The Flintlock

Lin Zixiao frowned slightly.

He did not have much of a favorable impression of that big-bellied Protector Bai, but his seven brothers highly revered Protector Bai.

Plus, the firearms delivered by Protector Bai were indeed terrifyingly powerful, making even him pale in fear upon seeing them.

He, Lin Zixiao, would not reject such a good idea.

He nodded and said, Then go and prepare!

Yes, Commander!

Fourth Brother Su Mo agreed with great joy and immediately mobilized the firearms.

Soon, under their plotting, they laid an ambush along Wei Shuo's marching route.

Under normal circumstances, given Wei Shuo's swift and fierce speed, even if archers were ambushing them, it would be absolutely impossible to cause any harm to the three thousand men Wei Shuo brought.

Wei Shuo was quite clear about this.

For the sake of efficiency and to maximize his fighting style, even if Wei Shuo knew there might be an ambush ahead, he completely ignored it.

How could Wei Shuo's style be so timid and cowering?

He, Wei Shuo, was the type to march toward the tiger's den even knowing there were tigers inside!

Leading his three thousand men, he charged out fiercely.

Set fires, start a continuous blaze, and then...

He would lead the entire army to rush through the canyon entrance at the fastest possible speed.

But right at this moment,

Two square formations surged out from both sides of the canyon entrance.

These were already within Wei Shuo's expectations, or rather, this situation could occur at every step Wei Shuo took, but he simply ignored it and just sped up.

The distance from the canyon entrance to them was too far for arrows to reach. Unless they had strong bows and heavy crossbows, but how many men in the army could wield those?

Furthermore, the canyon entrance was quite wide, and they could charge through in the blink of an eye!

Wei Shuo did not panic in the slightest.

But the next moment...

A series of loud explosions, like thunderclaps, suddenly blasted out.

The valley buzzed and echoed with the shock.

The front row of cavalry was instantly overturned, horses and men falling.

Wei Shuo luckily escaped disaster, but he was completely unable to grasp the situation. He could only see many of his brothers either having their chests blown open or their heads directly shattered.

What was even more terrifying was...

He did not see the formations at the canyon entrance making any preparations to draw bows and shoot arrows.

Instead, those people were holding pitch-black objects in their hands.

Like sticks!

What was going on?

Wei Shuo had no time to think carefully, because amidst this earth-shaking noise, the horses they brought had already been frightened into a frenzy, starting to charge left and right, running forward and backing up uncontrollably.

They trampled each other!

The formation was in complete chaos!

A look of horror appeared in Wei Shuo's eyes.

He had been invincible all his life, penetrating deep into the vast desert almost unscathed. He had never suffered such a bizarre battle. From the appearance of the enemy to their direct defeat, it actually happened in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, he did not even know what methods the opponent was using!

The next moment, the noise grew even louder.

More and more cavalrymen fell, and the uncontrollable horses caused more and more elites to suffer casualties.

Wei Shuo was trapped in a desperate situation.

The horses could not be driven, and with Lin Zixiao's army surrounding him on all sides, it was almost a certain death situation.

Up on the canyon, Fourth Brother Su Mo reported to Lin Zixiao beside him with considerable pride, Commander, these firearms are extraordinary, aren't they?

The items Protector Bai delivered are divine artifacts of the Tongxin Alliance. With these, we can crush the rebels like splitting bamboo!

Lin Zixiao nodded, deeply agreeing.

He said, I didn't expect these firearms to have such power. I have truly broadened my horizons.

However...

Lin Zixiao waved his hand and ordered, All troops, hear my command: cease the attack!

As soon as these words came out, Fourth Brother Su Mo was stunned. Commander, we are just about to capture Wei Shuo, why stop?

If we stop, Wei Shuo will definitely have the ability to regain control of the horses and then escape.

Lin Zixiao shook his head and said, We are an army of justice, not true rebels. This Wei Shuo is the Marquis of Changping, a brave warrior of the nation. If we kill him, how can we silence the criticism of the people?

Let him go!

After speaking, Lin Zixiao turned and left.

Wei Shuo's spirit had been completely broken by the beating. They no longer had to worry about their supply lines. There would be nothing else tonight; they only had to wait for the main army to siege the city tomorrow.

...

Report!

General Wei Shuo has returned!

Inside the Duke Ren's Mansion, Ren Tianye, who was discussing matters with his generals in front of the sand table, was instantly startled.

Wei Shuo returned?

Wasn't he sent to harass the supply lines?

Why did he come back so soon?

Realizing something had happened, Ren Tianye's gaze instantly turned cold. Soon after, he saw a dusty and disheveled Wei Shuo stumble into the room.

Lord Duke, I am incompetent. I abandoned my armor and weapons, returning in crushing defeat with over a thousand casualties. I beg Lord Duke to punish me.

Ren Tianye did not immediately waste words on this matter, but instead asked calmly, What happened?

Does Lin Zixiao have such capabilities?

To make you look this pathetic?

Wei Shuo felt even more ashamed and said, At first, everything went smoothly for me, but... we encountered an ambush by Lin Zixiao's army. Originally, I judged that we would be fine, after all, our army is extremely fast.

However, I don't know where Lin Zixiao's army got some heaven-defying objects. It looked like each person was holding a stick, and they suddenly exploded with a continuous, deafening roar like thunder.

In an instant, dozens of men were killed or severely injured, and the horses were frightened, trampling each other. In that brief moment, I suffered a total defeat!

As soon as Wei Shuo said this, the entire army was shocked.

Whether it was Wang Ming or Shi Hu, they were all dumbfounded.

One must know, although they were currently on equal footing with Wei Shuo under Ren Tianye, back in the Great Yu Dynasty, neither Wang Ming nor Shi Hu even had the qualifications to serve under Wei Shuo's command.

They were simply not on the same level.

The key was that Wei Shuo's military merits were all earned by himself.

That god-like military prowess was highly respected by Wang Ming, Shi Hu, and the others.

But a man like him was actually reduced to such a pathetic state by something of Lin Zixiao's?

Ren Tianye was also full of shock.

Listening to Wei Shuo's description, this was... a freaking musket!

He hurriedly asked Wei Shuo for the specific details in depth.

The more he asked, the more alarmed he became.

Because Ren Tianye felt that the muskets used in Lin Zixiao's army were not ordinary muskets.

They were not hand cannons, nor were they matchlocks!

They were... flintlocks!

Damn it, flintlocks!

Although this thing was also muzzle-loaded and required human coordination to maximize its effect, its range could reach two hundred meters!

Moreover, it could fire two or three rounds a minute.

If they formed a square formation.

Let alone infantry, even cavalry, as long as they hadn't undergone special training, wouldn't be able to stop it at all!

How could this Lin Zixiao have flintlocks?

Could it be that Lin Zixiao is also a fellow transmigrator?

Or does Lin Zixiao have an illicit relationship with the Tongxin Alliance?

Ren Tianye leaned more towards the second conclusion.

Lin Zixiao had a connection with the Tongxin Alliance.

So... these flintlocks were created by Liu Ruyan, the Grand Palace Master of the Tongxin Alliance.