Chapter 1169: Rebuilding the Shu Road
Over a hundred thousand militiamen, escorting more than seventy thousand captured rebels, emerged from the mountains.
The number of labor reform prisoners captured this time was truly overwhelming, far surpassing any previous group.
The Hanzhong Prefect, the Hanzhong Regional Commander, and Prince Rui stood atop the city walls of Hanzhong Prefecture. Looking south, the sight of hundreds of thousands of people swarming out of the mountains truly startled them.
When these militia forces had arrived from Xi'an as reinforcements, they had come in trickles. Large trains transported over a thousand people at a time, and cars and buses also brought them in batches. Even those who came on foot were dispersed into small groups.
That's why, upon their arrival, their sheer numbers weren't truly felt.
But now, the militia had emerged from the mountains all at once. Over a hundred thousand militiamen, combined with more than seventy thousand captives, formed an army of over two hundred thousand.
The sheer, overwhelming force of it...
Prince Rui exclaimed, "Oh my, this King hadn't even noticed! Did we truly deploy so many people this time?"
Regional Commander Zhao Guangyuan's face paled. He couldn't help but murmur, "If these militias were to rebel, they would be even more terrifying than the outlaws."
After his contemplation, the Hanzhong Prefect suddenly grew curious. "With over seventy thousand captives, I wonder how the Governor intends to arrange them?"
No sooner had he thought this than the wailing sound of a train filled the air. The large train had arrived again. As soon as it came to a complete stop, Sun Chuanting leapt from it and hurried into Hanzhong City.
Both the Prefect and the Regional Commander hastened to bow to Sun Chuanting. "Your Excellency, Governor."
Only Prince Rui, who was not required to bow, stood cheerfully watching. "Master Sun," he said, "your militias are truly formidable! They dispersed the main rebel army in one fell swoop, capturing over seventy thousand. However... with so many people, this King is truly curious how you intend to settle them?"
"This official has long since devised a method for settling them," Sun Chuanting declared. He stood atop the South Gate, observing the vast number of labor reform prisoners being escorted to the city gate. Surrounded by over a hundred thousand militia, the prisoners dared not act rashly, all meekly huddling together, their eyes fixed on Sun Chuanting with a profound dread.
Sun Chuanting swiftly produced a tin megaphone and boomed down at the captives below the city wall: "You should all know the severity of the crimes you have committed. Decapitation would be a light punishment for you. However, Heaven cherishes life, and this official has decided to grant you an opportunity for redemption..."
He quickly recited Gao Family Village's long-standing labor reform policy, which had been in use for years.
Upon hearing this, the captives below the city wall thought: *They won't kill us, they'll give us food, and we'll work? That's acceptable, acceptable!*
Sun Chuanting immediately shifted his tone. "The task this official has arranged for you is to construct a grand road from Hanzhong, Shaanxi, all the way to Guangyuan, Sichuan."
At these words, everyone was greatly startled. Widen the Shu Road? Had he gone mad?
Sun Chuanting continued, "The difficulty of the Shu Road is indeed harder than ascending to the heavens! This accursed path has long hindered communication between the people of Shaanxi and Sichuan, severely impeding economic development and cultural exchange. You have committed many evil deeds in the past—burning, killing, plundering. Many of your hands are stained with the blood of the common people. To cleanse yourselves of your sins, the best method is to make immense contributions to them. And opening up the Shu Road is the finest way to achieve that."
The rebels were momentarily speechless.
Just then, the crowd of rebels parted, and a prominent outlaw stepped forward. This was none other than Mantian Xing, a great general under Li Zicheng. He was an old hand at rebellion, having led uprisings for many years, and this was not even his first time accepting pacification.
Mantian Xing had accepted pacification once before, during Yang He's efforts. So, even though he was now a prisoner, his heart held no panic. He was still planning for a resurgence, much like the last time under Yang He's pacification. His expression, while somewhat crestfallen, still held a resilient spirit.
He looked up at Sun Chuanting on the city wall and declared, "Your Excellency, Governor, the difficulty of the Shu Road is no laughing matter! This time, when we entered Shaanxi from Western Sichuan, passing through the Mingyue Gorge section of the Shu Road, over a hundred of us had already died or been injured from falls before we even began working. If we were to labor there, carving mountains and digging rocks, the risks would be even higher, with the constant possibility of falling to our deaths. If you want us to widen the road there, aren't you simply sending us to our deaths?"
At his words, the expressions on the faces of the seventy thousand-plus rebels behind him grew grim.
Indeed, the Shu Road was not meant for human construction!
The initial and final sections were manageable, but the Mingyue Gorge plank road section... how many lives would have to be sacrificed to widen that path into a grand road? Even thinking about it felt impossible.
A calm smile appeared on Sun Chuanting's face. "Rest assured, this official knows how difficult the Mingyue Gorge plank road section is. You will not need to work on that section; you only need to repair the initial and final parts."
Everyone was greatly surprised. Mantian Xing, emboldened, actually asked with defiance, "Oh? Not clearing that section? What's the point then?"
Sun Chuanting said solemnly, "For that middle section, a Celestial Immortal will come to help us clear it."
It turned out that Sun Chuanting had long since received instructions from Li Daoxuan: have the labor reform prisoners repair the initial and final sections of the road, while the middle section, the ancient Mingyue Gorge plank road, was to be left untouched, preserved for Li Daoxuan's personal intervention.
In any case, the initial and final sections also required passing through towering mountains and treacherous ridges, making road construction quite difficult. The common folk would surely need several years to complete both sections. By then, Li Daoxuan's Field of View Expansion would certainly have reached that area, allowing him to reach into the box from the outside.
With all sorts of modern tools—hammers, crowbars, electric drills—brought to bear, wouldn't transforming the ancient Shu Road into a flat path be simple? If he really got annoyed, he could just pull the entire mountain out of the box and keep it as a bonsai at home.
His Zhaomu Mountain villa, its courtyard was just missing a rock garden.
However, the moment Sun Chuanting uttered the words "a Celestial Immortal will come to help," it sounded utterly ridiculous to the Hanzhong Prefect, Prince Rui, the Hanzhong Regional Commander, and the rebels alike.
Especially Prince Rui, who was the least obliged to fear Sun Chuanting's status as Governor and felt no need to show him deference, couldn't help but burst into a loud "Haha" of laughter. "Master Sun, what jest are you spouting?" he guffawed. "Celestial Immortals helping us build roads? Hahaha... I can't, this King simply can't stop laughing..."
Mantian Xing, too, wore a mocking expression, but as he was a prisoner, he dared not enrage Sun Chuanting. A wise man knows not to suffer immediate losses, so he refrained from laughing aloud.
Just at that moment...
"Boom!"
A tremendous roar, and the ground trembled. It was as if something massive and terrifying had landed right beside them, emitting a colossal thud. The sound startled everyone.
Everyone instinctively looked towards the source of the sound.
And in a single glance, they saw a giant, dozens of meters tall, who had just descended from the sky and steadied himself. The 'boom' they'd just heard was the sound of his landing.
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