Chapter 398: Divine Ship's Maiden Voyage
As the chemical factory began its preparations...
Qichuan Ferry!
The river vessel, its dummy cannons removed and real artillery installed, was finally ready.
Its hull, crafted from steel plates, was clad in pressed composite panels, all painted with a deceptive wood-grain finish. Twelve formidable cannons, fashioned from stainless steel capillary tubes, extended from its sides, giving it an imposing and powerful presence.
Eighty crewmen, personally selected by Bai Yuan from Bai Family Fortress, were already fully prepared. Additionally, twenty fishermen from Qichuan also boarded the vessel, remaining on board as "apprentice sailors."
In truth, these twenty "apprentice sailors" were more familiar with the Yellow River's currents and conditions, but their "ideological lessons" were not yet complete, so they couldn't be promoted to full status.
The total crew numbered one hundred.
A somewhat modest number!
But it was more than enough.
Bai Yuan, beaming with excitement, declared, "Our Divine Ship is setting sail on its maiden voyage today! Crewmen, this vessel is a treasure bestowed upon the mortal realm by Dao Xuan Tian Zun. Today, you will pilot it across vast distances. You must be extremely careful and cautious; do not let it capsize!"
A crewman muttered under his breath, "Ten thousand li? We're only sailing to the Gudu Ferry in Yongji, Shanxi, and back. That's barely two hundred li round trip..."
Bai Yuan scoffed, "Hm? What was that muttering?"
The crewman immediately straightened up, "Reporting, sir! I said nothing at all."
Bai Yuan gave a knowing grunt. "Today, an important guest will be joining our Divine Ship's voyage. Come, let's give them a warm welcome!"
The crewmen looked bewildered, not quite understanding, but if the leader called for applause, they'd applaud.
Then they saw a burly woman, more robust than most men, stride onto the deck. It was none other than Xing Honglang of Yongji.
Xing Honglang cupped her hands in a respectful greeting to the crew. "Brothers, Yongji is my hometown. I hear the rebels are running rampant in Shanxi, and I'm quite worried about my folks back home. So, since the Divine Ship's maiden voyage is headed for the Yellow River near Yongji, I've brazenly tagged along. I've also brought plenty of grain. This time, it's all up to you brothers!"
On the shore, her salt smuggling crew appeared – over forty stout men, guarding ten grain carts piled high with provisions. Cart after cart, the food was steadily loaded onto the vessel.
The sailors understood at a glance: she was going back to aid her hometown.
Months earlier, Wang Jiayin had attacked Qichuan Ferry but failed to breach its defenses. He then turned to assault Hequ County in Shanxi. The provincial commander's cannons backfired, leaving him unable to stop Wang Jiayin, who swiftly occupied Hequ. Following this, other rebel groups poured into Shanxi, wreaking havoc across the province. Word was, Shanxi was now a place of utter pandemonium and extreme peril.
Xing Honglang's concern for her fellow villagers back home was hardly surprising.
The sailors cupped their hands. "Rest assured, Miss Xing. Leave it to us."
A sailor from Bai Family Fortress chuckled softly, "Can't call her Miss Xing much longer. Soon it'll be 'Madam'!"
Another sailor piped up, "Oh? Is she and Gao Chuwu getting married soon?"
"Soon, I hear the wedding preparations are already underway."
"That pair has dragged it out for too long. It's all Gao Chuwu's fault for not being good enough; he always kept losing to Miss Xing, until she finally let him win recently by going easy on him."
Those nearby nodded in unison, "So that's how it happened!"
Xing Honglang's face flushed crimson. "Hey! I heard that! What utter nonsense are you spouting? I did not 'go easy on him'! I genuinely couldn't beat Gao Chuwu. He used his strength to force me to marry him, and since I couldn't defeat him, I was afraid he'd hit me, so I had no choice but to marry him! That's the truth of it!"
Bai Yuan feigned surprise. "What? So that's how it is? Then Gao Chuwu has committed the grave crime of abducting a common woman! This is precisely what Dao Xuan Tian Zun would least wish to see. For such an offense, there is only one path: execution!"
Finishing his speech, he tilted his head towards the low clouds in the sky. "Dao Xuan Tian Zun, wouldn't you agree?"
Li Daoxuan instantly displayed a large scroll of paper: "THOSE WHO ABDUCT COMMON WOMEN SHALL BE EXECUTED!"
Bai Yuan chuckled. "See? Dao Xuan Tian Zun has decreed it: 'Execute!' We'll inform Fang Wushang as soon as we return and have Gao Chuwu put to the blade."
Xing Honglang gasped. Dao Xuan Tian Zun had actually issued a divine decree! How could this be?! She cried out, "No! No! He didn't abduct me! I was just talking nonsense earlier! I *did* go easy on him, I *deliberately* lost because I *want* to marry him! Dao Xuan Tian Zun, please don't take it seriously! Punish me for my careless words, for slandering Gao Chuwu!"
"Hahahaha!"
Li Daoxuan and Bai Yuan burst into laughter together, one from the heavens, the other on the ship. Then all the sailors joined in, and even Xing Honglang's salt smugglers erupted in mirth.
Xing Honglang's face was so crimson it seemed ready to bleed....
She could only take her exasperation out on her subordinates. "What's so funny, you lot?! Get this grain loaded onto the ship! We're departing!"
The subordinates suppressed their laughter and pushed the grain carts onto the vessel. They carefully stowed them in the lower hold, even wrapping the sacks in oil paper to prevent water damage, ensuring everything was handled perfectly.
Bai Yuan waved his hand. "Proceed with extreme caution once you are within Shanxi territory."
Xing Honglang and the sailors returned his salute. The captain flicked a switch, turned the helm, and the large vessel slowly began to move, departing from the Qichuan Ferry's tranquil backwater....
The great ship began its journey downstream!
Li Daoxuan tapped the buttons on the outside of the box, fine-tuning his field of view, following the miniature ship as it moved downstream. Initially, the vessel remained within his sight, but soon, no matter how many times he pressed the "South" button, his field of view could no longer keep up.
The large vessel seemed to hit the glass wall of the box, zipping right through it and vanishing from sight.
Li Daoxuan could only silently wish them well in his heart.
May his little folks not die out there!
Xing Honglang still had to return to marry Gao Chuwu.
At this thought, Li Daoxuan froze. Something was wrong. Wasn't "coming back to get married" a classic narrative "flag"?
Damn it, if he'd just set up that kind of flag, wouldn't Xing Honglang be in terrible danger?
This was bad; he shouldn't have let her go.
Shanxi, Yongji!
Yongji was a small place, administratively part of Puzhou.
At that time, it hadn't yet been designated a county, existing merely as a town under Puzhou's jurisdiction. It wasn't until the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the Manchu ascension that Puzhou would be elevated to Puzhou Prefecture, and this small town of Yongji would, in turn, become Yongji County.
During the Ming Dynasty, Puzhou, alongside Bingzhou and Pinelyang Prefecture, stood as one of the thirty-three most industrially and commercially developed cities in the nation. Merchants flocked here, using the Gudu Ferry in Yongji on the Yellow River to distribute goods traveling north and south to all corners of the land.
Yet, at this very moment, the Gudu Ferry was a battlefield.
A local militia, comprised of merchants, fishermen, and farmers, was huddled within the dock, desperately defending their position behind low fence walls, while a rebel army, thousands strong, launched a furious assault....
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