Chapter 311 was extremely effective.

Chapter 311 was extremely effective.

Zijing Pass was one of the main passes for the Tatars, bearing not only the greatest defensive pressure but also the greatest opportunity to make a name for themselves—a large portion of the Tatar leaders were concentrated in the Tatar camps outside Zijing Pass.

Otherwise, the newly made homemade bombs wouldn't have been transported to Zijing Pass so quickly.

During the past few months of guarding the pass, Chang Yao and his troops have already reaped the benefits of the new weapons.

Just when most people thought that they would no longer be able to gain an advantage with the new weapons and would instead enter a protracted war of attack and defense, Marquis Chang Hongchuan of Dingbei personally delivered real new weapons to them.

Jiang Yuan, with strips of cloth tied around his arm, mingled among the other generals and, led by Chang Yao, personally welcomed Marquis Dingbei Chang Hongchuan, along with his soldiers and carriages, into the camp.

The men brought by Marquis Dingbei Chang Hongchuan did not hand over the goods they had carefully transported by carriage to the soldiers of Zijing Pass. Instead, they personally watched over the goods and did not allow any unauthorized personnel to approach.

Their secrecy and tight security naturally aroused the curiosity of the soldiers at Zijing Pass. However, they remained only curious and did not disregard military regulations to try and uncover the secrets.

On the contrary, a group of generals, including Chang Yao, soon learned from Marquis Dingbei Chang Hongchuan the main purpose of his visit.

Chang Yao asked him why he had suddenly come to Zijing Pass, and he replied, "The craftsmen have made another batch of new weapons, and I want to see the true power of these weapons with my own eyes."

Some less perceptive individuals simply assumed that the weapons sent by the Marquis of Dingbei were the same improved versions as the previous batches. However, others who were more thoughtful or knew more about the situation realized that the Marquis of Dingbei must have placed great hopes on these so-called new weapons.

What kind of formidable weapon must it be that the Marquis of Dingbei placed such high hopes on it, even going to great lengths and risking danger to personally witness its true power?

With that thought in mind, everyone couldn't help but feel excited.

As it turns out, their expectations for this new weapon were justified.

The next day, when the Tatars launched another fierce attack on Zijing Pass, a small group of men brought by the Marquis of Dingbei launched that round thing with a catapult.

Several generals standing nearby noticed that before throwing the object, the men carefully lit a fuse that extended from it.

Then, they saw the round thing fall into the enemy ranks and explode with a loud bang before the enemy could even comprehend it.

Those horses and people closest to the explosion were all rendered incapacitated after the loud bang, while those further away were either injured or frightened.

People are relatively easy to deal with when they are startled, but horses, once startled, will run wildly and become uncontrollable. That small group of Tatar troops, because of that homemade bomb they had never seen before, quickly fell into chaos, with men and horses falling over and becoming extremely disorderly.

At the same time, two other catapults had already launched a homemade bomb at the Tatar army in different directions.

With another deafening roar, the Tatars were thrown into chaos once again as the bombs landed.

As the catapults continued to operate, more and more homemade bombs were thrown down. The Tatars' originally aggressive charging formation soon became crooked and disorganized, and the Tatars were also busy with their own survival.

"Unfortunately, those Tatar nobles were too cautious, and none of them were willing to step forward."

Marquis Chang Hongchuan of Dingbei expressed his regret at not being able to catch any big fish along the way.

But there was nothing that could be done about it. The improved blueprints for cold weapons that Xie Wanniang had presented earlier had already caused the Tatar nobles, who were caught off guard, to suffer losses several times because they extended the range of arrows and stones.

The other side wasn't some foolish, reckless fool. With the lessons of the past still fresh in their minds, they naturally wouldn't be careless, underestimate their enemy, or act rashly again.

Fortunately, with the continuous bombing, most of the originally aggressive Tatar soldiers were killed or wounded as their horses were trampled by the horses' hooves.

Although the remaining half is not in any immediate danger, if the Wei soldiers on the Zijing Pass continue to launch those homemade bombs, they will certainly not be able to hold out for long.

This was clear not only to the soldiers of the Great Wei, but also to the Tatars.

Sure enough, just as the Wei soldiers were getting excited and ready to press on, the Tatars decisively sounded the retreat and began recalling their remaining soldiers.

Leaving aside the fact that the Tatars were completely stunned and would be filled with doubt, speculation, and disagreement afterward, the soldiers of Zijing Pass who had witnessed the power of this new weapon were all staring intently at the small group of people, including the Marquis of Dingbei.

Chang Yao was especially excited and asked Marquis Dingbei, "Father, how much of this stuff did you bring? If the quantity is large enough..."

Marquis Dingbei waved his hand, "This thing is very difficult to make, and we have to be extremely careful during transportation. Don't even think about relying on it to push through the land."

Chang Yao was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this. He had originally planned to press his advantage and make the Tatars flee in terror.

Marquis Dingbei gestured for everyone to come closer. "This thing is dangerous not only to the enemy, but also to us. You must arrange reliable people to be in charge of guarding, transporting, and using this thing. Everyone else should stay as far away as possible."

The details were obviously not something to discuss on the city wall, so Marquis Dingbei called everyone to return to the camp with him.

Upon returning to the camp, they found a secluded, open area where Marquis Dingbei had his experienced men explain to the Zijing Pass generals, including Chang Yao, how to use the item, its dangers, and all the precautions for its storage, transportation, and use.

Most people find it incredibly daunting, but that doesn't stop them from developing endless patience and affection for it because of its immense destructive power.

Can't remember the rules and regulations? Simple, just have someone write them down for them, and they can memorize and practice them.

I don't believe they can understand and memorize military treatises, so how could they possibly be unable to handle a mere bomb?

A group of grown men were eager to try it out, wishing they could all get started right away.

Of course, the Marquis of Dingbei would not allow them to try this thing as a novelty. He ordered his trusted subordinates to strictly follow the selection criteria they had initially drafted and to select several people from the crossbow camp at Zijing Pass who were capable, quick-witted, cautious, and of good character, and who were definitely not enemy spies.