You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

The council hall of the Grand Marshal's Office in Dading Prefecture.

Several more days passed, and the autumn sky was filled with low-hanging leaden clouds, with a biting chill in the air.

But the atmosphere inside the hall was completely opposite to the cold and gloomy atmosphere outside; it was filled with a kind of superficial heat and noise.

Since the day that Living Buddha Sangye Gyatso led the main force of Tantric Buddhism into the city, the Jin army seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline.

The shattered morale was forcibly rallied, and even the gloom of the recent defeat was deliberately masked by a frenzied optimism.

Inside the city, reinforcements from Zhongjing, Xijing, and even further afield were being brought in in waves. Although most of them were exhausted troops, their numbers were considerable, and the defenders on the city walls were visibly becoming denser.

Although the news of the attack on Xincheng made everyone somewhat uneasy about the food supplies, the commander assured them that the follow-up supplies were on their way and that the Dading Prefecture's reserves could last for more than a month, which put everyone at ease.

At this moment, Wanyan Zongfu sat in the main seat, with a group of Jin generals, led by Jia Gu Qingchen, on his left. They were all wearing armor, and their faces were mostly flushed with an abnormal red glow due to the tension of the past few days and the excitement at this moment.

On the right, the Living Buddha Sangye Gyatso remained seated cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, his hand slowly turning the bone beads in his hand, as if the noise of the outside world had nothing to do with him, yet he had become the source of peace for everyone.

Behind him, several solemn masters stood with their hands at their sides.

"Haha, now my Dading Prefecture has over 300,000 elite troops!"

"Furthermore, a Living Buddha and numerous masters are in charge!" A bearded captain waved his arms, spitting as he spoke. "That southern barbarian Zhao Gou, with a mere hundred thousand men, is already at his last gasp, trapped beneath a fortified city!"

"If the Living Buddha uses his supernatural powers to break their sorcery, our army can then launch a surprise attack and capture Zhao Gou in one fell swoop, annihilating his entire army!"

"Exactly!"

"The previous setback was only due to Zhao Gou's trickery and General Gou Ying's underestimation of the enemy."

"Our army is now impregnable, reinforcements are pouring in, and a Living Buddha has even descended upon us; this is the will of Heaven to destroy the Song Dynasty!"

Another general chimed in, his eyes gleaming with greed and malice: "Once we defeat the Song army, I will certainly volunteer to be the vanguard, march straight to Lin'an, and capture all of Zhao Gou's concubines to reward the entire army!"

Foul language mixed with arrogant fantasies echoed in the hall.

Jia Gu Qingchen frowned slightly, feeling that his colleagues had become somewhat carried away. However, seeing that Wanyan Zongfu did not stop them and the Living Buddha seemed not to have heard anything, he kept quiet about it. However, the vague unease in his heart caused by the grain supplies in Xincheng never dissipated.

Why has there been no news from the new city these past few days?

Sangji Gyatso Rinpoche slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping gently over the generals, his voice calm yet authoritative: "Generals, please be at ease."

"That Southern Dynasty ruler possesses extraordinary strength and has skilled generals like Han and Yue under his command, making him a formidable opponent."

"However, evil cannot prevail over good; this is the ultimate truth of heaven and earth."

"The methods of my Tantric Buddhism are precisely designed to counter the heretical and demonic powers of these heretics."

"As soon as the time is right..."

Before he could finish speaking—

"Report—!!!"

A shrill, distorted roar, accompanied by hurried, chaotic footsteps, came from afar and suddenly shattered the superficial liveliness in the hall!

A messenger scrambled into the hall, his helmet askew, his face ashen, and he was trembling so badly he could barely stand. He clutched a sheepskin scroll soaked with sweat tightly in his hand.

"What's the panic?" Wanyan Zongfu's heart skipped a beat, and he shouted sharply.

The messenger fell to the ground, banging his head against the earth, his voice trembling with sobs and despair: "Marshal! Living Buddha! Generals!"

"Something terrible has happened! Urgent report from Xincheng!"

"The new city?" Wanyan Zongfu stood up abruptly, a sense of foreboding growing stronger within him. "Speak!"

"Seven nights ago, Xincheng was suddenly attacked by elite Song troops!"

"The number of people is unknown, but their martial arts skills are extremely high. The leader is a woman, and there are also two elderly men; they are suspected to be top-tier martial arts masters from the Song Dynasty!"

"They...they stormed into the city, setting fires everywhere. The new city's defenders fought desperately, but...but..."

The messenger's voice grew softer and softer, until he was almost sobbing: "Nearly 80% of the grain stored in the new city has been burned!"

