Chapter 104 Know Yourself and Know Your Enemy
"Only a few hundred people actually possess such powerful weapons. Who created them?"
Inside the tent, the Western Rong general Sumonai weighed the crossbow in his hand.
The crossbow bolt had been plucked from the shield. The iron shaft felt cold, smooth, and heavy. Even the most skilled blacksmiths in Xirong couldn't create such craftsmanship, he thought.
On his side, the first charge resulted in nearly three hundred casualties. The remaining survivors, terrified by the crossbows, retreated hastily. Unconvinced, he sent another thousand-man charge. He believed he couldn't overcome them simply by relying on sheer numbers.
As a result, after the enemy launched two hundred repeating crossbows, another two hundred came to fill the gap, and the crossbow arrows were like a torrential rain. However, the arrows fired by their side caused almost no damage to the enemy.
More than half of the thousand-man team was lost again, and he had to temporarily stop the attack.
This small army was truly bizarre, lacking any banners yet possessing powerful weapons. Nearly a thousand of their own men were killed or wounded, and they hadn't even figured out who the enemy general was.
I guess the enemy general is the Master Pei that Xiu Muye mentioned. He should not be underestimated.
"General, the enemy's crossbows are extremely powerful. A head-on charge is not an option," Xiu Muye, standing nearby, suggested as he saw Sumonai deep in thought while holding the crossbow. "We can use a clever strategy to defeat them."
After his vanguard Danmu died of eye disease, he led the remaining soldiers back to his team overnight and reported what happened to the general Sumonai of the Ten Thousand Army.
Everyone knew Dan's eye disease was his own fault. Sumonai simply scolded him and left it at that. But he still insisted on following the team to Langya Pass.
The man known as Master Pei killed his son, then defeated and humiliated him.
This hatred could not be resolved until the Langya Pass was breached and the entire Xiaogang Village was massacred.
Sumonai placed the crossbow on the table, stared at him, and said, "We've already lost nearly a thousand men. Do you have any good plans?"
"The enemy only has four hundred men. Their only hope in defeating the enemy with fewer men is the repeating crossbow. We can wait until the third watch, when they are most exhausted, and then send four thousand soldiers, divided into two groups, without torches, to encircle them from where they can't see..."
Xiu Muye raised his right hand and made a chopping gesture in the air.
…
"No way," Shen Yuexi bit her chopsticks and blinked her bright eyes at Xiao Zhuo who was sitting next to her, "Is my husband too suspicious?"
That morning, the crossbows had been deployed with such force that the Western Rong soldiers were thrown to the ground and retreated in panic, leaving no casualties on their side. She was so happy that she even ate an extra bowl of lunch.
Everyone was jubilant, except Xiao Zhuo, who seemed worried. He said that the Western Rong people had returned to the camp and refused to leave, which might mean there was something wrong.
Meng Yue, who was sitting at the bottom, disagreed and said vaguely while eating:
"My lord, the lady is right. In my opinion, they were frightened by the crossbows."
"That's right, it's amazing," Qiu Liming, who was sitting across from Meng Yue, said as he placed a piece of meat in his bowl. "Madam, you're able to create a weapon like a repeating crossbow. I really admire you."
Song Zhen put down his spoon and said, "I've read 'Tales of the Craftsmen of Heaven' before, but I don't understand it as thoroughly as you do, Madam."
Shen Yuexi smiled awkwardly and lowered her head to eat.
She knew in her heart that it was thanks to the universal manufacturing machine. She was a little embarrassed to face the praise from everyone.
But in the eyes of everyone in the tent, the lord and his wife blushed just because they were thin-skinned.
In ancient times, when hierarchy was clearly defined, women were rarely allowed to participate in military campaigns, let alone eat with the generals. Yet, Shen Yuexi managed to do just that. It wasn't because she was Xiao Zhuo's wife, but because of her abilities.
Now all the generals under Xiao Zhuo are convinced by her.
Xiao Zhuo put down his chopsticks and slowly wiped the corner of his mouth with his handkerchief. "The Western Rong people returned to the camp and have not deployed their troops. They are indeed afraid of the power of the repeating crossbow. So what is the weakness of the repeating crossbow?"
