Chapter 460: God Will Punish You

"Fire."

One hundred rear-mounted breech-loading cannons fired simultaneously.

Bursting shells tore through the air and struck Marburg's city wall.

Explosions rose and fell, bricks and stones shattered, and smoke billowed skyward.

Marburg's city wall was thicker than those of other European cities, yet it could not withstand the bombardment of bursting shells.

After several rounds of cannon fire, a breach was blown open in the wall.

"Longxiang Army, follow me to assault the city."

Zhu Yong squeezed the horse's belly, and the warhorse surged forward.

Fifty thousand troops followed closely, their hooves thundering like drums.

The moat was wide and deep, but the engineers had already erected a pontoon bridge.

Zhu Yong charged across the moat, rushed into the castle through the breach, and wielded the Double Hammers on both sides.

Several Teutonic Knights brandishing long swords charged forward; he smashed one hammer to break the blade, and the other hammer struck the man's chest, denting the iron armor and crushing the sternum.

The army behind followed his path into the castle, firing Flintlock Guns in unison, and slashing with sabers.

The Teutonic Knights' soldiers were indeed stronger than the troops of the German princes, but they only held out a little longer.

In less than two hours, Marburg was captured.

Konrad von Rongjin Gen was dragged down from the city tower by several Longxiang Army soldiers, bound tightly, forced to kneel, his whole body trembling.

He lifted his head, looked at Zhu Yong, his lips trembling, and spoke a sentence in Latin.

"He said, God will punish you..." Wang Gui translated.

Zhu Yong stared at him without speaking.

If God wishes to punish, let him; after all, he never cares.

At dusk, in the prisoner camp outside Marburg, Zhu Yong sat on a large stone, watching the soldiers inventory the spoils.

The Teutonic Knights had hoarded centuries of Gold and Silver, filling several cellars; just the gold coins filled more than twenty crates, and the silver coins were countless.

"Prince, Marburg has been taken, the Teutonic Knights are finished," Li Wenzhong came from the direction of the castle.

"Tell Rongjin Gen, knights who surrender are to be conscripted as auxiliary troops; those who refuse are to be sent to mine."

Li Wenzhong responded with a nod and turned away.

Zhu Yong stood up, gazing at the northern horizon.

There lay the direction of Livonia, the direction of Estonia, and also the Teutonic Knights' last foothold.

Those places will be taken sooner or later.

But not now.

The Baltic Sea wind blew in, carrying a salty, briny scent and a faint smell of distant gunpowder.

Zhu Yong stood atop Marburg Castle, looking over the newly conquered land.

On the castle walls, Great Ming's banner had replaced the Teutonic Knights' black cross flag, fluttering in the sunset's afterglow.

In the distance, the Nogat River roared.

Zhu Di walked up from beneath the wall and stood beside him.

"Second Prince, Marburg has been taken, the Teutonic Knights are finished, where shall we strike next?"

Zhu Yong's gaze turned northward.

"Northward, Livonia."

"Livonia?"

"Riga, the Teutonic Knights' last stronghold on the eastern Baltic coast; capture Riga and the Baltic Sea will be wholly in Great Ming's grasp."

Zhu Di nodded.

"Rest for three days, then set out on the third day."

Zhu Yong turned and walked down the wall.

Marburg's night was a bit quieter than Gdansk's, but not much better.

The prisoners in the castle had already been escorted to the camp, and the soldiers were clearing the battlefield, carts of debris being hauled out of the city.

Zhu QiongJiong came in from outside the castle, bearing a Wolf Fang Club, its head smeared with fresh blood.

"Father, we captured an official up north, dressed in a white robe, riding a white horse, running like a rabbit."

"Bring him over..."

Soon, several Longxiang Army soldiers escorted a middle‑aged knight in a white cloak forward.

The man knelt, trembling all over, muttering incomprehensibly.

