This time, the Kingdom of Ma Liu was not as easy to defeat as he had believed. The opposing general, far from being afraid of the powerful Northern Xiongnu, even led 5,000 soldiers to block the main road to ensure the Ma Liu royal family's retreat to the Kingdom of Lu, buying time for the entire royal family to evacuate. Furthermore, the King of Ma Liu directly designated his successor, choosing to stay behind and fight alongside his general.
This was the first time Arna had encountered a small country that was putting up a stubborn resistance.
When he unveiled the Silver Shield, Ma Liuguo unexpectedly unveiled the Type 94 wheeled cannon. There were three in total. These three short-range cannons alone kept Arna and his three thousand men at the border for seven days!
As Al-Na's morale plummeted, the Hunnic soldiers began to question their very existence.
They had always been invincible, leaving ruins in their wake wherever their cannons went. But they never expected that a mere small country would cause them to lose five hundred men.
Ma Liuguo's Type 94 wheeled cannon shells seemed inexhaustible. Who knows how many there were?
In the end, it was Banaro who led the special forces to the rear, sacrificing seven hundred men to open the gates of the Ma Liu Kingdom. It took another day and night to conquer the main road, killing their general and the Ma Liu Kingdom's ruler.
Before his death, the King of Ma Liu Kingdom hysterically cried out, "Heaven will surely destroy me!!"
The "slave" refers to the Northern Hu and Xiongnu. The ancestors of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu were once slaves.
Enraged, Arna drew his gleaming sword and beheaded the king.
When news of the death of the ruler of Ma Liu reached the State of Lu, the entire royal family wept.
Xie Lanzhi also saw an old woman holding the imperial seal and crying her heart out. She also had two young grandchildren with her.
Upon learning that this was the mother of the King of Ma Liu, she fell silent. War has always been so cruel; the strong live and the weak die.
She remembered little of the Xie soldiers she once knew who had died on the battlefield. Xie Lanzhi's last impressions of those loyal followers were scattered fragments. They had all shouted that they would make the enemy taste the might of the Xie family.
The glory of the Xie family is their glory.
Xie Lanzhi left the lobby and stood at the door for some fresh air.
Li Li stepped forward and stood beside her, asking, "Is the Marshal feeling sad?"
Xie Lanzhi gazed into the distance, somewhat lost in thought, and said, "To be honest, I've fought in many battles, and every time I've escaped death. It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid."
“It’s a coincidence, I’m afraid too.” Li Li said with a hint of sadness, “They say a seven-foot man should be willing to shed blood and sacrifice his life. It sounds like he really is fearless.”
"Actually, I was terrified. But because of responsibility, I had no choice but to swallow my pride and bear it."
Xie Lanzhi turned to look at him.
Li Li turned his back to her and said, "I am only now beginning to understand the feelings of Marshal Xie when his country was destroyed and his family perished. To describe this feeling as merely painful is not enough."
"Your Highness felt the same way, didn't you? Perhaps even more so than I did."
"You deserve immense credit for her ability to survive three years ago as a woman and transform into the ruler of Tianjing."
Xie Lanzhi didn't reply to him. She just felt that his attitude today was a bit strange.
Li Li lifted his foot, carried her on his back, and walked away, saying, "Marshal Xie, if we continue to wait, more people will be sacrificed."
This time, she finally understood. Even if she didn't know Li Li well, she couldn't help but pay attention to what he said now.
She immediately said, "No matter what, don't act rashly. The 100,000 Xiongnu soldiers are not the main force of the Northern Xiongnu yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Li had already turned the corner and disappeared from sight.
Xie Lanzhi's eyelids twitched, and she reached out to cover her forehead.
Duke Fu Ling of Lu rushed over from the direction Li Li had left, and seeing him was like finding a pillar of support for him.
"Marshal, did Crown Prince Yelü report that matter to you yesterday?"
Xie Lanzhi: "What is it?"
The official order was issued yesterday, ordering Li Li to transfer 5,000 troops to Ma Liu Kingdom. Li Li has just left again.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi closed her eyes and pondered for a moment before asking, "Was it his own idea?"
The official wiped his sweat and said, "Yes."
