Following a brief consultation among Zhuzi, Ma Chao, and other centurions and corporals, they set off with eight hundred Tian Huo Army soldiers.
Ju Lan Tian was located two hundred li west of Suiye City.
Riding warhorses, they arrived in a single day.
Upon arrival, they observed the dirt city situated on a hillside.
Immediately, the eight hundred Tian Huo soldiers split into two groups.
Four hundred Tian Huo soldiers advanced towards the southern slope.
Four hundred Tian Huo soldiers advanced towards the northern slope, scouting the surrounding environment for any exploitable elements.
The solitary dirt city had only eastern and western gates. The city walls were slightly taller than those of Suiye City, estimated to be around four to five meters high.
The vicinity was sparsely populated with scattered poplar trees and a small stream diverted from the Tianshan Mountains, flowing into the city from a channel north of the city.
The desolate wilderness was devoid of even birds.
It was truly a godforsaken place.
The City Lord of Julan, within the city, stood atop the earthen fortifications, watching the Tian Huo Army, who wore no armor, circling Ju Lan City from a distance.
He wore an expression of disdain.
"If you have the guts, come closer!" he thought. "See if this City Lord doesn't roast you into jerky with his naphtha!"
*geigeigeigeigeigei~!*
After surveying the surroundings, the eight hundred Tian Huo Army soldiers converged by the stream.
Zhuzi pointed at the stream and addressed the Tian Huo Army behind him.
"Come, let's change the course of this stream!"
With all eight hundred men working together, they managed to dam the stream in just over an hour.
Water began to pool at the dam, eventually overflowing the banks and seeping into the dry land nearby.
The City Lord of Julan, standing on the dirt city wall, was struck as if by lightning upon witnessing this.
"Damn it, these people are so shameless!" he exclaimed. "Cutting off my water supply?"
"Men! Order the heavy cavalry to sortie and kill all those intruders! Leave none alive!"
The eastern city gate creaked open as guards pushed it aside.
Two hundred armored knights, wielding long spears and mounted on warhorses clad in leather armor, slowly emerged from the city.
They then formed a wedge formation outside the city. Their commander spurred his horse, shouting orders in a guttural tongue to the cavalry behind him.
The two hundred heavy cavalrymen began to move forward with neat, synchronized steps.
They circumvented the city walls and charged directly towards the Tian Huo Army.
Hearing the thundering hooves, the Tian Huo Army soldiers, having just finished damming the river, had already remounted their warhorses and were standing ready.
Zhuzi looked at the approaching cavalry, mockingly referred to as heavy cavalry, and chuckled.
"Heavy cavalry? Is this what they call heavy cavalry?" he mused. "Their equipment is only on par with those wandering swordsmen within the Great Tang! Just simple breastplates, pauldrons, vambraces, and other scattered pieces. They can't even fully protect the cavalry's torsos, let alone their entire bodies! Their only initial advantage over the Tian Huo Army was their uniform collection of Dayuan horses. But now, after capturing Suiye City, the Tian Huo Army has also replaced their mounts with Dayuan horses! The name Dayuan horse may not be widely known, but their other name is known by everyone! Ferghana horses! Legend has it that during the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han, despite sending envoys with exorbitant amounts of gold to acquire horses, was unable to obtain them, which led to the two western expeditions and the establishment of the Protectorate of the Western Regions. This illustrates the quality of Dayuan horses. With better horses, the inferior mounts they rode all the way from Shenyang had to be retired."
The eight hundred Tian Huo Army soldiers sat their horses in perfect formation, their faces filled with contempt.
"I wonder who gave this idiotic city lord the courage to charge the Tian Huo Army, equipped with firearms, with a mere two hundred cavalry," Zhuzi scoffed.
"Brothers, spread out and meet them! Don't let a single one escape! These horses will be sent back home," Zhuzi declared with a sneer.
The Tian Huo Army responded in unison with a thunderous shout.
"Yes!"
Then, the eight hundred cavalrymen dispersed into a crescent formation, with the opening of the crescent facing the two hundred heavy cavalry of Julan City.
Their warhorses propelled them forward, charging headlong at each other.
At three hundred paces, the Tian Huo Army had already loaded their rifles and raised them.
Two hundred paces.
