Just as the Xiongnu cavalry stepped into the last area, shouting to cut off Anyi's dog head!
With a loud bang, the Xiongnu soldiers at the forefront were blown to pieces, their bodies and horses mangled and bloodied. Before the Xiongnu cavalry could react, a series of bombings continued to erupt beneath their feet and above their heads, leaving every place they could stand riddled with holes, like thunderbolts from the heavens, deafeningly loud.
Xie Lanzhi stood a kilometer away on horseback, with five hundred men and five medium-sized catapults behind her. These were weapons that had been abandoned for twenty years in the Huayin Kingdom's armory, and now they were being used to continuously launch volleys, clearing out the entire mining area.
She only ordered her men to stop when the bombing had stopped and no cavalry dared to stand on the other side.
The soldiers below also seized a Huayin official, who trembled and warned her: "The Hu Xiongnu are powerful, but the marshal is unaware of their strength. Do not interfere in their internal affairs and make a grave mistake, or you will suffer more losses than gains."
Xie Lanzhi glanced at this spineless official; a pillar of the nation was now useless. To be precise, Huayin was doomed with such a bunch of cowards around.
"Anyi is Huayin's last hope. If she dies..."
"The Huayin Kingdom is no longer changing its flag, but directly changing its race."
"True national subjugation and genocide."
After saying this, the official weakly lowered his head and grieved.
Xie Lanzhi had him sent back.
Afterwards, she sent people to clean up the battlefield. A thousand iron cavalrymen, sure enough, some people hid in the mine and escaped the calamity, but it was of no use. Xie Lanzhi gave Xie Bing a death order: Do not take prisoners!
Xie Bing would throw siege bombs at any group he saw, killing them all. As for the cavalry who surrendered out of fear, he would take them down with a single blow.
The entire mining area was instantly transformed from the shouts of the Hun cavalry into screams of agony. The Xie soldiers, like wolves and tigers, scrambled for heads, severing each one and tucking the severed head into their waistbands. Blood dripped continuously from their waists, leaving a trail of blood with every step they took, until they carved a bloody path through the land.
The thousand Hun cavalrymen were unable to organize their formation due to the bombardment, and in the end only three hundred men retreated. Five hundred men were killed by the bombardment, and the remaining two hundred men held off Xie Bing. Xie Bing had dealt with many enemies, but he had never seen such a fierce enemy as the Hun. Others would die with one slash, but the Hun would kill dozens of them with three slashes.
As night approached, Xie Lanzhi grew impatient and personally rushed into the battlefield, wielding an ordinary longsword, cutting down enemies one by one as easily as slicing twisted dough sticks.
In the final resistance of the Huns, as she cut down one after another until they couldn't even get close, the last Hun was clearly a nobleman's son who hadn't had time to escape. He immediately raised his firearm at Xie Lanzhi, and with a "bang," the spark narrowly missed her ear.
As the man struggled in his death throes, he cried out, "Damn it, damned Xie family!"
Xie Lanzhi's eyes flashed with malice. She held the long knife in her hand, pulled it back, and threw the blade straight at the other person's neck, causing blood to spurt out.
"It seems the arrow is on the bowstring and must be released."
Seeing the nobleman lying on the ground, Xie Lanzhi ordered his head to be chopped off and placed in the mining area. She then set up a cannon there to keep watch, ready to fire on anyone who came near. No need to worry about him!
Xie Bing and his men seemed to really enjoy this exhilarating fighting style! The more Huns and Xiongnu died, the better!
Xie Lanzhi felt as if a string in her body had been opened, and she began to crave blood.
Now that she has already interfered in the affairs of Huayin Kingdom, she cannot let it go.
Sure enough, the Xiongnu sent dozens of rescue teams to snatch the nobleman's head. Xie Bing immediately lit the fuse, and the cannon was launched by the catapult, directly blowing dozens of people to pieces.
Xie Bing shouted gleefully, "Again! Another litter!!"
When Xie Lanzhi returned, she heard that the cannons had already been fired. She realized that if the noblemen had firearms, then other soldiers in Huayin Kingdom might also have them.
Lu Qing had said that the Hu Xiongnu only had one hundred firearms, which was the number before she left. Now, almost a year has passed, and the number of firearms must have increased considerably.
Coal mines are also of great importance to the production of firearms, so in conclusion, the Hun people will not give up coal mines, and may even confront them head-on.
"Pack up immediately and withdraw your troops!"
"promise!!"
In this battle, Xie Lanzhi mainly used the siege cannon to catch the Xiongnu cavalry off guard, rather than completely crushing them. If they had faced each other head-on, the enemy would have had their own weapons, and once they pushed forward, none of her five hundred men would have been able to return alive.
Moreover, the trebuchets she brought were insufficient. They were fine for small skirmishes, but in large battles, stationing a single trebuchet, whether using ballistae or catapults, required twenty men to push and adjust it, and the aiming time was too long – this was its biggest drawback. It still couldn't compete with the well-established and widely used iron cavalry on the battlefield!
