Chapter 7, Breaching the Fortress

Zhang Chu used willow branches to produce some charcoal in a clay kiln and had someone grind the charcoal into powder. This time, Zhang Chu did not dare to bring anyone else along; he could only find a cave far from the village and set up a sentry to prevent anyone from approaching. Everyone said that the master was refining elixirs inside. Indeed, it wasn't long before flames rose from the cave, and the master emerged with a face covered in soot, his hair, which had only just begun to grow a little, standing upright, scorched, and curled. Zhang Chu thought to himself that it was fortunate the dosage was small; otherwise, he would really have to meet the sages. However, the homebody had his own advantages; the countless sleepless nights spent reading time-travel novels at the starting point had indeed paid off, as the best formula for gunpowder had become an essential skill for every time traveler. Zhang Chu had seen enough to remember that ratio, but due to the low purity of the raw materials, it took several attempts to obtain a product with limited power. Following the experimental ratio and using up all the raw materials, he managed to produce just over a pound of the substance. Looking at the dark material in the porcelain jar, Zhang Chu thought that having these things would surely save a few lives.

The oil purchased for a day's burning was quickly used up, resulting in several cans of what Zhang Chu referred to as "gasoline." He ordered that the "gasoline" be sealed and stored in porcelain jars, and Zhang Chu gathered Yang Biao, He Jin, and others to prepare for war.

Since Zhang Chu and others only killed the bandits in the valley and did not act outside the mountains, they did not attract the attention of various parties. All the silver and money found on the bandits were concentrated in Zhang Chu's hands, which could now be put to use. Zhang Chu ordered Yang Tiejiang's son, Yang Biao, and Yang Liu to lead a group to procure some supplies, primarily to purchase iron materials. It would be even better if they could buy gunpowder or sulfur, or nitrate. More importantly, they needed to acquire the unique local product of the Yanchang region, which is oil. The famous Northern Song Dynasty scientist Shen Kuo conducted investigations and research on the oil in the Yanchang area of northern Shaanxi during his tenure as the envoy of the Yanzhou military. He wrote in "Mengxi Bitan": "There is oil in the Yanchang region; the old saying that Gaonu County produces fat water refers to this." The first oil well in mainland China is located at the playground of the Petroleum Hope Primary School west of Yanchang County, and the predecessor of the Yanchang oil field, known as the "Yanchang Petroleum Official Factory," was established in 1905, making it the earliest developed oil field on land in China. During the Ming Dynasty, oil had already begun to be used for military purposes, referred to as 'Mong Huo Oil.'

At noon, we arrived at Wentacun. As planned, we intended to infiltrate the manor if possible, but the guards immediately closed the manor gates upon seeing strangers approaching, and the alarm gong sounded. Zhang Chu immediately ordered He Jin and Yang Biao to attack. Under the cover of makeshift shields, the group approached the manor gates. The guards on the gate tower, seeing this, immediately shot arrows at them, with several arrows embedding themselves in the shields. The crowd outside had already approached the main gate, and several wine jars filled with Zhang Chu's specially concocted "gasoline" had their openings plugged with cloth strips. A flash of fire ignited, and the flaming jars were thrown onto the gate tower. One of the guards shooting arrows was struck, catching fire and screaming as he fell from the tower. At the same time, the fire on the tower ignited. The manor had long been prepared for such an arson attack, with water tanks ready on the tower for extinguishing fires. The guards immediately doused the flames, but a strange thing happened: the fire floated on the water, spreading wherever the water flowed. The flaming jars continued to be thrown from below the tower, and the fire grew larger. The guards had no choice but to flee the tower. A large cart loaded with beams was pushed forward from outside, crashing heavily against the manor gates. The gates shook but did not fall. The crowd pulled the cart back, preparing for the next impact.

Zhang Chu decided to divide everyone into two teams, led by Yang Biao and He Jin respectively. On the table, Zhang Chu created a simple model of the Wenta Village fortress using soil, branches, and other materials, allowing Yang Biao and He Jin to repeatedly practice how to attack, how the villagers would defend, what unexpected events might occur, and what countermeasures to take, not stopping until all possible scenarios had been addressed with corresponding strategies. He had Yang Biao and He Jin repeatedly practice how to attack, how the villagers would defend, what unexpected events might occur, and what countermeasures to take, not stopping until all possible scenarios had been addressed with corresponding strategies.

Under the leadership of He Jinh and Yang Biao, the crowd was gathered. After these days of training, the team had taken on some form. Zhang Chu looked at the team and spoke directly: "Today we are going out to fight for our lives. The rewards we receive will depend on our bravery on the battlefield. The discipline has been memorized, and I will emphasize two rules again: those who commit adultery with women shall be killed, and those who hoard property shall be killed. Depart!" Zhang Chu issued the command.

