Chapter 993: Bringing the Xiaolangdi Militia
Li Daoxuan, by sheer coincidence, was busy bringing rain to several neighboring counties. When his water reserves ran dry and he paused to replenish them, he casually shifted his view to Luoyang City, arriving just in time to witness the messenger's urgent report.
Spotting the generals about to depart, Li Daoxuan instantly conjured a mass-produced avatar of the Heavenly Lord, placing it squarely in their path, effectively blocking the doorway.
This sudden "descent from heaven" genuinely startled the three generals. Gao Jie, in particular, quickly stumbled back three steps, feeling as though his fists were beginning to throb once more.
Cao Wenzhao, however, remained comparatively composed. Having committed no great wrong, he felt no particular fear of deities. He cast a glance skyward, then at the spot where Li Daoxuan had landed, and couldn't resist asking, "You leaped from the heavens, yet didn't even leave a crater in the ground?"
Cao Bianjiao interjected, "Uncle, is *that* what we should be concerned with right now? Shouldn't we be asking why the Heavenly Lord has chosen to block our path?"
Cao Wenzhao blinked. "Ah, you're quite right."
Cao Wenzhao promptly clasped his fists and asked, "May I inquire what instructions the Heavenly Lord has for us?"
Li Daoxuan declared, "I am not here to impede you two, but Gao Jie. You both may depart, but Gao Jie has not yet completed his ideological lesson and is forbidden from leaving at this time."
Gao Jie blinked. "Eh?"
It was a recipe for popular rebellion spurred by official tyranny!
Li Daoxuan declared, "Gao Jie must remain here and continue his studies. Until your ideology is fully aligned, do not even consider leaving Luoyang by half a step."
Gao Jie was speechless.
This was certainly awkward!
Gao Jie dared not resist, and could only wretchedly plead his plight. "Heavenly Lord," he began, "Your words, your humble general would never defy. However, I have just received a military order. If I do not immediately deploy my troops, Supreme Commander Lu Xiangheng will surely impeach me for insubordination, and then your humble general will be stripped of his rank and executed..."
"Claim illness," Li Daoxuan instructed. "Just say you are unwell."
Gao Jie grew somewhat agitated. "This... this is truly perilous. Your humble general is already a former rebel now under imperial command. If I fail to earnestly earn the court's trust, and defy orders once more, I will surely face certain ruin."
Li Daoxuan considered this thoughtfully. Indeed, there was a kernel of truth in Gao Jie's words.
"Very well, I grant you permission to depart," Li Daoxuan conceded. "However, a political commissar must accompany you, continuing your lessons as you travel."
Gao Jie let out a strangled "Pfft!"
Li Daoxuan continued, "Furthermore, your soldiers have not yet undergone transformation. They remain a band of unruly ruffians, and I have no desire to unleash them to prey upon the populace. Therefore... you may only take a small, loyal personal retinue, those who truly obey your command."
"Ah?" Gao Jie was even more bewildered now. "Your humble general shares a bitter enmity with the Dashing General for having stolen his wife. The Dashing General will attack me with all his might the moment he sees me. If I only bring a small personal retinue, your humble general faces certain death!"
Li Daoxuan stated, "Bai Yuan will lead the Xiaolangdi Militia to accompany you. His militia's ideology has already been transformed."
Gao Jie was utterly speechless.
This order was truly utterly unacceptable. Gao Jie understood at once that if he set out with such a unit, he could forget any notion of commanding his troops. The actual commander would undoubtedly be Bai Yuan, while he himself would be a mere figurehead, a general in name only, unable to direct anyone beyond his small personal guard.
Yet, whether he wished to accept it or not, he had no choice. After being chastised during their previous encounter, Gao Jie no longer dared to defy Li Daoxuan. Joining the battle in this manner was, after all, preferable to not participating at all.
Gao Jie could only slump his shoulders and sigh, "As you command!"
Soon after, Cao Wenzhao, at the head of the Guanning Iron Cavalry, departed ahead of them.
Gao Jie, meanwhile, could only meekly await Bai Yuan's arrival with his troops from Xiaolangdi.
An hour later, Bai Yuan arrived in Luoyang, leading five thousand militia members.
Gao Jie had initially scoffed, believing a paltry militia unit would be nothing to write home about. He was struck dumb, however, after just one glance.
Bai Yuan's militia were all armed with flintlock rifles—every single one!
Each soldier held a long flintlock rifle, clearly of finely crafted make, not the crude, poorly fashioned local fowling pieces Gao Jie was accustomed to.
Yet, these flintlock rifles weren't even the most astonishing part!
What was truly staggering was the sight behind the Xiaolangdi Militia: eight massive, square armored conveyances, enveloped in thick iron plating. Gao Jie couldn't discern their combat effectiveness, but the sight of eight massive cannons trailing behind them was an undeniable spectacle.
"Eight cannons?" Gao Jie couldn't help but gape in astonishment. "Are you truly a militia?"
Bai Yuan produced his fan, unfurled it with a snap, and addressed Gao Jie with the air of a true gentleman. "Must a militia not possess cannons? You are lagging behind the times! Even scattered rebel bands can procure a few cannons these days. If we arrive without artillery, and the bandit army entrenches themselves on the hills, mounting their cannons to shell us, assaulting their positions would be nearly impossible. We, too, must bring cannons to match their firepower."
His words were undeniably sound.
Gao Jie mused inwardly, "This militia is formidable indeed, far superior to my own ragtag bunch of soldiers. Even if they won't heed my command, they can at least ensure my survival. Ah well, when facing a deity, one must simply bow their head."
He instructed Xing Honglang to remain in Luoyang, overseeing his former troops, while he himself, accompanied by only a small contingent of personal guards, departed with Bai Yuan, heading towards Luzhou.
By this time, with Li Daoxuan's Field of View Expansion, the entire northwestern region of Henan had become "Heavenly Lord's domain." The militia had been steadily pushing forward in alignment with Li Daoxuan's expanding view, careful not to advance too aggressively.
The reason for this caution was the overwhelming number of rebels in the vicinity. Li Daoxuan had no desire for his people to be encircled and swallowed whole by hundreds of thousands of rebels beyond his current field of view, and thus he continually instructed them to advance slowly.
With every certain distance they advanced, the local populace would be transported en masse to factories near Luoyang, where they would be accommodated within the factory compounds, provided with dormitories and employment.
Consequently, a vast area southeast of Luoyang had become an uninhabited zone!
Gao Jie and Bai Yuan led their forces, steadily making their way through this immense, uninhabited expanse.
Years of relentless drought had left all the small lakes, ponds, and minor rivers in this region utterly parched. Occasionally, a meager trickle of water might be found in a deep well, but it was nowhere near enough for five thousand people to sustain themselves.
The militia had to meticulously plan their marching distance and time, ensuring they reached the next sizable river to replenish their onboard water supply before their current reserves were depleted.
As he marched, Gao Jie meticulously observed the militia before him.
He was eager to discern the fundamental differences between these militia soldiers and his own subordinates. Why had the Heavenly Lord declared these militiamen "transformed," while his own men were forbidden from leaving Luoyang, to prevent them from preying upon the populace?
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