The stray arrows whistled through the sky, but it was more of a deterrent. Under the Crown Prince's powerful suppression, the rebel army did not have the courage to rain down a terrifying rain of arrows on the city walls. Thus, the pressure the Imperial Army guarding the Royal Palace faced immediately lessened. They only had to face the problem of contact. Although the sounds of killing shook the heavens below the Royal Palace, it did not cause any losses to the Imperial Army. Instead, it was the Imperial Army stationed in the direction of Taiping Square that faced the greatest danger.
However, there were many rebel soldiers at the main gate of the Royal Palace. At this moment, the thousands of rebel soldiers below the city walls had split into three rows and formed three black lines that pressed forward. It was truly frightening.
Muffled sounds continuously rang out from the four corner towers of the Imperial City. Every sound would tug at the heartstrings of the crowd, and the entire Imperial City would tremble. The strong vibrations represented the strength of the City Guarding Crossbow.
The giant crossbow bolts pierced through the air like black light and mercilessly stabbed into the rebel army's formation. Countless bursts of blood blossomed and the ground was covered in sticky meat paste. However, there were only four city guarding crossbows, and there were only two on the left and right side of the square. How many people could they kill? The rebel army's Triple Wave charged quickly to the foot of the Royal Palace without any obstruction.
The main target of the city guarding crossbows was still the military equipment the rebel army used to attack the city, especially the sharp and heavy carriages used to break through the thick Palace gates. These carriages had fire blades made from cowhide, and the front end was a giant piece of wood that had been sharpened into a sharp point. They were already very heavy. Once they were pushed at high speed, the impact against the Palace gates was very powerful.
A crossbow bolt accurately struck a battering ram. The sharp tip easily tore through the seemingly tough cowhide and slammed heavily into the ram. Although the ram was tough and could not be broken by a giant crossbow bolt, the powerful impact of the city guarding crossbow still caused the ram to jump up. It was like a beetle on the ground that felt the earth shake. Then, it rolled over miserably and crushed a number of rebel soldiers beside it to death. It could no longer move.
Within the three rows of rebel army charging formation were a dozen heavy and murderous rams. The moment the attack began, the two city guarding crossbows fired with all their might and successfully destroyed three of the rams. However, the city guarding crossbows took too long to reload, and the rebel army's charge came very quickly. In an instant, most of the rams had passed the line of fire of the city guarding crossbows and neared the three main gates of the Royal Palace.
The rebel soldiers shouted in unison, pushing the battering ram as they charged forward with all their might!
With a number of teeth-numbing sounds, the rams finally successfully crashed into the thick Palace gates. The main gates of the Qing Royal Palace were very thick. Under such a terrifying crash, they still shook violently. The hinges of the door creaked as if they were about to fall apart. The four giant door bolts, which were arranged from top to bottom, were bent out of shape.
However, the thick door latch finally withstood this powerful impact, and the creaking sound of the door hinge gradually calmed down. Other than a large dent in the main door of the Imperial Palace and a dozen or so copper nails falling, everything else was fine.
At least, in this attack, the main gates of the Qing Royal Palace still appeared sturdy and unbreakable.
However, the rebel soldiers did not have a trace of a strange expression. Under the stern yells of their superiors, they quickly pulled the first wave of rams away from the Palace gates. The rams in the second wave had already passed through the sparse arrows of the imperial soldiers on the city walls. They had escaped the powerful city guarding crossbows that, like old people, only moved once in a while, and crashed viciously into the Palace gates.
There was another loud crash. This time, the Palace gates had finally received an irreparable damage. The entire gate began to tremble. It gave one a feeling that it was on the verge of collapse. It was as if it could collapse at any moment.
The elites of the Imperial Army who were on standby behind the palace gates led their horses and watched this scene calmly. Although their faces were calm, the anxiety that flashed across their eyes revealed their true feelings.
Separated by a thick door, the rebel soldiers risking their lives to launch a powerful attack saw hope that the Royal Palace would be broken. Their morale immediately rose. With a loud roar, they charged forward again.
