noffsinger Chapter 1217 Must win!
Chapter 1217 Must win!
There is only one hour left for deployment.
Shen Zheng glanced at the valley, and after a moment's mental calculation, said to Jiang Zhiming, "Lord Jiang, if the remaining bronze mirrors are not delivered within half an hour, immediately order someone to split the existing bronze mirrors and glass mirrors, leaving only ten intact ones."
Jiang Zhiming also knew that now was not the time to take responsibility, so he immediately nodded in agreement.
Xin Shunyun looked at the arrangements in the valley, his brow furrowing deeper: "Lord Shen, is this... truly feasible?"
He rushed all the way from Yanzhou, and every inch of land his horse trodden over was devastated by the locust plague. Even now, the people's bitter cries still echo in his ears.
The locusts that Yanzhou Prefecture couldn't stop even with all its resources, can they really be trapped and killed in this small valley?
It wasn't that Xin Shunyun didn't believe Shen Zheng, but the severity of the locust plague could only be fully understood by witnessing it firsthand.
Shen Zheng's gaze fell on Xin Shunyun's dirty clothes. After a moment, she said, "As long as the locust-luring route is set up correctly and the locusts can be successfully led into the Locust-Locking Valley, I will be able to annihilate them all in the valley."
Xin Shunyun pondered for a moment: "Then I would like to ask Lord Shen to take me on a tour and inspect the locust-inducing route again?"
Shen Zheng had the same idea and immediately nodded.
Jiang Zhiming stayed at the pass and watched them leave.
Three quarters of an hour later, Shen Zheng and Xin Shunyun returned. Xin Shunyun's tightly furrowed brows seemed to relax a little. Jiang Zhiming looked at the whitening sky and sighed silently.
The remaining four hundred bronze mirrors still haven't arrived.
In a quarter of an hour, the order to split the mirror would be given.
"Lord Shen, there's still half an hour left." Xin Shunyun looked up at the southwest horizon, his tone heavy with worry: "First we hear its sound, then we see its form; it blots out the sky, obscuring all light..."
Shen Zheng listened silently to Xin Shunyun's description.
The arrival of disaster is certainly terrifying, but what is even more nerve-wracking is the process of waiting for disaster to strike.
A sharp sword, hanging precariously over their heads, was suspended in mid-air.
"Here they come!" Jiang Zhiming suddenly shouted, startling Shen Zheng so much that her heart stopped for a moment.
Just as Shen Zheng looked up at the southwest sky, Jiang Zhiming said again, "Lord Shen, it's the convoy delivering the bronze mirror. The convoy is here!"
The clatter of hooves grew closer, and Gouwa, running in the lead, announced loudly, "The bronze mirrors have arrived! Four hundred and two!"
Four hundred and two! Not only did it exceed four hundred, but it even had two more sides!
Jiang Zhiming rushed towards the motorcade, his robes fluttering in the wind.
This batch of bronze mirrors was personally escorted by Zhao Guanli, the prefectural magistrate of Fuzhou: "Lord Jiang, I have not failed in my mission!"
"Enough with the nonsense!" Jiang Zhiming was both delighted and anxious, and immediately called out, "Bring the bronze mirrors! Place one hundred on the cliff face, and put the remaining three hundred and two on the bamboo frame at the entrance of the valley, facing the valley!"
"Yes!" Everyone sprang into action.
The morning light broke through the thin mist, and the sun rose.
After the mirror array was set up, it was already broad daylight.
Reports came in one after another: "Lord Shen, the Mirror Team has completed its inspection!"
"Lord Shen, the net team has been inspected!"
"Lord Shen, the tobacco squad has completed its inspection!"
"Lord Shen..."
"..."
All teams have completed their inspections.
"Buzz buzz buzz—" After completing the final check, the walkie-talkie in Shen Zheng's sleeve rang.
Shen Zheng immediately gave Hua Duo a wink and walked to a less crowded area.