This time, she attracted attention by using Anyi, which gave her time to prepare and ultimately lead to a crushing defeat for her cavalry.
Just as Xie Lanzhi led her people away, the surviving villagers from Anyi were dug out of a pile of ruins.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Wake up, we are not dead."
An Yi had just been knocked unconscious by a flying rock from somewhere. Now that she had woken up, she touched her forehead, which was covered in dried blood, and looked around. She found that there were no cavalrymen left.
She was immediately shocked and asked, "What happened? Where are those iron cavalry?"
Emerging from another pile of ruins, the boy, overjoyed at his newfound life, cried out, "Your Majesty, they've been driven away! They were driven away by Lord Xie!"
Chapter 127 Taking Advantage of the Huns' Disaster
Anshan received a thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen, but they were defeated by Xie's troops and only three hundred men remained. He could hardly believe that his army had lost.
According to the Xiongnu official's report, Xie's army used the legendary "nest cannon" to launch a surprise attack without anyone noticing. They thought that Xie's lord wouldn't interfere in the affairs of small states and would withdraw in a few days because the treaty couldn't be negotiated. When Anyi met with her last, Xie's lord didn't offer any response.
As it turned out, the person who was thought to be unaware of the danger struck and severely weakened the Iron Cavalry.
"My brother left me five thousand iron cavalry to keep things in check in Huayin Kingdom, but I never expected that even after I've been so patient, trouble would still have gotten out of hand." Now is not the time to blame my subordinates for their impulsiveness; it's time to face the challenge head-on.
Regardless of who made the mistake this time, in the end, Xie Zhu will have to take the blame!
"Immediately organize two thousand men to surround the riverbank and seize the Jiujin treasure ship."
The Xiongnu envoy reminded him, "There is also a crown prince."
Recalling the Crown Prince's stubbornness in dealing with the Xiongnu, Anshan felt even more pressured. He said, "I only hope that this man won't be ungrateful and oppose our superior Xiongnu state."
Upon hearing this, the guards rushed in and reported, "Your Majesty, Prince, Crown Prince Yelü Lili has led troops to seize our large ship!"
"They also detained our sailors."
Anshan: "What?!"
That despicable bastard is even worse than he imagined!!
"Report—" Another guard rushed in: "The royal family of Anyi has moved south, and the soldiers we sent to Huayin South have been surrounded and killed by the Jiu Jin army! Feng Ning, the ruler of Jiu Jin, has secretly colluded with the gentry of Huayin South, using a feigned attack to secretly advance his own forces, and has already taken control of the pro-Jin forces in Huayin South to launch a counterattack against us!"
"What, what!?" Anshan slammed his fist on the table. "Is everyone going to oppose me today?!"
"Report—" As the third guard rushed in, before he could even speak, Anshan kicked him in the chest, sending him flying. Even then, he didn't forget to report, "Anyi, Anyi is not dead!"
Upon hearing that the coward was still alive, Anshan finally couldn't hold back any longer and overturned the table, smashing cups and teapots all over the floor. With the situation in the enemy's favor in every aspect, how could he swallow this insult?
He should have had the upper hand and made an example of someone, but now someone else has taken the lead.
"Deploy troops immediately!" Anshan finally pointed at the Hu and Xiongnu envoy and gave a death order: "Move out all the firearmsmen and pursue Anyi!"
"We'll deal with Li Li at the river mouth last. Let's deal with Anyi first. If we encounter Xie Zhu, we'll immediately return to defend. As long as we avoid her troublesome cannons, Xie's soldiers will be practically at our mercy!"
"yes!"
The three thousand cavalry were not divided into two groups; one group pursued Anyi, and the other pursued Xie Bing. Among the three thousand cavalry were one hundred firearmsmen who were secretly hidden within the ranks, silently following the cavalry south in pursuit.
Anyi struggled to get her way. Although she had chosen the mountain road, the iron cavalry relentlessly pursued her, and she and her surviving people were separated.
The ruler and the officials of Huayin no longer know whose orders to follow, but they certainly do not follow the Xie family's orders, so they maintain the status quo and dare not even save their own ruler.
Only a small group of people secretly sent people to search for the king, attempting to rescue Anyi and hide him away.
Upon hearing that Anyi was still alive and being pursued by the Xiongnu cavalry, the local people formed militias and set out to rescue him.
The entire country of Huayin was in complete chaos, like ants on a hot pan.
The group of soldiers were blocked at the riverbank by the Huayin government troops and could not enter. Li Li could have sent men to kill them all, but considering that Marshal Xie was on the shore, he decided not to bother.
Now he only needs to do one thing: plunder the Xiongnu treasure ships and see what good stuff they have.
This was the first time he had ever taken advantage of someone's misfortune.
