Chapter 47: Bring Up the Secret Weapon!

"Brothers, are you truly content to go hungry and simply stand by while others enjoy these wonderful provisions?"

Wang Meng's voice grew increasingly impassioned. His words seemed to possess a magical quality, gradually reigniting the fighting spirit in the eyes of the previously exhausted bandits.

"We are not content!"
"Charge in!"
"Plunder everything they have!"

The bandits raised their weapons one after another, shouting at the top of their lungs. Their voices merged into a single entity, resembling a surging tidal wave that threatened to engulf the newly built city.

The sentry on the city wall heard the commotion raised by the bandits and hurried off to report to Chen Tong.

"Chief Chen, this is bad! The bandits outside are making quite a ruckus. Judging by their momentum, it looks like they are going to attack the city once again!" said the sentry, completely out of breath.

Upon hearing this, Chen Tong's expression turned grave. Wang Meng's speech would likely drive the bandits to launch another assault, regardless of the casualties.

"Notify everyone to finish their meals quickly, return to their respective posts, and heighten our alert. The bandits could attack again at any moment," Chen Tong commanded swiftly.

At that moment, Xie Hu walked over, frowning as he spoke. "Brother Chen, stimulated by the aroma of that food, these bandits are likely going to risk their lives. We must handle this with the utmost care."

Chen Tong nodded and said, "I know. Sturdy though these city walls may be, we cannot afford to lower our guard. We need to devise a strategy that will allow us to defend the city while minimizing our brothers' casualties."

Xie Qingshuang also chimed in from the side, "Brother Chen, why don't we organize a group of archers to set an ambush on the city wall? Once the bandits get close, we can catch them completely off guard."

Chen Tong pondered for a moment before replying, "That is certainly one option, but we still need to think of alternative countermeasures."

"What about Liu Meng, Chen Feng, and the other chieftains? Let us call them over to discuss this together."

Before long, Liu Meng, Chen Feng, and the rest of the chieftains all arrived. Gathering in a circle, they began discussing strategies to counter the impending bandit assault.

Liu Meng patted his chest and declared, "Why fear them? We have the city walls; it will not be so easy for them to break in! If push comes to shove, we will fight them to the death!"

Chen Feng, being more cautious, remarked, "Fight we must, but we must also rely on strategy."

"We can prepare plenty of boiling oil and torches on the city wall. When the bandits climb up the scaling ladders, we can give them a taste of a chain-fire assault."

Everyone offered their own thoughts, speaking one after another. Chen Tong listened intently, and a plan gradually began to form in his mind.

...

Watching the emotionally agitated bandits outside the city, they felt a deep sense of vigilance. A new crisis was quietly descending.

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, the bandit alliance did not launch an attack throughout the entire night.

Not daring to lower his guard, Chen Tong arranged for the brothers of the Black Wind Stronghold to stand watch in shifts, keeping a constant eye on the bandits' movements.

That night, the atmosphere atop the city wall was exceptionally tense. Everyone kept their nerves taut, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

"Third Brother, why do you suppose these bandits made no move tonight? Could they be plotting some malicious scheme?" a sentry softly asked his companion.

The bandit addressed as Third Brother gazed vigilantly out at the area beyond the city, spat on the ground, and replied, "Who the hell knows! Not a single one of these bandits is any good. We had better stay sharp and make sure we don't fall for their tricks."

The following day, when the first rays of sunlight fell upon the city walls, everyone discovered that even more bandits had appeared within the bandit alliance. A dense, tightly packed crowd was surging toward them like a tidal wave.

Chen Tong's expression turned extremely grim. An even more intense battle was about to erupt.

Observing the current situation, Chen Tong decided to deploy his secret weapon.

Turning around, Chen Tong said to Tieniu standing beside him, "Tieniu, go bring out the secret weapon we prepared, quickly!"

Hearing this, a hesitant look appeared on Tieniu's face. He stammered, "Chief, that... do we really need to use that thing? Just in case... if something goes wrong with this contraption, we will..."

With a resolute gaze, Chen Tong interrupted Tieniu's words. "Do not hesitate. The situation is critical now; we can only use it to turn the tide. Go ahead and prepare it with peace of mind; I will take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

"Our brothers are facing a life-or-death juncture. If we do not use this secret weapon now, everyone is finished!"

Tieniu gritted his teeth, nodded, and said, "Very well, Chief, I am on it."

With that, Tieniu turned and hurried away toward the location where the secret weapon was stored.

By this time, the bandit alliance had already commenced their attack. The newly joined bandits doubled their previous numbers, rendering the offensive even more ferocious.

Yelling at the top of their lungs, they hoisted scaling ladders and shields, charging recklessly toward the city wall.

"Charge! Kill them and plunder everything in the city!" a fierce-looking bandit roared, brandishing a spiked club in his hand.

"Brothers, if we cannot take this city today, we are all going to starve to death in this desolate wilderness! Charge!" another bandit echoed loudly.

The pressure on the Black Wind Stronghold's side instantly multiplied. Although everyone resisted with all their might, the massive disparity in numbers meant they were gradually struggling to hold on.

With insufficient manpower on the city walls, everyone was rushed off their feet, and defensive breaches began to appear in numerous areas.

Seeing this situation, Wang Meng was overjoyed. Brandishing the long saber in his hand, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, they are about to crack! Push a little harder, charge in and you can feast and drink to your heart's content, wealth and glory are right before our eyes, charge!"

Encouraged by Wang Meng, the morale of the bandits soared even higher. Like madmen, they desperately charged upward.

Some bandits even ignored the rain of arrows pouring down from the city wall, stubbornly shouldering shields as they rushed forward in an attempt to get closer to the fortifications.

Meanwhile, on the side of the Black Wind Stronghold, despite being utterly exhausted, everyone stood their ground.

Xie Hu swung his broadsword at a climbing bandit while shouting, "Brothers, hold the line! We cannot let these bandits succeed! Think of our families, think of our bright future ahead—we cannot let it be ruined by these scoundrels!"

Nearby, Chen Feng was directing the archers, firing continuously at the bandits. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Aim before you shoot, do not waste arrows! Every single arrow must take a bandit's life!"

Yet, the bandits' assault grew increasingly fierce, and the defense line of the Black Wind Stronghold teetered on the brink of collapse. At this critical juncture, Tieniu finally rushed back, bringing the secret weapon along.

"Chief, I've brought it!" Tieniu yelled, completely out of breath.

Looking at the secret weapon brought by Tieniu, a flash of determination crossed Chen Tong's eyes as he shouted, "Brothers, get ready! The time for our counterattack has come!"

At that moment, all eyes converged upon the mysterious secret weapon, unsure whether it could truly turn the tide of this precarious battle.

A tense aura permeated the city walls. Everyone's breathing grew rapid as their eyes remained locked fixedly on the massive secret weapon, as if anticipating that it would work a miracle.