"Buzz buzz buzz—Sister Shen." Yu Nanshu's voice came through the walkie-talkie. Fortunately, the surroundings were noisy, so the sound didn't carry too far: "Looking from the top of the valley, the southwest seems a bit off; it's darker than here..."
Shen Zheng clenched her fists slightly and looked up towards the southwest.
Yu Nanshu's deliberately lowered voice came through the walkie-talkie again: "Sister Shen, they seem to be... coming soon."
Shen Zheng took a deep breath and pressed the call button: "Understood. Nan Shu, please be careful."
“Okay…” Yu Nanshu’s voice was full of trepidation: “Sister Shen, you must also be careful. We will wait for your instructions.”
After Shen Zheng responded, she took out a telescope from her bundle and looked towards the southwest sky.
The first things to catch her eye were a few scattered locusts, which were like sesame seeds falling into the ocean in the vast sky, almost invisible to the naked eye.
A moment later, an even larger black dot appeared in front of Shen Zheng's eyes.
This swarm of locusts is enormous...
They are the vanguard!
Shen Zheng's breath hitched for a moment, then she immediately turned to Jiang Zhiming and said, "Lord Jiang, the vanguard is about to arrive. Go immediately to the locust-luring route and lead the locust-luring team to bring the vanguard over!"
After saying that, she handed over the binoculars, but Jiang Zhiming seemed to be nailed to the spot and did not move for a long time.
"Master Jiang!"
Shen Zheng frowned, about to drink again, when a large hand with thick hair on the back of the fingers steadily took the binoculars from Jiang Zhiming.
Xin Shunyun's eyes held no curiosity about the telescope, only a determination to lure the vanguard to Suohuang Valley: "I will go with Lord Jiang."
"I'll go too!" Xin Ji's eyes were full of longing for the telescope.
Jiang Zhiming suddenly snapped out of his daze, his Adam's apple bobbing violently before he sprinted toward the locust-attracting path.
"Lord Shen, wait for my good news!" Jiang Zhiming's voice was carried away by the wind.
The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.
The villagers at the valley entrance also noticed the unusual scene on the horizon and gripped their tools tightly.
It's coming, it's coming!
"All teams, prepare yourselves!" Shen Zheng shouted, her voice echoing throughout the valley: "Today's battle is to let these beasts know that our Great Zhou's land is not something they can trample on at will! Our Great Zhou's people are not something they can slaughter! Everyone! Today... we will win!"
At this moment, Shen Zheng was like a general with a fierce fighting spirit, pushing morale to its peak little by little.
"Must win!"
"Must win!"
"Victory is certain!"
The shouts of the people were deafening, echoing throughout the valley.
This battle was both a battle to protect their farmland and a counterattack by humanity against the locust plague.
Zhong Shushan watched Shen Zheng's retreating figure, his heart filled with a surging fighting spirit.
Winning this battle will not only be a significant achievement for Lord Shen, but also for Wangyue Village in Wangyue County, Fuzhou Prefecture, leaving a lasting mark on history.
"They're here! They're here!" Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the top of the valley, and someone shouted down into the valley: "Lord Shen, the vanguard is almost at the fork in the road before the locust-leading path! I estimate there are tens of thousands of them!"
The vanguard alone numbered in the tens of thousands!
Everyone's hearts sank, and they all looked toward the locust-attracting path.
The locust-leading path begins at a fork in the road.
To the west of the intersection is a locust-attracting path, and the road is full of common rice and other food that locusts love to eat.
To the east of the intersection lies Wangyue Village Road, which is already covered with high-yield rice. Dozens of locust-attracting team members hold up bronze mirrors and use the refracted light to force locusts to fly to the locust-attracting road on the other side.
As long as the vanguard is willing to enter the locust-luring path, the entire locust army will follow the scent of their kind and the traces of food, continuously pouring into the Locust-Locking Valley.
Success or failure depends on this.