He Jin and others began to inventory the property in the Zhuang family. As more and more belongings were piled together, the landlord Zhou, who was sitting on the ground, stopped wailing. He looked longingly at his possessions that were about to change hands, feeling an unbearable pain in his heart, uncertain whether he would live or die.

Previously, Zhang Chu had gradually revealed to the trainees that an attack on a stronghold was imminent. The crowd was both excited and somewhat anxious. With Zhang Chu's continuous encouragement, everyone began to look forward to the upcoming battle

Zhang Chu immediately led his team to assess the casualties among his own people and to provide medical assistance to the injured

The landlord Zhou, startled by the sound of the gong, rose from within the manor. Although he was over fifty years old and his life of luxury had made him quite corpulent, at this moment, which concerned the safety of his property, he appeared remarkably brave, personally taking up a knife to organize the estate guards at the manor gate.

The team set off silently, followed by three large carts carrying equipment for the attack. The first cart contained a beam and some ladders for climbing. The second cart held a carefully selected elm tree, hollowed out in the middle, and reinforced with iron hoops to create an elm cannon, as per Zhang Chu's request. Zhang Chu had loaded gunpowder and iron sand into the elm cannon, thinking that it would suffice if it could fire just once. The third cart was filled with various oddly shaped wine jars and straw, all crafted by Zhang Chu.

Each person who guards Zhuangzi will be rewarded with 5 taels of silver! Although it is a painful decision, the landlord Zhou has still offered the reward

Based on the information obtained from various sources, Zhang Chu has gained a general understanding of the current situation. It is now September of the first year of the Chongzhen era, and he finds himself within the boundaries of Guanzhuang Town in Yanchang County, Yan'an Prefecture, which is fifty li away from the county seat. Shaanxi has suffered from years of drought, leading to poor harvests, forcing farmers to leave their homes and wander in search of sustenance. The region is filled with refugees, and there have been multiple instances of officials being killed and uprisings occurring. Some landlords have fled to the county seat for safety, while others have been continuously building walls and establishing fortified villages, seeking refuge within them for self-preservation. When refugees arrive, the landlords close their gates to prevent entry. The landlords hoard grain like rats, refusing to distribute any to aid the disaster-stricken populace. To obtain more grain, the only option is to attack the landlords' fortified villages. However, Zhang Chu and his group currently lack the strength to confront larger strongholds. They can only target smaller villages. Therefore, Zhang Chu dispatched personnel to conduct a thorough reconnaissance of the surrounding situation, ultimately selecting Wentai Village, not far away, as the first target.

Zhang Chu then truly began the process of alchemy. A large water tank was placed over a fire, and oil was added inside. An iron funnel with a curved pipe was inverted on top, and the pipe extended through another water tank filled with water, with the opening of the pipe connected to a small tank below. Zhang Chu silently recited a spell directed at this strange apparatus, essentially focusing on the thought that as long as there was no fire, it would be a success. He carefully controlled the size of the flame, and finally, liquid began to flow out of the pipe and into the small tank below. Zhang Chu dipped a branch into the liquid near the fire source, and the branch ignited instantly. Whether it was gasoline or diesel, it was usable. He entrusted this makeshift alchemical furnace to others for supervision, instructing everyone to be cautious of fire. Meanwhile, he took a jar of liquid to the back mountain to start a fire, and on his way out, he also took some sugar from the kitchen.

The procurement personnel did not remain idle after leaving Zhang Chu; on one hand, they urged He Jin to lead the training and prepare for the mobilization before battle. On the other hand, they began their charcoal-making career with two newcomers who had some experience in kiln firing, along with Li Qiang and Zhang Guo. They built two simple earthen kilns, one for making charcoal and the other for firing ceramic vessels. Thick smoke rose in the valley, and Zhang Chu and the others became covered in soot. After producing several batches of waste products, they finally succeeded in making usable charcoal and leak-proof wine jars. Although the quantity was small, it should be sufficient. More importantly, Zhang Chu kept detailed records of the entire process, noting the standards for success and the reasons for failure.

The landlord of Wenta Village is surnamed Zhou, named Zhou Lianming. He is extremely stingy, and Zhang Chu immediately conjured up the image of Zhou Bapi in his mind. The landlord Zhou possesses nearly 1,000 acres of land and has built a wall around his residence within the estate, employing over a dozen guards and farmhands for protection. However, there are no moats surrounding the estate, so the challenge of capturing the manor lies in how to scale the wall.

A few days later, Yang Biao and others returned from their procurement. They bought some iron materials, but were unable to purchase gunpowder. However, they did manage to acquire a small amount of sulfur and saltpeter, and a cart of oil was brought back in wooden barrels. With these items, Zhang Chu was very pleased and arranged for more personnel to continue the procurement, while the purchased items required further processing