My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 409 Bloodbath at Xuanwu Gate (Continued)

"These car crashes feel a little different."

On the Xuanwu Gate, watching the charging army, Cheng Yaojin showed no signs of tension, responding as smoothly as if he were eating or drinking, and was even somewhat excited.

After all, he had spent his whole life fighting wars and had experienced so many battles, big and small, that even he himself had lost count.

Having not fought for so many years, Cheng Yaojin felt only comfort upon returning to the battlefield.

His keen battlefield senses made him realize something was different.

Conventional siege tactics were all too familiar to him; he probably knew all kinds of siege equipment better than his wife.

Even under the cover of night, Cheng Yaojin noticed the difference.

"What did you say?"

"louder!"

Yuchi Jingde stood next to Cheng Yaojin, but Cheng Yaojin's words were muffled in the wind.

The cannons weren't actually that powerful; they were mainly used to attack the towers on the city walls.

It looks terrifying at first glance, but the damage is actually not that great; if you just stay away, you can save your life.

But artillery is not just a physical attack; the enormous sound waves, if they explode nearby, can rupture your eardrums.

Yuchi Jingde wasn't very lucky; during the earlier artillery bombardment, a shell landed not far from him.

Although there was no physical injury, the hearing was indeed damaged.

Like Yuchi Jingde, many soldiers on the city wall were like this.

Helpless, Cheng Yaojin had no choice but to repeat it loudly once more.

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde opened his eyes wide and looked closely.

As they got closer, the details of the crash became clearer.

"It is a little different, there have been some changes."

"Her head seems a bit short, and her belly is quite big, like a pregnant woman."

"Could it be that someone was hidden inside the crashed car?"

Yuchi Jingde frowned as he analyzed the situation; he also felt that the car crash might not be so simple.

"How many can be hidden here?"

Cheng Yaojin glanced at it again and said casually.

"Not a Tibetan, that is..."

As he spoke, Yuchi Jingde's eyes suddenly widened.

Cheng Yaojin also realized what was happening.

They weren't Tibetans, but they had hidden gunpowder.

With such a large amount of gunpowder, the city gate would definitely be destroyed.

"This is bad! We can't let them get near the city gate!"

"They're going to blow up the city gate!"

Yuchi Jingde shouted loudly.

Cheng Yaojin then said, "Let's bring out the Thunderbolt and shoot it with the ballista."

"If we can blow him up, we can detonate all the Thunderbolts inside."

Yuchi Jingde immediately nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it that way."

At a single command, soldiers immediately went to carry the Thunderbolt Fire.

These firecrackers were naturally sent by the Imperial Gunpowder Bureau, and to prevent them from being detonated, they were hidden in secret compartments under the city walls.

A large number of Thunderbolts were installed, similar to those created by Li Chengqian, except that they might be slightly inferior in terms of fuse and power, but they were certainly sufficient for defending the city.

distance.

Li Chengqian stood on a high platform, observing the situation on the city wall with a monocular telescope.

With current technology, it is impossible to manufacture glass, but that does not prevent the creation of a telescope using the finest transparent crystal through manual polishing.

The distance isn't quite enough, but you can still see about three or four miles.

The situation on the city wall was completely visible.

"Prepare for the second round of artillery bombardment."

"They may have noticed something amiss with the ram and are carrying gunpowder and ballistae onto the city wall to destroy our ram."

Li Chengqian immediately gave the order.

Artillery should be used to cover the ramming.

They could use ballistae to fire thunderbolts to ignite the gunpowder in the crash vehicle, just as Li Chengqian could use cannons to ignite the thunderbolts of the imperial court.

"boom!!!"

Upon receiving the order, the artillerymen immediately opened fire on the city wall.

"Dodge!!!"

Upon hearing the roar, Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin immediately shouted.

In fact, they didn't even need to be told; the soldiers dropped their ballistae and thunderbolts and immediately rushed into the city walls.

Boom, boom boom boom!
Unsurprisingly, many Thunderbolts and Ballistae were destroyed, and the resulting Thunderbolts even caught fire on the city walls.

This is due to the manufacturing process; the gunpowder is not granular, which can lead to incomplete explosions.

Fortunately, the city walls were made of bricks and stones, with not much combustible material. In preparation for this defense, a lot of water had been prepared inside the city walls, and the fire was extinguished after a few basins of water were poured on it.

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin were somewhat shocked.

It seemed as if their every move had been seen.

Keep in mind that the Thunderbolts and Ballistae had only just been brought up, and the enemy soldiers were already attacking the city. Wasn't the Crown Prince afraid of accidentally injuring friendly forces?
The artillery had been silent for quite a while, what a coincidence?

