Chapter 229: Hi Everyone

Time passed minute by minute, and both sides continued their relentless artillery bombardment.

The defensive formation of Wuyang City’s walls had been breached, and the city’s garrison was now suffering massive casualties.

The soldiers under the Second Prince and the Luliang County forces had already fallen into complete chaos. Facing this violent bombardment, with the thunderous explosions shaking the very earth, it was impossible to say they weren’t afraid.

On the walls of Wuyang City, Shangguan Guang’s face was dark with frustration—he had miscalculated! The changing dynamics of the battle had rendered seventy percent of his defensive strategies ineffective. This was the first war after industrialization, and it had left the defenders completely unprepared!

Suddenly, Shangguan Guang froze. Cannon fire was now resounding from all directions, and smoke was rising from all four corners of Wuyang City!

The siege had begun!

The artillery fire engulfed Wuyang City, throwing its people into panic. The capital of Great Xia, which had not seen war for many years, was now experiencing the world’s first “focused bombardment” right from the start. Shells rained down from all directions, making it seem as if the entire city was trembling.

Screams and chaos erupted throughout the city. Looting, slaughter, and all kinds of crimes began to take place, turning Wuyang City—peaceful just half a day ago—into a living hell in an instant.

But no one had time to care anymore!

The Third Prince—no, the young Emperor—was trembling in fear, clinging tightly to his mother. Noble Consort Hua, holding her son in her arms, was pale-faced. Power struggles were one thing, but a real war was something else entirely! Due to the advice of Li Yulong and others, the Emperor had not ordered the empress or concubines with children to be buried with him in death.

Beside them, Wang Chuan’s expression was tense, no longer showing the composed confidence he had before.

In contrast, Kong Xiang was the complete opposite—he was actually dozing off in his chair, as if the explosions outside were nothing more than a lullaby.

The expressions of the other officials varied.

“Li Xian! Li Xian! Li Xian!” Wang Chuan surveyed the situation around him, his face growing darker. As soon as the cannon fire started, as soon as Wuyang City trembled, as soon as panic filled the streets—Wang Chuan realized he had made a grave mistake!

The reason was simple: although everyone had seen demonstrations of artillery power, drills could never compare to real warfare.

It was like fire safety training—everyone is told to find a wet towel if there’s a fire, but when a real fire breaks out, who has the time to look for one? Running for your life is the most instinctive and immediate reaction.

The current situation was no different. Now that they were surrounded and under artillery bombardment, Wang Chuan finally understood the vast difference. Once encircled, the defending side was doomed to suffer.

Inwardly, Wang Chuan was cursing furiously: That bastard Li Xian had sold firearms everywhere with bad intentions. Now that the war had begun, everyone suddenly realized—Oh no, you have artillery too, and quite a lot of it…

Despite his inner rage, Wang Chuan forced himself to maintain composure. At the very least, his own side couldn’t lose its footing. Then, he looked around and said, “Everyone, the situation is dire. I ask that you all contribute your ideas.”

None of the officials spoke. Many of them had only submitted to Wang Chuan and the Wang family under coercion and had no choice but to support the current puppet Emperor. In reality, the young Emperor was merely a figurehead, with the Wang family holding all the power.

After waiting a while and seeing the officials’ reactions, Wang Chuan’s face grew even darker.

In the sky, the “observers” from various factions, stationed at different vantage points, also had grim expressions. Those sent to observe were no fools. This unprecedented shift in warfare tactics made many of them feel an impending crisis.

Suddenly, Li Liusong heard a roaring sound above him. Looking up, he saw several aircraft “slowly” flying overhead. These planes dropped countless sheets of paper, which scattered through the air like snowflakes, nearly covering the sky.

“Are those airplanes?! Why are they dropping paper?” Li Liusong stared at the aircraft above—three biplanes, their fuselages painted with the word “Songzhou.” They were part of the military equipment Songzhou had purchased from Anyang.

Reaching out to catch a piece of paper, Li Liusong glanced at it and laughed. These white sheets were “surrender leaflets” intended for the people of Wuyang City. The message was simple: The Third Prince, the Wang family, and the Shangguan family were all rebels. The citizens of the city should flee as soon as possible and not risk their lives for traitors—it wasn’t worth it.

