Holding a bonfire is like winning a battle.
The commanders of this 100,000-strong army were Anshan Jun and Dali Luo. Dali Luo was Artu's apprentice and inherited Artu's position as general.
Despite Arna's enthusiasm, Anshan-kun and Dali Luo did not appreciate it.
That very night, Dilro led three thousand soldiers to search for a way out near the base. A massive, earth-shaking tidal wave of cattle and sheep charged toward his three thousand men. When Arna arrived at the foot of the mountain, he saw that the tidal wave was already close to Dilro.
Arna was immediately terrified: "Daliro! Come back!!"
Facing the horde of cattle and sheep, Dali Luo ordered his soldiers to withdraw a white-painted cannon and unleash a barrage of fire at the hundreds-of-meters-long horde.
The explosion blasted through the herd of cattle and sheep, sending blood splattering everywhere. The animals turned tail and jostled each other, resulting in many being trampled to death. The herd at the base was instantly destroyed, and the Xie and Fan soldiers inside were thrown into chaos.
They sensed an earthquake outside, as if the city might be breached at any moment. Everyone immediately took strict precautions and guarded all the intersections.
Dali Luo ordered the white-painted cannons to fire continuously, blasting away all the nearby intersections. Even the base's secret passages were destroyed. The base was completely inaccessible, and no one could get in from the outside.
It is estimated that 3,000 Xie soldiers and 2,000 Fan soldiers are trapped at the base.
The next day, ten large treasure ships of the Hu and Xiongnu sailed into the port. The port was completely covered by the huge shadows of the ships, as if blotting out the sky.
Three ships sailed towards the State of Lu and other places. The remaining seven ships split into three groups: one went to the Delta, and the other went directly to the Deer Canal.
Xie Lanzhi happened to be in the State of Lu.
The three treasure ships of the Hu and Xiong arrived at the coast that day, and dispatched 5,000 men to launch white-lacquered cannons to attack the neighboring state of Lu, Xiong.
Xiong Guoping was attacked for no reason, and the king had not yet had time to mobilize troops or send out a distress signal.
Five thousand men, armed with five white-painted cannons, directly breached the gates of the Bear Kingdom. They stormed into the capital, capturing and killing its ruler on the spot.
The Xiong Kingdom perished that very day. Large numbers of Xiong citizens fled the kingdom, heading towards the border of the Lu Kingdom.
While the Lu border guards were still talking about Marshal Xie being in Lu, suddenly tens of thousands of Xiong people rushed into the border, frightening the Lu border guards so much that they dared not attack.
Finally, it was only after the border guard commander captured a Xiong Kingdom merchant and interrogated him that they learned the kingdom had fallen. The king had been killed on the spot by the Northern Xiongnu!
The border defense forces of Lu State immediately reported the matter and issued an order.
Just then, Xie Lanzhi returned to the banquet and heard the battle report.
Her gaze sharpened, and she immediately ordered the governor to disregard the refugees and gather all the nation's troops to defend Niliupi. Niliupi was arguably the only gateway to the State of Lu.
As long as the Nilupo Pass is not breached, the State of Lu cannot descend into chaos.
Xie Lanzhi immediately donned her golden halberd and led five thousand men to the border of the State of Lu.
Li Li advised her beforehand not to lead the charge, much less personally go into battle. He reasoned that Xie Lanzhi's military campaign would be of little use; it would be more meaningful for her to remain in Lu and continue to stabilize the people's hearts.
The Northern Hu and Xiongnu left him with a chance to vent his anger.
Xie Lanzhi ordered him to stay at Nilupo and to immediately counterattack should any Northern Hu or Xiongnu invade.
She knew that sending troops would be of little use, but she had no choice but to go to the border. She had sensed that the Northern Hu and Xiongnu were deliberately killing each other to create a large number of refugees and increase the pressure on Lu and even the entire central defense line.
Li Li also knew that the Northern Hu and Xiongnu wanted to disrupt the central defense line.
In fact, he had always wanted to say that His Highness's central defense line was unrealistic. Not only was the battle line too long, but the various countries were also not united, and if they encountered an enemy, no one might be able to help anyone else.
However, the reputation of the central defense line was so great that he wouldn't refute it.
