xymnovel Chapter 64 The Sound of Abacuses Under a Meteor Shower, and the Art of Killing People with Gold Coin
Chapter 64 The Sound of Abacuses Under a Meteor Shower, and the Art of Killing People with Gold Coin
The plains outside Dayuan City now seemed to have become an arena for the gods.
At the very front of the Qin army's position, the menacing-looking "Divine Fire Flying Crow" launcher was emitting a sickening metallic scraping sound.
"ignition--!"
With a command from the leader of the Mohist school, the fuse was lit.
"Hiss hiss hiss—"
After a brief burst of burning, there was a piercing shriek that tore through the air.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Thirty-six rockets, each with long tail feathers and a head filled with high-purity granular gunpowder and flaming oil, resembled thirty-six angry fire dragons, trailing thick smoke as they fanned out towards the densely packed Hun cavalry formation opposite them.
These were not the precision-guided missiles of later generations; even their trajectories were unpredictable. Some rockets circled in mid-air, while others lurched up and down as if they were drunk.
But for the Xiongnu and the Western Regions allied forces, who had never seen such "magic" before, this was enough.
"Oh, Eternal Heaven! A star has fallen!"
The Xiongnu cavalrymen looked up in terror as the fireballs, accompanied by deathly howls, hurtled toward them.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Explosions rang out one after another. Flames exploded in the crowd, and it wasn't just the shockwaves that caused the damage; even more terrifying were the splattered oil and barbed metal fragments.
The warhorse was startled.
Even the most well-trained warhorses lost all control when faced with this sulfurous, fiery inferno. They neighed, reared up wildly, threw their riders off, and trampled each other.
The once neat and orderly charging formation was instantly blasted open with gaps, like a pancake that had been gnawed on by a naughty child.
"Stay calm! Everyone stay calm!"
Maodun brandished his scimitar, cutting down two fleeing centurions, his eyes bloodshot.
"That's sorcery! It'll only last once! Charge! If we get past them, their iron boxes will be our coffins!"
Maodun was indeed a great hero. He saw through the fatal weakness of this "Divine Fire Flying Crow"—slow reload speed and only one wave of fire.
"For the grasslands! Kill!"
Under Modu's roar, the main force of the Xiongnu forcibly suppressed their fear and launched another charge. The earth trembled under the trampling of tens of thousands of hooves, as if an earthquake had struck.
……
Qin army positions.
Ying Zheng looked at the cavalry charging towards him from all directions, but he was not alarmed. He lowered his binoculars and gently patted the armored chariot beneath him.
"Little G, that 'firepower coverage' you mentioned looks pretty exciting, but it's too short."
[Your Majesty, these are the first batch of experimental subjects. Enough to scare the first wave.]
Now it's time for a head-on confrontation.
However, you still have one card to play.
Ying Zheng's lips curled slightly.
"You mean... Liu Bang?"
At this moment, on the flank of the battlefield, an extremely incongruous figure was lying behind a ditch.
Liu Bang was holding an oversized tin megaphone, and next to him were several large boxes with their lids open, revealing glittering gold inside.
"Xiao He, are you ready?" Liu Bang spat out the grass root in his mouth and rolled up the sleeves of his brocade robe.
"It's ready." Xiao He looked pained. "This box contains five thousand gold coins! Are we really going to throw it away?"
"Throw it!" Liu Bang gritted his teeth. "This is called the 'money-throwing tactic'! Whether we can break their flank depends on this one move!"
Liu Bang took a deep breath, raised his trumpet, and shouted in his newly learned, broken Persian to the Parthian mercenaries on his flank who were hesitating whether to charge:
"My brothers in Restoration on the other side! Listen up!"
"I am the God of Wealth of the Great Qin! I know you're here to make money, not to die!"
"How much did that poor wretch Maodun pay you? I'll pay double!"
"No! Three times!"
On the battlefield, amidst the cacophony of voices, these few shouts, laced with the scent of money, miraculously pierced through the noise and reached the ears of Suleiman, the leader of the Parthian mercenaries.
