I, Altria, only want to rule China.

Chapter 51: The Army Attacks

This time, the leading general who was highly valued by Liya, Pi Baozi, also paid special attention to Liya.

When he came to Xiliang, he had already read a lot of information about Liya.

This 15-year-old girl, without any soldiers, conquered the entire Xiliang with her own strength. When Pi Baozi first saw the news, he was a little confused. Is this something a human can do?

Even if I can't believe it and I don't know what methods the other party used, it is an indisputable fact that Xiliang is now in the hands of the other party.

Not only that, the policies used by the other party against the aristocratic families also opened his eyes.

Even he had to admit that the means used by the other party against the noble family were truly ruthless!

The method of nationalizing the land and distributing it to the people was indeed a brilliant one. He couldn't help but want to persuade the emperor of Wei to adopt the same method.

Such a policy is the real national policy! But unfortunately, the other party is a traitor! And the emperor also made it clear that he would kill the other party directly.

But soon he shook his head again. Since he knew all these policies, how could the emperor not know them?

Once the emperor adopts such a policy, wouldn't he be making enemies with the aristocratic families? The emperor is not stupid. Now the aristocratic families are in control of the court of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and such a policy will never be passed.

Then the policy of killing the enemy may not be the emperor's real intention, but the result of compromise with those noble families. The noble families...

Pi Baozi thought of the aristocratic families in the court of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was true that the Northern Wei Dynasty was made by the aristocratic families, and also failed by the aristocratic families.

In addition to these policies, there is also a strange mention of the army controlled by Leah.

It is said that if you throw something, it will explode, injuring several people. There is also a black pipe that can make a sound as loud as thunder, and the people who are hit will be blown into pieces on the spot.

In short, the rumors about these things are very outrageous. Pi Baozi came here this time to explore whether these things are really as outrageous as they are said to be.

If it is true, can the Northern Wei Dynasty master it?

Although there was no way to confirm the authenticity of Leah's words, but in line with the principle that a lion would use all its strength to fight a rabbit, Pi Baozi was very cautious along the way to prevent himself from capsizing in the ditch.

Although he brought 50,000 elite troops this time, in fact there were also a lot of logistics and various miscellaneous soldiers, all added up to about 60,000 to 70,000.

If several nearby towns were not also responsible for the security of the city defense, he would have planned to draw troops from the surrounding areas to attack the city together.

For Pi Baozi, he had fought for so many years, and this was the most serious one.

A general following Pi Baozi saw that his commander was in deep thought. He thought for a moment and then approached him and said, "General, we are only a few miles away from Tianshui County. What should we do next?"

Hearing this, Pi Baozi thought of the instructions given by His Majesty before he set out, and snorted coldly, "What should we do? Naturally, we should attack the city directly, first take back the surrounding counties, and then attack Liangzhou. Finally, send the bodies of the rebels back to the capital."

"Report, General, the flag on the city wall of Tianshui County is of the surname Long." At this time, a scout came running from a distance and told Pi Baozi about the situation in Tianshui County.

"The flag has the surname Long? Could it be...!" Upon hearing this, Pi Baozi immediately revealed a smile.

Seeing the smile on Pi Baozi's face, the general asked tentatively, "General, have you discovered anything?"

Pi Baozi stroked his beard with his hand and said with a smile: "God is really helping me! There is a rebel flag with the word dragon on it on the top of the city wall of Tianshui County. I'm afraid the leader of the rebels is in Tianshui County."

The flags in ancient times were very clear. Every general had his own flag when leading his soldiers.

This flag is largely a surname.

The reason for doing this is that a very powerful general is very important to an army. Sometimes there is no need to fight at all, and the enemy may retreat just by hearing about the reputation of the other general.

Of course, this effect has a prerequisite. The commander must have enough prestige, otherwise it will not work.

But if the country's unified flag is hung, it is unknown how strong the army is. Because a country has heroes and cowards, and cowards not only cannot win the battle, but even their own people will not obey them.