"Marshal, the central defense line cannot be held," Li Li warned. "The Northern Hu and Xiongnu are advancing fiercely to break the confidence of our allies in the central defense line. Even if the central defense line has the best strategy and we can barely hold it, people's hearts are always unpredictable."
"You can't guarantee that everyone will trust you like the ruler of Lu does."
"At that time, I'm afraid the central defense line will become a burden for you."
Xie Lanzhi agreed with his statement. However, she knew that Little Phoenix must have considered this. The Central Alliance was a grand affair, but in reality, at most some treaties were signed; Little Phoenix only provided weapons to the State of Lu. She hadn't even considered other places.
As for future actions, Little Phoenix will coordinate defense from multiple directions, not just from Lu State and the central region. Now that the Northern Hu and Xiongnu are attacking, the central region's defense will have to rely on Little Phoenix to send troops.
In this way, Little Phoenix is completely bound to the Central League and used for its own purposes.
She also reminded Li Li: "Don't forget, whose brother is Al-Na? And whose apprentice is the new General King?"
Li Li's expression grew increasingly serious: "You know that the other side is also targeting you. I still think that your strategy of staying behind to guard the rear is more prudent."
"No destruction, no construction." Xie Lanzhi did not continue to persuade him. Leaving these words behind, she led three thousand people toward the border of Lu.
Large numbers of Xiong people fled to Lu with their families from the border region. Xiong had a total population of 100,000, but its military strength was only 5,000. Before it could even muster an army, the Xiong state was destroyed.
The State of Lu accepted another 100,000 people, plus another 100,000 or so. In an ordinary small state, this would have been overcrowded long ago. Fortunately, although Lu was a small state, its territory was the size of two counties, and its roads were well-developed.
Before long, a large number of refugees had gathered on the road that Lu State had to pass through. Lu State troops were also there to maintain order from time to time. Now that the refugees were gathered together, no one dared to cause trouble for the time being.
Besides, the government just showed off its big guns a few days ago.
To the refugees, these cannons were divine weapons possessed only by celestial warriors, weapons of death that inspired both awe and fear. Killing people was as easy as chopping melons.
Xie Lanzhi led three thousand men to the border, and they saw that the number of passing refugees was decreasing. There were also one hundred Xiongnu soldiers chasing after them.
Without hesitation, she charged forward with her halberd, hacking away at the Xiongnu soldiers, their arms and heads flying off, just as the Xiongnu had wantonly slaughtered refugees. This time, retribution fell upon the Xiongnu soldiers.
These hundred Xiongnu soldiers toyed with and slaughtered the lone refugees. In the next moment, half of them perished under a golden halberd.
A Hun soldier looked up in disbelief and saw a female general riding a black horse that had suddenly sprung up. Her valiant and skilled figure was obscured by the light. She stood high above him, holding a long halberd, and charged forward on her horse. With a swift movement, the blade spun and severed his head along with the horse.
It's as if she has eyes in the back of her head.
Three thousand Xie soldiers swiftly surrounded and killed one hundred men. This wasn't the only group of Xiongnu soldiers pursuing them. Another group was discovered by Xie Lanzhi, and when she charged, the Xie soldiers moved like army ants, leaving nothing but desolation in their wake.
The Hun soldiers, who enjoyed killing, ran into a brick wall in just one day.
They never expected that there was such a fierce female general on the border of Lu!
In one fell swoop, three hundred Xiongnu soldiers were wiped out.
The fleeing refugees no longer had to worry about losing their lives if they were even a step too slow. Some people had already slowed their pace, and all eyes were fixed on one figure.
That female general in white robes!
Suddenly someone shouted, "She is Marshal Xie!"
"Xie Ying, the overlord of the Southern Central Plains!"
That figure seemed to bring a sense of security to everyone, and the Xiongnu soldiers outside dared not step into the State of Lu again.
The three hundred Xiongnu soldiers who pursued them all perished on the border.
When this news reached Dali Luo, he immediately set sail for the State of Lu.
Anshan-kun immediately stopped Dali Luo: "Stop!"
Darylor held Artur's greatsword in his hand, his resolute eyes filled with hatred.
Dali Luo gazed in the direction of Lu, his anger burning with hatred: "Xie Ying is there, my father's killer, she is Lu!"
Lord Anshan had learned his lesson well, and he ordered his men to restrain Dali Luo. He absolutely could not allow Dali Luo to go to the meeting alone.
