Chapter 1012: Chapter 1012: The Great Battle of Hanhai Pass (Part 1) Chapter 1012: Chapter 1012: The Great Battle of Hanhai Pass (Part 1) Hanhai Pass, the Yan Army’s siege entered its ninth day.

Shangguan Wuji received the eagle letter from Daye and immediately reported it to Princess Qingyun and Wang Chen.

The first news was the death of Emperor Shaowu, which occurred on the day King Jing ascended to the throne, the Emperor of Great Liang, dethroned by his own brother and the Empress Dowager, died within the forbidden palace.

The cause of death was the recurrence of a heart disease.

This also confirmed Wang Chen’s previous premonition.

After King Jing’s ascension, he granted amnesty to the world, changed the state’s name to Yuanjing, and decreed that all prefectural generals return to the Imperial Capital to report their duties.

Currently, Emperor Yuanjing has been informed of the Yan Army’s border offenses and has ordered Shangguan Wuji to defend Hanhai Pass at all costs, also commanding full support from the West Sea Prefecture.

In addition, rebel factions and heretical sects in the southern prefectures are causing chaos, threatening to spread like wildfire.

Moreover, the envoys from Great Qi are en route to Daye, and the two nations are very likely to forge an alliance soon.

These latter pieces of news came from Shangguan Wuji’s private channels.

Though the Grand General of the Western Defense was stationed at the border, he had his own informants in Daye to stay informed about the situation in the Imperial Capital at all times.

“The support troops from West Sea Prefecture cannot be counted on for the time being.”

Shangguan Wuji said in a solemn voice: “Their military is weak and not strong at all, at most they might send a cavalry force to make an appearance. If we want to hold Hanhai Pass, we have to rely on ourselves.”

Originally, the West Sea Prefecture had an elite Light Cavalry Legion, ready to support the Hanhai Army at a moment’s notice. However, years of turmoil within Great Liang had led to this legion being frequently dispatched to suppress disorder in various places.

They were already bled dry.

Under the alliance between Great Liang and Great Yan, this was not a significant issue, but now the relationship had turned hostile.

In the end, Shangguan Wuji definitively asserted: “The Yan Army is likely to attack the city tomorrow!”

As it turned out, the Great General’s prediction was correct.

Woo~
The deep and powerful sound of the horns broke the serenity of the early morning.

“Charge!”

Hundreds of thousands of the Yan Army broke camp, advancing slowly towards Hanhai Pass, their banners fluttering in the wind blocking out the sun, their dense military formations filled with evil Qi piercing the firmament and making the earth tremble.

Scores of large trebuchets and siege towers intermingled among the Yan Army, their wheels rolling thunderously over the grassland, instilling a sense of dread!

After nine days of waiting and preparation, this formidable Yan State army finally launched its assault on Hanhai Pass.

Atop the Guan Wall, Wang Chen looked at the approaching Yan Army, his expression remarkably calm.

However, the soldiers responsible for operating the cannons were trembling with nervousness.

After continuous around-the-clock work by both the Military Foundry Camp and numerous craftsmen from Hanhai City, seventeen massive cast iron cannons, each weighing thousands, had been mounted on the city wall.

Far exceeding Wang Chen’s demand.

Yet, the gunners had all been hastily trained; they had only mastered the basic methods of operating the cannons and fired a few live rounds, severely lacking in experience.

With the enemy army bearing down and the heavy responsibility on their shoulders, these gunners couldn’t help but feel terrified.

“Don’t panic.”

Wang Chen patted the shoulder of a cannon operator beside him and said, “Just aim for the enemy’s trebuchets, it’s okay if you don’t hit at first, you’ll get better after firing a few more shots.”

Sharpshooters are made by shooting bullets, and surely the same goes for cannon operators.

Wang Chen’s reassurance immediately relaxed the operator, who nodded vigorously.

Wang Chen smiled faintly and turned his gaze back to the Yan Army.

At this time, the Yan State’s army had advanced to within two miles, and then hundreds of trebuchets were pulled to the forefront.

Accompanying them were tens of thousands of Yan Army longbowmen and axe shield soldiers.

Battle is imminent!

Wang Chen estimated the distance of the enemy and then personally raised the signal flag: “Prepare the cannons!”

The stone-throwing trebuchets of the Yan State were similar to those arranged behind the walls of Hanhai Pass, with a range of about three to four hundred paces, so they had to be pushed to the appropriate distance to be launched.

Wang Chen’s designed cast iron cannons had an effective range of at least two to three li, with a maximum range estimated to be twice that.

In fact, he could have directly bombarded the Yan Army’s camp with the iron cannons earlier.

But to maximize their effect, Wang Chen deliberately allowed the Yan Army to approach the wall, bringing their trebuchets and siege towers all within the maximum range.

Tens of thousands of Hanhai Army soldiers stood ready, each holding their breath.

“Fire!”

Wang Chen’s command reverberated like thunder, instantly spreading inside and outside of the walls.

The gunners, who were already prepared, thoughtlessly lowered the torches in their hands and ignited the fuses placed on the cannons.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the next moment, seventeen iron cannons unleashed their power simultaneously, firing terrifyingly energetic cannonballs that soared toward the Yan Army over a li away.

At this very moment, the Yan Army was completely unprepared for the arrival of the reaper above their heads.

A cannonball weighing dozens of pounds smashed into the center of the shield and ax troops, instantly blowing one unfortunate soldier to bits, with blood and flesh scattering in all directions.

The cannonball fell to the ground and then shot forward, plowing a bloody path in a blink of an eye.

Since the Yan Army’s formations were densely packed, this single shot took away more than a dozen shield and ax soldiers and even affected the archers behind them!

They couldn’t have dreamed there was a weapon that could strike from such a distance with such formidable power!

Caught off guard, the Yan Army’s vanguard suffered nearly two hundred casualties in the first round of cannon fire, and the gaps blown through their formations were a ghastly sight to behold.

Boom!

By a twist of fate, a trebuchet was hit by a cannonball and was instantly disassembled, its entire structure collapsing.

The hitherto strict Yan Army vanguard fell into chaos.

A loss of two hundred men and one trebuchet was negligible for the vast Yan Army, but the deterrent effect brought about by the debut of the iron cannon had a considerable impact on their morale.

“Advance faster!”

Seeing the unfavorable situation, the Yan Army’s leader immediately quickened the vanguard’s charge towards the wall.

Then they quickly attracted a second round of cannon fire, as well as thick crossbow arrows.

These crossbow arrows came from the siege crossbows positioned on the city walls, and their lethality was also significant.

Immediately after, the stone-throwing trebuchets behind the city walls also began to unleash their power!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The rolling sound of the cannons became the main theme of this fortress siege battle.

The Hanhai Army soldiers operating the iron cannons were carefully selected–they were not only strong in their cultivation level but also sharp-minded. After several rounds of cannon fire, they became more and more adept at operating them.

And their aim became more and more accurate!

As a result, the Yan Army’s trebuchets and siege towers suffered terribly.

As primary targets, one after another was smashed by the cannonballs, turning into expensive debris scattered on the ground.

Not only that, but the soldiers responsible for protecting the trebuchets also suffered from bad luck.

Because if the cannonballs didn’t hit the frames, they could land on them!

The battle between both sides turned intense from the beginning, and the high casualties of the Yan Army soon made the commanders in the rear restless.

——
The second update is here.