Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 259 Night Raid on the Barbarian Camp

After the Apocalypse King's army retreated to a safe distance, they stopped retreating. Although the barbarian soldiers were terrified by what they had just witnessed, they dared not run away directly because the Apocalypse King was there.

The Tianqi Emperor immediately ordered his soldiers to set up camp, but he still had no intention of giving up the attack on the northern kingdom.

Inside the commander's tent.

The Apocalypse King and his generals sat cross-legged on the ground, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long pause, one of the Grandmaster Generals under King Tianqi finally spoke up: "Your Majesty, the fact that the Northern soldiers did not pursue us proves that although the weapons they used were powerful, they were difficult to move, or that the number of those exploding iron balls was extremely limited."

"If we capture Ningbei City, the weapons used by the Northern Kingdom will fall into our hands. With these weapons, no dynasty or city will be able to withstand our iron cavalry in the future."

Upon hearing this, King Tianqi said, "What you say makes a lot of sense. That's what I think too. I'm determined to get this weapon from the Northern Kingdom."

"Let the soldiers rest for two days, and then we will continue our attack on Ningbei City."

King Tianqi was certainly unwilling to retreat so easily. They had just suffered a setback in the Dayue Dynasty, and if they were to run into a brick wall in the Xia Dynasty and return empty-handed, wouldn't the other barbarian tribes laugh at them in the future?

He led hundreds of thousands of people out for a stroll, so many died, and gained nothing in the end. How can he maintain his foothold among the barbarians in the future?

at the same time.

Inside the commander's barracks in Ningbei City.

Mu Changtian and the others were discussing how to fight this battle.

The grasslands were too vast, making it difficult to encircle and annihilate the Apocalypse King's 400,000-strong army. Moreover, they had already discerned from the barbarian invasion that the Apocalypse King was a cautious and prudent person.

When King Tianqi first attacked the city, he only sent a grandmaster general with about 100,000 barbarian soldiers to attack the city, and did not swarm in.

Their method of dividing their forces for attack also prevented Lu Chen and his men from annihilating the 400,000-strong barbarian army in a short period of time.

Just then, the scouts Lu Chen and his men sent out returned. "Your Highness, as expected, King Tianqi and his men did not retreat; they have already set up camp."

Upon hearing the scout's words, Lu Chen smiled and said, "It seems that King Tianqi is very unwilling."

At this moment, Xiao Pengtian said, "Your Highness, if the Tianqi King and his men have set up camp, this will be an excellent opportunity for us. We can take advantage of the night to transport the cannons out and bombard their tents, and then send out cavalry to charge and kill the fleeing barbarian soldiers."

Hearing Xiao Pengtian's suggestion, Li Feng also said from the side, "Your Highness, I think General Xiao's idea is good. The barbarian army has traveled for so many days to reach Ningbei City, and the barbarian soldiers are also tired. Most of the barbarian soldiers will definitely be sleeping soundly. Tonight is the most suitable time to attack the barbarian camp."

Xuan Yuanchen cautioned, "They were attacked by cannons during the day, so they are probably still on guard against Ningbei City. I think it would be inappropriate for them to launch a surprise attack on the enemy camp tonight."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said, "General Xuanyuan is right. Tonight will definitely be the time when the barbarians are most vigilant. If we launch a sneak attack tonight, our soldiers will probably be detected by the barbarian spies as soon as they leave Ningbei City."

"Since King Tianqi and his men haven't retreated, they will definitely continue to attack Ningbei City. So we don't need to be too anxious. We can think of a way to confuse them and gradually lower their guard."

War cannot be rushed. Although Lu Chen did not have much military talent, he understood that haste makes waste.

Lu Chen continued, "In the next few days, if the barbarians continue their attack, reduce the use of cannonballs each day, and use catapults and bows and arrows to make them think that we are running out of cannonballs, and try to make them lower their guard."

Upon hearing this, everyone replied in unison, "Yes, Your Highness."

Two days later.

Seeing that his soldiers had recovered, Tianqi King once again led his army to the outskirts of Ningbei City, intending to launch another attack.

