Liang Xiao had already donned a Taoist robe and was brandishing the Ephemeral Sword on a makeshift platform atop the piled-up war chariots, chanting incantations.
"Lord of Thunder, aid me!!"
This was the perfect moment to feign divine intervention, mask the origin of the gunpowder barrels, and boost morale!
While the surrounding soldiers stared in bewildered confusion, the gunpowder barrels in the distance exploded.
"Boom boom boom..."
A deafening roar, accompanied by a world-shattering shockwave, instantly blew gaping holes in the surrounding defenses!
The gunpowder barrels themselves were reinforced with iron bands, which shattered along with them upon explosion.
The nearby barbarian soldiers were either killed or wounded, or caught in the blast of flying wood fragments, shattered iron, and flames, their bodies aflame and cries of agony rising in waves!
The first volley of gunpowder barrels had ignited the surrounding sacks and timber, erupting into a raging inferno.
"The Deputy Marshal truly is a god descended!"
The soldiers around Liang Xiao cheered with excitement, and the news spread like wildfire, reaching everyone that Liang Xiao had summoned the heavenly thunder. The entire army's morale surged.
Previously, people had believed that Liang Xiao could indeed summon heavenly generals, and now witnessing Liang Xiao's ritualistic incantations and the deafening "heavenly thunder" that assisted him, they were overjoyed!
Liang Xiao's expression was solemn. He waved his command sword, finished reciting a mantra he himself didn't understand, and then said to the soldiers, "Heaven blesses our Great Gan. However, you generals must not relax. Attack!"
The soldiers joyfully agreed, their eyes like wolves and tigers, hands itching to charge towards the front lines.
"Boom..."
The deafening explosions continued in succession, wave after wave of gunpowder barrels detonating in the barbarian front camp.
According to Liang Xiao's reconnaissance over the past few days, most of the catapults were targeting the most crucial positions, achieving remarkable results!
"This is Great Gan's Liang Xiao's 'heavenly thunder'?!"
Barbarian soldiers at the front line scrambled for cover. The thirty thousand slave soldiers had already suffered thousands of casualties and were retreating. The barbarian generals were unable to restrain them.
"Impossible!! Can he truly summon heavenly thunder? Why are those heavenly thunders wooden barrels..." The Right Wise King and Left Wise King's eyes were bloodshot, their bodies trembling with rage.
"Hold the line for me!!" The Right Wise King, his anger escalating to the point of distress, stomped his feet incessantly, rushing back and forth on the high platform, roaring orders. He nearly fell off, but was fortunately caught in time by the Left Wise King and two strategists.
"Relay the order to the entire army: if this place is lost, there will be no hope of recovery. We will be annihilated!" the Left Wise King said, his voice trembling.
The barbarian soldiers in the distance quickly received the message, suppressed their terror, and advanced.
After the barbarian soldiers had killed over a thousand slave soldiers, the remaining ones finally retreated to the front line for defense.
The gunpowder barrels continued to be hurled madly, advancing with the army, even being shot into the barbarian encampment, causing chaos!
The front lines were in disarray, and the barbarian city walls, stretching for miles and reputedly impregnable, were blown open with countless gaps!
The thousands of gunpowder barrels Liang Xiao had painstakingly prepared over time had been reduced by half after dozens of volleys.
All defensive fortifications of the barbarian city walls were utterly destroyed, and the barbarian soldiers suffered immense casualties!!
The Heavenly Sun Tribe's slave soldiers, numbering only twenty thousand, finally broke under the threat of the gunpowder barrels and turned to flee, crashing into their own main camp.
Fleeing might result in being killed by the disciplinary troops, but not running, they were convinced, would surely lead to their deaths!
In an instant, the barbarian front army fell into complete disarray, causing the archers and barbarian cavalry in the middle and rear to also falter.
"Charge with the entire army! Reclaim our lands, avenge our grievances! Capture and kill the Left Wise King and Right Wise King, and receive ten thousand taels of gold!!"
As Lü Yi and Liang Xiao issued their respective orders, the Great Gan soldiers charged like famished tigers, covering the retreat of the catapults while surging towards the now undefended barbarian city walls!
