Chapter 14

Drum sounds rumbled, killing intent soared to the heavens.

Soldiers stood in rows atop the weichang courtyard wall, gazing outward vigilantly.

Weichang commander Feng Dun let out a breath of relief. "I do not fear the Qianghu attacking the city; I only fear them laying a long siege."

The so-called weichang is actually a militarized large-scale manor.

After the Yongjia Disaster, the Northern Lands reeked of blood and gore everywhere; barbarian captives ran rampant.

The commoners who suffered slaughter and enslavement, unable to endure it, gathered in weichang one after another to protect themselves.

Large weichang are practically cities — high walls, deep moats, all manner of defensive facilities fully equipped.

Atop the city tower, Jun Simma and the others chimed in agreement, praising the weichang commander's words as hitting the nail on the head.

"Weichang commander, Qin Zhuangzhu has arrived."

Hearing the report, Feng Dun frowned slightly. "He's not in the fort patrolling; what's he doing coming here?"

Qin Lang's subordinates are all cavalry; when defending a city they naturally cannot be used.

Their main work became patrolling and suppressing the fort interior to prevent internal chaos.

The soldier replied, "Qin Zhuangzhu brought Lin Jia Zhu along with him."

Traveling to trade is a merchant; sitting in a market town to trade is a Jia.

Those doing big business are the Jia Zhu.

With the Qianghu besieging the city now, Feng Dun believed Lin Dao could no longer transport grain into the city; his significance dropped rapidly.

But considering they would still need him after the Qianghu retreated, Feng Dun pondered briefly. "Let them come over."

When Lin Dao arrived at the courtyard wall with nine personal guards likewise clad in brigandine, a wave of startled cries instantly rose all around.

Brigandine is not rare.

Feng Dun's command had several hundred armored soldiers wearing brigandine.

But the brigandine on Lin Dao and his men — the appearance was superb.

Machine-processed products, having undergone polishing, grinding, coloring, and multiple industrial finishing processes.

That gorgeous luster is not something handcrafted brigandine can compare with.

This entrance immediately drew the defending soldiers' eyes.

"Lin Jia Zhu."

Feng Dun beamed. "What brings you here?"

The subtext of those words was: if there's nothing, don't come; there's a battle going on here.

Lin Dao understood.

He smiled too. "Just seeing if there's anywhere I can be of help."

"If there's anything that needs dispatching, Commander need not stand on ceremony."

"Kind of you." Feng Dun nodded in satisfaction, yet his gaze swept over the brigandine on the guards behind Lin Dao.

Too beautiful — in a martial artist's eyes, this is a beauty that could topple nations.

Think about it too — a merchant this wealthy, his guards are naturally superbly equipped.

At this moment the Qianghu outside the city had already begun attacking.

The most popular siege method in this era is driving civilians to fill moats.

Capturing commoners near the city as cannon fodder, driving them to clear the defensive works outside the city.

When the Later Zhao great army advanced, the Qihuo troops outside the weichang mostly fled into various large and small weichang, or scattered in all directions.

Yet a portion were still slaughtered or captured.

These captured commoners, driven by the Jiehu cavalry, ran weeping toward the weichang.

They carried hemp cloth bags stuffed with earth, filling the moat, dragging away antler obstacles, destroying the various defensive facilities outside the city.

Feng Dun's face was calm; from his thirty-six-degree mouth came words like ice.

"Fire!"

Strong bows and heavy crossbows shot forth, killing the Qihuo troops outside the city.

Arrows flew; one commoner after another was nailed dead to the ground.

Seeing Lin Dao's face show an unbearable expression, Feng Dun offered comforting words. "Falling into Qianghu hands is a fate worse than death; better they transcend early."

'I'm not pitying these people!'

Lin Dao retorted inwardly, but on his face he nodded with a smile. "Let the Commander see a joke."

In his heart he thought: if the siege intensity is only this much, then even tens of thousands dead won't take this place.

Coming onto this courtyard wall as sturdy and spacious as a city wall was also to observe the battle up close, seeking what supplies might influence the situation.

