Xiling Gorge, the river is rushing.
The dark clouds are dense, like ink staining the sky, like heavy mountains pressing down on the sky.
On the river, war drums beat and roared like thunder.
Several warships were sailing through the waves. They were wide at the top and high at the bow and stern. The hulls were made of solid wood and were as stable as Mount Tai in the wind and waves.
It is the Daxuan navy, Jiujiang-style Sentry Ship.
The sails of the ship were swaying, and sergeants were running around on the deck, patrolling and guarding. Some people climbed up the mast and looked up to check what was going on in all directions.
On both sides of the ship, there were a row of artillery pieces and a crossbow machine. In front of it, a wolf-tooth arrow as thick as a baby's arm shone with a cold light.
Great Xuan Dynasty is at its peak, and navy equipment is also luxurious.
These crossbows were made by people from the Mo family of the Ministry of Industry who were good at Mechanism Arts. They could not only kill the enemy, but also connected with ropes from the rear. They could shoot through enemy warships and allow sergeants to fight along the ropes.
And these artillery pieces are also not simple.
Long before the sea opened, there were Frankish people plundering in the southwest sea area, using double-cell cannons with rapid fire rate.
After the Daxuan navy defeated them, all the Frankish guns they captured were sent to the capital, and the emperor ordered them to be copied.
On the basis of this, the Ministry of Industry produced a complete set of "Thunder Fire Sub-cannon", which is available in various styles. Due to its advantages, it is widely equipped.
Of course, it also has weaknesses, that is, short range and low accuracy.
Therefore, according to the regulations of the Daxuan Army, it will be matched with long cannons that are good at attacking distant targets, are more powerful, but have a slower rate of fire.
But the real weapon of suppressing the army on the ship is a huge cannon in the center of the deck. The cannon is pitch black, covered with oilcloth, and guarded by two teams of men.
This is New Type Cannons.
Due to the high cost, there are only five statues in the entire Dongting Navy.
On the deck, flags were flying and hunting dogs were flying.
The supreme commander of the Daxuan Navy is "Marines Commander", and there are many "admirals" under his command who are responsible for operations in various waters.
The commander of a fleet is the "general soldier", and the captains on each ship are mostly "deputy generals". There are also "hundred households" and "Banner Officer" under his command.
The first officer of this ship is named Luo Yao.
Looking at Yichang Commandery Commandant Office Seal Holder Chiliarch Yuan Kejian, Luo Yao asked carefully, "Sir, is it urgent over there in Zigui?"
To be honest, he belongs to the navy, so he occasionally cooperates with Commandery Commandant Office, but they belong to different families and have similar official ranks.
But who is Commandery Commandant Office?
Supervisory officials can get you in by accident. Even if he lowers his posture, he doesn't want to offend this person.
But there are some things I have to ask.
This morning, the army issued an urgent order for him to sail to the Zigui battlefield. It was obvious that he wanted to use the great treasure of the navy.
Even if I don't ask clearly, I always feel a little uneasy.
Yuan Kejian did not hide anything at this time, and said in a deep voice, "Several rebellious Tusi City set up a camp on the south bank of Zigui."
"Zhushan County Over there, reinforcements from various places have just arrived. It will take some time to put an end to the unrest in the mountains."
"The imperial court's strategy is to defeat them one by one and minimize the losses. The rebels in the southwest are ready to move, so they use the magic weapon to scare the rebels and prevent them from joining together."
"That's it."
Lieutenant General Luo Yao suddenly realized this and became a little excited.
They have secretly tested the power of this treasure, but this is the first time it has been used on the battlefield. They don't know what effect it will have.
Commandery Commandant Office is dispatched, accompanied by natural eagles and dogs.
In the sky, several falcons were flying up and down.
A Commandery Commandant Office Xiaoqi noticed something was wrong and immediately stepped forward and said with his hands in his hands, "Return to your lord, the falcon is warning that there is an ambush on the cliff!"
Yuan Kejian was not surprised, he said calmly and coldly, "As I expected, let's do it!"
"Yes, sir!"
The little flag immediately turned around, took out a fireworks tube from his waist, pulled it suddenly, and red fireworks shot into the sky.
At the same time, there was a harsh whistle.
On the cliff, figures suddenly appeared one after another. They were all Commandery Commandant Office elite soldiers and generals. They were agile, like flying apes, climbing and jumping on the steep cliff.
At the same time, on the cliff on the left, shouts of killing suddenly started.
