Chapter 823 Let's Go See
Zhebu, stoically enduring his situation, was incredibly docile and obedient.
The moment he stepped out of the main fort, he enrolled in the first grade of primary school.
Walking along the main road of Gao Family Village, he could feel the Han people's peculiar gazes upon him.
Everyone's eyes held a hint of... wariness? Scorn? Disdain? Contempt? Hatred?
It seemed to contain all these emotions!
However, there were also gazes he couldn't quite comprehend: those of sympathy and pity.
Not everyone in Gao Family Village viewed the Mongolian boy with hostility; many displayed an attitude rooted in the purest human kindness.
Zhebu didn't understand that these people, who showed him kindness, were the "new generation" in Gao Family Village who had received modern education.
Their way of thinking, after being refined by the new textbooks provided by Li Daoxuan, had ascended to another dimension. They understood the consequences of "allowing children from other ethnic groups to learn Han culture."
Thus, they displayed a peculiar gentleness towards the Mongolian boy.
At the school entrance, a teenager called out to him, "What's your name?"
Zhebu cautiously replied, "My name is Zhebu."
"Hmm, a good name," the teenager smiled. "Being new here, there must be many things you don't understand, right? I'd be happy to be your friend! Whatever questions you have, just ask me. My name is Liu Maopao, and everyone calls me 'Handsome enough to bubble.' My father is Shopkeeper Liu, who runs a fresh noodle shop, and everyone calls him 'Rich enough to drip oil.'"
Zhebu was secretly startled. *What kind of peculiar person was this? Such strange nicknames?*
As he continued into the school, many more teenagers showed him a gentle demeanor. Several proactively approached him, shaking his hand and offering friendship.
Before long, Zhebu felt a bit bewildered.
*Was this truly the attitude of people from an enemy camp?*
*So, this is what Han people are like?*
Of course, such gentle attitudes weren't enough to sway Mongolians, who had been raised on a "wolf-like mentality" since childhood and only respected strength.
No matter how kind these people were to Zhebu, he wouldn't feel moved, only surprised.
He would only understand gratitude after learning enough Han culture...
For now, he only admired power.
That evening, Zhebu, having spent a day filled with caution and apprehension, returned to the main fort. Gao Yiye had arranged a small room for the mother and son within the main fort, located beside the watchtower.
Upon entering the room, Zhebu saw An Jile making the beds, neatly arranging the daily necessities bestowed upon her by Gao Yiye, and carefully tucking the "precious grain" into various jars and containers, hiding them in the corners of the room.
Seeing Zhebu return, An Jile quickly stepped forward. "My son, were you bullied by the Han people today? Did you endure it well?"
Zhebu replied, "No one bullied me. I attended classes all day and learned some of the Three Character Classic and Arabic numerals."
An Jile looked baffled.
Zhebu asked, "What about you, Mother?"
An Jile shook her head. "No one did anything to me either."
Both mother and son were greatly surprised.
Just then, a commotion of voices erupted outside. It sounded as though many people were moving together, creating a bustling noise.
Zhebu listened closely. "Mother, they're saying it's time for the Gaojia News broadcast, and they're going to watch it."
An Jile asked, "What is that?"
Zhebu said, "I don't know either. Let's go see."
An Jile quickly hid the last jar of flour, then followed Zhebu out of the room. Fearing someone might break in and steal, she meticulously locked the door.
The mother and son joined the flow of people and soon arrived outside the main fort's outer wall.
A large crowd was gathered there, pointing and gesturing at a massive "mirror."
The mirror was black; nothing appeared on its surface.
As the mother and son tried to make sense of the situation, the teenager who had greeted Zhebu at school appeared beside them, smiling. "Hello there, Mongolian friend! Have you come to watch the Gaojia News broadcast too?"
Zhebu's mind whirred for a moment before he remembered, "Ah? Handsome enough to bubble!"
The teenager chuckled. "That's right, it's me, Liu Maopao. You still haven't told me your name."
Zhebu had no choice but to introduce himself. "My name is Zhebu, which means 'arrow' in Mongolian."
Liu Maopao laughed. "Haha! So you're 'Little Arrow'! I told you, if you don't understand anything, you can always ask me. I saw you peeking around, so I figured you don't know what this is, right?"
Zhebu quickly replied, "Yes, please, Brother Bubble. What exactly is this large black mirror for? And what is the Gaojia News broadcast?"
Liu Maopao grinned as he explained, "This mirror is a celestial artifact, a Divine Mirror. It can show events happening a thousand *li* away, and even reveal the past and future. It is truly astonishingly powerful."
Zhebu jumped in surprise. "What?"
Liu Maopao continued, "Every evening, Dao Xuan Tian Zun uses this mirror to show us things from a thousand *li* away, events from the past and future. We don't even have to leave the village to know what's happening throughout the world, all thanks to this mirror."
Zhebu was utterly dumbfounded, thinking, *Could it really be that amazing?*
He was still skeptical when...
Suddenly, the large mirror lit up.
The beautiful woman who had sat beside the Heavenly Lord earlier that day appeared on the screen.
Her expression remained dignified and elegant, making it difficult to meet her gaze directly.
"First, a special news report..."
The moment they heard the words "special news report," the surrounding crowd burst into excited cheers.
Liu Maopao explained, "Little Arrow, because the Manchu forces have recently attacked our Great Ming's Xuanfu and Datong Prefectures, news about the Manchu is often broadcast lately. This is what we call a special news report."
Zhebu quickly replied, "Thank you for the guidance, Brother Bubble."
On the screen, Gao Yiye stated, "Yesterday, the Manchu forces attacked Daizhou City. Just as the city was on the verge of falling, our Gao Family Village Militia arrived in time, fought heroically, and repelled the Manchu. Below is a series of real-time combat footage sent back by our frontline reporters..."
The scene shifted, and Gao Yiye vanished.
Now on screen were the Manchu forces and the Gao Family Village army, confronting each other from a distance.
It turned out that before the battle began, Tie Niaofei had been ordered to transport the two-meter-large "miniature" camera to a small hillside on the flank of the battlefield. Its wide-angle lens captured the entire scene, bringing the whole battlefield into view.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
On screen, Gao Family Village's artillery unit made the first move. Plumes of black smoke rose among the Manchu forces, and large groups of Manchu invaders fell, scattered in gruesome disarray...
Next, the arquebusiers began to advance—onward, onward, onward.
Amidst the rapid, crackling gunfire, the Manchu invaders fell in swathes, like wheat being cut down. Their forces crumbled like a toppling mountain, fleeing in disarray and humiliation.
Free Reading.
Comments