Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

The important thing is that all the members of the vanguard team are familiar with Goro's rock magic. After Goro gives the order, everyone knows which coordinates to hide at and how to act.

This formation is the result of years of practice and coordination between the vanguard and Goro. Having Goro personally engage in combat renders his fixed-position formation techniques practically useless. However, in tactical planning, such a commander is more valuable than ten holders of the God's Eye!

The situation is excellent.

Shen Liang took out his binoculars, stood on the city wall and watched for a while, then asked with some confusion, "Although the fighting is quite good, what are those chariots of the Shogunate army for? Why haven't they made any moves since landing? And they're covered with tarpaulins, could they have some kind of backup plan?"

"A backup plan?" Coral Palace Ryuka was quite wary and snatched Shen Liang's binoculars away. "Hey, this thing can see really far. It's much better than the binoculars we made. Ryu-chan has quite a few treasures on her."

She then looked in the direction Shen Liang had indicated, and upon seeing the siege engines, smiled and said, "Those are siege engines and ladder trucks, used to breach the city. But right now their assault teams can't get through; if the siege engines drove straight over, we'd burn them down from our high ground."

"burn?"

“We still have a few holders of the Fire God’s Eye. If they don’t have an advance force to rush to the city wall and fight us, then if they dare to put down a siege ladder, we will send people to destroy it. If the siege engines can’t get here, they will be doused with oil and set on fire on the way,” Coral Palace Liuge laughed. “These siege weapons will only be useful when our front line is wiped out and we directly attack the city.”

Shen Liang understood, having watched many ancient war dramas. Siege ladders and siege engines could only be effective when the defending side had completely retreated to the top of the city walls, because at that point, most ranged weapons would be ineffective due to their angle.

As long as there are still resistance forces outside, siege equipment cannot be used.

But Shen Liang still felt something was off.

If they are not intended to be used now, then the chariots should be placed at a distance, in a concentrated area, and preferably in a location that is easy to start. This is because chariots of this era have wooden and iron wheels, making them extremely tiring and difficult to move.

However, many of the shogunate's chariots, which were covered with cloth, were placed on beaches full of soft sand, where it was quite difficult to push their wheels.

Moreover, the tanks weren't grouped together; instead, they were scattered here and there, each roughly spaced apart, their positions neatly coordinated. They stretched from the eastern landing beach of Tengdou Fortress all the way to the distant Tabai Sandbar…

—Treading on sand?

Why is that chariot trampling on sand?!

Shen Liang was momentarily stunned. The Tasha Sandbar was separated from here by the Mingzhui Beach, and the chariot was at least twenty miles away!

Moreover, what kind of chariot is not on the ground, but placed halfway up a mountain?

Then, Shen Liang's face turned pale instantly.

“Miss Liu Ge!” Shen Liang’s voice trembled. He rarely spoke in such a serious tone, which made Coral Palace Liu Ge pause in surprise. “There’s a problem. Those covered things are most likely not tanks! I don’t know what they are, but I have a feeling—those things are scattered, each in an open firing range. If those things were tanks, they could see both of our heads in their scopes!”

Shen Liang knew that Coral Palace Liuge didn't understand what a tank was, but he should understand what she meant.

"Immediately send men to raid those chariot positions, at least to see what's inside! I'm not exaggerating, didn't you notice that they said they were going to launch a siege, but they haven't actually charged even once! Miss Liuge, don't you suspect that the main battle is just a feint?"

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Chapter Forty-Eight: The War Begins

Coral Palace Ryuka was taken aback by his sudden change of topic, but after observing the "chariots" for a while as Shen Liang had suggested, she shook her head: "Goro is on the front lines, so he must have observed them more clearly than you and I. If those aren't chariots, how will the Shogunate army attack the city? This isn't the first time we've experienced this kind of battle, so you can relax."

However, Shen Liang completely disagreed with her. He knew this was because he was a modern person, and modern people's "sense" about war was different from that of ancient people. Many things that modern people would immediately suspect were "ghostly," but ancient people didn't see it that way.

While it may be problematic to view ancient warfare from a modern perspective, Shen Liang knew that this world had a highly developed mechanical industry, and even autonomous robots existed... So, were there no other war machines?

