Chapter 1202: They Are Enemies Now

In fact, if it were ordinary commoners, Yu Qian would still be conflicted, but these people were all high-ranking officials and nobles who, at a time of national crisis, disregarded the collective safety and only cared for themselves; if these people died, it would be beneficial and harmless to this country!

Destroy to rebuild!

As an official who climbed up from the bottom, Yu Qian would not care about the life or death of this bunch of parasites.

If Longyan could be better...

He would not mind watching them die before his eyes!

The country is paramount.

The affairs of the country are of great importance!

Even if there were many innocent commoners before his eyes, in such a critical moment, they could only blame their own bad luck.

"Prepare to fire!"

At this moment, Yu Qian became the focus of everyone here.

The garrison commander also took a deep breath.

Listen to him!

In any case, there was someone to take the fall; if something went wrong, the one to be blamed first, the one to be beheaded first, was him!

"Prepare!"

Under Yu Qian's order, all the soldiers with Firearms loaded their ammunition and aimed at the city gate.

Although they were just soldiers and did not have to bear any responsibility, what they were about to shoot were, after all, their own compatriots, and they were under immense psychological pressure.

Everyone was breathing heavily.

Everyone's hands were trembling slightly.

However.

They had psychological pressure, and those Longyan people had it too.

They were human shields now; if the soldiers in the city fired, they would undoubtedly die!

"Do not open fire!"

"It's us!"

"Whoever dares to open fire, I will take their head!"

The Mongolian soldiers were driving them from behind, so they had no choice but to move forward.

Even in this situation, they still put on the airs of high-ranking officials and masters, which looked truly ridiculous.

As the distance grew closer, the Longyan soldiers became increasingly nervous.

The atmosphere also became increasingly tense.

"Official Yu, find a Method to save these commoners."

Zhao Yan said with some urgency.

Yu Qian pondered for a moment, then asked: "What is the firing range of our artillery?"

"About two li."

Zhao Yan said.

"Adjust the muzzles, aim the muzzles at the Mongolian Army behind the commoners, pour all the artillery fire onto their heads, throw them into chaos, and then, it will depend on whether this bunch of people can take advantage of the chaos to run away."

Yu Qian ordered.

"Yes!"

After Yu Qian finished speaking, the Artillery aimed at the Mongolian Army behind, and upon Yu Qian's order, the artillerymen lit the fuses.

Dozens of Cannonballs landed on the heads of the Mongolian Army, blowing them into a state of disarray, and the Mongolian Army had not expected Longyan to open fire; the moment they were bombed, their battle formation fell into chaos.

"Run!"

"Run quickly!"

"Damn it, they really dare to open fire, wait until I get back, wait until I get back..."

The Mongolian Army temporarily lost control over the Longyan commoners, and some commoners began to flee.

The Mongolian Army also became furious.

They really dared to open fire!

Had these Longyan people completely disregarded everything!

"Kill!"

A fierce shout came from this side as well.

Since you dare to open fire, then we dare to kill!

Anyone who tries to escape, kill them all!

For a time, the scene turned into a mess.

Some people ran for their lives and escaped the battlefield immediately, but more were slaughtered by the Mongolian Army.

Seeing their own compatriots being killed, the generals on the city wall felt as if their hearts were being cut by knives; however, they had no choice, as this was already the limit of what they could do.

A dignified Longyan could not lose Jinghua because of these people!

Although there was some panic for a moment, order was quickly restored; now they were also worried that the Longyan people would recklessly open fire on these people, so they ordered these people to create pressure on the Jinghua garrison.

"Jinghua garrison! Do not open fire, I am the Minister of the Ministry of War!"

"Be careful that your Firearms don't go off accidentally, I am the current Emperor's own uncle!"

A group of people spoke one after another, which indeed caused immense pressure on the soldiers guarding the city, but this only made Yu Qian's desire to kill grow heavier.

As an incorruptible official, what he hated most were these corrupt officials with special privileges; now, they wanted all the people of Jinghua to pay for the mistakes they had made themselves.

What kind of decorum is this!

A real man should be wrapped in horse hide and die on the battlefield!

If they were to swap places, if it were Yu Qian among these people, he would rather commit suicide than threaten Jinghua because of himself!

"All soldiers, when they get within two hundred paces, open fire!"

Yu Qian shouted.

After Yu Qian finished speaking, no soldiers responded; it was not that they did not respect Yu Qian, but that they truly dared not open fire.

