Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 124: The Ironclad Ships Sets Sail
Guo Guibang is one of the three generals under Zhao Guoshan in Luliang County and is the most capable among them.
Zhao Guoshan’s key figures include:
Wen Cheng and Li Yuanming, who are strategists.
Left General Guo Guibang, the top commander of Luliang County, responsible for defending the north, mainly in Anyang and Zhongshan County.
Right General Zou Zhiquan, the second commander of Luliang County, responsible for defending the south, mainly overseeing Dongyuan County and the military unit in Zhongshan County.
Deputy General Zhao Youdan, the son of Zhao Guoshan, undoubtedly a trusted confidant, responsible for defending the administrative center of Luliang County, “Nanliang Mansion.”
At this moment, Guo Guibang furrows his brows as he looks at the sand table, repeatedly contemplating possible battle scenarios. Anyang has fought several fierce battles and has experienced brutal conflicts, not to mention its powerful artillery, war machines, and strange vehicles, which have left Guo Guibang feeling somewhat worried.
In contrast, Luliang County, though covering an area of four hundred miles and dozens of times larger than Anyang, lacks the combat personnel and fighting spirit compared to the Anyang army, which has been stationed at the borders and has never ceased fighting!
While others see the two hundred thousand troops of Luliang County, Guo Guibang sees only a bunch of inexperienced soldiers lacking combat and training. In his view, if the soldiers of Anyang are “as strong as iron,” then the soldiers of Luliang County are “like clay sculptures.” Soldiers who have never been on the battlefield and only know how to oppress the populace do not count as true soldiers!
The deputy general standing nearby remains straight and silently watches Guo Guibang at work, saying nothing.
At this moment, a voice from outside calls, “General, a message from Nanliang Mansion.”
Guo Guibang takes the letter and frowns upon reading it. “The Crown Prince is coming, and he also mentioned that he brought a personal letter from Li Xian, saying that Anyang is willing to settle matters peacefully.”
The deputy general sees Guo Guibang’s tightly furrowed brows and asks, “Is there something troubling the general?”
Guo Guibang shakes his head slightly. “These words are spoken by the Crown Prince, not directly from Li Xian. If it were from Li Xian himself, there would be no issue; but if it’s someone else relaying it, especially the Crown Prince, we need to be cautious.
Do not spread this information yet; inform the front line to remain vigilant. Better safe than sorry.”
At this moment, in the Nanliang Mansion of Luliang County, the governor Zhao Guoshan bids farewell to the Crown Prince. After leaving Anyang, the Crown Prince first went to Zhongshan County and then to Luliang County, now preparing to head south to Dongyuan County—this is the escape route the Crown Prince has prepared for himself!
Meanwhile, on the eastern sea of Luliang County, three ironclad ships are speeding along.
Chang Lin frowns as he looks at the rudimentary “sea chart” in his hands. Because there are demon clans and dragon clans in the ocean, this area has always been forbidden for humans; even if a master occasionally visits, they wouldn’t bother to draw a sea chart. It can be said that starting anything is difficult, and Anyang has countless challenges to overcome if it wants to develop its maritime industry.
Fortunately, this mission is relatively simple: bombard several coastal checkpoints of Luliang County from the East Sea, coordinating with the main force for an assault.
On the mast, several clever and eager soldiers are observing, mainly using binoculars. They might also have some rudimentary sextants, compasses, etc. At least it’s fortunate that compasses work in this world.
The soldiers on the mast continuously report the situation.
“We have traveled 10 kilometers and entered the territory of Luliang County. The target is still 4 kilometers away.”
“Spotted a green hill on the distant shore, confirmed to be the coastal checkpoint ‘Niu Mountain Pass’ of Luliang County.”
“Distance to Niu Mountain Pass: 2 kilometers… 1 kilometer… the coastline ahead is deeper; we can continue advancing another 300 meters.”
After a few minutes, the three ironclad ships have adjusted and are now facing Niu Mountain Pass.
