Chapter 687: The Last Step

"Damn it!"

On the walls of Wuguan, Dou Kuang looked down at the Ma Family troops below the city, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Due to trade with the Northern Di, he had received news of the fall of Rang City at the very first moment.

At that time, although he felt surprised, he did not pay much attention to it; after all, he had never looked highly upon Ma Jin's troops.

However, Qinzhou not only had Ma Jin's troops, but also Tata leading fifty thousand Cavalry in Xian City. Ma Jin's troops were fragile, but that did not mean Ma Han could defeat Tata.

It was not until Xian City was also captured that he finally felt a trace of unease, but he believed the Northern Di would surely send a large army to encircle and suppress Ma Han.

Moreover, Ma Han's goal seemed to be the recovery of Qinzhou and Yongzhou; he believed Ma Han would not make a move against Southern Liang.

Not until the Cavalry he dispatched scouted that Ma Han had taken Xiao Pass and was leading troops toward Wuguan did he finally realize the severity of the problem.

Thus, he immediately sent men to Xiangcheng to seek reinforcements.

"Listen to me, hold for six days. Just six days, and our reinforcements will arrive," Dou Kuang shouted to the soldiers on the city wall. "Do not be afraid. Their soldiers are few. As long as you dare to fight, they cannot break through Wuguan."

After his father acknowledged the Third Prince Zhao Mu, Zhao Mu became Dou Mu, and he suddenly gained a half-brother.

And this brother was now the Emperor of Southern Liang.

When he was in Jingshi, he had already detested Zhao Mu deeply.

When Southern Liang was established, his father disregarded his feelings and supported Dou Mu to be Emperor, leaving him with an even greater sense of desolation at being abandoned.

It was just that in Southern Liang, no one could question his father's majesty; even if he was angry, he could only obey his father's arrangements.

But every day, his heart felt as if it were being roasted on Flame, surrounded by pain.

Sometimes, he even wished he could raise an army to revolt, march to Xiangcheng, and tear Dou Mu into ten thousand pieces.

Yet he also knew clearly that no one in Southern Liang would support him in doing so.

Helpless, he could only stay in Wuguan honestly, and furthermore, work diligently.

He was terrified that Dou Mu would pick out faults and cause him trouble.

After all, in Southern Liang, only he could threaten Dou Mu's position.

Therefore, when the Ma Family troops appeared below Wuguan, he was extremely nervous.

Because once Wuguan was lost, Dou Mu would certainly seize the opportunity to make trouble and punish him for his crimes.

At that time, even his father would have to make a choice between the two of them.

Thinking of this, he continued, "As long as we can hold until the reinforcements arrive, I, Dou Kuang, will personally host a banquet to treat all you brothers, and I will bring out ten thousand taels of silver to reward you."

"The General is mighty! The General is mighty!" As Dou Kuang's voice fell, his Vice General raised his sword to the sky and cheered loudly.

The soldiers followed suit and cheered as well, and their morale suddenly soared.

Below the city.

Ma Han and Dian Zhang looked at each other, a cold sneer appearing on their lips at the same time.

Even Xiao Pass, guarded by the Northern Di, had been captured by him; how could the Dou Family troops possibly block him?

Nodding to Dian Zhang,

He said, "Let them cry."

"Yes, Head of the Family." Dian Zhang glanced at the Southern Liang soldiers on the city wall and relayed the order to attack the city.

Just like the attack on Xiao Pass, Field Artillery and Mortars first bombarded the walls of Wuguan.

Shrapnel Shells flew across the sky, exploding above the heads of the Southern Liang soldiers, and countless nails scattered in all directions, piercing into the bodies of the Southern Liang soldiers.

Their cheers instantly turned into screams.

The sound of the Lime Bomb explosions was like the muffled beat of war drums.

White powder descended from the sky, and the city wall became a foggy expanse, obscuring the vision of the Southern Liang soldiers.

Some Lime fell into the eyes of the Southern Liang soldiers, and under the burning sensation, they let out miserable cries.