Of course, this was still a probing attack; he wanted to know if the mysterious weapon from the North had been used up.

If they hadn't run out of weapons, why didn't the Northern Army of Ningbei City pursue them after they had been stationed not far from Ningbei City for two days? It must be that they were running out of those weapons or that they didn't have many left, which is why the Northern soldiers didn't dare to launch a counterattack rashly.

Standing on the city wall, Lu Chen gazed at the vast, dark mass of barbarian troops in the distance. A slight smile played on his lips. It seemed they had guessed correctly; the Heavenly King was indeed not intimidated by their cannons, and they were determined to continue their attack on Ningbei City.

Just then, the horns of the barbarian army sounded, and one of King Tianqi's generals led 100,000 barbarian troops in another attack.

Just as the barbarian army was about to approach the city gate, the cannons of Ningbei City fired again, and the shells exploded among the barbarian soldiers, mercilessly reaping their lives.

However, the cannonballs also contained stones and arrows, unlike the last time the barbarians attacked the city, when it was all cannonballs.

Seeing this, King Tianqi was overjoyed. He laughed and said, "I knew the Northern Kingdom couldn't possibly have too many of these terrifying weapons. It seems I was right. They used stones and arrows this time, so it's highly likely that those iron balls are running low."

At this point, King Tianqi said to a general beside him, "You lead an army of 100,000 to attack from the east. I want to see how long they can hold out!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Subsequently, the Grandmaster General beside King Tianqi led an army of 100,000 barbarians to the East City and launched an attack on the East Gate of Ningbei City.

Of course, the barbarian attack was only a probing siege, so the barbarians did not achieve much. Tens of thousands of barbarian soldiers were killed, and the number of wounded soldiers with missing limbs in the barbarian camps suddenly increased.

The day quickly came to an end, and in the commander's tent, the barbarian generals were extremely excited, celebrating with mouthfuls of wine and meat.

"Your Majesty, your guess was indeed correct. The Northern Kingdom has very few of those iron balls left. This afternoon, when we attacked the city again, they mainly used stones and arrows. They only used those iron balls when our soldiers got close to the city gate!"

Another barbarian general said, "At this rate, we should be able to deplete their mysterious iron balls in no time."

Hearing what the generals said, King Apocalypse laughed and said, "To think you can stop my advance with those iron balls? That's utterly delusional!"

At this moment, a barbarian general said curiously, "Speaking of which, I wonder what those glowing iron balls they use are made of. If we could make them too, Your Majesty's unification of the barbarian tribes would be just around the corner!"

Upon hearing this, King Tianqi took a sip of wine and said, "In my opinion, making that kind of iron ball would probably require a living fifth-rank martial artist."

Upon hearing what the Tianqi King said, the generals in the military tent were taken aback.

King Tianqi continued, "As far as I know, most martial artists in the Central Plains use a special technique. As long as they concentrate all their power in their dantian, their bodies will self-destruct. When they self-destruct, those around them will also be affected and killed or injured by the explosion."

"The way that iron ball exploded was very similar to a martial artist's self-destruction. I suspect that they used some method to seal the martial artist's power inside that iron ball and then used that iron ball as a weapon."

Upon hearing this, a barbarian general said, "Wouldn't making so many iron balls require killing a lot of martial artists?"

King Tianqi laughed and said, "This precisely shows that the Great Xia people know they are no match for us, and can only resort to this method of mutual destruction to stop our advance."

"I want to see how many warriors they're willing to sacrifice to stop my advance. If this continues, the warriors in the Northern Kingdom's army will eventually rebel. We just need to keep at it!"

In Tianqi Wang's view, since living people were used as weapons, the warriors in the Northern Kingdom's army might be afraid that they would one day be turned into weapons as well. As long as the barbarians put enough pressure on them, the warriors and soldiers in Ningbei City would rebel sooner or later.

At that time, the barbarian army and the rebellious soldiers will work together to easily dismantle the 200,000-strong army of the Northern Kingdom.

For the next two weeks, King Tianqi led barbarian soldiers to attack the city from time to time, but they were still probing and did not fight with all their might.

