Little did they know, upon hearing these words, the Elder Princess scoffed, "Who said I'm surrendering?"
"Advisor Xu, open their eyes!"
What kind of eye-opener?
These words filled the imperial commanders with a sudden sense of unease, feeling that something was about to spiral out of control.
The next second.
Advisor Xu smiled, glancing at the imperial troops opposite, before personally lighting the fuse.
Witnessed by fifty thousand troops.
"Boom!"
"Bang!"
Accompanied by an earth-shattering explosion.
The imperial soldiers were densely packed together, making them an easy target. A cannonball struck precisely in the middle of the army.
Instantly, four or five soldiers were killed on the spot. Those nearby were also affected by the blast to varying degrees, resulting in heavy casualties.
Heart-wrenching cries echoed at the city gate: "Ah!!! My hand hurts so much!"
"Ah! What is this thing? How can it be so terrifying?"
"Help! Help!"
"My leg, ahhh my leg is gone!!"
General Guan, seeing the soldiers in disarray and screaming, swiftly drew his sword and shouted, "Anyone who dares to disrupt morale will be beheaded!"
Seeing the cold glint of the sword in the sunlight, the surrounding soldiers swallowed nervously and immediately stood at attention.
In the ensuing silence.
Only the soldiers with blast-injured arms and burns lay on the ground, whimpering softly.
General Guan gazed at the five black cannons with a complex expression.
He had heard court officials speak of a kind of miraculous weapon from the future that could destroy half a palace with a single boom.
Could this be that future weapon?
Although Guan hadn't personally seen any live broadcasts or future weaponry, he knew that this thing was far inferior to what the future held.
At best, it was just a primitive version!
Guan straightened his back, thinking that with his fifty thousand troops and Qin Vice General ambushing from the side gate, how could he lose? He absolutely couldn't let this weapon break their morale.
If fifty thousand troops charged at once, even a godly weapon couldn't kill them all in one go, right?
With this in mind, Guan immediately gave orders.
"Don't be afraid! Though this weapon is powerful, it can't fire continuously and is limited in number! Hold your positions! No retreat!"
"Storm the city! The first to enter will be rewarded..."
The Elder Princess stood atop the city wall, looking down at the fifty thousand soldiers intoxicated by the promise of rewards.
She had only allowed Advisor Xu to fire one cannonball earlier, more as a deterrent.
To make them realize the futility of their attack!
But seeing that these people, after hearing their general's rousing speech, still foolishly wanted to attack the city, the Elder Princess signaled to Advisor Xu not to hold back.
Fire!!
"Open fire!" Advisor Xu commanded, and all five cannons ignited simultaneously.
"Boom!" The soldiers at the front were blown away.
"Boom!" The second wave of soldiers was blasted.
"Boom!"
The continuous explosions startled the warhorses, causing them to stampede backward, trampling many soldiers behind them.
The bombs kept booming.
Horses panicked and trampled backward in fear.
Soldiers turned on each other, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.
Chaos!
Complete chaos!
Total chaos!
"Ah!!! Run for your lives—"
"My hand! Ah! My hand!"
"Horse! Horse, don't come here! Ah!! My leg, my leg is crushed! General, General!"
"Rumble—"
"Damn beast, stop!"
In an instant, men and horses fell. Whether killed by the cannons or trampled by panicked horses, the fifty thousand troops, encountering this situation for the first time, immediately lost their helmets and armor.
The soldiers descended into utter disarray.
Even a couple of generals were killed in the explosions.
"Retreat quickly!"
"Damn it!!" General Guan didn't even have a chance to utter threats, hurriedly shouting for retreat.
The soldiers' fighting spirit was completely shattered, so what was left to fight for?
Originally, fifty thousand troops could have easily overwhelmed with sheer numbers, but they were scared off at the first sign of resistance. What was the point in fighting now?
"Heavens, we've won!"
"Long live the Elder Princess, long live, long live!"
"Haha, Miss Gu's cannons are indeed effective! One shot kills a bunch. Good! Good! Kill those imperial dogs!"
Seeing the fifty thousand troops fleeing, the city's residents burst into cheers, each wave louder than the last.
They shouted, excited, hugging those around them and weeping with joy.
All their worries and anxieties disappeared with this great victory.
Hearing the cheers from within the city, the Elder Princess's face showed a hint of caution.
She looked at the screen connected to Gu Sang and made eye contact: "Today was Plague City's first battle, and the deterrent effect of these cannons was indeed impressive. We won!"
"The imperial court didn't expect me to develop something like cannons, which is why we caught them off guard."
"Next time, it won't be so easy!"
Gu Sang nodded: "Let's take it slow. Today was a good start. In the future, as long as we can keep up with food supplies and technological development, overthrowing Pei Changying will be a piece of cake."
The Elder Princess sighed: "These cannons are effective, but we use up one cannonball with each shot. They're so expensive to operate!"
"If we had an unlimited supply of cannons, I'd dare to attack Pei Changying's palace directly."
The Elder Princess imagined how Pei Changying would be terrified if he saw that she had developed these cannons.
However, unfortunately, they didn't have enough cannons!
In the end, it all came down to a lack of money.
Hearing the Elder Princess's lament, the advisors nodded in agreement. Now that they had recruited so many soldiers, food wasn't a problem, but money was still scarce.
"I really envy the country you're from," Zhou Qichen said, dragging in the bound Qin Vice General to the city wall. "How can they afford to use drones and missiles like they're free?"
"Elder Princess, this guy was leading fifty thousand soldiers in an ambush at the South Gate. He's been captured now, awaiting your judgment."
"Very good, General Zhou. Your special forces performed beyond my expectations," the Elder Princess first praised Zhou Qichen before turning her attention to Qin Vice General.
Qin Vice General's face was covered in dirt and dust. He looked at the Elder Princess with a complex expression, then glanced at Gu Sang, closing his eyes with a look of resigned determination.
The Elder Princess chuckled: "General Qin, why weren't you leading the fifty thousand troops to attack the city this time?"
Seeing both the Elder Princess and Gu Sang present, Qin Vice General silently lowered his head.
Of course it wasn't him!
His position as Chief General had long been revoked!
Seeing that Qin Vice General remained silent, Zhou Qichen, who was standing nearby, understood the situation to some extent. He immediately sneered, "Did that incompetent Pei Changying demote you? I suppose this time you're being sent to redeem yourself through meritorious service?"
"Oh, Old Qin! I've told you before, Pei Changying isn't worth following."
"Last time at the city gate, Miss Gu and the Elder Princess tried to persuade you multiple times to... Ah, never mind. It's not worth mentioning now."
