Chương 589: The Purest Violence

Xue Rengui and Yuchi Gong led 20, 000 cavalrymen, all lightly armed, each with three warhorses to take turns riding, carrying only five days' worth of dry rations and three jugs of water. They carried "Shenwu" flintlock muskets at their waists, the barrels already loaded with bullets, and horizontal swords on their backs, the blades gleaming coldly in the morning light.

Every fifty men were equipped with a tiger-squatting cannon, which was disassembled into two parts and carried by two warhorses. It was readily available and easy to assemble and disassemble, so skilled that they could do it with their eyes closed, and their marching speed was not slow at all.

"General!" a scout reported on horseback, his helmet still covered in yellow sand, his lips cracked and bleeding.

"Bailongdui is thirty li ahead, and beyond Bailongdui lies the border of Shanshan! Scouts have discovered that the Shanshan capital, Yuni City, is defended by only five thousand troops, completely unprepared. The flags on the city walls are drooping, as if they haven't woken up yet!"

Xue Rengui reined in his warhorse, which neighed loudly and reared up on its hind legs.

He turned to Yuchi Gong and said in a booming voice, "Jingde, pass down the order: the entire army must continue its forced march and reach the walls of Yuni City before sunset today! Whoever scales the walls first will be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold and promoted three ranks! I will have His Majesty personally award him a medal!"

"Alright!" Yuchi Gong roared, his voice carrying far across the desert, shaking the sand and causing it to slide down.

"Brothers, crack the whips! The first to reach Yuni City will be rewarded with ten catties of wine, ten catties of meat, and a large pork knuckle..."

"drive--!"

The Han cavalry shouted in unison, and their horses, in pain, increased their speed by another three points.

The thunderous sound of hooves kicked up clouds of yellow sand, obscuring the sky and the sun, like a silver torrent rushing through the desolate desert.

Many soldiers' lips were cracked and bleeding, and the blood that seeped out dried in the wind and formed a layer of scabs.

But his eyes remained sharp as an eagle's, fixed intently on the horizon ahead.

They knew that this battle was not only to reclaim the Western Regions, but also to let those barbarians know that the might of the Han Dynasty had never faded away.

In just two and a half days, the Han army crossed the Bailongdui, a place known as "where nine out of ten men who go in never come out."

That desert was a vast expanse of white, all gypsum-like saline-alkali land, looking like a snowfield. Walking on it made a crunching sound, and you could easily sink in if you weren't careful.

The name "White Dragon Mound" is well-deserved; the sound of the wind blowing through the salt crusts is like a dragon's roar, enough to scare the timid to death.

As the last rays of the setting sun fell upon the walls of Yuni City, the vanguard of the Han army appeared three miles outside the city, a dark mass like the clouds on the horizon.

King An of Shanshan (whose name is unknown and was just given) was drinking and making merry in the palace. He was so drunk that his face was red and his neck was thick. The dancers were swaying their waists in the hall, their bare feet on the carpet, holding silk ribbons in their hands and spinning like tops.

The sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, with the pipa playing a melodious tune that made one feel drowsy.

Suddenly, the deafening sound of horses' hooves came from outside the city. Even the beams and pillars of the palace trembled slightly, and the wine in the cups sloshed, as if an earthquake had struck.

"What happened?!" An was so startled that her wine glass crashed to the ground and shattered, spilling wine all over her and soaking her robe.

"Report—!"

A soldier tumbled in, shouting, "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Countless Han cavalry have appeared outside the city, a dark mass stretching as far as the eye can see! They've completely surrounded the capital! There's no way out!"

"What?!" Anne jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, almost falling off the throne.

"Han army? Why are the Han army here? Even if they are, how could they be here so fast? Did they fly here?"

He hurriedly tidied himself up, climbed the city wall, and almost tripped over his own robe.

Outside the city, Han cavalry were arrayed in neat square formations, row upon row, as if cut by a knife.

The silver armor gleamed in the setting sun, dazzling the eyes.

The muzzles of countless muskets coldly pointed at the city walls, dark and menacing, making one's legs go weak just looking at them.

Hundreds of tiger-squatting cannons have been set up, their dark muzzles pointing straight at the city gate.

