The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 107: Delivery of the Catapults
Cheng Xu secretly laughed in his heart: What era was this, still clinging to the Six Arts of Gentlemen? It was the Ming Dynasty now; even dogs didn’t learn the Six Arts of Gentlemen.
Cheng Xu said, “Mr. Bai, I won’t waste words. If the bandit army on Huanglong Mountain goes to another county, it’s none of my business. But if they enter Chengcheng County, I must deal with it. So in the next few days, I’m afraid I’ll trouble you at Bai Family Fortress.”
Bai Yuan knew that what this guy meant by “trouble” was actually lingering there to eat and drink. It was an old custom: officials on campaign fed off wealthy families wherever they went. If no wealthy families were around, they might let the soldiers loot civilians.
After all, if such looting got ed by a local civil official, a military officer could lose his head. Similarly, if the wealthy one had strong backing, the officer might get ed anyway and still lose his head.
Everyone was walking a tightrope!
Bai Yuan didn’t mind having the garrison feed off them. For Bai Family Fortress, having a group of regular officials stationed was actually a good thing, even if they were ninety percent likely to flee in battle. Just their presence could scare the bandits.
If it scared the bandits off and stopped them from attacking, that was the best outcome.
Bai Yuan smiled, “General Cheng Xu wishing to station at my fortress is Bai Yuan’s fortune, and the fortune of all common people within ten li around Bai Family Fortress. Please come in.”
Cheng Xu led his troops into the fortress. He saw the fortress wall was being repaired: widened, thickened, and heightened. Unfortunately, with Bai Family Fortress’s limited manpower, progress was slow. It was still only half-done, just at the level of a squire’s courtyard, far from ready to resist a large bandit army attack.
Dozens of family servants and over a hundred militiamen stood guard around the fortress with bows. Sentinels on the four turrets kept close watch on all sides.
Cheng Xu thought to himself: This Bai Family Fortress was somewhat robust. But even so, it wasn’t enough at all. Plus, with his own hundred men, facing five or six thousand bandits, he’d still end up ing to his grandmother.
He addressed her mentally: Grandmother, your great-grandson is still young, not ready to join you. If the bandits come, I’ll run first—I swear. Please don’t blame me for dishonoring the Cheng family name.
As his mind wandered, a sentinel on a turret suddenly leaned down and shouted, “Master! Master!”
The yell nearly scared Cheng Xu out of his wits. He shrieked, “What? Did the bandit army arrive?”
Bai Yuan looked up, “Speak!”
The sentinel called out joyfully, “Gao Chuwu is here.”
“Gao Chuwu?” Bai Yuan asked puzzled, “Who?”
The sentinel sweated, “That big foolish guy from Gaojia Village—he’s been here a few times.”
Bai Yuan suddenly realized, “Oh, I remember now. It’s that guy, clear as day.”
The family servants stared blankly.
The sentinel announced loudly, “Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu drove a giant vehicle here. On it stands a celestial catapult.”
Hearing this, Bai Yuan was thrilled. “A celestial catapult? The kind we used against the Supreme Bright King?”
The sentinel had followed Bai Yuan into that battle and knew it well. He responded loudly, “Yes, exactly that.”
Bai Yuan laughed, “Quick, open the fortress gate! Welcome them in!”
The sentinel replied, “That vehicle’s too huge. Looks like it won’t fit inside; it’ll have to stop outside the gate.”
Standing nearby, Cheng Xu heard Bai Yuan and the sentinel’s strange talk but barely understood it. What kind of vehicle could transport a catapult? Since ancient times, catapults were either made on-site by an attacking force with logs, or like the trebuchets Mongulians used—four-wheeled and pulled by troops.
He’d never heard of a catapult being carted around; how massive must the vehicle be?
Cheng Xu hurried up onto the fortress wall, climbed the turret, and looked out. Before him was a super giant train, nearly nine zhang long, rumbling down the official road. Its enormous wheels crushed dried grass along the path, stirring thick clouds of dust. The noise was deafening.
His jaw almost dropped to the ground. “Hell? What devil-vehicle is this?”
A deputy inspector leaned close and whispered, “Boss, I remember now. Back when we ambushed Little Overlord’s rebels, a weird vehicle suddenly appeared, ran him over, then sped off. Could it be…”
Cheng Xu shook his head, “That strange vehicle was much smaller then.”
The deputy inspector insisted, “But the weird plates on it and these strange black wheels are similar.”
He was talking about rubber tires and solar panels. Cheng Xu looked closely and agreed. He muttered under his breath, “Watch more, speak less. Let’s see what kind of troublemaker Bai Family Fortress and this odd vehicle are brewing.”
Solar Vehicle No. 3 stopped at the entrance to Bai Family Fortress. Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu hopped off and cheerfully greeted the Bai family servants.
Bai Yuan came out to meet them. He immediately organized a team to unload the huge catapult from the vehicle.
The catapult, two zhang tall and wide, was insanely heavy. But it didn’t stump the laborers. Bai Family Fortress’s men first tied the catapult with ropes and pulled together with dozens of people. Then several others climbed onto the big vehicle and pried the other side with long poles. Using force from both ends, the massive catapult slowly slid out of the carriage.
Cheng Xu watched their working from a turret on the fortress wall. His lips curled slightly. “What fools! If such a large catapult drops from that high carriage, it’ll shatter on impact. It’s rather delicate gear.”
His words had barely faded when the catapult landed on the ground with a thud.
But Cheng Xu’s imagined scene of it breaking apart didn’t happen. How could plastic crack so easily? The catapult not only survived but bounced several times, all springy and elastic.
Cheng Xu muttered, “Holy hell, what kind of devil catapult is this?”
The huge catapults were pulled off the vehicle one by one, placed on rolling logs as wheels, and pushed into Bai Family Fortress. In no time, ten of them stood lined up.
Bai Yuan was thrilled. He grabbed Gao Chuwu and said, “Go back and thank the Deity for me.”
Gao Chuwu scratched his head and grinned dumbly, “Alright, the catapults are all yours. We’ll head back now.”
Bai Yuan waved goodbye. Turning around, he perked up energetically, “Call the strongest farmer from the fortress here. I’ll teach him how to use this kind of catapult.”
Cheng Xu spectated from the fortress wall, thinking: These gaudy, irregular catapults lack a single sinew cord. How could they fling out a rock? This thing must be unusable.
But he was instantly proven wrong!
Bai Yuan directed the farmer over. They lifted a rock into the large scoop of the catapult. Then he instructed the farmer to hit the mechanism hard with a heavy hammer. The catapult’s plastic arm swung up silently and flung. A giant rock sailed right over the fortress wall, landing in the open ground outside with a thunderous crash.
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Chapter 107: Delivery of the Catapults
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