"In the evening." Song Zhen, who had the most flexible mind, was the first to respond. "My Lord, I understand."
Shen Yuexi then understood.
No wonder the Xirong are staying in camp and not coming out. They are waiting for dark.
Late at night, they took advantage of poor visibility and stalked in the dark. Once they were close, even if they discovered them, it would be too late. After all, the enemy's forces were already there.
"Then...what should we do?" She was a little at a loss.
The enemy was right across from her, and she knew they were going to launch a surprise attack at night, but she didn't know how to stop them.
Meng Yue and Qiu Liming stared at each other, their bowls in hand, their eyes wide open, their words at a loss for words. They could fight, but as for using their brains, they declined.
"Everyone, don't panic. Eat your fill first." Seeing everyone's nervous expressions, Xiao Zhuo picked up the bowl with ease. "Eat your fill and then go to sleep. Regain your energy and prepare for the next battle."
Song Zhen's eyes lit up and he smiled as he reached out his chopsticks to pick up some food.
Seeing Song Zhen's expression, Meng Yue leaned over and nudged Qiu Liming with his elbow. "See? The lord has a plan, and the military advisor understands it. Don't worry. Let's eat."
Qiu Liming also picked up the bowl and said, "I'll just follow your orders, my lord."
The sound of dishes and chopsticks began to clatter in the tent again.
Seeing that no one asked about Xiao Zhuo, Shen Yuexi was too embarrassed to ask. She endured it until after dinner, when she went to the back tent with Xiao Zhuo and found that he had actually lay down on the bed to sleep. Only then did she become anxious.
"Husband, don't sleep anymore," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking Xiao Zhuo's shoulders vigorously with both hands. "What if the Xirong people rush over?"
In order to fight against the Western Rong, Xiao Zhuo moved the camp directly to the Langya Pass.
Being so close to the Xirong people, it was hard not to be worried. However, this commander was too careless. There were 9,000 soldiers on the other side, ready to pounce and devour them at any time, but he wanted to sleep.
Xiao Zhuo turned over and faced her with his back: "If I don't sleep, how can I have the energy to fight?"
"What about the Xirong army?"
"Don't worry, since they decided to attack at night, they won't make any moves during the day, which will give everyone a good chance to sleep."
"is that so?"
Shen Yuexi looked up at the tent ceiling, thinking for a long time, but couldn't figure out the logic. When she looked down at Xiao Zhuo again, he was actually asleep.
With no other options, she had to get on the bed with her clothes on. She lay down next to Xiao Zhuo. Since Xiao Zhuo dared to sleep with her, why shouldn't she?
It's time to relax your nerves that have been tense for a long time.
She slept until midnight.
When I habitually wanted to hug Xiao Zhuo, I found nothing.
Huh?
Shen Yuexi sat up suddenly and rubbed her eyes. Where did Xiao Zhuo go?
She jumped out of bed, straightened her clothes, and then walked out of the tent. She saw that everything around her was pitch black, and the moon was obscured by thick clouds. Only then did she realize that she had slept the entire afternoon.
Oh no, I’ve slept for so long, could the Xirong people have already launched a sneak attack?
"Madam." The two guards at the entrance of the tent saluted.
"Where is your lord?"
"In the commander's tent, he specifically instructed us not to wake you."
This is nonsense. Why don't you wake her up?
Shen Yuexi immediately ran towards the commander's tent at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.
When he ran to the general's tent, apart from the two guards at the door, there was only Song Zhen in the brightly lit tent, standing in front of the map, deep in thought.
"Military advisor, where is your lord? Where have the other generals gone?" Shen Yuexi rushed into the general's tent and asked.
Song Zhen turned around, waving his feather fan and said, "My lord and his men have just set out."
"Leaving? Where are we going at this hour of night?" Chen Yuexi was completely bewildered. "What time is it now?"
"The first watch just ended." Song Zhen smiled slightly. "If you feel sleepy, you can go back to sleep. If you are bored, I can play a game of chess with you to relieve your boredom."
"Don't talk nonsense. Where did your lord go?"
"Steal the camp."
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