Chapter 637: Building Yellow Turban Fortress
The development of Hengshui Town was, of course, essential for Gao Family Village.
Because Yellow Turban Fortress on Eagle Beak Mountain was highly likely to be converted into a militarized stronghold in the future, it wouldn't be convenient to have large numbers of warships hidden there with common folk milling about them daily.
Therefore, Li Daoxuan had also formulated a development plan for Hengshui Town.
Hengshui Town and Yellow Turban Fortress would be developed concurrently. Once both locations were completed, trustworthy individuals, after thorough vetting, would remain at Yellow Turban Fortress, eventually transforming into soldiers of the Gao Family Village Militia or logistics personnel for the fleet.
Meanwhile, the broader populace would be settled in Hengshui Town.
Separating the military from the civilians was clearly a more rational approach.
Of course, these matters couldn't be explained to the magistrate's aide. Let him believe this place was just being built on a whim.
Once the mud sleds were no longer needed, the group switched to traveling by land.
They covered a dozen li at a brisk pace, reaching their destination in just over an hour.
However, before he even ascended the mountain, he saw many common folk on the slopes digging earth and lifting stones, building roads for ascending and descending. These roads were deliberately constructed as winding mountain paths, clearly to ease the gradient and facilitate passage for carts and horses.
Road workers were everywhere on the slopes, a scene of bustling activity.
This wasn't the kind of work water bandits would be interested in; only diligent common folk would roll up their sleeves and toil like this.
Liu Bawan's fear instantly vanished, replaced by a slight excitement. "So many laborers? Master Bai, where did you find so many people to build roads?"
Bai Yuan sighed. "All disaster-stricken common folk from the Yellow River flood zone."
Liu Bawan suddenly understood. Master Bai had built over five hundred mud sleds, and of course, they weren't just for saving the county town's residents. The common folk in the rural fields outside the city needed saving too.
And it was clearly more logical to rescue those in the countryside first.
During a natural disaster, town residents sheltering within the city walls had a greater chance of survival. But rural common folk were extremely vulnerable; if they were trapped on rooftops or hillsides by floodwaters and received no rescue, they would starve to death within three to five days.
So, Master Bai had clearly used these mud sleds to rescue a large number of rural common folk first, before coming to the county town.
Liu Bawan's respect intensified.
The group navigated the rough, excavated mountain road and soon arrived at a dilapidated fortress clinging to the mountainside.
Bai Yuan smiled. "Aide, care to guess what kind of fortress this is?"
Liu Bawan's heart jumped. "Yellow Turban Fortress?"
"Precisely!" Bai Yuan chuckled. "This is Yellow Turban Fortress, where the water bandits have been entrenched for years. A few days ago, I led my household guards and the refugees in an assault on the mountain, netting all the water bandits within. Now, this fortress belongs to the refugees."
As they spoke, a group of common folk emerged from the fortress gate, shouldering shovels and sledgehammers, clearly preparing to join the road construction.
Upon seeing Bai Yuan, the group quickly bowed deeply. "Greetings, Master Bai."
Bai Yuan instantly struck a dashing posture, smiling and waving. "Hello, everyone!"
Liu Bawan thought to himself: 'This immensely powerful lord, addressing ordinary common folk, is actually so genial and even returns their greetings. What a surprise!'
Just then, Bai Yuan chuckled. "No matter who greets me, I always return the courtesy properly. A gentleman's six arts, I am very particular about the 'rites' aspect!"
Liu Bawan was speechless.
Continuing into Yellow Turban Fortress, Liu Bawan observed that construction was underway everywhere: fortress walls, watchtowers, arrow towers, dwellings... The men were toiling tirelessly, while a large number of women cooked meals, boiled water, and washed clothes, diligently managing logistics for them.
Inside and out, walking the circuit, Liu Bawan saw no fewer than twenty thousand common folk. The sheer scale was astonishing.
Reaching the innermost part, they found a massive open ground behind the fortress.
A large group of able-bodied young men among the common folk were lined up in formation, creating a vast array. Each held a wooden stick, clearly undergoing training. A man dressed in Bai family household guard attire commanded from the front: "Left turn! Right turn! Forward march!"
Liu Bawan jumped in alarm. "Oh, Master Bai, what are you doing? Are you training troops for rebellion?"
"Training troops for rebellion?" Bai Yuan shook his head. "I am a law-abiding commoner; how could I secretly train troops for rebellion? This is merely militia training, preparing to deal with the dozens of other minor water bandit factions in Xiaolangdi."
Bai Yuan continued, "The Xiaolangdi water bandits have persisted for over a thousand years. The authorities have repeatedly suppressed them but never truly eradicated them, largely because they commit too few resources. I've considered it, and the best way to wipe out these bandits is to mobilize a large militia. With strength in numbers, the militia can sweep through the entire Xiaolangdi area like a carpet, leaving no place for any bandit to hide."
Liu Bawan considered this carefully; it seemed logical.
Bai Yuan maintained his smile. "Furthermore, after eliminating the water bandits, we must send common folk to occupy their strongholds, turning these fortresses into settlements where the people can live. This way, there will never be water bandits again."
Liu Bawan thought it over again. "Brilliant! Master Bai is right. Places where bandits gather are often devoid of ordinary common folk. Once enough people live there, the bandits will have no foothold. Only this strategy can permanently eradicate the scourge of the Xiaolangdi water bandits."
He quickly bowed deeply to Bai Yuan. "Master Bai, what immense talent!"
Bai Yuan chuckled inwardly: 'But all these villages of common folk listen to me. If I were to raise the banner of rebellion, all the people here would become rebels. I won't elaborate on that with you.'
As the two were speaking, a sentry suddenly shouted, "Water bandits! There are water bandits coming on the river!"
That shout instantly startled Liu Bawan, and the twenty yamen runners and hangers-on who had accompanied him also trembled uncontrollably.
But the people within the water fortress showed no fear. Many workers simply paused their tasks and gazed out at the water.
Indeed, on the water beneath Eagle Beak Mountain, a flotilla of small sampans appeared, about twenty of them. Each boat carried five or six water bandits, totaling around a hundred men. The bandit boats even flew a flag emblazoned with the character "Li".
Liu Bawan exclaimed, "Huh? Where did these water bandits come from?"
Bai Yuan, who had long since investigated Xiaolangdi's bandit factions, replied confidently with a slight smile, "From the looks of it, they must be from the southern waters, led by Li Dayu, the chieftain of Stone Stronghold. That fellow usually steers clear of our water fortress. For him to dare show himself nearby today, it seems he's been left alone for too long and is itching for trouble."
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