Chapter 48: Charge! Crossbows!

"Chieftain, the items have been brought!"

Looking at the crossbow brought by Iron Bull, a complex surge of emotions welled up in Chen Tong's heart.

However, there was no time for idle thoughts. He immediately said to Iron Bull, "Iron Bull, take the men and assemble this crossbow right away. Make it quick! Our survival depends entirely on it!"

Iron Bull acknowledged the order and immediately called out to several burly men beside him, lifting the heavy crossbow onto an advantageous position on the city wall.

The crossbow was massive and structurally complex, requiring everyone to work in unison to complete its assembly.

They fumbled with the parts in a tense atmosphere, every single movement feeling exceptionally heavy.

"Quick, install this component!" shouted a burly man at the top of his lungs, his face covered in sweat streaming continuously down his cheeks.

"Be careful, don't break it! This is our lifeline!" another man reminded them anxiously, his hands gripping the part tightly for fear of accidentally damaging it.

The men reminded one another while hurrying to assemble it.

Sweat beads as large as peas rolled down their foreheads, but not a single person stopped what they were doing.

They all knew clearly that every second now was immensely precious; for every second delayed, the danger increased manifold.

Through everyone's joint efforts, the crossbow was finally assembled.

Chen Tong strode up to the crossbow and picked up a sharpened iron bar.

This iron bar was made of refined iron he had exchanged through the system.

He steadily placed the iron bar onto the crossbow, took a deep breath, and revealed a resolute determination in his gaze.

"Step back, everyone!" Chen Tong shouted loudly.

The men retreated to the sides, watching Chen Tong nervously.

Their expressions held both anticipation and a hint of fear, wondering just how much destructive power this mysterious weapon could unleash.

Chen Tong gripped the trigger of the crossbow with both hands and pulled it hard.

"Whoosh!!!!"

A piercing whistle tore through the air. Like a streak of black lightning, the iron bar carried immense force as it shot toward the crowd of the bandit alliance.

The iron bar instantly pierced through the bodies of several bandits, pinning them straight to the ground.

The struck bandits let out miserable, shrill screams.

The surrounding bandits were stunned by this sudden turn of events, terror washing over their faces as their feet instinctively retreated.

"What kind of hellish thing is this?!" a bandit cried out in panic, his voice trembling violently.

"Run! This thing is too powerful!"

Another bandit turned pale with fright, spinning around in an attempt to flee.

Upon seeing the crossbow, Wang Meng's face instantly turned as pale as paper.

Having served in the army before, he was acutely aware of the terror this crossbow could inflict.

It was a formidable defensive weapon of the Jin State; the credit for keeping the Jin army at bay all this time belonged largely to this very crossbow.

Yet now, such an overbearing crossbow had appeared atop this small city wall, and it was even loaded with precious refined iron.

This made him realize that things had far exceeded his imagination.

"This... how is this possible?! How could they possess such a thing?!" Wang Meng muttered to himself, his eyes filled with terror.

His legs trembled slightly, and deep regret filled his heart.

Had he known such a terrifying weapon was here, nothing could have persuaded him to provoke this group of people.

Chen Tong gave the bandits no time to react; he swiftly loaded another iron bar and fired again.

Another "whoosh" rang out as the iron arrow accurately struck the bandit ranks once more, sending several more bandits crashing to the ground.

As Chen Tong fired iron arrow after iron arrow, the terror of the bandits reached its absolute peak.

They began to flee in all directions, and their once orderly offensive formation instantly plunged into utter chaos.

"Retreat! Fall back!" Wang Meng shouted at the top of his lungs.

If this continued, all of his brothers would die right here.

Urged by Wang Meng's shouts, the members of the bandit alliance turned and ran back frantically, casting aside all caution.

They dropped their armor and weapons, looking utterly disheveled as their previous arrogance vanished without a trace.

Seeing the bandits retreat, the men of the Black Wind Stronghold burst into cheers.

"We won! We won!"

Their cheers echoed along the city wall, overflowing with joy and pride.

Xie Hu ran excitedly to Chen Tong, threw his arms around him, and shouted, "Brother Chen, you are truly amazing! If not for you, we would have been in grave danger today!"

Chen Feng also walked over with a smile and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Chieftain Chen, this secret weapon is simply too powerful! Let's see who dares to provoke us from now on!"

Watching the retreating bandits, Chen Tong also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

They had successfully defended the city this time, but many challenges lay ahead, and they had to keep striving.

Chen Tong turned to the crowd and said, "Brothers, although we won this time, we cannot let our guard down."

"Quickly tidy up and step up our guard; they might just return."

The men nodded one after another, the smiles on their faces gradually fading, replaced by determined expressions.

At this moment, a young minion could not help but ask out of curiosity, "Chieftain Chen, this crossbow is too incredible. Where on earth did you get it?"

Chen Tong smiled and said mysteriously, "Brothers, to tell you the truth, I have formed a partnership with a major clan."

"This major clan possesses vast influence and a profound foundation, and they have always dedicated themselves to the research and development of various crafts."

"They saw our potential, which is why they provided this crossbow and these refined iron materials."

Hearing this, the crowd wore surprised expressions. Liu Meng scratched his head and said, "Chieftain Chen, you really have connections. To think you could partner with such a powerful major clan."

Chen Tong continued, "This is only the beginning of our partnership; we will receive even more support in the future."

"But remember, we cannot rely solely on external aid; we must also grow stronger by ourselves."

Hearing Chen Tong's words, fighting spirit ignited in the hearts of everyone present.

Yet Chen Tong's expression remained grave.

Although they had won this battle, they had paid a heavy price.

Chen Tong immediately turned to a soldier beside him and said, "Go, call Liu Meng and Chen Feng over, and arrange for a few men to tally up the losses from this battle immediately—casualties and material damages alike. Make it fast!"

The soldier acknowledged the order and sprinted away. Before long, Liu Meng and Chen Feng hurried over.

"Chieftain Chen, you called for us?" Liu Meng asked, breathing heavily.

With a heavy expression, Chen Tong nodded and said, "We need to figure out exactly what our losses were in this battle."

"I've already sent someone to count, and you two should go help out as well. Make sure the numbers are accurate."

The two acknowledged the command and left.

After some time, the soldier in charge of the tally returned with a face full of sorrow.

"Chieftain Chen, in this battle, we lost over a dozen brothers, and dozens more were injured."

Hearing this number, a sharp pang pierced Chen Tong's heart. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to steady his emotions.

"Compile the name list of the fallen brothers, and get an accurate count of the wounded. Have Xie Hu summarize it and bring it to me right away."