Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Half an hour later, the campsite was spotless, even the embers of the campfire were carefully buried, erasing as much as possible of any trace of anyone having been there. The rising sun struggled to pierce through the clouds, casting thin, cold light that stretched the long shadows of the peculiar group.

The team set off again, this time with a clear destination—due south, Black Wind Ridge.

Chen Xing walked in the middle of the group, while Chen Wei, like the most vigilant hunting dog, led three of the most capable scouts, trailing several miles ahead. Their task was to clear out any potential eyes and ears, ensuring the main force's movements weren't prematurely exposed. Zhao Tiezhu led the refugees at the rear of the group. He remembered Chen Xing's instructions, tending to the elderly and weak while his sharp eyes scanned the surrounding woods, noting the straight, thick trees and resilient vines. Occasionally, he would direct the able-bodied men to step forward and painstakingly cut down or collect some branches, which the stronger men would then take turns dragging along.

Chen Xing once again focused most of his attention on his mind. Although the basic map provided by the system marked the main terrain and the approximate location of the warehouses, it lacked detail, especially in mountainous terrain where the actual route often differed significantly from the straight-line distance. He needed more precise navigation.

"System, can you display our current location on the map in real time and provide the optimal route planning to reach the marker point?" He tried to make a more specific request.

[The "Real-time Path Navigation" assistance function can be enabled, continuously consuming system energy, which is converted into 1 system point per day. Enable?]

One point per day? Chen Xing glanced at his remaining 90 points (activating map scanning consumes 10 points), weighed his options briefly, and then chose "Yes". When marching in unfamiliar territory, accurate navigation can prevent detours, save stamina, and avoid dangerous areas, and its value far exceeds the consumption of 1 point per day.

[Feature enabled.]

In an instant, the map in Chen Xing's mind seemed to come alive. A tiny green dot representing their team appeared clearly on the map at the edge of "Fallen Soul Ravine." At the same time, a pale blue dotted line composed of countless tiny dots started from the green dot, winding its way south, cleverly bypassing several areas marked on the map as impassable by steep cliffs or dense forests, and finally connecting to the gray marker representing the warehouse. Next to the dotted line, a small numerical estimate appeared: the actual distance was approximately 92 li.

Sure enough, what seemed like an eighty-mile straight line actually took more than ninety miles to traverse. Chen Xing understood, and with this clear path to guide him, he felt much more at ease.

"Pass on the order to adjust the direction to 15 degrees southeast. There is a shallow ford three miles ahead where we can cross the river. Avoid the area marked 'Rock Slope' to the west," Chen Xing said to the Wei Wu soldier squad leader beside him, who was responsible for relaying the order, based on the navigation in his mind.

"Yes, sir!" Although the squad leader was amazed at how his lord knew the terrain so accurately, his absolute loyalty left him with no doubts, and he immediately relayed the order.

The entire team adjusted its direction accordingly, like a giant python obeying the command of its head, moving forward silently and resolutely along the invisible, optimal path.

With precise navigation, marching efficiency improved significantly. The team avoided several difficult terrains, choosing mostly relatively flat and concealed routes. Chen Xing could even "see" potential streams along the path in advance, allowing the team to prepare water in advance.

Throughout the journey, he continued to observe and reflect. The military prowess of the Wei elite infantry was undeniable, but their strength lay in fighting in formation and overwhelming the enemy head-on. Attacking a walled stronghold, especially when minimizing casualties, required specialized tactics.

His gaze fell on the timber that Zhao Tiezhu and the others were struggling to drag, and an idea gradually became clear. He called Zhao Tiezhu over.

"Iron Pillar, when collecting timber, prioritize pieces that are over two zhang long and of uniform thickness. The vines should be old and tough, and some bark should also be peeled off for later use."

Although Zhao Tiezhu didn't understand why, he immediately replied, "Yes, my lord!"

Chen Xing then looked at one of the Wei Wu soldiers, a squad leader left behind by Chen Wei to provide protection: "Are there any brothers in our army who are skilled in carpentry or have other craftsmanship?"

The sergeant paused for a moment, thought carefully, and shook his head: "Reporting to our lord, we focus on battle skills, and we are not proficient in such crafts."

Chen Xing nodded; this was within his expectations. It seemed that many things required his personal involvement, or at least his provision of ideas and guidance.

Around noon, the group took a short rest in a sheltered mountain hollow. Chen Xing didn't rest; he found some relatively straight wooden sticks and some flexible vines, and sat down to start fiddling with them. Several children among the refugees watched curiously from a distance, too afraid to approach.

Chen Xing recalled the simplified principles of ancient siege weapons he had seen in museums, books, and even movies in his previous life. He didn't need to create complex catapults or siege towers; that was unrealistic. What he needed were simple, effective tools to overcome the obstacles before him.

His first attempt was a simple device similar to a "flying bridge" or "ditch bridge." Two long logs served as the main beams, bound together with short logs and vines to form a bridge deck large enough to span a ditch several feet wide. The key was structural stability and ease of rapid erection.

He clumsily tried to bind the wooden sticks with vines, but lacking skill, the resulting structure was loose and flimsy. A Wei soldier who had been resting nearby saw his lord seemingly encountering difficulties and silently got up and came over. Although he didn't know carpentry, he had years of experience maintaining weapons and armor and was quite skilled at binding and securing. He took the vines from Chen Xing and, using a knotting technique that Chen Xing had never seen before, extremely sturdy, quickly and firmly fixed several wooden sticks together. The resulting structure, though simple, was exceptionally solid.

Chen Xing's eyes lit up, and he nodded approvingly: "Very good! What's your name?"

The soldier was flattered and immediately bowed, saying, "My lord, this subordinate is Wang Jian!"

"Wang Jian, from now on, you will be temporarily in charge of assisting me and guiding everyone in making these... tools," Chen Xing immediately ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I obey!" Wang Jian replied loudly.

With Wang Jian's assistance, progress was much faster. Chen Xing then drew a simple diagram of a "shield cart" on the ground—essentially a cart with wooden panels and wheels at the bottom, which could be used to block arrows and cover personnel as they approached the wall. He even conceived of a very simple "ramming log"—selecting a sufficiently thick and heavy tree trunk, sharpening one end, suspending it on a wooden frame with ropes, and having multiple people push it to ram the city gate.

He explained these ideas and diagrams to Wang Jian and Zhao Tiezhu, who had come over. Zhao Tiezhu was dumbfounded; he had never imagined that war could be prepared in this way! These seemingly simple wooden frames could actually be so useful? His admiration for Chen Xing was like a surging river.

"My lord... are you truly a god descended from heaven? How do you know so much?" Zhao Tiezhu murmured involuntarily.

Chen Xing glanced at him, smiled faintly, and without explanation, simply said, "Knowledge is power. You'll understand in the future."

After resting, the team set off again. This time, there was a different atmosphere in the team. In addition to marching, people began to consciously collect materials needed to make equipment, and under Wang Jian's guidance, they used the breaks to try out preliminary processing and binding exercises.

Chen Xing stared at the green dot moving forward in his mind, and the clear blue path. The map was no longer just cold information, but had transformed into a solid road beneath his feet and a strategy for defeating the enemy gradually taking shape in his mind.

He knew that with each step forward, he was one step closer to the "home" where he could settle down and make a living.