"The few remaining scattered pieces are hardly of any use in a major undertaking!"

"The garrison commander of the new city... has died for his country!"

What?

"The grain and fodder were burned? Eighty percent?"

"This is impossible!!"

The room erupted in chaos!

The Jin generals, who had been so full of vigor just moments before, were like roosters with their necks being choked; their flushed faces instantly faded, turning ashen white.

Some people accidentally knocked over wine cups on the table, some suddenly stood up and knocked over chairs, and some even collapsed back down with their legs weak and their eyes glazed over.

Wanyan Zongfu felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. His vision went black for a moment, and he staggered, barely managing to stand by grabbing the edge of the desk.

Eighty percent of the grain and fodder in Xincheng were burned!

What does this mean?

This means that the seemingly massive army of 300,000 in Dading Prefecture is about to become 300,000 hungry mouths!

The grain reserves, enough to support the entire army, will hardly last more than half a month!

And morale...

Kiyoshi Kagaya turned pale; his worst premonition had come true!

He suddenly looked at the Living Buddha Sangji Gyatso, only to see that the usually calm and composed monk paused almost imperceptibly for a moment as he twirled the bone beads in his fingers.

Those eyes, which were always half-closed, opened slightly. A cold, sharp glint flashed in their deep pupils, but their faces remained calm.

Those eyes, which were always half-closed, opened slightly. A cold, sharp glint flashed in their deep pupils, but their faces remained calm.

However, this calm was more unsettling than the panic of the crowd.

"How could the Song army know where the grain supplies were in Xincheng? And how could they have made a silent raid of three hundred li?" a general murmured in despair.

"They're those martial arts masters!"

"It must be them!"

"It's over... With our supplies cut off, how can we defend this city?"

"Report!"

Just as chaos erupted in the hall and despair filled the air, another urgent, even panicked, report tore through the air!

The second messenger practically burst through the door, his voice shrill: "Marshal! The Song army has moved! South gate, east gate, west gate!"

"The main force of the Song army has been deployed in full force, pushing a large number of strange vehicles, and is approaching our city walls. They are already within five li!"

"Han Shizhong and Yue Fei's banners are both in the ranks!"

A double blow followed!

A moment of deathly silence fell over the hall, followed by an even greater chaos.

The despair of having their supplies burned, coupled with the pressure of the Song army's imminent attack on the city, were like two invisible giant hands, gripping everyone's throats.

Sangji Gyatso Living Buddha finally slowly got up, holding the string of black bone beads in his palm.

His voice remained calm, yet carried a chilling undertone: "With our supplies depleted, only a swift battle may offer a glimmer of hope."

"Generals, please follow this old monk to the city wall for a look."

"Let the Song army do whatever they want."

The strong confidence in his words managed to suppress some of his panic.

Wanyan Zongfu gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, and roared, "What's all the panic about?"

"Follow me to the city walls!"

"With the Living Buddha here, what fear is there of the Song army's tricks!"

"Defend the city! Prepare to defend the city!"

The generals, barely managing to rouse themselves, surrounded the Living Buddha and Wanyan Zongfu, and rushed out of the council hall, running wildly towards the south city wall.

Inside the hall, only the two military reports that brought the bad news lay forlornly on the floor, contrasting with the mess in the room and the lingering, false sense of liveliness.

……

The south city wall of Dading Prefecture is over four zhang high and thick. At this moment, it is filled with densely packed Jin soldiers. Archers and crossbowmen are in position, and rolling logs, stones, molten gold, and oil are ready. However, many soldiers have an undisguised look of bewilderment on their faces.

The distant, low drumbeats and faint horn calls sounded like a death knell, striking at my heart.

Wanyan Zongfu, Jiagu Qingchen and others climbed the city wall. Sangji Jiacuo Living Buddha, under the protection of several lamas, also climbed the city wall and looked out of the city.

Several miles away, the Song army stood in neat formation, with banners like a forest, and their swords and spears reflected the gloomy sky, giving them a chilling luster.

Beneath the central banner, Lu Zuo's imperial carriage and the banners of generals such as Han Shizhong and Yue Fei could be vaguely seen.

But what caught the most attention were the dozens of oddly shaped vehicles that were brought out at the front of the battle.

These chariots were taller than ordinary shield chariots, made of thick wood, shaped like chests or cabinets, and their fronts appeared to be covered with raw cowhide that had been soaked in water, with countless fine holes, pointing diagonally towards the city wall.

The vehicles, propelled by mules or soldiers, stopped about 250 paces from the city wall and lined up in a row.