Soon, the barbarian soldiers noticed that Ningbei City was using those terrifying iron balls less and less. Later on, the soldiers defending Ningbei City mainly used bows and arrows and catapults.

On several occasions, the barbarian tribes attacked the city, and their soldiers rushed to the city gates. King Tianqi and the barbarian generals became increasingly convinced of their judgment. They all believed that Ningbei City's iron ball weapons were probably running out, and that Ningbei City would soon be captured by them.

This idea spread like wildfire among the barbarian soldiers, and they gradually stopped being afraid of Ningbei City's terrifying iron ball. They also gradually became less nervous than they had been after the first siege.

In recent days, Lu Chen noticed that the barbarian soldiers were becoming increasingly aggressive in attacking the city, and he felt that the time was almost ripe.

As evening fell, Lu Chen immediately convened a military meeting with his generals to prepare for a decisive battle with the Tianqi King that night.

Looking at the military officers inside the room, Lu Chen said, "The time is ripe. We will attack the barbarian camp tonight!"

Hearing this, the soldiers were very excited. They had been waiting for this moment. For the past two weeks, Lu Chen had restricted their use of artillery, which had left them feeling frustrated. Even though the barbarian soldiers had charged up, they just couldn't kill them.

Now they can finally take the initiative and use firearms freely.

Lu Chen continued, "The operation tonight will begin at midnight. Even if our operation is discovered by the barbarian spies, and even if we wake up the barbarian soldiers immediately, they won't be able to react in time."

At this moment, Mu Changtian reminded him, "Your Highness, the Heavenly Enlightenment King is a Grandmaster. You must be careful then."

If a full-scale war breaks out tonight, and Grandmaster Tianqi is angered, he might very well come looking for trouble with Lu Chen.

Lu Chen smiled and said, "With Palace Master Chen here, I will be fine."

At this point, Lu Chen glanced at Chen Wanrong at the door and said to her, "Palace Mistress Chen, I entrust my safety to you tonight."

Chen Wanrong didn't speak. She remained standing quietly in place, thinking to herself, "It's finally going to be over."

For the past two weeks, watching the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom use cannons has made her feel very uncomfortable. It's not that she sympathizes with the barbarians being bombarded; she's just worried that one day Lu Chen will point his cannons at Xuan Yue Palace.

Although the cannons are not as powerful as the divine artifacts of Xuan Yue Palace, they can be manufactured, and the quantity of ammunition is very large.

The artifacts of Xuan Yue Palace can only be used once and it is unknown how long they can be stored before they can be used a second time. Moreover, the conditions for use are extremely harsh, and they simply cannot withstand so many cannon attacks.

Lu Chen continued to say to Mu Changtian and the others, "After the battle begins tonight, the cannons will bombard the barbarian camp for half an hour, and then the cavalry will pursue the barbarian soldiers who haven't gone too far."

"Alright, everyone go and get ready."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The generals then left the room and began preparing for tonight's operation.

at the same time.

The barbarian soldiers were exhausted after a day of attacking the city and began to rest.

They were still dreaming that once the terrifying iron ball in Ningbei City was used up, they would rush into Ningbei City to burn, kill, and plunder.

At this time, the barbarian soldiers were unaware that the northern soldiers in Ningbei City were already moving ammunition and that fireworks would be set off for them that night.

The night was long, and for the first time, the soldiers from the North felt that time was passing so slowly. They felt that the few hours had been longer than the half month they had spent in Ningbei City.

The soldiers could no longer contain their excitement and wanted to give gifts to the guests who had come from afar.

Around midnight, the army of Ningbei City set out, and the soldiers quickly pushed the cannons out. Prince Lu Chen also helped push out a heavy cannon.

Although the cannons were heavy, their weight was not a problem for martial artists. A grandmaster like Lu Chen could easily lift the heavy cannons made in the Northern Kingdom. However, the artillery battalion was mostly composed of ordinary soldiers, so transporting the cannons was still a challenge.

