Chapter 163 The Surprise Attack on Changting Pass: Our Men Arrived a Step Too Late
Jiangling is located in a region with a relatively warm climate in the Jianghuai area.
Its terrain is crisscrossed by waterways, surrounded by rolling hills. Most of the nearby mountains are gentle and the terrain is not particularly steep. For ordinary people, going up the mountain to cut bamboo for timber is not a strenuous task.
Led by a local master who was familiar with the location of the bamboo forest, Yu Nie and his group arrived at a dense bamboo forest.
Stepping into the bamboo grove, she grabbed onto one of the bamboo stalks, shook it a couple of times to feel its hardness, and then had someone cut off a small branch with a knife, bending it back and forth to test its resilience.
She also paid exceptionally close attention to the length of the bamboo segments.
Everyone else waited quietly by her side until she found a suitable bamboo.
After a while, she stopped and looked up at a particularly tall bamboo.
“This is the kind of bamboo.” She shook the bamboo with her hand and said to the craftsmen, “What I need is moso bamboo with a similar texture. Use this as a reference, and everyone can find bamboo like this.”
A dozen or so craftsmen gathered around the bamboo she had chosen, touching and examining it.
By copying a cat, you can easily get things done once you have a sample.
With this information in mind, the craftsmen soon scattered throughout the bamboo forest and began searching for and cutting bamboo.
The sounds of axes and hatchets rose one after another as bamboo, its branches trimmed, was neatly bundled and transported to Leiyaofang cart after cart.
Yu Nie was also busy, helping out in small ways.
Plans never keep up with changes. Gu Xiangzhi, who originally planned to go up the mountain with Xie Cheng, had to leave because Xie Cheng received military orders. Lei Yaofang could not find a reliable person in charge for a while. In addition, when the carts loaded with bamboo were transported back from the mountain, someone needed to supervise and direct the unloading and placement. So he had no choice but to stay and take on this unexpected task.
With him in charge of everything from the rear, she felt at ease.
With the great battle underway, they cannot afford any further negligence.
Huan Xun also received military affairs that required immediate attention, so he had to abandon his original plan to go up the mountain to help, and returned to the general's mansion with Xie Cheng.
Currently, only Yu Nie is leading the artisans from the medicine shop to work on the mountain, which is not a big deal for her.
As the sunlight shifted westward, bundles of bamboo were carried down the mountain.
Under Gu Xiangzhi's command, Leiyaofang was simultaneously and methodically receiving and arranging the raw materials for making firearms.
In the workshop's courtyard, he had prepared all the tools for making firearms according to the list she had given him.
As dusk fell and the bamboo was almost completely cut down, Yu Nie returned to the workshop.
As if racing against time, she didn't stop and began to gather the selected craftsmen, teaching them how to process bamboo and how to make bamboo fire bombs and bamboo rockets.
She picked up a piece of processed bamboo and faced the selected craftsmen, whose eyes were filled with curiosity and confusion.
“Look carefully, everyone.” Her expression was serious and gentle, not like a sixteen-year-old girl, but a teacher: “What I am going to teach is not ordinary bamboo tools, but firearms that can open up mountains and widen roads, and injure countless people.”
She first explained in detail the various dangers that might be encountered during the process of making firearms. If one is not careful, the bamboo will burst and the gunpowder will ignite prematurely, which could injure one's hands and feet or even endanger one's life.
She also taught everyone how to prevent such incidents from happening, carefully reminding them multiple times that safety should always be the top priority.
These craftsmen were all meticulous people; they listened with serious expressions, and none of them gave a perfunctory answer.
It is evident that Xie Cheng is indeed reliable in handling affairs.
Only after confirming that everyone was aware of the risks did Yu Nie begin the production process, demonstrating step by step how to load the gunpowder, how much gunpowder to use, and how to embed the fuse.
She demonstrated and explained as she went, and the craftsmen held their breath, all of them showing excitement.
The processes of purifying saltpeter, refining sulfur, humidifying charcoal, and extracting alcohol, along with the formulation and proportioning, are extremely complex, and no mistake can be made in any of them.
