Until a sound different from firearms rang out from another hilltop—the sound of real bombing.
"It's a cannon!" Li Li immediately recognized the sound. It sounded very much like the cannon the marshal had given him.
Li Li's face turned deathly pale. At this moment, even if he was no longer afraid of the Hu Xiongnu's firearms, he should be afraid of the Hu Xiongnu's cannons.
I thought only the marshal had the siege cannon, but I didn't expect the Huns to have it too!
The next day at dawn, all the gunfire and artillery sounds disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed. But the soldiers who had witnessed it on the hilltop the night before knew that the battle on the other side was over.
Later, a scout from the barbarian army came to report the news of the conflict between the Hu and Xiongnu.
In one night, Aqina used ten cannons to blast the 300,000 troops of the two princes on the border into a rout, with a total of 60,000 dead on the spot. Aba Na fled to the mountains with 20,000 troops, while Apohu died on the spot.
The remaining remnants either surrendered or went missing.
In just three days, Aqina's infamous reputation for creating a mass grave spread throughout the world.
Those small, powerful nations even called Aqina's cannons "heavenly cannons."
Now, Aqina's army, led by General Arna, has begun clearing out the remnants, and has led 100,000 men to re-enter the Red River border, putting even greater pressure on Li Li.
Previously, they could hold out for a while thanks to Apohu and Aba, the two princes who refused to submit to Aqina. Now, Aqina is ambitious and has advanced weaponry, making him a force to be reckoned with.
However, when Father Khan Beiluo heard that Aqina possessed the Heavenly Cannon, he couldn't wait to curry favor with Aqina. He even took the initiative to arrange a marriage between Qiqi and Anshan.
Li Li didn't even have time to refuse, because her father had already stamped it.
Now, Father Khan has sent someone to Tianjing to bring Qiqi back to the Northern Region and then send her to the Xiongnu Kingdom to be a concubine under Anshan's command.
Li Li was furious. He immediately wrote a letter to Si Xitong asking for help, hoping that she would hide his sister and prevent her from being exposed in Tianjing as the princess of the Northern Region for the time being.
When the letter arrived in Tianjing, Yelü Qiqi was still squatting on the riverbank, waving to the people below from time to time: "Aying, Aying, look at me, look at me."
Xie Ying looked up at the sound, wiped the sweat from her brow with the towel hanging around her neck, and looked slightly helpless. Then she continued to use the dustpan to clear away the silt.
"Ah Ying, would you like to come up for a cup of tea?"
The two officers holding umbrellas nearby chimed in, "That's right, Miss is right. Come on up and have some tea."
Ever since Xie Lanzhi's New Year's gifts were delivered to Xie Guang's house, the political climate in Tianjing instantly shifted. Those who used to seduce and flatter dared not offend Xie Guang's family anymore. Although Xie Guang had lost his position as Grand General, many commoners still recognized him when he guarded the gate and would respectfully address him as Grand General.
When Xie Guang was in a good mood, he would meddle in other people's business. If anyone bullied a passerby, he would punish them. He remained a local tyrant at the gates of Jiujin City.
He was called a tyrant because his methods of helping people were extremely brutal, sometimes even unreasonable, resorting to force to suppress them. Both those he punished and those who sought his help were afraid of him.
If there's even the slightest argument, no one dares to quarrel in the street, for fear that he'll see it and interfere, and then no one will be in a good position.
Thanks to Xie Guang's unique approach, the security situation in the Jiujin region has actually improved considerably.
Because both good and bad people are afraid of him.
After Xie Ying came ashore around noon, the two officers had already slipped away. They seemed quite confident in Xie Ying, not worried that she wouldn't complete her task or would run away. They trusted her completely.
Xie Ying certainly wouldn't run away; she sat on a clean rock, having dinner with the princess in front of her.
Yelü Qiqi, still holding her chopsticks, would occasionally point at the wild vegetables and ask, "Is this really not grass?"
“No. Eat the other side. There’s meat on it.” Xie Ying said.
A large bowl was filled with half wild vegetables and half cured meat. Yelü Qiqi served both to Xie Ying, but she herself curiously picked up a wild vegetable and took a bite. The bitter taste made her stick out her tongue, but she still swallowed the wild vegetable.
At this moment, Qiqi finally understood a truth: every grain of rice on your plate is the result of hard work. No wonder her brother always said that food is hard-earned. Not everything in the world tastes good; some things are unpalatable but nutritious.
"Delicious." Yelü Qiqi's face twitched and twisted a little because it tasted so bad. She was still unwilling to give up and took another bite, bite after bite, until most of the wild vegetables were gone.
