Chapter 477: The Puppet Heavenly Lord
With Bai Mao's troops firmly in place, Pinelyang Prefecture finally found stability.
Two hundred flintlock riflemen, garrisoned within the prefecture city's formidable walls, proved their defensive might was no idle boast. The Eight Great Kings of the Southern Camp launched two assaults on Pinelyang Prefecture, both repelled by the riflemen positioned atop the ramparts.
General Li Huai, originally a timid commander, found a sudden surge of courage with the flintlock riflemen bolstering his ranks. The moment the bandit forces' morale crumbled under the riflemen's barrage, Li Huai would immediately throw open the city gates, leading his troops in a furious charge. He sent the Eight Great Kings of the Southern Camp fleeing in utter terror.
After holding out for several days, Shanxi Governor Song Tongyin arrived with a massive relief army, personally leading them to a decisive victory. In one fell swoop, they shattered the main forces of the Eight Great Kings of the Southern Camp, and Pinelyang Prefecture finally knew peace.
However, though the bandits had retreated, Governor Song Tongyin and Prefect Dou Wenda soon found themselves embroiled in a heated argument.
Dou Wenda, though a mere prefect, refused to be intimidated by the governor's authority, speaking with unyielding resolve. He declared loudly, "Your Excellency, I ask that you take all of Shanxi's troops with you. This Pinelyang Prefecture city of mine needs only Captain Wang of Shaanxi to guard it."
"Dou Wenda!" Shanxi Governor Song Tongyin fumed. "This Pinelyang Prefecture is a city under my Shanxi jurisdiction. What possible issue could there be with Shanxi troops guarding it? What is your intention, stubbornly insisting on having Shaanxi troops stationed here?"
Dou Wenda, equally incensed, retorted, "Since taking office, your humble servant has been diligent and conscientious. Though I cannot claim Pinelyang Prefecture has flourished under my governance, it has, against all odds, endured these years of great disaster. The common people, despite their hardships, could still survive. Yet, to my astonishment, the moment Your Excellency's army arrived, you plunged this Pinelyang Prefecture into utter chaos. In just a few short days, how many of my people have your soldiers harmed?"
"This..."
In truth, Song Tongyin was by all accounts a good official. He had earned his *jinshi* degree in the 38th year of the Wanli reign, possessing first-rate scholarship and moral cultivation. Even as a minor prefect, he was renowned for his integrity, never accepting bribes and often turning away those who sought to influence him with gifts.
During the Tianqi era, he had organized the populace for flood relief and resolved the White Lotus cult rebellion, earning him deep affection from the people. In the second year of Chongzhen's reign, his accumulated merits led to his promotion as Governor of Shanxi.
He was a practical, capable, and incorruptible local official.
Yet, with the bandit hordes now sweeping into Shanxi, the province had plunged into chaos. Brigands roamed unchecked, and Song Tongyin, rushing from one skirmish to the next, tirelessly leading his government troops in constant suppression, could hardly enforce strict military discipline. Such a systemic issue was not something he could resolve single-handedly in a short span of time.
The Shanxi troops, on their way to quell the insurgency, had indeed caused harm to many innocent civilians, a problem that caused him immense distress.
To be confronted so directly by Dou Wenda now left him utterly humiliated.
Song Tongyin could only lower his voice and sigh. "These military ruffians truly have no discipline whatsoever," he admitted. "But with the empire in such chaos, they've grown arrogant, ignoring orders and defying command at every turn. Your humble official is helpless against them. I can only wait until the bandits are quelled, then submit a memorial to the Ministry of War to punish these scoundrels."
Dou Wenda countered, "That is a matter for later! But the Shanxi troops' depredations upon this prefecture are happening now! I, your humble servant, cannot tolerate these men. They must be expelled!"
Song Tongyin looked at him, genuinely curious. "And the Shaanxi troops? Do they have no such problems?"
Dou Wenda puffed out his chest. "Captain Wang's soldiers, now *they* are disciplined! Look, just look..."
He pulled open the window. From the second-story view of the prefect's yamen, they looked out and saw a soldier from the Gao Family Village Militia. He was helping an old man carry a shoulder pole laden with what appeared to be all his worldly possessions: broken iron pots and other odds and ends, looking incredibly heavy. The militia soldier, a smile on his face, carried the load, walking slowly alongside the old man until they faded into the distance...
