Chapter 159
At the break of dawn the next day, the barbarian army outside the pass had already completed their formation.
Great General Wei hadn’t slept all night, anxiously watching the craftsmen fiddle with the trebuchets. Old Huang, unable to stay awake any longer, dozed off in a reclining chair nearby. He didn’t interfere much, leaving the craftsmen to their work.
Great General Wei was growing increasingly impatient. Old Huang had promised yesterday that they would have it ready overnight. But now? Aside from a pile of wooden and iron parts scattered on the ground, there wasn’t even a rough outline of the trebuchet.
The enemy was on the verge of launching their attack, yet these people were still calmly measuring and marking with rulers. Some were jotting things down on paper, while others whispered among themselves, discussing something.
Unable to hold back any longer, Great General Wei hesitated to disturb the busy craftsmen, so he strode over to Old Huang in just a few steps. “Old Huang, the barbarians are almost ready to attack! And your trebuchet—why isn’t there even a shadow of it yet?” If he had known things would turn out like this, he would have stood his ground and never allowed them to dismantle the old ones.
Old Huang wasn’t truly asleep; he had merely closed his eyes to rest. Now, he waved a hand dismissively. “Why the rush? Isn’t that pile on the ground enough for you?”
Great General Wei looked at the scattered wooden beams and iron parts—they had absolutely nothing to do with a trebuchet! His face darkened, but he didn’t want to argue with Old Huang. The old man simply shook his head, stretched lazily, and then beckoned a craftsman over. “Why isn’t it ready yet? The timing isn’t acceptable. Such a simple thing, and you’re taking this long? When we return, I’ll be docking your points.”
The craftsman chuckled sheepishly. “Two of our apprentices misread the symbols, so we had to double-check and correct everything. But now, all calculations are accurate, and we can start assembling immediately.”
Old Huang nodded. “Alright, I’ll give you half an hour. That should be enough time to put together a few trebuchets, right?”
“Of course!” the craftsman responded without hesitation.
Old Huang turned to Great General Wei. “You heard that? Half an hour.”
Great General Wei did hear it, but expecting a fully assembled trebuchet in half an hour just seemed unrealistic. Still, he could wait—so long as they didn’t mess up the battle. He was curious to see how they would pull it off.
The craftsman quickly relayed instructions to the others. They nodded and immediately got to work, dividing the tasks efficiently. One by one, they pieced together the scattered wood and iron parts. Before long, a brand-new trebuchet took shape under their hands.
As Great General Wei watched, his astonishment grew. In less than an hour, five fully assembled catapults stood before them.
It was actually quite simple—just like an assembly line. The components were pre-made, identical in design, allowing for quick and easy assembly. Not only did this save time and effort, but it also made transportation more convenient.
Unable to resist, Great General Wei stepped forward and ran his hand over the newly assembled catapults. These were even larger than the old models. Though their appearance hadn’t changed much, there were some new intricate mechanisms.
Old Huang strolled over at a leisurely pace, inspecting each one carefully before nodding. “Not bad.”
Then he turned to Great General Wei. “These are the improved models. They have sights for aiming and special trigger mechanisms. Call the trebuchet operators over—we’ll have our men demonstrate the process for them. Once they watch a few times, they’ll get the hang of it.”
Great General Wei didn’t fully understand terms like “sights” and “trigger mechanisms,” but he trusted Old Huang’s words and immediately summoned the trebuchet operators.
The craftsmen explained to them in detail how the new models differed from the old ones, breaking down each component’s function.
In summary, the new trebuchets had a longer range and could be aimed with precision. That meant they could strike specific targets accurately, simply by adjusting the trigger mechanism. The most significant improvement was that the old models required multiple people to operate, whereas these could be handled by just one or two people with ease.
The surrounding soldiers were eager to see the results. Meanwhile, outside the pass, the barbarian war drums began to thunder, signaling the start of their assault. The Great Yan soldiers started preparing for battle.