After much deliberation, she decided to break down the process, assigning a specific person to each step and personally teaching them. This avoided confusion and allowed the craftsmen to focus on mastering their own tasks, reducing the likelihood of errors.
As for loading gunpowder into the bamboo tube, that was relatively simple and easy.
After the demonstration, she began to let the craftsmen try it out themselves.
It was everyone's first time encountering this strange contraption, and although they were a little nervous, they got to use it and, after about half an hour, they were able to make it look quite decent.
While the artisans of the Yuni Sect were making firearms, a similar scene of intense activity was taking place in the workshop not far from them.
The sound of hammers striking the ground was incessant. Several temporary stoves had been erected and were basically complete. Further inside, several craftsmen were working together to install distillation equipment.
Everything needed was produced according to her requirements on the blueprints, one step at a time, to form a true assembly line.
Shouts, the rustling of moving timber, and the occasional small popping sound of testing the fire—everywhere was bustling with people, busy but not chaotic.
Everyone worked tirelessly to finish building the Lei Medicine Workshop as soon as possible, hoping to end the war quickly and bring back those who had gone to the battlefield.
After five or six days of learning and practice, most of the craftsmen have become very familiar with the process.
Although some people encountered particularly difficult problems during this period, Yu Nie would patiently analyze and explain until the other party could do it completely.
Hard work pays off. With her meticulous guidance, outstanding craftsmen have emerged in the past few days.
The bamboo rockets produced by these individuals were not only of standard design, but also, apart from a few minor mishaps, were almost always successful in their explosion tests.
In any case, her efforts were not in vain; the matter had yielded some results.
But just as Yu Nie was engrossed in the workshop, overseeing the production of firearms, the battle situation at the front did not stagnate because of the tranquility here; instead, it underwent a dramatic change.
After Huan Xun led his elite troops to capture three key passes in Nan Yin, the Nan Yin army was intimidated by this fierce offensive and remained inactive.
After a day of silence, Nan Yin suddenly launched a massive attack from the left flank, with banners obscuring the sun. Xiao Daozun ordered his generals to mobilize no less than 150,000 troops to directly attack the weakest left flank of Beiye's defenses.
The Beiye Left Route force consisted of only 50,000 troops, scattered across various positions, each with its own stronghold to defend. The remaining main force was deployed to the crucial central and right flanks and could not be easily moved.
Faced with such a perilous situation, Huan Xun has been preoccupied day and night, focusing all his efforts on troop deployment and defense to counter the offensive from Nan Yin.
While dealing with the sudden mobilization of 200,000 troops by the Southern Yin to launch a fierce attack on the left flank, Huan Xun was troubled by a heavy question.
The art of war often follows geographical and strategic principles.
Historically, the main route for conquering the north from the south has been to break through Wangxiang in the middle and head west to Jinlun. The left flank is characterized by a dense network of rivers and crisscrossing hills, which is not conducive to the deployment of troops and makes it difficult to strike directly into the heart of Beiye.
Although Xiao Daozun's military tactics were cunning, such a pointless move was not something a general should do.
His decision to deploy 200,000 elite troops to attack the left flank is contrary to common military principles.
Huan Xun was not the only one with this question; Guan Zheng, a veteran of many battles, also had the same question.
Who would have thought that today would finally provide an answer to the question in Huan Xun's heart.
At dawn, a battle report arrived, saying that Xiao Dao had ordered his top general, Ge Fei, to lead his elite cavalry on a long-distance raid towards Changting Pass.
Upon receiving the battle report, Huan Xun immediately understood that Xiao Daozun's true purpose was not to break through the left flank defense, but to carry out a conspiracy.
This conspiracy is very likely a test of him.
From the battle report, he learned that Ge Feijin had not even bothered to cover himself and had openly exposed his marching route. He was even more certain that Xiao Daozun might be using whether or not he would come to the rescue of Changting Pass as a litmus test to probe the strength of Beiye's troops.
