Chapter 217: Chapter 217

Pei Shu’er shook her head at their utterly defeated appearance.

They stood powerless before the Dazi.

Yet they still contemplated preserving their forces for a direct confrontation.

Without a barricade, these soldiers compared to the Dazi are merely eggs against a stone.

But if everyone worked together to build the city walls, at most three days would see their completion.

General Zhao immediately conveyed the soldiers’ intentions to Pei Shu’er.

Pei Shu’er immediately reported the calculations.

The efficiency of the soldiers building these walls, and assuming normal rotations, equaled their daily drills.

Moreover, it would only take three days to complete.

General Zhao hesitated.

Pei Shu’er understood General Zhao’s character.

He was not a decisive leader; he valued stability and preservation.

Such a leader was excellent in times of advantage.

But when facing the Dazi’s fierce attacks, this defensive stance allowed the Dazi to inch forward.

The territory of the Gulan Military Camp grew increasingly smaller.

And now, General Zhao was at the point where he had to make a choice.

General Zhao gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Alright, let’s go with your plan."

He had seen it too, building these walls was exhausting, yet the exercise was not much different from the soldiers’ daily drills.

After all, the soldiers still had to run with weight.

Seeing General Zhao agree, Pei Shu’er breathed a sigh of relief and then arranged for the soldiers to be on duty.

Initially, there were a few troublemakers, but these troublemakers quieted down upon seeing Pei Shu’er’s cold gaze and General Zhao’s support.

Pei Shu’er continued, "Everyone, trust me, we will definitely get through this crisis."

After saying this, Pei Shu’er continued.

"But we have to disguise the soldiers, deploy as many as possible at the gate. Give the Dazi the illusion that all soldiers are defending the gate, to delay as much time as possible."

"Based on their attack frequency, they attack every four days. Starting construction now, the walls will definitely be finished in three days."

"By then, we will meet their attack head on, and after that, if we just huddle in the corner towers, they can do nothing to us."

The soldiers’ eyes lit up; as long as they didn’t have to confront the Dazi directly, the soldiers were naturally willing.

Moreover, Pei Shu’er organized it extremely well; no one died because of construction.

But direct confrontation with the Dazi was different—most would lose their lives.

Investing soldiers according to the plan dramatically increased efficiency.

With twenty thousand soldiers, although they were not well-fed, their physical strength was evident.

At least, much better than convicts.

And Pei Shu’er also found a few suitable supervisors among the soldiers and convicts, she occasionally checked the progress; otherwise, she was scheming the catapult in her mind.

The catapult had already been drawn, but how to make it and the structure were still vague to Pei Shu’er.

Thinking it over, she decided to make a model first.

She used a wooden model.

Even while making this model, she didn’t do it during her duty hours.

There were so many people keeping an eye on her now; she couldn’t afford any mistakes.

She pondered in her mind until her off-duty hours, when she would craft it in her tent.

To freely make the model without disturbing others’ rest, Pei Shu’er even made her own tent.

The tent’s exterior looked ordinary, but internally, she used some modern materials, making it more sturdy and durable.

She made the catapult model two hours a day and then slept for two hours.

She even slept in a special space to ensure better sleep quality.

The catapult slowly took shape under her hands; after countless trials, it finally succeeded.

However, now it was only successful; the power was still lacking.

After several adjustments, Pei Shu’er finally completed it.

At this point, Pei Shu’er secretly found General Zhao’s tent.

She proudly recommended herself to General Zhao.

"General, I’ve developed a new type of catapult. I believe if constructed, its power could be significant."

General Zhao looked at Pei Shu’er with some surprise.

"You also know how to make a catapult?"

His face was smiling, a gesture of kindness towards youth.

Yet his expression clearly indicated disbelief in Pei Shu’er’s abilities.

Pei Shu’er took out the model she had prepared earlier.

One reason was for a deeper understanding of the catapult.

The other was she needed a model for demonstration. Find the newest release on N0veI.Fiɾe.net

General Zhao had never seen such a miniature catapult before.

Once Pei Shu’er set up the catapult and placed a small stone on it, pulling the trigger, the stone was thrown vigorously.

The small stone struck the tent, creating a small hole.

To know that the tent was ten meters away and had been reinforced.

General Zhao was first stunned, then laughed heartily.

He couldn’t help but pat Pei Shu’er’s shoulder.

"Excellent! Where did you learn this little trick?"

Pei Shu’er laughed, "It was recorded in a book I read as a child. I happened to recall it when I saw the Dazi’s catapult a few days ago."

"I’ve calculated that the day the walls are completed coincides with the Dazi’s next attack."

"Hence, I boldly came to find the General."

This was also what troubled General Zhao—the Dazi’s attack was so fierce.

They had already pushed forward a bit, losing some territory.

If defeated again next time, they might push forward again, and the situation would be very unfavorable, leaving them only with fortress defense.

And the soldiers were involved in building the walls, extremely tired, surely diminishing their combat effectiveness.

With this catapult, the outcome would be vastly different.

General Zhao said, "What do you need?"

Pei Shu’er said, "Give me one hundred soldiers, obedient ones, and this experiment must be conducted in secret."

"Also, to prevent Dazi spies from conveying information, we need to keep the gates tightly closed recently."

"And as usual, I will supervise. After my off-duty time, I will find those soldiers."

"But my off-duty time must be eight hours; otherwise, there won’t be enough time."

She was not vying for the supervisor’s position, but as the chief supervisor, the people on Deserted Mountain could live better.

Moreover, these walls could be constructed more sturdily since the Gulan Military Camp is regarded by Pei Shu’er as Deserted Mountain’s gate.

General Zhao nodded, whether or not it could be done, Pei Shu’er’s spirit deserved admiration.

"You can arrange everything yourself. As for the one hundred soldiers, I will assign them to you. They are all elite. Whatever materials you need, just tell them."

He had never imagined that such a brilliant and strong woman had emerged.