As they were talking, several large rocks rolled down the mountain, and the guards immediately pulled them aside to avoid them.
Large rocks whizzed past them, turning them into mincemeat if they hit them.
Zhao Xian estimated that his location was about 40 to 50 meters above the fortification, and at least 70 to 80 meters away in a straight line. Building a catapult should be enough to throw the catapult that far.
But this is, after all, an assault on a mountain. Large rocks must be thrown up to destroy the fortifications; small rocks simply won't be enough to cause damage.
As a materials expert, I can easily create materials similar to explosives to destroy the bandits' fortifications and even wipe out their stronghold in one fell swoop.
If that were the case, he would never have a peaceful life again. The emperor would definitely summon him and make him manufacture explosives for military purposes. It would be hard to say what the world would become then.
Since explosives could not be used, they used their mechanical expertise to create a large catapult using a combination of pulleys and levers, which could still destroy the fortifications above.
"Your Excellency, I have a plan. We can build two catapults to destroy the bandits' fortifications, and then we can take over their stronghold," Zhao Xian said solemnly.
"That's wonderful! I knew Young Master Zhao would have a solution," Prefect Shen said happily.
The general standing next to Zhao Xian frowned upon hearing his words.
"I've seen catapults on the battlefield. This place is too high; the stones can't be thrown that far at all. It's definitely not feasible to use a catapult to destroy the bandits' fortifications."
Prefect Shen was a civil official, and he was somewhat disappointed when the general questioned the use of catapults to attack the mountain.
Zhao Xian looked at the general approvingly. A general who had come from the battlefield was indeed worthy of respect.
"General, you are unaware of the truth. You are referring to catapults used for sieges, but such catapults cannot be used for attacking mountains. I am referring to catapults used for attacking mountains."
Because these catapults take time to load and launch stones, we need to build two catapults to prevent the bandits from catching their breath. This will suppress the bandits above, allowing our soldiers to seize the opportunity to attack and eliminate them.
"Oh, I see. I really didn't know there were catapults used for attacking mountains." The general was pleasantly surprised upon hearing this.
The group quickly descended the mountain and returned to their camp below. Zhao Xian began drawing up blueprints for the catapult, while Prefect Shen arranged for people to find wood to make it and also brought in a large number of carpenters.
Once the timber and carpenters were in place, Zhao Xian instructed them to manufacture the parts for the catapult according to the blueprints.
The blueprints involve some mechanical engineering principles that carpenters certainly wouldn't understand, but that didn't stop them from making the various parts of the catapult based on the blueprints.
Some important parts of the catapult had to be made of iron, so Zhao Xian drew up some blueprints and personally went to the nearby blacksmith shops to guide the blacksmiths in making them.
It took Zhao Xian two whole days to finish building all the parts for the two catapults.
Next, the soldiers and craftsmen worked together to transport all the parts up the mountain and guided the craftsmen in assembling them.
After another day, the two large catapults were finally assembled. Zhao Xian adjusted the angle of the catapults to ensure that the thrown stones could hit the bandits' fortifications.
The soldiers had never seen such a catapult before. The catapult was not particularly large, but it had many wheels and pulleys on it, and each catapult required four people to sit on it to operate.
Although the soldiers did not understand the working principle of the catapult, it was very simple to operate. They just needed to put a large stone in the launching slot, and four people would step on the wheel at the same time to build up momentum. Once the momentum was built up, they would turn on the switch and the stone would be launched.
At this time, the area next to the catapult was piled high with stones for attack. Zhao Xian ordered his soldiers to load large stones into the catapult troughs.
Then, personnel were arranged to board the catapult and step on the rotating wheel to build up momentum. Soon, the wheel could no longer be stepped on, indicating that the momentum building was complete.
Zhao Xian checked it and found that the trebuchet was in good working order and ready to launch.
"Your Excellency, everything is ready. We await your command to begin the attack."
Prefect Shen was a little nervous. He hoped that the two catapults would work wonders and destroy the bandits' fortifications in one fell swoop.
He looked at the general beside him and saw that the general's eyes were full of determination.
The general nodded, drew his sword, and roared:
"Attack and destroy the bandits' fortifications."
"Understood."
The two soldiers in charge of operating the projectile device immediately turned on the switch, and the catapult's boom suddenly hurled up. With a "whoosh, whoosh" sound, two huge stones were thrown high into the air and flew towards the bandit's fortifications.
Everyone held their breath, watching the two giant rocks fly towards the mountaintop.
Meanwhile, the bandits in the fortifications were also watching the movements of the soldiers below. At first, they didn't understand what the two large machines were for, but when they saw two huge stones flying towards them, they realized what was going on.
This was a catapult used to attack the mountain. By the time the bandits realized what was happening, it was too late; they couldn't escape.
Two enormous stones slammed into the fortifications, sending dust flying, rocks scattering, and blood and flesh flying everywhere. All of this was clearly seen by the soldiers below.
A cheer erupted from below. The hit was a great morale booster, and the general ordered the soldiers to press on and continue their stone-throwing attack.
The bandits were stunned by what had just happened. The bandit leaders were all in the main tent. They were unaware that the fortifications had been attacked. They thought it was caused by a collapse of the fortifications or rocks rolling down from above. They immediately rescued the wounded and began to rebuild the fortifications.
Before launching another stone, the catapult needs to accumulate sufficient energy to launch the stone.
To prevent the government troops below from attacking, the bandits sped up the construction of fortifications, and the bandit leader also supervised the bandits in building the fortifications.
Just as the bandits were busy with their work, two more boulders fell from the sky and crashed down on their heads, causing another bloody mess.
The bandits on the mountain panicked. Seeing his chance, the general drew his long sword and shouted.
"All soldiers, charge forward and wipe out the bandits!"
After holding back for so many days, the more than one hundred soldiers finally got their chance to attack, and bravely charged forward toward the bandits' lair.
One of the bandit leaders finally managed to stop the bandits' panic and prepare to rebuild their fortifications, but it was too late.
The soldiers at the front had crossed the pass and began to kill the bandits on the mountain.
There were indeed many bandits on the mountain, but by this time they were in complete disarray and had been routed.
More than a hundred soldiers charged forward, all of them well-trained and experienced in combat. The bandits, who were originally a motley crew, were quickly defeated by these valiant soldiers and scattered in all directions.
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