With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

As everyone entered the fortified village through the main gate, their footsteps echoed steadily on the solid rammed earth road.

As Lin Ye walked, his gaze involuntarily fell on the deep ruts left by the carriages behind him.

The mark was deep and clear, as if it contained something very heavy and important, exuding a weight that could not be underestimated, making him take a second look.

After entering the gate of the fortified village, Lin Ye invited everyone into the courtyard.

He looked around, clasped his hands in greeting, and said loudly, "Thank you, Magistrate and everyone, for coming to help us at this time. Please forgive us for any shortcomings in our hospitality."

He paused for a moment, then said directly, "Since everyone thinks highly of the Lin family, I won't beat around the bush."

Our Lin family has already secured a Taoist stronghold and has asked the county magistrate to report to the imperial court to apply for a fiefdom. The person in charge of the investiture will arrive in five days.

However, we received news that the Lone Wolf Village, supported by the Northern Xiongnu, might attack our Linjiawu in order to destroy their stronghold and destabilize Xiang County.

So the reason I invited everyone here today is to unite as one and defend the fortified village.

"Once our Lin family is officially granted land, we will certainly not treat everyone unfairly."

"Currently, we have four third-rate martial artists, twelve unranked martial artists, and four third-rate Dao soldiers. With your strength, we have twenty-four third-rate martial artists."

Seeing that everyone was still a bit unsettled when they first came in, Lin Ye explained the situation to them clearly, so that they would feel more confident and have more confidence.

"According to our informants, in addition to the second-rate martial artist Lone Wolf, Lone Wolf Stronghold also has three third-rate martial artists, and may also recruit bandits from Gongchang Prefecture."

However, this is Northern Han territory, and the Northern Xiongnu forces are not many. The bandits also act based on their own interests. If they really try to take us down, they won't gain any advantage.

Therefore, their strength is definitely less than ours, and we will surely win this battle.

After Lin Ye finished speaking, the magistrate, seeing that everyone was excited by his words, wanted to add fuel to the fire: "You might be wondering what's on these carriages in the county government office? Officer Liu, lift the curtain and let everyone see!"

A constable in the lead walked up to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked at everyone with a smug expression.

As soon as the curtain was opened, a large, thick, and imposing crossbow appeared before them.

"Mountain-Splitting Crossbow..." someone recognized it and couldn't help but shout it out.

Lin Ye recognized this thing; it was issued by the Northern Han court to county towns for city defense, specifically designed to deal with martial artists. Even second-rate martial artists could cause it a lot of trouble.

The crossbow arm was thicker than a strong man's waist, and the string was made of several strands of ox tendon soaked in tung oil, twisted together, making it shiny and tough; the crossbow body was made of fine iron wrapped in hardwood, as heavy as a lump of iron.

What's most frightening is its arrows; they're not ordinary wooden-pole, iron-tipped arrows, but heavy arrows over three feet long with serrated feathers at the end.

The arrowheads are made of triangular steel with barbs on them. Once they pierce into the body of a person or monster, they are difficult to pull out and will cause even larger wounds.

The arrow has a stabilizing wing at the tail, making it fly fast and steady, and it can still hit the target accurately from a hundred paces away.

Using this crossbow requires the cooperation of four mediocre martial artists: two to pull the string to full tension with a winch, one to adjust the direction and angle, and one to pull the trigger with a special pin.

Each time the crossbow is cocked, it emits a dull "creak-hum" sound, like awakening a sleeping beast. It is so powerful that it can split rocks, hence the name "Mountain-Splitting Crossbow".

"That's right, it's the Mountain-Splitting Crossbow." The magistrate stroked his beard, his tone filled with pride.

"There are three in total. I took them from the city wall of the county town. They can pose a threat to second-rate martial artists. Six years ago, when Lone Wolf attacked the county town, he was forced to retreat by these things."

"Magistrate, the county town doesn't have these crossbows. What if the Lone Wolf Stronghold attacks the county town?" Zhang Yuan asked anxiously.

The magistrate sighed, his expression grave: "There's no other way; we can only protect one of the two. I've decided to stay in Linjiawu with Guard Sun and not return to the county seat. After all, the lair is more important to Xiang County."

"Where the nest is, there is the county town."

His voice lowered, and he slowly said, "When I left, I had the remaining constables spread the word in the county town that the people should hide in the mountains and wait for us to win the battle before we came back. Then they will be able to live a good life."