It seems Li Li intends to launch a surprise attack on Al-Na in the Kingdom of Ma Liu. Al-Na is his target!
What good is killing a mere Arna? The real generals are yet to come. Arna was just a striker.
The real main force is still in the territory of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu.
Now a new general and general have emerged. They appear to be the main force, but the true strength of the Northern Xiongnu is still deeply hidden. Aqina is extremely cunning; so far, he has only revealed some of his trump cards, not all of them.
It seems she'll have to enter a dream today.
Xie Lanzhi instructed Gongfu to keep a close eye on Li Li's movements and, if necessary, to contact him so that he could retreat to Niliubei. She also suggested that the Changhong cannon could be used to support him if needed.
Xie Lanzhi found a relatively dark room, lay on the floor, and crossed her arms flat on her stomach. She tried to enter a dream.
This time, things clearly didn't go so smoothly. Aqina and the State Witch seemed to be on guard.
Xie Lanzhi spent half a day in her dream but couldn't enter Aqina's dream. Although it was called a dream, it was actually like having a clairvoyant eye that could see Aqina's every move.
Aqina's dream seemed to be separated by a barrier erected by someone.
Could it be that this time, even a cheat code is no match for a national sorcerer's magic array?
Xie Lanzhi decided to try again, and this time she truly fell asleep. Upon entering her dream, everything was pitch black at first, then she felt a tap on her consciousness. Immediately afterwards, she saw the White Urn Palace of the Northern Xiongnu.
What I saw was the White Urn Palace, a replica of the one in Tianjing. Palace maids and imperial physicians hurried back and forth carrying basins of water. It seemed someone was seriously ill.
Could it be Aqina? A moment later, the national shaman appeared, but she still couldn't hear what he was saying. It seemed the national shaman had deliberately muted his voice.
But the palace maids and the imperial physicians spoke clearly: "The king's condition has improved a lot; it's just a minor cold."
"Yes, I'll be fully recovered soon."
"Wang's condition can't be delayed any longer. He's survived, but his health is deteriorating."
"The state shaman said he was to be sent to Nilupo...to that..."
The voice was quickly cut off by the national shaman, who covered the person's mouth and looked around, fully on guard.
Through the above dialogue, Xie Lanzhi deduced that although Aqina received life force from Anshan, something unexpected still happened. This time, it was clearly not as successful as Artur's sacrifice.
Xie Lanzhi pondered the differences between Artu and Anshan. They seemed similar, but she had killed Artu, while Anshan had been struck by lightning. This meant that only a Stand killing another Stand had any effect. And a Stand dying from lightning had no effect?
"No matter what, the body cannot be kept." These words blatantly reached her ears. Xie Lanzhi quickly looked towards the State Shaman. It wasn't the State Shaman who spoke. It was someone inside the hall. It sounded like Aqina's voice.
Then came Aqina's pained, almost breathless voice: "Your Majesty, I want that ancient jade! Bring it here, go and get it now!"
The national shaman stood at the door saying something. Aqin instantly calmed down.
The shaman suddenly turned around, his eyes chillingly cold, meeting Xie Lanzhi's gaze. Xie Lanzhi instinctively held her breath, thinking she had been discovered.
In the end, the shaman just looked around suspiciously before leaving.
It seems that it has not been discovered.
Xie Lanzhi woke up instantly. Her dream state couldn't last long.
She sat in the dark room, pondered for a while, and analyzed the information revealed by Aqi's few words to figure out his next purpose.
Xie Lanzhi's eyes darkened: "Is he trying to imitate me and have a wandering spirit possess his body?"
But her possession was just an accident from beginning to end!
Could possession really be accomplished by human power alone? If so, she would first have to eliminate the wicked sorcerer who aided and abetted the evildoer. However, given the current terrain and distance, killing a sorcerer would be extremely difficult.
Moreover, the sorcerer stayed by Aqina's side constantly, never leaving her side. Considering how much Aqina valued him, it was even more difficult than assassinating a king.
And Nilubei, could it be her? The substitute must fight back and forth with this variable in order to buy Aqina more lifespan.
