"Father, are you very unhappy to see your lowly son like me?" As he spoke, Shi Yang placed an ambiguous hand on his wife's shoulder. His wife seemed ambiguous yet guilty, her eyes darting around.
Shi Yang immediately widened his eyes and tried to make a sound, as if something was blocking his throat, preventing him from venting his anger.
Madam Shi was over forty years old but still had a charming appearance. No one expected that her illegitimate son would get involved with his eldest mother and cuckold his father.
Seeing his father's humiliated and aggrieved expression, Shi Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "Dad, I'm actually much more conscientious than you."
“At least I wouldn’t kill the mother and keep the child. I would spare my brother’s life because my aunt raised him for so many years.”
Shi Yang wanted to get out of bed, but his body was stiff as a stone slab, and he had no strength, let alone the ability to get up.
He grumbled on and on, his eyes bloodshot with anger, his emotions running high, even on the verge of collapse, until finally his chest heaved as he struggled to breathe.
“Father, but I don’t want my eldest brother to live such a miserable life.” Shi Yang was filled with hatred, and his face became ferocious: “From childhood to adulthood, he has always been the eldest son and elder brother that everyone looks forward to. Even the old generals are eager to marry their daughters to him and form a marriage alliance with him.”
"But I only took a fancy to a maid, and he coveted her. That very night, he kidnapped her and threw her into the military camp to be raped by others."
"You and your father are both beasts, which is why you gave birth to a beast like me, Father!"
As he spoke, he instructed his wife to administer the medicine, while he stood guard behind her, saying, "A beast kills another beast, and takes its place. Father, I think you have no objection. Every wolf pack has a wolf king, and once the wolf king gets old, a young and strong wolf should take your place. And also take care of your woman."
Shi Yang watched helplessly as the woman he revered pried open his mouth and forced the medicinal soup down his throat. He choked a few times, forced to swallow the large bowl of soup, his face turning a suffocating red, followed by a painful contortion, blood flowing from his mouth and nose, and soon his lips turned black. Finally, his head tilted to one side, and he breathed his last.
Shi Yang took the bowl, gently placed it on the table, then took out a dagger, covered the lady's mouth, and stabbed her to death.
Shi Yang threw the body on the ground, wiped away the blood, and just then two people walked in through the door.
"General, we will handle the body. Now, you should do what you need to do."
Shi Yang put the dagger back into his pocket and laughed freely: "Of course, how could I disobey my master's orders?"
"I will repay my master's kindness even if it means my death."
The two men said coldly, "The master will not forget the general's merits."
"Just like before, continue to implement it."
Shi Yang obediently replied, "Yes, ma'am. Just like when I provoked the Shi Kingdom to enter the Yue Kingdom's border, I know what to do."
When Xie Lanzhi arrived at the border, it was already the seventh day of the month. News came from the Shi State Palace that Shi Yang had died in bed. Facing this old general whom she had never met before, an old man who had once been Xie Zhengrong's adversary, Xie Lanzhi felt a mix of emotions.
She entered Guangcheng on the border, where Xie Ming and other generals were already waiting for her. She led 10,000 imperial guards, 10 cannons, and 100 cannonballs into the military camp.
The ten cannons stunned Xie Ming and the other country bumpkins in the army. He had heard that the marshal always spent a lot of money to make scrap, and he thought it was a waste of money. But he never expected that the marshal would actually make it.
And there are ten doors.
After dismounting, Xie Lanzhi went to the General's Mansion in Guangcheng and held an impromptu meeting to pay her respects to Shi Yang. She also instructed people to keep a close eye on news from the Shi family.
Now that she has arrived, the Yue Kingdom dares not act rashly. After all, the Shi Kingdom is still nominally her vassal state, and she certainly won't let it go easily if she tries to harm a vassal state in front of her.
Because of its geographical advantage and close ties with the Xiongnu, the Yue state was not nominally a vassal state. Even though King Zheng Fu of Yue claimed to be a subject of the capital, Tianjing, he never specified whose subject he was or whose ruler he served.
But Shi Yang personally thanked Xie Lanzhi as his master.
Xie Lanzhi was not bound by the so-called tributary system; she simply wanted to maintain a certain order and punish those who broke the rules with her iron fist.
"Xie Ming, what information have the men you sent out found out?"