Some Tusi City Miao People rebels, like swarming ants, emerged from the top of the cliff, looking down from above, drawing bows and shooting arrows, or lifting rocks to smash them down.
However, the navy had already taken precautions.
The soldiers on the ship raised their shields to resist the bows and arrows.
As for those random rocks, most of them missed. Even if some fell towards the warship, some military experts jumped up and kicked the rubble away.
The men and horses of Commandery Commandant Office followed closely behind.
They bent their bows and shot arrows, mixed with a lot of Bamboo Thunder Arrow, which fell into the rebels and exploded immediately.
The formation of the rebels who set up an ambush was in chaos, and Commandery Commandant Office's masters had rushed into it. Blade Light flashed, and the sound of killing shouts shook the canyon.
Commandery Commandant Office's men were significantly superior in both skill and equipment. In addition, High Person's numerical superiority immediately suppressed the rebels.
"Ah!"
From time to time, rebels screamed and fell from the top of the cliff.
Falling on the rocks on the shore, blood splashed and quickly dyed the water red.
Soon, the ambush soldiers were so scared that they knelt down and begged for mercy.
Sergeant Daxuan is naturally used to this kind of small scenes. Lieutenant General Luo Yao's eyes were full of disdain, "Sometimes I really can't understand this group of people. It's clear that the imperial court has given them preferential treatment, but they still act like a fool and don't know what they can do."
"Do they really think that if they cause unrest, the court will compromise?"
Yuan Kejian looked calm, shook his head and said, "It is precisely because of the preferential treatment of the imperial court that the chieftains sit in one place, like a country within a country, so the common people only know the chieftains but not the imperial court."
"If the imperial court wants to open up the sea, it must stabilize the rear. Replace Tusi with centrally appointed officials, Divine Land Unification is the general trend."
"Of course those chieftains know that they just inherited it from generation to generation and are not willing to lose their power. They are just taking chances."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly turned cold, "It's okay to say that the chieftain rebels are fine, but the most hateful thing is those traitors who hold high positions and betray the court's information at will. No one can escape!"
When the deputy general Luo Yao heard this, his heart suddenly became cold.
He knew that there were probably many more officers who wanted to be killed.
Yuan Kejian glanced at it and said in a deep voice, "My lord, just fight at the front. We are just assisting. We must not let the soldiers in the front bleed and someone stabbed us in the back!"
While talking, the navy has passed Xiling Gorge.
Leaving this most dangerous place in the Three Gorges, the water surface suddenly became wide and flat, and several warships slowly lined up in formation.
In the distance, on the Zigui County pier, a navy stronghold has already been built.
Although it is a temporary construction, it is also made of masonry and stone walls. It has a marching dock, a high fence, and many arrow towers. Except for the crossbows, there are Thunder Fire Sub-cannon on them.
The entire river surface has been controlled by the navy.
As the war progressed, the importance of Zigui County suddenly became apparent. It was like a nail dividing several rebel forces.
As long as Zigui County is not lost, the imperial strategy will be successful.
At present, 50,000 troops have gathered here, and they are being supplied by Yichang and Bashu at the same time. They only defend but not attack, deterring the southwest Tusi City.
Among Tusi City, there are also those who can see the current situation clearly, so on the south bank of the Yangtze River, a stronghold was also built, but it was a wooden building, and densely packed rebels could be vaguely seen coming and going.
Their goal was naturally to conquer Zigui.
Seeing the arrival of the fleet, someone immediately came by boat to convey the military order in the imperial navy's stronghold.
When Lieutenant General Luo Yao saw it, he immediately understood. He quickly ordered the warship to move and at the same time lifted the giant cannon tarpaulin on the deck.
Wow!
The oilcloth was lifted, and a ferocious beast suddenly appeared in front of everyone.
This is a cannon, glowing with jet black oil, with complex gears on the base, and a silver dragon-shaped pattern on the jet black barrel.
It's something extraordinary at first glance.
At the same time, the gongs and drums of the naval war sounded, and more than a dozen warships sailed out of the dock. In front were the Meng Chong and walking boats used for assault.
At the rear, there are several Tower Ships. The rear is like a watchtower. In front, there are door panels and huge logs erected in rows to resist bows and arrows. When lowered, there is a pontoon bridge.
On the broad deck in the center were murderous armored cavalry, as well as infantry and crossbow artillerymen.
Their mission is to take down the opponent's camp.