But after laughing, Li Liusong squinted his eyes at the snow-like flurry of surrender leaflets. This was yet another brand-new method of warfare.

Looking down, the war was already raging fiercely. Under the roar and cover of artillery fire, elite teams at the Foundation Establishment stage launched surprise attacks. These elite squads, taking advantage of the artillery cover, reached the damaged city walls in the blink of an eye. Before the defenders could react, they scaled the walls and unleashed a brutal massacre.

By the time the defenders responded, these Foundation Establishment elites had suddenly retreated—only to launch another assault under the cover of renewed artillery fire.

Again and again, the attacks repeated. Ordinary soldiers barely had a chance to step onto the battlefield; only the artillery and elites above the Foundation Establishment stage dominated the battlefield.

The defending side had already suffered heavy losses. In just two hours of battle, the city’s defenses had been severely damaged, and large numbers of defending soldiers had been slain. The city was on the verge of collapse.

“At this critical moment, here it comes! I wonder how Shangguan Guang will defend himself?” Li Lisong squinted his eyes. As a general of a neighboring country, he was well aware of Shangguan Guang’s reputation.

And what about Shangguan Guang? His face was grim, even a bit ferocious. “Defense is no longer effective; we have no choice but to fight outside the city. Pass the order: the left flank, thirty thousand troops, charge at all costs into the enemy camp and engage in close combat.

All artillery will provide covering fire!”

With a single command, the thirty thousand elite troops on the left flank moved out. Without even opening the city gates, they jumped directly off the city walls. Tens of thousands of soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave, roaring toward the enemy.

Traditional melee combat erupted once again. The moment the ordinary soldiers clashed, the battlefield exploded into a dazzling rainbow of colors. Along the battlefront, tens of thousands of spells, talismans, and magical artifacts burst into action. It was like a glowing mist rising from the earth, like countless flowers blooming at once—but these flowers were inevitably tinged with blood.

High in the sky, Li Lisong frowned slightly. “What is Shangguan Guang doing? This is the wrong way to fight—this is suicide! Even though the defense is at a disadvantage, sending thirty thousand troops to charge against an enemy force of a hundred thousand is nothing but a death sentence!”

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed hundreds of figures emerging from the ranks of ordinary soldiers in Wuyang City. These figures were enveloped in the glow of spells, streaking like lightning toward the enemy’s roaring artillery.

“So that’s their plan!” Li Lisong nodded but continued to observe. War was never that simple.

Sure enough, as soon as the Wuyang City defenders launched their surprise attack, the attacking side responded accordingly. Suddenly, countless spells soared into the sky around the artillery positions, forming a dense defensive barrier. There were all kinds of spells—offensive, defensive, and restraining.

The magic shielded the artillery encampment, and soon, hundreds of enemy soldiers rushed forward to counter the assault.

Shouts of battle, screams of agony, and the roar of artillery, combined with the brilliant flashes of spell attacks, made the battlefield resemble a grand spectacle of music and dance. But in reality, it was a brutal war of attrition.

As time passed, the ground became streaked with crimson streams, and the stench of blood filled the air. Both sides had gone mad with bloodlust, and the battlefield’s killing aura was beginning to erode the minds of the soldiers.

Suddenly, the enemy artillery fire ceased.

What was happening? Li Lisong frowned in confusion. Activating his spiritual awareness, he finally caught a faint clue: they had run out of ammunition.

His eyes flickered as he glanced at the artillery camp’s now empty rear. Finally, he laughed. “So, there’s a weakness after all! I knew it—nothing in this world is perfect.”

At that moment, Li Lisong heard the roar of aircraft above him again. But this time, the sound was different. Looking up, he was instantly stunned!

What kind of aircraft was that? It was several times larger than the planes from Songzhou County earlier. It had four engines and flew at an even greater speed. But the most striking feature was the bold characters painted on its fuselage: Anyang.

Three such aircraft streaked across the sky like arrows, passing over Li Lisong’s head. But they did not leave. Instead, they slowed down and hovered in midair.

From one of the planes, under the protection of a Nascent Soul-stage expert, Li Xian flamboyantly emerged. Floating high above the battlefield, he waved his hand and greeted them loudly, “Hi, everyone.”

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