allonlinenovel Chapter 167 Do your best
Chapter 167 Do your best
"Brother is so smart!" Ning Xiaoxi smiled. "Brother, Lord Di Kui said we're not allowed to go out these next few days. We've just arrived, so it's better to listen to him."
Ning Ziqing sat down next to Ning Xiaoxi. "On the way back from my second cousin's shop, I saw that people on the street had their doors and windows closed. Although they were tense, they didn't seem afraid. It seems that the people in the city are not so afraid of the attack on the city by the half-goods."
“After all, this is a border town with rich experience in resisting. Since they don’t want us to participate, we should just listen to them.” Ning Xiaoxi took the soup bowl that Ming Luoying handed her and took a sip. “Brother, have Zhou Xin run around more these two days. We can’t go out, but we can’t close our eyes and ears either.”
“Yes, I went to the West District Market yesterday to check out a clinic. I’ve already spoken with Doctor Zhao, and once I take over the shop, he will help manage it.” Ning Ziqing also explained his arrangements for the past two days. “Today I went to the county government office to complete the property deed. I was just on my way back when I heard the bugle call. I saw the county magistrate going out, so I hurried back.”
Ming Luoying also sat down and poured Ning Ziqing a cup of tea. "There's no rush with the shop. We can talk about it after the war is over. We can open it together with your second cousin's shop and handle it according to the division of property between the two families."
"Don't worry, Mother. We'll stay home these next few days and not go anywhere. I just asked Zhou Xin to tell my second cousin not to go out either."
"Brother, tell Zhou Xin to be careful too. If it's dangerous, he doesn't need to come out." Ning Xiaoxi finished eating and put down her chopsticks.
Ning Ziqing nodded. "I'll have him come check on things first thing tomorrow morning. If there's nothing else, he can go home and doesn't need to come out again."
"Is the official Ning here?"
Ning Ziqing got up and pushed open the door, and saw Shang Wu standing by the pebble path. "Captain Shang, please come in."
He approached the door somewhat awkwardly and said, "I am Ning, the lord has sent me here to ask you something."
Ning Ziqing led Shang Wu into the east room. Ning Xiaoxi brought in a stool and handed it to Shang Wu, then sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), while Ning Ziqing sat on the other side of the kang table.
He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Ning Xiaoxi.
Rocks? Hooks? Logs?
Ning Xiaoxi looked at the words on the note. These were some of the tools she had mentioned a few days ago when she went up the city wall with Liao Wenju to inspect it. She didn't expect that Commander Liao had remembered them all.
Ning Xiaoxi thought for a moment. Now that she had unlocked the Mechanism Master skill, crafting these items wasn't difficult, but they might not be the right defensive equipment for the current situation.
"Captain Shang, I have a few questions, and I hope you can answer them truthfully."
"Please speak, sir. As you said, I can answer anything I know."
Ning Xiaoxi considered for a moment and asked, "How many enemy troops typically attack our Fufang County?"
"It was two thousand four years ago."
Do you know the number of other border cities attacked?
"I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but the number of troops attacking Youdu reached five thousand, and it's said that five border cities were attacked simultaneously."
It seems their attacks are not evenly distributed, but rather targeted. If the attacks on Youdu were the most numerous, the total number should not exceed 15,000, but according to Tianji's statistics, it exceeds 20,000 this time. We cannot afford to be complacent; we must prepare for defense.
"What are their food sources?"
Shang Wu's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth as he squeezed out two words, "Corpse!"
Ning Ziqing's expression also changed, and he looked at Ning Xiaoxi with some worry.
Ning Xiaoxi frowned. "They won't retreat; they'll only fight to the death?"
"Yes, every previous attack resulted in the complete annihilation of all the semi-traitors, with no prisoners and no deserters."
“This doesn’t make sense. They attack every four or five years, and they are all wiped out. Where do they come from? How can they be replenished so quickly in just a few years?” Ning Ziqing couldn’t help but interject.
“Brother is right. Let’s deal with the immediate situation first, and then investigate the root cause.” Ning Xiaoxi also felt something was wrong, but now was not the time to pursue the root cause. “How should we respond? Should we leave the city or wait for them to attack?”
"Once out of the city, keep them at least a mile away, and absolutely do not let them get close to the city gate."
Fighting each other outside the gate? So brave? Does that mean the city wall is the last line of defense? If we have a city wall but can't use it, what are we going to do?
"Brother, please prepare the writing materials for me."
Ning Ziqing opened the cabinet door behind her, took out a brush, ink, and a ream of coarse paper, and quickly ground the ink. The coarse paper absorbed the ink well, and the paper stalks on it made it less than ideal. However, since grappling hooks and logs were useful when enemy troops approached, Ning Xiaoxi still wrote down the manufacturing and usage instructions in detail. The calligraphy she had learned from everyone in the manor naturally couldn't express much style on this coarse paper; she aimed for simplicity and legibility.
Ning Ziqing promptly ground ink for his younger sister, while Shang Wu sat there watching Ning Xiaoxi write page after page with great enthusiasm, barely daring to breathe.
Boulders and logs can roll down from both sides of the mountain; the larger the boulder, the greater the force. A grappling hook can be used in conjunction with this; throw it out, hook the boulder, pull it away, and then chop it down to prevent it from clustering together.
Ning Xiaoxi thought for a moment and finally drew the blueprints for the crossbow and catapult. However, the paper was of poor quality, so she had to enlarge the scale of the blueprints so that she could still draw clearly without using fine lines.
After finishing writing and drawing, Ning Xiaoxi checked it again to make sure there were no mistakes or omissions, and then handed it to Shang Wu, saying, "Take these to Lord Liao and see if they can be of any help."
He carefully took the stack of papers and put them in his pocket. He bowed almost ninety degrees to Ning Xiaoxi and said, "Thank you, Officer Ning!" After saying that, he got up to leave.
"Captain Shang." Ning Xiaoxi called out to him, jumped off the kang, and walked to his side. "There's one more thing. If it's convenient, you can sprinkle oil at a distance of 20, 30, or even 40 feet from our army's formation. It doesn't matter what kind of oil it is, as long as it's easy to ignite. When the enemy enters, you can ignite it directly with fire arrows. This can help destroy the enemy from a distance."
He nodded repeatedly, "I will definitely pass this on to the garrison commander."
Some of the defensive fortifications in her mind were large-scale projects that would take a long time to complete, and could not be finished in a day or two. Moreover, too much movement was not suitable for this city, after all, she was a Celestial Master, not a royal official, and had no right to plan defensive fortifications. All she could do was provide some assistance with equipment.
He sighed softly, rested his chin on the kang table, and stared at the lines on the coarse paper in front of him. Was it really better to be out of sight, out of mind?
Ming Luoying brought in a hot teapot, placed it on the kang table, and patted her daughter's head.
Ning Xiaoxi blinked at her mother, giving her a smile that was neither a smile nor a smile.
When Ning Ziqing returned from seeing Shang Wu off, she saw her younger sister like this and silently sat down beside her.