The third wave of attacking troops arrived. Under the merciless attacks of the Imperial Army's arrows, boulders, and logs, the rebel army left behind hundreds of corpses. Finally, they succeeded in withstanding the third wave of attacks on the palace gates.
With a muffled crack, dust flew into the air. It was like a paper bag filled with smoke had been smashed open by a naughty child's naughty palms.
The dust settled slightly, and the field of view became slightly more peaceful. The countless rebel soldiers in the square saw that the thick and heavy Palace gates in the middle of the Royal Palace had been smashed open. They couldn't help but cheer in unison.
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However, the group of elites closest to the imperial city didn't even have time to release any cheers. Even the excitement and joy on their faces were immediately replaced by shock and anger. They could clearly see that even though a large hole had been smashed open in the palace gate, revealing the thick wooden stubble inside, the entire palace gate showed no signs of collapsing.
The ground was covered in golden copper nails. Behind the hole was a thick layer of stone and dirt. There was not a single gap to be seen.
The people in the Royal Palace had blocked the Palace gates. Did they not think of leaving a way out for themselves? At this moment, what was the difference between the Royal Palace and a large tomb?
A rebel army officer roared wildly and led the attacking soldiers beside him into the hole. Although there wasn't much space, even if they had to dig, they had to dig open this Palace gate. Military orders were like mountains. The Qing soldiers were never cowards who feared death on the battlefield.
A long black spear pierced out like lightning from the only gap above the stone and dirt. It pierced the officer's throat, and fresh blood sprayed out.
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Below the Royal Palace, 10 paces behind the piles of fake mountains and broken stones in the long Palace gates, 300 imperial soldiers calmly and nervously watched for any movement in the Palace gates. Their commander had already led a small group in. At this moment, they had the advantage of the terrain. There was no reason for the rebel soldiers to attack so easily.
Above the Royal Palace, the Great Prince watched coldly as the rebel soldiers' attacks grew stronger and stronger. He raised his right arm and brought it down viciously. The soldiers at his side accepted the order and quickly waved the yellow flag in their hands. Along the line in front of the Royal Palace, the hundreds of imperial soldiers on the Palace walls moved at the same time. They lifted the sack at their feet and carefully tore it open. They then scattered it toward the heads of the rebel soldiers, who were no longer within the range of the crossbows.
The slightly yellow powder was like dirty snow as it scattered down. In an instant, it enveloped the thousands of rebel soldiers closest to the Royal Palace.
The rebel general paled in shock. He thought it was poison from the Overwatch Council and ordered his subordinates to be careful.
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It was not poison powder. The Third Bureau was not Fan Xian's tofu shop. They did not have the ability to produce so much poison. This yellow powder was all crude gunpowder that Fan Xian had ordered taken from the bottom floor of the square building before the imperial soldiers entered the Palace in the early hours of the morning.
The Royal Palace had never made preparations to welcome a powerful military attack, so there was no hot oil or anything that could be burned. If it were not for the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, Fan Xian, standing on their side, the battle to defend the city would probably have progressed unusually miserably.
The Great Prince glanced at Fan Xian, who had been calmly watching the rebel army camp in the distance, and gently nodded his head.
"Fire!"
The face of the trusted officer who had been following the Great Prince was full of ruthlessness. He gave the order in a loud voice to all of the imperial soldiers on the Royal Palace walls.
The previously sparse rain of arrows on the Royal Palace walls suddenly exploded with the most concentrated rain of arrows since the start of the battle. Furthermore, these arrows all carried a red light. It was like the inauspicious color that Qin Heng's valiant general saw before he died under Zhengyang Gate.
The fire arrows arrived below the walls in an instant. They did not need to be precise. They only needed to shoot into the powder.
The sky was beautiful. The autumn sun had risen, and the weather was gradually warming up. The morning wind had already left. The powder that had been scattered down was not blown away by the wind, nor was it blown back up the walls as Fan Xian had been worried about. Instead, it formed a large patch of fog that enveloped the thousands of rebel soldiers below the walls. Looking at the beautiful morning scenery of the willow trees by the river bank, one could only see the vague figures inside that were beginning to panic.