Xie Ming said, "Shi Yang was powerless to reverse the situation last night and has passed away. The Shi Kingdom is now divided in two."
"The illegitimate son, Shi Yang, submitted to the Nine Jin last month. He disagreed with the eldest son, Shi Jian, on political matters. Now, each of them has divided their troops in half and they have begun to gather troops in the territory of Shi State Prefecture."
"The people led by Shi Yang even raised the banner of dividing the country into North and South."
Then another young general said, "Shi Yang has never been valued and was not outstanding before, but last month he suddenly gained his father's favor because of his frequent merits and his work in collecting grain for the Shi State government."
"I thought most of the generals would follow Shi Jian, but I didn't expect that half of them would follow Shi Yang, who had just become famous."
The gathering of troops indicates that war is about to begin.
At this point, internal strife would be unwise.
Xie Lanzhi raised an eyebrow, feeling that Shi Yang, who had appeared out of nowhere, seemed more like someone who had become arrogant and eccentric after gaining power.
She asked, "Does Shi Yang have any special skills?"
"I heard that he married a female merchant who was known as a widow under his command. With her support, he gained a large number of military officers to follow him." Xie Ming said, "That female merchant is quite capable. It is said that at least half of the grain fields in Shi State are under her control. Shi Yang was favored by her and married her. Naturally, those military officers know which side's interests to follow."
Xie Lanzhi fell silent.
The strange feeling in her heart grew stronger. Could it really be that half of the military generals of the Shi Kingdom Prefecture had defected to Shi Yang in just one month? Could it be that the other party had used some kind of method?
Or is it...?
Xie Lanzhi asked, "What's going on in Yue?"
Xie Ming said, "According to information from the Western Guard's spies, the Yue Kingdom possesses a large number of firearms, which the Hu Xiongnu Kingdom does not seem to be fully aware of."
"Moreover, the Yue Kingdom has been getting close to Aba Na, the second prince of the Hu Xiongnu, this time."
"The Xiongnu were also shocked by the sudden appearance of so many weapons by the Yue Kingdom, and have now begun to send envoys to the Yue Kingdom to investigate."
Xie Lanzhi said, "You mean to say that the Shi Kingdom made the first move, forcing the Yue Kingdom to reveal its weapons?"
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:50:02 on January 23, 2022 and 20:18:01 on January 24, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Floating Clouds and Grey Dogs (1);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: orcanasa, Floating Clouds and Grey Dogs (10 bottles); Dew From Tonight White (2 bottles); Xinxin (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 165 The Deterrence of a Great Power at the End of the Jin Dynasty
No wonder that after the war broke out, the news from the Southern Central Plains was not that the Shi Kingdom had invaded first and brought trouble upon itself, but rather that the Yue Kingdom had brought disaster upon itself. The Yue Kingdom, as a small country, possessed a large number of firearms, and suddenly became another threat from a foreign race in the eyes of the Southern Central Plains.
Xie Ming said, "Marshal, we have ten Type 94 wheeled guns. When do you think we should attack first?"
"No rush. The Yue Kingdom won't dare to make any rash moves," Xie Lanzhi said. "It's not too late to launch an attack after we've ascertained the strengths and weaknesses of both countries."
But before that, she had to teach the Yue army a lesson, to stop them from being so arrogant. The reason why the Southern Central Plains was a superior country was not only because it was vast and rich in resources, but also because its weapons were superior to theirs.
Xie Lanzhi ordered Xie Ming to take a cannon and bombard Mingbao on the border of Vietnam. This was meant to intimidate them first.
Xie Ming led his men, pushing the cannon. Everyone hid behind iron shields, afraid to show their faces for fear of being shot dead. They had already witnessed the horrific fate of the Shi Kingdom's soldiers. They couldn't let their own men suffer the same fate.
Xie Mingrang held up his shield in front of the artillerymen. The artillerymen adjusted the muzzle, then lit the fuse with a tinderbox. The Type 94 wheeled cannon roared, blasting ash from a small window of Mingbao Fortress. Five more shots were fired, turning one side of the fortress's stone wall to ash and sending rubble flying.
The cannons were far more powerful than firearms. The opposing artillerymen seemed to have vanished, no longer as arrogant as they had been a few days ago. They were specifically targeting lone individuals to test their fire, and Xie Bing had already lost over a dozen men because of this.
