The country's essence was also exposed by Lin Qingge, who was disheveled by the wind in the carriage.
“Damn, those guys are not playing by the rules!”
If there hadn’t been only herself and Leng Ningyue in the carriage, she would have loved to pinch someone to prove whether she was dreaming or not!
Because, if she wasn't mistaken, the thick, pitch-black object sticking out of the bushes, thicker than a bowl's mouth, should be... a cannon muzzle?
Despite being a crudely made, low-spec version, its appearance here was akin to a caveman living in a skyscraper or Newton playing with a smartphone.
It was truly out of place.
But then again, with firearms and hand grenades already present, the appearance of cannons was not that abrupt or unacceptable.
However—
It wasn't a battle between two armies, so what sane person would use cannons for an ambush?
As a string of question marks appeared above Lin Qingge's head, Leng Ningyue, who had also recognized the object, quickly pulled her away from the carriage.
On the other side.
Hua Jinrong, sensing that something was amiss, also called Lin Moyuan and Yan Tinghao out of the carriage.
From a distance, Hua Jinrong's teasing voice drifted over:
“I say, my lord, did you cut off someone’s lineage, or kill their mother, to provoke them to bring out their trump card and try to put you to death~”
“You think too highly of me, your lord. I am merely a fourth-rank prefect. Why would it warrant such a grand mobilization?
In my opinion, this is likely aimed at Brother Lin.”
Lin Qingge casually shifted the blame, but Lin Moyuan, the person involved, did not hesitate to expose her:
“In the entire Great Xia, the only one capable of manufacturing firearms is likely the one residing in the Imperial Mausoleum.
And Lord Yan had previously given me the blueprints for cannons, but they were shelved due to their excessive lethality.
Although I don't know if the cannons here are the same as the ones Lord Yan presented, their external size is similar, so their power should be comparable.”
Because there had been previous suspicions that Yan Xiuping was a transmigrator, Lin Qingge was not overly surprised when he heard that the latter had presented blueprints for hand grenades and cannons.
What truly concerned her was something else:
“Brother Lin, if I understand you correctly, it was Prince Wu Cheng who set up this ambush to take your head?”
“No, it’s your head they're after.”
After correcting her, Lin Moyuan turned emotionlessly to the other side of the carriage.
“So, my lord, did you really cut off Prince Wu Cheng’s lineage, or kill his mother~”
Listening to the undisguised teasing, Lin Qingge, who belatedly remembered that Long Yunfeng was indeed Prince Wu Cheng's mother, felt more and more that someone's mouth was indeed precognitive.
After a lengthy preparation, the cannons were finally ignited.
Seeing this, Leng Ningyue pushed Lin Qingge further away:
“You guys go first, I’ll take care of them.”
“No, it’s too dangerous!”
The one who spoke was Lin Moyuan, who had returned. His face was filled with obvious worry, and his tone was undeniably firm.
However, Leng Ningyue didn't even spare him a glance. She instructed Lin Qingge to be careful and leaped away, disappearing from her original spot.
“I say, my lord, for a remarkable woman like your wife, male chauvinism is absolutely unacceptable~”
“Yes, male chauvinism is unacceptable. Then why aren't you quickly going to protect my wife!
If my wife loses a single strand of hair, I’ll shave you bald, send you to Putuo Temple, and you'll spend the rest of your life with prayers and Buddhist scriptures!”
With that said, Lin Qingge kicked him, but Hua Jinrong nimbly dodged to the side.
“My lord, I know I’m so handsome that it’s offensive to gods and men, but you can’t force me to become a monk out of jealousy~
Oh, I see~
You can’t have me, so you want to ruin me~
Alas—
I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person~”
“Get lost, quickly!”
“Yes, sir~”
As Hua Jinrong responded, he embraced Lin Qingge by the waist. After flying several dozen feet away, he put her down and, with rare seriousness, instructed:
“Constable Yan, you and Dark Two escort my lord and the others up the mountain. Dark One has already gone to deliver a message. Reinforcements will arrive within half a day at most.
This is a signal flare for communication, so take it.”
With that, he turned back.
The smoke kicked up by the explosions obscured their vision, making it impossible to see the situation at the carriage.
At the same time, the continuous cannonballs scattered Lin Qingge and the others.
After the first wave of artillery fire, Lin Yan and Dark Two were nowhere to be found.
Suppressing the sense of powerlessness that welled up in her heart, Lin Qingge, escorted by Yan Tinghao, fled towards the mountain with Lin Moyuan.
However, the other side was clearly prepared this time.
Not only had they brought out their ultimate weapon, the cannons, but they had also laid a net of traps in the vicinity.
The three of them had not gone far when they were ambushed by several black-clad figures. Yan Tinghao immediately stepped forward to engage them.
Although Yan Tinghao's martial arts were indeed good, his weaknesses of being unable to shed blood and being excessively righteous and upright caused him to subconsciously hold back when making his moves.
Soon, he gradually fell into a disadvantage.
“Alas, I really owe you guys.”
Lin Moyuan sighed, ignoring his yet-to-be-healed body. He drew the soft sword at his waist and also charged forward.
Unlike the naive and foolish Yan Tinghao, Lin Moyuan went for the kill as soon as he made his move.
In an instant, the situation reversed, but it also left Lin Qingge isolated.
At this moment, two more black-clad figures sprang out.
Their target was obvious.
However, just as they rushed towards Lin Qingge, she calmly pulled out her firearm, pulled the trigger, and shot one of them in the head.
Since the firearm couldn't fire continuously, Lin Qingge quickly reloaded while crouching down to dodge.
The remaining black-clad figure showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, but adhering to the principle of mission priority, he rushed to Lin Qingge’s front without hesitation and raised the long sword in his hand without a second thought.
“Thwack—”
The sound of the sword piercing flesh suddenly rang out, sounding exceptionally clear and chilling.
Feeling warm liquid splash onto her face, Lin Qingge, still in the posture of reloading her firearm, froze for a good two seconds before realizing what had happened.
She saw a small section of a sharp sword tip protruding from the black-clad figure's chest. Then, his eyes widened, and he toppled forward stiffly.
Looking at the precious sword stuck in the black-clad figure's back, Lin Qingge’s gaze finally fell upon the slightly swaying sword tassel.
Lin Qingge looked over in disbelief, only to see the owner of this sword finishing off several black-clad figures around him and walking towards them.
Due to the angle and lighting, Lin Qingge couldn't quite make out the person's expression at that moment.
“My lord, are you alright?”
It wasn't until Yan Tinghao approached that Lin Qingge snapped back to reality. She almost instinctively blurted out:
“Constable Yan, you’re not dizzy from blood anymore?”