Chapter 61: Setting Out for Dongyue

The army pressed forward and arrived at Qingqu County, the easternmost county in the Dongyuan region. The commander of the Crown Prince’s guards, Li Biao, was originally the constable here. The current county magistrate was an old acquaintance of Li Biao’s, so upon meeting Chen Mu, the two chatted for a while.

After some casual conversation, Chen Mu brought up the main topic: “How much do you know about Dongyue?”

The magistrate replied, “Your Highness, I happen to have a map of Dongyue.”

He produced the map, and Chen Mu saw at a glance that it was rather crude. It only marked the general territory of Dongyue and outlined the mountains and rivers, but there was no indication of any administrative divisions.

The territory of Dongyue was roughly equivalent to two provinces from Chen Mu’s previous life, bordering the Eastern Sea. The southeastern part of the map was left blank, as no one had ever been there. But Chen Mu knew that beyond lay vast ocean.

On the far side of the sea, there was a large island—anciently called Yizhou.

Chen Mu felt a strong connection to this land and had always hoped that Huaxia could reclaim it. Now that the opportunity had come, he resolved to reclaim it himself as the Crown Prince of Daxia.

Chen Mu then inquired further about Dongyue’s local customs and the state of Daxia’s border defenses, before leading his army beyond the national frontier.

That day, Zhang Zhong sought out Chen Mu.

“Your Highness,” Zhang Zhong said, “once we leave the border, the terrain becomes mountainous and transporting provisions will be a challenge.”

Chen Mu smiled. “No need to worry. I’ve already designed something that can carry supplies along mountain paths.”

Zhang Zhong’s eyes lit up. “Your Highness, have you invented another marvel?”

By now, everyone had grown used to Chen Mu’s inventiveness. Even if he claimed to have made a flying wooden bird, they would no longer be surprised.

This time, however, Chen Mu’s invention seemed rather simple—a wheelbarrow.

He led Zhang Zhong to the rear tent. Zhang Zhong circled the contraption several times, puzzled. “Your Highness, why does this cart have only one wheel? Won’t it be unstable?”

Chen Mu smiled faintly. “Let’s have someone try it and see.”

He summoned a soldier, who placed a sack on either side of the barrow and pushed it along the ground. At first, the man was unsteady, but after a while he found his balance and moved with ease.

Chen Mu had him push the barrow uphill as well. Though he started slowly, he soon adapted to the terrain and sped up noticeably.

Zhang Zhong was dumbfounded. “How can this wheelbarrow move so quickly?”

Chen Mu explained, “A two-wheeled cart requires a broad, even surface for stability. On rough mountain roads, it’s prone to overturning. But a wheelbarrow, though less effective on flat land, needs only a narrow path, even a rut, for its wheel, and it can keep its balance.”

Zhang Zhong was lost in the technicalities but nodded along.

Though simple in appearance, the all-wooden wheelbarrow required careful design—the angles of the timbers, the size and shape of the wheel, each meticulously calculated. Chen Mu had anticipated the need to transport supplies through the mountains, and though he wasn’t a mechanical specialist, he spent considerable time working out the details before producing a finished model.

He then had a soldier fetch a two-wheeled cart for comparison. The difference was obvious: the wheelbarrow easily ascended and descended the mountain, while the two-wheeled cart struggled and nearly overturned.

Satisfied with the results, Chen Mu immediately ordered the wheelbarrows to be manufactured according to the sample. With this solution, the supply problem was resolved.

Next, they faced the same difficulty as in Persia—not knowing where the Dongyue settlements were located. In Persia, they could follow the roads, but Dongyue’s people mostly lived deep in the mountains, where there were no paths.

Studying the map, Chen Mu pondered for a long time before pointing to a spot. “Let’s try here. If I’m right, there should be a large clearing suitable for building a town.”

Zhang Zhong and the others looked at the map and saw only a mass of peaks, but the Crown Prince could deduce the presence of open land from the contours—remarkable! They didn’t know that Chen Mu was simply recalling the location of a major city from his previous life, based on the map’s outline. If the terrain hadn’t changed much, there should indeed be a town there. Now, they could only leave it to fate.

The army set out for the target and, one day, reached a mountain valley.

A scout returned with news: enemy forces had been spotted ahead.

Chen Mu glanced at the map in surprise. “We’ve encountered the enemy here? How did they know we were coming?”

Daxia had not sent a formal declaration of war, as Dongyue was not a unified country but a scattering of tribes. Within Daxia, Dongyue was considered a single tribe, but it contained many internal divisions. So how did they receive word?

There must be a traitor sending information.

Chen Mu asked, “How many are there? What are their weapons like?”

The scout described the situation: several thousand men, difficult to see clearly in the forests, armed with a hodgepodge of weapons—hatchets, bows, spears, and various others of unknown names.

Chen Mu nodded. Dongyue resembled the Southern Barbarians, though its administrative structure wasn’t as developed.

“Order the Wudang Flying Army to prepare for battle,” Chen Mu commanded. The Wudang Flying Army would take the lead, with the Invincible Flying Army in support, advancing toward the enemy. The reserve would guard the camp and stand ready to assist the vanguard.

Chen Mu didn’t believe Dongyue’s warriors could defeat him, but he made thorough preparations all the same.

After marching ten more miles, the army caught sight of the enemy.

Seeing them for himself, Chen Mu was struck by their ragged appearance. Armor was out of the question; they barely had clothes, just scraps of hide and cloth sewn together—no protection whatsoever.

Instinctively, Chen Mu relaxed.

Since he had already resolved to subjugate Dongyue, there was no need for further courtesy. There was no point in asking if the other side intended to fight; language was a barrier, and in these wilds, battle was inevitable.

“Order the Wudang Flying Army to strike from the front. The Invincible Flying Army: first and second battalions to the left, third and fourth to the right, fifth to remain in reserve.”

This order was as close as possible to committing all forces to a head-on engagement.

The soldiers charged forward. The Wudang Flying Army unleashed a volley from their repeating crossbows, cutting down swathes of Dongyue warriors. Their tattered garments offered no protection; death swept through their ranks.

Immediately after, the Wudang Flying Army surged forward for close combat. The Invincible Flying Army arrived and fired another salvo of bolts. These two volleys alone slew over two thousand of the enemy—efficiency to the extreme.

The Dongyue proved as weak as expected.

So thought Chen Mu.