Chapter 572: Shocking to the Core

With no way to go out and stroll around, the only option was to do what needed to be done.

With so many commoners watching outside, it was also quite suitable for a military drill—first, to boost the confidence of the Great Ming people, and second, to intimidate those with ill intentions. Perfect timing.

In some places, the Great Ming people were full of confidence, but the people of Liaodong were not. Over the years, whether it was the Mongols or Hong Taiji's men, they had taken turns bullying them.

Although the Great Ming had won many battles, in the end it was the people of Liaodong who suffered. They had endured much hardship, suffered much misery, and their days had not been easy.

Though many victories had been won in recent years, and some people were doing business in Liaodong with somewhat better lives, in the end there was still no confidence in their hearts.

This time, Hong Taiji was dead and the Jurchen had been wiped out, and everyone's hearts were filled with joy. Under such circumstances, Zhu Youxiao wanted to give them a bit more confidence—invincible confidence:

The armies of my Great Ming are undefeatable—no one can stand against them!

When Zhu Youxiao ascended the drill platform, someone handed a telescope into his hands.

For this drill, Zhu Youxiao could only watch from a distance; no one dared to place him up close. If anything went wrong, no one could bear the responsibility.

Having been Emperor for several years now, Zhu Youxiao was long past his rebellious phase. For him, he could understand all these matters now, and he could accept them too.

You cannot cause trouble for your subordinates just for your own momentary pleasure—that is a very bad behavior, not something an Emperor should do.

But the commoners and Mongols below had no such considerations; they all crowded around. If Zhu Youxiao had not been standing high up, he probably would not have been able to see anything at all.

With so many people crowded inside and out, the surrounding area had been cleared of the venue, and they were not allowed to get too close—otherwise, problems could easily arise.

Across from the drill ground, a four-meter-high city wall had already been constructed.

In front of the city wall stood quite a few soldiers, and from the look of it there were also cavalry—only they were all dummies.

Actually, Zhu Youxiao had originally not wanted them to set these things up, because in his view they were meaningless. These things were just going to be blown up in one round anyway; making them so elaborate was a waste of money.

But Sun Chengzong and the others insisted on doing it, believing that doing it this way would have a very good effect, and that those people would be very frightened after seeing it.

Dealing with cavalry was meant for the Mongols to see; the city wall things were meant for the Joseon people to see.

In Sun Chengzong's view, the Joseon king did not show enough respect for the Great Ming. Although the Joseon king already harbored sufficient respect, Sun Chengzong felt that if this were in the past, such respect would have been no problem; but placed in the present, it was simply not enough—unqualified.

The Joseon king needed to be made to understand anew, and so this arrangement came into being.

Zhu Youxiao said nothing either—anyway, he was not short on money at this time, and putting on this show was no big deal.

Zhu Youxiao agreed and let them arrange things freely, and the result was what it looked like now.

But it seemed the effect was rather good.

"It's starting again." Zhu Youxiao picked up the telescope and said with a smile.

Wukeshan and the others sat together, not knowing what the Great Ming army was going to perform. They were also looking forward to it—this time it could showcase the Great Ming army's strength, just the thing to let everyone see for themselves.

Bumbutai also sat beside Wukeshan, but the expression on her face was not so happy.

Seeing quite a few people around her eager to try, a trace of worry flashed in her eyes.

She hoped that this time the Great Ming Emperor had not miscalculated, and that this approach could truly frighten these people; otherwise, things would really become troublesome.

At this moment, the Great Ming army also marched up—cannons, mortars, rockets, heavy machine guns, and infantry.

All the troops marched up in orderly formation.

Seeing this scene, everyone watched with rapt attention.

The speed of deploying troops was very fast—this had all been drilled long ago. They could even assemble at extremely high speed without wearing clothes. This was all the merit of daily training; doing it now was even easier than a piece of cake.

Having witnessed all this, many people's expressions turned serious.

These troops moved too fast—one could say they were perfectly disciplined, acting on command. Throughout the entire operation, not a single person spoke; everyone seemed to know exactly where they should be, finding their positions with great speed, all coordinating flawlessly.

What did such coordination mean in an army?

Anyone with even a little experience leading troops in battle would know—let alone someone like Wukeshan?

Wukeshan's expression was very grave.

Although he had already tried his best to overestimate the Great Ming army, now he discovered that he might still have underestimated it.

Wukeshan could not help but turn his head to look at Zhang Muhe not far away.

At this moment, Zhang Muhe's expression was also very grave, quietly watching the scene.

After everyone had finished assembling, Lu Xiangsheng appeared at the front of the formation.

