Chapter 719 You All Seem So Lively
The Heavenly Lord issued his command, then instantly shifted his Co-sensing to Dragon Gate Ferry.
Shi Jian was stationed there.
Previously, Shi Jian was merely a centurion, limited to commanding a thousand soldiers, with no leeway for exceeding that number. But after his promotion to commander, he enjoyed much greater freedom. The rigid troop limits were gone, replaced by extensive authority to deploy forces as needed, depending on the situation of a particular area or village.
Given the critical strategic importance of the Dragon Gate Yellow River Bridge, it naturally required more troops.
Gao Family Village assigned a thousand new recruits, freshly trained in the village, to Shi Jian. Additionally, Zheng Gouzi, who had been inseparable from Padi Tu, was transferred to Dragon Gate Ferry as a deputy commander, as there wasn't much for him to do in Xi'an.
At that moment, Shi Jian and Zheng Gouzi were addressing the thousand newly arrived greenhorns. Suddenly, the "Titanic Heavenly Lord" statue standing atop Dragon Gate Ferry lowered its arm and descended from the mountaintop.
"Prepare to deploy troops into Yansui and relieve Yanchang County."
With this command, Shi Jian and Zheng Gouzi immediately set aside the new recruits and sprang into action.
"Which of us goes?"
"We can't keep all of them behind. Take three hundred to give them some experience."
"So, seven hundred veterans and three hundred new recruits it is."
The two rapidly assigned duties, preparing weapons and provisions for the expedition, scrambling around frantically.
Meanwhile, deep within Huanglong Mountain.
Bus 86 continued to race alongside the messenger's horse.
Several labor reform prisoners poked their heads out of the bus window. "Brother, stop riding that horse! The Heavenly Lord has ordered you to board our bus. We'll give you a ride."
The messenger stammered, "I... this is an eight-hundred-li urgent military dispatch..."
"All the more reason to get on board," a labor reform prisoner chuckled. "We're clearly faster than you."
That made sense.
The messenger asked, "What about my horse?"
"Bring the horse along too!" the prisoner laughed. "Look how big our bus is; there's plenty of room to squeeze a horse into the aisle."
The messenger was tempted.
Seeing his horse truly couldn't run any further, while the bus still flew along, the messenger gave in. "How much does this ride cost?"
"The Heavenly Lord gave the order; we won't charge you a penny!"
The bus stopped, and the messenger quickly boarded, leading his horse onto the vehicle and letting it stand in the aisle between the two rows of seats.
The space was a bit cramped for the horse, which snorted restlessly.
The messenger, however, found a spot and sat down.
The bus immediately started again, and the wind rushed in through the window. The messenger's heart skipped a beat. "This bus is incredible! So, you people from Chengcheng County have been freely traversing Huanglong Mountain in vehicles like this for a long time?"
The labor reform prisoners chuckled. "That's right! Impressed?"
The messenger was utterly impressed and equally envious. He realized these people had been so advanced for so long, while he'd been foolishly riding a horse.
The old driver of Bus 86 executed some impressive maneuvers, the bus speeding along, drifting through turns and skidding through drain channels. After a long while, a fork in the road appeared ahead.
At the intersection stood a strange little building with a sign that read: "Tongle Village Station."
The driver turned to the messenger. "Apologies, old brother messenger, but I can only take you this far. You're headed for Dragon Gate, which means you need to turn east at this fork, but my Bus 86 route goes south. My route is fixed and cannot be changed arbitrarily."
The messenger replied, "No worries, I'm already extremely grateful. You've brought me so far, and my horse is well-rested. I'll continue on horseback from here."
The driver said, "No need for that. While I can't take you further, another bus can. Just wait here at Tongle Village Station, and shortly, a bus marked '87' will come by. Just transfer to Bus 87. Tell the driver it's by the Heavenly Lord's command, and they'll take you."
The messenger looked bewildered.
He was a bit confused!
But the messenger obediently followed the advice. After disembarking from Bus 86, he stood in front of the small building at "Tongle Village Station" and waited.