Upon seeing this, Lieutenant General Luo Yao waved his command flag and shouted, "Quick, adjust the direction and prepare the sub-cannon!"
The sergeant below quickly shook the gear, and the cannon slowly changed its direction. At the same time, someone cleaned the barrel and worked together to put the heavy sub-cannon into the rear cabin.
These soldiers are specifically responsible for New Type Cannons. They have been trained hard on weekdays and have long been familiar with it.
Soon, the angle of the giant cannon was adjusted.
Lieutenant General Luo Yao's face was full of excitement, his eyes widened with anger, he waved his command flag and shouted, "Fire the cannon!"
Tsk!
The soldiers immediately lit the matches.
Boom!
There was only a loud noise, like thunder exploding out of thin air on the river, and the whole ship suddenly jerked backwards.
Some soldiers lost their grip and were knocked into the water.
Of course, other people can't care about these unlucky people. As a sailor, if they drown, they might as well feed the bastard as soon as possible.
Everyone's attention is focused on the south bank.
I saw a huge gap in Dazhai on the opposite side. Fire was shooting into the sky, and earth and rocks were flying. The scene was extremely terrifying.
New Type Cannons, the ammunition is also specially made, just like fireworks, it will release a large number of sub-shells after landing.
Less than half of the entire Dazhai was directly destroyed.
"Okay!"
Yuan Kejian's face was full of excitement and he patted the railing of the boat, "It's really a divine weapon. It can be a national treasure for me!"
Lieutenant General Luo Yao's voice was even trembling with excitement. "Quick, change to Fire Dragon Bomb!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers below immediately cleaned the gun barrel and replaced the sub-cannon painted red next to it.
Boom!
There was another thunder.
Everyone on the boat felt their heads were buzzing.
The Fire Dragon Bomb they replaced was filled with a large amount of kerosene and white phosphorus. It was also made of New-Style Gunpowder. It was a special artillery shell with an extremely complicated manufacturing process.
The cannonball fell, and fire dragons suddenly flew out.
The entire Tusi City Dazhai fell into a sea of fire in the blink of an eye.
The walls of the village collapsed and the tents burned down.
The cries of the enemy troops came and went one after another.
Boom, boom, boom!
On the imperial navy's stronghold, a row of drums roared.
The naval warships took advantage of the situation and moved forward through the waves.
Soon, they arrived at the south bank.
Boom!
Tower Ship The huge plank was lowered, splashing mud and water on the shore. The armored cavalry on the ship immediately rushed out on horseback and killed the fleeing rebels.
There is no more suspense in this battle.
Above Jiujiang-style Sentry Ship, Yuan Kejian looked at it with satisfaction, shook his head and said, "Why are you only firing two shots? It's not enough."
"My lord is joking."
The deputy general Luo Yao said helplessly, "This artifact is powerful, but the shells are also expensive. The general only allowed me to fire two cannons. If I had to test the power, I wouldn't give it to me Fire Dragon Bomb."
Yuan Kejian was stunned and asked, "How expensive is it?"
Lieutenant General Luo Yao sighed, "These two cannons are enough to pay taxes to the county for a whole year. If we let go, the commander-in-chief will personally come and chop off my head."
"Uh."
Yuan Kejian also trembled in his heart, shook his head and said, "Forget it, good steel must be used on the blade. This cannon is used to attack difficulties and is invincible."
"Don't worry, my propaganda is booming. Once the rebellion is quelled and enough mineral deposits are found, I will definitely not be so restrictive in the future."
Wow!
At this moment, the hawk fluttered its wings and landed in the sky.
Yuan Kejian took a look at the letter in the bamboo tube and breathed a sigh of relief.
Vice General Luo Yao quickly asked, "Is there another military order?"
"Nothing."
Yuan Kejian shook his head and said, "There was some trouble over there in Dangyang. The demon sneaked into the rear to cause trouble, but it has been quelled by a few righteous men."
As he said that, he looked towards Nan'an, his eyes becoming sharp.
"With the war in the southwest, all states will not be calm. The rebels will send masters to cause trouble, and monsters who usually hide themselves will appear one after another."
"When it comes to promoting the national destiny, it depends on who has the higher means!"
After saying that, he waved his hand and the eagle flapped its wings and soared in the sky.
In the mountains and forests opposite, people from Commandery Commandant Office were already disguised and following the rebels into the vast mountains...
Dangyang County, West North Mountain Linzhong.
