Chapter 125: The Battle of Fengyuan Town
Dive into Chapter 121 of "The Great Ming in the Box": Li Daoxuan knew at a glance that Gao Chuwu, this fool, was going to be... Find out more!
Li Daoxuan knew at a glance that Gao Chuwu, this fool, was going to be in trouble.This was 52-degree alcohol, 52 degrees!
Were you swallowing it with a bowl?
And pouring a whole bowl straight into your mouth?
He was almost ready to be dragged out and buried.
Sure enough, after downing that bowl, Gao Chuwu immediately felt strange, swayed left and right, and with a thud, he collapsed.
Ironically, a few people nearby didnât take it seriously; they were still clapping and laughing, âHahaha, Gao Chuwu this idiot, who drinks like that?â
They had no sense of danger at all.
Li Daoxuan had to order, âMake him vomit and get the alcohol out.â
Gao Yiye conveyed the Decree of the Deity, and only then did everyone realize how serious it was. They hurriedly picked Gao Chuwu up, jostled him this way and that, and after a long while, they made him vomit out that bowl of alcohol he had downed, and only then did they stop.
Gao Chuwu slept foolishly in a corner of the courtyard.
Li Daoxuan said, âThis alcohol is strong; moderate your consumption.â
Everyone hurriedly bowed, âHeavenly divine alcohol, mortals cannot gulp it down; we will remember.â They glanced at Gao Chuwu, thinking: Gulping it down will make you like this fool; you can learn from anyone, but definitely not from Gao Chuwu.
Li Daoxuan took another mineral water bottle cap, filled it with beer, and slowly lowered it: âThis is called beer; itâs milder and suitable for most people. Those who canât handle the strong one should drink beer.â
âThank you, Deity!â
In an instant, there was plenty of alcohol.
It was no longer exclusive to just a few people; everyone could get a share.
Soon, all the blacksmiths, paper makers, road construction workers, women weaving cloth, along with the labor offenders cutting trees in Gaojia Village, temporarily put down their work.
They picked up their wine cups!
Clearly, it was just an ordinary day, not any important holiday, but they felt really happy and excited.
âCheers!â
âDrink!â
âWhat exactly are we celebrating today?â
âSeems like weâre celebrating the Bai Family Fortress defeating the bandits.â
âThatâs not that big a deal, is it? Last time, when Gaojia Village defeated the Supreme Bright King, we didnât celebrate on such a large scale.â
âWho cares? If thereâs alcohol to drink, why are you talking nonsense? Alcohol is brewed from grain; do you know what times weâre in? I havenât smelled alcohol for three years.â
âThe Deityâs divine alcohol smells so good, but itâs so strong; I canât even finish one cup; just a small sip and my head is spinning.â
âHahaha, otherwise, how could it be divine alcohol?â
âCheers!â
Throughout Gaojia Village, there was joyous laughter everywhereâŚ
Meanwhile, at Fengyuan Town in Chengcheng County.
âBandits are coming! Bandits are coming!â
The scout roared himself hoarse as he charged through Fengyuan Townâs gate. The gate slammed shut behind him with a thunderous boom. Crowds of local gentry surged onto the wall tops, straining their eyes nervously towards the north.
Vast hordes of bandits had appeared on the yellow fields to the north. Among them fluttered two large bannersâone emblazoned with the character âNi,â the other with âGuazi.â This was indeed the army of Bu Zhan Ni and Zuo Guazi.
Seeing the overwhelming tide of bandits approach, the gentry, merchants, and militia instructors standing atop Fengyuan Townâs low wall, barely three meters tall, turned deathly pale.
Liang Shixian, the Chengcheng County Magistrate, stood among them. Fear gripped him too!
But he was the county magistrate. Even if afraid, he had to stand his ground. The magistrateâs duty was to protect the land and people of his county.
