Liu Guan did not know what the Kangguo army was planning to do.
Several guesses began to form in my mind.
deterrence?
Harassment?
Or is it intimidation?
None of these look like it.
The Kang Kingdom's troops were extremely far from Shexing Pass. If Kang Kingdom truly intended to make a move, they wouldn't have alerted the enemy by making such a large-scale display from so far away, acting as if they were afraid the enemy wouldn't notice. "What are these people up to?"
Liu Guan Ning's eyes enhanced his vision by focusing his literary energy into them.
Trying to figure out what this group of people's intentions are.
"Report—"
A soldier soon brought a message.
Liu Guan said, "Speak, what is it?"
The soldier's expression still held a trace of lingering panic—the fear of natural disasters was ingrained in the souls of people in this world, and even though the messenger soldier was a brave and courageous warrior, his legs still felt weak.
The soldier said, "Kunzhou troops have appeared behind us."
Liu Guan rushed over.
She also saw the smoke and waves stretching as far as the eye could see on the horizon, initially just a small section, but quickly expanding in both directions at a visible speed. She knew that such a large-scale operation required a considerable amount of manpower, and the Kang Kingdom camp must have some purpose in doing so. Taking a deep breath, she secretly dispatched several scout teams to investigate and see what their plans were.
Before long, several birds took flight.
Below, Bai Su, who was guarding the construction team, seemed to sense something.
He placed his right hand in front of his eyebrows as a sunshade and squinted to examine the surroundings closely.
He chuckled and said, "Oh, the scouts from the Northern Desert have arrived."
She sat atop a giant excavator, her chest bandaged, one sleeve tucked into her waistband, half her arm bare. Her bare shoulder was adorned with ferocious beast patterns that extended down to just below her collarbone, a sword hanging at her waist, a stark contrast to her aloof demeanor. Below her, the Ink Master was intently focused on operating the machine. Bai Su raised her hand, conjuring a heavy bow nearly as tall as a person.
The fingers lightly plucked the bowstring.
A snow-white arrow took shape instantly.
Today was mostly cloudy, with thick, low-lying clouds. The scout's valiant totem could easily conceal its tracks under the cover of clouds as it cautiously approached the construction team. As it drew nearer above the team, the scout held its breath, trying to use the totem's vision to discern what was happening below. However, the heavy dust and smoke obstructed its view, forcing it to lower its altitude slightly.
Suddenly, a point of white light rapidly magnified before my eyes.
Before the Warrior Totem could react, it was shot in the eye.
"Ahhh—eyes, eyes—my eyes—" The Northern Desert scout covered his eyes and let out a shrill scream.
The Courage Totem, its eye pierced by an arrow, crashed to the ground in a loss of control.
It began to dissipate when it was still a hundred feet above the ground.
When it landed, only one tail feather remained.
Bai Su clicked her tongue and said, "What a pity, it's not a live bird."
If this fierce bird isn't a mythical creature but a real bird, then every part of it is valuable. It's delicious roasted, and its bright feathers are beautiful for making hat ornaments. Whether you encounter it during an autumn hunt depends entirely on luck; if you're unlucky, you might wait for three to five days without seeing a trace.
The Warrior's Totem is a complete scam.
A ripple appeared in the air, and Bai Su's ears twitched slightly.
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes: "Here we go again."
Ordinary scouts are not difficult to train, but scouts compatible with this Martial Courage Totem are extremely rare, one in a million. Perhaps due to its unique geographical environment, the Northern Desert has a large number of elite scouts. These include those that fly and those that burrow on the ground. Bai Su attacked twice, drawing her bow and arrow, hitting her target every time, severely injuring two scouts. The Northern Desert side became even more vigilant, and the Martial Courage Totem dared not hover at low altitudes.
Bai Su sneered and turned to urge the soldiers below.
"Has no one eaten?"
"Make your movements bigger and work more efficiently."
"After all that fuss, this is all you've managed to do? Are you trying to make sure the enemy doesn't know what you're up to?"
Someone below was coughing, and occasionally spat out a few words.
It's obvious that he accidentally ate some sand.
The lieutenant squinted and shouted in Bai Su's direction.
"General, if it gets any bigger, even our own people won't be able to see it."
Everyone's mouths and noses were covered with cloths to filter the sand and dust.
They were all covered in dust and dirt, sweat pouring down their skin and leaving obvious streaks of mud. You could easily rub your fingers on it and make a huge ball of mud. Unfortunately, the deadline was set, and the workload was unprecedented.
