Gu Erli, and Li Yunba worked together to revise the battle plan.
The offensive strategy has been reversed to a defensive one.
Regardless, we should first see what other tricks Mo Junxing has up his sleeve.
And so, after three more fights, neither side gained an advantage.
However, due to the weapons used by the Qi side, the Dacheng side suffered relatively heavy losses.
The crossbows that Gu Jingchun improved earlier have not yet been fully put into use, and there are not enough of them.
For a moment, the situation reached a stalemate.
It was at this moment that Luo Ziqian brought someone in.
"Your Majesty, look who I've captured!"
Shen Hechuan looked up and saw Luo Ziqian carrying... a beggar?
And that person was none other than Mao Zixiao.
He was now skin and bones, filthy, and covered in wounds. When he saw Shen Hechuan, he reached out his hand and greeted him.
"Your Majesty, my master wishes to see you."
Luo Ziqian immediately snapped, "Shut up!"
After saying that, he looked at Shen Hechuan and said, "This guy has been lurking around outside the military camp for several days. I noticed him a long time ago, and today I finally found an opportunity to catch him."
"We've found him, so Guan Zhixin must be nearby too."
"I searched high and low but couldn't find them. I never expected them to come to me like this."
When Shen Hechuan looked at Mao Zixiao, he instantly remembered the pain and harm that Gu Jingchun had suffered before, and wished he could kill him immediately.
With a "whoosh," the longsword was drawn and pressed directly against Mao Zixiao's neck.
"Where is Guan Zhixin?"
"Take me to him."
In a desolate and dilapidated mountain cave.
Led by Mao Zixiao, Shen Hechuan finally saw Guan Zhixin, who was emaciated and huddled up in a ball.
Upon seeing Guan Zhixin, Shen Hechuan felt a surge of hatred and immediately drew his longsword.
However, Mao Zixiao broke free of his restraints and stood in front of Guan Zhixin.
"My master is here to help you, you can't kill him!"
Shen Hechuan snorted coldly.
"Oh--"
“I, Shen Hechuan, do not need his help.”
No, you need it!
Mao Zixiao quickly spoke up.
“My master is the Empress’s master, and no one understands the things the Empress makes better than him.”
"The weapons that Daqi is using now are improvements on the blueprints that Master used back then."
"Now, if you want to defeat the Great Qi, you cannot kill my master, because only my master can help you."
Upon hearing this, Shen Hechuan sneered and shifted his gaze from Mao Zixiao to Guan Zhixin.
At this moment, he no longer possessed the otherworldly air he once had; he was thin and bony, with a haggard face and tattered clothes, but his face was very clean.
How can you convince me that you're here to help me?
Guan Zhixin reached out and pushed Mao Zixiao aside before looking into Shen Hechuan's eyes and speaking slowly.
"I dare to come here alone to my death!"
Shen Hechuan sneered.
"You really are here to die."
Guan Zhixin looked at Shen Hechuan with a sarcastic expression.
Do you think I wanted to help you?
"I went to great lengths to kill you, but in the end, I had no choice but to help you for the sake of Dacheng."
Because I don't want the empire that the late Crown Prince protected with his life to fall into the hands of those bastards from the Great Qi.
Guan Zhixin's eyes burned with fierce determination.
Shen Hechuan kept looking at him for a moment before sheathing his sword, turning around, and coldly giving the order.
"Take the person back for treatment."
At this time, in the Qi army camp.
The general knelt before Mo Junxing, trembling with fear.
"monarch!"
Mo Junxing glanced at him indifferently.
"Show me what you've got and beat Da Cheng and his gang to a pulp."
"If you can break through a gap and conquer this city, then I will bestow upon you the title of Marquis of Champion!"
Upon hearing this, the general immediately looked up with delight.
"Your subject will certainly do his utmost."
Mo Junxing nodded.
"This can be used if necessary."
As Mo Junxing spoke, he took out the large firecracker.
The general was astonished.
"this……"
Mo Junxing continued speaking.
"Although this isn't very powerful, it can still be used to scare people."
"If possible, tie one arrow to each bow and shoot it at the city wall. I want to see what other options they have!"
The general looked at the large firecracker in his hand and hesitated.
"But...but we in the military don't know the formula for this."
Mo Junxing sneered.
"Then go learn it, go take it apart and try it out."
This was something his men had painstakingly obtained from a Taoist priest, sacrificing several lives in the process. It was said to be far more powerful than Da Cheng's firecrackers, and he was determined to put it to use.
Upon hearing this, the general immediately nodded and took the items to study them.
Unfortunately, they tried several times without success. In the end, after spending half a month, they only managed to develop a firecracker that was smaller in power than the original one, but larger than the Da Cheng firecracker.
But time was of the essence, and with war looming, they had no choice but to use it temporarily.
Meanwhile, in the Dacheng army camp...
Shen Hechuan stood outside the tent, his long sword pointed directly at Mao Zixiao's neck.
"It's been half a month, and that guy still hasn't woken up. Are you here to help me, or did you just trick me into coming here for treatment?"
Mao Zixiao had no choice.
Guan Zhixin's health was already poor, and now she was injured. After a long and bumpy journey with him, they finally arrived here.
Despite his best efforts to take care of her, Guan Zhixin's body couldn't hold on any longer.
Upon arriving at the military camp, he immediately fainted.
The imperial physicians treated him for several days before he was out of danger.
But half a month has already passed.
But he still didn't wake up.
Just then, someone came to report from ahead.
"Report!"
"The enemy is attacking the city! The enemy is attacking the city!"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the soldiers assembled and charged forward.
War is imminent.
The soldiers were all full of passion, ready to face Mo Junxing's various sieges.
However, Mo Junxing used firecrackers and fire attacks this time, which caught the soldiers off guard.
But then, he prepared a heavy weapon and fired more than a dozen thick crossbow bolts at once, leaving the Dacheng people with no chance to fight back.
Although they managed to hold off the attack, the losses were heavy.
Shen Hechuan looked at the wounded soldiers and listened to their groans.
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