"What is that?"
The bandits all turned to look. Two enormous, bizarre lumps were soaring out of Bai Fortress, arcing across the sky toward them.
No one thought they were cannon shells.
Even Old Lu—battle-hardened, former border soldier—didn't consider the possibility. Those things were too big, too absurd, and worst of all… absolutely silent.
Everyone simply stared, slack-jawed, as the two giant objects flew…
and flew…
crossing the fortress wall…
crossing the cracked farmland…
crossing the yellow, dusty earth…
And finally—
Boom! Boom!
The two giant objects landed on the hillside, at least ten zhang away from the bandits, smashing two large trees flat.
Since it didn't hit them, they weren't afraid.
Shuangchi Hu—"Twin-wing Tiger"—lived up to his nickname. He sprinted toward the landing site immediately, laughing wildly:
"I'll check it out! What in the world flew at us?"
Bu Zhan Ni even called after him:
"Careful! Might be some giant bird. Don't let it peck your eyes!"
Shuangchi Hu roared with laughter:
"I'm a tiger! Since when does a tiger fear birds? That Bai Yuan from the fortress is also a bird—one day I'll eat him too!"
"Hahaha!"
The bandits erupted into laughter.
Meanwhile, inside Bai Fortress—
Cheng Xu was squinting with his hands forming a frame, measuring the landing point of the earlier shots.
He turned toward the yard and shouted:
"Turn the rockets left—just a little—lower the heads—yes—yes yes yes—right there—perfect… hehehe, perfect."
"Ready?" Cheng Xu grinned. "No more testing. Eight rockets. Fire all eight!"
"Understood!"
The villager holding the giant hammer lifted it and slammed down—
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Four quick strikes, four triggers knocked loose.
Eight rockets launched at once.
Back on the hillside—
Shuangchi Hu had reached the two massive objects. Up close, they were taller than two men, fat and cylindrical, lying on the slope. He touched one—strange material. Not metal, not stone.
He had no idea what they were.
He shouted back:
"Boss! Not a giant bird! No clue what these things are! Might be meteor iron from the heavens!"
Bu Zhan Ni brightened:
"Heavenly meteor iron? Falling right in front of us? That's a good omen!"
In ancient superstition, when the "empire star" rose, meteors fell. Good fate for a new king.
He had barely formed the thought when men began shouting:
"Another one—no, lots more—coming again!"
Bu Zhan Ni spun around.
Eight more massive objects were soaring from Bai Fortress, drawing long arcs toward them.
Old Lu suddenly roared:
"Take cover!"
His battlefield instincts screamed danger. The angle and speed were completely different this time—the things would land directly on top of them.
Only now did he understand—these might actually be cannon shells. Just… far bigger than anything he had ever seen. And silent. No bang from the enemy's cannons. No warning. No smoke.
Too late to think.
Old Lu dropped flat—
And the first massive shell smashed into the mountain path.
Hundreds of bandits were shuffling down the narrow trail in a long, snakelike column. The explosion blasted several men into the air.
Then the second shell.
Then the third.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Eight shells in rapid succession. The slope erupted into chaos—bandits flying, dirt spraying.
Inside Bai Fortress—
Cheng Xu whooped:
"Hahaha! Perfect angle! The other two rockets—don't just stand there! Fire as well! Quickly—fire!"
The villagers beside the other two rocket stands hammered down all their triggers.
Sixteen rockets lifted into the sky at once.
Cheng Xu didn't even bother to watch.
"Reload! Immediately! Move!"
The twenty-four groups of villagers rushed in, each carrying a giant shell. They ran in rotation to pack the barrels.
One villager stumbled—thump!—and his entire group toppled with him. A huge shell lurched in mid-air, about to crush them—
—but several nearby soldiers dashed in, catching the shell in their arms just in time.
"Move! Move!"
Bai Fortress roared with frantic, exhilarating energy.
Meanwhile, on the mountainside—
The bandits were being shredded.
Three thousand men, descending narrow trails with almost no spacing between them. Packed tight, shoulder to shoulder. Then suddenly—giant shells raining down.
Who wouldn't panic?
The mountain path devolved into insanity. Some ran into the woods, some dove into dead grass, some hid behind rocks. Some ran uphill, some downhill. People crashed into each other, slipped, rolled. One fall caused ten more. Ten caused a hundred.
The slope became an avalanche of bodies.
Shells kept landing—throwing mud skyward, smashing men flat, sending others flying. Some died instantly; some were launched and crashed into fellow bandits, injuring dozens more.
Bodies tumbled. Men tripped over rolling corpses. Screams echoed everywhere.
Old Lu shouted:
"Hold formation! Don't panic! Take cover behind big rocks—orderly!"
But none of it mattered.
These weren't trained border troops. They were farmers holding stolen blades. A few had practiced village drills, but most were bullies who only won fights by outnumbering the weak.
"More coming! More! A whole wave of them!"
"Ahhhh! So many shells!"
Another volley of twenty-four shells arced through the sky. Bandits shrieked, some losing control of their bladders.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The next wave plunged into the slope, filling the air with dust and terror.
"What is this cursed place?! Why do they have such monsters?!"
"I want my mom—I want to go home!"
"Never coming to Bai Fortress again!"
Old Lu took one look and knew—
Their morale had shattered. They were no longer capable of fighting.
He rolled across the ground, tumbled beside Bu Zhan Ni and Zuo Gua Zi, and spoke quickly:
"Bosses, retreat! The men are broken. If we force them downhill, Cheng Xu will destroy us—one hundred defeating three thousand."
Bu Zhan Ni and Zuo Gua Zi were already hiding behind a huge boulder, hearts pounding like drums, terrified a shell might land on their heads.
The moment they heard Old Lu, the decision was instant:
"Retreat! Back into the mountains! Everyone retreat!"
Footnotes
① Silent artillery flight — Real Ming dynasty cannons were loud and smoky, so a silent, oversized projectile would be unrecognizable to veteran soldiers. This contributes to the panic and mass misinterpretation on the battlefield.