He told Dali Luo, "To avenge Xie Ying, we must not go alone. One person's strength is not enough to kill Xie Ying. We must work together to avenge Artu!"
"If I let you go and play the hero alone, not only will you not be able to get revenge, but you will also die at her hands."
Dali Luo angrily said to him, "Anshan-kun, you've become a coward."
"coward!"
Lord Anshan let him curse him, but he couldn't let Xie Ying fight alone. He had said countless times on the way that Xie Ying was cunning and a monster. Xie Ying absolutely could not go to the meeting alone.
Dali Luo didn't listen to a word. His mind was filled with hatred, and he only wanted to kill Xie Ying.
"Dali Luo, you stay here," said Lord Anshan. "Leave the situation in Lu to Arna."
Dali Luo immediately took a step forward, and ten men rushed out to hold him down. Dali Luo lived up to his name, possessing the strength of an ox, and he easily overpowered the ten men.
He had just boarded the ship.
Arna, who had rushed over, shouted angrily, "Dali Luo, have you forgotten your elder brother's teachings?"
"You must not act rashly, much less act impulsively. When your elder brother left our motherland for Nilaunay, what did he say to you?"
“He said he was going to break the king’s calamity, and also break his own calamity.”
But he failed to overcome any of his tribulations and even lost his life.
"He did it all for the sake of the king. Doesn't the king hate Xie Ying?! The king has been enduring it for a year now."
"And what gives you the right to vent your personal feelings on the front lines!"
After saying that, he stepped forward and slapped Dali Luo so hard that a trickle of blood appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Dali Luo received a hard slap across the face and immediately fell silent.
Arna replaced him on the large ship bound for the State of Lu.
Border troops from the State of Lu were gradually withdrawing inland. The Duke ordered the border troops to push cannons to fight the Xiongnu.
Some border guards had specifically gone to Tianjing (Nanjing, the capital of the Xiongnu) to learn how to fire cannons. Soon, someone volunteered to push a cannon to the Xiongnu border and bombard any Xiongnu soldiers they saw. However, after only five or six shots, their position was exposed, and they were tricked by the Xiongnu. Even at a distance of 300 meters, they suffered heavy casualties from the bombardment.
When news of the casualties reached Gongfuling, he was stunned. Were the cannons of the new Tianjing useless?
It's not that it's useless, but rather that the enemy's artillery is more powerful than the Type 94 cannon.
The Xiongnu suffered several artillery strikes from the border guards, resulting in over a hundred casualties. The Xiongnu were also quite wary, realizing that the State of Lu did possess cannons. It seemed they would have to be more cautious when advancing their lines.
Meanwhile, Xie Bing had already become adept at dealing with artillery. They had learned from Xie Lanzhi and made a set of forest camouflage uniforms, covering themselves with leaves.
Xie Lanzhi led fifty men, lying in ambush in the forests of Xiong Kingdom, keeping a close watch on the Xiong army camp. Xiong soldiers were also seen cleaning their cannons.
This Xiongnu force was commanded by a central guard named Banatu.
Banatu rode over on horseback, coming right into Xie Lanzhi's line of sight. Xie Lanzhi stared at him intently. Just then, a soldier named Xie Bing, who was lying nearby leaning against a tree, was caught by a venomous snake that crawled down and landed on his neck. The cool touch made Xie Bing instinctively move his neck.
The venomous snake reacted instinctively and bit the soldier's helmet. Thankfully, Xie Bing wasn't bitten through the helmet. The next moment, a swift chop to the neck killed the snake.
Xie Lanzhi quickly withdrew her hand. The tree shook and the leaves rustled. A gust of wind blew, which just covered up the commotion.
Just then, Banatu looked over in this direction. In his line of sight, the bushes swayed in the wind, seemingly no different from the usual mountain breeze. Banatu paid no attention to it.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She was about to reprimand Xie Bing, who was not properly trained, with her eyes.
To everyone's surprise, Xie Bing lay motionless on the ground, seemingly one with the earth. He didn't appear as panicked as before.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but nod in approval.
Good job, lad!
At this moment, Xie Bing, who was to Xie Lanzhi's right, couldn't help but remind her. Xie Bing spent a long time drawing a line of words on the yellow mud on the ground: "The Marshal has fainted."