Siege Shield Carts

Immediately afterwards, hurried footsteps echoed on the mountain path. Five guards went away, and only four returned. Two of them were half-dragging and half-carrying two wounded men as they staggered around the bend.

Upon approaching, the head guard, his face pale, knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice:

"General, I am incompetent."

Wei Zheng glanced at the scene and his heart sank.

Of the two people being held up, one had his calf armor plate pierced through, flesh and blood seeping out, a chunk of leg bone clearly collapsed, blood dripping down his trouser leg, and he could no longer support himself on his leg;

The other shoulder armor had a hole torn in it, half of his arm was soaked in blood, his arm hung limply at his sides, his face was as white as paper, and he barely had the strength to even cry out in pain.

"And one more?"

Wei Zheng's voice was strained.

He was hit in the head and died instantly; he couldn't be brought back to life.

The guard's Adam's apple bobbed as he raised his hand and handed over a tattered large shield:

"General, look, this is something I specially picked up. This thing can't stop it at all."

The Black Armor Army's standard iron-clad shield, with its half-finger-thick iron sheet covering hardwood, now had a clear, round hole punched through its front.

The sheet metal around the hole was torn and curled up by the force, and the hardwood of the shield also cracked along the hole, with several fine lines appearing. The entire shield surface was slightly dented, as if it had been hit hard by a heavy hammer.

In just that short moment, the sturdy shield was pierced as easily as a thin piece of wood.

Hu Tieniu was resting inside the stockade when he suddenly heard a series of muffled thuds coming from the direction of the stockade wall. His face immediately darkened, and he quickly climbed the wall and rushed over.

"Who gave you permission to fire?" he demanded in a gruff voice as he stood in front of the machine gun emplacement.

Guarding Maxim was a ten-man squad, led by Zhou Meng, an old comrade who had risen through the ranks with Hu Tieniu. Seeing this, Zhou scratched his head and said with a forced smile:

"Boss, didn't you always tell us to practice diligently? These bullets are precious, and the brothers are reluctant to use them. Just now, we saw some Government Army sneaking up the mountain path. We can use them as live targets to practice, so that when we really attack the city, we'll have better aim."

"Foolish!"

Hu Tieniu glared at him:

"How many times have I told you? This thing is a trump card, we have to wait until they're all huddled together under the wall before we fire. One burst of bullets can take down a whole bunch of them."

Now look what's happened! They're a mile away, and you're firing down from the stockade wall, revealing your position for no reason. Once they actually attack and are on guard, the effectiveness of your guns will be reduced by at least 30%!

Zhou Meng blushed and lowered his head, saying, "Boss, I couldn't help myself. I was wrong. I will never fire unless we are very close in the future."

"Alright, keep an eye on things." Hu Tieniu waved his hand, not uttering any more insults.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a "thud" was heard, and an arrow shot up from the forest below the mountain and embedded itself in a large wooden board not far away, with a small paper roll still tied to its fletching.

The guard beside him quickly pulled out the sword and handed it over. "Boss, this is a message sent back by the scouts down the mountain."

Hu Tieniu, who wasn't very literate, casually handed the book to a literate soldier next to him. "Read it."

The guard unrolled the scroll, quickly scanned it, and said:

"Boss, the scouts report that there are at least 20,000 Government Army arriving at the foot of the mountain. Among them, 8,000 are the Black Armor Guards from the Capital, all clad in heavy Mystic Iron armor, impervious to swords and arrows, looking extremely elite; the remaining 10,000 are border troops from the northern frontier, soldiers who have fought against the Northern Di Barbarians year-round. The commander of the Black Armor Guards is in charge and has already assumed overall command of this battle."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding leaders not only didn't panic, but they all laughed.

Hu Tieniu chuckled and pointed to the narrow mountain path below:

"Twenty thousand people? Even if two hundred thousand came, what could they do? How many could they send at a time? No matter how many there were, they'd have to be sent up one by one."

Zhou Meng slapped Maxim in front of him, his voice booming:

"The boss is right! With this thing, the mountain path ahead is a death trap. If they dare to charge up, we'll riddle them with bullets. As long as we have enough bullets, I don't believe anyone can get past this blockade!"

Wei Zheng returned to the main tent, stared at the pierced iron shield for a long time, and then ordered his personal guards, "Summon the foreman of the craftsmen's battalion."

Before long, a strong, muscular man in his forties strode into the tent and bowed respectfully.

"This humble servant greets the General."

Wei Zheng raised his chin, signaling his guards to raise their shields.

"Take a close look, see if you can build something to block this kind of shot?"

The foreman stepped forward and examined the shield closely. He saw that the iron sheet at the entrance of the hole was rolled up and the hardwood had cracked straight through. He couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"General, the power of this weapon is truly terrifying. There is a way to block it, though. We can build two-wheeled assault carts, with thick wooden planks at the front, covered with thick iron plates, and then several layers of water-soaked cotton blankets on top. Soldiers can then push the carts from behind; that should be able to stop this long-range weapon."

Wei Zheng nodded slightly:

How long would it take to build a car like this?

"No trouble at all."

The steward quickly replied:

"We can modify the existing supply wagon frames in the camp. All we need to do is cut the iron plates, nail on the side panels, and attach them. Our craftsmen's camp has more than twenty blacksmiths, plus carpenters to help out. If we work at full speed, we can produce more than a dozen wagons a day. If we keep producing them in rotation, we can make hundreds in less than five days."

"We won't need that many," Wei Zheng said. "Get twenty or thirty out first, the sooner the better."

"Yes, sir!" The steward bowed and quickly left the tent to oversee the task.

On the third day, just as dawn was breaking, the battle to capture the mountain officially began.

Wei Zheng stood behind the stone wall of the forward outpost—this place was right at the bend of the mountain road, and although he couldn't see the mountaintop wall when he looked up, it was the most forward command position he could reach at the moment.

He gave the order in a deep voice, and the thirty-two steel-bearing assault carts started moving and were pushed up the mountain along the smooth cement road.

Each cart was pushed by ten soldiers from behind, and the two carts walked side by side, barely filling the road, which was more than ten feet wide.

Four bodyguards carrying thick shields followed closely behind the carriage, bending over to use the carriage as a cover for their figures;

Behind the convoy were Black Armor Army soldiers lined up in columns, each carrying a heavy iron shield. Behind each shield were two soldiers, who followed closely behind, the dark mass of soldiers slowly pressing up the mountain path.

The messengers made round trips, quickly reporting the situation at the front back to the outpost.

On the village wall, the sentry on duty was the first to spot the dark mass of vehicles approaching. He immediately grabbed a gong and began to strike it rapidly. The crisp, piercing sound of the gong echoed through the mountains and instantly reached the entire village.

Inside the Hall of Righteous Gathering, Hu Tieniu was talking to Lin Weiyuan and his son, as well as Zhao Kui, about the situation of the Government Army down the mountain. Upon hearing the gong, he immediately gripped his waist knife and stood up.

"The Government Army have made their move."

He said to Lin Weiyuan:

"Grandpa Lin, you and your son can sit comfortably in the hall. There's no need for you to go up and risk your lives. Zhao Kui and I will keep watch from the stockade wall."

Lin Weiyuan also stood up, his expression calm:

"Chief, you are mistaken. Since my son and I are in the stronghold, it is our duty to guard it. Let's go together."

Hu Tieniu nodded slightly, without further ado:

"Okay, let's go."