I transmigrated to ancient times and became a king with a title equal to mine.

The enemy, unaware of the situation, assumed that the area outside the city was a troop rotation and allowed Ji Fangming's thousand men to enter the city, while Ji Fangming left a thousand men to camp outside the city to provide support.

The middle-aged general stepped down from the city wall, puzzled: "Brother Ji, why did you leave people outside the city?"

With a soft thud, Ji Fangming's longsword pierced the middle-aged general's abdomen.

At the same time, the more than 2,000 soldiers who entered the city quickly dispersed, and about 500 of them rushed onto the city wall.

The guards at the south gate were immediately dumbfounded.

"Brothers, we are the Dragon Family Army of Prince Nan. As long as you lay down your weapons and surrender, we guarantee that we will not harm you."

While the south gate was being captured quietly, the west gate was also captured.

Ji Fangming personally led 500 men and quickly occupied the government office.

At that moment, the sound of grenades exploding came from the direction of the east and north gates.

Ji Fangming's three hundred personal guards had by then arrived at the city's garrison camp.

Handan is a newly established market town, less than thirty years old. The garrison camp is located in the open mountains and forests to the east of the city.

Three hundred men rushed to the camp gate, lined up in a row, and threw hand grenades into the camp.

The camp was instantly engulfed in flames, filled with screams of agony.

Ji Fangming's artillery unit came empty-handed this time. After entering the city, they went straight to the artillery camp of the defending troops.

Because they were wearing the same uniform, the artillery battalion saw them running towards them and hurriedly asked, "Brothers, what's going on?"

The artillery captain shouted, "Nan Wang Wubin has entered the city! The camp has been occupied! General Yao has ordered the artillery to fire on the camp!"

"Fire at the main camp?" The commanders of the artillery battalion guarding the city were stunned: there were 20,000 men stationed inside the main camp.

Just as they were stunned, a row of grenades were thrown in front of them.

"Damn it, the enemy has infiltrated."

The artillery battalion was thrown into chaos, and its more than 1,000-strong force was wiped out by 300 men in the blink of an eye.

The artillery captain immediately set the direction of the cannons and fired three signal cannons into the sky.

"Fire on the enemy camp!"

Upon seeing the three signal cannons, the troops attacking the enemy's main camp immediately withdrew from the battlefield.

The enemy soldiers were very confused and excited when they saw this: Why did they retreat?

Just then, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, a volley of shells flew down.

Amidst the thunderous roar, the pitiful defenders were soon buried in the artillery fire; of the 20,000 men, fewer than 500 survived.

Handan was recaptured.

After capturing Handan, Ji Fangming immediately dispatched a thousand men with cannons to garrison Hanshankou, north of the city, which was the route taken by the imperial army that was actually coming to relieve the garrison.

When General Ji Xiang led his troops to a place less than ten miles from Hanshan Pass, they heard the booming sound of cannons from the direction of Hancheng, which startled them so much that they almost fell off their horses.

He's a superstitious person; he went to a temple last night to have his fortune told, and the result was bad.

Knowing that this journey would be fraught with difficulties, but military orders were absolute and could not be disobeyed, the march was proceeding very slowly today.

"Report... General, Handan City is under fierce attack by the Southern King's troops. General Shu Shiyu, who is defending the city, has sent me to request reinforcements."

"We implore the general to come to our aid!"

Upon hearing the report, Ji Xiang felt somewhat relieved.

"Good heavens, if I had arrived earlier, wouldn't I have been shelled?"

He immediately convened a meeting, and most of the generals believed that the pace of reinforcements should be accelerated.

Deputy General Dong Ping said, "General, let's rush to attack the rear of the Long family army and coordinate with the brothers defending the city to launch a joint attack on the Long family army."

"That's right! What are we afraid of? He has cannons, and so do we!"

Jixiang looked at the generals and asked, "What?"

"Let's do it!" the generals shouted in unison, their determination unwavering.

"Put down the baggage, the whole army advance lightly!" Ji Xiang ordered. "Everyone, get running!"

Ji Yang's troops marched at lightning speed as if by magic.

"At this rate, we should be able to catch up."

The lieutenant nodded and said, "The cannon fire is still going off ahead. We should be able to get there before Long Jiazu breaks through the city walls."

The two men rode forward, discussing animatedly.

With a loud rumble, Jixiang was so frightened that she fell to the ground.

His troops were thrown into chaos by heavy artillery fire.

After a barrage of artillery fire at Hanshankou, the soldiers were then subjected to a barrage of hand grenades, leaving them completely bewildered.

Half of the 20,000-strong army was bombed at Hanshankou, and the rear troops, seeing that things were going badly, immediately retreated.

Little did they know that the Long family army had not only invented hand grenades, but was now also using landmines.

As the first landmine detonated, the ground along the five-mile stretch of official road north of Handan Pass was almost entirely covered in craters.

The sound of cannons echoed at Hanshan Pass, turning good fortune and auspiciousness into the death of innocent souls;

Ji Fangming's "Thunderclap" tactic completely destroyed Ji Xiang's 20,000 troops.

He discovered that the troops had no supplies and immediately ordered the cavalry: "Jixiang's provisions must be behind us. It's your turn to attack."

A thousand cavalrymen roared away...

Ji Fangming's wisdom and courage displayed in the Battle of Handan City made the Long Family Army's reputation resound throughout the land once again.

General Jixiang's troops suffered an unprecedented defeat at Handan Pass, with almost all of his 20,000-strong army wiped out, leaving only a few scattered remnants to escape back to the imperial court.

In this battle, Ji Fangming not only recaptured Handan City but also severely damaged the imperial army, laying a solid foundation for the Southern King's hegemony.

General Jixiang's defeat also shook the court, and many people began to re-evaluate the power of the Southern King.

Inside Handan City, Ji Fangming stood on the city wall, gazing at the distant battlefield shrouded in smoke, yet his heart remained undisturbed.

He knew that this was only a small step in the Southern King's ambition to dominate the country, and that the road ahead was long and the challenges would only become more arduous.

"Send the order to put the entire city on high alert to prevent a counterattack by the imperial army."

Ji Fangming calmly gave instructions to his subordinates, his eyes revealing a firmness and domineering presence.

Meanwhile, Jixiang's remaining troops were filled with fear and resentment on their way back to the imperial court.

They couldn't understand why the Long family army was so powerful, as if they could find their weaknesses in every battle and deliver a fatal blow.

"General, what should we do?" a lieutenant asked in a trembling voice.

Jixiang remained silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head, a resolute glint in his eyes. "We cannot return like this. We must plead guilty to the court and request reinforcements. Only by completely annihilating the Long family army can we wash away this humiliation!"

Within the imperial court, many expressed shock and concern over General Jixiang's defeat.

However, some people saw an opportunity in it.

"The power of the Southern King is growing stronger every day. We must take action as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unimaginable," a minister shouted at the court assembly.

The imposter king, Long Yunxi, remained silent. He was well aware of the threat posed by the Southern King, but also understood that completely eliminating him would not be easy. What he needed to consider was how to weaken the Southern King's power without causing greater turmoil.

Inside Handan, Ji Fangming did not lower his guard because of a temporary victory.

He knew that the imperial army could launch a counterattack at any time, and that Prince Wubin of the South needed more victories to consolidate his power.

"We must continue to strengthen military training and improve the combat effectiveness of the army."