Seeing that the soldiers on the surrounding city walls, who were watching the battle intently, were completely unaware, Shen Liang stared at Coral Palace Liu Ge with a sharp look in his eyes: "How can war be viewed with conventional thinking? What if Goro didn't notice those chariots either? What if he also thought there was no need to observe those chariots? What if those things were cannons? How could we possibly stop them when we were completely unprepared? Many of us would die!"

Coral Palace Ryuka chuckled, "Mr. Shen, don't think of my army as so incompetent. Once those chariots make a move, Goro will be the first to react and block their path. Whatever it is, as long as it doesn't get close to the city walls, there's no danger, right?"

"Absurd!" Shen Liang disagreed. "What if those things were a few cannons!"

"What is a cannon?" Ruka Sango tilted her head, looking confused.

Shen Liang felt a chill run down his spine. So that's how it is. The Coral Palace's army had never even seen this thing before... But Shen Liang knew very well that this world could manufacture firearms...

If they have the technology to manufacture muskets, how could they not be able to manufacture cannons?

"Alright, alright, Liangjiang, don't be in such a hurry. It's making your aunt's heart ache." Shanhu Gong Liuge ruffled his hair and laughed. "What you said makes some sense. Let's see. Then pass on my order to have the vanguard scramble a portion of their forces to scout ahead..."

Before she could finish speaking, the sky twenty miles away suddenly brightened for a moment!

"boom!!!"

A thunderous roar approached from afar, growing louder and louder with each passing moment!

Shen Liang reacted almost instantly, grabbing Coral Palace Liu Ge and the priestess Si He beside her and throwing them to the ground! At the same time, he immediately shouted to the surroundings, "Enemy! Fire! Cannons! Take cover!"

however.

Almost everyone just stared blankly as he tackled the two witches to the ground. Some people looked on with surprise and uncertainty, some pretended to come at him, and some even looked at him and laughed—but no one raised their shields, let alone crawled down and hid behind the city wall.

"boom!!!"

The cannonball, like an arc of light, crashed down on the city wall with a deafening roar.

Subsequently, the shockwave from the shell spread directly across the battlements, causing the undulating walls to resemble a Rubik's Cube being torn apart by external forces. The bricks were twisted and tumbled by stress before exploding.

Those on the city wall were simultaneously thrown off balance by the shockwave, some even being hurled seven or eight meters into the air. The blast wave from the exploding shells caused tinnitus and even deafness in everyone. Continuous sections of the wall were shattered, like falling meteorites. The squad of soldiers closest to the impact point was directly torn apart by the shockwave, their flesh and blood scattering for nearly a hundred meters. Even Shen Liang could feel the warmth on his face.

Having never witnessed war before, Shen Liang was somewhat bewildered. He touched his face, his fingers stained red.

But at this moment, Coral Palace Liuge also realized what was happening. She quickly got up, not caring about Shen Liang, but seeing the soldiers around her also getting up, she immediately shouted, "Don't get up!"

The soldiers, who had been trained by Ruka Sango for many years, had their obedience to Ruka Sango ingrained in their bones. They didn't even bother to find Ruka Sango's location before immediately raising their shields to cover their bodies.

This action saved their lives.

The shells were just the beginning; the next second, countless cannon shots rang out! The cannons, disguised as tanks with tarpaulins, fired in unison, like a rain of meteors!

Dozens of shells, spanning hundreds or even thousands of meters, ripped through the air, purple lightning crackling around them, their majestic power capable of destroying the heavens and the earth.

The explosion of the shells hitting the city wall could not only destroy a large area, but also release a high-energy electric current, which would electrocute people in a wider range into charred remains.

The entire continuous battlements trembled, and none of the soldiers dared to raise their heads. Even so, they could only pray that the cannonballs would not fall on their side, otherwise even protecting themselves with large shields would be of no use.

Everywhere there were wails and screams.

Unable to bear the fear of hiding behind the city wall any longer, someone threw down their shield and roared, trying to get up to see what was attacking them. Then Shen Liang saw a cannonball explode not far from him, and the flying debris easily pierced his neck. His roar stopped abruptly, and he clutched his neck and fell forward, plummeting from the high city wall.

