ATPnovel Chapter 94 Artillery fire plows the land, turning it into ruins!
Chapter 94 Artillery fire plows the land, turning it into ruins!
Chapter 94 Artillery fire plows the land, turning it into ruins!
At the foot of Mount Song, three hundred breech-loading cannons were aimed at the Shaolin Temple halfway up the mountain.
This distance isn't short, but it's nothing for an upgraded breech-mounted gun.
The range of the breech-loading cannon was sufficient to cover the entire Shaolin Temple.
"fire!"
"yes!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
At Zhuge Zhengwo's command, three hundred breech-loading cannons fired simultaneously, their firepower creating a barrage that rained down on the Shaolin Temple!
The people inside the Shaolin Temple heard a rumbling sound coming from down the mountain.
The sound was deafening, like thunder, resounding throughout the universe.
Master Fangzheng, who had initially been dismissive, suddenly changed his expression.
"What happened? What was that loud noise just now?"
It wasn't just Master Fangzheng whose expression changed; Abbot Xuanci, Monk Kongjian, and Master Juewu also reacted.
Even the monk who was still sweeping the floor and the reclusive Master Du'e both changed their expressions.
"What tricks are those people in the imperial court up to now?"
"That sound—could it be artillery fire?"
Abbot Xuanci stood atop the Buddhist pavilion, his brows slightly furrowed.
Suddenly, Abbot Xuanci felt a chill run down his spine, and a shadow inexplicably fell over his face. He looked up at the sky, and suddenly a cold air ran from his head to his toes. In that instant, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
The sky was filled with countless shells, which were crashing down on the Shaolin Temple with thunderous force!
Abbot Fangzheng's eyes widened, his whole body trembling. He only had time to look behind him and shout, "Abbot—!"
The next moment, hundreds of shells landed inside the Shaolin Temple, exploding into bursts of sparks.
Inside the Shaolin Temple, the temple gates were broken, the temple walls were shaking, and screams filled the air.
Fortunately, the temple's buildings were all constructed with high-quality materials and were exceptionally sturdy.
After a round of artillery fire, only some corners were destroyed, while the main structure remained stable.
Master Fangzheng rose from the ruins, looked around, and indeed saw that a large number of Shaolin disciples had survived the barrage of artillery fire.
Shaolin Temple has many martial arts techniques for tempering muscles and bones, and those who survived are all senior Shaolin disciples who have achieved success in their training.
As for those disciples whose martial arts skills were not good, they had long been blown to pieces by the cannons.
"Abbot, the imperial court has gone too far! We underestimated their shamelessness!"
After the bombing, Abbot Fangzheng and others immediately gathered around Abbot Xuanci.
They were filled with righteous indignation, suppressing their raging anger.
They never expected that the people in the imperial court would be so shameless and utterly devoid of martial virtue.
They had originally planned a frontal attack, but unexpectedly they turned around and used cannons to bombard their Shaolin Temple.
Does this person even resemble a member of the martial arts world?
"Abbot, we can't let them keep firing like this!"
Master Fangzheng, his face full of anger, spoke to Abbot Xuanci.
"While they are unable to fire, shall I lead the Shaolin disciples down the mountain to destroy their cannons?"
"That's right. After each firing, their artillery needs to rest for at least fifteen minutes, and that's enough time for us to destroy it!"
The monk Kongjian echoed Master Fangzheng's words. After being bombarded just now, he was covered in dust and his expression was full of anger.
Abbot Xuanci's face was gloomy, and his eyes were filled with suppressed anger.
They bombarded Shaolin Temple! Shaolin Temple has never been treated like this since its founding!
Counterattack!
They must fight back!
"Alright, Fang Zheng, Kong Jian, Bao Can, Tian Feng, you will immediately take five hundred Arhats and go destroy the imperial cannons!"
"Remember, do not linger in battle. After destroying the cannons, return to Shaolin Temple immediately!"
"Yes, Abbot!"
Master Fangzheng, Monk Kongjian, and others immediately accepted the order and then summoned five hundred Arhats to prepare to descend the mountain!
The Shaolin Temple members were also aware of the power of the imperial cannons.
However, their impression of the imperial cannons was still limited to the "red-coated cannons".
Because the Red Coat Cannon used a cast iron barrel, which was not heat-resistant enough, it required 15 minutes to cool the barrel after each firing, otherwise it was very easy for the barrel to explode.
For this reason, the Red Coat Cannon can only fire three to four shells per hour.
Furthermore, due to the poor accuracy and limited effective firing range of the Red Coat Cannon, it might have played a certain role in the defense of a city with thousands of troops.
But against these agile martial arts masters, the red-coated cannon is useless.
So they never imagined that the imperial court would send cannons to bombard Shaolin Temple.
Suddenly faced with a barrage of artillery fire, the Shaolin monks' first reaction was not to flee, but to take advantage of the moment when the imperial court was cooling the cannon barrels to go down the mountain and destroy the cannons.
What they didn't know was that the Ming Dynasty had already reformed the configuration of artillery.
What they were facing now was no longer the old red-coated cannons, but breech-loading cannons that far surpassed the technology of this era!
The biggest improvement of the breech-mounted cannon compared to the red-coated cannon is its rate of fire.
