The satchel charges exploded!
With a thunderous boom, the blast's flash and a wave of shattered stone and dirt erupted outward, a surge of hot air following. Unfortunately, these charges were just Xu Dafu's prototypes, based on outdated concepts. They contained no added steel pellets and weren't encased in iron, so there were no "fragments" to speak of.
But even without shrapnel, black powder packed a decent punch. Anyone directly hit by the blast would still suffer terribly.
Two rebel soldiers at the epicenter were thrown into the air. Others nearby were badly shaken. Thick smoke and swirling dust enveloped the rebels.
On the city wall, Liang Shixian and Fang Wushang stared, stunned. The militia, local volunteers, and common folk all erupted in cheers. "Incredible!"
From within the smoke on the rebel side came a stream of curses.
"What the hell was that?"
"Gunpowder!They wrapped gunpowder into big black balls and threw them!"
"Damn it!It's not even that special. Just satchel charges. If we still had supply lines, we could throw those too."
"The problem is wedon't have supplies now!"
"Dammit,what do we do? We can't just lie here and get bombed, can we?"
Standing behind his formation, Commander Wolf's face was dark. The enemy actually had two brute-strong soldiers with long arms to hurl satchel charges.
Satchel charges weren't considered particularly valuable. Their short throwing range and limited power made them of low practical use; border troops hardly bothered with them.
But now he was the rebel, lacking supporting equipment. For example, he didn't have a single "shield cart"—a mobile wooden barrier used to block musket fire.
Without shield carts to block volleys, the moment the enemy lit their three-eyed muskets, his soldiers had to drop or crouch, halting their advance until the volley was over before moving again.
But what was the solution when satchel charges fell from the sky while you were pinned down?
Commander Wolf could only roar, "Move! Charge!"
It was only about twenty meters left. If his men charged, they could close the distance quickly.
But at that moment, Cheng Xu also bellowed, "Light the remaining seven three-eyed muskets! Big Fool, Dumb Ox! Keep throwing bombs!"
The two simpletons, Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu, immediately pulled out two more bombs. Soldiers beside them lit the fuses while also igniting the fuses of the other seven muskets.
The fuses sparked and sizzled, but this time, the rebels couldn't see them.
Their formation was engulfed in the yellow dust from the first two explosions. They were also worried about more bombs. Even if the things weren't that powerful, what if one landed right on your head?
Better to just charge, damn it all.
The rebels gave a wild roar and charged forward.
This charge carried them straight into the "effective range" of the three-eyed muskets, where their power could be fully unleashed.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seven three-eyed muskets fired twenty-one lead balls. Several of the rebel vanguard charging at the front fell immediately. Then the two simpletons swung their arms, hurling two more bombs into the rebel ranks.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more explosions, two more plumes of dust. Soldiers at the center were thrown clear, those nearby were knocked off their feet.
The rebel formation descended further into chaos.
A disordered formation at this critical moment—just when the front lines should be clashing spear-to-spear—was disastrous. The disordered side's spear wall would naturally be in disarray, giving the orderly side a massive advantage.
The militia's forest of spears stood firm and menacing.
Afraid of getting another bomb to the face, the rebels had no choice but to brace themselves and crash into the spear wall.
The opposing spear formations collided.
Watching this, Li Daoxuan's heart tightened. Time to help.
His little people were still a militia with little combat experience. In a head-on spear wall clash, his people would certainly lose. He was here to let them gain battle experience, not to get them slaughtered.
So, when it was time to use his cheat codes, he'd use them.
He decided not to use the gauntlet yet, simply reaching his bare hand into the box. He lightly flicked his fingertip against the forest of tiny rebel spears pointed forward...
Those spears were thin and small, like hairs on a caterpillar. Under the force of his finger, the entire thicket of tiny spears was pushed violently to one side.
The militia soldiers, seeing a wall of enemy spears thrusting toward them, panicked. Suddenly, they saw all the enemy spears skew sideways...
"Huh?"
"Huh your mother!"Cheng Xu roared. "Fight!"
The militia soldiers snapped out of their daze, thrusting their own spears forward with all their might.
Iron spearheads found their marks on the front-rank rebel soldiers with sickening thuds. Those striking armor plates couldn't penetrate but still knocked the soldiers down. Those striking gaps in the armor tore through thick cotton padding and into flesh.
Rebels screamed. The front line collapsed in an instant.
Watching from the rear, Commander Wolf was utterly baffled. "Why? What were you doing, suddenly twisting all your spears aside?"
He wasn't the only one confused. The spectators in the city were equally perplexed.
Even Liang Shixian, who knew nothing of warfare, muttered, "These Guyuan rebels know even less than I do. I know you point your spears at the enemy. Why did they all suddenly jerk their spears to the side at once?"
Fang Wushang: "No idea."
Of course, one person understood: Gao Yiye.
She explained to those around her, "The Tianzun intervened just now. He reached down and brushed aside the rebel spear wall."
"Ah, so that's it!"
The faithful around her rejoiced."I wondered why the rebels suddenly acted so foolishly. It was the Tianzun! The Tianzun is mighty!"
"Praise the Tianzun!"
The believers immediately began spreading the word through the crowd.
"Did you know?The rebel spears went crooked because the Tianzun pushed them."
"The Tianzun's great hand descended just now,but He used an invisibility spell so us ordinary folk couldn't see it."
This news spread across the battlements with frightening speed, like a virus.
Meanwhile, the militia and rebels were still locked in fierce combat, spear walls thrusting and parrying. Li Daoxuan continued his mischievous interference with his fingertips.
A rebel raised his spear for a thrust, only to feel an immense force tap his shaft, driving it down. The opposing militiaman seized the opening and ran him through.
Another rebel had his spear flicked from his grip by Li Daoxuan. He drew his saber, trying to fight on. A light tap from a divine fingertip knocked the saber from his hand. The militiaman opposite took the chance to spear him down.
With such shameless divine assistance, the battle naturally turned completely one-sided.
The militia held overwhelming advantage.
(Ming Context:) The "shield cart" (楯車) was a simple but effective anti-projectile siege tool—a large, heavy wooden shield on wheels, often draped with wet hides to stop arrows and musket balls, used to protect advancing infantry. Their absence highlighted the rebels' logistical poverty. Li Daoxuan's physical intervention—literally flicking spears aside—is the ultimate expression of his role as a "hands-on" deity, a direct, almost childish manipulation that underscores the story's core premise of a modern man using his literal god-like scale to meddle in history.