Chapter 770: Not Fun At All
Luo Xi: "???"
Mozi invented this too? I don't understand! I must be uncultured, ignorant, which is why I don't know Mozi's ultimate techniques.
Next, Li Daoxuan gripped his left arm with his right hand, pulling hard. *Whoosh*, the "skin" of his entire arm peeled away.
Luo Xi: "Aargh!"
The shock was immense, nearly paralyzing him with terror.
However, upon closer inspection, after the covering was ripped from his arm, Li Daoxuan's arm revealed a dark, ominous cannon barrel.
Luo Xi: "Huh?"
Li Daoxuan chuckled, "Actually, after my left arm fell off, I installed a cannon. Then, I attached a hand to the front of the cannon."
A cold sweat instantly drenched Luo Xi. "Even with Mozi's mechanical arts, that hand shouldn't be able to move, should it? The arm is hollow; there are no mechanisms at all."
Immediately, a soldier stepped forward, presenting a small cannonball with both hands.
Li Daoxuan's arm-cannon barrel was, of course, not as thick as a true Breech-loading cannon. It was only about the thickness of a forearm. To ensure the barrel's sturdiness and prevent bursting, the walls were quite thick, which made the inner diameter rather small.
It couldn't use the same size cannonballs as regular Breech-loading cannons or Red Barbarian Cannons; instead, a batch of small, specially made cannonballs was used.
Li Daoxuan inserted some gunpowder into the barrel, then loaded a cannonball. Only then, with a smirk, did he walk towards the city...
Witnessing this scene, Luo Xi was utterly bewildered.
Of course, he wasn't the only one bewildered. Inside the city, Yi Dou Gu and Wa Guanzi were equally dumbfounded.
The two had just seen the government troops arrive, and were pondering how to fight this battle.
Considering they were on the defensive, they weren't in a hurry to lead their main forces out of the city to engage. Instead, they waited within, curious to see what tricks the government troops would pull.
Then they saw Li Daoxuan himself, advancing alone to the front lines.
The man's left hand seemed to be useless, and from a distance, it wasn't clear what it was. All they could discern was that his left hand resembled a dark, crude iron pipe...
They couldn't comprehend this "underworld" design.
Then, Yi Dou Gu and Wa Guanzi watched as Li Daoxuan walked a few hundred paces from the city, raised his left arm level, aiming it at the city, and with his right hand, pulled out a fire starter and touched it to a spot on his left arm...
Sparks erupted, and a fuse ignited.
Yi Dou Gu: "What?!"
Wa Guanzi: "What in the hell is that?!"
"BOOM!"
A deafening roar, then an explosion.
Immense explosive force, and massive recoil.
Li Daoxuan himself was instantly sent flying backward.
At the same moment, a dark, small sphere hurtled towards the county town, striking with a *thud* into what should have been the city wall, but was now just a pile of rubble.
Inside the city, fifty thousand rebel soldiers were packed tightly together, everywhere. So there was no chance of missing with this shot. The cannonball landed squarely on one rebel's forehead, and with a sickening *squelch*, the man's head burst open, scattering red and white matter across the ground.
Yi Dou Gu: "Holy shit!"
Wa Guanzi: "Holy shit!"
The rebels: "Holy shit!"
Luo Xi: "Holy shit!"
After his outburst, he suddenly realized that the Gao Family Village Militia showed no surprise whatsoever. They all wore calm expressions. A cold sweat broke out on Luo Xi. "Damn it," he cursed, "why am I reacting the same way as these rebels? I'm on the wrong side!"
Then, recalling something, he shouted, "Quick, go check on Squire Li! He just blasted himself backward; he must be seriously injured at least!"
No sooner had he spoken than he saw Li Daoxuan rise to his feet.
Not dead, not even injured, though his face was a bit blackened.
The close-range explosion sent black smoke billowing, and gunpowder residue covered him entirely.
Li Daoxuan: "Pah! Not fun at all."
Zheng Gouzi: "Tian Zun, there's clearly a problem with this thing's design."
Padi Tu: "Indeed, we should order the Gao Family Village technicians to improve it immediately."
Li Daoxuan sighed, "It can't be changed. With current technology, there's no way to neutralize this recoil. Ugh, this really isn't fun at all. I don't want to play with it myself anymore. Here, take the cannon. You all play with it."
He extended his right hand, grabbed the cannon barrel on his left arm, and with a *clink*, detached it, tossing it onto the ground.
A squad of Gao Family Village Militia soldiers immediately rushed forward, arranged some rocks to re-mount the cannon barrel, then cleaned the breech and loaded the ammunition.
Clearly, these guys had practiced!
Zheng Gouzi: "Oh? So, we have artillerymen here?"
The group laughed loudly, "Our artillery battalion was practically rusting away! When Tian Zun told us to follow him this time, of course, we came right away!"
Everyone: "..."
Then Li Daoxuan extended his right arm as well, "Here, take this cannon barrel too."
The artillerymen hurried forward, first bowing respectfully and apologizing for the intrusion, then swiftly detached Li Daoxuan's right arm, placed it on the ground, and mounted it...
In a flash, two small cannons were set up.
Luo Xi: "Aargh! So your right hand was fake too! With both hands being artificial, how did you make such nimble gestures earlier?”
Li Daoxuan: "That's not important. Don't worry about it."
But how could anyone *not* worry about something like that?
Not only was Luo Xi concerned, but Yi Dou Gu and Wa Guanzi inside the city were also beside themselves with worry. They were utterly baffled: "What's going on with that guy?"
"Both hands are cannons?!"
"Are you kidding me?"
"How could something so heavy be attached to his arms all this time?"
While the two were frantically complaining, they heard two more *booms*, and two more small cannonballs flew over.
*Thud!* One rebel soldier was unlucky enough to be hit directly in the body, collapsing dead on the spot.
Another rebel was a bit luckier, only struck in the calf. However, the cannonball's power was more than mere bones could withstand. With a *crack*, his leg broke, and the force of the impact caused blood to gush from all seven of his orifices before he fell.
The rebels howled with rage, but the enemy was too far away. Only cannons could reach that range; arrows couldn't possibly fly so far.
Yi Dou Gu fumed, "This is preposterous!"
Wa Guanzi: "Why the hell should we defend this? They only have about two thousand men. Do we need to defend this dilapidated city? Anyway, this ruined city doesn't even have walls, so defending it or not amounts to the same thing. Charge!"
Yi Dou Gu: "You're right. Charge."
At their command, the Henan rebels inside the city surged out with furious roars.
Li Daoxuan smiled, "These Henan rebels are still green. They've only just joined the rebellion, after all. Their combat strength is about the same as those from the early Chongzhen era. A bunch of disorganized rabble. Crush them."
The militia soldiers roared with laughter. With a swift *swish, swish, swish*, they instantly raised their Flintlock Rifles.
"The foolish bandits are out!"
"Prepare for volleys!"
"Followed by free fire!"
"Fire!"
*Bang, bang, bang, bang!* The Flintlock Rifles fired in a rhythmic barrage.
Comments