A breech-mounted cannon can fire two to three shells per minute!
This breakthrough in artillery firing rate, from hours to minutes, represents a complete technological revolution!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Just as Master Fangzheng and others were still gathering the five hundred Arhats of Shaolin Temple to come down the mountain, a new round of artillery barrage once again covered the entire Shaolin Temple area!
Seeing the overwhelming shadows of the cannonballs in the sky, everyone from Shaolin Temple widened their pupils, staring in disbelief at the scene before them.
Master Fangzheng muttered to himself, "How could this be? How could it be so fast?!"
The monk Kongjian trembled, his heart sinking to the bottom: "Impossible! The red-coated cannons couldn't be this fast!"
"They launched in two batches, didn't they? That must be it! Those people in the imperial court are truly a bunch of vicious individuals!"
"Quickly hide! Hide inside the Buddhist hall!"
"boom!"
Amidst bursts of fire and explosions, Shaolin Temple was once again subjected to artillery fire and suffered heavy damage!
As the dust and smoke from the explosion dissipated, the Shaolin monks, covered in soot and dirt, rushed out of the Buddhist hall.
Master Fangzheng roared, "Hurry up, don't let the imperial court fire any more cannons!"
"All Shaolin Arhats who hear this order, immediately follow this humble monk down the mountain to destroy the cannons!"
Master Fangzheng moved nimbly and was about to rush out of Shaolin Temple in the blink of an eye.
"Follow me, everyone, make the most of every moment!"
The monk Kongjian followed closely behind, rushing out of Shaolin Temple.
Master Baocan remained silent, only running towards the outside of the temple.
Behind them were hundreds of Shaolin monks, following in their footsteps as they headed out of the temple.
But the next moment, another series of roars echoed from the foot of the mountain.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"What?!"
Master Fangzheng was shocked. He looked up and saw that the sky was filled with shells that were ready to be fired!
"That's impossible!"
The monk Kongjian screamed, but the next moment, his cry was swallowed up by a thunderous explosion.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Another round of shells exploded inside the Shaolin Temple!
After three rounds of artillery fire, the Shaolin Temple suffered heavy losses!
The walls of Shaolin Temple, which had withstood the first and second salvoes, collapsed with a deafening roar!
The towering Buddhist hall was also broken in the middle, revealing the huge golden Buddha that was more than ten feet tall inside.
The library was reduced to ruins, with large amounts of scripture scraps and ashes floating in the air.
Flames erupted, flesh was scattered everywhere, and blood flowed across the ground of Shaolin Temple!
When Abbot Xuanci saw this scene, his eyes were bloodshot, his teeth were clenched so tightly that they were grinding, and his white eyebrows and beard were twitching incessantly.
The otherworldly demeanor he once possessed was completely gone!
At this moment, his heart was filled with nothing but endless anger towards the imperial court.
"The imperial court has gone too far! It's gone too far!"
"Everyone down the mountain! Let's fight these lackeys of the imperial court!"
"I will ensure that these lackeys of the imperial court never return!"
Abbot Xuanci set off, and Master Du'e, Master Dujie, and Master Dunan, who were living in seclusion in the Sutra Repository, could no longer sit still and followed suit.
"The imperial court is pressing us relentlessly, truly taking advantage of the fact that Shaolin Temple has no one to rely on. I have emerged from seclusion today solely to seek justice for Shaolin Temple!"
""
The Sweeping Monk, who had lived in anonymity for decades, could no longer maintain his disguise. At this moment, he was furious and, using his decades of internal energy to protect himself, rushed straight out of Shaolin Temple.
"This old monk had no intention of getting involved in worldly disputes, but you lackeys of the imperial court have gone too far. Today, I must unleash a massacre!"
Zhuge Zhengwo's three-round artillery barrage had thoroughly enraged the Shaolin Temple members.
They came out in full force, determined to seek justice.
But then came the fourth round of artillery bombardment.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"You lackeys of the imperial court, disrespectful to Buddhism! This old monk will make you pay the price!"
The fifth round of bombing!
"Hurry up, let's rush down the mountain!"
The sixth round of bombing!
"What's going on? Are they never going to stop?"
The seventh round of bombing!
"The artillery fire is too intense, Abbot Xuanci, let's avoid the onslaught for now!"
The eighth round of bombing!
"—Retreat, avoid their sharp edge for now, and make further plans after the shelling stops—"
Ninth round of bombing!
"Run! Run! Get out of Shaolin Temple and hide!"
The tenth bombing!
Eleventh wheel, twelfth wheel, thirteenth wheel —
After 321 rounds of bombing, Zhuge Zhengwo finally ordered the Imperial Guards and constables to stop bombing Shaolin Temple.
After an hour and a half of bombing, even the hill where Shaolin Temple was located was almost razed to the ground by the intense bombardment.
The treacherous mountain path leading to Shaolin Temple was originally only wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side.
But after being bombarded by artillery, it has become a wide walkway that can accommodate more than ten people walking together.
Cao Zhengchun grinned maliciously: "These arrogant bald monks, let's see if their mouths are still tough now!"
,
"Let's go up the mountain!"
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, Zhuge Zhengwo, and others led tens of thousands of guards and constables towards Shaolin Temple!
>