Xue Rengui spurred his horse into battle, his halberd pointing directly at the city wall, its sound like a resounding bell:

"Listen up, King of Shanshan! Our great Han army of 100, 000 has marched west to reclaim our lost territories! If you surrender and open the city gates, we will forgive your past transgressions, spare your life, and ensure that the people are not harmed in the slightest. You can eat and drink as you please. But if you dare to resist, on the day the city falls, not a single chicken or dog will be spared! You'd better think it over!"

An was so frightened that her face turned ashen, her whole body trembled, her teeth chattered, and she couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"This... this..."

The general beside him drew his sword and shouted sternly, "Your Majesty! We cannot surrender! The neighboring states will know we are under attack. If we hold out for three days, their reinforcements will arrive! Then, we will be attacked from both inside and outside, and the Han army will surely be defeated! Just hold on for three days!"

"Reinforcements?" Xue Rengui sneered, his laughter echoing across the desert like a knife.

He raised his hand and swung it sharply, "Fire! Bombard them! Let them see what it means to keep your word!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Hundreds of tiger-squatting cannons fired simultaneously.

The earth trembled violently, as if it had been slapped hard by an invisible giant hand.

Everyone's feet wobbled, and they couldn't even stand up straight.

Hundreds of cannons simultaneously spewed out blazing flames, like flowers of hell suddenly blooming, turning the twilight sky into daylight.

Immediately afterwards, hundreds of dark iron projectiles ripped through the air, emitting a piercing shriek that tore through the sky...

The sound was more chilling than a ghost's wail, drilling straight into the ears.

In that instant, the sky seemed to hang upside down.

The cannonballs rained down like iron rain, slamming heavily against the city walls.

The mud-brick walls crumbled into dust the moment they came into contact with each other, and the rubble and dust cascaded down the city wall like a waterfall, kicking up a cloud of yellow smoke.

Some shells embedded themselves directly in the wall, causing the entire section to shake violently, with cracks spreading outwards like a spider web...

Some exploded at the crenellations, tearing the defenders, armor and all, into a bloody mist before they could even scream...

Some grazed the eaves of the city tower, shearing off the corners that symbolized authority. Wood and stone debris flew everywhere in the shockwave, smashing the soldiers below and causing them to bleed from the head.

Thick smoke rose simultaneously from hundreds of blast points, quickly forming a choking fog that made it impossible to open one's eyes and felt like one's throat was on fire.

The air was thick with the mixed smells of gunpowder, blood, and brick dust—a pungent, fishy odor that made you want to vomit just from smelling it...

After each salvo, a visible tremor traveled from the foundation to the top of the wall, and cracks spread wildly across the wall like a spider web, making the entire wall groan.

The screams of the defenders were drowned out by the continuous barrage of artillery fire...

The entire city wall groaned and crumbled under such intense bombardment, like a giant beast being skinned alive, emitting a wail of unbearable pain.

This is the purest form of violence, the crushing of stone by steel, the coldest declaration of the gunpowder age against the walled city age.

No matter how fortified a city or how natural a barrier, they are all just paper in front of cannons.

Before the general on the city wall could utter another word, a fist-sized iron bullet struck the wall beside him. The flying debris sliced off half of his head, killing him instantly. His body fell straight down from the city wall, landing on the ground with a dull thud.

An was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he knelt on the city wall with a thud. His knee hit the bricks, and he grimaced in pain, but he didn't care.

They shouted down towards the city walls, "Don't fire! Don't fire! We surrender! We surrender! We'll agree to anything!"

The city gate slowly opened, its creaking sound like a groan.

An, accompanied by his civil and military officials, knelt at the city gate, shirtless and carrying bundles of thorns, to welcome the Han army.

His head was bowed very low, his forehead almost touching the ground, and he didn't dare to breathe loudly, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

Xue Rengui reined in his horse and stopped in front of An, using his halberd to lift An's chin. The cold glint of the halberd's tip reflected on An's face as he coldly said, "You're smart enough to know what's good for you. Pass down the order: the entire army enters the city, and they shall not commit any offenses... all will be dealt with according to military law!"