Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 316 A Thunderclap from Flat Ground
At this moment, it would certainly be better for Saqi to be dead than alive, but a severely wounded and critically ill steppe Khan could stir up more trouble than a dead one. After all, Saqi's most favored princes were not present, and his remaining sons were not entirely without ambition for the Khan's throne. Seeing their god-like father in such a weakened state, who could guarantee they wouldn't be tempted?

To put it bluntly, Lin Chongshan was actually quite relieved that his emperor now only had one son left. If the previous three princes hadn't died, he couldn't even imagine what kind of chaos they would have thrown into the court. With only one son left, the various officials in the court had no choice but to work together for the next emperor.

As for Saki Khan, it remains to be seen whether he can control his few ravenous sons.

Watching helplessly as the elite squad of black-clad warriors rescued Lin Chongshan, Sachi suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood in full view of everyone. Before losing consciousness, he continued to shout loudly.

"Quickly! Bring Murdon and Namtso back!"

After saying this, Sachi Khan fell backward, splashing up a cloud of blood-stained dirt.

The entire battlefield was in complete chaos. This mainly referred to the grassland side; they had misjudged the fighting strength of the Great Jing army before arriving. They thought they were facing sheep weakened by smallpox, their morale shattered. However, the Central Plains people, who initially appeared listless and weak, proved to be a foregone conclusion after the battle began. Their apparent dejection was a facade; in reality, they were well-equipped, rested, and full of energy. Smallpox? They probably didn't even have that disease there!
When reality clashes with one's expectations, it's easy to feel fear. Especially when they discover that even though General Yuchi was absent, Lin Chongshan, the female warrior general they'd been entangled with for so long, was still a formidable opponent. Not only could she move freely within their ranks, but she could also advance unimpeded, reaching the Khan as if he were nothing. Before they could even rejoice at Lin Chongshan's defeat, the next moment they saw their Khan, disguised as a guard, fly backward like a bird with broken wings, a large gash appearing on his stomach. Lin Chongshan even pressed his advantage, cutting off their Khan's arm.

Under such circumstances, how could the people not feel fear? Especially when the Great Jing army, under command, fought and retreated, leading most of the grassland army to an open space, they suddenly fell to the ground one by one, using the shields they carried to protect themselves.

The grassland kings, already filled with anger and fear, thought they had won. Although they didn't understand why their opponents were retreating despite having such a favorable position, they excitedly gave chase. When most of them reached the designated spot, rows of straight figures suddenly appeared on the city wall. They held lit rockets, and at a command, a volley of rockets flew towards them. The grassland kings were familiar with this scene and quickly turned around, trying to protect themselves with their leather armor.

But what happened next far exceeded their expectations.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A massive explosion swept across the entire battlefield. Many people didn't even have time to react before they were blown to pieces. Those who were lucky enough to survive the first explosion either lost limbs or stared blankly at the hellish scene before them, trembling with fear, cold sweat pouring down their faces, their legs shaking.

After finally realizing what was happening, they cried and screamed, trying to run away, but then the second batch of rockets arrived.

The sharpshooters, seemingly with superhuman accuracy, fired their rockets precisely into the pre-buried locations. One after another, the buried gunpowder charges exploded, triggering a chain reaction that didn't even require a third volley of rockets; the explosions multiplied the effect. The steppe soldiers present were thrown into disarray, their horses, if uninjured, running rampant. Many steppe warriors were trampled to death in the chaos. Their densely packed formation during the attack made the kill far more devastating than anticipated.

Even Lin Chongshan couldn't help but look back on his way back into the city. When he saw the bloody and smoke-filled battlefield, he felt weak all over but still couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"it is good!"

Even Lin Chongshan, who was usually so composed, was overjoyed, let alone the Northern Frontier Army soldiers on the battlefield who had been holding their breath, waiting to see the enemy's fate. After the deafening explosions subsided, everyone cheered and their morale soared, and they charged towards the grassland barbarians who were now terrified and like chickens with tattered heads.

Now, before they can react, killing even one more person is a merit. Now that their Northern Frontier Army no longer has that annoying supervisor, every merit they earn will truly fall into their laps.

In reality, the explosion's range wasn't that large; it certainly couldn't completely cover the hundreds of thousands of steppe soldiers present. However, many of them were seeing such a wondrous thing for the first time, emitting such a tremendous sound, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, terrifying them to the point of utter shock. Even people from the capital city, witnessing the power of this thunderbolt for the first time, couldn't help but tremble with fear, let alone these unseen steppe barbarians. Although they were rough and uncouth, they still held a deep reverence for the heavens, gods, and spirits.

The reason they suffered such heavy losses was mainly because they panicked. The panicked crowd and horses were no match for the well-rested and prepared Great Jing army. It was obvious who would win.

Therefore, under the pursuit of the Jing army, the steppe army fled in panic. Half of the 120,000 troops remained, and the remaining 60,000 defeated soldiers and generals surrounded the unconscious Khan and fled to the rear.

At this point, they no longer cared about the plans they had made earlier. As for advancing towards the two princes in the southeast directions, even the Khan had fainted. Who would care about them at this time?

Not to mention the Khan's other surviving sons, who wished the two princes had died in the chaos to prevent them from returning and vying for the throne. Yes, even at this point, human nature's worst instincts prevailed. After all, in their minds, this was only a temporary defeat. If they were to call those two back now, wouldn't they be simply handing over the throne of the steppe Khan to them?
Despite their seemingly incompatible relationship and constant bickering, Muldur and Namtso together command 60,000 elite troops. If they were to return now, they would indeed be a force to be reckoned with. It would be better to seize the opportunity while their father is unconscious and take control of the remaining forces, allowing for a potential comeback.

(End of this chapter)