CHAPTER 824: CHAPTER 501: A CENTURY AHEAD IN FIREPOWER

This brutal beast, which could withstand an arrow barrage, seemed unaware of what the cannonball was before dying. In its last moments, it raised its head, bared its fangs, and tried to bite.

But the next second, its hard scaly armor suddenly caved in. If time were slowed down countless times, one could clearly see how that tough skin and flesh were crushed, rippling like waves into rings of bloody flesh.

With the combined force of gunpowder and a precision cannon barrel, even ordinary iron at this moment had the power to blast through multiple layers of heavy armor.

Without any surprise, the head of this evil beast exploded with a "puff," blood splattering. The massive body, having lost brain control, continued to sprint on instinct and momentum, only to tilt to one side and fall after not running far.

Inside the chariot, soldiers wielding sharp blades, who were lying in wait, were taken aback and fell down with the chariot, rolling as if they were not on land warfare but at sea, aboard a ship upturned by waves.

At this moment, the sturdy chariot became a tomb that cut off their escape route.

This precise shot that hit the tusk beast was the only cannonball; the others were simply calculated to evenly cover the entire battlefield.

Some beasts were hit and fell even if not dead, while others let out terrified roars, instinctively turning to flee in all directions, crashing into the formations of the following Qingzhou soldiers.

"No—"

The Qingzhou soldiers had thought it would be another easy hunt, but unexpectedly, the beast turned, and the roaring of gunfire further threw their minds into disarray. In almost the blink of an eye, the formation of the Qingzhou Rebel Army fell into collapse.

Even with the military officer loudly ordering commands, it was to no avail. The soldiers cried out in terror, fleeing in all directions—Qingzhou Army was not elite to begin with, and now, when frustrated, they immediately exposed their true form, becoming a scattered rabble.

And even part of the elite forces found it difficult to stop in the face of this scene.

"Firearms... firearms... is this Zhao Douan’s confidence?" Amidst the cannon fire, Ning Xianzong muttered to himself, staring grimly at the previously unbeatable chariots now in instant defeat.

He clenched his fists tightly, and his heart beat like a drum.

"Commander! What do we do? The frontline formation has collapsed!" The surrounding military officers all showed panic-stricken expressions.

"Clang!"

Ning Xianzong abruptly drew his sword, a burst of sword energy exploded, stirring up a spray of dust on the ground.

The generals instinctively shut their mouths, meeting Ning Xianzong’s extremely calm eyes: "What’s there to panic about? It’s just a charge. Pass down the order to stop the routed soldiers; kill anyone who tries to spy! Don’t let these men disperse and break the rear military formation!"

After saying this, he turned his head towards the side of the Five Army Camp and said harshly: "By now, the surprise attack troops should have arrived, Divine Mechanism Camp will arrive shortly, and there must be a large group of demoralized officers and soldiers in the Five Army Camp, slack in defense. As long as the camp is breached, we can attack from both sides and swallow the Divine Mechanism Camp!"

Chariots? He never bet all his stakes on the frontal battlefield.

...

On the side of the Five Army Camp, in a forested area, a group of elite Qingzhou soldiers all wearing soft armor, carrying military crossbows on their backs, swords in hand, moved out from the forest with densely packed footsteps.

A leading general gazed at the distant camp, listening to the booming sounds like thunder in his ears, said steadily: "Prepare to attack the camp!"

From their position, they couldn’t know what was happening on the frontline, but they knew it must be related to the Divine Mechanism Camp’s firearms.

However, this wasn’t important, as this group, trained with painstaking effort by Ning Xianzong, was no less competent than the imperial guard.

"Commander’s order is no matter what happens; our task is only one, to make a surprise attack on the enemy camp." The leading officer softly reassured the soldiers behind him.

Everyone nodded, stopping their footsteps uniformly, removing the General Crossbow from their backs, and "loading" the arrows.

Then drawing their swords, the group moved swiftly and silently like a tide towards the quiet camp.

