Chapter 13
While these hand grenades couldn't directly take out all the enemy troops, making them sustain injuries was very easy.
After Lia finished speaking, smoking hand grenades were tossed one after another toward the thousands of soldiers below the city walls.
Just as the soldiers reached the walls and were about to set up their scaling ladders to climb, mysterious sparking objects were suddenly thrown down from the city walls.
The soldiers using these for the first time were still a bit unaccustomed; although they knew how to use them beforehand, some of the thrown hand grenades exploded in mid-air before even hitting the ground.
Nevertheless, because the enemy troops were all swarming together, those hand grenades that exploded in the air still sent out plenty of shrapnel and pellets, wounding the enemy below.
The hand grenades that landed on the ground were even more effective; with each explosion, two or three soldiers were sent flying, and the resulting shrapnel wounded another five or six people.
A single volley of hand grenades killed and wounded two to three thousand people; it could be called a total rout.
Even Tuoba Feng couldn't understand why the enemy had thrown down such strange objects, or why, after a series of explosions, groups of soldiers were left wailing on the ground like steamed ribs with glutinous rice.
Lia had no intention of being lenient; the enemy was already dazed by her hand grenades, and if she didn't strike now, they would surely flee!
"Open the gates! All generals, charge with me!" Lia said to the three thousand cavalrymen who had long been ready at the city gate.
Following Lia's order, the gates swung open. Lia mounted her horse and led the charge toward the enemy.
"General, we've lost! We must retreat!" Seeing the gates of Wuxing Commandery open and a troop of cavalry charging out, a commander rushed to Tuoba Feng and shouted.
"What nonsense! I still have five thousand cavalry at my disposal, and you dare say I've lost? What are your intentions!" Tuoba Feng glared at the commander in fury and struck him down with a single blow of his blade; the man fell with a scream.
The opposition had only three thousand cavalry; if he didn't dare fight with five thousand, how could he ever wage war?
If they had stayed huddled inside the city, there was indeed nothing he could have done. But now that they had come out, things were different. He refused to believe that five thousand cavalry could lose to three thousand!
"The Rebel Leaders have left the city! Charge together! If we capture the leader of the Rebel Leaders, we won't just win this war—we'll also obtain the secrets of these weapons!"
He thought that if he could get the manufacturing methods from these Rebel Leaders and present them to his family, perhaps the Wei State would belong to his clan one day.
Therefore, in the face of such strange weapons, he couldn't afford to back down.
Chapter 29: Breaking the City!
Watching the approaching Rebel Army, Tuoba Feng licked his lips cruelly. Was this young girl charging toward him the leader of the Rebel Army? To dare face him alone was simply seeking death!
"Men, charge with me!" Tuoba Feng shouted to the soldiers behind him. He kicked his horse's flanks and galloped toward Lia, the distance between them rapidly closing.
"This is the worst decision you've ever made!" As he neared Lia, Tuoba Feng swung his blade at her, aiming to knock her off her horse.
Lia quickly braced her spear against her right side. With a sharp metallic clang, she remained unharmed, but her horse nearly toppled over from the sheer force of Tuoba Feng's blow.
Lia immediately pulled the reins with one hand, planted her spear in the ground, and squeezed the horse's flanks hard with her legs to force the warhorse upright.
: I'm being squeezed!
"Eh?" Tuoba Feng's expression turned to one of surprise when he saw Lia block his strike.
Only he knew how much strength he had put into that blow. He had intended to send the girl flying with a single strike, yet she had actually withstood it.
It seemed the girl's martial skills were quite high; if he grew careless, he might be the one to lose.
With that thought, Tuoba Feng delivered a heavy downward slash toward Lia. She immediately held her spear horizontally in front of her, and their weapons clashed once more.
Lia instantly shifted her spear, tracing an arc to parry the heavy blade aside, then lunged the spearhead toward Tuoba Feng's face.
The spearhead left a red line across Tuoba Feng's face. He narrowly avoided the strike, but his helmet was knocked off by Lia's attack.
Tuoba Feng felt a lingering fear; he hadn't expected Lia's martial prowess to be so formidable.
After several rounds of combat on horseback, Tuoba Feng realized he was no match for Lia and immediately turned his horse to flee.
Lia tried to give chase, but a dozen soldiers suddenly surrounded her, blocking her path.
Forced into a corner, Lia had no choice but to channel her mana and sweep her spear in front of her, dealing with the soldiers.
However, as soon as she finished them off, another wave of troops moved in to take their place, forcing her to stay and deal with the soldiers who were scrambling to get to her.
In just those ten seconds, Tuoba Feng had already fled dozens of meters away.
But Tuoba Feng didn't just lead his soldiers in a retreat. He turned around and watched Lia slaughtering his men while surrounded, a surge of frustration and rage washing over him.
He was a great general of Northern Wei, yet he had been driven to such a pathetic state by a young girl. If he fled now, what would become of his reputation?