Soon, as the outer defensive facilities were destroyed and filled, the siege intensity abruptly increased.

Large batches of Jiehu cavalry came whistling.

They formed squads of ten, head to tail.

Using consummate horsemanship they urged their mounts, galloping around the weichang.

Strong bows and heavy arrows in hand shot toward the city wall in succession, striking defenders with precision like venomous snakes.

Defenders were hit one after another; miserable cries rang out unceasingly.

These Jiehu cavalry's archery was incomparably precise — nearly every arrow bit flesh.

Sun Dalang led several guards, holding riot shields, and hurried forward, shielding Lin Dao behind the shields.

Lin Dao, experiencing a cold weapon era war for the first time, felt no fear in his heart.

He merely marveled. "These barbarians shoot truly accurately."

'Puff puff puff!'

Several sharp arrows flew in succession, nailing themselves into the riot shield in front of Lin Dao.

Sun Dalang, holding the shield with both hands, had his figure shaken by the impact.

Lin Dao took the pulled-out arrows and surveyed them; the moment they entered his hand he could feel their heavy weight.

"These are heavy arrows."

He immediately thought that, historically, the nation most famous for using heavy arrows was the Jin Dynasty that destroyed the Northern Song.

But that was eight hundred years later; had the Eastern Jin period's technological level already become this high?

"These are all Shi Hu's Imperial Guard."

Qin Lang drew his bow, nocked arrows, and shot down several riders outside the city in succession, eliciting cheers from the surrounding garrison troops.

The garrison's morale surged, and they fired back with strong bows and crossbows, shooting down dozens of riders in succession.

From the distant Later Zhao army main camp came the sound of the gong signaling retreat.

The Jiehu cavalry and the cannon fodder retreated like a receding tide.

Only now did Qin Lang explain, "These Imperial Guard are all meticulously selected, their horsemanship superb, fierce men capable of drawing strong bows."

"Those moats and antler obstacles outside the city, besides defending against engineering devices, are used to block these flying cavalry."

Lin Dao, experiencing Cold Weapon Era warfare for the first time, was still in a learning phase.

He only watched and did not speak, learning seriously.

Under normal circumstances, people of the Modern World have no use for this knowledge.

Lin Dao is probably the sole exception; he should be able to make frequent use of it in the future.

Qin Lang gazed toward the distant Later Zhao army camp, his eyes full of worry.

"The flying cavalry cannot scale the city walls, so there is actually no need to be overly concerned about them."

He gripped the bow in his hand tight and signaled toward the distance: "The truly dangerous ones are the engineering devices over there."

Lin Dao looked in the direction of his signal.

He saw large batches of craftsmen and civilian laborers in the distance rushing to manufacture devices of various sizes.

"That wooden carriage with a tall column erected on it, a good seven or eight zhang high, is a Nest Cart; its top conceals men, used to spy on the city interior."

"Those several four-wheeled wooden carriages beside it, the ones still covered in cowhide, are Dong Che; they can block arrows and falling rocks, used to protect men approaching the city wall."

"The ones with iron chains suspending a ramming log are Ram Carts, used to ram the city gate."

"Those big fellows next to them, with several pairs of wheels on the base and folding wooden ladders with grappling hooks on the carriage, are Cloud Ladder Carts; they approach the city wall, fix the grappling hooks, and then men climb up the wooden ladders to attack."

"And those over there with wheels for a base and wooden railings covered in cowhide several zhang above, are Well Railings; bowmen and crossbowmen stand on top of them and can exchange fire with the garrison."

Lin Dao listened seriously; it truly opened up many new points of knowledge for him.

In the past, his sources of information on Cold Weapon Era siege warfare were only film and television dramas, those scenes of men carrying ladders to attack cities.

Film and television dramas only have ladders because ladders are the cheapest and most convenient.

Real siege engines, even if just props, are also quite expensive.

Anyway the audience can't tell the difference, so they just muddle through perfunctorily, everyone splits the money and that's that.

