Taiheiki

Chapter 45 Stone Throwing
"In that case, I'll go over and take a look! After all, the people around here are so welcoming. I'm just a mere hundred stones, so it would be too arrogant if I didn't show up!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

About an arrow's throw away from Wubao.

Behind the long fence, the sound of hammers pounding filled the air. Several brand-new ladders were being constructed, their exteriors generously coated with wet mud. Behind them, a battering ram, fashioned from a large tree trunk, secured with iron chains, its tip sharpened and hardened by fire, was covered with a wooden roof. It seemed the accompanying craftsmen had been busy.

"Where are all the people?" Wei Cong casually stroked the battering ram. To be honest, he felt that this thing was a bit of an overreaction for the Zhang family's Wu Fort. It was estimated that Zhao Yannian and others brought the experience of attacking the Qiang people's stone fort here intact. However, it was not a bad thing. At least it could scare the defenders of Wu Fort. Anyway, if it was him who saw this thing, his heart would be chilled.

"Everyone here!" Zhao Yannian gestured for them to come in. Wei Cong walked around the battering ram and a row of fences, and saw a dozen men in various clothing. Before he could say anything, Zhao Yannian stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "This is my husband, Wei Mengde, the official in charge of the Nanjun bandits who killed Zhang Bolu, the leader of the crimson-robed bandits!"

Everyone knelt in unison, which made Wei Cong feel a little awkward. He was not used to others kneeling to him, especially so many people, most of whom looked more than twice his age. He coughed and said, "Everyone, please stand up. No need to be so polite!"

Everyone stood up. Wei Cong could sense their nervousness. An old man, his hair almost completely white, said in a trembling voice, "We, the common people, have benefited greatly from this campaign to quell the crimson bandits. We are truly inexpressibly grateful!"

"Yes! The thief Zhang has been tormenting our village for over ten years. We have all suffered greatly. He has been helping us eliminate this evil. We are truly indebted to him!"

"Yes! He keeps fugitives and villains. Anyone who rebels against him will have their family destroyed and their life taken from them. He has done us a great favor by engaging in this. Even if we were to repay him, it would be difficult!"

"Exactly. Take corvée labor, for example! Anyone in the village who pleases him doesn't have to do corvée labor, but anyone who doesn't will be burdened with corvée labor. If any county official dares to disobey him, he'll have a desperate young man come and take his life. He's truly overbearing!"

The old man's words were like opening the floodgates of a dam. Everyone expressed their gratitude to Wei Cong. Wei Cong was also moved by the words. He raised his right arm, and the voices of the crowd gradually subsided.

"Everyone, I've come here because Zhang Bolu has been recruiting fugitives, arbitrarily robbing the countryside, and causing great harm. I must bring the guilty to justice and restore peace to this area. After I defeated the bandits yesterday, many of them escaped across the city. When you return, please spread the word that if you encounter any strangers, capture and execute them, and send them to the Thief's Office in the Jiangling City Governor's Mansion. There will be a reward!"

Everyone had long hated the desperate criminals recruited by the Zhang family, but in the past they were afraid of their strength and did not dare to resist; now that the Zhang family was doomed, it would not be difficult to eliminate fleeing outsiders like these, not to mention the rewards, so they all responded in unison, saying that when they returned they would definitely have their children and neighbors step up their vigilance and not let any of the criminals escape.

"As for the dried vegetables, pickled meat, and grain you all sent me. I am a salary recipient of the imperial court, so how could I possibly take the private property of ordinary people? Let me put it this way: I'll have the grain, rice, vegetables, and meat appraised, and then I'll pay you back in cash. Consider it as buying your money. As for those who came today, it will be considered as corvée labor. I'll have it recorded and counted against next year!"

Upon hearing this, the elders were overjoyed. They prostrated themselves on the ground and went back to their village to spread the story of Wei Cong, referring to him as Duke Wei but not by name. They said, "Duke Wei is here! He feeds the hungry, clothes the cold, supports the virtuous, and punishes the wicked! Seeing this, my heart is at peace!"

————————————————————

Five days later.

The stone bullet flew over the outer wall of Wu Castle, swept through the chimney of the blacksmith shop, broke it in two, and finally landed in the stable. Suddenly, smoke and dust rose up, followed by the neighing of livestock and the crying of people.

