Chapter 106: The Steam Locomotive

Chen Mu chuckled softly, “Heh, I knew they were short on provisions.”

Tongtian County was a border town, nestled against the snowy mountains. It had no neighboring countries and was not a frontline post, so the garrison was sparse, and supplies were limited. Since the Cheng family had arrived, engaging in grand steel production and organizing troops, a shortage of provisions was inevitable.

“Prepare to advance!” Chen Mu commanded. At his order, the Xia cavalry saddled up and rode toward the east gate to assemble.

Outside the city, the cavalry guarding the supplies had already spotted the enemy. Half of them stayed to protect the food carts, while the other half charged toward the approaching forces.

Under the Cheng family’s command, the rebel cavalry met the charging Xia horsemen head-on. The Cheng family leader halted his carriage, standing atop it with a raised rifle.

Both sides’ cavalry were similarly equipped. After the initial clash, casualties were suffered on both sides.

Then the Cheng leader fired. He targeted the leading Xia cavalrymen; after four shots, four riders fell dead from their saddles.

One of the fallen was the cavalry captain.

This blow left the Xia cavalry leaderless, forcing them to follow their prior orders: half guarding the supply wagons, half holding off the enemy cavalry.

Under these circumstances, the situation was manageable. Once reinforcements from Weishan County arrived, the rebels would be forced to retreat.

But then the Cheng family made another move.

Their carriages moved forward again, then stopped to fire. Four shots rang out, and four more drivers collapsed.

The guarding cavalry hesitated briefly, then eight more drivers were killed. A centurion, unable to bear it any longer, led his unit charging toward the steam carriages.

However, the steam carriages outpaced the horses, turning nimbly. The cavalry could not keep up and had no choice but to watch helplessly as the enemy continued firing.

At this moment, half the rebel cavalry charged the supply convoy, engaging the guards and seizing wagons.

Just then, Chen Mu’s reinforcements from Weishan County arrived.

The Cheng family leader aboard the carriage grew anxious.

“How did they arrive so swiftly?”

“Could they have prepared this all along?”

“Did they anticipate our raid on the provisions?”

“What now?”

After a moment’s thought, the Cheng leader ordered, “Retreat.”

A companion asked, “What about the supplies?”

The leader replied, “Let the cavalry seize what they can. Every captured cart counts. But our vehicles must never fall into their hands.”

At the mention of the vehicles, everyone fell silent. The drivers promptly turned to flee back toward Tongtian County.

But Chen Mu’s objective was those two steam carriages—how could he let them escape?

“Cavalry, spread out and encircle!”

“Do not fear their muskets. Charge and use crossbows against them!”

Chen Mu was well versed in the muskets’ operation; he knew they required time to reload. His own crossbows, however, were preloaded and could fire immediately upon close approach.

At his command, two thousand cavalry divided into four units and charged toward the steam carriages.

Seeing this, the Cheng leader ceased firing. Killing a few riders was futile and only added wind resistance.

“Quick! Break through the gap!”

The two drivers, tense and desperate, pushed the carriages forward at full speed.

The steam carriages were indeed fast. Before Chen Mu’s cavalry could encircle them, the vehicles burst through. Riders nearby fired crossbows but missed every shot.

Having escaped the encirclement, the Cheng leader exhaled in relief—only to see thick dust clouds ahead, signaling a large cavalry force.

“Not good! More coming!”

“Speed up!”

“Captain, we’re already at top speed!”

Chen Mu watched the steam carriages retreat but felt no worry; five thousand more Xia cavalry were advancing from Weishan County.

He ordered a split force: one thousand to eliminate the rebel cavalry, three thousand to pursue the steam carriages.

The Cheng leader pressed onward at full tilt. The dust ahead gradually cleared, revealing Xia cavalry.

A chill ran through the Cheng leader’s heart.

The opposing cavalry was not in neat formations but spread wide like a vast net, closing in. No matter how the vehicles maneuvered, they would be caught in a crossbow barrage.

These vehicles had no armor, and even if they did, it was useless. A single punctured tire would immobilize them.

“Turn around! Turn around!”

“Charge back!”

The driver swung the wheel sharply, drawing a wide arc in the sandy soil, and turned the carriage around.

The Xia cavalry maintained their net-like formation in pursuit.

Chen Mu also commanded his cavalry to spread out, forming a net to encircle.

Unfortunately, this was not a narrow valley; two roads flanked the area. With only ten thousand cavalry, Chen Mu could not seal off every escape.

Noticing Chen Mu’s formation, the Cheng leader veered down one of the side roads.

Chen Mu anticipated this and calmly ordered continued pursuit. Wherever the vehicles turned, it was still Xia territory.

Though fast, the steam carriages had drawbacks: they lacked the endurance of horses and could not match the speed of horse exchanges at relay stations over long distances. Their advantage was only in short-range maneuverability.

After some distance, the Cheng leader glanced back at the receding cavalry and exhaled.

“Phew—wait, where are we?”

Several Cheng leaders exchanged bewildered looks, dumbfounded.

They recognized nothing.

Only Cheng Lu from their family had ever been to Xia territory; the rest were born and bred in the snowy mountains.

“Never mind, keep driving forward. Find somewhere to hide the carriages, then we’ll disguise ourselves and return on foot.”

“Yes, after all, we look and speak just like Xia people. We won’t be detected.”

Having resolved this, the Cheng family fell silent and drove straight ahead along the highway.

Chen Mu, mounted on a carriage, led the cavalry in pursuit. Gazing at the clear wheel tracks on the ground, he smiled.

“Let’s see how far you can run.”

The cavalry maintained their dispersed formation, surging forward like a rolling flood.

Fifteen minutes later, a strange smell emanated from the steam carriages.

“Not good! The water’s almost boiled dry!”

“Quick! Into the woods! Find water!”

The drivers swerved off the highway and plunged into the forest. Several men dismounted, water flasks in hand, scanning their surroundings.

“Where is the water?”

“Split up and search!”

Six men divided into four groups, each with water containers, spreading out to look.

Shortly after, Chen Mu’s unit reached the forest’s edge.

“They’ve entered the woods; they can’t move fast. Conduct a thorough search!”

Chen Mu dismounted and galloped into the trees, soon spotting two empty steam carriages.

Approaching one, he laid a hand on the hot hood and laughed joyfully.

“Hahaha… the steam carriages are mine now!”

With the enemy dismounted, things were simple. The cavalry, spread out in encirclement, would quickly find them.