However, in order to coordinate with tonight's operation, Lu Chen specifically instructed the fifth-rank warriors of the Black Cavalry to transport the cannons first. After the cannons were transported to a specific location, they would then don heavy armor.

With the cooperation of the Black Cavalry, artillery and ammunition were quickly transported to the designated positions.

To prevent the artillery positions from being wiped out by the barbarian soldiers who reacted quickly, the artillery battalion divided the artillery positions into three locations, so that even if one artillery position was destroyed, it would not affect the other two.

There was no moonlight tonight, and everything was pitch black, as if even the heavens were helping Lu Chen and his friends.

The barbarian soldiers on night patrol did not notice the movement from the Northern Kingdom immediately. In addition, it was already midnight, so the barbarian soldiers did not think that the soldiers from the Northern Kingdom would come out of Ningbei City at this time, which made them relax their vigilance.

Once everything was ready, a tremendous drumbeat shattered the tranquility of the night, followed by a barrage of deafening cannon fire.

In an instant, the barbarian camp was engulfed in artillery fire, and the sleeping barbarian soldiers were blown into the air.

Soon, the barbarian soldiers were awakened by the deafening cannon fire, and soon the sound of cannons mixed with the barbarian horns echoed through the night.

King Apocalypse also awoke from his sleep. Upon hearing the sound of cannons, he immediately left his tent and was stunned to see the corpses of barbarian soldiers flying everywhere.

Just then, a barbarian grandmaster general rushed to King Tianqi's side, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Northern army is attacking!!!"

No sooner had the barbarian general finished speaking than a cannonball landed beside him. He was terrified and his face changed drastically. King Tianqi leaped forward and stood in front of the barbarian general.

The next moment the shell exploded, but it did not harm the Apocalypse King and the barbarian general. A golden shield appeared around their bodies, blocking all the shell fragments outside the golden shield.

At this moment, King Tianqi was consumed by rage, shouting, "You despicable Great Xia people! I will kill you all!"

He then shouted, "Gather the soldiers and follow me in a counterattack!"

"Since they dared to come out, they shouldn't expect to go back alive!"

Amidst the artillery fire, some barbarian soldiers quickly regrouped and followed the Apocalypse King out of the bombing zone.

After breaking out of the barbarian camp, King Tianqi quickly spotted the northern soldiers' artillery positions and immediately shouted, "Follow me and kill!"

The bugle call then rang out, "Woo-woo-woo-woo~~"

Upon seeing the barbarian cavalry charge out, Mu Jingwu, who was at the artillery position, immediately ordered the artillery battalion's cavalry to adjust the angle of the cannons and aim them at the barbarian cavalry.

Then, the artillery position where Mu Jingwu was located launched a fierce bombardment against Tianqi King's cavalry. In an instant, men and horses were shattered, and countless barbarian cavalrymen were killed or blown away.

However, after the cannonball landed next to the Apocalypse King, the king was completely unharmed. Seeing this, Mu Changtian, who was in the distance, could no longer contain himself.

The Apocalypse King is a Grandmaster. If he were to reach the artillery position, would the soldiers there still be alive?

But at that moment, Mu Jingwu said to the artillery soldiers, "Aim the cannons at the Tianqi King and fire!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Jingwu personally controlled a heavy cannon and aimed it at the position of the Apocalypse King.

The next moment, more than a dozen shells exploded around Apocalypse King at the same time, but as the fire and smoke dissipated, Apocalypse King was still there.

At this time, the Apocalypse King's horse had been blown up, but there was still a golden shield around his body. He himself was completely unharmed and not even injured.

Seeing this, Lu Chen, who was in the distance, was stunned for a moment.

Is this the power of a Grandmaster?

As expected, cannonballs were still useless against a Grandmaster. It seems that he and Chen Wanrong will have to deal with the Apocalypse King themselves later, otherwise the Apocalypse King will not only survive, but will also cause them a lot of casualties.

Just as Lu Chen was thinking this, Mu Jingwu continued to direct the soldiers at the artillery position, and more than a dozen cannons continued to bombard the Tianqi King.

(End of this chapter)