And the one with the surname Long on the rebel side, isn't he the leader of the rebels?

So this is one of the reasons why Pi Baozi thought Liya would be in Tianshui County.

Upon hearing this, the general immediately bowed to Pi Baozi and said, "Congratulations, General. As long as we take Tianshui County directly and prevent that rebel from escaping, you will have made another great contribution!"

Pi Baozi snorted coldly and said, "How could this general ever want to achieve any merit? It's just that the rebel is really too much. He dared to rebel so blatantly. He deserves to be put to death!"

After he finished speaking, Pi Baozi said to a general behind him: "General Zhao Ying, you must lead 10,000 soldiers and horses immediately to capture the city quickly. Don't let the rebels escape."

"Yes, General!" After hearing Pi Baozi's order, a middle-aged general nodded, led 10,000 soldiers out of the team, and rushed towards Tianshui County.

The soldiers stopped only when they came to within an arrow's distance from the city wall. Zhao Ying frowned as he looked at the soldiers on the city wall who were on high alert.

They didn't expect that the other party had already known they were coming and was waiting for them on the city wall.

Liya, wearing a white battle armor, stood on the top of the Tianshui County city wall, looking at the Wei army below the city and said, "It is the Wei army that is coming. I have been waiting for a long time."

Seeing Liya on the city wall, a hint of surprise flashed across Zhao Ying's face. He didn't expect that the leader of the rebels would be so handsome. He had seen many rebels before, and most of them were rough and sloppy looking rebels.

It is really rare to find a rebel as pretty as Leah, and she is a young girl.

"Aren't the generals going to attack the city? Why are they standing still? Are they planning to surrender?" Seeing that the other party was standing still within an arrow's reach, Liya said

Zhao Ying frowned. If Tianshui County had not made any preparations, he could indeed attack the city quickly. However, judging from the current situation, the other party had already made preparations. If he forced the city, it would only cause unnecessary casualties.

However, the role of the vanguard troops is to attract firepower. Their role is like scapegoats, clearing all obstacles for the main force.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ying suddenly laughed. Aren't vanguard troops specifically responsible for this kind of thing? Why was he afraid because of a word from the other party?

PS: Thanks for the fat guy!

Chapter 52: These are elite soldiers?

Zhao Ying immediately gave the order: "Vanguard, listen up! Whoever climbs the city wall first will be promoted one rank! A reward of 100 taels of silver! Whoever can open the city gate will be promoted three rank! A reward of 1,000 taels of silver! Whoever can capture or kill the rebel leader will not only be promoted three rank, but also be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver!"

Upon hearing that they would be promoted to a higher rank and receive rewards of one hundred, one thousand or ten thousand taels of silver, the vanguard battalions under Zhao Ying immediately became energized. The listless soldiers immediately clenched their swords and guns, wishing they could rush forward right away.

Zhao Ying looked at the excited soldiers, and first thought to himself that money can move people's hearts, then he tightened his face and shouted in a deep voice: "Come on, beat the drums and cheer!"

The sound of drums rang out, and the 10,000 vanguard troops led by Zhao Ying immediately rushed towards the city gate of Tianshui County with a roar.

Seeing that the army's morale was high, Zhao Ying couldn't help but smile. Even the heartache he had just felt when the reward was announced seemed a lot less.

Although there were no large-scale siege equipment, Tianshui County was not a military stronghold. With the help of ladders and these fearless soldiers, how could they hold out for long?

On the top of the city wall, Leah looked at the ten thousand soldiers rushing over in a huge crowd. They didn't even have the idea of ​​dividing their forces to attack and test them. They just treated them as ordinary rebels. She felt like laughing but couldn't.

Tianshui County was indeed not a military stronghold. Even if there were more bows and crossbows, they would be powerless against more than 10,000 soldiers rushing up. The city walls might be filled with enemy troops in a moment.

Of course, this is based on the war situation of that era. The only thing the two sides were competing for was which side had more soldiers, who was braver, and who was better equipped.

