Chapter 267: Leaving Without a Trace After the Deed Is Done

"Is this the secret weapon of the Towering Heavens?" Meng Tian and his hundred thousand troops stared at the scene before them, their hearts unable to calm for a long time.

Although they had previously known that the Divine Might Cannons of the Towering Heavens possessed terrifying power—having annihilated fifty thousand black-armored soldiers within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea—they had never witnessed it with their own eyes and thus could not truly imagine the sheer magnitude of that destructive force. But now they saw it. In the blink of an eye, the arrogant Chanyu Touman, along with sixty thousand Wolf Tribe soldiers, had completely vanished.

"Meng Tian, I leave the remaining stragglers to you. This young lady is heading back first!" High up on the airship, Murong Feng looked down at the ruined city below, which looked as though it had been plowed over by oxen. She nodded in satisfaction, pulled out a large megaphone, shouted down to Meng Tian, and then led her ten airships back toward the Towering Heavens.

Watching the ten airships gradually fly away, Meng Tian's expression grew even more grim. He finally understood why Ying Zheng had issued a strict order forbidding his soldiers from provoking the Towering Heavens. If the bombs dropped by those ten airships today had not been released here, but instead upon Xianyang Palace, would anyone truly have been able to stop them?

What if one day the Towering Heavens also desired to contend for hegemony over the world? Could the ever-victorious Qin army truly withstand them? What if Xiao Xie decided to become emperor one day? Who could possibly stop him? At the mere thought of this possibility, a chill ran through Meng Tian's bones.

"All troops, advance! Leave not a single surviving Wolf Tribe soldier alive!" Meng Tian shook these terrifying thoughts from his mind, raised the spear in his hand, and gave the command.

"Huo! Huo! Huo!"

At Meng Tian's order, the hundred thousand troops marched past the city walls and stepped into the ruins. Yes, they literally walked past the walls because, due to the Wolf Tribe Chanyu having stood atop the ramparts, Murong Feng had instructed her subordinates to give that area special attention. Under the impact of several hundred bombs, the entire city wall had been blasted into nothingness.

"Hiss..."

Upon stepping into the city, the hundred thousand soldiers drew in a sharp breath in unison. The scene greeting their eyes was far too tragic. Although they were seasoned veterans who had participated in numerous battles, they had never witnessed carnage of this scale.

In battles between two armies, the worst casualties usually involved severed limbs or bodies being hacked apart—though even those were relatively rare. Most soldiers died from a single lethal strike to a vital point.

Yet compared to the scene before them, those ordinary wounds were entirely negligible. Under the baptism of a thousand bombs, it would have been a mercy for these Wolf Tribe soldiers to merely be torn apart. Those who had been at the epicenter of the explosions were directly reduced to bloody mincemeat, sprayed across the ground like horrific paintings.

The ground of the city was thoroughly soaked in blood. Every step forward produced a sickening squelching sound, and scattered fragments of intestines were visible everywhere.

"Ugh..."

Amidst this gruesome spectacle, many soldiers could no longer suppress their stomachs and vomited on the spot. Those who managed to hold it in turned deathly pale.

Meng Tian's expression was similarly unsightly. Although Murong Feng and her forces had come to assist them this time, it did not mean the Towering Heavens would henceforth be a friend of the Qin State. To a certain extent, the Towering Heavens remained an enemy of the Empire. If he were to lead his army against the Towering Heavens, could he win? He asked himself honestly and found no possibility of victory. The technological gap in weaponry was simply too vast. If they went to war with the Towering Heavens, they wouldn't even be able to strike their opponents, while the enemy could easily bombard them from afar. Moreover, bombs of such immense destructive power could never be blocked by mere shields.

For the first time, Meng Tian experienced a profound sense of powerlessness. This gap in eras could no longer be bridged by mere numbers or tactical maneuvers.

"The threat the Towering Heavens poses to the Empire has grown even greater. We must be on guard; I must report this to His Majesty immediately," Meng Tian thought with a furrowed brow. Previously, while the Divine Might Cannons of the Towering Heavens were dangerous, deploying them inevitably created massive commotion, allowing time for defense. But the ten airships he had just witnessed were capable of flight, and combined with these terrifyingly powerful bombs, the threat was simply too catastrophic. If he failed to report this to Ying Zheng promptly, it would become an immense, festering hazard.

...

Sanghai City, General's Mansion, Fusu's study. Huge red candles crackled in the hall, casting a brilliant glow across the spacious room.

Fusu, who should have been peacefully asleep at this hour, was pacing back and forth with a furrowed brow. The news transmitted from Xianyang was far too grave. The southern invasion of the Xiongnu had always been a matter of paramount importance to the Central Plains. Although he had already dispatched Meng Tian and his Golden Fire Cavalry, a lingering sense of unease settled heavy in his chest.

In resisting the Xiongnu, countless fine sons of Great Qin would undoubtedly perish. Though Fusu was a prince of Great Qin, unlike Ying Zheng, he despised war. War claimed lives, shattered countless families, robbed wives of their husbands, and left children without fathers.

"Reporting to Your Highness, Prime Minister Li requests an audience." A guard walked into the study and respectfully reported to Fusu.

"Send him in!"

Li Wu bowed to Fusu and said, "Your humble servant Li Si pays respects to Your Highness."

"Prime Minister Li, no need for formalities. Has General Meng sent any news back?" Fusu supported Li Si with a wave of his hand and asked anxiously.

"While the Xiongnu matter is a vital affair of state, Your Highness should set your mind at ease. Relying on General Meng Tian's Golden Fire Cavalry, news of victory should arrive within the next few days," Li Si comforted.

"That is good to hear. But I wonder, what brings Prime Minister Li to see me at this hour?" Fusu asked with a hint of puzzlement.

A cold glint flashed in Li Si's eyes. He cupped his hands toward Fusu and replied, "According to information obtained by your servant, these rebellious factions gathered in Sanghai to plot illicit actions must have received some form of backing."

"Some form of backing..." Fusu clearly expected Li Si to elaborate.

"The Mohists are at the end of their rope, the Xiang clan of Western Chu is wandering in exile, and Gao Jianli and the others are fugitives of the jianghu. Without powerful backing behind them, how could they possibly stir up such troubled waters!" Li Si declared. Although Li Si had once been a disciple of Xun Zi, because of Han Fei's death, Xun Zi had never given him a favorable look, nor did he acknowledge him as a disciple anymore. Since the Confucian school showed no sentiment, Li Si felt no obligation to show loyalty.

"You mean..." Hearing this, Fusu felt a slight jolt in his heart, already harboring a suspicion.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Li Si's lips as he said, "Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, the Confucian school possesses the widest discipleship, the greatest strength, and the highest renown!"

"Confucianism studies the books of sages and widely preaches the Dao of honoring the monarch and loving the ruler. His Majesty also holds them in high regard. What evidence do you have for such a conjecture?" Fusu asked solemnly. Confucian disciples were scattered across the world; moving one hair could affect the entire body. Unless absolutely necessary, even Ying Zheng would not easily move against the Confucians.

"Your humble servant is currently gathering evidence!"

"Are there any clues?"

"As it happens, there is one."

"Oh? What is it?" Fusu asked with rising curiosity, not expecting Li Si to actually have a lead.

"The Number One Chef of Qi and Lu, Ding Ban!"