Chương 592: The Battle of the Middle Way

"Rush!"

Yuwen Chengdu led the vanguard cavalry, charging into the city through the breach.

Horse hooves trampled over broken bricks and rubble, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The musketeers, arranged in square formations, advanced and fired as they went, the sound of gunfire rising and falling in waves.

The surviving Wusun cavalry attempted to resist, but were utterly helpless against the concentrated firepower.

Their arrows couldn't pierce the Han army's armor; the clanging sounds were deafening, but they didn't even leave a white mark.

Before their swords could even reach the Han soldiers, they were shot down by muskets, screaming in agony.

Having narrowly escaped the bombardment, Wu Tu Midona led his personal guard cavalry in an attempt to break out through the west gate, but was stopped by Qu Yi's army.

After a burst of intense musket fire, only a few dozen Imperial Guard cavalrymen remained, their bodies littering the ground.

Wu Tu Midona was captured alive, bound hand and foot, and brought before Su Lie. He was still cursing when Yuwen Chengdu slapped him so hard that he was silenced.

In less than two hours, Chigu City was captured.

The Han army annihilated the 40, 000-strong Wusun army, captured the little Kunmi Wutu Midona alive, and took countless prisoners.

When the Great Kunmi Kunmo Alodokhan heard that the Han army had easily captured Chigu City and taken Wutu Midona alive, he was so frightened that he immediately came to pay his respects to Su Lie, scrambling and crawling away.

Upon seeing Su Lie, he knelt down with a thud, tears welling up in his eyes, snot streaming down his face.

"General! Thank you, Great Han army! I, Kunmo Aluoduo Khan, am willing to lead the entire Wusun nation to submit to the Great Han, to be a vassal state of the Great Han forever, and never to betray it! The Great Han may take Wusun's cattle, sheep, horses, and land at will!"

Su Lie gestured for Kunmo Aluo Khan to rise, saying, "Kun... A... What Khan, you don't need to be so polite. From now on, Wusun is part of the Han Dynasty and will obey the Han's commands. As long as you are loyal, you will be rewarded."

Kunmo Aluo Khan was extremely grateful and kowtowed repeatedly. He immediately ordered all Wusun troops to lay down their weapons and submit to the Han army.

Thus, the Wusun, once the most powerful superpower in the Western Regions, was destroyed in less than a day under the blitzkrieg of the Han army and became a vassal of the Han Dynasty.

..................

The Middle Way.

Cao Cao, dressed in a black brocade robe with a black lamellar armor over it, a sword at his waist, sat upright on his horse, stroking his beard, his eyes deep and a faint smile playing on his lips.

Holding his halberd, riding his fiery red horse, and wearing a three-pronged purple-gold crown, Lü Bu stood majestically beside Cao Cao, his chin held high.

Zhang He, holding a long spear, led his cavalry unit in close pursuit, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

"Mengde," Lü Bu said, turning to Cao Cao and pointing ahead.

"Ahead lies the gateway to Yanqi, the Iron Gate Pass. On both sides are sheer cliffs, towering thousands of feet high, with only a narrow canyon in the middle. At its narrowest point, it can only accommodate two horses abreast. It is a place where one man can hold off ten thousand."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled, looking relaxed:

"Fengxian, don't worry. The Yanqi people think they can stop us with this natural barrier, but little do they know that in the face of our firearms, any natural barrier is just paper. A natural barrier can stop people, but it can't stop cannonballs."

He said to Zhang He, "Junyi, lead five thousand musketeers to the mouth of the canyon and suppress the archers on the city wall. Remember, do not charge in. Just shoot from the outside and smash their heads so they can't raise their heads."

"Here you go!"

Zhang He accepted the order and led 5, 000 musketeers to the mouth of the canyon.

Five thousand men lined up in ten rows, their guns pointed straight at the city wall.

Upon seeing the Han army, the Yanqi soldiers on the city wall immediately unleashed a hail of arrows, whistling through the air.

But they were all blocked by the Han army's iron armor, only making a "clanging" sound.

"Form ranks! Fire!" Zhang He shouted.

Five thousand musketeers immediately began firing in shifts at the city walls.

"Bang bang bang!"

A hail of bullets rained down on the city walls, and the Yanqi soldiers fell in droves, like wheat being cut down.

The remaining people were so frightened that they hid behind the city wall, not daring to show their heads, trembling with fear.

Occasionally, a few daring individuals would peek out, only to be immediately shot in the head, their brains splattering out.

"Fengxian, it's your turn!" Cao Cao shouted.

"drive!"

Lu Bu spurred his crimson steed, wielding his halberd, and led a small contingent of cavalry across the canyon like an arrow released from a bow.

The Crimson Flame Horse was incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, it rushed to the foot of the pass, its hooves flying and its mane billowing.

The Yanqi soldiers on the city wall tried to resist, but were beaten down by the musketeers behind them and couldn't lift their heads, so they couldn't shoot arrows down at all.

Erect a ladder...

With a leap, Lü Bu scaled the city wall in a few steps. Wherever his halberd swung, no one could stop him; he cut through everything like melons and vegetables.

He killed the gatekeeper with a single stroke, impaled the gatekeeper's head on his halberd, raised it high, and shouted: Those who surrender will not be killed!

The remaining Yanqi soldiers were so frightened that they laid down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

The Han army successfully captured the Iron Gate Pass, opening up the road into the Yanqi Basin.

Cao Cao led his army through the canyon and into the Yanqi Basin.

Looking around, there are fertile farmlands and herds of cattle and sheep everywhere, with lush pastures and a peaceful scene.

"What a wonderful place!" Cao Cao exclaimed, taking a deep breath.

"No wonder the people of Yanqi live such a comfortable life; everything grows here."

Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, and others nodded in agreement, their eyes wide with admiration.

When King Long Wuheti of Yanqi learned that the Iron Gate Pass had fallen, he was terrified and immediately led all 20, 000 troops to retreat to the royal city of Yuanqu.

Yuanqu City was the capital of Yanqi. The city walls were tall and sturdy, five zhang high and three zhang thick, and there was a moat three zhang wide outside. It was surrounded by water on all sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. There was only one drawbridge connecting the city to the outside.

Long Uhti thought that with this fortified city, he could stop the Han army's attack. He hid on the city wall, gritting his teeth, and said that no matter how powerful the Han army was, they could not fly over the moat.

After Cao Cao led his army to besiege Yuanqu City, he did not immediately attack the city. Instead, he first lined up the hundreds of tiger-squatting cannons he had brought and aimed them at the city gate.

The cannon muzzle was dark and gaping, like a row of monster eyes.

"Long Uhti, listen up!" Cao Cao shouted at the city wall, his voice booming.

"Our mighty Han army has arrived! If you surrender and open the city gates, we will spare your life and the safety of your people... If you dare to resist, on the day the city falls, we will slaughter everyone! Not a single one will be spared!"