The soldiers of Great Qin showed no fear towards the Lingnan forces blocking their path. On the contrary, they rather looked forward to it. They had only heard of cannonballs, but had never witnessed the true power of cannons. Now that ships were in their way, they could openly use their cannons to blast the enemy ahead.
This sentiment was shared not just by the generals, but by every soldier in Great Qin. Therefore, each of them was filled with anticipation. One soldier, in particular, spoke without reservation:
"General, the enemy is blocking our ships ahead. Shall we fire the cannons and sink them?!"
"Fire away! They are enemies of Great Qin. Their presence before us is to prevent us from reaching the Crown Prince. We owe them no courtesy!"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers became exhilarated. Without any hesitation, they relayed the general's command. Once the order was passed down, the artillerymen began moving the cannons. Cannons were incredibly heavy and required many soldiers to move. Fortunately, they didn't need to transport them to a different location, merely adjust their direction, making the task relatively easy.
The actions of the Great Qin soldiers in moving the cannons did not go unnoticed by the Lingnan forces. As they watched the Great Qin soldiers preparing the cannons, their eyes were filled with curiosity. They had no idea why the Great Qin soldiers were moving such heavy objects.
"What are they moving? Why aren't they attacking us? Didn't they see us?"
"That's unlikely. What they are moving must be their weapons. They are planning to use these weapons against us!"
"What kind of weapon is this? We've never seen anything like it before."
The soldiers from Lingnan had never encountered cannons. Therefore, even though they suspected it was a weapon, they felt no fear. In their eyes, a cannon was no different from any other weapon.
However, their lack of fear did not extend to the Great Qin soldiers. Once the cannons were aimed, the Great Qin soldiers instinctively retreated. They had never seen a cannon fired, but they had been educated about their existence. They understood how dangerous and terrifying they were.
As the cannonballs were brought out, many Great Qin soldiers instinctively covered their ears. Their fear was palpable. Fortunately, the cannons were not aimed at them, so despite their fear, they were safe as long as they maintained sufficient distance.
For the Lingnan forces in front of the cannons, the situation was entirely different. With the cannons prepared, many Great Qin soldiers looked at the Lingnan ships and felt as if they were adrift in a storm. Someone couldn't help but ask:
"Can our cannons capsize their ships?"
"The Crown Prince has spoken about the power of cannons before. I'm sure they can capsize those ships without a problem!"
"I agree, our cannons can definitely capsize those ships. I just wonder how many ships one shot will take down!"
This was a question they didn't know the answer to. All they knew was that cannons were incredibly powerful. They were even warned, "No one but artillerymen are allowed near." But just how powerful was "incredibly powerful"? They had no idea.
Therefore, before the cannons were fired, many of them craned their necks, eager to witness the full might of the cannons. As they watched, the cannons were soon ignited. The fuses burned slowly, reaching the barrels, and a deafening roar erupted.
"BOOM!"
Along with the thunderous sound came an intense vibration. Many felt their feet tremble, and then they lost their balance and fell to the ground. The powerful roar stunned many, leaving them disoriented.
However, this was not the destructive force of the cannon explosion, but merely the sound of its firing. After the cannon fired, many saw a projectile, like an iron ball, being propelled forward. It moved at incredible speed and covered a great distance, landing precisely in the middle of the Lingnan ships.
Immediately, the iron ball exploded.
"RUMBLE!"
Although the cannonball landed on ships and not on land, the force of its explosion was like the sky collapsing and the earth cracking. The ten-odd ships surrounding the impact zone were instantly blown to smithereens. The Lingnan warriors on board were hurled into the air, many of them reduced to fragmented corpses. Many didn't even have time to scream before they perished under the cannon's blast.
Furthermore, the explosion generated massive waves, causing the surrounding ships to heave violently. The blast also ignited fires on the water. The ships that were destroyed by the cannonball somehow caught fire, spreading to other vessels that were blocking the Great Qin army.
With a single shot, more than ten ships were destroyed, and dozens of soldiers were killed or wounded. Such immense destructive power left many stunned. Even the Great Qin soldiers could hardly believe that what they had just witnessed was the power of a cannon.
"Was that attack something our cannons did?"
"Yes, it was our cannons. And that was just the power of a single shot!"
"It's terrifying. The power of our cannons is truly terrifying. This one shot is more potent than a hundred firebombs I've thrown. No wonder His Highness said these cannons were extraordinary!"
"My goodness, a single cannonball has such immense power. We have dozens of these cannons! If all of them fire, won't those Lingnan people be blown to bits!"
Thinking this, many couldn't help but exclaim. In contrast to the soldiers of Great Qin's awe, the soldiers of Lingnan were filled with extreme dread.
...