The Emperor Rui did not know why he had reached this point. Had he truly made a mistake? What wrong had he done? Everything he did was merely to ensure his empire would not fall into the hands of others.
How could a monarch sleep soundly with a dagger at his pillow!
If Huo Sizhun had not harbored rebellious thoughts, how would he have been forced to act as he did? He had always remembered Huo Sizhun's support and had intended to promote him in the future!
Emperor Rui tapped his tightening temples. How had he treated Huo Sizhun? He had ordered the execution of everyone in the Prince of the Allied Forces' mansion! Why had things escalated to this point back then…
Even Huo Qiyuan, who was left behind, had merely escaped by chance…
In Chehe City.
Huo Qiyuan, mounted on a white horse, rode at the front. Seeing the bombs flying towards the army, he raised his hand and issued an order for the entire army to halt. The bombs exploded tens of meters, even just over ten meters, in front of them.
The deafening sounds that ripped through the sky made everyone's ears ring. With so many bombs exploding simultaneously, the ground was cratered like a pockmarked face, making it impossible for their army vehicles to pass.
Huo Qiyuan had not expected that those defending the inner city gates would disregard the lives of their commander and other generals, firing so indiscriminately.
It seemed that Huo Qixiao had a deep grievance with this person! Or perhaps Emperor Rui had never truly trusted him from the beginning, driving him to desperation in a suicidal struggle!
Soon, Huo Qiyuan discovered something amiss. The frequency of the bomb sounds did not match the number of attacks. Although the sound of artillery bombardment was constant, very few bombs actually landed in front of them.
Furthermore, the muffled roars seemed to originate from within the city. Huo Qiyuan had Old Eagle carry Leng Si and the others to the inner city to investigate if something had happened.
Within a few minutes, Old Eagle and the others returned. Before Old Eagle could land, Leng Si shouted from the eagle's talons, "Your Highness! They are bombarding from within the city!"
Hearing this, Huo Qiyuan's eyes almost blazed with fire. So, they were deliberately delaying time and actually intended to destroy the city. "Quickly bomb the people on the city walls and destroy the cannons inside the city."
Old Eagle carried the two men towards the city walls again. There were a total of four Divine Fire Cannons on the city walls, and several soldiers were continuously loading shells into them.
"Hey! Look here!" Before the soldiers could light the fuses, Leng Si shouted from above them. Then, he and Leng Ao each threw a hand grenade towards the space between two Divine Fire Cannons.
"Boom~"
"Boom~"
"Boom~"
Several deafening explosions sounded simultaneously. The collision of the hand grenades with so many cannonballs was devastating.
The city walls were instantly engulfed in smoke and dust, with flying flesh and blood. The air was filled with severed limbs and fragments of the Divine Fire Cannons. The sturdy city walls were also blown open with two large breaches, making it a horrific sight.
After quickly eliminating the obstacles on the city walls, Leng Si and the others flew towards the city. From the air, they could clearly see the entire street filled with fleeing civilians covering their heads and faces to avoid the bombardment.
Screams, cries, and roars filled the air! It was a scene of hell on earth, unbearable to witness!
With the crisis at the city gates resolved, Huo Qiyuan led the army on foot. After traversing over a kilometer of craters, they finally reached the city gates.
The once grey brick walls had been blasted to a smoky black, with fragments of Divine Fire Cannons and various shattered human remains scattered everywhere. The stench emanating from the unextinguished piles of earth was nauseating.
Huo Qiyuan held his breath and entered the city without looking aside. He had expected the inner city to be easy to conquer, but he hadn't anticipated such ruthlessness.
Upon entering the city and witnessing the tragic state of the innocent civilians, Huo Qiyuan felt immense regret, regretting his earlier leniency. War was inherently cruel.
If he had ordered the destruction of the city walls from the beginning and discovered the anomaly within the city earlier, these civilians would not have faced such a situation, or at least not to this extent!
"Father! Don't die..."
"Mother, Mother..."
"Oh God... why are you so blind? Why! My child..."
All along the way, cries echoed – crying for parents, for children, for wives and daughters, for husbands, and for the injustice of the world! They denounced the Hua Xia Dynasty as invaders and were heartbroken that the Da Yu Dynasty had turned its cannons on its own people.
In prosperous times, the common people were but humble folk. In times of chaos, they were less than ants. Thus, beyond crying and cursing, they had no other outlet for their inner grievances.
Huo Qiyuan dispersed his men, separating the surviving civilians and the injured. He then sent for military doctors to treat the wounded.
The civilians were very resistant to their approach. Under immense grief, fear was sometimes suppressed. A large portion of them lashed out at the Hua Xia personnel, refusing to accept their help.
Despite their tantrums and struggles, the Hua Xia soldiers remained calm and continued their work.
"Stop your pretense! Get out of Chehe City! If it weren't for you, how could our Chehe City have become like this?"
"Yes! Get out! Get out!"
Seeing the Hua Xia personnel silently enduring their anger, the people of Chehe City became even more agitated, resisting with increasing fervor, as if this would truly drive them away.
As the conflict threatened to escalate from words to riots, Huo Qiyuan drew his long sword and performed a graceful dance in the air. The sword twirled in his slender hand, mesmerizing onlookers.
After a series of movements, the most vociferous individuals in the crowd suddenly felt a chill. When they looked down, their coarse linen clothes had been reduced to rags, hanging loosely on their bodies.
This move did not harm anyone but served as a powerful deterrent. Humans have an instinct for self-preservation. Realizing they were outmatched and that things would not unfold as they had imagined, the anger that had ignited in the hearts of the civilians gradually turned to fear.
Even ants cling to life! They had barely survived the bombardment; why should they seek death?
These people from Hua Xia were here to conquer Chehe City. For these unarmed civilians, what other outcome could resistance bring but death?
Once the civilians understood this, their resistance gradually subsided. Fearing repercussions for disobedience, they became cooperative during the subsequent distribution of aid, making the work proceed more smoothly.