I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 291 Airdrop
The soldiers of the Northwest Army were overjoyed, but the Turkic camp was deathly silent.

Ge Shuyong said with a half-smile, "Are you saying that you didn't even scratch the surface of the Northwest Army, and were utterly defeated and returned in a sorry state?"

Zuo Nu clutched his right arm, which had been blown off, and said with a grim face, "Marshal, please calm down. It is not that we are incompetent, but that the Northwest Army used the power of the gods to trigger the explosion of landmines, which is why we suffered such heavy casualties."

"Gods? Landmines?" Geshu Yong laughed angrily. "Do you think I, the marshal, am a three-year-old child?"

"There are no gods or ghosts in this world; everything is man-made!"

"Marshal, the power of those landmines is truly beyond human capability!" Zuo Nu's face was pale from blood loss. "I'm sure you could hear the landmines exploding in the camp. The explosions not only killed soldiers but also startled the horses, trampling many surviving soldiers to death in the chaos. The surviving soldiers were terrified, which is why they fled in panic!"

Ge Shuyong did hear a series of loud noises, but he thought they were just some strange tricks or gadgets invented by the people of Dayu to fool people.

Now that Zuo Nu speaks with such certainty, it's clear he underestimated the landmine.

"No matter what, my Turks only have warriors who die in battle, not soldiers who flee for their lives. Your defeat and rout have disgraced my Turkic cavalry!"

Ge Shuyong coldly ordered, "Men, arrest all the deserters from today's battle and give them thirty strokes of the cane!"

"If this happens again, he will be beaten to death!"

Zuo Nu's face was frighteningly pale. Just as he was about to go down to receive his punishment, a knife was plunged into his heart.

"Deserts may live, but deserters will only face death."

Zuo Nu stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his lips trembling for a long time before he reluctantly swallowed his last breath.

The generals inside the command tent tensed up.

"Anyone who dares to speak of the power of ghosts and gods again, don't blame me for disregarding the bonds of camaraderie!"

"Yes!"

Inside the Southwest King's tent, King Xuan, who had just witnessed the power of gunpowder, clutched his heart and pondered how to write a letter to his son.

His father did an excellent job as a matchmaker!

Jiang Yiming stopped fanning himself. What he had just seen and heard was beyond his comprehension, making even this scholar, who always believed in the principle of not speaking of strange phenomena and supernatural beings, unable to help but wonder if there really were gods and ghosts in this world.

"Your Highness, you said that the spy back then spoke with absolute certainty that the princess was already terminally ill and medicine was ineffective. The princess's letter also said that the princess was barely breathing when she was on the estate, but after she got married, she showed no signs of illness."

"Not only are they skilled in farming and business, but they are also adept at horseback riding, archery, and leading troops into battle. Now, they have even created such a powerful weapon. Does Your Highness find anything strange about this?"

King Xuan immediately denied it, saying, "No."

Jiang Yiming choked.

Ignoring Jiang Yiming's hesitant expression, King Xuan declared, "I don't care about Zhaozhao's past, whether she was a god or a ghost, I don't care at all."

"From the day Zhaozhao married into the Xuan Prince's mansion, she became the daughter-in-law of the Xuan Prince's mansion. This prince and Yuanye will definitely protect Zhaozhao. Military advisor, you don't need to mention this matter again."

Jiang Yiming said seriously, "Has Your Highness consulted the Fifth Young Master's opinion?"

What if the Fifth Young Master is scared...?

"My son is no coward, why would he care about his wife's abilities?"

King Xuan was very pleased with this about his son; unlike those useless men who were jealous of talent and afraid that their wives would surpass them and cause them to lose their dignity as men.

Furthermore, "Yuan Ye's affection for Zhao Zhao is even greater than that for me." King Xuan recalled the letter he received from his son a few days ago. Apart from the opening greeting that his father was well, the remaining three main parts were all about urging him to end the war in the southwest as soon as possible, capture Tang Zheng alive if possible, and then return to the northwest to guard against the Turks.

If that's not possible, then just come to the Northeast and let him go back to the Northwest to guard Wuwei.

King Xuan was shocked by the anxiety and fear in his son's letter. Since Yuan Ye joined the army at the age of fifteen, he had never uttered a word of fear.

But now, because of Tang Zhao, he is afraid.

To appease his son, King Xuan abandoned his previous appeasement policy and directly unleashed his most lethal weapon: luring the Southwest Army into a canyon, planting explosives and laying boulders on top, annihilating 10,000 Southwest Army soldiers and capturing 5,000.

Having witnessed the power of explosives, Tang Zheng retreated to the Northwest Army's garrison and refused to come out no matter how much they shouted and cursed at him.

The Southwest Army's garrison was located in an open area nestled among mountains, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, leaving King Xuan at a loss for how to proceed.

Jiang Yiming pondered, "Does Your Highness think an airdrop is feasible?"

"Airdrop?" King Xuan didn't understand.

"Use catapults to drop explosives into the Southwest Army's garrison. To avoid the explosion, the Southwest Army will have to leave the garrison," Jiang Yiming said. "The Prince will lead his men to guard the Southwest Army's escape route and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Great idea!" King Xuan slammed his hand on the table and immediately gave the order.

Jiang Yiming turned and went back to his tent. After hesitating for a long time, he finally picked up his pen and wrote a letter, which he then sent to Jing'an Temple by fast horse.

The soldiers of the Northwest Army used local materials and built dozens of catapults in just seven days, which lined up in a magnificent manner.

The soldiers of the gunpowder battalion placed the gunpowder packets in the catapult's ammunition pouches and took out tinderboxes to light the fuses.

With a hissing sound, the soldiers cut the ropes, and the explosives in the ammunition pouches drew a beautiful parabola in the air, heading straight for the Southwest Army's garrison.

boom!
The fuse, its length precisely measured, ignited the gunpowder the instant the explosive charge hit the ground. The powerful shockwave overturned the Southwest Army's tents, and countless soldiers screamed and fled in all directions to avoid the explosives, plunging the entire Southwest Army encirclement into chaos.

"What's going on?" Tang Zheng walked out of the royal tent after hearing the commotion, and a square cloth bag flew towards him.

"Your Highness, get out of the way!"

The guards outside the tent rushed forward and shielded Tang Zheng with their bodies.

The gunpowder pack exploded upon landing. The powerful shockwave caused Tang Zheng's internal organs to contract, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Your Highness! Let's escape down the mountain!" The lieutenant stumbled and staggered to Tang Zheng's side, dodging the constantly exploding gunpowder packs.

Where are the horses?

"The horses were terrified by the loud noise and went berserk. Most of them broke free of their reins and ran into the mountains. The remaining horses were all injured and could not be ridden at all!"

Tang Zheng helped his deputy to his feet. Looking at the chaotic military camp and the endless stream of gunpowder packs in the sky, Tang Zheng closed his eyes tightly and said with difficulty, "Go down the mountain!"

The deputy general hurriedly summoned the messenger and relayed the order to descend the mountain to all the flag bearers. Upon receiving the instruction, the flag bearers waved their flags to convey the military order.

Upon seeing the flag signals, the Southwest Army split into several groups and fled down the mountain. The Northwest Army, which had been waiting at the foot of the mountain, watched the Southwest Army flee in panic and excitedly charged up to fight them.

King Xuan watched for a long time but Tang Zheng did not come. He had no choice but to rush into the melee with regret.

Tang Zheng had guessed that the Northwest Army would be waiting at the foot of the mountain, so he did not go down the mountain by the main road, but instead went through the dense forest to another camp he had arranged earlier.

(End of this chapter)