Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

Deep in the Wumeng Mountains in northeastern Yunnan, there is a treacherous valley known locally as "Ghost's Sorrow".

The area is characterized by high mountains, dense forests, steep slopes, and precipitous cliffs. Streams have carved out countless deep gullies, and the air is thick with miasma, so even the local mountain people rarely venture here.

But on Xiao Chen's map, this place was circled and marked with four big characters—Mountain Laboratory.

At dawn, before the thick fog had dissipated, strange sounds, unlike the chirping of birds and the roar of beasts, echoed through the valley.

It was the clanging sound of metal rubbing together, the whistle of a commander, and the orderly yet slightly awkward sound of footsteps.

A force of about two thousand people is conducting an unprecedented live-fire exercise here.

They were not the Shenwu Army of the Beijing Garrison, but the "White Spear Soldiers" that Ma Qiancheng brought from Guizhou, who were skilled in mountain warfare, and a flintlock infantry battalion drawn from the Shenwu Army.

At the front of the group, Ma Qiancheng, dressed in short, tight-fitting clothes with a light rattan soft armor over it, and a specially made short-handled flintlock pistol at his waist, was frowning and deep in thought as he faced a steep hillside in front of him.

"General," said Li Rumei, a young adjutant of the Divine Martial Army (Li Rusong's cousin, skilled in firearms), pointing to several huge "human-shaped targets" built of wood and wet mud on the hillside.

"Our flintlock muskets are perfect for hitting targets on flat ground, but on this hillside, with an elevation angle of over thirty degrees,... can we really hit it?"

Ma Qiancheng grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, but his eyes were as cold as an eagle's: "General Li, firing in formation on the plains is something the Beijing garrison uses. Here in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, it's all mountains! The enemy is hiding behind trees, behind rocks, on cliffs! If you don't learn how to raise your gun and fire, how to set up your cannons where even monkeys can't climb, then you'll just be sitting ducks!"

"Pass on the order!"

Ma Qiancheng waved his hand sharply, "First team, White-Spear Soldiers, seize the high ground on the left flank! Don't worry about what's below, just hold that ridge and don't let the 'enemy' get close!"

"Second squad, Shenwu Army infantry battalion, advance with me head-on! Attention, spread out! Don't huddle together and become easy targets!"

"Third team, artillery company, follow! Find the slope, set up the guns! General Li, your men are responsible for covering the artillery!"

Once the order was given, the two thousand men immediately sprang into action.

The White-Clad Soldiers were as agile as ibex, using the trees and rocks as cover to quickly climb the ridge to the left. The long spears they carried had patterns engraved on the shafts for easy gripping, and the tips were equipped with specially made iron hooks, which could be used for both stabbing and climbing.

Meanwhile, the Shenwu Army infantry on the front line no longer maintained the dense square formations used in the Beijing garrison's drills, but instead formed skirmish lines, with three men in a group, covering each other and advancing in alternating shifts.

The Yuanfeng Type 1 flintlock muskets in their hands demonstrated far superior reliability compared to matchlock muskets in this complex terrain—they were not affected by moisture and could be fired at any time.

The most eye-catching was the artillery detachment that followed the infantry advance.

Instead of using heavy conventional artillery, they pushed several "mountain howitzers".

This cannon was specially designed by Zhao Tie for the terrain of Yunnan and Guizhou. It has a short barrel, low recoil, and can be disassembled and transported by mules, horses, or even manpower on steep mountain roads.

"The slope is too steep; direct aiming won't work!"

Li Rumei lay prone behind a rock, watching the artillerymen frantically adjust the gun mounts. "At this elevation, the shells will fly into the sky!"

"fool!"

Ma Qiancheng cursed and rushed over himself, yelling, "Raise the front legs of the gun carriage! Use stones! Move it back a little more! Do you think this is target practice on flat ground? This is mountainous terrain! You have to calculate the parabola! You have to calculate the blind spots!"