Xie Ming thought of his fallen brothers, and he asked the soldier for permission to fire another shot, this time aiming at the iron gate.
The soldier fired another shot, which landed on the iron gate, causing it to collapse.
This time, the Yue army at Mingbao finally made a move, but it was all a retreat. Mingbao on the border was just a fortified wall, used for defense. The real gate to the border was behind it.
Xie Ming did not launch an attack.
The Vietnamese troops behind Mingbao were terrified.
The local general reported to King Zheng Fu that Grand Marshal Xie had arrived at the border and that six cannon shots had breached the defenses of the first barbican of Mingbao. There were no casualties yet, but many were so frightened they wet themselves. Anyone carrying a weapon dared not step outside.
The gunner looked at the shield, not daring to waste bullets, and even less daring to offend Xie Bing, who was still in the heat of the moment.
After all, their Grand Marshal is right on the border. If they open fire, the opposing Grand Marshal will see it as a challenge. If the two countries really go to war, neither will benefit.
Xie Ming returned with everyone, feeling incredibly happy. He touched the cannon as if it were a hot potato, showing it off to him.
He wished the Grand Marshal would immediately order the attack.
Xie Lanzhi did want to start a fight, but she knew very well how important Yue was to Aqina. If she started a fight, Aqina would definitely intervene.
Right now, the Xiongnu royal family is engaged in internal strife; why should she stir up trouble and benefit the enemy? Instead, she should watch the show unfold on the border.
Especially Aba.
It turns out that it wasn't just Aqina who had the foresight to develop firearms; there were others in the Hun who understood the power of firearms and used them to their advantage.
"Let them make a scene, the more chaotic the better."
The situation in the Hun Kingdom was indeed as Xie Lanzhi had guessed.
Aqina endured daily pain and received news that his younger brother, Aba, was trying to steal his man. The chief disciple of the Mohist leader had defected to Aba and sent him a large quantity of weapons.
He then taught the people of Aba how to manufacture firearms, a skill that has spread to this day, even attracting the attention of the Yue Kingdom. Aba's territory was a hundred li closer to Yue than his own. He used this geographical advantage to first control Yue.
And there was also Zheng Fu, the ruler of the Yue Kingdom.
Aqina clenched his fists: "How dare he betray me!"
The royal shaman beside him said with great concern, "Your Majesty, you have not planned ahead. Developing advanced martial arts is to foresee the future and overdraw on it."
"I just didn't expect that even your brother's change of mind would affect his emphasis on the use of firearms."
The national shaman spoke tactfully, not wanting to provoke Aqina.
Aqina, however, was fully aware that altering the course of history would bring about changes and chain reactions in the world. He simply hadn't expected these ancient people to be so clever; half of the technology he had painstakingly accumulated over ten years was stolen in an instant.
"Find the Grand Master's eldest disciple and kill him without mercy."
The national sorcerer said, “Your Majesty, you should know that even without the chief disciple, others will be bribed. These technologies need to be developed right now, and if you were to undermine people’s morale, it would be detrimental to you.”
Aqina said, "It's time to make a move on Aba'na."
"My second brother still needs my fourth brother to temper him."
Aqina's fourth brother was Apohu.
Hu Xiongnu immediately mobilized troops, and the people of Aqina took advantage of the feud between Aba and Apohu to create conflict between their armies on their border, causing bloodshed on both sides.
Both of their armies happened to be near the Red River.
Li Li received intelligence from the enemy soldiers, and he spent three days and three nights at the base thinking about how to prevent the enemy from attacking. He also had a hundred mortars given to him by the marshal.
Just as he was wondering whether to invite Xie Ji into the mountains, a series of bombings erupted from the mountains on the other side of the border, shaking the earth and indicating that the two sides were locked in fierce fighting.
Hearing the commotion, the Hu people were too frightened to sleep at night. Some of the bolder ones even ran up the mountain with the army to keep watch. They witnessed firsthand the clash of fire between the armies of Aba and Apohu, a battle that was no longer a traditional fight with cold weapons.
Instead, it was a firearms formation they had never seen before, which filled the hilltop with countless sparks, like stars falling from the sky. Under the cover of night, the densely packed sparks covered the hilltop, one burst of fire extinguished, then another burst of fire, like firecrackers exploding across half the sky.
The opposing side fought all night, and the people from Honghe had no idea what was going on there.