Chapter 438: Infiltrating Our People
The world was vast!
Incredibly vast!
Relying solely on the limited manpower of Gao Family Village for slow expansion, it would take an eternity to encompass the entire world. Therefore, absorbing and integrating other forces was absolutely essential.
Li Daoxuan had long been mentally prepared to absorb various factions, but the individuals brought in had to be legitimate talents he respected.
Figures like Wang Zuogua, Bu Zhan Ni, Fan Shan Yue, Guerrilla Li Ying, and Yansui General Wu Zimian were absolutely out of the question.
However, people like Zhao Sheng, Wang Er, Xing Honglang, and Shaanxi General Wang Cheng'en were entirely suitable for recruitment into his ranks.
Li Daoxuan pondered for a moment, a plan forming in his mind.
Switching his view, he arrived at Gao Family Village. This time, finding Gao Yiye was easy.
After struggling to locate her for a long time on a previous occasion, he had issued a decree for Gao Yiye to wear conspicuously white clothing. To distinguish her from the pretentious Bai Yuan, Gao Yiye's white attire was adorned with numerous red embroidered patches.
Gao Yiye was standing at the entrance of a newly opened "Heavenly Lord Cake Shop," waiting to buy cakes. She wasn't the only one; many, many people were waiting, forming a long queue, with Gao Yiye at the very front.
No one dared to cut in front of her.
Li Daoxuan paused, seeing the shop's name: "Heavenly Lord Cake Shop"? Why would they use his name for advertising? For what reason?
A closer look, and he understood!
The shop was selling "old-fashioned cakes"—the very same item he had accidentally crushed in Heyang County, causing a "cake rain" that the locals dubbed "egg cakes."
Naturally, once such a delicacy landed in a city renowned for its cuisine, it was only a matter of minutes before the local food artisans began studying it.
Truly skilled chefs only needed a taste to identify all the ingredients used. The next step was simply to research the proportions and precise preparation methods.
And now, someone had clearly succeeded in their research.
This person was also clever, immediately opening a shop in Gao Family Village's commercial district, where the populace was wealthier and possessed greater purchasing power. Just look at the long queue in front of the cake shop...
He had, once again, contributed to the prosperity of Gao Family Village's commercial hub!
Li Daoxuan smiled as he watched Gao Yiye buy three cakes. She handed two to the autumn and winter secretaries, and all three women held them in both hands, nibbling daintily, sweet smiles gracing their faces. Indeed, "cakes" held an undeniable appeal for women.
It was then that Li Daoxuan called out, "Yiye!"
"Ah? The Heavenly Lord is here." Gao Yiye looked up, her small face beaming with delight. As their influence expanded, the Heavenly Lord was often no longer hovering directly above Gao Family Village. Gao Yiye frequently couldn't see the familiar wisps of cloud above her head, leaving a hollow ache in her heart.
Now, hearing the Heavenly Lord's voice, her spirits instantly soared: "You've come."
Li Daoxuan chuckled, "I've been watching for a while, you know, watching you queue for cakes."
"Ah? Why didn't the Heavenly Lord call me sooner?"
He kept that thought to himself, unspoken.
Li Daoxuan bypassed his own thoughts and smiled, "Shaanxi General Wang Cheng'en will soon send people to Chengcheng County to borrow grain. He'll likely go directly to Liang Shixian, but since all of Liang Shixian's grain comes from us, he will inevitably come to you."
Gao Yiye: "I understand, we should give him grain."
"No! Don't give it," Li Daoxuan said with a smile. "How can we lend it for free to an unrelated party, unless... he signs an agreement of compromise and submission?"
Gao Yiye, in her innocence, didn't understand.
However, the two secretaries, Qiu Ju and Dong Xue, had once mingled in high society, often attending business discussions with merchants. They had overheard many similar matters and immediately grasped the Heavenly Lord's meaning. They leaned close to Gao Yiye's ear, whispering, "The Heavenly Lord means we should get a hold of Wang Cheng'en's weak point and force him to compromise with us."
Gao Yiye: "Ah? But... isn't that something only bad people do?"
Qiu Ju replied, "That's not necessarily true. Good people also use such methods to control bad people."
Dong Xue added, "Yes, merchants often do this, simply to ensure others won't harm them."
Gao Yiye finally understood: "Then what do we want Wang Cheng'en to compromise on?"
Li Daoxuan: "We don't need him to do much. He's penniless and powerless, without grain or funds, and still subject to court control. In truth, there's little he can do for us. We simply need to bind him to Gao Family Village's cause, making him one of our own, in a way that couldn't be distinguished."
Gao Yiye: "How do we do that?"
Li Daoxuan chuckled slyly, "Have him make a few positions available in his army, and we'll install our Gao Family Village people into key posts within his ranks."
Qiu Ju and Dong Xue covered their mouths, giggling softly, "Oh my, the Heavenly Lord can be quite mischievous sometimes."
Gao Yiye still didn't quite grasp the specifics, but seeing that Qiu Ju and Dong Xue understood, she felt reassured. She would simply leave the talking to her two secretaries when the time came.
She looked up: "I understand! Then we shall set off now for Chengcheng County town."
From Gao Family Village to Chengcheng County town, one could take the electric train. Its speed was incredible; with a whistle, the thirty *li* journey passed in the blink of an eye.
Gao Yiye, along with the two secretaries, Qiu Ju and Dong Xue, and their personal guards, Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi, accompanied by a hundred other guards, once again stood in Chengcheng County town.
Having not visited the county town for a while, Gao Yiye now noticed that a massive sacred statue of Dao Xuan Tian Zun, a colossal golden figure, had been erected in the City God Temple, radiating the Heavenly Lord's majesty over every inch of the county.
The moment she, the Saintess, appeared on the street in her pure white attire, she immediately drew the attention of countless people. Many bowed down to her, "Lady Saintess!"
The roadsides were filled with common folk, lining the streets to welcome her.
Magistrate Liang Shixian also rushed out, a broad smile on his face, "Lady Saintess, why have you graced the county with your presence? You didn't even notify your humble subordinate in advance; I would have greeted your esteemed self at the train station."
Gao Yiye smiled, "The Heavenly Lord has given a command, and I have come specifically to convey his divine decree to you."
Liang Shixian immediately straightened his posture.
Gao Yiye: "Before long, a confidant of Shaanxi General Wang Cheng'en will come to you to borrow grain. You need only do as follows..."
Liang Shixian listened, bewildered. "Eh? Eh, eh, eh?"
He was quite perplexed!
The Heavenly Lord actually wanted to arrange for people from Gao Family Village to hold official positions in the army? What did this mean? Could it be...
A little fear crept in!
No! He had to think this through carefully.
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