Under Ma Qiancheng's command, the artillerymen finally fixed a howitzer in a relatively stable position, raising the muzzle high and pointing it at a hidden stone cave on the opposite hillside—there, simulating the "enemy's" stronghold.

"Load the grenades!" Ma Qiancheng ordered. "Delay fuse, three seconds!"

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the shell traced a high parabola, crossed the ridge, and crashed directly into the bushes next to the cave!

"Boom!"

An explosion rang out, sending debris flying. The wooden target simulating the "enemy" was blown away by the shockwave, scattering fragments everywhere!

"good!"

Li Rumei couldn't help but exclaim, "This curved-fire cannon is indeed a powerful weapon for attacking mountainous terrain!"

But the exercise was not over. Suddenly, from the other side of the valley, a series of deep, thunderous hoofbeats and low horn calls rang out—it was a simulated attack by enemy elephant cavalry!

A dozen or so "illusions" (made of wood and wet cowhide and pushed by dozens of soldiers) wearing simple armor were seen charging toward the Shenwu Army's infantry position along the narrow passage at the bottom of the valley, surrounded by a group of "infantrymen"!

"Stay calm! Don't panic!"

Ma Qiancheng roared, "General Li, your flintlock musketeers, listen to my command! First round, shoot the elephant legs! Second round, shoot the elephant handlers! Third round, free fire!"

"Skirmish line, retreat! Alternate cover! Let the 'elephant' come within fifty paces!"

Although the Shenwu Army soldiers were tense, they were well-trained and quickly retreated while maintaining a loose formation, constantly moving to the sides to avoid being charged head-on by the "elephant herd".

"put!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A salvo! Although the accuracy was reduced due to the movement of the gun, several lead bullets still accurately hit the "elephant's" leg support points, causing the soldier pushing the "elephant" to scream and fall down, and the model to shake violently.

"put!"

The second salvo! Lead bullets whistled and struck the targets of the "elephant slaves" on the "elephant's back".

"kill--!"

Seeing that the elephant troops' offensive was thwarted, Ma Qiancheng gave an order, and the white-pole soldiers who had been lying in ambush on both flanks descended like divine soldiers from the sky, charging down the slope!

Instead of confronting the "elephant" head-on, they used the iron hooks on their spears to hook onto the connection points of the "elephant leg" model, pulling hard while simultaneously throwing short knives to cut the ropes!

"Crash!" Several "elephants" collapsed with a loud crash, blocking the passage.

Meanwhile, the Shenwu Army's flintlock musketeers had reloaded and launched a third round of precision fire at the chaotic "enemy infantry" targets!

In just fifteen minutes, this simulated mountain combat ended in a complete victory for the "defenders".

Ma Qiancheng wiped the sweat from his brow, looking at the targets and models scattered all over the ground, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "See that? General Li! In these mountains, elephants are useless! As long as we have skirmish lines, indirect fire artillery, and well-coordinated infantry, even if real elephant troops come, they'll be turned into hedgehogs!"

Li Rumei nodded in sincere admiration: "This humble general has learned a great deal. General's 'infantry-artillery coordination' combined with 'skirmish tactics' is simply tailor-made for this mountainous terrain."

"It's not over yet!"

Ma Qiancheng pointed to an even more treacherous path deep in the valley. "Next, we'll practice 'nighttime infiltration' and 'sniping'! His Majesty said that a direct confrontation with these chieftains and Burmese is a poor strategy; we must take down their command center with minimal losses!"

"Pass down the order: no sleep tonight! This 'Ghost-Slaying Scythe' is our whetstone! Sharpen our blades, then we'll go and deal with that old dog Mu Tianbo!"

In the valley, shouts of battle, gunfire, and artillery fire rang out once again, mingling with the howling mountain winds, heralding the prelude to a new era of mountain warfare.

Xiao Chen's "Mountain Warfare Laboratory" is forging this group of warriors from different systems into a sharp blade capable of cutting through the fog of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.