Only now did he know that during a real siege, there are almost no ladders at all; they are all big fellows towering several zhang high.

"In a few more days, they will likely be finished."

Qin Lang gritted his teeth: "That will be the moment that decides life and death."

"How about destroying them in advance?" Lin Dao proposed. "Send men out of the city to burn all these siege engines to ashes."

"Hah~~~" Qin Lang laughed. "How could it be that easy?"

"The enemy is heavily guarded; only elite strong troops can get close."

"Even if they got close, what would they burn them with?"

The earliest historical record of using Fu Zhuo Shui (petroleum) to burn and destroy siege engines is still several decades later.

Right now, facing those big fellows covered in cowhide and iron armor, or even brushed with tung oil for fireproofing, ordinary torches and such are almost completely useless.

"I have a way." Lin Dao replied with a smile. "Come to my Courtyard tomorrow."

This era lacks incendiary accelerants.

Facing siege engines that have undergone extensive fireproofing measures, there is a lack of means to destroy them.

But in the Modern World, there are really far too many things that can deal with these big fellows.

Returning to the courtyard, Lin Dao removed the armor from his body, returned to his room and went back to the Modern World.

In the name of the Company, he purchased several barrels of gasoline.

Went to the supermarket to purchase white sugar.

At Snack Street, bought over a dozen cases of Snowflake and loaded them onto a tricycle.

At the Fei Pin Zhan, bought scrapped rubber products, took them back and cut them into pieces.

After bringing all the supplies to Yonghe Spacetime, Lin Dao greeted Sun Dalang: "Today I bestow wine~~~"

The guards were deeply grateful, one and all holding ceramic bowls and lining up to wait.

Lin Dao opened bottle after bottle of Snowflake, pouring it into the guards' ceramic bowls.

"Don't stand on ceremony." He waved his hand magnanimously. "Drink until it's gone!"

In these times grain is not even enough to eat; alcohol that requires consuming large amounts of grain to brew — common people don't even have the chance to smell its aroma.

Lin Dao let the guards drink continuously; for the wine-lovers, this was simply like being reborn by new parents.

"The Lord is deeply kind to us." Seeing the wine bestowed by Lin Dao was actually packed in expensive glass bottles, the guards were all moved beyond words.

Fine wine that can be packed in priceless glass bottles must naturally be a peerless vintage.

"Lord." Sun Dalang spoke on behalf of all the guards: "This vintage is even better to drink than the previous throat-burning one~~~"

People who truly like high-proof baijiu are actually not that many.

The ancients' taste actually leaned more toward yellow wine, this kind of low-alcohol alcohol.

"You all come over." Lin Dao greeted the women, "First wash these bottles clean."

While the women washed the bottles, each and every one was careful and cautious.

After all, these are all priceless glazed bottles.

Exquisitely shaped, crystal clear, truly too beautiful.

If one accidentally broke them, chopping oneself up wouldn't be enough to compensate.

Lin Dao took out the oil can, inserted it into the bottle mouth and poured gasoline.

"Take a spoon." Lin Dao instructed Jin Lian, "In this packet is sugar, every bottle must have three spoons of sugar added."

"Sun Rong." He then pointed at the rubber fragments nearby, instructed Sun Rong, "Take scissors and cut them into rubber pieces, stuff three pieces per bottle."

Everyone curiously spectated.

Many people thought in their hearts, 'This weird-tasting water, plus expensive sugar, and that strange stuff over there, could it be the exclusive secret art for brewing fine wine?'

Even some wanted to taste a sip.

Fortunately Lin Dao blocked them in time, otherwise he would have to swallow zao zao and wash his stomach.

After packing the stuff, plugged cloth strips to seal.

When over a hundred bottles were all packed, Lin Dao stood up and instructed, "Find a room to put them properly."

"Remember, absolutely no touching, and even more absolutely no approaching fire sources!"

PS: Many thanks to Book Friend Syman's 500 points reward points support, grateful beyond words, many thanks~~~

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(End of Chapter)