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Chapter 107 The Catapults Arrive

Cheng Xu stifled a laugh. *What age are we living in? Still rattling off about the Six Arts of a Gentleman. This is the Ming Dynasty, for heaven's sake; no one bothers with them anymore.*

Cheng Xu cut straight to the point. "Mr. Bai, I won't waste any more words. If these bandits from Huanglong Mountain wander into another county, they're not my concern. But if they set foot in Chengcheng County, then I'm obligated to act. So, for the next few days, I'll be imposing on your hospitality here at Bai Family Fortress."

Bai Yuan understood immediately. This "imposition" was merely a polite euphemism for settling in and feasting at his expense. It was an old military custom: imperial armies, on campaign, would always billet themselves with the wealthiest families in whatever region they traversed. If no such households were available, they were all too prone to unleashing their soldiers to plunder the common folk...

Of course, if a military commander allowed his troops to plunder, a local civil official could report him, and he might well lose his head. Similarly, if they billeted themselves with a powerful, well-connected family, that, too, could lead to a report and the same fatal consequence.

Everyone, it seemed, was constantly walking a tightrope.

Bai Yuan, for his part, didn't object to housing imperial soldiers. Having a detachment of regulars stationed in the fortress would, in fact, be beneficial for Bai Family Fortress right now. Even if, in the heat of battle, these soldiers would likely flee, their mere presence was enough to instill fear in the bandits.

The ideal outcome, naturally, was for the bandits to be too intimidated to even attempt an attack.

Bai Yuan offered a genial smile. "General Cheng, your willingness to garrison Bai Family Fortress is a true blessing for me, and indeed, for all the common folk within ten *li* of here. Please, do come in."

Cheng Xu led his contingent into the fortress. He observed that the walls of Bai Family Fortress were undergoing repairs, being widened, thickened, and raised. Yet, the limited manpower of the Bai family meant the construction was painfully slow. It was still a half-finished endeavor, little more than a fortified manor house, utterly inadequate to withstand a large-scale bandit assault.

Dozens of household guards and over a hundred militia members, armed with bows and arrows, were stationed throughout the fortress. Sentries stood watch in all four corner towers, their gazes fixed intently on the surrounding landscape.

Cheng Xu mused inwardly, *This Bai Family Fortress is certainly well-fortified, but it's far from sufficient. Even with my hundred soldiers added to their numbers, attempting to resist five or six thousand bandits would merely be a direct ticket to greet my great-grandmother in the afterlife.*

*Oh, Great-Grandma, your great-grandson is still too young to join you. Should the bandits arrive, I'll undoubtedly be the first to flee, so please don't fault me for tarnishing the Cheng family's illustrious reputation.*

Just as he was lost in these fanciful musings, the sentry in the corner tower suddenly leaned down and bellowed, "Master! Master!"

That sudden cry nearly jolted the soul from Cheng Xu's body. He gasped, "What is it? Have the bandits come?"

Bai Yuan looked up, commanding, "Speak!"

The sentry joyfully announced, "Gao Chuwu is here!"

"Gao Chuwu?" Bai Yuan queried, a touch of surprise in his voice. "Who might that be?"

The sentry wiped his brow. "That big, awkward fellow from Gao Family Village," he explained, "the one who's visited us a few times already."

Bai Yuan's eyes widened in realization. "Ah, yes, I recall now! That fellow. I remember him quite distinctly."

The household guards exchanged bewildered glances.

The sentry's voice boomed again. "Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu have arrived, pulling an enormous vehicle! And on it are the Heavenly Lord's catapults!"

At this, Bai Yuan's face lit up with immediate delight. "The Heavenly Lord's catapults? Are they the same kind we used against the Supreme Bright King before?"

The sentry, who had fought alongside Bai Yuan in the previous battle against the Supreme Bright King, recognized them instantly. He roared back, "Yes! Those are the very ones!"

Bai Yuan burst into laughter. "Quick, quickly! Open the fortress gates and let them in!"

The sentry replied, "The vehicle is simply too massive, Master. It appears it won't fit through the gates. They'll have to stop outside the fortress entrance."

