Chapter 105: The Cheng Family Clan

“At that time, they seized Tongtian County. I hid atop the city tower to observe, and after nightfall, I jumped over the wall and escaped back,” he explained. “Because of the gravity of the situation, I did not inform the county magistrate of the truth. The real Li Er is currently at home, bound by me.”

Chen Mu nodded. “You did the right thing. This is indeed a matter of great consequence—it could change the fate of Daxia.”

From what he could see now, the enemy numbers were few, with about half being women—likely members of a single family who had previously lived in seclusion in the snowy mountains. Yet their mobility was formidable. If infantry confronted them, they would be utterly powerless, but cavalry might stand a chance, striking while the enemy reloaded.

However, the enemy surely knew this too and thus never ventured outside the city walls.

Then, what were they doing inside the city?

There was only one way to find out.

Chen Mu ordered the fabrication of siege engines and prepared the entire army to assault the city. This time, the siege towers would remain unused, but the catapults would be effective, boasting a much longer range.

On the third day, Chen Mu led his troops to Tongtian County and arrayed them outside the walls. The Invincible Flying Army and the Undaunted Flying Army stood in the center, guarding the catapults, while the ten thousand cavalry divided into two units flanked the sides, ready for deployment.

The catapults, pushed by soldiers, inched forward slowly. Chen Mu sat astride his horse, gazing up at the city walls.

Now, many soldiers stood atop the ramparts—clearly those who had been turned by the enemy. Yet the true leaders still had not appeared.

After a while, the catapults were positioned, wheels removed, and weighted down. At Chen Mu’s command, they would launch an attack on the city tower.

At that moment, a group of men in strange attire ascended the city tower, glancing toward Chen Mu’s forces.

They seemed utterly unconcerned by the twenty thousand troops arrayed outside, even pointing and whispering among themselves.

Cheng Tang murmured, “So this is Chen Mu, the crown prince of Daxia?”

Cheng Lü replied, “Yes. These infantry are the elite of Daxia. The cavalry are ordinary, but with Chen Mu’s innovations—the stirrups, saddles, horseshoes—they are much stronger than before.”

Cheng Wu added, “Chen Mu is a prodigy to have developed these so quickly. Could the naturalists’ claims actually be true?”

Cheng Lü sneered, “Those are just hand-me-downs from us. It will take them centuries to catch up to our pace.”

Chen Mu had already made his decision—launch the attack immediately.

“Catapults, target the city tower! Fire!”

At Chen Mu’s order, the catapults adjusted their angles, all aiming for the tower.

Cheng Wu shouted, “Danger! Take cover!”

Several men hurried toward the stairs.

Soon, the catapults fired. This volley carried incendiary bombs. Stones landed atop the tower, wrapped in straw mats that caught fire, sending burning oil flying and turning the tower into an inferno.

Chen Mu, seeing no casualties, ordered the catapults to adjust angles to cover the entire city wall with fire.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from the tower, and over a dozen large black spheres shot out, hurtling toward Chen Mu’s army.

Some struck the catapults, others rolled on the ground, stopping after a few spins.

Chen Mu gasped.

“Cannons! Retreat! Withdraw two li!” he commanded.

Previously, reports from the concealed guards had said the enemy had no cannons. Whether these were newly crafted or brought down from the snowy mountains was unknown.

But there was no time to ponder. Retreat first.

At Chen Mu’s command, the cavalry and infantry began to fall back, but the soldiers manning the catapults were still moving stones and trying to remount the wheels.

“Forget the catapults! Retreat now!” Chen Mu shouted urgently.

Only then did those soldiers dare abandon the catapults and turn to withdraw.

The enemy cannons fired again, sending over a dozen iron balls flying, destroying two catapults and reducing them to splinters.

Chen Mu pulled his troops back two li and felt relief when the cannon fire ceased—its range seemed limited. He watched helplessly as the catapults lay in ruin.

The cannonade stopped, and the same men emerged again.

Cheng Lü called out, “Chen Mu! You have no honor! How dare you launch a surprise attack?”

Chen Mu almost laughed with disbelief.

“Nonsense! I came to fight you! You declared no war, yet you ambushed Tongtian County—the heart of Daxia—and now you have the nerve to complain?”

Cheng Lü shouted excitedly, “Tongtian County is only the beginning! The entire Daxia will belong to the Cheng family. You may think your weapons are strong, but before our cannons, they are nothing!”

Chen Mu furrowed his brow deeper, surprised that the enemy called these devices “cannons.” The implications were chilling upon reflection.

But before the assembled armies, he could not show weakness.

Chen Mu laughed heartily, looking to the sky. “I have seen countless heroes, their flesh and blood standing against machine guns and cannons! And they prevailed!”

“Here, in Daxia, we shall do the same!”

Cheng Lü laughed too. “Ha ha ha… I want to see how you manage that! Our cannons grow stronger every day. Soon, we will level every city of Daxia!”

Chen Mu replied coldly, “You will see.”

With that, he waved his hand and ordered a retreat.

Currently, their catapults could not match the enemy’s cannon range and could not breach the city. Since the enemy could build cannons, they could likely produce other machines, making a forced assault futile.

They needed to devise a clever strategy.

Back in Weishan County, Chen Mu’s first act was to write a letter urging Chen Xingtian to push the Academy of Engineering’s research—especially the steam engine.

This was the key technology.

Then Chen Mu summoned all officers for a discussion on possible stratagems.

For three days, Chen Mu refrained from further sorties, even recalling the scouts, signaling a resolve to defend.

Meanwhile, the Cheng family had not left Tongtian County—likely busily producing weapons.

On the fourth day, a convoy of fifty horse-drawn wagons laden with supplies hurried along the road toward Weishan County. They were escorted by a thousand cavalry, a formidable force.

On a distant mountain, a man in peculiar clothing stood within the trees, peering through a monocular telescope.

“The supplies have arrived. Signal them,” he ordered.

An attendant nodded, producing a bamboo tube from his pocket, igniting a fuse with flint.

A sharp whistle pierced the air, followed by a burst of sparks.

The distant Cheng forces received the signal and immediately ordered their cavalry to charge forward, accompanied by two steam-powered vehicles in the rear.

This thousand-strong cavalry had been painstakingly assembled for this very mission—to seize the supplies.

The fifty wagons of provisions would sustain Chen Mu’s army for a month and the Cheng family for four months.

With this stockpile, the Cheng family dared to make their move.

Atop Weishan’s city walls, Chen Mu watched the galloping cavalry in the distance, a faint smile curling at his lips.