The Tyrant of the Great Qian Dynasty: Not only will I refuse to arrange a marriage alliance, but I w

The deployment map and tiger tally brought by Zhang Hu were like an oasis to Huyan Ba, a desert traveler's dream.

He summoned all his generals to the central command tent.

The atmosphere inside the large tent was oppressive.

Last night's crushing defeat left these usually arrogant grassland men looking utterly dejected, like wilted eggplants.

Huyan Ba ​​slammed the sheepskin map of defense onto the table.

"Cheer up, everyone!"

He looked around at the crowd and shouted sternly.

"Last night, we were defeated! But we were defeated by Su Zhe's sorcery, not by the army of Daqian!"

"Now, the Eternal Heaven has given us a new opportunity!"

He pointed to the map and briefly explained how Zhang Hu surrendered and presented the defense map and tiger tally.

Upon hearing this, the generals inside the tent regained their spirits, their previously dim eyes brightening once more.

They leaned closer and studied the picture carefully.

In the end, everyone's attention fell on the words marked with cinnabar.

"The soil at the foundation of the western wall is loose; we can try digging a tunnel."

Dig a tunnel?

This thought lingered in everyone's mind.

Inside the tent, a white-haired general, known in the army for his maturity and prudence, was the first to raise his concerns.

"Great Chanyu, could there be a trap in this matter?"

He pointed to the map and said, "Could this be another of Su Zhe's tricks? We failed in both the frontal assault and the night raid. Why would he mark such a crucial weakness on this map for us to see?"

His words calmed the crowd down, who had just become excited.

Yeah, that kid Su Zhe is as cunning as a fox. Who knows if this is yet another trap?

Before Huyan Ba ​​could answer, Zhang Hu, standing to the side, preemptively bowed to the old general and explained:

"General, you are unaware of this."

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the veteran.

"This map is an old map left by the Ministry of Works of the previous dynasty, not drawn by Su Zhe. That Su Zhe has only been on the throne for a short time, and he may not know all the secrets on this map. When I stole this map from the treasury, he probably hadn't even had time to examine it closely."

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"As for the method of digging tunnels, it is a massive and time-consuming project that cannot be accomplished in a day. He assumed that our Northern Barbarian army was not skilled in civil engineering and did not have the patience to resort to such a drastic measure, so he was lax in his defenses."

This explanation sounds reasonable and well-founded.

This dispelled most of the doubts in the minds of the generals.

Huyan Ba ​​was also completely convinced.

He thought that although Su Zhe's cannon magic was powerful, it couldn't possibly hit the ground, could it?

As long as they can dig a tunnel without anyone noticing, leading to the base of the city wall.

Then they buried a large amount of gunpowder, completely blasting down a section of the city wall.

At that time, his iron cavalry will be able to pour into the city.

Even with extraordinary abilities, Ren Suzhe could not escape annihilation in the face of overwhelming numerical superiority!

This plan is feasible!

He immediately ordered all the slaves in the army and some of the Daqian people captured the previous night to secretly begin digging a tunnel in a depression several miles away on the western outskirts of the city.

In order to avoid being discovered by the guards on the city wall.

Huyan Ba ​​ordered his army to continue harassing attacks at the north and south gates.

The war drums continued to beat deafeningly.

The shouts of battle continued to rise and fall.

All of this was done to draw the attention of the city's garrison.

But the real killing move was quietly unfolding beneath the calm grounds of the western part of the city.

Night is the best cover.

The low-lying area in the west of the city became a secret construction site.

Tens of thousands of slaves and prisoners, driven by the whips and scimitars of the supervisory team, dug day and night.

The excavated soil was packed into sacks and quietly transported to a distant location for disposal.

The entire project was carried out without anyone noticing.

The excavation lasted for two days and two nights.

A tunnel, several meters underground and wide enough for two people to walk side by side, leading to the base of the capital city wall, is already taking shape.

Inside the tunnel, simple reinforcements were carried out using wooden planks and pillars.

Huyan Ba ​​personally went down into the dark and damp tunnel to inspect it.

He stroked the damp soil on the tunnel walls, feeling the faint vibrations coming from above.

He could already hear the cries of the people in the capital city when it fell.

A ferocious smile appeared on his face.

"Su Zhe, let's see how you handle this now!"

He ordered the engineers to prepare all the gunpowder stored in the camp.

He wanted to give Su Zhe a big "surprise" tomorrow morning, when the first rays of sunlight illuminated the capital.

However, what none of them knew was...

Within the city walls above them, an even larger project was being carried out in secret.

Through the intelligence relayed back from "Zhang Hu" by the Shadow Dragon Guard, Su Zhe had a thorough understanding of the enemy's tunnel excavation route, depth, and progress.

The engineers of the Great Qian Dynasty, under the command of officials from the Ministry of Works, are digging a tunnel that runs parallel to and in the opposite direction to the tunnels of the Northern Barbarians.

No, that's not a tunnel.

Standing atop the city wall, Su Zhe could even feel the faint digging sounds emanating from deep beneath his feet.

A cold smile appeared on his face.

He asked the Ministry of Works official beside him in a low voice:

"Tell the people below, how's the digging of our 'aqueduct' going?"

The Ministry of Works official bowed and replied:

"Your Highness, everything is going smoothly. The irrigation canal has been dug to its designated location and is now connected to the Jinshui River within the city."

"very good."

Su Zhe nodded and continued to give instructions:

"Remember, make sure there is plenty of water."

"I would like to invite the guests from outside the city to have a proper bath."

The engineers of the Great Qian Dynasty were not digging tunnels for a counterattack.

It is an irrigation canal.

The source of the canal is directly connected to the Jinshui River, which flows through the city.

The engineers built a temporary water reservoir directly above the Northern Barbarian tunnels using heavy wooden planks and rammed earth.

The rushing waters of the Jinshui River are continuously drawn into it.

We are just waiting for a signal, just waiting for the enemy below to have all the gunpowder in place.

At that time, the wooden planks supporting the bottom of the reservoir will be removed.

The rushing river, with immense force, would pour into the tunnel below.

The tunnel that Huyan Ba ​​had placed so much hope in would become an underwater tomb burying thousands of people.

It was early morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The engineers from the northern barbarians had carefully transported tons of gunpowder to the base of the city wall.

They are busy setting up long fuses.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement and anticipation.

An engineering chief was making a final check, imagining what kind of reward he would receive when the tunnels were blown open and the army poured into the city.

Suddenly, he heard a strange "creaking" sound coming from the soil above his head.

The sound was like some kind of structure being compressed and breaking.

He looked up in confusion.

A drop of water, carrying an earthy smell, landed right on his face.