That battle lasted a day and a night. The enemy outnumbered them, and the fighting was grueling. Old General Qin wanted to retreat first, but the Chao army clung to them like a plaster, chasing them relentlessly and killing many of the soldiers responsible for covering the rear. Seeing the enemy about to catch up—and knowing that being surrounded would be disastrous—Old General Qin, in desperation, threw a grenade at them.
The grenade clattered to the ground, then a wisp of smoke curled from its rear.
The enemy panicked for a moment, thinking he'd thrown something terrible. But when they looked closely, they were all bewildered.
They didn't recognize it.
But it was smoking a little—what, trying to release knockout gas?
But with just this tiny bit—were they playing games?
Jiang Zhanying even wanted to laugh.
When kids can't win a fight, they make threats and throw stones.
Was this old bastard copying that trick too?
These thoughts lasted only an instant. Jiang Zhanying was about to laugh, but before his mouth could even curve, there was a huge "bang"—the massive impact sent countless pieces of rubble flying, along with dirt that splashed more than ten meters high. In an instant, dust filled the air, the sound was nearly deafening, the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble, horses neighed and bolted in all directions. Everyone hurried to pull tight on the reins—the scene descended into chaos.
Panic spread.
What happened?
Everyone looked over and nearly dropped their jaws. Good heavens — there was a huge crater in the ground, and the dozens of soldiers who had been standing there were all lying in pools of blood.
Some were missing legs, some missing arms, some missing heads. Those who had been closer had lost their lower halves entirely.
Dead beyond any doubt.
Where had the rest of them gone?
Jiang Zhanying looked down—oh, on his horse.
During the explosion, something had fallen from the sky and landed right in front of him, draped across his horse's neck.
He didn't know whose leg it was.
What kind of thing was this? It had reaped dozens of lives in an instant. Those close by were all dead. Those farther away were injured by the flying debris.
Just like that, in an instant...
Jiang Zhanying and the others couldn't snap out of it for a long time. Everyone stood frozen, and for a moment time itself seemed to stop. When they saw Old General Qin reach into his pocket again, they panicked instantly. Terror filled their eyes as they looked at him, and they scrambled backward.
Old General Qin's face showed no expression, but his palms were drenched in sweat.
He was scared too.
The Chao army was terrified out of their wits. They didn't dare chase any further. Back at camp, Qin Hengyi looked at the grenade Old General Qin had given him earlier, swallowed hard, and said: "Dad, was that what you threw just now? The grenade?"
Old General Qin took a sip of tea, his throat finally feeling a bit better: "Yes!"
"How is it so powerful?" Qin Hengyi couldn't believe it.
This little thing—how could it make such a loud sound and explode so fiercely?
Miraculous. Truly miraculous.
"It really is powerful." Old General Qin was silent for a moment, then said: "I need to write a letter to Qing Ger."
Fang Zichen hadn't wanted to use this thing on the battlefield. Qin Hengxuan had told Old General Qin about it, and Old General Qin doted on Fang Zichen dearly—he didn't want to make things difficult for him. But now there was no choice but to write to Meng Ruqing.
With a powerful enemy before them, that bit of compassion was useless.
Fang Zichen got along well with Qin Hengxuan, but didn't really listen to him. However, he listened to Meng Ruqing very obediently.
But before the letter could be sent, the grenades had already been shipped over.
Here in the northwest, the three-kingdom allied forces were inhuman—birds of a feather. The Chao Kingdom was probably no better.
If they were any good, they couldn't have massacred several villages along the Da Xia border earlier. Fang Zichen had heard bits and pieces about it, but it had been a while—hearing it again, it felt distant and dull. Later, when he saw it with his own eyes, Fang Zichen could no longer stay calm.
When he sent Gungun and Dandan over, he also sent along the "formula" for the grenades.
As soon as Qin Hengxuan received it, he immediately had the Qin family's private soldiers start making them.
The Chao Kingdom vainly hoped to win through sheer numbers, but their proud weapons were worthless in the face of explosives.
Weapons were mostly used at close range, but explosives were different — before the enemy could even get close, you threw one over and a whole swath of them fell. At that point, no matter how sharp the blade or how skilled the fighter, it was a case of "the hero has no place to use his talents."
The Chao army began to retreat steadily. The Emperor of Da Liao couldn't bring himself to withdraw earlier—he had vainly hoped the Chao Kingdom would wipe out the Qin army completely so he could move in as support. To retreat at this point would mean his two generals and ten thousand soldiers had died for nothing, and he would have offended Da Liang, Northern Qi, Da Xia, and the Chao Kingdom all at once. The Emperor of Da Liao discussed with his court officials and ultimately placed his hopes on the Chao army.
Now the Chao Kingdom was too busy dealing with the Qin army to look after the northwest.
When the Emperor of Da Liao received this news, he immediately knew the Chao Kingdom was a lost cause. He urgently sent word to Ershigu, ordering an immediate withdrawal.
But on the return route, Ershigu fell into an ambush—nearly half a li of road was planted with landmines. When the Da Liao army stepped on them, men and horses were blown to pieces—another near thousand dead in an instant.
Ershigu was horrified, nearly falling off his bucking horse: "What's going on?"
Before the soldiers could even report, movement came from ahead.
Fang Zichen led tens of thousands of soldiers, coming head-on along their path.
A sense of foreboding surged in Ershigu's heart: "It's you."
His tone was full of disbelief.
There were several routes to retreat from the Jizhou border back to Da Liao. Ershigu never imagined Fang Zichen had already led troops to lie in ambush here long ago.
How did he know they would take this route?
The other two colleagues were dead—now he alone had full authority. Where to retreat was his decision alone. He couldn't have told Fang Zichen. So how did he know?
Fang Zichen didn't look at his shocked, uncertain face. Instead, he glanced behind him: "Where are you all going?"
Ershigu said nothing.
Fang Zichen raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Want to retreat? But what do you take my Da Xia for! Do you think you can come and go as you please?"
Ershigu's brow furrowed: "What do you mean?"
"The literal meaning," Fang Zichen said.
Ershigu's face darkened: "We've already withdrawn. We're no longer joining with Da Liang and Northern Qi to attack Da Xia. You've already killed two of our great generals. There's no need to keep chasing our army now! Show mercy where you can."
As if hearing something especially funny, Fang Zichen burst out laughing.
"You're right — show mercy where you can. But does your Da Liao army count as 'people'?"
Ershigu's face was full of rage, glaring at him viciously.
"You came to Da Xia to burn, kill, and plunder. Everywhere you went, you slaughtered freely, leaving not even chickens or dogs alive. Now you think you can just go home? I have to say, your Da Liao army is truly delusional. The crimes you've committed in Da Xia—even bombing your entire Da Liao Kingdom hundreds or thousands of times wouldn't be enough to vent my hatred. You must pay for your crimes."
Fang Zichen ignored Ershigu's dark expression, speaking word by word with force and conviction: "No matter who it is—if they dare to destroy my Da Xia or annihilate my people, my Da Xia army will fight them to the bloody end. Today, not a single one of you will escape. And your Da Liao Kingdom—sooner or later, I will lead my army to trample it flat."
Da Xia's territory is inviolable.
Da Xia's dignity cannot be provoked.
The soldiers behind him were inspired by these words, feeling their blood boil, their passion surging, as if they were about to ignite.
Fang Zichen pointed his spear straight at Ershigu: "Soldiers! Show Da Xia's might, protect our borders — follow me and kill!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
They were all young soldiers—the easiest to fire up. With a great shout, they charged straight at the Da Liao army.
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