She licked her lips and said, "It doesn't seem so bitter anymore."
Xie Ying looked at her with a hint of doting in her eyes and picked up a piece of cured meat for her: "Go back this afternoon and don't wait for me on the shore anymore."
"It's very dangerous."
"No." Yelü Qiqi stared at her face greedily; she didn't want to leave her side for even a moment, otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep all night.
Xie Ying didn't say anything more. The two ate in silence, and after resting for half an hour, she was about to go down to the river.
An official ran up, panting, and bent down to hand her a letter: "This is a letter from the palace, Commander Xiao."
Xie Ying took the letter and read it. She put the letter away without changing her expression, and then said to Yelü Qiqi, "Since you don't want to go back to the palace, why don't you stay at my house for a while?"
These words were spoken.
Yelü Qiqi was overjoyed; she jumped up and down twice, exclaiming, "Yay!"
Xie Ying was both amused and exasperated: "Is my family that well-off?"
“With you here, anywhere is fine,” Yelü Qiqi said.
The atmosphere fell silent in an instant. Before the officials could figure out what was going on, they saw Xie Ying silently turn around and continue digging in the mud.
As for the letter, Xie Ying secretly tore it up in a secluded corner and dumped it on the shore along with the mud.
The Khan of the Northern Regions intends to marry his daughter to the Xiongnu, so you should take him to stay there temporarily.
Chapter 166 The Turbulent Situation at the Negotiation Table
She kept her head down and worked silently.
"I will not let her become a political sacrifice."
Tianjing is currently peaceful and tranquil, but Xie Lanzhi sends people to harass Mingbao every other day.
Three days ago, she led her men to take over Mingbao.
Soon after, a personal letter arrived from King Zheng Fu of Yue, in which he claimed he had been manipulated and that it was not his own intention. He pleaded with her to be lenient and withdraw to the border, promising to offer reparations to compensate the fallen Xie warriors.
Xie Ming was furious on the spot, feeling that Han Feizi was right: "A small state that does not humble itself, a weak state that does not fear the strong, a state that is rude and insults its great neighbor, a state that is greedy, stubborn and inept at making friends, is doomed to perish."
Previously, relying on their firearms, they crossed the border of the Southern Central Plains without taking the Xie family seriously. Now that the Xie family has brought their cannons, they're starting to negotiate peace again. It's utterly outrageous.
"Marshal, fifty people have been injured recently. They were all wounded by Yue Kingdom's hidden arrows."
"We must not let them get away!"
Xie Lanzhi saw that the general beside her was still hot-tempered. What he said was right. Yue Kingdom was indeed attacking Shi Kingdom, but wasn't it also challenging the new Tianjing?
“Since the King of Yue wants to make peace, you should tell them that they can make peace, but they should send their king over in person.”
Xie Ming immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Once the King of Yue arrives, the Grand Marshal will capture them all in one fell swoop—capture the king first, right?"
Xie Lanzhi: "You're overacting."
"Before I have fully grasped the complex situation, I cannot act recklessly."
Moreover, Zheng Fu certainly wouldn't dare to come alone.
Xie Ming, as the general in charge of peace negotiations, made demands to the envoy of Yue, but to his surprise, the envoy of Yue refused outright. However, they suggested that they could send Zheng Xiu, the famous King of Yue, to represent the king in negotiations.
Xie Ming saw that they were so indecisive and wanted to wipe them all out, but if he did that, he estimated that he would be wiped out by the marshal afterwards.
Unable to achieve his goal, he said impatiently, "Go, go, even the Seventh Prince will do."
The Yue envoy couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "I'll go and inform the king right away."
When Xie Lanzhi learned that the other party was going to send a prince to negotiate, she set up a negotiating table on the spot and then asked the military staff to provide support.
News also came from the Shi State government that Shi Yang was still at the mourning hall when the brothers Shi Jian and Shi Yang got into a fight. Shi Yang was beaten so badly by Shi Jian that he was bleeding from the head. Shi Yang's wife, the businesswoman, immediately joined forces with the Shi State government officials to cut off most of the grain depots, which greatly hindered Shi Jian's army.
Shi Jian was as stubborn and obstinate as a rock, and no amount of persuasion could convince him. He directly led his men to forcibly seize grain from the Shi Kingdom's residence, only to be driven back by the female merchant's firearms squad.
