Chapter 357: War Is Coming to Qiachuan Port
In Chapter 352 of "The Great Ming in the Box": Li Daoxuanâs perspective followed Gao Yiye, Thirty-Two, and Feng Jun as they entered Heyang County.... Discover the next events!
Li Daoxuanâs perspective followed Gao Yiye, Thirty-Two, and Feng Jun as they entered Heyang County. Feng Jun hosted a banquet for them. Just as the three were enjoying the meal, a swift horse galloped into the county office. The rider, draped in white robes, was none other than Bai Yuan.Finding no sign of Feng Jun in the front hall, Bai Yuan rushed straight to the courtyard and dashed up to the banquet table: âLord Feng, disaster is imminent! Iâve received reliable intelligenceâWang Jiayinâs fleet will soon attack Qiachuan Port.â
Clatter! Feng Junâs chopsticks fell to the ground. Blood immediately gushed from his nose.
âRegardless, please muster militias from every village and town, Lord Feng, and send them to Qiachuan Port,â urged Bai Yuan. âIâll also rally Chengcheng Countyâs militia to reinforce us.â
Feng Jun swept his official robes aside and sprinted out, his voice trailing behind him: âAgreed! Iâll mobilize the militia immediately. Chengchengâs forces are in your hands, Mr. Bai!â
Spotting Gao Yiye and Thirty-Two, Bai Yuan looked genuinely startled: âOh? You happen to be here in Heyang County too?â
Gao Yiye smiled. âYes, the Deity is with us.â
Bai Yuan turned his face skyward, overjoyed: âDeity, Bai Shui Wang Er has returned safely! Heâs at Qiachuan Port now.â
Upon hearing this, Li Daoxuan felt a surge of relief. Excellent. Wang Er was practically one of his own peopleâhis safety mattered most.
Bai Yuan spoke rapidly: âBut his return wasnât effortless. He failed to persuade Wang Jiayin to join Gaojia Village. Zhang Liwei and Wang Guozhong plotted to kill him. Thankfully, Wang Er prepared in advance. By employing a âgolden cicada shedding its shellâ stratagem, he stole a small boat and escaped at top speed. He reached Qiachuan Port just an hour ago.â
Li Daoxuan murmured, âSince Wang Erâs appeal failed, Wang Jiayin will proceed with his original plan: attacking Qiachuan Port. That means Wang Jiayinâs naval forces will sail downstream toward us soon.â
âExactly!â replied Bai Yuan. âTherefore, I intend to return to Gaojia Village immediately to summon Instructor He for support.â
âNo need to return,â Li Daoxuan interjected. âRoundtrip travel wastes precious time. Iâll call Instructor He over.â
Bai Yuan clasped his fists. âGratitude, Deity!â
Li Daoxuan pondered: Qiachuan Port still lies beyond my vision. Another battle unfolds where I canât intervene to protect my people. If even one is lost, itâll haunt me.
They require more reliable means of self-defense.
His thoughts drifted to how Wang Jiayinâs fleet had previously assaulted Hequ County in Shanxi, only to be repelled by Western cannons under the provincial commander. Coastal artillery turrets proved devastating against ships.
Not long ago, I supplied capillary steel tubing to the artisans at âArtisansâ Well.â Did they manage to build cannons in such a short timeframe? This feels rushed.
Li Daoxuan tapped the label âGaojia Village.â Instantly, his perspective snapped backâlanding first near the military camp. With his field of vision now stretching 1,000 meters long and 600 meters wide, he simultaneously observed the regular barracks, firearms bureau, and cavalry camp.
Without preamble, he printed a sheet of paper and held it aloft in the sky: All Units: Advance to Reinforce Qiachuan Port.
The three camps mobilized at once.
Leading were Zao Yingâs troops. Cavalry reacted fastest. Within moments, a core group of 120 elite ridersâher former bandit companyâsped out. Newer recruits scrambled after them, saddling frantically, uncertain if they could keep pace.
Next came Cheng Xuâs infantry. They packed hastily, collected ammunition from the firearms bureau, and marched out. As foot soldiers, their speed paled against the cavalry; theyâd need a full day to reach Qiachuan Port. Li Daoxuan sighed inwardly: We must complete that cement road soon. At least then we could transport troops using sun chariots.
Once both divisions marched, Li Daoxuan switched his focus to Artisansâ Well.
There, resting on the ground, stood two âstainless steel cannons.â Astonishingly, the craftsmen had forged them within mere days. Then it struck him: the core challenge of cannon-making was the barrel. By providing pre-made capillary steel tubingâcustom-blocked on one end with firing mechanisms preinstalledâheâd given them functional barrels straightaway.
All the artisans had done was add details: mounting wheels, attaching flash-pan covers, building handles, crafting compatible rounds, and preparing pre-measured bombs⌠Simple tasks for Gaojia Villageâs current productivity.
But here lay the problem: these weapons were freshly completed. No artillery unit had trained to use them.
Doesnât matter. Take them now!
Wishing not to alarm the tiny figures, Li Daoxuan slipped on an âInfinity Gloveâ over one handâextending its shimmering golden form toward Artisansâ Wellâwhile leaving his other hand bare for delicate control.
Artisans cheered at the sight of the âDeityâs handâ: âThe Deity is reaching down! What will he take?â
Li Daoxuan gently plucked a cannon with his ungloved hand, nestling it onto his golden palm. To the small figures, the cannon seemed to levitate independently before landing across his vast handâproof of the Deityâs boundless divine power. He then lifted a crate of cannonballs onto his palm.
His enormous hand swept horizontally, halting at the firearms bureau entrance. Without instruction, bureau chief Xu Dafu led his gunpowder makers outside. They piled bundles of pre-measured bomb packs onto the waiting palm.
No words passed. Li Daoxuan withdrew his hand beyond the box. The small figures watched the golden-skinned giant hand vanish into the clouds, cradling two cannons and ammunition stores.
He then tapped the tag above Heyang County. His perspective shifted back to the county seat.
As Bai Yuan readied to return to Qiachuan Port, Gao Yiye addressed him: âMr. Bai, one hundred militia guards are protecting me. Since the situation is urgent, take them. Theyâre elite fightersâfar superior to Heyang Countyâs militiaâand include skilled warriors like Ground Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi. Though honestly⌠If you excluded those two, the unitâs combat effectiveness would actually improveâŚâ
Bai Yuan replied sternly, âImpossible! Should Qiachuan Port fall, we withdraw to the county seatâa minor setback. But protecting the Saint Lady takes precedence. I wonât divert her guards.â