Chapter 202: When Have I Ever Eaten Mushrooms?
Amidst the rhythmic clatter of hooves, a lone rider galloped into Gao Family Fortress.
The rider, a retainer from Bai Family Fortress, quickly dismounted and handed an urgent military dispatch to San Shier.
San Shier unfolded it, revealing a military report from Bai Yuan.
The report detailed how Dian Dengzi had come to Bai Family Fortress to request grain. It also stated that Bai Yuan, acting on his own initiative, had given ten *shi* of the grain bestowed by the Heavenly Lord to the bandits, and wished to inquire if his decision was appropriate.
In the diorama.
San Shier dared not delay, swiftly taking the military report and heading to the watchtower.
Soon, Gao Yiye paused her painting and stood with San Shier on the watchtower's third-floor balcony. Li Daoxuan, who happened to be eating preserved egg and lean pork congee by the edge of the diorama box, noticed their serious expressions and leaned his face closer. Gao Yiye, observing from below, immediately perceived his presence.
"The Heavenly Lord has arrived!" Gao Yiye turned to San Shier. "Please report quickly."
San Shier read the military report carefully, word for word.
He opened his computer, typed in "Dian Dengzi Zhao Sheng," and searched for information.
Soon, information on Zhao Sheng appeared, but historical records were scarce. A few brief sentences encapsulated his life's deeds, without judging him as good or bad, only noting that he had been framed for rebellion and forced into an uprising.
Besides, even if history painted him as a good person, could one truly believe it?
When judging individuals through the lens of history, one was bound to be misled time and again.
Li Daoxuan considered for three seconds, then clicked the 'X' to close the window. He decided those historical accounts weren't worth bothering with.
He decided to focus on the diorama.
"San Shier," he instructed, "summon a few drivers. We need to send some more grain to Bai Family Fortress."
San Shier couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. "Is the Heavenly Lord, contrary to usual, going to aid bandits this time?"
"I am not helping bandits," Li Daoxuan clarified, "but refugees."
Li Daoxuan sighed inwardly. *If Zhao Sheng isn't lying, and the three thousand people with him are genuinely good folk, unwilling to plunder ordinary citizens, then these three thousand must be saved.*
*But if he has deceived Bai Yuan and me, merely to feed his brigands so they can gain strength to plunder more innocent people, then sooner or later, I will reward him with a palm strike from the heavens.*
Ordinary people fear deception because the cost is often immense—financial ruin or even loss of life. A single betrayal can leave them deeply scarred, or worse.
Li Daoxuan, however, was different. Ten *shi* of grain, or even a hundred, was merely like him casually grabbing a handful of flour; it cost him barely anything.
Economically, there would be virtually no loss.
And his life, of course, was never at risk.
Therefore, he had no fear of being deceived.
Sacrificing a minuscule, almost zero-cost resource to gain clarity on a person, or even three thousand people, was a worthwhile gamble.
"Send two more carts of grain to Bai Family Fortress," Li Daoxuan instructed. "Additionally, write a letter to Bai Yuan. Tell him to engage with Zhao Sheng as much as possible, to talk with him. If those three thousand people are truly good-hearted common folk, forced into rebellion by circumstance, then bring them down from the mountain and send them to Gao Family Village. I will make arrangements for them."
San Shier quickly bowed deeply. "The Heavenly Lord is benevolent."
Li Daoxuan continued, "Remind Bai Yuan that while charity is noble, 'one must always be on guard against others.' When interacting with Zhao Sheng, he must not let his vigilance falter. If the other party suddenly turns hostile and attacks, he must ensure he has ample time to react and not fall for any bandit tricks."
San Shier declared, "As you command!"
San Shier quickly departed to draft the letter.
Li Daoxuan, meanwhile, gazed down at Gao Family Village, lost in thought.
*If we truly absorb Zhao Sheng's entire faction, that's over three thousand people. Gao Family Village itself only has a little over a thousand. Such a sudden influx of over three thousand outsiders would be like 'a snake swallowing an elephant,' leading to chaos and potentially destroying the hard-won spirit and stability of Gao Family Village.*
*It seems a separate settlement will need to be arranged for these people.*
*They wouldn't need to farm; they could all be employed as laborers. This means no farmland would be required, and their settlement could even be in a barren area.*
Li Daoxuan's mind immediately went to the "Valley of Exiles," which the villagers whimsically called the "Valley where immortals and monsters once fought."
In recent days, he had been playing "military combat techniques" for the Gao Family Village militia for one *shichen* every night, completing a full cycle. Cheng Xu had already mastered the techniques, and now it was his turn to gradually instruct the others.
That valley, too, could now be put to good use.
A quick plan: if the valley were filled with plastic houses, it could easily accommodate three thousand people. The next challenge would be the daily commute for the laborers.
The small valley was a full six *li* from Gao Family Village, a distance too far for everyone to walk. Yet, the current solar cars couldn't transport three thousand people back and forth!
Clearly, a more powerful and advanced mode of transport was needed.
In fact, Li Daoxuan had long contemplated this particular mode of transport, but with the smaller, concentrated population, there hadn't been a need to introduce it.
Now, with a larger population and the need to expand into another settlement, this "good gadget" would undoubtedly prove invaluable for connecting the two locations.
He opened a shopping website, searched for "electric toy train," and instantly found a bewildering array of options.
Li Daoxuan chose a model that featured "freely connectable tracks" and ran on "AA batteries."
A perfect choice.
He made sure that additional tracks could be bought separately. Naturally, he rapidly ordered several more sets. One small train, equipped with fifteen meters of track, would translate to six *li* in the Ming world—just enough to lay a line from Gao Family Village to the small valley.
After placing the order, modifications were still required.
The next day, the miniature train arrived. Li Daoxuan immediately took it and headed to Cai Xinzhi's toy store.
"Cai Xinzhi," Li Daoxuan greeted, "I'm back for another toy modification."
Cai Xinzhi was sitting behind the shop's counter, sipping a bottle of Nutri-Express. Upon seeing Li Daoxuan, he immediately rose with a smile. "Haven't seen you in ages! What new toy are you tinkering with now?"
Li Daoxuan handed over two small train engines. "I'm working on these; they need some modifications."
As soon as Cai Xinzhi heard "modification," he sensed something was amiss and felt a slight unease. "What strange contraption are you concocting this time?"
"It's simple this time, I promise," Li Daoxuan chuckled. "I just need to add a resistor to the train's power system, to keep its speed under ten centimeters per second."
"That's a minor issue," Cai Xinzhi said. "The engine is quite sizable, so it'll be easy to modify. Much simpler than that three-centimeter solar car you brought in last time."
Li Daoxuan continued, "Also, the switch needs modification. Move this toggle switch from the roof into the engine, and make it flexible, so it can be activated with minimal force.
Simultaneously, add a brake clip so that as soon as the power is cut, it instantly clamps the wheels, bringing the miniature train to a swift halt."
Cai Xinzhi eyed him sideways. "These modifications... why are they so simple this time? No challenge at all. Haven't you eaten any mushrooms?"
Li Daoxuan spread his hands. "When have I *ever* eaten mushrooms?"
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