Chapter 68: The Long Echo of Afterglow

"Remember," Jiang Ye pointed at the damp concrete surface, emphasizing, "before it sets completely, it must not be stepped on. Start watering it for maintenance once initial setting begins, and it is best to cover the surface with wet burlap."

Cement takes time to set, and they would not be able to witness the initial setting process firsthand.

Taking advantage of the lingering sunset glow, Jiang Ye finally turned his attention to the most dangerous item among the supplies they had brought this time.

While General Guo arranged for guards to watch over the cement blocks, Jiang Ye and Wang Zongqing walked over to the iron chest marked "Flammable and Explosive."

Yang Fang, Chen Xuelin, Tong Yi, and He Xu felt a burning light ignite in the depths of their eyes the moment they saw what was inside.

With this weapon of mass destruction, how many Anxi sons could be saved, and how little blood of the soldiers would need to be shed.

Guo Xin's gaze followed their movements, landing on the iron chest.

The veteran Anxi soldiers responsible for carrying it, upon realizing what it was, recalled the young man's previous warning that this object was exceptionally dangerous and could take a life in the blink of an eye.

They paid special attention to it, and now they would finally see how such a small thing could take a life.

Wang Zongqing squatted down and expertly removed the lead seal. The moment the lid was lifted, it revealed neatly arranged block-shaped objects inside. The military demolition charges were tightly wrapped in moisture-proof paper, with fuses neatly coiled alongside them.

"General Guo, what was presented just now are items for defending the city. But this, can help the Anxi soldiers attack and conquer cities."

"Oh?" Guo Xin was quite interested. "How is it used?"

Jiang Ye glanced at the courtyard. "Could the General find an open space, far away from civilian dwellings? This thing possesses astonishing destructive power. If handled carelessly, the best outcome is severe injury, and the worst, death."

Hearing Jiang Ye describe it in such formidable terms, Guo Xin naturally did not dare to take it lightly.

The surrounding Anxi soldiers grew even more curious about the contents of the iron chest upon hearing this.

Zhang Qian stepped forward. "General, why not move to the abandoned fortress in the west of the city? It is spacious and far from any civilian homes."

Guo Xin nodded slightly.

The group proceeded toward the abandoned fortress in the west of the city, while the supplies left in the courtyard were placed under guard.

As dusk deepened, the abandoned military camp in the west of the city appeared exceptionally desolate in the setting sun.

Amidst the broken walls and ruined ramparts, the wind howled, carrying dust and sand, as if recounting the fires of war this land had once endured.

Jiang Ye and Wang Zongqing selected a half-collapsed earthen wall as their target and carefully placed the demolition charge at the base of the wall.

Wang Zongqing skillfully inspected the fuse to ensure absolute safety, and then motioned for Guo Xin and the others to retreat.

"General, everyone, please retreat to fifty paces away and cover your ears," Jiang Ye said in a deep voice.

Although puzzled, Guo Xin raised his hand to signal his personal guards to fall back.

The Anxi soldiers retreated to a safe distance one after another, their eyes still fixed intently on the mysterious package.

Wang Zongqing took out a lighter, the flame flickered, and he expertly ignited the fuse.

"Hiss—" The fuse instantly sparked and burned rapidly, darting toward the demolition charge like a fiery snake.

Wang Zongqing ran quickly back toward Jiang Ye's position, reaching the safe zone just in time.

"BOOM—!!!"

In an instant, a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar tore through the silence of the twilight.

The earthen wall collapsed instantly amidst the violent explosion, gravel flew, smoke and dust soared into the sky, and even the ground seemed to shudder for a moment.

The shockwave swept outward; even standing at a distance, Guo Xin and the others could still feel the oncoming wave of heat, their ears ringing incessantly.

"This..." Zhang Qian's eyes widened, his voice almost swallowed by the aftershocks.

Guo Xin's sharp eyes stared fixedly at the center of the explosion. The once sturdy earthen wall had been reduced to ruins, smoke and dust filled the air, and a pungent smell of gunpowder hung heavily in the atmosphere.

His chest heaved violently, his eyes holding a mixture of shock and uncontainable euphoria.

The city's residents were also startled by the sudden, deafening blast. Many ran out of their homes in panic, looking toward the west of the city with worried eyes.

At that moment, beneath the gathering dusk, the smoke of the explosion gradually dispersed, and the surroundings fell into a brief silence.

The veteran Anxi soldiers who had followed Guo Xin for decades still stood in place, the shock on their faces not yet fading, while complex emotions welled up in their eyes.

They stared at the leveled earthen wall, at first in sheer disbelief, and then the corners of their mouths twitched slightly, revealing an expression close to ecstatic joy.

If they had possessed this weapon back then, how many besieged cities would not have fallen?

How many comrades would not have had to use their flesh and blood to meet the enemy's rain of arrows?

Yet this joy lasted only for a moment.

It was unclear whose eyes reddened first, but soon, one by one, more and more veterans lowered their heads, their rough palms clenching tightly until their knuckles turned white.

They thought of the brothers who had fallen forever beneath the city walls.

Some had been battered beyond recognition by rolling stones, some had remained steadfast against the city gates while pierced by multiple arrows, and some, in order to ignite the final pots of fire oil, had embraced enemy soldiers and leaped from the ramparts together...

Still others thought of their own sons.

A veteran with graying hair and beard suddenly squatted down, grabbed a handful of charred earth, and let out a choked sob from deep within his throat.

His only son had died outside Shule City last year, his chest crushed beneath the iron hooves of the Tibetan cavalry.

If only there had been this roar back then... If only...

The night wind whimpered, sweeping dust across everyone's armor.

Guo Xin stood in place, offering neither urge nor comfort.

He only silently watched these veterans who had followed him for half a lifetime, watching their trembling shoulders and reddened eyes.

He knew that any words at this moment were pale and feeble.

A centurion covered in battle scars wiped fiercely across his face and said in a hoarse voice, "General... if we had this twenty years ago..."

He did not finish the sentence.

Yet everyone present understood the unsaid words.

If they had possessed this weapon twenty years ago, the Four Garrisons of Anxi would not have become isolated cities, and the thirty thousand soldiers would not have been reduced to just these few thousand white-haired men.

Guo Xin slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was like a blade: "It is not too late now."

Jiang Ye stood in place, feeling as though a massive boulder were pressing down upon his chest, making every breath laborious.

He turned his head and caught sight of Wang Zongqing out of the corner of his eye. The calmest man in their group now pressed his lips tightly together, his jaw taut into a sharp line.

Yang Fang turned her face away and raised a hand to wipe fiercely at the corner of her eye.

Chen Xuelin lowered his head, his spectacle lenses veiled with a layer of mist.

He was usually rational, yet at this moment he could not help but think: if only the tragic defensive battles in history books could have had a weapon like this... if only...

Tong Yi clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug deeply into his palms.

He Xu could not help but choke out a sob.

He hurriedly raised a hand to wipe his face, only to make it wetter.

Guo Xin slowly swept his gaze across his soldiers, the blood-red setting sun casting a sanguine hue over their mottled armor.

He clenched his fists so hard his joints popped, his voice as biting as the northern wind of the great desert: "With this divine weapon, we shall make those Tibetan jackals pay in blood!"

He bit down heavily on the last four syllables, carrying twenty-five years of pent-up hatred.

The soldiers simultaneously tightened their grips on their sword hilts.

These veterans, who had lost comrades in every defense of the city, saw terrifying fires ignite in the depths of their eyes.