Chapter 509: Reinforcements from Gao Family Village
Meanwhile, as Lao Zhu went to meet Yang He...
A massive troop transport ship slowly pulled alongside the Yongji Ferry Dock.
A burly man sprang down from the ship; it was Zheng Daniu. He had come by order of the Heavenly Lord, leading several hundred Gao Family Village Militia members to reinforce the Yongji Ferry Dock, tasked with eliminating Wang Guozhong.
No sooner had his feet touched solid ground than Zao Ying rushed up to him, slamming her fist onto Zheng Daniu's shoulder with a 'thump.' “Hey, Daniu! Long time no see!”
Zheng Daniu grinned widely, a guileless smile on his face. “Instructor Zao, long time no see.”
Zao Ying smiled brightly. “Miss me?”
Zheng Daniu chuckled. “Of course!”
Zao Ying was delighted.
Zheng Daniu continued, “Only you ever treated me to good food. After you left, I haven't had any good food.”
“Huh? What else is there to miss?” Zheng Daniu replied, genuinely puzzled.
“What exactly am I to you, then?” Zao Ying pressed.
“A kind person who treats me to snacks!”
“Pfft!”
Those nearby felt cold sweat cascade down their backs.
The Puppet Heavenly Lord opened his mouth, unsure what to say for a long moment, then simply closed his wooden mouth again with a soft 'clack.'
Zao Ying pouted and stepped aside, sulking for three seconds. Then, her spirits suddenly lifted, and she wasn't angry anymore. She knew Daniu was like this all along; what was there to be angry about now? An honest man like him was less likely to be disloyal, after all.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a massive twist of fried dough, handing it to Zheng Daniu. She smiled, “This is a specialty from Yongning Village in Zhangying Township, Shanxi. I saved a special one just for you.”
Zheng Daniu was overjoyed. “Oh, I knew it! Instructor Zao treats me the best!”
Zao Ying chuckled mischievously. “Am I not the woman who treats you best?”
“No!”
The veins on Zao Ying's forehead popped up instantly. “Who?! Who dares to compete with me to treat you well? I was just thinking to myself how faithful you are!”
“My mom.”
The prominent veins on Zao Ying's forehead instantly vanished, and a smile returned to her face. “Oh, it’s your esteemed mother, of course. Hehehe... hehehe...”
Zheng Daniu opened his mouth wide and, with a loud crunch, bit off half the mahua. He stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks working, producing loud, crisp chewing sounds.
Just then, Xing Honglang and Gao Chuwu also walked over. Xing Honglang deliberately waited for Zao Ying and Zheng Daniu to chat for a moment before interrupting them. “Daniu, how many troops did you bring?”
Zheng Daniu chortled. “Five hundred firearm soldiers, fifty grenadiers.”
Gao Chuwu grinned. “Our first hundred grenadiers are complete again now.”
The two chuckled, then suddenly realized something was amiss. “Where’s the third simpleton?”
Gao Chuwu couldn't help but ask, “Where’s Padi Tu? Such a big commotion, isn’t he coming to see it?”
Zheng Daniu pointed to the ship’s stern. “He’s here, but he’s seasick.”
Well...
Even the Puppet Heavenly Lord couldn't help but let out a series of clicking laughs. “That fellow actually gets seasick?”
From a distance, Padi Tu feebly waved at everyone, still weakly leaning over the gunwale. “Someone... help this Rabbit Lord... off the ship...”
Gao Chuwu laughed. “Where’s your old partner, Zheng Gouzi? Isn't he helping you?”
Padi Tu groaned, “He... he has to stay behind... to guard... the Saintess... *oogh*...”
A few militia soldiers boarded the ship and helped Padi Tu down. The fellow was still retching non-stop, making everyone want to keep their distance.
They settled Padi Tu on a large rock by the river, allowing the breeze to hit him for a while. After some time, he felt a little better, but the fellow always brightened up with the slightest bit of sunshine and immediately started to show off. He sprang up with a flourish, roaring with laughter: “Shanxi, your Rabbit Lord has arrived! With this great lord’s arrival, I shall surely rescue the common people from dire suffering! Rest assured, all of you, hahahaha.”
A small girl washing clothes on the dock turned her head and said, “Mommy, that man looks like one of Chief Xing’s subordinates, doesn’t he? You said all of Chief Xing’s subordinates were good people, but that man, why does he seem so silly?”
The woman next to her quickly pulled her closer. “Even good people can be silly, darling. Don’t look too long; if you watch people like that too much, you’ll become silly yourself.”
“Oh, okay! I won’t look then.”
Unaware that his reputation had already suffered, Padi Tu stood with his hands on his hips and loudly declared to the civilian dwellings in the water fortress: “If any of you have difficulties, just come to the Rabbit Lord! There’s nothing this Rabbit Lord cannot solve, just with this My Heaven Rabbit Rending Overlord Sword...”
He dramatically drew his sword, but the long sword slipped from his grasp and fell onto a rock, bouncing off with a 'clink' and plunking into the river.
Padi Tu was startled. “Oh no, my ancestral treasured sword!”
He immediately plunged into the river.
“Ahhh, this Rabbit Lord can’t swim! Someone, quick, who will save this Rabbit Lord?!”
The crowd nearby laughed and scolded, “The water is shallow there!”
“Huh?” Padi Tu responded.
His feet touched the riverbed, and he instantly stood upright. The water only reached his waist, yet he had been flailing in waist-deep water for quite a while. He gave an embarrassed chuckle, bent down and fumbled in the water for a moment, eventually finding his sword, picking it up, wiping it clean, and sheathing it.
The women washing clothes by the river quickly turned their heads away. “You really shouldn’t look at that man too much,” one muttered, “you’ll turn silly if you do.”
Padi Tu sheepishly returned to the group. “What an inauspicious start! My fate is incompatible with water. Rabbits don’t like water, so that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Everyone nodded. “No problem there!” they said. “But you, as the strategist for this relief force, arrived in Shanxi and didn't immediately report for duty, but instead ran off to act foolishly. That’s a big problem.”
Padi Tu was speechless.
Cheng Xu knew Zheng Daniu was simple-minded and understood little. So, for this reinforcement contingent of over five hundred men, though Zheng Daniu was nominally its captain, Padi Tu had been appointed as its strategist, with all important matters entrusted to him.
Having been roasted, Padi Tu quickly returned to the main topic. “Of the five hundred firearm soldiers sent this time,” he announced, “two hundred are equipped with Chassepot Rifles. Instructor He said this is their first time in actual combat. Although they’ve trained for a long time, real combat is completely different from training. He hopes they can gain experience in this battle against Wang Guozhong. He also asks the generals on the front lines to use this battle to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Chassepot Rifle, and to develop even better tactics centered around it in the future.”
Upon hearing this, the Puppet Heavenly Lord’s spirits lifted. Heh, so the breech-loading rifles were finally seeing real action? Although there were only two hundred, which wasn't many, it was certainly enough to deal with a minor figure like Wang Guozhong. Hehehe.
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