The original plan was to have the literati use their spiritual powers to summon sandstorms, such as "Dark clouds, a gloomy moon, and a fierce sandstorm" or "A vast expanse of sandstorm shrouds the land," to maximize the shielding against enemy scouts and buy as much time as possible, so that our side wouldn't suffer too much. Ideally, the foundation should be laid before the enemy could react, so that even if the enemy gathered their forces to attack, there would be some buffer.
However, after some calculation, it wasn't worth it.
Word magic is something you get for every penny you pay for.
The better the effect and the larger the range, the greater the consumption!
The scope of the isolated island project clearly exceeds the limits of scholars. Rather than making things difficult for scholars with a literary mind, it would be better to seek self-reliance from within.
The sandstorm was so loud, it was all intentional.
Bai Su was about to say something when her eyes sharpened.
With a flash, he transformed into a dazzling stream of light, piercing through the thick sandstorm.
A loud bang.
The two swords crossed and sank into the rock.
Beneath the sword's edge lay a trembling rat, its fur blending seamlessly with the mud. This rat was exceptionally long and slender, with a thick, powerful tail and muscular limbs. It had barely emerged from the ground when Bai Su's two sword strikes severed its path. Its beady eyes met Bai Su's inanimate gaze, and its thick fur bristled.
Squeaking, it dared not turn its head and ran for its life.
"Squeak squeak squeak—"
The dusty shadow darted away a great distance in a flash.
Bai Su looked at the lower half of the rat's body, severed at the waist by the twin swords, and sneered. The rat's upper half, propelled by inertia, spurred a considerable distance. Realizing something was wrong, she felt a sharp pain in her waist. Before the Martial Courage Totem dissipated, she saw a trail of blood on the ground.
"What kind of coward dares to show his face?"
Bai Su pulled her twin swords from the mud and stepped on the dissipating half of the rat's body. Under the pressure of the external force, the rat's internal organs, wrapped in its skin, burst open with a "poof," dissipating into the energy of heaven and earth.
Zhang Liang devised a plan: a ladder over the wall.
Even with the strictest precautions, Bai Su and her team could not completely eliminate the scouts' surveillance in a short time. The Northern Desert lost more than a dozen scout teams and learned their lesson, so they dared not get too close. Even so, they still managed to gather some intelligence—in conclusion, Kangguo was digging a trap.
Liu Guan, who had been anxiously waiting, fell silent the moment he received the intelligence.
No wonder she remained silent.
I'm completely baffled by this move.
She looked at the ground beneath her feet several times.
Only after confirming that they were on the defending side rather than the attacking side did they continue to consider the purpose of Kang's actions—traps are generally used to interfere with the advance of chariots and hinder cavalry charges, and the defending side builds these defensive military structures.
The Kangguo camp, as the attacking side, set up traps. Not only did they send out a large number of men to dig them, but they also dug them so far away from Shexing Pass. Whose cavalry were they planning to use them to hinder?
To obstruct Kang's own chariots and cavalry?
The earth-shaking commotion continued.
Liu Guan pressed his throbbing temples.
Question: "How long, wide, and deep is the trap?"
Was Kangguo's camp digging a trap or something else?
The scout said, "It's 33 feet wide, 26 feet deep, and... they're still digging over there. I don't know how long they're going to dig."
Even though Liu Guan was mentally prepared—a large-scale operation that could cause a stir comparable to an earth dragon turning over must not be a small project—she was still startled by the number and exclaimed in astonishment, "Three zhang three inches wide and two zhang six inches deep, are they preparing to dig a moat?"
Even the moats in small towns aren't this big.
The scout hesitated, wanting to speak but then stopped.
This data is based on current monitoring.
Judging from the deployment of the Kangguo troops, they were clearly not satisfied with the current level of excavation and continued to dig deeper, wider, and longer. This was the case at the Shexing Pass outpost and also at the rear. The excavated soil was all transported elsewhere.
Yes, all the mud has been removed.
I don't know what we need this mud for.
Having confirmed that Kangguo had no intention of launching an attack, Liu Guan felt relieved and left the city wall, then presented the message to his lord, Tudege.
Tudege consulted his subordinates.
"What do you all think Kangguo is planning to do?"