Concerned for Old Huang’s safety, Great General Wei wanted to have him escorted back, but the old man shook his head, insisting on staying.
Seeing no way to convince him, Great General Wei stationed extra guards for protection, but Old Huang waved them away and walked straight to the trebuchets. Some craftsmen had even taken out paper and brushes to record data.
A large round stone was placed onto the trebuchet. The operator adjusted his aim and fired. The massive rock arced through the air and crashed into the enemy ranks. But it didn’t stop there—propelled by momentum, it rolled a long distance, crushing those who couldn’t dodge in time.
The results were far better than before. Seeing the devastation, Great General Wei’s face lit up with joy. With these, their chances of holding the pass had greatly improved.
Wang Ye had entrusted the border defenses to him because of his faith in him. He absolutely could not let Wang Ye down. He was still waiting for Wang Ye’s return—hopefully bringing good news.
After several rounds of bombardment, the enemy’s assault slowed. In military strategy, there was a saying: “The first strike is strong, the second weakens, and the third collapses.” With the enemy’s momentum diminishing, while their own forces grew in confidence, the Great Yan soldiers became even more motivated, their arrows flying with greater force.
Old Huang observed for a while, nodding in satisfaction. Though they had tested the trebuchets in a controlled environment before, witnessing their effectiveness on an actual battlefield was an entirely different experience.
His eyes gleamed as he turned to the black iron spheres they had brought along. Rubbing his hands together excitedly, his beard twitched as he gestured animatedly to his team.
This was the real reason they had come. Now that the trebuchets were performing well, this was the perfect time to test their new, large-scale explosive projectiles.
Great General Wei had been curious about these from the beginning, but now was not the time to question it. They had agreed beforehand—whatever experiments the craftsmen wanted to conduct, he was not to interfere. So, he could only let Old Huang and his team proceed with their mysterious preparations.
The thunderclap bombs replaced the round stones and were carefully placed onto the trebuchet. The record-keepers observed cautiously, noting down the data with great care. Old Huang was visibly tense, and the craftsmen of the workshop all held their breath, their expressions solemn.
“Light the fuse!” Old Huang commanded. Someone immediately ignited the fuse, and with a wave of his hand, the trebuchet operator triggered the mechanism. Just like the round stones earlier, the thunderclap bomb soared high into the air before landing. With a deafening boom, flames erupted. Everyone was stunned—what kind of monstrous weapon was this?
As the smoke and dust gradually settled, the charred remains of the thunderclap bomb were nowhere to be seen. In its place was a massive crater, as if a gaping wound had been torn through the murky, fog-filled enemy camp. No signs of life remained, only scorched earth and rising smoke.
Tuoba Ren’s face darkened as he stared at the scene before him. It reminded him of that mysterious weapon Ming Yu had used back in the Western Qi Mountains. However, this one was far more powerful—its destructive range was wider, and its impact was even more devastating.
The soldiers’ agonized screams and wails filled the air. Many stood frozen in terror.
“Wang Ye, sound the retreat at once! We must withdraw and discuss a new strategy,” Song Lian urged, his heart equally shaken.
Tuoba Ren’s fingers trembled. As much as he loathed the idea, he had no choice but to issue the order to pull back and reorganize.
Just yesterday, hope had seemed within reach—yet today, it had been mercilessly shattered. What exactly was this weapon? How had the Great Yan acquired it? And how many of them did they possess? These questions churned in Tuoba Ren’s mind. No, he could not accept defeat. He refused to be vanquished so easily, without even understanding how it had happened.
The enemy forces retreated like a receding tide, prompting victorious cheers from the soldiers atop Shi Chongguan.
“Great Yan is mighty! Great Yan is mighty!”
Great General Wei snapped out of his daze. If it weren’t for the fact that he had to maintain the dignity of a Great Yan general, he would have been jumping and cheering like a child.
“This is incredible! The thunderclap bombs are absolutely incredible! With them, why should we fear the enemy? Hahaha!”