Under the shade of the dense forest, Lu San was holding Rat One and Rat Two, squeaking incessantly, and in the forest, mice ran left and right from time to time.
The inheritance he learned was only good at controlling beasts.
Nowadays, with the advancement of Daoism, his abilities have become more extraordinary. With the help of conquered monsters, he can command his kind on a large scale.
To describe it simply, I used to be like a shepherd. I could communicate with animals with the help of sounds and magic, but sometimes it wasn't so smooth.
But now, he looks a bit like the mountain god.
The aura of Rat One Rat Two is enough to make the mice in the entire mountain use their fingers like arms and execute any command accurately.
Li Yan and others waited quietly aside.
"Found it!"
Hearing a creak in the distance, Lu San spoke quickly.
Sha LiFei's eyes lit up and he said anxiously, "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and don't let anything in the mountains cause trouble!"
Their trip was to find Liu Gang's home base.
The gains from Earth Immortal Cave are not small, but they are mainly a few treasures, and the rest are all the evil things of the ghost sect.
Of course, there is also some important information, which is the correspondence between Tongtian San Niang and Yichang Jingzhou.
The trouble with ghost religions is that they are tempting with desire.
Human desires are never-ending. In many cases, the more we have, the deeper our desires become.
Especially some wealthy officials and gentry, they do not seek food and drink, but seek fame, fortune and longevity, and they are extremely bold.
In Ezhou, there are actually many officials and gentry who have secretly colluded with the Ghost Sect, which is why the Ghost Sect has been hidden until now.
After seeing the names on the letter, Centurion Zheng immediately changed his expression and left in a hurry with the letter.
As long as these people are eliminated, the situation in Ezhou will improve a lot.
Li Yan and others stopped by to dig into Liu Gang's lair.
In the belly of that giant tiger, apart from what was given to Li Yan, there were only some materials left for performing spells.
Liu Gang After cultivating the demon body, many people's spells are difficult to use, so most of them are demonic, fire, poison, etc. Strange Art.
Even the originally precious tiger bones were burned by the Tongtian San Niang technique and Spiritual Charm were completely shattered, becoming crispy and soft.
Originally, this harvest was amazing enough, but Liu Gang mentioned it and knew the true heritage of Wang Dao Xuan.
Li Yan This is what they are looking for.
The crowd followed the mouse, passing through several ridges, and finally came to a valley with dense bamboo forests that made it difficult to pass.
There is obviously a formation here, and after walking a few steps, you can see the animal skulls hanging on the bamboo, but it has stopped functioning now.
Finally, after passing through the bamboo forest, a dilapidated Mountain God Temple appeared in front of everyone. Half of it was embedded in the mountain. The outer walls were mottled and covered with moss. It was unknown when it was built.
But once you step inside, it's very clean and spacious.
After all, Liu Gang is not really Tiger Demon. Even if he is hiding here, he still keeps the house very tidy.
On the Mountain God Temple stone altar table, the idols have long been moved away. It is covered with bear skins and still covered with tiger hairs. It is obviously where Liu Gang rests on weekdays.
The several caves inside are also different from each other.
Some were filled with all kinds of weird vines, flowers and plants, and there were poisonous insects in clay pots. They were obviously used to refine poison. Lu San released poisonous bees and ate them all...
Some are covered with human skulls. At a rough count, there are more than three hundred. They should be those Chang Gui physical containers, which are refined and controlled by Liu Gang...
As for the magical treasures, there is no one. Apparently Liu Gang joined the tiger's womb and was already in a state of despair. The only treasure "Profound Yellow Heavenly Talisman" has also fallen into the hands of Li Yan...
The most important thing is undoubtedly the few ancient books on the bookshelf.
"Be careful, don't break it!"
Wang Dao Xuan was a little nervous and warned everyone carefully.
These ancient books look a little shabby, as if they have been read frequently and may be destroyed at any time.
Everyone gathered in front of the bookshelf and looked at it one by one.
But the result left them a little confused.
<Complete Book of Five Stars>, <Transformations of Nine Stars>, <Yellow Bag Classic>, <Doubting Dragon Classic>, <Shaking Dragon Classic>, <Inverted Staff Method>...
"Why are they all Feng Shui books?"
Sha LiFei wondered, "Could it be that Liu Gang and Old Ghost are learning Feng Shui?"
Li Yan picked up the book "Yijian Zhi" on the shelf, opened it, and looked at the dense outlines and small words on it, his face gradually became serious.
"No, he is looking for something..."
The second is later