Everyone shared Liu Guan's doubts. Why would the attacking side dig a trap from so far away? It couldn't possibly be preparation for attacking Shexing Pass. The general who issued this order must be out of his mind. What's needed for a siege is ladders, chariots, battering rams, and catapults.
This kind of useless trap is completely pointless.
They couldn't stop the boulders being thrown at them, nor could they stop the rain of arrows.
Before long, someone made a sarcastic remark: "Could it be that Kangguo lost Shexing Pass, and out of spite, simply dug up the soil and rubble to build a new fortification?"
Someone chimed in, "Haha, how long will this take to build?"
The three strategic passes blocking the southward advance of the Northern Desert were the result of the combined efforts of the northwestern kingdoms, who dispatched dozens of brave warriors to supervise the construction, employing two to three hundred thousand laborers over thirty years and two generations. For Kang Kingdom to come and build city defenses now is no different than realizing one's nose is already in one's mouth and one has to wipe it away. A burst of unrestrained laughter erupted in the hall.
Liu Guan immediately sensed that something was amiss.
"How long?" Her mind raced, seizing a fleeting thought, she quickly asked, "When did this commotion begin?"
How long has it been since the earth dragon turned over?
The laughter in the hall subsided a little.
Someone answered, "A little over an hour."
Liu Guan's face paled slightly, as if he had just thought of something: "How could a trap that is 33 feet wide and 26 feet deep be dug in just over an hour? Judging from the dust raised, the trap is also quite long. Even if thousands of laborers worked day and night, it would still take more than a month, optimistically speaking. A trap that is comparable in size to a city moat?"
You can't fool a blind man!
Whom can this trap be used to scheme against?
"What else could it be but a trap?"
At first, they looked down on this woman, regarding Liu Guan merely as a woman by Tudege's side, and a woman of slave origin at that—in other words, something that could be bought and sold with money. Later, they discovered that this woman was intelligent and ruthless.
Gradually, he curbed his frivolity and disdain.
Or rather, these emotions were well hidden.
"It can't be to block the supply of provisions, can it?"
They weren't unaware that Shen Tang would target their grain supplies. Warfare is all about logistics; whoever's supply line collapses first will be the first to give out. However, in their conventional thinking, Kang should send people to ambush and raid their grain transport troops. They believed that as long as they sent highly skilled and courageous martial artists to lead an elite force to escort the supplies, they could ensure the safety of their grain supply line to the greatest extent possible.
The key to war is to respond to each move as it comes.
After he finished speaking, the others burst into laughter.
Liu Guan replied earnestly, "That's not necessarily a bad thing."
The crowd laughed even harder.
Some people even started hiccuping from laughing so hard.
"Hahaha, they think they can cut off our supplies just by digging a circle? Do they even know how big Shexing Pass is? They've dug such a huge circle—" The man stretched out his hands and drew a huge circle, "Even hundreds of thousands of people couldn't dig it all!"
This guess is absolutely hilarious!
Tudege looked at the group of subordinates slapping their thighs and couldn't help but curl his lips. Liu Guan's words were truly a fantasy.
boom--
A thunderclap exploded.
The ground beneath my feet shook even more violently.
"Look, even God finds this absurd, and thunder responds in response."
"Several hundred thousand ordinary laborers might not be enough, but what about the brave warriors in the army?" Liu Guan had carefully studied the behavior of Shen Youli and her men, and he didn't know where Shen Youli had dug up so many crazy and unruly madmen.
Do what others dare not do, and think what others dare not think.
These people are capable of hollowing out the area around Shooting Star Pass!
The laughter in the hall stopped abruptly.
One by one, they stared blankly at Liu Guan.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
They had naturally heard rumors that in Kangguo, martial artists were not treated like royalty, and that most of the labor and hard work that could be done by corvée laborers were given to them. When they first heard about this, they thought Shen Youli was courting death; could a martial artist endure such humiliation?
I've been observing from the sidelines for several years.
The anticipated riots did not materialize.
The warriors of Kangguo are well-accepting of the current situation.
They couldn't understand it, and finally attributed the strangeness of the martial artist to the influence of Shen Youli's feudal lord methods. The fact that Shen, who had been on the throne for so many years, hadn't revealed these methods suggested that there was something fishy about them, which was why they were being kept hidden.
The smile on Tudege's face also froze.
How likely is that?
Liu Guan looked directly at De Ge without saying a word.
Tudego, however, saw the answer in her eyes.
He prepared for the worst: "How long would it take?"
Liu Guan estimated in his mind: "One to two weeks."
