Chapter 749 The Bandits Are Here
With that one strike of the graduate student's hammer, the indicator light on the machine went out.
Meanwhile, in the distance, outside Gao Family Fortress, the group of workers watching "Shi Kefa's Legal Education" suddenly cried out: "Wow, a line of text just popped up on the Divine Mirror! What does it say? We can't read it!"
Among the audience, a primary school student jumped up and shouted: "Oh no, that line of text says 'Low battery, please charge!'"
It turned out that this tablet computer had been on from morning until evening, and now only had a tiny bit of power left. Normally, by this time, Li Daoxuan would have retrieved it to charge it in the heavens.
But just now, Li Daoxuan had installed the photovoltaic panels, so he had gotten lazy about charging it.
As a result, the photovoltaics had just been installed and hadn't had a chance to charge the tablet much when a group of mischievous little people switched them off. Naturally, the tablet had to display a warning.
Song Yingxing turned to look at the clamoring audience down the hillside, then turned back and glanced at the graduate student: "Try pressing the 'on' button again."
The graduate student struck with the hammer: "Thunk!"
The indicator light on the box lit up, and then the audience watching the show down the hill quieted down: "Oh, the words blocking the screen are gone! Keep watching, keep watching!"
Young Master Bai also chuckled: "Hehehe, well that makes things easier. Let's quickly go dig out the section on electricity from the physics book and re-examine it. We'll build all the things mentioned inside. Then, one night, when no one is watching the show, we'll come over, switch off this immortal solar generator, strip the rubber insulation, and tap into the power."
Song Yingxing: "I'll try making a light bulb."
Young Master Bai: "I want to experiment with parallel circuits and things like that."
Wang Zheng: "I, for one, respect the gods and buddhas, and have not participated in any discussions about damaging divine artifacts. Hallelujah, Mazu protect us, amen, Heavenly Lord is benevolent."
Song Yingxing: "Old Wang, didn't you bring up the issue of magnetic fields last time? Don't you want to try electromagnetic fields?"
Wang Zheng stiffened all over: "Oh! This... oh dear... Heavenly Lord, it's not that I disrespect the divine; it's just that I know you have a vast and generous heart, so I... hahahaha, electromagnetic fields, here I come!"
Led by the three scientists, a group of graduate students joined the excitement, along with a crowd of middle schoolers and self-taught high schoolers helping out. The mischief-makers immediately began rolling up their sleeves and got to work with gusto.
In truth, Li Daoxuan had heard everything they said long ago. He had originally planned to intervene if these little people attempted any dangerous electrical operations. But to his surprise, the little people were incredibly clever; they even knew to switch off the generator, so there was no problem at all.
Let them play!
No, "play" isn't quite the right word.
It should be called: Let them advance by leaps and bounds.
Alright, now to switch perspectives again...
Li Daoxuan swiftly switched views. Seeing nothing amiss elsewhere, he then switched to Luoyang City.
The moment he switched and opened his eyes, he heard a scout shriek: "They're here! They're here! The bandits have truly arrived! Commander Meng Hu and Commander Du Hu's bandit forces, leading a massive horde of rebels, are approaching Luoyang City, about to reach the walls!"
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw chaos erupting along Luoyang's city walls.
Zhu Changxun let out a terrified shriek, like a pig being slaughtered: "They're here! Ahh! The bandit army is here! What do we do? What do we do? Quick, protect this prince!"
His cries threw his five hundred personal guards into disarray. Half of the guards were still stationed along the city walls, but the other half rushed to surround Zhu Changxun.
The militia organized by Fan Shangzheng was also in utter chaos, scattering aimlessly.
Henan was no match for Shaanxi and Shanxi!
In Shaanxi and Shanxi, bandits had wreaked havoc for years, so both the army and the militia had been hardened by the brutal environment. But Henan had yet to undergo such a baptism by fire from the bandits; its army and militia were still utterly green and inexperienced. The moment they encountered real combat, they were at a complete loss.
Amidst the widespread panic, the Gao Family Village militia, who had been resting in the hidden defensive tunnels, burst forth instantly and sprinted towards the city walls with incredible speed.
Zhu Changxun had just been complaining about why these arquebusiers needed to secure their positions on the city wall so early. Now he understood. Because these arquebusiers had already established their positions, they had no need to panic when battle was imminent.
The moment they emerged from the defensive tunnels, they immediately rushed to their predetermined positions at top speed.
Some, with poorer memories, had marked their spots in advance. They simply needed to run along the wall, spot their drawn marks, and then stop.
In just a fleeting moment, as quick as a few blinks of an eye, all two thousand arquebusiers were in place, standing firm in their assigned positions.
Zhu Changxun: "Oh? Huh? Eh?"
He then looked at his own five hundred personal guards, who were now bumping into each other like headless flies. The contrast was instantly clear.
Bai Yuan walked up to him and chuckled: "Five taels of silver per man. Was it worth the cost?"
Zhu Changxun: "Well... from the current perspective, it's temporarily not worth it... maybe two taels of silver per man would be fair."
Bai Yuan smiled.
"They're here! We can see the bandits!"
A cry went up.
Everyone looked out towards the city walls together, and in the distance to the east, a massive band of enemy soldiers appeared, a dark, ominous tide that seemed to cover the entire landscape. At a glance, it was impossible to discern their numbers.
Shaanxi and Shanxi natives were accustomed to such a sight, but the people of Henan were not.
Zhu Changxun took but one look and nearly became a whimpering mess. His face turned ashen, and he babbled incoherently: "It's over! We're finished! So many... this is too many... Luoyang is doomed, Henan is doomed, we are all doomed!"
His personal guard, and Luoyang's militia, were all struck pale with fear.
Fan Shangzheng, however, fared a little better. Having already witnessed two hundred thousand bandits outside Huaiqing Prefecture, he now possessed a certain degree of resilience.
He turned his head to Bai Yuan: "Master Bai, what's your assessment?"
Bai Yuan took out a folding fan, snapping it open with a flourish. The fan bore the characters for 'Gentleman'. He used the fan to cover half of his face: "There's no need to worry. Though the bandits are numerous, they are nothing more than earthen chickens and tile dogs."
Li Daoxuan, from his vantage point on the city tower, interjected: "Although the scoundrels have appeared outside the east gate, scouts must also be properly deployed outside the south, north, and west gates to guard against them feigning an attack on one side while striking another."
Fan Shangzheng awoke with a start: "Understood! I will immediately dispatch men to strengthen the guard at the south, north, and west gates."
As arrangements began on this side, they observed that the bandits outside the city were also making arrangements.
Within the bandit army, many small handcarts were being pushed forward. On the open ground beside the army, the bandits scooped up large amounts of earth and stones with shovels, loading them into the handcarts.
Zhu Changxun: "What are they doing? Why are they loading mud into handcarts?"
Fan Shangzheng: "Those are for filling in the moat. As soon as the battle begins, they will push those carts forward, charging under a hail of arrows, and dump the earth into the moat."
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