But just as they were about to reach the high wooden wall outside the barracks, suddenly and without any warning, soldiers from the Divine Mechanism Camp startlingly appeared atop the long wooden wall!

They seemed to have been lying in ambush here for a long time, and now suddenly revealed themselves; these soldiers didn’t wield knives or crossbows but held rifles in their hands.

"It’s an ambush!" The Qingzhou rebels were startled, but trained enough to scatter while speeding up, trying to reach the blind spot of attack under the wooden wall.

"No need to worry, guns fire slowly, dodge the first round, and..." the leading rebel officer shouted.

But the next moment, the Divine Mechanism Camp’s firearms soldiers on the wall silently aimed their gun barrels at them and pulled the triggers.

Gone was the tedious flaming of matchlock guns during earlier "military exercises," replaced with newly improved firing pins over outdated ignition systems.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

The dense gunfire suddenly broke out, and the charging rebels fell like wheat being scythed down, without the power to resist.

"How is this possible?" The leading rebel’s pupils quaked, shouting: "Retreat!"

But it was already too late, the closed wooden wall suddenly opened, and Commander Shi Meng personally led a group of firearms soldiers smilingly waiting there: "It’s just as Mr. Zhao predicted, they know he is here, and this round of attack will certainly spare no effort and likely make a sneak attack..."

The rebels’ hearts were utterly shaken, turning to flee, but how could they outrun the ready bullets?

After two more rounds of hailfire, this elite group all fell; only a few officers with cultivation survived, but they were easily subdued by Shi Meng and other officers.

"Quite well prepared." Shi Meng pulled a "signal flare" out of the leading rebel’s body, grinned, and slowly lit this military-made "firework" while stepping on the bloody, heavily injured body with his boot.

"Whoosh!"

A bundle of fireworks skyrocketed, clearly visible even from a great distance.

...

In the rebel command post, Ning Xianzong anxiously paced back and forth. Suddenly, the sudden rise of a red firework in the sky grabbed his attention.

The fireworks appeared, yet opposite the Five Army Camp’s campsite remained quiet.

Ning Xianzong’s heart sank abruptly, realizing what had happened, he hesitated for a moment, suddenly went mad and shouted: "Order, beat the drums! Charge! Abandon the beast charge! Full army charge!"

Those around were shocked: "Commander?"

They suspected the Commander had gone mad, how could they charge under artillery fire?

But Ning Xianzong almost howled, urgently shouting: "As long as we rush close to them and engage the Divine Mechanism Camp in melee, those firearms will lose their effectiveness! They won’t dare bombard us along with their own people! On the contrary, retreat and you’ll be covered by their firearms, ultimately defeated! We have only one path, charge over there! The Divine Mechanism Camp must not have enough people, we have more, in close combat, there’s still a chance of victory!"

At this moment, faced with the crushing force of advanced firearms for the first time, this unknown Commander unexpectedly found the greatest flaw in artillery fire sweeping through in just a brief moment.

Separating from it ensures death, drawing closer instead makes firearms soldiers under restraint, cease bombardment.

However, facing his order, this group of generals showed hesitation:

Who would charge? To cross that artillery-covered area with flesh and blood?

Ning Xianzong glared at the hesitant, battle-averse officers, anger rising in his heart, and pushed them aside, ready to lead the charge personally.

However, at this moment, opposite the battlefield, the gunfire abruptly stopped. From beginning to end, the composed array-waiting Young Master Tang Ping used his little finger to clean his ears numbed from the blasts, muttered: "Chen Gui, you bastard..."

Immediately, Tang Ping suddenly raised his spear, spurred his horse, and charged: "Divine Mechanism Camp! Charge with me!"

"Kill!" The young military officers behind him shouted in unison, leading the soldiers behind them towards the already collapsing Qingzhou Rebel Army, launching the final slaughter.

...

On a distant hilltop.

Zhao Douan squatted on the hilltop, smilingly planted the seed core of another fresh pear into the soil, patted his hands, stood up, and smiled at the wide-eyed, dumbfounded generals behind him, saying: ""