They were all soldiers of Jinghua, and they held a deep-seated fear of these privileged classes of Jinghua; usually, they did not even have the courage to look up at these nobles, yet now, they were to open fire on them...

Yu Qian also knew their concerns, and without saying anything, he directly picked up a Firearm.

Dominating!

At this moment, the dominance displayed by this scholar instantly eclipsed many people!

The Mongolian Army kept closing in, and just as they approached within the firing range of the Firearms, Yu Qian pulled the trigger.

A lead ball sprayed out, and a prominent noble standing at the very front of the crowd died instantly.

The entire scene was in even greater chaos.

This person was the one who had just claimed to be the Emperor's own uncle!

"Now, standing before you are not your compatriots, but the Shields in the hands of your enemies! Warriors, use the Firearms in your hands and pierce through them!"

Yu Qian roared, and pulled the trigger once again.

"I am the current Royal Uncle! You cannot..."

The man claiming to be the Royal Uncle was still speaking when a lead ball struck his chest; his words came to an abrupt end, and he stared with eyes full of disbelief.

"Kill!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Kill!"

At first, the soldiers were indeed very worried, but after Yu Qian killed two people in a row, their eyes turned red as well.

Led by Yu Qian, the soldiers inside the city gate fired horizontally, while the soldiers on the city wall tried their best to aim at the Mongolian Army behind the Longyan.

Although under these circumstances, the casualties of the Longyan commoners were not small, the casualties of the Mongolian Army were even higher.

Within a few breaths, hundreds of the Mongolian Army had fallen.

Having originally intended to rely on these human Shields to invade Jinghua, they had not expected the Longyan to be so decisive!

At this moment, Zhongxing Yue was also somewhat astonished; if the people they had captured were merely ordinary commoners, that would be one thing, but most of those they had captured were Longyan royalty and nobles!

Opening fire on these Longyan nobles meant that even if they succeeded in holding the line, they would pay a bloody price during the subsequent reckoning!

He had not expected the Longyan to have such ruthless people.

Zhongxing Yue had specifically chosen a time when Liu Zheng was away to persuade Tie Mucheng to head south, thinking victory was assured, but he had not expected to run into such a hard nail.

"Great Khan, the Longyan still have capable people; this time, I fear we will return empty-handed."

Zhongxing Yue shook his head and said.

"Military Advisor, are we just giving up like this?" Tie Mucheng asked, suppressing his rage.

If he could not take it this time...

Then his act of rebellion would surely enrage Liu Zheng!

And when Liu Zheng returned?

He would certainly settle the score with him!

"Now, it depends on whether our Grassland Warriors can withstand the firearms of the Longyan."

Tie Mucheng agreed with this point of view.

In fact, he also knew that it would be very difficult to achieve results in this invasion, but even so, he did not want to retreat.

The defenses of Jinghua were unprecedentedly weak, and with wars in the Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Tie Mucheng; if he missed it, he feared he would not wait for another chance in his lifetime.

Tie Mucheng was a hero of his generation; he wanted to create great achievements comparable to, or even surpassing, Tuolei during the decades he was alive!

To achieve this goal, Jinghua was a place that must be contested!

Due to insufficient preparation in the front, the attack of the Mongolian Army was repelled once again; at this time, Tie Mucheng began his pre-battle mobilization.

"My sons, we lack clothing and food in Mobei, yet these Longyan people enjoy a life free from worry about food and clothing here:"

"The city before us is the capital of the Longyan! As long as we take it, half of the Longyan's territory will be in our hands! At that time, we will have abundant pastures, inexhaustible water sources, endless grain, and cotton clothes and quilts to ward off the cold!"

"My sons! Take it, and we can let our descendants live a happy life!"

"In the name of the Great Khan, I promise you: whoever is the first to charge onto the city wall or into the city will be enfeoffed as a Thousand-man Commander, rewarded with a thousand cattle and sheep each, and a hundred bolts of silk!"

"After breaking the city, there will be three days of revelry, and all the gold, silver, and jewelry plundered will belong to you!"

"My sons, countless gold, silver, jewelry, and women are waiting for you in the city; charge in and seize the wealth that belongs to you!"

The people on horseback were all greedy and warlike; hearing such pre-battle mobilization, they immediately howled, and under the leadership of various Centurions and Thousand-man Commanders, the Mongolian soldiers surged toward Jinghua City like a tide.