Suleiman reined in his horse, hesitating. They were only there for money, and now, seeing the fire-breathing monsters of the Qin army, they were already having second thoughts.
"I can't see the money!" Suleiman shouted.
Liu Bang was overjoyed.
"Want to see money? I'll grant your wish!"
Liu Bang turned to Fan Kuai and roared, "Old Fan! Fire!"
"Okay!"
Fan Kuai was operating a small catapult, but this time he was launching not explosives, but cloth bags filled with gold coins.
"Splash—!"
The sacks burst open in front of the Parthian army, and gold coins rained down like golden drops, pelting the sand and the soldiers' helmets.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
This sound was more melodious than war drums and more inspiring than bugles.
The Parthian soldiers stared wide-eyed at the gold on the ground.
"It really is gold! Qin Dynasty gold coins!"
"Rob it!"
The once-orderly charging formation instantly crumbled. Soldiers jumped off their horses and began frantically looting the gold coins on the ground.
Suleiman watched this scene without stopping it. Instead, he bent down, picked up a gold coin, and bit it with his teeth.
Really.
He raised his head, looked in Liu Bang's direction, and made a strange gesture—that meant the deal was done.
"Brothers! The Qin boss is so generous!" Suleiman roared, "Let's stop fighting! Let's watch the show!"
The Parthian Legion went on strike in the face of battle.
……
The central army of the Xiongnu.
Seeing the Parthians suddenly thrown into chaos on his flank, Maodun was so angry he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Those greedy hyenas! I knew they couldn't be trusted!"
"Never mind them! We'll charge in ourselves!"
Maodun had no way out. He led his most elite royal guards, like a sharp dagger, straight into the center of the Qin army's position.
The distance is two hundred steps.
"shooting!"
Meng Tian gave the order.
Behind the Qin army's armored vehicle formation, countless dark gun barrels and crossbows emerged.
"Bang bang bang!"
"Bang bang bang!"
Smoke filled the air. Lead bullets and crossbow bolts wove a web of death.
The Xiongnu cavalry at the forefront fell like wheat being harvested. But the cavalry behind them, stepping over the corpses of their comrades, continued their charge with bloodshot eyes.
This is the spirit of nomadic peoples.
The distance is fifty paces.
Both sides could now clearly see the expressions on each other's faces.
"Xiang Yu!" Ying Zheng shouted.
"exist!"
Xiang Yu had been waiting impatiently for a long time. He stood on top of a chariot, his muscles taut, and the huge "Breaking Formation" sword gleamed with a bloodthirsty cold light in the sunlight.
"Open the door! Unleash the dogs... no, unleash the bullies!"
Suddenly, a gap appeared in the formation of vehicles.
"kill!!!"
Xiang Yu roared and charged out on foot like a cannonball, without riding a horse.
Behind him were eight hundred "special forces" soldiers, armed with long-handled swords and clad in heavy armor.
The two torrents collided violently.
"Snap!"
Xiang Yu's first strike cleaved a Xiongnu cavalry commander and his horse in two. Blood gushed out, staining his狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face red.
He was like a tireless meat grinder, limbs flying wherever he went. The curved swords that the Huns were so proud of could only send sparks flying and leave a white mark when they struck his specially made heavy plate armor.
And every strike he made was devastating.
"Is this... the Qin people's god of war?"
Modu saw that demon-like figure amidst the chaos of battle, and a chill ran through him.
But he did not back down.
He drew his Wootz steel sword, forged from meteorite iron, and spurred his horse toward Xiang Yu.
"Qin general! Prepare to die!"
Using the speed of his horse, Maodun slashed at Xiang Yu's neck with his sword. The strike was as fast as lightning, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air.
Xiang Yu turned around abruptly, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.
"Well done!"
Without dodging or flinching, he directly raised his "Breaking Formation" sword and met the attack head-on.
"when--!!!"
A deafening roar.
Maodun felt a violent jolt in his hand, and his entire arm instantly went numb. His warhorse, unable to withstand the immense force, let out a mournful cry and collapsed to its knees.
Xiang Yu, however, only took half a step back.
