Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Chapter 672 Attacking the Fortress

"Woo~~"

At the fourth watch of the next day, a mournful horn blast shattered the silence.

The Goguryeo soldiers guarding the city walls of Rangseong immediately awoke and looked out of the city.

But then they saw that the Goryeo army outside the city had already prepared to attack.

"The city is under attack! The enemy is attacking! Sound the horns! Sound the horns!"

The soldiers guarding the city gate shouted themselves hoarse.

"Woo——"

Soon, the bugle call to defend against the enemy resounded throughout the entire city of Rangzhou.

Yesterday, the newly recruited Goguryeo soldiers, under the command of veterans, nervously began moving the royal castle's weapons.

On the tower, Xue Yan silently watched the movements outside the city without saying a word.

After a long while, he slammed his fist heavily on the stone window.

"It's finally starting."

In front of the Goryeo army, six 75mm cannons were lined up and positioned a mile away from the city wall.

Shen Lang held up his binoculars and took in the busy figures of the Goguryeo army on the city wall.

After he put down his binoculars, he said to Shatuo beside him, "After the city wall collapses, you must rush in as fast as you can, rush down..."

He pointed to Rangzhou City and continued, "The grain, jewels, and women inside are all yours, understand?"

Shatuo looked at the six 75mm cannons with surprise in his eyes and asked uncertainly, "Duke Zhenguo, can these iron lumps really bring down the city walls?"

Shatuo always maintained a skeptical attitude towards the unknown.

Shen Lang did not answer him directly, but instead called over the gunner in charge: "Pass on the order to change to armor-piercing shells and concentrate firepower to break through at one point."

"Yes!"

The gunner immediately obeyed the order, saluted Shen Lang, and turned back to the front of the artillery position.

"fire!"

boom--

A deafening thunderclap resounded in front of the battle formation, startling Sha Tuo and his men, as well as their warhorses.

The scorching shells, trailing long plumes of smoke, hurtled straight toward the walls of Rangzhou.

The Goguryeo soldiers who were busy on the city wall were also startled by the loud noise and stopped what they were doing.

Just as they were wondering what was happening, an armor-piercing shell struck the city wall.

boom--

The earth shook violently, knocking over a large number of the guards on the city wall.

The rising smoke and dust mixed with flying debris startled the defenders, who screamed in terror.

"It's artillery! Damn it, where did they get artillery from?"

Xue Yan immediately realized that the Goryeo army had used artillery.

Two years ago, when the Tianlang Kingdom and the Northern Yan were at war, he witnessed the scene of flying cannons, and the thunderous roar left a deep impression on him.

Unexpectedly, these cannons have now appeared in Rangzhou territory?

Instantly, a feeling of unease swept over Xue Yan's entire body.

Looking down from the tower at the defenders scattering in disarray on the city walls, he immediately shouted, "Pass on my order! Do not gather together! Disperse and meet the enemy! Disperse and meet the enemy!"

Boom, boom, boom——

Several more cannonballs struck the city wall, immediately causing the Goguryeo defenders to cry out in despair.

The cannons were not aimed at the soldiers on the city wall, but at the city wall that was blocking the army's advance.

But this extreme, suffocating sense of oppression had driven the Goguryeo defenders to the brink of madness.

"what--"

A young boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old lay sprawled on the city wall, clutching his head and letting out a terrifying scream.

The barrage of artillery fire had completely robbed him of his courage, leaving only endless fear spreading through the air.

Two elderly people knelt on the ground, praying to heaven incessantly, trying to use metaphysics to protect themselves and get through their current difficulties.

The so-called veterans were no better off. Driven by instinct, they abandoned their weapons and the armory used to defend the city walls, and huddled together against the battlements, barely clinging to life.

Xue Yan stared at the scene with bloodshot eyes, his five fingers digging into his palm, bleeding profusely without him even noticing.

No matter how much we planned, we never expected that the Koreans would have cannons!

"Damn it, where did these lowly slaves get their firearms? No wonder they dare to rebel. Is this what gives them their confidence?"

However, no matter how much he vented, he was helpless in the face of such a scene.

At this distance, none of the defensive weapons in his hands could reach the enemy's artillery position.

In other words, the current situation only allows us to take the beatings without being able to retaliate.

In the Goryeo army formation, apart from Shen Lang and Ban Dingyuan and the thousand or so Chu soldiers who accompanied them, everyone else's face was also deathly pale.

Cui Mingji performed slightly better, after all, he had personally witnessed the Chu army's artillery firing drills. Although he was terrified, he did not lose his composure on the battlefield.

The soldiers from Taiji Kingdom and Yunshang Kingdom were now speechless.

Is this the source of Chu's confidence? No wonder...

Shatuo was completely stunned. After finally coming to his senses, he looked at Shen Lang, who was calm and composed amidst the roar of cannons, and realized just how dangerous it had been for him to be dancing in front of the grave last night.

Now he can only be thankful that he didn't do anything more outrageous and didn't offend this Duke Zhenguo.

Otherwise, with just these cannons, they could have wiped out their tribe several times over.

boom--

Amidst the booming cannon fire, the three-zhang-high city wall of Rangzhou finally succumbed to the frenzied onslaught and collapsed in shock, creating a massive breach six meters wide.

Another cannon shot rang out, and rubble scattered at the breach, forming a sloping ramp.

"Stop shooting."

At a command, the cannon fire immediately ceased.

Smoke filled the air between the two armies, and the air was thick with a scorching, acrid smell.

Shen Lang looked at Sha Tuo beside him and gestured for him to proceed: "Chief Sha, I have done what I promised you. Now it is up to you."

Shatuo swallowed hard, nodded vigorously, drew his scimitar, and shouted to the allied forces of foreign tribes behind him who were fully prepared for battle: "Warriors, the time for revenge has come! Let us charge in together and wipe out the Goguryeo people who have oppressed us for so many years!"

"Kill!"

Amidst the encouragement of the Shatuo people, these still-terrified foreign cavalrymen immediately rallied, brandishing their weapons and charging towards the city walls of Rangzhou...

"Quickly, the enemy is attacking! Stop them, don't let them in!"

"Lou Tai'a, quickly lead your men to the breach and hold off the enemy."

"Cai Dang, forget about the injured and get to the work of repairing the city wall immediately, hurry up!"

The situation in Rangzhou was extremely precarious. Xue Yan loudly deployed and commanded, attempting to block the enemy's offensive.

As it turns out, the Goguryeo people were able to become local hegemons in Liaodong for many years, which shows that they had their own unique strengths.

After a brief moment of distraction, the Goguryeo soldiers, led by their commander, immediately prepared for defense.

Lou Tai'a and several hundred soldiers were already guarding the breach.

Faced with the menacing foreign cavalry, he gritted his teeth and swung his longsword with all his might.

"Fire arrows!"

With a shout, a barrage of wolf-tooth arrows shot out from the gap like locusts.

Caught off guard, the charging foreign cavalrymen were immediately struck by a hail of arrows and fell from their horses...