At one hundred paces, all eight hundred Tian Huo soldiers fired in succession.
*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!*
After months of riding, these Tian Huo soldiers had long grown accustomed to firing from horseback.
After the first volley, the distance between the two forces was less than fifty paces.
They slung their Yun Yi-type rifles over their backs, drew their sabers, and charged towards the stunned remaining dozens of Julan City cavalry.
Like a whirlwind scattering clouds, as the two sides passed each other, the so-called Western Regions heavy cavalry were annihilated without a single survivor. Only some riderless horses milled about the battlefield.
Zhuzi, leading his horse, charged alone towards Julan City.
The guards on the city walls and the City Lord of Julan were already stunned by the clean and decisive engagement. His two hundred heavy cavalry, whom he considered invincible and who had never been defeated in years of campaigning, were now so vulnerable.
He halted about a hundred paces away and roared towards the city.
"I am the Tian Huo Army of the Great Tang! If you know what's good for you, surrender the city immediately! Otherwise, I will make your lives hell!"
With that, he turned and rejoined the Tian Huo Army, observing the bewildered City Lord of Julan on the ramparts from afar. Then, he shouted to the Tian Huo Army.
"All troops! Don your armor!"
Due to the intense heat of the Western Regions, the Tian Huo Army's armor was carried strapped to their horses and not worn. This was precisely why the City Lord of Julan had the confidence to fight.
However, as the gleaming plate armor was donned by the Tian Huo soldiers, the City Lord of Julan's face turned grim. A murmur began to spread amongst the guards behind him. They had never witnessed such a large-scale armored cavalry! The seemingly light cavalry had instantly annihilated the two hundred heavy cavalry through some unknown means. And in the blink of an eye, they had donned even more sophisticated armor than the two hundred heavy cavalry!
Defending Ju Lan City was impossible, especially with their water source cut off. Going out to fight was also certain death. Faced with a no-win situation, the City Lord of Julan chose to flee. With the Tian Huo Army positioned at the southeastern corner of Ju Lan City, the City Lord, leading the remaining guards, opened the western gate and fled in haste towards the city of Talas to the west.
Zhuzi couldn't be bothered to pursue them and instead led his troops into the city. The city had few residents; it was mostly merchants who had come to purchase naphtha and the slaves who extracted it. Seeing the Tian Huo Army drive away their former lord, they stepped aside, standing meekly on either side.
Upon entering the city, Zhuzi and the Tian Huo Army's first order of business was to have an interpreter inquire about the source of the naphtha. This small city, spanning only two li, and coupled with the unique nature of naphtha, meant that a casual question to a merchant yielded the answer: there was a well in the very center of Ju Lan City!
When Zhuzi and Ma Chao arrived with their men, the scene was almost unbelievable. A black pool, dozens of meters square, was continuously spewing naphtha from underground, like a fountain. A group of slaves, holding wooden buckets with vacant expressions, were scooping the naphtha from the pool, filling the buckets, and then capping them before sending them aside. After observing for only a short while, Zhuzi was shocked to find that more than ten buckets had been filled! Yet, the naphtha in the pool showed no sign of depletion!
He casually pulled the interpreter over.
"Be honest, how much did you pay for a bucket of naphtha when you were purchasing it before?"
The interpreter stammered.
"A bucket of one hundred jin, ten copper coins!"
Zhuzi's mouth twitched.
"Damn it! At a cost of ten copper coins, it was sold for five taels of silver in Shenyang! This isn't an oil well; it's clearly a treasure trove that spews money!"
"Ma Chao, we must take over this Ju Lan City too! If Lord Bo knew about this much naphtha, he would be overjoyed!"
Ma Chao nodded, then shook his head.
"Brother Zhuzi, from my perspective, it's not just this Ju Lan City. All the nearby cities can be taken!"
Zhuzi was taken aback.
"With just us here, you want to capture them all? Where will we get the manpower?"
Ma Chao grinned.
"Capture? Just subdue them! Whoever dares to disobey, we'll crush them! Otherwise, we'll need to garrison Suiye City and this Ju Lan City, and where will we get the manpower to transport this naphtha back?"
Zhuzi looked at Ma Chao, then at the continuously flowing petroleum.
"Damn it!"