At that thought, Tuoba Feng spurred his black-headed horse and charged back toward Lia at high speed.
"Hah!" Tuoba Feng gave a great shout. Just as he closed in on Lia, he actually leaped from his horse into the air, swinging his heavy blade down toward her from above.
This massive, powerful blow was the result of him using all his internal energy. His goal was simple: to strike Lia down right there.
Seeing this, Lia didn't dare block with her ordinary spear and immediately leaped backward.
With a loud boom, Lia's warhorse was sliced in two before it could even react. The terrifying force even blasted a crater several meters wide into the ground.
If Lia had tried to block with her ordinary spear just now, she surely would have been split in two!
Lia didn't hesitate. Seizing the moment when his momentum was spent and before he could recover, she rushed forward, infused her spear with mana, and swept it directly at Tuoba Feng.
Tuoba Feng had no time to dodge. Lia's spear struck him squarely in the waist, sending him flying over a dozen meters and knocking over several of his own soldiers.
Lia pursued the advantage, her spear piercing toward Tuoba Feng's heart on the ground. The stone in sword then swept across his neck, and Lia soon held his freshly severed head in her hand.
"Your general is dead! Surrender now!"
In just this short time, casualties on both sides had risen sharply. Lia didn't dare delay; holding Tuoba Feng's head aloft, she mounted his warhorse and shouted across the battlefield.
"The General is dead!"
"The General is dead!"
"The General is dead!"
The words spread instantly across the battlefield, rippling outward. When the enemy soldiers saw Tuoba Feng's head in Lia's hand, it was like the final straw that broke the camel's back.
They ceased their resistance and threw down their weapons, bringing Lia's battle to a victorious conclusion.
After clearing the battlefield, Lia calculated the results: the enemy had over 7,000 casualties, with the remaining 7,000 taken prisoner, while her own side had lost over 2,000 men.
This battle could certainly be called a great victory!
After a moment's thought, Lia decided to leave Li Lin behind to look after the prisoners and incorporate them into their ranks. Since they were all soldiers from Liang Province, it shouldn't be difficult for him.
Meanwhile, she would lead the remaining cavalry to Liang Province and take it!
Currently, Liang Province had only a thousand troops to maintain basic operations; it was their best opportunity!
Lia gave Li Lin an instruction: as soon as he finished handling matters in Wuxing Commandery, he was to immediately bring the soldiers to Liang Province. Meanwhile, she herself led over 2,000 cavalry toward Liang Province.
Half a day later, Lia and her troops arrived a few kilometers from Liang Province. By this time, the sky had already turned somewhat dark, and the soldiers guarding Liang Province city did not notice a unit of cavalry rapidly approaching.
By the time they noticed, Lia had already led her army to the city gates. When the soldiers of Liang Province saw the cavalry Lia had brought and realized the leader was not someone they recognized, they hurriedly tried to pull up the city gate, but Lia was moving extremely fast.
Before the city gate could be pulled shut, Lia had already slashed through the chains. With Lia leading the way, she charged directly into Liang Province city, and the cavalry behind her followed suit, charging in one after another.
The battle ended in less than half an hour. Taking Liang Province was surprisingly simple; Lia encountered almost no decent resistance.
When Lia arrived at the Prince of Leping's manor, she found that this fellow was actually still on top of a woman, completely unaware of what had happened.
"You are the Prince of Leping who guards Liang Province?" Seeing the other party's pot-bellied appearance, Lia could hardly believe it.
Chapter Thirty Lia: Maybe My Charm is Great!
She had heard before that the Prince of Leping was quite handsome, but this bloated, slightly pudgy middle-aged man before her eyes was that handsome Prince of Leping?
It was clear that this fellow had been living very well in Liang Province all these years.
"Misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding!" The Prince of Leping, his face bruised and swollen, knelt on the ground and spoke to Lia in a frantic panic.
He had no idea what had happened. Hadn't Tuoba Feng gone to suppress the rebels? Why had the Rebel Leader reached his Liang Province city and even captured it? What on earth was going on?
"As long as you're the King of Liang Province, that's fine. Take him away and keep him under guard; don't let him escape." Lia waved her hand.
Lia glanced at the sky. It was already dark, and there was nothing more to be done for the time being. She could only let the soldiers rest and wait for Li Lin to arrive with the main army tomorrow.
While Lia was taking up residence in the Prince of Leping's manor, the Aristocratic Families in Liang Province city were in an uproar.
After all, the commotion Lia had caused in Wuxing Commandery and Wuan Commandery was not small. Now that Liang Province city had been taken by Lia, if they didn't want to repeat those same mistakes, their only choice was to flee overnight with some of their wealth.
However, the ones guarding the city gates now were those Rebel Leaders. After some thought, those Aristocratic Families decided to contact each other first to figure out how to solve their current predicament.