But times have changed!

She has now produced nearly ten thousand grenades alone. Although it is difficult to bury all these soldiers under the city, it is still very easy to stop more than ten thousand soldiers.

Therefore, Leah wanted to laugh because the enemy generals were very stupid and naive, thinking that they could force their way through the gates of Tianshui County City with only 10,000 men.

I can't laugh because the soldiers below who are trying to force the city gate will be buried under the city because of the enemy's orders. After all, they are all Chinese people.

Liya had a gloomy face. After hardening her heart, she told the soldiers: "Everyone listen to my instructions. Let them rush to the city gate before blowing it up. Also, use grenades sparingly, don't blow them up."

A general on Liya's side weighed the thick black grenade in his hand and said with a hum, "Don't worry, my lord. We have it in mind."

As they were talking, ten thousand soldiers below the city had already swarmed to a place not far from the city gate. The soldiers standing on the top of the city wall could already see the ferocious looks on their faces.

Perhaps these enemy troops were also very confused. Why did the enemy not even fire an arrow during their charge, allowing them to rush to the city without any casualties?

However, they felt that the enemy was frightened by them, and then they climbed up the city wall, seized the city gate, and finally entered the city to burn, kill and plunder!

Even though they were soldiers of the Wei State and fought under the banner of eliminating rebels, even after they won the war, the harm they inflicted on the people was no less than that of the real rebels.

Seeing that the first enemy troops were about to set up the ladder, Liya also shouted, "Fire!"

As Leah threw the grenade first, one grenade after another with smoking butts flew towards the enemy troops under the city.

This grenade is completely different from the last one. Not only has its power increased, but the way it is activated is also different.

In the past, a fire stick was needed to ignite the fuse, but now all you have to do is pull the string, which greatly increases the efficiency of throwing. The most important thing is that you don’t have to worry about rainy days! However, one thing that is still not done well is the time of detonation, which has not been completely standardized.

Therefore, after these grenades were thrown out, some exploded first and some exploded later. Some exploded in the air above the enemy's heads, while others exploded after they hit the ground.

However, because the enemy rushed to the city gate in a swarm, they were still able to cause heavy casualties to them. Under the continuous explosions, thousands of people were killed on the spot and thousands were injured.

After Leah and her men threw two waves of grenades in a row, the remaining thousands of soldiers were scared and scattered.

What about promotion to the first, second, or third rank, and the amount of money you get is 100, 1,000, or 10,000 taels. No matter how nice the official uniform is, or how good the money is, how can it compare to the value of your life?

Besides, Zhao Ying hadn't set up a supervision team yet. If everyone rushed back in a swarm, could he still punish them one by one?

The law does not punish everyone!

On the top of the city wall, even Liya was stunned. This is the vanguard of Wei? Aren’t they elite soldiers? And they are called the vanguard. They should be fearless, right?

But this is just one wave, right? Brothers, are you running back without even setting up a ladder? Wouldn't that make everyone very embarrassed?

Seeing thousands of soldiers running back in a swarm, Zhao Ying's face turned green.

What did I just say? Whoever climbs the city wall of Tianshui County first will be promoted one level and rewarded with 100 taels of silver? Now it seems that this is a big joke, okay!

But after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was understandable. The unknown things dropped by the enemy were indeed terrifyingly lethal. Not only could they kill people directly, but they could also affect people within a range of seven or eight meters. No one knew what they were.

Now even if he personally supervised the battle, the soldiers would not charge forward. You know, the ancients believed in ghosts and gods. In the eyes of these soldiers, Leah had received help from the gods.

Otherwise, how come they suffered thousands of casualties in just one wave?

The enemy army has the help of gods, we can’t defeat them! We can’t defeat them!

Although I already know the reason, this is still a disadvantage in the first battle. How should I explain it to the commander-in-chief later?

They could only tell the truth. After all, the enemy used weapons they didn't understand, so it was understandable that they failed in the siege.

