Chapter 2

Stunned!

Under the astonished gazes of the surrounding soldiers, Luo Shixin, as the perpetrator, never expected that his casual strike would have such power.

The stone blocks used for defending the city had been exhausted long ago. Now, most of the stone blocks on the city walls were bluestone slabs taken from various places in the city. In terms of hardness, they were much stronger than ordinary stone blocks. Yet, with just a casual stomp, the bluestone slab, weighing over 150 catties, could not withstand the immense force and shattered!

The exhausted soldiers around him had their eyes burning with intense flames, shouting, "The general is mighty!"

Luo Shixin, busy with his performance, pointed at the vast army opposite and snorted, "A bunch of scoundrels, daring to oppose our Great Tang. The Prince of Qin's reinforcements will arrive soon. When that happens, we will attack them from inside and out. After we repel them and receive the reward, no matter how much it is, we will divide it equally. Whether you want to buy clothes and a home for your family or find a beautiful woman to enjoy, it's up to you."

Acting, who can't do that?

Luo Shixin put on a bold and heroic act. He had read many historical novels and some historical records. He understood the simple principle that generous rewards would inspire bravery. As long as they could survive, a little money was nothing.

Sure enough, Luo Shixin's words lifted the low morale of the soldiers on the city wall.

Luo Shixin was not a commander who loved his soldiers like his own children. In the hearts of the soldiers, his status was far below that of the Great Tang's war god, Li Shimin. However, he was a man of his word, always keeping his promises without any falsehood.

"Good! We are willing to follow the general into battle!" The soldiers shouted, the tension before the battle completely gone.

Luo Shixin, seeing the usable morale, breathed a sigh of relief. He re-examined his body and noticed a stone millstone weighing nearly 300 catties beside him. With just a slight effort, he easily lifted it, holding it with one hand and raising it over his head without using his full strength.

Inborn divine strength!

Luo Shixin realized that he seemed to have inherited the strength of the body's original owner. Historically, Luo Shixin was a formidable warrior, not inferior to Qin Qiong or Wei Chi Jingde. If you don't know him, think of Luo Cheng, the cold-faced spear-wielding general in the historical novel, to understand how powerful he was. The character of Luo Cheng in the novel was based on Luo Shixin.

Laughing, he threw the stone millstone to the ground, a glimmer of hope igniting in his heart: With this divine strength, the chances of survival are much greater.

"Cough, cough!"

The stone millstone was covered with a powder similar to flour, which flew up when he threw it. The wind blew the dust into the eyes and mouths of the resting soldiers, causing them to cough and rub their eyes, looking pitiful.

Luo Shixin stared blankly, then looked at the "Tang" military flag on the city wall, which was fluttering in the wind, pointing towards Liu Heita's camp. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he excitedly called out, "I have it, maybe it will work!"

"Alright, stop resting. Those who want to survive, hold on a little longer... Half of you go into the city to collect flour, potash, and sand, anything that can be ground into fine particles... the more, the better. Also, pour water, drench the area below the city wall as much as possible." Luo Shixin gave orders with a stern face. However, since it was his first time, the orders were a bit chaotic. He then reorganized, assigning 40 people to collect flour, potash, and sand, and 10 people to pour water.

Fortunately, the over a hundred soldiers Luo Shixin brought to defend the city were all battle-hardened veterans, who followed orders without hesitation!

His orders were immediately carried out, and more than 50 people scattered.

With their lives at stake, Luo Shixin himself could not afford to be idle. The snow and wind were heavy, and it was night, which was not favorable for an attack, but they still had to be on guard. Surprising the enemy and attacking when they are unprepared are common tactics in TV shows and novels. He ordered more than ten heavily wounded soldiers to keep an eye on Liu Heita's camp, while he led ten soldiers to dismantle walls and houses, using bricks as stone blocks and beams as rolling logs, preparing everything needed for the defense. The key was to collect potash, fine yellow soil, and tile fragments.

The civilians of Ming River City had already fled before the battle, so there was no psychological burden in dismantling the empty houses. In a critical moment, survival was the priority.

After almost a night of sweeping, the 40 soldiers returned to the city wall, each carrying large and small bags.

Luo Shixin inspected them, and most of the bags contained potash, wood ash, and sand. There were only about 20 bags of flour, which the civilians would not have left behind when they fled. Only a few wealthy families had stored it in cellars, which the soldiers found.

"General Shixin, look at this. Will it work?" At this moment, a soldier held up a bag of light blue powder.

"It will!" Luo Shixin immediately approved it upon seeing the powder. Upon closer inspection, he recognized it and quickly used his finger to touch the powder, smelling its pungent odor, which he was familiar with. He laughed, "This is lime, the most effective. Where did you get it, and do you have more? The more, the better!" Lime is a common chemical substance, often used in experiments, which he was very familiar with.

The soldier replied, "I found it in a pharmacy. This can cure many diseases, and there's a lot more."

Luo Shixin was overjoyed. Lime was a powerful weapon. He said, "Get as much as you can, and search the city for more pharmacies to see if there's more."

Soon, six soldiers each brought back a bag of lime. One of the older soldiers said, "General Shixin, give me more people. I found over 30 bags of lime in a warehouse."

Luo Shixin was even more ecstatic, exclaiming, "Heaven is helping me."

It turned out that there was a natural cave near Ming River City that produced lime, which was the city's main economic source. The city's merchants hired people to mine limestone, which was then processed into lime powder and sold to Henan and Guanzhong, either as medicine or building materials. The lime in the warehouse was the stock that had not yet been transported for sale.

After counting, they found over 40 bags of lime. With these 40 bags of lime as a powerful weapon, Luo Shixin felt a bit more at ease.

After a night of hard work, dawn was approaching. The snow and wind gradually subsided, but the distant camp of Liu Heita was still dim, with no signs of movement. It seemed that the enemy also planned to rest and prepare for the attack after the snow and wind stopped.

Luo Shixin pondered and let the exhausted soldiers rest on the spot.

The Tang soldiers, who had been busy all night, were truly tired and fell asleep as soon as they lay down.

Luo Shixin had no sleep, looking at Liu Heita's camp with a sense of confusion, unsure of what the future held.

"Survive!" he told himself, appearing unusually steady.

Human potential is immense, and growth in adversity is immeasurable. As a person from a peaceful era who had lived a life of ease, Luo Shixin, facing the critical moment of life and death, did not succumb to fear or despair. Instead, he naturally unleashed his potential.