Chapter 67: They Will Attack Tonight
Chapter 65 of "The Great Ming in the Box" begins with suspense: Early in the morning, Li Daoxuan had just retrieved his phone from the crate. Clutching... Donât stop reading!
Early in the morning, Li Daoxuan had just retrieved his phone from the crate. Clutching the soy milk and fried dough sticks delivered for breakfast, he eagerly tucked in.Watching the little people perform calisthenics was genuinely amusing. Perhaps he should order the entire village to participate? But noâthe elderly likely couldnât manage. Maybe introduce square dancing instead?
Then again, square dancing caused endless disturbances and was a societal plague. Best not corrupt ancient villagers with modern nuisances.
As he pondered new activities, sentinel cries erupted from the village. Dozens scurried toward the northern fortress wall. Thirty-Two also dashed up the ramparts, peering outward.
Li Daoxuanâs finger immediately hovered over the crateâs control panel. He pressed the âNorthâ button.
Instantly, his view shifted to the northern hillside.
A young man in tattered clothes, sun-scorched skin gleaming darkly, stumbled downhill. Blood stained his garments. After a few strides, he tripped, scrambled up, and lurched onwardâŚ
Li Daoxuan grinned. Expanded vision truly delivered!
He fine-tuned the controls, locking the viewpoint onto the man as he fled.
Minutes later, the man collapsed at the base of Gaojia Villageâs thirty-foot fortress wall. Lying on his back, he gasped toward the defenders above: âI⌠serve⌠Brother⌠Wang ErâŚâ
Exhaustion choked his words. Each syllable fought for breath.
Hearing âWang Erâ and âserve,â Thirty-Two scrutinized the figure. Recognition struckâthis was the petty bandit whoâd once ambushed him en route to the county town. The one bearing the bandit name âWhite Cat.â
Thirty-Twoâs brow furrowed. He turned to Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu. âBring White Cat inside. Now.â
The two descended the wall and circled to the gate.
Crafted by Cai Xinzi from one-millimeter iron sheets, these gates manifested in the late Ming era as twenty-centimeter steel plates. Village strength couldnât budge them. Only by repurposing an ancient gateâs pulley system could they heave the doors open.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu hauled the man inside, propping him before Thirty-Two and Gao Yiye.
Thirty-Two demanded urgently, âWarrior White Cat, what happened?â
Gasping, White Cat wheezed, âZhuang Guangdao⌠Zheng Yanfu⌠planned⌠to raid⌠Gaojia Village⌠Brother opposed them⌠So they⌠betrayed himâŚâ
Thirty-Two: â!!!â
Villagers: â!!!â
The man continued, âBrotherâs wounded⌠locked⌠in a cave⌠by those traitors⌠Wangjia Villagers⌠all imprisoned⌠Only I escaped⌠Begging Gaojia Village⌠save himâŚâ
Thirty-Twoâs face darkened like cast iron.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu roared, âOutrageous!â
Even the sculptors shoved through the crowd. âWhat? Brother Wang Erâsuch a good man!â
Li Daoxuan found himself frowning. Damn this cruel world. Why must good men suffer?
Alas, kindness and mercy rarely forged overlords. A righteous soul like Wang Er might command armies but never empires. Even without this betrayal⌠Best not dwell on ill omens.
Villagers buzzed with panicked chatter.
Thirty-Two bellowed, âSilence! This isnât just about rescuing Wang Er. Before thatâwe defend ourselves.â
Everyone: â?â
Thirty-Two snapped, âFools! Didnât you hear? Zheng Yanfu and Zhuang Guangdao plotted to attack Gaojia Village. Thatâs why they turned on Brother Wang.â
Everyone: â!!!â
Thirty-Two roared, âIt wonât be long before Zheng Yanfu and Zhuang Guangdao attack. Damn his mother, why are you still zoning out? Prepare for battle, prepare for battle everyone! Immediately prepare for battle, quickly get your weapons ready!â
White Cat gasped, âIt⌠wonât be that quick⌠They know Gaojia Village⌠has high walls⌠They⌠would only come⌠for a night raid.â
Those words snapped Thirty-Two awake. Yeah, we had walls three zhang high. As long as Zheng Yanfu and his lot werenât fools, they wouldnât charge at Gaojia Village foolishly in broad daylight. Otherwise, they would share the fate of the Supreme Bright King.
A night raid?
Thirty-Two felt a bit nervous.
Gao Chuwu clamored beside him, âThird Lady, weâve learned a bit about fighting during the day, but how do we fight at night?â
Zheng Daniu also said, âThey could launch a night raid any moment, but we canât stay up all night. What should we do?â
Thirty-Two bellowed, âI know jack shit! Iâm a damn clerk, not a commander.â
The villagers around grew panicked once more.
Li Daoxuan chuckled. What was so scary about a night raid? He would just switch on the motion alert of the Surveillance Camera. Once it sensed any movement, it would sound the preset music alarm. Then he would shine a fluorescent lamp into the box, and they could instantly fight as if it were daytime.
Yet his method was like âDeity Cheating.â If he started cheating like that early on, the villagers wouldnât learn anything.
No need to rush for now. He would see how they handled it.
Thirty-Two hesitated repeatedly, then suddenly snapped awake. âRight, it was still early morning, far from dark. Quick, someone go to Bai Family Fortress and invite Mr. Bai Yuan over. Heâs the militia instructor, he knows how to deal with this.â
Gao Chuwu said, âIâll go!â
âThen be careful along the way,â Thirty-Two said. âOutside is very risky. If you run into bandits, donât be brave. Flee like mad. Those bandits donât have horses; they wonât catch you.â
Gao Chuwu grinned foolishly. âDonât worry, Iâve eaten well lately, Iâm strong. Those weaklings wonât catch me.â
He grabbed some dried meat wedges and a white flatbread, then dashed out of the fortified house. Gao Yiye yelled from the city wall, âBrother Chuwu, donât run so fast right away. Itâs a two-hour journey; save your strength.â
Gao Chuwu said dumbly, âHuh? Oh! Right!â
The crowd was silent.
Entrusting such an important task to a simpleton, could it be okay?
Thirty-Two spun around sharply and looked at the two blacksmiths. âThe armor? How many sets do we have now?â
The two blacksmiths grinned. âPlenty now. These past days, we got cotton fabric. The women pitched in too, attaching those stored armor pieces onto cotton coats, making several sets of cotton armor.â
Thirty-Two said, âCount them fast! Hand out the armor to the toughest young fighters in the village. Quick, quick, quick! Also, stones, oilâget all that ready. Ah, right, what about our catapults?â
Zheng Daniu said, âAfter the last fight, the Deity took all the catapults back to heaven.â
Thirty-Two said, âFor night fighting, catapults probably arenât useful, right? Ay! I donât really know either. Forget about that for now. Everyone, get moving! Quick, quick, quick! Do what you need to do.â
The villagers said, âBut what exactly should we do?â
Thirty-Two was silent.
The scene grew awkward again.