Chapter 67: They Will Launch a Night Attack
It was still early morning. Li Daoxuan had just withdrawn his phone from the box, then, cradling the soy milk and fried dough sticks delivered by takeout, he devoured them with gusto.
Watching the tiny figures perform radio calisthenics was quite amusing. Perhaps he should simply order everyone in the village to do them from now on. Oh, no, the older folks probably couldn't manage that. What about a square dance for them?
No, on second thought. Square dancing was far too disruptive, its pervasive nuisance endless. Better not to corrupt the ancient grandmas.
As he pondered new ideas, he suddenly heard the village sentries shouting loudly. Many people immediately rushed to the north wall. San Shier also scrambled onto the ramparts, peering out.
Li Daoxuan's finger immediately moved to the row of buttons on the box's casing and pressed the "North" button.
Instantly, his perspective shifted to the northern hillside.
A young man, clad in ragged clothes, his skin tanned dark by the sun, was stumbling down the hillside. Traces of blood marred his body. He ran a few steps, fell, then clambered back up and continued his erratic dash...
Li Daoxuan felt a secret thrill. How satisfying it was to have an expanded field of view!
He continued to fine-tune the controls, keeping the man centered in his view, tracking his every step.
He was clearly too exhausted from running, utterly breathless. He couldn't string a single sentence together smoothly; each word came with a heavy gasp.
San Shier heard the words "Wang Er" and "subordinate." He stared intently and surprisingly recognized the newcomer. It was the minor leader who had tried to rob him on his way to the county town, known by the bandit alias "Bai Mao."
His brow furrowed deeply. He instructed Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu beside him: “Quick, go get Bai Mao and bring him in.”
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu descended from the fortress wall and circled around to the gate.
This fortress gate had been made by Cai Xinzhi from two thin one-millimeter iron sheets, but when placed in the late Ming Dynasty, they became two massive steel plates, each twenty centimeters thick. The little people couldn't push them open at all. They had to dismantle the winch from the old city gate and install it; only then could they open the gate with its power.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu squeezed out, helped the man into the walled house, and supported him before San Shier and Gao Yiye.
San Shier urgently asked, “Hero Bai Mao, what happened?”
Bai Mao gasped, completely out of breath: “Zhong... Guangdao... Zheng Yanfu... they want to... attack Gao Family Village... Big Brother refused... The two of them teamed up... and ambushed Big Brother...”
San Shier gasped, "!!!"
The villagers cried, "!!!"
The man continued, “Big Brother is injured... He was... imprisoned... in a cave... by two traitors... Everyone from Wangjia Village... is locked up... Only I... managed to escape... Please... Gao Family Village... save Big Brother...”
San Shier's face instantly darkened, like the bottom of a soot-stained wok.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu were furious. “Despicable!”
Even two sculptors squeezed out from the crowd. “Huh? Big Brother Wang Er is such a good person!”
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but frown. *Damn it,* he thought. *What kind of world is this, where good people always seem to get the short end of the stick?*
Alas, he mused, being soft-hearted and lenient simply didn't make one a true warlord. A loyal hero like Wang Er, though capable of being a fierce general, was destined never to lead a grand movement. Even if nothing happened here, sooner or later... Never mind, best not to curse him.
The villagers immediately erupted into murmurs.
San Shier shouted, “Silence, everyone! This isn't just about whether or not to save Wang Er. Before we can save him, we must first ensure our own survival.”
Everyone looked bewildered. “?”
San Shier snapped, “Are you fools? Didn't you hear Hero Bai Mao say that Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao plan to attack Gao Family Village? That's why they ambushed Hero Wang!”
The villagers gasped, "!!!"
San Shier bellowed, “It won't be long before Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao come to attack us! Damn it, why are you all still standing there dumbfounded? Prepare for battle, prepare for battle! Everyone, immediately prepare for war, quickly *sharpen your spears and feed your horses*!”
Bai Mao, still gasping, managed to say, “Not... that quickly... They know Gao Family Village... has tall walls... They... will only launch... a night attack.”
These words made San Shier's mind suddenly clear. *That's right!* he thought. *We have three-zhang-high walls now. Unless Zheng Yanfu and his ilk are complete idiots, they wouldn't foolishly charge in to attack Gao Family Village in broad daylight. Otherwise, their fate would be the same as the Supreme Bright King's.*
A night attack, then?
San Shier felt a pang of anxiety.
Gao Chuwu blurted out from beside him, “Third Master, we've learned a bit about fighting during the day, but how do we fight at night?”
Zheng Daniu added, “They could launch a night attack at any moment, but we can't stay awake all night, can we? What are we going to do?”
San Shier roared, “What the hell do I know? I'm a goddamn scribe, not a military strategist!”
The surrounding villagers once again fell into a panic.
Li Daoxuan, however, was amused. What was so scary about a night attack? *I'll just turn on the motion detection alarm function of the surveillance camera,* he thought. *As soon as any movement is detected, the pre-set musical alarm will sound. Then I'll just stick a fluorescent light into the box, and they can fight as if it's broad daylight.*
However, this method of his was “Heavenly Lord cheating.” If he started cheating like this right away, the little people wouldn't learn anything.
No hurry, he decided to see how they would handle it.
San Shier hesitated for a long moment. Then, a sudden realization struck him: “That's right! It's still early morning, a long time until dark. Quick, someone go to Bai Family Fortress and invite Master Bai Yuan over! He's the militia instructor; he'll know how to deal with this.”
Gao Chuwu exclaimed, “I'll go!”
“Be careful on your way,” San Shier cautioned. “It's extremely unsafe out there. If you encounter bandits, don't try to be brave; just turn around and run with those big feet of yours. Those scoundrels don't have horses; they won't catch you.”
Gao Chuwu grinned foolishly. “Don't worry, I've been eating well lately; I have plenty of strength. Those weaklings won't catch me.”
He grabbed a few pieces of dried meat and a white flour pancake, then sprinted out of the walled house with his big feet. Gao Yiye shouted from the ramparts: “Brother Chuwu, don't run so fast right from the start! It's a two-hour journey; save some energy!”
Gao Chuwu said, with a simpleminded grin, “Oh! Right!”
Everyone exchanged glances. “...”
Could such an important task really be entrusted to such a simpleton?
San Shier abruptly turned, looking at the two blacksmiths. “Where's the armor? How many sets do we have now?”
The two blacksmiths grinned. “We have plenty now! These past few days, with cotton cloth available, the women have all pitched in, attaching the stored armor plates to cotton jackets, making several sets of Cotton Armor.”
San Shier ordered, “Quickly count them and distribute the armor to the strongest young men in the village! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Also, stones and oil, get everything ready! Oh, right, where are our catapults?”
Zheng Daniu replied, “After the last battle, the Heavenly Lord took all the catapults back to heaven.”
San Shier mused, “Catapults probably won't be much use for a night battle, will they? Oh, well! I don't really understand, so never mind that for now. Everyone, get moving! Quick, quick, quick! Do what you're supposed to do!”
The villagers looked confused. “But what exactly are we supposed to do?”
San Shier paused. “...”
The scene became awkward and still once again.
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