RPAGF Chapter 292 Admiration and Awe
Chapter 292 Admiration and Awe
The two or three hundred soldiers who tumbled and crawled down the mountain, along with the two or three thousand Chinese soldiers who were preparing to block the Chinese soldiers crossing the canyon at the western exit, and the twenty or thirty thousand laborers and slaves who were helping to transport supplies on the mountain, all ran away without exception, so that the work of the Chinese soldiers to reopen the road was not affected at all.
Even more serious were the two or three hundred Dayuan soldiers who fled down the mountain. Some of them were quite clever and figured out that the collapse of the mountain was caused by the 500 war drums of the Dayuan soldiers. Because they did not understand the principle of sound resonance, they became delirious during their escape and spread rumors to the surrounding soldiers and civilians that the Dayuan soldiers had divine assistance.
This allowed these deserters to flee to other towns, exaggerating the rumors that the Chinese were aided by gods, effectively lowering the morale of the local populace. Had Ustuku not discovered the signs in time and executed countless soldiers and generals who spread these false rumors to establish his authority, even King Kokoytu might have surrendered.
After watching the spectacular landslide all morning, until the dust settled and the entire canyon was filled with collapsed rocks, the Hua soldiers slowly dispersed and returned to their camps. They gathered in squads and teams to discuss Zhuge Liang, expressing their admiration and awe for their deputy advisor.
Zhao Yun and others saw the final result and arranged for tens of thousands of soldiers to reopen the road on the relatively flat hillside next to the canyon. Then, seven or eight people surrounded Zhuge Liang and entered the vanguard and central tent to celebrate, while Zhang Fei, as the host, continued to attend.
"Kongming, I never expected that you would rise from obscurity to achieve such remarkable success after ten years! This battle is entirely your achievement. Come, let's all raise a toast to you!" Zhao Yun said to Zhuge Liang, raising his wine cup. Everyone echoed his sentiments and downed their cups in one gulp.
Zhuge Liang was also very excited after winning this brilliant battle. He downed a cup of baijiu, wiped his mouth, and exhaled, saying, "Actually, this is all thanks to everyone's support. If you had all opposed my use of strategy, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today. Most importantly, without the Emperor's appreciation back then, I, Zhuge Liang, wouldn't be sitting here, and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to display my wisdom and abilities. Come, let's drink to the Emperor, wishing him a long life and the unification of the world!"
"Deputy General, how did you come up with such an unexpected plan?" Zhang He asked after downing a cup in response to Zhuge Liang's toast.
"Speaking of this, it's really funny! Back when I was studying public administration at Luoyang University, I came across that story while reading extracurricular books, and I introduced it to a few of my roommates. They didn't believe it at all, saying how could such a thing happen, so we all went to the library to find the book. They were only convinced when they saw that the author was 'Mr. Nanshan,' who has written countless novels and popular science books."
“We were all very interested in this story and wanted to test the power of sound resonance, so we took advantage of the summer vacation to find an open space to conduct the experiment. We used a drum, not as big as the Pawn Drum, and a loudspeaker to amplify the sound. The loudspeaker was pointed at a table, on which was placed a glass, an enamel vase and a piece of tile.”
"We took turns on duty, just like we do now. We would strike the drum every five seconds, and then amplify the sound through the loudspeaker to affect the objects on the table. Because the distance was short and the sound was amplified by the loudspeaker, it took less time. It only took one day and one night to shatter all the glass cups, vases, and tiles. We continued for another half day and even shook the table to pieces."
“A few days ago, I saw the almost vertical mountain walls on both sides, and then checked the solidity of the nearby rocks. I was sure that as long as the mountain was shaken, it would collapse into the canyon on its own. So I came up with the idea of beating a drum to shake down the mountain!” Zhuge Liang explained, recalling his university days.
"What's the name of that book? I want to go find it and take a look!" Xiang Lang asked.
"The book is called 'Interesting Facts about Sound.' It lists many sound phenomena that we've never heard of or noticed before. It's very interesting, and everyone should check it out," Zhuge Liang nodded in reply.
“There are more and more schools now, and more and more graduates. You are learning new knowledge and new perspectives. I’m afraid there won’t be a place for us old men to survive in the future,” Xun Yuyu sighed.
"Xun Yu, please don't say that. I started school relatively early, and I've only graduated a few years ago, not to mention the others. Society is developing rapidly, and the demand for university graduates will not be excessive for decades to come. There will definitely be no place for you. Besides, we are all still young and inexperienced, and we need the guidance of our seniors. Your rich experience in leading troops will never be outdated."
"His Majesty has said that when you retire, you should go to school to teach his students and pass on your experience to the next generation. This will allow the younger generation to gain valuable experience from countless real-world examples, thereby strengthening the leadership of our young leaders and making the Imperial Army more powerful in combat."
Zhuge Liang was confident that he was no less capable than anyone else, but one should not be too complacent. He repeatedly praised these veteran generals and even revealed the emperor's private arrangements for them in their old age.
The soldier had no choice but to stop and wait for him to finish eating before he was driven away.
The soldier leader who just gave the speech is named Mi Wei. He is the eldest son of Mi Zhu from Xuzhou. He survived for two years at the Luobei Special Base, then entered the Garrison Division for special security training, and was assigned to the Third Squadron. It took him five years to rise to the position of soldier leader.
Mi Wei's martial arts skills weren't exceptional, but he had steadily risen to a leadership position, making him incredibly experienced. Less than 200 meters from the church's front door, a thought suddenly struck him: "Wait a minute, even if he's blind, he should have heard the other townspeople talking about our troops' arrival. Usually, beggars and vagrants run away as fast as they can when they see troops, so why is he running to the church's entrance?"
Thinking of this, Mi Wei turned around and walked back. As he turned the corner, he saw that the beggar had not left and was still eating. He felt something was wrong: no matter who it was, after being beaten by the soldiers and getting food, they would definitely run away with the food to avoid being beaten even more severely. The fact that this beggar was still here meant there was something wrong.
As Mi Wei rushed back, he shouted to the dozen or so outer soldiers, "Assassin, seize him!"
The beggar trembled upon hearing Mi Wei's shout, but remained motionless, seemingly oblivious, continuing to devour his flatbread as if he were choking, swallowing hard.