Chapter 118: Fear Stems From Insufficient Firepower
Holy Monday Eleventh Update
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Everyone at Bai Family Fortress mobilized. Even Cheng Xu's hundred-plus soldiers joined the effort, tearing down the rock gardens in the back courtyard and dismantling the pavilions and corridors in front of the study. This created two more spacious courtyards within Bai Family Fortress, perfect for the Celestial Missiles. Under Young Master Bai's direction, large groups of people merrily carried massive Lego bricks, assembling them with gusto.
It was a spectacular sight, hundreds of people building with Lego bricks together. A pity Li Daoxuan wasn't there to witness it; otherwise, he'd be amused for days.
Finally, the three Celestial Missiles were fully assembled. Young Master Bai, having completed his mission, was sent back to Gao Family Village by Bai Yuan, who wouldn't allow a half-grown child to remain on the battlefield.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu delivered hundreds more plastic projectiles. Each of these projectiles was as long as two men stacked atop each other. Yet, they weren't stone but hard plastic, massive but not heavy. a few villagers could easily lift these "giant shells" and load them into the missile launchers. Bai Yuan personally oversaw large groups of villagers and able-bodied women, drilling them on the "ammunition loading" procedure. A Celestial Missile could fire eight projectiles in quick succession, with each projectile requiring a team of people. This meant eight teams per launcher, totaling twenty-four teams for all three missiles.
It took over a hundred villagers to achieve this feat of ammunition loading! They had to practice until proficient, moving swiftly to minimize the Celestial Missiles' reloading time, ensuring they'd be better prepared when facing the bandit army.
Thus, a hundred people continuously circled the missile launchers, repeatedly drilling the loading movements.
Cheng Xu watched from the side, that strange feeling rising in his heart again: "This is a major drought," he mused. "These villagers constantly carrying such large, heavy projectiles and circling around—they must get hungry quickly. How can they be so utterly loyal to your arrangements?"
The flour used for the buns was clearly top-quality, pale and tender. And the buns themselves were far from stingy—each one large and substantial.
The steward loudly called out: "Master Bai has ordered: eat your buns, then continue practicing..."
The villagers surged forward with a roar. Each grabbed two buns, sinking their teeth in with ravenous bites. Huge crescent shapes appeared on the buns, their cheeks bulged and chewed, their words becoming muffled: "Mmm... so fragrant... so delicious..."
"Mmm... working for Master Bai is the best... plenty to eat..."
Cheng Xu, witnessing this, was stunned. He swore inwardly, "Damn it, Bai Yuan, you dare to let these villagers eat their fill? My own soldiers don't get to eat like this!" With that thought, he couldn't help but turn to look at his own men. These proud, regular imperial soldiers were now all staring at the villagers' buns, practically drooling.
Cheng Xu could only let out a long sigh.
He understood: the lives of military households were hard. Since the Wanli era, the imperial court had barely issued proper military pay a handful of times. Delaying constantly, month after month, many military families deserted. Many of them even joined the bandit armies, becoming fierce fighters among the rebels.
To pacify this group of soldiers who had followed him for years, Cheng Xu had even dug into his own pockets several times, a memory that still pained him.
"Thump!" A large basket was placed before Cheng Xu, filled to the brim with white steamed buns. The Bai family steward smiled and said, "General Cheng, please share these buns with your gentlemen soldiers."
Cheng Xu's spirits lifted. "I'm here to leech off the wealthy, after all," he thought. He waved a hand at his subordinates: "Eat! Don't be shy with Master Bai. His ancestors produced a prefect and two magistrates—they're incredibly rich, you won't break them by eating!"
The soldiers rejoiced, surging forward with a clamor. Their grimy hands grabbed the pristine white buns, leaving dark smudges with every touch. But that was a minor detail; smudges be damned. They'd dirtied their own hands, and the buns were too fragrant and delicious to let go. After devouring them, they couldn't help but lick their hands clean, significantly lightening the grimy residue.
Early the next morning, as dawn broke, the sentries cried out loudly: "The bandit army is here! They're coming down the mountain!"
"Clack, clack, clack!" The sound of bamboo clappers echoed across Bai Family Fortress.
Bai Yuan and Cheng Xu appeared on the watchtower immediately. Together, they gazed towards Huanglong Mountain to the north, where a massive bandit army was slowly descending the slopes.
This time, the bandit army was significantly larger than the last.
Cheng Xu took one look and declared, "Three thousand! At least three thousand! This time, Bu Zhan Ni from Luochuan and Wang Zuogua from Yichuan have joined forces."
The last time he heard news of these two coming together, Cheng Xu had been scared half to death. But now, seeing them with his own eyes, he felt no fear. Perhaps it was because, as the saying goes, "Fear stems from insufficient firepower." With enough firepower, what was there to fear? All his previous worries had long since vanished into thin air.
He gestured towards the hillside, letting out a short laugh. "That's about right," he said. "They've already entered the missile's range."
Bai Yuan uttered a surprised "Oh?" "They have?"
Cheng Xu replied, "Master Bai, that skill of yours, judging distances with your eyes, you'll have to learn properly from us soldiers."
Bai Yuan dramatically snapped open his folding fan, revealing the character "Gentleman" emblazoned upon it. "This skill is unrelated to a gentleman's six arts," he declared. "Whether I learn it or not is irrelevant to me."
Cheng Xu: "..." Damn it, he really wanted to punch the man, but this wasn't the time.
Cheng Xu turned, shouting to the villagers who had just taken their positions: "Prepare to launch the missiles!"
The villagers, hearing the command, regardless of who issued it, immediately sprang into action. That's how it was with untrained ragtag forces: whoever shouted loudest got to command.
Bai Yuan didn't mind Cheng Xu overstepping his authority and seizing command of his villagers. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back on the city wall, his gaze sweeping the distance, watching the bandit army slowly descend the slopes.
The bandit army was descending the mountain... Bu Zhan Ni, meanwhile, was swearing furiously: "Damn that Bai Family Fortress! Just a few hundred men, and they made me stumble so badly last time! That useless inspector Cheng Xu, he's actually gotten bold. All because of a few broken trebuchets and giant crossbow vehicles, isn't it?"
Wang Zuogua said, "Where did this small fortress get so many siege weapons?"
Bu Zhan Ni retorted, "How would I know? I'd like to ask that myself."
Wang Zuogua turned, whispering, "Old Lu, tell us how to deal with them?"
Behind Wang Zuogua, a fierce bandit stepped forward. He was surprisingly clad in armor, specifically the distinctive Ming army cloth armor. A saber hung at his waist, and a Kaiyuan bow was slung across his back. One look was enough to tell he used to be a government soldier.
Everyone knew him only as Lu, a border soldier who had fought many battles against northern nomads. But his full name remained unknown, for in these times, rebels often used aliases to avoid implicating their kin.
Old Lu let out a gruff laugh and said, "They're guarding against an attack from the north, so their trebuchets and giant crossbow vehicles will all be aimed that way. Once we're down the mountain, we'll split our army in two and circle Bai Family Fortress from the left and right. You two, Big Brother Bu Zhan Ni and Big Brother Wang Zuogua, can each lead a division and attack from the east and west sides. Their siege weapons are slow to turn, so they won't be able to defend both flanks."
Bu Zhan Ni and Wang Zuogua were overjoyed: "Excellent plan! Those who've served in the army truly understand warfare better."
No sooner had the two finished speaking, than their subordinates cried out: "Oh? What's that flying towards us?"
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