He glanced at the knife in his hand. The blade was intact.
"It seems your blade isn't as strong as mine," Xiang Yu grinned.
Maodun tumbled to the ground and scrambled to his feet. Looking at Xiang Yu's raised sword again, fear finally appeared in his eyes.
"Stop him! Stop him now!"
Several assassins rushed forward and used their bodies to block Xiang Yu's blade.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Maodun mounted an unclaimed warhorse and fled.
"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood! Retreat! The entire army must retreat!"
……
The army was defeated like a mountain.
With Modu's escape, the Xiongnu army completely collapsed. Like the receding tide, they rushed towards Dayuan.
"Chase!"
Xiang Yu, caught up in the excitement of the battle, drew his sword and prepared to give chase.
"Don't pursue a cornered enemy!"
Ying Zheng's voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Xiang Yu, come back."
Xiang Yu stopped in his tracks, unwilling to give up, and spat angrily on the ground.
"You're lucky you ran fast."
……
Sunset West Mountain.
As the smoke cleared from the battlefield, only corpses littered the ground and the wreckage of burning tanks remained.
Liu Bang and his men were settling accounts with the mercenaries in Parthia.
"It was agreed that one gold coin would buy you your non-interference. Now that the war is over, you can leave," Liu Bang said with a smile.
Suleiman looked at the heavy gold coins in his hand, then at the menacing Qin army in the distance, and swallowed hard.
"Boss Liu, can we...can we do other businesses?"
"Oh? What kind of business?"
"Help you... capture prisoners? Or lead the way to Dayuan City?" Suleiman asked obsequiously. "As long as you pay enough, we can even steal Maodun's underwear for you."
Liu Bang laughed heartily and patted Suleiman on the shoulder.
"You have potential! I love your money-grubbing attitude!"
"Deal! Lead the way!"
……
Night fell in the Qin army camp.
Ying Zheng sat in his tent, soaking his feet in hot water. The day's journey had taken its toll on his old bones.
Zhao Gao knelt to the side, carefully massaging Ying Zheng's calves.
"Your Majesty, Modu has fled into Dayuan City. Dayuan's city walls are high and thick, and we don't have heavy siege equipment, so it might be difficult to attack."
Ying Zheng closed his eyes, enjoying the massage.
"The city wall?"
"Little G, what were the city walls of Dayuan City made of?"
[Your Majesty, it's rammed earth. Although thick, it's susceptible to water damage, and also... vibration.]
[You may not have a battering ram, but you have explosives, and... that locomotive, though damaged, still has a usable boiler.]
Ying Zheng opened his eyes.
"Zhao Gao."
"This servant is here."
"Has the damaged locomotive been towed over yet?"
"It's been towed over. The Mo family is repairing it; they say that if they remove the wheels, it can be used as a large, stationary boiler."
"very good."
A sly glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes.
"Tomorrow, push it to the foot of Dayuan City."
"Aim the vent at the base of the city wall."
"I don't want to climb the wall. I want to loosen the soil around this wall."
……
The next morning, at the foot of Dayuan City.
Maodun stood on the city wall, looking at the strange formation below.
Instead of forming ranks to attack the city, the Qin army slowly approached the city wall, pushing a huge, black-smoking iron lump.
"What is that?" the King of Dayuan asked in alarm.
"That fire-breathing monster!" Maodun gritted his teeth. "They want to burn down the city gates?"
"Quick! Fire the arrows! Pour water! Don't let it get close!"
Arrows rained down like locusts, but they were all blocked by the thick steel plate on the outside of that iron lump.
The monster stopped fifty paces from the city wall.
Immediately afterwards, several Qin soldiers connected a thick iron pipe and inserted it directly into the soil at the base of the city wall.
"What are they doing?"
"Is this... meant to flood the internet?"
Before the people on the city wall could even understand what was happening...
"Ughhhhhh!!!"
The familiar sound of the steam whistle rang out again.
But this time, there was neither fire nor water.
Only an invisible stream of high-pressure gas flowed through the iron pipe and was frantically injected into the rammed earth layer at the base of the city wall.