Bus 86 waved goodbye, and the labor reform prisoners on board whistled, "Give those rising stars, Xue Hongqi, Yizuocheng, and One-Character King, a good lesson! If you catch them alive, send them over to us for some re-education. Don't let our current state fool you; we care deeply about the younger generation, you know."
The messenger looked bewildered.
Bus 86 sped away, leaving the messenger standing alone at the station, a little uneasy.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before a strange bus marked "87" pulled up. The bus stopped at "Tongle Village Station."
On board were a driver and several labor reform prisoners, all looking at the messenger with curious eyes. "Brother, where are you from? You don't look like one of us, do you? You outsiders actually wait for the bus?"
The messenger quickly said, "The Heavenly Lord commanded it; I need a ride."
The driver chirped, "Oh, so it's the Heavenly Lord's command! Come on aboard."
One of the labor reform prisoners spoke up, "Could this person be impersonating the Heavenly Lord's command?"
The driver chuckled, "Oh, you've reminded me!"
Just as he was about to ask for details, the Heavenly Lord, communicating through a subtle Co-sensing, spoke, "Take him."
The driver replied, "As you command."
So, the messenger old brother transferred to Bus 87.
The labor reform prisoners on the bus were still singing: "Singing for jest, singing for sport, Liu Xuande came from making straw sandals, Zhang Fei butchered pigs and sold rice wine, Yun Chang carried tofu on a pole to sell in the streets—which hero doesn't come from hardship?"
The messenger remarked, "Brothers, you all seem so lively. Are you villagers from nearby?"
The labor reform prisoners laughed. "No, no, we're hardly qualified to be villagers. That's a title only commoners dare to claim."
The messenger asked, "Then are you... artisans?"
The labor reform prisoners shook their heads. "Artisans? That's quite a status! They can earn three taels of silver a month. We wouldn't dare presume to be that."
Hearing "three taels of silver a month," the messenger was stunned and disbelieving, but he didn't want to dwell on that detail. He continued to ask, "Then who exactly are you? Earlier, on Bus 86, I met people just like you, and they also seemed very lively."
The labor reform prisoners laughed. "We're criminals, caught for our misdeeds and undergoing labor reform."
The messenger exclaimed, "!!!"
Who the hell would believe that? Prisoners like *this*?
The labor reform prisoners chuckled. "Brother, you don't seem very lively."
The messenger looked awkward. "Scantily clothed and fed, working harder than oxen, eating less than chickens—how could I be lively? Sigh!"
The labor reform prisoners burst into laughter. "Then why don't you come join us? You're a commoner, not a labor reform prisoner, so if you came here, you'd be rich in less than half a year. Our Chengcheng County militia is expanding, and the military pay is five taels of silver a month! A swift military messenger like you would definitely get in. You'd be an elite soldier from day one, and you'd even get extra bonuses."
The messenger gasped, "What?! What, what, what? Five taels? Elite soldiers get bonuses too?"
He was utterly flabbergasted.
The messenger asked, "What about my horse?"
"Bring the horse along too!" the prisoner laughed. "Look how big our bus is; there's plenty of room to squeeze a horse into the aisle."
The messenger was tempted.
Seeing his horse truly couldn't run any further, while the bus still flew along, the messenger gave in. "How much does this ride cost?"
"The Heavenly Lord gave the order; we won't charge you a penny!"
The bus stopped, and the messenger quickly boarded, leading his horse onto the vehicle and letting it stand in the aisle between the two rows of seats.
The space was a bit cramped for the horse, which snorted restlessly.
The messenger, however, found a spot and sat down.
The bus immediately started again, and the wind rushed in through the window. The messenger's heart skipped a beat. "This bus is incredible! So, you people from Chengcheng County have been freely traversing Huanglong Mountain in vehicles like this for a long time?"
The labor reform prisoners chuckled. "That's right! Impressed?"
The messenger was utterly impressed and equally envious. He realized these people had been so advanced for so long, while he'd been foolishly riding a horse.