Cheng Xu stood to the side, thoroughly perplexed by the strange exchange between Bai Yuan and the sentry. What kind of vehicle, he wondered, could possibly transport catapults? From antiquity, siege engines were either hastily constructed from felled timber by besieging armies, or they were the multi-wheeled "Huihui Cannons" of the Mongols, laboriously pushed into position by soldiers.

He'd never once heard of catapults being carted around on a vehicle. How gargantuan would such a conveyance have to be?

Cheng Xu, deciding against further confusion, sprang up the fortress wall, taking three steps at a time. From the corner tower, he peered out. What met his eyes was a colossal vehicle, nearly nine *zhang* in length, rumbling down the official road. Its enormous wheels crushed the withered grass on either side, sending clouds of dust billowing skyward, an astonishing spectacle.

Cheng Xu's jaw nearly hit the ground. "W-what in the world is that demon-vehicle?" he stammered.

His deputy inspector leaned in, whispering, "Boss, I just remembered. When we ambushed the Little Overlord's rebels last time, a bizarre contraption suddenly materialized, ran the Little Overlord down, and then simply drove off. Could this be the very same..."

Cheng Xu shook his head. "No, the strange vehicle from back then was considerably smaller than this behemoth."

"But the strange panels on top, and those peculiar black wheels, they're nearly identical," the deputy insisted.

He was referring to the rubber tires and solar panels. Cheng Xu scrutinized them, and indeed, they bore a striking resemblance. He lowered his voice further. "Observe more, speak less," he cautioned. "Let's see what kind of devilry Bai Family Fortress and this bizarre vehicle are involved in."

Solar Car No. 3 glided to a halt at the entrance of Bai Family Fortress. Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu hopped out, grinning as they greeted the Bai family's household guards.

Bai Yuan, too, hurried out to meet them, swiftly organizing his men to begin unloading the enormous catapults from the vehicle.

Each colossal catapult, measuring two *zhang* in length and width, weighed a ton. Yet, this hardly daunted men accustomed to strenuous labor. The Bai Family Fortress men secured ropes around a catapult, dozens pulling in unison. Meanwhile, a few others clambered onto the massive vehicle, using long poles to pry at the opposite side. With this coordinated effort, the formidable siege engine slowly, painstakingly, slid from the vehicle's bed...

From his perch on Bai Family Fortress's corner tower, Cheng Xu watched their labors, a subtle smirk playing on his lips. "These fools," he scoffed silently. "Hauling such a massive catapult from that high carriage, it'll surely shatter into pieces the moment it hits the ground. It's a rather delicate piece of equipment, after all."

No sooner had the thought formed than the catapult tumbled down, slamming into the earth with a resounding *thud*.

But the splintering crash Cheng Xu had envisioned never materialized. Plastic, after all, wasn't so easily broken. Not only did it remain intact, it bounced several times, resilient and springy.

Cheng Xu stared, utterly dumbfounded. "What in the damn world is this hellish catapult?"

The colossal catapults were then pulled, one by one, from the vehicle. Using rolling logs as makeshift wheels, they were maneuvered into Bai Family Fortress. Before long, a full ten of them stood ready within the walls.

Bai Yuan's heart swelled with elation. Grasping Gao Chuwu's arm, he declared, "Return to Gao Family Village and convey my deepest gratitude to the Heavenly Lord!"

Gao Chuwu, scratching his head, offered a bashful grin. "Alright, Master Bai! The catapults are all here, so we'll be heading back now."

Bai Yuan waved them off, then turned back to his men, his spirits soaring. "Summon the strongest farmers in the fortress," he commanded. "I need to instruct them on how to operate these catapults!"

Cheng Xu remained on the fortress wall, observing the unfolding scene with a skeptical eye. *These outlandish, brightly colored catapults,* he thought, *they don't even have a single ox sinew for tension. How could they possibly hurl stones? This contraption must be utterly useless.*

But he was about to be proven spectacularly wrong.

Bai Yuan directed the farmers to approach, load large stones into the catapult's scoop, then instructed them to strike the trigger mechanism fiercely with a heavy hammer. The catapult's plastic arm sprang silently upwards, launching the enormous stone effortlessly over the fortress wall. It soared through the air, landing in the open ground beyond with a thunderous *BOOM*.