If he could spare troops to rescue a non-strategic location under immense pressure on the left flank, it would indicate that Beiye still had a surplus of troops; otherwise, it would prove that 200,000 was the limit.
Having guessed Xiao Daozun's intentions, Huan Xun had no choice but to secretly withdraw the garrison of a key camp from the front line to rush to the rescue in order to gather the troops needed to relieve Changting Pass.
But he was still a step too late.
After the city fell, Ge Fei ordered a massacre, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of border residents.
This horrific act turned his morning speculation into certainty.
Unaware of all this, Yu Nie, having finished his business at Leiyaofang, returned to the General's Mansion, travel-worn and weary.
The production of firearms has been going smoothly these past few days, and she looks cheerful and happy, not feeling tired even after a busy day.
As night fell, the lights under the covered walkways inside the mansion were gradually lit up.
Upon returning, Yu Nie walked towards the main hall as usual, imagining sharing the day's progress with Huan Xun.
Upon entering the main hall, she found it brightly lit, yet quieter than usual.
Only Xie Cheng and two advisors were gathered around the sand table.
Upon seeing her enter, the councilors tacitly fell silent.
"Madam Rong is back." Xie Cheng turned around, his usual cheerful smile gone, replaced by a worried expression.
Yu Nie glanced behind him but didn't see the person she wanted to see, so she asked, "Guard Xie, where is your general?"
Xie Cheng replied: "The general is in the study, discussing important matters with Guan Jianjun."
Huan Xun was in his study, and she planned to go find him.
"Alright, you all go about your business, I won't disturb you any longer. I'm going to the study," she said, and then she walked briskly toward the study.
"Madam Rong!" Xie Cheng hurriedly called out to her, his tone unusually urgent.
Yu Nie stopped and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Xie Cheng stepped forward, his throat tightening, and said, "Madam Rong, perhaps it's best not to go now. The General... he probably doesn't want to see anyone right now."
Why?
Huan Xun always reported good news to her but never bad news about what was happening on the battlefield, so she was unaware of the recent developments on the battlefield.
Upon hearing this, Xie Cheng's expression turned grave, his eyes filled with a pain she had never seen before, mixed with a burning anger.
He opened his mouth, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out four words.
"It's Changting Pass."
"Changting Pass? Where is this?"
Yu Nie was not familiar with the geography of Beiye, so she naturally did not know its exact location or its military strategic significance.
Suddenly, Xie Cheng's features were filled with resentment, and his voice was hoarse: "It's all that beast Ge Feijin's fault. After breaking through the barrier, he... he actually ordered the massacre of the city!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Nie froze instantly, his blood running cold.
"What...what did you say? What massacre?"
Xie Cheng turned his face away, his shoulders heaving violently, and when he turned back to look at her, his eyes were red.
"Xiao Daozun sent troops to launch a surprise attack on Changting Pass in order to test our strength. Our men arrived a step too late, just one step too late..."
His voice trembled with tears: "The Southern Yin people were carrying out a massacre at Changting Pass, sparing not even ordinary civilians. When our troops arrived, they found the river outside Changting Pass stained red, and the corpses piled up like mountains..."
Xie Cheng was still talking, but the hellish scene had instantly swallowed Yu Nie's breath.
She felt a chill strong enough to freeze a person to death rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and she remained completely still.
"Princess? Princess!" Cuiwei's worried voice seemed to come from a great distance: "What...what's wrong?"
Yu Nie suddenly came to his senses, his face turning deathly pale.
She didn't care about anything else and turned to run wildly towards the study.
Her skirt caught her in the road, so she simply lifted it up with her hand.
"Princess! Please slow down!" Cuiwei's anxious cries were ignored by her.
She ran until the closed study door came into view. She stopped, braced herself against the doorframe, breathless, her chest heaving.
Huan Xun and Guan Zheng heard the noise and turned to look at the door.
The moment he saw her, he didn't even need her to say a word.
With just one glance, he understood that she already knew about the tragedy at Changting Pass.
His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something.
But all I heard was her firm statement: "Xiao Daozun, Xiao Daozun must pay the price!"
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