Chương 721: Taking Down the Kushan Empire

The battlefield was littered with corpses, elephants lay fallen, and dust mixed with the stench of blood drifted far away.

Han soldiers cleaned up the battlefield, chatting as they picked up spoils:

"That's it? Invincible? It can't even withstand a single salvo from our artillery."

"Yeah, I thought they were really good, but I got all excited for nothing. If I had known they were this bad, I wouldn't have been so nervous."

"I just took down three with one shot, that was awesome!"

Xue Rengui, mounted on his horse, looked at the battlefield and nodded slightly... Not bad, the new army's combat effectiveness meets the standard, and the artillery power is sufficient.

He immediately ordered: "Rest for half a day, then continue advancing towards Fulousha. Don't give them a chance to catch their breath."

"promise!"

......

In the central army, Zhang Fei received news of the left flank's initial victory, annihilating 80, 000 enemy troops. He was so angry that he stamped his feet and complained to Cheng Yaojin:

"Damn it! Rengui is too fast! I hadn't even arrived yet, and he'd already finished the battle! Not enough! Not enough at all!"

Cheng Yaojin rubbed his hands together, "Exactly! He stole the credit! No way, we have to hurry up and leave so we can be the first ones to charge in when we attack Fulousha!"

"That's right!" Zhang Fei slammed his eighteen-foot spear into the ground, sending dust flying.

"I've taken over the city gates of Fulousha! Anyone who tries to take it from me, I'll fight them!"

Guan Yu coldly said from the side, "His Majesty said to blast open the city gates with cannons before charging. If you dare to charge ahead of time, you will be punished according to military law."

Zhang Fei immediately wilted and muttered, "I know, I know, Second Brother, you're so long-winded."

Everyone around was secretly laughing... Only Guan Yu could control Zhang Sanye.

......

When the news reached Purusha, Vasudeva I was eating from a golden bowl, with grapes and pomegranates laid out on the table, and beautiful women dancing.

After hearing the report, he smashed the golden bowl in his hand to the ground with a "clatter," and grapes rolled all over the ground.

"Say that again? Eighty thousand men plus war elephants, all gone in a single day? The crown prince was killed in action?"

The messenger soldier lay on the ground, trembling all over, like a leaf turning in the wind.

"Your Majesty, it's true! The iron pipes of the Easterners can kill people from a great distance, and the sound is like thunder! The elephants are terrified and have trampled many of their own people to death! The Crown Prince... he was knocked off his horse as soon as he charged forward and died on the spot, and the General is also gone!"

Our men were wiped out before they could even get close! The Han army is about to reach Fulousha!

The palace erupted into chaos. The ministers looked at each other, their faces pale. Some called for moving the capital, some for peace, and others for a nationwide mobilization to fight to the death. It was as chaotic as a marketplace.

"What's all the noise about!" Vasudeva I slammed his fist on the table, his head buzzing, but he tried to remain calm.

"What's the panic! Purusha's walls are strong, and we have enough food to last three years. They can't break in!"

"Quickly! Mobilize all the troops in the country to defend Fulousha to the death! Send someone to Parthia to request reinforcements! Tell them that if the Han army destroys us, Parthia will be next!"

The ministers then realized what was happening and hurriedly began to make arrangements.

As a result, on the seventh day after the messenger set off to request aid, the Han army arrived at the city of Fulousha. The messenger had not gone far when he was intercepted by the Jinyiwei cavalry and killed with a single blow, before the message could be delivered.

It was as if the Kushans were eagerly awaiting reinforcements, but no one ever showed up.

Liu Ce stood on a high slope outside the city, looking at the tall city wall. The brick joints were quite neat, and it looked very sturdy.

He turned to Yue Fei and said:

"Pengju, this wall looks pretty sturdy. How long will it take to breach it? Will we be able to break through?"