"Have we failed? It seems that the enemy has mastered weapons that we don't understand." After Pi Baozi and the main force arrived at a place not far from Tianshui County, he heard the news that Zhao Ying's vanguard troops had failed in their siege.

There was no big expression on Pi Baozi's face. This was something that was expected. Otherwise, the first opportunity to attack the city would not have fallen to the vanguard troops. It was originally intended to test whether the rumors about the opponent's weapons were true.

But now it seems that the rumors about those weapons are true, but even so, he has to see them with his own eyes.

Chapter 53: Firearms Demonstrate Power

Not long after, Pi Baozi brought the remaining 40,000 troops to a place not far from Tianshui County.

Looking at the thousands of soldiers howling at the city gate, Pi Baozi thought for a moment, then waved his hand to one of his infantry generals and said, "The vanguard troops are losing their morale, and now is the time for the rebels on the city walls to be proud. You must lead your troops to attack the city quickly. After the city is broken, do not put down your weapons for three days!"

The infantry commander didn't know the power of the grenade, and thought the vanguard was just useless. He simply accepted the offer, licked his lips, and asked with a smile, "Don't you want to leave any survivors?"

Pi Baozi hummed and said, "No need. As long as you can take over Tianshui County, everything in the city will belong to you. I only want the rebel's body."

The infantry commander nodded, looked at Zhao Ying with disdain, and then called out to the infantry soldiers behind him: "Come on! Follow me!"

After speaking, the infantry general took the lead and walked towards Tianshui County City.

Zhao Ying, who had just gathered the defeated soldiers in the distance, watched the general go to Tianshui County City so carelessly without reminding him. He couldn't help but want to see how this Bujia general died.

Finally, the look of contempt from the other party made Zhao Ying even more angry. He wished that Liya would blow them all to death right now!

However, this infantry was different from the vanguard troops. It was well-equipped. Each member of this troop was equipped with a long sword and a shield.

They rushed towards the city wall screaming. Seeing this, Zhao Ying was even a little worried whether Leah had enough grenades in her hand.

I hope his vanguard battalion won't really become cannon fodder, allowing this villain to gain the advantage!

Of course, Liya would not let Zhao Ying down.

So what if these infantrymen have wooden shields? The power of a grenade is not determined by its force, but mainly by the lethality caused by the iron fragments inside the grenade after it explodes.

Don't underestimate these iron fragments. Once they hit the human body, it is just like being hit by a bullet, which can almost instantly make people lose their fighting ability. If they accidentally hit the vital parts, they can even kill people.

This wooden shield can only protect against the front at most, but can it protect against the sides and the back? You have to know that after the grenade explodes, it spreads out in a circular manner of 360 degrees. A mere wooden shield is not enough.

As the Wei soldiers continued to charge, once they were within attacking distance, Leah would throw a grenade into the crowd in advance.

As she threw the grenade, as if as a signal, the soldiers on the city wall also threw grenades one after another.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Waves of explosions sounded one after another under the city wall, and the armored soldiers holding shields were screaming in agony from the grenades.

Even more unlucky were the soldiers who were injured in the first wave under the city. They were attacked by the second grenade, and those who were unlucky were killed on the spot.

"It's a pity that this grenade still has many limitations. It would be much better if we had a musket." Leah shook her head as she looked at the soldiers wailing in the explosion below.

Seeing that Liya was dissatisfied with the grenade, Hua Mulan was speechless. Isn't this thing very lethal? Even some masters of the inner martial arts would run away when they saw the grenade thrown at them!

Although the grenade may not be able to hit them, the fragments shot out after the grenade explodes are no different from hidden arrows. Even a top-notch master will be hit if he is not careful.

Of course, this is because Mulan and her friends have never seen modern guns, especially the best of them, the "Namo Gatling Bodhisattva", which can fire 6000 rounds in one breath. Even if Leah sees this thing, she will have to temporarily avoid it.

You know, in Fate, Artoria was once hit by Lancelot with this machine gun and had to dodge it constantly, which shows how powerful it is!