The strategist seized the opportunity to suggest: "Your Highness, the current turmoil in Huayin is entirely related to the power struggle among major nations. Regardless of who wins or loses, Huayin will inevitably be divided in two."
"As an ally, we shouldn't have interfered, but another ally has taken the initiative to attack. The benefits they will gain in the future are unimaginable to us in the water and land."
Now they rely on the Lord for food everywhere. If they fall out with the Lord one day, the food supply will inevitably be cut off, so they must think of a way out.
Li Li's eyes were dark and unreadable. He said, "Huayin Kingdom can't grow much grain either, it relies entirely on the south. Has the strategist noticed that both the first and the south of Huayin are trapped by grain, driven by Xie Zhu?"
"This time it's not Xie Zhu, but His Highness Feng Ning."
"Then what do you mean, Your Highness?" the strategist said. "Huayin Kingdom cannot grow grain, but coal is more valuable than grain..."
No one expected that the war twenty years ago and the war twenty years later would no longer be a simple matter of territorial expansion, but rather a matter of survival resources!
Today, the Hu and Xiongnu have transitioned from a nomadic lifestyle to an agricultural society, and are still emulating the administrative system of the Central Plains to change their own destiny, skillfully employing the Mohist methods to invent a large number of lethal weapons. Therefore, the Hu and Xiongnu are growing stronger and stronger, while other states remain largely unchanged from twenty years ago, their development merely a small evolution, far inferior to that of the Hu and Xiongnu. In terms of both size and institutional advantages, no one can match them.
Even the Northern Regions have fallen far behind. Now, the Khans of the Northern Regions have discovered the strength of the Hu and Xiongnu. They have considered resisting and are thinking of forming an alliance, attempting to rely on the Hu and Xiongnu for development.
However, the Hu Xiongnu's cavalry strength alone was far superior, not to mention their firearms.
The northern region can still hold out against the river, but the problem is that the Hu and Xiongnu have advanced ship technology. So sooner or later, this natural barrier will be breached by the Hu and Xiongnu's technology. When that happens, the northern region will be like flat ground, trampled on at will.
Looking across the world, the only major power capable of rivaling the Xiongnu is the new Tianjing! It is now a new force in the south.
Hu Xiong has suffered losses at the hands of Xie Lanzhi and Si Xitong more than once. Today, when they face each other head-on, the situation is bound to become tense, and it will only end when it is dead.
"Your Highness, it is entirely up to you to decide."
Yelü Lili looked towards the direction of the Northern Prefecture, where there were definitely heavy troops guarding it. He suddenly sneered: "Huayin South is what Princess Fengning has her eye on, and I will not compete with her for it, but Huayin North is within Anshan's sphere of influence."
The central part of the Northern Prefecture was the grain field of the Hun people. Although there were only seven counties and the grain production was average, it was enough to make up twice the total amount of the first batch of soldiers. Moreover, the first batch of soldiers did not have many soldiers, so this twice the amount of grain was sufficient.
"Strategist, I want to conquer seven counties!"
"yes!"
Soon, 2,000 elite soldiers stormed into the government offices of various counties in Huayin, massacring the inhabitants and specifically targeting the territories of the pro-peace faction. The pro-peace faction not only dared not send troops to deal with the Xiongnu or rescue Anyi, but they also dared not offer much resistance when the elite soldiers stormed in. Only a small number, whose interests were threatened, led a resistance, but these were all suppressed by the elite soldiers.
The officials, led by the ruler, wailed, "These damned outsiders! They're taking advantage of our weak and powerless Huayin Kingdom to plunder us when we're in trouble!!"
"Will my Huayin Kingdom still exist in the future? Now that the country is destroyed and the people of Huayin are homeless, how will they survive?"
"If only we hadn't agreed to sign the alliance agreement in Huayin, we wouldn't have allowed the Xie family, these wolves and tigers, to storm into our country, seize our coal mines, and bully our people!"
Some people are also vehemently criticizing the peace faction for downplaying the seriousness of the matter: "The wolves and tigers are not limited to the Xie family. Twenty years ago, we welcomed a tiger into Huayin. It ate our food and wore our clothes, and now it wants to drink our blood!"
"If we don't resist, we'll just be the sheep to be slaughtered!"
"Stand up and resist, or else, or else our nation will truly perish!"
The pro-war faction spoke out particularly loudly, stirring up the hearts of people everywhere and raising their passion for saving the country. However, they would soon be exhausted from fighting with the pro-peace faction.
The biggest enemy of the pro-war faction over the past twenty years has been the pro-peace faction. While the pro-peace faction attacked the Xie family, the Hu Xiongnu, though lacking the courage, dared to use the pretext of a rebellious party to attack the pro-war faction.
At this critical juncture, the pro-war and pro-peace factions in Huayin are instead fighting amongst themselves.
The troops relieved the pressure of the attack and directly slaughtered 5,000 pro-peace people from the seven counties. They also killed the resisting county residents, thus cutting off the pro-peace faction's retreat.