Shi Jian also injured his right arm. The loss of their commander shook the morale of his 100,000 soldiers. Coupled with food shortages, their attempt to plunder food also failed. This caused many soldiers to doubt Shi Jian's qualifications to rule the Shi Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Shi Yang generously comforted the victims of the conflict and distributed compensation, winning over the hearts of the people. Compared to the reckless Shi Jian, Shi Yang seemed to possess more of the qualities of a lord.
So after Shi Yang staged a scene of unity between the army and the people, a large number of soldiers defected to Shi Yang's side.
Shi Jian was left with only three generals to support him, but morale had also collapsed.
Shi Jian still wanted to kill Shi Yang while he was wounded. This time, the remaining generals defected to Shi Yang overnight, leaving Shi Jian with only 20,000 troops.
However, the 20,000-strong army was about to face a summer grain crisis, and the female merchants had gathered all the merchants in Shiguo Prefecture to defect to Shi Yang, allowing Shi Yang to control the entire Shiguo Prefecture from the inside out.
Shi Yang was also a ruthless man. Instead of sending troops to annihilate Shi Jian, he made peace with him, rebuilt their brotherhood, and even arranged to meet at a certain place.
Shi Jian refused to pay the bill and refused to go. As a result, Shi Yang was shot in the chest by a hidden arrow and almost died that day. After the assassin was captured, it was found that Shi Jian was the mastermind behind the assassination.
Shi Jian was stunned. He had done nothing wrong, yet he was being framed for killing his brother. He didn't even have a chance to explain; Shi Yang's 100,000 soldiers surrounded him.
After seven days of fighting, Shi Jian was defeated at the ancestral temple mountain in Shiguofu and was beheaded in front of the ancestral hall. Especially the newly placed memorial tablet for Shi Yang's mother.
After a great victory, Shi Yang began to actively forge an alliance with Tianjing and submitted to its rule.
The entire Shi family were pro-peace faction members. They had witnessed the firearms of the Yue people and knew that the Xie family lord outside the border was using a type of wheeled cannon called the Type 94, causing panic throughout the Yue people.
King Zheng Fu of Yue even sent his seventh son, Zheng Xiu, to sue for peace.
While Shi Yang advocated for submission, some were not convinced. They believed the Shi Kingdom deserved its sovereignty and dignity and should not easily bow down. Thus, a force gathered to oppose Shi Yang. Since Shi Yang had just ascended to the throne, he naturally had to feign submission and put the matter aside, indicating he would consider it.
However, the ruler of Tianjing, represented by Prince Fengning, immediately gifted Shi Yang two cannons and five thousand shi of grain, and instructed the Shi Kingdom and the Southern Region to work together to build the Shi-Nan Alliance.
As an ally, the Shi Kingdom could use the Southern Region as their rear granary. In return, the Shi Kingdom had to send troops to the border to alleviate the pressure on the border.
This is an excellent opportunity to retaliate against the Yue Kingdom.
Shi Yang received two cannons and 5,000 shi of grain. The sovereignty faction also relented. At least Prince Feng Ning did not ask them to sacrifice their sovereignty in exchange for grain and cannons, which was still respectful of them.
Therefore, the sovereign faction supported Shi Yang's submission and sent elite troops to reinforce the Yue border, awaiting the command of Marshal Xie.
When Xie Lanzhi received news that the Shi Kingdom had sent 30,000 men as reserve troops for the front lines, she knew that Little Phoenix was behind it all.
The question that had been lingering in her mind was quickly resolved.
No wonder the Shi Kingdom took the initiative to provoke the Yue Kingdom. It was to force the Yue Kingdom to use firearms, expose them, and then use the pretext that the Yue Kingdom posed a threat to the sovereignty of the surrounding areas to mobilize a large number of troops to surround the Yue Kingdom on its border.
Even the surrounding vassal states would not only not oppose it, but would also support the new Tianjing in sending troops. Then Xie Lanzhi's military expedition would become legitimate and popular.
Imagine if your neighbor suddenly became a powerful nation that even large countries fear, and could even challenge them. As a small country, you would naturally overreact, feel a sense of crisis, and become hesitant and uneasy.
At this point, the surrounding smaller countries will band together, or even stand on the same side as the larger countries.
King Zheng Fu of Yue knew that he was not only being targeted by the Xie clan, but also being ostracized by his vassal states. In the long run, Yue would be isolated and helpless. Even if he gained a temporary advantage with firearms, Yue could not win in the long run. Therefore, he had no choice but to seek peace.
So why would Shi Yang harm the interests of the Shi Kingdom to lure the Yue Kingdom? This is another point that puzzles Xie Lanzhi.
When the Seventh Prince Zheng Xiu arrived at the border, Shi Yang happened to be riding his horse there as well.