Chapter 24
After resolving the matters here, Lia took the opportunity to lead 10,000 troops toward Chang'an, intending to see if she could capture it.
Although she didn't plan on a head-on collision with Northern Wei, capturing Chang'an as a defensive barrier was a good choice. However, when she arrived, she found the place already heavily fortified.
Since ancient times, Chang'an has been known as a city easy to defend but hard to attack, a strategic stronghold for ages. Yet, after the Tang Dynasty took control, it was lost six times; it might as well be renamed 'easy to attack but hard to defend'!
Of course, that wasn't actually the case. The reason Chang'an was lost so frequently after the Tang Dynasty was because of the extensive modifications made to it, which resulted in a defensive line that was too long to hold. This really couldn't be blamed on Chang'an itself.
Although the enemy could now rely on the walls of Chang'an for defense and Lia hadn't brought any siege engines, she herself was a powerful siege weapon.
For Lia, she had to take Chang'an this time. Once captured, relying on its natural defenses would make it much easier to defend against Northern Wei in the future.
"My Lord, the enemy is prepared. We should retreat," Li Lin sighed, looking at the soldiers standing ready on the city walls.
"Li Lin, do you think we can't take Chang'an?" Lia didn't look at him, her eyes fixed on the walls of Chang'an.
"Is it not so?"
Li Lin glanced at the cavalry they had brought; there were no siege engines here. Facing the high walls of Chang'an, one could only look at them and sigh in frustration.
"Of course not. I'm saying, if I can open the gates of Chang'an, are you confident in taking the city?" Lia asked.
Although she could fire a beam to destroy the city gate, it would consume a massive amount of her mana. She was only fifteen years old now; a single beam would drain her dry, leaving her to just watch for her own safety afterward.
"If the city gate can be destroyed, then of course," Li Lin said without hesitation.
Currently, the enemy troops were like rats crossing the street, barely clinging to a bit of confidence by relying on Chang'an's walls. Once the gate was breached, their confidence would collapse. Faced with these ten thousand wolf-like cavalrymen, they would only flee in a rout.
"Good. I'll leave the command to you then!" Lia nodded with satisfaction at Li Lin's response.
"Does My Lord truly have a way?" Li Lin was curious to hear her say that.
Lia dismounted. She first looked toward the enemy general's position, then, before the soldiers of both sides, she grasped the stone in sword with both hands and raised it high.
"What is she doing?" Seeing Lia's sudden action, people from both sides were dumbfounded, completely unsure of her intent.
However, the generals soon reacted. Their mouths fell open in shock as they saw mana continuously gathering on the blade of the stone in sword Lia held high, with golden particles swirling around her.
"What is this? Release of True Qi? Or Immortal Arts?" At this moment, Lia looked incredibly divine.
"What is that!" Leopard watched the mana gathering on Lia; the soaring energy made his heart tremble. What exactly was this young girl?
An immortal? Or a monster?
"Sword of Promised Victory—!"
In just a few seconds, Lia shouted the True Name of her Noble Phantasm. Simultaneously, a golden torrent shot directly toward the enemy, washing away everything in its path.
"Scatter, quickly!" Seeing this, Leopard immediately turned and shouted to his soldiers.
Even if he didn't know what it was, it was definitely extremely dangerous!
"Damn it!" Leopard cursed. The moment before the beam reached him, he dove away; the beam grazed past him by a hair's breadth.
The sound of the explosion behind him brought Leopard back to his senses. Looking at where the city gate had been, a huge chunk had been gouged out from the center. The ground was covered in molten earth, and dozens of surviving soldiers were wailing, clutching parts of their bodies that had completely vanished.
If he hadn't sensed the danger, Leopard thought of the consequences of being hit by that beam—it was simply unthinkable!
He hadn't expected this girl to have reached the legendary Great Grandmaster realm!
Indeed, in Leopard's view, only the Great Grandmaster realm could achieve such a feat. At least Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, an emperor in the Grandmaster realm, could not do this.
Above the Xiantian realm is the Grandmaster realm, and above the Grandmaster is the legendary Great Grandmaster!
"The gate is broken! Charge!"
"The gate is broken! Charge!"
"The gate is broken! Charge!"
The soldiers snapped out of their shock from Lia's strike and immediately began to shout with excitement.
Li Lin did not waste this heartening opportunity, leading the charge toward the enemy city. Now that the gate was breached and their morale had been bolstered by Lia's strike, taking Chang'an was only a matter of time.
Chapter 57: Capturing Chang'an
"Hold it! Hold the line for me!" Seeing the enemy rushing toward the gate, Leopard snapped back to his senses and immediately shouted.
Chang'an had twenty thousand soldiers. As long as they were brave enough, they could still hold it.
But these soldiers had already been scared out of their wits. They were just ordinary people, their mental fortitude completely different from that of the generals. They felt the enemy had the help of a deity and that they couldn't possibly win.
Leopard could only use his bow to shoot a few enemy soldiers. Seeing that it was a lost cause and that staying would only mean dying with the city, he sighed. He called to a few generals, opened a gate, and fled toward the north in a panic.
