Chapter 341: The Four Sea Dragon Kings Have All Arrived
Chapter 336 of "The Great Ming in the Box" kicks off revealing secrets: Ma Tianzhengâs performance could be described as a full act.Even Li Daoxuan hadnât expected him... Keep reading!
Ma Tianzhengâs performance could be described as a full act.Even Li Daoxuan hadnât expected him to have so many steps and was already growing impatient; now that he saw Ma Tianzheng kneeling properly, he felt it was about time to act.
With a clatter, he plugged the connectors of four medical nebulizers into the power strip, added water, and beganâŚ
By now, the scene around Yang Villageâs threshing ground was packed with crowds.
A large number of common people had formed layers upon layers, and those in the center, including Heyang County Magistrate Feng Jun, the county clerk, and the principal, had also grown impatient.
The county clerk couldnât help muttering aloud: âThat divine being acts convincingly, but after this act, can he really bring rain? I donât believe it anyway.â
Feng Jun whispered: âI donât believe it either, but with him putting on this show, it gives the people hope. Weâll spread the word afterward that rain could fall at any momentâso the people keep hoping and wonât rebel.â
Just as the two finished speaking, they heard the common people clamoring: âLook, look!â
âQuick, look at the sky!â
âThat cloud is splitting to both sidesâŚâ
âWow, somethingâs emerging from the clouds.â
Hearing the comments, Feng Jun and the others hurriedly looked up.
About seventy zhang directly overhead, there was a strange low cloud; it was spreading apart to the sides, and a huge green dragon head poked out from within the clouds, opening its massive maw to release a misty rain fog.
Feng Jun gasped: âSiss! It really came? Thatâs the⌠Dragon King!â
The county clerk yelled frantically: âLook, over there⌠the distant sky!â
Following where the county clerk pointed, everyone spotted another low cloud in the distant sky; as it parted, another dragon head emerged, this time red.
Then came another low cloud revealing a blue dragon head, and soon after, a yellow dragon head followed.
All four dragon heads simultaneously opened their huge mouths in the sky around Yang Village and spat out rain fog together.
Instantly, the overwhelming rain fog fell, covering a two-li area all around Yang Village completely in the rain.
Feng Jun stared wide-mouthed at the sky, momentarily speechless.
The county clerk said: âCounty Lord, you⌠have nosebleedâŚâ
Feng Jun wiped at it; the blood dragged downward to the corner of his mouth, then curved upward as if he were grinning broadly.
âThey really invited the Dragon King to bring rain!â
âAnd invited four of them.â
âThe Four Sea Dragon Kings have all come!â
The common people burst into loud cheers: âThank you, Lord of Heaven!â
Ma Tianzheng roared in anger: âWrong, not Lord of Heaven, but Dao Xuan Deity! You thanked the wrong deityârisk Him stopping the rain if youâre not careful.â
The latter part had such a strong impact that the people were terrified and quickly changed their tune: âThank you, Dao Xuan Deity!â
âDeity bless us!â
âDao Xuan Deity has such prestige to invite all Four Sea Dragon Kings.â
Ma Tianzheng thought: That wasnât through prestigeâthey were grabbed by the neck. How powerful Dao Xuan Deity is, you fools will understand in time.
Now, the whole Yang Village had gone wild!
Earlier, large amounts of grain had been transported in, and now the Deity had sent rain.
The common people started pondering: They could first work jobs to earn wages, use the wages to fill their familiesâ stomachs, plant the grain when sowing season arrived, and care for their farmland while working.
By harvest season in six months, theyâd return to their former lives.
Thinking this, the people couldnât help dancing and leaping about wildly in the rain fog, yelling and shouting.
Zhang Yuanwai, the militia instructor from Xia Village, also stared stunned at the sky with his mouth agape; heâd contributed a chicken as a sacrificial offering, expecting nothing in return, but it actually rained.
That chicken was damn well worth it!
Just as visions of restoring his familyâs honor filled his mind, Bai Yuan, draped in flowing white clothing, stood before him.
Zhang Yuanwai asked: âWho are you?â
Bai Yuan smiled: âI am Bai Yuan, the militia instructor of Chengcheng Countyâs large militia.â
Zhang Yuanwai said: âAh! Itâs you. Instructor Bai, Iâve long heard of your fame. They say that in Chengcheng County, you defeated Supreme Bright King, Bai Shui Wang Er, Wang Zuogua, Bu Zhan Ni⌠and the other day, you sniped Fan Shanyue with a firearm from over a hundred paces away. Without you, we in Heyang County couldnât have defeated that great traitor or invited the Deity to bring rain.â
Bai Yuan felt flattered inwardly but kept a straight face externally; he took out a folding fan and snapped it open with âGentlemanâ written largely on it; covering half his mouth with the fan, he said softly: âZhang Yuanwai, have you heard? The large bandit leader Wang Jiayin might attack our area any moment.â
A look of worry flashed across Zhang Yuanwaiâs face: âIâve heard it mentioned. They say Wang Jiayin commands nearly fifty thousand bandits, creating huge wavesâeven conquering many northern cities, alas.â
Bai Yuan pointed discreetly toward Heyang County Magistrate Feng Jun and the Heyang patrol officers, whispering: âZhang Yuanwai, do you think those officials can stop Wang Jiayin?â
Zhang Yuanwai shook his head: âRelying on them, they might not even stop salt smugglers.â
Bai Yuan nodded: âGreat minds think alike! To resist bandits, we must rely on our own militias. I heard your militia is quite impressive, earning great merit in crushing Fan Shanyueâs remnants.â
Zhang Yuanwai said: âOh, I just did a trifling thing, nothing grandâcomparing to Instructor Bai felling Fan Shanyue at a great distance with one shot.â
Bai Yuan said: âI wonât spin flowery or useless words, Zhang Yuanwai. Our Chengcheng and Heyang militias must unite to fight the bandits. Otherwise, when large hordes of tens of thousands arrive, and our militias are just a few hundred guarding each village or town, weâll be defeated one by one.â
That made perfect sense!
Zhang Yuanwaiâs militia had only four hundred menâsuch a small force achieved nothing against Fan Shanyue until he was killed, the bandit armyâs morale collapsed, and Zhang Yuanwai coordinated with other village militias to finally encircle and defeat Fan Shanyue.
Zhang Yuanwai had long felt powerless.
Hearing Bai Yuanâs words now, their ideas coincided naturally.
Bai Yuan continued: âOfficials suppress bandits but canât leave their jurisdictionsâfor example, Chengchengâs patrol officer canât chase bandits into Heyang County. Yet our militias face no such limits. We can cross counties freely, fight battles, and then return home. So, if Heyang County is in trouble, Chengchengâs militia can rush to aid. If Chengcheng has issues, Heyangâs militia can assist tooâour freedom far surpasses the officialsâ.â
Zhang Yuanwai was overjoyed: âThatâs how it should be! Our two countiesâ militias can form a brotherly alliance, watching each otherâs backs for increased strength. If Instructor Bai doesnât mind, call me Brother Zhang, Iâll call you Brother Bai, and from now on, Iâll follow you.â