The fire arrows entered the fog. In an instant, they began to burn at a terrifying speed. Countless flames burned vigorously and quickly connected to form a large sea of fire. It was like a fire dragon lying below the Royal Palace. It was also like a calm lake illuminated by the golden sun. Gradually, waves began to rise and churn. It was extremely bright and scorching hot. It actually covered the light of the sun in the sky.
What about the people in the fog? They howled wretchedly and burned, turning into countless pitiful people on fire. They desperately tried to run out of the fog. However, how could such a large area of burning be endured by normal creatures?
Countless people on fire ran wildly on the square. Their wretched cries rose into the sky. The scene appeared unusually terrifying.
Not a single burning rebel soldier was able to run back to their camp. Most of them had become charred corpses below the Palace walls. Some of the burning people on fire only had time to run to the square before falling to the ground with a splat. With the remaining flames and rising smoke on their bodies, they twitched endlessly.
Such a scene was extremely tragic.
The rebel army camp in front of the buildings in the distance was in a state of panic. Even the Qing army, famed for its strict military discipline, felt fear at this moment. No one had thought that the imperial soldiers guarding the city would have such a terrifying method.
The Crown Prince's face was ashen while the old Qin Master looked coldly at the palace walls. Slowly, he said, "Only Fan Xian could do such a ruthless method."
The smell of burning in the square stimulated everyone's state of mind. Even the imperial soldiers on the palace walls felt a glimmer of fear and helplessness. Looking at the terrifying scene below, some people's lips turned white. They wondered if those charred corpses had all been killed by them.
After such a destructive attack, the first wave of rebel soldiers who entered the palace returned dispiritedly. However, there were not many people who returned. The Royal Palace was finally held by a hair's breadth. However, the rebel army did not carry out a second round of attacks.
It was clear that regardless of whether it was the defenders or the attackers, they had all been shocked by this unusually bloody and terrifying fog of fire. They all needed some time to digest and stabilize their morale. However, the instigator of this terrifying fire attack, Fan Xian's expression was unusually calm. He looked at the rebel army camp in the distance and pressed his lips together without saying a word.
The Great Prince saw that Fan Xian's right hand, which was hanging by his sleeve, was trembling slightly. The veins in his eyes were becoming denser and denser.
The Great Prince had not thought that the Overwatch Council's gunpowder powder would have such a terrifying effect. Looking at the scene in front of him, he, who had long experienced the blood and fire of the battlefields of the Western Region, did not feel any emotions that he should not have. However, he still felt shocked. If this powder could be used like this, what kind of changes would occur in future battles?
"Today is luck." Fan Xian did not turn his head to look at him. Quietly, he said, "There is no wind or rain today. That is why there is such a good effect."
Then, he slowly lowered his head. Ever since he had taken control of the palace treasury, he had always been very attentive to the joint research work of the Third Workshop and the Third Bureau. In the depths of his heart, he understood why his mother, Ye Qingmei, had put so much effort into other military equipment and people's lives but had strictly forbidden the use of gunpowder in this world.
Even when he had saved Xiao En in Shangjing, the Overwatch Council had only provided one cart of gunpowder. The use of gunpowder in this world was still very clumsy. It was even worse than the self-made firecrackers in his previous life.
In this world, only Fan Xian knew that even wood shavings flying through the air could cause a large explosion, much less gunpowder powder. Fan Xian couldn't help but worry whether the scene today would open Pandora's box for this land. After a moment, he immediately felt relieved. The palace treasury's steel craftsmanship was not up to standard. There was no need to worry about the arrival of the era of firearms. Furthermore, just as he had said to the Great Prince, the main reason why the fire protecting the city had such a large effect was because the heavens were on their side. His luck was as strong as before.
As for the wretched scene in front of him, Fan Xian actually felt his heart palpitate. Since he was young, he had seen countless corpses and had personally killed countless people. But, when he personally saw so many charred corpses appear in front of him, he still felt waves of the urge to vomit.