"Hurry, go and see what's going on in the stable!" Zhang Ping's eyes were bloodshot and frighteningly red. He hadn't slept for two days and two nights. He was like a vicious wolf that would pounce on you and tear your throat at any time.

"That's totally unnecessary!" an old soldier chimed in. "That stone bullet is as big as two heads. If it hits them, they'll die instantly. It's better to save your energy!"

"Just go when I tell you to, understand?" Zhang Ping's voice was low, his red eyes fixed on the old soldier. The old soldier swallowed, turned around and ran towards the city wall.

Zhang Ping knew the old soldier was right. He had seen stone projectiles hurled by the enemy, twice as big as his own head and weighing over 40 kilograms. Any human being struck by one would surely die. But the most important thing was to obey orders, especially at this moment. He walked to the remaining half of the parapet and carefully peeked through the gap. About 150 steps away, a dozen or so enemies were busy with a strange machine that, from a distance, looked like a one-armed giant. Zhang Ping had seen stone cannons before, but he knew no other could hurl a 40-kilogram stone projectile 150 steps away.

It was with this weapon that Wei Cong, unscathed, destroyed the central watchtower and three of the four corner towers of Wu Fort. He then set up bamboo rafts beside the moat to act as shields and began tossing bundles of firewood and straw bags into it, while the defenders, standing on the exposed walls, could only fire arrows down. It was likely that before nightfall, the besiegers would have filled the moat and breached the gates of Wu Fort. Thinking of this, Zhang Ping couldn't help but feel a sense of regret for having sent someone to assassinate Wei Cong.

————————————————————

In the stable, the horse was lying on the ground, its entire hind leg almost completely separated from its body, with only a small section of tendon still connected. The pale leg bone was broken, and the air was filled with a pungent fishy smell, and several green-headed flies were buzzing around.

"This beast is hopeless! Let's give it a quick death!" a thief whispered.

"Yeah!" The other thief nodded. "Peel it, cut it into pieces, and cook it in the pot. It'll be just in time for dinner, and we can have a good meal!"

"Yes, maybe this is our last meal, we should have a good one!" The thief looked up at the hole in the roof of the stable and said, "Who knows, the next stone might hit someone on the head!"

No one responded. Everyone knew he was right. The outcome was already decided. The enemy outside hadn't attacked immediately because they didn't want to lose any lives. They had never imagined such a terrifying weapon could exist in the world, a stone projectile weighing forty kilograms, hurled from a hundred and fifty paces. Armor, breastwork, and a cowhide-covered roof were useless against such a heavy projectile. The outer walls and corner towers of Wubao, meticulously constructed by Zhang Bolu, became a mockery. No one dared to stand on them—the vast amount of stone used in their construction resulted in a shower of sharp fragments flying everywhere when struck by a stone projectile, leaving those on top covered in wounds.

So, after suffering a few setbacks, most of the defenders took refuge in the narrow space just inside the wall. While they were protected from the stone bullets, they couldn't see or do anything. If the enemy attacked, they could easily rush under the wall, and the defenders might not even notice them, making it impossible to hold the city.

"It seems that no one died this time. We are lucky!" A voice came from behind.

Several thieves turned around and saw the old soldier who was sent by Zhang Ping to check the situation in the stable. They all breathed a sigh of relief: "It turned out to be you. How did you find time to come to our side!"

"Captain Zhang, look, there's been some stone bullet damage here. Let me come over and take a look!" The old soldier walked over to the horse lying on the ground, frowning and asking, "It's in this state, it's definitely not going to survive. Why don't you kill it quickly, skin it, cut it into pieces, and add some spices to it tonight so everyone can get a piece of horse meat!"

Everyone present frowned. No one liked being taught a lesson like this.

"You don't need to teach us what to do!" someone shouted, "Go back to that kid. You've seen whether there are dead bodies here or not!" The old soldier was about to say something when he suddenly heard a strange sound in the air. He subconsciously fell to the ground and then heard a loud noise. It turned out that another stone bullet flew over and hit the wall of the granary not far away. Immediately, broken stones flew everywhere and smoke and dust rose.

"God bless you!" The old soldier got up from the ground, trembling all over. He swept his eyes over the faces of everyone around him. They all looked pale, as if they were dead.