"They will understand...they will understand..." The magistrate said firmly, but his voice gradually lowered.

Everyone fell silent for a moment, all looking in the direction of the county town.

"Now that the magistrate has made arrangements, we should focus on guarding our stronghold and not let everyone down," Zhang Yuanxian said firmly.

"Young Master Lin, we are all here, at your command. How do you plan to defend this fortified village?"

"Alright!" Lin Ye, seeing everyone's spirits were a bit low, immediately raised his voice, clear and powerful, "Now that Guard Sun is here, we're stronger, and we're sure to win this battle. Let's discuss how to defend!"

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Lin Ye walked to a clean stone slab in the courtyard, raised his hand and drew a simple map of the fortified village, saying as he drew, "Let's first figure out the situation."

If Lone Wolf Stronghold wants to attack us, they'll definitely test the city gates and weak points in the walls first. We have a lot of men now, but we can't afford to be disorganized. We need to split into several groups, each holding their position and supporting each other.

He pointed to the location of the gate on the map and said in a calm tone: "The gate is the first line of defense, and also the most dangerous place."

Here, I've assigned Guard Sun to personally lead the team, along with two third-rate constables from the county government and four third-rate martial artists from five families, forming the main assault force. If the enemy launches a strong attack on the city gate, they must hold it at all costs and prevent it from breaching.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "Guard Sun is a second-rate expert. With him here, the city gate is as solid as a rock."

Then, he pointed to the city walls on both sides with a tree branch: "These two sections of the city wall are long and are the easiest to be attacked by concentrated forces."

Uncle Lin Qiang, along with some of the Lin family's mediocre martial artists and members of the Tian family, will guard the left side, while Uncle Zhang Yuan and the other five families will guard the right side.

Six third-rate martial artists were assigned to each side to maintain order, while the rest patrolled in sections, filling in any gaps immediately.

After listening, Lin Qiang replied gruffly, "No problem, young master. I know this wall by heart, I guarantee not a single one will be able to climb it."

Zhang Yuan nodded, his expression serious: "We'll do the same here, we'll definitely keep a tight grip."

Lin Ye then pointed to the crenellations at the four corners of the city wall: "The crossbow positions are crucial. There are three Mountain-Splitting Crossbows. One is installed above the main gate, specifically for taking down the leading warriors; the other two are mounted on the high crenellations on the left and right sides, which can suppress enemies coming from both sides."

Each crossbow is staffed with four skilled, albeit novice, martial artists who practice their coordination beforehand. The entire process—loading the crossbow, aiming, and firing—must be executed flawlessly without any malfunctions.

He emphasized, "When this thing makes a sound, it can not only hurt people, but also scare them. We need to let Lone Wolf Village know that this wall is not one to be climbed lightly."

Then, he turned his attention to the inner side of the city wall: "We should also arrange for people to patrol the inner side, especially at night, to prevent anyone from secretly digging into the wall, setting fires, or launching sneak attacks from blind spots. Two third-rate martial artists should lead the patrols."

Although women and teenagers didn't directly climb the wall, they could help transport arrows, care for the wounded, and cook and boil water, allowing the brothers guarding the wall to have no worries.

"There are still 4 third-rate martial artists left. Form a mobile support team and rush to wherever there is danger."

Lin Ye looked around the room and smiled confidently: "Our strength now is not only in numbers, but also in unity."

Twenty-four third-rate martial artists, three Mountain-Splitting Crossbows, and the county magistrate and Guard Sun in charge—that's the solid foundation of their strength.

As long as everyone performs their duties and holds the line for three days, once the official appointed by the imperial court arrives, we will be able to protect our stronghold and restore peace to Xiang County.

Upon hearing this, the tense expressions on everyone's faces gradually relaxed.

Lin Qiang's voice boomed, "Young Master, your arrangements are crystal clear. We know exactly what to do and will not hesitate to act!"

Zhang Yuan chimed in, "The five of us will cooperate fully, holding out one day at a time. The one who holds out the longest will win!"

He raised his hand and waved: "Alright, everyone, prepare as we just discussed. We'll have a drill tonight to rehearse our coordination, and we'll begin the formal deployment tomorrow. Remember, we're not just protecting Linjiawu, but the peace and stability of Xiang County, and the home of all of us."