The soldiers near the city wall could see some of the situation, but they couldn't immediately relay the message back.

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin exchanged a glance.

Wait until the shelling stops.

There were hardly any ballistae and thunderbolts left on the city walls.

"Continue. I refuse to believe that the Crown Prince can see right through us."

"This is not daytime."

After discussing it with Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde immediately decided to continue.

With the collision imminent, I don't believe the Crown Prince's side would dare to fire.

far away.

Seeing Li Chengqian bustling about on the city wall again, he laughed and said, "He really hasn't given up his wicked intentions."

"Send the order to prepare for the third round of bombardment."

On the city wall, another batch of ballistae and thunderbolts had just been brought up.

boom!
Hundreds of cannons roared again, forcing the defenders on the city walls to take cover.

Another batch of ballistae and Thunderbolts were destroyed.

The soldiers quickly splashed water.

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"This is fucking bizarre."

"Could it be that we have spies here?"

Cheng Yaojin glanced at the pitch-black outside and said subconsciously.

Yuchi Jingde snorted coldly: "Even if there are spies, they can't transmit the message."

Now that the two armies are at war, even if there are people from the Crown Prince's faction in the defending army, how can they send messages?

Jump off the city wall and shout!
Cheng Yaojin blushed, realizing he had said something foolish.

Then he became a little confused: "What on earth is going on!"

They've all been fighting for most of their lives, and they've never encountered anything so bizarre.

It was as if every move on the city wall was being watched, which was terrifying.

One time could be a coincidence.

Twice?
Just then, the ballistae and thunderbolts were brought up, and the cannons fired.

It's impossible for things to happen so coincidentally twice.

On the city wall.

The soldiers were also terrified.

They were all veterans of the battlefield, and even members of the imperial guards; they were experienced. "That damn cannon is firing again! That spark almost hit my face!"

A soldier, his face covered in soot, huddled behind the battlements, his voice trembling, the spear in his hand shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind.

"Is this the second time? Every time we just bring the Thunderbolt up, the shells over there seem to have eyes and start raining down on us!"

An old soldier with a scar on his face spat out a mouthful of blood and cursed in a hoarse voice, "It's weird! It's really weird! I've fought with General Cheng for twenty years and I've never seen anything like it. The sound of the cannons was like thunder, making people's heads hurt. The key is, how come they were so accurate?"

He pointed in the dark direction outside the city: "It's pitch black, how would they know when we're going to move our gear? Could it be... could it be that the Crown Prince really has divine assistance?"

"Ghosts and gods my ass!" another soldier huddled in a corner scoffed. "I think we have a spy here! Otherwise, how come it's always like they time it perfectly? Last time, I just nocked the ballista and a cannonball came, blowing the arm off the guy next to me..."

Before he could finish speaking, the veteran slapped him hard on the back of the head.

"Bullshit!" the veteran whispered, his eyes filled with fear and ruthlessness. "Two armies are locked in battle, how would a traitor send a message? By pigeons, you think? Have you seen any pigeons?"

"Even a pigeon wouldn't be this fast!"

He paused, his voice suddenly weakening, "But...but this is too strange...it's like we're standing in the light, and someone is watching our every move from the shadows..."

Several soldiers around him nodded, their faces pale. One of them secretly peeked at the siege ram in the distance; the thing was getting closer and closer, its dark outline in the night resembling a monster ready to devour its prey.

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin were both veteran generals who had led troops for many years, so they naturally knew about the morale situation.

"What the hell are you all hiding for? Do you think you can dodge cannonballs by acting like turtles?"

"Strange? Strange my foot!"

Cheng Yaojin cursed in a loud and unrestrained manner.

Several soldiers who were trembling violently looked up instinctively after his shout. Seeing Cheng Yaojin's nonchalant expression, they immediately felt much more at ease.

If the general remains calm, the soldiers below will naturally stay composed.

"Stop being so paranoid!"

Cheng Yaojin kicked a new recruit next to him who was holding his head: "A spy? If there really were a spy, would we still be standing here breathing?"

Everyone actually fell for Cheng Yaojin's tricks; after a few words, the tense atmosphere dissipated.

Yuchi Jingde did manage to figure something out.

"It's probably because the Crown Prince has created some new invention, similar to the curved plow cannon."

"When the Crown Prince attacked Goryeo, who would have thought that gunpowder would still exist?"

"When those Goryeo soldiers saw it for the first time, they were as if they had seen a god or Buddha. Nine-tenths of their courage was gone."

"We've figured it out. Gunpowder is just like that, and we can use it too."

“The Crown Prince is skilled in creation; he must have created something, but we just can’t figure it out.”

This explanation immediately put everyone at ease.

