Wei Shufen followed Chai Yingluo to the Eternal Peace Palace for an audience with the Emperor, originally intending to report matters such as "exchanging investigation for fifty thousand bolts of silk" to the Son of Heaven. However, when Chai Yingluo met her second uncle, the Emperor didn't even ask her purpose before launching into an enthusiastic discourse on warfare, siege tactics, and military equipment. With his spirits so high, no one dared interrupt, and even the Master of the Purple Void Monastery could only humor him by asking questions tailored to his interests.
Though anxious, Wei Shufen could do nothing. Moreover, since these siege engines were explicitly intended "for use against Gaochang," and Li Yuangui would soon depart for Gaochang as an envoy, she was naturally concerned. Standing below the steps, the eldest daughter of Chancellor Wei dared not raise her head to look around, only straining her ears to silently listen to the conversation above.
These massive siege engines, cumbersome and made of heavy timber, couldn't possibly be transported thousands of miles by cart. So why had the Son of Heaven been drilling with them for months amidst these ruined palace grounds? Chai Yingluo's question echoed Wei Shufen's own doubts.
Suddenly, the Emperor on the platform ordered someone, "Have them build another one," and a voice promptly acknowledged the command. Before long, a team of craftsmen with wrapped heads and tied sleeves emerged. They first knelt and kowtowed toward the platform, then hurried to a pile of timber, dividing tasks and busily setting to work with ropes and saws.
"Know thy enemy and know thyself, and victory is assured. The importance of reconnaissance and its impact on the outcome of a battle cannot be overstated," the Son of Heaven began another confident lecture. "Years ago against the Turks, and now against the Tuyuhun, our armies didn't need siege engines—why? Because they were unnecessary! The Turks and Tuyuhun are nomadic tribes beyond the frontier, their people migrating with water and grass, moving countless times a year. What proper houses or cities do they have? When our great army arrives, their khans, seeing the situation turn against them, have no intention of holding fortified positions. They simply flee with their guards, retreating deep into the grasslands or deserts, hoping our Celestial troops will lose their way or run out of supplies and withdraw, allowing them to return."
"Gaochang, however, is different from these nomadic tribes," Chai Yingluo interjected appropriately, earning the Emperor's praise: "Well said. Gaochang was originally a state formed by descendants of Han and Wei garrison soldiers. Their language, script, and way of life closely resemble ours in the Central Plains. Moreover, occupying a key trade route, their people rely on commerce and farming, eliminating the need for constant migration. Thus, they spare no expense in building walls and digging moats. After centuries, our scouts report that Gaochang's great walls are high and its trenches deep, its defenses comparable to our eastern and western capitals. Without proper equipment, relying solely on human waves and scaling assaults would... alas..."
"Your Majesty is a wise and benevolent ruler who cherishes his soldiers and people above all, and would never willingly incur heavy casualties," the female Daoist's voice rang sweet and clear amidst the murmurs of the men. "Moreover, as Sun Tzu's Art of War states, the highest form of warfare is to attack the enemy's plans; besieging cities is the worst strategy. As the greatest general in the land, Your Majesty would never resort to such inferior tactics."
Sister Ying, you're truly the greatest flatterer in the realm... Wei Shufen mused. Sure enough, another round of laughter erupted from the platform, the loudest and most cheerful being His Majesty's. Considering how he endured daily court sessions listening to her father and other old scholars lecturing him, this was perhaps a rare moment of solace—a small recompense."Benevolence and virtue are one side of the coin, but on the other, Gaochang is simply too far away. With the vast desert and rocky wastelands in between, transporting troops and supplies is difficult. Sending a large army there is impossible—otherwise, wouldn't I just be repeating the mistakes of the last Sui emperor? Sigh —only a handful would even make it to Gaochang's city walls in one piece. If they were all lost at once, there'd be no reinforcements to replace them. So, if we're really going to attack Gaochang, these siege weapons are absolutely indispensable. And not just that—simply bringing the trebuchets and battering rams we're used to won't be enough."
At this point, the Emperor issued another command, and someone immediately rushed off to relay the order. Soon, beyond the trebuchets on the field, seven or eight banners of varying colors and patterns were raised sporadically across the mountainous terrain, some near and some far.
