Chapter 106: The Bandits Return
After finishing another update, I was just about to go to sleep when a third "cicada" chirped in, signaling a new trio of alerts. This humble author had no choice but to add yet another update.
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Bai Yuan was an old friend of Gao Family Village, so there was, of course, no reason to refuse his request. San Shier quickly ushered Bai Yuan's wife, his young son, and their household servants into the fortress. He instructed Clerk Tan Liwen to arrange rooms and daily necessities for them.
Bai Yuan clasped his hands and bowed. "Many thanks, Heavenly Lord, and many thanks, Manager San. With my wife and son safely settled here, I have no more worries. I will now return to Bai Family Fortress to organize the militia and prepare for the bandits' arrival."
San Shier furrowed his brow, pondering. "Thousands of bandits... even if your Bai Family Fortress tries every trick in the book, you won't be able to hold them off, will you? Ultimately, this matter must rely on the authorities."
Bai Yuan sighed, "The authorities... alas... you know as well as I do. Chengcheng County only has Inspector Cheng Xu, with just over a hundred soldiers. They might be fine for chasing petty thieves, but against thousands of bandits, he might as well be paying a visit to his great-grandmother."
San Shier remained silent.
Bai Yuan said, "In any case, I'll head back first. If Bai Family Fortress can't hold out, I will flee to Gao Family Village, and I hope Gao Family Village will rescue me once more then."
San Shier returned the bow. "Take care. If the situation turns dire, come immediately."
Li Daoxuan watched Bai Yuan leave, feeling a small pang of worry.
Bai Yuan was an amusing character, a "fun-loving fellow." Li Daoxuan, having observed him for so long from above, had developed a certain fondness for him. It was like watching Song Xiaobao perform skits regularly; after a while, if you heard he was going to single-handedly take on a hundred thugs armed with sticks, you couldn't help but worry for him, even a little.
It seemed it was time to deploy—Solar Car No. 3.
"Yiye, go fetch Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu."
Gao Yiye quickly moved, taking on her role as messenger.
Li Daoxuan slowly lowered the already modified Solar Car No. 3 before Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu.
The enormous Solar Car, fourteen centimeters long (twenty-eight meters in the late Ming era, over nine zhang), placed before the tiny figures who were less than a centimeter tall, created an absolutely stunning visual impact.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu tilted their heads back, gazing at the massive vehicle. It was like modern people standing before a huge semi-trailer, their mouths agape. "It's that big?"
Li Daoxuan replied, "If it's not big enough, it can't transport the catapults."
The two simpletons exclaimed, "Huh? Why are we transporting catapults?"
San Shier "thumped" each of them on the head. "Still don't understand? The Heavenly Lord wants you two to use this massive vehicle to transport catapults to Bai Family Fortress to help Master Bai defend against the enemy."
It was only then that the two realized with a start.
"Tomorrow, after sunrise, you two will first familiarize yourselves with this vehicle. The driving method is the same as with the previous Solar Cars, but this one is larger, has more inertia, and is less flexible in turns. You'll need to adapt well to it, and the speed must always be slow."
The next day, bright and early, as the sun just appeared, the two clumsy fellows began practicing driving Solar Car No. 3. Though they were slow-witted, their movements were agile and their reactions quick, making them quite suitable for driving. In just one day, they had mastered handling the large vehicle.
The third day, at dawn, Li Daoxuan brought out the small catapults he had used previously against the Supreme Bright King and placed them onto the car. These small catapults were only three centimeters long, fitting perfectly on the vehicle, and several could even be stacked. However, once they reached Bai Family Fortress, Bai Yuan would likely have to expend some effort to get them off the vehicle.
But Li Daoxuan had faith in the ingenuity of the ancient laborers; they would surely find a way to make good use of these catapults.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu set off, transporting a carload of catapults towards Bai Family Fortress, over forty li away, pressing onward...
The vehicle was too large, making the main road seem somewhat narrow. Its tires often rolled onto the grassy verges beyond the official path.
Fortunately, the vehicle's tires were large enough. As long as the two drove slowly, avoiding major potholes and large rocks, moving steadily forward presented no problem.
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Meanwhile, Cheng Xu, a ninth-rank military inspector, was leading his hundred-plus soldiers towards Huanglong Mountain.
"Damn it all!" Cheng Xu swore incessantly. "I put in endless effort to finally wipe out those damn bandits in Chengcheng County, and who would've thought, in the blink of an eye, more bandits from outside the county have arrived! Curse them, curse them, I truly curse their mothers! Magistrate of Luochuan County, Magistrate of Yichuan County, I curse your eighteen generations of ancestors!"
The Deputy Inspector whispered, "Boss, we should be cursing the Inspectors of Luochuan and Yichuan, shouldn't we? It's their failure to suppress the bandits that allowed them to cross the border. Why are you cursing the magistrates?"
Cheng Xu scoffed, "Those two inspectors are military officers just like me. Of course, I understand their difficulties! The bandits are too numerous, and they, like me, only have about a hundred subordinates. How could they possibly hold them back? We can't blame them for this; it's all the fault of the civil officials' ruthless tax collection, forcing good people into banditry. We military officers bear no responsibility for this."
His subordinates exchanged glances.
They felt something was amiss, yet on closer thought, it seemed to make perfect sense.
The Deputy Inspector whispered, "Boss, when we reach Huanglong Mountain, should we attack immediately?"
"Attack, my ass!" Cheng Xu scoffed. "Haven't you heard? Two to three thousand bandits came from Luochuan, and another two to three thousand from Yichuan. That's at least five thousand in total! Are we, a hundred-odd men, supposed to fight five thousand? Are you bloody sick of living? When we get to the foot of Huanglong Mountain, I won't take a single step up! I'll go into Bai Family Fortress, drink some tea, and freeload off the rich family there. If the bandits retreat back to Luochuan and Yichuan, we'll return to claim credit, saying we, with a hundred men, defeated five thousand bandits and drove them away. But if the bandits attack... hmph hmph..."
The Deputy Inspector finished, "We run? And then report to the imperial court that the bandits' strength was overwhelming, and it wasn't a failure in battle?"
Cheng Xu patted the Deputy Inspector's helmet. "You've finally caught on, kid."
As they spoke, Bai Family Fortress came into view.
Cheng Xu peered ahead at Bai Family Fortress. "Oh? This Bai Family Fortress has thickened and heightened its walls. Looks like they've spent quite a bit of money recently."
From the open fortress gate, Bai Yuan emerged to greet them, clasping his hands and bowing to Cheng Xu. "General Cheng, what an honor to have you grace Bai Family Fortress with your presence!"
Cheng Xu laughed heartily. "Master Bai, you surely know why I'm here."
Bai Yuan replied, "Of course, it's for Huanglong Mountain."
As he spoke, both men involuntarily turned their heads towards Huanglong Mountain. The majestic Huanglong Mountain loomed to the north of Bai Family Fortress, its peaks rising hundreds of zhang, winding and twisting in magnificent grandeur.
From where they stood, they could only see a corner of Huanglong Mountain, unable to glimpse its full extent.
Cheng Xu observed, "Master Bai, thousands of bandits are right on the mountain beside you, yet you remain here, calm and unhurried. Such courage is truly rare."
Bai Yuan offered a wry smile. "The common folk for dozens of li around are all counting on me to protect them. How could I possibly flee the moment the bandits arrive? That would be against propriety, and as for the 'rites' aspect among a gentleman's six arts, I am very particular about it."
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