New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Seeing that all eyes below the city gate were focused on him, he cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd.

"First of all, on behalf of the Guangling City Lord's Mansion, I would like to thank you all for choosing to stay and share weal and woe with us. Regardless of your purpose, I assure you that anyone who is still standing here will receive various benefits from the City Lord's Mansion."

Tang Qian pointed to the inner city, "There are mansions in the city that were seized after wealthy families left, a large amount of fertile land outside the city is unclaimed, and there is silver piled up in the square of the prefectural government office. All of these belong to everyone. The city lord's mansion promises that it will distribute the houses, land and silver according to the number of people in each household. I can put this in writing and will never go back on my word."

What did this kid say? He's giving away all the houses in the city and the fields outside to everyone present? And all that gleaming gold and silver is his too?

After a brief silence, a thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd below the city gate.

If the city lord keeps his word, wouldn't they become truly wealthy and powerful? This is what they call defying fate.

"Don't be so happy yet, everyone. The Jin army kills without blinking an eye. Do you really think you can survive this battle to defend the city?"

"To be able to stay in one of those luxurious mansions for one night, even if it means dying, would be worth it."

"That's right. Since we've chosen to stay, we're prepared to fight the Jin army to the death. Even if I die, I'll take two Jin dogs down with me."

The discussions below the city continued for a long time, while the Qiu brothers and a group of officials on the city wall looked at each other in bewilderment.

Distributing the confiscated silver to the people who were willing to help the government defend the city proved that Tang Qian did not intend to keep such a large sum of money for himself. However, simply giving money, land, and houses could at most boost morale, but it was impossible to improve combat effectiveness.

As the discussion gradually subsided, Tang Qian spoke again: "You all surely think that this battle will be a matter of life and death, and that you may not even have the chance to enjoy what you have just been given. Here, I can assure you that as long as you obey the arrangements of the City Lord's Mansion and complete all the preparations without fail, you will certainly not be in danger of losing your lives. Once the Jin army retreats, we will be the new masters of Guangling City."

Another murmur arose, and although Tang Qian couldn't make out what the people below were saying, he could guess the gist of it.

"You are probably thinking that this kid is just spouting nonsense at such a young age. No war is without death, especially when facing the brutal Jin army. Well then, I will show you where my confidence comes from."

Immediately, Tang Qian turned his head and gave Ye Yilie a signal. Ye Yilie darted up the city wall and waved two small triangular flags in his hands.

Soon, the people standing on the city wall saw a response not far away on the other side of the moat.

Tang Xiaoqi appeared in an open space outside the city. Because of the distance, it was impossible to see what he did. It was only vaguely seen that the boy threw something, covered his head with his hands, turned around, and jumped down to lie flat on the ground.

Seeing Tang Qian suddenly stick out his fingers to cover his ears, Ye Zhao and Qiu Miao, who were closest to him, were about to follow suit. However, before they could make a move, a loud bang ripped through the air, leaving everyone stunned.

The entire city of Guangling seemed to tremble slightly from the loud noise, and everyone's face was filled with astonishment, completely unaware of what had just happened.

When the black smoke on the opposite bank of the moat dissipated, the scene before them left everyone speechless.

"I seem to remember there was a large rock, about three zhang square, there just now. Where did it go?"

"Yes, I saw it too, it's really gone now."

"I thought I was the only one who was seeing things."

Amidst everyone's astonishment, Tang Qian removed his ear covers: "If you all were to go closer now, you would find that the boulder has been blasted into pieces."

Qiu Yao, who had some knowledge of fireworks, seemed to have figured something out: "Could it be that it's made by exploding firecrackers? How much gunpowder would that take?"

"Fifth Brother is right. I did use gunpowder, but I changed the proportions to increase its power. The amount needed to shatter that boulder was only half a pound at most."

"Half a pound of gunpowder can have such an effect? ​​That's absolutely impossible."

Faced with everyone's suspicions, Tang Qian did not intend to explain further. Although black powder was not a high-end product, its power far surpassed that of gunpowder in this era, and the formula must not be easily leaked.

"What would happen if this earth-shattering explosion occurred along the route of the Jin army's siege?"

Tang Qian's soft mutterings brought a look of joy to the faces of the five Qiu brothers and Ye Zhao, their voices trembling slightly: "Is this the trump card you mentioned that day? It certainly seems extraordinary now, but I wonder how many raw materials you prepared?"

"The gunpowder that Xiaoqi brought from Tokyo, plus what we've scavenged from various places over this period, should be enough to produce five or six tons of new gunpowder without any problem?"

"Five or six tons? How much is that?"

The group stared at him blankly, making Tang Qian realize he had said the wrong thing. After a moment's thought, he gave them a number that would keep them immobilized: "It must be at least ten thousand jin."

"Ten thousand catties? If, as you say, half a catty of gunpowder can have this effect, then how many Jin soldiers could be killed by ten thousand catties?"

Isn't this the perfect way to ensure the Jurchens never return?

“Explosives alone are definitely not enough. If we add iron sheets and nails to the gunpowder, the lethality will increase many times over. At that time, we only need to throw them down from the city wall. If even one Jin soldier can climb up the city wall, I will consider it a loss.”

Fighting a war relies on combat strength, but morale is equally indispensable. If the Jin army is terrified by the bombing and completely loses its will to fight, how can the war be fought?

Witnessing so many severed hands and feet, a bloody mess, perhaps even the slightest commotion would cause them to immediately turn tail and run, becoming a defeated army.

The conversation between these individuals made the officials present feel extremely uneasy.

It's truly unexpected that Tang Qian possesses such formidable weapons. If there were enough of them, defending Guangling would be no problem at all.

No wonder this kid always seemed so confident in the face of life-or-death situations. Fortunately, his officials hadn't left the city; otherwise, they'd almost missed out on a tremendous opportunity.

After exchanging glances with his colleagues, Prefect Shen Yun immediately bowed and clasped his hands in a deep salute to Tang Qian: "Whatever the city lord needs, just give the order. This humble official will certainly do his best."