To fight her would be to fight against the heavens. Could she represent the heavens? No, perhaps she was already taking on a part of the mission. She had already sensed this on Floating Light Island.
As the saying goes, "Two tigers cannot share one mountain," only the variable can deal with another variable.
Xie Lanzhi walked out of the dark room, where a soldier named Xie was searching for her. When he saw her, Xie hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Marshal, General Ma Hong in the ancient land of the Three Kingdoms has been attacked by 50,000 Xiongnu soldiers."
So fast?
As Xie Lanzhi walked, she asked, "What's the situation now?"
Xie Bing said, "After the destruction of Ma Liu Kingdom, I didn't expect that the Xiongnu army would not go to the last two countries, but instead went around and attacked General Ma directly."
It seems the Xiongnu's intelligence was quite accurate. They chose this moment to strike first. However, the Xiongnu's actions were also within their expectations.
Ma Hong is currently in the outer encirclement, and the Xiongnu soldiers want to break through the encirclement in order to avoid being surrounded themselves.
There are still 50,000 troops waiting in battle. If the Xiongnu manage to break through the outer encirclement, the situation could change again. I wonder if Little Phoenix will continue to maneuver or launch a direct attack?
Regardless of which option is chosen, having a trump card is essential to continuing the fight against the Huns.
In the new Tianjing, Si Xitong ordered Ma Hong to launch a direct counterattack, driving the Xiongnu back into the encirclement. If necessary, a full-scale offensive could be launched. Ma Hong's 30,000 men appeared confident in the face of the Xiongnu counterattack.
Ma Hong was still using the Type 94 cannon, only in larger quantities.
A hundred cannons forcefully blasted back tens of thousands of Xiongnu soldiers who were attacking on the former territory of the Three Kingdoms.
Banaro hadn't expected that New Tianjing had already revealed its trump card: a hundred Type 94 cannons. The cannonballs seemed to be unleashing their most powerful weapon.
Banaro hastily withdrew without even crossing the border. The momentum he had built up in Luochuan, after annihilating several small countries, instantly deflated.
No one expected that there would be so many cannons in the new Tianjing.
Ma Hong used a hundred cannons to drive back tens of thousands of Xiongnu soldiers, which was incredibly satisfying. If it weren't for the fact that this was a battlefield of artillery shells, he would have been the first to grab a gun and fight.
If His Highness hadn't said he wanted to fight a war using the new weapons to gain experience, he would have wiped out these Northern Huns long ago.
The Huns were not as weak as imagined; besides the silver-shielded soldiers, they also had a firearms battalion that they hadn't deployed. The firearms battalion consisted of five thousand men, each equipped with firearms.
It's still going strong.
Knowing that Ma Hong had cannons, Anshan Jun immediately ordered his troops to withdraw. He then reported the matter of the hundred cannons to his motherland.
Soon, the upper echelons of the Northern Xiongnu secretly transported silver-spear cannons from the Red River border. These were high-speed cannons, a grade higher than silver-shield cannons, capable of firing three rounds per minute.
The Type 94 cannon fires two shots per minute, but its power and range are inferior to the Silver Cannon.
Banatu obtained five silver spears and unleashed the power of thirty cannons, directly blasting Ma Hong back three miles.
Ma Hong hadn't expected the Northern Xiongnu to possess weapons more advanced than the Silver Shield. His face turned grim, and he hastily led his men away. It wasn't that he was afraid, but rather that the Type 94 was practically a sitting duck on the battlefield.
They could use them to scare the Xiongnu soldiers and prevent them from crossing the border. If they didn't withdraw, all the Type 94 rifles would be destroyed, and they would be like sheep, at the mercy of others.
"Retreat another ten miles and abandon the border town."
Mahone and his men retreated. Banaro seized the opportunity to occupy the city gate and set up cannons on the city walls, thus capturing the first pass.
When this news reached the new Tianjing, the officials held an emergency meeting overnight. The people were worried that the war situation was turning against them, and some even doubted the capabilities of the capital's garrison. A rumor briefly circulated, but it was quickly suppressed.
Because the Imperial Guard still had Xie Bing. The fact that they suffered a defeat even with Xie Bing there must mean the Hunnic artillery was too powerful.