The old driver of Bus 86 executed some impressive maneuvers, the bus speeding along, drifting through turns and skidding through drain channels. After a long while, a fork in the road appeared ahead.
At the intersection stood a strange little building with a sign that read: "Tongle Village Station."
The driver turned to the messenger. "Apologies, old brother messenger, but I can only take you this far. You're headed for Dragon Gate, which means you need to turn east at this fork, but my Bus 86 route goes south. My route is fixed and cannot be changed arbitrarily."
The messenger replied, "No worries, I'm already extremely grateful. You've brought me so far, and my horse is well-rested. I'll continue on horseback from here."
The driver said, "No need for that. While I can't take you further, another bus can. Just wait here at Tongle Village Station, and shortly, a bus marked '87' will come by. Just transfer to Bus 87. Tell the driver it's by the Heavenly Lord's command, and they'll take you."
The messenger looked bewildered.
He was a bit confused!
But the messenger obediently followed the advice. After disembarking from Bus 86, he stood in front of the small building at "Tongle Village Station" and waited.
Bus 86 waved goodbye, and the labor reform prisoners on board whistled, "Give those rising stars, Xue Hongqi, Yizuocheng, and One-Character King, a good lesson! If you catch them alive, send them over to us for some re-education. Don't let our current state fool you; we care deeply about the younger generation, you know."
The messenger looked bewildered.
Bus 86 sped away, leaving the messenger standing alone at the station, a little uneasy.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before a strange bus marked "87" pulled up. The bus stopped at "Tongle Village Station."
On board were a driver and several labor reform prisoners, all looking at the messenger with curious eyes. "Brother, where are you from? You don't look like one of us, do you? You outsiders actually wait for the bus?"
The messenger quickly said, "The Heavenly Lord commanded it; I need a ride."
The driver chirped, "Oh, so it's the Heavenly Lord's command! Come on aboard."
One of the labor reform prisoners spoke up, "Could this person be impersonating the Heavenly Lord's command?"
The driver chuckled, "Oh, you've reminded me!"
Just as he was about to ask for details, the Heavenly Lord, communicating through a subtle Co-sensing, spoke, "Take him."
The driver replied, "As you command."
So, the messenger old brother transferred to Bus 87.
The labor reform prisoners on the bus were still singing: "Singing for jest, singing for sport, Liu Xuande came from making straw sandals, Zhang Fei butchered pigs and sold rice wine, Yun Chang carried tofu on a pole to sell in the streets—which hero doesn't come from hardship?"
The messenger remarked, "Brothers, you all seem so lively. Are you villagers from nearby?"
The labor reform prisoners laughed. "No, no, we're hardly qualified to be villagers. That's a title only commoners dare to claim."
The messenger asked, "Then are you... artisans?"
The labor reform prisoners shook their heads. "Artisans? That's quite a status! They can earn three taels of silver a month. We wouldn't dare presume to be that."
Hearing "three taels of silver a month," the messenger was stunned and disbelieving, but he didn't want to dwell on that detail. He continued to ask, "Then who exactly are you? Earlier, on Bus 86, I met people just like you, and they also seemed very lively."
The labor reform prisoners laughed. "We're criminals, caught for our misdeeds and undergoing labor reform."
The messenger exclaimed, "!!!"
Who the hell would believe that? Prisoners like *this*?
The labor reform prisoners chuckled. "Brother, you don't seem very lively."
The messenger looked awkward. "Scantily clothed and fed, working harder than oxen, eating less than chickens—how could I be lively? Sigh!"
The labor reform prisoners burst into laughter. "Then why don't you come join us? You're a commoner, not a labor reform prisoner, so if you came here, you'd be rich in less than half a year. Our Chengcheng County militia is expanding, and the military pay is five taels of silver a month! A swift military messenger like you would definitely get in. You'd be an elite soldier from day one, and you'd even get extra bonuses."
The messenger gasped, "What?! What, what, what? Five taels? Elite soldiers get bonuses too?"
He was utterly flabbergasted.
Comments