The Northern Desert general on one side turned cold, his large, copper-bell-shaped eyes flashing with murderous intent: "Ten or twenty days? Ha, that's too late! These useless Kangguo people think they can stop us? How laughable!"
"Let the soldiers rest for a day to recuperate and build up their strength. Tomorrow we'll charge out and take their heads to fill this ditch!"
Little did they know, the construction team included not only martial artists but also Mohists.
We must do both things well and not neglect either.
The excavation by a martial artist requires the expenditure of martial energy. Even with the blessing of military formation incantations, the body and mind still bear a considerable burden. Working in three shifts a day, they need to rest after every four hours of work.
The Mohists do not have these restrictions. The tools they create can be handed over to others to operate. They only need to be infused with a small amount of martial energy to exert terrifying effects, and they can work non-stop for twelve hours without getting tired.
Bei Qiu dared to make a military pledge to complete the project in five days, and it was not without reason. She had a solid foundation, which came from the book "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature)! The book on fine weapons recorded something called "firearms," and several simple drawings were attached to it.
While "universal love" and "non-aggression" are effective, they lack the most crucial destructive power. Without destructive power, it means that the Mohists cannot protect themselves like martial arts warriors and literary scholars.
Without military force, the Northern Chiu people always feel insecure.
Even though Yuanmou made promises to her several times, she remained uneasy.
Bei Qiu didn't doubt Yun Ce's promise, but the promise couldn't translate Yun Ce's confidence into her own. Bei Qiu had no choice but to find another way. She didn't believe that the Mohists' potential was limited to this.
Finally, she saw hope in "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature).
【firearm……】
[Red Barbarian Cannon...General...Second General?]
[A barrage of white text, landmines?]
[A River Dragon? A Warrior Against Ten Thousand?]
Bei Qiu was so engrossed in looking at the artifacts described in "Tiangong Kaiwu" that she lost track of time. She locked herself in the government office for months. During that time, she found the materials mentioned in "Tiangong Kaiwu" and made the Imperial Workshop explode with thunder every day.
To her regret, the power she discovered was far less than what was described in "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature." Even the power depicted in "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" was still a bit short of that of a martial artist with some skill, let alone those mid-to-high-level martial artists.
The key issue is that these things are still unstable.
Its power and range are limited.
Even Yun Ce, who was helping with the testing, was unusually sarcastic.
These little toys you made aren't very safe.
Bei Qiu gritted her teeth: 【…Don't underestimate us Mohists!】
Yun Ce looked at Bei Qiu, who suddenly seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, and didn't understand why her emotions were suddenly so high. He hadn't said anything.
Bei Qiu has gone into seclusion again.
They never leave the main gate, nor step outside the inner gate.
The official residence of the Directorate of Works was constantly struck by thunder, requiring repairs.
Yun Ce rarely gets a day off and wants to invite her out, but he can't find her.
When he saw people again, he almost couldn't recognize the dark-skinned man before him as Bei Qiu. His once smooth, jet-black hair was now only a small section, sticking up wildly, and he looked noticeably thinner. A group of Mohists were copying "Non-Aggression," attempting to physically persuade each other.
Bei Qiu is the most motivated among them.
"In Zhoukou, instead of building houses and plotting..." Yun Ce cautiously observed the other Mohists, and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he continued to persuade them, "Why not consult a great sage?"
Listen to what the professionals have to say.
The most professional person in the Mohist school was the Mohist Grand Master.
Bei Qiu went to the palace to find his lord overnight.
Shen Tang: [...]
Good heavens, that explains why the Imperial Workshop's office keeps reporting repairs. Turns out someone's been tinkering with this stuff inside. Luckily, the Imperial Workshop is big enough, otherwise the other departments would have impeached it to death.
Bei Qiu came to ask about this...
Although she holds the title of the Grand Master of the Mohist School, she is no match for Bei Qiu in terms of professional expertise. The firearms recorded in "Tiangong Kaiwu" were suitable for the previous human civilization, but now that the power of words prevails and utilizing the energy of heaven and earth is the mainstream, firearms are too inefficient.
Shen Tang stroked his chin: "Why not do as the Romans do?"
Bei Qiu asked, puzzled: "[Your Excellency, what does 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do' mean?"]
