Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 234 Shen Yueye: No matter how high your kung fu is, one shot will take you down.

The vanguard of the Otomo family, who had already reached the shore, watched helplessly as their comrades were swept away, swallowing hard.

Then we saw that the Japanese foot soldiers from the Outer Five Banners who were initially fleeing had long since slipped away from the flanks of the battle formation, revealing the Donghai Kingdom's Tanka people in the middle.

They lined up in a neat row, holding their flintlock pistols level.

Shen Yueye raised her hand and threw out her secret military manuals—[Jinghai Military Training Techniques: Linear Tactics] plus [Yangming Military Training Techniques: Unwavering Mind].

One is a furnace that gathers yang energy to extinguish demons and ghosts, while the other can transform miscellaneous soldiers into temple army ghost soldiers.

The two complement each other, multiplying their power. If the Frankish musketeer marines had such a combination, they wouldn't have been unable to break through even the armor of infantrymen.

"Three-stage firing, open fire!"

At Shen Yueye's command, the hundreds of musketeers acted as one, pulling their triggers simultaneously.

boom!boom!boom!boom!boom!
The already shaken vanguard of the Otomo clan seemed to have suddenly crashed into a scorching metal hammer, with the front ranks being slammed to the ground by the enormous impact.

"what--!"

"There's an ambush! Run!"

The group included a non-physical monster that initially didn't take it seriously, ignoring the bullets hitting it and trying to cross the river to escape. However, when it was shot, it was no different from a mortal.

He had only taken two steps forward when he collapsed to the ground, looking down in shock to find his body riddled with bloody holes.

With a torrent of fire behind them and muskets in front, the ordinary foot soldiers, samurai, cavalry, and even the most elite red-armored soldiers in the vanguard were easily harvested like straw in a field under volleys of fire.

Although flint has a higher misfire rate than matchlock, it is completely neutralized by the intense heat of the furnace, becoming even more reliable than matchlock.

Although flintlock muskets were used in boarding actions, only land battles of this scale can truly demonstrate the power of this new weapon.

Tachibana Dōsetsu's "early detection" method became a joke in the face of such musket tactics.

Once the three-stage continuous firing began, it never stopped.

With the added advantage of the military formation, a single flintlock musket could fire five rounds per minute, followed by three-stage rapid fire, resulting in a volley of fifteen rounds per minute. After this, very few people were still standing on the entire western bank of the Chikugo River.

The most conspicuous one was Takahashi Shōun, a fifth-rank samurai and undefeated general, dressed in samurai armor.

His warhorse had long since fallen into a pool of blood, leaving only him, covered in blood, standing alone with his katana in hand, exuding the desolation of a hero's end.

He glanced back at his lord, Yoshishige Ōtomo, who stood on the other side of the river, looking horrified and helpless.

A bitter smile appeared on his face. He pointed his blade at the figure standing beneath the great royal banner on the city wall and roared:
"Head of the Wang family, do you dare to challenge me to a duel on horseback?"
"I've heard your sword is swift; please come and compare it with mine to see which is faster!"

During the Warring States period, the one-on-one duel between generals of two armies was called "Yiqi Tao," which literally means "a duel between two riders."

This was a mainstream method of warfare among early samurai. Both sides would first ride horses and shoot arrows, a practice called "flowing arrow horse," then engage in close combat with swords, and finally the victor would lead his troops in a charge to wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop.

Although firearms and cannons are becoming increasingly popular, "one-man duels" are still a highly regarded fighting style among samurai, and even an important part of the ritual for advancement.

Although the guards around her felt that such a one-on-one duel on the battlefield was meaningless, and that they would not be able to explain to the prince if something went wrong, they did not dare to make a decision for Shen Yueye directly.

"Your Highness, what do you think?"

Excitement gleamed in Shen Yueye's eyes.

Killing powerful targets is exactly within the scope of her business as a female assassin, [Bodhisattva Barbarian]. On the battlefield, she is just a war contractor instead of an assassin; the essence is the same.

Every head is part of the assassin's advancement ritual, especially heads of the same rank, which are the most valuable, with one head being worth more than three!

He waved his hand, dismissing the guards beside him.

He took out a mother-of-pearl box from his Qiankun bag, and inside lay an exquisite gilded short-handled musket.

Completely different from its first appearance two months ago, the gun is now dazzling with light, radiating a dangerous aura like a prehistoric beast.

Clearly, after two consecutive battles where the flintlock musket displayed its might, it had transformed into a true auspicious object [the world's first flintlock musket]!
With a gun in one hand and a ruby ​​dagger formed from the Seven Treasures Ruyi Mantra in the other, Shen Yueye gracefully descended from the city wall and landed lightly in front of the musketeer team, facing Takahashi Shōun directly.

After thinking for a moment, she transformed herself, removing the fox fur coat as a disguise and revealing her stunningly beautiful appearance.

Wearing a jewel-green peacock dance dress, gold-threaded shoes, and a gold-threaded veil covering her face, she was still breathtakingly beautiful even with most of her features obscured.

The purpose of impersonating Wang Cheng was to act as bait to lure the enemy deeper into the territory. Now that the strategic objective has been achieved, there is naturally no need to continue playing along with the enemy.

