Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 326 Explosion!

It was a cluster of tiny sparks, the kind of sparks that had never appeared without being lit before. Before he could react, a roar suddenly rang in his ears.

"Retreat quickly..."

That sounds like the eldest prince's voice. Why are you retreating? Could there be enemies here?
The next moment, a huge explosion came from the box in front of us. The box suddenly exploded, and at the same time, pieces of iron, nails and other random sharp objects inside shot out, splashing up a cloud of red mist!
Seeing this from a distance, Murdon desperately led his men to retreat. However, there were simply too many people crammed into the valley, and given the sudden turn of events, everyone wanted to get away from the center of the explosion. In an instant, chaos ensued, and many were trampled to death. But this was just the beginning.

"Boom boom boom——"

One explosion after another rang out, and the seemingly chaotic, scattered wooden crates burst open. Each crate explosion brought down a large swathe of steppe soldiers, and screams of agony filled the air. Many were blown away before they even saw what was happening. Arms, legs, and other human parts lay scattered about, the stench of blood, the peculiar smell of explosions, and the excrement of frightened men and horses creating a chaotic scene amidst the billowing dust—a truly terrifying and hellish sight.

"Eternal Heaven—"

"Help! Help! I don't want to die! This is a demon! A demon has come to take my life..."

"Mom, save me!"

"Where is the eldest prince? Where is the eldest prince?"

"What on earth exploded? Such a loud noise, was it thunder? God of Thunder, have mercy! I haven't done anything wrong, I don't want to die..."

A chaotic cacophony of sounds, mixed with cries of pain, followed Prince Multon like arrows, driving him to frantically whip his beloved horse. Even though the warhorse was covered in blood, Multon used his strong arms to firmly grip the reins, preventing it from veering off course.

At this moment, he no longer cared that the people in front of him were grassland soldiers. The sensation of foreign objects being trampled by the horse's hooves, the blood splattering on his face, body, and even his eyes, all told him that he had to get out of this hellish place as soon as possible!
What kind of hell on earth is this? As the eldest prince fled for his life, only one thought occupied his mind: their plan had been discovered by the people of the Central Plains! Such a bizarre thing could not possibly have been created by General Yuchi and Lin Chongshan's Northern Frontier Army. Who exactly did they invite to help them create such a strange sorcery?!
"Boom!"

To make matters worse, the explosions of those eerie wooden crates not only killed many steppe soldiers but also shook the surrounding rocks. Rocks rained down from the sky, mercilessly crushing and injuring soldiers who were desperately fleeing or struggling with serious injuries. Within moments, the stone walls were covered in splattered blood, flesh, and other debris; the place had become a living hell. Multon felt a burning pain in his lower back. He didn't have time to treat his wounds, just kept pushing forward. However, for some reason, besides the projectiles flying from the exploding crates, the crates also produced a gas that caused his eyes to water uncontrollably and his nose to sting. The gas irritated Multon, causing his eyes to water constantly, turning red and increasingly blurry. This gas affected not only humans but also horses. Several times, his warhorse strayed off course, crashing violently into the stone walls or the crowd. Fortunately, Multon had grown up on horseback and was always able to avoid danger at crucial moments, managing to escape the blast radius with great difficulty.

"Multon! Multon, you brute! Where the hell have you been? If you're not dead, say something! Multon..."

Moorton gave a faint smile and responded listlessly.

"Stop shouting! I'm still alive! I'm here! Come and get me! If you wait any longer, you'll only find my corpse. Did you have any explosions over there? I've also found some strange boxes here. Those wooden boxes actually exploded! The sound was louder than thunder! There were also hidden weapons inside. The Central Plains people must have known we were going to pass through here and deliberately set a trap. We've fallen into their trap! Let's go! This place is no place to stay!"

Hearing Murdon's response from afar, Namtso was finally somewhat relieved. At least he wasn't dead, though his voice sounded weak, suggesting he was injured. In that situation, surviving was already remarkable; Murdon truly lived up to his reputation as the bravest warrior of the grasslands, managing to survive such a chaotic explosion.

Is this what people in the Central Plains often mean when they say that good people don't live long, while evil people live for thousands of years?
"Over here! Come here quickly! Those cunning Central Plains people actually used such a scheme. Luckily you're alright. Let's get out of here first. Since those Central Plains people have set a trap at this gourd mouth, they might have one outside too. Let's get out of here first. On the plains, those Central Plains people are no match for us!"

It has to be said that Namtso was absolutely right. When the explosion rang out, Jiuque led her people to hide on the small hill next to the exit of the gourd mouth. She didn't have anyone stand on the narrow passage and throw stones and logs down, since the explosives were quite unstable and might collapse the narrow passage, which would put the soldiers standing on it in danger.

Besides, standing further away will prevent you from being discovered.

The generals and soldiers following Jiu Que were initially quite puzzled by her actions, especially since they had been rushing for their lives without knowing where the enemy was. However, when they discovered that the enemy had indeed arrived at Huluzui as Jiu Que had predicted, those who were trembling with fear fell silent. Upon hearing the deafening commotion and the screams, cries for help emanating from within, every soldier of the Great Jing clenched their fists in excitement, some even swinging them wildly!
They weren't inexperienced warriors, but who had ever experienced a situation where they were completely unharmed while the enemy suffered heavy casualties and couldn't even touch their feet? If word got out, who would believe it? Even if a trap had been dug beforehand, there was still a possibility of it being discovered. Not to mention how long it would take to dig a trap that could hold so many people—they simply didn't have enough time!
All of this was brought about by a few inconspicuous wooden boxes.

When that wooden box was placed there, no one believed that it could have such a powerful effect. But all of this happened in such an unreasonable way, all because of Lord Ying!
Countless expectant and delighted gazes turned to the slightly lazy figure. Jiu Que looked up and laughed heartily at them.

"What are we waiting for? It's our turn to go!"

(End of this chapter)