This was a battlefield, a true battlefield.
It was precisely because of this that Fan Xian was even more determined to win. If a person came to this world with some kind of mission, he believed that his mission was the agreement with Haitang. If he wanted to reach that agreement, he had to survive today.
Using a knife to kill was still killing. Using a gun to kill was still killing. Using gunpowder to burn people to death was also killing. Other than being a bit more terrifying and ugly, there was not much difference.
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After all, the rebellion this time belonged to a civil war. The two sides fighting were the elite troops of the Qing Kingdom. The scene just now made too many people feel a chill in their hearts. The rebel soldiers returned to their camps to lick their wounds, preparing to once again carry the resentment of revenge and begin an even more powerful attack. The expressions on the faces of the imperial soldiers on the city walls were complicated. Many of them didn't even dare to look at the black-clothed Sir Fan junior standing coldly on the city walls.
The smell of burning and the remnants of fire were still burning in front of the Royal Palace. The vermilion palace walls and the green bricks on top of the walls were all burned with streaks of color. It looked like this beautiful and solemn Royal Palace had been ruthlessly slashed with countless scars by a knife.
The Great Prince looked at the scene in front of him and slowly swept his gaze over the imperial soldiers on the city walls. In a steady and firm voice, he said to all sides, "This is war! Remember, those below the walls are rebels! If we allow them to break into the Royal Palace, the Qing court will descend into darkness. The people will never have a chance to rise again. You will all be crushed to pieces! "
"What is below the walls? It's the enemy! " The Great Prince shouted in a stern voice. "You are all soldiers who have followed me back from the West. Why have we worked so hard to fight the Hu people on the grasslands? Everything is for the Qing Kingdom. Those enemies want to destroy the foundation of the Qing Kingdom. They are no different from the barbaric Hu people! They are just beasts! "
"I order you, from this moment on, you must treat these rebel soldiers as Hu people!"
"Everything is for the Qing Kingdom! The Emperor is watching you from above! "
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These were not hot-blooded words, but coming from the commander's mouth, they had a surprising effect of comforting people's hearts. The eyes of the imperial soldiers on the city walls gradually lit up, no longer as dim and lost as they had been earlier.
"For the Qing Kingdom!"
Everyone on the palace walls cried out. Even the Third Prince, who was standing by Fan Xian's side, was no exception. Only the empress dowager, who had been firmly restrained by Fan Xian, had a glimmer of mockery and panic flash through her eyes.
A wave of heavy footsteps rang out on the city walls. A group of eunuchs, under the watch of Overwatch Council officials, carried three black coffins with difficulty to the top of the city walls. The coffins landed heavily on the city walls and made a few muffled thuds.
Everyone looked at the three coffins in astonishment.
Fan Xian gently held the Third Prince's hand and stood behind the Great Prince. To the imperial soldiers, officials, and Overwatch Council subordinates around him, he quietly said, "We are the Emperor's officials. We have received the Emperor's posthumous edict to stop those rebellious plots. Regardless of whether we succeed or fail, we will not retreat a single step."
The Great Prince's expression was solemn. He continued Fan Xian's words and said, "There are three coffins here. Chengping, An Zhi, and I will each have one. If the Royal Palace is broken into, the three of us will die here. This can be considered filial piety to father and loyalty to the Qing Kingdom."
He glanced at everyone and then slowly said, "Defend the Palace to the death. Does everyone have confidence?"
Even the clichéd method of carrying coffins to battle had been brought out by Fan Xian. How could the soldiers not feel their blood boil? In unison, they cried out, "Yes!"
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Fan Xian held Li Chengping's hand and said in an even voice, "Are you afraid?"
The Third Prince thought for a bit and shook his head forcefully. "No! Father's son will not be afraid! "
"Alright." Fan Xian glanced at him with a slight smile and didn't say anything more. He only thought that if the change did not happen and the Royal Palace was actually broken, he could only take the Third Prince and flee to the ends of the world. He could only hope that this kid wouldn't scold him when the time came.