âThe bandits did come to Fengyuan Town,â he thought. âThey failed twice to breach the Bai Family Fortress, abandoned it, and detoured straight here for Fengyuan Town. Hmph, fortunately this official anticipated this and has been waiting here for some time.â
Liang Shixian, knowledgeable in many matters, immediately activated his tactical analysis mode in his mind. Enemy numbers, formation, equipment, morale, path, flaws, vulnerabilities⌠this flood of data constantly rearranged itself in his thoughts, spinning like a carousel. Finally, with a âding,â it froze on a single mental image.
That image bore four large words: This Official Cannot!
Liang Shixian panicked internally: âTrouble! Matters of warfare⌠they lie completely outside this officialâs knowledge!â
âCounty Lord! Quickly order the archers to shoot!â The Fengyuan Town militia instructor jumped forward.
His shout snapped Liang Shixian back to reality slightly. He hastily commanded: âLoose arrows! Loose arrows!â
Though utterly inexperienced in warfare, his preparatory efforts had been solid. Large numbers of militia and local gentry lined the walls, drawing their longbowsâbows made entirely of plastic.
Precisely!
The same bows Li Daoxuan had lent him.
Their performance was far inferior to the âKaiyuan Bowsâ used by imperial forces. Yet, with arms half a zhang long (around 1.6 meters), they possessed a modicum of power, marginally stronger than the small bamboo bows used by hunters.
The militia and gentry drew back their large plastic bows, nocking crude, hastily made arrows with sharpened wooden tips. A chaotic flurry of arrows rained down onto the bandits outside the town.
Plastic bows coupled with sharpened wooden arrows meant pitifully low penetrating power.
But sheer volume compensated.
Five hundred plastic bows, even firing wildly inaccurate arrows, produced a visually terrifying spectacle.
Bu Zhan Ni and Zuo Guazi were caught completely off guard. What kind of sense did it make for a tiny, ramshackle town to field five hundred archers? This defied all logic!
The fierce bandits leading the charge started falling with thunk-thunk-thunk sounds as arrows struck them. While these shafts lacked the killing power of the imperial arrows that ravaged them earlier at Bai Family Fortress, the frontline raiders still suffered heavily. Many howled in agony.
Some collapsed. Others stumbled over fallen comrades. Some sheltered behind their own men, using comrades as human shields, sparking furious insults and arguments within their own ranks.
Instantly, the bandit army descended into chaos.
âToo many archers!â
âFengyuan Townâs just a small place! Whereâd they find so many archers?â
âWe canât charge through this!â
With the town unleashing a continuous flurry of arrows, the bandits couldnât advance. Morale teetered on the brink of collapse. Bu Zhan Ni and Zuo Guazi both felt the urge to retreat blossom in their hearts.
Just then, a force emerged from the eastern gully. At its head stood Cheng Xu, the Inspector. He had been observing from the sidelines for quite some time, waiting precisely for the banditsâ momentum to wane, signaling the moment to turn the tide.
If a battle seemed certain defeat, Cheng Xu was more cowardly than anyone.
But for a sure victory, Cheng Xu was braver than the rest.
He let out a hearty laugh: âSo you thought youâd attack Chengcheng County? Thought youâd pinch a soft target? Come on then! See if this old man feels soft to you!â
He thrust his hand forward and roared with all his might: âMen! Charge!â
Over a hundred officials surged forward, striking deep into the banditsâ flank.
Inside the town, Liang Shixian saw this: âHa! Cheng Xu is here too! Heaven helps me! I need to think⌠what action must be taken nowâŚâ
Liang Shixian, knowledgeable in many matters, immediately activated in his mindâŚ
âOpen the town gate! Charge out and attack!â The militia instructor beside him bellowed.
The town gates swung wide open. Nearly a thousand militia and local gentry uttered a unified battle cry and charged outwards.
Liang Shixian: âAh? This officialâs mental carousel hasnât had time to start spinning!â
Cheng Xuâs flank charge and the militiaâs frontal assault terrified Bu Zhan Ni and Zuo Guazi. They dared not engage the enemy. Wheeling around, they fled for their lives.