Chapter 1012

Chapter 1012: The Great Battle at Hanhai Pass (Part 1)

Hanhai Pass, the ninth day of the Yan army’s siege.

Shangguan Wuji received a flying eagle message from Daye and promptly reported to Princess Qingyun and Wang Chen.

The first piece of news was the passing of Emperor Shaowu, who died within the palace on the very day Prince Jing ascended to the throne. The emperor, having been deposed by his brother and the empress dowager, succumbed to a recurrence of heart disease.

This confirmed Wang Chen’s earlier premonition.

Upon ascending the throne, Prince Jing declared a general amnesty, changed the nation’s name to Yuanjing, and summoned the generals from various counties to the imperial capital for duty reports.

Emperor Yuanjing, now aware of the Yan army’s border incursions, commanded Shangguan Wuji to defend Hanhai Pass at all costs and ordered West Sea County to provide full support.

Meanwhile, traitors and heretics in several southern counties were stirring chaos, their influence spreading like wildfire.

A delegation from Daqi was en route to Daye, and it was highly likely that the two nations would soon form an alliance.

These latter updates came through Shangguan Wuji’s private channels.

Though stationed at the border, the General Who Stabilizes the West maintained informants in Daye to stay informed about the imperial capital’s affairs.

"Reinforcements from West Sea County are not to be counted on at present," Shangguan Wuji stated in a deep voice. "Their military is weak; at best, they can send a cavalry unit as a token gesture. To hold Hanhai Pass, we must rely on ourselves."

West Sea County once boasted an elite light cavalry unit, ready to support the Hanhai army at any moment. However, years of internal strife in Daliang had seen this unit frequently deployed to quell disturbances across the land, leaving it drained of strength.

This would not have been a significant issue during the alliance between Daliang and Dayan, but now that the two sides were at odds, the situation had changed drastically.

Shangguan Wuji concluded, "The Yan army will likely attack the city tomorrow!"

His prediction proved accurate.

Woo—

The deep, resonant horn sound shattered the morning’s calm.

“Tiger!”

Hundreds of thousands of Yan soldiers broke camp, advancing steadily toward Hanhai Pass. Their banners fluttered, blotting out the sun, while the formidable aura of their formation surged skyward, shaking the earth beneath them.

Amid the Yan army, hundreds of massive catapults and siege engines rumbled across the grassland, their approach sending shivers down the spines of all who witnessed it.

After nine days of preparation, the formidable Yan army finally launched their assault on Hanhai Pass.

On the city wall, Wang Chen observed the advancing forces with calm composure.

Yet, the soldiers tasked with operating the cannons trembled with nervous tension.

Through the tireless efforts of the military manufacturing camp and the craftsmen of Hanhai City, working day and night, seventeen heavy iron cannons had been mounted on the city wall, far exceeding Wang Chen’s initial request.

However, the gunners, hastily trained, had only mastered the basics of cannon operation and fired a few live rounds, leaving them severely inexperienced.

With the enemy forces closing in, the gunners bore a heavy responsibility, their anxiety palpable.

"Stay calm."

Wang Chen patted the shoulder of a nearby cannon operator and said, “Just aim at the enemy’s catapults. It’s okay if you miss at first; just fire a few times to get the hang of it.”

Sharpshooters are made through practice, and the same goes for cannon operators.

Wang Chen’s reassurance immediately relaxed the cannon operator, who nodded vigorously.

Wang Chen smiled slightly and turned his gaze back to the Yan army.

At this moment, the Yan army had advanced within a two-mile range, and over a hundred catapults were brought to the front.

Accompanying them were tens of thousands of Yan archers and axe-shield soldiers.

The great battle was about to begin!

Wang Chen estimated the distance to the enemy and personally raised the signal flag: “Cannons ready!”

The Yan army’s catapults were similar to those positioned behind the walls of Hanhai Pass, with a range of around three to four hundred steps, so they needed to get within the proper distance to launch an attack.

In contrast, the iron cannons designed by Wang Chen had an effective range of at least two to three miles, with a maximum range likely doubling that.

In fact, he could have bombarded the Yan army’s camp earlier.

However, to maximize their effectiveness, Wang Chen intentionally allowed the Yan army to get closer to the city walls, ensuring their catapults and siege engines were within lethal range.

Tens of thousands of Hanhai army soldiers stood ready, holding their breath.

“Fire!”

Wang Chen’s command struck like thunder, instantly echoing inside and outside the walls.

The prepared cannon operators quickly lowered their torches without a moment’s thought and ignited the fuses stuck in the cannon barrels.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the next moment, all seventeen cannons roared to life, launching shells filled with terrifying energy toward the Yan army over a mile away.

At that moment, the Yan army had no idea that death was descending upon them.

A heavy iron cannonball, weighing over ten pounds, smashed down in the middle of the axe-shield formation, instantly exploding a hapless soldier and sending blood and flesh flying.

The cannonball struck the ground and continued forward, rapidly cutting a bloody path.

Due to the dense formation of the Yan soldiers, this one shot took out several axe-shield soldiers, even affecting the archers behind them!

They had never dreamed that there could be weapons capable of such long-range attacks with such power!

Caught off guard, the Yan army’s front line suffered nearly two hundred casualties from the first round of cannon fire, with gaps appearing in their formation that were shocking beyond description.

Boom!

A catapult was serendipitously hit by a cannonball, immediately scattering its structure and collapsing completely.

The once orderly Yan vanguard fell into chaos.

The loss of two hundred men and a catapult was nothing to the massive Yan army, but the deterrent effect of the cannons making their first appearance in this world significantly impacted their morale.

“Accelerate advance!”

Seeing the situation turn dire, the Yan generals ordered their forward squad to rush toward the city walls.

They quickly brought upon themselves a second round of cannon fire and a barrage of crossbow arrows as thick as a child’s arm.

These crossbow arrows came from the crossbows set up on the city walls, and their lethality was far from ordinary.

Following that, the catapults behind the city walls also began to unleash their fury!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The rumbling sounds of cannons became the main melody of this fortress siege battle.

The Hanhai army soldiers operating the iron cannons were carefully selected; not only was their cultivation level strong, but their intelligence was sharp as well. After several rounds of cannon fire, their handling became increasingly adept.

And they were hitting their targets with greater accuracy!

The result was that the Yan army’s catapults and siege engines fell into dire straits.

As the top targets, they were systematically destroyed one after another, reducing them to expensive wreckage scattered on the ground.

Not only that, but the soldiers responsible for protecting the catapults also faced misfortune.

If the cannonballs missed the frames, they could very well hit them instead!

The battle between both sides escalated rapidly from the start, and the heavy casualties among the Yan army soon made their commanders uneasy.