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As dawn broke, soldiers in dark green military uniforms carrying flintlock guns appeared on the official road outside Chang’an City.
Having learned that Prince Zhao was trapped in Chang’an, Niu Ben immediately led his army on a forced march overnight, finally arriving outside Chang’an City this morning.
“Chang’an.”
Luo Hong and Luo Xin were moved to tears when they saw Chang’an City. This was their birthplace, and where they had lived for over twenty years.
They recalled having to evacuate Chang’an and seek refuge in Qingzhou two years ago. Now, two years later, they stood before Chang’an City once more. However, unlike their distressed state the first time, they were returning as victors this time.
“General, the remaining Prince Zhao soldiers in the inner palace are still resisting with artillery. Your arrival is all that’s needed; we can just use artillery to blast open the inner palace.” Qi Guangyi rode up to them.
Niu Ben said, “Prince Zhao is now like a turtle in a jar, so there’s no rush. The most important thing now is to capture the nearby prefectures and counties to avoid being attacked from both sides.”
Upon hearing this, Qi Guangyi laughed and said, “General, you worry too much. The powerful families in Chang’an now are all eager to pledge allegiance to the Emperor. The prefectures and counties around Chang’an have already surrendered to me.”
“That’s good then.” Niu Ben nodded and added, “Prince Zhao has already been abandoned by everyone. Such a heartless person deserves his retribution.”
Along the way, Niu Ben had witnessed the suffering of the common people. To fund his wars and manufacture firearms, Prince Zhao had continuously imposed high taxes on the people, leading to widespread destitution.
This was not the worst of it; along what was said to be the migration route of the Luoyang people, he saw piles of white bones. For the sake of his royal power, Prince Zhao had become insane.
Before arriving in Chang’an, his heart was already filled with hatred for Prince Zhao.
“The General is absolutely right,” Qi Guangyi said, clenching his fist. “Before the General arrived, Prince Zhao even ordered a massacre. If it weren’t for Ge Yiren and other powerful families leading their private armies to act as inside agents and open the city gates, most of the people in Chang’an City would likely be gone.”
Luo Hong and Luo Xin were even more enraged upon hearing this. Luo Hong said, “He’s a beast! General, please entrust this attack on the inner palace to me. Many soldiers from the firearms battalion have relatives in Chang’an; I want to avenge them.”
Niu Ben slowly nodded and said, “Then let Prince Zhao pay his blood debt.”
The group talked for a while at the city gate. Niu Ben led his large army into the city. The Prince of Huainan and Chen Xinran exchanged glances, a sense of relief in their eyes. This battle, they knew, meant they could return to their own feudal states.
This expedition had been very long, and unlike Niu Ben’s army, they were already exhausted.
As soon as they entered the city, a large crowd of common people suddenly swarmed forward. They carried flatbreads and offered clean water, distributing food and water to the soldiers.
This scene genuinely surprised Niu Ben, and he couldn’t help but look at Qi Guangyi.
Chuckling, Qi Guangyi said, “General, this wasn’t my idea. The common people insisted on coming themselves. They said we saved their lives and hoped we could eliminate the rebels soon and bring peace back to Chang’an.”
Upon hearing this, Niu Ben’s stern expression softened. He looked at the people and said, “The Emperor says that the common people are the foundation of the world. As long as the people are with us, we will have soldiers and food wherever we go. It seems this is truly not false.”
The other generals all smiled, their belief in unifying the north growing stronger. They knew that only through unification could the common people live stable lives.
In the past two years, they had fought from north to south, and then from east to west, witnessing too many tragedies along the way.
Due to the war, feudal lords had exploited the people, bandits and brigands ran rampant, killing people in the countryside, and production ceased, leaving the people starving and cold.
A once prosperous world had been shattered by war, and the population suffered immense losses.
Now, bodies of common people could be seen everywhere on the roads, either killed by soldiers or dying from hunger and cold.
The moment they entered Chang’an, this civil unrest that had swept across the Great Yu Empire finally came to an end.
Over ten thousand soldiers entering the city immediately filled the empty barracks in Chang’an. After settling the soldiers, Luo Hong and Luo Xin led forty thousand men to advance towards the inner palace.
They prepared artillery and muskets to bury Prince Zhao’s forces.
“This Prince Zhao really did install a lot of cannons in the inner palace,” Luo Xin said, putting down his telescope from five hundred meters away. Because he understood the range of the exported cannons, he wasn’t worried about being hit at all.
This time, Niu Ben had Luo Hong and Luo Xin in charge of the assault on the city, accompanied by soldiers from the former firearms battalion.
This time, they shared a common hatred and were eager to kill Prince Zhao.
“How do you plan to attack the city?” Luo Hong asked.
Luo Xin said lazily, “How else can we attack? Do we need to be polite with Prince Zhao?”
Turning around, he shouted, “Blast the city gate to pieces! Fire!”
Under his command, the field artillery fired simultaneously, producing a continuous roar.
Although the inner palace walls were sturdy, they could not withstand the continuous bombardment from so many cannons. After holding out for another twenty minutes, the main gate tower collapsed directly.
Luo Xin did not stop then but continued to bombard the walls on both sides, continuously widening the opening.
When a hundred-meter collapsed area appeared before him, he finally ordered the shelling to stop.
“Kill!”
As the cannon fire ceased, Luo Hong charged into the inner palace first. Soldiers who once belonged to the firearms battalion followed closely, wielding bayonets and rushing like madmen behind Luo Hong.
Niu Ben did not personally command this time. According to Niu Ben, if Luo Hong couldn’t even capture the inner palace now, there was no need for him to return and see him.
With the breach opened, the rest became simple, and more and more soldiers rushed into the inner palace.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
When they encountered Prince Zhao’s soldiers, Luo Hong would always command his soldiers to complete a volley, then raise their bayonets and fight the Zhao army.
In the battle with Qi Guangyi, the Zhao army soldiers had already been defeated, and their morale had significantly dropped.
Now, a group of musketeers with even higher morale than cavalry charged in, and they were even more unable to resist.
Although they carried the fierce fighting style of the Zhao army and fought just as furiously, the advantage of firearms and regular bayonet combat techniques continuously increased their casualties.
After more and more musketeers flooded into the inner palace, the will of this resisting Zhao army began to crumble. Luo Hong noticed this and attacked the Zhao army even more fiercely.
The battle continued from morning until evening. With their continuously expanding advantage, Luo Hong successfully led his soldiers to capture the inner palace.
In what was once the Chengqing Hall, they found Prince Zhao sitting on the dragon throne, while Zhao Yuanliang was kneeling on the ground, trembling.