Chapter 1027

Duokang.

This was the capital of Tibet, four hundred li (approximately 200 km) southwest of Songzhou City. After six days of trekking, Dengba finally returned.

“Zaxi Donzhu is dead!” Dawa’s face was filled with shock.

Dengba nodded repeatedly, tears and snot streaming down his face, wailing. He truthfully recounted everything that had happened during the attack on Lingzhou to Dawa.

Dawa’s expression grew more and more unpleasant as Dengba described the events. In the end, his eyes were filled with deep fear, because all of this was beyond his comprehension. In his opinion, only a god could unleash divine thunder.

“Prime Minister, what should we do now? The Great Yu Empire’s general did not give us much time. They said that if we do not submit, they will raze Duokang to the ground.” Dengba was in a state of despair. Now that Zaxi was dead, the Prime Minister was the person with the highest prestige in Tibet. He could only look at Dawa for help.

Dengba’s return also attracted many Tibetan nobles. At this time, they were also intimidated by his description.

For this attack on Lingzhou, Tibet had deployed more than half of its military force, and their sons were also in this army.

“Prime Minister, this matter must be considered carefully. We must go and see for ourselves before we can decide what to do,” a nobleman said. Hearing this, the other nobles all nodded.

Dawa nodded. He looked at Dengba and said, “Submitting to the Great Yu Empire is a very serious matter. We must see it with our own eyes before we can believe it. Dengba, this concerns the fate of Tibet, so I need you to lead us to Songzhou.”

Dengba looked at the nobles around him and saw that they were all looking at him with a mix of disbelief and doubt. He immediately understood that these people were suspecting that he was making an excuse for their defeat.

He snorted and said, “Then I’ll go. Just make sure you don’t wet your pants when the time comes.”

Dawa sighed. He said, “Dengba, it’s not that we don’t believe you, but I need to give an explanation to the Tibetan nobles. You go back and rest, and we will set off tomorrow.”

Only then did Dengba’s expression soften. After resting for a night, he and Dawa and the other Tibetan nobles mounted their horses and headed for Songzhou the next day.

Six days later, the group arrived in Songzhou.

Luo Xin had already scouted the whereabouts of Dengba’s group before they arrived in Songzhou. However, he felt at ease after discovering that Dengba’s group only brought 3,000 soldiers.

This was because if Tibet wanted to retaliate, they would bring more than this number of people.

And just as he had guessed, when they arrived at Songzhou City, Dengba explained their purpose for coming: they were here to discuss submission.

“Esteemed General Luo, they want to see the weapons that possess the power of a god.”

Upon entering the city, Dengba was led by a soldier to the Songzhou military camp, where he met Luo Xin in his tent.

“Weapons with the power of a god?”

Luo Xin looked at Dengba with interest, while Dengba felt a little guilty. In fact, he was still a little angry about the nobles’ doubts that day, so he wanted to use the Great Yu Empire to intimidate Dawa and the others.

After thinking for a moment, Luo Xin suddenly smiled. He didn’t care about Dengba’s thoughts. To him, this might be a way to intimidate Tibet. After all, in Dengba’s eyes, their weapons had already reached the level of a god.

If the ignorant Tibetans truly understood the power of the Empire, they might never again have thoughts of rebellion.

Nodding slightly, Luo Xin called his generals. This time, they planned to organize a special military exercise to let these Tibetan nobles truly see what the power of the Empire was.

After sending Dengba back, Luo Xin and the others briefly discussed the content of the exercise. In the afternoon, Luo Xin personally led Dengba and his group to the exercise ground.

“Are these the weapons of the heavenly god?” Dawa asked, pointing at the Han-style rifles on the soldiers’ backs.

Luo Xin nodded slightly. He said to a soldier, “Give a demonstration for the Tibetan Prime Minister to see.”

He had already learned Dawa’s identity. In Tibet, the Zanpu was equivalent to the Emperor, and the Prime Minister was equivalent to the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. Dawa was now the most powerful person in Tibet.

Upon receiving the order, the soldier skillfully raised his Han-style rifle and fired at a clay pot a hundred meters away. With a “bang,” the clay pot shattered in response.

When the gunshot rang out, Dawa and the Tibetan nobles all trembled in fear. Even Dengba was still frightened at the sight of it again.

Luo Xin noticed the expressions of Dawa and the others and showed a satisfied look. He then led them to the artillery.

“Fire a shot!” Luo Xin said calmly, a wicked smile on his lips.

The artillerymen took a metal shell from a box on the ground and inserted it into the breech. After also inserting the propellant, they pulled the lanyard. With a loud “boom,” a shell flew directly towards a white circle drawn on a small hill in the distance, exploding and sending dust flying.

And after the sound of the cannon, the Tibetans were all so weak in the knees that they sat on the ground. The only two people who were still standing were already so scared they had lost control of their bladder and bowels.

“The weapon of the heavenly god, this is the weapon of the heavenly god!” Dawa muttered, trembling as he crawled up from the ground, his eyes filled with terror.

Luo Xin was already very amused in his heart. Although the Great Yu Empire had become much more powerful, many countries around the Great Yu Empire were still unaware of these changes, after all, due to the inconvenience of transportation, news spread too slowly.

Occasionally, one or two merchants would spread the word, but they would be laughed at as if they were telling a joke.

Tibet was a true reflection of these closed tribes. The world had changed so much, yet they were still living in their own world.

“This is only the effect of two of our weapons. Since Prime Minister Dawa is here, I will let the Prime Minister truly see our power.”

With that, Luo Xin nodded to Gao Meng, the Chief Scribe of the Northwest Army, who was beside him.

Receiving the authorization, Gao Meng ordered the bugle for the exercise to be blown. When the bugle call ended, two hundred Imperial Guard artillery pieces suddenly fired at the same time.

The firing range of the artillery this time was no longer the bare hill but a small grove on the exercise ground.

Accompanied by a thunderous sound, the entire small grove was instantly covered by artillery fire, and the area that was bombarded was quickly leveled in a blaze of brilliant flames.

At the same time, the machine gun company was also dispatched. They aimed their machine guns at the trees and swept them with gunfire. Under the continuous shooting, a thick tree was quickly cut in half by bullets.

And this was just the beginning. The Southwest Army then demonstrated throwing grenades and laying landmines.

At the end of the exercise, a huge hot air balloon floated over Dawa’s head, which finally completely broke Dawa’s mental defense.

“Esteemed Commander Luo Xin, we would like to personally go to Qingzhou to submit our letter of credence. For us, Tibet no longer needs a Zanpu. His Majesty the Great Emperor of the Empire is the most suitable Zanpu for us,” Dawa said respectfully.

He no longer had any doubt about the Great Yu Empire’s ability to bloodbath Duokang. The only thing that mattered was whether the Great Yu Empire was willing to do it.

A victorious smile appeared on Luo Xin’s face. He said, “Of course. The Southwest Army will personally escort you there.”

(End of chapter)