This distance far exceeds the effective range of ordinary crossbows, and even ballistae struggle to hit it accurately.

"What is that?" Wanyan Zongfu squinted, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

The Jin generals were also discussing it amongst themselves, but no one recognized him.

"Judging from its shape, it seems to be a stone-throwing cart? But it has no tip or counterweight."

"Playing tricks!"

An impatient general roared, "Marshal, this humble general requests permission to lead the cavalry out of the city and charge into battle, destroying those strange chariots!"

"Do not act rashly!"

Wanyan Zongfu rebuked, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the Living Buddha Sangji Gyatso beside him.

The Living Buddha's gaze fell on the dozens of strange vehicles. He seemed to speed up the movement of the bone beads, his eyes thoughtful, but he did not utter a word.

Below the city walls, in the midst of the Song army's ranks.

Yue Fei stood immediately to the side and rear of the "swarm" of rocket vehicles, his expression as cold and iron-like.

He raised his right hand, his gaze sweeping over the shadowy, bewildered Jin soldiers behind the crenellations of the city wall, finally settling on a few conspicuous figures in the direction of the city tower.

"Target: city wall defenders and crenellations. Covering fire."

"put!"

The command flag was swung down fiercely!

"ignition!"

The Song soldiers operating the rocket vehicles were already ready. Upon receiving the order, they immediately held up their torches to the dozens of tangled fuses that were exposed at the rear of each of the "swarming" rocket vehicles!

"Hiss hiss hiss hiss!"

The rapid burning of the fuses filled the air!

Immediately afterwards—

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

A deafening roar and explosion suddenly erupted!

It was as if dozens of prehistoric beasts roared destructively at the same moment!

Dozens of rocket vehicles, swarming together, spewed intense flames from every hole in their fronts. Countless rockets, each about three feet long and equipped with sharp iron arrows and gunpowder cartridges, resembled an enraged swarm of wasps or a meteor shower flying backwards, leaving trails of death as they swept towards the southern city wall of Dading Prefecture at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!

In an instant, the sky was obscured by the dense trails of rockets!

"What is that?!"

"Heavenly fire! It's heavenly fire!"

The Jin soldiers on the city wall had never seen such a terrifying and horrifying sight.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

The first wave of rockets had already slammed heavily into the city walls, crenellations, towers, and dense crowds!

The iron arrow pierced deep into the brick, stone, and wood, followed by a violent explosion of the gunpowder cartridge inside!

Broken bricks, wood chips, iron scraps, flesh and blood...

Amidst a continuous series of explosions, they shot out in all directions!

"what!"

"My eyes!"

"Help!"

"Buddha!"

Screams, wails, explosions, and the sound of collapsing buildings instantly mingled together!

The sturdy city walls were breached one after another by blasting, the piles of defensive equipment were set on fire, and the Jin soldiers who could not dodge in time were blown to pieces or riddled with shrapnel.

Even more terrifying, many rockets did not explode immediately, but instead became deeply embedded in the city walls or wooden structures, their tails still burning and causing secondary fires, with thick smoke billowing up!

With just one volley, the once solemn and imposing southern city wall of Dading Prefecture was transformed into a hell of burning, explosions, thick smoke, and death!

The city's defense system, which the Jin army had been building up for many days, instantly fell into unprecedented chaos and collapse under the overwhelming saturation of rockets that were ahead of its time!

Below the city wall, Wanyan Zongfu and his men were desperately shielded by their personal guards with shields, but they were still forced to retreat by the shockwave and flying debris from the explosion. Their faces were charred black, and their eyes were filled with boundless fear and disbelief.

Kiyoshi Kagaya's arm was cut by the shards, and blood was flowing freely, but he seemed unaware of it, just staring blankly at the hellish scene before him.

Three feet in front of the Living Buddha Sangji Gyatso, a faint, almost invisible golden halo swirled, blocking all the dust and debris that were hurtling towards him.

He gazed at the dozens of "swarm" rocket vehicles outside the city, which were beginning to load again, like the gaping maw of death. For the first time, a clear look of solemnity appeared on his usually calm face.

The string of dark bone beads in his hand creaked as he squeezed them.

The Song army did not give the Jin army any chance to regroup.

Yue Fei's icy voice rang out clearly once again through the rumbling explosions:

"Loading complete!"

"The goal remains the same, but the coverage will be expanded."

"put!"

"Swish swish swish!!"

A second, more intense and violent barrage of rockets rose into the air once more, accompanied by a deathly howl, and poured down upon the already devastated city walls of Dading Prefecture!