"Prince, he is the Grand Commander of the Teutonic Knights, named Konrad von Waldenrode, Rongjin Gen's deputy," Wang Gui came up from behind.

"Confiscate the land, register the property, and send the person to Yingtian Prefecture."

The man kept shouting something as he was led away.

Zhu Yong no longer looked at him.

Meanwhile, America.

Mexico City.

Chang Yuchun stood on the ruins of the former Aztec Empire's pyramid, watching workers use the dismantled stones to build a new city.

The city will later be renamed "Mexico City," a name chosen by the Crown Prince, and a stone tablet bearing the name has already been placed at the city gate.

Lan Yu came up from below the city, holding a military report.

"General, the last Maya city‑state in the south has also surrendered," Chang Yuchun took it, glanced at it, and handed it back.

"Send orders to establish an administration in the south, enroll the Maya into the household register, allocate land for farming, dismantle the temples, smash the idols, and keep the pyramid stones for future city construction."

"Yes..." Lan Yu answered.

Chang Yuchun turned around, looking at the Northern Region's horizon.

North of the Mexican Valley is the Grassland of the Qiqi Mek people, and those nomadic tribes are still watching.

He plans to have Lan Yu lead ten thousand troops northward to deal with the Qiqi Mek people.

Lan Yu clasped his fists and said, "General, rest assured; I will take care of it."

Three days later, outside the north gate of Marburg.

Eighty thousand troops were ready to set out.

Zhu Yong tossed onto his horse, took the Double Hammers handed over by Wang Gui, and glanced back at the red brick-and-stone castle.

The Great Ming banners on the city wall rustled in the morning breeze.

"Depart..."

The army slowly set off, marching along the official road leading to the Northern Region.

After five days of travel, a swamp appeared ahead.

The swamp was vast, endless to the eye; its surface was covered with reeds and water plants, and the air was filled with a rotting smell.

"Prince, ahead lies the Livonia Swamp; beyond it is Riga," Wang Gui shouted as he urged his horse forward.

Zhu Yong halted the horse, squinting as they looked for a while.

The swampy ground was treacherous, full of mud pits and puddles; a slight misstep would cause one to sink.

But it had to be crossed, no matter how difficult.

"Send the order: engineers go first, the main army follows, crossing one by one."

The engineers began to build a road, cutting branches to lay over the mud, then covering them with gravel and dry straw.

The army formed a long column, one after another, slowly moving through the swamp.

Each step was arduous.

Some soldiers fell into the mud and were pulled out by those behind them; some warhorses were startled, nearly throwing their riders.

No one complained; after fighting under King Wu for so long, they had endured every hardship.

On the evening of the third day, the army finally emerged from the swamp.

Ahead lay a plain, upon which stood a city; its walls were grayish, glowing dimly in the setting sun.

"Prince, ahead is Riga," Wang Gui shouted as he urged his horse forward.

Zhu Yong squinted and looked for a while; a Teutonic Knights banner fluttered on the city wall.

"Form the array."

Eighty thousand troops began to form battle lines on the plain.

Five hundred rear‑mounted line cannons were lined up in a row, their barrels aimed at Riga's walls.

On the walls, the defenders' faces changed; they had never seen so many armored soldiers, nor so many cannons.

A few knights in white robes ran back and forth along the wall.

"Fire..."

All five hundred rear‑mounted line cannons fired simultaneously.

Shrapnel shells streaked through the afterglow of the setting sun, striking Riga's walls.

Bricks and stones shattered, and smoke rose skyward.

After several rounds of bombardment, a breach was blown in the wall.

"Longxiang Army, follow me to assault the city."

Zhu Yong squeezed the horse's belly, and the warhorse surged forward.

Eighty thousand troops followed closely behind, their hooves thundering.

The garrison inside the city numbered less than ten thousand; within less than an hour they scattered.

Zhu Yong stood on the central square of the city, gazing at the largest city in Livonia.

Riga had fallen, and the Baltic Sea was now in Great Ming's grasp.