Soon, these Aristocratic Families decided that each family would contribute a few people to launch a combined attack on one of the city gates. Once the gate was opened, they could take the opportunity to escape.
There was nothing wrong with this idea, but for some Aristocratic Families, it was simply unnecessary.
Because once they understood Lia's policies, they would know that Lia only targeted those Aristocratic Families who specifically bullied Common People. With the normal Aristocratic Families, Lia was still willing to be reasonable.
Although even if she was reasonable, their lands could not be kept, at least their personal safety and other property could be guaranteed.
These Aristocratic Families had operated locally for hundreds of years. How could they give up the prestige they had worked so hard to build here and move elsewhere to start over?
It would be better to get on good terms with the new master here.
Thus, Lia hadn't expected that some Aristocratic Families would take the initiative to report to her about the movements of other families tonight.
After receiving this information, Lia was also somewhat puzzled.
"Could it be that in the eyes of these Aristocratic Families, I actually have quite a bit of personal charm? Otherwise, why would they help me after I've seized their land?"
She didn't understand it at all. "Maybe my personal charm really is just that great!"
However, Lia could only set these matters aside for the moment. Tonight, she had to catch all these fleeing Aristocratic Families in one fell swoop!
Deep night soon arrived. While almost everyone was fast asleep, the Wang Family, the Wei Family, the Zhao Family, the Dong Family, and several small Aristocratic Families in Liang Province were active.
The servants of these families first opened the concealed gates, glanced at the silent streets outside, and after confirming it was safe, immediately threw the gates wide open.
Soon, a group of a dozen or so thugs carrying weapons walked out, followed by a group of noble lords and ladies dressed in silk and carrying large and small bags.
These people loaded all their valuable items and money onto the carriages they had prepared in advance.
If time hadn't been so tight, they really would have wanted to take more things, but that would carry the risk of being caught, so they could only take some of their most valuable possessions.
After this group of people spent some time packing, they headed in one direction. A few minutes later, they met up at the agreed-upon location.
Aside from the initial group, many people had already gathered there. The number of thugs and guards alone actually amounted to over a hundred!
One had to know that these hundred or so people all had some foundation in martial arts; together, they were a force to be reckoned with.
After the family heads greeted each other and saw that everyone had arrived, they immediately began their operation, planning to open the West Gate in one go so they would have a chance to escape.
Just as they were having their guards cooperate to seize the West Gate, Lia appeared directly in front of them and smiled slightly.
"Good evening to the heads of the families of Liang Province. It's so late; what are you planning to do with so many subordinates?"
"It's you, you wicked woman!" Seeing Lia appear, these family heads immediately cried out.
"Oh my, to call such a kind young girl as me a wicked woman. Have I done anything to incite heavenly wrath or human resentment? Could you all tell me about it?" Lia continued to smile.
"Kill her!" These Aristocratic Families also knew that their operation had been discovered by Lia, and escaping might no longer be realistic. However, if they could kill Lia here, they wouldn't need to flee anymore.
Hearing their masters' orders, the thugs raised their blades and immediately charged toward Lia.
Lia quickly retreated and then said to the night sky, "Fire!"
As soon as Lia's words fell, a group of people holding powerful bows suddenly appeared from various hidden spots. They fired the arrows they had already notched at the group of thugs and guards.
Under the barrage of hundreds of arrows, more than half of the thugs and guards died instantly.
However, they didn't care about the lives of their companions and continued to charge toward Lia. At this moment, they also knew in their hearts that only by capturing Lia would they have a chance to survive.
"Do I look that easy to bully?" Seeing this, Lia sighed and drew the stone in sword from her person. She poured magic into the blade and swung it forward.
The first dozen or so people were directly sent flying by the magic she slashed out. Then, Lia swung a few more times, and there wasn't a single thug or guard left standing on the field.
"Take all these people away." After dealing with the guards, Lia looked coldly at the group of Aristocratic Families and spoke.
Surrounded by soldiers, these Aristocratic Families were taken to the prison cells without any ability to resist.
After finishing all this, Lia couldn't help but sigh. As expected, the Aristocratic Families were a group that particularly loved to cause trouble, and they were very bothersome.
Ever since she arrived in Huaxia, the trouble from these fellows had never stopped. These guys always liked to hold her back and work against her!
Of course, Lia also knew that her methods in Wuxing Commandery and Wuan Commandery had been too aggressive, making these Aristocratic Families afraid, which led them to make such a choice.
Otherwise, as long as their interests weren't touched, the Aristocratic Families might not care at all who ruled Western Liang.
Thinking carefully, she still needed to make some changes. She couldn't just keep killing people and making the Aristocratic Families fear her; she also needed them to be useful to her.
But if she didn't kill them, she couldn't just leave them be. Don't criminals in modern times have reform through labor?
It would be much better to have these fellows who had done wrong perform corvée labor than to kill them; at least they would still be of some use.