"Damn it!" someone whispered. "From what I can see, there's no point in hiding here. If you can hide once, how can you hide ten or a hundred times? As long as you stay in this Wu Castle, you'll die sooner or later. Being hit by this stone bullet will be a quick death. You won't even feel anything before you die!"

"That may not be the case. Look at the horse on the ground, it's still breathing!" someone retorted, pointing at the dying horse on the ground.

The old soldier said nothing. He drew his sword and killed the horse. Then he said to the others, "This isn't a solution. How about we all come with me to see Zhang Tou'er?"

"What can we do after meeting that brat? It's already like this? Can we still surrender?"

"Even if we rush out and fight to the death, it's better than being cut to death by a blunt knife every day! Nothing is more serious than death. There should be no one who is still staying here who is afraid of death, right?" asked the veteran.

The old soldier's words resonated with everyone. Yes, those still inside the fort weren't afraid of death, but how they died made all the difference. What was the difference between being trapped inside the fort, being pelted with stones and bullets, unable to even see the enemy's faces, and being locked alive in a coffin, listening to the hammering of nails outside? It would be better to rush out and fight the enemy with knives! At least you could splash blood all over their faces.

"Okay, go ahead!"

"Yes, we need to discuss this. If a new general were leading us, he would definitely not lead us to hide in Wu Castle and be pelted with stones!"

"We've already earned it by being alive today. What's there to be afraid of? Let's go!"

The people in the stables raised their arms and marched aggressively towards the wall of Wu Fort. More and more people joined them along the way. By the time they saw Zhang Ping, their number had grown to more than 40, which was more than a quarter of the combat-capable soldiers in Wu Fort.

"What are you doing? A mutiny?" Zhang Ping looked at the people in front of him in shock and anger.

"We just want to talk to you!" someone shouted.

"Let's talk?" Zhang Ping sneered, "If it were my uncle, he would tie you guys up and use you as targets!"

"You're not him! The General wouldn't let us end up like this!"

Even if a steel knife pierced his body, it wouldn't hurt any more. Zhang Ping gritted his teeth and managed to keep himself from losing control. He roared loudly, his brow twisted and his teeth clenched: "Tell me, what do you want!"

"Get out!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"Rush out? Don't you see the long fence outside? That's a dead end!"

"No one left in Wu Castle is afraid of death, but no one wants to die in such a miserable state. Let's charge out, sword against sword, gun against gun. No one will blame you if we die!"

The words of the crowd touched a certain point deep in Zhang Ping's heart. He suddenly realized that maybe they were right. It is better to die by sword than by stone bullets. Besides, the morale of the army is like this. No matter how strong the city is, it cannot be defended, let alone a mere Wu Fort?
"Well, since you say so, I'll obey you. Come, slaughter all the remaining cattle and horses in Wu Castle. Let's have a good meal together, and then we'll leave the city tonight and fight the enemy to the death!"

————————————————————

The highlands outside Wubao.

"My lord, the bandits should leave the city and attack at night tonight!" Zhao Yannian whispered while looking at Wu Fort not far away.

"How did you know?" Wei Cong looked at Wu Bao in surprise, who looked no different from usual, and asked in surprise.

"Listen!" Zhao Yannian said with a smile, "Listen carefully!"

Wei Cong looked at Zhao Yannian, confirming that he was not joking. Then he tilted his ear and began to listen carefully. After a while, he shook his head: "It seems nothing. What did you hear?"

"The cries of various animals are heard, and animals are being slaughtered in the city!"

Wei Cong listened carefully and indeed there was something, albeit a faint one: "But what does this have to do with the surprise attack outside the city?"

"For a besieged city, food is life. They must account for their rations. Soldiers get two meals a day, while women, children, and the elderly only get one. Every bit saved counts!" Zhao Yannian patiently explained, "There's only one reason for slaughtering animals like this: the defenders want to reward the warriors so they can eat their fill and charge out to fight to the death! Young Master has already built a long perimeter. If the thieves rush out during the day, they'll be courting death. So, they must do it at night!"

"So that's how it is!" Wei Cong laughed. "Yannian, I'm so lucky to have you as my subordinate!"

"No!" Zhao Yannian shook his head, looked Wei Cong in the eye, and answered seriously, "I think it should be the other way around!"

(End of this chapter)