Shen Tang held up a scroll of notes on *Tiangong Kaiwu* (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature) copied by Bei Qiu: "[All gunpowder is primarily composed of malachite and sulfur, supplemented by wood ash. Malachite is extremely yin in nature, while sulfur is extremely yang. These two divine substances, yin and yang, meet in a space where there is no room for them to coexist… Malachite is primarily direct in nature; in direct impact, 9 parts malachite to 1 part sulfur. Sulfur is primarily horizontal in nature; in explosive impact, 7 parts malachite to 3 parts sulfur… All sulfur, when combined with malachite, produces the sound of gunpowder…]"
Bei Qiu had already memorized these contents perfectly.
Shen Tang: [Have you noticed anything wrong?]
Bei Qiu shook his head blankly: "No, I am foolish."
Shen Tang slapped his thigh: [That's why it's 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'! Do you see any martial arts master fighting with a sword they forged themselves? These swords are just for decoration; lower-ranking nobles and second-class elites might use them...]
Actually, the second-class superior craftsmanship is not needed.
No matter how good the weapons forged from iron are, they are not as handy and durable as those made from martial energy. Ordinary weapons, once taken to the battlefield, will become dull and pitted before the battle is even over, and are not durable. But weapons made from martial energy do not have these defects.
After Shen Tang finished speaking, Bei Qiu seemed to be deep in thought.
[...From small weapons to large siege engines, which one isn't formed from martial energy or morale? Similarly, the firearms you've forged, using materials like molten metal, sulfur, and wood ash, are all external substances, not the energy of heaven and earth.]
Upon hearing this, Bei Qiu suddenly understood.
"Yes, yes, how come I didn't think of that..." She only followed the description in "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" to create the weapon, but she overlooked the most important thing and fell into a misconception. Even the best blacksmith's weapon cannot match the martial spirit of a valiant warrior.
The materials used for firearms naturally needed to be changed as well.
Bei Qiu muttered to herself, "This is good, this is good."
If we can use the energy of heaven and earth to forge firearms, we can save a lot of procurement budget, which will save the Bureau of Works from spending money on many other things.
The explosion at the Jiangzuojian government office grew louder and louder.
Shen Tang inquired about it several times.
Once they found no casualties, they stopped monitoring the situation.
In this world where words of power reign supreme, it's hard to say what effect firearms will have; let Bei Qiu do whatever she wants. However, she never expected that Bei Qiu would actually bring her such a big surprise.
The first version of firearms was used on the battlefield!
Although it's not intended for use against enemies, and its destructive power is currently unknown, the commotion it creates when it explodes is truly enormous! Combined with the courageous martial artist, the excavation progress is even three points faster than expected.
Shen Tang squatted on top of the giant excavator, his hands tucked in his sleeves as he fell into deep thought: "I have a feeling that trenches will soon come in handy... Now we can dig more and summarize our digging experience."
Modern warfare is still largely dominated by cold weapons.
Forehead……
The mythical destructive power of the daring warrior also counts.
In warfare with cold weapons, large-scale casualties relied on close combat—blades going in and out—while catapults and arrows had limited destructive power. However, the introduction of firearms completely changed the logic of warfare.
The damage caused by flying explosives and shells is quite astonishing.
The trenches were mainly for defense against this.
Shen Tang did not believe that all Mohists in the world belonged to him.
Firearms were not something that only they possessed.
Who knows, one day our side might build trenches to defend against enemy firearms.
However, it's too early to say these things now.
Bei Qiu hasn't even figured out firearms yet, let alone the Mohists in other places who are of low status, underutilized, and have no access to the "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature)? Shen Tang collected his thoughts and glanced at the sky: "Shift change!"
Bai Su, covered in blood, leaped up from below.
"It's time for your medicine, my lord."
Her steps were as light as a cat's; without looking, one might mistake her for a slender, agile assassin. In reality, she was a powerful warrior, her entire body muscular and exuding a strength that could crush a person's skull with a single hand. Her gaze could make one's nose feel warm.
Ignoring the nearby sandstorm, Shen Tang fell into the bowl.
He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
"Have we exchanged all our troops back?"
Bai Su said, "They have all been settled."
With Yun Ce and the other person on his mind, Shen Tang said silently, "Yuan Mou Zi Gu, you two should wait a little longer. She Xing Pass is about to become a hell!"
()
Sigh, I suddenly tried on a horse-face skirt yesterday and found that I couldn't wear it at all.
The key point is that they are all six meters long. I don't know what I was thinking a few years ago. The skirts are so heavy. Didn't my back hurt?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