Old Huang, still supervising the record-keeping, finally looked up at these words. Casting a cool glance at Great General Wei, he doused his excitement with a dose of reality.
“Don’t celebrate too soon. We barely managed to produce a handful of these. Do you think they’re as common as cabbages on the streets? You think they’re easy to manufacture?”
Great General Wei’s enthusiasm instantly deflated. He stared at the few remaining thunderclap bombs—he could count them on one hand. His soaring spirits came crashing down, and there was no picking them back up.
With a bitter expression, he turned to Old Huang. “Old Huang, can’t you make more of them?”
Old Huang shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Setting aside the intricate craftsmanship, just gathering the necessary materials is already a huge challenge.”
At this, Great General Wei fell silent. It seemed they would have to use them sparingly.
With today’s test proving successful, Old Huang was finally satisfied. He gathered his belongings and led the workshop craftsmen away. Though Great General Wei remained somewhat frustrated by the limited supply of thunderclap bombs, the sight of the improved catapult left behind gave him some consolation.
Meanwhile, inside the enemy’s war tent, Tuoba Ren paced back and forth. The scale of today’s casualties had been far beyond his expectations.
He remained silent, his expression grave. No one dared to speak, not even daring to breathe too loudly—except for Song Lian, who suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.
Tuoba Ren turned his icy gaze toward him. “Mr. Song, do you have something to say?”
Song Lian adjusted his robes leisurely and flicked his sleeves. “Why should Wang Ye trouble himself over this? In my opinion, it’s hardly worth worrying about.”
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying you have a way to counter this weapon?” Before Tuoba Ren could respond, Chacha Qi interjected sharply.
Chacha Qi was still seething with frustration. That thunderous weapon had cost him an entire battalion. In the past, the enemy’s explosives had been weaker, their damage limited. But now, this new version could wipe out an entire area in one go. If such bombs were hurled across the battlefield again and again, how many of their fifty thousand soldiers would be left standing?
Song Lian shook his head. “There may not be a direct countermeasure at the moment, but we can find ways to mitigate the damage. Besides, I believe they don’t have an abundant supply of these weapons.”
Tuoba Ren’s interest was piqued. “What makes you say that?”
“Wang Ye, think about it. We’ve fought against them for so long, yet they never used this weapon before. Today, they tested it for the first time—this suggests that they are still experimenting with it.”
Tuoba Ren furrowed his brows but said nothing, clasping his hands behind his back in deep thought.
Chacha Qi hesitated, then spoke uncertainly. “Who knows how many of these cursed weapons they have? Even if they don’t have many, just one or two per day would still devastate our troops.”
Song Lian smiled slightly. “That’s why we need to devise ways to avoid them. If we can find methods to minimize their effectiveness, then even if they possess these powerful weapons, they won’t be able to do much damage.”
Tuoba Ren coughed lightly before speaking in a low voice. “How do you propose we defend against them?”
“From what we know about their previous explosives, this new version is just a larger and more powerful iteration. But the fundamental principle remains the same. Its damage radius is only so large—if our troops spread out, we can significantly reduce the number of casualties.”
Song Lian’s explanation was clear and methodical, and the others quickly grasped the logic.
Tuoba Ren nodded, his eyes flickering with a dark glint. “That’s what we’ll do. Tomorrow, we attack again. I want to see just how many of these bombs they have left. Also, General Chacha Qi, go round up the borderland civilians. When we launch our assault, we’ll send them to the front to absorb the brunt of the damage. That will reduce our own losses.”
Chacha Qi’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. Clapping his hands, he laughed. “Yes! Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll take care of it immediately.”
Song Lian’s face showed a trace of reluctance. He opened his mouth slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
The borderland civilians consisted of both Han and non-Han people, but the majority were Han. Tuoba Ren’s order meant that these people were to be used as human shields, nothing more than cannon fodder.
But what right did he have to pity them? He, too, had suffered through a life of hardship and misfortune. What made their fates any different from his own?
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Thank You for the new chapter ( ꈍᴗꈍ)💕