Chapter 12
There are more than fifty bands of mountain bandits on Mount Qingniu, among which the Flying Tiger Village is the largest, consisting of three to five hundred villagers. Its leader, Gao Feihu, has a fierce temperament, but what's even more important is that the Flying Tiger Village does not get along well with the Frog Fort.
"Bandit Chief... Are you trying to get me killed?" Xu Shenji.
"What kind of talk is that? I'm telling you to hitch the horse to the cart, bring some of our best liquor, and go pay a visit to Leader Gao. Tell him that Black Stone City is planning an attack on our brethren on Mount Qingniu... Not only the Flying Tiger Village, but also the Dog Head Ridge, Bald Hill, Apricot Blossom Ridge, Wild Boar Forest, etc., all need to be visited."
"But will they listen to me?" Xu Shenji was filled with anxiety.
"That's when you need to use your sharp wit as the Chief Strategist. Touch their hearts with genuine emotion, persuade them with logical arguments, touch them with your earnestness."
"But Chief, I don't possess any of those things."
"Hoodwink!" Cheng Dalei waved his hand, "Hoodwink them."
"But I'm still scared. Chief, you may not understand Gao Feihu too well. He has some grudges with our former leader."
"That's why I'm sending Young Hero Lin with you. What more could you fear?"
"Actually, I'd prefer it if the Chief would come with me." Xu Shenji murmured.
"What are you talking about? That's an incredibly dangerous proposition." Cheng Dalei spoke, "Adviser, just set off confidently. I will take care of Ling'er. Don't worry, we'll be happy."
Xu Shenji was about to say something else, but then he heard Cheng Dalei shout, "Bring my great axe over here, I need to pick my teeth."
Xu Shenji shut up promptly out of tact. He and Lin Shaoyu hitched the cart to the horse, loaded up thirty jars of liquor given as a system reward, and left in the direction of the Flying Tiger Village, glancing back every third step.
"Chief, do you think the Flying Tiger Village will believe Adviser Xu?" Qin Man asked.
"Whether they believe it or not, they will definitely send people to check. That's our opportunity." Cheng Dalei.
Lacking the strength, the only option was to use borrowed power to fight. After Xu Shenji left, Cheng Dalei wasn't idle either. He was left with the task of figuring out how to maximize the destructive power of the black gunpowder.
As for the gunpowder, Cheng Dalei knew nothing and could only guess its workings little by little, testing its properties repeatedly by mixing it with gravel, until he eventually figured out a method.
He stuffed the gunpowder into quilts and ignited it to make something resembling an incendiary bomb. He cleaned out all the quilts in the mountain fortress for this purpose, eliciting cries of protest from Xu Shenji: "What are we going to do in the winter, are we going to survive, are we going to survive... "
He also packed gunpowder into the wooden boxes given as system rewards, filled them with broken stones, straw... using a strip of oil-soaked cotton cloth as a fuse. This took Cheng Dalei quite a bit of time, primarily because the mountain fortress was severely lacking in manpower, even more so since they had dispatched two men.
It was Cheng Dalei who was responsible for the proportions, while Qin Man gathered the stones, and Xu Ling'er filled up the boxes. All three worked up a sweat despite their unrelenting effort.
"Chief, do you think we can defend it?" Qin Man.
Cheng Dalei looked up to see beads of sweat covering Qin Man's dark face. He asked, "What do you think?"
"I am a barbarian, I do not understand much." Qin Man spoke, "But I want to defend it."
Cheng Dalei paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, I don't know if we can hold it, but... I want to keep it."
"Alright, Big Brother Qin, move the gunpowder box further afield. This is the last test."
Cheng Dalei ordered Qin Man to prepare the gunpowder box, then slowly drew the fuse towards them. The trio hid at a safe distance, waiting to observe the results of the explosion.
