"The Manchu forces are here again. They are back again!"
Inside the prefect's residence in Daizhou, a servant shouted in panic.
The prefect, still half asleep and dressed only in a pale inner robe, struggled out of bed and snapped irritably, "So what if they are here? They came last time too. This is a prefectural city, not some small county. They are not going to storm it."
"No, my lord, this time is different. They are not bypassing the city. They have brought siege equipment. They are going to attack."
That single sentence jolted the prefect fully awake.
"What?"
All traces of sleep vanished instantly. He hurriedly threw on his armor and rushed toward the city wall.
A civil official wearing heavy armor was a pitiful sight, every step labored, breath coming in ragged gasps. By the time he reached the wall, he found that Sun Chuanting had already arrived ahead of him. Sun Chuanting was also clad in heavy armor, yet he stood tall and steady, not the slightest bit winded, his bearing as composed as ever.
He had already deployed his retainers and militia to key positions along the wall, fully prepared for battle.
Compared to him, the prefect looked utterly useless.
"Sir Sun, what is the situation?" the prefect asked, managing to produce a thoroughly pointless question.
Sun Chuanting did not bother answering directly. He simply pointed outward.
The prefect followed his gesture and immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
Outside the city stretched a dense formation of Manchu troops. On both flanks rode Manchu and Mongol cavalry, while the center was packed with infantry. Their equipment was not poor at all. Armor gleamed, and colorful banners snapped in the wind.
It was a terrifying sight.
Fortunately, this was Xuanfu and Datong territory, not the northeast. The Manchu forces had not hauled their heavy cannons all the way here. The siege equipment outside consisted mainly of hastily constructed ladders and wooden platforms made from freshly cut timber, crude but still dangerous.
The prefect trembled. "What is going on? They even prepared siege equipment. The reports said they would not attack cities, only raid villages."
Sun Chuanting snapped back in anger, "My lord, the situation in war changes by the moment. When they see how cowardly our Ming forces have become, even an army that did not intend to attack cities will be tempted to do so. Do you not understand this? If every city continues to mind its own affairs, they will only grow bolder, taking one city after another."
The prefect panicked. "What do we do? What do we do?"
Sun Chuanting answered bluntly, "We fight. What else can we do?"
"They are advancing. The Manchu forces are advancing!"
War drums thundered outside the walls as the enemy army began to push forward.
"Archers, fire."
"Prepare the catapults."
Sun Chuanting stopped wasting time on the prefect and threw himself fully into directing the defense.
…
Meanwhile, the Gao Village Family militia was advancing north at full speed.
A Kongming lantern floated high in the sky, tied by a rope to Gao Chuwu's wrist, drifting along with the marching force.
Inside the lantern, Li Dao Xuan frowned.
"The Manchu forces are attacking Daizhou."
The statement startled everyone.
"What?"
Old Nan Feng frowned. "Have they lost their minds? Attacking a prefectural city makes no sense. Even if they take it, they cannot hold it. There is no strategic value."
Li Dao Xuan replied calmly, "The Ming army's cowardice has emboldened them. Raiding villages is no longer enough to satisfy their appetite. Now they want to take Daizhou and strip it clean."
The group fell silent.
Cheng Xu spoke up, "We are not far from Daizhou. We can reinforce it."
Li Dao Xuan nodded. "Agreed."
As he shifted his perspective through the Kongming lantern, he suddenly noticed movement ahead on the plains.
"There are Manchu scouts five li ahead," he said. "If we continue forward, they will spot us and ride back to report. The enemy will know we are coming."
The generals immediately understood.
"If we want to reinforce effectively, we must strike by surprise," one of them said.
Old Nan Feng nodded. "I will personally lead a team and try to eliminate those scouts."
"I will go as well," Li Dao Xuan said.
Old Nan Feng hesitated awkwardly. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, your body is too heavy. A warhorse will not be able to carry you at speed."
"It does not matter. I will not be riding a horse."
With that, Li Dao Xuan crouched down, peeled back the silicone layer covering his feet, and revealed two wheels hidden inside.
The generals stared in astonishment.
"There are wheels on Dao Xuan Tianzun's feet?"
Li Dao Xuan grinned and attempted a smooth forward glide.
A small stone struck the wheel.
He went down instantly.
The generals fell silent.
Clearly, that idea was not going to work.
Before anyone could react, Dao Xuan Tianzun peeled back more of the silicone covering on his body. From his shoulders and waist, four large wheels extended outward, each wrapped in rubber.
In an instant, he shifted into a four wheel stance.
The generals stared in confusion.
Li Dao Xuan abandoned conventional logic entirely. Without any visible engine, the four wheels suddenly spun to life, and he shot forward in a burst of speed.
The generals were utterly awestruck.
"The divine arts of Dao Xuan Tianzun are beyond comprehension."
Cheng Xu snapped, "Old Nan Feng, what are you waiting for? You said you would deal with the enemy scouts."
Old Nan Feng jolted back to his senses. "Right."
He spurred his horse forward. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, wait for me."
Several veteran scouts followed immediately, forming a loose formation as they galloped north.
Li Dao Xuan sped ahead and soon slipped into tall grass, his low profile making him nearly impossible to spot from a distance.
Within moments, Old Nan Feng and his riders lost sight of him.
They assumed he had his own plan and focused on their mission instead.
Before long, they spotted the Manchu scouts ahead on the open plain.
The Manchu scouts also noticed them almost immediately.
From a distance, both sides sized each other up.
Ten Manchu scouts.
Six Ming scouts.
The Manchu side made their decision quickly.
"If we eliminate them, we can find out how many Ming troops are behind them."
A howl rose from their ranks.
"Charge!"
The Manchu scouts spurred their horses forward and rushed in.