Chapter 507

First Volume, Chapter 507: Rebuilding the Stronghold

This assault platform was specifically built for the Enemy Army; along both sides of the path from MountainWaist to MountainTop, three such platforms were constructed, each about two zhang in diameter, lightly leveled to serve as footholds for the Enemy Army.

Thus, when the Enemy Army attacks MountainTop, they will inevitably rely on these assault platforms, at which point Qin Feng can concentrate arrowfire to deliver a devastating barrage over the platforms.

The crevices in the cliff where Warhorses were stored were also widened slightly, allowing the Warhorses limited movement to prolong their survival as strategic grain reserves.

Additionally, six bunkers were built and modified beneath the Watchtower—bunkers in the literal sense—constructed entirely of stone, following the terrain's contours, reinforced internally with wooden stakes, making them extremely difficult to topple by external force.

The placement of these bunkers was meticulously planned: three facing south formed a pincer formation.

The lower bunkers, facing three directions, had only narrow firing apertures like Jianbing on a City Wall, while an exit was left at the rear, allowing defenders to retreat immediately if the Enemy Army launched a fierce assault.

The two upper bunkers were built more openly, surrounded only by a ring of stacked stone, with a simple canopy of wooden poles and Tree Branches overhead, enabling them to support the lower bunkers and rain down arrows.

The other three bunkers were positioned on the northeast and northwest sides, both to prevent Enemy Army soldiers from climbing up via Rope and to allow effective troop deployment.

As the old saying goes: don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Once battle begins, the two hundred soldiers will be divided into four units: the three southern bunkers form one unit, and each of the three bunkers on the east, north, and west sides forms its own unit.

Aside from the MilitaryFacilities, four Materials and Supplies storage points were expanded beneath the Watchtower, utilizing existing rock crevices; three were used to store Grain and water, and the fourth was reserved for military equipment, primarily Bow and Arrow.

The entire Qingyu Mountain Stronghold has now taken initial shape.

Next, the top priority is the construction of the Xu Shui Chi.

Also located beneath the Watchtower, as far from the Enemy Army as possible, Qin Feng selected a spot that would not compromise the mountain's structural integrity; using Zhaixie Fa, he had massive rocks shattered and removed one by one, eventually creating a cave seven chi in diameter and one zhang deep.

The cave's walls were riddled with rock crevices; Qin Feng first ordered men to find yellow clay from below the mountain, but when none could be found, ordinary Soft Earth was used instead.

The Soft Earth was mixed with Wood Ash and packed entirely into the rock crevices; yet this still failed to achieve waterproofing, so Qin Feng dispatched men to scour the entire mountain for Shu Zhi.

The trees on Qingyu MountainWaist were mostly pine, so gathering Shu Zhi was not arduous—it took less than a day to collect eight ox-hide sacks.

The Shu Zhi was poured into You Ping looted from Pingcang County and boiled until fully liquefied; then it was applied to every possible leak point in the Xu Shui Chi.

Once the Shu Zhi had fully hardened, it would provide waterproofing.

But…

The water's taste would surely carry a strong Shu Zhi odor and likely be unpleasant to drink; yet to survive, even urine could be consumed—how much less so this water with an odd taste?

With the vital Xu Shui Chi completed, Qin Feng immediately ordered soldiers to fetch water from the mountain stream and fill the reservoir; once full, the entrance was sealed with Tree Branches, leaving only a single water access point to prevent dust from falling in.

With the Stronghold fully constructed, what remained was stockpiling Weapons, especially consumable ones.

Stone and Crossbeams were the main materials; every possible storage space was crammed full.

The two vats of oil looted from Pingcang County had been carefully preserved by Qin Feng, reserved solely for countering the Enemy Army's Great Shield.

Additionally, Weapons captured from the Enemy Army were transferred to MountainTop—only two types were kept: Bow and Arrow, and Ma Shu!

Meanwhile, the traps on MountainWaist were being systematically constructed.

Since the Enemy Army had suffered from Heng Mu Trap, they would surely pay close attention to what was above; thus, Qin Feng reversed course, ordering soldiers to dig as many Jian Shi traps as possible.

The Jian Shi trap was simple: dig a pit, insert sharpened wooden stakes inside, then cover the opening with Tree Branches and rotting grass; should an Enemy soldier stumble in, he would be pierced like a Hedgehog.

The killing effectiveness of such traps was actually minimal, since the pits were not large, and once one soldier fell in, the following Enemy troops would notice and the trap would instantly lose its value.

But the psychological impact of Jian Shi traps on the Enemy Army was immense, severely slowing their advance.

Ju Shi Trap was, of course, indispensable.

Beyond these two types of traps, Qin Feng reconsidered and decided to abandon all others.

Reasons were numerous: first, Qingyu Mountain's trees were mostly pine, whose wood was brittle and unsuitable for tripwire traps.

Second, autumn had arrived; the pine trees had grown even drier, and with pine needles scattered on the ground, if the Enemy Army suffered repeated setbacks, they would inevitably set Fire Burning the Mountain—rendering all traps useless.

In other words, the area below MountainWaist would inevitably fall; the core of Prolonged Warfare lay above MountainWaist.

In the following days, the only task left was constant scavenging of Materials and Supplies, moving every usable and valuable item to MountainTop.

Looking at the seemingly impregnable Stronghold, brimming with supplies, the soldiers, though exhausted, had bright eyes and not a trace of despair for the coming Battle; instead, all were eager, waiting for the Enemy Army to climb up.

Unfortunately, the Enemy Army below remained motionless.

Especially Xu Qian—who had repeatedly vowed to make the mountain's rebels pay—but each time the deadline arrived, he acted as if he'd forgotten his own boasts, showing no movement whatsoever.

At this moment, Xu Qian was busy "struggling" with Chen Ping.

Xu Qian outwardly lowered his stance, promising to cooperate with Chen Ping's actions, but secretly ordered the army to ignore Chen Ping's commands; Chen Ping, in turn, despised Xu Qian intensely but was powerless to act. No one could have imagined that Xu Qian had brought the political infighting of civil officials onto the Battlefield.

This stalemate lasted five full days, until the people finally received not Chen Ping's messenger, but Liu Qing.

The moment Chen Ping saw Liu Qing, he knew he was finished.

Xu Qian was overjoyed, personally stepping out to meet him at the City Gate, exclaiming: "How?"

Liu Qing wore a smug smile, offered no explanation, and simply pulled a military order from his sleeve, handing it to Xu Qian.

Xu Qian glanced at it briefly, his eyes blazing with excitement, and immediately announced: "Chen Ping, this is an Imperial Summons from the Front Line—do you know your crime?"