The guards at Niu Mountain Pass are still curious about the large ship. Are there large ships in the ocean? Is it from the sea tribe? The defending general Zheng Yuezhong at Niu Mountain Pass also looks on with curiosity; the two sides are now only about seven hundred meters apart. With the eyes of a cultivator, he can’t see every detail, but he can see quite clearly.
Zheng Yuezhong first feels curious, then puzzled; suddenly he sees a large flag raised on the ship, with the words “Anyang” waving in the wind.
Oh no! Zheng Yuezhong instantly realizes something is wrong, but it is already too late!
Three 240mm main cannons simultaneously aim at Niu Mountain Pass and fire; with a loud bang, three massive shells precisely strike Niu Mountain Pass! One must say that cultivators are indeed excellent; these gunners are very accurate!
Zheng Yuezhong feels as if the sky is falling and the earth is collapsing, dizzy and disoriented; the entire Niu Mountain Pass trembles. Hundreds of soldiers are blown away, and a shell directly hits the defensive wall, tearing apart the defense formation.
When the explosion ends, Zheng Yuezhong feels as if thousands of gongs and drums are ringing in his head, and his internal organs are protesting.
Suddenly, a warm liquid splashed onto Zheng Yuezhong’s face, followed by a shattered corpse crashing down on his head.
At this moment, Zheng Yuezhong had lost all ability to think and didn’t know what to do.
However, while Zheng Yuezhong was lost in thought, the soldiers of Changlin and Anyang opposite him were not!
Seeing that the shelling had been effective, with dozens of bodies scattering like flowers into the sky, Changlin immediately commanded a second wave of attacks.
This time, a shell directly collapsed a section of the border fortress, and the remaining two shells caused severe casualties among the defending soldiers.
The second attack seemed to awaken the border commander Zheng Yuezhong, who finally shouted, “Retreat!”
But after his voice was called out, Zheng Yuezhong realized that his voice was hoarse and powerless, and the surrounding area was still filled with cries of despair. The acrid smell of gunpowder, broken bodies, and flowing blood were all that could be seen now.
A shrill whistle echoed in the sky again, and Zheng Yuezhong could no longer care about anything else; he jumped down from the city wall and ran towards the rear.
Behind him came another huge explosion, and a large section of the border fortress collapsed with a rumble, sending hundreds of soldiers from Lüliang County to their deaths. After three consecutive shellings, the courage of the defending forces was completely shattered, and those who were still alive immediately cried out and fled in panic.
Niushan Pass was not a solid fortification; it had only been established recently. One could imagine the quality of this hastily built stronghold.
On the ironclad ship, Changlin watched with a smile, and when he saw Niushan Pass collapse, he immediately ordered the fleet to continue advancing to attack the next target—a troop station located behind Niushan Pass. The pass was merely a checkpoint, not a place to reside; the real barracks were located far in the rear.
Zheng Yuezhong fled in a disheveled state, even using talismans to speed up his escape, reaching the barracks just in time; however, shells fell right behind him. Another round of aerial bombardment unfolded before Zheng Yuezhong. Shell after shell fell, each one capable of causing a small earthquake. Hundreds of soldiers were sent flying into the sky—just moments before, they had been chatting and joking.
Neither Changlin nor the soldiers on the ironclad would have thought that a shell would land right in front of this general in the barracks! The shell exploded, and the general was completely obliterated, torn apart by the massive explosion.
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Over ten thousand border soldiers found themselves without a leader, all turning into headless flies. Bombs continued to rain down from above; in addition to the 240mm main guns, the 150mm caliber secondary guns also began to open fire.
By the seaside, three ironclads were lined up, their broadsides facing this way, with each ship firing one main gun and seven secondary guns simultaneously.
And what about Zheng Yuezhong? He simply stared blankly as shell after shell fell like shooting stars, bringing countless deaths.
Soldiers pushed and shoved each other, fleeing in all directions, and not a single one thought to hold up a defense or launch a counterattack. Perhaps everyone was so shocked by this unprecedented attack that they had become paralyzed with fear!
Seeing this, Zheng Yuezhong finally sighed helplessly and fled south—hurrying to report to General Zuo Guo Guibang in the rear!