Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

Cao Xiong led his troops to garrison less than five kilometers from Xinshan.

After a night's rest, all officers and soldiers tidied up and stood ready for battle.

Cao Xiong stood on the boulder, looking down at the neatly arranged soldiers below.

Wang Er, Yu Tong, and other junior officers and martial artists stood in the first row, followed by a group of soldiers and military households.

Cao Man was on one side, with the Great General's Cannon next to him.

"Fellow soldiers, the mountain bandits plunder the people and worship demons, which is a real threat to the court and a disaster for the people. We, the Hundred Households of Guobei County, are paid by the emperor to protect this area."

"In this battle, those who are fearless and slay bandits will be rewarded. Those who retreat in the face of battle, or flee in fear, will be killed!"

"Set off!"

Cao Xiong jumped off the boulder, mounted his horse, and walked at the very front of the procession.

Cao Man carried the Xuanhua Giant Axe on his back and lifted the General's Cannon with both hands, raising it above his head. He followed closely behind Cao Xiong, leaving a half-finger-deep footprint on the ground with each step he took.

"Knock knock knock~"

When the soldiers arrived near Xinshan, the bandits who were watching from the watchtower saw a dark mass of people.

The warning drum was sounded immediately.

The bandits inside Xinshan immediately climbed the stockade wall and raised their longbows.

"stop!"

When they were less than 500 meters from the gate of Xinshan Village, Cao Xiong ordered his soldiers to stop advancing.

Cao Man placed the Great General's Cannon on the ground, with the cannon barrel pointing directly at the gate of Xinshan Village.

After that, box after box of lead bullets were moved by the officers and soldiers to the side of the artillery.

The officers and soldiers responsible for operating the artillery took their positions.

On the walls of Xinshan Village, Xin Dahu led the other village chiefs to hide in the fortified wall, watching quietly through the round holes they had carved out.

One of the village chiefs looked at the black cannon barrel with a chill in his heart.

"These are the imperial cannons."

"Chief Xin, how about we take the initiative and attack?"

Xin Dahu shook his head. "Didn't you see the muskets the soldiers were carrying?"

"Charging in would make you a sitting duck; it's said that even martial artists at the Tendon Refining Realm wouldn't dare to take it head-on."

"The walls of Xinshan Village have been reinforced several times, and the exterior has been cast with molten iron. The village gate is also made of fine iron."

"I refuse to believe that even the most powerful cannons can penetrate the city walls!"

"Let the imperial court suffer a blow first."

Xin Dahu looked around. "Why don't I see Chief Liu?"

"He's probably still half asleep. He drank five jars of wine by himself last night, saying he wanted to relax before the battle." Yan Tian couldn't help but smile.

"Hahaha, are you scared now?" another chieftain who didn't get along with Liu Mingzi mocked.

"Artillery ready, target the stockade wall."

Cao Xiong looked at Xin Shan, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Upon hearing this, the officers and soldiers operating the general's cannon immediately adjusted the cannon.

"Reload!"

"Boom!"

The lead bullets were loaded into the cannons by the soldiers, and the cannon fire was deafening.

"Bang!"

The lead bullet flew straight over the stockade wall and landed on it, blasting several bandits who couldn't get out of the way in time, causing their limbs to fly off.

After the cannon fired two lead bullets in succession, the officers and soldiers in charge of operating the cannon immediately used wet cloths and cool water to cool down the cannon body.

Cao Xiong looked up at the stockade wall and fired two shots in quick succession, clearly throwing the bandits standing there into disarray.

"continue."

"Boom!"

The officers and soldiers continued to operate the cannons, firing lead bullets that either landed on or inside the stockade walls.

The bandits in Xinshan came from various mountain strongholds. Seeing that so many people had died around them before any battle had even begun, and that their own stronghold leader had not yet appeared, they all moved away from the gates of their strongholds.

Despite the obstruction of some leaders, it was to no avail.

Upon learning of this situation, the various chieftains hiding inside the fortified strongholds came out one after another and organized their own followers.

"Target: the village gate!"

Seeing that the bandits were in disarray, Cao Xiong decisively changed his target.

The general's cannon has already fired seven or eight lead bullets in succession, and there is a risk of it exploding at any time.

Moreover, the artillery has already completed half of its mission; all that remains is to blast open the gates of the stockade.

"Boom!"

The first lead bullet was slightly off-target and landed on the wall next to the village gate, causing the wall to tremble.

After adjusting their aim, the officers and soldiers continued firing, and this time, the lead bullets landed precisely on the gate.

The gate, forged from refined iron, instantly crumbled into pieces.

"The Ming Dynasty has been established for three hundred years, yet the world knows nothing about the power of cannons."

Cao Xiong murmured, drawing his Evil-Sniffing Longsword. "Advance slowly, musketeers, prepare."

"Keep the cannons firing and suppress the bandits' archers."

Soldiers holding shields moved in from behind, providing cover for the musketeers behind their shields.

The soldiers of the Baihu Garrison in Guobei County slowly approached the stockade wall.

Only a few soldiers remained to operate the cannons, continuing to fire at the walls of the stockade.

The bandits on the walls of Xinshan Village managed to regroup and began firing arrows at the government troops.

"Boom!"

Whenever the bandits were about to shoot an arrow, the cannon would fire a lead bullet, forcing them to hide behind the wall.

When they were only about 200 meters away from the gate, Cao Xiong began to organize the musketeers to fire.

"Bang bang bang~"

Under the cover of shields, the musketeers kept firing at the bandits peeking out from the stockade walls.

On the wall of Xinshan Village, Xin Dahu gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, the gate is broken. There's no point in holding on. Let's fight our way out."

The bandit leaders, seething with anger, drew their weapons, and some even started stuffing explosive pills into their mouths.

"kill!"

Led by several village chiefs, the bandits rushed out of the gate.

"Retreat slowly, musketeers fire, warriors at the Skin Tempering Realm, prepare to stop the bandit warriors."

Cao Xiong issued the order slowly and deliberately, intending to make the bandits anxious.

Once half of the bandits are eliminated, the government troops will have an easier time later on.

Most of these bandits were novice martial artists, and their skills were crude. As long as they did not enter the territory, they were no match for the government troops.

"Bang bang bang~"

The muskets fired continuously, and the bandits fell one after another. Led by a Bone Forging Realm expert, more than a dozen bandit warriors ran swiftly with shields in hand, attempting to break the government troops' formation.

When the bandit warriors rushed to within thirty or forty meters of the government troops...

Cao Man, wielding a giant axe with a floral design, charged out of the ranks first and blocked a Bone Forging Warrior.

"die!"

The mountain bandit warrior discarded his shield, gripped his spear with both hands, and blocked the falling axe.

"Ta-da!"

The bandit stumbled back three steps, his arms trembling uncontrollably.

"What's going on? Why is it so difficult to circulate my internal energy?"

"Pfft~"

The bandit suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

His heart skipped a beat; he had been poisoned.

Cao Man didn't give the bandits much time to react; his second axe had already fallen.

"Tch~"

A head fell to the ground, and blood gushed out.

Cao Man crushed the bandit's head with one kick and then searched for his next target.

"Musketeers, retreat! The rest of you, charge with me!"

Cao Xiong used the Leaf-Picking Step, moving as if he were in an empty field, and his knife fell with a swift motion.

One by one, the bandits were killed by him.

After the initial panic, the bandits, relying on their numerical advantage, began to gain the upper hand.

"kill!"