"Mo Gong and Mo Shou, you really deserve your reputation." Li Jing blurted out his praise. The power of gunpowder made even the Tang dynasty's God of War palpitate.
"The best way to attack is to defend. You are all experienced generals in the army and have conquered countless cities and territories. I'm just trying to take advantage of the situation. I wouldn't dare to show off in front of you generals," Moton said modestly.
"The best offense is defense!" Everyone's hearts trembled, and they couldn't help but ponder. The crossbowmen's three-section attack seemed to only focus on offense and not defense, but in reality, the crossbow bolts that were shot out were able to block the enemy a hundred meters away. Even if the enemy had absolute martial arts, they wouldn't be able to get close. Wasn't this also the strongest defense?
The gunpowder bombs in front of them were also peerless in terms of attack power. With a series of explosions, they continuously bombarded everyone's minds. This was probably the most powerful weapon in the world. Everyone was overwhelmed with shock.
"Yes, the best offense is defense. This time, the Tang dynasty took the initiative to attack and defeated Tuyuhun. Let me ask you, who else in the world would dare to invade the border of the Tang dynasty?" Li Shimin shouted.
"Your Majesty is wise!" All the generals congratulated. This sentence was most popular with the generals. There was only one way to deal with countries that dared to invade the border, and that was to beat them. Whoever dared to invade the border would be killed. Let's see who dared to invade the border again.
"Gunpowder can be used for both offense and defense. I also made a lot of one or two catties of gunpowder. Ordinary infantrymen can carry them with them. If they are used on the city wall, as long as there is an endless supply of gunpowder, the enemy will never be able to attack the city wall," Meton said confidently.
"Mo Jiazi, don't talk big. As long as you are willing to use soldiers, there is no city wall that you can't conquer." Cheng Yaojin was good at commanding infantrymen and attacking cities, so he immediately retorted.
"Uncle Cheng, if you don't believe me, can we make a bet?" Meton said with a sly smile.
Cheng Yaojin glared at Meton and shook his head repeatedly. "I won't fall for your trick. Who knows what tricks you have up your sleeve."
Everyone laughed and pointed at Cheng Yaojin. "I didn't expect that there would be a day when a devil incarnate like you would admit defeat."
Li Shimin also shook his head and laughed. He looked at Merton and said, "Alright, don't keep us in suspense. If you have any treasures, hurry up and take them out!"
Xue Rengui waved his hand, and twenty or so riders followed his lead. Around their waists were strapped with a belt, on which hung more than a dozen long, arm-thick objects. They were hand grenades commonly seen in movies and TV shows in the future.
"Cover them!"
Along with Xue Rengui's order, the twenty hundred cavalry soldiers all laid down on the battlements above the city walls. Everyone couldn't help but look at the hundred cavalry soldiers in shock. How could they fight without showing their heads?
"You'll know when you see it!" Meton didn't explain, but kept them in suspense.
"Light the fire!"
Morton naturally couldn't take out the grenades that sounded like those in the future. Instead, he used the most primitive method of fusing. The cavalry took out a match and lit the fuse of the grenades in their hands.
"Throw the grenades!"
Xue Rengui suddenly shouted. Twenty hand grenades suddenly flew out and were thrown below the city walls.
"Boom, boom, boom!" The sound of explosions came from below the city walls almost at the same time.
However, this wasn't the end. Following that, another wave of hand grenades flew out. After a total of ten rounds, the sound of explosions continued below the city walls. When the smoke cleared, the hundred cavalry soldiers stood up and saluted Li Shimin with one knee.
Meton waved his hand. Xue Rengui carried out a huge wooden box and opened it in front of everyone. They saw more than ten gunpowder bombs neatly placed on the dry straw.
"Good!" Li Shimin didn't care about the roaring in his ears. He picked up a grenade and immediately praised it.
With his eyes, he could naturally see the advantages of this type of grenade. Although the grenade's power was relatively small, it was easy for a single soldier to use. Once the enemy swarmed in and the city was about to fall, a few rounds of grenades would be enough to turn the situation around.
Furthermore, Li Shimin had already thought that if he wanted to ambush the enemy, he would have already won half the battle by throwing grenades one after another.
"This weapon is good. I, Old Cheng, like it." Cheng Yaojin also stepped forward and looked at the grenade with a smile.
"Come, this Emperor will also give it a try!" Li Shimin suddenly became interested and shouted.
Xue Rengui immediately offered a match. Li Shimin took it, lit the fuse, and suddenly threw it over the city wall. The grenade was only a little more than a catty. Li Shimin threw it over twenty steps with all his strength. After a few breaths of time, there was a flash of fire and a sudden explosion.
Meton explained, "There are two main types of damage caused by a gunpowder explosion. The first is that the huge shockwave of the explosion is enough to kill and injure people. The second is that the explosion causes the shell of the grenade to shatter. The shrapnel will follow the shockwave and hit a person's body, causing a large amount of damage. No one within five steps will be spared."
"Five steps!" Li Shimin nodded. When he saw the hole the size of a butt created by the gunpowder bomb twenty steps away, his face couldn't help but light up with joy.
The other generals also became interested and ordered them to go forward and try it out. In a short while, more than ten grenades were all thrown out.
Li Shimin still felt that it wasn't enough and was about to throw a few more when he heard Meton leisurely say, "This is a grenade. The production cost is one tael of silver each."
Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat. He resentfully pulled back his hand and gritted his teeth. "Continue."
"Your Majesty is wise. This old subject will resign from the position of Great General. I am willing to train a group of firearms for Your Majesty!" Cheng Yaojin couldn't wait to say.
"Old Cheng, don't think that you can take all the credit for yourself. Who doesn't want these weapons?" The other generals immediately objected.
For a moment, the generals were in an uproar.
"Alright, stop arguing. This time, the gunpowder bombs will be given priority to the western expedition. In the future, a firearm army will be formed. It will be an independent army." Li Shimin shouted.
The generals immediately stopped arguing. If the firearm army was formed as an independent army, it would definitely be directly under Li Shimin's command. It would be impossible for them to have a share. However, the gunpowder weapons left an indelible impression in their hearts.
"This time, other than the gunpowder bombs and grenades, the Minister also has a more powerful explosive bag. It is specifically used to destroy the city gates. As long as the gates aren't sealed, we will definitely be able to break into the city in one fell swoop." Meton pointed at the city gate beneath his feet.
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. Generally speaking, if the defending side was at a disadvantage, they would seal the city gates. However, there were exceptions. There were many defending generals who believed that they could defend the city and would often leave a city gate open to counterattack.
If there really was a gunpowder weapon that could break through a city gate in one fell swoop, it would definitely be effective.
"Oh!" Li Shimin's interest was piqued.
"Your Majesty, please follow me."
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