Dou Wenda declared, "This is how government soldiers *should* behave!"
Song Tongyin stared.
How could such a thing be possible? Song Tongyin nearly leapt out of his skin.
An illusion, he thought. It had to be an illusion.
Dou Wenda pressed on, "Your Excellency, you once served as a prefect yourself. Surely, you can understand your humble servant's current feelings. I beg Your Excellency to empathize with my plight."
Song Tongyin let out a long, resigned sigh. "Very well, very well. Your humble official will take all the Shanxi troops with me, and General Li Huai too. Let this Pinelyang Prefecture be guarded by these four hundred Shaanxi troops then."
Dou Wenda was overjoyed. "Many thanks, Your Excellency!"
After their contentious exchange, the two officials reached an understanding. Song Tongyin led all the Shanxi troops out of the city, heading east to resume his pursuit of Wang Jiayin. At this time, Wang Jiayin's main forces had already converged in Qinshui County, still numbering a formidable 160,000 men.
The government forces would still need to exert their utmost effort to subdue them.
And with Song Tongyin's departure, Pinelyang Prefecture was left with only four hundred Shaanxi troops, a force that had already fallen squarely into Wang Er's hands!
At Yongji's Gudu Ferry.
Xing Honglang, Gao Chuwu, Zhao Sheng, Zao Ying, Lao Nanfeng, Zhan Seng, and others were gathered around a brand-new statue of Dao Xuan Tian Zun.
The last time Li Daoxuan had projected his consciousness through co-sensing, he had inadvertently damaged the clay sculpture of Dao Xuan Tian Zun, with half its face falling off, giving everyone quite a fright. After much discussion, they had all agreed: this new Heavenly Lord statue had to be sturdy, flexible, and embody a truly grand and sophisticated presence.
They quickly sought out skilled artisans at the Gudu Ferry, and to their surprise, they found one. The ferry boasted many merchants and craftsmen, and the emphasis on 'craft' here was well-deserved. They discovered a 'puppet master' who hailed all the way from Xiaoyi, Shanxi.
Upon inquiry, they learned that puppet theater in Xiaoyi, Shanxi, was remarkably advanced for its time. Their puppets boasted incredibly lifelike expressions, their movements flexible and vivid, and their internal mechanisms ingeniously intricate and practical—a truly divine skill.
Therefore, the leadership quickly offered a handsome sum, commissioning the puppet master to craft a Heavenly Lord puppet.
This was a meticulous task. Not only did the face have to be exquisitely lifelike, but every joint in the body had to be rendered flexible. Even the mouth could open and close, utilizing 'wire control technology' that allowed the puppet to dance with astonishing grace—a truly miraculous feat.
The creation took many days, but finally, today, it was complete.
A group of people encircled the puppet, examining it from every angle. Gao Chuwu remarked, "Hmm, hmm, the face is carved quite well, but why is the mouth just a small square?"
Xing Honglang explained, "That's so the mouth can move, of course! That's why it's a small, movable square. Look, just pull this string, and the mouth opens and closes."
Gao Chuwu reached out and tugged the string, but before he could even move it himself, the Puppet Heavenly Lord suddenly sprang to life. Its wooden jaw opened and closed, and it spoke, "Hey! I can play here again!"
Everyone froze.
After a brief moment of astonishment, everyone bowed in unison. "Greetings, Heavenly Lord!"
The Puppet Heavenly Lord abruptly stood up with a soft whirring sound, its various joints twisting in peculiar, almost comical ways. Yet, no one dared to laugh. For if a puppet moved under human manipulation, it was indeed comical. But if it moved under the will of a god, that was nothing short of a divine miracle!
Li Daoxuan opened his mouth, and a curious clicking sound emanated from the puppet. He realized that the material of the co-sensing medium altered his voice. Speaking through this Puppet Heavenly Lord, his words took on a rapid, rhythmic patter, almost like a folk rhyme: "Everyone beware, beware of Wang Jiayin! Jiayin is in Qinshui, two hundred *li* from here!"
After delivering his message, he felt quite pleased with his rhythmic delivery.
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