After all, the Crown Prince had a great reputation for being good at creating things.

Yuchi Jingde's analogy using gunpowder was very effective.

If you don't know anything about gunpowder and have never seen it before, who wouldn't be afraid of such an explosion?

Besides, the Crown Prince isn't the one who invented gunpowder, curved plows, bamboo paper, rubbings, official gazettes, or the recently famous triple-harvest rice.

Who wouldn't be confused after hearing that?

"Perhaps if the crown prince ascends the throne..."

Thinking about it this way, some soldiers muttered to themselves.

Ultimately, this battle belongs to His Majesty and the Crown Prince, to the father and the son.

The soldiers didn't have many thoughts about this; they also had sons at home.

Isn't the crown prince going to be the emperor in the future?

What belongs to the father is just like what belongs to the son; is it really necessary to fight to the death over it?

What an excellent prince! I've never heard of such a capable prince even in storytelling.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you want to die?!"

Upon hearing the muttering, Cheng Yaojin immediately kicked the muttering soldier, knocking him to the ground.

"General, spare my life! I was talking nonsense. I was stunned by the cannon fire."

The fallen soldier immediately realized what was happening and begged for mercy.

Such words, to put it bluntly, are a crime punishable by death.

Some things are better left unsaid; to say them out loud is a grave sin.

Cheng Yaojin wouldn't hold it against him.

He's not the type to hold grudges.

Back when I was fighting alongside Your Majesty in the north and south, I did curse and swear at Your Majesty sometimes.

He had said this to Lao Hei countless times in private, so naturally he didn't take it seriously.

Besides, many of these imperial guards are old comrades, so there's no need to be too concerned.

"okay."

Yuchi Jingde interrupted, "Stop dawdling, the chariot is coming right up, tell the brothers to get ready."

"If they won't let us use the ballistae, then we'll just have to wait for the ram to come."

"Light the Thunderbolt later and throw it directly down from the city."

"I don't believe that even when they're all fighting each other, they'll still dare to fire."

With Yuchi Jingde giving his orders and making arrangements, the Imperial Guards didn't think twice and obeyed.

Below the city, the rammed car had already rushed to within a hundred meters of the city gate.

In reality, the car wasn't traveling very fast; it took two rounds of artillery fire for it to arrive.

Two miles is at most a little faster than walking.

The car was a big, heavy thing, and it took more than ten strong men to push it.

The Imperial Guards who were carrying the Thunderbolt Fire were quite tense this time, their minds not on the city walls, but on the distant horizon.

If there's any movement, they'll drop the Thunderbolt and run.

Fortunately, this time the situation was the same as Yuchi Jingde had predicted. They were already at the city gate when the other side dared not fire any cannons, as it would be easy to cause accidental casualties.

"At your command!!!"

"nod!"

"leave!"

On the city wall, soldiers bent over, holding firecrackers wrapped with fuses, and threw them down towards the city gate the moment they were lit.

Boom boom boom!
Beneath the city walls, flames soared into the sky, illuminating the entire night.

The first car to collide was hit by a Thunderbolt.

Wood chips flew everywhere, and half of the frame was blown apart.

Several soldiers nearby were instantly blown away by the shockwave, their armor hanging like rags on the battlements, blood and flesh splattered all over the ground.

The gunpowder used by the imperial court was less powerful, but they dared to use high-quality materials.

If quality is insufficient, quantity can compensate.

Li Chengqian's previous gunpowder was ten catties, at most twenty catties.

The gunpowder department directly ordered forty or fifty catties.

Not only did it explode, it also set off a huge fire.

The entire vehicle was engulfed in flames, and the soldiers nearby hurriedly scattered and fled.

"Something's wrong."

Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin shouted for their brothers to hide.

According to their guess, the car must have contained a large amount of gunpowder, intended to blow up the city gate.

But the whole car was on fire, so why was there not a single sound?
guessed wrong?
Of course, I wasn't wrong, just not right.

Li Chengqian knew perfectly well that the imperial court had a large amount of gunpowder, so how could he possibly hide gunpowder in the car that crashed earlier? Wouldn't that be like blowing up his own people?

True and false, false and true.

The cars that crashed earlier were actually all empty inside.

There are dozens of car crashes here, how could they possibly be hiding all the gunpowder? There isn't that much gunpowder in stock either.

The only ones who actually hid gunpowder were the three crash cars.

As the imperial army's thunderbolts exploded below the city, their flames illuminating half of the city wall, a large number of cloud chariots also approached the city wall.

The iron hooks of the cloud carts were hung on the battlements, and the drawbridge, level with the city wall, was lowered.

A large number of elite Liaodong troops, clad in armor, charged forward.

(End of this chapter)