Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

The black dot grew larger and clearer.

It was neither a bird nor an arrow.

Those were... iron balls?

"What the hell is that?"

The deputy general beside Xia Yuan also noticed the anomaly and looked astonished.

Xia Yuan didn't say anything, he just squinted his eyes.

He had spent half his life on the battlefield and had never seen such a bizarre battle.

Immediately afterwards, the dull whistling sound turned into a sharp whistling sound, as if the Grim Reaper's scythe was slicing through the sky.

Thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump!

Before anyone could react, countless iron balls rained down on them.

The hard ground was smashed into deep craters, and dirt mixed with gravel flew everywhere.

Everyone was bewildered by this sudden scene, looking in confusion at the strange iron balls scattered throughout the workshop.

The iron ball was about the size of a palm, with a rough, dark surface and what appeared to be a seam in the middle.

Inside was a short, fuse-like object that was hissing and emitting white smoke.

A bold soldier curiously stepped forward, intending to bend down and pick one up.

Before his hand could even touch the iron ball, a blinding white light flashed in his eyes.

Immediately afterwards, the whole world became blindingly bright.

boom--!!!

The first explosion was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

What followed was a chain reaction.

Hundreds of even more violent explosions occurred simultaneously at the same location!

Boom boom boom boom boom boom—!

The violent explosion instantly engulfed everything around it.

The earth was shaking violently, and scorching air waves mixed with countless steel balls and iron fragments spread wildly in all directions.

Before an obese overseer could even let out a scream, he was thrown into the air and torn to pieces.

The newly erected wooden frame of the "Sky Ladder" was easily torn apart like paper, and the exploding wood chips were more deadly than arrows.

Tents, tools, timber... everything was swept up in this steel storm and vanished.

Those war behemoths that Xia Yuan had placed high hopes on and were nearing completion were blasted to pieces in this terrifying explosion, turning into a pile of burning scrap metal!

"Protect the Emperor!"

"Protect the Prince!"

Xia Yuan's personal guards reacted quickly after the initial chaos.

They quickly formed a human wall, using shields and their own flesh and blood to protect Xia Yuan in the middle.

Gravel and red-hot iron pieces clattered and crackled against the shield.

"Withdraw! Quickly take the prince and get out of here!" the captain of the guards roared hoarsely.

Xia Yuan was forcibly supported by the crowd, his mind went blank, and all he could hear was a buzzing sound in his ears. He couldn't hear anything else.

When he peered through the gaps in the human wall and saw the siege equipment, blown to pieces and engulfed in flames, his heart ached as if it were bleeding.

That was the result of countless efforts he had put in, and it was his greatest asset in conquering Blackwater Pass!

Now, it's all gone!

"Leave me alone!"

Xia Yuan shoved aside the guards in front of him, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a mad tiger.

"Fire! Quickly, save those machines! Get them out for me!"

However, nobody listened to him.

The entire rear camp was in complete chaos. Soldiers and craftsmen were crying and screaming as they scattered and trampled each other, creating a horrific scene.

The captain of the personal guard's primary task is to protect Xia Yuan's safety.

Ignoring Xia Yuan's struggles, they forcibly carried him backward, taking him away from this dangerous area.

The tremors and roaring gradually subsided only after they were escorted back a kilometer away.

The guards stopped and remained vigilantly arranged in a circle.

An advisor came running over, stumbling and crawling, his face streaked with black and white, looking utterly disheveled.

"Your Highness! Are you alright, Your Highness? Are you injured?"

The strategist rushed to Xia Yuan's side, his hands patting Xia Yuan's body to check for injuries.

Xia Yuan was already extremely agitated, and this touch only fueled his anger.

"roll!"

He kicked the strategist to the ground.

Another lieutenant staggered over, knelt on one knee, and his voice trembled.

"Your Highness, chaos has broken out in the rear camp! The vanguard has also rioted!"

"And several thousand warhorses in the cavalry unit were frightened, broke their reins, and were rampaging through the camp, causing heavy casualties!"

Xia Yuan ignored the deputy general's report, snatched the telescope from the deputy general's waist, and turned it towards the east.

Those iron balls just now came from that direction!

That direction...

He raised his telescope and looked eastward.

There is a continuous range of high mountains with towering cliffs.

There seemed to be nothing unusual, except...

Ok?

Xia Yuan's shifting gaze suddenly stopped on a certain cliff.

There was a huge cliff, but at the very top, the terrain was flat.

On that flat, open space, hundreds of strange devices had somehow appeared!

Those devices look like... catapults?

Wait, why is it so small?

Moreover, their structures are completely different.

At that moment, behind those devices, a group of old men dressed in craftsmen's clothes were busily carrying iron balls and putting them into the grooves of the catapult.

What the hell is this thing?!

Xia Yuan was utterly shocked.

He continued to move the telescope, searching for the commander.

Soon, a young figure came into his view.

The young man, dressed in a light blue long gown, stood out starkly from the bustling scene around him.

He stood leisurely on the edge of the cliff, holding a telescope, looking in our direction with a relaxed air.

Their gazes, seemingly separated by a hundred miles, collided violently at that moment.

Lin Mo!?

Xia Yuan's breath hitched suddenly.

Although he had never met Lin Mo in person, the young man's appearance was almost identical to the descriptions in the spies' rumors!

Xia Yuan's hand gripping the telescope was bulging with veins, and his knuckles were white from the force.

He finally realized that he had been wrong from the very beginning.

Lin Mo had no intention of playing any kind of defensive battle with him!

"Fine...you Lin Mo...I will tear you to pieces!"