Chapter 76

Yan Zhengqing was very puzzled. Were these three-wheeled, self-moving things that suddenly appeared the locomotives Li Xian mentioned at the first industrial exposition of the Great Xia Kingdom? But how were they used?

However, in the next moment, Yan Zhengqing knew, and he would never forget this scene. ...

He saw that after the five three-wheeled locomotives reached a distance of fifty to sixty zhang in front of the formation, they no longer rushed forward but began to dash horizontally. In the next moment, the sound of popping beans rang out! Each vehicle had two guns, all of which were the best and most powerful sniper rifles. They were not fast, but almost every bullet could take a life.

In just an instant, more than twenty personal guards fell!

These were the elite, carefully selected, capable of turning the tide in critical moments, but now they fell without any clear reason.

Yan Zhengqing, looking at the five lively locomotives in front, suddenly ordered, "Charge, seize a locomotive!"

"No! That's a trap!" The military advisor, Xiang Bowen, quickly stopped him.

"I know! But if we can't obtain this new weapon, Cai Kingdom will be in constant anxiety!"

Xiang Bowen, looking at the lively locomotives, suddenly said, "General, I have an idea. This thing should be very simple!"

"Oh?"

"Gunpowder! General, do you remember the firecrackers during the New Year? Those firecrackers from the central countries of Yingzhou, such as Zhao and Wei? Their sounds are the same, and they all produce smoke."

Yan Zhengqing was puzzled, "Gunpowder? Firecrackers? Is there such a thing? How do I not know about it?"

Xiang Bowen's eyes were filled with nostalgia, "I played with them when I was a child. General has asked about my background many times. In fact, I am from Zhao. But... political struggles are something the General is familiar with."

Yan Zhengqing still had doubts, "If there is really such a thing as gunpowder, why haven't we heard of such weapons? If gunpowder and firecrackers are for children to play with, then a weapon that can kill at the Foundation Establishment stage would have spread long ago."

"This... General, retreat quickly! We can talk about it when we get back!" Xiang Bowen was anxious. In this short time, the five three-wheeled locomotives had happily jumped dozens of zhang and "greeted" over a hundred personal guards.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Since Xiang Bowen knew some of the situation, Yan Zhengqing decisively retreated.

However, retreating on the battlefield is not easy—anyone can start a war, but the initiative is always in the hands of the victor!

The soldiers from Anyang, driven by generous rewards, pursued with all their might—those soldiers who had discarded their armor were like lambs, and now was the time to slaughter them.

This pursuit and escape lasted over thirty li and more than an hour. At least ten thousand soldiers from Cai Kingdom were left behind forever. The five three-wheeled locomotives were the most glorious, firing over four thousand bullets and killing over two thousand enemies.

Halfway through the pursuit, Xu Ren timely stopped Li Xian, "We can't pursue any further! Going any further might be dangerous. We are approaching the border of Cai Kingdom, and the soldiers are very tired. We need to save strength for the return."

Li Liang looked at Xu Ren, then turned to look at his military advisor, Zou Hui, and silently turned around, ordering the retreat.

Zou Hui's face was red; damn it, comparing people can be deadly!

The soldiers turned around and began to cut off left ears, then each one, like a demon, hung a string of ears and returned to the border, swaying and singing.

Sure enough, as soon as everyone returned to the border, they saw over ten thousand elite soldiers from Cai Kingdom approaching. Clearly, these people had chased from the border of Cai Kingdom; if they had hesitated a moment earlier, they might have been surrounded.

Seeing this, Li Liang wiped a cold sweat, how dangerous! If they had been caught in that encirclement, the ten thousand pursuing soldiers would have been left with few survivors—after all, everyone had been fighting all night.

The pursuers from Cai Kingdom, seeing that Anyang had re-established its defenses, left in disappointment. But before leaving, they mocked, which slightly restored their dignity.

Seeing the pursuers retreat, Li Liang and Li Xian prepared to rest, and also prepared to let the soldiers rest. Everyone was very tired after this series of battles.

Unexpectedly, Xu Ren shouted, "Young Master, quickly pursue! We can definitely win again!"

"What? Why?" Li Xian and Li Liang were dumbfounded. Sir, how do we understand your words?

Xu Ren was almost jumping with excitement, "Don't ask, just attack quickly! We can talk about it when we return. Send the elite troops, fight quickly and decisively! Three to five thousand people are enough!"

Li Xian and Li Liang exchanged glances and immediately ordered, "Open the city gates, attack!"

This time, the number of attackers was small, only about four thousand people, many of whom were from Wang Jian's side. The five three-wheeled locomotives bounced and jumped again; these things never got tired.

After pursuing for less than three li, they saw—those soldiers from Cai Kingdom had taken off their armor and were scattered, laughing and joking, completely unprepared.

When they saw the soldiers from Anyang charging, they were stunned—this was against the rules!

Needless to say, this was another one-sided slaughter. Four thousand people made ten thousand cry out in despair, and only a few Foundation Establishment experts managed to escape.

"Nine thousand seven hundred and more heads cut off, even more glorious than the previous battle!" Hearing this result, Li Liang looked at Xu Ren with not just respect, but awe.

Li Xian also stared at Xu Ren for a long time before sighing, "Sir, you are truly talented. But please explain, I still have some things I don't understand."

Xu Ren smiled confidently, "Three aspects.

First, they would consider Cai Kingdom's defeat, but they would never consider such a complete rout. So, when they pursued, they were in a hurry and not well-prepared.

Second, seeing the city gates closed, they naturally assumed we had taken a defensive stance and would not attack again. They naturally relaxed.

Third, with the first two points as a foundation, plus the long pursuit, they were also very tired and hot.

Actually, I didn't expect the soldiers from Cai Kingdom to pursue us all the way to our city walls."

Beside him, Zou Hui awkwardly hid behind Li Liang, damn it, we are all strategists, how can the gap be so big!

At this moment, Beichen Yuxing also spoke, "Young Master, we can still pursue the Kong family. They won't expect us to win so quickly."

"The Kong family!" Li Liang snorted angrily, "Select 100 Foundation Establishment experts from the army to follow Li Xian and immediately crush the Kong family's forces here!"

This time, the operation was small, with only about 500 elite troops led by Beichen Yuxing.

Li Xian, Li Liang, Xu Ren, and Zou Hui began to organize the results of this major battle. There were many things to handle, such as military merit, rewards, and compensation. They also needed to report to the court.

Most importantly, they needed to maximize the political benefits of this victory, which required a lot of planning!