Upon hearing this, the Northern Army truly wanted to send five hundred iron cavalry to drive the troops out of the seven counties.
However, most of the Iron Cavalry's forces were controlled by two thousand Xie soldiers at various key routes leading into Huayin South. They split into two groups to encircle the area, and just as they were about to form an encirclement, Xie soldiers would suddenly break out and create an opening.
The Xie family's spearmen faced off against the iron cavalry, forming groups of three. They used tripping, thrusting, and smashing techniques to instantly bring down a cavalryman. Because their formation was particularly simple, any brave person could easily injure the cavalryman in the slightest.
Huayin has no shortage of able-bodied young men; for a mere morsel of food, they are willing to fight the Huns on the battlefield. Moreover, the current internal strife in Huayin is a direct result of the war instigated by the Huns.
The three great powers turned Huayin into their battlefield, while the people of Huayin suffered greatly from the ravages of war in other countries.
The people of Huayin South are inherently martial-minded.
At this time, Si Xitong contacted the gentry of Huayin to lead people to resist the iron cavalry, and also asked the Ma family army to hand over their meager resources to the gentry of Huayin. With the gentry's support, they quickly raised the banner of "Save the country and the people, drive out the barbarians!"
The local people are mostly illiterate, but they strongly identify with their bloodline. Many consider themselves to be from the Central Plains, sharing the same lineage as the current Xie clan of Jin. Therefore, they believe everyone is from the Central Plains and is a compatriot.
The gentry of Huayin needed this sense of identity, so they raised the banner that their predecessors had already shouted to death: expel the barbarians!
Xie Bing automatically categorized himself as a member of the Central Plains, one of their own, with the legitimate imperial family behind him. The eldest princess of the Jin dynasty legitimized their status. In this chaotic world, warlords vie for power, and everyone pursues fame and fortune. Now, the wheel of fortune has turned, and it is finally Huayin Nan's turn.
The southern gentry of Huayin were very skilled at training civilians. Even though they were filled with sheer numbers, they managed to block more than twenty cavalrymen and kill two hundred of them on a single key road.
The Xiongnu cavalry had never seen such a force before. They watched helplessly as these commoners, whom they considered worthless like ants, actually knew how to resist, unlike the people on the other side who were simply at their mercy. Even if they did resist, they were quickly suppressed, like a gust of wind that came and went just as fast.
But a group of people in front of them were not afraid of death. They stared at them like wolf cubs, coveting them, as if they were about to pounce and tear them apart at any moment.
For the first time, the Iron Cavalry Central Guard put aside their contempt for Huayin South. They watched as twenty Iron Cavalrymen fell on the road, their horses being dragged into the woods with a scream. Afterwards, the wild people, covered in blood and gnawing on raw meat, hid in the pile of stones, keeping a watchful eye on them.
The Iron Cavalry center-back's face immediately darkened: "These guys are simply inhuman."
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:47:54 on January 7, 2022 and 18:41:03 on January 8, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who launched the rocket: I am a spoiled brat;
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Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: I am a spendthrift 60 bottles; Tingyuan and a warm sun 20 bottles; wander 10 bottles; pharmacokinetics 5 bottles; Xinxin 2 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 128 Xie Lanzhi Picks Who to Slaughter
"General, we can't delay any longer. We should call in the artillerymen." The junior leader beside him said, "These aren't ordinary savages. The way they kill us is orderly and disciplined, which means they've been trained by a regular army!"
"Why wasn't this reported?" The Iron Cavalry Central Guard realized that their intelligence was insufficient, and a rash attack would only bring them disadvantage.
The young leader said, "Huayin is poor and backward, and there is a group of stubborn old men who insist on their identity as descendants of the Central Plains. They have always refused to obey us. Even when Huayin sends people to plead for them, they never return. The people of Huayin have abandoned them."
"For the past twenty years, they have been nothing of importance. They are so poor that they still cling to their identity as people from the Central Plains to survive. They are extremely ignorant and refuse to share any of our interests. So over time, this place has become a place that no one wants to touch."
No one expected that this once barren land would become such a tough nut to crack this year.
The Iron Cavalry Central Guard gave a direct order: "Mount the firearmsmen!"
Ten arquebusiers took to the field, seated high on horseback, their gaze fixed on the high ground guarding the pile of stones, and on various groups of people in the jungle, armed with sharpened bamboo spears, hidden like savages, their figures appearing and disappearing like monkeys. All were openly exposed to their sight, and despite their distance—far beyond the range of bows and arrows—their firearms could kill any living being within eight hundred meters.
The iron-clad center guard sneered: "Fire!!"