"Yingniang, point—which banner do you want to hit?" the Emperor asked with a smile. Chai Yingluo didn't hesitate and answered promptly, "The white one with the fiery red pattern!"
Another palace attendant hurried down the steps from the platform, but instead of heading toward the trebuchets, they ran toward a Nest Cart stationed farther away. At the base of the cart, the attendant whispered something to a man, who then entered the wooden cage atop the structure. Several people worked together to pull the pulley ropes, hoisting the cage high into the air.
Once the cage steadied, the man inside shouted a string of words from his elevated position. The distance was too great for Wei Shufen to make out clearly—something about the ecliptic and the Horn and Legs constellations—as if he were discussing celestial phenomena.
After the man finished shouting, one of the trebuchets lowered its long arm, adjusted its angle, and calibrated briefly before the command "Release!" was given. A large stone was launched, flying straight toward the white banner with the fiery red pattern. Though the distance was great and the banner small, the stone didn't hit the flag itself but landed very close. A cloud of dust erupted, instantly obscuring the white banner.
The men and women on the platform cheered, and even Wei Shufen couldn't help but silently admire the spectacle, though she was utterly baffled by its meaning. Chai Yingluo also asked, "Your Majesty, what was that man in the Nest Cart shouting? Why not just aim the trebuchet directly?"
"Ah, that's where you're mistaken," the Emperor replied, his voice brimming with pride. "Gaochang's city is different from those in the Central Plains. Our buildings here have tiled roofs and wooden pillars—when a trebuchet hits a tower or a stone flies over the walls and smashes into houses, everything collapses instantly, and the people inside have nowhere to hide. The sheer destruction breaks enemy morale quickly. But Gaochang's royal city—because of the region's scarce rainfall and strong winds—has many buildings half-buried underground, making them very low. If trebuchets just fling stones randomly outside the walls, they might not even destroy the houses or kill anyone. So, we must strike with precision—targeting the Gaochang royal palace, military barracks, or crowded streets—to maximize their effectiveness..."
"Yingluo understands now!" the Master of the Purple Void Monastery exclaimed in sudden realization. "First, the Nest Cart lifts a man high into the air so he can see over the city walls and identify where to strike inside. Then he calls out the coordinates, and the trebuchet operators follow his directions to launch stones over the walls, specifically aiming for the Gaochang nobles' most vulnerable spots. A single strike should send them howling in terror, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing upon them..."Before she could finish speaking, the military officers on the platform erupted in laughter and praise, all commending, "The High Truth Master is indeed brilliant and perceptive." The Emperor also chuckled and said, "So now you understand what your uncle has been busy with these past few months? First, figuring out a way to transport enough siege equipment across thousands of miles to foreign lands, and second, how to maximize the use of these machines during sieges to minimize casualties among our troops..."
As he boasted with evident satisfaction, Wei Shufen turned her gaze back to the team of craftsmen constructing the trebuchets. After their efforts, they had already carved several large logs into the shape of trebuchet levers. Someone pushed a cart of cast-iron mechanisms onto the ground, ready to connect the wooden parts and axles. Each worker moved with remarkable speed. She silently estimated that if there were ready forests near Gaochang's royal city and felling trees wasn’t difficult, this team could assemble at least two or three trebuchets in a single day.
As for the metal castings, it would be nearly impossible to mine, smelt, and mold iron on-site in Gaochang. However, those iron components were relatively small—casting a batch in Chang'an and transporting them by cart should suffice. The real rarity, though, was these craftsmen. Watching their nimble movements and masterful skills, she wondered how long they had been confined here practicing.
Lost in thought, she suddenly heard the Emperor on the platform address Chai Yingluo: "Yingniang, pay attention—don’t speak of what happens here to outsiders. Others might not matter much, but I dread those old scholars like Wei Zheng and Sun Fu-jia. The moment they hear I’m preparing for war, they’ll leap three feet in the air and pester me with daily remonstrations, and I can’t even reprimand them—oh, right, isn’t one of your young friends Wei Xuancheng’s daughter? Keep your lips sealed. If word reaches her family, it won’t end well..."
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