Yue Fei cupped his hands in greeting, his tone as relaxed as if he were demolishing a house:

"Your Majesty, with a thousand siege cannons firing simultaneously, we guarantee a breach three zhang wide in a quarter of an hour at most. This rammed earth and brick wall is practically made of paper in front of our siege cannons."

"Alright, fire! I'm in a hurry. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can move on to the next one." Liu Ce waved his hand, his tone casual.

With a wave of the command flag, thousands of siege cannons roared simultaneously, the sound of the cannons shaking the earth; people standing on the ground could feel the tremors, like an earthquake.

Solid shot pelted the city wall like meteorites, making a loud "thud," each impact sending bricks and stones flying and dust billowing everywhere.

In no time, several large craters were smashed into the city wall, and bricks and soil were falling down in a rush.

The Kushan defenders on the city were terrified. They had never seen anything like this in their entire lives. Some of them crouched behind the battlements, trembling and chanting Buddhist scriptures for protection.

Some threw down their weapons and ran down the city walls, shouting, "Sorcery! This is sorcery!"

Some even knelt down and kowtowed, bowing to the Han army's cannons, believing that the gods were angry.

While in the palace, Vasudeva I listened to the cannon fire, one after another, so loud that the paper windows rattled. His legs went weak, and he collapsed onto his throne.

The minister beside him cried out, "Your Majesty, we can't hold them off! If they keep bombarding, the city walls will collapse! We... we should surrender! As long as we're alive, we can always fight again!"

Vasudeva I's lips trembled as he tried to say "I will not surrender," but the cannon fire outside grew louder and louder, each sound like a blow to his heart.

He knew he couldn't stop it.

Just a quarter of an hour later, there was a loud "boom," like the sky had collapsed.

A large section of the southern city wall of Fulousha collapsed, and dust filled the sky, as if a thick fog had risen, with gravel scattered everywhere.

A gap several meters wide appeared in the city wall, allowing a clear view into the city.

Zhang Fei had been waiting impatiently for a long time, pacing back and forth on his horse like an ant on a hot pan.

Upon seeing the city wall collapse, he roared and, brandishing his eighteen-foot spear, shouted:

"Brothers, charge! The first one to break in will get the credit!"

He led his soldiers and charged towards the breach like a gust of wind.

The defenders on the city wall dared not resist at all. The people at the breach had long since fled. The Han army rushed in as if they were in an empty field and went straight to the palace.

The Kushan soldiers along the way either surrendered or ran away, unable to organize any resistance.

In less than half a day, the Han army occupied the palace without even having to break through the palace gates.

Vasudeva I, however, was pragmatic. He led his court officials, shirtless, bound themselves, and knelt obediently at the palace gate, surrendering obediently. He even removed his crown and placed it on the ground.

Seeing Zhang Fei charging towards him, he quickly kowtowed and shouted in broken Chinese:

"We surrender! We surrender! Don't kill me!"

Zhang Fei reined in his horse, looked at the king, and curled his lip:

"So you're called Vasudeva? Weren't you pretty arrogant before? You even wanted to conquer the area east of the Pamir Mountains?"

Vasudeva I kowtowed even more loudly: "I dare not! I was blind and ignorant, offending the majesty of Heaven. I beg for mercy!"

Zhang Fei laughed heartily and ordered his men to take him away to await His Majesty's judgment.

Liu Ce stayed at the Kushan palace for a week, collecting gold and silver treasures from the national treasury. Dozens of carts were filled with gold, gems, and spices, a dazzling sight.

Officials were assigned to remain in the area to establish a colonial outpost, with 10, 000 soldiers stationed there. Several rules were also promulgated: abide by Han laws, speak Han language, and pay taxes, with no reprisals for past offenses.

The local people were already terrified, and when they saw that the Han army was not killing or looting, but simply changing the king and paying taxes, they all became obedient and went about their business as usual.

With everything arranged, Liu Ce waved his hand and said: "The army will continue westward, the next destination—Parthia."