"Zhao Hu, you take your men and guard the hillside. Once the gunpowder behind is detonated, the army below can shoot and kill at will!"
"Don't hold back on the Meng Han grenades, throw them all down!"
"It's best to drug that Yeon Gaesomun too!"
"Yes, young master!"
As Fang Er's orders were relayed.
Five hundred musketeers were mobilized.
Each finding a suitable shooting position.
Being on the mountain, a staggered volley of fire was impossible; the terrain did not permit it.
The Goguryeo army on the official road below had no idea they were completely exposed under the muzzles of the Tang army's guns.
The mountain path was too narrow, and the vanguard was allowed to pass by Fang Er.
Only when the soldiers pushing the gunpowder entered range.
Fang Er waved his hand.
"Open fire!"
More than twenty Dragon Fang guns simultaneously unleashed their scorching bullets.
The bullets, under their immense kinetic energy, rubbed against the air and turned fiery red!
Upon hitting the gunpowder bags, they directly ignited the gunpowder!
*Boom!*
The first cart of gunpowder exploded!
Flames soared into the sky.
The burlap bags, shattered and re-ignited, scattered everywhere.
Then, on another cart, there was another deafening roar!
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
Explosions echoed from the mountain, with bursts of flame like fireworks.
Goguryeo soldiers near the gunpowder carts were blown about and thrown off their feet.
They scattered in all directions in panic!
Yeon Gaesomun was stunned!
These were his reliance!
Without the gunpowder, even if given cannons, he couldn't use them!
He hadn't learned how to use this thing yet!
"Archers, shoot them to death!"
Yeon Gaesomun snatched a bow and arrow from a soldier, aimed at the place where the firelight emanated from the mountain, and loosed an arrow.
The other soldiers also fired in that direction.
Fang Er, seeing the sky filled with arrows, shouted: "Dodge the arrows!"
The Mie Lu Army and Fang family's musketeers quickly took cover behind trees.
Then they heard the sounds of arrows piercing tree trunks.
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
Ceaselessly.
They were suppressed!
To ensure the gunpowder was ignited by the bullets, they had waited until about a hundred paces away to fire.
The Goguryeo's strong bows could completely reach this position.
However, having successfully destroyed the gunpowder, Fang Er's objective was half-accomplished.
Next, it was a matter of gambling to try and keep Yeon Gaesomun.
"Throw the grenades!"
More than five hundred men, each igniting a fuse on a "Misty" grenade, hurled them towards the Goguryeo army below the mountain.
Chai Shao had not used these before, so Yeon Gaesomun simply assumed the Tang army was throwing stones.
But when the grenades began to emit white smoke, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
The warhorse beneath him was also snorting restlessly, seemingly disliking the smell of the white smoke.
However, the flames from the scattered gunpowder behind the army had already ignited the accompanying provisions!
"No retreat! Charge out!"
Yeon Gaesomun shouted.
He drew the long saber from his waist, gritted his teeth, and sliced into the ear of his mount.
Half of the warhorse's ear was severed. In pain, it neighed and reared up.
Upon landing, it began to gallop madly!
The cavalrymen beside him followed suit, slicing off a corner of their horses' ears to stimulate their steeds' potential!
The twenty thousand strong Goguryeo army rushed towards Shanhaiguan Pass like a stampede of wild beasts.
"Alright, cease fire. Let's go back and join the fun."
Fang Er stopped the Mie Lu Army, who were about to fire again.
The more than five hundred men bypassed the mountain from another side.
In a patch of woods, they retrieved the warhorses hidden there.
They then set off towards Beiping via another route.
Beiping City had already been heavily bombarded by Chai Shao.
Gao Gu and Luo Yi were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
They had already organized three attempts to charge.
But the city gate was being guarded by Cheng Chumo and his men, aiming five cannons.
The moment the city gate opened, five cannonballs would come crashing down.
Countless soldiers were hit by the iron balls.
Limbs flew, blood and flesh splattered!
Some timid soldiers had already broken down.
Some even secretly slit their own throats!
Fearing they would be chosen to charge the Tang army!
In that case, they might not even be able to leave a complete corpse!
Beiping City had only two gates.
One north, one south.
Chai Shao, coming from Zhuo County, was naturally attacking the south gate.
Not a single person had been sent towards the north gate.
First, to allow Gao Gu to send a messenger requesting Yeon Gaesomun to bring cannons for reinforcements.
Second, to give Yeon Gaesomun a sliver of hope.
If both sides attacked simultaneously, Beiping City would likely have been reduced to ruins within half a day!
The humiliation of losing the cannons was like a knife stabbing into Chai Shao's heart.
He didn't want to kill these Goguryeo people so easily.
He wanted to play a slow game.
After all, Fang Er was leading his men to guard the Shanhaiguan Pass.
Even if he wasn't sure if he could secure the cannons there, at least someone could be sent to inform Yeon Gaesomun when he would arrive.
That was enough!
Chai Shao did not order any attempts to seize the city walls or gates.
He simply used cannons and explosive packages to continuously bombard the city walls from a distance.
Gao Gu and Luo Yi, without Yeon Gaesomun's orders, dared not abandon the city and flee.
Yeon Gaesomun, though young, only in his twenties.
His military discipline was extremely strict.
And exceptionally overbearing!
Abandoning the city would mean certain death for them. Holding out, they might be able to wait for Yeon Gaesomun to arrive with reinforcements, and with a pincer attack, perhaps even trap the Tang army here.
But what they didn't know was that their reliance was now being pursued like prey by a beast, fleeing in a sorry state!
By the time Yeon Gaesomun arrived at Beiping City with his troops, his twenty thousand strong army was reduced to fifteen thousand!
Not many were killed by explosions; most were trampled to death by their own men after being knocked over by the grenades!
"Chai Shao! If I, Yeon Gaesomun, do not kill you in this life, I am no man!"
Standing inside Beiping City, Yeon Gaesomun said hatefully, looking at the remaining battered soldiers.
Gao Gu and Luo Yi, upon hearing of his arrival, rushed to greet him.
But they witnessed a scene that shocked them.
Yeon Gaesomun looked like a beggar!
His entire body was covered in bloodstains, from his warhorse's ear that had been cut, splashing onto him during the gallop.
His cloak was tattered, scorched by sparks from the gunpowder explosions.
His chest armor had several dents, caused by musket fire!
Looking at the other soldiers, almost all were in similar disarray!
"Great General, what is happening!"
Gao Gu asked in alarm.
"What is happening! I should be asking you! You occupied Beiping City, why! Why did you allow the Tang army to ambush me halfway!"
"That terrain was so treacherous, and you let the Tang army set an ambush there?"
"For this battle! You deserve ten thousand deaths!"
Yeon Gaesomun pointed at his nose and berated him.
"This! This! Your subordinate did not know, Great General, please calm your anger! I beg Great General to forgive me!"
Gao Gu immediately knelt and begged for mercy.
"Forgive you? All the gunpowder for the cannons was detonated by the Tang army! Now those cannons are heaps of scrap metal! How can you expect me to calm down!"
Saying this, Yeon Gaesomun kicked him, sending him sprawling, then snatched a long spear from a nearby soldier.
He directly pinned Gao Gu to the ground!
Luo Yi shivered at the sight.
This fellow was too brutal!
ps. Today's sixth chapter is here!
Hope readers will give me some support. If the rating reaches nine, I will have a continuous burst of updates!