Chapter 217: An Army Fighting for All Under Heaven
Zheng Gouzi crouched on the ground, hands clasped over his head.
Cheng Xu circled him, a menacing glint in his eye. "How should I deal with a scoundrel like you? You tell me! Should I cut off your head according to military law, or cut off your head according to military law?"
The onlookers stared, utterly baffled. "Huh? Why are both options the same?"
Cheng Xu exploded, his voice thundering. "Because you have no choice! Breaking military law leads to only one outcome: death. There's no other path. Do you think this is a game? Hmm? A game?!"
Those nearby broke into cold sweats, a tremor of fear running through them. It was the first time they'd seen Instructor He so enraged.
After a long moment, Gao Chuwu's timid voice piped up. "Instructor He, we... we're the militia... not the regular army."
Cheng Xu flared with anger, lifting a leg as if to kick Gao Chuwu. But halfway through the motion, he abruptly pulled it back, his expression softening slightly. Right, they *were* indeed the militia, not entirely the same as a regular army.
He let out a long sigh. "Everyone! It's true, we are the militia, there's no denying that. But look at the armor you wear, look at the things the Gao Family Village Ordnance Bureau is producing. 'Rebellion' is practically etched onto your very beings. Do you truly believe the Heavenly Lord is arming you
to this extent, merely for self-preservation?"
Cheng Xu tilted his head back. "One day, sooner or later, our Gao Family Village *will* rise in rebellion."
Another wave of shock rippled through them.
Cheng Xu continued, "I wouldn't say this to ordinary people, because it's too soon for them. But I *must* say it to you, because for you, it's already too late. The moment you donned that armor, you should have awakened to this truth: you are not merely a militia, but an army destined to fight for all under Heaven."
His face instantly hardened into a fierce mask again, and he bellowed at everyone, "Look at yourselves right now! Loafing around, grinning foolishly, not a single one of you looks like you're destined to fight for the common people......"
He pointed a finger at Zheng Gouzi. "A good-for-nothing who dares to skip training!"
Then he pointed at Gao Chuwu. "A good-for-nothing with nothing but women on his mind!"
Next, he pointed at Zheng Daniu. "A good-for-nothing who just lies down after eating, with no ambition whatsoever!"
He then pointed at Padi Tu, seeming to search for words, before suddenly letting out a long sigh. "You're beyond saving. No amount of scolding will wake you up. Carry him out, next..."
Padi Tu protested, "Hey? Hey, hey, hey? Why me?!"
Cheng Xu went around, pointing and scolding each member of the militia in a wide circle. Only then did he stop, saying, "Ask yourselves, honestly, which one of you looks like a hero capable of saving this world?"
Everyone remained silent.
Cheng Xu let out another deep sigh and turned back to Zheng Gouzi, pointing at his nose. "Considering you've just joined the militia and don't yet understand what it means to be a soldier, I won't execute you according to military law. Instead, run fifty laps back and forth on the cement road between Gao Family Village and Zhengjia Village. But if you ever commit this offense again, military law *will* be enforced, and you *will* be beheaded without mercy."
Zheng Gouzi quickly acknowledged, then obediently ran off.
Cheng Xu turned back again, glancing at the still-stunned militia. He roared, "You idiots! I'm punishing you by making you help the villagers harvest wheat! Damn it, use your waist knives as if you're practicing your blade techniques! Get to work, now!"
Everyone blinked in confusion for two seconds, then burst into cheers and rushed towards the fields.
Watching this, Li Daoxuan breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly feared Cheng Xu might actually "execute" Zheng Gouzi under military law. As it turned out, Cheng Xu knew how to temper his discipline. Even ordering them to harvest wheat was a conscientious act.
Excellent. He felt reassured to have such a discerning and flexible individual working for him. If he'd handled it himself, he might not have managed it better than Cheng Xu.
Just then, Li Daoxuan suddenly noticed that the words "Gao Family Village" on the outside of the diorama box were flashing, sparkling brightly as if sending a signal.
He couldn't help but utter an "Oh?" It was the first time he'd seen the box flash like that. Why had it never happened before?
He reached out and tapped the flashing "Gao Family Village." His perspective immediately shifted back.
He then saw Gao Yiye ringing the bell on the watchtower. A large "prayer bell" hung there, and Gao Yiye was striking it with a heavy hammer, making it clang loudly.
Li Daoxuan finally understood: so that's it! His usual field of view was always locked onto Gao Family Village, making it easy for the villagers to find him. Gao Yiye just had to look up and speak, and he would usually hear her. That's why the Gao Family Village residents rarely rang the bell.
This time, he had shifted his perspective to Zhengjia Village. The people in Gao Family Village must have been looking for him, but couldn't find him, so Gao Yiye had rung the long-unused great bell.
That's how he discovered the box had this function!
When someone in a specific area called for him, all they had to do was ring the bell, and the name of that area would flash. Quite user-friendly, he thought. It would make management much easier once his field of view expanded further.
Li Daoxuan lowered his face close to the area above Gao Yiye, looking down at her. "Yiye, what is it you're calling me for?"
Gao Yiye beamed with delight. "Ah, the Heavenly Lord has come! I... I wouldn't dare disturb the Heavenly Lord's tranquility; minor matters shouldn't bother you... It's just... this matter was by your command, so after we saw the results, I wanted to inform you."
Li Daoxuan simply uttered, "Oh?"
Gao Yiye explained, "The Gao Family Village Ordnance Bureau has finished preparing its first batch of black powder. Also, under Li Da's direction, the blacksmiths have forged their first Three-Eyed Arquebus! Gao Yiyi is about to take all the blacksmiths out of the village to test fire it. I felt this was something the Heavenly Lord should know... Earlier... I called for you, but there was no response, so I..."
"You rang the bell, didn't you?" Li Daoxuan smiled. "That's good. From now on, for any important matter, you can ring the bell to call me. You did nothing wrong.
Gao Yiye smiled happily, then scampered down from the watchtower and darted into the Craftsman Well. "The Heavenly Lord is here! He's watching us from the sky! Come on, let's go test the arquebuses!"
The blacksmiths' spirits lifted. With the Heavenly Lord watching from above, they felt a hundred times more energized!
Master craftsman Gao Yiyi carefully held up one of the arquebuses.
One of the standard-issue weapons of the Ming army: the Three-Eyed Arquebus.
In essence, it was just three iron barrels fastened together. To use it, one would stuff gunpowder and a bullet into each, light the fuse, and "boom!" it would fire.
Once fired, it transformed into a mere iron rod, which could then be swung to bludgeon an opponent.
To Li Daoxuan, this arquebus was technologically primitive, barely distinguishable from junk. Yet, in the eyes of the Ming army, it was an incredibly formidable weapon, possessing boundless power, effective at both long and close range, seamlessly transitioning from firing at a distance to bludgeoning in close quarters—truly invincible.
The blacksmiths, holding their "advanced weapons," happily dashed out of the main fortress and ran towards the Ordnance Bureau.
Gao Yiye mingled among them, periodically glancing up at the sky. Seeing the small cloud representing the Heavenly Lord directly above them, her heart swelled with joy, and her legs moved even faster.
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