After some effort, Lia's side also captured the strategic stronghold of Chang'an!
One must know that Chang'an and its surrounding areas had a population of nearly 500,000. For Lia, this was a massive gain!
After taking Chang'an, Lia moved decisively and immediately took action against the Aristocratic Families.
The Aristocratic Families resisted fiercely, with various assassinations occurring one after another. But so what? It just meant killing a few more people. By the time Lia had finished killing most of the resisting Aristocratic Families, the rest in Chang'an became well-behaved.
There was no other way; Lia's killing was too ruthless. In just half a month, thousands had lost their lives because of it, and tens of thousands were arrested.
This was unavoidable. Chang'an was different from Western Liang; the Aristocratic Families in Chang'an had been passed down since the Western Han Dynasty. They were the type who were arrogant but lacked actual ability, and they refused to cooperate with Lia even a little bit.
If they had been willing to hand over their land, Lia wouldn't have gone to such lengths. But these families not only refused to yield their land but also sent various assassins to kill her. Thus, they couldn't blame Lia for using thunderous methods against them.
Now, when the Aristocratic Families of Chang'an spoke of Lia, they likely spoke of her as they did Dong Zhuo of the Eastern Han Dynasty—their faces turned pale at the mention of her name. In their descriptions, Lia was probably already beyond redemption.
Of course, Lia didn't care at all how these families described her. She only cared that, in the eyes of Common People, she was the kindest ruler who punished those Aristocratic Families.
Only after Lia left did the Aristocratic Families of Chang'an breathe a sigh of relief. This female demon was too damn good at killing and too ruthless toward them, killing thousands in such a short time.
In fact, if they had just cooperated, Lia wouldn't have acted this way. But the families of Chang'an tried to band together to pressure and protest against her, so they couldn't blame Lia for being cold-blooded and ruthless.
On the issue of land, she would never waver. No matter what means were used, it had to be implemented under her rule; otherwise, any hesitation would allow the old ways to resurge.
Although Lia left Chang'an, she still kept the army here to prevent the Aristocratic Families from causing trouble again. Besides, it was also to guard against a possible counterattack from Northern Wei.
After returning to Western Liang, Lia rewarded everyone for their merits in this campaign. Next for her was how to develop her career.
Although Lia wanted to invade the Western Regions immediately, she couldn't rush it. It required careful planning; at the very least, she needed to learn about the current situation in the Western Regions from Yu Ming.
Lia first sent people to begin mining the niter deposits already discovered within Western Liang, and the iron mines also needed to be surveyed as soon as possible.
After several days of intense work, Gongsun Zhi arrived.
"My Lord, the kongming lanterns you asked me to build have made initial progress. We plan to conduct a flight test this afternoon. I wonder if My Lord would be willing to come and watch?"
During this time, Gongsun Zhi had only held onto the idea of giving it a try; he never expected it could actually be realized, and he had no idea how his Lord had come up with such a thing.
One must know that the kongming lantern has been around for hundreds of years, yet no one had ever thought in this direction. His Lord truly was an extraordinary person.
"Oh? It can already fly to the heavens?" Hearing Gongsun Zhi report on the progress of the hot air balloon, Lia's interest was piqued.
"We have experimented with it; as long as the kongming lantern is made large enough, it can indeed carry a person into the sky. However, we haven't used a person for testing yet. This afternoon, we only plan to use the chickens, ducks, and sheep that you mentioned before, Lord, to conduct the experiment," Gongsun Zhi said.
"You have done well. Whether they are high-ranking officials or common laborers, their lives are equally precious. Without a full guarantee of safety, we should not let others conduct experiments."
Seeing that Gongsun Zhi had firmly remembered her words, Lia nodded with satisfaction.
"Despite this, we haven't yet mastered the technology to make the kongming lantern descend freely." Speaking of this, Gongsun Zhi felt a bit embarrassed.
"It's fine. That you could successfully develop a kongming lantern capable of carrying people into the sky in such a short time has already exceeded my expectations. This afternoon, right? I will bring some people over," Lia said.
Hearing that Lia would be coming, Gongsun Zhi took his leave.
Since the hot air balloon could already ascend, as long as she taught them to use something like a blower to control its movement, once she had hot air balloons, she would be able to know the situation of the surrounding areas in advance.
Once she could know the enemy's movements, her side could react swiftly.
In the afternoon, Lia called upon several trusted subordinates by her side, letting them see what the power of technology was.
When Lia arrived at the gates of the Ministry of Works with a group of people, she saw Gongsun Zhi and a group of men organizing things at the entrance.
A square woven basket sat on the ground. Tied to this basket were over a dozen thick ropes, which were connected to a massive piece of fabric.
"Lord, you've arrived!" Seeing Lia approaching with a group of people, Gongsun Zhi hurried over.
"Is this the kongming lantern you prepared?"
Lia walked over to take a look and found that the fabric was all linen, but it had all been stitched together with needle and thread. Its appearance was not beautiful at all; in fact, it was quite an eyesore.
Compared to the colorful and sturdy-looking hot air balloons of later generations, the one Gongsun Zhi and his team had made was truly a 'beggar version'.