Ten gunners quickly aimed and fired dozens of shots, like firecrackers. The sound was festive, but it was a deadly blow to the Huayin Nan people guarding the key road. Before they could understand how the enemy had attacked, the people around them, and even themselves, suddenly fell into pools of blood and lost their breath.
The best county government office in Huayin was located in the south. The dominant surname in the area was Li, and everyone regarded Duke Weiguo, Li Jing, as their ancestor and claimed to be his descendant. The leading county magistrate was named Li Fuyi.
Si Xitong and A Zi have been here for two days, while a fierce battle is raging outside.
She had already planned an escape route, instructing Li Fuyi to send people south from Huayin to the vassal state closest to Tianjing to pass through. The vassal state received a bribe and directly mobilized all its cattle and horses to transport grain for the Ma family army in Tianjing.
Now, General Ma Hong, leading eight thousand horses, has begun his journey south to Huayin and will arrive in seven days.
"The ruler of Anyi has not been found yet?"
Li Fuyi hurriedly replied, "The men I sent have spread far and wide, but the King of Anyi has vanished like a ghost; we don't know where he's hiding."
"Your Highness, in my humble opinion, no news is actually the best news."
Because she was worried about her husband, Azi hadn't slept for two days. When she heard that Anyi had gone missing, she collapsed to the ground.
"Your Majesty!" Li Fuyi wanted to help her up, but due to the taboo against men and women touching each other, he had to let the old woman help him back to the backyard.
Si Xitong watched helplessly as her sister was helped away, wondering if Lanzhi had already hidden Anyi away. If she had, Lanzhi should have written to her by now. But no one had written to her.
She wasn't worried about Lanzhi being in danger. On the contrary, if she and Li Jun stayed in Huayin North, it would make the cavalry hesitant to launch a large-scale attack, for fear of missing the opportunity to return to defend the Northern Prefecture and being wiped out.
At the same time, two thousand Xie soldiers intercepted another cavalry force on another key road to Xiahuayin. The two armies were separated by a long ditch, which was a hastily dug trench, temporarily blocking the cavalry's path.
In reality, the trenches wouldn't hold out for long; they were just there to buy some time.
The cavalry saw the trenches, and then looked at the Xie soldiers on the hill behind them. None of them showed their heads, but their catapults and ballistae were ready. There were also two iron balls hanging on them, which looked like cannons.
Upon seeing this, the Iron Cavalry Guard immediately asked one of the surviving Iron Cavalrymen, "Is that ball hanging up there a cannon?"
"General, it must be a cannon!" The cavalryman was still shaken. He had never seen such a powerful weapon before. It exploded as soon as it hit the ground, killing everyone around him. He survived because a fellow villager was standing in front of him, which saved his life. If he had been the one standing in front of him, he would not have survived until now.
The Iron Cavalry Guard's expression immediately turned extremely serious: "What is the range?"
"Based on the range of ballistae and catapults, they can probably hit targets within a kilometer."
"So, they'll fire as soon as we get close enough to their range?" The Iron Cavalry Guards refused to believe it. They were already a kilometer away, and the enemy had been waiting without launching an attack.
"Send a few people up there and give it a try!"
As soon as he finished speaking, ten cavalrymen charged out, heading straight for the foot of the mountain. Just as they reached the top of a steep slope, a deafening explosion sent all ten flying, their bodies and horses tumbling down the hillside, their fates unknown.
The cavalrymen were immediately horrified.
"It seems to be as powerful as rumored." The loss of ten Iron Cavalry guards confirms the range to be around 800 meters. The Iron Cavalry had been crowded together on the same path uphill and hadn't spread out, which is why they were wiped out in one fell swoop.
The Iron Cavalry Guard immediately ordered: "When we charge, each of you should spread out five paces apart and not huddle together!"
"yes!"
The soldiers of Xie, who occupied the mountaintop area, were left with only five cannons, while the enemy had a thousand cavalrymen. They were filled with uncertainty, and the captains below would go to the makeshift tents from time to time to ask Xie Lanzhi for instructions.
Xie Lanzhi was still sitting in the shed, looking at the nearby map. He could only say that the terrain was uneven, and there was only one main road leading to Huayin South, behind which was where his wife was staying. Huayin South was simply no match for the Hun cavalry, and Ma Hong wouldn't arrive for another seven days.
How will she survive these seven days? It's going to be a real test.
Xie Lanzhi thought for a moment, then glanced at Xie Shangguang, feeling that he was not tall enough and not handsome enough. She then turned her gaze to Xie Ying: "You will impersonate Anyi and go down the mountain from the other side, then create a rumor so they will chase after you."