"Thump thump thump—"
The earth began to tremble slightly.
That was the sound of high-pressure steam rapidly expanding in the cracks of the soil. Although the rammed earth was hard, under this continuous internal high pressure, the structure began to loosen and disintegrate rapidly.
"Snap!"
A crisp sound.
A crack appeared in the city wall.
Then, the cracks grew larger and larger, spreading like a spider web.
"Oh no! The wall is collapsing!"
Maodun finally realized what was happening. This was an unprecedented siege tactic!
"Run!"
"Boom—!!!"
A section of the city wall, ten zhang wide, collapsed with a roar to everyone's horror, raising clouds of dust.
That seemingly indestructible city of Dayuan was "blown" down by a gust of hot air.
"Charge!"
Xiang Yu, who had been waiting for this moment, led his special forces and stormed into the city through the ruins.
……
The Palace of the King of Dayuan.
The battle is over.
The King of Dayuan knelt on the ground, trembling. Meanwhile, Maodun, once again taking advantage of the chaos, escaped through the west gate with a few dozen trusted men.
Ying Zheng entered the palace and looked at the exquisite murals and the room full of grapes and wine, but he did not feel much joy.
"ran away again?"
"Is this guy born in the Year of the Rabbit?"
Xiang Yu walked in, carrying a blood-dripping knife, looking sullen.
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent. That boy ran too fast, and he knows the terrain here too well."
Ying Zheng waved his hand.
"It's alright."
"The monk may run away, but the temple can't."
He walked to the throne and sat down.
"This place will henceforth be the 'Anxi Protectorate' of the Great Qin Dynasty."
"Xiang Yu, you stay here."
"I'll leave you five thousand men. You'll guard this place for me."
"in addition……"
Ying Zheng took out a blueprint from his pocket.
"That Zhao Cheng, although his character isn't great, the 'landmine' he built is quite interesting."
"You stay here and build me an arsenal. It will be dedicated to researching how to use gunpowder."
"When Maodun returns next time, I hope you can prepare an even bigger surprise for him."
Xiang Yu's eyes lit up.
"Your Majesty, I obey! I will certainly make the most of this gunpowder!"
……
While Ying Zheng was rewarding meritorious officials in Dayuan City, in the far west, on the border of an even more mysterious country—the Parthian Empire.
A group of disheveled cavalrymen were trekking through the desert.
The leader was none other than Modu.
His face was covered in dust, but his eyes burned with an inextinguishable flame.
"Great Chanyu, where are we going?" his subordinate asked in despair. "Ferghana is lost, and the Western Regions are gone too."
Maodun turned around and glanced at the eastern sky.
"Go further west."
"I heard there's a country called 'Rome' there, and they're at war with Carthage."
"Since the East can't tolerate a wolf like me, then I'll go to the West... and become its king."
He had no idea that his escape would bring a catastrophe known as the "Scourge of God" to Europe over the next few centuries.
At this moment, Ying Zheng was standing on the city wall of Dayuan, watching the setting sun in the west.
"Little G".
"I feel that the world... has really shrunk."
Yes, Your Majesty.
When your railway is completed, when your telegraph is erected, there will be no more distance in the world.
However, before you return to your master's camp, there is one more matter to be resolved.
"What is it?"
The Roman Marcus you brought with you just discovered something in the stables of Ferghana.
He said...it was a specialty of his hometown.
Ying Zheng was taken aback.
"How could Ferghana have Roman things?"
He strode quickly toward the stable.
There, Marcus was holding a rusty lump of iron and crying like a child.
It was a helmet.
A typical Roman legionary helmet with a red horsehair.
On the inside of the helmet, there was a line of blurred Latin text:
"The Xth Legion... Crassus..."
Ying Zheng's pupils suddenly contracted.
Crassus? One of the First Triumvirate of Rome? The legendary Roman commander who supposedly disappeared at the Battle of Carrhae?
Is it...
The Roman legions had already been here long ago?
A strange sense of temporal and spatial disorientation instantly enveloped Ying Zheng's mind.