Su Ying was sitting quietly in the room. She had witnessed Cheng Dalei's busy schedule over the past few days, but didn't think much of it. Defying the impossible odds was probably what it felt like. The idea that four people - alright, even five people, were attempting to fend off the attack from Black Stone City was simply ludicrous to her.
Bang! Rumble!
An earth-shattering boom suddenly rang out, the entire mountain seemed to tremble, and dirt fell from the roof of her straw hut. Startled, Su Ying shuddered involuntarily... Was this... an earthquake?
After a long period of silence, a terrified Su Ying finally ventured to peek out of the window. Through the smoke and dust, she saw Cheng Dalei, Qin Man, and Ling'er, their faces blackened with ash, celebrating their success.
"It worked, it worked."
...
Black Stone City, the parade ground, the army formed into neat square formations.
There were two hundred cavalrymen, muscular and energetic, three hundred infantrymen in black armor wielding black weapons, two hundred archers with quivers filled with arrows on their backs, one hundred heavy armored soldiers, enshrouded in iron armor, immovable as mountains, and two hundred spear soldiers whose long spears pointed towards the sky, as if they were declaring war against Heaven itself.
Han Xuanzhi stood at the front of the ranks, dressed in white, a feather fan in hand and a Qingfeng Sword at his waist. He really looked like a fine gentleman in a mundane world, a dashing young man of the era.
Don't... Don't get scared by this scene.
The neat platoon soon began to slacken. Mobilizing troops was not a minor affair, and there were always various rituals to appease Heaven and Earth. Then, the city's officials would deliver speeches, recalling the past, looking to the future, and choosing an auspicious day to launch the attack.
Normally, midday is the best time because the killing intent is the strongest. Now, being summer, the scorching sun was up high at noon, its rays shining unabated onto the parade ground.
Han Xuanzhi was fanning himself lightly and remarked, "Bright day, clear sky. Good omens."
Good... you chattering parrot..."
Those in heavy armor began to curse under their breath. The hefty iron armor was suffocatingly hot, and he kept blab-blab-blabbing nonstop, making the soldiers in their iron armor feel as if they were being boiled alive. That they hadn't suffered from heat stroke by now was a testament to their good physical health.
"Uncle Wang, you're also going to war, you're sixty this year, right?"
"Sixty-three, yeah, doesn't look like it, does it, haha. By the way, Xiao Mao, didn't you break your arm last month, how can you still serve as an archer?"
"Hush, keep your voice low, it's a thousand of us against a few bandits this time, it doesn't matter if I'm there or not."
...
...
Han Xuanzhi looked on at this scene with satisfaction. At this moment, he felt as if he wasn't alone in this fight. The spirits of the great generals in the history of the Empire, like Chen Xuanzhi, Li Changgeng, and Zhong Meili, seemed to have taken possession of him. His journey to becoming a legendary general was to start today.
"Father, was your glory thirty years ago? As for me, my moment of glory is now."
Suddenly, Han Xuanzhi placed his sword scabbard on a soldier's shoulder, asking, "Are you happy?"
"Happy?" The soldier puffed out his chest.
"I am happy for you too. In ancient times, famous generals would choose someone to pay respects to the ceremonial flag before setting off for a fight, and you are the one I have chosen." Han Xuanzhi unsheathed his sword.
"Young Lord... you... you are messing with me..."
"Messing with you!" Han Xuanzhi's eyes glinted sharp as a blade, "There's no room for jokes in military matters. How can I be messing with you?"
"Rest in peace. From today onward, your family's honor will forever be linked with my name." With that, he swung his sword hard at the soldier's neck.
"Glory... to hell with you..." The soldier fell into his own pool of blood, his eyes wide open and unblinking in death.
Han Xuanzhi held his head high, and with a mighty sweep of his bloody longsword, he shouted, "Move out!"
A chill ran through the crowd. Looking at Han Xuanzhi's exaggerated figure, they all thought the same thing.
"This guy... is an idiot."