He toyed with a ruby ​​dagger in his hand, his pair of emerald fox-like eyes looking at Takahashi Shōun opposite him, and said casually:

"My lord is busy with important matters and has no time to deal with a nobody like you."

Judging by the timeline, your powerful ally, Baron Carlo, should be dead by now, and the third-tier ship should belong to the Wang family.

"Make your move, and I'll send you down to reunite with him."

Shen Yueye had already made a public appearance during the war for the founding of the East China Sea Kingdom.

Her brief information was also placed on the desks of the various ninja clans and the local daimyo.

Her identity is shrouded in mystery, shrouded in numerous speculations. No one has ever seen her true face, and no one can remember what she looks like, but the label "the woman of the second Prince Jinghai" is universally acknowledged. Hearing her words, Takahashi Shōun's heart was already filled with turbulent waves.

"What? The head of the Wang family is going to confront the Baron? You even know about a third-tier ship?"

The fact that this mysterious girl claimed Carlo was dead was clearly not unfounded.

His original intention in proposing a "one-man attack" was to buy time and wait for good news from Baron Carlo and the third-class battleship, so that the Ōtomo clan could turn the tide.

I didn't expect that hearing the news would only bring me even stronger despair.

In a fit of grief and anger, Takahashi Shōun pounced on Shen Yueye with a standard Iaijutsu opening move.

"Die!"

A sharp, cold glint of light suddenly illuminated the west bank of the Chikugo River.

—【Draw Sword Technique: Severing the Void】!
Twenty steps, fifteen steps, ten steps.
This undefeated general possessed superb swordsmanship. As if shrinking the distance to an inch, he instantly rushed into Shen Yueye's vicinity within ten steps, his gaze fixed on the ruby ​​dagger in the girl's hand.

It is common knowledge that in close-quarters combat, melee weapons pose a greater threat to officials.

After all, which mid-ranking official could be brought down by a mere musket shot? I've never even heard of such a thing; being executed by naval cannon fire would be more likely.

Then, just as he broke within seven steps of the girl, Shen Yueye suddenly raised his gun and pulled the trigger.

boom!
The thunder roared, overwhelming the surging flood peak beside them.

A crimson line of fire, seemingly splitting the heavens and earth, shot out and headed straight for Takahashi Shōun's face.

The latter immediately realized something was wrong; within seven steps, the shot had completely locked onto his vital points, leaving him with no way to dodge.

"Drink!"

With a roar, he activated "Qi Gathering," forcing him to prematurely strike with his sword.

The blade and the fire line collided with a deafening roar.

Takahashi Shōun had assumed that even a cast iron cannonball would be instantly cleaved in two by his blade.

However, the immense force carried by this projectile far exceeded that of ordinary naval guns, surpassing the limits of its own "harmony between man and nature."

The death knell was already tolling in his ears, and the revolving lantern began to spin rapidly.

It seems that his fate was sealed the moment the gun was fired.

Every nerve in my body is screaming for help:
"I was wrong. I thought that in a mortal world without divine cultivation, firearms might wipe out the knight class and the samurai class."

However, as long as temple soldiers, ghost soldiers, and supernatural powers still exist in this world, cold weapons will not be completely eliminated. In fact, at higher levels, cold weapons become even more dangerous.

Their power has no upper limit; the stronger the master, the greater their destructive power.

I didn't realize until now that a musket could be so powerful.

"My lord! Run!"

These thoughts flashed through Takahashi Shōun's mind in a flash, and he could no longer resist the impact of the bullet. The finely crafted sword in his hand shattered with a crash.

The bullet veered slightly before continuing forward, instantly taking away his left arm and half of his shoulder.

Takahashi Shōun collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Shen Yueye stood rooted to the spot, raised her exquisite musket, and, following Yingzhou tradition, delivered her victory speech:

"I have defeated the enemy's general, the invincible rogue general Takahashi Shōun!"

Of course, she only moved her little finger; the real hero was the flintlock pistol in her hand.

[Rare find: The world's first flintlock musket (a national treasure).]

The flintlock musket has already proven its strength on the battlefield, and even a fool can see its terrifying impact on future world wars.

The fear of countless Ōtomo foot soldiers and Franz musketeers was concentrated on this musket, allowing it to complete its final transformation.

Abilities: Fast shooting speed from seven paces (11.5 meters) away, and both fast and accurate shooting within seven paces!

The base power is greatly amplified, and the power of each shot is equivalent to that of a large-caliber cannon.

From seven paces away, no matter how fast the enemy moves, the gun's owner can draw and fire before anyone else, making it a true weapon of choice for one-on-one duels. Even Pushkin praised it after using it.

Within seven steps, not only is the firing speed faster, but it also has a guaranteed hit effect, leaving the opponent with no choice but to use various means to withstand the attack, making it absolutely impossible to dodge.

Most importantly, this musket can absorb the power of incense offerings and the fear of sentient beings towards flintlock guns, condensing it into a stronger bullet. The longer it accumulates, the greater the power of the next shot.

Two months ago, the Zhang brothers, Wen and Wu, began calculating its capabilities after creating it. A fifth-rank official, careless and choosing close combat, was also taken down by its single shot.

(End of this chapter)