Although they had learned of the power of Yanzhou's firearms from rumors, to the Southern Liang soldiers, these were just legends.

Experiencing it personally, a thick fear welled up in the hearts of the Southern Liang soldiers, and their soaring morale instantly plummeted to the bottom.

Dou Kuang's confident expression turned into terror; his legs shook like a sieve, and his crotch became wet.

He was merely a young nobleman who had spent over twenty years living a life of debauchery in Jingshi; how could he have ever experienced real war?

Seeing soldiers blown to death by cannonballs, with blood and entrails smeared all over the ground, his brain went blank, and his ears were filled with a buzzing sound.

At this moment, his world seemed to have lost all sound; he could only see the terrified eyes of the Southern Liang soldiers, blood, and broken limbs.

It was not until he was tackled by his Vice General that he finally regained his senses slightly.

Scrambling up, he prepared to flee the city wall; he didn't care about anything anymore.

Even if he were to be executed by Dou Mu, he would rather die in Xiangcheng.

But just at this moment, an Explosive Shell detonated at a spot three meters away from him.

The shockwave lifted him up and slammed him hard against the city wall, and he immediately passed out.

At the same time, under the cover of the Mortars and Field Artillery, the skirmishers charged up and threw Grenades onto the walls of Wuguan.

In an instant, flowers of Flame bloomed on the walls of Wuguan.

"Truly, a single trick works for everything," Ma Han said, looking at the battlefield, and shook his head lightly.

This set of tactics had been used since entering Qinzhou, all the way to the foot of Wuguan, without even changing the order.

This forced him to admit that this set of tactics was extremely simple and effective, invincible and unstoppable.

Next came the Ladder Team charging with Scaling Ladders.

Before long, the Ma Family soldiers climbed onto the city wall.

Immediately, dense gunfire rang out on the wall; this was the Ma Family soldiers shooting at the Southern Liang soldiers who were contesting the wall with them.

The sound of gunfire and the roar of Hand Grenade explosions continued for a while.

After a while, the city gates of Wuguan were opened, and more Ma Family soldiers charged into Wuguan.

Ma Han smiled triumphantly and walked toward the city gate with Dian Zhang.

After half a day of fighting, the Ma Family soldiers had completely occupied Wuguan.

The remnants of the Dou Family troops fled in defeat out of Nanmen.

Ma Han did not order a pursuit; he needed these fleeing soldiers to return and spread fear.

After all, his true mission was to cooperate with Yan Wang to disintegrate the Anti-Yan Coalition.

Although he hated Dou Wei, he had not lost his reason because of it.

"With Wuguan in hand, Southern Liang is nothing but fish on the chopping block." Standing atop Wuguan, Ma Han looked toward the south.

After pondering for a moment, he said to Dian Zhang, "You cannot rest yet; you must continue to work hard for a while. Lead your troops to continue south, putting on a show of wanting to wipe out Southern Liang in one stroke, to force the Southern Liang troops to return."

"Head of the Family, leave this matter to me," Dian Zhang replied decisively.

Ma Han nodded.

He would not participate in the subsequent battles; he needed to focus his main energy on the restoration of production in Qinzhou and Yongzhou.

Furthermore, unlike Qinzhou and Yongzhou, which were basically desolate and uninhabited, Ma Jin and the Northern Di troops were mainly concentrated in Xian City and Rang City.

Jingzhou, on the other hand, was the foundation the Dou Family had managed for over two hundred years.

Once the Ma Family Army entered Jingzhou, the local Rich Clan would become the eyes of Southern Liang, and he feared their movements could not be hidden.

Even if he were to win the support of the people of Jingzhou, it would take time, and time was exactly what he lacked.

After all, he needed to make Dou Wei panic as soon as possible.

The only way to achieve this goal was to have Dian Zhang and his soldiers abandon the Mortar and Field Artillery, carry only the Rifled Musket and Dry Ration Bag, move rapidly, avoid encirclement, and reach the area around Xiangcheng.

In this way, Dou Wei would inevitably be thrown into a panic and recall his army.