Ruins and broken walls.

There is no difference between the city walls and hell.

Shen Liang was stunned. Because he had seen dead people and even killed people with his own hands, he had a strong mental fortitude. Even if he was uncomfortable with the war scene, it shouldn't have caused him to have a mental breakdown.

But he just lay on the ground, motionless.

All around were falling fire rain, burning gun barrels, Coral Palace flags torn to shreds by artillery fire, and blood trickling into streams. There were also wounded soldiers screaming in agony, Coral Palace Ryuka shouting for order, and the rapid whooshing sound of artillery shells cutting through the air.

All they could see was blood and fire, and all they could hear were cries and curses.

The world is crowded and noisy, and Shen Liang feels as if she is detached from it all, and doesn't want to perceive anything.

I just want to hide away.

“Shen Liang…”

"Shen Liang!"

"Shen Liang!!"

Someone slapped him.

Coral Palace Ryuka's eyes were bloodshot as she glared at him fiercely. "Stop fucking spacing out! Do you have any ideas?!"

“A solution…” Shen Liang’s eyes cleared as she was pulled by the collar. “What solution? Explain what it is first.”

"Kamijujima Collapse Cannon!" Sangomiya Ryuka gritted her teeth. "A weapon that only existed in data, I never thought Fontaine would actually develop it! I thought it wouldn't be put into use for at least ten years! The Shogunate actually spent so much money to buy this kind of thing, the cost of one of these is equivalent to a Death Star!"

"You, as a leader, can't you even think of this?!" Shen Liang met her gaze without backing down.

This time, Coral Palace Ryuka didn't care about his rude words, but just closed her eyes in pain. "Theoretically, the value of Umijima Island should not be valued so much by the shogunate. This kind of weapon is extremely expensive. I only heard that the shogunate wanted to buy it as a defense line for Futabasa... I didn't expect the shogunate to use it here!"

Chapter 49 Nine-Sara

Unexpected, absolutely unexpected!

How can war bring so many unexpected events?

But at this moment, it was pointless to blame Coral Palace Liuge. Shen Liang looked around blankly. This round of bombardment had already caused heavy losses to the city wall troops, with at least 20% of them either dead or crippled.

He saw that the shelling had stopped, and the priestesses of the Coral Palace had climbed the walls and were recklessly providing first aid to the soldiers. But he also saw, in the distance, in the territory of the Shogunate army, the Kamui Island cannons were undergoing their second round of reloading.

Then another sweep will be launched, and with such a devastating offensive, the city walls simply cannot hold.

Most importantly, the city wall had already collapsed significantly after just one round of bombardment. If a few more rounds were launched, there would probably be no need to defend it at all, as the city wall would be reduced to ruins.

Without the support of city walls, the height of the Fujidou Fortress was simply insufficient to provide a commanding position. The shogunate army could then launch a full-scale assault, and the sheer number of troops would be enough to crush them decisively.

"There's no way," Shen Liang said in a low voice.

"Mr. Shen!" The witch Sihe looked at him anxiously, "Since you were prepared for the shelling, you should have some..."

“Those cannons are miles away from us, behind enemy lines! What can we do? Is there any way to destroy those cannons now?” Shen Liang didn’t look at her desperate face. “I… I’m just a businessman, not a soldier.”

Sihe knelt on the ground, utterly dejected, her eyes blank as she looked at the fallen soldiers around her.

Most of the priestesses of Coral Palace have good relations with the military. When the priestesses go out, they need soldiers to escort them, and the soldiers' logistics and medical care also rely on the medical skills of the priestesses.

And it was only because of Coral Palace's poor intelligence that the war had just begun, yet the casualties were already unacceptable to her.

She recognized all these people; every face was that of her former companions and comrades-in-arms with whom she had shared laughter and conversation.

Shen Liang turned his head and saw that Coral Palace Liuge had already left.

Unlike Sihe, she was not swayed by her emotions. She took off her disguise, revealing a bright red lady's armor, and walked along the narrow city wall, holding a long spear.