"They are taking advantage of the chaos to kill Anyi, in order to completely overthrow the Huayin Kingdom. The Huayin Kingdom is far from the northern Hu and Xiongnu, and it will take at least half a month for reinforcements to arrive."
Moreover, these people from Anshan are arrogant because they are armed with firearms and think they can be dealt with without any support.
She also heard that Li Li was taking advantage of the chaos in Zhongqi County.
“I really underestimated him.” Xie Lanzhi ordered, “After you go down the mountain, you’d better run away to Zhongqi County. Li Li won’t abandon you once he finds out.”
"Yes!" Xie Ying was immediately thrilled.
She led a hundred people from the mountain valley towards the seven central counties.
Xie Shangguang pointed to himself: "Marshal, what about me?"
"You're a skilled archer, so hide in the pile of rocks and wait for your chance to shoot at a great general."
"Anything else?"
Xie Lanzhi dismissed him, saying, "Go ahead."
Xie Shangguang scratched his head and went out of the shed by himself, carrying a bow and arrow on his back, and not forgetting to cover himself with some green grass and leaves as camouflage.
Seeing him leave, Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but sigh: "Five firecrackers can only last for three days at most."
Upon hearing this, Captain Xie immediately asked for instructions: "Marshal, why don't we follow your previous method of fighting?"
What were Xie Ying's previous tactics? Xie Lanzhi had learned about Xie Ying's military strategies over the past two years. They were all about swift and unexpected attacks, simple and brutal tactics that instilled fear in people.
But she was facing the same iron cavalry, not the iron cavalry with gunners hidden behind them.
If the soldiers below encountered firearms, they would easily be scattered in a few moves. She currently does not know how many firearmsmen the enemy has hidden in this iron cavalry.
Xie Lanzhi suddenly remembered the two firearms in Tianjing, about 1.3 meters long, where the gunpowder had to be applied through the muzzle—a rather primitive method. The Ministry of Works had once analyzed them and said that the firing and reloading time was about three breaths shorter than that of the Central Plains firearms, roughly five seconds. The Central Plains flintlock muskets took a maximum of two minutes and a maximum of thirty seconds to reload one round. This meant that the Hun firearms required about twenty-five seconds to reload.
The pre-launch animation was a bit long. If they had horses, they would have already charged forward.
Xie Lanzhi handed the flintlock pistol, which required a twenty-second reload, to Captain Xie, and then gave him ten flintlock bullets as well: "Have you used this before?"
"This humble general has never used it."
"Then hand it over to Xie Shangguang."
"yes!"
When the captain delivered the flintlock musket, Xie Shangguang excitedly touched it, unable to contain his excitement. He had played with the Ministry of Works' firearms in Tianjing, but none of them had a long range, and even when they did, their power was minimal. Now, seeing this excellent flintlock musket, he couldn't wait to fire a few shots and try it out.
Afterwards, the captain returned and was instructed by Xie Lanzhi to continue guarding the area. If anyone rushed up, use the cannons; if there were only one or two people, there was no need to waste them, just shoot them with arrows.
Xie Lanzhi picked up the long knife directly, feeling that it was not as convenient as her own gold-handled long halberd, but it was long enough.
"Marshal, where are you going?"
"You guys draw attention from the front. I'm going to flank from behind."
Captain: ? ? ?
The captain thought he had misheard.
Xie Lanzhi repeated: "Stay here with the brothers and guard the area. Don't let a single cavalry charge get past."
"But you're all alone?" The captain swallowed hard. He really wanted to tell the truth. Could the enemy, with the Marshal of Firearms, handle it alone? It wasn't like before, where one person could take down the same enemy. But organizing a group to charge was a different story.
"I know I'm being a bit pretentious right now." Xie Lanzhi habitually spun the blade, instantly creating a gust of wind at high speed. The captain sensed this unusual wind and immediately fell silent.
"I'm not just putting on a brave face. There is indeed scientific evidence to support this. A 25-second cooldown time for switching ammunition with a firearm is enough for me to chop someone down with a melon."
"The prerequisite is to find the firearms handlers hidden within the iron cavalry."
The captain was completely bewildered. "Cut eggs? Cooldown? Twenty-five seconds?" He didn't understand. What did the marshal mean? But it sounded very impressive.
Seeing that he was confused, Xie Lanzhi didn't say anything more.
At this moment, the cavalry launched another attack, spreading out widely. The vanguard soldiers immediately switched to shooting arrows. The cavalry charged five hundred meters, blocking the arrows, but only five were wounded. The remaining twenty men were about to cross the hill, but the cannons did not fire, so they charged even more vigorously.
As they leaped over the trench, one of the cavalrymen shouted passionately, "Kill the Xie family! Avenge my lord!!"