Chapter 1097: The Price

The wind from Tianshan blew across the boundless Grassland, stirring up layers of green waves.

Abbas looked at Yadehan's resolute expression, and his own gaze gradually became firm as well.

He solemnly promised Yadehan, "Grand Duke, I will use my life to protect you and to protect Wumu City; the Dasong people shall not take our Tianshan away."

Yadehan patted Abbas on the shoulder, "This is my Abbas. Anka bestowed such a fertile land upon us; if we cannot hold this place, then it is our own incompetence."

Upon hearing this, Abbas nodded heavily once more.

Then, his gaze turned toward the Dasong Gun Cavalry outside Wumu City, revealing a hint of cold light.

Their Tusman Cavalry was indeed currently unable to cope with the Dasong Gun Cavalry.

He admitted that he had been slightly outmatched.

But they would not lose forever; to them, this was their own main battlefield.

Fighting at one's own doorstep, as long as one held firm, there was no reason to lose.

Once the war officially began, he would use the Tusman numerical advantage to wear these few Dasong Gun Cavalry to death.

However, just nine days later, this confidence of his was destroyed.

Because on this day, the Central Army Army led by Commander Chang Wei arrived at Wumu City.

Following the Gun Cavalry, the infantry of the Dasong army also surrounded Wumu City tightly.

After setting up camp, the Central Army's Field Artillery began shelling Wumu City.

"These Tusman people are truly confident. When the Gun Cavalry surrounded Wumu City, they should have retreated; that way, they might have still had a chance to escape back."

Amidst the roars of the artillery, Lv Chang held a Telescope and watched the ramparts of Wumu City.

At this moment, the ramparts of Wumu City had already become a sea of Flame under the shelling.

The crenellations on the city wall were blown to pieces, and huge gaps appeared in some places; the Tusman Artillery even slid out from the gaps and fell down.

There were even Tusman soldiers who were blown into the air, only to fall back down beneath the city wall.

After resting for three days at the Red Flame Royal Tent,

they traveled all the way west.

This Red Flame Royal Tent was no more than five hundred li from Wumu City, and it took them six days to arrive.

Along the way, because Chen Hu's Gun Cavalry had already cleared the marching route, they did not encounter any attacks.

"I fear it is not confidence, but a wolf seeing meat—preferring to be beaten to death by the hunter rather than let go." Chang Wei snorted coldly, "Since that is the case, we shall send them on their way."

Upon hearing this, the generals nodded one after another.

Chang Wei thought for a moment and continued, "Also, this westward advance must be swift and decisive; we cannot delay. After taking Wumu City, we must continue to push west, strike into the territory of the Tusman Empire, and force them to divert troops to deal with us."

"Yes, General." Everyone responded in the affirmative again.

They knew that the Tianzhu battlefield was about to erupt.

Their westward advance this time was, on one hand, to reclaim the Tianshan region, and on the other, to contain the Tusman Empire.

Therefore, they had to fight this war with overwhelming force, rapidly annihilating the invading enemy to cause panic within the Tusman Empire.

Exchanging glances, the generals returned to their respective armies.

Chen Hu ordered Zhong Fang to lead the twenty thousand Gun Cavalry under his command westward to rendezvous with the twenty thousand Gun Cavalry led by Xue Jian.

After all, the Central Army had already arrived, so there was no need to continue protecting the road between Wumu City and the Red Flame Royal Tent.

Once Wumu City was taken, it would serve as their stable fortress.

Meanwhile, the Central Army generals Bai Shang, Lv Chang, and Huo An discussed the coordination for the attack, planning to launch the charge after the artillery preparation was complete.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

While the Dasong generals were discussing leisurely, the Tusman soldiers and officers on Wumu City were clearly not so relaxed.

Under the bombardment of over three hundred Field Artillery pieces, Tusman soldiers died every single moment.

Before long, the entire city wall was covered with the corpses of Tusman soldiers.

Whenever the soldiers on the wall suffered heavy casualties and the officers urged soldiers to climb up to replenish them, the Tusman soldiers felt as if they were heading to the execution ground.

The Tusman Cavalry, having been dealt with by the Gun Cavalry, had already tasted their power and were mentally prepared.

Out of fear, there was nothing left but sighs.

As for the Tusman Infantry who had not encountered them personally for the first time, they only felt terror.

As each Cannonball fell, a rain of flesh and blood was blasted across the city wall.

Even Grand Duke Yadehan, who had been full of confidence at the start, began to doubt his own decision, but it was already too late.

"Abbas, I really should have believed your words." Yadehan was on a street three hundred meters from the city wall.

In his pupils, flowers of Flame were born and extinguished upon the city wall.

Yet he was still forcing himself to maintain a calm expression, while in reality, he had already begun to worry about his own fate.

Wumu City had only one hundred and fifty thousand infantry, and these infantry were all equipped with old muskets and artillery that the Westerners had discarded decades ago.

It was easy to conquer the former Zhongtu countries with these muskets and artillery, and defeating the Northern Di was no problem either.

But clearly, using them to fight the Dasong army was simply like a joke.

"God, what on earth has happened? Why is their artillery so terrifying?" Yadehan was in complete despair.

In fact, the Tusman Empire, from top to bottom, had not taken Dasong seriously.

They even believed that the Westerners had overly exaggerated the muskets and artillery of the Dasong people, with the sole purpose of luring them into this war of encirclement against Dasong to save their own strength.

This was just like how they had once exaggerated the threat of the Ross nation to the Tusman Empire.

After all, both the Frank and the Ross nations had once had Britain assemble large allied forces to stop their expansion.

This matter had simply happened again in Dongtu.

If they, the Tusman, were to become enemies with the Western Lands, he believed Britain would likewise gather numerous Xitu Guo to deal with them.

It was precisely considering this point that he believed Dasong's strength was at most similar to theirs, or perhaps even slightly weaker.

Now, the iron-clad facts told him that the Westerners had truly provoked a damned big trouble.

What was even more damned was that they had also been dragged into it.

But no matter how much he regretted it, it was of no use; the only thing he could hope for now was that reinforcements would arrive in time to rescue them from Wumu City.

"In short, something unfavorable to us must have happened in Dasong," Abbas said with a very grave expression, "We really should not have accepted the conditions of the British and the Ross people to come here."

After clashing with the Dasong Gun Cavalry, he had believed that with a numerical advantage, there was still hope for victory.

After the Dasong Infantry arrived, he believed they were doomed to lose.

They would either die in battle at Wumu City or be captured by the Dasong people.

The Tusman Empire might lose one of its eight Grand Dukes because of this.

He hated Britain and Ross even more; those two countries were truly insidious.

Knowing full well there was a pit ahead, they still made them jump into it.

But no matter what he thought, it was already too late.

Next, he could only wait for his final fate to arrive.

This was the price they paid for occupying Tianshan.

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