In the distance, the rebel soldiers began to gather again. The morale that had been suppressed by Fan Xian's evil plan seemed to have successfully turned into resentment toward the Royal Palace. Most of the Qing Kingdom's troops had been on the battlefield for a long time. Their ability to mobilize soldiers was not inferior to anyone else's. The gazes of the rebel soldiers toward the Royal Palace began to fill with naked murderous intent.
The sea of fire appeared terrifying, but in reality, it did not cause much damage to the rebel soldiers. Fan Xian looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help his heart tremble slightly. He thought to himself that if he had calculated wrong, the following steps would probably kill many people on his side.
He knew that he was completely unfamiliar with military affairs, so from beginning to end, he had not made any suggestions about the Great Prince's arrangement of troops. Instead, he calmly acted as a spectator and helper.
At this moment, he was going to make an unusually daring suggestion.
"How many imperial soldiers do we have left?"
"2,700. Basically, we haven't lost much."
Fan Xian tilted his head and listened as the sounds of fighting in Taiping Square grew quieter. He furrowed his brows slightly and said, "Do you think we can hold it?"
The Great Prince's sword-like brows were smeared with a layer of murderous intent. Straightforwardly, he said, "Even if father personally led troops, we wouldn't be able to hold it."
A glimmer of self-mockery suddenly flashed through the corners of his lips. "The disparity between us and the enemy is too great. If the Western Expedition Army had not been disbanded by father, if I led … no, even if I only led one-third of the Western Expedition Army, I would still dare to fight a decisive battle against the rebel soldiers below."
The Great Prince took a deep breath. "However, don't worry. Even if we lose, we won't lose so badly. The generals and soldiers under my command have all eaten Hu people's meat and drank Hu people's blood on the grasslands. The Qin family, hmph, it has been 20 years since the old man personally led troops. The soldiers of the Jingdou Garrison are extremely lazy. The only one is the Dingzhou army …"
Fan Xian cut him off and said, "In that round of attack and defense just now, I noticed a problem."
"What problem?"
Fan Xian moved closer to the Great Prince's ear and quietly said a few words.
"What are you thinking about?" A cold light flashed through the Great Prince's eyes.
"I'm thinking about gambling …" Fan Xian lowered his head and faintly said, "We no longer have any trump cards in our hands. If we continue like this, we will eventually die."
The Great Prince furrowed his brows and said, "War is not child's play. What you're saying is too absurd."
Fan Xian smiled bitterly. "It is indeed absurd. However, I truly can't think of any opportunity to turn the tables."
He turned his head and glanced at the three coffins glowing with black light. His gaze gradually became determined. He still had a trump card, but he had not seen everyone's trump card clearly. No matter what, he would not use it.
The Great Prince was silent for a moment and then suddenly said, "How do you want to gamble?"
"Dig up the rocks at the Palace gates." Fan Xian raised his face and looked through the slightly warm air of the square at the Commander of the Dingzhou army, Ye Zhong, who was quietly saying something to the Second Prince. His gaze narrowed slightly. "We should be prepared to charge out at any moment and give ourselves a chance …"
He then smiled warmly and said, "Give the world a surprise."
Coincidentally, Ye Zhong, who was in the middle of a secret discussion with the Second Prince, seemed to feel the gaze from the palace walls. He raised his head and glanced back with unusual calmness and coldness.
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(Ahem, when the Great Prince said this is war, I almost couldn't resist writing that all is fair in war. Everyone should know that I am the worst at writing these things. When I first conceived of Qing Yu's year, I made a great wish that I would try to learn and improve my abilities in this area. I am still not very good, but please see my progress and hard work.
PS: I don't know who wrote the KFC's Qing Yu's year review in the book review section. I just thought it was very funny. I don't know if that book friend knows me in real life, but most of his spoilers are definitely wrong.
I was mad and changed the wrong words three times. It is now 6: 08. To the friends who subscribed earlier, I apologize. Recently, there have been too many wrong words.
No matter how mad I am, this is the fourth time I've changed the wrong words. I've actually changed them before, but … there are still so many. This is 6: 09. Sorry.)
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