Chapter 137: A Substitute for Caltrops

At the first light of dawn, Xu Mo was awakened by the crowing of a rooster.

In the dim room, Xu Mo slowly opened his eyes and turned to see Chen Miaoyi sleeping soundly against him, seemingly undisturbed by the world outside.

Xu Mo gave her forehead a gentle kiss and carefully sat up, preparing to get out of bed and dress. He had arranged with Niu Da the previous day to begin teaching the team members how to coordinate the use of spears and shields, so he needed to get to the clearing early.

Before he could rise, however, Chen Miaoyi stirred.

"Husband, it isn't even light yet..." Her voice was thick with sleep and laziness.

Xu Mo replied, "I promised Niu Da and the others..."

Before he could finish, Chen Miaoyi reached out, pulled him back into the covers, and wrapped her arms and a leg around him, pouting playfully. "Husband, it's still early. Let's sleep a little longer..."

When others were around, Chen Miaoyi was always timid and shy. Only when they were alone did she dare to show such a feminine, coquettish side.

Xu Mo felt a surge of desire. He embraced her in return, shifting his body to press closely against hers.

"Wife, it hasn't been long—how are you wanting more already?" Xu Mo teased, whispering into her ear before giving her earlobe a playful nip. He added, "Wife, have you ever heard the saying? There are no worn-out fields, only tired oxen!"

Chen Miaoyi felt a flush of embarrassment. She tapped him lightly and complained, "Who said I wanted it? I didn't!"

Xu Mo held her lithe body, his hands beginning to wander, and soon he found his self-control slipping. He turned over, pinning Chen Miaoyi beneath him, his breathing growing ragged.

Just as he was about to "enforce the law," Chen Miaoyi spoke up: "Husband, it’s so early. If you exhaust yourself now, you won't have any energy for the rest of the day."

"It's fine, I have plenty of stamina!" Xu Mo was beyond caring.

"But husband," she added, "it... it still hurts a little..."

Xu Mo paused, his movements freezing.

Chen Miaoyi’s face was flushed red as she turned her head away in bashfulness. "Husband, you were so vigorous last night; I still feel a bit sore..."

They had explored two new positions the night before, and Xu Mo realized that perhaps his excitement had led to a bit too much roughness, leaving behind minor consequences. Feeling a pang of guilt and tenderness, he rolled over and lay back down, closing his eyes to suppress his desire.

Seeing him lie still and silent, Chen Miaoyi worried that he was unhappy, so she leaned in and whispered something into his ear.

Xu Mo was stunned; it was the first time she had ever taken the initiative to suggest such a thing. He looked at her in disbelief and asked, "Really?"

Chen Miaoyi didn't dare meet his eyes, but she nodded and covered her burning cheeks with her hands.

Xu Mo was instantly filled with excitement and anticipation. Shortly after, Chen Miaoyi slipped down into the covers, and Xu Mo couldn't help but let out a moan of enjoyment as he was enveloped in warmth.

***

Afterward, refreshed and dressed, Xu Mo called for Qin Mutou, and the two headed to the clearing in the center of the village. The sky was brightening, and most of the team members had already gathered. They greeted Xu Mo as he approached.

After chatting with the men for a while, the three Niu brothers arrived, pushing a cart loaded with wooden shields. Once Niu Da organized the formation, Xu Mo distributed the shields to everyone, including himself and Qin Mutou.

Xu Mo explained that from today on, they would practice coordinating bamboo spears with wooden shields to improve both offense and defense. However, once training began, Xu Mo immediately spotted a problem. While holding a shield in one hand and a spear in the other was tactically sound, their offensive power had dropped significantly because they could no longer wield the spears with both hands.

Xu Mo worried that if they fought this way, their formation would be broken by bandits, leading to heavy casualties. Niu Er, Niu San, and several others also felt that the shields hampered their strength, suggesting they should stick to two-handed spear thrusts.

Xu Mo refused to abandon the shields but struggled to find a better way to coordinate. As he pondered, Niu Da stepped forward with a proposal: have the first row use shields and short bamboo spears, while the second row continued to wield their longer spears with both hands, attacking from behind the cover of the first row’s shields.

Xu Mo thought this was an excellent idea. He immediately swapped the first row with the strongest villagers to ensure the shield wall remained stable. By the end of the morning, the combination seemed quite effective; while overall offensive power was slightly reduced, their defensive capability had improved significantly.

At lunch, Xu Mo, Qin Mutou, and the Niu brothers sat together, discussing how to further increase their offensive power. The brothers suggested recruiting the village hunters, who could stand on the supply carts and provide ranged support with their bows. Xu Mo agreed and decided to speak to the village chief after lunch.

While they were eating, several children ran toward them, excited. The eldest held a plump wild rabbit, which they had caught in a trap in the woods. Seeing the rabbit, an idea struck Xu Mo. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I have an idea!"

"What is it, Boss?" Niu Da asked, while the others looked on with anticipation.

"Have you heard of iron caltrops?" Xu Mo asked. Everyone nodded. "If we have the first row carry them, they can scatter them in front of the shields as the enemy charges. The bandits will be distracted by the ground under their feet, making our spear formation more effective."

Qin Mutou and the Niu brothers agreed, but Niu Da pointed out a flaw: "Boss, the idea is great, but we don't have any iron caltrops, and there's no time to go to the blacksmith in town."

Xu Mo frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "It's fine. We have a substitute. We can make the iron ones later."

"What substitute, Boss?" Niu Da asked.

Xu Mo replied, "Bamboo caltrops."