Novels online

Chapter 343: I'll Shoot Him Dead at the Bow of His Ship

Li Daoxuan's field of view was rapidly expanding.

After he orchestrated a rainfall in Heyang County and transported vast amounts of grain there, bringing a sense of security to the local populace, countless specks of light ascended, and the Salvation Index surged dramatically.

Just as he had discovered before, saving lives yielded few Salvation Points, but improving people's livelihoods generated them in abundance.

When the common folk earned grain through labor and witnessed the Four Dragon Kings bestow rain, granting them hope for life, how could the Salvation Index not skyrocket?

Soon, Li Daoxuan's northern field of view expanded significantly further into Huanglong Mountain, while his western view had already stretched beyond Chengcheng County, now encompassing the "Yaotou Kiln" to the west, and soon, Baishui County would be visible.

His eastern view, meanwhile, had enveloped Heyang County and continued to extend eastward, drawing closer to the Yellow River.

Li Daoxuan spent his days frantically pressing the 'North, South, East, West' buttons on the diorama box, eager to glimpse the Yellow River. But impatience was useless; if the Salvation Index hadn't reached the threshold, it hadn't, much like a math problem you just couldn't solve.

With considerable effort, he finally spotted a small river within his field of vision named "Xiadang River." This river could "flow into" the Yellow River, but due to years of severe drought, the Xiadang River itself had almost dried up, leaving only a trickle at the bottom of its bed.

Li Daoxuan's ship model was too large to navigate such meager waters.

Dusk was falling!

Feng Jun, Bai Yuan, and Zhang Yuanwai stood at Qichuan Ferry, gazing at the surging waters of the Yellow River before them.

Though the land suffered from a great drought and smaller rivers had ceased to flow, the Yellow River remained over two li wide, its mighty currents ceaselessly rolling eastward, an unstoppable force.

Due to its rapid currents, most upstream sections of the Yellow River were unsuitable for docks. However, Qichuan Ferry featured a small, calm backwater, resembling a human stomach, where the currents were relatively stable. Thus, it had become the renowned Qichuan Ferry.

In prosperous years, countless boats would sail upstream from downstream, bringing grain and all sorts of treasures from the "Flowery World of Jiangnan" to this very spot, benefiting the people of Heyang County.

Feng Jun pointed at the dilapidated dock. "See? There aren't even two boats at the pier now."

Bai Yuan nodded. Only a few small fishing boats were visible at the dock; not a single merchant vessel could be found. It was truly a desolate sight.

Feng Jun gestured towards the surrounding terrain, then furrowed his brow. "This stretch of water is calm, perfectly suited for rebel naval landings. If Wang Jiayin's forces were to arrive by water, it would indeed be quite troublesome. Instructors, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

Zhang Yuanwai shook his head. "This is beyond my understanding. Brother Bai, please enlighten us."

Bai Yuan's spirits lifted. The Heavenly Lord had given instructions beforehand, so he wasn't flustered in the slightest. He pointed at the open ground above the pier. "We can bring in a large number of laborers to construct a small fortress on this open space. We'll garrison a militia unit within it, equipped with heavy cannons, flintlock rifles, bows and arrows, rolling logs, and tumbling stones... bringing the entire dock within the fortress's firing range. The bandit army won't find it so easy to land then."

"Constructing a fortress on flat ground, how could it be easy?" Feng Jun countered. "It requires immense amounts of stone, and just quarrying it would take considerable time. Stacking them up is also a specialized skill.

Bai Yuan smiled. "You worry too much, Lord Feng. Our Gao Family Village possesses a miraculous substance called cement. You saw it yourself when you visited us last, didn't you? Cement can be used for building roads, and also for constructing houses. Our artisans at Gao Family Village have extensive experience using cement for construction. We only need to deploy a few artisans here to guide Heyang County's laborers, and a cement fortress can be erected in mere days."

Feng Jun was delighted, but immediately his brow furrowed again. "Even if the fortress issue is easily resolved, heavy cannons and flintlock rifles are still difficult to obtain. I am not the Shanxi Regional Commander; I have no Western cannons at my disposal."

Bai Yuan replied, "Well... leave that to me. I'll find a way."

Feng Jun mused to himself: 'Just who are you, exactly? How can you find a solution for this, too? Ah, I understand now. You must have some connection with the new Shaanxi Governor Liu Guangsheng, allowing you to borrow Western cannons from Xi'an Prefecture.'

At this thought, Feng Jun's heart felt a little more at ease. If Bai Yuan could truly secure cannons from Xi'an, just how terrifyingly extensive were his connections in officialdom? With such a person assisting Heyang County, it would surely be secure.

Bai Yuan said, "In any case, until the fortress is built and the heavy cannons and flintlock rifles arrive, we can only rely on manpower to guard this pier. Brother Zhang, Heyang County is your territory after all; this place will temporarily have to be defended by your men."

Zhang Yuanwai clasped his fists. "Rest assured, Brother Bai, I will immediately gather my four hundred militia members and station them here temporarily."

Zhang Yuanwai left in a hurry.

Feng Jun also said, "I'll leave matters here to you both. I'll return to the county seat first to attend to other duties."

Bai Yuan replied, "Lord Feng, please feel free."

Feng Jun departed as well.

Only Bai Yuan and his retinue of household guards remained at Qichuan Ferry.

He stood by the Yellow River, hands clasped behind his back, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

A household guard quietly asked, "Master, why are you smiling?"

Bai Yuan chuckled. "I'm thinking, the Heavenly Lord's intention is clearly to save the entire world. And this Yellow River, it can reach half the world. This Qichuan Ferry will surely be our starting point for saving all living beings under heaven in the future."

The household guard uttered, "Uh, Master, aren't you thinking a bit too far ahead?"

Just as they were speaking, a household guard on lookout at a high vantage point suddenly cried out urgently, "Master, it's bad! A large number of boats have appeared on the water to the north!"

This instantly startled Bai Yuan. "Wang Jiayin is here? So quickly? Damn it, we haven't even had time to deploy!"

He hastily climbed to a higher spot and peered north along the river channel. Sure enough, a cluster of small fishing boats, interspersed with a few merchant vessels, was sailing towards Qichuan.

The household guard asked, "What do we do then?"

"What else can we do?" Bai Yuan retorted. "With just a few of us, we can't stop the rebels from landing. Retreat, quickly! We need to go back and fetch our soldiers."

He had only brought thirty household guards with him, making it impossible to fight the rebels. He quickly ran west, away from the water's edge.

After covering some distance, he suddenly remembered something, chuckled, and stopped.

The household guard asked, "Master, why aren't you running anymore?"

Bai Yuan declared, "While we can't engage them in direct combat, we still have a chance to hide from a distance and fire a single shot. I'll aim from the shore at the fleet on the water. Before their chieftain can even land, I'll shoot him dead at the bow of his ship. They might get scared and not dare to land."