The earth-shattering war cries from the plains shook the nascent branches of the surrounding trees violently, causing their buds and leaves to fall and flutter in the wind.
On this day, the mountains and rivers changed color, and the wind and clouds were thrown into chaos!!
Only then did Liang Xiao pick up the Sunset Bow handed to him by a Shadow Guard, ready to join the fray.
Beside the war chariot, the Myriad Miles Cloud Smoke neighed to the sky. Liang Xiao's eyes were sharp, and with his superior vision, he observed the Left Wise King and Right Wise King on their high platform several miles away.
He had not seen the Right Wise King before, but the Right Wise King's position was too conspicuous. Clearly, he was the current barbarian marshal, with even the Left Wise King relegated to deputy marshal.
Lü Yi worried about his safety and advised against him participating as the Heavenly General, lest the enemy counterattack fiercely and concentrate their attacks. Furthermore, on enemy territory, danger lurked everywhere.
Besides, the Great Gan soldiers could not always rely on the Heavenly General to boost their morale. Otherwise, if soldiers at other border passes discovered that the Heavenly General had never manifested to protect them, the situation would become precarious.
However, he could participate as Liang Xiao, the Marquis of Anguo of Great Gan, leading troops. Even if it was just a symbolic charge, it would make it clear to the world that he, the Marquis of Anguo, was not a coward. But he would only draw his bow; he was not the Heavenly General himself!
Without the obstruction of fortifications, and with the barbarian archers and ballistae now filled with dread and unable to shoot accurately, the Great Gan army transformed into a raging tide, surging forward. Using warhorses and barbarian soldiers as steps, they quickly breached the barbarian city walls.
Yue Qingtian personally led the charge, holding the largest heavy shield, advancing amidst the hail of arrows and stones, his voice thundering, "Qingtian Guards, follow this monk to take the Right Wise King's head! We cannot lose to other legions and shame the Marquis!"
Nan Jiyun, who was commanding from horseback in the rear, curled his lips and loudly ordered, "Great Gan Iron Guards, advance in formation!"
As a cavalry general, Nan Jiyun could not be fully clad in infantry armor, thus he could not charge with the army for the moment and could only watch Yue Qingtian, who was at the forefront, with frustration.
Yue Qingtian, as the leader, wore infantry armor forged from steel using the crucible steel method, which had stronger compressive strength. However, his charge into battle was befitting of such fine steel armor.
The two elite forces, as vanguards, vied to rush towards the enemy, fearing they would disgrace their respective legions.
However, the Great Gan Iron Guards did not immediately engage the enemy. Instead, they advanced with heavy shields and armored war chariots to block the enemy's crossbow bolts, creating space for the archers and divine-arm crossbow units in the rear to unleash their firepower!
Especially the longbowmen within the two elite legions, possessing astonishing strength and stamina, drew their bows faster. A volley from their longbows rained down, killing countless barbarian soldiers!
Inside the city walls, exchanges of arrows and crossbow bolts between both sides had devolved into complete indiscriminate firing.
Fortunately, Great Gan, with the might of the entire nation, had prepared over ten million arrows and bolts in total. Coupled with the opportunity to recover a small portion of intact projectiles after the battle, they fired relentlessly without regard for expenditure.
The longbowmen of the two elite legions each carried two quivers, totaling over a hundred arrows. The longbowmen in the rear were also strongmen, each carrying a quiver with forty arrows. Even if their arrows ran out, the rear army would promptly deliver new ones, ensuring they had arrows ready when they could shoot.
The two individuals from the divine-arm crossbow unit each carried a bolt quiver with over a hundred and fifty bolts, more than enough!
Facing the formidable Great Gan army, the Right Wise King cried out hysterically, "The entire army will engage! Wait for reinforcements, we can win!!"
The Left Wise King said urgently, "Cavalry cannot maneuver effectively within the city walls. They must outflank to the wings and attack the enemy's rear!"
The Right Wise King was jolted awake and immediately ordered the cavalry to deploy.
Simultaneously, Lü Yi and Liang Xiao issued their orders: "Iron Cavalry charge!"