But as long as it could fly, it was fine.
"Yes," Gongsun Zhi nodded, unaware of Lia's internal complaints about the hot air balloon.
"What is this rope for?" Lia looked for a while before noticing a rope tied to a pillar.
"Lord, this is the pull rope used to control the descent of the kongming lantern," Gongsun Zhi immediately explained.
"I see," Lia nodded.
Because Gongsun Zhi and the others had not yet mastered the construction of a blower, they could only use this rope to pull the ascending hot air balloon back down for now.
Chapter 58: That Woman Has Come!
The civil and military officials Lia had brought along were also looking at the kongming lantern with curiosity, feeling a bit skeptical in their hearts. Could this thing really carry a person into the sky?
After checking it over and feeling there were no issues, Lia told Gongsun Zhi to light the fire.
Gongsun Zhi nodded and first called over several men to pick up bamboo poles to prop up the ragged fabric. Then he had people light the charcoal inside a stove within the bamboo basket.
Following the ignition, just ten minutes later, the ragged fabric gradually inflated into a massive sphere after absorbing enough hot air.
Seeing this, Gongsun Zhi had the men remove the bamboo poles. Everyone watched in astonishment as the fabric, now without support or a point of contact, simply hovered in the air without falling.
As the burning hot air increased, the bamboo basket below began to sway slightly. Seeing this, Gongsun Zhi quickly had the prepared chickens, ducks, and sheep placed directly into the basket.
The kongming lantern, which had been about to float up, stopped moving.
"Did it fail?" Seeing the basket stop, the group of onlookers immediately thought to themselves.
However, after another five minutes passed, the basket began to move slightly again. Slowly, it started to lift off the ground, carrying the chickens, ducks, and sheep as it gradually flew into the air.
"It's flying! It's flying!!!" Everyone who saw this scene shouted in shock. Their mouths hung open, completely unable to believe their eyes.
Although Lia had mentioned such a thing before, seeing it actually happen before their eyes was still incredibly surreal.
Under normal circumstances, only birds could fly in the sky. Now that humans could also fly using a kongming lantern, the implications were entirely different.
However, this kongming lantern stopped after ascending several dozen meters because a rope was tied to a stone pillar, preventing it from flying higher and higher.
"Heavens, what is that thing?" Although Lia and the others knew about the kongming lantern in advance, Common People in Liang Province did not.
A massive kongming lantern floating dozens of meters in the sky in broad daylight was something any commoner who wasn't blind could see.
"Could it be a kite? Look, that thing seems to be connected by a rope. That place looks like it belongs to the government officials, doesn't it?" one commoner said, pointing to the rope connected to the hot air balloon.
"That's probably something Her Majesty Queen Artoria had someone make, right? But such a huge kite is truly rare." Since Lia had already declared herself king, it was not improper for the people to call her Queen.
"As long as Her Majesty is happy. Let's get back to our own business." Common People discussed it for a while before returning to their work, though they would occasionally look up at the massive hot air balloon in the sky and let out a gasp of wonder.
"Lord, although this kongming lantern can already fly into the sky, without this rope, it would fly higher and higher until eventually, we wouldn't know where it went. If this problem cannot be solved..." An official said to Lia with a cupped-hand salute.
"Minister Yan, I am aware of the problem you mentioned. But do not worry, I have already thought of a solution; the rest is just a matter of more experimentation." Lia glanced at Minister Yan. To be able to think of this problem so quickly, his mind was indeed sharp.
"In that case, I was overthinking it." Yan Ming heard this and stepped back.
"Lord, what is the method you mentioned?" At this time, Gongsun Zhi came over and asked directly.
"Mr. Gongsun, the kongming lantern you've set up currently ascends too slowly and is difficult to operate. Therefore, it needs a blower."
"A blower?" Gongsun Zhi fell into thought.
"Correct. Just like the blacksmiths; they often use this thing to control the size of the flames. Once the fire on the kongming lantern is controlled, it can ascend and descend at will, and it won't just drift anywhere because of the wind," Lia explained.
A hot air balloon is different from an airplane; its direction cannot be controlled directly, and it can only drift with the wind. However, in the air, the wind direction is different at every altitude. As long as one can master the vertical height, they can make the hot air balloon carry people in the desired direction.
"I see, I understand. Thank you, Lord, for clearing my doubts." After Lia finished speaking, Gongsun Zhi quickly grasped the key point and said with an excited face.
"Yes. Later, I will give you some information regarding kongming lanterns. It might not be entirely correct, so you'll need to experiment yourselves. As for the name, let's change it to 'hot air balloon'. This thing is still different from a kongming lantern."
Lia added after some thought. By providing some knowledge in advance, they wouldn't have to grope in the dark, which could save a lot of trial time.
"Very well, Lord." Gongsun Zhi nodded.
After the experiment ended, the hot air balloon floating in the sky was pulled down by the rope. Lia told them to continue their research, thus concluding this visit to the hot air balloon.
Returning to her manor, Lia pondered for a while about what she should do next.
Should she establish schools? This was indeed a very important matter, but... establishing schools was not such an easy task.