He did not waste a single word and directly gave the order to begin.

All words, or any other miscellaneous things, could never be more impactful than images.

Under everyone's expectant gazes, the Great Ming army launched its attack on the drill city wall.

First came the rockets. Thirty rocket carts had been arranged in a row, long since prepared.

With Lu Xiangsheng's single command, the "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound of the rockets rang out across the entire drill ground. Earth-shattering explosions sounded instantly, smoke and dust rose on all sides, earth and stone flew everywhere, and even the ground itself seemed to tremble.

Everyone was stunned speechless by this scene, all staring wide-eyed, their mouths hanging open as if they could not catch their breath.

This scene was probably going to scare quite a few people to death.

Then came the cannons—after the "boom boom boom" of the artillery fire, the shells landed directly, and explosions sounded instantly.

The city wall that had been clearly visible was now shrouded in explosions and a sea of fire, with smoke and dust rising across the field.

Everyone watched this scene in disbelief.

But it was not over yet—another volley of rockets came from behind.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Zhu Youxiao stood on the high platform, watching this scene through the telescope, and finally let out a sigh of relief.

With firepower like this, he finally felt a slight sense of security—his firepower insufficiency phobia had received its initial treatment.

Wukeshan's mouth hung wide open, his hand pointing at the scene before him, yet he could not speak.

He had never imagined it would come to this!

Under such circumstances, what were any cavalry but a joke? Had the Great Ming's firearms actually developed to such a degree?

Thinking of leading tens of thousands of cavalry in a charge against such firearms of the Great Ming, Wukeshan felt a chill run down his spine.

Before them lay a sea of fire, explosions thundering across heaven and earth. Under such circumstances, it was utterly meaningless—cavalry couldn't charge forward; they would be blown to nothing in an instant.

The firepower was simply too intense. Anyone coming up would just be a live target.

Many shared Wukeshan's thoughts. All trace of their earlier ease was gone. Their faces showed nothing but shock.

Their mouths hung wide open, faces filled with panic, looking like they couldn't survive another moment.

Clearly, this scene had scared the wits out of quite a few people.

But this wasn't over yet.

When the smoke cleared, everyone drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

The city across from them had vanished. The walls had collapsed, the scarecrows had caught fire, the entire city was shrouded in gunsmoke, and the ground was pockmarked with countless craters of every size.

This scene was truly terrifying.

And this was just hitting city walls—if this struck a person, what would that look like? Blown to bits on the spot, torn into pieces, right?

Now they finally understood how Hong Taiji had died, and how the Jurchen had been defeated.

Against weapons like these, any resistance was utterly meaningless. Anything at all was meaningless. Cavalry, bows and arrows—none of it could possibly resist.

Many people directly projected themselves into the demonstration they had just witnessed, and the results were far from optimistic. Especially King Li Zong of Joseon—at this moment, his heart and spirit were shattered.

Li Zong watched the scene before him, imagining the Great Ming army galloping across Joseon, and instantly felt that he was doomed.

These Mongol tribes at least had cavalry—he didn't even have that. Facing such military equipment, there was only one road: death!

Then Li Zong thought of something else: the Great Ming Emperor wanted to strike the Wa nation!

Li Zong became excited in an instant, so thrilled he could barely contain himself!

If he had an army like this, what would he have to fear from the Wa?

Indeed, Great Ming Daddy had long been prepared!

If he truly joined Great Ming Daddy in striking the Wa, then it was a sure victory before the war even began!

Under these circumstances, Li Zong shifted from terror to excitement—the man was absolutely beside himself.

This was an opportunity!

If he followed Great Ming Daddy to wipe out the Wa, wouldn't all the Wa's fine treasures become his?

He'd get the treasures and win Great Ming Daddy's favor—how wonderful!

He just wondered whether Great Ming Daddy might be willing to sell him some of these weapons?

The weapons back home were far too outdated. With Great Ming Daddy's weapons, his own army would grow strong too, and then when the time came to fight the Wa, he could contribute some effort.

He'd ask later whether they could give him some! Yes, he definitely had to ask!

Everyone's thoughts differed, but their fear of the Great Ming was the same. When they looked back at the high platform, the dread in their eyes was truly profound.

They had previously looked down on the Great Ming soldiers; now their eyes were filled with terror at the sight of them.

If they ever encountered these soldiers and this military equipment, there was simply no way to fight!

Before either side even made a move, their own people would be gone.

But the Great Ming side seemed not to be done playing. A crowd of people was being herded over.

A huge crowd—it looked like over a thousand people.

No one understood what the Great Ming intended to do.

Were they going to fire the cannons at these people?